NZIPP PRO Report December 2015

PR

Report BE INSPIRED, BE SUCCESSFUL, BELONG

NZIPP MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2015

NZIPP PRESIDENT KATHERINE WILLIAMS LOOKS FORWARD TO 2016/ MEET ANTHONY TURNHAM OF SNAP! PHOTOGRAPHY / AND CRAIG ROBERTSON PROVIDES A SNEAK PEAK INSIDE HIS COMMERCIAL/LANDSCAPE BAG

NOT A MEMBER OF THE NZIPP YET? As an accredited member of the NZIPP you have the support, networking opportunities and camaraderie of your peers within your industry. It also adds credibility for your clients that you are a professional photographer. Belonging to an institute that represents all areas of professional photography in New Zealand, and through our focus on education, advice, and a wide range of membership benefits we will help you improve the success and vitality of your business.

Your accredited member benefits will include: · · · · · · ·

Epson NZIPP Iris Awards Infocus Conference Meeting and Networking opportunities Professional Development Membership Discounts PRO Report eMagazine Scholarships

Come along to your next regional meetng to check out what becoming a member is all about!

Contact info@nzipp.org.nz

MISSION STATEMENT To champion, embrace and communicate excellence and professionalism in photography.

CONTACT NZ Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) P O Box 133158, Eastridge, Auckland 1146 New Zealand W: www.nzipp.org.nz E: info@nzipp.org.nz

We welcome your feedback and thoughts. If you have something to say, send it through to:

Cover Image:

info@nzipp.org.nz

“In every wedding one of my favourite parts is to work with the bride to create portraits of her that celebrate her beauty on day.” Image © Anthony Turnham

PRO REPORT is a publication of the NZIPP © NZIPP 2015. All rights reserved.

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08 CONTENTS Executive Updates 05 Presidents Report 06

Honours Council Report

NZIPP News 07 NZIPP on Facebook / Christmas Office Closure Dates 08

Gear Junkie - 5DSR Canon Review by Clinton Lloyd

Regional Updates 16 Auckland / Northland 19

Canterbury / Westland

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2016 Castle Hill Retreat

Member Profile 22 Anthony Turnham What’s In My Bag...?

34 Craig Robertson Photo Competitions 52

2016 Sony World

Corporate Members 53

Thanks to our Corporate Members

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EXECUTIVE UPDATE

Presidents Report Katherine Williams FNZIPP

In our lives community often may take centre stage particularly as we move into the festive time of year, and rightly so.

We can each enjoy many different communities, as this encompasses so much more than just where we live.

A thriving community is not constructed with only like minded individuals, but in fact can function at it’s most effective when filled with diversity of opinion, ideas and experience amongst the people sharing some aspect only of commonality - all of whom are valued within that community.

As a photographic community, the intent of the NZIPP is that it represents the interests of the professional photography industry of New Zealand – and a diverse community that is!

I ask myself how does a community filled with potential become a community filled with greatness. It’s time to pitch in together a little more in order to allow better collaboration to take place and allow us to truly thrive.

Looking forward to 2016 is a year we look to connect with the industry’s people better and allow our growth in many ways. To best serve the interests for all of us this means as in true community spirit we can achieve more through unity and could all be looking to give back in some way. In my eyes I see our future as a community growing with heart and soul, individually flourishing in sustainable businesses and as a community become stronger - we must work for this together and not simply expect it to fall at our feet.

3 months now into my time as NZIPP President and nationally we as a team are full of ideas which we are moving to implement. We are getting some offers of those wanting to pitch in and help - Thank you! We love it when you invest in your community and put your hand up to help out too, so please don’t be shy.

In fact it is feedback and collaboration that are essential if we are to have a community that embraces and grows from it’s very existence. Together we are able to best work through the ever-changing challenges of being in business as a professional photographer.

Go, make hay while the sun shines but don’t forget to have a fantastic festive season…doing the things that mean the most to you.

Lie in the grass, watch the clouds dance, and the shadows fall, and repeat.

Then brace yourselves for a whole lot of awesome stuff in 2016!

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EXECUTIVE UPDATE

Honours Council Report Kaye Davis GMNZIPP, MAIPP II, MCGD - Chair of the NZIPP Honours Council On behalf of the Honours Council Team; Blair Quax, FNZIPP, Accredited Wedding Photographer Esther Bunning, GMNZIPP, Accredited Wedding and Portrait Photographer Paul Daly, FNZIPP, Accredited Commercial Photographer.

