MEMBER MAGAZINE JULY 2015 / V.56
BE INSPIRED, BE SUCCESSFUL, BELONG
Contents
JULY 2015
Executive Updates 05
Presidents Report
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Portrait Directors Report
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Honours Council Report
Infocus 2015
Cover Image: © Tony Carter Infocus 2015 Speaker
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Infocus 2015 Information
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Iris Awards
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IPS Sponsor Profile
NZIPP News 19
NZIPP on Facebook
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New Members
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Q Dates for 2015
Regional Updates MISSION STATEMENT To champion, embrace and communicate excellence and professionalism in photography.
CONTACT NZ Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) PO Box 76176 Christchurch 8548 New Zealand W: www.nzipp.org.nz E: info@nzipp.org.nz M: +64 27 522 5570 We welcome your feedback and thoughts. If you have something to say, send it through to: marketing@nzipp.org.nz
PRO REPORT is a publication of the NZIPP © NZIPP 2015. All rights reserved.
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Auckland Region
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Waikato/BOP Region
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Wellington Region
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Canterbury/Westland Region
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Otago/Southland Region
Contents
JULY 2015
Contents Member Profile 28
Rachel Callander
What’s In My Bag...? 34
Warren Williams
Photo Competitions 38
The New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year 2015
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Sony World Photography Awards 2016
Corporate Members 39
Thanks to our Corporate Members
PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Executive Updates
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Executive Updates
JULY 2015
Presidents Report
Every year we call on the support of the suppliers in our industry. And every year those that can do, even when it’s tough to do so. When you see the sponsor family on the Infocus registration brochure and in this publication, please take the time to recognise what a big part they play in the NZIPP’s ability to bring you such an awesome event as Infocus and even at regional level where there is an enthusiasm to provide education for you all. That’s almost our entire focus as your board, to maximize as much as we can provide, for you to be as good as you choose to be. I ask as your President that in the times to come, you as an individual be as proactive as you can, to attend and take advantage of all the activities your committees put together for you. Being a member is more rewarding when you join in. Just using the logo and the credibility it brings is not enough. Our strength is you our members, so let’s see as many of you as possible at Infocus (over a hundred members registered already) which says they are smart to invest in themselves and their businesses. I’m excited about the Queenstown lineup and seeing you there. I’m also excited about the energy and ability of our new Executive Director, Gina Connell, who is opening our eyes further to creating an even more effective institute we can all be proud to belong to.
Russell Hamlet NZIPP President
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Executive Updates
Portrait Directors Report
JULY 2015
Sustainability has got to be one of my favourite words for so many reasons. Filled with good connotations for every aspect of living, it is in our fast paced world that sometimes the good habits that can harness sustainability may go out the window. In the world of business the constant act of juggling working in your business alongside working on your business can be all consuming. At busy times there is the constant cycle of keeping ones current clientele well served it can be easy to forget to plan for the changes ahead. The financial security of a wellbooked calendar relieves pressure but creates another constant pressure seemingly without time to breathe at times. Time to work on your business is essential to sustainability - which is why it makes sense to appreciate and not fear the ebbs and flows. I confess to being a bit over the top about details and this is often my biggest weakness - I have a tendency to have so many projects on the go at any one time only half get finished to a point where I am happy with, therefore the other half go out the window. Over time I have learnt that my desire for complexity and details must be balanced with some simple solutions for us to continue to be sustainable. Several years ago when attending Infocus Tauranga, I listened to Peter Rossi and Charmaine Heyer talk, as the session finished I was star struck. I looked around at everyone thinking, oh my gosh everyone is now going to go away and do everything like Peter and Charmaine and we have to be first! We had screeds of detailed notes about what we should do and felt a burning drive to get stuck in and change everything we were already doing. The complexity we looked at it with made it overwhelming and as a result we changed almost nothing. It was a turning point for me in 2011, when I realized the key to taking the gems you get from conference is looking at it the content with some simplicity. Sometimes it is the most obvious things that can influence us the most. My tip for getting the most from a conference where the knowledge is so vast it can be overwhelming is this. Notes are great, make them, take them because you will grow and refer to them long beyond the conference if your business is to be sustainable. But save a page for no more than 5 things that you can implement tomorrow. Write them BOLD and know them by heart. Finally, you must implement these immediately - statistically if you are going to succeed with change you need to implement with 48 hours! Sometimes the things you pick up you already know you should be doing, but aren’t and having a kick can be the motivating factor to change habits working against your business development. Back to 2011. One of the things in my list in 2011 was so simple it was ridiculous. Sue Bryce talked about how she would say to people “I would love to photograph you�. Outside of folio building and personal work it had never occurred to me to use this as a line to drum up business. Then in the airport I bumped into a family who had recently moved in just down the road from us. An opening came up for me to use my new line (thanks Sue) so I went for it. A week later the family called saying they would love to book a shoot. Since then I have photographed them 5 times and we continue to plan together which wall in their house we will fill next. It was a simple line
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Executive Updates
JULY 2015
which brought us one of our best portrait clients to date - and continues to be a technique I use. And if you don’t book a client you will still make them feel great and make their day - win win right?! I was committed to using the simple technique because I had put it on my simplified action list. For us the winter months are pretty quiet for shooting and cash flow but in other ways often our busiest times. I’m sure plenty of you may relate to that. I now believe these are the times that are actually the most important for your business as you carefully decide what to focus on. What will propel you forward and continue to give you, or keep a sustainable business?
