D-Photo 85 Preview

REVEALED: ALL 36 WINNING IMAGES FROM NEW ZEALAND’S TOP AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

N E W Z E ALAND’S LEA D ING PH OTOGRA PHY M AGAZ I N E

NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2018

WINNING IMAGE KATE PARSONSON

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SHOOT YOUR WORLD: GETTING STARTED WITH DOCUMENTARY CAPTURING CONTINENTAL AMERICA BY BICYCLE THE PHOTOGRAPHER UP FOR OUR MOST PRESTIGIOUS ART AWARD ISSUE 85

A U G . –S E P. 2018

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CONTENTS

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FEATURES

10 Profile | Pati Solomona-Tyrell 22 Assignment | Mark Watson 33 Sigma D-Photo Amateur Photographer of the Year 58 Focus | Gee Greenslade 66 Exposure | Keeley Watson & Luke Rooney

HOW TO

72 Documentary photography 80 Large format | Michael Hall

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GEAR

84 Review | Canon EF 70–200mm f/4L IS II USM 86 Buyers guide | Latest gear 92 Gearducated | Leon Rose 96 Explained | Tripods

COMMUNITY

97 Gallery | I Am New Zealand 98 Gallery | Iris Professional Photography Awards 102 Calendar | Upcoming events 104 Last shot | Next issue

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The enthusiast photographic community rallied to D-Photo’s call seeking out the best amateur shooters Aotearoa has to offer. In the 2018 edition of the Sigma D-Photo Amateur Photographer, we received a record-smashing 13,329 across 12 categories, proving once more the passion and pedigree of our creative community up and down the country.

Considering the veritable mountain of prizes we had up for grabs this year, it’s no big surprise that the contest attracted as much attention as it did. None of which would have been possible without the generous support of all our sponsors, listed following. On behalf of the magazine and every eager photographer who entered, we offer our sincere thanks.

Then, of course, there was the unenviable task of having to select but a few of the very best shots from the deluge of impressive imagery we received. Considering the

volume, it very much had to be a team effort, and the D-Photo team certainly went above and beyond to keep things running smoothly. But it was our panel of industry professionals who gave up their valuable time to provide us with the gorgeous gallery that follows — to those generous experts, we also offer our unreserved gratitude.

And, finally, to the thousands of amateur photographers who stepped up and entered images, thank you and congratulations — you’re the ones who make this annual event the extravaganza it is. While only the very top of those most deserving feature in the following pages, we’ll be sharing galleries of shortlisted images online at dphoto.co.nz, so be sure to check in often. And an exhibition of our magnificent winning images is also in the works, so keep your ears open for details.

Now, on with the show.

SPONSORS

JUDGES

Sigma

Esther Bunning

DJI

Simon Devitt

Epson

Julia Durkin

Fujifilm

Kelvin Gilbert

Huawei

Mike Hollman

Ilford

Jason Hoskings

Nikon

Mandi Lynn

Profoto

Talman Madsen

Progear

Stu Robertson

SAE Creative Media Institute

Grant Sheehan

Tamron

Neil Silverwood

Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design

Becky Nunes

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2018 SIGMA D-PHOTO AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

First

FIRST MIKE VINCENT ADVENTURE BY ROAD OR RIVER “A beautiful use of lines; the way the road mirrors the river really creates a sense of journey and travel for the viewer. The top-down perspective really enhances this feeling and fits the composition of the image.”

Talman Madsen 34

AERIAL CATEGORY S ponsored by DJI

Second

Third

SECOND JAMIE RYAN AROUND THE BLOCK

THIRD MARK WADDINGTON NEW CARS AWAITING DELIVERY AFTER A BLIZZARD IN NEW JERSEY

“This is a fresh perspective on what would likely otherwise be a dull scene. I love the way the blocks have eroded away and fallen into the water. The composition is striking and the kayaker is in just the right position.”

Neil Silverwood

“A unique image with a great perspective that strikes the viewer, causing them to do a double take and ask, ‘What am I actually looking at?’. The structure and lines work together well to create a sense of uniformed randomness with a touch of chaos in places.”

Talman Madsen 35

2018 SIGMA D-PHOTO AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

First FIRST MICHELLE DENNISTON A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE “I have often seen this view but this has been captured at a very unique moment, giving weightlessness to the bridge. A very well-caught, well-conceived moment that could easily have tipped into being cliché. Well done.”

Simon Devitt 36

ARCHITECTURE CATEGORY S ponsored by Fujif ilm

GEARDUCATED | LEON ROSE

FROSTY MORNING MACRO A cold winter morning provides the testing ground for Leon Rose’s experiments with the first 1:1 macro in the Sigma Art range

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This month, the lens that I’m reviewing has been developed as the first 1:1 macro in the Sigma Art range. So, out of the box, the 70mm is a little different to the big, heavy wides that we have been reviewing in the past few issues, but it has the same appeal, with a mostly mattblack look, even though it is a smaller, more compact lens that weighs only 515g. When I tested it in my trusty Canon 5D MkIII with a battery grip, it still felt well balanced and solid.

