NZ Photographer Issue 31

Issue 31 : February 2014

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Street Art!

I love that the term ‘street art’ is so open to interpretation and to the viewer’s own perception of art in itself. So what better a competition for me to jump on board to really see your perspective?

ABOUT Whether you’re an enthusiastic weekend snapper or a beginner who wants to learn more, NZ Photographer is the fun e-magazine for all Kiwi camera owners – and it’s free!

EDITOR Hollie Wightman, hollie@nzphotographer.co.nz GROUP EDITOR Nick Harley ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Phone Richard Liew on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com

WEBSITE www.nzphotographer.co.nz

NZ Photographer is an Espire Media publication

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There were some awesome entries into last month’s competition and as a whole I was inspired and impressed! In particular, Gareth Faulkner’s image ‘Street Art in Motion’ really caught my eye. The lines of the windows and drain pipe take your eye the full height of the image while the street artist in the bottom right gives a great impression of scale. In fact he could almost blend into the wall himself. I think the overall composition and sense of space in this shot works really well.

Nice work Gareth!

In this issue we have a great guide to shooting the full moon by Allan Cox. The next full moon will be April 15th so be sure to read Allan’s tutorial and give it a go.. We’re also pleased to bring to you ‘Camera Talk’ – The official newsletter of the Photographic Society of New Zealand which is included at the back of this issue. Even more free photography related news, reviews, tips and tricks for your reading pleasure!

Hollie Wightman

Hollie Wightman Resident Judge NZ Photographer



Next Month's  Competition: Frozen Motion

For this month’s competition we’re looking for a change of pace... Fast! ‘Frozen Motion’ is the theme for this issue. Whether it’s a soccer game, race track, a frisbee catching dog or a hawk mid-flight, increase your shutter speed and freeze the action! I’ve included in this issue a few of my own tips for action photography to get you started if action photography is new to you.

Entries close April 18th – looking forward to seeing them!

Rules: Images submitted must be no older than 12 months from the date of publication of this issue. Entry to the competition is $5 and you can enter up to five images. Images must be no more than 100 dpi and no more than 1600px wide. Save them as jpgs in the prefered colour space of Adobe RGB (1998).

If you don't know what this means, don't worry, but do Google it...●

GET SHOOTING AND WIN! Photographers - This is a great opportunity to improve your photography skills and get some feedback from professional photography judges in a safe and friendly environment.

Here's what's up for grabs!

•

The winning image on the cover of the next issue

•

A high quality print of your image and cover to immortalise your achievement for your grandchildren, courtesy of PCL Imaging

•

$50 cash

•

And of course, bragging rights and the envy of your fellow NZ Photographer fans!

Check out next month’s theme and enter at www.nzphotographer.co.nz!

WIN!

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Photographing the Full Moon A guide to photographing the full moon By Allan Cox

We’ve all done it. We’ve all looked at a big fat cheesy full moon floating lazily on the horizon and thought ‘that will make a great photo’. Yet when we’ve tried, our results are often disappointing. Trying to photograph a full moon is a lesson in itself; which shows us that what the human eye sees and what the camera sees are not always the same. Here’s my stepby-step approach to photographing the full moon.

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Full Moon rises over the Taiaroa Head’s lighthouse and Royal Albatross colony, Dunedin. A bit of planning goes a long way when taking photos of the full moon. Thanks to ‘The photographers Ephemeris’ we knew exactly when and where to be, to get the moon behind the lighthouse

As a compositional element the moon has a lot of visual weigh and can really add to a landscape. If you want the moon as part of a landscape, then you will find it in the western sky, in the afternoon, a few days before the day of the full moon. Or—as in this photo—in the eastern sky, in the morning, a few days after the day of the full moon. Correct exposure will be easy, because the light on the moon will be the same as the light on the land

Choose your day, time and location. The moon will always rise at, or close to, the time of sunset, on the actual day that it is full. I find the best results are achieved when the moon rises about half an hour before the sun goes down. I will either photograph the moon on the actual day that it is full, or on the day before it is full, depending on which of these days is the closest to the above scenario. To find out when and where the moon will rise, I use the ‘The Photographers Ephemeris’. This is a free download for your computer or $13 as an app for your phone. See http://photoephemeris.com

the light meter in your camera. One way to get a better exposure is to use the spot meter on your camera: if your camera has one.

Personally, I just shoot in manual exposure mode - auto ISO off and take photos while changing the shutter speed until the photos on the back of the camera look good. An analogy I like is ‘salt to taste’. We add salt to something we are cooking until it tastes right.

I’ll do the same with exposure, trying different exposures until it looks good. Some good numbers to start with are ISO 200, f8, 1/800 sec.

Put the longest lens you own onto your camera. The moon always looks bigger to the human eye than it does to a camera. If we want the moon to look big we need to zoom in.

Take lots of photos as the light conditions change. As the sun sets the amount of light on the land will change quite dramatically - the light on the moon will stay the same so you can keep your exposure for the moon the same. The land will get darker until very quickly it is recording as black.

Shoot from a tripod; or at the very least support your camera in some other way. Whenever we magnify a subject we also magnify any camera shake. A tripod will help to eliminate this shake. Also use a remote/cable release or the self-timer on your camera.