It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is so close upon us. While the Honours Team itself has been a little quiet post this year’s awards, there has been a great deal of work being done behind the scene by the NZIPP Board. Least of which has been planning for and securing dates for the 2016 Epson/NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards and Infocus Conference.

While things are still “happening” in this department, with news on where/when due to be released very shortly (stay tuned!!), I’d like to use this report to introduce a new member onto the Honours Team, Paul Daly.

I know we often all balk at writing about ourselves, but I thought I’d give Paul the opportunity to tell us a little about himself.

A South Island lad who grew up in the Southern Lakes, Paul now works as a commercial photographer in Christchurch, and as with many “regional” photographers, the days are filled shooting a variety of work.

What Paul especially looks forward to is jumping on a plane and doing travel related stuff (don’t we all?). He achieves this through running one or two international photography tours each year, along with some locally based photography workshops and photography related education.

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A busy person, Paul also writes and photographs for the occasional magazine article. A career highlight was in 2015 when he won the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year.

Paul joined the NZIPP in 2006, and acted as Treasurer of the Canterbury/Westland Region for four years. An NZIPP highlight was achieving the elusive “Gold” at the Iris Awards, which finally allowed him to gain his Fellow in 2013.

Having gained a lot from being part of the NZIPP, Paul is now stepping up his involvement and wanting to contribute to the Institute through a more “hands on” approach.

We are more than happy that Paul has made this decision and would like you to join us in welcoming him onto the Honours Team. We look forward to him bringing fresh insight and perspective to the Team and the Awards.

As this is the last issue of Pro Report prior to Christmas, we’d also like to take the opportunity of wishing everyone a safe, memorable and fun filled festive season, and look forward to seeing you all again in 2016.

NZIPP NEWS

NZIPP on Facebook / Veterans Photos/ Christmas Hours

Rachel Callender Awarded

Meeting of the minds

A huge congratulations to NZIPP member Rachel Callander FNZIPP for winning the Making a Difference Award at the Attitude Awards!! Check out her finalist interview: http://attitudelive.com/votable/rachelcallander

A behind the scenes glimpse at the recent meeting of the minds…when all of the associations of the photography industry came together to ensure the photographic flame continues to shine brightly in NZ!

From left they are: Aaron K - Executive Director AIPA; Katherine Williams - President NZIPP; Murry Cave President PSNZ; Ken Newell - Executive PMA and Gerard Emery - Chairman PIA.

Find NZIPP on Facebook Make sure you ‘like’ NZIPP on Facebook to stay up to date on all our latest news. Click this link now: https:// www.facebook.com/NZIPP/

If you’re an NZIPP member and you’re not already part of the NZIPP regional Facebook groups, check out the links below and send us a ‘join group’ request....

• NZIPP - Auckland/Northland Region • NZIPP - Waikato/BOP Region • NZIPP - Central Districts

NZIPP Veterans Project We’ve updated the NZIPP/ Veteran Portrait Project photos (there’s a total of 2092 images!)

Click here to view the photos.

If anyone can’t find their loved one or if any information is incorrect please contact: info@nzipp.org.nz

• NZIPP - Wellington Region • NZIPP - Nelson/Marlborough Region • NZIPP - Canterbury/Westland Region • NZIPP - Otago/Southland Region

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GEAR JUNKIE

5Dsr Canon Review Clinton Lloyd FNZIPP - www.lovelight.co.nz

The Story: Well I’ve never got an email asking me to enlarge my resolution, but this year I’ve had a good mix of commercial jobs and some have ended up being used in rather large printed situations. Billboards can get away with resolution most of the time due to the relative viewing size, but bus backs or photo walls don’t have that same benefit. Digital medium format would seem like a nice option, but at the moment we have a lot of money invested in Canon DSLR kit, and not enough of the type of jobs that would make medium format viable.

Here enters the 5Dsr, Canon’s recent addition to the family with more megapixels than you thought you even needed. I spent a couple of weeks trialing out the camera in a number of different situations so thought I would write a bit about how I found it. This isn’t a technical review with lots of acronyms and nanopixels, but hopefully gives a bit of info around the body without sending you to sleep.

First up, shooting deer for a Korean velvet company.