Katherine Williams Portrait Director
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Executive Updates
Honours Council Report
JULY 2015
The Value of a Good Print Critique The Iris Q & A Facebook page is buzzing with activity. In case you don’t know about this group, it was created as a forum where entrants could ask questions (and have them answered) around the awards. It has however evolved into a place where people seek (and give) feedback on potential entries into the awards. This process, defined as print critique, is an invaluable part of the educational process around entering the awards and improving our photography. The print critique itself helps us view our work more objectively, the aim being as much as possible to remove the emotive element we often have to the work we have spent a great deal of time and effort producing. It also helps us develop a vocabulary around the technical aspects of the images’ construction as well as the communication and interpretation being portrayed. To really bring value to this process requires that the print critique be based on experience, sound knowledge of photographic processes, techniques and visual awareness. This therefore means it is important to seek out the opinion of those with the experience, knowledge and who are “qualified” to provide that effective feedback. This is not to say you can’t still learn something from those with less experience, it just means you won’t necessarily get the fully constructive (and at times appropriate) feedback you might need, so that you can present the best work possible in front of the judges. To help in the development of your own print critique skills, apply the following questions when reviewing your images (and the work of others, as a way of gaining experience): • What level of feeling, mood and/or emotion is being conveyed in the image? • Is there a recognisable story or narrative within the image? • What level of innovation comes through in the image, or is it repeating something that has already been seen/done? • Does the image reflect good choice and control of lighting (and/or posing)? • Are there any elements within the image that are distracting? • Does the image represent the best timing or moment in capturing the subject? • Is the image well composed and does the choice of format enhance the image content? • Does the tonal range in the image show control and been well handled (highlights, midtones, shadows)? • Is the technique used appropriate for the subject/image? • Have the technical aspects of post-production been well handled – sharpening, colour, noise? • Does the paper choice and print quality enhance the content and visual feel of the image?
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Executive Updates
All this forms part of the learning and personal growth; learning that may well see you as a judge yourself in the future. In the meantime, without relying entirely on the feedback attained on the Iris Q & A page, I would also encourage you to attend the print critique sessions being held in your region, where they will have organised those with experience and knowledge to bring the added value of a good critique. In addition, there is always the option of reaching out and making contact with those who are at a higher level within the industry. While that may seem scary for some, just remember, the NZIPP is about fostering a community that supports and encourages each other to be the best they can be. So, bite the bullet and reach out, learn and gain the experience needed to become one of our future judges.
Kaye Davis Chair of the NZIPP Honours Council On behalf of the Honours Council, including: Ollie Dale, Blair Quax, Tony Stewart & Esther Bunning.
PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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INFOCUS 2 015
Infocus Principal Sponsor
QUE E NSTOWN
09 - 10 August
Rydges Lakeland Resort, Queenstown
Are you serious about your photography? New Zealands biggest and best photography conference is coming soon and you’re invited! It’s not too late to register. BOOK NOW: www.infocus.org.nz
CHECKED OUT THE INFOCUS SNAPSHOT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE YET?
A huge THANK YOU to our loyal Sponsors for their support. PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
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MEDIA SPONSORS
www.f11magazine.com
Epson/NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards 06 - 08 AUGUST 2015 10
PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Infocus Conference 09 - 10 AUGUST 2015
JULY 2015
Have you ever watched a speaker and had a burning question, but didn’t want to ask it in front of 200 delegates?
THE HUB
Well, now’s your chance! Our friendly and approachable speakers will be based at the Hub and ready and willing to chat about everything and anything. Bring them a coffee (our speakers like coffee!), pull up a chair or bean bag and discuss life’s (or photography’s) big questions!
Stephen Baugh, the CEO of Queensberry is offering free mentoring sessions for photographers at The Hub at Infocus! As CEO of Queensberry Stephen Baugh has years of experience working with mid- to high-end wedding and portrait photographers from around the world, especially Australia, New Zealand, the USA and UK. He has plenty to offer about the practical business of professional photography, especially the ever-changing IT challenges, and strategies to differentiate yourself and maximise your sales in a crowded market where many customers seem to expect more for less every year. We are proud to have Stephen available at The Hub for business mentoring for delegates of Infocus 2015.
Let’s face it..... most of us photographers love new photographic gear. But it’s so hard in an industry exhibition to get that gear out of the glass cabinets! That’s why we have gear n action! It’s a space for exhibitors to showcase, let you touch, feel, try out and more.
GEAR N ACTION
Full sponsor details can be found on PRO www.infocus.org.nz REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP 11
New Zealand Rookie of the Year 2014 - Anthony Turnham
2015 JULY 2015 EPSON/NZIPP IRIS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PRINT AWARDS
ARE YOU ENTERING THE 2015 IRIS AWARDS?
Wedding Classic Winner 2014 - Jason Naylor
EARLYBIRD ONLINE ENTRY REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 2 WEEKS! DEADLINE 7pm, Wednesday 22 July 2015 REGISTER ONLINE FOR ENTRY You can now register online for entry into the Iris Awards 2015, by logging in to the NZIPP Website and selecting “Iris Awards Entry” tab. Visit the Epson/NZIPP Iris Awards information page for further information, including FAQ’s or join the Iris Awards Q&A’s group on facebook.