Otherwise you will shake the camera while taking the photo.

Don’t trust your camera to pick the correct exposure. Of all the subjects, the moon is one of the ones that is most likely to fool

If you get it wrong or the weather doesn’t co-operate, don’t worry, you can always try again next month. But be aware, the moon will be in a different location so check the Ephemeris. ● This article was written by Allan Cox. You can find out more about Allan by visiting his website at www.nzphotoworkshops.com www.nzphotographer.co.nz 5

Freeze Frame Hollie’s tips for frozen motion Photography

By Hollie Wightman

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1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO100, manual mode, 50mm 1.8 lens

Maybe it was the recent Winter Olympics and the subsequent ‘lens envy’ that got me out this month to trial a bit of my own frozen action photography. It’s not just sports that this high speed photography can produce some pretty great results for; water, dance and animals also provide great opportunities to crank up those shutter speeds and capture some frozen motion shots.

You have a few options to begin with; you can shoot in your cameras Sport Mode, remember however, this gives you no control over your cameras settings. Then there is TV Mode or Shutter Priority, this lets you choose the shutter speed and the camera will select the aperture to give you what it believes is the correct exposure. Or you can shoot in Manual, selecting the settings you see fit depending on your lighting subject etc. Below are a few of my tips for shooting fast moving objects using either TV or Manual mode on your camera.

As a rough guide, standard photographs are shot at a shutter speed of around 1/125. Increase this to 1/500 for slower sports such as basketball, soccer or even ocean waves and kids. Then up to a minimum of 1/1000 for sports photography, motorbikes and animals. For freezing cars on a race track you would be looking at shooting at least 1/2000. To achieve these higher shutter speeds you may need to increase your ISO and if you’re shooting in manual increase your aperture nice and wide to allow as much light in as possible.

You will want a fast memory card and to select Continuous Shooting mode on your camera. Set your focus to AI Servo which tracks focus on moving subjects. I would also suggest shooting high speed photography in jpeg. Although shooting in RAW gives you a better quality image, you won’t be able to take as many quick fire shots for as long as you could in jpeg because your cameras buffer takes longer to process a RAW image.

If action photography is new to you, hopefully that gives you a good starting point and I encourage you to have a go this month and enter our competition Frozen Motion. It’s very satisfying getting that shot when you’ve only got a thousandth of a second of opportunity!

Good luck! ●

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Gareth Faulkner Street Art in Motion Backstreets, central Melbourne

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Gail Orgias Made it Ponsonby. Fuji Ex-1, 1/400 sec, f/11, ISO 200, 55mm, 18-55 lens. It’s always intriguing to see what lengths taggers will go to leave their mark. This was obviously an easy route for this one. www.nzphotographer.co.nz 9

Lynn Clayton Me and my shadow This chap stopped to drink at a public water supply in Jaisalmer, India taken December 2013.

I loved the way the shadows created the 3rd person so to speak! – Canon 6D

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Kevin Marshall Inside your Head Christchurch – I love the cut-away head with part of the building in the background as part of the image- Canon EOS 7D. f/6.3, 1/20 sec, ISO 800, 35mm

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Gareth Faulkner Melbourne Street Art

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Song Lam Taken in eastern Europe in Budapest. A photo of a boy and his wooden horse. Used Canon 5D MIII 50mm lens, ISO125, 1/1600, F/1.8. I love this picture because of the clarity of the subject against the whole of the picture. It was just one of those shots where I turned and saw an opportunity and managed to capture it. Had I waited a few more seconds the picture would have been very different due to the crowds of tourists. I especially love how the boys’ innocence is emphasised through the fact that he is diligently pulling his small toy wooden horse as if it was something very important to him that he could not bear to leave it at home.

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Gail Orgias ‘Hand Out’ K’Rd. Fuji EX-1, 1/80 sec, F/4.0, ISO 200, 44mm, 18-55mm lens. This photo was taken quickly in a deserted, heavily graffitied alleyway in the back streets of K’Rd. But not completely deserted as I discovered later in post-production.

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Maxwell Ross Graffiti Artists This is a photo of Grafitti Artists in action in Cross Street, Auckland. Fuji X-E1 Camera and Fujinon 18-55 lens, at 19.6mm. 1/105 sec at f/5. I liked the colourful nature of the artwork, the team of two and the simple nature of the tools being used.

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Maxwell Ross St Kevins Arcade This is the interior of St Kevins Arcade in K’Rd, Auckland. Fuji X-E1 Camera and Samsung 8mm 2.8 fish-eye lens. 1/220s at f/7.1 (I think). I was aiming to through emphasis onto the stairway as an entrance to Myers Park and I liked the welcoming open-arms nature of the image.

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Aimee Kelly The Anonymous Mr Riders Cuba Street, Wellington NZ.

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January/February 2014

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

The Official Newsletter of The Photographic Society of New Zealand Inc

Woodhill Annual Mountain Bike Day Out Woodhill forest is situated north-west of Auckland on SH16. Thanks to Lynn Clayton and Phil Hickling, over twenty PSNZ members were given the opportunity to spend a day at Woodhill Forest photographing the mountain bike (MTB) riders who were participating in this major MTB event.

