CameraTalk August/September 2020 by Photographic Society of New Zealand

NZ CameraTalk To p r o m o t e t h e w i d e r e n j o y m e n t o f p h o t o g r a p h y

T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E P H OT O G R A P H I C S O C I E T Y O F N E W Z E A L A N D I N C

August /September 2020

In this issue PRESIDENT Moira Blincoe LPSNZ t. 027 473 3038 e: president@photography.org.nz

VICE-PRESIDENT

Karen Lawton t. 021 143 7764 e. vicepresident@photography.org.nz

TREASURER Judith Bishop LPSNZ 705 Richmond St, Thames 3500 e. treasurer@photography.org.nz

SECRETARY Patrice Nilsen 8 Raroa Terrace, Tawa, Wellington 5028 t. 04 232 1565 e. secretary@photography.org.nz

EDITOR, ADVERTISING & LAYOUT

WELCOME TO THE fourth edition of CameraTalk for 2020. The issue has returned to a level of normality and back to its usual size. Showing how times are changing with the Honours system we are proud to present the listing of those who have achieved their distinctions this year. They have had to wait much longer than in the past. The special feature is on Portraiture. We also showcase the results of the North Shore Salon, Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon and the Trenna Packer Salver. We also have an article on the benefits of backup, as well as important information about judging. We profile new councillor Judith Bishop LPSNZ and report on the Astro workshop held in Queenstown. Finally, for those confused by the letters you see behind peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s names we have a comprehensive listing of what they mean. Paul Whitham LPSNZ Editor

Paul Whitham LPSNZ PSNZ Councillor t. m. 021 644 418 e. paul@pwfotos.com

SUBEDITOR Lindsay Stockbridge LPSNZ 14 Poynter Place, Whanganui 4501 t. 06 348 7141 or m. 027 653 0341 e. dilinz@actrix.co.nz

CAMERATALK DEADLINE

The next CameraTalk deadline is 1October 2020 Email your contributions to the SubEditor at his email address. Editorial should be sent as Word or .txt files. JPEG images generally should be saved at 300 dpi, compressed to high to medium quality. Include return postage if you wish material to be returned. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Council of PSNZ.

On the cover Sitting in the Water by Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP GPSA EPSA, featuring model Georgia Baynon.

Key Dates for the Diary

Judge Training

Editorial

2020 PSNZ Honours

Situation Vacant Judge Accreditation Panel changes Special Feature: Portraiture

The Importance of Backups

Using Judges

Councillor Profile: Judith Bishop LPSNZ

Astrophotography Workshop

AV News

Canon Online Results

Salon Results

What Those Letters Mean

16 18

WE ARE NOW entering what are typically the coldest and wettest two months of the year, and I hope everyone has been keeping warm, dry and safe. It has been great to see that many members have embraced the effects of winter on our landscapes and surrounding areas and made some very beautiful photographs. The hoar frost that hit Southland at the end of July gave many of you the opportunity to make what I can only refer to as ‘picture postcard’ images and I felt quite jealous while we endured some harsh wind and rain in Auckland. In July most clubs returned to ‘normal transmission’. It is encouraging to hear that members have enjoyed returning to ‘live’ meetings and the ability to enter prints again. Last week the PSNZ Honours Board met in their new location of Invercargill to assess the 2020 honours submissions, albeit four months behind schedule! While some of the judging extended well into the evenings, everything ran like a Swiss clock - smoothly and efficiently, thanks to Secretary Stephanie Forrester APSNZ and her efficient ‘behind the scenes’ team of helpers. The 2020 assessments were the first for new Chairman, Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ. With two new members Paul Byrne FPSNZ ARPS AFIAP and Helen McLeod FPSNZ GPSA ARPS joining the Board, Bruce gave a half day workshop to ensure that Board members understood the submission requirements within each distinction. As Bruce has spent considerable time updating members on the guidelines for achieving an honours distinction through regular presentations at clubs and conventions, plus a very detailed article in the December 2019 issue of CameraTalk, he spent time to ensure everyone understood the same messaging.

A Note from the President Once again I was fortunate to witness the judging and I am always left in awe at the calibre of people’s work. When a member submits a portfolio for an honours distinction, I believe we witness the ‘heart and soul’ of that photographer, and it is often where we will see members’ best work. In creating portfolios photographers challenge their own creativity, techniques and processes in order to produce their best work. Congratulations to every member who achieved a PSNZ honours distinction this year, and my commiserations to those who did not get through. Please do not be too hard on yourself or too disappointed.... I’ve been there too! Within a few weeks you will receive your feedback letter from the Board. I’m confident you will find the feedback constructive, and I encourage you to learn from the comments .... And, do try again in the future.

(continued overleaf)

Because of the disruption that COVID-19 has caused us, with no convention, there was no CR Kennedy Honours Banquet. Council is working with the organising committee for the 2021 national convention to incorporate the exhibition of two years’ successful sets as well as presenting members their distinctions at the banquet.

themselves have admitted that their ‘age and stage of life’ wouldn’t make them suitable.

Sadly, my husband tells me that I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, and I know some members have responded accordingly. However, my biggest concern for the Society now is in terms of succession planning for the Executive and broader Council.

It has been fantastic to see the immediate reponse to the release of the PSNZ Workshop Series - another event affected by COVID-19. With the first workshop being Astrophotography with Chris Pegman FPSNZ, held two weeks ago in Queenstown, it looked like the weather gods turned on a clear night and the photographers made some stunning images.

