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ISSUE 18, April 2019
INTERVIEW WITH EMRE SIMTAY PLANNING & CAPTURING A PHOTO STORY BY JAMES GILBERD
MIND GAMES: HIDING BEHIND THE LENS FRESH SHOOTS: SPRING PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER HOW TO CAPTURE: AUTUMN COLOURS WITH RICHARD YOUNG
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WELCOME TO ISSUE 18 OF NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE
HELLO EVERYONE, In this issue, we are putting the focus on Street Photography. Get inspired to walk the streets with your camera to capture everyday life at home and abroad in our interview with Emre Simtay and in Behind the Shot with Mary Hutchinson where you'll learn what makes street photography so interesting. If you've always been shy of taking candid photos on the street, Ana gives some insight into getting more comfortable in approaching people so you've no excuse not to give it a go! Think you've got a great street photography shot already? Read our photo review and see if you could improve your own shot with the tips and tricks offered. We also have James Gilberd sharing his thoughts on how to put together a photo story, explaining that a set of 6 images can convey an event, emotion, or place better than a single image. Plus, Brendon takes us on a return journey to Punakaiki as he enjoys time out in nature walking the river and beach. We also get to learn about the photographer who won the Fresh Shoots People's Choice Award with her 'After the Storm' poppies photo.
Emily Goodwin
Editor NZ Photographer General Info: NZPhotographer Issue 18 April 2019 Cover Photo Emre Simtay
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NZPhotographer
Publisher: Excio Group
Editor: Emily Goodwin
Website: www.excio.io/nzphotographer
Graphic Design: Maksim Topyrkin
Group Director: Ana Lyubich ana@excio.io
Advertising Enquiries: Phone 04 889 29 25 or Email hello@excio.io
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS
Brendon Gilchrist
Ana Lyubich
Richard Young
Brendon is the man behind ESB Photography. He is an avid tramper who treks from sea to mountain, and back again, capturing the uniqueness of New Zealand’s unforgiving landscape.
Co-founder of Excio, Ana's photography journey started many years ago with one of the first Kodak film cameras. She loves exploring the unseen macro world and capturing genuine people's emotions.
Richard is an awardwinning landscape and wildlife photographer who teaches photography workshops and runs photography tours. He is the founder of New Zealand Photography Workshops.
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nzp_magazine
nzp@excio.io
Š 2019 NZPhotographer Magazine All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher. Disclaimer: Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine.
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CONTENTS
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10 INTERVIEW WITH EMRE SIMTAY
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PUNAKAIKI 2.0 by Brendon Gilchrist HOW TO CAPTURE: AUTUMN COLOURS by Richard Young IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO REVIEW SESSION FRESH SHOOTS: SPRING PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER
IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO REVIEW SESSION
INTERVIEW WITH EMRE SIMTAY PLANNING AND CAPTURING A PHOTO STORY By James Gilberd
MIND GAMES: HIDING BEHIND THE LENS
BEHIND THE SHOT with Mary Hutchinson MIND GAMES: HIDING BEHIND THE LENS by Ana Lyubich PORTFOLIO: BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH
9 HOW TO CAPTURE: AUTUMN COLOURS
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F2.8, 20s, ISO10000
Punakaiki 2.0
by Brendon Gilchrist
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n Issue 4, I touched on the small west coast town of Punakaiki, or what I called Jurassic Park. Well, I’ve been back! It is rare for me to be on the West Coast aka the Wet Coast but thankfully, I got lucky with the weather with only a little bit of rain. Punakaiki is surrounded by limestone landscapes of many different forms including the mysterious and popular pancakes rocks, so perfectly stacked upon each other that no one knows how/why they formed exactly like that. These pancake rocks and the blowholes are the main attraction of Punakaiki and amazingly are still free to walk around and enjoy. By day this place is always busy, usually busier at high tide just in case the swells are coming from the right direction to create an updraft of water and air for the blowholes to activate. But at night there are very few people around, maybe 1 or 2.
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I decided to visit the platform that overlooks the pancake rocks one night to capture the milky way over the mountains. It was a good night to continue playing with my new Nikkor 14–24 2.8g. I have been missing out on that extra 14mm of focal length for a long time now and am happy to be able to shoot ultra wide angled shots. On the one rainy morning I got when I visited, I walked beside the river on the beautiful and well maintained Pororari River Track with the towering limestone cliffs that rise up to 100 metres above the water. I don’t know about you but I find walking in the rain so refreshing, the smell of fresh rainwater pattering on the tree leaves, slowly dripping down to the forest floor, it’s refreshing to be in that moment when nothing else matters but that sense of being in nature and enjoying what you are about to do – Capture some moody landscapes!
