Little
angels HOW TO TAKE STUNNING PHOTOS OF YOUR KIDS... MINUS THE TANTRUMS!
WIN!
THE FAST LANE My dream year shooting Formula 1
PANASONIC G9 The best Micro Four Thirds camera yet?
STREET SECRETS What you can learn from the masters
FUJIFILM INSTAX SP-2 WORTH $299 P82 PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY SLING 10L WORTH $269.95 P20 AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
April 2018
Tone exposed TAKE CONTROL OF HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS
EDITOR’S NOTE
ESTABLISHED IN 1950 EDITORIAL Editor: Mike O’Connor mikeoconnor@yaffa.com.au Contributing Editors: Mick Fletoridis, Rob Ditessa, Drew Hopper, Anthony McKee and Saima Morel. ADVERTISING National Sales Manager: Jodie Reid (02) 9213 8261 jodiereid@yaffa.com.au Advertising Production: Kristal Young (02) 9213 8301 kristalyoung@yaffa.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS WEB: www.greatmagazines.com.au CALL: 1800 807 760 EMAIL: subscriptions@yaffa.com.au SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 year/12 issues $99.00 1 year PLUS (print + digital) $108.90 Overseas 1 year NZ A$105 ASIA A$115 ROW A$150 Customer Service Manager: Martin Phillpott Australian Photography is published by Yaffa Media Pty Ltd. ABN 54 002 699 354 17-21 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010. Ph: (02) 9281 2333 Fax: (02) 9281 2750 All mail to:
THE VALUE OF THE CRAFT MIKE O’CONNOR, EDITOR
GPO Box 606, Sydney NSW 2001 Yaffa Photographic Group includes: Australian Photography, Capture, www.australianphotography.com www.facebook.com/ australianphotographymag Publisher: James Ostinga Marketing Manager: Sabarinah Elijah Marketing Executive: Emilie McGree Production Director: Matthew Gunn Art Director: Ana Maria Heraud Studio Manager: Lauren Esdaile Designer: Stéphanie Blandin de Chalain All editorial contributions should be sent to editor@australianphotography.com Australian Photography welcomes freelance contributions. Please check with the editor before submitting your story. Editorial guidelines are available via email and include full details on all requirements for story and image submissions. Please note that stories should be embedded in the body of the email, or supplied as email attachments in text format (.txt), rich text format (.rtf) or Microsoft Word format (.doc). Ideally, images should be supplied in JPEG format (.jpg) with a separate list of captions. JPEG compression should be no lower than 9/12 (75%). Digital images should be supplied at a resolution of 300ppi, at a physical size of at least 20cm and not larger than 42cm on the longest side.
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I
t seems there’s a ton of people out there who think just because there are more images being taken than ever before, there’s somehow more money to be made from them as a result. We’ve seen apps like Uber and Deliveroo remove uncertainty about cost and get adopted by the masses. So booking a photographer, or getting hold of a stock image, shouldn’t be any different to ordering a taxi, right? It’s easy to see why services that can help us make a living from photography are proving so popular. We’re part of an industry where people will pay us for our creativity and that image of the globe-trotting photographer is as glamorous as it has ever been. And yet the reality isn’t quite as glossy. Recent research by Queensland’s University of Technology (QUT) seems to back this up - most photographers believe the gig economy is harming the industry. The most visible of these would be Snappr, the Australian start-up. Pros and aspiring pros alike can register with the site, and then will be linked up with clients seeking photographers for shoots like headshot work, family get togethers or just about anything else. Snappr will take their cut of course, and you will take home a few bucks for the trouble. But Snappr has been controversial, criticised for devaluing photography with its flat rate payment model.
Then there’s Unsplash, the free stock image library that provides a platform for photographers to upload their images which can then be used for free, by anyone, for any purpose and without credit. QUT’s research revealed photographers feel digital platforms often restrict their ability to develop quality, long-term client relationships while damaging their creative reputation and driving down their income. Even if your definition of success with your own photography is marked more by shares and likes than dollar symbols, the research is worth considering. In the last month we’ve seen the body that represents professional photographers in Australia, the AIPP, in turmoil, with the board resigning and head office closing, and Imagebrief, a large US stock library platform, shutting its doors. The traditional business models are changing, and we’re told we can choose to embrace that or die. But don’t be fooled. Too often the model seems to play out as a race to the bottom that only serves to damage the value of what we do in the long run. We take so much time to perfect our craft, and we shouldn’t be so quick to diminish its worth. ❂
| 3 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
22 THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS Presented with the opportunity to spend a year shooting Formula One in some of the most picturesque locations on earth, this is how Kym Illman was able to take his sports photography to the world and get his images seen by an audience of millions.
42 LITTLE ANGELS Capturing kids being kids must be one of the most challenging, yet fun, photographic subjects of them all. Pro portrait photographer Dylan Goldby shares his advice for capturing natural and fun moments with your next child portraiture project.
50 AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW Two landscape photographers with two totally different approaches speak to Rob Ditessa about how they draw emotion out of their subject and turn their unique visions into reality.
CONTRIBUTORS
DEPARTMENTS 6 BEHIND THE LENS Finding a great composition and having a healthy dose of patience was all it took for pro travel photographer Drew Hopper to capture a remarkably evocative image in Bangladesh.
KYM ILLMAN Kym Illman is an Adelaide-born entrepreneur, business mentor, photographer and best-selling author. See more of his work at kymillman.com.
8 STRAIGHT SHOOTER The pursuit of ultimate image perfection at all costs has its place, but don’t let it dicate whether you mark every image as a success or a failure explains Darran Leal.
10 QUICK SNAPS
32 STREET PHOTOGRAPHY’S NEW TESTAMENT Hailed as a landmark when it was first released in 1994, Bystander; a history of street photography has just been rereleased for a new generation of street shooters. Chelsea Miller talks to author Colin Westerbeck about how the challenges of street photography continue to evolve in the 21st Century.
The latest news and products from the world of photography.
16 YOUR BEST SHOT Take a look at the best shots from our ‘eyes’ photo competition.
CHELSEA MILLER Canadian-Australian Chelsea Miller covers stories and issues and exhibits internationally. She has a strong focus in conservation and social issues. See more at chelseamillerphoto.com.
72 APS GALLERY AND COLUMN News, views and images from the Australian Photographic Society
78 FUJIFILM IMAGE DOCTOR Saima Morel critiques a selection of readers’ images and picks the winner of the Fujifilm SP-2 printer.
DYLAN GOLDBY Dylan Goldby is an Australian photographer based in Seoul, South Korea. His passion lies in documenting the ancient cultures of the region he now calls home. See more of his work at welkinlight.com.
64 BEHIND THE MASK Understanding luminosity and how to use luminosity masks is not just something for advanced Photoshop and Lightroom users – it’s actually an easy way to ensure your landscape images retain all the highlight and shadow detail you need them to. In this step-by-step tutorial, Dylan Giannakopoulos explains how you can apply them to your own images quickly and easily.
DYLAN GIANNAKOUPOLOS
COVER “Wavelength”, taken at the Ross Jones Memorial Pool in Coogee, Sydney by Brook Rushton. Phase One XF 100MP, Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm lens. 150s @ f16, ISO 50.
Melbourne based photographer Dylan Giannakopoulos has set out to capture all that inspires him. See more at dylangiannaphotography. com.au.
BEHIND THE LENS
FOLLOW THE LEADER PHOTOGRAPHER: DREW HOPPER
I took this image on the third day of an eight day photo tour, guiding participants around Bangladesh. We had guided the group to the bustling riverside, where labourers were unloading baskets of sand, stones and other materials from the barges in Dhaka. It was very overwhelming with so much happening, with everywhere you looked something photo worthy. But at the same time it wasn’t as simple as picking up the camera and firing aimlessly, as the images would be too complex. I spent the next half hour wandering around, stooping beneath the wooden planks that the workers were walking back and forth across. I discovered this low vantage point looking up at the workers as they moved towards the camera, which inspired the idea of framing the distant people in the background through the legs of my foreground element. Two of the participants joined me, and I talked them through setting up their cameras to get a similar shot. By using an aperture between f/8-11 I was able to get both the background and foreground sharp. It was simply a matter of patience, waiting for the right elements to combine. The image didn’t require much processing and I used snapseed on my phone. It goes to show that if you have a standout composition, then heavy post-processing is no longer necessary. FUJIFILM X-T2, 23MM F/2 LENS, 1/200S @ F11, ISO 200. BASIC PROCESSING OF CONTRAST, CURVES AND SATURATION IN SNAPSEED.
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CAN IT BE SAVED? I Don’t let minor issues stop you from enjoying your images.
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n 2009 I was on a 24 day adventure in the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic. Nikon had kindly loaned me a D3X and D300 kit for the trip. At that time, the D300 was still to hit the shops and I was happy to test it out. Little did I know that the camera was specially locked, offering RAW files, but RAW files that only Nikon Japan could open. So while I could look at my images, you can guess how I felt on discovering that thousands of images were inaccessible! In Nikon’s defence, they offered compensation and after months of trying to work out how to
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
LEFT: This looks like two seals fighting, when in fact it is two seals being amorous. Male elephant seals are much larger than females. I was very happy to be able to convert and save this image - I love the angle. Nikon D300, Nikon 18-200mm lens. 1/90s @ f5, ISO 400. BELOW: I love oystercatchers and they seem to like me. I have shot them around the world and one up in the top few was this shot in the Falkland Islands. I walked with this bird for more than 30 minutes as it caught worm after worm on the shoreline. I also used a cheap Sigma 150-500mm lens. All of this combined with the before mentioned D300 issues – I thought these images were a goner! I spent a bit more time processing the file in Lightroom and while I might not be able to use the file to large print sizes, it looks great at A3+ on my wall. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it!
1: 2 I S G R E A T F O R S H A R P N E S S When you are looking at any images on a computer screen, start at 1:2 as this will offer a closer representation of the sharpness for printing use. I have seen many photographers checking for sharpness at 1:1 or higher, and they are unhappy and do not want to use the image – only to discover that when processed and printed, the final hard copy result looks fantastic at up to A3 size. done
access the image files, I found some FreeWare that opened the files and converted them to TIFF files. Many photographers would be concerned about not having access to the original RAW files, however I soon discovered that with some tweaking of the basic TIFFs in Lightroom, I could produce some images that were worthy of use, even publishing. I had some great experiences on that tour (except the long days at sea) with the Falkland Islands being my favourite. The example oystercatcher shot here was just one of my favourite images of the trip. It was shot with a cheap 150-
500mm Sigma lens. My other main lens was also a budget Nikon 18-200mm. While technical perfection can be important, and expensive sharp lenses can make a difference, don’t be scared to use cheaper equipment, especially when you are new to photography. My point is don’t lock yourself into ultimate quality and image perfection. Images shot with cheap lenses, or ‘over cropped’ images, used to a size that suits the digital information and quality available, can still be fantastic. In the end, it might become your favourite image on your wall at home, as a screen saver, as part of the story in a book, or even allow you to make some money. ❂ | 9 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY.COM
DARRAN LEAL Darran has been teaching photography since 1981. His company World Photo Adventures takes small groups of photographers on professionally guided photo tours around the world, including a trip with AP in September 2017. More info: worldphotoadventures.com.au
QUICK SNAPS
QUICK SNAPS LISA SAAD JOINS TAMRON PRO TEAM
FUJIFILM ANNOUNCE X-H1 MIRRORLESS FUJIFILM HAVE announced the X-H1, a pro-grade X Series mir-
LISA Saad, the 2016 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year, has joined the Tamron Pro Team. Lisa has been working in the industry for over 30 years creating award winning work that has gathered acclaim both locally and internationally. Her highly awarded ‘The Anonymous Man” series has been met with praise and adoration. The series is currently showing in Melbourne and soon to be travelling to the UK. Andy MacFeate, National Sales and Marketing Manager for Tamron Australia said “We are extremely honoured and excited to welcome Lisa to the Tamron Pro Team family! To have yet another high calibre photographer recognise and unlock the true potential of these quality lenses is fantastic. We look forward to seeing more of Lisa’s amazing work using our glass.” Lisa will be joining three other members of the Tamron Pro Team, adding to a compliment of acclaimed photographers covering a cross-section of genres. You can check out Lisa and the rest of the Tamron Pro Team at www.tamron.com.au/pro-team/
rorless camera with 4K video that shoots at 14fps. Inside is a 24.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS III crop sensor paired with an X-Processor Pro image processing engine. The camera has an ISO range of 200-12800 (extendable to 100-51200) and a continuous shooting speed of 14fps. The X-H1 has a 325-point intelligent hybrid AF system with an improved low-light phase-detection AF limit that’s 1.5 stops lower (from 0.5EV to -1.0EV), which allows for faster and more precise focusing in dark situations. Fujifim say that even when using the XF100-400mm lens with a teleconverter, phase detection autofocus can now be used. The X-H1 is the first X Series model to include the latest 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), which has a maximum of 5.5 stops1 as well as a flicker reduction mode that enhances the quality of images shot under LED lighting. The X-H1 is the first X series camera to include ETERNA, a new film simulation ideal for shooting movies. This mode simulates cinematic film, creating understated colours and rich shadow tones. The recommended retail price for the camera with an included Vertical Power Boost Grip kit is $3,399 (including GST), and it should be available now.
