The exhibition  A Different Light : First Photographs of Aotearoa unites collections and expertise from three major institutions—Auckland Museum, Hocken Collections in Otago, and Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington. This unique collaboration combines significant photographic archives, allowing each partner to contribute unique insights, resources, and historical artifacts that highlight New Zealand’s early photographic history. The exhibition allows original 19th-century photographs to reach diverse audiences by touring across the three venues.

Aligned with the touring nature of the exhibition, A Different Light includes a versatile digital photo interactive to deepen visitor engagement. This experience invites audiences to step into a 19th-century portrait studio where they hold still to capture and customise their own historical-style photograph. Using a touchscreen, visitors can add colours and select frames, all inspired by exhibition daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and prints. The final image can be emailed as a keepsake, merging traditional portraiture with digital customisation. The interactive has been crafted inhouse at Auckland Museum with adaptability in mind, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into each venue.

Shaun Higgins has been working with photograph collections for over two decades, ranging from numerous exhibition contributions to research into unknown photographers. He has a background in Anthropology, Art History and Photography combined with Museum Studies and specialist training in Photographic care and identification. He is currently responsible for management of the pictorial collections of photographs and paintings at Auckland War Memorial Museum including research, collection development, exhibitions and collaboration. Current research interests include early New Zealand photographs, conflict photography, photographic technology and its application including digital, computer vision and photographic identification.

Jessica Morgan is a Digital Experience Producer at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, where she plans and produces engaging and innovative digital experiences for museum audiences. She has a background in development and creative arts and has experience working in both development and production roles within a museum context. This experience has allowed her to develop a strong understanding of developing digital projects from a technical and production perspective and has enabled her to deliver experiences across a range of technologies with a focus on enabling meaningful engagement for Auckland Museum’s diverse audiences.