F11, 1/250s, ISO64
F16, 1/3s, ISO31
As the track weaves besides the river, taking you on a magical journey through a land locked in time that only nature can touch, you come to viewing points overlooking the river and there are a couple of opportunities to get down to the river edge or even walk into the river to take some photos looking up the river from a completely different angle that many won’t see. There’s so much to photograph and marvel at from the nikau palm trees to the native flaxes and the walls of limestone leading you out up the river into an unknown world not forgetting the wildlife with the native Kereru munching on the berries. I found an amazing looking tree to photograph, it sits right beside the river and towers above all the other trees in an iconic location of this area. Sunsets can be very epic on the West Coast but on my last evening it was raining on and off and I thought about not going out to shoot at the pancakes as it seemed like no light was going to shine through and that it would be a boring dull grey sunset – I’m so glad I went out anyway! The sunset was perfect with a gap in the cloud allowing enough light to shine through creating some epic light rays and a hint of golden sun colours. It was hard to believe there were only a few other photographers here witnessing this event but I’m glad to have captured this and have my personal take on Punakaiki at sunset as I love storms and sunsets and I’ve been wanting a sunset shot like this for a long time but actually thought it was too easy and not my style. As I grow as a photographer and a person I learn to appreciate the easy and the not
so easy locations, everything is unique and different for its own different reasons. Driving from Punakaiki on the Great Coast Ride you get the sense that you’re in a forest driving beside the coast. It’s hard to keep your eyes on the road at times because the impressive view is always evolving into something new, the coastline changing from charming calm bays to rugged coastline with large rock outcrops. This small area has everything you need to survive and everything you want as a photographer. I assure you that unique inspiration awaits so pack your bags because this place will blow you away, whether it’s raining or not!
A TIP FOR SEEING THE BLOW HOLES: • Photography is about planning so if you want the shot you need to plan to get it. To see the Punakaiki Pancake rocks blow holes in action the best swells you need to look for are at high tide though not when there is a south-westerly swell. Saying this, they are not always blowing at high tide so luck, patience, and perseverance are required!
ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: • Always shoot in raw, the level of detail, especially in the shadows, will outweigh anything shot in JPG or any other format. • To find focus in the pitch black is very hard. Use the live view and zoom in (on the screen) onto the brightest star, manual focus and twist the focus ring until the star is nice and sharp.
F16, 1/5s, ISO64
HOW TO CAPTURE: AUTUMN COLOURS
Capture the best of this year's Autumn colours with tips by Richard Young
Autumn Colours at Lake Wanaka Autumn offers one of the best times for photography with landscapes that are full of burnt oranges, warm yellows, and other beautiful autumn shades. Shooting during the ‘golden hour’ in autumn will add a soft, warm glow to colours that are already vibrant and also increases the sense of atmosphere that is conveyed by the scene. Mood is often key when photographing in autumn, so don’t be afraid to go out with your camera on rainy days. Forests, lakes, and rivers are good options to photograph in overcast conditions. Reflections: Bright colours and bold shapes become abundant in autumn, reflections can be used to enhance these elements. Abstracts: Instead of photographing a grand view, try capturing a smaller more intimate shot. Make the most of the fallen leaves and look for little details, taking time to scout the scene trying to find a subject that catches your eye.
Trees: Look for a single tree in a wide sweeping landscape, this can create a dramatic shot. Also, try shooting under the forest canopy looking up at the foliage or using natural features to frame your subject. Use a Circular Polariser: This filter is your best friend in autumn whether you’re in the forest or capturing an open scenic view. On rainy or overcast days a polariser will remove unwanted glare from wet shiny leaves.
VISIT SOME OF THE SOUTH ISLAND BEST AUTUMN LANDSCAPE LOCATIONS ON A 7-DAY SOUTH ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR IN APRIL WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
Improving Your Photography Photo Review Session
by Excio
F9, 1/800s, ISO400
REVIEW BY:
THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY BY DEJAN KIJEVCANIN THE MAIN STREET IN THE OLD TOWN IN BELGRADE, SERBIA
Almin Vranac
INITIAL THOUGHTS AND PLUS POINTS The first thing I like about this photo is that it's done in black and white which enhances the edges of the buildings and the patterns. Shooting street and architecture photography in black and white is a really common and well received technique in the photography world.