WINNER OF THE 2017 AUSTRALIAN PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS ANNOUNCED VARIATIONS for Troubled Hands by Steve Carr and independent
The top 10 winning photobooks from the 2017 Australian Photobook of the Year.
publisher Perimeter Editions has been announced as the winner of the Australian Photobook of the Year Awards for 2017. The book is the result of a collaboration between Auckland photographer Steve Carr and Melbourne-based independent publisher Perimeter Editions, which have been publishing limited run books featuring photographers and artists from Australia and abroad since 2012. Both Carr and Perimiter Editions win $1,000 cash and $4,000 in Momento Pro printing credit. The brainchild of photobook production company Momento Pro, full details of winners and links to buy the finalist books are available at photobookoftheyear.com.au.
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QUICK SNAPS
NEW RESEARCH FINDS MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS BELIEVE DIGITAL PLATFORMS ARE DAMAGING THE INDUSTRY NEW research by Queensland's University of Technology (QUT) has revealed many photographers believe digital platforms like Oneflare, ImageBrief and Snappr are damaging the profession. Dr Penny Williams, who with Professor Paula McDonald and Dr Robyn Mayes, studied why some workers, in this case photographers, are reluctant to use digital platforms to find work. “We surveyed 51 photographers of whom 55 per cent had deliberately avoided platforms, 25 per cent were listed on platforms (two of these had not received any work), and 20 per cent were past users, most of whom had left because they had not received work from the platform.” Dr Williams said the researchers found photographers believed digital platforms that connect buyers - those who need work done, with sellers - people who provide labour or services, online, damaged the sustainability of their profession.
“Some felt the time, resources and costs involved in a platform-derived job outweighed the potential for income generation. “For these reasons, photographers resisted seeking work through many digital platforms – although some types of platforms were considered less damaging than others. “Photographers are motivated to develop a creative reputation and social relationships with clients that bring repeated work over time and so the way a platform influenced this, determined how likely photographers were to use the platform.” Dr Williams said predictions of large numbers of Australian workers choosing to access work via digital platforms had, so far, not come to fruition. “This study suggests that digital platforms may not be effective for photographers and other creative workers.”
Demand Performance. Discover the next generation Super Performance lenses from Tamron
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR NIKON SURF PHOTO OF THE YEAR THE top 20 finalists for the Nikon Surf Photo &
CREDIT © PETER JOVIC
Video of the Year 2018 have been announced. The comp recognises the best single surfing-themed
image taken by an Australian in 2017. Run in partnership with Surfing Australia, the competition offers the opportunity for surf photographers of all levels to have their work recognised and celebrated. Although entrants need to be Australian residents, photos can be taken anywhere, and range from action, lifestyle/portrait, or scenic images. In the video category, Peter Baker, Tim Bonython and Nathan Oldfield reached the finals. The jury panel of 13 judged on three criteria: innovation and creativity, dramatic affect and sensory impact, uniqueness and the overall composition. | 11 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
SP 70-200MM F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Caption xxxxx xxxxx (Model A025) xxxxx xxxxx xxx For Canon and Nikon Mounts. xxxxxxx. Di: for APS-C format and full framexxxxxxx DSLR cameras.
www.tamron.com.au
QUICK SNAPS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Mihai Florea, Australia, Commended, Open, Architecture; Pat Kay, Australia, Commended, Open, Motion; Adam Pretty, Australia, Shortlist, Professional, Sport; Michael Wickham, Australia, shortlist,Portraiture
SHORTLIST FOR SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS ANNOUNCED THE shortlisted and commended photographers for the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards have been announced, with eight Australian photographers making the cut. Photographers from over 200 countries and territories entered nearly 320,000 images across the Awards’ competitions, the highest ever number of entries. Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards are now in the 11th year of partnership with Sony. The Awards’ shortlist (top 10 per category) and commended list (top 50 per category) comprises some of the world’s finest contemporary photography captured over the past year. The international range of entries display a huge diversity of imagery in terms of genre, style and subject matter across the Awards’ 4 competitions: Professional, Open, Youth and Student Focus. The
Professional competition includes 10 categories such as Architecture, Contemporary Issues, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture and two new categories for this year; Creative and Discovery, while the Open competition offers 10 categories including Culture, Enhanced, Motion, Street Photography and Travel. The Open competition, which rewards the best single image across ten categories, also features five Australian photographers on the Commended list. The work of the shortlisted and commended photographers will be exhibited at the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London from April 20 - May 6. The Open category winners will be revealed March 20, and the Professional category winners on April 19. You can see more at australianphotography.com.
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QUICK SNAPS
SONY LAUNCHES $3,099 A7 III SONY have announced their newest full frame mirrorless
PENTAX ANNOUNCE K-1 MARK II RICOH has announced the Pentax K-1 Mark II, nearly two years to the day since the original K-1 was unveiled back in February 2016. The Pentax K-1 Mark II uses the same CMOS sensor as its predecessor, with 36.4 megapixels and no anti-aliasing filter, however Ricoh has added a new accelerator unit to the PENTAX K-1 Mark II that—along with the camera’s PRIME IV image processor—enables it to produce high-resolution images with minimal noise in even in extreme low-light conditions, up to a monstrous ISO 819200. The original K:1 could shoot up to 204800. The camera also incorporates a new Pixel Shift Resolution II. This uses the same in-camera shake-reduction (SR) mechanism and sensor-shift capabilities as the original Pixel Shift Resolution System found in the K-1.It captures four images, and then synthesizes them into a single, high-resolution composite. Amazingly, Ricoh says the feature can be used handheld: Other features include an optical viewfinder with a nearly 100-percent field of view for real-time subject confirmation; and a flexible tilt-type LCD. Local pricing has not been nfirmed, but it will have a price tag of $2,000 USD. in the US. You can find out more at pentax.com.au.
camera, the a7 III. The a7 III features a new 24.2MP back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor, and looks to incorporate many of the features and improvements we saw with last year’s standout release of the a7R III. Inside, the sensor is paired with a front-end LSI that effectively doubles the readout speed of the image sensor, as well as an updated processing-engine that boosts processing speed by approximately 1.8 times compared to the a7 II. The processor can also output 14 bit RAW format, even in silent and continuous shooting modes, and is equipped with a 5-axis optical image stabilization system that results in a 5.0 step shutter speed advantage. The ISO range is 100 - 51200 (expandable to ISO 50 – 204800 for still images) offering an overall 1.5 stop improvement in image quality. The camera also features a massive 15stop dynamic range at low sensitivity settings. The A7 III has 425 contrast AF points that work with a 693-point focal-plane phase-detection AF system inherited from the a9 that covers approximately 93% of the frame. Sony say AF response and tracking has also been greatly improved, with almost 2x the focusing speed in low-light condition and 2x the tracking speed compared to the previous model as a result of the faster image sensor readout. The a7 III is equipped with an updated image processing system that lets it shoot full resolution images at up to 10fps with continuous AF/AE tracking for up to 177 Standard JPEG images, 89 compressed RAW images or 40 uncompressed RAW images. The new a7 is available in Australia in late March for SRP $3,099. By comparison, the a7R III will set you back about $5,000, and the flagship a9 about $6,000. Find out more at sony.com.au. ❂
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YOUR BEST SHOT
YOUR BEST SHOT EYES
Apparently hollywood legend Marlon Brando would always close his eyes when confronted by the paparazzi as he knew that without his eyes open a shot just wasn’t worth publishing. He knew, as we do, that the eyes are what make or break a photo, and it was something we wanted you to explore this month. Here’s our shortlist.
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JUSTINE SHACHAR Peekaboo EDITOR’S COMMENT Justine Shachar says she took this photo of her son whilst visiting McClelland sculpture park in Melbourne. “I love how vivid his eye and freckles are against the white,” she says. This is a really striking image that works so well because of your bold use of negative space both to the left and right of your son’s face. It helps draw the viewer right in to the center of your frame, where that lovely big eye is staring back at us. Great work.
TECHNICAL DETAILS Canon 70D, EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. 1/320s @ f8, ISO 320.
Thanks to the team at Blonde Robot, Juatine Shachar has won a brilliant Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L camera bag valued at $269.95. The ultimate low-profile, quick-access day bag for gear minimalists, the Everyday Sling 10L redefines what a single-shoulder sling bag can be. The ideal bag for photographers who want to travel smarter and lighter.
BEVELLEE BRYCESON Intensity EDITOR’S COMMENT Bevellee Bryceson hasn’t told us anything about who her subject is in this arresting portrait, so we’ll just have to assume it’s someone who’s quite comfortable in front of her lens! There’s almost a high key approach to your editing here which has helped transform the shot into something that could have been a simple portrait, but now has a lovely artistic feel. You’ve done well choosing black and white for editing, as the contrast between the hair and skin makes this a perfect candidate for this treatment.
MORE INFO: PEAKDESIGN.COM TECHNICAL DETAILS Olympus E-M5, Lumix G Vario 45-200mm lens. 1/250s @ f11, ISO 1250. NIK Silver Efex software for black and white. Adjustments made to clarity.
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YOUR BEST SHOT
EMMA GARDNER Ziva’s Golden Eye HOW I DID IT This image is of my beautiful cat, Ziva, who was adopted a few years ago from a shelter. Although she is absolutely adorable, there is always a wild side to her that lies just just beneath like many other domesticated cats. When the wild side comes to the surface, she gives me this look, and particularly when there is food. I wanted to capture her wild side and this is best represented through her stunning golden eyes. This was taken indoors with a single continuous light with reflective umbrella to give a catch light in the eye. This was shot hand-held with lots of treats on hand to get this glaring look!
TECHNICAL DETAILS Nikon D3, Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR Macro lens. 1/125s @ f8, ISO 400, handheld. Tone, Presence and cropping in LR, spot healing and extra cropping in Photoshop CC 2015.
ANNETTE COLLINS Xbox Eyes HOW I DID IT This is my son in Xbox Mode. He barely knew I was there unless I blocked the screen, then I would be in trouble. Trying out my new 105mm lens I wanted to capture the concentration in his eyes. It was shot indoors with window light only and converted to Black and White in Topaz.
TECHNICAL DETAILS Camera: Nikon D50, Nikon 105mm macro lens. 1/160s @ f3, ISO 400.Adjustments in Lightroom, burning, dodging, sharpening, contrast. Black and white conversion in Topaz B&W.