Sigma has kept this lens lightweight by utilizing a few different features. The biggest change here is the use of ‘focus-by-wire’ technology.

In simple terms, this means that the focus is changed electronically when you move the focus ring, as opposed to the lens physically moving the elements into position as you turn the focus ring. The advantages of this are size, weight, and accuracy in manual focus (MF) when shooting macro all the way down to 1:1.

A disadvantage is that the speed of focus can sometimes be a little slower, depending on how close you are to your subject, and there is no focus guide on the top of the lens, so you don’t physically measure your turn from point A to point B. However, to aid with focusing, there is focus-limiter switch mounted under the AF/MF switch. The limiter gives you three options: 0.258–0.5m, 0.5m–infinity, and full range. This helps with keeping the lens from hunting to the extreme ends of the focus spectrum.

While there is no image stabilization on the lens, it feels balanced enough to hold steady in most situations. You can also override the auto

focus (AF) manually without using the AF/ MF switch. This is a useful lens, as, once again, Sigma has created a lens with a beautifully smooth bokeh in the out-of-focus areas of the image, making the lens a versatile macro.

Saturday morning was my son’s rugby game, so I thought I would take the opportunity and shoot a couple with the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 to see how it went. I woke to find a very crisp winter morning; the coldest yet. So I put the macro to work on the ice — it was the closest thing to a hoar frost I have ever seen in Auckland, which was ideal for some icy closeups. I found the AF system to be accurate, although not the fastest, and it did hunt occasionally, but, overall, it was very effective at finding its focus point — impressively, even wide open at f/2.8.

Shooting into the sun, it performed well. I wanted to use the backlight to capture the steam and all the white on the grass. While the lens rendered the images a little flat, this is something easily corrected in post-processing, with the ‘Dehaze’ slider in Adobe Lightroom sorting it out easily. All the detail remained in the shadow areas, and the images were sharp.

Another plus is that the camera is partially weather-sealed; there is a rubber seal at the lens-mount end, giving it some dust- and weatherproof ability. The front element has a filter-ring size of 49mm, which, although is not the same as a lot of the other lenses in my bag, is a useful size that allows for filter purchasing without breaking the bank.

CANON 5D MARK III, SIGMA 70MM F/2.8 DG, 70MM, 1/640S, F/2.8, ISO 320

CANON 5D MARK III, SIGMA 70MM F/2.8 DG, 70MM, 1/5000S, F/2.8, ISO 320

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HOW TO | DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

RE AL TALK D-Photo speaks with some of Aotearoa’s documentary experts about shooting the world around us

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TRACEY ROBINSON, NIKON D700, 50MM, 1/125S, F/2.8, ISO 640

Great photos pack a punch no matter when they are shot, and some of the most poignant images in photographic history fall in the category of documentary. Although it is often touted as one of the most difficult genres to work in, it is also one of the most rewarding — we talk with experts in the field about shooting reality with style, substance, and standards.

WHAT IT IS ‘Documentary photography’ is the style of photography that brings viewers insight into the world around them. From big political events, local community happenings, right down to personal interactions, almost anything can be the subject of documentary photography as long as it is presented with authenticity.

Rotorua photographer Tracey Robinson, who was named Documentary Photographer of the Year at the 2017 Iris Awards, sees the style as being not only a presentation of something as it happens but also a means of storytelling through which a viewer comes to understand the subject. In this way, it differs from many other styles of photography, as the photographer has very little control over what they will be shooting.

“With portraiture, you sit with the subject and talk to them about their interests and their likes and who they are, and you try and bring out some of that personality in the image,” Tracey explains. “Whereas, with documentary, often you don’t even speak to the people; you know nothing about them.”

TRACEY ROBINSON, NIKON DX3, 24MM, 1/30S, F/5.6, ISO 1000 TRACEY ROBINSON, NIKON D3X, 32MM, 1/160S, F/5.6, ISO 400

She likens the style to a form of voyeurism in which the photographer is an eyewitness to events but stays removed from them. To that end, she advises approaching a documentary shoot without any preconceptions, allowing events to unfold organically.

WHAT TO SHOOT Finding a subject for documentary is both simple and difficult.

On one hand, reality is everywhere you look; anything could be a subject. On the other, you need to find something that is going to resonate with viewers, whether that’s because it’s important, because it’s extraordinary, or because it’s relatable.

For Tracey, the key is finding something that connects with you on a personal level and allowing your feelings to guide the shoot.

“I’m drawn to a scene by an emotional tug; there will be something reflected in the scene which will speak to me,” she says. “Often, I don’t even know what it is until afterwards in post-production, when I realize, ‘Ah, that’s what I was seeing’.

“It’s an instinctive thing.”

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