NZ Photographer Issue 22

Issue 22

May 2011

Helping you take better photos

Landscapes: Becky Nunes

Reader’s Submission: Phillip Bailey Astro Competition Winner Sensors: To Clean or To Kill?

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CONTENTS 4

6 Becky

Critique 26 Cool stuff

20 Pic

of the Bunch

16 Sensors: to clean or kill 2 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

Nunes

10 Reader Submission Philip Bailey

Editorial

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 Ollie Dale, ANZIPP editor@nzphotographer.co.nz GROUP EDITOR Trudi Caffell

I

n July this year NZ photographer will be 2

new leader.

years old – how time flies! Because there

So this is it – the opportunity of a lifetime

was so much work involved in setting it up

for one talented, inspired person! Do you

I’ve been working on our ‘little baby’ for well

want to be our next editor? Are you good

over 2 years...

with deadlines? Do you want to share your

....and now it’s time to move on.

love of photography with people all over the

NZ Photographer has been a pleasure

country?

– people have so many nice things to say

Apply now to Espire Media, by email

about how we inspire them, how they love

(alastairn@espiremedia.com) before June the

the articles, how it’s great getting to know

8th (Issue 23) and we will be in touch to see

of other photographers from around NZ

if you have the passion and the drive to help

because of our interviews.

guide NZ Photographer and our readers into

Now is a time for a change – my personal

the future!

ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Phone Alastair on 09 523 4112 or email alastairn@espiremedia.com ADDRESS NZ Photographer, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE www.nzphotographer.co.nz

life is getting busier as my wife Jackie is expecting baby number 3 in August, and my professional life is heating up with our GrowBaby business on top of what we

NZ Photographer is an Espire Media publication

already do with PhotoNZ. My focus needs to be elsewhere and NZ Photographer needs a Cover Image: Competition Winner Derek Spender

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/nzphoto

3 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

Ask questions and join the discussion on Facebook: facebook.com/nzphotographer

CRITIQUE

There’s no better way to learn than by

at Iris, NZ’s professional photography

photographer for 7 years, and has clients

having your work critiqued! In this section

awards. Her studio, ImageMe (www.

such as the Auckland Airport, Visa,

you get to have your work critiqued by

imageme.co.nz) is located in Takapuna

Microsoft, Westpac, Unitec and BMW. He

professional photographers Lisa Crandall

in Auckland. She also runs photography

is also a qualified commercial member

and Ollie Dale.

workshops,

and Associate of the New Zealand

Lisa Crandall is a multi-award winning portrait photographer. In 2008 she was named ‘People Photographer of the Year’

and

is

a

Master

of

Photography in the New Zealand Institute

Institute

of Professional Photography (MNZIPP).

(ANZIPP).

Ollie

has

been

a

of

Professional

Photography

professional

Sized Up YOUR WORK CRITIQUED Camera: Panasonic DMC FZ35

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: I recently biked the

rain and through I would try to get a reflection

Shutter: 1/100 sec

Otago rail trail and at one of the historic

shot. I haven’t done anything to the photo; it’s

Aperture: f/3.6

bridges I wanted to capture the historic look

straight from the camera. I like the way the

ISO:

80

of the bridge. I was at one end of the bridge

photo turned out but I’m keen to know how I

Author: Tuhi Mueller

when I saw a puddle of water from recent

could improve the photo, thanks.

4 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

OLLIE’S COMMENTS: I like that you stopped to capture something you’d seen in your mind – looking for photos is a good skill to practise.

Apart from the lovely depth of field you’ve achieved with f/3.6, the first thing that I notice when I look at your image is the different sections that make up your photo – the diminishing railing (A), the distant background (B) and... this enormous distraction of a foreground (C).

A

B

Immediately I want to crop the foreground out – it’s a third of your image that doesn’t need to be there at all – in fact, you could have cropped this yourself by putting the camera closer to the water when you took

C

the shot – this would have accentuated the reflections more, which is what you were after.

So, having cropped the bottom off that leaves us with the railing and distant background. My choice for the crop is a little bit off each end, to remove some of the extra space. (OP1) How you treat them is up to you, and here is what I would have done if it were my shot (OP2). You may have different preferences, of course!