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Want 22.2x zoom? Done. EVAN JEFFERY Handful of eyes HOW I DID IT It is hard to imagine that the advent of safety features in cars would have negative effects on some people. Those in the industry of providing prosthetic implants and body parts have had a decline in their stock. Greg McGuinnes, is one of these people that has noticed the decline in the need for his craft.
TECHNICAL DETAILS Nikon D800, 105mm Macro f2.8 lens. 1/60s @ f3, ISO 400.
NAME HERE Image title EDITOR’S COMMENT Body noindent. Body
TECHNICAL DETAILS
MATTHEW FRY
Body noindent.
Caged In HOW I DID IT My Cat Flynn was sitting in his enclosure looking through the mesh with a look of longing for a free run outside. I had been wanting a close up image of his eyes with some reflection of the nearby trees, and this day he complied.
18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) Di II: for APS-C format DSLR cameras
TECHNICAL DETAILS Camera: Canon 7D, Lens: Canon 24-70 2.8 L i, ISO:1600, F :2.8, S: 1/80 curve and contrast adjustment in Lightroom, and final touch up in Silver Effex Pro
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www.tamron.com.au
YOUR BEST SHOT
HOW TO ENTER YOUR BEST SHOT IS OPEN TO AP SUBSCRIBERS AND APS MEMBERS. TO ENTER AN IMAGE IN THE COMP, CHECK THE COMPETITION THEMES AND INSTRUCTIONS BELOW AND EMAIL YOUR BEST IMAGE TO YOURBESTSHOT@AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES
JUNE ISSUE THE BEACH
JULY ISSUE BIRDS
AUGUST ISSUE MOUNTAINS
March 31, 2018
April 30, 2018
May 31, 2018
HOW TO ENTER
SEPTEMBER ISSUE KIDS
OCTOBER ISSUE MOTION
June 30, 2018
July 30, 2018
• Send your entry to yourbestshot@australianphotography.com • Include the name of the competition theme you are entering in the email subject line, for example ‘Birds’ or ‘Mountains’. • Please include the following details with your entry: your name, image title (if there is one) and 80-200 words about how you created your image. Please also include technical details including camera, lens, focal length, shutter speed, aperture, filter (if used), tripod (if used) and details of any software manipulation. • Entries may be submitted up to midnight on the evening of the specified deadline. • The winner will receive a prize from competition sponsor, Blonde Robot – www.blonde-robot.com.au
FOR THE CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND IMAGE REQUIREMENTS VISIT: AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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Max Verstappen locks it up at turn six during saturday practice at last year’s Australian Grand prix in Melbourne. Canon 1D X Mark II, 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. 1/80s @ f13, ISO 100. | 22 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
THE FAST & THE FURIOUS BY KYM ILLMAN
They say it’s easier to become an F1 driver than it is to become an F1 photographer. Last year Kym Illman, a Perth businessman and avid photographer, bucked the odds and was accredited by the FIA allowing him access to all 20 events and pre-season testing. Here’s how it happened.
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F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
ntil February 2017, I had never photographed any motorsport. I run an audio production company, but over the past five years I’ve devoted much of my spare time to photography. In 2015, after spending 26 weeks in Africa over a three year period, I released a large format photo book; Africa on Safari. It was published in the UK and shortly after, National Geographic picked up the German language rights. I only decided to pursue F1 photography after attending the 2016 Abu Dhabi grand prix as a Red Bull Racing Paddock Club guest. Standing in the Red Bull garage, listening via headphones to Daniel Ricciardo calmly talking to his race engineer prior to heading out on track, got me excited and it was at that moment I decided I wanted to be a part of this colourful sport.
U
After a little bit of digging I found the right FIA person and put forward a proposal that caught his eye. At first I was accredited for four days of testing in Barcelona. Then, the first race of the season in Melbourne and it was simply a matter of applying for accreditation race by race.
FIRST GEAR My initial plan was to shoot most races, post a daily blog and perhaps find a couple of clients who would pay for images, as I was in the fortunate situation of being able to fund the year myself. However on the first day of the third race in Bahrain, I was in the right place at the right time resulting in me securing a deal with one of the largest motorsport agencies, Suttons. They’ve been around for decades, have a number
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F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
of high profile clients (including F1.com) and suddenly gave my images an audience of millions. It wasn’t all plain sailing though and the learning curve was steep. Initially I failed to grasp the importance of the background of my shots. By season’s end, I realised that nailing this was one of the major differentiators between an average shot and a great shot. Portable toilets and cranes are to be avoided, as too are empty grandstands. Often moving just a few metres left or right enabled me to avoid ugly distractions in the background which enhanced my images. This meant the early shots I took from testing and the Melbourne event at the beginning were pretty ordinary. However there was one exception that would turn out to be one of my year’s best and it was taken on just my sixth day as an F1 photographer. A Melbourne photographer was kind enough to tell me about a location that would make for a great shot. “Only the Red Bull and Force India cars spark at turn six and they only do it for the first couple of laps when they are heavy with fuel.” he explained. I knew there would be potential to shoot a dramatic image here. I headed out to the location for the Saturday morning practice session and was surprised to see there was no photography hole cut through the wire. It was only then that I realised that using a 500mm lens at f4 helped render the wire invisible. My Melbourne colleague had already suggested I shoot at 1/60th of a second so the sparks had some length to them and when Max Verstappen came through the first time, I shuttered away on my Canon 1DX Mk2. I shot about 20 frames of which just two were sharp and the image [you can see it on page 22] was the winner. I showed it to Max in the paddock at the Shanghai GP and his assistant contacted me that afternoon saying Max “would love a copy of it for his Monaco apartment”. I delivered it to him next race and had him sign a copy for me.
BEHIND THE WHEEL One of the most crucial shots at any race is the start shot. You only get one chance and it must be sharp. I shot these at 1/1200th or faster at f/8 so all of the cars were sharp and in focus. Sometimes I set up a second camera shooting wide and fired it using a remote control linked to my main camera, doubling the number of shots on offer to me. When shooting motorsport, perfecting shutter speed is a crucial consideration. If cars are coming straight at you there’s no problem shooting at 1/1,000th of a second or faster, however when shooting side on, I dropped the shutter to around 1/320th or slower so that there would be some blurring of the logos on the tyre wall and background. This showed the viewer the car was moving. At times I would go as low as an 1/8th of a second. No matter what shutter speed I used, I almost always panned with the car. The lower the shutter
KYM’S MOTORSPORT TIPS When trying to shoot motorsport, here are four tips that will result in better images for getting the perfect picture: 1. Spend time scouting for locations. The cars will always be there, it’s the background that really makes a shot pop. 2. Vary your shutter speed – after you’ve nailed a sharp, fast shutter speed shot, go low and blur the background. 3. Use a polarising filter. These enhance colours and reduce reflection and glare. 4. Consider the foreground. Putting people or trees in front of the cars or shooting through a fence can provide different shots.
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LEFT: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is run at dusk which provides dramatically different light to almost all of the other grand prix events. Canon 1DX Mark II, 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens. 1/640s @ f7.1, ISO 800. ABOVE: Shooting low and incorporating the rumble strip adds a different dimension to this shot of Sebastian Vettel doing his track walk. Canon 1DX Mark II, 135mm f2 lens. 1/8000s @ f2.5, ISO 125.
F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
The top half of the cars are visible from the pits at the Chinese Grand Prix. By using a slow shutter speed and panning with the car, the spectators are blurred while the car remains sharp. Canon 1DX Mark II, 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens. 1/15s @ f18, ISO 100. | 26 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
“AT 56 YEARS OLD I WAS PROBABLY THE OLDEST ROOKIE ON THE CIRCUIT”
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F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
The first few sprays of champagne result in much froth and bubbles and contrast nicely against a deep blue sky. Canon 1DX Mark II, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. 1/1600s @ f5, ISO 200. | 28 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
speed, the harder it is to keep the car sharp. As a novice with slow speed panning I probably had a success ratio of one in 60 shots; the long time pros were probably getting sharp pics every 12 shots. Working for circuits and news outlets, it’s also important to shoot images which show where you are. In Baku there’s an iconic castle that makes a super background; In Monaco, wide shots showing the boats in the harbour clearly indicate the location, and in Japan, incorporating Suzuka’s iconic ferris wheel results in some great images. I also looked for opportunities to shoot low so you could to see under the cars’ body. This was possible on crests. But normally this would be difficult as there are few photo holes low down on a fence. I discovered mid-season that shooting through the gap in the Armco not only allowed me to shoot low, it provided a different look. Kit-wise, I would carry two Canon 1DX Mk II bodies and the following lenses: 500mm, 100-400mm, 70200mm, 135mm, 50mm, 24-70mm, 16-35mm and an 11-24mm. If I knew was going to be shooting from an elevated position I would take a 45mm tilt shift too. Canon and Nikon have their Professional Services team set up in the media centre at most races which is a godsend. In the event of equipment damage, and F1 is notoriously tough on gear, you can almost always borrow gear to get you through.
THE RACE TO PUBLISH Some of Suttons’ clients like F1.com needed images within minutes of them being shot, particularly the first lap shot. To meet these deadlines involves me selecting the best two or three images after the field had passed, and immediately sending them to a Huawei internet dongle in my pocket, via a Canon WFT unit mounted to the side of my camera. The pictures would be sent direct to my Perth office where a couple of minor tweeks were performed and then automatically uploaded to my website. A second after that, each pic was forwarded to Suttons in the UK where they were captioned by a team member and loaded to the Suttons site. Minutes later the good ones were visible on the daily gallery at F1.com, the largest F1 site in the world. The non-urgent shots would be sent from the media centre at regular intervals throughout the day. This meant downloading pics, processing them quickly in Lightroom and then uploading them to my website via dropbox and finally on to Suttons. As the year progressed my workflow improved, allowing me to select, process and send hundreds of photos in 30-60 minute windows throughout the day.
BUCKLE UP All photographers sign a waiver acknowledging the danger of the sport as during races, groups of four or five cars would scream past at 300km/hr. A stone flicked up by one would be as lethal as a bullet. But it was the noise of the tyres over the kerbing that struck me. It was louder than the engine noise. And then there was the wind that hit you. I felt much safer when I shot low through the gap in the Armco. You still feel the wind pushing through | 29 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
F E ATUR E: MOTORSPORT PHOTOGR APHY
Shooting through the media centre windows resulted in an unusual shot of Max Verstappen at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Canon 1DX Mark II, 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens. 1/160s @ f2.8, ISO 800.
the gaps and hear the tyre noise but not seeing the cars coming towards you negates some of the fear. The most dangerous place for photography is probably the pits. During practice sessions the cars are constantly entering and leaving their garages. On a couple of occasions a team crew member has pulled me back by my shirt as a car was nearing its pit box. Thankfully each team assigns one or two crew members to ensure our safety. While we’re typically at the track for 12 hours each day, the cars are on track for just a small portion of that. For the hours when they’re not on track I would wander the paddock. The media requires new driver shots every day, so photographing the drivers arriving and moving around the paddock is a big part of the brief. The best driver to shoot for me was Daniel Ricciardo; the hardest, Lewis Hamilton. Daniel is almost always smiling and given we’re both from Perth I got to know him a little which meant he would often give me a smile as he passed by. I found Lewis, on the other hand, often walks with his head down looking at his phone, meaning you have to get low to see his face. I would wait until a fan snared him for an autograph or selfie and then position myself low, in front of him, knowing that when he moved away from the fan I’d have a second or two where he wouldn’t be distracted by his phone. On race days I would rarely see any of the on track action for the last ten laps. Instead, I was in a queue under the grandstand waiting to enter the pits for the parc
ferme shot. After the winner passed the finish line, the gates would be swung open and a couple of hundred photographers and video cameramen/women would sprint down pit lane. The top three drivers would park, get out of their vehicle and head towards their crew. It was here that I snapped some of my best pics. Being close to the action, and sometimes right in the middle of it, meant selecting a wide angle lens. This was no place for the faint hearted, especially when Vettel won, as the Ferrari crew would physically try and drag you off the fence so they could nab your spot. By year’s end, I’d chalked up more than 1,000 hours photographing F1, was one of only 30 photographers to attend every race and made some life-long friends. I worked alongside the very best photographers in their field, many of whom had taken me under their wing, providing feedback on my shots and location suggestions. At 56 years of age, I was certainly the oldest rookie on the circuit but what a year I had. Will I do it again this season? Well not every race, but certainly the easy ones to get to, and I’ll be much the wiser the second time round. ❂
T H E S TAT S 20 races in 8 months 68 flights 28 hotels
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400,000+ kms travelled 84 days on track 280,000 pictures shot
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F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY’S
NEW TESTAMENT BY CHELSEA MILLER
Anyone stepping onto the streets with their camera and a knack for observing will probably be familiar with the book that has become the genre’s bible; Bystander; A History of Street Photography. With the recent publishing of its second edition, we spoke to its author about how street photography has evolved in the more than 20 years since its release.