This was only the second time this annual MTB event for friends and families has taken place, attracting a large number of riders of all ages. The event was sponsored by a large number of trade stands showcasing a wide range of bikes and accessories. Also on hand was a bike repair shop and food and drink outlets.

There are over sixty bike trails catering for different levels of ability from beginners to advanced riders and jumpers. Photographers had the opportunity to photograph riders on any of the extensive general trails as well as those participating in the pump track race and the impressive dirt track demonstrations - not for the faint hearted riders!

It was a great opportunity to hone our skills on action photography and hopefully at future events the same opportunity will arise for PSNZ members.

Dave Bradley and Rob Gordon

Young riders practise jumping

One man - and his dog

Dirt jumps - not for beginners!

Trade stands

From the President’s Perspective Happy New Year! Whilst making New Year resolutions may not be for everyone, the start of a new year is at least an opportunity to reflect on our photography. What is it that we want to achieve in the next year? Do we want to set goals, and are there steps or sub-goals to put in which will help in achieving the ultimate goal? Setting goals is important as it gives some structure to what we are doing in our image-making. The alternative is just to drift along, and take what comes by chance.

It may be that we set up some projects to work on, or it may be that we look at ways to improve our skills. Whatever the goal though it should be achievable in a reasonable time frame. One of the advantages of digital over film is that every click of the shutter is free of the cost of processing - perfect for experimenting. The down side is, or if you like, the advantage film has, is that generally speaking, a great deal more thought goes into the making of the image. If we transfer this philosophy to digital photography we make a plan, perhaps set some goals, think about what we want to achieve and importantly, how we are going to achieve it. Make time for experimentation. Use your imagination, and try new techniques.

It doesn’t matter how crazy, it doesn’t matter if the end result is not a prize winning image. If you are afraid of failure, you will fail to be creative.

For some people, the goal-setting is success with photographic honours. The deadline for submissions is 28 February with the Honours Board sitting from 20 to 22 March. One of the very important qualities your set must have is that it must be a portfolio.

The images need to work together. Very often when success is not the outcome, it is because the images do not constitute a portfolio.

The images may well have gained awards elsewhere – as individual entries. A collection of great images however, will not necessarily make up a portfolio.

Registrations have got off to an excellent start for the 62nd PSNZ National Convention in Blenheim. If you have not already registered – don’t delay any longer! The workshops and field trips are filling up very quickly. Mark the dates 23 to 27 April in your diaries. The programme that the Marlborough Camera Club has put together for us looks outstanding – take a look at http://coloursofmarlborough. org.nz/ and don’t delay in getting your registration completed.

When you have done that, don’t forget to get those great images entered into the National Exhibition. Natex is being hosted this year by the Nelson Camera club and entries close on 28 February. Apart

Letter From the Editor Welcome to the January/February edition of NZ CameraTalk!

I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year, full of photographic adventures and hope that 2014 is the best year of your life so far.

Enjoy this issue of CameraTalk and see you next time!

Wishing you continued creative flow, Eva Polak Editor

from posting off your prints, everything else can be done online – as it was in 2013. Go to http://www.nelsoncamera.org. nz/ for further information.

PSNZ is a vibrant and successful organisation, thanks to the many volunteers who donate their time and skills.

Last year there was an election for members of Council – the first since 2007. All financial members of PSNZ are entitled to vote. Affiliated clubs are allocated votes proportional to the affiliation fee paid. It was disappointing to see that only 132 members, roughly 12% of the membership, bothered to vote. Clubs did a little better with 96 votes from 17 clubs – roughly 25%. Local body elections manage better than this! Whether or not there will be an election this year is at this stage unknown – but if there is, please take a little time to find out about the candidates so that you are able to make an informed vote. In the earlier days members of Council needed a bit of spare time and plenty of “willingness”.

These days, however, skills are needed. Members of Council are required to sign the same statutory declaration required by company directors. All nominees for Council submit a short bio which should outline the skills they would bring to Council if elected.

This information goes out with the AGM papers to all PSNZ members and affiliated clubs.

This information will help you make your informed vote – if there is an election.

Whilst I am talking about volunteers, the position of Secretary to PSNZ has not yet been filled. There is a notice elsewhere in this issue of CameraTalk with further information.

The Society cannot operate without a Secretary. As with any job, there is hard work and there is fun – it is what you make of it.

If you think you might have the skills for this position, please make contact and request a copy of the job description.

Shona Jaray APSNZ President, PSNZ

CameraTalk PRESIDENT: Shona Jaray APSNZ 96 Terrace Road, RD 1, Waikanae 5391 Phone: 04 293 2412 Email: shona@shonajaray.com

VICE PRESIDENT: Peter Robertson LPSNZ 79 Queen Street Westport 7825 Ph: 03 789 8745 Email: peter.robertson@xtra.co.nz

TREASURER: David Knightley Email: psnz.treasurer@gmail.com

SECRETARY: Anne Tate APSNZ PO Box 38703, Wellington Mail Centre 5045 Phone: 04 566 2429 Email: annetate@clear.net.nz

EDITOR: Eva Polak LPSNZ PO Box 27-758, Mt Roskill, Auckland 1042 Phone: 021 1511656 Email: ewajan.polak@xtra.co.nz

THE NEXT CAMERATALK DEADLINE IS MARCH 5TH 2014 SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDITOR AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS. In all cases include return postage if you wish material to be returned.

