CameraTalk August/September 2018

NZ CameraTalk To p r o m o t e t h e w i d e r e n j o y m e n t o f p h o t o g r a p h y

T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E P H OT O G R A P H I C S O C I E T Y O F N E W Z E A L A N D I N C

August / September 2018

In this issue PRESIDENT Moira Blincoe LPSNZ t. 09 379 7021 e: president@photography.org.nz

VICE-PRESIDENT

Karen Lawton t. 021 143 7764 e. vicepresident@photography.org.nz

TREASURER David Knightley PO Box 99470, Newmarket, Auckland 1149 e. treasurer@photography.org.nz

SECRETARY Patrice Nilsen 8 Raroa Terrace, Tawa, Wellington 5028 t. 04 232 1565 e. secretary@photography.org.nz

WELCOME TO THE August/September edition of CameraTalk.

Driving in the Wairarapa yesterday we saw our first lambs which is a great sign that spring is on the way.

We have another bumper issue for you with a special feature on Astro photography, as well the winning images from both the Laurie Thomas and Trenna Packer Salver salons.

In this issue we display the fellowship set of Helen McLeod, and profile two long standing, but very active members, Rosita Manning and Alison Viskovic.

Finally we are heading in convention mode with full information on the Central Regional and another update from the team putting together Hutt2019.

Paul Whitham LPSNZ Editor

Editorial

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For competition secretaries

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Canon Online results

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Paul Whitham LPSNZ PSNZ Councillor t. 04 973 3015 or m. 021 644 418 e. paul@pwfotos.com

Astro photography

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Central regional update

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SUBEDITOR

Group photoshoot etiquette

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Hutt2019 update

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The Fellows: Helen McLeod

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Appreciating photographs

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CAMERATALK DEADLINE

Audio-visual notes

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The next CameraTalk deadline is

Member profile: Alison Viskovic

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1 October 2018

Laurie Thomas Results

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Member profile: Rosita Manning

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Trenna Packer Salver Salon

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Membership benefits

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FIAP B&W print biennial

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The story behind the image

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FIAP news

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EDITOR, ADVERTISING & LAYOUT

Lindsay Stockbridge LPSNZ 14 Poynter Place, Whanganui 4501 t. 06 348 7141 or m. 027 653 0341 e. dilinz@actrix.co.nz

Email your contributions to the SubEditor at his email address. Editorial should be sent as Word or .txt files. JPEG images generally should be saved at 300 dpi, compressed to high to medium quality. Include return postage if you wish material to be returned.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Council of PSNZ.

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On the cover Milky way over Massey memorial by WPS member Brendan Lang, with model Marina Voronova

AT THE TIME of writing it is 100 days since I took on the role of President. I’d like to say that I’ve got a whole lot of stuff done, and ticked off everything that was on my 100 day plan. Sadly I can’t, but it’s not for the lack of trying!

What I can tell you though is that I have spent considerable time reviewing and updating many of our master documents and manuals that are crucial to the efficient running of the Society. They are also equally as important for the volunteers that we entrust to organise and host our flagship events.

Working through this process has highlighted many issues that have often been raised for the past number of years. Having worked closely on the issues for the past three years, I can assure you if there was any way we could speed the process up, we would. The reality is, we are working in a volunteer-run organisation; many more man-hours would be a godsend.

It is a step-by-step process and along the way one step unearths another issue that will have an impact elsewhere. These include the traditions and rules by which we operate; the impact of technology on our traditional methods of delivering our services; how we are adapting to the changing face of technology; how we delivering value for money to our members; how we stack up against International Societies… and much more.

This has led me to believe that Council would benefit from the support of a small group of off-Council committees to support a small number of key portfolios. It is this type of work that would enable Council to introduce some new innovations in a more expedient manner if the preliminary research was completed for us.

If you would be interested in working on a small committee, then please write to me or call me - or any of the Councillors. We welcome your help!

From the President’s desk...

In July I was fortunate to attend the NZIPP Infocus conference in Wellington. While the common denominator is always photography the two organisations are in my opinion, quite different. Both of us deliver excellent conferences to members respectively. PSNZ has a much larger membership, catering to all genres of photographers. For me the difference at the NZIPP event was they do not include field trips; workshops, yes. The workshops are usually held outside of the two day Infocus conference and require an additional (hefty) fee to be paid.

Our trade partners attend the NZIPP conference and it is always enjoyable to be able to meet up with them as all are key partners and friends of the PSNZ family. The NZIPP event is relaxed in some aspects - with bean bags strewn across the front of the auditorium and delegates falling asleep - to being polished and professionally presented with the latest technology enhancing keynote presentations and live shoots on stage.

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I made note of a number of items I think we could integrate into our events - as a way of enhancing and delivering more to members and to our trade partners.

I extend my warmest congratulations to the PSNZ members who achieved outstanding success in the NZIPP 2018 Iris Awards. The standard of photography, creativity, processing and printing was world class and most viewers were in awe of the work we saw. My apologies if I have overlooked any other PSNZ members’ achievements.

• Sarah Caldwell APSNZ, recipient of the James White Memorial Award for highest awards for first time entrant • Chris Helliwell LPSNZ, winner of the Nature category • Tracey Scott FPSNZ AFIAP FNZIPP winner of the Travel category

If you haven’t registered for High Five see and do!, the Central Regional Convention being held in Whanganui, 28-30 September, there is still time. It is shaping up to be a fun convention with something for everyone.

And don’t forget to enter the Salon if you are attending; or if you live in the Central region but not attending, you are eligible to enter the Salon.

For more information go to https://central. psnzconvention.org.nz In a recent conversation with Immediate Past President Peter Robertson LPSNZ, I was trying to find a word to describe the workload as President. He summed it up in one word. Relentless. And that it is!

See you in Whanganui.

• Jo Boyd APSNZ, recipient of NZIPP Associate (ANZIPP) distinction • SImone Jackson LPSNZ, Bar to Master of Photography MNZIPP • Paul Willyams LPSNZ AFIAP, recipient of the Master of Photographer MNZIPP • Adam Buckle FPSNZ, Grand Master of Photography GM.NZIPP • Roger Wandless FPSNZ, Grand Master of Photography GM.NZIPP

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Kind regards Moira Blincoe LPSNZ President

Editorial : The price of ‘ego’

By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

AT THE BEGINNING of July I spent three days at the NZIPP Iris Awards in Wellington, watching the judging process and talking to judges and many of the local entrants that I know personally. The question that was universally asked in return was, “So what have you entered?”

I had to reply “None”, which tended to dampen the conversation; however, when I explained why most recognised that it was for a very valid reason.You see, I nearly did enter last year, and I could have this year as well.

In October 2016 I had two portrait images that had done very well in the Central Regional Salon, and NZIPP Grand Masters Esther Bunning and Terry Hann were both encouraging me to enter them into the Iris Awards.

Believe you, that praise certainly stoked my ego and I seriously starting considering it.

The Iris awards are a ‘print only’ competition.

Entries close in late May, with the actual prints being delivered about a fortnight out from the event. For the last couple of years the Wellington Branch of NZIPP has run a

mock judging session in March to assist any of their members thinking of submitting images.

The prints are displayed exactly the same as in the real judging. A panel of five judges (many of who are, or have been Iris judges) score them and make recommendations for any improvements. I submitted the two images and could not believe my ears when both were rated solid silver, with the possibility of silver with distinction. My ego was soaring as it meant I was shooting at a very high standard.

But then the reality of how much it would cost to enter Iris kicked in.

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The images had to be printed to a high standard and the mats had to be permanently sealed (unlike the hinged ones PSNZ accepts).

Realistically, that was a minimum of $120.00 to get both prints ready. Then, as a non-NZIPP member, each print would cost $95.00 to submit so now I was up to a total of $310.00.

because the kudos of gaining a silver could have been used to confirm my skills to clients.

But as an amateur $530.00 was above the price I set for ‘ego’.

It was getting expensive.

The reality is that most of the times we enter our images into competitions we do it for ‘ego’, for that feeling you get when they do well, or the comments you get back from others when they are displayed. We might kid ourselves that we do it to improve our photography; however I would challenge you on that, given that most events we enter the images into provide no feedback at all. I have had the same image get an Honours and a ‘not-accepted’ and I have absolutely no clue as to why.

Then the killer blows came in. NZIPP insists that the prints are sent in their approved cases. If you did not have one then that was another $110.00 to buy one. And the final nail in the coffin?There was a case handling charge of $110.00!

So, to enter two images into Iris was going to cost me $530.00 (I hope that you are now thinking that Natex is really cheap by comparison), before I even paid for the courier to send them in.