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HAVE A LOOK AT THE 2014 WINNERS
Sponsor Profile
JULY 2015
Sponsor Profile Independant Photographic Supplies You started up IPS with business partner Rob Voysey, what was your initial vision for the company? Independent Photographic Supplies (IPS) was started almost 12 years ago in August, 2003 by Stuart Holmes and Rob Voysey, with the aim of providing a holistic range of quality photographic consumables and allied equipment and services for Photolab owners with an unbeatable combination of Superior Quality Products, Better levels of Service than previously experienced, and Significant Cost Reductions, therefore creating a better value proposition. Our vision was to provide the Industry with an ‘end to end’ alternative with the “Best Brands in Imaging” along with a high level of professional services and technical support. This was something that we perceived was sadly lacking since the Industry ‘hey days’ Pre the Digital Revolution. In other words, good old fashioned service! We knew we could apply our global knowledge of products, processes and services In Australia and New Zealand to effect a better service package for the photographic printing industry. Can you tell us a bit about your backgrounds? Stuart - One thing we always reflect on is that both Rob and I would appear to be ‘two sides of the same coin’ in our working Photographic Industry experiences. Both with long working histories with the major manufacturing wholesalers as they were, being Agfa Gevaert, Fujifilm, Kodak, and Konica Minolta along with Minilab, Professional Lab and Professional Photography backgrounds. Although we never actually crossed paths till we met at the Photokina International Trade Show in Germany in the early 1990’s when Rob was with Fuji Hunt - UK and Stuart was with the Fujifilm Distributer in Australia, called Hanimex. In fact Stuart started his Photo Industry Career with Kodak Australia, at a time when Kodak really did ‘rule the roost’, with over 2,500 employees with offices, warehouses and central wholesale labs in practically every State and Country of the world, spending several years as a Professional Photography Representative in NSW and QLD only leaving Kodak to take over operations management of a Multinational Commercial Prolab in North Sydney. However, missing the ‘cut and thrust’ of direct customer interaction later joining Agfa Gevaert in the 1990’s, again with Professional Lab and Photographer role, then moving on to owning and operating a Full Service Minilab in Chatswood NSW. From Minilab, to behind the camera with another career change as a Commercial Architectural Photographer with a home based Studio and Darkroom relying on many of the skills learnt at Sydney Technical College School of Photography 4 Year Course, and years on the road with Company’s Kodak and Agfa Gevaert. Then joining Hanimex, the then Fujifilm Distributor in Australia in a variety of Technical Sales and Marketing Roles, ultimately leading to Senior Category PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Sponsor Profile
JULY 2015
Marketing Manager launching the first Digital Minilabs in the World known as Fuji Frontiers. At that stage, then meeting the inimitable Rob Voysey at Photokina in Germany thinking that together, we could build a business bigger than the both of us with the aim of being the market leader in the Southern Hemisphere! Rob - “ Having worked as a press photographer in Sydney and WA in the early 80’s, I was captivated by the minilab and 1 hour lab solutions that were filtering into the market at the time. America’s cup Fremantle in the summer of ’86-’87 was a watershed moment for me, running the first Kodak Systems 40 labs in WA and catering for the lab processing of 1,000s of tourists’ films from the race day events. I remember enjoying some pretty hectic night life as well! After a time as the Service Manager for Rabbit photo and then Hanimex in WA, itchy feet, and a UK partner took me to London. After some solid travelling, we settled down and using my technical background in photo processing, quickly landed a TSR role with the independent photo chemical manufacture Champion. I enjoyed supporting many of the London Pro labs with an excellent range of technical products and very quickly learnt that personal service could very quickly trump “big name brands”.
“...together, we could build a business bigger than the both of us with the aim of being the market leader in the Southern Hemisphere!”
My success in this market, saw my promotion to European Sales Manger looking after (and growing) territories from Iceland to Moscow, the baltic states and the middle east - Turkey, Syria Jordan etc. Hectic but rewarding years evolved into being head hunted by Fuji Hunt (the then chemical division of Fuji Film) and I became the Southern UK Manager for Photo, Medical and Graphic Arts products. With a family now in tow and 9 years since we left AUS, it was time to head home! So it was while quietly researching the ‘home scene’ for work opportunities I met Stuart at Photokina 2000. After a year at Camera House as their Business Development Manger and a few more years learning the local market through the promotion of a ‘home grown’ online photo-serving solution called Onpix, it was time to look at bringing our the global experiences together and form IPS. This partnership was perfectly poised for success as Rob Voysey was certainly no stranger to the photo industry, and brought to this partnership a wealth of technical expertise. Specifically, Rob Voysey brought over 30 years of experience in International Photo Industry Skills in Lab Engineering & Professional Sales. Formerly the WA Service Manager for Hanimex (Fuji) in the late 80’s, servicing, installing and training on Fuji minilabs, Rob also had 10 years in Technical support and Photo Chemical Sales UK and Europe with Export Sales Management covering a territory from Iceland to Moscow. All this culminated in an extensive knowledge base of chemical and digital photographic processes, specifically those related to the Fuji Frontier systems and all Kodak/ Noritsu QSS Minilab Systems and Professional and Wholesale Lab Operations Where is IPS based? Do you have a big team behind you keeping IPS on track? From a ‘Green Fields’ start-up company of just two people in 2003, Rob and
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Sponsor Profile
JULY 2015
I have built Independent Photo (IPS) to become one of the photographic industry market leaders in the Southern Hemisphere, with the head office based in a leafy suburban suburb of Sydney called Thornleigh, and Warehouse Distribution Centres in Western Sydney, Perth WA, Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand. IPS has State based Technical Sales Representatives in all States of Australia, and an office in Auckland with 3 full time Business Managers, for details please see: https://www.iphoto.net.au/contact.aspx In fact, IPS has attracted a very talented and experienced group of frontline technical representatives and support staff due to the evolving nature of the Photographic Industry (an evolution that we somewhat rail against), as the digital era has produced many casualties in both small business and large Company’s like Agfa Gevaert, Konica Minolta and Eastman Kodak. With the ultimate irony that, Independent Photo (IPS) now represent Kodak as the Consumer and Professional Markets distributor in Australia and New Zealand, a Company that Stuart first started his career with in the late 1970’s! Your promise is the ‘Best Brands in Imaging’, how do you keep this promise? Our Company Brand promise of the “Best Brands in Imaging” comes from our belief that traditional company’s all have a basket of products and services ranging from very good, to good, to reasonable, and then some not so good! Our belief is to research and range the “Best of the Best” in every area of photo endeavour for our customers and provide them with a fully researched, costed and technically supported product range for the production of the best quality photographic images possible, whether produced online, or with in-store kiosks, by