My three year term as President will come to a close in 2021 and while I will continue as the Immediate Past President to support an incoming President and Vice President, we do not currently have anyone on Council stepping forward to be President. This is a situation that the Society finds itself in for the first time that I can recall. This situation not only applies to the Executive Officer roles, it also includes Council in general. In the 10 years of my tenure on Council, there have only ever been two ballots requiring voting, which is incredibly disappointing for a Society with a membership of over 1000. 2021 will be my 11th year on Council and I am feeling somewhat at a loss as to why we cannot entice people to put themselves forward for Council. Whilst some earlier responses to my request for volunteers were heartening, this has not led to any confirmed agreements for some of the key roles. The roles within Council have evolved over the years; there is now a greater degree of skill and expertise required and it would be preferable to have a mixture of youth and experience to call on for the ongoing continuance of Council. It has only been after discussions about the Council roles with some of the earlier respondents that they

As of our Annual General Meeting in June Judith Bishop LPSNZ is our new Treasurer, replacing David Knightley to fulfill this vital role on Council. Welcome Judith, we all look forward to working with you.

I am looking forward to being a delegate on the Matt Leamy Macro workshop in Nelson and Craig McLenzie’s Wildlife/Bird photography workshop on Kapiti Island. It is always good to push our boundaries and take ourselves out of the comfort zone of photographing our favoured genres. I’m hearing lots of positive comments that many of you feel the same way. As mentioned above the organising committee for this year’s national convention has agreed to host the event in 2021, which is heartening for everyone considering the amount of work that they had put into hosting the event. To be cut short by one month was incredibly sad for us all. So, instead of 2020 Vision it will be known as 2021 Vision, held in Christchurch from 15 to 18 April 2021. Stay safe and warm during the next few months of colder weather. I hope you continue to be inspired and motivated in your photographic journey.

Key Dates for the Diary August 1 August 22 August 25 August 29 August 31 September 12 October 10-11 October 11 October 25 November 14

Entries for Nelson National Triptych Salon open PSNZ Workshop - Painting with your Camera - Judy Stokes APSNZ Canon Online Round 4 closes PSNZ Workshop - Portraiture - Aaron Key Entries for Nelson National Triptych Salon close PSNZ Workshop - Creative Photography - Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ Judge Training in Wellington PSNZ Workshop - Macro Photography - Matt Leamy Canon Online Round 5 closes PSNZ Workshop - Bird Photography - Craig McKenzie

December 25

Canon Online Round 6 closes

The production of New Zealand Camera 2020 has proceeded smoothly and the books should be distributed within the next month. Now is the time to go into the PSNZ database and check that your delivery details are correct. Also, can club contacts please check that delivery addresses for clubs are up to date, and that someone will be at the address during the next four weeks. In 2019 we had several instances of delayed delivery because the person whose address was listed as the club contact was away on holiday.

King Tui by Rebecca MacDonald - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Prints Open

Milky Way but No Milo by Roger Wanderless FPSNZ FNZIPP - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Prints â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Scapes

Judge Training – Wellington Area 10 and 11 October 2020 by Shona Jaray APSNZ Judge Accreditation Panel

NOW THAT RESTRICTIONS on gatherings have been lifted, I am pleased to announce that we are able to hold one judge training weekend this year, in the Wellington area. The two day course will be held on 10 and 11 October at the Otaihanga Boat Club, 19 Makora Road, Otaihanga, Paraparaumu. There is plenty of parking. Please don’t leave it until the last minute to register as these workshops fill up fast – we have a maximum capacity of 30. The workshop starts at 10:00 am on Saturday and runs until approximately 5:00 pm. On Sunday it starts at 9:30 am and finishes at approximately 4:00 pm. PSNZ members and members of affiliated clubs are invited to attend. There is no charge for financial PSNZ members and a $60.00 charge for those who are not financial members. Alternatively, become a member of PSNZ, pick up the judge training weekend at no cost, and enjoy all the other benefits that PSNZ has to offer. There is no expectation that those who attend will continue on to train to become a PSNZ Accredited Judge. The workshop aims to provide those attending with a good understanding of the standards expected for club judging. You will be taken through a process of image evaluation and critiquing which will help you to put aside your personal prejudices and biases to give a balanced and informed critique. Comprehensive handout notes are provided at the beginning of the workshop. Lunch, morning and afternoon tea are provided. If you are interested in attending, please visit the PSNZ website – https://photography.org.nz and under the events tab you will find the judge training weekend application form. It will be first in, first served – the maximum capacity is 30. More information will be sent out to attendees closer to the time of the workshop. If you have questions prior to applying to attend, please email judging@photography.org.nz

Editorial : Adversity and Opportunity By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