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The second thing which I also love is the lighting in this picture. To be precise, the great thing about it is how the centre of the scene is lit by natural sunlight, making it a bit overexposed (but not too much) while the sides of the photo are in the shadows and a bit darker. This gives you the feel like you're really there, giving the viewer a better experience, which is something that we should strive for with every photo.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS The first thing that catches my eye right away about this photo is the mistake of not using the rule of thirds properly or not using it at all. Let's take a look at the photo explanation: We should always aim to put our objects on vertical lines or on the meeting points where vertical and horizontal lines meet (this is for smaller objects). For this particular photo, we should be putting the ends of the side by side buildings on each of the vertical lines to make it more visually pleasing.
Another pretty significant thing to improve in this photo is the asymmetry. As we can see from the photo explanation, we should base our symmetry around the imagined line that is set in the middle of the gap between the two parallel buildings. What does that mean? It means that this line should go through the center of our scene, slicing it into two identical halves. We should always tend to recreate what is on the left side of the line on the right side too. Of course, this is only applicable if the scene is set up to allow us to do that but this photo with the two parallel buildings of similar sizes is the perfect occasion.
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In this photo there are two main ways we can achieve this: 1. For the first option, the best one, we should adjust the scene setup before we take the shot. What do I mean? Well, in this case, that means that we should move a few steps to the left so the centre of the gap between the two buildings is right in the middle of our scene. Since this way of achieving a symmetrical scene isn't always an available option (for various reasons), there's an alternative. 2. Cropping. When the photo is already taken and we don't have another one that is shot better, the only way to achieve symetry is to crop the photo according to our reference line. That means that we should crop the photo until our imaginary symmetrical line gets to the middle of our newly cropped photo. See the photo explanation on the right.
As we can see, the cropped photo below looks a lot more professional and more visually appealing.
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FRESH SHOOTS: SPRING PEOPLE'S C Vandy Pollard
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CHOICE AWARD WINNER:
POPPIES F2.8, 1/1000s, 70mm ‘Beauty after the storm’
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INTERVIEW WITH VANDY POLLARD HI VANDY, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF... I live in Wellington on the South Coast, Lyall Bay and have always been a keen amateur photographer. I completed a Bachelor of fine arts (BFA) and majored in Graphic Design/Photography back in 1985 at Canterbury University Art School where I was using an Olympus OM2n which was a single lens reflex film system camera. I have become more serious about my photography in the last couple of years since purchasing my first DSLR, a 80D Canon. I have a post-graduate diploma in Secondary teaching but work as a regional manager covering Central North Island for the National Advocacy Trust/ Health and Disability Consumer Advocacy Service which is a service provided under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A PHOTOGRAPHER? I consider myself a serious amateur photographer and in my spare time photograph most days.
had entered this photograph! Winning the people’s choice was special as people liked the photo I had entered.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE COMPETITION AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ENTER? I attended a Wellington Photography meet up group hosted by yourselves at the Wellington Botanic Gardens in October last year as I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone of photographing wildlife and landscape, but had also learned of the Fresh Shoots photography competition through the Wellington Photographic Society. I entered a few photographs from this meetup walk and another workshop run by the Wellington Photographic Society at the Botanic Gardens that month.
HAS WINNING THE PEOPLES CHOICE INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY FURTHER?
I’m a keen gardener but despite my winning shot for the people’s choice awards, flowers/plants are not my usual subject matter.
Winning has definitely inspired me to take a few more risks with my photography, to not become complacent with my usual subject matter, and to explore other places with my camera.
My main inspiration comes from nature as I live on the South Coast of Wellington, love walking and enjoy varied landscape and birdlife on the coast. I also frequently visit Zealandia Ecosanctuary in Wellington to photograph the wildlife/birds.
Since submitting my photo to the competition I have completed a few workshops. One with wildlife photographer Chris Helliwell on a trip to Zealandia and most recently a one day long exposure workshop hosted by Richard Young.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR POPPIES SHOT...
Learning new techniques and photographing/ learning from others has helped me grow as a photographer and I am keen to find an opportunity to enter more competitions and share my photographs.