Unfortunately there were no guns involved, as had

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there been this would have been a much easier job (calm down fruitarians I’m mostly joking). Even with the behemoth 400mm lens, the deer were so skittish and uncontrollable that getting shots with the deer filling frame was an impossibility. I had to deliver some composite frames so I needed resolution to work with so put on the 5Dsr and wham suddenly I had plenty of cropping room in post. Success and needless to say I was so happy to have it that day even though the images I was delivering weren’t going to be printed the size of a house, it still saved the day when it came to post. Note to Santa: please bring faster CF cards for when chasing deer (and a stuffed deer would also be nice.)

After that I was stuffed so I sat on the top of a retaining wall to take some photos that would make a road look a bit sexy. Not kidding unfortunately. Now I don’t know who would have their switch flicked by a road but for this shoot I swapped out the 5d3 for the 5Dsr as I wanted to deliver a landscape and portrait option but without having to do the post twice. Lazy you might say but when we’re compositing layers and layers from car headlights, only doing it once is a pretty good option

Image © Clinton Lloyd

when the file size in PS is 6.73gb and the save time allows for more than just a cup of tea. The single frame details of the project came up nicely and had a really good “look” to them. Note to Santa: I need a new computer.

I even pulled the body out at a wedding, shot some frames which were beautiful but then promptly put it away as the memory of my slow computer came back. Frames were nice, don’t think the couple plan on printing them visible from space so don’t think I’d pull it out there again.

the camera, and the shoot that took the hardest to tee up. File size on this one was a beast, the post of this with all it’s layers ended up 7.5 gb and again painfully slow, but the file itself was far nicer than other frames we’d done on the 5d3. I have to say this was a seller for me as although most images are not going to be printed huge, having the flexibility for people like architects to zoom in tight to show that the wood paneling is infact north American oak from the south side of the forest instead of the west side is the sort of flexibility that people like that appreciate.

Next up, family photos. No. Just no. Put it back in the back, this is not going to work for me as I’m not a clever chap when it comes to family photos so I’m continually chimping to see if by some miracle I got a shot where my 3.5 year old isn’t looking at me frustrated that she is the target of another one of daddy’s photos. However the combo of my CF cards, rapid fire and a gazillion shots meant when I would look up from chimping, my kids were now visibly older so not the sort of thing I’d use here again.

Lastly, architecture. Pretty much the purpose of trying out PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

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What I like?

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It feels like what I know. It has the same hold and form factor as a Mk3, so is an easy transition back and forth. Unlike going to medium format, there is less of a learning curve to worry about.

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The look. It’s hard to explain and at first I didn’t like it because it was different but after using it a bit I have come to like “the look” of the files. I can’t describe this technically, but feel that the colours are nicer straight on import and the native contrast is just right.

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Megapixels, yep they aren’t the be all and end all but sometimes it’s just nice to have that bit more, especially when needing to crop in post like my photos of deer. Or if you needed to turn a landscape into a portrait, then you’re still not going to have problems

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Low light performance was no where near the terrible groans and moans that accompanied the release, sure it’s no Sony A7R II but most of the time with commercial jobs I’m working with at least some control over the light so is a non issue.

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Autofocus was excellent, actually I didn’t really expect it to be given it’s not claiming to be a sporty kinda camera but heck I thought it did a bloody good job.

What I don’t?

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Price : at $5998 this is a helluva lot of cash to throw at enlarging your megapixels.

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That it reduces my computer to prehistoric speeds, yep I know that’s not the camera’s fault at all but flip my 2 year old iMac has never seemed older!

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If you’re a commercial photographer based in underground mines, or just generally try to avoid places with more than a few photons, you will probably be bothered by the noise at 3200 and above.

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Dynamic range, yeah yeah Nikonians, I’m not wanting you to start up on that rant but yep the dynamic range doesn’t seem as wide even as my Mk3. Exposures need to be a bit more accurate as there isn’t as much room in post.

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Again not a fault of the camera, but at this resolution you will really see that not all lenses are made equal.

Our 17TSE, 24-70 f2.8 II and 35mm Art Lenses were fantastic, yet some other lenses, including L series lenses didn’t seem to quite cut it. So the problem being this is going to expose any money you skimped on glass, or give you glass envy.