I SUSPECT THAT the majority of us are somewhat resistant to change, and that real change often only happens when we are forced to do it. It is true that many of the inventions that we take for granted came about because of some conflict, whether real or perceived. There is little doubt that 2020 will go down as a year of adversity as our normal ways of operating were completely screwed up. However, it is not all doom and gloom, and in fact out of that adversity have come opportunities that if we embrace them will only make us better. The first is the way that New Zealand Camera is put together. I am not sure if members are aware, but this publication came out of a group in Christchurch and has been centered around that city ever since. Because PSNZ didn’t want to spend too much money on the selection process, all of the selectors have come from the Canterbury region. Since I have been on Council there have been a number of discussions about how to widen the selection base, but they were never acted upon. This year the PSNZ Council’s hands were forced, when three of the four current selectors indicated that due to Covid-19 issues they could no longer continue to serve on the panel. The decision became simple: either cancel the publication or find a new selection process. Fortunately, the latter was chosen, and three new selectors were recruited from around the country. Using Dropbox and Zoom a fine publication was put together and is currently with the printers. The one continuing selector even made the comment that the process was much smoother than in previous years. The other PSNZ event that COVID-19 affected was the national convention, and particularly the AGM. While the convention has been cancelled, the AGM is a legal requirement and therefore had to be held in some way. Fortunately the constitution didn’t specify the form that the AGM took, so we were able to use Zoom to conduct the meeting. I personally hope that this is the future for the AGM, and we don’t revert back in 2021 to the normal format. The AGM takes up a significant part of the convention programme and represents time in which most delegates would probably rather do something else. Despite the fact that only half of registered delegates attend the AGM, the convention manual specifically bans the organising committee from scheduling something against it. Now I know that AGMs are important, but do they really need to be held at the convention? NZIPP has its main conference and AGM at separate times - and that seems to work for them.

Having the AGM by Zoom also meant that members unable to attend the convention, for any reason, could still take part in the discussions. The other opportunity to come out of COVID-19 is that we have all got used to video conferences, and that has opened up a range of speakers and sessions for club members, if your cub is so inclined. Admittedly it does not replace face-to-face meetings, however it comes pretty close. In fact my own camera club committee is still running committee meetings by Zoom, even though we can meet in person. Not having to drive to meetings on cold and dark nights is too appealing. Finally, I am not sure how many of you used the opportunity of having more time to focus on your photography. I know that I certainly did, and have finally worked on a personal project that I actually started in 2018 - and then stalled.

Photographers on the Astro workshop are captured by James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP. Read the full article on page 38

2020 PSNZ Honours THE PSNZ COUNCIL is pleased to acknowledge those members who were successful in achieving their distinctions this year. The formal presentations will be made at the 2021 national convention in Christchurch.

Licentiates Judy Alley

Aston Moss

Bill Anderson

Lynda Mowat

Richard Baldwin

Torben Nielsen

Richard Bamfield

John Organ

May Bass

Troy Perano

Jo Broadhead

Martin Richardson

Dennis Chang

Anna Stewart

Nel Davison

Brian Turner

Rodney Donaldson

Helen Waldron

John Gregory

Phillipa Wood

Brian Karl

Michael Yu

Lynda Leng

Yan Yuan

Rosalie Lindsay Rick Lussi Stuart Mackay Jane Mackay Jan Macpherson Barry Mahon Deborah Martin Alana Maulder Bronwen McKenzie

Associates Gillian Clover Mandy Hague Val Pohio Louise Savage Pauline Smith Michael White Paul Willyams

2020 Honours Assessments By Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ

THE HONOURS BOARD would like to congratulate all PSNZ members who have been awarded PSNZ Honours this year. We appreciate it has been a tough year with the COVID lockdown and the need to keep ourselves and the team in Invercargill safe. We are very appreciative of your patience as we have worked towards assessing your applications. This year I chaired my first Honours Board and we welcomed Paul Byrne FPSNZ ARPS AFIAP and Helen McLeod FPSNZ GPSA ARPS onto the Honours Board. On Wednesday afternoon we met to induct our new members, to refresh ourselves on the honours guidelines and make sure we all agreed on our approach to the assessment.

Our objective was to take a positive approach to the assessment and to be as consistent as we could be. We agreed to take all the time we needed to assess submissions and to talk whenever we needed to. The Honours Board developed a great vibe very quickly and we worked well together to assess your portfolios. We had many deep discussions about your work and in the end we all felt comfortable that we had been consistent and that your successes reflected a good standard, respected our existing and past Honours holders and rewarded good photography. We do not believe we raised the bar, and sought to reward those that demonstrated broad skill in photographic craft for the Licentiate, broad based advanced skills in the Associate and mastery of photographic art for the Fellowship.

The Honours Board: Bruce Girdwood (chair), Stephanie Forrester, (secretary) Meg Lipscombe, Tracey Scott, Bevan Tulett, Helen McLeod and Paul Byrne

Once again the Licentiate applicants wowed us with their range of skills. Consistent with the guidelines, we looked for the demonstration of photographic craft in a diverse, cohesive set demonstrating your ability in a range of situations such as lighting, environment, genre and camera settings. Overall we felt that the applicants had a pretty good grasp of the guidelines and were doing well to put cohesive sets together. For the Associate we looked for the same but at an advanced level. Overall, we did not feel that Associate applicants demonstrated advanced skills, with many submissions showing a lack of understanding of the basics of photography and post processing. We also found that Associate applicants are trying to create a cohesive portfolio by photographing a theme. While we have no issues with themes we do still look for the diversity of your photographic skills, which very often did not show in the themed sets. Instead, these sets were constructed using a theme with a limited range of photographic skills on show when we are looking for your broad application of skills at an advanced level. The Associate is more akin to an advanced Licentiate than a mini Fellowship. We have also noticed over the years that people who have already achieved their Licentiate are more likely to be successful at the Associate. We would strongly recommend that applicants start with the Licentiate before attempting the Associate. Sadly, this year we did not award any Fellowships. A key to the success of a Fellowship is a demonstration of your mastery of photography through a thesislike approach. For this we look for a highly developed exploration of your subject, an interpretation which is yours and reflects your style. This year, we saw some amazing photography but the sets were limited in their development of an idea or concept. Often the artist statement excited us but was not reflected in the set. 12