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few years ago at a public lecture, Colin Westerbeck was asked by a middle-aged street photographer to sign his copy of Bystander. After handing the book over, Westerbeck realised it was library bound. “I asked him” ventured Westerbeck, “‘where’d you get this?’ and he said ‘you know well, I looked at the book so many times. I had bought the paperback edition back in 2000 and I looked at it so much that it fell apart. So I took it to a book binder and got them to put it back together.’” First published in 1994 and written by celebrated street photographer Joel Meyerwitz and photography expert and Professor at UCLA, Colin Westerbeck, Bystander not only details street photography’s history but explains on an intellectual level how each era contributed to what the genre is today. From Atget, Stieglitz, and Cartier-Bresson, to Lange and Evans, to Meyerwitz himself and his shooting companion Winogrand, and many more, the greatest are discussed in depth regarding not only their photographs but how they shaped photography.
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Jonathan Smith, Untitled #21, 2009.
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For Westerbeck, street photography is what he calls thethe “base note of photography”. “So that’s the kind of stuff you run into,” he reflects, thinking about the street photography fan who asked him to sign the book. “It’s this whole sub-culture or universal culture, off the map, off in the stratosphere, that continues to function no matter what else is going on”. Twenty-four years after the book’s first release, photography has taken some of its largest leaps and bounds in its relatively short history. The internet and digital photography were in their infancy and almost unknown when Meyerwitz and Westerbeck began the process of producing the book, and so when a British publisher rang and reinforced again to them that what they had created was not only still relevant but had enough viable interest to make a second edition, they jumped at the opportunity. Diving deep into the project for a new generation, the book has seen the addition of contemporary street photographers such as Australian photographer Trent Parke, Natan Dvir, and Kate Kirkwood, as well as mak-
ing room for what the streets have become and where we are driving away from now.
CHOOSING A RIGHTEOUS PATH So what has changed in street photography since 1994? A lot, according to Westerbeck. He writes about street photographers with admiration, but also marked with a healthy dose of criticism; “the attitude of street photographers toward life on the street is in itself an example of such ambiguity. Their approach is at once joyous and jaundiced; it’s a state of heightened consciousness that enables them to see the subconscious state of the world around them”. Where throughout history a lot of street photography has pushed the boundaries in a wider discussion of social injustice, Westerbeck finds a sense of not only disconnection but even apathy and exploitation today. Case in point a comparison made in the forward essay in the book of two photographs taken of men, each in wheelchairs. The earlier photograph incites a sense of empathy for the wheelchaired man in front of a shop in the shadows while three women happily walk by, immac-
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F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
LEFT: Natan Dvir, Cartier 01, 2013 BELOW: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Girl and Dogs, 1966 (original in color)
ulately dressed sporting towering bouffants, and clearly intent on of day of shopping. It’s an image that makes you think critically about the way we treat the downtrodden of our society and how our consumerist ways can numb us to the woes of our fellow humans. Even the way the directional light that illuminates the women and leaves the man in the shadows coupled with the gaze of the women in his direction, as well as that of a young boy sitting on bench, makes you realise that he will be observed, maybe even pitied by the other subjects but that none would have been likely to interact with him. The second image shows another man in a wheelchair in the gutter of a littered street with a similar directional light shining from the top right corner of the image. This time though the uncompassionate gaze comes from that of the audience, created by the photographer. The man’s arm is flung over his face in an obvious act of dissent to having his picture taken. The viewer (and the photographer) are now the apathetic and uncaring members of the interaction. Westerbeck believes this type of manipulative shooting “needs to be called to account where ever you find it,
that kind of exploitation of some person who is exploitable because they are in a state of destitution of some kind.”
PARALLEL STREETS Despite having more history to report, the new edition of Bystander had been cut from it’s original by a third. Both authors and publisher agreed that it needed to be a more succinct account of the history of photography and an emphasis on street photography. Westerbeck made the edits himself and admittedly felt that in doing so created a stronger understanding of what they had written that he may not have consciously known when writing it for the first time in the 90’s. Having a strong understanding of the medium’s history provides photographers with an insight to what the medium has become today. You can draw parallels from almost every significant point in history to a contemporary development; the introduction of the Kodak Brownie gave the general population sudden access to photography that had earlier been reserved for more serious practitioners, very much like the rise of camera phones has put a camera in
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F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
Joel Meyerowitz, W. 46 St., New York City, 1976.
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F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
the hand of a huge portion of the population that might not pick up a camera otherwise. Visually the connections can be made over and over again as well, although more than century apart some of the photographs of Charles Négre in the mid-19th century have a striking aesthetic resemblance of photographs made by Trent Parke in late 20th century. Where early photographers tried to create a resemblance in their photographs to the earlier paintings of pictorialism; Instagram and other apps have attempted to appropriate the past with film-like filters. This knowledge of what came before can only help inform the photographer conceptually and aesthetically, helping comprehend what they naturally gravitate to, and possibly even why.
LEADING THE BLIND Since the quirky observations of photographers like William Eggleston and Martin Parr who so articulately documented the banality of the everyday, a trend has fluctuated in and out of fashion to find meaning in even the simplest of moments. In recent years Westerbeck says he has seen another disconcerting trend emerging from within the medium. This photographic inclination is what he refers to as ‘Academic Hokem’; the idea that in order to find legitimacy within the medium one must be written about in an academic journal. This leads to a wave of photography he says with “a preference among some critics and scholars for photographers whose imagery is so bland and uninspired that only academic analysis can make it seem significant”. ‘The Banality of the Everyday’ is largely found in the work of photographers emerging from the depths of academia but a lack of the real world insight and commentary of practitioners who earned their stripes on the streets, like Eggleston. Westerbeck believes this often leaves the work seemingly blank and thoughtless to the average punter. A fabricated sense of accessibility not accessible to the average person, the irony of which it is the very audience for whom street photography was originally created.
PAVING NEW ROADS
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS 1. Use a wide-angle lens if you can, as it will allow you to get nice and close to your subjects 2. Don't be afraid to sit and wait for the action to come to you. Parking up at a cafe in front of an interesting wall can be a great way to get candid shots. 3. Always pack your camera. Street photography is spontaneous and waits for no one. 4. Practice, practice, practice. The more you get out there, the more your eye will develop and your confidence grow.
It’s not all bad news however, with the ebb and flow of the sub-medium seeing a rise in female street photographers. Where in the sixties one could almost exclusively single out just Dianne Arbus as the sole prominent female practitioner, Westerbeck now enthusiastically revels in the ever increasing number of street photographers who are women. The growing number of female photographers marks a rise in street photographers in general. The internet has now created a community of photographers that can span the entire world, and Westerbeck notes that throughout history photographers have been drawn together, not necessarily to shoot together but to push their practice forward. This is no longer restricted by physical location and the internet is littered with street photography groups with members finding parallels. “Now somebody in Australia may be in constant conversation with [someone elsewhere in the world] not just personally, but visually in terms of their work too."
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F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
“BY DEPENDING ON THE BURST ABILITY OF YOUR SHUTTER AND VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED STORAGE SPACE OF YOUR CARD, PHOTOGRAPHERS CAN FORGET TO STOP, THINK AND MAKE A CONSCIOUS DECISION”
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OPPOSITE: Saul Leiter, Reflection, 1958 BELOW: Jeff Mermelstein, New York City, 1993.
F E ATUR E: STR E E T PHOTOGR APHY
BELOW: Maciej Dakowicz, Aden, Yemen 2007.
STREET RACE After more than 20 years analysing street photography, what is Westerbeck’s advice for prospective shooters? On a practical note Westerbeck cautions getting too wrapped up in the abilities of technology, or in what he refers to as a “tsunami of images”, a term he says defines the digital age. A race to use the capacity of our equipment may impede on the significant forethought it takes to create a contemplative image. In the forward essay he warns that “Technology stunts instinct rather than refining it”. By depending on the burst ability of your shutter and the virtually unlimited storage space of memory cards, photographers can forget to stop, think, and make a conscious decision of when to capture that decisive moment. The nature of digital also provides the ability to edit images immediately, and we can start working with them without pause for thought. Westerbeck encourages photographers not be too hasty, especially when it comes to the delete button. He remarks on the photographers he’s interviewed in the past and how often they have mentioned going back to a contact sheet long after shooting and found a gem that they had originally overlooked, or noticed a pattern of images emerging even if they were not in their top picks of the day. “It was on the contact sheet so they left it there. Later they may have found themselves instinctive-
ly making a similar picture and just the fact that they could go back and reconstruct something from their own history is so valuable, [in a culture] when you throw everything away five minutes after you’ve made half of it.”
RITUAL FULFILMENT Often regarded as merely a quirky capture of a passing moment, street photography is the recording of all the idiosyncrasies that build our public lives, full of chance juxtaposition, collisions of cultures, everyday peculiarities, and visual political comments. Bystander provides history and insight to what has come and what is to come. Its depth provides insight not just for photographers hitting the streets armed with modern technology, but the richness of the history of street photography, a cognisance of social nuances, and a desire to relate and relay the workings of contemporary society. ❂
ABOUT THE BOOK The second edition of Bystander; A History of Street Photography, published by Laurence King, is available now.
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You can’t catch me! Encouraging children to be themselves is key to successful portraiture. Fuji X-T2, 16mm f/1.4 lens. 1/1250s @ f1.4, ISO 800.
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PHOTO TIPS: CHILD PORTRAITURE
LITTLE BY DYLAN GOLDBY
If you’ve ever tried to take portraits of your kids, you’ll know just how hard it is to keep them focussed. Here’s some quick tips for avoiding tantrums and helping you get stunning mages at your next shoot.
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PHOTO TIPS: CHILD PORTRAITURE
ABOVE: Pretending to eat dad’s fingers got us this beautiful laugh. Don’t be afraid to get the parents involved. Fuji X-T2, 35mm f/2 lens. 1/480s @ f2, ISO 400.
s adults with things like education behind us and bills to pay in front of us, it can be easy to feel like we have everything under control and that we’re able to simply bend the world to our wills. We’re able to control our lives and how our day will pan out. Parents on the otherhand will tell us that we don’t know what we’re talking about, and they’re right. The mind of a child is an unpredictable place, especially if you only have that child for an hour or two. This is what I believe makes photographing family sessions so difficult, but also so rewarding. I’d like to take you through how I approach my family photography sessions. Of course many of you may not be shooting professionally, but these tips can be applied outside the studio with your family or friends. As photographers, we are often asked and expected to make competent photographs; of that, there is no doubt. However, we are also sought out for our vision and the way we create images, not simply their technical merits. I would argue that the most important thing you can achieve as a photographer is being able to represent your subjects in the intended manner. Once you’re able to focus your camera and expose a picture, this is the most important step you can take as a photographer; know your subject and how to work with it. For us when capturing families, that means the expressions we bring out and capture during our sessions. Let’s jump right in to my process for making this happen.
