NZIPP PRO Report April 2016 by NZIPP NZ Institute of Professional Photography

Report BE INSPIRED, BE SUCCESSFUL, BELONG

NZIPP MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

file:///Users/harriethall/Downloads/James%20Simmons%202.jpg file:///Users/harriethall/Downloads/James%20Simmons%202.jpg file:///Users/harriethall/Downloads/ ames%20Simmons%202.jpg file:///Users/harriethall/Downloads/James%20Simmons%202.jpg

NOT A MEMBER OF THE NZIPP YET? As an accredited member of the NZIPP you have the support, networking opportunities and camaraderie of your peers within your industry. It also adds credibility for your clients that you are a professional photographer. Belonging to an institute that represents all areas of professional photography in New Zealand, and through our focus on education, advice, and a wide range of membership benefits we will help you improve the success and vitality of your business. Your accredited member benefits will include: · · · · · · ·

Epson NZIPP Iris Awards (member rates) Infocus Conference (member rates) Meeting and Networking opportunities Professional Development Membership Discounts PRO Report eMagazine Scholarships

Come along to your next regional meeting to check out what becoming a member is all about! Contact info@nzipp.org.nz

MISSION STATEMENT To champion, embrace and communicate excellence and professionalism in photography.

CONTACT NZ Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) P O Box 133158, Eastridge, Auckland 1146 New Zealand W: www.nzipp.org.nz E: info@nzipp.org.nz

We welcome your feedback and thoughts. If you have something to say, send it through to:

Cover Image:

info@nzipp.org.nz

Image © James Simmons

PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

CONTENTS Executive Updates 04 Presidents Report

Member Profile - It Runs in the Family!

Honours Council Report

Q Submission Update

Infocus / Iris 09 Infocus Update 10

Iris Awards

What’s In My Bag...? 34 Ruth Brown - NZIPP Accredited Professional Events & useful links 38

Regional Updates 12 Auckland / Northland Region 14

Waikato / BOP Region

Wellington Region

Canterbury / Westland Region

Otago / Southland Region

Stewart Nimmo MNZIPP and Lydia Nimmo ANZIPP

Get Clicking

Corporate Members 39

Thanks to our Corporate Members

NZIPP News 19 NZIPP on Facebook 20

Beyond Fiction - Anthony McKee Seminars

Castle Hill Retreat

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EXECUTIVE UPDATE

Presidents Report Katherine Williams FNZIPP || and AAIPP

The truth is, it can be hard to feel your voice is valid. And by that I mean, via whatever medium you are choosing to express your voice. Images, words… Or the opinions you hold about the issues that may affect you, your business, society and your communities. Personally, I sat in the back for a long time. Waiting for a time when I may eventually feel I could have progressed to a perceived level of mastering my craft and business where suddenly my voice may magically draw more reverence from others. Business was going great, successful and busy, and yet I did not feel valid as my photography did not feel honest enough to my heart and to the voice I most wanted to express. And I did not feel I had ‘climbed the ladder’ as I thought was expected of me if I wanted validity. I was waiting until a time I could have greater confidence with words or to share my opinions on the industry and the community I wanted to feel part of. I still am yearning for the time when I will feel no doubt or concern that my voice via photos, words or opinions will not evoke the deepest of doubts within. But at least now I am no longer apathetically waiting. As an NZIPP member multiple opportunities constantly present themselves for expression of your own voice in our community, and they all require a proactive choice to contribute.

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I have always seen the potential in NZIPP to serve photographers better, and to create and support a more strengthened community. Which is filled with better photography businesses working in more sustainable and effective ways. And I have learnt that the only way for this ideal to be realized is through teamwork – and a lot of it. A team of people prepared to put their voices and hard work in the ring, to throw away any doubts of feeling that they don’t belong. And who say (as business people in this beautiful industry), ‘my voice matters just as much as yours’, and ‘we can do better.’ Some of you may not be aware that NZIPP is predominantly volunteer run (yes, we do this for the love of it), and as volunteers we dream wonderful and visionary ideas. We are currently asking the hard questions to move toward where the NZIPP of 2016 and beyond needs to be – and we ask ourselves “what does this need to look like… “what do our people want and require for their notion of success”. The biggest challenge we face is not lack of vision, we have it in abundance – it’s limited human resources trying to do a lot. And we would love a little more help! But, don’t let those rose tinted glasses on though, it’s hard work…so commitment is essential to stand forward alongside your voice. Progress, change, evolution - call it what you will but there are few things that will thrive consistently in the long term without these elements, NZIPP included. Not

change for the sake of change, but change to ensure that we, and the offerings presented by the NZIPP are evolving to ignite and inspire involvement and growth and to best look after the interests of professional photographers in a rapidly changing environment.

evolving and beautiful community of diverse personality, opinion, talent and business. It is no more mine than it is yours, we each can do our part to make it flourish.