We would like to assure you that we did not look for reasons not to accept applications; rather our approach was to find reasons why we should accept each application. We tried our best to reward good photography in line with the guidelines and we will provide feedback to those that were not successful. We are sensitive people and, as fellow photographers, we fully understand the amount of effort, love and care you put into your work. It is never easy to turn down an application and we do not do so lightly. We will complete the feedback letters in the next week or two and then we will make ourselves available for a follow-up conversation if required. We will also be posting all the successful sets on the PSNZ website in the near future. Thank you to everyone for trusting us to assess your work. Congratulations if you were successful and we hope that if you were not that you will take feedback in the constructive spirit in which it will be given and never give up. For future applications please read the guidelines carefully and look to show us your creativity in line with those guidelines. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Honours Board team of Tracey Scott FPSNZ AFIAP FNZIPP, Bevan Tulett FPSNZ, Meg Lipscombe FPSNZ, Helen McLeod and Paul Byrne for being such a great team to work with. Sadly we said goodbye to Meg this year and we are grateful that Tracey has agreed to stay on another year to keep continuity on the Board. To Stephanie Forrester APSNZ and her amazing Southland crew, thank you so much for the hard work you all put in to make sure the whole process ran smoothly and for your awesome Southland hospitality. It was also great to have our President, Moira Blincoe LPSNZ, to observe us at work. We look forward to doing it all over again - in the summer next time!

And here are some comments from some members of the Honours Board:

Paul Byrne: “I was pleased to see the respect board members showed towards all the applicants and their work. There were no time constraints and each portfolio was viewed for as long as it took for the board to make an appraisal and formulate a consensus agreement about the work presented. “I was surprised by the number of applicants whose portfolios indicated that the photographer had not read, or failed to comprehend and follow, the PSNZ guidelines. For example, at Associateship level the candidate should be able to show ‘… advanced techniques across a wide range of situations and conditions to demonstrate advanced photographic skills.’ This aspect was overlooked time and again, with photographers choosing to demonstrate one skill set repeated throughout a portfolio of almost identical images. The other aspect which seemed generally to cause some difficulty was the aspect of ‘flow’ between images to make a cohesive portfolio set.”

Helen McLeod: “This being my first Honours Board meeting, I was excited to see the various image submissions. These were assessed by evaluating the demonstration of photographic ability, the assembly of images into a cohesive portfolio, and the presentation of diversity. It became evident to me that it was the lack of understanding of diversity that let a number of submissions down. If you think about it there are various ways that diversity can be shown in your submission - subject, genre, colour, focal length and lighting, to name a few examples. To obtain a distinction we want to see that you are a competent photographer with an understanding of the functions of your camera, and some knowledge of image processing. Keeping things simple and showing diversity can be the best way. Take care, and keep smiling!”

Tracey Scott: “It is always a pleasure working alongside such a diverse group on the Honours Board, each with their own speciality, giving the board a wellrounded perspective on what is put before us to assess.”

National Convention 2021 Save the Date: 15 - 18 April 2021 Christchuch

Situations Vacant: PSNZ Needs Your skills! THE SOCIETY’S MISSION is ‘Helping Photographers Grow’. The generous assistance of our volunteers enables us to offer you many opportunities to participate and improve your photography.

Responsibilities include:

Council is very much in need of additional skilled people to assist with key portfolios and also some off-Council roles. The skill sets are specific to the demands and responsibilities of the roles and these are expanded further.

• Social media - administration and creation.

If you have skills and the time to be able to volunteer, then we would really like to talk further with you. In the first instance please make contact with President, Moira Blincoe at president@photography.org.nz, call her on 027 473 30 38, or talk to any of the Councillors.

• Publicising the PSNZ brand, member successes and events.

Council appreciates the commitments given in volunteering and I point out that it is not all ‘take, take’ as there are benefits and rewards in volunteering. Also, it is a lot of fun - and you meet and mix with a great variety of people, often making friends for life!

• Writing articles; proofreading/editing all marketing material. • Maintaining PSNZ’s brand profile.

• Creation of communication plans to assist the organising committees of various events with marketing and communication (advising, not always doing).

• Liaising with media and industry media partners, e.g. D-Photo Skills required: • Excellent writing skills. • Ability to edit and proofread. • Understanding of publicity and marketing. • Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and deadlines. • Understanding of social media.

Of high priority is our need for a Councillor for Communications and Marketing. The communications and marketing portfolio is one of the most important on Council. We don’t hide from the fact that this role is demanding, as the incumbent has to have a finger on the pulse of the Society - and in almost every pie. But that’s what makes it stimulating, varied and challenging, while at the same time allowing creativity, innovation and flair.

• Excellent computer skills – Word, Excel, PowerPoint. • Good customer service skills. A full portfolio description is available for this role.

Trophy and Awards Coordinator

Web Content Editor

Our present coordinator, Janice McKenna, has been trying to retire for a number of years, yet because we can’t find a replacement she is still hanging on. Perhaps by the skin of her teeth by now!

Our website is our main and key marketing tool. We receive outstanding advice and service from our webmaster, Toya Heatley APSNZ, who works diligently behind the scenes. We need someone to be the Council’s web editor and the liaison person with all Councillors to ensure the accuracy and immediacy of the web’s content.

This is an off-Council role and is probably best suited to someone who resides in a main city, in terms of access to key suppliers, couriers etc. Responsibilities for this role include: • Collating and maintaining all PSNZ trophies, medals and awards. • Liaising with recipients of awards; distribution and re-calling for return. • Liaising with printers, engravers and other suppliers. • Liaising with Councillor for national competitions. • Liaising with Organising Committee for national exhibition and/or national convention; Secretary Honours Board; Council. • Inventory control for stock, i.e. medals, ribbons, certificates. • Maintaining inventory of all awards; updating the coordinator’s manual.