Contributions should be sent as .txt files or jpeg images which generally should open to no more than 150mm x 100 at 300 dpi compressed to medium or high quality.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor nor of the Executive of the PSNZ.

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PSNZ Secretary Council is seeking a replacement for this role as the incumbent, Anne Tate, wishes to retire after the 2014 AGM. The Secretary is an officer of the Society, an appointed position within Council which is paid a half yearly honorarium and may be likened to that of a Company Secretary. A position description is available on request.

Council conducts its business via email throughout most of the year with physical meetings pre- and post-convention and at least once during the year.

This role requires good communication, writing, computer and administrative skills, along with attention to detail. A working knowledge of meeting protocols would be an advantage. Patience and a sense of humour are an absolute must.

For your diary FEBRUARY 2014 Tuesday , February 25 Canon On Line deadline Round 1 Friday, February 28 Honours Applications close Friday, February 28 Closing date for Natex 2014 (entries open 1st Feb)

Please contact PSNZ President Shona Jaray for further information.

2014 Central Regional Convention and Salon

MARCH 2014 Wednesday, March 5 CameraTalk deadline

APRIL 2014

The Hutt Valley Camera Club is hosting this year’s Central Regional Convention with the theme of “Focus on Fun” and it promises to be a great event. The convention will run from 7 to 9 November. The venue also has its own accommodation which can be booked at the same time as registration. Other accommodation, including motels, is conveniently located.

Wednesday, April 23-Sunday, April 27 62nd National Convention - Blenheim Friday, April 25 Canon On Line deadline Round 2

Speakers are to be confirmed but Chris Heliwell, who has just returned from a trip to the Sub Antarctic, is one of the keynote speakers.

MAY 2014

Check out Chris’s work at http://www.facebook.com/nzexposed. The Convention organisers have also set up a facebook page to keep people informed of progress as the event is planned.

Monday, May 5 CameraTalk deadline

JUNE 2014

Join the group at https://www.facebook..com/groups/742008575826560/ Murry Cave

Convention 2014 The Convention Organising Committee is delighted that there has been a very good early response to the PSNZ Marlborough Convention with over 150 registrations made prior to Christmas. As some events are now full, the Committee has arranged some new ones, so would-be attendees should watch the website as activities will keep appearing as the need arises. There will be lots of opportunity to meet Peter Eastway and Tony Hewitt, even if their workshops are now full. The Millennium Gallery Exhibition featuring great photographs of their exploration of little-known parts of Australia and time-lapse video portrayal of scenic wonders which they observed will also be presented by Peter and Tony personally on Thursday evening. Numbers are limited so don’t miss out!

Visits to the Marlborough Sounds are popular so there is now a new Field Trip scheduled to the famous Lochmara Lodge which abounds with varied activities and opportunities for nature photography and sports activities, to say nothing of the chance to simply relax, wander along the bush walks and enjoy the Sounds.

Sally Mason has kindly offered to lead this field trip, and there is no-one better able to guide and help us fully explore the diverse photographic opportunities that abound at Lochmara.

The Colours of Marlborough will be at their best: it is harvest time and Marlborough is buzzing with expectation as the grapes are harvested and the Wairau and Awatere valleys abound with the colours of autumn. The Convention team is looking forward to hosting you in Marlborough.

Friday, June 6 The closing date for Tauranga Audio-visual Salon 2014

www.photography.org.nz To advertise in CameraTalk please contact Murry Cave APSNZ Email: murrycave@murrycavephotography.co.nz Advertising rates Inserts $200 / 1000 reduced to $150 for members One eighth of a page $150 reduced to $115 for members One quarter page $290 reduced to $220 for members All require GST of 15% to be added.

Audio-visual News

I didn’t think I had enough images to make the AV and left the idea on the shelf for three years before deciding that with a little imagination and improvising I could tell the story.

It was fun putting the music together to create the effect I was looking for, and I played around in Photoshop for a couple of hours to make an explosion that I was happy with.

In the end, I was happy with the final product and pleased that I didn’t give up on the idea altogether.

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Competition 2014 Congratulations to the winners of this year’s trophy competition. The award winning entries will be shown at the National Convention in Blenheim when the awards are presented. I asked the award winners to tell us a bit about their winning programme and here is what some of them had to say.

Gold Medal - Newell Grenfell Hon FPSNZ, FPSNZ, FNPSNZ for ‘Anzac Day in Wanaka’.

I, like many others, have often relaxed in the field and watched their amazing ability and beauty as they react to the invisible movements of the air.

This programme brings to me feelings and memories of their apparently casual flights, while reverence for our natural world is portrayed by the music and song. Personally I find that quite moving.

A macro lens was used, all focusing and exposures set manually and with unstable subject matter it was challenging photography.