Professional Labs, Minilabs or School Photolab, Government Departments or Professional Photographers. By never resting on our laurels, and always striving to ‘change but remain the same’, we believe that IPS keeps this promise. What are your best selling products? IPS has many great products and services that we have researched and brought to market, but the current particular leading light would have to be the Inkjet Photographic Minilab and Professional Drylab offering that IPS supports and sells. We at IPS realised several years ago that there was a potential ‘change in the winds’ of the production of Superb Quality Photographic Prints with the debut of Inkjet Minilabs, and when we measured and plotted the colour reproduction gamut and found that they actually reproduced a wider range of colours than the then Market Leader of Silver Halide (Ag-x) Media, we thought we need to develop, support and champion these products well before our contemporaries did. Since that time, we have actively sought out manufacturers of Quality Photolab Equipment like Noritsu Koki and Epson Seiko of Japan, and global media manufacturers to develop specific complimentary media’s for these superb dry labs, such as gloss, full professional ‘E’ surface lustre, pro matte and even glossy metallic surfaces. IPS provides colour management, profiling and network support to make all these pieces of the puzzle come together and work seamlessly for our customers. PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Sponsor Profile
JULY 2015
How has the industry changed over the past few years? IPS was born in the early 2000’s in the midst of the so called “Digital Revolution” and as such has been well placed to grow and flourish in this ever changing environment. At that stage Film was on the wane, and new capture methods where streaming onto the market creating difficulties for the incumbent Big 4 Market Leaders (Agfa, Fuji, Kodak and Konica) to react and move with the times. For a small & nimble company like IPS, this was more achievable as we were in a growth phase, whilst these contemporaries were in-fact in decline! We saw Agfa photo collapse in a messy operation that meant stock was frozen world wide and others had to support the surviving labs. Like Qantas flying home stranded Ansett customers, IPS fortunately had a range of alternative Agfa Lab products and we worked night and day to ensure that no one ran out of paper and chemistry. There was also concern when Konica withdrew from the photo channel and the supply of unique chemical consumables had to be managed effectively. The evolution of different print technologies has been central to our technical focus. While doing everything we can to make silver halide the most efficient and enduring photo print medium; finding a true professional print alternative to Silver Halide has been a decade long process. We now believe that the new dry lab technologies have come of age and are producing real professional quality photographic printing. IPS is the exclusive Southern Hemisphere partner to the IPI Marketing Group. Can you tell us a bit about the Managed Marketing Services Program? The Managed Marketing Services Program is an extension of IPI’s widely renown, world class Marketing Support Program (MSP). Put simply, the MSP provides photo centric marketing collateral to photo printing retailers e.g. artwork for in-store posters, banners, flyers, e-mails, newsletters, web banners and even photo gifting templates for online and kiosk photogifting sales. All files are high resolution Photoshop files and are easy to further customise to the individual retailers needs. The Managed Marketing Services (MMS) Program takes marketing to the next level by providing automated: Social Media (Facebook Twitter and Instagram) Email, and in store Electronic POS marketing updated and deployed by the IPI team on a regular basis. The retailer simply joins the program, choses from a vast menu and calendar of; social media updates, e-mail promotions, and Electronic POS – and the IPI team do the rest. They make it all happen. It really is that awesome. How important is social media for you in marketing your products? What other key promotional tools do you use to make sure you’re at the forefront of peoples minds? Social media, or inbound marketing, is critical to B2C companies, but is less important for our B2B business. Relative to other markets, ours is very small. The number of retail, professional school, wholesale and government labs is quantifiable and known. Moreover, we actually, have them all on databases – so Electronic Direct Mail (EDM) is way more powerful for us.
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
“ I still get a buzz from visiting a lab and looking at the great images being produced and knowing that we have had a hand in getting this product to fruition.”
Sponsor Profile
That, and actually touching our customers with real live reps. People like doing business with people – especially people they like. Social media, and all the cute posts, and tweets in the world can’t replace a good company rep, who knows your business and is keen to assist We actually take the human presence to the next step, too. We attend and support the important industry bodies and events. We support and display at the AIPP NZIPP and PMA/IDEA shows. We even ran our own national road show (throughout Australia and New Zealand) last year, when there wasn’t a PMA/IDEA Photo show. How do you define success? To what do you most attribute your success? There are a few focuses that we can attribute our success to. First of all it has been the drive to totally understand all of the technical attributes of the products we promote but also understand the nuances of quality and less tangible features that go towards making beautiful photographic prints! Following closely there are a number of focusses - building trusting relationships in our industry with win-win outcomes with our lab and photographer partners; always looking ahead at print technologies to embrace and be ahead of the pack, and look out for those that could also make you redundant if not addressed effectively! Overall it’s the passion of seeing our customers being successful in offering the best quality photo printing. I still get a buzz from visiting a lab and looking at the great images being produced and knowing that we have had a hand in getting this product to fruition. Has anyone given you memorable advice for running a business? Yes - but it was about watching out for a specific coloured gorilla (or was it an elephant?) that was” in the room” (metaphorically speaking of course) and I hadn’t been drinking! Having avoided the threatening ’wild life’ in our industry, we have done OK! Seriously though - having grown from nothing to where we are in 12 years - there are some very important lessons in cash flow management that we could have welcomed as memorable advice(!) So if anyone is looking for advice - watch your cash flow! In general - work hard - long hours - the digital evolution has meant no breaks - no easing off! - for any of us! You’re a member of the AIPP. What do you like about being part of an industry association? Stuart has been a Member of the AIPP since the late 1980’s, an association he has cherished and enjoyed being a part of. Now jointly owning a Major Aust. and NZ Photographic Business I feel it is incumbent on us to offer support back to the Industry in the form of Gold Sponsorship for both the AIPP and the NZIPP to encourage and support the Professional Photographers of today, and the future. Like everything in life and this Industry things have changed and will continue to change, and in order to have a ‘seat at the table’ as it were, Rob and I felt the need to be financial stakeholders and supporters of these prime industry associations. PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Sponsor Profile
“Now jointly owning a Major Aust. and NZ Photographic Business I feel it is incumbent on us to offer support back to the Industry in the form of Gold Sponsorship for both the AIPP and the NZIPP to encourage and support the Professional Photographers of today, and the future.”
