Preview: D-Photo Issue No. 74

WANT SOMETHING SMALL? FIND THE COMPACT CAMERA 74 THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU ISSUE

GET CRAFTING: AN EASY-TO-MAKE DIY LIGHT TENT

TOP 10 TIPS TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR POINT-AND-SHOOT

New Zealand New Zealand O C T– N O V

2016

74 ISSUE

Macro Adventures

D I G I TA L P H O T O G R A P H Y M A D E E A S Y

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KICK-START YOUR

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KICK-START YOUR MACRO ADVENTURES — LEARN THE FOUNDATIONS

LEARN THE FOUNDATIONS

PHOTO BOOKS: THE ART OF THE BOOKBINDER RESURGENT EXPERT KNOWLEDGE, EASY APPLICATION: LEARN HOW TO TACKLE CAMERA NOISE

MEET THE 2016 IRIS AWARDS NZ PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: KATHERINE WILLIAMS CANDID CAPTURES: MADAGASCAR BY BIKE

EDITORIAL

Cover image: Bryce McQuillan

dphoto.co.nz ISSN 1176 - 6948 HOW TO SUBSCRIBE D-Photo magazine is published six times per year in both print and digital formats. To select the subscription option that is right for you, more information can be found by visiting our online store magstore.nz.

EDITOR Lara Wyatt, editor@dphoto.co.nz SUBEDITOR Jacqui Madelin PROOFER Odelia Schaare DESIGN Mark Tate STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Adam Croy ADVERTISING MANAGER David Burns, dburns@parkside.co.nz CLIENT SERVICES

TALENTED KIWIS It sometimes feels that we’re a bit isolated from the rest of the world here in little old New Zealand, and that it’s a lot harder for Kiwi artists to get noticed internationally, but, when you take a closer look, Kiwis are making it big all over the show. Even in just the last few months, I’ve been made aware of Cathy Carter being a finalist in the Sydney Head On Photo Festival and then taking her exhibition to New York. Then, there’s The International Collaboration Project, one half of which is Kiwi Deb Young, who’s been working with American Francisco Diaz and is having their combined works seen around the world. And when you check out the news section of this issue, you’ll read all about Ata Te Tangata, an Auckland Festival of Photography exhibition featuring works by photographers of Maori and Pacific heritage, which will travel to China for the Pingyao International Photography Festival. And that’s just to name a few!

There’s no denying that Kiwi artists are full of talent, and I tend to think that our unique landscape, lifestyle, and culture set us apart from the rest of the world and allow us to produce fresh and exiting artworks from our different points of view. One of the amazing things about New Zealand is the country’s multiculturalism — having traditions, lifestyles, and cultures from all over the world represented within our population of nearly 4.5 million is amazing, and we get to experience so much from the rest of the world without even having to leave our shores.

It’s also the encouragement Kiwis get for expressing themselves through art that allows our nation to produce such high-quality work. After talking to Clive Bartleet back in Issue No. 72 about the fight to have photography established as its own subject in the New Zealand school curriculum, it’s easy to see how passionate we are about the arts and all its facets — and that passion is supported by the abundance of art galleries and studios, the cafes that are willing to have their walls adorned with artwork to function as makeshift galleries, and the various art festivals held across the country. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, therefore, that, with this encouragement and constant sources of inspiration, Kiwis produce some outstanding creations — of which I am proud to say D-Photo is able to share a selection.

Rebecca Frogley, advertising@parkside.co.nz ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Rebecca Frogley

CONTRIBUTORS Adam Croy, Rebecca Frogley, Adrian Hatwell, Chris van Ryn, Mareea Vegas, Hans Weichselbaum

D-Photo magazine is published by

Phone: 09 360 1480, Fax: 09 360 1470 PO Box 46,020, Herne Bay, Auckland Email: info@parkside.co.nz Web: parksidemedia.co.nz

PUBLISHER Greg Vincent, gvincent@parkside.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Michael White, mwhite@parkside.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER, OPERATIONS Simon Holloway, sholloway@parkside.co.nz SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Liz Brook, subs@parkside.co.nz PRINTING PMP Maxum DISTRIBUTION Gordon & Gotch Phone: 09 928 4200

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Parkside Media uses due care and diligence in the preparation of this magazine, but is not responsible or liable for any mistakes, misprints, omissions, or typographical errors. Parkside Media prints advertisements provided to the publisher, but gives no warranty and makes no representation as to the truth, accuracy, or sufficiency of

We’re a unique and humble nation, quietly achieving extraordinary things, and it’s amazing to see Kiwis representing our country in such beautiful ways within New Zealand and all around the world.

any description, photograph, or statement. Parkside Media accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph, or statement contained herein. Parkside Media reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any reason. The views expressed in this magazine

Lara Wyatt

are not necessarily those of Parkside Media, the publisher, or the editor.

All material published, gathered, or created for D-Photo magazine is copyright of Parkside Media Limited. All rights reserved in all media.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.