Bronze Medal - Bruce Burgess FPSNZ for ‘The End of the Beginning’

Newell said, ‘I was thrilled and highly surprised. Highly surprised because it was the third version of the ‘Anzac’ sequence to go to the JSMT! There is a small AV group in Christchurch that meets every few months. About a month before this year’s JSMT entries were due, I showed them the successful Tauranga version, revealed it was unsuccessful in the JSMT, and asked if anyone could suggest how it could be strengthened. There were two suggestions - most important being to add emotion by telling the Anzac story at the beginning. So that’s what I did.’

Silver Medal - Rosemary Morris APSNZ for ‘Memories

This 3 minute audio visual is a spoof on the origin of NZ’s famous 60 million year old Moeraki Boulders which are reputed to have been part of the ancient ‘Moeraki Galaxy.

The audio visual is set to an enhanced audio of 2001 Space Odyssey and features several moving transparent layers within the “galaxy” to add to the dimension and reality.

But the authenticity of storyline is questioned, hopefully leaving the viewer amused and / or maybe confused!

Apart from the normal challenges like sequencing, audio etc. and maintaining continuity, there were many technical issues to be overcome such as the trade off between image “quality” versus obtaining “smoothness” within the moving layers caused by the limitations of the audio visual software. One must have perseverance to overcome such obstacles and carry out the original game plan to complete the project and pass the finishing post!

Bronze Medal - Judith Hodgson LAPS, AVAAPS for ‘Arkadi’

An old lady thinks back to her younger days as a ballet dancer.

Bronze Medal - Vonnie Cave MNZM, FPSNZ, Hon FPSNZ for ‘Skybird’ My Audio Visual is the result of a desire to make one more programme (some will remember “The Unicorn”), using my unusual technique of drawing with castor oil.

This style doesn’t suit all subjects, but I had the idea that simple skies, sea and landscape backgrounds could show the elegance of birds gliding in thermal air waves.

I took the photos for this AV when I was in Greece in 2009.

We visited the monastery as part of a tour and as is often the case with tours we were allowed only about 30 minutes before we had to move on. I would have liked to spend a couple of hours there but it was not to be. When I got home

Merit Certificate - John Hodgson EFIAP, FAPS, AV-FAPS for Gymnopedie No 3 I was inspired to make this AV by the new sound editing capabilities in Picture to EXE introduced in Version 6.5. For the first time, it was relatively easy to incorporate multiple sound tracks in an AV and move them about at will without having to first combine them in audio software and create a mixdown to be imported into the AV. Because I send AVs to Internationals in countries where English isn’t the principal language, I also wanted to produce an AV which could be readily understood without a voice track. Finally, I was interested in exploring the use of instant transitions to create a sense of movement in an AV. That entailed shooting sequences of images at 9 frames/ second for those parts of the sequence where movement is shown. Because much of the sequence contained images of a piano, I decided that monochrome would be the best photographic medium. The original recording of the music was distorted in Adobe Audition by changing the pitch, and the various sound effects were recorded using a Zoom H2 portable digital recorder. The pianist was my wife, Judith.

“Gymnopedie” recently won the trophy for the “Humour” category at the Hayange AV International in France, suggesting that humour can transcend cultural boundaries Merit Certificate Karen Lawton for Truth2 Merit Certificate - Gail Stent LPSNZ for ‘The Hangman and the Papist’ My thanks to all the successful entrants who shared some photos and some of the story of their audio-visual.

Thanks to the Whanganui Camera Club for organising this competition and to the three judges: Alistair Mc Auslan APSNZ, Lynette Vallely APSNZ and Glyn Hubbard LPSNZ

Tauranga Audio-visual Salon 2014 The closing date for this Salon is 6th June 2014 You may enter up to four audio-visuals, with no more than two AV’s in any one category.

The categories for this year are the same as last year: Theme, Documentary, Poetry Music and Song and Fusion.

Medals or certificates, including Acceptance Certificates, are awarded. Author’s of unsuccessful programmes will be able to request feedback to help them develop the skill of creating a successful AV. For full details check out the Tauranga Photographic Society’s website: http://taurangaphoto.org.nz/tga-av-salon/ Trish McAuslan APSNZ JSMT Co-ordinator

NATEX...

New PSNZ Membership NATEX - the annual National Exhibition of the PSNZ - is the Society’s Database annual showcase for displaying the best examples of what is current

PSNZ pleased in tothe announce the of new PSNZ membership in NewisZealand art and that science photography.

NATEX is database is now online and ready for you to use. generously sponsored by Canon.

This year’s is being organised

by Nelson Camera Thank youNATEX to those members and clubs that took partClub. in theEntries trial close on 28 February full details regarding the submission of and provided valuableand feedback. projected images and prints can be found by going to Members and clubs can now view all the information held http://www.nelsoncamera.org.nz/ about them by PSNZ and have the ability to edit much of “Old Hands” at NATEX may not need to read further but if you are this information themselves. The updated information will entering the exhibition for the first time you may wish to check out immediately be available to all other members and clubs with the following four tips ... for “newbies” access to the system.