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JULY 2015
I like the fact that the AIPP in Australia has regrouped and morphed itself from a bit of an ‘old boys club’ to now being a vibrant, growing association which now accurately reflects the aspirations and genre of contemporary professional photography today. I also see similar reinvention and regrowth taking place with the NZIPP, interestingly enough being one of the oldest professional photographic associations in the World, older in-fact than the AIPP! As a professional photographer yourself you obviously have a passion for the industry, where do you see IPS sitting in this industry in 20 years time? Again, I would like to see IPS never sitting still and resting on its laurels and always changing, but remaining the same (true to its current aims). I would like to see IPS as the prime resource, supporter and supplier to the Photographic Industry in this part of the world. And, to be learning and growing with other likeminded individuals and organisations around the world. We all have similar problems, opportunities and more in common that we have differences such as has been our experience with the Independent Photo Imagers Group in North America and Canada. I see our company as more than just a box mover, as our contemporaries have become, I see IPS as a 100% engaged true partner in all senses of the word to the Photographic Industry.
PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
NZIPP News
JULY 2015
NZIPP News New Members visional member....
Find NZIPP on Facebook - check out the links below....
Welcome to our new
pro
NZIPP - National n
Julie Willets - Wellingto
• NZIPP - Auckland/Northland Region • NZIPP - Waikato/BOP Region • NZIPP - Central Districts • NZIPP - Wellington Region • NZIPP - Nelson/Marlborough Region • NZIPP - Canterbury/Westland Region • NZIPP - Otago/Southland Region
Q Submission Dates 2015 For those who aren’t qualified yet it’s time to start planning for your Q submissions. Once successful your member profile will appear in the Find a Photographer function on the NZIPP website, and you’ll be able to work towards NZIPP Accreditation.
IRIS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2009 - 2013 BOOKS Iris Award books are produced annually by the NZIPP from the award winning entries, showcasing all the major award winners, as well as all the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winning images from each year. The books have been published in conjunction with BLURB and ISSUU and are available in three different formats: •
hardcopy/print - available via Blurb’s print on demand service. The book is a 20 X 25cm landscape format, with a hardcover & dust jacket, printed on Premium Lustre finish paper. Each book can be purchased via Blurb’s print on demand service. Prices vary depending on the book size.
•
eBook on iPad - available via Blurb’s ebook service for downloading to an iPad. eBook’s can be purchased for $24.99 USD via Blurb’s eBook download service.
•
online book/magazine - a low resolution version is available to view online for free via Issuu’s digital publishing platform .
Q submission dates for 2015 are... •
October 6th, 2015
For more info see the Q Programme under Quick Links on the NZIPP website.
Go to the NZIPP website (www.nzipp.org.nz, and click on the Iris Awards tab followed by Iris Awards Books) for more information and download links for each of the three options.
PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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NZIPP News
JULY 2015
Regional Updates Auckland Region June was an exciting time in Auckland, as it was our opportunity to showcase the Iris exhibition to the public as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. Our new venue Atrium on Elliott which is a central city shopping centre has been a huge success, and has enabled 7 day a week access to literally thousands of people to view the exhibition. Over the last few days we’ve also had an opportunity to get a sneak peak of some of the potential Iris award entries from our Auckland/Northland members, our annual mock judging event is always a popular event and no doubt extremely informative for those that attended. We’re looking forward to seeing the wonderful images at the awards early August. A big thanks goes out to our judges Chris Traill, Emma Hughes and Lester de Vere I’d just like to encourage any Aucklander’s that are still in two minds about attending Iris and Infocus this year to give some serious thought to coming along. This years conference has an exciting line up of speakers and a programme that will keep you energised throughout. As you may have heard we are already looking at a record number of attendees, so don’t procrastinate get in amongst it. And finally as mentioned in last months PRO Report we have a new look Auckland committee, and no time has been wasted in planning and organising future meetings and events. We have meetings planned right up until Christmas, including a Northland event in August. Ideas are always welcomed so please don’t hesitate to contact us. See you all in Queenstown, and good luck to all those entering Iris. Gino Demeer - Auckland - Regional Chairperson
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Regional Updates
JULY 2015
Regional Updates NEXT MEETINGS Mock Print Judging Night 5.30om. Tuesday July 14th Pig and Whistle, Rotorua Mini Seminar Thursday August 26th Venue TBC A night with NZIPP 2014 Overseas Photographer of the Year Paul Hoelen (New Zealand Tour). More details to follow – put this date in your calendar. Coffee Group 10am Friday. Every week. Rain bar - Papamoa
Waikato/BOP Region Less than three weeks to go now until the Iris awards in Queenstown and it looks like it is shaping up to be the biggest and best conference in a long time….so what better time to have a ‘mock judging’ set-up for our next meeting. James has kept us busy being in and out of hospital over the last month, so in all honesty he has been our focus, so we have just been finishing off things with our wedding clients and I’m still in the process of launching a new commercial website. Speaking of launching and creating new things online, is everyone on Linkedin? I just updated my profile this week and I found it quite useful for finding new clients and endorsing others. Once I had finished setting up Linkedin, I headed into the world of Tumbler (best blog site for photographers), Pinterest (you can even make it your website if you want), Behance, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, Mailchimp, Wordpress and a few more. I even did a 2020 plan, the things you do while sitting in the hospital with a sick little boy. Well that’s about all I have, see you all with your ‘award winning entries’ next Tuesday. Mark McKeown FNZIPP II - Waikato/BOP - Regional Chairperson