OP 1

OP 2

Call for entries: Get your images critiqued by professionals – send an image to critique@nzphotographer.co.nz with a brief description of how and why you took the shot, and we’ll tell you what we think and if it could be improved. The views and opinions expressed in this section are only two people’s ideas on photographic imagery. You may have different, constructive ideas about how good or not the images are, and what could be done to them. You’re welcome to send those ideas in to editor@nzphotographer.co.nz. We agree that the opinions contained in this critique section are by no means the only opinions that could be held about these images.

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Getting to know

Becky Nunes NZIPP Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010

I

’ve been lucky enough to get to know

award, and I thought, with her current role

available for download from:

Becky Nunes over the last 3 years – I part-

teaching photography, she’d hopefully

shared her studio with her after seeing an

inspire you to greatness, or at least coax

w w w. p h o t o n z . c o m / n z p / c o n t e n t / BeckyNunes_96Kbps.mp3 (18MB),

advertisement right around the time I realised I

you off the couch and into landscape

or

could no longer work from home.

photography.

w w w. p h o t o n z . c o m / n z p / c o n t e n t / BeckyNunes_56Kbps.mp3 (10MB)

NZIPP

The full interview, with lots of extra bits

Landscape Photographer of the Year

Last

year

Becky

won

I simply couldn’t fit in to this transcript, is

6 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

the

Becky Nunes: I completed my tertiary

and I had a brilliant relationship with my

education in Film and Literature in England,

lab, and it was giving up a whole workflow

and decided to come to NZ, where I

that had nothing wrong with it, so it was

was given the opportunity to work with

only when I was able to buy a medium

Bill Nichol in the late ‘80s. That was

format level of digital that I considered it,

when there were a relatively small number

and I bought a Hasselblad H1, which I still

of photographers working in high-end

use today.

commercial photography in Auckland or in

When it comes to my business, I’ve

NZ, and everyone had full-time assistants

been a victim and a beneficiary of my

and studios - it was a good time for

approach, which has been really broad all

commercial photography!

the way through my career. I’ve worked in

I apprenticed to Bill for nearly 6 years,

just about every area of photography there

and did a little bit of freelance assisting. I

is – shooting live music and bands, food,

graduated on to shooting for myself whilst

architecture, still life and product... in some

I was working for Bill, and by the time he

ways it’s a bit of a stumbling block when

decided to move to the South Island in

you’re trying to create a profile and build

1993 I felt that I was ready to start my own

a niche. No sooner than I’d start to get a

studio.

following in an area I’d find I’d morphed

I took on what became Studio 3D as an

into something else.

empty shell, put power and water in and

Despite that, by the early 2000’s I had

lived in a mezzanine floor and it was very

a consistent profile among the design

much hand to mouth for five years, just

agencies,

building up my kit. Because Bill downsized

commercial work of a decent budget would

to move to Dunedin I was fortunate that I

come through the doors. I still find word-of-

could buy a starting kit from him, at a very

mouth marketing is by far the best, and I’m

good rate, and I was able to set up and

fortunate that projects walk in through the

work in all formats from the start, from

door - I wouldn’t recommend my approach

35mm to 5x4” etc.

to anyone else!

so

the

relatively

consistent

I only had a very basic lighting set-up,

The two-handed change in my career

so any money I made in the first five to ten

in the last few years is having a child I’m

years went back into buying gear... and

raising myself, and I was offered a full-

during that time, of course, we transitioned

time position at Whitecliffe College of

from film to digital.

Art and Design where I’d been teaching

Shifting to digital was a terrifying concept

part-time for about three years. I’ve now

- when you’d spent your whole professional

been full-time for two years, and this year

career getting to understand transparency

I was asked to take on the role of Head of

film and shooting it in large format, the idea

Department, so I’m pretty much a full-time

of moving to digital in 2004 was just “why

educator now.

would you?” There were lots of doubters,

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When it comes to my business, I’ve been a victim and a beneficiary of my approach, which has been really broad all the way through my career.

8 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

NZP:

Last

year

you

won

the

photographer

images. You need to think about what

Photographer

professional or not, and I think those sorts of

kind of sensor you have or what kind

of the Year - how did you get into

images are valid for the person who made

of camera you are shooting with.

landscapes?

them, first and foremost as photographers

Images in the environment tend to be

it feels satisfying to respond visually to the

quite underwhelming at a small size,

BN: My landscape photography started out

environment, and secondly because time

so if you’ve made something you

as editorial – years ago I did a series of travel

is this amazing thing and the value of a

think is successful it probably wants

stories with a writer called Tess Redgrave that

photograph can shift radically 50 or 100

to be “bigger”, and that can be

were published in Next magazine. From that

years on.

disappointing if it falls apart because

NZIPP

Landscape

That

goes

for

any

a book came about, and that was my first

However, when you take on landscape

taste of going out and immersing myself in

photography I ask you to think before you

landscapes.

press the shutter - are you saying anything

4. Everybody’s all over HDR in landscape

It was all 35mm film, and was mostly

that hasn’t been said? Or are you saying

photography - I find that really dull.

unrepeatable moments I had to get on the fly.

it in a tone of voice that you maybe think

People think it’s a magic wand. “It’s a

it’s noisy or grainy, or it’s a bit soft - you need a good quality lens etc.