Sometimes change makes us all feel a little uncomfortable, but the reality is doing things that people no longer buy into makes no sense at all. Sometimes changes can be subtle, simply a fine tune. Sometimes change is adding things. And sometimes the most positive changes mean leaving things behind. Our current ethos is to ask questions – doing things just because “that is how they have always been done” makes little sense. We are preferring to take the lets think about this differently approach – if and when required naturally. When NZIPP holds it’s next AGM and if you are the NZIPP member who has read this and it resonates it may be time to get involved. Ask yourself now - are you now ready to be part of a team wanting NZIPP to soar to greater heights? Go on, throw your hat in the ring and consider your putting yourself forward for nomination for the Board at national level. How about your regions upcoming AGM? Do you want to provide the breath of fresh air you want to see?…then get involved. Your voice is valid! As an NZIPP member this association is a living, breathing, PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

EXECUTIVE UPDATE

Honours Council Report Kaye Davis GMNZIPP, MAIPP II, MCGD - Chair of the NZIPP Honours Council On behalf of the Honours Council Team; Blair Quax, FNZIPP, Accredited Wedding Photographer Esther Bunning, GMNZIPP, Accredited Wedding and Portrait Photographer Paul Daly, FNZIPP, Accredited Commercial Photographer.

Each year the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) manages and runs the event known as the NZ Iris Professional Photography Awards. This event is to celebrate all that is great within the professional photography scene in New Zealand and overseas.

NZIPP website and selecting the Member Profile link (down the left side of the screen). You will then see a range of tabs across the top. Select the Awards tab and you will see your entry record and merit points tally. A reminder here is that while all NZIPP Members are able to earn the points, only NZIPP Accredited

The NZ Iris Professional Photography Awards, aside from going through the NZIPP Accreditation process, is the only place a professional photographer has to measure their photographic and creative capabilities, be peer reviewed and critiqued, and be honoured and awarded for their practise. It is also a forum that allows us to share what is happening in photography today and provide us with a glimpses into what tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trends might be; a place where we see the great of what is being created and produced.

Members are awarded the distinctions (also available to members of reciprocal overseas organisations with similar awards systems).

Alongside this, for NZIPP members, is the opportunity to earn merit points and work towards gaining NZIPP Honours Distinctions; Associate, Master, Fellow and the coveted Grand Master level. These distinctions signify a long period of hard work, dedication and commitment pursuing photographic excellence. Members wanting to find out where they are on the distinction ladder can do so by logging into the

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With Online Entry Registrations about to open, we wish everyone entering this year the very best of luck, and remember, if you have any questions post these on the Iris Q & A Facebook page.

nzipp honours distinctions NZIPP STANDARD OR PROVISIONAL MEMBER Accrue merit points through the NZ Iris Professional Photography Awards.

MEMBER OF RECIPROCAL OVERSEAS ORGANISATION

NZIPP Accredited MEMBER Earn merit points through the NZ Iris Professional Photography Awards.

Accredited Member of an overseas organisation offering reciprocal rights through a similar awards system. Earn merit points through the NZ Iris Professional Photography Awards

Gain NZIPP accreditation

eligible to receive nzipp honours distinctions

10 Points

+ 10 Pts

20 Points

+ 10 Pts

30 20 Points

+ 10 Pts

80 20 Points

ASSOCIATE (ANZIPP) 10 points within the last four years.

bar to associte Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t achieve the 2 silvers required for moving to NZIPP Master level.

master (mNZIPP) Including 2 silver awards. 10 points must have been earned within the last four year period.

bar to master Achieved 2 more silvers but not the 1 gold needed for moving to NZIPP Fellow level.

fellow (fNZIPP) Including 4 silver and 1 gold award. 10 points must have been earned within the last four year period.

bar to fellow Earned an additional 4 silvers and 1 gold towards achieving Grand Master level.

grand master (gmNZIPP) Including 14 silver and 6 gold awards. 10 points must have been earned within the last four year period.

bronze = 1 point I silver = 2 points I gold = 3 points achieving a new level, or bar to a level, requires that 10 points have been achieved within the last four year period.

PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

UPDATE

Q’s Submissions Sarah Beaufoy MNZIPP - Q’s Coordinator

The new digital assessment process will be more transparent, cost effective and efficient for both our members and the NZIPP. It is now possible for existing members to also gain further Accreditation across all divisions. Next submission date: 3rd May, 2016 For more information please contact Sarah Beaufoy at sarah@beaufoyimagery.co.nz or Tracy Stamatakos at tracy@oneblacksheep.co.nz

All post submissions to be sent to: Tracy Stamatakos 92 15th Avenue Tauranga 3112

C – Commercial Division P – Portrait Division W – Wedding Division

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SAMPLE LOGO

Congratulations to the following NZIPP Accredited Professionals:

Double Accreditation Gino Demeer: W, C

Single Accreditation Stefan Simons: C

Ruth Brown: W

Albert Ng: W

Dean Wright: C

Kelvin Gilbert: C

Maria Burkkuhl: P

Myra Bayley: P

Jennifer Marriot: P

Heidi Horton: W

Cassie Emmett: P

Simone Jackson: W

Marama Shearer: P

Laura Johns: P

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CLICK FOR MORE AMAZING SPEAKER IMAGES ON THE INFOCUS WEBSITE

INFOCUS 2 016 WELLINGTON

16-20 JUNE. SHED 6, QUEENS WHARF, WELLINGTON NZ

WWW.INFOCUS.ORG.NZ © ADAM FINCH

online Registration is now open! REGISTRATION FEES FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

1 DAY

2 DAY DEAL

2 Day Conference Registration Includes:

NZIPP / AIPA / AIPP / WPPI MEMBER

$295

$495

•

Attendance at all conference sessions

PSNZ MEMBER

$345

$595

•

Entry into Industry exhibition

GENERAL ADMISSION

$395

$745

•

Satchel and contents

STUDENT

$295

$345

•

Lunch and snacks

GALA DINNER

$150

Register online at www.infocus.org.nz Payment is by credit card (Visa or Mastercard) and a secure link is provided. An automatic email will be sent at the completion of your registration. A confirmation email and tax receipt will be sent within 72 hours of registering, to the email address provided.

PRINCIPAL

PLATINUM

1 Day Registration includes: •

Attendance at all conference sessions for one day

•

Entry into Industry exhibition for one day

•

Satchel and contents

•

Lunch and snacks

GOLD

SILVER

MEDIA PARTNERS

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www.infocus.org.nz

IRIS AWARDS EPSON/NZIPP iris professional

photography awards

2 0 1 6

online entry registration is now open! www.irisawards.org.nz have you locked in your accommodation yet?

TRAVEL LODGE WELLINGTON

WEST PLAZA

Walking time to Shed 6 – 10 Minutes.

Click here to view the rates.

Room availability: 10 Queen Rooms are available for Thursday/Friday – Tuesday.

30 Rooms available, rates valid until 30th April or until rooms are all booked. Reservation numbers: Call 04 499 9911 or 0800 101 100 Email: zn.oc.egdolevart@notgnillew Quote code: “NZIPP” when booking.

20 Queen Rooms are available Thursday/Friday – Monday. To make a booking: Call 0800 731 444 or email reservations@westplaza.co.nz Group name: NZ Institute of Professional Photography Confirmation number: #391351 PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

REGIONAL UPDATES

Auckland / Northland Region Words by Chris Traill FNZIPP

Our last meeting was an evening with Charles Howells, at his well known White Studios in Newton. Charles would be one of N.Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful photographers and has worked on campaigns most of us will only dream of. It was truly an honour to have him present to us and we thank him and his staff (and the cat) for a wonderful evening. He talked of his journey, style and attitudes toward working in the high end commercial environment. He also gave us some lighting demonstrations, using the amazing artillery of lighting equipment he has available in his studio. Charles continued to talk with a group well after his presentation had officially finished and it was great to see so many take advantage of his passion for his work,

PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

sweet nature and generosity of his time. This meeting was a great mix of NZIPP and AIPA members and others in the industry just keen to take advantage of this opportunity.

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REGIONAL UPDATES

Waikato / BOP Region Words and images by Kim Howells MNZIPP

EIZO SEMINAR & MARCH MEETING REVIEW Many of our region’s members attended a seminar presented by Steven Hamilton, the Graphics Channel Manager and the colour management specialist for EIZO Asia Pacific. While some nerds like me love colour management, it’s something that scares and often bores a lot of photographers. But Steven presented a lot of information in a really fun and easy to understand manner. He started off by telling us that there is no such thing as colour (in the physical world), and went on to explain what light is, how we perceive it, and how “devices” (including our cameras of course) “see” light. His explanations included colour space, bit depth, ICC profiles, colour gamut, tonal gradation, uniformity, soft printing, printing profiles, and all sorts of things that we deal with on a daily basis in our photography work, but perhaps didn’t have a sound understanding of. It was well worthwhile, got everyone thinking, and left us all trying to steal the Eizo monitor that Steven had with him. It is definitely on my “must have” list now! Steven’s seminar was followed by a pizza dinner, then our meeting, all at the studio of Tracy Stamatakos. The Creative Photography Competition judging as usual was entertaining with some fantastic images judged. It was a social night with group discussion had on ideas and feedback for regional planning.