This role could be combined with the Communications and Marketing portfolio and/ or it could be an off-Council role. Responsibilities include: • Reviewing and maintaining web content. • Liaison with all Councillors to ensure relevant portfolio information is published. • Liaison with webmaster. • Liaison with third party members, e.g. clubs, industry partners.

Skills required: • Strong writing skills. • Ability to edit and proofread. • Attention to detail and deadlines. • Strong computer skills – understanding of Wordpress content management software.

Skills Required: • Good computer skills, including both Word and basic Excel spreadsheet knowledge. • Well organised with solid administrative skills.

• Warm, friendly interpersonal skills dealing with a myriad of volunteers and professionals. • Good customer service skills.

• Good communication skills. • Customer service skills. • Storage availability for trophies etc.

Changing Places on the Judge Accreditation Panel by Moira Blincoe LPSNZ, President

ON BEHALF OF the PSNZ Council I am delighted to advise members of some recent changes to the PSNZ Accreditation Panel. These changes became effective post the Annual General Meeting of 14 June 2020. Retiring after seven years of service to the panel is John Boyd Hon FPSNZ Hon PSNZ APSNZ. Also retiring after two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; service is Julia Home APSNZ EFIAP AAPS GPSA PPSA. Chair of the Panel and a founding member of the programme, Shona Jaray APSNZ has retired from the Chair but will continue as a panel member for a further 12 months. Shona has indicated she will retire in 2021, having completed seven years on the panel. Stepping in to Chair the panel is Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS. On behalf of the Society our thanks and deep appreciation go to John and Julia for your commitment and support to not only the programme but to all members who have participated and achieved accreditation. Joining the panel are two new members: Paul Byrne FPSNZ and John Reid APSNZ ANPSNZ AFIAP. Welcome to you both. We know your knowledge, skills and support to members will be greatly appreciated. The full judge accreditation panel is: Caroline Ludford, Shona Jaray, Paul Byrne, Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ, John Reid APSNZ ANPSNZ AFIAP and Jenny Dey APSNZ as Secretary. It is only thanks to members such as yourselves that PSNZ can offer the Judge Accreditation Programme which helps our members grow in their judging and own photography skills.

Poppies by Pauline Smith LPSNZ - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Digital Red

Telephone Lines by John Ford - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Digital Open

Special Feature - Portraiture This editionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special feature is all about the art of shooting people up close, namely Portraiture. Since 2019 the genre has been recognised with gold medals in both print and digitals available in the National Exhibition. We are honoured to be able to bring you articles by Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP EPSA GPSA and Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP, who between them have won three of the four golds on offer over the two years. In addition, the feature contains two articles by CameraTalk editor Paul Whitham LPSNZ, intended to help put those new to the genre, or those nervous about how to begin.

Flying Red Dess by Scott Fowler - model Georgia Baynon

All images in this article by Paul Whitham

Paul Whitham LPSNZ Asks:

What is Portraiture? AS AN INTRODUCTION to the genre of portraiture, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at a definition. A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.

Types of portraiture Portraits can roughly be classified into three main groups.

Candid A candid portrait is one taken without the subject being aware of the fact. These pretty much did not exist before the invention of photography. To many people candid photos are their favourite types, as real emotion and genuine facial expressions can be captured. Often such expressions are lost when the person is asked to pose for the camera. This is particularly true when taking pictures children. You will often obtain much better results if you simply record what they are doing naturally, rather than asking them to do something.

You can take â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;candidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; during a studio session. You simply ask the person to move around rather than pose, and you take the images without warning. Often the images taken between the poses will be better than the posed shots.

Classic The classic portrait is posed, and the image is dominated by the subject. While the subject is aware that their image is being recorded, it is not necessary that they are engaging with the camera. 19

Generally, props will be kept to a bare minimum. While less true today, when portraits were painted the attire that the person was wearing was used to denote social standing. This is because the absence of surroundings makes it difficult to determine much about the person from the image itself. To maintain the focus on the subject the background will generally be simplified, either by using plain backgrounds or using wide apertures that have a very shallow depth of field. A subset of the classic portrait is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;headshotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This is a modern form of portrait that only focuses on the head and upper body, against a plain background. They are produced mainly for commercial marketing purposes. While not a hard and fast rule, classic portraits are taken with lenses with a narrow field of vision, with 50mm or 85mm primes being the choice of many photographers. For outside portraits many photographer like to use a 70-200mm f2.8, as the compression achieved also helps the subject stand out in the final image.

Environmental An environmental portrait is also posed, but rather than dominating the image, the subject is shown in their environment. The intention is that the viewer can learn more about the person by looking at the situation they have been shot in. As a result, environmental portraits tend to be shot using wider lenses than those used for classic portraits.

All images in this article by Scott Fowler

Portraiture By Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP EPSA GPSA

YOUR VISION FOR portraiture is unique to you. The look you want in your portraits, the depth of the shadows and the amount or type of lighting you use, are all your choice.

Write down all the elements that will be important for the success of the portrait.

Have confidence in your ideas, your vision, and remember it takes time and practice to achieve the look you want. It’s taken me many years of practice to achieve what I create, what I capture.

• What is the subject of the portrait, hair length and colour, body shape and height?