As my career became more commercial,

hasn’t been expressed? Are you challenging

landscape therefore it must be HDR”.

the landscape stuff has become work on

the way people think at all? Is there a

Well not necessarily. That kind of

behalf of Tourism NZ and local tourism, and

purpose to that image? Is there a point to it?

hyper-reality makes me think of real

There is an “I have witnessed” syndrome.

estate agents photography (laughs). It’s

much more staged and researched.

Landscape photography is a broad

“I was here. I saw it”. In which case great,

like a dark room tool. It can be used

genre, and in the same way that we live in

put it in your album, but don’t inflict it on the

really beautifully or it can be used in

a post-documentary world, we’re in a post-

rest of the world; countless images like that

an awful way.

landscape world. It’s very easy to create

already exist on flickr and beyond.

5. You kinda need to have a brief in your mind; almost like you’re working on

“chocolate box” landscape imagery - it’s extremely prevalent, and it’s very easily

Landscape Tips:

a commission. Like, “I want to find a

consumed.

1. You have to train yourself to look and

unique way of looking at rangitoto.

I’m not so interested in making “documents”

you need to always be seeing. I know

What is rangitoto? What is this

of landscapes – some photographers make

that some of the best landscapes I have

volcano in the middle of the harbour?”

wonderful documents of places, but that’s not

made are of places I’ve gone back to.

Make yourself a set of bullet point

where I’m at, so much.

A good landscape photographer has

thoughts of what it actually is to you,

We have to make a distinction between

the knack of driving with one eye on

and then go and find that shot. Then

images that we make because we hope

the road and one eye out the window,

you don’t just default back to other

they are expressing something new or

and then you find somewhere and you

landscapes you’ve seen. It’s more

challenging and images we make as

think “this is kinda interesting, and it

about answering your own set of

photographers because we are always

needs to be first thing in the morning”,

questions.

attracted to light and form. Often we can’t

and then you have to come back.

help ourselves but make an image if we

2. Don’t leave the house without a tripod.

see something that’s framed beautifully, or

3. Usually you do want to avoid noise

because the light is perfect.

6. Loads

of

research

of

other

people’s work!

and or grain in your landscape

Becky Nunes currently heads the BFA Photography Department at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in Auckland. She is also continuing to work on select commercial projects, and has a show of her work, in conjunction with Jan Young, opening at the NKB Gallery in Mt Eden as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. For more go to wwwbeckynunes.co.nz

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Becky Nunes

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Becky Nunes

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FROM THE READER

Reader’s Submission:

Philip Bailey I

got interested in photography through a friend of mine. I was searching for something in my life to focus on to help

me after the passing of my son, so for me photography means so much to me on so many levels.

Over

the

last

18

months

I

have

been getting into portrait and wedding photography. My main interests are creative work and weddings, and moving forward my main goals are to increase my skills and knowledge in those fields.

With

my

photography

I’m

finding

my direction of choice is more towards transforming the normal and demanding a different view point. Over the next 12 months my goal is to focus on creating more creative artworks like the many I have displayed here, as i feel it showcases my ability to capture and digitally enhance an image, which, I believe, helps me stand out from many other photographers.

Thanks so much for sharing your work, Philip! It’s great to show other people what you’re up to. Maybe it’ll inspire them to challenge their reality too! - Ed

12 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

PHILIP BAILEY

13 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

PHILIP BAILEY

14 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

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PHILIP BAILEY

16 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

PHILIP BAILEY

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FEATURE

Sensors To Clean or Kill

T

his first part is from a post I made

really interesting and useful info!

times?”

online at http://forum.Planet5D.com

The original post asked: “Better to turn

Several comments were made, and I

– if you like forums and haven’t tasted

off the camera before lens changing? Is

thought I’d share my point because it touches

this one then you really should – loads of

it appropriate to turn on and off so many

on a few things we should all keep in mind.