I had purchased an EF 70-200mm f 2.8L IS II lens and was keen to try it out with my 80D. I entered this particular photograph of the last of the poppies with just a few petals precariously hanging onto a hint of summer colour as the change of seasons intrigued me. I found such beauty in the spent blooms in sharp contrast to the richness of the trees in the background. I chose to use a shallow depth of field to focus on the poppies in the foreground and to achieve a soft focus for the background trees. My composition is almost as shot in camera with only minor cropping/editing.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU HAD WON THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE? I was incredibly excited as I haven’t entered many competitions before and I had actually forgotten I
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS? Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Find other people who also enjoy photography and who share your passion - join a local photography group or society, find local meetups, don’t be afraid to ask for help, exchange ideas, share your photos, explore, and experiment. Be brave, push your own boundaries, and continue to challenge yourself and grow. www.instagram.com/coastal_wanderer_nz
The Fresh Shoots Autumn season competition is now open - Submit your photos from Wellington Botanical Gardens and it could be your photo featured here in a future issue!
FRESH SHOOTS PHOTO COMPETITION
We’re inviting photographers to highlight all the wonderful things that make the Wellington Botanic Garden much more than a garden, while encouraging photographers to focus on the garden season by season. For prizes and full Terms & Conditions see: www.excio.io/freshshoots The competition is split into quarterly competitions based on each of the seasons:
Summer
Autumn
15 December 22 March 2019
23 March 21 June 2019
Winter 22 June 20 September 2019
CATEGORIES
NATURE
PEOPLE & EVENTS
CREATIVE
PARTNERS
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Interview with Emre Simtay EMRE, PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU… I was born in Germany, but returned to my parents’ native Turkey in my late childhood and studied there. I came out to New Zealand in 2005 and attended Victoria University in Wellington to study Computer Science and upon graduation, began a career as a software developer.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START LEARNING PHOTOGRAPHY? I developed an interest in photography with my wife’s encouragement about seven years ago. I taught myself all about taking photos and since then I have been constantly taking photos and documenting what’s happening around me.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? I don’t think I ever really focused on one particular style or category. I just enjoy taking what attracts my eye and adjust to the current environment. As I am mostly out shooting in the city, I usually do street, documentary style, urban and portrait photography. Extraordinary things never fail to catch my eye. I constantly observe my surroundings and anything that tells a story about society or the world around me will get captured on my camera.
WHAT CAMERAS DO YOU HAVE? Currently, I have a full frame Sony A7ii with Zeiss 35mm F2.8 and Canon FD f1.2 lens. The camera I always carry with me is an APS-C Fujifilm XF‑10. It has f.28 18mm fixed prime lens with APS-C crop sensor and the snapshot feature, very small and very light compact camera with all the features I can find on a DSLR. I also have film cameras, a medium format Yashica 635 and a 35mm Canon AE‑1 with 50mm f1.8 prime lens but I don’t do film photography very often as I am not a patient person and usually do it only on weekends when I have the time to fiddle around!
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO PICK UP YOUR CAMERA, ESPECIALLY WHEN ‘LIFE’ TAKES OVER…
the light was highlighting her dance with the sunlight so took a photo!
WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU’RE ALWAYS LEARNING AND PUSHING YOURSELF TO CAPTURE BETTER IMAGES? HOW DO YOU DO THAT? I guess so! Yes, I try to push myself to capture better images. I sometimes take a short break from photography and go through all my photos and re-evaluate them. I always ask myself what makes a good photo and the answer to this question has changed many times since I started shooting. When I first started photography, I mostly focused on using negative spaces correctly, having the right exposure and making one nicely composed beautiful photo then I realised I needed to study my subject better and try different perspectives and I believe this improved my photography a lot. Once I started feeling confident, I decided I needed to shoot more often so I did photography walks every day for couple years and focused on just taking photos – I mean without much thinking, whatever I found interesting I took a photo of. I would then go through all my photos to analyse them and think about how I could improve them and what I would do differently next time.
The thought of looking through my photos in the future and seeing how life around us has evolved motivates me. It makes me go out to do photography and makes me feel like I should be shooting even more.
WE DID A BEHIND THE SHOT FEATURE WITH YOU IN ISSUE 6 (APRIL 2018), HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY HAS CHANGED/ IMPROVED SINCE THEN?
TELL US ABOUT THE COVER PHOTO.