As photographers we put ourselves, our ideas and even our assumptions into our work. We interpret and create what we’re thinking. At first glance we imagine that great portraiture captures the very soul of the person being photographed, when in truth it is more about the soul of the photographer. You, not the subject, decide that moment when to press the shutter. Every decision has to happen at the moment you press the shutter. The more you understand how lenses and sensors behave, how light works and the digital darkroom, the more you will be capable of creating wonderful portraits.

• What is the vision I want to create?

• What location will I use, what lighting, lenses, clothing, make-up and hair, what time of day (especially if using natural light) and will I need help? You (the reader) need to write down as many of the different elements you can think of for your idea to be successful. Creativity takes courage, limited only by your imagination and skill level. Fill a bag with clothes that might work in a location; find a model, then see what happens. I do this with

Portraiture knows no bounds. The lighting you use, depth of field, lens, outfit, location, makeup plus much more all play a part. And let’s not forget the finishing of the image in the digital darkroom. Is the image going to be part of a composite; have you thought about lighting issues, perspectives, placement of the subject in the background? Is it a stand-alone image, or perhaps an environmental portrait? When I am considering a portrait, I go through a list of options, and I write my ideas (my vision) down. This is called story boarding. Getting Ready - model Zoe Phillips

new models to get to know them, to see how they work, what kind of looks I can get and to try new ideas. Practise, and just play. Once you have your concept on paper and are happy with the initial idea, find the subject,letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say a model. Contact the person, give a brief outline of your concept and ask if this is something he or she would be happy to do for you. Consider using a professional model instead of a beginner if portraiture and posing is new to you; they know what they are doing and you can concentrate on the camera and lighting. Then meet for a more detailed outline of the idea; check that the outfit/costume will fit. Ask if they have any concerns or worries and if they have any ideas to make the concept a success. Talk about a model release and any remuneration. Find your location and visit at the time of day you will be shooting, especially if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outdoors and you intend to use natural light as the main source. What if it is a bright sunny day? Will this location still work? Are there other options if necessary? If you are going to use artificial light for the shoot, what gear will you need, and will you need someone to carry it for you? Is there a place for the model to get

Uncertain - model Zoe Phillips

changed with privacy? Will the make-up artist (MUA) be with you on the day? Are there toilet facilities and do you need permission to shoot in the location? Keep your storyboard idea with you and write notes as you go to help you remember.

In the Tub - model Georgia Baynon

Once you have everything on the list sorted, set a date, a time - and go for it. With portraiture, I believe that we need to get the subject to ‘become’ the character we are trying to create. I see the models I work with as actors and actresses and spend time getting them into character. I become a story teller. You are trying to convince the viewer that the lie is real. An important part of making it real is the connection between the photographer and the subject in the image. While the model gets changed and the makeup and hair are being done I check the lighting. Set up the lights (if using artificial) and make sure they are all working as you want them to. I usually spend the first 10 to 15 minutes with the model, capturing images mostly as test shots; I find this allows us to relax, to get over any initial nervousness and see that we are both working towards the same goal. I then start to create the look I want. If I am using artificial light I will start with one light and build from there. If using natural light, I might use a reflector or two to move the light to where it needs to be; this is when another

set of hands can be helpful. Regardless of the lighting set up, add a little as you go and check the image in the back of your camera, often. When doing a portrait shoot I use a tripod as I want to get the sharpest image possible. I check my histogram to ensure I have the information in the capture I need for the digital darkroom. I check sharpness - is it sharp where it needs to be? Perspectives: if this image is part of a composite, will the angles be correct? Is there anything in the scene that I don’t want? Start to look at finessing the image – fixing what you can at this stage saves time and effort in postprocessing. Take your time. Show the model your pictures as you go; they may have some good feedback. Remember to be encouraging. Most important - have fun! If you and the model are relaxed and having fun it will come through in your images.

Yellow Dress - model Georgia Baynon

Incoming - model Georgia Baynon

Stretching - model Georgia Baynon

Isabella by Lynn Fothergill LPSNZ - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Prints People

Photographing Models - Some Tips By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

I HAVE BEEN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shootingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; models for more than ten years now, and while I do not claim to be an expert in this genre, I thought I would share some tips that I have gathered over the years. I have broken them down into two main groupings. I hope that you will find them useful. While the tips are specific to shooting people, many of them apply to other subjects.

While it applies to all genders, it is a sad fact that women tend to be more body-conscious than men. If you are shooting full or half body shots of women (and they are the clients), it is important to ask them what parts of their body they like and what they do not like. Now this will be very subjective and quite often the person will come up with things that you cannot see (or necessarily agree with).

Before you start shooting

This step is important because if you present someone with an image that has an area they do not like prominently displayed, the odds are that they will not like the image (unless you are an incredibly good photographer). People are also much more comfortable having their image taken when they believe you will be emphasising their good points.

1. Get to know your subject Plan to spend at least the first 10-15 minutes of a session not actually taking any photos. During this time you talk to the subject about what they want from the shoot and what you want from the shoot - both are important. If it is possible I tend to arrange to meet with a new model for coffee, at a public venue, before the shoot, as I find that this settles nerves for both parties.

2. Have a close look at your subject Again you do this without the camera because the second you pick that up you are likely to miss things, and you should check each time you significantly change a pose.

Melissa (right) was firmly of the belief that she could only be photographed from her left hand side, to the point that I could not get a good expression from her shooting from the right. Swapping her to the other side instantly got the looks I was going for. 26

All images in this article by Paul Whitham

Now, if you are in a relationship you will know that your partner probably doesn’t like you staring at beautiful young women who may or may not be wearing many clothes. However, in the name of art, this has to be done. Basically you are not actually looking at the subject but rather the individual elements that will eventually form part of the image. In particular you are looking for two different things that may present issues to you.