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OPPOSITE: Ask them what they feel might be a good pose for the scene and then compliment them on it for a proud expression. Nikon D750, Nikon 58mm 1.4 lens. 1/500s @ f2.8, ISO 100.
YOU’RE NOT RAISING THE CHILDREN
1
Unless you’re making photographs of your own child, it is important to remember that you’re not raising a human being during the short time you have the childen with you. What you’re doing is making sure you get photographs that represent your client and their family. This is important because it frees you up to let the children walk all over you if needed. Children are still developing their personalities and social sensibilities, and as such, can be quite “rude” if looked at from the perspective of the people trying to raise them as the best human beings they can. I make sure parents understand that I will not judge when they come to one of my sessions, and errant behaviour will not reflect badly on them. In this way, we can let the children feel completely free. This allows them to feel like they’re not trying to act one way or another for someone else and, thus, display their inner selves. This is the basis of how we get authentic expressions that represent who the children are. In order to achieve this, the parents need to be on your side. I make sure of this during the pre-session play to ensure everyone is on the same page. You need to have the parents on your side so they’re not trying to be great parents during the session. Let them know that this is how you work and be prepared to deliver on that promise.
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2
DON’T TELL, BUT CREATE THE SITUATION IN WHICH YOUR IDEA WILL COME TO LIFE
3
BALANCE
Any teacher will tell you one the thing about getting children to do what you want them to. Most children will not obey. They will do things their own way. They need to be guided and gently pushed where you want them to go. If they feel like they’re making their own decisions and getting themselves to the finish line, your life as the photographer will be so much easier. I do this by first assessing the type of child I’m working with. At the beginning, I will ask questions about their day or the things they like and gauge the way they respond to decide how I’m going to approach things once the camera is out. If I receive extremely confident answers with much more than I actually asked contained, I’m likely to ask the child to dictate what we do a lot more. If I get very little back, I’m likely to make more suggestions of my own. Once you’ve established how the session is going to play out, it’s time to jump into the emotional-director’s chair and work on drawing out the expressions you want. Learn as you go along how the children react to certain words or phrases, how they react to you being up close, far away, shooting one frame or ten. All of these things will allow you to be in control but still allow them space to breathe.
Now that you’ve got them letting themselves out and showing all their raw emotions for you, it’s time to reign it in. Many children, not all, will take advantage of any situation they can to experiment with things they haven’t experienced before. Chances are that your expertly crafted safe-place for them is going to fall into this category and things get out of hand very quickly if you allow it. Be sure to place subtle but firm boundaries on where you will allow things to go during your session. | 46 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PHOTO TIPS: CHILD PORTRAITURE
“IF THEY FEEL THEY ARE MAKING THEIR OWN DECISIONS...YOUR LIFE AS THE PHOTOGRAPHER WILL BE SO MUCH EASIER.”
LEFT: What’s inside the lens? Fuji X-T2, 16mm f/1.4 lens. 1/600s @ f1.4. ISO 6400. BELOW: Something as silly as standing above the kids and telling them I think I’m going to fall was enough here. Nikon D750, 24-35mm f/2 lens. 1/250s @ f2, ISO 200.
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PHOTO TIPS: CHILD PORTRAITURE
4 5 BE A FRIEND
I talked in the beginning about having the parents on your side. Now that you have that, you need the children on your side as well. They need to feel like everyone is in this together. Be their friend, just as you would to any other human. Listen, respond, value their ideas, and work through the session together. The parents are most likely there because they want some great photos of themselves with their children. They also understand that the children are going to be the most unpredictable element of the photography and are willing to let you spend most of your time ensuring that the children are displaying who they really are for the camera.
ABOVE: Peekaboo never gets old. Nikon D750, Nikon 58mm 1.4 lens. 1/500s @ f2.8, ISO 100.
WRAPPING UP
Family photography may seem overwhelming at times, but when you break it down, there is method to the madness. You have to make sure the parents are part of your team for the duration of the session. Once that’s established, you can bring the children on as well. Now that they have a safe place to play in, you need to make sure it has boundaries. If you can get all of those things to happen in a session, you’ll be able to control the photography element the way you want. ❂
PERFECT PORTRAITS 1. Although a long lens can be more flattering and help isolate your subject, consider using a short prime with kids. It’ll make moving around easier. 2. Shooting from a low angle will make your subject look taller, conversely, shooting from up high can make them seem smaller. Just watch for distortion if you get too close. 3. If in doubt about where to place your subject, try framing them in window light. It often looks the most natural. 4. Don’t be afraid to get close and fill your frame. Positioning your subject to one side of the frame with ‘space to look into’ can also work well.
| 48 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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CREDIT: DANIELLE LANCASTER
| 50 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
AN ALTERNATIVE
VIEW BY ROB DITESSA
Steven Fudge and Danielle Lancaster are two photographers who have taken a step beyond shooting post-card perfect landscapes. Rob Ditessa looks at how they each approach their image making in unique ways.
O
f all the photographic genres, perhaps none offer the huge creative variety of landscapes. From enhancing what is already there, or choosing to tell it straight, to stripping it back or adding a human element, there's an endless number of choices the photographer can make. For photographers Steven Fudge and Danielle Lancaster, it is also something that has led them to each take their own unique approach when recording their own. For Fudge, minimalism is his ultimate goal, while Lancaster loves to add a human element to hers. As a child growing up in western Queensland, Danielle Lancaster says she remembers waiting eagerly for the mailman to deliver copies of National Geographic magazine, and watching her mother using a Box Brownie to photograph their daily life around their property. She has since worked with newspapers covering murders, politics, sport, and weddings, and was Australia’s first female official car racing photographer. She has spent time with many photographers including the iconic Arnold Newman, and says she finds inspiration in the work of Dorothy Lange and Mary
Ellen Mark. Lancaster is hard on herself, she reflects, because she wants to create something powerful that relays her ready and strong emotional response to the environment and landscape - to tell the story of place. At first Steven Fudge was awed by the digital possibilities of the bright and colourful HDR images that adorned flickr and other sites. This was what he wanted to do. He remembers spending those early years capturing sunrise and sunset pictures. “As my photography evolved and I travelled more, I found there was more than pointing and shooting at well known locations under colourful skies. I was drawn to a more simple style of shooting with more focus on the subject matter.” Soon after a trip to Canada, he found inspiration about how to enrich his photography in the works of Michael Kenna, Josef Hoflenher and Michael Levin, all three highly skilled in dramatic black and white art based capture. Fudge finds he has a systematic and methodical mind. As a photographer he tends to gravitate towards an analytical approach in how to create and capture the most emotional impact. Finding the right subject matter remains a constant challenge.
I love outback Australia. For photographers, it is a landscape filled with amazing line, colours, contrast and characters. A short drive from Birdsville you can visit Big Red, Australia’s largest sand dune. Get there and set up well before sun sets so you can see the dunes change colour. Nikon D4, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. 1/500s @ f6.3, ISO 800. | 51 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
COMPOSITION In composing, Fudge puts the focus on one element. “Absolute harmony and simplicity is my goal. I strip out all unnecessary parts that do not contribute to my vision of the final image and print.” Explaining that emotion can be embedded in many forms, he says fog elicits the biggest response from viewers. “Fog makes the viewer wonder what is out there beyond it. Lately I have tried to bring the full moon into images where I can. I like to analyse and capture a certain mood based on what I perceive at a location.” To create an image that tells a story, Lancaster says she seeks and chooses strong compositional elements based on traditional techniques that may include texture, lines, patterns, contrast or colour. It depends, she says. A telling characteristic of her work is point of view. She mostly seeks an eye-level point of view, a human one, rather than a wide or elevated perspective.
CREDIT DANIELLE LANCASTER
THE HUMAN ELEMENT For Lancaster, putting people into the landscape adds a focal point that introduces a story about that landscape, giving it a new meaning. The aim is to combine equally in a picture a person and a landscape to complement one another in a balance that evokes both an emotive and a contemplative reaction. This approach perhaps reflects her love of environmental portraiture. The human form can add a lot to an image, Fudge agrees, but he generally keeps it out of images, admittedly sometimes to his detriment. On location once, a girl sat looking out to the Black Cuillin Mountains at Elgol on the Isle of Skye (Scotland). He waited until she moved out of his frame before taking the long exposure image. In hindsight, he considers, sitting still admiring the view she would have added a lot to this shot for others. Now he is not so quick to dismiss the human form but as his work is long exposure at around between five and six minutes, having someone stay still for this length of time can be a lot to ask. His preference is for, say, a single bird in an image, even one that moves around a little. It can add further interest, he says.
DANIELLE LANCASTER ON PHOTOGRAPHY "When you rush, you make mistakes. Know your equipment and become familiar with all the settings so you can change anything quickly when you need to. And most importantly, know how to use the photographer’s medium - light. Once a photographer would have known even before picking up the camera, the aperture, and the speed, to use. We need to get back to learning about light, and knowing our gear."
Shooting long exposure images has become Fudge’s signature style. This style allows him to alter what is actually in front of him, for instance, “in regards to making the water turn smooth and calm and in the instance of a windy day, clouds will become long and streaky depending on how many there are in the sky. Sometimes the Gods smile on you and if the clouds and prevailing winds are moving towards you it can make for an extremely dynamic image.” Long exposure photography takes patience and time. He mentions how when he is out and about on location, he sees other photographers moving through the scene clicking away and moving on while he will stand there for six minutes to capture one solitary image. Generally Fudge aims for an art based take on what is in front of him, which he achieves with the latitude afforded by long exposure techniques.
| 52 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CREDIT STEVEN FUDGE
STYLE
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
LEFT: Seeing a landscape from the air places a whole new perspective on your visit to a region. Nikon D3, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens. 1/640s @ f9, ISO 400. THIS PAGE: Taken at Shorncliffe, Queensland. Reflections achieved via tidal pool around the tree at sunset. Converted in NIK, gradients and masks used in post. Pentax 645D, 75mm lens. 1/10s @ f16, ISO 100.
| 53 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
Sunset in Kakadu. Placing a person in a landscape provides a sense of scale and depth along with a sense of wanting to be there. Nikon D4, 17-35mm lens. 1/200s @ f11, ISO 3200.
| 54 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CREDIT DANIELLE LANCASTER
| 55 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
CREDIT DANIELLE LANCASTER
“PHOTOGRAPHERS STARTING OUT CAN BECOME TOO CONDITIONED AND AFRAID OF LETTING IN ANY CREATIVITY INTO THEIR WORK .”