The reality was that if I was a working professional then I would have entered,

So, what has all this rambling got to do with PSNZ?

We all have a maximum price for our ego. I wonder how many others have worked out where theirs is set.

Wilf - rated as a contendor for Silver in the Portrait Classic competition

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For competition secretaries: Some points to ponder by Shona Jaray APSNZ Judge Accreditation Panel

PSNZ Accredited Judges are available to judge for affiliated clubs. They work on a completely voluntary basis. The job of assessing images and preparing comments generally takes quite a few hours to complete.

Here are some guidelines which the Judge Accreditation Panel would appreciate clubs considering when they are requesting judges.

• We now have three categories of accreditation – Open, Nature, and Audio-Visual. Please look at the category of accreditation when asking a judge to judge your competition. It may not be fair to ask someone who is accredited in AV only to judge your Open or Nature competition.

• Please plan well ahead when asking judges to assess your images. This will ensure that you are more likely to get the person you want.

• If you are emailing a number of judges at the same time, please ensure that you use Bcc and do not have all recipients’ email addresses available for public view.

• Ensure that you provide the judge with clear guidelines as to how you wish the images to be assessed and rated. For example, you may ask that in C grade, or beginners grade, there are no “not accepted”. Please explain your grading system. A copy of your club competition rules is also helpful.

• If you have a set subject, please provide a definition to the judge.

• Do try and keep the number of images to a maximum of 50 – 60. Larger clubs may need to have different grades assessed by different judges.

• Please allow the judge plenty of time to assess the images. Two to three full weeks is ideal – that is, the amount of time the judge has access to the images, not the amount of time between the images being collected and the date the comments are required back.

• If you are using a trainee, please ensure that the online feedback is completed in a timely manner. This is an essential component of the trainee’s progress towards full accreditation.

Feedback for PSNZ Accredited Judges is always welcome.

• If you have sent prints, please ensure that there is a courier ticket included in the package for the judge to use to return the prints (if the judge is not presenting comments in person).

• When you receive the prints back, an email or a text to the judge acknowledging their safe arrival is always appreciated.

• If the assessments are presented in person, a petrol voucher for the judge is always appreciated. Remember, judges are doing this for your club in their own time and at their own expense.

• When the job is complete, please send a “thank you” card or email.

We now have 54 PSNZ Accredited Judges on our database and by following the above recommendations you will help to ensure that they all remain a happy bunch!

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PSNZ Canon Online Results from Round 3, 2018 OUR JUDGE FOR this round was Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS. She is originally from Lancashire in the UK and moved to NZ in 2006, recently retiring from NZ Police after 29 years service (UK and NZ), She was a Police Forensic Photographer in Auckland and dealt with many varied and sometime gruesome scenes.

Along with being an accredited PSNZ judge, she also keeps busy volunteering for the charities Make-A-Wish and Heartfelt.You can also find her out and about photographing birds whenever she gets the chance. Finally, some notes on the competition...

The overall leader board is still wide open, so start thinking about your entries for round 4 which closes on 25 August. There’s still plenty of time to think about what you would like to enter. The online system is up and running, so if you’ve already got that winning image for next round, feel free to enter it now!

The winning images from each round can be viewed on the PSNZ website, under the Galleries tab. Please head over to have a look at these stunning images.

Remember, virtually all photographic images are eligible for Canon Online, as long as you are a financial PSNZ member. The only images that aren’t eligible are those which have previously received a placing or have been awarded an honours or higher at Natex. The full rules and regulations are available on the website, at the Canon Online submission page. Best of luck to you all!

James Gibson APSNZ AFIAP PSNZ Canon Online Coordinator

Comments from the judge: Caroline Ludford It was a privilege to assess these images for the Canon Online competition. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through all 90 shots. With so many wide-ranging topics, it was not an easy task to pick just 10. For me, photography is about creating powerful, emotive pictures and having an awareness of lighting and how it changes your photography for the better.You will see that many of my top ten have beautiful lighting and that’s why they stood out to me. Congratulations to the top ten authors.

1st By the river by Brent Higham This image really stood out for me. The lighting makes this an exceptional shot and leaves the viewer curious as to what you might find down by the river. It has a mystical atmosphere to it with the tonal range adding to that mood. Excellent shot.

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By the river by Brent Higham

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PSNZ Canon Online: 2nd In the mist by Shona Kebble APSNZ This is a beautiful and simple scene that has been skilfully handled. There is delightful lighting and a feeling of balance with the inclusion of the two sticks. Stunning detail and colour with the reflection in the water, adding to the ambiance. I could see this hanging in a gallery.

In the mist by Shona Kebble

3rd Clean up by Dianna Hambleton LPSNZ The lighting and colour palette caught my eye with this image and the more I looked, the more of the story came out. He looks quite unkempt and I could imagine him being quite a sad figure, which adds to the tale. Striking detail.

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Clean up by DIanna Hambleton

4th Journey by Alison Denyer LPSNZ There is so much to explore in this image and the more I viewed it, the more engaged I felt. It grew on me each time I looked at it. I enjoyed the story that you could take from it. It is strong compositionally, with the birds bringing me back into the shot in the mirror.

Journey by Alison Denyer

5th Cloisters by Roger Wandless FPSNZ This shot caught my eye, with the lady gazing out into the light. Good composition and I enjoyed the repetition of the shapes of the light coming through and disappearing to the window at the bottom of the shot. A nice use of black and white keeps distractions to a minimum.

Cloisters by Roger Wandless

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PSNZ Canon Online: 6th Desperate little one by Pankaj Bhakta I enjoyed the vibrancy of colour within this image and the slight movement captured in the wings of the silvereye chick as it awaits some food. The black background together with the simple composition lets us concentrate on the main attraction. Nice detail.

7th It was a fragile beauty by Annette Johnston LPSNZ This shot held my attention with its delicate and graceful detail. It is a clean, stylish and elegant portrayal of a once elegant flower. I enjoyed the simplicity of the image.

Desperate little ones by Pankaj Bhakta

8th Shannon by Kevin Dickinson APSNZ The eyes showing us the innocence and beauty of youth sparkle in this image. I enjoyed the slight tilt to her head and the fine focus with her hair blending into the darkened background. The black and white treatment adds to the feeling of modest beauty and enhances this image.

It was a fragile beauty by Annette Johnston

Shannon by Kevin Dickinson

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9th Thai brush vendor by Liz Hardley FPSNZ EFIAP/b LRPS The lighting and detail of this chap as he goes about his day captured my imagination. His expression makes me feel that he is happy with life. The author has captured a decisive moment with interaction between the two of them. There’s a nice use of black and white with the full range shown here.

Thai brush vendor by Liz Hardley

colour by Toya Heatley APSNZ

10th Galaxy in

I enjoyed the swirling craziness of this shot with its vibrant colours. There is something different to the other images but it has impact and a ‘force field’ mood to it. The black background adds to the vibrancy and I love it.

Galaxy in colour by Toya Heatley

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Astrophotography special: Winter brings dark and clear skies so it is a perfect time to get out with the camera in the dark. In this special feature we share the tips on how to do this.

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All images on page 14 - 27 courtsey of Paul Reiffer

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How to shoot the night sky: Paul’s Reiffer’s guide to astro and star photography

NIGHT ASTRO/STAR/star-trail photography – whatever you want to call it - is a genre which has become increasingly popular over the past couple of years (partly connected with the increase in sensitivity of reasonably-priced camera sensors over the same period). The irony is that it’s also one of the easiest forms of photography, and it yields some of the most impressive results if you get it right.

Given the chance for some downtime while travelling around the New Zealand wilderness in our “Jucy Casa” campervan, I reflected on the sheer volume of exactly the same questions which were asked by the people around us while shooting at Lake Tekapo. So, with that in mind, here’s “Paul’s Guide to Star Photography” – in bite-sized chunks that are as easy to digest as a Jimmy’s Pie! The image below is a single frame from the camera, with no “photoshop tricks” or playing about, and here’s the funny thing – with the right tools, it was also really easy to capture. So, let’s get started.

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You’re going to need some specific camera equipment to do it justice. In order to capture a sharp, (relatively) noise-free, clear and vibrant image you do need some things in your kit bag.

• Lens with at least a wide open f/2.8 aperture, (if possible, even better than that) • Wide-angle Lens of 16mm or wider (35mm equivalent) • Camera body with a full frame sensor if possible • The capability to shoot at a minimum of ISO1600 at night with low noise • The ability to manually focus on infinity • Manual shutter mode, with exposures of 25-30 seconds • A RED headlamp, dimmable(!)

• A source of soft light in different colours if you want to “light-paint”.