In fact these four tips (four C’s) are relevant for just about every photo Members can login via amore secure page and event. competition but perhaps so web for this premier C· view for Compliance simply means read the rules and regulations all their This details (then read them again) and make sure that your entries comply · edit themselves with them.selected This maydetails soundabout simple, but ask any photo competition organiser and they will regale you with horror stories of entrants · search for details of who plead to have their entries accepted after the closing date, fail PSNZ club to ensureathat their prints are within the maximum size limits, submit images with titles that do not match with their entry form details, fail a PSNZ member to pay the correct entry fees, enter images in obviously the wrong category,PSNZ submit scratchedJudges prints with scuffed and dog-eared mats Accredited and, in short, take little notice of the entry rules. No matter how good (via Mastercard, VISA or PayPal) an imagepay maytheir be, ifsubscription it does not comply with the exhibition rules it will not beSecretaries accepted. can login via a secure web page and Club C for Competence Does your image demonstrate that you are a · view all the details for their club technically competent photographer? It’s difficult to fully appreciate an image that is notdetails appropriately focused · edit selected for their club or appropriately exposed, is not well composed or well presented - and so on. This certainly does · search forevery details of must be pin sharp, embrace a full tonal not mean that image range anda have primary points of interest on a third. The important PSNZitsclub word is appropriate - the technical aspects of the photograph should PSNZ associated your club Natural History be in tune withmembers the subject and stylewith of the image. subjects PSNZ are usually depicted in sharp detail with realistic colours; Accredited Judges impressionistic images in the Open Category may well have nothing Members with all club colour secretaries in precise focus ande-mail call uponand a dreamscape palette. should have received details about how to use the such newas C for Creativity Is your image different? For an exhibition system via e-mail.

If you have not received these NATEX a “run of the mill” image will not stand out from the hundreds details thenthat please thejudges.

Database of other shots pass incontact front of the Present Coordinator a subject that (database-coordinator@photography.org.nz) either the selectors have not seen before or in aimmediately. way that they have not seen before. For example almost everyone appreciates a beautiful Members without an e-mail address and internet access will, rose - that’s why so many rose photographs are taken. So to have a naturally, not be able to access the online system. However they rose photograph accepted into NATEX it needs to be very special in will of stillthe beways ablejust to send changes their contact details toare the one described.

The to selectors of an exhibition on Database Co-ordinator as they currently do, or request a printed your side. They feel happier about accepting rather than rejecting copy of the information PSNZ holds about them. an entry.

Help them by presenting a subject or using a method of depiction that shouts of your “creativity”.

It is important that members and clubs keep their details up-toCdate. for Communication A complying, competent, creative image may still not achieve its full potential in NATEX if it does not communicate to do soto may that you miss outevokes on important aFailure real message themean selectors.

The will image that a strong communications emotional response in the viewer is the image that is likely to be in with chance when the selections made. emotion, fromaPSNZ or delivery ofmedal your NZ Camera are book may The be delayed. for example, might simply be the pleasure from a beautifully lit landscape, the repulsion in the depiction of a bloody bull fight, the recognition of the human condition in a photo-journalism shot or the acknowledgement of character well captured in a meaningful portrait.

The Boxes important thing is that the image speaks in some way to Courier or Storage the viewer’s If in doubt about your final selection choose Stephanie Handley,emotions. gcandsm@xtra.co.nz the images that “speak” most to you.

Printcases for 16”x 20” prints. $75 + Post. Jocelyn Barrett, That’s it; your guidelines for NATEX entry ... not quite as simple as A, B, the.barretts-jl@xtra.co.nz C but following C, C, C, C will hopefully lead to your images being on display year’s exhibition.

Good luck!workshops, seminars and exhibitions Please sendin yourthis services and news of forthcoming photographic

Events & Services

Services

etc to ewajan.polak@xtra.co.nz

Present

Photographic Society of New Zealand

62nd National Convention

Marlborough Convention Centre Blenheim

to

Peter Eastway & Tony Hewitt Australian Grand Masters of Photography

Field trips & Workshops from Kaikoura to the Marlborough Sounds Pre-Tour to the Molesworth & Rainbow High Country Post Convention Workshop with Peter Hewitt & Tony Eastway Book Early to Avoid Disappointment Website opens early November www.coloursofmarlborough.org.nz

Club Focus New Brighton Photographic Club The New Brighton Photographic Club was founded in 1957. While the club is fairly small and is resident in the eastern part of Christchurch which has been badly affected by the earthquakes, it is certainly a keen and exciting club to be a member of. Its membership has increased to around 40 members in the past year; many of the longstanding members have retired from club activities but a number of younger and enthusiastic people are joining their ranks.

It’s a club that prides itself on its long held reputation as the “Friendly Club” and for its openness. They always provide a friendly welcome to visitors.

The true grit of this club was evidenced by its response to the Christchurch 2010 Earthquake which coincided with the Club running the Southern Regional. The convention went ahead anyway and was a great success for those attending, although numbers were disappointingly down on some other years.

New Brighton is also home to the National Photojournalism Competition which it has organised and run since 1990. This New Brighton PJ Competition, as it is commonly known, is an outstanding and popular competition which receives entries from all over New Zealand. It has done much

to improve the quality of photojournalism within the New Zealand photographic community.

Other than liking nothing better than getting out and about enjoying field trips as a way to improve their photography skills and get know each other. New Brighton Photographic Club members have also extended their photographic interests to include a Sister City friendship with the Song Pa-gu, a Korean photographic club, as well as an annual competition between the Johannesburg PC in South Africa and a friendly annual meeting with the Westport CC. Between the Tip Head at Westport and New Brighton Pier, they meet somewhere in the middle of the South Island for an annual fun-filled weekend of photography and building of new friendships.