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Image © Clinton Lloyd

The Endgame: As per above, this is not the body you should get for shooting weddings, unless your clients regularly complain that the billboard they printed of their wedding photo is looking a bit pixely. It’s a tool, that does a very good job at resolving high resolution images for the people that need it. For me it hasn’t got across the line in getting the credit card out, but I am showing clients the option as an upgrade (and just renting locally as the jobs arise) but if enough clients were willing to pay the upgrade on a regular basis I’d be in for sure.

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Images Š Clinton Lloyd

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Image Š Clinton Lloyd

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Images Š Clinton Lloyd

REGIONAL UPDATES

Auckland / Northland Region Words by Chris Traill FNZIPP - Auckland Chair

Last month our meeting was all things ADOBE. Thank you to Earl Tipene and especially Clare Cahill from Adobe head office in Australia for coming to our NZIPP party and sending over Sony and Adobe Ambassador Mark Galer. That was quite the treat. Mark was incredibly informative and entertaining at the same time. For most of us, Adobe, along with our cameras are almost like family members so it’s always important to be kept up to speed and knowing what the latest is and have a close relationship.

Marks 2.5 hour presentation was soaked up by the tight group that attended. The Stonehouse in Mission Bay proved to be a great venue. Thank you to them.

We welcomed a new member Angelina Giles and look forward to seeing more of her and her work.

It also was great to see a few Northlanders, Sarahlee of Sarahlee Studios and Kelly Extance come down for the meeting.

We are always keen on hearing feedback from members so asked Kelly her thoughts on the meeting.

She said: “ What a great night, it was well worth the trip down to meet new people and share experiences and knowledge. The presentation by Mark Galer was

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fantastic. It was a real eye opener and updated us on features in lightroom and photoshop with great tips to enhance our workflow and editing processes.

We took away a lot of useful information that can be implemented straight away in our work. Thank you NZIPP for organising such an informative evening! One not to have missed.” - Kelly Extance. (NZIPP member Northland) Some of us NZIPP members, who were heavily involved in The ANZAC PROJECT were privileged to be invited as guests to Govt House in Auckland to celebrate and be congratulated on our involvement with this wonderful project and initiative. So it was very special to be flying the NZIPP banner and represent, in style, NZIPP, along with others, as part of a celebration of Nationhood. You can’t get much better PR than that.

Happy Festivities to my fellow NZIPP photographers and lets hope in 2016 we can all spend less time on our computers and start looking at each other face to face instead of at a monitor and actually talk to each other, rather than typing our thoughts and conversation on a keyboard.

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REGIONAL UPDATES

Canterbury / Westland Region Words by Shar Devine MNZIPP and images by Richard Linton, Accredited Commercial Photographer

NZIPP Canterbury Westland On Audience with Tina Bingham: If you missed this workshop you missed a real treat.

Aussie Wedding and Portrait Photographer Tina Bingham talked us through her unique business model, proving that isolation is no barrier to building a successful photography business, managed soley online.

Being a hipster mother of 3, married to a farmer in a remote rural area (Wagga Wagga population 55,000 and situated 452 kms South West of Sydney, yes totally in the sticks) with no funding and no clients, Tina used the power of the free – from using social media, website design and her blog to build her business from scratch.

Thank you to Neil and Kath Williams for hosting us at your beautiful studio and for coffees. Thank you Tina, for stepping outside of your comfort zone to tell us your story. Very inspirational. You are one of those cool Aussies that we really need to claim you as our own.

Check out Tina here: www.peppermintstudios.com.au

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Images Š Richard Linton

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Image Š Anthony Turnham ANZIPP

CASTLE HILL ROCKS! 13TH & 14TH MAY 2016

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The Castle Hill Retreat returns in 2016.

Two nights of fun, education and awesomeness for under $200 for NZIPP members....Great Value!!! Make sure you lock these dates in to your diaries now. More information and booking details coming soon.

Don’t just take our word for how amazing the weekend is. He’re some feedback from a couple of last years retreaters....

“We had a wonderful time being away with our Canterbury/West Coast Region members in May at Castle Hill.

The Canterbury High Country is truly magnificent and a wonderful place to explore.

The end of May gave us very cold, crisp, clear weather.

We took plenty of warm clothes and they were required.

It was such a treat to return to our accommodation after a walk or climb, to an open fire, mulled wine and plenty of food.

The company was relaxed, interesting and happy and everybody joined in whatever was happening.