From the above, you’ll see that some “point-and-shoot” cameras simply won’t cut it for this sort of photography. Also, don’t fall into the trap of thinking the more expensive equipment is better. For example, this isn’t a shot that my Phase One camera can actually take, so I switched back to my full-frame Canon with L lens instead. Some of the most popular lenses for this type of photography are also some of the cheapest; Samyang manufactures one of those, where the preferred lens for many astro-photographers is actually around 1/3 of the price of Canon’s L series equivalent, and arguably better suited!

We’ll go into more detail about the above shortly, but I’m also going to add three “tools” to your phone as necessities for night (or sunrise/sunset!) shooting. “TPE”, a good weather app (not Apple’s!) and “SkyGuide”. Of course, there are loads of others out there which do similar things, but I’ve found these are the best for what I need. Together, they can give you information on exactly where the Milky Way is located at what time, and also when the moon is going to make an appearance. When you’re heading into the middle of the night to capture a lone church, a good weather forecast and GPS along with these tools can be the difference between a successful mission and failure. By the way,we weren’t alone in that failed mission – there must have been more than forty people at the same spot we were trying to capture!

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The moon is really important for this type of shooting – because we don’t want it! If the moon is out, it’s almost impossible to see, and capture, the stars. So, what are we looking for exactly with these apps?

We’re trying to find a spot with 1. An interesting foreground (to frame the stars) 2. A clear sky with no cloud (preferably) 3. No moon in the sky (so either a new moon, before moonrise or after moonset) 4. As little light pollution as possible.

On that basis The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, is what many consider to be a perfect location. We were lucky with the timing as although there was due to be a half-moon, it wasn’t expected to rise into the sky for 3-4 hours after we arrived to the clear winter sky. Bear in mind that stars move, as does the moon, and if you’re looking to capture that all-important Milky Way up there, you’ll need to time it right! Of course, the “no cloud” thing isn’t always 100% essential – sometimes it’s good to add mood and atmosphere to a shot, such as the image below, taken at Nugget Point Lighthouse near Kaka Point in the Catlins on New Zealand’s southeast coast, but when trying to keep the focus on the stars and foreground, a clear sky is what we’re really looking for.

So, that’s our prep; now on to why the equipment specifications are so critical, and how to set up your shot. First, let’s look at the lens. That wide aperture is essential – you need a lens which can let in as much of the light coming from those tiny specks as possible. An f/4.5 or 5.6

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simply isn’t going to cut it – you need it to be as open as possible, or you’ll be compensating with either an increased ISO or longer shutter time and anything more than 25-30 seconds will deliver star trails instead of points of light. Star trails are a great effect too, but not what we’re looking for here. Also, bear in mind that your lens is not at its sharpest when wide open. A 2.8 lens might actually be better at 3.2 – so the wider (smaller number) you can get to start with, the better.

Next, let’s look at manual focus and zoom. Generally speaking, you want to get as much of the sky in as possible – so the wider the focal distance on the lens the better. Remember that as you approach the corners/edges, the motion in the stars will appear to increase and those parts of the image can become “soft” – not out of focus, but not perfect - so try to keep the main subject towards the middle of the frame. For focusing, you’re going to need to manually set your camera to infinity. Cameras generally need light to focus accurately, and for the sake of others around you, PLEASE don’t do what a coach-load of Chinese tourists managed to do on arrival at the church and all use their billion-watt torches to try to get their camera-phones to focus on the building! (You also don’t actually need to) Night vision is really important; it takes 10 times longer to get accustomed to the night sky than it does to get used to bright light, and using a red head-torch will help prevent damaging that vision. With your soft light, look over the lens and make sure your focus ring is set to the location of “infinity” (the sideways 8 shape). Do bear in mind that some lenses (such as my Canon 16-35L II) have a different point for infinity when using it at its widest setting (in red) – using the standard white line will give you an out of focus shot like the one below.

It can be challenging to compose a shot in pure darkness using the viewfinder (or live-view, for that matter), so a certain amount of this is “shoot and correct”. By that, I mean do your best to compose the shot through the viewfinder, take one, and then try to re-compose if needed.

Your camera set at ISO1600 for 25 seconds is far more sensitive than your eyes, so pointing in the right direction to capture the core over your chosen foreground will give you an immediate “wow” on the preview screen.

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If you have it, turn on both “High ISO Noise Reduction” as well as “Long Exposure Noise Reduction”. The result of this will mean for every 25 seconds the shutter is open, the camera will take another “dark curtain” (pure black) image of the same length of time afterwards to establish which parts are sensor noise and give you a much cleaner image when it’s done its processing.

Ideally, you’re looking for a shot on ISO1600-2000, around f/2.8 for 25 seconds. Some cameras, such as Canon’s 6D and Sony’s A7R, have an amazing ISO range which can allow you to shoot for less time (meaning less movement in the sky) as well as at higher ISO levels with no noise, but the settings above are a guide for the minimum on most current cameras.

Now, what about that foreground? I mean, it’s great having “no light pollution”, but I really want the church to be visible and focused in the final image. Well, here’s where light painting comes into play. First things first, DO NOT get out your “night-sun” billion-watt torch for this!

Remember, you’ve set your camera up to capture the tiny light details in the stars, and any strong light is simply going to blow your image as well as everyone else’s. I use an app on my iPhone which allows me to turn the entire screen into one colour, at a specific brightness. This means I can “wave” soft light of any temperature at the foreground. During your 25 second exposure, a few throws of this light in different directions over the subject will illuminate it just enough to bring out the detail you need.

Of course, some light sources are unavoidable – car headlights pulling into the parking lot was a favourite of ours! There’s really nothing you can do about it (and people need their headlights at night!) so it’s just a case of timing your shot in between light movements around you.

We’re now outside shooting in the winter, with all our settings correctly dialled in, and still we get a blurry picture! Well, I bet I can guess what it is… Frost. Many camera bodies and lenses are made of metal. Metal, in the winter, gets very cold – and so does glass. That’s fine, unless you’re shooting by a lake or large area of moisture – and guess what, that happens to be the location of some of the least light polluted scenes in the world. Ooops, we have a problem!

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No worries though, it’s fixable – just don’t breathe on your fogged up lens! The moisture in your breath will make it worse. Instead, put a (hopefully warm!) finger inside a clean lens cloth and slowly use the tiny bit of heat to melt the ice around the front element while the cloth will prevent scratches. This is also where “weatherproof” cameras come into play, along with carbon fibre tripods (which don’t freeze as easily) and memory cards such as SanDisk’s Extreme Pro series which work across a massive temperature range.

Of course, if you’re shooting in the summer you won’t have the issue of freezing equipment (be careful with the opposite issue of heat!) but do be aware of the environment in which you’re expecting your kit to perform. I’ve even seen hand-warmers taped directly to camera bodies for this – generally not a good idea as they get too hot, but you can see the lengths some go to in order to avoid the freeze-up!

And that’s it! Click away, capture as much of the night sky as possible and review on the screen after every shot. It’s important to zoom in on any previews to make sure your focus is still accurate, as things can turn and move while you’re changing settings. Once you’ve got that great shot, it’s also time to experiment with different colours of light-painting or using any zoom on your lens to generate a “warp” towards the stars in-camera (a great idea borrowed from my friend Wayne)! Take a look at the images below – the one on the left is a straight-up shot, while the one on the right is a single frame too, but with the zoom used for around half of the exposure.

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And that’s it! Simple, really – and so very effective. I see and hear some photographers trying to turn star photography into a dark mystical art, when really it’s one of the simplest things to capture once you have the right settings and are in a good place. Of course, they don’t want you to know that, but why not give it a try? You might find it’s a very easy way of creating some amazing images with the kit you already have! Having a mobile base was key for us doing this type of photography, allowing us to run back into the warm in remote locations when needed – but often, you can get some amazing night sky views from your own backyard!

As always, just to finish, here are Paul’s “bonus top tips� – essential to life...

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• Beans on toast are great to wake up to in the morning after freezing cold star photography! • In New Zealand, Jimmy’s Pies have an incredible way of warming you up at night! • While they may look stupid, my North Face “sleeping bag bootsâ€? win over anything else for warmth!

Have fun!

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Paul Reiffer is a UK multi award winning photographer. You can see his work and read more of his adventures at https://www.paulreiffer.com

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3 YEAR WARRANTY

EXTENDED TO A 3 YEAR WARRANTY

*

Including LUMIX G, LUMIX, Lens and Camcorder ranges

*Effective for all purchases from 1 April 2018.

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Spring is approaching!

Time to boost your photographic juices!

You have already registered to make sure you have the fieldtrips and workshops you want? We hope so!