My photography has changed a little. I carry more lightweight cameras and focus less on the aesthetic and more on the story aspect of photography, trying to produce more meaningful photos.
This was taken whilst we were showing our Wellingtonian friends around Istanbul. We went to the Hagia Sophia museum and there was a tourist lady posing for her friend. I liked how
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I prefer my photos tell a story and leave people imagining what is going on behind the scene however, I still photograph beautiful looking landscapes and whatever takes my attention but my goal is to make a photo that tells a story.
I have had situations where people didn’t want their photo taken (you can tell from their body language) and in that case, I point my camera somewhere else and don’t take the photo. Also sometimes people tend to shield their faces when they don’t feel comfortable. However, if I’m not sure, I always take the risk of taking the photo when I think it’s worth it instead of regretting not taking it later.
YOU’VE RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO TURKEY, HOW DID STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN TURKEY DIFFER FROM STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN WHAT WAS YOUR OVERALL FAVOURITE PHOTO NEW ZEALAND? FROM TURKEY? Taking photos in Turkey is much easier than New Zealand. You can be way more productive because cities like Istanbul are much more dynamic than here, there is a lot happening. In Turkey, people don’t seem to care when their picture is taken. I would say it’s like a heaven for photographers!
I find street photography is more comfortable for myself and others around me when my camera is always ready in my hand in a semi-pointing position. This way I don’t get so much attention when I take the shot because I am already in position.
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I have two favourites – First the one with a boy selling bottles of water on the street. I like the colours with blue dominating and the frame with the body of another water seller. I also like the photo of a random guy having dinner on the street with his friends, but his friend was too shy on this occasion and did not want to be in the photo – probably the only time this happened while we were there.
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TELL US ABOUT YOUR ‘WORKING PORTRAITS’ – WHY DO YOU ENJOY CAPTURING THESE? I notice people who are focused on their work, so focused that they’re isolated from the outer world and will immortalise this moment with my camera. I like it when I can make natural looking, candid photos that capture peoples emotions and this is much easier done when people are working, lost in the moment, not knowing that they’re being observed. I think my Working Portraits are important because one day the job might disappear so I like to document this just in case for future audiences.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LEARNING CURVE IN TERMS OF PHOTOGRAPHY? I think being ready and acting fast while I’m out. Adjusting to the changing light (having the correct shutter and aperture settings to avoid blurry shots), getting a good composition, predicting your subject’s next move, focusing on the right spot, trying not to attract attention and figuring out when to press the shutter and doing all this in less than 3 seconds – otherwise you probably missed the opportunity!
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WHEN DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN MOVE FROM PRACTICING PHOTOGRAPHY TO HELPING OTHERS/TEACHING? I think when you shoot regularly and start feeling comfortable with your camera even when it’s on manual mode, I guess you can help/teach beginners how to do compositions and set up a camera correctly for likely situations. However, I believe that to become a good photographer is a very hard thing to teach, you need to shoot regularly and experiment with different things on your own and not limit yourself in any way.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? www.instagram.com/wellington.nz/
www.instagram.com/perspektif.nz/
albums.excio.io/profile/Emre%20Simtay
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Planning and Capturing a Photo Story
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n what is now known as the Golden Age of Photography – loosely the 1930s‑1950s, the picture story was king. The best photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, W. Eugene Smith, and Margaret BourkeWhite were household names (try thinking of a current photographer who’s a household name!) and magazines such as Vu (France), Life (USA) and Picture Post (UK) were people’s main source for images of world events. That was until television came along and ruined it!
These magazines all had specialised picture editors, whose craft was to edit (select, size, crop) the photos into picture stories. Examples of famous picture stories are W. E. Smith’s ‘Minamata’ and ‘Spanish Village’, and our own Brian Brake’s ‘Monsoon’.
By James Gilberd We can use the above list as a starting point to make our own photo story more interesting. Shoot in both portrait (upright) and landscape (horizontal) frames and include compositional techniques such as high viewpoint (looking down), low angle, wide and telephoto shots as well as including foreground elements to frame your subject. Before you cover an event (such as Wellington’s CubaDupa festival), write yourself a shot list by imagining some of the photos you might aim to get. Try to make this as varied as you can. Having a shot list is a professional tip to help cover-off the assignment with varied and interesting images. Once you have your photos, you can select the ones for final consideration digitally. Try this: use your software to edit down to your 20 or so photos and print them out, postcard size (10x15cm). This is cheap as chips. Then lay them out on a clear table and start moving them around, putting this one next to that, and you will see that some photos ‘talk to each other’ while others don’t. Gradually pare it down to six photos that tell your story. There should be variety in your final six; an establishing shot, a strong close up, and other things between. Remember: • No photo should do the same job as another.