You’re correct about a number of things - an electromagnetically charged sensor will attract dust, and changing the lens increases the chance of dust entering the camera body, and a dust-free environment minimises the risk of dust.

However, there are several other points to consider.

1. Simply taking the lens off won’t directly mean dust on your sensor - remember, the SHUTTER IS CLOSED! Dust doesn’t magically pass through the metal shutter because your sensor may or may not have charge running through it.

2. Even if you turn your camera off to change the lens, if you introduce dust to the internal chamber then turn your camera back on AND TAKE A PHOTO (i.e. open the shutter) you’re just as likely to have the dust stick itself to your sensor as you would be if you’d left your camera ‘on’ during the lens change.

3. Regularly dusting the back end of your lenses with a lens cloth and blowing out the inside chamber of your camera with a hand pump is a much more reliable way of minimising dust - don’t use compressed air in a can because the propellant can leave a residue, and NEVER use it on the sensor directly!

4. When you change lenses, open the new lens, dust it with a lens cloth, remove the lens on the camera and keep the camera body pointing down, swap the new lens onto the camera and then clean the old lens before putting away.

5. Most professional photographers will agree that “dust-free environments” are a myth, other than in hospitals and the Lexar manufacturing plant and the like. You are working, you need to change lenses, so you do. Better to have 2 bodies and change lenses less!

6. Have a professional train you on how to use sensor cleaning fluid to clean your own sensor, but beware that this is risky! If you don’t do it properly you can ruin your sensor.

And even after minimising your dust as above, accept the fact that you will, one day, need to take your camera in for a professional sensor clean.

Source: Planet5D.com

18 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

And staying with the sensor theme, and

safe and not common to get damage

televised concert, laser show producers work

also with Planet5D.com, here’s a remarkable

(you’ll see in the video that several lasers

with clients to avoid TV camera locations

post about the damage that a laser beam

hit the camera but only one caused the

and video projectors (ILDA Members, see this

can do to your sensor – remarkable because

damage), we thought you should know.

page for details). However, it is not possible

I’ve photographed lasers many times and

We thought we’d check up on this a bit

for laser show producers to be responsible

never knew how close I was to losing my

and found this page on the International

for all cameras and camcorders which might

sensor!

Display Laser Association’s site which says:

be at a show.

Lasers used in a light show have

“Lasers emit concentrated beams of

Therefore, if you attend a show as

damaged a Canon EOS 5D Mark II

light, which can heat up sensitive surfaces

an audience member, you should take

(reviews) CMOS sensor and I sure didn’t

(like the eye’s retina) and cause damage.

reasonable precautions not to let a laser

know it was possible, but I thought I’d get

Camera

beam directly enter your camera lens.”

a warning out since it appears to have

damage, similar to the human eye.

damaged this guy’s sensor. I would suspect that

all

CMOS

sensors are probably susceptible including Sony, etc.,

– Nikon,

Panasonic but

maybe

because we’re using larger

lenses

on

the HDSLR cameras would tend to focus more of the laser’s beam on the sensor (I’m no scientist so I’m

just

guessing

here, but it makes some sense). While it appears to be mostly

19 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

sensors

are

susceptible

to

For large scale shows, such as on a

Source: Planet5D.com

PIC OF THE BUNCH

PIC OF THE BUNCH

T

his month’s winner is Derek Spender!

Derek’s astro-composite of a lunar eclipse was engaging, in focus, and

suited our cover the best. Special mention MUST be made of veteran NZ Photographer cover winner Melanie Beres, for her beautiful star-trails image, and of Steve Baldwin’s image of Omega Centauri, both of which were images that were debated over long and hard for the top image. Well done for making our decision a tough one!

Derek wins this issue’s cover and a $100 voucher from the fabulous people at Giclée Print. For all YOUR fine art and

canvas

printing

www.gicleeprint.co.nz

20 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

needs,

visit

THE BEST OF THE REST:

Judy Stokes

Mike Brown

21 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

Melanie Beres

22 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

Sharon Dilks

Paul Willyams Steve Baldwin

Susan Pretorius

23 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

COMPETITIONS

A

fter our mammoth interview with

challenge yourself to think outside the

Becky Nunes the challenge is

traditional-landscape box!

now for you to come up with a

One last quote from Becky to save our

Landscape image that isn’t just a pretty

inbox from crashing under the weight of a

picture, or as Becky referred to it, an image

million sunset images: “There is an ‘I have

that isn’t “chocolate-box photography”.

witnessed’ syndrome. ‘I was here. I saw it’.