Now it's time to make sure you and your club are well represented as an active part of this stimulating and synergistic gathering! Enjoy the banter of opinions as friends and fellow photographers peruse the 2018 Salon images and enjoy the PicTalk Presentations.

CLUB SETS EXHIBITION

Assemble six stunning Open and/or Nature digital images and six mind-blowing mounted prints gathered from your club members. The entries don't even need to be a set as they are judged individually.

See full details and entry form at

central.psnzconvention.org.nz/salons/interclub

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITION

Choose up to two each of your favourite Open and/or Nature digital and mounted print images.

Feel the buzz as you view your images alongside those of other photographers.

See full details and entry form at

central.psnzconvention.org.nz/salons/individual-salon/

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PICTALK SESSION

The fun and revealing Pecha Kucha type session offers the opportunity for photographers to share a passion or interest as 20 digital images relentlessly change every 20 seconds accompanied by an equally fast paced commentary. The images do not need to be salon buster images. The topic does not need to be photography related but does need to have an interesting message. We would like 10 speakers. So far we have four. Why not nominate one of your club's most interesting/passionate/humorous speakers - and then come and support them?

For more information or to register your session contact

Beverley’s email: b.sinclair@xtra.co.nz

Get those club and individual salon, and Pictalk entries on their way!

Last call to REGISTER for the Convention‌ central.psnzconvention.org.nz

See the 2018 Central Regional promo video at

whanganuicameraclub.com/psnz-central-regional-2018

Thank you to our supporters

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Group photoshoot etiquette

By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

AT THE RECENT NZIPP conference in Wellington, President Moira Blincoe LPSNZ, Honours Board member Tracey Scott FPSNZ and I were discussing some of the things that we all disliked when we took part in group photoshoots.

We all agreed that many of the issues we had discussed were not deliberate actions, but rather the result of people not thinking about what was happening. It was suggested that an article on etiquette would be useful and as editor it fell on me to write it.

With the central regional convention happening before the next issue of CameraTalk, I thought it was appropriate to cover it here. When I reviewed all the discussion it essentially came down to four simple guidelines.

Be aware of what is going on around you We all agreed that it was a major frustration, when we had set up a shot, only to have another photographer blindly walk into it. Even worse than that, some actually jumped in front of the first photographer to take the shot.

When you are out in a group be aware of what other photographers are doing, and particularly what they are aiming their cameras at. If you like what they are shooting, wait until they have finished and then take your turn.

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Don’t block passageways This is an extension of the first item, but this time it is the photographer who creates their own problem. If you are shooting in a traffic area then be aware of people who might want to come through, and allow them to do so.

Don’t hog limited resources One of the attractions of field trips in recent years is that the organisers have added additional items to them. The most common one has been models, often in costume.

I know that the majority of PSNZ photographers do not have ready access to models, so you want to make the most of the situations. However, resources such as models are limited and it is quite rude if someone tries to monopolise them just to get their own shots. This is especially true if you are the sort of photographer who takes a lot of time setting up your shots.

Having said that, there is nothing wrong if you want to use a model for an exclusive shot, towards the end of the session, when most other people have run out of ideas.

Think before you submit images Finally, before you submit that special image to a competition, or salon, ask yourself how much of what is portrayed in the image is your own thinking and work. For example, did you move the model and do all the directing for the poses? Did you add in different props or move to a different setting? If you simply copied what another photographer was doing, then don’t enter the images.

Everyone is aware of how many of our members enter very similar images, using the same models photographed on a variety of workshops, into local competitions and international salons. And many of these same models/images are winning lots of awards.

The discussion had started because two NZIPP members appeared to have attended the same event, and had independently submitted very similar images into the NZIPP Iris awards.

The NZIPP Honours Board was investigating the situation as they viewed such instances very seriously, as copying another photographer’s setup was deemed to amount to plagiarism.

As a Society we cannot control who and what is entered where, and we definitely do not want to take the stance that NZIPP takes. We want to encourage integrity, respect and honesty, particularly when many of these photographs have been made on paid workshops and/or field trips hosted by others.

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Hutt2019 – Focus on learning PLANNING FOR HUTT2019 is now in full swing and we are excited to share some of the line-up with you.

Lower Hutt Event Centre Our venue is now open and the space is just amazing! Everything is new and fresh with wide open spaces. We will soon be putting some images of the venue on the website and we have made a short video clip for you to take a virtual tour via YouTube.

Within a five minute walk from the main venue, we have secured two computer labs at a local school for all the workshops that contain postprocessing elements. This will make them fully ‘hands on’ workshops where you can learn as you do. These workshops will be limited to 30 and will not be repeated, so if you are interested be sure to register early. Registrations open in November.

26-29 April 2019 Lower Hutt

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Keynote speakers With the kind support of Nikon New Zealand we are pleased to announce the speakers for the Friday and Saturday evening sessions.

Mark Gee Mark is a Wellington astro-photographer, known globally for his amazing images of the night sky. His Wellington workshops on the south coast are now so popular that traffic plans are put in place and roads are closed! The last one attracted over a thousand photographers!

His work takes him around the world, with frequent visits to Africa, and last year he took part in an Air New Zealand flight to Antarctica to view and photograph the Southern Lights. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nikon, Mark was one of a select group of photographers chosen to document New Zealand.

We are very pleased to have Mark Gee as our opening night keynote speaker and know that you will be inspired by his presentation on shooting the night sky.

View more of Mark’s photography at http://www.theartofnight.com Weather permitting, on both Friday and Saturday nights we will be taking small groups out to the coast to put what you have learned from Mark’s presentation into practice.

Milky way over the Wainuiomata coast - by Frank Hopfler

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Steve Scalone Steve is a Melbourne based professional photographer, educator, Ilford Master and Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom. He has a very long list of awards, both in Australia and internationally.

Steve recently wowed attendees at the NZIPP Infocus conference in Wellington and we are excited that we managed to convince Steve to return to New Zealand. (He didn’t take much convincing.) He will present at our event too and we are thankful that Nikon could help us get him here.

On Saturday night Steve will present a session on using composition to improve your photography, and then on Sunday he will lead one of the off-sites that will focus on a combination of architecture and street photography.

You can view Steve’s work at www.stevescalone.com

Presenter successes In addition to our keynote speakers we are putting together an awesome array of presenters who will run our workshops and off-sites. At the 2018 NZIPP Iris Awards a number of them were acknowledged as being the top in their respective areas.

• Chris Helliwell LPSNZ – Winner of the Nature section • Esther Bunning GMNZIPP – Winner of the Portrait In-camera Mastery section • Tracey Scott FPSNZ FNZIPP – Winner of the Documentary section • Kaye Davis GMNZIPP – Winner of the Creative section • Catherine Cattanach FNZIPP – Finalist in the Book, Creative and Portrait In-Camera mastery sections, winner of the NZIPP Wellington Photographer of the Year.

We would like to congratulate them on their recent successes and thank them for agreeing to join our team of presenters.

Chris

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Esther

Tracey

Kaye

Catherine

YouTube If a photo is worth a thousand words then how many does a video replace?

We have set up a YouTube channel and over the next nine months will be loading content at regular intervals. The videos will introduce our presenters, workshop options and locations.

Already we have several videos available for you to watch.

You can find our channel on this link (https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UC0WDsG6LGNyyoQVSHknv83g Please subscribe to the channel to be notified when new content is loaded.

Just added to the programme We have an exciting addition to the programme on both Friday and Saturday night, Light painting with crystal balls.

Image by Toya Heatley APSNZ

Subscribe to our mailing list We have a mailing list and we send updates once a fortnight. There are currently 140 people subscribed to it. If you want to be one of the first to find out new content as we load it then visit http://www.hutt2019.org.nz and sign up.

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The Fellows At the 2018 Honours Banquet the distinction of Fellow was bestoyed on three PSNZ members. Over three issues of CameraTalk we are going to learn more about the photographers and see the images that made up the sets. The second fellow to feature is Helen McLeod FPSNZ. Her words are below.

 THE INHERITANCE  The concept for my Fellowship portfolio began as a little twinkle of an idea a couple of years ago. I am an active member of the Christchurch Photographic Society and we have an annual “Set Challenge”. This is where you get to compile and present six to eight images in a unique and artistic way. The thought behind this is to make you think about how to arrange and display images (possibly with the hope that you might consider going for your honours) in a manner that they work together and tell a visual story. I had bought a beautiful hand-made, leather bound book and was looking for a novel way to put it to use. I started turning some of my composite images into postage stamps, liked the concept and so placed them within the book to produce a stamp collection. The reception of this set of images was positive – with the suggestion that if I ever decided to attempt my Fellowship with the PSNZ then this would be a wonderful starting point. To say I was stunned was an understatement as I hadn’t considered going for my honours at this point in time. So this suggestion was filed away in my memory banks. Every now and then I come across my original stamp collection book, cringe (the images weren’t that startling), and then internally smile – it lead me to wonderful things.