Once colour photography took over, picture editors would place the photographer’s developed slides (transparencies) on a light box and examine them in detail using a loupe magnifier before selecting which photos to print. As you can imagine, photographers and picture editors often argued over the published story. “How dare you crop that photo, the composition was perfect in camera!” Or “You left out my best shot!” Nowadays, we photographers can do our own postproduction work so no clash of egos need occur! If you’re a photographer who is always working towards capturing that one perfect shot, consider putting that approach aside and try using your camera to describe an event or location using a number of images. Initially, six photos is a good number to aim for. TV programmes and movies are put together using a variety of shots: • Long Shot, or Wide Shot: the overall location and people (establishing shot). • Full Shot: a person head to foot, and surrounds. Mid Shot: a person from the waist up. Close Up: head and maybe shoulders. Extreme Close Up: just the eyes, or some other small detail.
• Find graphic and formal relationships between shots. • It helps if there’s some visual harmony between them all. • Be prepared to exclude your best shot if it doesn’t fit the series! By planning to work in series, editing down from a wide selection of photos to a coherent set of images that conveys a strong sense of the event or location, you will quickly develop your photographic eye, your editing skills, and learn to pre-visualise images as well as being alert and in the moment to capture that ‘must have’ image when it presents itself. Get your final selection together, tweak the files a bit and go make a decent sized print of each (A4 or larger). You’ll have a small portfolio of photos that work together to tell a story that reaches far beyond what a single image can tell. Remember that the best photographers are the ones who have learned to recognise what they’ve shot and to know how to select and present their photographs in their own way. This is an important aspect to achieving a personal photographic style.
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Behind the Shot with Mary Hutchinson MARY, TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO! I was fortunate enough to retire a few years ago which has given me more energy for photography which I got back into around 2012. I started off trying to do macro nature photography but wasn’t good at it! However, as a result of gaining knowledge and confidence from Wellington High community classes and my local camera club, (Wellington Photographic Society), I read all I could about famous art photographers and tried my hand at capturing street scenes. I found I liked the contrasty historic ‘look’ when converting them to B&W.
I’m motivated by an interest in the never ending variety of human behaviours and features, especially faces; also clothing, quirky juxtapositions, and humorous things that ‘happen’ in everyday life in the street. I attempt to show the common humanity we all share by making images of members of my local community, some of whom are very different to me. I have a Nikon D610 with a 50mm prime and a 60mm macro lens. I also occasionally use my phone to take photos. I shoot in RAW and in manual mode though use autofocus.
F8, 1/320s, ISO400
the left. I was struck by the front row, middle row, back row positioning of the three lots of contrasting people, perhaps reflecting their apparent ‘success’ in society? At the time, I noticed the central seated man’s cool gear, with labels & wording, but I only saw the interesting detail of these, and the bonus of ‘Truly Madly DEEPLY’ on the left hand shoppers bag later. Can retail consumerist activity really facilitate love-like experiences? I like the middle (horizontal) band of hands doing different things, and the inverted ‘V’s’ formed by the shoppers legs & their bag handles; triangles being a favourite shape for me. It was luck that two people were drinking from cups at the same moment; here I enjoy the (non-inverted) ‘Vs’ made by their arms, which provides balance across the image as well as lying across a diagonal, adding to dynamism in the scene. As I am familiar with this stretch of street, the line of trees (background upper left) probably registered unconsciously as a pleasing lighter leading line, together with the receding overhead shop signs, to take the viewers eye from the front to the back of the image, which adds interest to the story told in this snapshot.
THERE ARE RARELY ANY SECOND CHANCES IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH NOT MISSING THE MOMENT? I take a lot of images if its a moving or evolving scene and then delete & crop! Also, if seeking consent to potentially use the images with recognisable people, I talk to the subjects AFTER taking the shots, and also offer to send or post them small copies to keep.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LEARNING CURVE IN PHOTOGRAPHY? Two things come to mind; I’m slowly learning to ask for consent to use images at the time of making them – saves a lot of walking the streets searching later!! (Though of course, it is legal to photograph in public without asking for consent). And secondly, working out dimensions for hanging an exhibition, or a pasting layout, as in the project mentioned below, continue to tax my non-mathematical neurons!