The reps went beyond the call of duty with their generosity of sharing the equipment and knowledge, plus modelling.

Our accommodation was cosy comfortable and spacious.

Like most homes the kitchen was the hub for gathering and sharing information about the day and what we were going to do.

The meals were amazing and everyone joined in and shared the jobs with non-stop chat.

Our favourite time of all was at night being at the top of Castle Hill in the stillness of the evening, star gazing and taking photographs.

“Fabulous fresh-air location, great food, uplifting and fun company was all part of the package. The best weekend, and well worth the small fee. Just the right mix of new experiences, sharing of knowledge and socializing.

Opportunity plus for a newbie member who might like a helping hand to get to know some of the other members.

Loved it, will definitely be up for the next one!”

Maria Buhrkuhl ANZIPP

“Booking in to spend some time with like minded fellow photographers at the Castle Hill retreat was one of the best things I did last year. It was a really great bonding experience with time to chat, time to chill, and time to get out and about with your camera gear in a really great environment.

The lodge was perfect and had a really awesome communal area where we spent time cooking, eating, drinking, and socialising.

Overall I’d definitely recommend it. For me it was a great way to hit the mental “reset” after a busy wedding season. Great value in every aspect.”

Anthony Turnham ANZIPP

Well wrapped lying on the frosty hard ground watching the glorious sky in the wonderful quiet still night.

It felt like Christmas.

Thank you to the members who organised this time away and we look forward to next year.

If you only participate in one event next year, this is a great one for fellowship with the members.”

Kathryn and Ken Morrison.

“I really enjoyed the 2015 retreat, it was such a great chance to get to know other members of the NZIPP team, and beyond. Photographers that I had only ever smiled at I ended up playing games with, I met family members of people I knew, saw the other side of the “photographer” and I built up a great relationship with one of the photographic industry suppliers.

It was fun and informative, you can take as many or as few images as you like and just use it as a break away from the family, or as a way to learn new skills and try out new year. And the food was yummy!

MARK THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY NOW! 13TH & 14TH MAY 2016

I am looking forward to the next one, and some more mulled wine!”

Juliette Capaldi ANZIPP PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

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MEMBER PROFILE

Anthony Turnham ANZIPP www.snapphotography.co.nz

Can you tell us a little about your photography journey so far….

From way back I’ve always had a passion for art, graphics and anything that speaks to me aesthetically.

Whilst studying for my degree in Computer Visualisation, due to the extreme hours I was putting in I unfortunately developed a severe case of RSI (OOS). After time out, I managed to complete my degree, but needed to look for an alternative career path. Thankfully photography offered the creative outlet I needed and tied in well with the digital arts and lighting skillset from my degree.

What first got you in to Photography?

During a short course in photography as part of my Art and Design diploma I was introduced to film, the dark room and this new computer program known as Photoshop. But I continued on my path with computer graphics and photography shifted to the back of my mind.

In 1999 I got my first digital camera and began tinkering with merging photography and the digital world, but at this point it was nothing more than a hobby. But in

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2002 whilst taking a forced break from University I went travelling, documented my journey and I really fell in love with photography.

Have you ever had any mentors along the way?

I haven’t really had photography mentors per se, but I have been fortunate enough to kindly be given advice by others within the industry. A big thanks to the fountain of knowledge that is Tony Stewart, the Dare Devil Richard Linton, the most beautiful soul Rachel Callandar and Lisa Gane, who rightly and relentlessly taught me the importance of valuing your work, and charging appropriately.

A couple of years back I was feeling completely overwhelmed and was always chasing my tail to complete all of the things you need to do to run a successful photography service. I needed help, and following a Business Mentors NZ presentation at an NZIPP meeting, I sought it in the form of Iron Man and business guru, (no not Tony Stark) Murray Lapworth. He gave me invaluable insights on effective time management and to him I will be forever grateful.

Image Š Anthony Turnham On the way out of the hotel room with the bride I convinced her to give me a minute on the staircase for a shot. I moved a ridiculously heavy marble table to create a reflection and my assistant ran a speedlight up behind her.

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Opposite page: As I’d been as sick as a dog I was really pleased to pick up a good coverage with some nice imagery. When I thought what I went through on the day, it made picking up a gold (Wedding creative) for this one extra special.