My work is heavily influenced and inspired by the whimsical and surreal work of Maggie Taylor, Jerry Uelsman and Brook Shaden (amongst others). I have learnt from them that as a photographer it is possible to train your mind to see the creative possibilities in any situation. This has seen me capture images of some of the most unlikely things to add to my database of photographs.

From my images you may see that I love Photoshop and the opportunities it opens to me as a photographer and artist. I guess you could call me a control freak – I love manipulating images and turning them into pieces of fine art with a surreal dimension. Unless an image capture is of my feet (an accidental shot) I don’t tend to delete photographs as I have found numerous ways of using images that appear blurred, out of focus, or incorrectly exposed – these can be tidied up and used as photographically based brushes in post-production as I have done here in this collection of images.

My whole PSNZ honours journey produced a bounty of images, so for me, I had produced the basis of sixteen of the required eighteen images for my Fellowship quite early on. You may think that was the hard part completed – not so, the finessing of each image was my stumbling block. Long runs in my local forest helped me gather my thoughts and ideas – the result of which is depicted here.

I could not have completed this journey without the support of others – a huge thank you to those that took this journey with me.

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The artist’s statement

The way the set was displayed

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Appreciating photographs

by Mark Brimblecombe APSNZ

Appreciating a photograph, and any method for doing so, should be based on the fundamental nature of a photograph.1 Such a method will not need reference to how the photograph was made, with the various tools and techniques available to the photographer, e.g. cameras, computers, etc. It is based on recognising that every photo is a good photo, and no photo should be compared with another to determine how good it is.2 Nor should it be appreciated with reference to how good the photographer is recognised to be.3

A photograph is a like a semireflective window A photograph is • A window to a place, time, event. A portal through which we are transported there • A window to the photographer and their experience • A mirror reflecting the viewer’s experience when encountering the above.

Photo appreciation must be based on what photos are. Here are a couple of analogies.

A photograph is like a book When we read a book, we encounter • The story and its characters, events, places, etc • The author of the book • Ourselves.

We experience our own response to the book and its author. Everything is mediated and filtered when communicated. The story is mediated through the author, and the story and author are mediated through the book.

When we read a book, it is mediated through our own world-view, our own self. The same is true with a photograph.

Photographs are experiences captured It is sometimes said that a good photo communicates a message or story.

Sometimes that’s so, and sometimes not. Some photographs are like narrative, and some are like poetry or music where there is no narrative.4 But ALL photographs are experiences communicated, and ALL photographs are themselves experienced.

1 I’m using the word ‘appreciation’ intentionally. But it could be substituted with ‘evaluate’ or ‘judge’ for those involved in

camera club competitions.

2 e.g. the different awards in photo competitions, like ‘accepted’, ‘merit’, ‘highly commended’, ‘honours’.

3 e.g. the different grades for photographers, like ‘A-Grade’, ‘B-Grade’… or any grade for that matter, even ‘Magnum 4

Photographer’.

It is sometimes said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But sometimes words cannot adequately express what is experienced. If words are used, they may be few and assembled poetically.

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This covers all genres in photography (e.g. landscape, portraiture, nature, etc) just as it does in music (classical, rock, jazz, etc).

All photographs, irrespective of genre, are experiences communicated, and they themselves are experienced.

So, when it comes to appreciating a photograph the quest is to consider • The experience depicted in the image, even if that is the imagined experience of inanimate objects

“Photographs really are experience captured…”

– Susan Sontag, On Photography, 1971

• The imagined experience of the photographer when making the photo

Aesthetics and the photograph

• My experience when viewing the photo.

Is this a nice photo? Is it a beautiful photo?

These are aesthetical questions regarding taste and the personal, social, and cultural values of what is regarded as ‘tasteful’. The aesthetical ‘measuring stick’ changes shape from one culture to another. It also changes from time to time depending on what fashion may be in vogue.

This approach avoids getting ‘tied up’ with the techniques and the tools used making the photo and is not ‘blinkered’ by conformity to standards or rules or what others might want to see. It respects that the photo is this photo, and it respects the choices made by the photographer to make the photo this way. More importantly, it respects the fact

that every photo is a good photo because it communicates experiences and is itself experienced. There are no negative comments to be made, irrespective of what kind of experiences they are for us, good or bad.

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This approach opens the imagination to see things in a photograph which otherwise may not be seen, to see connections and relationships, real or imaginary, between what is present in the photo. We discover layers of meaning or experience in the image, in the photographer’s capturing it, and in our response to it.

Aesthetics is then highly subjective. This must be recognised as a factor when appreciating a photo. We bring to the photo our own aesthetics.

There are no aesthetic universals, e.g. the so-called ‘rules of composition’, despite the many attempts to define them and use them. The mathematician G D Birkhoff suggested an aesthetic measuring formula M = O/C as the ratio of order (O) to complexity or chaos (C). This implies that order alone is boring and not pretty, and that complete chaos is likewise ugly and not pretty, and that somewhere in between there is a combination of both that is pleasing to the eye. We may be familiar with the criticism of photos that lack a ‘focal point’ or a subject for our eye to rest on.

When appreciating a photograph, it’s important to be aware of our personal aesthetical perspective. Much care should be taken if using it as ‘measuring stick’; less so perhaps if the photo is being measured for conformity to an external set of rules or aesthetics, e.g. photo competitions. But even then, it’s a matter of personal interpretation!

Conclusion I believe that recognising that “photographs are experiences captured”, and that there are three levels of experience to this, is the primary way to appreciate any photograph.

Aesthetical considerations are secondary. And last and least of all, are considerations about the techniques and tools used making the

photograph. Having said that, in photography the medium (how the photo is presented) is part of the experience. The problem with ‘evaluating’ or ‘judging’ images is that this necessarily involves some use of ‘measuring sticks’, when the fundamental nature of photographs is that they are experiential.You just can’t measure or score an experience.

Photos that shout at you, and photos that whisper at you, are both experiential… and one not less so than the other. It’s just that one has the ‘volume’ turned up.

I would appreciate comments and ongoing discussion, either to CameraTalk or to mark. brimblecombe@gmail.com.

All images in this article were taken by Mark on 35mm film using mostly Voigtländer rangefinders.

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Audio-visual notes Compiled by Trish McAuslan APSNZ EFIAP AAPS

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Competition 2018 This competition is only open to members of PSNZ and members of camera clubs affiliated to PSNZ. There are three categories and you may enter a maximum of two audio-visuals.

The maximum length is still five minutes and the author is responsible for the whole process - taking the photos, creating the story, writing the text for the narration and either speaking it or directing it if someone else speaks it.

Perhaps the category that causes most confusion is Documentary. A documentary is a factual account of a place or an event, such as you those you often see on television.

If you are not sure if your AV fits into the Documentary category ask yourself, “Is everything in the AV true or have I made up some of the story, even though it may be based on fact?” If you have made up some of the story then it probably fits into Theme.

Another question we are often asked is whether it is possible to use copies of historical photos or maps etc, taken from the internet. The answer is yes, as long as there are only a few of them, they are important to the story and you acknowledge their source.

It is up to the judges to decide if there are too many of these ‘third party’ images in the audio-visual.

I encourage everyone interested in AVs to ‘have a go’ as this is the best way to learn.

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The main change this year is that we are asking everyone to save their programmes as .mp4 if they can. This is a quality format which allows us to show the programmes on both Windows and Apple computers. It is possible to save programmes as .mp4 in recent versions of all the main AV creation applications.

For people who are using older versions of those applications it may be possible to find a ‘work around’. If not there is the option of saving the programme as an .avi or .mov which will also play on both computer platforms.

But, a word of caution. This year the .avi files would not play correctly using VLC on the Mac, as there were issues with the sound making funny noises. When played using VLC on the Windows machine they worked fine.

There were no problems with .mov or .mp4 on either platform.

The competition is being organised by the North Shore Photographic Society. Entries will open on 1 October 2018 and will close on 4 November 2018. Judging will take place on 18 November 2018.

The entry form will be available on the PSNZ website, along with other information as it becomes available.

Tauranga Audio-visual Salon 2018 This year’s competition attracted 79 entries from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. For the first time, all the top awards went to entrants from other countries. The successful AVs will be shown once at the Presentation Evening which is held in Tauranga in early August.