TELL US ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR STREET SCENE… WHAT CAUGHT YOUR EYE AND MADE YOU TAKE THE SHOT? I took this photo in a busy part of Wellington – TeWhanganui-a-tara’s CBD (Willis St.) where there is a bus stop, seating, and often interesting light though at this time of day, 1:40pm this is less of a feature. I liked the ‘thirds’ arrangement of people across the image and was particularly interested in the man sitting on the footpath behind the seat, and his contrast in position, dress style, and posture in comparison to the seated man in cool attire and the chatting shoppers with their bags on
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON RECENTLY? I have recently completed a temporary public ‘pasteup’ installation of cut out life-sized people onto a shipping container, in Newtown, Wgtn., called ‘…a footpath near you.. ara hīkoi pātata..’ I am interested to do more large scale public art but first, want to complete a colour photo book about my own suburb; Mt Cook – Pukeahu.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? www.maryhutchinson.co
Mind Games: Hiding Behind The Lens Overcoming the fear of looking ‘strange’ when photographing people in the street. by Ana Lyubich
O
ne of the genres that involve photographing people “impromptu” is street photography which is closely related to photojournalism.
In the blink of an eye, a scene may unfold right in front of you that you want to capture and that scene will very likely involve having people in the frame. Street or documentary shots may happen anywhere – on or off the street, but the good ones have a story to tell,
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show emotion and authenticity, evoke empathy and provoke people to pause and think. Most blogs and articles discussing how to overcome a fear of photographing strangers suggest you start talking to people on the streets if you want to take a photo of them. In pure street photography however, you rarely have a chance to approach people as you
TALK Unless you feel that you are likely to be punched in the face in the next few seconds, stay where you are and acknowledge you took a photo of them. There is nothing wrong with it. The person you just photographed may simply be curious about what you are doing, why you chose them, and where the photo might end up, even where they can access it later as if they see and like the photo they might want to share it with friends and family. You never know, you might have just captured a perfect moment in their life that they would be thrilled to get a copy of. So tell them your story, why you like street photography, where you come from, and perhaps even hand them a business card or share your social media name with them. In most cases, what could have been a sticky situation will end up well and in the best case scenario, it will also help you spread the word about what you are doing and hopefully get lifetime appreciators of your talent!
BEWARE OF KIDS While kids are the most genuine models you can find (often until they become aware of your presence), you should never cross the line there. Their parents or guardians are likely to approach you if they notice you photographing them to ask to remove the photo you just took of their child. There may be many reasons for that and there are many cases where a random photo of a child at a public place was shared on SM that then triggered the attention of custodians, courts and so on so tread with extreme caution where minors are involved, photography is not about ruining your own or other people’s lives.
BE POLITE & TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
are “all in” that perfect moment of clicking the shutter button. Turning the tables, it’s easy to appreciate why a person who is minding their own business as they walk or drive down the street could feel stressed when they see a person with a camera photographing them – All sorts of thoughts will pass through their mind; “Why are they photographing me?”, “Is there something wrong with me?”, “I’m not in my best shape/clothes/mood today”, “What’s going on?!”. So what do you do and how do you behave if you are approached by the subject of your photo?
Always be polite and responsible. It is worth remembering that in such cases you as a photographer represent the whole photography community and should something go wrong and the upset subjects of your photographs take it to social media or it leaks into the news, the photography community as a whole is affected. “The photographers these days have no respect…”, “These photo snappers need to be stopped” are phrases we need to nip in the bud. If you are asked to delete the photo – it is always better to do so, no questions asked. Here in NZ, you are legally allowed to take photographs of people in public places where no privacy is expected but always check the rules of other countries and states if you are going overseas. For general guidelines take a read of https://nzlaw.co.nz/news/how-private-is-privatewhen-taking-photos-in-a-public-place.
April 2019
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PORTFOLIO
BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH
LIGHTHOUSE ISO100, 116mm
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
A rainbow competing with the bright colors of a decorative lighthouse at Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf.