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REGIONAL UPDATES

Wellington Region Words and images by Jason Naylor FNZIPP and images by Mel Waite MNZIPP

What monitor do you edit on? This wasn’t an EIZO sales pitch (although, of course, the pitch came later!) This was a workshop on colour management, workflows, and controlling colour from capture through to print. This was a workshop on ensuring we’re giving our images the care they deserve right through the production process. As someone with little background in the photographic industry, it was hugely educational - essential knowledge and understanding that every photographer should know. Steven started from the beginning: black; white; light; and carefully and accurately broke down many terms and jargon: Bayer array Colour perception Bit depth Soft proofing Calibration It was about this time I was reminded my monitor needed calibration - point noted, thanks Steven! And finally, out came the EIZO ColorEdge graphics monitors - representing 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space with their 10-bit displays, these self-calibrating monitors are the high-end monitors that our images deserve. Steven finally finished by displaying some AIPP award winning images on both his MacBook Pro and an EIZO monitor - the results were clear, the comparisons without doubt. I walked away from this meeting hugely educated and motivated. Why are we capturing images on $3-4-5,000 high-end cameras, but editing them on sub-standard MacBook screens? I’m off to buy a new graphics monitor - I suspect I’m not the only one! PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

REGIONAL UPDATES

Canterbury / Westland Region Words by Juliette Capaldi ANZIPP and images by Susannah Blatchford MNZIPP

The Canterbury/Westland meeting for March was “The Return of The Great NZIPP Speed Date”, where we had seven tables set up, three with experienced photographers, and four with industry professionals. The numbers were quite small this meeting, so it was in groups of 1 or 2 we moved around the tables, with an allotted 10 mins in each station. A couple of us queried Kate’s suggestion of 10 minutes each...surely too long!?!?! But it turned out that 10 minutes went too quickly, and Kate (our ever present and helpful chairperson) had to put the pressure on to move us along each time. Sorry we liked talking too much Kate!

including events. Perfect discussion for me on another approach to pricing my Business Portraits, in a way I had not thought of. Our industry professionals were: Kevin Medri (Net Right), an expert in “creating websites that work for you”. I enjoyed picking his brain on SEO.

Our photographers were:

Ole Hansen (Canon), an expert in everything Canon of course. I quite cheerfully told Ole about something I had done with my Camera and Lens, and he told me how lucky I was to have got away with it, and to never try that again! The whole evening was worth it for just that 30 second conversation for me!

Neil Williams (half of Tandem Photography), willing to answer anything on Wedding or Portrait photography, or anything else of interest! I loved talking about their new beautiful studio (I defiantly have studio envy here!)

Dean Percy (The Mark), who is expert in everything Graphic Design. I felt I knew quite a bit about the company before I met Dean, but I was proved wrong and learnt so much.

Marg Straw (of Beverley Studios), highly respected in all things relating to Portrait photography, including the business side of running a studio. Marg was able to tell me more about the value of Steve Saporito workshops, and always gives me great encouragement to push myself further, in all aspects of running a business.

Matthew Nixon (Photo and Video International), for camera gear, printing and everything a good lab knows about. I enjoyed our discussion on the pros and cons of a photographer having their own printer verses using a lab.

Richard Linton (Linton Photography), answering everything relating to Commercial photography,

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The night went fast, it was great to meet people one on one and chat about anything that comes to mind. I very enjoyable and informative evening.

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REGIONAL UPDATES

Otago / Southland Region Words and images by Jackie Ranken GMNZIPP

I have been spending a little bit of time lately organising a few things for our region including a Dropbox system so we can better share information within our region and also an Instagram account so we can show off our regions latest work. If any members would like to do a little more for our region there are lots of little ways you can help. I think it’s important that all of us contribute even just a little to keep our region running smoothly. We can all be on the lookout for new potential members, if you see a new photographer pop up in your area, invite them along to a coffee catch up or our next meeting. With Iris coming up quickly some areas are organising their own image critique nights which is great! This month like a few other regions we had Steve Hamilton come and present his colour management workshop. There was a lot of great feedback from our members and we had a great turn out. A huge big thank you to Dan Childs for organising a space for this to happen at the Hilton Hotel! Since I wasn’t present at the workshop Jackie Ranken has done a bit of a write up about it below. Thank you Jackie! COLOUR MANAGEMENT WITH STEVE HAMILTON There was a great turn out for our Eizo Colour Management Workshop in Queenstown with Steve Hamilton and around 20 others. We learnt how light

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gives shape to the world around us. This electromagnetic spectrum is made up of cosmic rays-UVrays-infraredradar-radio waves. In the middle of this at 390-700nm is light. Steve showed the group examples of the ways our brains are tricked by light and the importance of knowing this. It is interesting to note that women have more colour receptors in their retinas than men. The point below is a summary of the things that we learnt •

Bit depth.