I have recently reviewed the successful AVs as I was making up the programme for the Presentation Evening. What I noticed was that more than half the successful programmes had a spoken commentary, but that included only two successful NZ programmes. About a quarter of the programmes had a written explanation and those with text were all from New Zealand and the Netherlands.

With a spoken dialogue the viewer is able to listen to the story while watching and interpreting the images. Some programmes had the text on the first few slides, so the audience knew what to expect. This works as long as there is not a lot of text. Because some people read faster than others, deciding how long to show each slide is an issue. Some people don’t have time to read everything and others sit and wait for the next slide.

Text written on the images means that people need time to read the text and then to ‘read’ the image. This slows down the presentation of the story so, if you do this, it is important to keep the text brief.

So, why are so many of us reluctant to add a spoken commentary to those programmes which would suit it? Often it is because we don’t like hearing a recording of our own voice. To start with, we are often so uncomfortable speaking to a microphone that our presentation becomes stilted and

unnatural. Keep trying, and after a while you will overcome that problem. Imagine you are talking to a group of friends and that will help you to be more natural. If you are lucky enough to know a trained speaker you could write the narrative for that person to speak. However, if the person you ask to speak the narrative has no training it is much more difficult. I have tried this and found it quite unsatisfactory.You know what sort of emphasis and expression you want and you have to convey that to a person who has no idea what sort of mood you had in mind. It is often easier to do it yourself.

So, do you always need to include a spoken or written commentary? No; some of the winning programmes didn’t have any spoken words or written text, but what they had was an audio track which really supported the mood of the audio-visual. The overall winner relied heavily on sound effects to create the spooky mood that supported the story.

The winner of the World of Nature relied on beautiful music and images to tell about winter on Yellowstone National Park.

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Member profile:

Alison Viskovic FPSNZ I WAS GIVEN a Baby Brownie when I was ten, when our family travelled to England for a year in 1951. Then at high school a local professional taught our camera club members how to develop films and enlarge prints, and I progressed to using my father’s folding Kodak and then his 35mm rangefinder camera. But after leaving school I just took family and holiday photos, processed at a pharmacy, until 1975.

Then I saw what my much younger brother was doing in a high school club, and decided to buy an SLR and set up a home darkroom. A work colleague introduced me to Lower Hutt Photographic Society in 1976, and then I really took off. I started entering their competitions, especially the set subjects, which extended my interests and skills. I also worked through the reading lists for the photographic course at Ilam School of Fine Arts at Canterbury University; it focused more on photographers’ works and ideas than on technical aspects.

(I now have five large shelves of books on photography and photographers.)

From 1977 I started entering salons – Wanganui, Tokoroa, Dunedin and the PSNZ National – producing mainly B&W prints but some colour slides. My interest in doing documentary projects and sets of images grew; the Levin Multiples Salon was good for that. I joined PhotoForum Wellington in 1978; it gave me other points of view to consider.

In 1983 my image Sarona (right) was the top B&W

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print in the PSNZ National, and in 1984 it was accepted for a Photoforum exhibition in the National Gallery. It was nice to have it accepted in both spheres.

In 1985 I gained APSNZ with a set of B&W prints. I also showed images in PhotoForum group exhibitions in Wellington in the 1980s, and wrote a number of articles for NZ Camera (it was a magazine then). A set I produced of a 1981 rugby tour protest incident was printed in both NZ Camera and the Australian equivalent journal. In 1981 I joined Wellington Polytechnic in a staff education role that included supervising the teaching resources centre, using some of my photographic skills in different ways.

By the late 1980s I felt I was getting a bit stale and that the judging in camera clubs was not progressing much; there were often mainly technical comments. So I left the club scene but continued through the 1990s in a small group started by Arthur Mowles, called “Wide Angle”.

We met several times a year to talk about images, and had an annual group exhibition, usually at the Odlin Gallery in Lower Hutt, and once at the Dowse Gallery for which I did a set called High Street People. In 1990 I combined with a nursing tutor interested in oral history and did all the photography for an Odlin exhibition focusing on retired people - Living in the 80s. Each image had accompanying text excerpts from the person’s interview.

In 1996 we moved house and I no longer had a darkroom, and from 1999 photography took a back seat, except for family things with a small digital camera, while I completed a late career PhD. When that ended in 2005 and I retired (I thought!) from Massey University, my photography started afresh with my first DSLR, Photoshop for my Mac computer, and an Epson R2400 printer. I also rejoined PSNZ to find out what people were doing with digital photography.

However, in 2006 I was asked to do some teaching and research work for Whitireia Polytechnic. It became a half-time position as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts. That lasted until 2013; then further parttime curriculum work continued until the end of 2017. Since 2006 I have had a number of overseas trips with photographic opportunities that I have really enjoyed. Whenever I travel I always try to visit galleries and art museums as well as making my own photos.

In 2011 I celebrated my 70th birthday with a retrospective exhibition at the Odlin Gallery, just before we moved to Waikanae. In 2012 I joined Kapiti Coast Photographic Society as a way of meeting people locally – and that finally brought me back into club activities.

Over the years I have tried many photographic subjects and a number of experimental approaches. In the darkroom I did things like photograms, montage, bas relief and solarisation. My interest in perspective effects and illusions also started back in my darkroom days, but more recently I have recreated and varied them using a digital camera. I have used Photoshop for my experiments with mirror-image ‘kaleidoscope’ effects, but I don’t do a lot of elaborate postprocessing. I applied three times for FPSNZ – the first set I now think was not nearly good enough; the second set (on gardening) is still one of my personal favourites; and the third and successful one applied kaleidoscope effects to some of my travel photos of New York.

Tree pair, 2006 – I explored a tree in a local park for over a year. Different times, weather, seasons, viewpoints... This got me going, using Photoshop for colour prints.

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New York kaleidoscopes – a sampler from my FPSNZ set

I have been president of KCPS for two years, then secretary, and am now doing one more year as president. I enjoy the group activities at KCPS, such as MeetUp outings, an annual field trip, two-yearly club exhibitions at the Paraparaumu Library’s Art Space Gallery, and interclub competitions. I was really pleased to have the opportunity to arrange a club exhibition of monochrome environmental portraits of retired Kapiti people at Waikanae’s Mahara Gallery – together with text notes, inspired by my 1990 Odlin exhibition.Visually getting to know a new environment has been stimulating – I have been photographing the estuary and hills, historic buildings, people at the local markets, beach sunsets… My latest venture is joining the PSNZ judge training process, which is answering the concerns I had way back in the 1980s!

Overall, photography has been and is still a major part of my life and has given me many opportunities and reasons to think about what matters to me visually, and what I want to create, respond to or communicate.

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Garden pair, 1988 – from a series of subjective/objective studies of my garden

After-dinner fantasy – example of my perspective illusions

Burger-fed locals – a B&W version won the PJ award at Natex 2015

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Communication – my favourite triptych, images from the New York Public Library

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2018 Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon winners announced by team leader Carolyn Elcock ANPSNZ AFIAP

ON 18 JULY CHRISTCHURCH Photographic Society (CPS) celebrated with the award winners in the 22nd Laurie Thomas New Zealand Landscape Salon. An audio-visual of the CPS entries was shown prior to an audio-visual of all 98 successful entries. Congratulations to those who had success this year and thanks to all 131 photographers who entered images in the salon.

The judges alternate between North and South Islands and this year our judges were from Waikanae. A big thank you to our judges: Shona Jaray APSNZ, Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS and Neil Gordon APSNZ, who travelled to Christchurch to join us for awards night. The trophy winner, Brian Eastwood, made the trip from Auckland and the trophy was presented by Shona.

Shona’s comments follow.

“This is my first invitation to convene a selection panel and my thanks go to Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS and Neil Gordon APSNZ who joined me on the panel to give a carefully considered and open-minded assessment of the images entered.Thanks also to Alison Viskovic FPSNZ who assisted administratively.

There were a total of 513 images, generally of a very high quality. A large number of images would likely have made honours but for the presence of dust spots, often multiple and large.This is a simple problem to fix and is all about taking care with your presentation. Other common technical faults were the presence of halos and chromatic aberration – both of these also relatively simple to fix.

A number of images appeared to have been exposed in either harsh or flat light. Fixing this problem has to start with your camera and choosing the time of day - seeing the light. Some of these images may well be boosted with careful editing of colour temperature and contrast.

Another category of images which did not make the grade appeared to have been over processed, resulting in unnaturally saturated colour or in some areas of the image starting to fall apart – colour banding, extreme noise and other artifacts.

Successful images were those that maximised the potential of the scene, capturing the essence of the landscape and conveying mood, strong composition and good lighting.We felt that the images that gained acceptance and higher were of a very high quality.