I try to create a harmonious balance between candid and crafted with my coverage, and although I love the control of setting up a shot, sometimes, when you set the stage, the magic just happens.

What’s the most important thing you want potential clients to know about you?

It really depends on the client. Because I shoot very diverse photographic fields in weddings and architecture, the client’s values are very different. But to all clients I want them to know I value quality and will always work my socks off for them to deliver the best imagery I can.

What is your creative space like?

I don’t really see my creative space as a physical place but more of a state of mind. I’d love to have more inspiration surrounding me on the walls etc. but the technician in me wants to be surrounded by neutrals so my peripheral vision doesn’t affect my colour balance decisions. A little bit sad, I know!

Can you tell us a bit about www.newzealandscapes. co.nz?

Sure. Although SNAP! Photography is a registered company, I’m under no false pretence that it’s a business, in the true sense of the word. It’s not. If I stop going out shooting, the money dries up.

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Selling prints from pre-existing stock, however, is potentially a viable alternative solution that can draw an income in a more passive form. I love the feeling of chilling out with the family or watching a movie and finding out I’ve just pocketed some coin from an image I shot 8 years ago.

I love landscape photography and I’m working on strategies to let me get out there and shoot it more. For the past few years I just haven’t really made the time. To be honest, most of the shots on the site are very (very) old, and I know that I could get a much higher calibre of imagery on there now. But for now it just ticks along in the background.

The hardest part of your job?….and the easiest part of your job?

The hardest part is working so many Saturdays away from my wife, Sarah, and children through the summer months and then suffering the exhaustion of a “wedding hangover” on the Sunday. They’re growing up fast (the kids, not my wife) and it’s time I’ll never get back with them. If I ponder it too long it makes me sad.

The easiest thing is doing what I love for a living.

Images Š Anthony Turnham

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Image Š Michelle Phillips

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This gorgeous landscape was where Ben proposed to Beth. This photo was taken on the same day all of my gear (apart from what was on me) was accidentally hidden by the bridal party.

Image Š Anthony Turnham PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

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Image © Michelle Phillips

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Image © Anthony Turnham

Opposite page: If I can steal a bride and groom away from the reception for a few minutes it normally results in something very different from earlier in their coverage and serves as a great way to finish off their album.

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting out in the business again?

Hindsight is great and I would love the opportunity to give the younger me some advice before I got going. I’d also like to know what the version of me 10 years from now would have to say to me. I’m always learning and the exciting thing is I don’t think that will ever stop.

So a few thoughts to the greener version of me would be…

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Do it earlier. Don’t wait. Time is precious. Follow your dreams.

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Believe in yourself and your creative decisions.

The client has hired you for your expertise in photography. Always respect the client but remember you are the expert, not them.

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Don’t be afraid to reach out to fellow photographers. They’re a bloody good bunch!

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Don’t be afraid to charge your worth. If you value what you do, others will too.

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Avoid those weirdy colour casts you seemed to be so fond of! What you think looks uber cool today could have you cringing in just a couple of years.

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Keep refining your in-camera skills to avoid spending time later trying to improve what you could have got right in the first place.

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Choose the right name that’s reflective of your business. (I feel it’s always been an uphill battle building a brand identity in line with quality and a high end product with a name like SNAP!)

Tell us about the first wedding you shot?

I went in with an unjustified sense of confidence and with retrospect I was extremely fortunate that everything turned out well. I’ve shot many weddings now where I’ve had to deal with some pretty gnarly situations and do some on the spot problem solving to keep things on track. Thankfully now I’ve got the experience to cope, but back then? Well, I’m in no doubt that I’m very lucky that I landed on my feet in my first few weddings, both in terms of the photography and the flow of the day.

What is your gear line up? Are you looking to add any pieces in 2016?

I shoot with Nikon and use a mix of their zoom and prime Nikkor lenses. I like to use radio triggered speedlights and modifiers to enhance my images when the situation and time permits.

Since I’ve decided to keep my post processing in-house, my number one acquisition in the coming months will be a brand new beast of a machine that moves like lightning. I don’t ever want my hardware to be a bottleneck on my productivity, and although the system I built was top of the line, since moving to 36mp files and Photoshop docs several gig in size she’s not as zippy as she once was.

So I’m working in conjunction with an I.T. genius to come up with a system that flies. Because I don’t find it necessary to have to use something that has a piece of fruit on it, it’s liberated us to design something from the ground up that will roast anything.