Open to all including non-members
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Regional Updates
JULY 2015
Regional Updates Wellington Region “Hi, I’m a photographer.” No, that doesn’t sound right. I do so much more than just take photos. “Hi, I run a photography business.” Yeah, that’s better. It’s about more than just taking photos. That covers it. Pleased to meet you. “I’m am artist, I have a role to play in society: that role is to wake people’s hearts up.” S i Moore, one half of the duo Bayly & Moore - known for their genuine storytelling and crazy stop motion films - brought his passion for adventure to Wellington, and inspired a captivated crew of local wedding photographers. ntil meeting Si Moore, I thought I knew what it meant to be a photographer. U I didn’t know what it meant to be an artist. A true artist doesn’t care what others think. A true artist isn’t insecure. A true artist is secure in their hate for their work. A true artist doesn’t seek a following. A true artist looks over their shoulder and finds followers inconvenient. A true artist builds themselves, not their brand. A true artist knows that people only care about what’s behind their brand - themselves. A true artist can’t escape who they are. A true artist doesn’t even try. A true artist knows what they hate as much as what they love. A true artist chases a hero. Preferably a dead hero. A true artist knows there is no such thing as talent. There is no such thing as luck. A true artist knows there is only work. A true artist seeks - and accepts - uncomfortable opportunities. A true artist lives at the edge of their abilities A true artist is terrified of what the next day will bring. A true artist doesn’t actually know what they’re doing. “Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible, so get on with it.” Si Moore helped channel my passion. S i Moore changed my perspective. Si Moore changed my life. I no longer run a photography business. I’m no longera photographer. I’m me, being a photographer. I’m an artist. “Being an artist is one of the most vital services in the world.” I think he might be right. Jason Naylor -www.wedo.net.nz
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Regional Updates
Images Š Jason Naylor
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Regional Updates
JULY 2015
Regional Updates UPCOMING MEETINGS…
Canterbury/Westland Region
Quiz Night July 21st - (note this is a Tuesday night NOT Monday!)
While the common winter cold is what is plaguing most homes at this time of year, for the poor families of photographers all over New Zealand, the Iris Virus is spreading rapidly without any regard whatsoever to its victims and their dependants. Symptoms may include: • Uncertainty in making common everyday decisions. • Remaking their decisions that were thought to have been made previously. • It is also common for the sufferers to still be able to easily vocalise their opinion on decisions others have made yet still be unable to make their own. • A fascination with the texture and reflective qualities of flat surfaces. • Indecision with regard to colour, brightness, contrast, vibrancy, saturation and luminosity leading to the sufferer having a tendency to wear clothing that is completely black on a regular basis while placing themselves in mid grey toned surroundings. This virus attacks the frontal lobe of the brain via the eye and the optic nerve. The virus season typically starts in the early autumn months and peaks around mid to late winter. Symptoms can be alleviated by attending an NZIPP regional print judging or print critiquing evening. A rapid decrease in symptoms will be observed in mid August. Any remaining symptoms can be alleviated completely by attending the NZIPP Infocus conference. Rebecca Watson - Canterbruy Westland Secretary
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Regional Updates
JULY 2015
Now here is a great reason to come along to a print critique evening. One of our Christchurch Westland members, Paul Willyams, brought along some of his images to be critiqued and posted this on our local NZIPP Facebook page. This is the exact reason we hold these evenings. It’s also very educational to hear how the judges judge, what they look for and to hear the language they use. All perfect reasons to go along to the Iris Awards. Spend a day listening and learning from others even if you haven’t entered. And congratulations to Penny who was the recipient of the Dick Poole awards for the evening. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful photographs in print at the awards Penny! Kate Christie - Canterbury/Westland - Regional Chair From Paul ... “Thank you, that was a very useful session, probably the most useful for a long time. I had an “aha” moment. I had a shot I thought was pretty good. It was a backlit rural scene with early morning mist and a road leading into some trees and an abandoned building. This was a straight image and I was very happy with the exposure and colour. However, it didn’t generate much enthusiasm. Tony explained that any one of us would have seen that scene and taken that shot. That’s true. You wouldn’t find many club photographers who could pull off that shot, but you would expect a professional to get it every time. So it is of professional standard, but not above. This theme repeated throughout many of the other images. They were beautiful professional shots, ones which other photographers would be happy with, but that is not enough for an award. What I have to produce is an image that other professional photographers will think “Wow, how was this made?” You need to have seen something that others would have missed, not the obvious or standard shot. To get a Prof Standard (60-69) you need the critiquer to think “I would have done that’. To get an award you need to make the critiquer think “I wish I could do that’. Examples of the latter were Penny Nichol’s wonderful imaginative images. So two images I thought would go well I now know probably won’t, and two images I wasn’t sure about should be up at award level. I also understand much better why i my images in previous years did better or worse than I expected. So thank you very much and I hope I can repay you with some good results at Iris.”