As you can see this is a very busy club which welcomes any and all visitors and new members. They will make welcome any members from other clubs who would like to pop in to say hello when in the area.

New Brighton Photographic Club meets in new surroundings at 12 Ascot Avenue, North New Brighton (the Beach Road end) at 7.30pm on the first three Tuesdays of every month.

Hawera Camera Club Prize-Giving 12 December2013 Long time inhabitant of Antarctica, local cinephotographer Anthony Powell, was guest speaker at the annual Hawera Camera Club prize-giving. Anthony is a Telco technician who has worked at New Zealand’s Scott Base for several years. He has also worked at American Mc Murdo Base as an avionics engineer.

Anthony described Antarctica as similar to South Taranaki, except swap the ice for the grass, and even with Mount Egmont/Taranaki a mountain backdrop as a substitute Mount Erebus. He said that being down there in sight of Erebus made him feel at home. Erebus is an active volcano which glows on the horizon during the darkness of the long winter months. The surrounding topography of Mount Erebus is of thermal activity; the rising steam from the ground freezes solid on contact with the atmosphere and forms pinnacles rising to considerable height before being blown over by gale force winds which can reach a velocity of over 200mph or 350km/h.

The penguins intrigued all; the Adelie penguins were very inquisitive as they would quite often come and welcome people arriving in a helicopter. They have no known predators and human visitors are asked to go no closer than 30 feet. By comparison the Emperor penguin

is very unperturbed with people and isn’t so inquisitive.

Camera Club members asked Anthony several questions about the different camera systems he re-designed to be able to film in the extreme cold of Antarctica. Battery endurance was the biggest problem, as normal camera batteries lasted a very short time. This problem was solved by using 12 volt vehicle batteries, wired through a voltage converter. Anthony started work in Antarctica in 1998 before digital cameras became popular. He used film cameras but the cold dry atmospheres made the film brittle and snap inside the camera while rewinding. Normal fluid head tripods froze solid and became unusable. Normal lubricating grease in DSLRs became sticky like toffee. Most DSLRs worked fine down to about -40C/F but once the temperature reached -60C/F to -75C/F shutters started to stick and electronic timing started misbehaving. Anthony put much thought into camera dynamics; rubber belt drives snapped in extreme cold and were replaced with fibre belts and direct drive mechanisms. Anthony warned anyone going down there to be very cautious when putting a warm camera viewfinder up to your frozen eyes lashes as the warm camera became frozen to eyelashes and skin - a painful experience. Long-nosed pliers made for easier

Trenna Packer Advanced Notice

The Nature Photographic Society of New Zealand hosts the Trenna Packer Salver competition each year. This is a competition for clubs, not individuals.

The objective of the Trenna Packer Salver Competition is to illustrate the diversity of the natural world in New Zealand, and its offshore islands, with images that are of a very high standard.

As the natural environment comes under increasing threats from human activity it is vital that we have a comprehensive collection of high-quality images. Many of the images used to illustrate field guides have come from members of camera clubs. We hope that by running an annual New Zealand Nature inter-club competition we can promote an increasing interest in photographing the natural world as well as encouraging best practice in photographing nature subjects.

The competition is for sets of six nature projected images, and is open to all clubs in New Zealand.

Invitations will be sent out to every club in February. In the meantime we’d like to see as many clubs as possible put in an entry this year, so we’re giving advanced notice.

We hope you’ll head out and find that best possible nature image to submit to your club, so that they have the best possible selection. The closing date for clubs to enter is Friday 20 June. The competition is then presented at the meeting of the Nature Photography Society held on Monday 21 July.

Check out the Nature Photography Society website at http://www.naturephotography. org.nz/events/events.aspx to see the results for 2013. Any inquires about this competition can be directed to me at Trenna_packer@icloud.com and you’ll be hearing from me soon.

Murry Cave Coordinator Trenna Packer Competition Nature Photography Society of New Zealand

use of camera control functions with heavily gloved hands; these were on occasions when gloves couldn’t be removed due to extreme cold.

During Anthony’s time down on the ice he has put together a 92-minute multi award-winning documentary entitled “Antarctica - A Year on the Ice”. This has had rave revues when shown in America over the last few months. Similarly it has been shown in some New Zealand theatres to very big audiences. We look forward to viewing this intriguing documentary here in Hawera in the very near future.

PSNZ Canon On Line Results November/December 2013 Round 6 - Comments 1st Thinking of Yesteryear Penny Nichols

A well thought-out image. This image shows what you can achieve when you plan an image and execute it. The composition is great and the exposure is excellent. The lines of the tree lead the eye to the house at the right. The eye has to stop at the woman and because she is brighter than the rest of the image you are forced to look at her. The addition of the texture and the vignette all add to the image.

somewhat. The highlights have been well controlled. A very nice image.

5th Kiwi Summer Robin Short APSNZ

The treatment of this image is great. At first I thought this was a mural. The texture applied works well and transforms what could be just another holiday snap into a great image. It is colourful and all the elements speak of a hot summer’s day.