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CONTENTS ISSUE 74

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46 66 IN THE KNOW 8 COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE

See what D-Photo readers have been working on and where they’ve been

10 FOCUS

Recognizing photographic achievement and bringing you all the latest news from the photography world

16 WHAT’S ONLINE

Find out what our top stories are over at dphoto.co.nz

BE INSPIRED 18 A BICYCLE AND A CAMERA IN MADAGASCAR

Chris van Ryn travels Madagascar by bike with his camera in hand — see his journey in pictures

26 MEET THE 2016 NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Get to know Epson/NZIPP Iris Awards Photographer of the Year 2016 Katherine Williams

34 WORTH 1000 WORDS

Discover the stories behind three stunning photographs

38 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 40 KICK-STARTING YOUR MACRO ADVENTURES

Learn more about macro photography with advice from photographer Bryce McQuillan

46 PERFECTION AND PATIENCE

Explore Leemay Wong’s minimalistic still-life sequence photography

78 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BOOKBINDER

Louise James of The Binding Studio talks about the art of bookbinding and the rise of photo books

52 BUYERS GUIDE: COMPACT CAMERAS 82 DIY PROJECT: MAKE YOUR OWN AND ACCESSORIES LIGHT TENT We bring you an extensive guide to these cameras and accessories for them

55 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 56 WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS

Mary Moore talks about her experience of joining Hawera Camera Club

We get the craft knife and white tissue out and show you what you can achieve with a home-made light tent

86 HOW NOISY IS YOUR CAMERA? PART TWO — SOFTWARE TRICKS TO REDUCE NOISE

Hans Weichselbaum looks at how to use various programs to tackle image noise

62 V ISUAL DEPICTIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESS

UCOL student Em Blackmore discusses her end-of-year project, titled Invisible

66 A PLACE IN TIME

Mareea Vegas talks to Kate van der Drift about how her images explore the impact of nature and people on landscapes

LEARN THE ROPES 70 TOP 10 WAYS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA

Shoot like a pro with your compact

72 THINKING OUTSIDE THE SOFT BOX

Rebecca Frogley uses Profoto’s range of

lights and shapers to explore the genre of still-life photography

90 EXPLAINED: GIMBAL

We find out the importance of a gimbal when it comes to aerial photography

92 KIDS PHOTO COMP

Congratulations to this issue’s winners, guest judged by Jenna Young

94 Q&A

D-Photo talks to Auckland Camera Centre’s Nick Khoey about the family-owned and -operated business

WHAT’S COMING UP 95 CALENDAR

Make sure you have all these important dates in your diary

96 PARTING SHOT

Find out what we’ve got planned for the next issue of D-Photo

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PROFILE CHRIS VAN RYN

Olympus E-M5, 35mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 200

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Olympus E-M5, 100mm, f/4.5, 1/400s, ISO 400

A BICYCLE AND A CAMERA IN MADAGASCAR Chris van Ryn explored Madagascar by bike, stumbling across myriad candid moments, which he captured with his limited photographic kit “There’s a chameleon!” came the call from our guide. I cycled up to the bushes, dismounted, swung my bag around to the front and reached for my camera. “Where?” I queried, peering closely. “There,” he replied, pointing. “Looks like a branch.” Then I saw it — moving slowly, tentatively reaching out its front ‘fingers’ like an elderly man reaching for a coffee mug, before it finally gripped the branch, pulled itself forward, then repeated the motion with the other leg. Despite the slowness, it disappeared from view much quicker than I anticipated, its head becoming obscured by leaves. Damn, I thought. I sprinted around to the other side of the bush, pushing in between the branches. I zoomed right in, checked the depth of field, set the aperture to f/2.8, then took a shot. I adjusted the camera, set the aperture to f/3.5, then took another. I wanted to make sure there was enough in focus, but I still wanted some bokeh. I decided to play it safe. I set the aperture to f/4.5, and then I had my money shot.

Setting off again, we headed further into the remote countryside. The trip consisted of 500km of cycling in just over seven days, and 56km of hiking. Travelling in this way puts you inside a scene as a participant; you are no longer just an observer.

We’d departed from the capital, Antananarivo — a chaos of people; dust; diesel­-puffing trucks, Renaults, and Citroëns from the ’50s; humped zebu; squawking roosters; and roadside markets where bluebottles swarmed over meat, alongside vegetables and fruits of assorted reds and greens ­— a Mecca for street photography. From there, we had ridden south into the highlands, over the mountainous vertebrae that separates east from west along the length of Madagascar, forging polarized geographic personalities. In the east, a sweeping moist wind had spawned a green belt.