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Regional Updates
JULY 2015
Regional Updates Otago/Southland Region Yes I did watch the season finale of Game of Thrones! And yes I was gutted that someone ruined it for me on Facebook because I was actually in Gore for our AGM on Monday night! But these are the sacrifices I make for our region! I’m getting very excited about the up and coming Iris awards! Those that attended on Monday night were able to get a little sneak peek at some of our regions potential entries and there are some goodies! Well done to all of those people who plucked up the courage to share their work, it can be hard to do, especially if this is your first year entering. We also had a bit of a chat about the fact that we are playing host this year too, we still have a couple of venues to confirm and also to get a list of volunteers together. This cannot happen without volunteers! So please if you haven’t stepped up before now is the time to do it. I talked at our AGM about the importance of feedback from members, sometimes I send out an email and only about 60% of you are even opening it (yes I know all). It takes time to put all the information in these emails together and I’m often up late doing this for you! I would really appreciate it if you could read them and send any relevant feedback on to me. If nothing is happening in your area you need to make it happen. We have such a large land area to cover so communication is really important. We have regional committee members scattered around the place so if you would like to organize a local get together you need to contact the following people. Queenstown: Dan Childs - dan@danchildsphotography.com Wanaka: Jen Corish - jen@alpineimages.co.nz Dunedin: Simone Jackson - pureimages@slingshot.co.nz Winton: Megan Graham - megan@mgphoto.co.nz Balfour: Rochelle Dillon - rdphotography@hotmail.co.nz It looks like we will have around 20 people from our region heading to the Infocus conference (so far) which is great, but my question is what are the other 35 people from our region doing? This is right on your doorstep! And the array of speakers this year is huge! And it’s in Queenstown one of the most beautiful places on the earth, so get online and book it already. If you’re wanting to enter the awards this year then here is a little motivation for you from Shia LaBeouf “ DO IT!, JUST DOOOOO IT, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!” (If you haven’t seen his latest rather intense motivational speech you should look it up on You Tube, it’s pretty hilarious!) Happy shooting everyone! Nicola Wilhelmsen - Otago/Southland - Regional Chairperson
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Regional Updates
Images Š Kimberley Cheyne
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Member Profile
JULY 2015
Member Profile Rachel Callander Tell us a little bit about yourself? I’m a cat loving Timaruvian married to Sam. I love being a photographer and the week of Infocus and Iris is my favourite of the whole year. How long have you been a photographer? What inspired you to pick photography as a career path? I have officially been in business since 2006 but I loved it from the moment I was given a camera at a young age. Then once I took photography at high school as a subject I was totally hooked and then followed the path onto Art School in Dunedin and completed a Fine Art Degree. How would you describe your style? I like to make every day moments really beautiful. Sometimes my work has a whimsical feel to it. I feel though that I am still trying to find it- or maybe it’s just that I don’t like to define things too strictly, so my style can encapsulate a whole lot of elements. Congratulations on your Super Power Baby Book being recognised Internationally with the Outstanding Book of the Year Award for Independent Spirit! Can you tell us a bit about this project? THANKS!! That was so exciting and I am so proud of it. The project is all about redefining our ideas around what disability looks like. The book is a photographic celebration of NZ children with a range of chromosomal and genetic conditions and focuses on their abilities, unique gifts and how they are changing their families for the better. How do you educate yourself to take better pictures? I attend Infocus every year as a great place to start and go to Iris print judging. This is where I gain so much inspiration and knowledge. I learn so much from photographers who shoot in different fields than me too. It really makes me want to learn more and push myself creatively. Plus I enjoy spending time and shooting with other photographers that have become incredible friends. Each year I aim to attend at least 3 different professional development events. You won NZIPP Wedding photographer of the year in 2011, what is it about photographing weddings that you enjoy? The chaos, the anticipation, all the raw emotion everywhere. I find that being invited to share in a family’s happiness for the day is such an honour. I really love being amongst all the love. It is very inspiring and capturing it for a couple is really special. There are so many people involved and I really enjoy capturing family connections, especially grandparents. There is no greater inspiration for me as an image maker than to be surrounded in people of all ages, celebrating love. I mean what a foundation for a photograph!! Each little pixel is infused with happiness!
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Member Profile
JULY 2015
How do you market your business? To be honest I have been really bad at this lately. I have just got a new website so I am now getting back on track after being a bit distracted by the Super Power Baby Project. I use social media, blogs and I find that still, good old word of mouth is the best. I provide a really great service to my couples and they talk about it. I am also quite personal on my website, sharing a bit of my story so I am attracting the kind of clients that I would naturally be friends with as they are resonating with who I am, because they have similar life views. People want real these days. So I don’t market myself wide, I market myself to the kind of people I want to work with. I am always asking myself- who are my clients? not in terms of their ages or what demographic they come from. I ask, what do they like to do on a Friday night? who are their friends? what music do they listen to?....and when I know who my clients are, I find them.
Image Š Rachel Callander PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Member Profile
“I think there isn’t much greater a thing than shooting medium format 6x6 film. What a dream.”
JULY 2015
What is your favourite image from your portfolio? What makes it your favourite? I have a lot of favourites but this is a stand out to me. I love this image so much because I feel so good when I look at it. It takes me to a really beautiful place. It is calming yet strong. Her beauty is so powerful without really knowing it. I want to be her, in that moment. How important is Photoshop in your final images? I’d say it’s important, but I use mainly Lightroom for my editing. I use Photoshop more in portrait work where I am working with a few images from a session rather than a few hundred like from a wedding. I use Photoshop for retouching skin a little, layering, texture overlays and cropping. Do you plan on buying any new equipment and if so what do you have your eyes on? I always keep an eye on second hand Hasselblads. I loved using these at art school and I think there isn’t much greater a thing than shooting medium format 6x6 film. What a dream.