My Canon 5DMkIII produces a 14 BIT depth file which shows 4.4 trillion shades of colour. If your monitor has the capability of showing only 8 Bit depth than that means you are not seeing information in your file that you may want to use. •

A graphics monitor is a piece of photographic equipment

•

It allows you to ‘see’ what one your file is so that you have the choice of working with it.

•

A graphics monitor separates the tones.

•

Colour gamut= How much colour we have to work with

•

Colour Space= RGB VSsRGB Colour space

•

Camera profiling using an Xrite Colour Checker,

It was so interesting the group stayed an hour longer than scheduled. Thanks to Dan Childs for the use of his Studio and organizing the meeting room at the Hilton.

NZIPP MEMBER NEWS

NZIPP on Facebook

click here to like the NZIPP public facebook page

If you’re an NZIPP member or interested in professional photography in New Zealand feel free to “like us”.

click here to check out infocus & the iris awards

The new Wellington harbourside venue Shed 6 is the amazing venue for this year’s Infocus and Iris events!

click here to get NZIPP membership information

Along with the opportunities and benefits that membership provides, you also benefit greatly from the professional development available throughout the year and also enjoy the many networking opportunities plus lifelong friendships. PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

“The most important lesson I have learnt as a photographer, is that fact is stranger than fiction. We can spend hours contriving photographs in the studio or on location, and even more time perfecting these images in Photoshop, and yet often the most compelling photographs with the most integrity are the images that are captured in a fleeting moment.”

click here to register online now!

PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

BEYOND FICTION is a half-day seminar that looks at the importance of documentary photography, and how we can use its skillsets to improve our own work and strengthen our role as professional photographers. It is being presented by Melbourne based, expat Kiwi, Anthony McKee who is a past Canon AIPP Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year, The key aim of this workshop is to give professional photographers an added awareness of place and moment and provide them with an edge over everyone else for whom vision and time are their only limiting factors. Anthony says “Professional photographers should be making it their priority to see and capture the beautiful moments that most people never see, let alone could ever set-up regardless of how much time they have. This should be our point of difference. This is why I believe the skillsets of documentary photography are as important today as ever.” DATES AND LOCATIONS HAMILTON

Thu 14 Apr 1:30pm - 5.00pm

WELLINGTON

Tue 19 Apr 1:00pm - 4.30pm

CHRISTCHURCH

Wed 20 Apr 9:30am -1pm

DUNEDIN

Thu 21 Apr 1:00pm - 4.30pm

ANTHONY MCKEE

13TH & 14TH MAY 2016 returns in 2016. Two nights of fun, education and The Castle Hill Retreat

“I really enjoyed the 2015 retreat, it was such a great chance to get to know other members of the NZIPP team, and beyond. Photographers that I had only ever smiled at I ended up playing games with, I met family members of people I knew, saw the other side of the “photographer” and I built up a great relationship with one of the photographic industry suppliers.

awesomeness for under $200 for NZIPP members....Great Value!!! Register now.

THE ALISTAIR SIDEY MOUNTAIN LODGE, CASTLE HILL

It was fun and informative, you can take as many or as few images as you like and just use it as a break away from the family, or as a way to learn new skills and try out new year. And the food was yummy! I am looking forward to the next one, and some more mulled wine!” Juliette Capaldi ANZIPP

“Booking in to spend some time with like minded fellow photographers at the Castle Hill retreat was one of the best things I did last year. It was a really great bonding experience with time to chat, time to chill, and time to get out and about with your camera gear in a really great environment. The lodge was perfect and had a really awesome communal area where we spent time cooking, eating, drinking, and socialising. Overall I’d definitely recommend it. For me it was a great way to hit the mental “reset” after a busy wedding season. Great value in every aspect.” Anthony Turnham ANZIPP

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MEMBER PROFILE - IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY!