What two pieces of equipment could you not live without?

My 70-200mm 2.8 VRII and my Wacom Intuos pro.

What in your eyes makes a great image?

A truly great image has to speak to you on a visual and emotional level. An emotive moment, captured with artistry that you just can’t take your eyes off. As well as a beauty through lighting, expression, mood, composition etc. a great image will also have that certain undefinable quality that elevates it above the norm.

What has been your most memorable assignment and why?

I’ve done a few that stand out to me for different reasons. I like the ones where you’re given adversity and come out on top. For instance I shot one wedding where the bridesmaids unintentionally and unbeknownst to them buried my gear bags along with their stuff in the back of a car boot. I had to shoot the remainder of the wedding with just the two bodies, lenses, batteries and cards I had on me. I had to push to the back of my mind all my ‘lost’/’stolen’ gear and get on with it. Despite the adversity I ended up getting my equipment back at the end of the night and went on to pick up an IRIS award for the album. It was actually hugely liberating though as now if I turn up to a shoot and I haven’t got a certain bit of gear, I don’t sweat it like I might have once.

I did another one where I had to drive to Geraldine and back and shoot for 10+ hours when the night before I’d been up all night with a terrible sickness bug. On top of that my assistant had pulled out the night before the wedding. It rained pretty much the whole day and I felt rotten. I was pleased that later when I caught up with the couple, they had no idea I was ill. I was delighted that I got some images I really liked and over the moon that I also picked up a gold IRIS image from the day.

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Currently very much a side-line, with most of the work being older, www.newzealandscapes.co.nz is something I would like to invest more time into in the future.

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Image © Anthony Turnham

I love landscape photography and I’m working on strategies to let me get out there and shoot it more.

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Thanks to the 70-200mm I compressed the strip of roses that was less than 2 metres wide and made it look much more substantial. But, my favourite part is the heart shape that the foliage makes to frame them. Subtle, but noticeable if you look for it!

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Images © Anthony Turnham

Apart from weddings I also work with architects and designers to help them build their portfolios and capture images for their award entries. www.architectural-photography.co.nz

If you could shoot with another photographer who would it be and why?

What exciting things do you have planned for the year ahead?

There are heaps of photographers I admire that I’d love to go along on a shoot with. I always like the idea of being present for a shoot with other wedding photographers to see their approach to interacting with clients and how they get their results. There’s always something to learn from someone else.

Personally I’m very excited to have my Mum coming over from England to stay and professionally after taking a year off I’ve decided to enter the Iris awards again so I’m looking forward to that.

Outside of weddings I’d quite like to be on board for a big commercial job with either Chase Jarvis or Joey L. Those guys really enjoy what they do so I reckon it would be a lot of fun. They both push the boundaries, they’re forward thinkers and are masters at what they do.

If not a photographer you would have been?

Well my dream job would be as a 3D computer modeler for the film or game industry. When I see my fellow degree students picking up BAFTA’s, credited on films or running games companies, I do get a whimsical yearning of ‘what could have been’. But I’m enjoying photography as a creative outlet so it’s all good.

I really like the idea of teaching and have considered it as a career change when I’m feeling overwhelmed or had a bad client and for one brief moment think about throwing in the towel. Thankfully I come to my senses before long.

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WHAT’S IN MY BAG

Craig Robertson FNZIPP www.fullframe.co.nz

So what’s in a commercial and landscape shooters bag? Well mine has changed massively in the last couple of years. I used Canon gear for 22 years along with Hasselblad and Mamiya for medium format in the “Film Ages”. Last year that all changed.

In 2013 I brought a Fujifilm X-E1 - purely to have a lightweight camera for travel that could provide high quality images. In February last year I added an X-T1 and soon found my Canon gear getting used less and less as my collection of Fujifilm lenses grew. Mirrorless was changing the way I shot with its “what you see is

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what you get” Electronic Viewfinder and I found myself pushing more and more creative boundaries with it. The Fujifilm XF lenses are simply exceptional optical quality and even at only 16 megapixels images matched or exceeded the resolution from the Canon. I also found myself returning to the discipline of using fixed focal length lenses - especially the 56mm f1.2 and 23mm f1.4 nothing quite like zooming with your feet.