Andy Popadiuk
April 2019
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FASHION ON THE BEACH F2.8, 1/640s, ISO200
KAREKARE BEACH, AUCKLAND Photographer / Retoucher: Anupama S. Wijesundara Model / Makeup Artist : Danisha
Anupama S. Wijesundara NZPhotographer 34
April 2019
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36 NZPhotographer
CAMBRIDGE CHERRY BLOSSOM F4.5
CAMBRIDGE AVANTIDROME Stunning Spring Cherry Blossoms.
Ben Langton Burnell April 2019 37
38 NZPhotographer
SPIDER F7.1, 1/250s, ISO200 During a visit to Owharoa Falls, I decided to get out my macro lens and take a closer look at the Monbretia growing wild. I spotted this spider against the bright orange of the flowers.
Carole Garside
April 2019
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40 NZPhotographer
JEKYLL ISLAND F8,1/2s, ISO64
JEKYLL ISLAND, GEORGIA, USA
Dawn at Jekyll Island. This kind of light is magical and makes the Island seem magical too.
Chick Piper
April 2019
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42 NZPhotographer
EMPEROR PENGUIN MOULTING F8,1/2s, ISO64
SCOTT BASE, ANTARCTICA
An Emperor Penguin in full moult outside Scott Base.
Dan Poulton
April 2019
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44 NZPhotographer
MATAURI BAY F11, 1/160s, IS0100
NORTHLAND
We spent a couple of nights at Matauri Bay in our motorhome and loved this view taken from a high point on the road from Whangaroa.
Diane Beguely
April 2019
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ABSTRACT F16. 1/200s, ISO200
TAUPO
A stunning colourful abstract against a clear blue sky.
Gary Reid
46 NZPhotographer
FEA OF THE SLEEPING NATURE Photographer & Retoucher: Tanya Mishchuk Model: RuiJie Tang Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist: Sabrina Begum Costume Designer: Marz Court / The Baroness Creates
Tanya Mishchuk
April 2019
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48 NZPhotographer
CHEETAH LAZING AROUND F6.3, 1/320s, IS0400
TAUPO
This photo was taken on a recent trip to Nambiti Game Reserve in South Africa.
Jessi-Lee Long
April 2019
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50 NZPhotographer
THE BEAUTIFUL PEST F2.8, 1/2000s, IS0200, 400mm
ROTOTAWAI, FEATHERSTON.
Numbers make the Rabbit a National Pest, but their beauty is undeniable.
Greg Arnold
April 2019
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52 NZPhotographer
FAMILY F8, 1/180s, ISO200
KAREKARE BEACH, AUCKLAND.
I went for a photo shoot of a young girl and her whole family came to support her. I got this candid shot while they were going to the beach.
Harendra Bahadur
April 2019
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54 NZPhotographer
THE RIGHT ANGLE F7, 1/40s, 132mm As my friends pose and take pictures, the camera man keeps saying he can't get a good angle. Little did he know that it was just the right angle for me!.
Gwyndolyn Domino
April 2019
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56 NZPhotographer
A BLUE AND YELLOW MORNING IN THE MOUNT F5.6, 1/100s, ISO200
MOUNT MAUNGANUI
An early morning walk was well worth it when I was greeted with colours like this.
Jo Mohi
April 2019
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58 NZPhotographer
THE GATHERER F5, 1/1000s, IS0800
WAIKANAE, KAPITI COAST
One of the many tireless worker bees visiting the pohutukawa tree this summer.
Kelly Pettitt
April 2019
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60 NZPhotographer
MILKYWAY 8s, ISO3200
MOERAKI CAMPING GROUND
This photo was taken 2 weeks back at Moeraki on the way to Christchurch.
Nihad Mahamood
April 2019
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62 NZPhotographer
MY EDEN F7.1, 1/56s, ISO 200
MT EDEN SUMMIT
This iconic volcanic cone was my home for many years. The views from the summit are some of the best in Auckland.
Olga Macagon
April 2019
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NO SWIMMING TODAY F18, ISO100, 23mm
MURRAYS BAY JETTY, AUCKLAND
An 8 minute long exposure taken at the end of Murrays Bay Jetty on Auckland's North shore with a 10 stop filter.
Wayne Boardman
64 NZPhotographer
April 2019
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"PHOTOGRAPHY IS ABOUT FINDING OUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN THE FRAME. WHEN YOU PUT FOUR EDGES AROUND SOME FACTS, YOU CHANGE THOSE FACTS." GARRY WINOGRAND
66 NZPhotographer