Congratulations to the award winners and to those whose work was accepted.To those who entered images which were not accepted, don’t be disheartened - enjoy your photography and come back again in 2019.”

This year all successful entries were included in the catalogue, which has been sent to all entrants.

The 2019 Salon opens in April 2019.

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Brian Eastwood receiving Laurie Thomas Trophy from the three judges

Brian Eastwood receiving Bronze Medal from judge Caroline Ludford for Morning mist

Helen McLeod receiving Silver Medal from judge Shona Jaray for Nevis Valley crib

Priscilla Chapman receiving Bronze Medal from judge Neil Gordon for Lindis Pass

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Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon - Gold

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Ancient forest by Brian Eastwood

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Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon - Silver

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Nevis Valley crib by Helen McLeod FPSNZ

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Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon - Silver

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Whirinaki morning by Jacky Challis

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Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon - Bronze

Owharoa Falls by Karl Tretheway

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Lindis Pass by Priscilla Chapman ANPSNZ

Morning mist by Brian Eastwood

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A life in photography: Rosita Manning FPSNZ THE LOVE OF photography has been with me from the age of eleven. Using Mum’s well handled camera to photograph my siblings during the school holidays became a regular pastime. I was in a happy place, exploring my parents’ beautifully tendered gardens and capturing the expressions of my sister and brothers.

Once I commenced work and could afford to buy my own film, transparency was a preferred choice. I was always keen on the colour side of photography and marvelled at the magical texture, form and detail that emerged from the spring garden.

In my early twenties, after the birth of my daughter, I decided to pursue my hobby further. Between her afternoon sleeps everything that moved in the garden was caught and popped in a jar and one by one were photographed in one of the natural looking habitats I made in preparation.

My first camera was a Minolta 101 coupled with a Rokkor macro lens. This combination was used for everything until I could afford a

Lustre

wide-angle lens and a tele several years later. With a great love for macro imagery I was able to spend many enjoyable hours capturing the magic of the small world. Slide film was expensive so a roll was carefully used, occasionally with bracketing but never in a wasteful way. Every shot was made to count, a good lesson in becoming a better photographer. A habit was formed before pressing the shutter: check for good composition, eye-catching highlights, exposure and colour harmony.

Two and a half years later my son was born, so photography wasn’t so high on the agenda until both children could accompany Noel and me on week-long mountain trips without becoming bored. They still remind us of taking a day instead of four and a half hours to arrive at Mt Ruapehu. I value the patience of our children during these drives which must have been frustrating for them.

We loved our holidays in the alpine regions of New Zealand and the long hikes up the mountains in pursuit of flora and fauna.

Long bush walks during the toadstool and

Rosita & Noel

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fungi season on a cold frosty morning didn’t deter them from an early rise in search of toadstools; then the wait while we photographed them. Toadstools and native orchids were my favoured subjects. After spending ten years studying toadstools and recording their habitat and spore colouring for identification purposes I felt I had a reasonably good knowledge. These days many more varieties have been discovered.

Natural light is preferred 99% of the time.

I rarely use a flash, but when required the use of a reflector is invaluable. Photography to me is about light, how to use it correctly for different topics and how to read it and see the difference at all times of the day and seasons; the richness and warmth of the landscape to the gentle play of complementary softness for portraiture.

Simplicity and good colour harmony are also close to my heart.

Between us, my husband Noel and I have been members of the Pukekohe-Franklin Camera Club for 93 years, with 83 of them as committee members. We are both Life Members.

Style

We enjoy the involvement with our club and the like-minded people we meet. Over the years a small team of us organised workshops, lasting from an extended weekend to a full week and using local, national and international presenters. They were wonderful experiences, sharing the love of photography by working, eating, viewing, discussing and building friendships. We were on the organising committee of four PSNZ Northern Regionals and the 1988 National Convention.

Two terms of three years on the Honours Board provided a highlight. I was an Accredited Judges Panel member for several years and a panel judge myself until my recent retirement. Jack Sprosen and I produced the earlier versions of CameraTalk.

Natures crystals

Working towards my APSNZ in1992 and my FPSNZ in 2005 gave me new challenges. I enjoyed working towards these distinctions, spending months planning and coordinating colour harmony, balance and layout. I vividly remember thinking I had my Fellowship set chosen from the hundreds of images in my 69

library only to find I was two short, taking the layout into consideration. I didn’t want to shuffle from the position I was happy with, so it was off with the camera to fill those gaps.

I was never a PSNZ councillor, knowing I couldn’t provide the time while working as a professional photographer, and being there for our young family was enough to keep me grounded. I chose to be active in promoting photography and was able to make myself available to serve on the club committee, holding all positions over the years.

Noel and I tutored photography for many years. This was an enjoyable and rewarding experience, especially when some students arrived not knowing how to turn the camera on, and in a few weeks produced some stunning imagery.

Pukekohe - and now have even less free time.

With a very active programme and many folk we previously knew, there’s never a quiet day. Unfortunately we are both hindered by unsatisfactory health which has kept us from spending time or attending photographic events.

I continue with my photography and am grateful to have been inspired by some of the best tutors, Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant to name a couple. They lifted my creative side and moved my passion beyond the traditional. Floral and macro work continue to blossom for me, and it’s not unusual to spend a day behind the camera, exploring the beauty of nature. I feel grateful to have won many awards and medals and will continue to promote my competitive side.

We have retired and purchased a town house in a beautiful new retirement village in

Fresh and fruity

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The last to fall

Spring has sprung

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Colorama

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47th Trenna Packer Salver Salon: Convenor Carolyn Elcock DDP ANPSNZ AFIAP reports on this year’s competition

THE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHIC Society of New Zealand took over the running of the interclub salon from the Hagley Camera Club in 2007. It is the only salon dedicated to nature photography in New Zealand. The salon uses the PSNZ Definition and Guidelines for Nature and any New Zealand club may enter a set showing diversity and coherence.

The position of judge rotates between North and South Islands and is selected on the basis of being a skilled nature photographer, with the ability to impartially assess the sets. The sets are re-numbered by the convenor to conceal the identity of clubs. Our judge this year was from the South Island: Elizabeth Passuello FPSNZ FNPSNZ AAPS EFIAP of Greymouth, who received honours in Trenna Packer Salons in 2015 and 2016. Her task was not an easy one due to the quality of entries. Elizabeth’s constructive comments on each set show just how important the details and attention to the rules are in a very close competition.

There were twenty entries this year, eight from the North Island and 12 from the South Island.

All clubs that entered receive a copy of the judge’s general notes and comments on their set.

This year, for the first time in 47 years of running the salon, a North Island Club has won the Salver. Congratulations go to the Pukekohe-Franklin Camera Club for their winning set.

Elizabeth’s general comments follow.

There were so many great images in this competition, and well-produced sets of images, that choosing the top three was a hard task indeed.The outcome for some sets may have been different had the strict rules of the competition been adhered to, such as titling of images and diversity of subject matter.

On the subject of titling, it is important to remember that in nature competitions the educational benefit of the image is put before the pictorial aspect. If you can get both in the one shot you usually have a winner! Therefore, correct and appropriate titling is very important. No cute titles!

The inclusion of evidence of man is acceptable only under very strict circumstances, such as banding on birds. Other inclusions of evidence of our existence on this planet are not deemed appropriate in nature competitions.

The rules state that ‘a layout image should be included showing the order and layout of the set’. I noticed the layout images for some sets are in a single row, depicting a sequence of images, while most are shown as two rows of three. I have no problem with either for the purpose of showing a summary of the set, however I do believe that the set should not be judged by its appearance in this image but rather how the images connect when viewed in sequence, one image at a time.

I will clarify that by saying the usual two rows of three can be seen by some as having the properties of a print set layout.Therefore, too much emphasis can be placed on the position of images within the set with the mindset of selecting a print set rather than a projected image set. Because projected images are viewed in a sequence, the criteria for arranging the placement of images differs somewhat to that of a print set and the flow of the images becomes a key to the success of the set.

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Elizabeth commented on the winning set.

There is good variety in this set to keep in line with the diversity requirement; even though there are two birds the fact one is in flight brings a difference in comparison with the last one which is standing on a fruiting Nikau.The low viewpoint used for image 2 sets the crab off nicely in its environment.The boiling geothermal mud is also a shot with a difference as it shows just enough movement to give the viewer a feel for the action. Overall, each image is consistent in quality and the whole set gels together well.

The winning set

Second place went to Christchurch Photographic Society and third to Rangiora Photographic Society.