2b - Wardrobe issues By this I mean the likes of labels, tags, hanger strings, bra straps and loose threads. Before taking the shot you should also ensure that clothing that should not be in shot is not. While you can fix a lot of these issues in Photoshop, if you can eliminate these issues at the time of the shoot you will save so much time. Obviously there are times when you simply can’t avoid an issue, but at least you are pre warned that you will need to fix in post.

2a - Body Shape Supposedly, the ideal of beauty is that the body has perfect symmetry, running in a vertical line down the nose. The reality is that few people have this and one side of their body will be a slightly different shape to the other. The old adage that a person has a “best side” is actually true. For example, noses very rarely run straight but often curve towards one side of the face. If you shoot the nose with the curve running towards you then you end up with a nose looking larger than it would with the face turned the other way. If you examine the images below you will see what I mean. Bruce has broken his nose several times so that it angles off to one side. Notice how the nose appears larger from one direction than the other.

During the shoot Having done all this prep work it is now time to start shooting. At this point it is very easy to get caught up in the technical details of what is going on, and lose sight of the person in front of you.

Communicate The odds are that the person in front of the camera is nervous, and the easiest way to get them to relax is to talk to them. Generally I will talk about anything and everything when I am not directing them in terms of what I want out of the images.

Show rather than tell This particularly relates to posing. There are lots of words that can be used to describe ways in which the body can be moved, either as a whole or in parts. Trying to use them will likely confuse both you and your subject. I have found that it is easier to show the model what you are wanting them to do.

Don’t touch without permission This should go without saying, but never touch a model without first asking their permission. This applies to all aspects, including hair and attire. If you are a male photographer this is a situation where having another female at the shoot can come in extremely handy.

It’s always perfect, even when it is not Never ever say, “This is not working” when you have a model in front of you. The reality of any shoot is that things will go wrong, or at the very least not to plan. It may be that a light is not giving you the results that you want, or the pose is not working, or a hundred other things that in your mind are resulting in you not getting what you want. You may recognise where the issue is, but in the mind of the model, when they hear “this is not working” all they will equate it to is that they are not performing as you expect. So, in these circumstances simply say, “We have those shots; let’s try something different.”

Show the model the best shots Finally, people need feedback, so it is important that you show the model the back of the camera from time to time. However, be selective and only choose those images that are likely to make the final cut.

This is a simple exercise to see how asymmetrical a face is. Take a straight on photo of a person then in photoshop split the image vertically through the nose. Then take each half, copy it and then flip it to make a complete face. Do the same for the other side and then compare the three images.

What Makes a Great Competition Portrait? By Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP

I HAVE THOUGHT about this a lot, and of course I could share lighting and posing tips with you. But you don’t need to know them to take great portraits – I certainly didn’t when I started. But I did have a sense of what I was looking for in a portrait: an emotional reaction from the viewer, with words such as:

Just don’t call it ‘nice’! So, how do you create an intense portrait? 1. Have a concept, but stay flexible. 2. Keep it simple, head and shoulders shots preferred, minimise distractions. 3. Engage with your subject, explore their personality. 4. Capture the eyes. 5. Create a mood, a feeling, a story (real or invented). 6. Use props, clothing, styling and symbols; encourage playing. 7. Use light, shadows and colours to create mood. 8. Timing – capture the emotional moment. 9. Select the images that speak to you, not the ones people like. 30

Hine ki te pounamu by Paul Willyams - Portrait Gold Medal, National Exhibition 2019

Molly by Paul Willyams - Portrait Gold Medal, National Exhibition 2020

The Importance of Backups – a Personal Experience By Toya Heatley APSNZ

Just before Level 4 lockdown, my photography computer decided it was about time to retire. It had often been slowing down to a crawl, and trying to process my images was almost painful. The computer itself was eight or nine years old but over the years had received many hardware upgrades. It was a custombuilt PC that I purchased from Silicon Systems. Some of you will remember the chocolate bars at both the 2014 Central Regional and the 2019 National – these were donated by Silicon Systems. As I had had such excellent service from them, I contacted them for a quote to replace the tired old PC. We made the decision to go ahead with the new build while in lockdown. Silicon were considered an essential business, but alas delivery of some parts was slowed down by the overworked couriers and it was several weeks before my shiny new computer arrived. This is where the value of having a good backup system became apparent. My husband and I both work in the IT field and were comfortable with moving the data from the old PC to the new one, easy to do when things go well. There were three hard drives with a total of almost 7TB of data to move. The new PC also had three data drives to move it onto. This was done so we could easily sync with my online backup system.

Backups are important – never underestimate the value of your backups. Before I started transferring the files, I stopped the old computer from backing up. I knew my data was safe for 30 days and did not want the backup system to start deleting any data as the drives were decommissioned. I managed to copy two drives over and installed all my software, but when it came to the third and last drive, it started throwing up corrupted files. Lots of corrupted files, and the more we tried to copy, the more files corrupted. The drive was dying fast, and it had all my images from 2018 to the present on it. I use Backblaze.com, an online backup system with unlimited capacity for a very reasonable price. When I first started using their service, I had 4TB of photos and it took several months to upload all the data. You can send them a hard drive with the data on to seed the first backup, but I was happy to do it slowly. I received a few emails suggesting that their service might not be what I wanted because of the large amount of data, but the site said ‘unlimited data’ so I persevered with the upload. I am very glad I did!