DETAIL Lancaster says that the significance of detail is important to her. She gives an example of an image she shot that includes Dr Peter McRae, the Bilby Man, who is wearing sunglasses (You can see the image above). “Seeing his eyes would emphasise the human form in the picture, detracting from the story of the landscape seen disappearing into the background,” she explains. She took other images where he had his sunglasses off, but this particular image was about telling the story of the landscape. By thinking through the detail of a work, Fudge has trained himself enough to visualise what the end result will be, but this still does not guarantee or make for great images. Some work and some do not, unfortunately, he notes.
example, a sea stack a hundred or more meters offshore will necessitate the 200mm lens. I try not to go with anything longer as I shoot LE at 5 to 6 mins. A 400mm, for example, would likely move with any breeze and the slightest vibration will spoil the final result.” New photographers are told by their peers not to shoot in the middle of the day. You should only take an image at sunrise or sunset. But he says, with long exposure and black and white he can shoot at pretty much any time of the day as long as he pays attention to the actual amount of light in the location. Depending on the subject you can always use a silhouetted style image. “There are no boundaries.” Lancaster says it all depends on your aim, but correct lighting and arresting composition are key. She sums up, “Today you could use anything from a smart phone to a
METHOD Fudge details he mostly shoots with either a 55 up to a 200mm lens. “I don’t use zoom lenses. I also no longer shoot with anything less than 55mm, as this just brings too much distraction and places the subject too far away. The subject matter and location will dictate which lens I will use, as well as the size of the object I am shooting and how it will sit in the frame, and print. For
ABOVE: Peter McRae, the Bilby man, drives the ‘Bilby Fence’ in Currawinya National Park in far west Queensland checking for any damage. This image was taken using a speedlight, on camera, and high speed sync to balance the background. OPPOSITE: Slenderman. Shot at Paulownia plantation in Sydney, hand held, all effects in PS. Pentax 645D, 200mm lens. 1/30s @ f/9.5, ISO 100.
| 56 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CREDIT STEVEN FUDGE
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
| 57 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CREDIT STEVEN FUDGE
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
THIS PAGE: Blurred lines. Shot at sunrise at Beachmere directly into the sun. Rays and effect were added in PS, with varying effects and blending modes used. Pentax 645D, 75mm. 10s @ f16, ISO 100.
| 58 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
PROFILE: STEVEN FUDGE AND DANIELLE LANCASTER
really expensive camera. It’s all about how you compose, and how you use the light to show your subject. “I read so often, I hear so often, you only use a polarising filter if you want to get a nice blue sky, or with sea shots. A polarising filter does a lot more than that. It increases the colour and the contrast of the scene closer to what our eye can see.”
STEVEN FUDGE ON PHOTOGRAPHY “You cannot learn everything overnight. Invest in the basics, a DSLR, a tripod, some ND filters, and a remote for firing the shutter. A RAW file will generally be as flat as a tack, and you will be disappointed with the first RAW file you upload. Persevere, learn the post-production software. Whereas the internal JPEG of most modern cameras and iPads generally spits out a nice bright, colourful and dynamic image, with RAW it’s up to you how you interpret the input or output. It also applies in long exposure and black and white imagery. In choosing a camera to do long exposure work, check it has Bulb mode, which allows shots over 30 seconds duration, and also has some form of noise reduction built in.”
COLOUR VS BLACK AND WHITE Black and white images tend to lend themselves to capture a certain mood or emotion. Fudge points out shooting in black and white allows him to use many shades of grey. “If I am shooting objects that are a distance from me then of course the camera will render these shapes with differing amounts of tonal range and hence shades of grey. On the other hand I am also not averse to having an image that may be slightly out of focus. I tend not to care too much about old rules. If it works as an image and then a print, then it works. With colour being removed, the image has be strong and capture the viewers imagination in other ways.” Although Lancaster does not have a preference for either, she says it all depends on the mood she is trying to portray, and the impact on the image. Often she will not make a decision until she can look at the image on
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a big screen to work out which is better. Colours may complement one another, or act in contrast. Fudge considers that photographers just starting out can become too conditioned and afraid of letting in any creativity in their work. He is working towards opening a gallery and offering training courses to encourage creativity on a one to one basis. Both photographers however, see their role as storytellers. As Lancaster says, “I am a storyteller. I actually don’t want to take these stories of the landscape to the grave with me.” ❂
The Fujifilm X-H1 Mirrorless camera features a more rugged build quality than the rest of Fujifilm’s offerings, making it ideal for shooting in various environments and conditions.
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✔ TESTED: PANASONIC G9
TESTED: PANASONIC G9 Panasonic has revitalised the Micro Four Thirds market with their new G9. James Ostinga put it through its paces on a recent holiday to Japan.
I
f you’re a serious photographer in the market for a new camera, one decision you need to make pretty quickly is whether you’re going to go with a DSLR or mirrorless system. Not so long ago, it was a pretty easy choice. Superior image quality and faster autofocus once tipped the scales in favour of DSLRs, but on those two fronts, and a few more to boot, mirrorless cameras have made some remarkable gains. In recent years cameras like the Sony A7 and A9 series, Fujifilm’s X-Pro2 and X-T2, and Olympus’ E-M1 Mk II, have overcome some of the system’s original weaknesses, and in doing so have drawn a growing number of professional and high-end amateur photographers into the mirrorless space. And now Panasonic has joined the fray with the Lumix DC G9 – a camera that clearly marks Panasonic’s ambitions to establish itself as a serious player in the professional stills market. Having used the G9 with the new 200mm f2.8 Leica lens and the 1260mm zoom on a two-week holiday to Japan, I believe it’s right up there with the best mirrorless cameras ever made. Sitting at the top of the Lumix lineup, along with the popular, but more video-oriented Lumix GH5, the G9 offers a suite of specs clearly designed
to sway buyers whose primary focus is stills photography. Headline features include a continuous speed of 20 frames per second with electronic shutter (up to a limit of around 50 frames), or nine frames a second with mechanical shutter for a nearly unlimited 600 frames. There’s also an option to shoot at 60 frames per second but at the expense of continuous focus. Further, a 6K photo feature lets you extract 18-megapixel stills from 6K videos firing off images at 30 frames per second. While the camera isn’t billed as a sports camera, the continuous shooting speed and 6K options should be more than enough for most users. From the Olympus playbook the 20-megapixel sensor can be pushed to 80 megapixels in high-resolution mode, automatically stacking eight sensor-shifted exposures to take image detail to new heights in JPEG and RAW modes. This feature is best suited to subjects with little or no movement as the component exposures are captured sequentially and stitched together. Used as intended though, for landscape, architecture, still life, etc, the feature works well and gives you the option to produce prints bigger than 87cm wide or crop tightly with resolution to spare. In-body stabilisation is remarkable, with Panasonic claiming up to 6.5 stops | 60 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
of stabilisation with compatible Panasonic OIS lenses. While 6.5 stops is at the limit of what the camera can do, the success rate around five stops is excellent. With that kind of stabilisation it does reduce the number of times you’ll need to pack a tripod. The camera is light and compact and, with a generous hand grip, fits snugly in the hand. On the back there’s a good tiltand-swivel 3-inch touchscreen monitor, though slightly (0.2-in) smaller than the screen on the GH5. One of the first things you notice when you start using the camera is just how large and clear the electronic viewfinder is. The 3.6-million-dot resolution of the OLED screen helps, but it’s the large magnification – 0.83x – that jumps out. There’s not another viewfinder like it that I can think of. The Fujifilm X-T2 has 0.77x, the Sony A9 has 0.78x, the Canon 1D X II has 0.76x and the Nikon D850 has 0.75x. The difference is significant and makes framing easier and more intuitive. And because it’s a mirrorless camera there’s no blackout between shots so you don’t lose sight of your subject at high frame rates. Ideal for shooting deceptively quick sumo wrestlers at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium. The camera offers a range of AF modes including 1-Area, Tracking, Custom Multi, Eye Detection and 225-Area. The
✔ TESTED: PANASONIC G9
The Panasonic G9 had no trouble metering the varied light in this scene. Original horizontal image cropped and zoomed 1.6x for detail. Panasonic G9, Leica 200mm F/2.8 lens. 1/200s @ f13, ISO 1600.
| 61 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
✔ TESTED: PANASONIC G9
LEFT: It’s always a challenge shooting sports indoors under artificial light. The G9 handled this admirably. Panasonic G9, Leica 200mm f/2.8 lens. 1/640s @ f3.2, ISO 1600.
AF is fast for a contrast-detect system, and customisable to the subject you’re shooting. While you’d expect a phase-detect system to deliver faster subject acquisition and accuracy, I wasn’t conscious of any lag while using the G9. I mainly used the ‘1Area’ and ‘225 Area’ AF modes with the sumo, and while both modes occasionally dropped focus, the success rate was good given the difficult lighting conditions. Away from the dim stadium, I had no problems keeping the comparably sedate snow monkeys in focus a few days later. Given the small size of the Micro Four Thirds sensor (half the dimensions of a fullframe sensor) image quality from the G9 is excellent. At ISO 3200 the camera produces very usable images with good image detail in the shadows. It may not perform quite as well as some of the newer fullframe-sensor cameras at high ISOs, but you’re unlikely to notice a difference below ISO 800 and only at higher ISOs when you start pixel peeping. Overall, the Lumix G9 will appeal to pro and advanced amateurs looking for a fast, lightweight mirrorless camera with good image quality and class-leading image stabilisation. Combine this with the impressive AF and big EVF, and the G9 is easily the best Micro Four Thirds camera we’ve used. ❂
SCORE
9.4
RESULTS HANDLING ★ ★ ★ ★ The camera is both easy and intuitive to use. The menu system is well laid out and the large, high-resolution viewfinder makes it easier than most to see and frame the shot. Even with the big 200mm Leica lens, the G9 feels solid and well balanced in the hand.
FEATURES ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Stand-out features include the five-axis stabilisation system, super-quick continuous shooting speeds (up to 20fps with electronic shutter and continuous autofocus), the best EVF we’ve ever seen, and 4K video at 60p.
EXPOSURE ★ ★ ★ ★
SPECS Price:
Sensor type:
Micro Four Thirds, Live MOS
Sensor size:
17.3 x 13mm
Crop factor:
2x
Stabilisation:
5-axis in body stabilisation. 6.5 stops with compatible lenses
AF points:
225
AF modes:
Face/Eye detection, Tracking, 225-area, Custom Multi, 1-area, Pinpoint; One Shot AF, Shutter AF, Half Press Release, Quick AF, Continuous AF, Eye Sensor AF, Focus Peaking, Touch AF/AE Function, Touch Pad AF, Touch Shutter, etc.
Focus peaking:
Yes
Auto exposure and white balance are excellent. Colours from unedited JPEG images straight out of the camera are a little muted.
IMAGE QUALITY ★ ★ ★ ★ Images are excellent, particularly at lower ISO settings, and very usable at 3200. Even better, Panasonic’s lineup of high-quality Micro Four Thirds lenses offers plenty of choices for pro and amateur photographers. The new Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 lens is a cracker, albeit pricey.
VALUE FOR MONEY ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ For photographers who like the idea of the Sony A9, but can’t quite stomach the $6000-plus price tag, the Panasonic G9 offers a Micro Four Thirds version at less than half the price.
FINAL WORD Mirrorless or DSLR? The Panasonic G9 joins a growing list of high-spec’ed, full-featured cameras tipping the scales in mirrorless’ favour.
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$2400 (body only)
Sensor resolution: 20.3MP (80MP in High Resolution mode)
Metering modes: 1728-zone Intelligent Multiple, Centerweighted, Spot Exposure comp:
+/- 5.0EV in 0.3EV steps
ISO range:
200-25,600
Viewfinder:
OLED EVF, 3.68 million-dot, 0.83x magnification
Monitor:
3-in, 1.04 million-dot, articulated, touch screen
Video:
4K/60p (mic and headphone ports)
Dimensions:
137 x 97 x 92mm
Weight:
658g
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TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
| 64 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
START IMAGE
BEHIND THE MASK BY DYLAN GIANNAKOUPOLOS
Luninosity masking is a powerfool tool for managing varied exposures. Dylan Giannakoupolos shows you how to get started.
T
he practice of blending multiple exposures to increase dynamic range dates as far back as the 1850s. Exposure blending was popularised by the introduction of HDR editing software in the early 2000s and is now available as a standard preset on most smartphones and many cameras. And while the effect is now more widespread than ever, it has also suffered some bad press thanks to some horrendously over the top versions of the effect that make photos look like... well, not like photos! These days, people are still using HDR, though smart photographers are opting for exposure blending techniques that offer greater precision and 'photographic' results. My preferred exposure blending technique is luminosity masking. Luminosity masks work by making a selection based on differ-
| 65 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
ent light or luminance values. Unlike most HDR software, luminosity masks are nondestructive and enable full manual control. The major advantage to using this technique over masks which have been created using a selection tool in Photoshop is there are no hard or unfeathered edges. Luminosity masks are an extremely powerful tool which can be used for many applications beyond exposure blending. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you the steps I take to exposure blend my images. Using a photograph I took of Crystal Pier in San Diego, I will take you through everything from capturing the image, to creating a highlights luminosity mask. To follow along, go to australianphotography.com/tutorialimages to download the RAW files. Once downloaded, locate and import them into Lightroom.
TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
STEP
1
GETTING IT RIGHT IN CAMERA Whilst advancements in post processing have given photographers greater artistic freedom to edit and manipulate their images, there is no substitute for getting it right in camera. Before we’re able to do any image blending, there are a couple of fundamental techniques that you will need to know. First of all, your camera needs to be securely mounted onto a tripod. If you’re shooting at a beach, it’s a great idea to push the tripod legs into the sand for extra stability or hang your camera bag from the centre column. Some cameras have a built in timer which works even with exposure bracketing, but I much prefer to use a shutter release cable. The objective is to create a series of images without any movement between them. Even the slightest camera shake or moment between frames can ruin any chance of a successful blend.
In your camera, you will need to find your exposure bracketing settings, this is typically located under Drive Mode. Whilst this will slightly vary between cameras, you’re going to have to determine two variables; the number of images to be taken and how great the degree of shift between exposures is. For this image of Crystal Pier, I selected 1.0EV5 on my Sony a7 II. On these settings, my camera will shoot 5 consecutive images, giving me exposures at -2 EV, -1 EV, 0 EV, +1 EV and +2 EV. Choosing which exposure bracketing setting to use is going to be completely dependent on the amount of dynamic range in a scene. The aim is for the darkest, most under exposed image to have no blown out highlights and our brightest, most overexposed image to have no clipped shadows, whilst having enough images in between to capture the midtone values.
| 66 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
STEP
2
IMAGE SELECTION Choosing which exposures to blend is a fairly straight forward process. I start by selecting which RAW file will serve as the base image. As a rule of thumb, you are able to recover more detail from shadows than highlights. However, as you increase the brightness in the shadows, more noise will be introduced into the image, even when shooting at ISO 100. This is why I prefer to start with an image which is correctly exposed for the shadows. Another important factor is to look out for any moving objects in the scene. Exposure blending moving objects will often result in ghosting and a number of other unwanted artefacts which require extensive manual clean up and in general, should be avoided if possible. In this series of images, there is going to be movement in the ocean between exposures. The base exposure then needs to be bright enough to correctly expose for the shadows in the pier but not so bright that there are unrecoverable highlights in the water. Whilst I would prefer to start with +2 EV exposure, the highlights in the water are too blown out to recover. Instead, I have decided to use +1EV_RAW as my base exposure. To recover the detail in the sky, I’m going to blend -1EV_RAW, as it is the least under exposed image to have all of its highlights intact.
STEP
3 ADJUSTMENTS TO BASE EXPOSURE Before any exposure blending, we need to apply some basic adjustments to the RAW files. These adjustments are used to flatten and balance the tonal values of the images, which will help to create a natural looking blend. Open the Develop module, select +1EV_RAW, and then increase Temp to 5900 and Tint +20. Decrease Exposure to -0.50, Highlights to -75 and increase Shadows to +40, Clarity to +10 and Vibrance to +15. To sharpen and remove the noise introduced by the tonal adjustments, under the Detail tab, increase Sharpening to 40, Masking to 30, Luminance to 10, decrease Detail to 24 and increase Contrast to 15. Under the Lens Corrections tab, check Remove Chromatic Aberration and Enable Profile Corrections. | 67 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
STEP
4 CROP & STRAIGHTEN In order to straighten the horizon line, click on the Crop & Straighten Icon and adjust the Angle to -0.70, then click Done.
STEP
5
SPOT REMOVAL To remove the sensor dust, click on the Spot Removal tool and with Heal selected, choose a feather of 50, Opacity of 100 and adjust the Size as necessary so the inner circle is slightly larger than the spot being removed. Once the dust spots in the sky are removed, click Done.
| 68 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
STEP
7 ADJUSTMENT TO UNDEREXPOSED RAW
STEP
6
STEP
8
SYNC SETTINGS Whilst holding Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac), select the -1EV_RAW file and click Sync. In the Synchronise Settings dialog box, ensure all options are selected except for Basic Tone, then click Synchronise. All of the adjustments made on the previous image will now be copied to -1EV_RAW.
To prepare the -1EV_RAW file for blending, increase Exposure to +1.00, decrease Highlights to -100, increase Shadows to +55 and decrease Whites to -15. Whilst both photos are selected, right click the +1EV_ RAW image > Edit In > Open as Layers in Photoshop.
CREATING THE LUMINOSITY MASK Once imported, it’s important to make sure that +1EV_ RAW is the bottom layer. Click the Eye icon to hide the -1EV_ RAW layer, then click on the Channels tab and whilst holding Ctrl (Cmd), click the RGB channel and the ‘matching ants’ will appear over the image. Unhide and select the -1EV_RAW layer and click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the screen and the selection will be converted into a layer mask.
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TUTORIAL: LUMINOSITY MASKS
STEP
9
REFINING THE LUMINOSITY MASK USING LEVELS The next step is to refine the luminosity mask to precisely control which luminance values are going to be made visble. Whilst holding the Alt (Opt) key, click on the Layer Mask thumbnail and a greyscale overlay of the mask will appear. If you’re not familiar with masking, this overlay illustrates what parts of the image will be hidden by the mask (white reveals, black conceals). Using the keyboard short cut Ctrl + L (Cmd + L) to open Levels, push the Shadows to 130, Midtones to 0.55 and Highlights to 225, then click OK. At this point it’s always a good idea to play with the opacity of the blended layer. I found the sunset looked a bit too dark and unnatural. To correct this, lower the opacity to 90% on the -1EV_RAW layer.
STEP
FINE TUNING LUMINOSITY MASK
10
Now that we have created and refined the luminosity mask, it’s time to remove the ghosting which has been created by moving waves. Select -1EV_ RAW layer and use the shortcut Ctrl + G (Cmd + G) to put the layer in a group and rename it to -1EV. Add a Layer Mask to the group and select the Gradient Tool. Make sure that the gradient is going from white to black, then whilst holding the shift key, click on the horizon and drag the curser down just enough so that we end up with a feathered blend. Press the ‘\’ key to reveal a red overlay of the mask. To finish up, use the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E (Cmd + Opt + Shift + E) to merge the visible layers into a new, single layer which is ready for you to apply your contrast and colour adjustments to.
| 70 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
© World Photo Adventures
JOIN US ON BEAUTIFUL FRASER ISLAND! “Fraser offers a bit of Africa in Australia. I say this as we use 4WDs as mobile hides and ‘get up close’ to all sorts of birds from eagles to feeding oystercatchers. We also enjoy magic sunrises on the eastern beach – which offers amazing shoot opportunities! At times dingoes are a special shoot and our many stops allow photographers to enjoy the challenge of shooting everything from ship wrecks to weird patterns, shapes and forms – with the chance to learn ‘how to tell a story’. We are the most experienced photo tour operator on Fraser Island as we have been working with Kingisher Bay Resort for over 15 years. After visiting the island numerous times, I can say that it is one of the world’s best locations to improve your photography and have a lot of fun. You will be challenged each day to new creative levels!” – Darran Leal
August 26-31, 2018 Join the teams from World Photo Adventures and Australian Photography Magazine on World Heritage listed Fraser Island – one of the most photogenic locations on earth. You can join the tour with regular lights to Hervey Bay via Sydney or Brisbane. The first ever World Photo Adventures and Australian Photography tour in 2017 was a sellout, so don’t miss this special 2018 event. To book or find out more, visit worldphotoadventures.com.au.
APS GALLERY
COMPLETING THE CYCLE The shoot, the edit and using the final image are all part of the process for Pam Rixon. WITH PAM RIXON
M
ost of my life I have dabbled in photography, but it wasn’t until about 12 years ago that I started to take it more seriously. My children were grown up and I decided this was my time to indulge my passion. The best thing I did was to join my local Camera Club: Doncaster Camera Club in Melbourne . I have been an active member since and this has been invaluable in developing my skills and more importantly I have made lifelong friendships with people whose passion matches my own and whose photographic skills and knowledge far exceeds mine. My photographic interests are many and varied, but my first love is landscapes, particularly seascapes, and I have more recently been concentrating on the use of filters and slow shutter speeds. I find these days many photographers shun using a tripod. It is an added burden to carry along, but I enjoy the challenge and results of using a tripod and filters. I
find I give more thought to composition and visualisation of my final image. My love of photography combined with my love of travel has taken me to many parts of the world but I continually return to the U.K. I never tire of the spectacular and remote scenery of Scotland and its outer islands or the more gentle beauty of Wales and England. Of course it is not always necessary to travel far from home. I have spent many hours and days wandering the streets of Melbourne looking for photos that tell a story of this amazing city, and I have spent hours photographing the Mornington Peninsula and the Victorian Coastline. A few years ago I photographed every pier and jetty around Port Phillip Bay and made a photobook about my journey. I print my own photos and they hang at home, or I make audio visuals, and calendars. I am rewarded with a feeling of satisfaction when the cycle of the image is complete. â?‚
| 72 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
APS GALLERY
I met this Highland cow on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. She was standing on a slight rise so I was able to get down low and shoot with her head against the sky to remove unwanted background distractions. I had a long lens but she still allowed me to get quite close. Canon 5D MKII, 70-300 IS USM lens @ 200mm. 1/1000s @ f8, ISO400.
APS GALLERY
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Uist cottage; Isle of Arran; St Kilda cottages.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER A proud member of Melbourne’s Doncaster Camera Club, Pam Rixon says she most enjoys landscapes and seascapes in particular.
THE AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Membership with the Australian Photographic Society caters for enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals in photography. The APS can help you improve your photography, increase your level of satisfaction and achievement with your images, and make lasting friendships with other photographers throughout Australia. All that is required is that you take two steps; the first, joining the society; the second, becoming involved in what it has to offer. Find out more about the APS at www.a-p-s.org.au.
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CREDIT PHILLIPA FREDERICKSEN
APS FOCUS
2018 IN FOCUS 2018 sees a number of key changes for the APS.
T
he Australian Photographic Society helps improve members’ photography by rewarding their successes in National and International Competitions (also known as “Exhibitions”) with Honours and Distinction awards. But what if you are not interested in competitions? Eagle-eyed readers of this column may already be familiar with the APS Conceptual Art Portfolio Awards (CAPA). This is a process where you can achieve different levels of extending your photographic experience with the help of Mentors. Run entirely separate from the present honour awards offered by APS, it is a self challenging project, not a competition, and is focussed on developing portfolios. If you would like to know more, send me an email at philfoto@gmail.com or visit www.a-p-s.org. au/index.php/member-services/capa If you want to be more involved with your photography society outside of regular meetings, I strongly encourage you to join our facebook groups. There are now three, and all provide a lively and friendly
forum to discuss everything photographic, as well as offer up work for critique. The main group is the Friends of the Australian Photographic Society, www.facebook.com/groups/1197313546978720, however there is also a group for our colleagues in Tassie, the Friends of APS Tasmania, www.facebook.com/ groups/243289122423122/, and finally the Friends of the APS Contemporary Group: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1259990940713900/ For the last 18 months every APS member has been free to join any or all of the Groups within the Society for free. This was a 24 month trial, so make sure you join soon. Finally we’re delighted to announce APSCON 2018 is coming! The annual APS national event will be from the 11-16th September 2018 at the Home of the Arts, Gold Coast (HOTA), Previously called the Arts Centre Gold Coast. This year there are 12 presenters, and as well as a number of excursions, there will also be workshops on art and architectural, nature, action and sports, portraiture and street photography. You can find out more about APSCON at: www.a-p-s.org.au/index.php/apscon | 75 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CREDIT PHILLIPA FREDERICKSEN
WITH PHILLIPA FREDERICKSEN
FROM TOP: Golden Slippers. Taken with phone and edited in Snapseed and Leonardo. Wave on Fire. taken with phone with the App Slow Shutter Cam and edited in iColorama.