Stewart Nimmo MNZIPP & Lydia Nimmo ANZIPP www.nimmophoto.co.nz

Tell us a little bit about yourself and also how many years you’ve been behind the lens? S: I was originally trained and worked as a land surveyor but always had an interest in photography - inherited from my Dads interest. With my very first paycheck back in 1972, I purchased Dad’s 2nd hand Ziess Ikon as he graduated to a Pentax. My wife Edie and I spent 2 years travelling and working overseas. On the way over in 1980, I purchased my first SLR - Minolta XD5 in Singapore dutyfree. On our return to NZ in the 80’s, I began shooting weddings and some portraits on the side. We also started up our “Cards to Keep” business - making photo cards on the kitchen table at home to sell. After visiting Ken Duncan’s gallery in Sydney, I felt inspired and in 2000 we had the opportunity to purchase a building in central Greymouth and restore it into our first gallery and studio. We are now into our 4th (and final according to Edie) gallery and giving it a last go in our small town. L: I’ve always been interested in photography, going along to the local photo club with Dad and entering the kids section in the monthly competitions. Attending the PSNZ conferences with Dad and any NZIPP things and speakers, I could manage to follow along to. In 5th form at high school, I decided to take it a bit more seriously and spent the year in the dark room. At the end of 2005 I joined the family business full time and took a gap year. I got hooked assisting Dad with photoshoots and weddings and purchased my first camera. So it’s now 10 years on from deciding what I wanted to do. Have you had any formal photography training? S: After our trip overseas I got involved in the Greymouth Camera Club and PSNZ - some people knock these organizations but I can’t recommend them highly for Image © Tina McGregor

hands on learning. Joining NZIPP provided a whole extra dimension of learning opportunities through conferences and workshops. L: No not really, I took a correspondence course in 2006 for more fundamentals but other then that just learnt from Dad and other mentors, entering competitions and going to speakers whenever I could. Sometimes I wish I had gone through more formal training,and who knows maybe someday I still will. Having your own family gallery is a dream for most photographers. For those with aspirations of doing the same, what are some unexpected rewards and challenges you’ve experienced during this undertaking? S: Opportunities to meet amazing people from all around the world. It’s always humbling when someone decides to purchase our work to take home whether they are local or overseas. Challenges - they are at every corner. The main challenge is clearly financial, Greymouth has had a lot of hits and challenges itself over the last 5 years taking its toll on the local economy and support, so the gallery doesn’t always hold it’s own. Our biggest commercial clients have dissolved, but I would rather us be a positive thing in town and part of the revamp rather than another shop to close its’ doors. You do what you have to and keep tredding water. L: My favourite thing is when people get emotional seeing their images from their shoot for the first time. That’s the reaction I strive for. I’ve developed new friendships through meeting people I photograph too which is an added bonus. It’s certainly not easy! You need to grow a tough skin in business and value what you do otherwise some people will walk all over and take advantage. The gallery is a huge thing for Dad and his landscape work and I’m proud of him for having PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

Southern Alps from Mueller hut on sunset - Another tramping expedition and the coldest night I have ever had in my life in a sleeping bag.

the dream and getting there, through trial and error. I think for me growing up around it and joining in a lot of people think it’s been handed to me. But in some ways it’s actually been harder always having someone else overlooking all my work, especially when wanting to experiment and develop my own style rather than a mirror image of Dad.

surprised to find we aren’t Canon or Nikon...but Sony. I personally still prefer the mirror models 850/900 to the A99 and fully digital. And my favourite lens’ is my 70-200, and also in my go to kit is our 24-70, 85 1.4 and my lensbaby.

What type of gear do you shoot with? S: I’ve been a Minolta user since 1980, so when Sony brought out Minolta we decided to give them a try as we already had the compatible professional lenses and we’ve chosen to support and stick with them and we love their product. My favourite landscape lens is my Sony Zeiss 15-35. The only filters I use (other then UV) are my Lee 10stop ND and occasionally a polarizer. L: Haha we get asked this a lot and everyone is generally

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What is your best photography tip? And your best post processing tip? S: Get up early and stay up late - catch the light it’s all about it. My best processing tip - have a Lydia. - I do love the basics of lightroom but I still struggle with photoshop. L: Just create, learn from mishaps - I don’t like to call them mistakes when you’re experimenting - some of the best photos come from the mishaps. I’m not a technical guru, I see an image in my mind and play/experiment to achieve it. Photo mechanic! It’s a dream for quickly sorting portraits and weddings.

If you were not a photographer what would you be?

Aurora from Stewart Island. Doing some tramping down on Stewart Island and we walked outside of the hut on St Patricks Day 2015 to find the sky lit up so quickly grabbed my camera.

L: Creating something else, I was always interested in fashion or makeup for theatre/movies. Or working with kids.

in studio or outdoors. Or a day behind the computer doing the post production, viewing sessions and/or printing my families images for framing. Home for dinner then usually sitting down to the laptop and doing more post production or researching, especially if the husband is working.