Here’s Becky’s comment that really sums

In which case great, put it in your album,

up what we’ll be looking for in a winning

but don’t inflict it on the rest of the world;

image:

countless images like that already exist on

“When you take on landscape photography

flickr and beyond.”

I ask you to think before you press the

Thanks again to our sponsors of our

shutter - are you saying anything that hasn’t

competitions - for all YOUR fine art and

been said? Or are you saying it in a tone

canvas printing needs, ask for Mike at

of voice that you maybe think hasn’t been

www.gicleeprint.co.nz

expressed? Are you challenging the way

One entry per person, and you must be in

people think at all? Is there a purpose to that

New Zealand or hold a NZ Passport at the

image? Is there a point to it?”

time of entry to qualify to win.

So, try not to submit pretty pictures of mountains

and

fields

and

flowers

–

Images

must

be

100dpi,

1600

pixels wide, and sent to competitions@ nzphotographer.co.nz by 5pm on Monday the 27th of June, 2011. Winner will be published in Issue 24, out on Wednesday the 13th of July, 2011.

L

ast month we decided to hold another one of our Open Competitions – only this time there’s a twist... your image

needs to have been taken in 2011!!

So, the subject matter, post production techniques, composition and theme are all up to you, but the photo needs to have been taken recently. Rather than encourage a trawl through your photos from 2003 we want to see what you’re all creating NOW. HINT: Go back to Issue 20 and read our article on how to win our competitions!

Thanks again to our sponsors of our competitions - for all YOUR fine art and canvas printing needs, visit www.gicleeprint.co.nz One entry per person, and you must be in New Zealand or hold a NZ Passport at the time of entry to qualify to win.

Images must be 100dpi, 1600 pixels wide, and sent to competitions@ nzphotographer.co.nz by 5pm on Monday the 23rd of May, 2011.

Winner will be published in Issue 23, out on Wednesday the 8th of June, 2011.

25 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

cool stuff

LIGHTROOM 3

company’s latest film stock, PX 680 Color

Are you still debating whether to upgrade to

Shade, reminds us of those Hipstamatic

Lightroom 3? Are you absolutely certain that

and Instagram shots the kids like so

your combination of Photoshop and Bridge

much these days. Except, you know -- the

is the best workflow you can have?

aforementioned apps simulate old school

Then you need to check out Scott Kelby’s

photographic processes and equipment,

“100 Ways Adobe Lightroom Kicks Adobe

while the new film achieves the same effect

Bridge’s A$$ for Photographers” – I’m sure

by using time-honored methods that remind

you can guess which side he’s on!

us of the new school smartphone apps that ape time-honored photographic processes

Source: www.photoshopuser.com/

and equipment. Just thinking about it makes

lightroom

our heads hurt! If you’ve been waiting your whole life for the perfect Polaroid 600 color film, it’s available now for US$22. Hit the

PX 680 COLOURSHADE Fortunately

for

photography

source link for more info (and some pretty buffs,

awesome sample shots).

Impossible’s mission to revive Instant Integral film hasn’t proven, well, impossible. And the

26 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

Source: Engadget

50 RED EPIC-M CAMERAS

Avatar and Titanic fame, and he’s probably

the upcoming Avatar 2 due end of 2014,

Looks like another director’s been on a

just blown US$2.9 million on his latest stash

meaning our favorite blue aliens will be

shopping spree lately, as RED’s Jim Jannard’s

of cinematographic toys -- it’s US$58,000 a

returning in a healthy 5K resolution. Keep an

just announced that he sold another 50

pop for these hand-machined professional

eye out for Jannard’s official announcement

EPIC-Ms to one generous customer. Who’s

cameras. Details are scarce at the moment,

later this week for the full lowdown.

this, you ask? Why, it’s James Cameron of

but any educated guess would point at

Source: Engadget

27 | www.nzphotographer.co.nz

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next issue of NZ Photographer…

A Final Hurrah – we say goodbye to the best Editor we’ve ever had!

How To: Creative Portraits Getting to Know: Niki Coates

Issue 23, Out June 2011

Have you subscribed to NZ Photographer? It’s free!

Simply visit www.nzphotographer.co.nz to get a copy of NZ Photographer delivered straight to your inbox every third Wednesday!

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