As with every year, APSCON 2018 will be a really exciting time to meet new friends and refresh friendships with similar interests in our exciting and ever-changing hobby. Finally many people may not know that even if you are no longer an APS member you can still keep the initials of your successes after your name. This was not always so, but in line with many recent innovations, things are changing! ❂
MARKETPLACE
A GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIASTS
PHOTO TOURS TO ADVERTISE CONTACT JODIE REID ON 02 9213 8261 OR JODIEREID@YAFFA.COM.AU
| 76 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
MARKETPLACE
A GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIASTS
MARKETPLACE TO ADVERTISE CONTACT JODIE REID ON 02 9213 8261 OR JODIEREID@YAFFA.COM.AU
| 77 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
IMAGE DOCTOR
IMAGE DOCTOR Images need a pick me up? The doctor will see you now. BY SAIMA MOREL
DON’T FORGET WB To try out a long exposure of a sunrise, Raiz Ismail went to Cronulla Beach. He said: “I was taking photos of the rock pool before sunrise with the sodium street light in the background. I suddenly realised that the sun had already started to come up and shot in manual mode without changing the ISO and white balance. I think because of the 200 ISO for early morning, the highlight in the sky looks stronger and because of tungsten light white balance, there is a blue tint.” Well, the colour with the WB for tungsten produced a most effective result, even though it was unintentional. It just shows how a ‘mistake’ can sometimes turn out well. The light on the right half of the frame is lovely, especially the golden glow, and that purplish swirling water is attractive. However, you have a problem with the horizon tilting. This is
a key thing to check for and correct when you are setting up. The long exposure is good, but an even longer one would make that water more smoky-looking and atmospheric. Lastly, I think you could crop out the sitting person on the edge of the frame. However, I think this shot is a generally satisfying result. SAIMA’S TIP: Checking out all the White Balance settings before shooting gives an insight of the different effects possible.
TITLE: Blue paradise PHOTOGRAPHER: Raiz Ismail DETAILS: Canon 5DS, Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L II USM lens. 10s @ f11, ISO 200.
UP THE ISO FOR SHARPNESS According to Jason Waddell: “On a New Zealand trip, at a wildlife park just outside Christchurch, my passion for photography and love of birds collided in an enclosure of Keas (a playful bird native to NZ) I spent three hours in one position waiting for one of the birds to land on the stump and when I captured this fellow I was over the moon. I had my ISO set high to achieve a fast shutter speed to capture the bird in motion and closed down my aperture to get more depth of field, with my camera on AI servo to track the birds as they flew by.” You were doing the right thing by using servo to track the bird but it hasn’t quite paid off. The stump is pin sharp but the bird isn’t. An even higher shutter speed - say 1/2000s with 1600 ISO - may have been a better option and helped to get that bird sharper. A little blur is quite nice as it gives that feeling of movement, but some part of the body - preferably the head and body really should be sharper. Blur in feathers can be lovely especially when the colours are strong. A closer point of view with a simpler cleaner backdrop would have helped the bird to stand out better. This one is just a little too busy.
TITLE: Kea PHOTOGRAPHER: Jason Waddell DETAILS: Canon EOS 7D Mark II @ 70mm focal length, 1/1000s @ f3.5, ISO 800.
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SAIMA’S TIP: With a continually moving subject, using auto and locking onto the subject with servo is indispensable for getting the subject in focus while tracking it.
TITLE: Sailing at Sunrise PHOTOGRAPHER: Guy Sansom DETAILS: Nikon D3400, Sigma 10-20mm lens.1/3200s @ f6.3, ISO 100.
CONSIDER THE LIGHT Guy Sansom took this shot on holiday at Wategos beach. He wrote: “I would sit every morning at the Eastern most point of Australia and watch the sunrise. Is it important that the boat is dead centre, or should it be just to the left?” Firstly, that horizon line has a definite lean down on the left and needs to be levelled. This sort of thing is best adjusted in the framing stage before shooting. Another issue is content, as this is a very empty scene: mainly sky and water with a tiny boat off in the distance. The placement of the boat becomes irrelevant as it is barely there as content. The closer the subject matter is to the viewer, the more impact it can have. The last issue is that of exposure. Shooting directly into the sun can result in a big colourless hole (the sun) and overexposed areas (water under the sun) while the water on the sides of this is underexposed and muddy-looking. SAIMA’S TIP: Taking a sunrise or sunset shot doesn’t mean that you must include the sun in the scene, but rather make use of the light and colour provided by the sun to enhance your subject.
| 79 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
IMAGE DOCTOR
A CROP TOO FAR This shot by Judy Lawrenson was taken in Wyndham, Western Australia. She wrote: “I was watching the crocodiles and moving slowly along the water’s edge when I saw a kite looking down intensely at the water. I thought it may be after a fish as it swooped down at such a fast rate.” Well, you nailed the bird, but sadly the image has suffered quality-wise at some point. It looks like there are not enough pixels, maybe due to too much cropping and then enlargement. Another factor for loss of quality and damage to detail is downsizing for emailing. The backdrop, and some of that foreground, is messy, but since some cropping has already occurred, it was probably even messier before. However, I guess getting close - with that big croc in the background - was not a real option. SAIMA’S TIP: Cropping reduces resolution, and so does emailing at lower res settings. TITLE: Hunting Ground PHOTOGRAPHER: Judy Lawrenson DETAILS: Canon 5D Mk III, Canon 100-400mm lens @ 350mm focal length, 1/1250s @ f8, ISO 400.
SUBJECT FIRST Tess Northcott wrote: "I am 14 years old and I love photography. I took this photo while camping on a rural property. I noticed the tire marks along the track and thought that they added something to the image so I shot the picture with the sun in the corner to show more of the road. I hope you like it!" I like some of this, but there are ways to make it a better image. The diffused, gentle lighting at this time of day is delightful and atmospheric, but including the sun in the corner means the image blows out on the right, losing detail and colour. Moving more to the right and turning your camera to the left would have helped reduce this. There is some nice subject matter here, with those horses but they would be stronger if more in the foreground. That track could have been a leading line but it is foreshortened and goes out to the left rather than taking us anywhere interesting. I love the colour, but the tire marks would have been much better without all that choppy surface. There is also an awful lot of that track in the foreground yet you said that it 'added something' - which suggests it wasn't the main subject! The question to ask is: "What did you want as the main subject in this image?" SAIMA'S TIP: The best leading lines take the eyes into the heart of an image. TITLE: Rural Sunset PHOTOGRAPHER: Tess Northcott DETAILS: Canon PowerShot DMC-ZS7 A490 @ 5.7mm focal length, 1/200s @ f4, ISO 125.
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TITLE: Full Moon PHOTOGRAPHER: Ross Sayer DETAILS: Nikon 7200,18-140mm F3.5-5.6 lens @ 62mm focal length, 30s @ f9, minor adjustments in Lightroom.
COMPOSE, THEN SHOOT Ross Sayer said: “I had been waiting for four months for the right weather conditions to capture my first attempt at a full moon shot and finally got the right conditions, rewarding me with this photo.” Unless the moon fills the frame and you can see all the cracks and surface detail, it is usually just a big white hole in the sky, as in this case. To your credit,
there is some foreground content, but almost fifty per cent of the frame is featureless. By pointing your camera down to get more of the rocks, the play of water around them and the lovely lighting reflected on the water, they could have provided a point of interest. There is good content here, but it plays second fiddle to the weakest area and content, that sky and moon. It
LEFT TO RIGHT Wrote Richard Li: “It was a early Saturday morning, and I was looking to do some snap shots in Sydney city. Firstly I set focus on the coming car in front of me and locked in manual focus. Then I set my shutter speed at 1/30s, adjusted the aperture to f11 to get enough depth of field and set ISO at 100. The first ten shots were disappointing. Finally I got this shot which captured the speed and movement of the bike rider. This is a good example of panning. It is nicely composed with a good sense of motion and blur, yet the subject still has enough clarity to be readily identifiable. In this scene, the rider is moving right to left, which is acceptable but it would be worth shooting so the subject is moving left to right, keeping the subject on the left side of the frame. Due to the cultural convention in reading and writing, our eye movement has been trained to move left to right. SAIMA’S TIP: When panning side to side, having most space in the composition in front of the moving subject heightens the sense of movement and travel.
TITLE: A morning ride PHOTOGRAPHER: Richard Li DETAILS: Nikon D7200 @ 27mm focal length, 1/30s @ f11, ISO 100.
should be more rocks and less sky. The colour in that pinkish sky and purple water is also a little too surreal and needs adjustment. SAIMA’S TIP: It’s easy to get enthused about one particular aspect and forget about key aspects such as composition and strong foreground interest.
IMAGE DOCTOR
LENGTHEN YOUR EXPOSURE Pauline Vincent said that she had done a course on low light photography and decided to head up to Shornecliffe Pier just north of Brisbane to practice what she had learned. She wrote: “When I arrived there was a storm brewing which created a wonderful moody sky. As the night got darker the lights on the pier came on. I loved the blue lights and their reflection at the end of the pier and how the softer finger of light seemed to lead to the line of poles in the water off to the right.” I know you like the blue lights, but the sepia effect in mono could have worked well also. Stronger diagonals with that pier line and the line of lights would have made a more powerful composition, filling more of the frame. As is, the pier goes to mid-way into the frame and stops, with a lot of wasted black space on the right, and those rocks in the foreground are not majestic or interesting enough. I recommend more pier, fewer or no rocks and less sky in your composition. The wispy dry-ice effect in the foreground is okay, but a much longer exposure - say f22 @ 80s - would make a difference - as would a five-minute exposure. That would give a lovely soft water effect. SAIMA’S TIP: Very long exposures produce wonderful smooth effects in water.
TITLE: Shornecliffe Pier Storm Night PHOTOGRAPHER: Pauline Vincent DETAILS: Canon 5D Mark III @ 63mm focal length, 10s @ f7.1, ISO 100, tripod. Post processed in Lightroom.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN IMAGE
| 82 | APRIL 2018 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
C O M PE T I T
I
S
• Email entries to: imagedoctor@ australianphotography.com with ‘Image Doctor’ in the subject line. • Include your name, image title and up to 150 words about how you created it. • Only one image per person per month. • Images must be saved in JPEG format. Maximum file size is 5MB. Include your name in the filename of the image. • An Australian address is required in order to receive the prize. • Employees of Yaffa Publishing or the sponsor are not eligible to win the prize. • The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
TO
ON
Thanks to Fujifilm, Raiz Ismail has won a brilliant Instaxshare smartphone printer SP-2 valued at $299. The Instaxshare SP-2 printer lets you create instax prints from your precious memories in your smartphone. The printer also lets you print images from your Instagram and Facebook accounts, and select your best shots from your smartphone by transferring the shots from the app to SP-2 via a Wi-Fi connection. With a high-speed printing time of 10 seconds of print data transfer to print output and a new laser exposure system, the SP-2 is faster than ever. At the same time, printing noise is lower which makes your printing experience much more enjoyable. Finally the SP-2 offers superb image quality and high resolution with print pixels of 800x600 dots at 320dpi, showing detailed gradations and facial expressions in a fulllength portrait, print characters and detailed photo subjects more clearly. Find out more at fujifilm.com.au
PH O
A FUJIFILM SP-2 PRINTER VALUED AT $299!
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