Describe a typical day in the life of Stewart / Lydia Nimmo?

Finally, what are you looking forward to over the next year?

S: Get to work, get distracted, talk to people, get distracted again - maybe squeeze in a small commercial shoot or some post processing, a glance at emails then home for dinner. If it’s a nice evening I might go and photograph the sunset then back in for some productivity and framing til midnight.

S: 2 new grandchildren - hopefully will get one with a creative bone to take over the family business. Fine tuning our brand new gallery and growing it to a sustainable level.

S: Still a surveyor, with my camera in tow.

L: Into the office around 8.30/9. If it’s not my day in the gallery I am usually off out for photoshoots, either babies

L: I’ve just spent the last 11weeks over in USA & Europe for my honeymoon, so settling back into work and sorting through the 13000 images from the trip! Oh and our expanding family. PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

Image ÂŠ Stewart Nimmo

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Okarito Boatshed - Another favourite place on the coast for me is Okarito, and it also homes my favourite shed.

Milford Track - The moss colour caught my attention so naturally I had to stop for some shots, with the help of a friends umbrella.

Stewart

portraits or sports?

What’s the key to making a great landscape photograph? Is it the same as making a great photograph in general?

I just love being behind the camera in general. I do really enjoy the commercial work. I’ve had the opportunity to see some pretty awesome workplaces both in the tourism and mining industries. My interest for everything old shows through in personal work with cars and buildings. I also still enjoy shooting the odd portrait.

Yes it is the same - emotion and connection are essential. Location and/or subject is important and of course the light. From the experience with the gallery, people will only purchase what they feel connected to. You have a pretty spectacular backyard for landscape photography. Can you tell us where your favourite location is to shoot? And your favourite image from there / and how the concept came about? I feel pretty blessed to live in such a stunning part of our country. An old favourite spot of mine is the breakwater, no matter what the time of day or weather it’s pretty impressive. The stormy shot I popped out to the river mouth one morning early before heading into work and everything working in my favour.

Do you have a highlight or something that you are proud of in your photography career that you’d like to share? Being able to work alongside Lydia, and her believing in me enough to set up our new gallery together. It was an achievement to get my Masters...still chasing that gold for the Fellow. If you had one very important lesson that you think every photographer needs to learn from, what would it be? Value your work, believe in what you do.

Even though you’re primarily a landscape photographer, do you have interest in other styles of photography like PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

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Joining NZIPP provided a whole extra dimension of learning opportunities through conferences and workshops. -Stewart Nimmo

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Image ÂŠ Stewart Nimmo

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Lydia

grabbed my camera, so of course I kept clicking.

You’ve obviously been around cameras from a young age. Was there a specific time when you thought, right I’m going to pursue photography as my profession?

Tasja - This wee delight is one of the strongest people I have ever met! After being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor when she was just two years old, having 2 brain surgeries, and many months of intense chemo, and endless checks she was cleared to come back home, so before her hair started growing back I did a special shoot for her and the family, and she sure has a lot to teach us all about life. Toughen up and carry on she did (and still getting the all clear at her regular 6monthly checkups) She’s a hellava fighter.

2006 at a photographic conference in Wellington. Dad was asked to be a speaker so took me up with him. I sat in a room with tears rolling down my cheeks listening to Mel Burford show the emotional side of photography that I hadn’t experienced before and it hit me. Then I went and listened to Tania Niwa speak and saw this amazingly creative side and I was hooked. I came back from that weekend and brought my first camera. Do you think talent for photography is something a person is born with? I think you are either born with creativity or not, that’s not something you can learn. Photography itself, there are definitely some who have the eye for it more then others, but everyone sees things differently too and where’s the right and wrong in that? Aside from your dad, who do you count among your biggest influences, photographically or otherwise?

Towards the end of the shoot she wanted to strip off and show me her scars she is mighty proud of. Taryn - What can’t you love about a bride with one of the biggest grins, getting rained on as she pulls up to her outdoor wedding in a convertible with the roof down. The Rosanowskis - As a lot of Dad’s I photograph (or in most cases force in front of the camera) Scott was not to happy with being dragged along for family photos. I asked him to just sit down and play with the kids normally, wind them up get them excited and just ignore me...his wife Zie was pretty happy.

Mel Burford & Tania Niwa for showing me a different side. Jason Boa as a mentor back when I was going for my Q’s and still. Esther Bunning just doing her own thing bringing out the beauty in everything. The New York Times - Lens, Photography page on facebook (one of the few things I actually enjoy going on and checking!) Rachel Brown and the dream team of ABMS helping respark that fire from 10 years ago. Movies, I love watching movies for the cinematography side of things I swear I can’t watch a movie without picking up on the setups, posing and colours! NZIPP as a whole has played a huge part in my life and path as a photographer with conferences, networking and introducing me to a bunch of awesome people.