The individual honours went equally to Judy Stokes APSNZ - Auckland Photographic Society, Owen Dunne - Marlborough Camera Club, Gavin Klee - Kapiti Coast Photographic Society, Graham Dainty FPSNZ - Fiordland Camera Club, Paul Sorrell - Dunedin Photographic Society, David Steer LPSNZ - Dunedin Photographic Society and Glenda Rees - Nature Photography Society of NZ. The winning images and a link to an AV of all entries are on our club web page: http://www. naturephotography.nz/trenna-packer-salver-2018-judge-elizabeth-passuello/ The Nature Photography Society of New Zealand thanks all clubs that entered in 2018. We look forward to their entries next year, along with other clubs who missed entering this year. The 2019 Trenna Packer Salver opens on 1 May. Previous winners of the salver are listed in the table on the next page.

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Trenna Packer Salver Salon - winning clubs 1972 Rangiora Camera Club 1973 Amuri Camera Club 1974 Amuri Camera Club 1975 Hagley Camera Club 1976 Amuri Camera Club 1977 Hagley Camera Club 1978 Amuri Camera Club 1979 Hagley Camera Club 1980 Amuri Camera Club 1981 Gore Camera Club 1982 Dunedin Photographic Society 1983 Christchurch Photographic Society 1984 Christchurch Photographic Society 1985 Nelson Photographic Society 1986 Dunedin Photographic Society 1987 Nelson Photographic Society 1988 Rangiora Camera Club 1989 Hagley Camera Club 1990 Christchurch Photographic Society 1991 Ashburton Photographic Society 1992 Hagley Camera Club 1993 Christchurch Photographic Society 1994 North Otago Photographic Society 1995 Christchurch Photographic Society

Joy van Lier, member of Rangiora Photographic Society, receiving the 3rd place certificate from Peter Hockley, President of Nature Photography Society of NZ

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1996 Dunedin Photographic Society 1997 Christchurch Photographic Society 1998 Dunedin Photographic Society 1999 Christchurch Photographic Society 2000 Christchurch Photographic Society 2001 Christchurch Photographic Society 2002 Christchurch Photographic Society 2003 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2004 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2005 Marlborough Camera Club 2006 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2007 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2008 Nelson Camera Club 2009 Christchurch Photographic Society 2010 Christchurch Photographic Society 2011 Christchurch Photographic Society 2012 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2013 Greymouth Photography Club 2014 Buller Camera Club 2015 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2016 Christchurch Photographic Society 2017 Nature Photography Society of NZ 2018 Pukekohe-Franklin Camera Club

Newell Grenfell, Patron of Christchurch Photographic Society, receiving 2nd place certificate from Peter

Second - Christchurch Photographic Society

Third - Rangiora Photographic Society

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PSNZ membership benefits ‘Helping photographers grow’

BY JOINING THE Photographic Society of New Zealand you can...

• Obtain discounts for society activities, including reduced registration fees for the annual PSNZ national convention.

• Obtain discounts for some New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers events.

• Receive a copy of New Zealand Camera. Members are entitled to submit images for inclusion in this prestigious annual publication. Purchase additional copies via our website.

• Submit a portfolio of work for consideration to achieve a society distinction, (LPSNZ, APSNZ or FPSNZ). The quality, consistency and competency of your work is recognised and you can display letters after your name.

• Obtain discounted rates for entering the Canon PSNZ National Exhibition.

• Enter Canon Online, a bi-monthly digital competition with trophies for the winner of each round and for the overall winner each year.

• Attend judge training workshops free of charge.

• Promote your website on the PSNZ website; receive a link from our site to yours; access the ‘member only’ area; gain access to online entry forms and valuable help sheets.

• Join a print circle to help improve your photographic skills and build friendships with fellow members.

• Keep up to date with the latest news on events, activities and special offers through bulk emails.

• Obtain product discounts or savings, including reduced rates for photographic equipment insurance through Rothbury’s insurance brokers.

To join PSNZ, please visit our website: https://photography.org.nz

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FIAP B&W Print Biennial 2018: Ann Bastion FPSNZ EFIAP reports

YOU MAY RECALL that earlier this year I invited members to submit their best “Contemporary Architecture” images for consideration in the selection of a 10 image set for the FIAP B&W Print Biennial.

Well the results are out and NZ ranked 7th overall out of 40 countries.

This is great news and earns us an “Hon Mention Certificate” to be awarded at the FIAP Congress next month.

Especially exciting is the awarding of a Bronze medal to Breen Porter FPSNZ ARPS LBIPP AFIAP for his image “Metropol Parosol Seville Spain”.

I wish to thank all who submitted images for consideration and congratulations to those whose images were selected.

Thanks also to the selectors • Brian Cudby Hon PSNZ FPSNZ EFIAP ESFIAP • Lynn Clayton Hon PSNZ APSNZ EFIAP ESFIAP • Moira Blincoe LPSNZ The set in order: left to right, top row, followed by left to right, bottom row

Reflecting on time by Lorraine Gibb LPSNZ; Soaring into the clouds by Bob Scott LPSNZ; Convergence by William Wright FPSNZ; Brisbane by Sarah Caldwell APSNZ; Te puna o Waiwhetu by Annette Preen FPSNZ AFIAP; Metropol parasol Seville Spain by Breen Porter FPSNZ ARPS LBIPP AFIAP; Disney theatre LAX by Lynn Clayton Hon PSNZ APSNZ EFIAP ESFIAP; Skyward by Tony Gorham LPSNZ; Eye to the top by Graham Dainty FPSNZ; Contemporary by Jean Moulin APSNZ EFIAP

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The story befind the image In this new section CameraTalk asks members to go into what went into making an image, and not just the technical specs. First up is Peter Morris APSNZ AFIAP with his image “Spoils of the hunter”

“Spoils of the hunter” recently took out top award in “1st Photorama Digital Sweden 2018 - Traditional Photo” (Photorama Trophy - Best In Show) which was a photographic salon in which photographic entries were to be single captures maintaining original look of image with minimal post processing. No adding or removing of elements (no composites), no HDR or focus stacking etc.

Peter explains: There was no planning involved in this particular shot; it just happened as part of a pre arranged shoot.

The lady in the image is Kaitlin Bruce, a body builder based in Auckland but who competes internationally.This shot was taken about two weeks before she competed successfully (winning) in a show in Las Vegas.We had discussed the shoot prior and she had settled on a fitness/glamour theme for herself, something which would show off her hard work and training but also exhibit a certain amount of softness and femininity.

I did suggest to Kaitlin seeing as we were going to be going down the glamour route that perhaps she would like to incorporate something for her husband Dan, maybe bringing a personal item of clothing such as business shirt, tie or something hobby related etc.The last thing I expected as I opened the door on the day of the shoot was a stag head!!! Kaitlin’s husband Dan is a hunter and she had very carefully removed his pride and joy from the wall of their home and transported it without his knowledge to my studio.

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I had no idea what we were going to do with it, and a quick Google search yielded very few results, but in no time at all Kaitlin had come up with a couple of concepts and this is the result of one of them. An image taken with just one light (a gridded beauty dish from above) which not only brought out Kaitlin’s definition (and symmetry) in back and shoulders but also that of her calves with a very nice and subtle play of shadows of the antlers on the ground.

And there we have it - Spoils of the hunter.

Two-yearly exhibition

Club news If your club has information or events that it would like to share, email the details to Lindsay Stockbridge LPSNZ at dilinz@ actrix.co.nz.

Kapiti Coast Photographic Society will hold its two-yearly exhibition from Monday 17 September through to Friday 5 October. Titled “Through the photographer’s eye”, it will be held in the Rod and Gillian Deane Community Art Space at Paraparaumu Library.

Between 50 and 60 images will be presented, representing members’ work in landscape, nature, people, creative and Kapiti themes. PSNZ members travelling through are warmly invited to attend.

Alison Viskovic FPSNZ

Services

Courier or storage boxes. Contact Sean Dick, sean@evokestudio.co.nz

Printcases for 16”x 20” prints. $75 plus post. Contact Jocelyn Barrett, the.barretts.jl@gmail.com

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FIAP distinctions 2018 From Ann Bastion FPSNZ EFIAP, FIAP Liaison Officer

IT IS THAT time of the year when I start collecting “draft” dossiers or spreadsheets from members wishing to apply for their FIAP honours this year. I will be sending the 2018 completed AFIAP and EFIAP dossiers up to FIAP late in October. In the meantime, if you have your draft dossier complete or partially complete, please send it on to me to check and file for later. It is better for me to see if you are on the right track now, rather than later when there is no time to make any adjustments.

If you wish to know more about the process or receive a copy of this year’s forms please contact me at ajbastion@gmail.com

The last image

Mark Brimblecombe APSNZ

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