Image © Rachel Callander
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Member Profile
Images Š Rachel Callander PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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Member Profile
“Ask yourself what you are offering the market that is different from everybody else. That difference sets you apart and adds value to the industry.”
JULY 2015
On the topic of gear: do you think it matters when trying to make that great picture? It matters in that you need gear, just not always the best gear. I have no interest in gear, other than if it works for what I need. That may be a bit harsh because I have some wicked cool gear. But what I’m trying to say is that I don’t really follow gear, or gear trends. What I’m actually trying to say is that new and expensive gear isn’t the best gear. Gear is a funny one. I just recently went through my cupboards and found an old manual 50mm lens from who knows when and I took it on a whim to New York last month. I used it to make some of my favourite images. It went to f0!!!! who knew! Amazing. But in saying all this- different gear can help you create the image in your head and heart. I have favourite lenses for that reason because when I use them, I can capture an image the way I want it to be seen and felt. The most important gear is the glass on the end of your camera. What advice do you have for photography enthusiasts looking to go professional? Being enthusiastic about photography doesn’t mean you’ll have a great business. I’d encourage people to get a lot of support and help around business stuff. I started out knowing nothing and it took a lot of long hard years to get my head around business plans and making a business out of what I loved to do. Go to seminars and workshops not only about photography but about business and marketing. Ask yourself what you are offering the market that is different from everybody else. That difference sets you apart and adds value to the industry. What have you got coming up in 2015? Currently Sam (husband) and I are building a studio at our home which will be awesome! It is going to be big enough to shoot in and work from. Hopefully even some photography friends will come stay and play in it too! You are all welcome. It should be all done late August.
http://www.rachelcallander.co
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Member Profile
Images Š Rachel Callander
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What’s In My Bag...?
JULY 2015
What’s In My Bag...? Warren Williams - Otago/Southland Region Hello! I’m Warren – the hairier half of Williams Photography, based near Queenstown. I am quite a gear head! The accessories need a bag of their own. My wife and I shoot weddings on mountains, from helicopters and even sometimes underwater. I’ve been capturing weddings since 2005 when I bought my first digital SLR – the 20D. For weddings, we love to be prepared – with a few 5D III’s and a couple of older bodies for backup. We use some beautiful primes for those details – Sigma 35mm, Canon 85L, 100 Macro and have a bit of the fun with the 24mm tilt shift. We have a few speedlites plus triggers for off camera flash. Let’s just say we’re very glad we’ve never been weighed for our “7kg” carryon. I have been fortunate to travel to some tropical destinations to capture weddings – so I have done some underwater photos in the Cook Islands, Fiji and even our own Poor Knights. I’ve got an Ikelite dive housing with a dome port for best image quality. The housing holds a 5D Mk II + 14mm or 17-40, plus I also shoot video with a Go Pro for additional footage. I’ve still yet to use it in Lake Wakatipu, but that is one of my projects I’d like to do. My real passion for photography started through landscapes. My favourite lens are the 14mm prime for astrophotography, 16-35mm Mk II with a few sets of Lee graduated filters and the 70-200. I’ve also got a Dynamic Perception Stage One dolly for timelapse (that’s for another story…) Life’s real journey is upon us. We’re expecting the birth of our first child – due 12th July. We relocated from Bethells Beach to Kingston a year ago, trading the stunning surf beach and salt air, for the crisp mountains and clear lakes. Moving here was a lifestyle choice and a way to find that hunger for photography again. It’s also got me out of the house more regularly to seek that gorgeous sunrise, or even find the Aurora Australis – which is something I only saw for the first time a few months ago. I encourage you to leave the technology behind – find your roots, rediscover the passion and live life as you’re meant to. www.williamsphotography.co.nz
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
What’s In My Bag...?
Images © Warren Williams PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
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What’s In My Bag...?
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
JULY 2015
Images © Warren Williams
JULY 2015
What’s In My Bag...?
Images © Warren Williams
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Photo Competitions
JULY 2015
Photo Competitions The New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year Entries are now open for the annual New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year 2015 – the countries largest, most popular, and most prestigious photography competition. Be in quick...entries close at midday Wednesday 15 July. The competition invites New Zealand’s best photographers—amateurs and professionals alike—to celebrate the diversity of New Zealand by submitting photographs in any or all of this years five categories; Landscape, Wildlife, Society & Culture, PhotoStory and, for the first time, Timelapse. Judging is based on the quality, creativity, and originality of the subject. This years awards include; Photographer of the Year, the Young Photographer award (entrants under the age of 21), People’s Choice award and Colour award. Winners will be announced on October 29, 2015. Finalist images also earn a place in the free, public New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year exhibition touring to Christchurch and Auckland. For competition entry and details, previous winning entries, and photographic tips, visit http://www.nzgeographic. co.nz/poty/photographer-of-the-year-entry
2016 Sony World Photography Awards Professional Competition Enter the world’s largest, and one of the most respected, photography awards for free today. The Professional competition rewards excellence across a broad spectrum of photography styles and each year offers undeniable global exposure and recognition to not only its winners, but also its shortlisted photographers. Categories New for 2016, the 14 Professional categories are now divided into two distinct groups: Documentary and Art. More information at: https://www.worldphoto.org/competitions/sony-world-photography-awards-2016-professionalcompetition/
NZ National Award To enter the National Award you must submit your work to any of the ten Open categories Basic Members - up to 3 photographs for free, submitted into one category or spread across multiple categories Open for entries in to the 2016 Awards: https://www.worldphoto.org/national-award-2016/
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PRO REPORT Member Magazine of the NZIPP
Corporate Members
JULY 2015
Corporate Members A special thank you to our Corporate Members for their continuing support:
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NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
www.nzipp.org.nz