Oscar - last but not least this guy, to the average Joe it’s just a snapshot, and it really is, but to me this is a brand new Grandad meeting his first grandchild for the first time. We all know it’s just those milk drunk smiles but we like to think this wee dude knew exactly how to make his Grandad melt. (Oh and that’s Dad also!) Documenting family has become an important thing to me.

You focus on the wedding and portrait side of the business. Can you share a couple of your favourite images and explain how they came about?

Thriving! Creatively and business wise. Hopefully balancing family and work. Shooting everyday real life. I love babies and kids so will probably end up focusing more on that side and keeping the weddings at a minimum per season.

Choosing a few of my favourites is hard work! They change all the time, and are day to day life shots for me rather then big award winners. Ilish - This is an old favourite of mine and still gets reactions every time someone sees it. I was shooting the girls before the ceremony and asked the wee girl to stand with the others and look at the camera, and instead of looking she just ran straight at me and

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I always used to tell Dad off for having the camera in our faces when we weren’t ready and expecting, until I realised that this is life, and it can be fleeting and precious. Where would you like to see your photography career five years from now?

Images ÂŠ Lydia Nimmo

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Images ÂŠ Lydia Nimmo

NZIPP as a whole has played a huge part in my life and path as a photographer with conferences, networking and introducing me to a bunch of awesome people. -Lydia Nimmo

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WHAT’S IN MY BAG

Ruth Brown

NZIPP Accredited Professional www.fluidphoto.com

Images © Ruth Brown I am predominantly a wedding photographer but I also do a fair bit of commercial shoots on the side, mostly in the accommodation sector. I’m a Canon lady with my main workhorse a Canon 5D 111 and my Canon 5D 11 as second camera at a wedding / backup at a shoot along with spare batteries. I use flash a lot and so have a Canon Speedlite 600EXRT along with the older 580EX 11. These are fuelled by Powerex rechargeable batteries with a spare set for each speedlite. I also use a Gary Fong diffuser sometimes (more for close up portrait shots) and a portable LED light for the darker evenings or when I need a bit of extra light. Lens are a bit of a mixed bag. I originally got a Canon 17-40 for my commercial / architecture shoots but am

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now moving away from the Canon 24-105mm to using this on the wider angle during a wedding, such as an overall ceremony shot or reception room shoot. My Canon 70-200mm has become my favourite lens for portraits and pretty much everything and there’s also a trusty Canon 50mm in there too. There is a multitude of CF cards, mostly 16GB with a few 8GB in there. My favourite are the SanDisk Extreme Pro cards. These live in a Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket pouch with a couple always close at hand on my Black Rapid camera harness. There’s also a Expodisc (for white balance), a mini fold out reflector, lens cleaning brush and anti-static cleaning cloth, a rain cover for one camera plus at least one spare lens cap to replace any I might leave on a mountain somewhere doing wedding locations!

My little ‘emergency kit’ contains safety pins, plasters, insect repellent and itch relief, lip balm, sun cream plus Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. An essential I am never without is my Rescue Remedy! There’s always a few snacks (usually nuts etc) plus water or my favourite Bundaburg Lemon and Lime bitters to give me that bit of extra kick during a wedding day. All this sits in a Lowepro Pro Runner 350 AW bag which is amazing to organise everything and great to walk around with. If I bring all my lens with me things are a bit squeezed, so sometimes I’ll have to make the decision to leave one behind or in the car as a backup for a later part of the day. I also always have a monopod and stepladder in the boot of my car too.

E-M10 - which tends to come with me everywhere now for location scouting and in particular roaming the New Zealand landscape which I try to do as much as possible in spare time. It will now become my new travel camera when I go further afield. I have had a trusty Canon 400D back from 2007 I have always used, along with a 24300mm Tamron lens but now I’m starting to appreciate having something smaller and lighter to use along with fantastic quality. Plus it looks exactly like a mini version of my first film SLR I got when I was 14 years old!

I recently acquired a small digital camera - an Olympus PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

Images ÂŠ Ruth Brown

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Images ÂŠ Ruth Brown PRO Report / Magazine of the NZIPP

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS 2 - 24 June 2016.

http://www.photographyfestival.org.nz

A city-wide contemporary art and cultural event which takes place within Auckland’s major galleries, project spaces, non-gallery venues and public sites during June each year. The programme includes a mix of emerging and established artists and comprises existing works and creation of new work. The annual Festival is produced by the Auckland Festival of Photography Trust.

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