In the west, dry, arid air had turned land into sand that supported spiny forests with cacti bearing 19

FOLIO KATHERINE WILLIAMS

MEET THE 2016 NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR At the 2016 NZIPP Iris Awards, Katherine Williams was left speechless when her name was called to receive the top honour. Adrian Hatwell spoke with Williams about her win and her plans for the future When Katherine Williams found out, onstage, in front of a roomful of colleagues and friends, that she was the 2016 New Zealand Photographer of the Year, she was dumbstruck. Taking the top spot in the Iris Professional Photography Awards is a prodigious achievement for any photographer, but Williams was completely floored by the announcement, having never considered the possibility of winning.

“In all honesty, it wasn’t on my radar,” the photographer said. “I’ve always set myself

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goals, but that wasn’t one of them … that one just snuck up on me and blew me sideways.”

In addition to the overall award, Williams also took out both the Wedding Classic and Wedding Creative categories in the professional awards programme with a portfolio of richly evocative monochrome prints. This marks the first time in over a decade that a wedding photographer has scooped the top honour — a strong testament to Williams’ sophisticated approach to the genre.

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STYLE MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

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KICK-STARTING YOUR MACRO ADVENTURES Drawing on the expertise of photographer Bryce McQuillan, we look at the style of macro photography and what makes it so intriguing

First of all, what is ‘macro photography’? Well, you know those images of what-shouldbe-super-tiny critters that appear as gigantic creatures in photos? They are examples of macro photography — the creation of images of small items to make them appear larger than life size. They tend to show an incredible amount of detail — often more than the naked eye can see from just observing the object in its usual environment. You’ll be familiar with macro photographs that include such things as ultra-close-ups of a fly’s eye, a close-up image

of a centre of a flower blossom, or maybe a rain droplet. They tend to be beautiful, educational, and sometimes they look like they’d be very tricky to master. Which is where Bryce McQuillan comes in. McQuillan is a Rotoruabased photographer who has been shooting for six years (nine years actually, but he modestly said that it took a while to start understanding the results that he was achieving).

There are many uses for macro photography — for example, showing products off in

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CLUB HAWERA CAMERA CLUB

WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS After making the move to Manaia, in South Taranaki, Mary Moore surrounded herself with like-minded individuals from the Hawera Camera Club. We talked to her about her interest in photography and how the club has helped in her creations

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Starting out with a Kodak Brownie in hand, Mary Moore found herself in the world of photography from the age of 12. She had saved up her earnings from her summer job, bought the one-push-button camera with no controls and 620-size film, and was away shooting.

“I don’t remember where the thought originated that I needed a camera, but I loved taking photos of anything that moved. Over the years, I had a variety of lenses and even a black-and-white darkroom to play around in,” Moore explained.

It was in 2008 that she reluctantly ventured into the digital world — but she didn’t stay down about the move for long. After all, she didn’t have to worry about running out of film or the cost of having to process every single exposure in the hope of getting one good shot — a whole new world had opened to her. These days, you’ll see Moore out and about shooting on her Nikon D80 with her favourite 16–85mm wideangle lens.

Moore admires the works of Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson (Adams’ breathtaking black-and-white landscapes of Yosemite especially, as well as Cartier-Bresson’s capturing of candid moments), and she finds herself drawn to photographing landscapes — “I’m a sucker for florals” — as well as trying her hand at people photography. Moore is a big believer in practice, stating that, as she’s mainly

self-taught, it all comes down to trial and error, and, through this, you can learn a different way of seeing things that you may not have thought of before.

A year and a half ago, Moore moved to Manaia, in South Taranaki, and was on the lookout for a camera club to join to keep her passion for photography alive and well, as well as the chance to connect with like-minded individuals in her newfound hometown. She came across Hawera Camera Club and has been a member ever since, quickly climbing the ranks to her current secretary position.

“I just jumped in, and the group welcomed me warmly,” she said. “Camera-club people are like that. There are people from all walks of life in the club, but, although they are strangers in the beginning, you already have a lot in common with them through an interest in photography.”

And these “camera-club folk,” as Moore described them, are always willing to share their knowledge and expertise to see everyone’s work progress and evolve. At a club night, members will gather to share recent photos they have taken, and, every month, there is the Set Subject challenge as well as an open category competition. Images are submitted, and a judge will grade the images, with the results tallying up over the year and trophies awarded at the end of it.

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PARTING SHOT

Mark Waddington

COMING UP NEXT …

GETTING TO KNOW A WINNER We catch up with the 2016 Sigma D-Photo Amateur Photographer of the Year to find out what he’s been shooting since his win, and what projects he has coming up.

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ALSO NEXT ISSUE Yuto Matsuda

We explore the uprising of 360-degree photography in our Trends column.

Get your semi-opaque milk bottles at the ready — next issue’s Pro at Home will look at how you can create your own flash diffuser.

ONE TO WATCH He took out the Junior category of the 2016 Sigma D-Photo Amateur Photographer of the Year competition, now we find out where Yuto Matsuda plans to take his photography, and what inspired him to pick up a camera in the first place.

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We’ll speak with Evotia Tamua about her time spent in the Samoan village of Salelesi, and we’ll bring you her images from her time there as part of her artist’s residency.