6th Philco Cool Lisa Powers

2nd The Drop Bill Hodges EFIAP APSNZ

The colours work here. The red and yellow lead the eye across the image from the darker blue. The drop of liquid with its reflection causes you to stop and study it.

Point of focus is on the well underneath the drop. A great image.

All the elements in this image speak of a time when things were much simpler.

Although the fridge is dominant it forces the eye back to look into the doorway to the room behind. The dominant yellow theme tones down the dominance of the white fridge. Tones well controlled with the highlights in the window just showing.

3rd My Paradise Alan Goldby

7th Wanaka’s Icon Helen McLeod

This is the sort of image I could see on a wall.

The elements are well placed and the image is well cropped. The blue of the sky and the yellow of the top of the lookout contrast each other well. The placement of the person at bottom left provides something for the eye to look at without which I think the left side would be too bland. Well executed.

4th Taking a Moment Lisa Ainsley LPSNZ

Well thought-out and executed. The dominance of the rider and horse and the haziness of the mountains in the background all work well with this image.

I like the image in monochrome with a brown tone. To me it warms up the image

Services

A very nice image. The hint of what I assume to be condensation on a window add something to the whiteness of this image that would I think detract from it. This image is all about shapes, and by reducing it to monochrome you have enhanced it.

This image would not be as effective in my opinion if you left it in colour.

8th Jamiee Dean Fern

Again this image has been well thoughtout and executed. The dark background with the blue light behind the subject adds some mysteriousness to the image and the hairdo and expression on the woman’s face all work together.

Events & Services

• Full range of Canon New # 6 Inks for Ink jet printer. $10.00 each Adèle Ashton Ph: 07 883 3111 • Courier or Storage Boxes - Sean Dick, sean@evokestudio.co.nz • Printcases for 16”x 20” prints. $75 + Post. Jocelyn Barrett, the.barretts-jl@xtra.co.nz

Workshops • The Second Annual Waiheke Island Creative Photography Indulgence Workshops OCTOBER 2014 with Ken Ball and Eva Polak for more info email Ken at impressionsplus@hotmail.com Please send your services and news of forthcoming photographic workshops, seminars and exhibitions etc to ewajan.polak@xtra.co.nz

9th Ocean Cuddles Simon Cartwright

The placement of the subject works well here but without Kapiti Island placed where it is the image would be left with too much blank space at the left. I like the fact that the bottom has been darkened to compliment the dark clouds in the sky. The warm evening light also enhances the image and helps the feeling of a romantic moment.

10th Black Beauty Joy Kachina

Another well thought-out image. The treatment of the image works well. You have captured the horse at the correct time with all four legs showing. The shape of the image is good, with some space for the horse to move into but not too much. The rope coming in on the left leads the eye into the picture.

PSNZ Canon On Line Overall 2013 Placings Special congratulations to Rosemary Morris APSNZ, who was the clear overall winner for 2013, and to the other top placings for the 2013 competition who have done incredibly well against tough competition.

1st: Rosemary Morris APSNZ (35 points) 2nd: Graeme Skinner LPSNZ (22 points) 3rd equal: Dean Fearn and Barbara Lee LPSNZ (21 points).

PSNZ/ Canon On Line Results November/December2013 Round 6 Results

2nd The Drop Bill Hodges EFIAP APSNZ

3rd My Paradise Alan Goldby

4th Taking a Moment Lisa Ainsley LPSNZ

5th Kiwi Summer Robin Short APSNZ

6th Philco Cool Lisa Powers

7th Wanaka’s Icon Helen McLeod

1st Thinking of Yesteryear Penny Nichols Firstly I would like to say I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and to wish you all a very happy healthy and safe 2014. For the final Round for the year 2013 - Round 6 - a total of 117 images were sent in, and I would like to thank everyone for their support of PSNZ Canon on Line throughout the year, making it such a success.

Our judge for Round 6 was Simon Forsyth from Christchurch. It is a busy time of year, so thank you Simon for giving up your time. It is much appreciated.

Congratulations to Penny Nichols from the Rangiora Photographic Society for your wonderful winning image, “ Thinking of Yesteryear”.

Comments from Simon: Generally I found the images to be of a very high quality, making judging all the more interesting.

There was a good variety of subjects and I found that the standard of processing was very good. Just because you may not have featured in the top ten doesn’t mean that your image wasn’t good enough; the standard was so high and as there were over a hundred images the job of judging was very challenging.

Comments from Simon for the top 10 images on page 7

8th Jamiee Dean Fern

You can now start sending your images to me – Sally (my name is not Ash) for Round 1- at Ash_Mac@xtra.co.nz. Entries close on 25. February.

Files should be sized 1620x1080 jpeg.

A few people are still sending images too small from phones, and even though they are nice images they are too pixilated to judge. I can put them in, but I doubt they will win a placing. Also, just one image per round per person please – I received 25 “high res” images from one person which does no good at all! I did notify the person concerned and only included one image in the competition. The rules can be found on the PSNZ website, http://www. photography.org.nz. I look forward to receiving your images.

Sally Phillips LPSNZ PSNZ Canon on Line Coordinator

9th Ocean Cuddles Simon Cartwright

10th Black Beauty Joy Kachina