Then in September 2014 some say I truly switched to the dark side (it’s true there are no white lenses in my bag anymore). I made the huge call to buy a Nikon D810, 5 Image © Amber Griffin

Images © Craig Robertson

lenses and sell an extensive Canon system. Why? Purely because I wanted the best tools for the job. I’ve been working hard at my personal landscape work over the last couple of years and I needed something that could give me huge prints to be viewed in close proximity.

Neither the Canon or the Fuji could give me that. And yeah well a Phase One or new Blad digital is a little (well a LOT) beyond my budget. I was sick of waiting for the long rumoured high res Canon body (even though I knew inevitably it would come). Greg Olesen, then at MacAlisters, threw me a D810 body at Infocus to play with and I was hooked - egged on by friends and fellow Nikon shooters Mike Hollman and Harry Jansen! The image quality and the dynamic range of the RAW files was exceptional. By rationalising my lens choices I was able to make the switch at no cost - well that’s how I justified it to my wife anyway.

So the way I see it, the Fujifilm has become my “35mm system” and the Nikon is my “medium format” system.

And that’s pretty much how I use them. I’ll use the Fujiflim for commercial work that’s only being used for PR, web or small print output and pull out the Nikon for the “big jobs” or advertising shoots where the images could end up on a billboard. (I also use the Nikon where I need to be tethered to a laptop for an art director to review images as I can’t do that with the Fuji yet.) It’s the same for landscape work. I explore locations with the Fujifilm where I can be walking for many hours and don’t want to be weighed down by the Nikon. Then I’ll return to “special” places with the Nikon in the right light and weather conditions. Speaking of weight - one of my best recent purchases has been an Induro carbon fiber

tripod. I’ve loved and lugged a huge Benbo around for over 20 years but carbon fibre is SO much better for an ageing body.

The majority of my commercial work is on location so requires a kit that is flexible and portable. I seldom use speedlights and have used Broncolor studio lights for over 20 years. It’s expensive but it’s a workhorse you can rely on. I use a Senso A4 2400 joule pack with various heads and Mincom monobloc heads - both with a wide range of modifiers. Where I need to be battery powered my Mobil pack keeps on flashing after 15 years of being set up in all sorts of weird and wonderful places. A capacitor blew up in it a couple of years ago (the client and I thought a bomb had gone off and we nearly wet ourselves) - incredibly it carried on working on just three capacitors!

A couple of things that I absolutely can’t do without these days are the “Sunseeker” and “Photographer’s Ephemeris” apps on my iPhone/iPad. They have made life SO much easier when location scouting. There is nothing quite like being able to use augmented reality to show an art director that “the sun will set over THAT tree at exactly 8.36pm” or “no this location won’t work because see the sun will be in the wrong place”. On location, tethered to a Macbook, the Think Tank Pixel Sunshade is a must have.

As for the bag itself - ThinkTank all the way. Light, tough and SO well designed.

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Image © Claire Birks

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Images Š Mel Waite

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Image Š Craig Robertson

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PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONS

2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Professional Competition Enter the world’s largest, and one of the most respected, photography awards for free today.

The Professional competition rewards excellence across a broad spectrum of photography styles and each year offers undeniable global exposure and recognition to not only its winners, but also its shortlisted photographers.

Categories New for 2016, the 14 Professional categories are now divided into two distinct groups: Documentary and Art. More information at: https://www.worldphoto.org/ competitions/sony-world-photography-awards-2016professionalcompetition/ NZ National Award To enter the National Award you must submit your work to any of the ten Open categories Basic Members - up to 3 photographs for free, submitted into one category or spread across multiple categories Open for entries in to the 2016 Awards: https://www. worldphoto.org/national-award-2016/

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CORPORATE MEMBERS

A special thank you to our Corporate Members for their continuing support:

FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER! Visit the following link to search our NZIPP recommended photographers. http://www.nzipp.org.nz/nzippweb/Default. aspx?tabid=76

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NZIPP MONTHLY PRO REPORT Not receiving the NZIPP PRO Report to your inbox every month? Want to keep in-touch with happenings in the New Zealand’s photographic industry and the NZIPP? Click here to sign up.

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NZIPP Office Christmas Closure Dates Tuesday 22nd Dec-Tuesday 12th Jan We will respond to all enquiries when we return from the Christmas break.

The NZIPP wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

www.nzipp.org.nz