Photo by Patrick Lindenberg on Unsplash

I logged into my account and started to download some of the missing files so that I could restore them. However, there were so many files missing that it would take me way too long to get them all back in this fashion. I tried downloading them in chunks, in zip files, but again they were slow downloading from the United States. I have friends and clients using Backblaze now and have managed to restore an entire laptop using this method successfully. So, I knew that my data was safe; I just had to get it here. Another option that Backblaze offers for large restores is a USB hard drive which is sent from the US with the backup files on it. The cost was about NZ$300 for a 7.5TB drive, so I decided I should buy a copy of ALL my data. If the drive is returned once the files have been taken off, Backblaze will refund the cost of the drive. I ordered my drive and, conscious of the fact that my 30 days were running out, upgraded my account to retain data for 12 months.

On day 22 of not having any backups done, my external backup drive arrived with all my data safely locked on it. The key to unlock the drive was tucked away in my online account. Within eight minutes of plugging in the external drive and unlocking it, my data was fully restored onto the new computer. I have decided to keep my external backup drive and from time to time I will also do a sync with it and my computer. This will give me another copy of my data that I can put somewhere away from the house when we travel. You can never have too many backups! Thankfully, my new computer is now backing up to Backblaze - and all is good. Silicon Systems Ltd – www.silicon.co.nz Backblaze Backup Systems – www.backblaze.com

New PSNZ Accredited Judges Congratulations to our newly appointed judges. • Marie Bilodeau LPSNZ has been appointed as an Accredited PSNZ Judge – Category Open. Marie can be contacted by email – mariebilodeau@xtra.co.nz or phone 027 570 1515. • Helen McLeod FPSNZ GPSA ARPS has been appointed as an Accredited PSNZ Judge – Category Open. Helen can be contacted by email – lechateau.desable@xnet.co.nz or phone 027 247 5318. • Toya Heatley APSNZ has been appointed as an Accredited PSNZ Judge – Categories Open and Nature. Toya can be contacted by email – toya@digitalpix.co.nz or phone 027 652 6292.

Shona Jaray APSNZ Chair, Judge Accreditation Panel

Using PSNZ Accredited and Trainee Judges By Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS Chairperson, Judge Accreditation Panel

SITTING DOWN TO evaluate a bunch of images for a club takes time, and has been estimated to take 15 -20 minutes per image for an accredited judge and much longer for a trainee. If you do the maths, you will see that many hours are taken up performing this essential task. We ask our clubs to consider the following please: 1. Plan well ahead and if you are emailing a number of judges, please use bcc to avoid having all the email addresses and details on view. 2. Please make sure you provide the definition given to your members of any set subject. 3. Please ensure that you give the judge your club’s clear guidelines on how you would like the images to be assessed. 4. Please keep the number of images to a maximum of 50 to 60. If you have more, consider splitting the images between two judges. 5. Please ensure that the judge has enough time to assess the images for you. A minimum of three weeks is preferable. 6. If you are wanting to use trainee judges, please make your request in good time with full comprehensive details. Our secretary (Jenny) will do her very best to source trainees for you BUT we cannot guarantee that we will be able to fill all your requests. 7. Please don’t forget to complete the online feedback form. We encourage all clubs to send in feedback to all judges, not just the trainees. 8. A ‘thank you’ email or card is always appreciated and will encourage our judges to volunteer again. At the end of the day, please remember that all the judges and trainees are volunteers and we are continuing to work hard for PSNZ. Any ideas or suggestions are always welcome. Please feel free to contact me direct at caroline_ludford@hotmail.com.

Looking for Constructive Critiques of Your Images? PSNZ has for many years organised Print Circles. Many of our members have been (and are) involved in these groups as a way of receiving well thought-out, constructive feedback on their images. Each circle consists of a group of up to ten photographers who periodically receive a folio of prints from the other members. When you receive the folio, you review and comment on all the other prints, read the comments from other photographers in the circle, add a new print of your own, include a newsy letter, and post the folio to the next member. Similar to the judge training weekends, assessing images is a great way to inform and influence your own photography, making you think about what it is that really captures your eye in a certain image and explain it in a constructive manner. If you would like to join a print circle, please fill in an application form in the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; area of the PSNZ website https://photography.org.nz/. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like more information about the circles, contact Lindsay Stockbridge at dilinz@actrix.co.nz. We are also keen to expand the print circles to include digital images and are in the process of investigating options for this. If you would like to be involved in a pilot group, please contact James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP at gibsondesignnz@gmail.com for more details.

Councillor Profile: Judith Bishop LPSNZ How did you get into photography? My parents were both members of the local camera club and I joined and participated as a student. I moved away from photography after I married and had a family, and then returned to the hobby once the family had grown up and left home. I took a break again from anything serious for about 15 years, but photography is now something that I want to revisit. Many technical changes have occurred in those years - and I have some catching up to do.

What do you photograph? Mostly landscape and macro, although I do have a liking for wedding photography.

What has been your greatest achievement to date, and why was it important to you? Having an image published in Craig Pottonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book Eye on the Landscape was a highlight. It featured work by New Zealand photographers and was produced back in pre-digital days. Moody Sunrise was my image.

Moody Sunrise

What are your current responsibilities on Council? As Treasurer I aim to work with the national accountant who the Society recently engaged for the day-to-day keeping of our accounts. Together we want to streamline the existing processes with a move to a paperless system. I want to show more clearly the direction in which the Society is going financially and make recommendations on how the Society can operate financially in the current environment.

Twilight Crossing

Glacier Melt

James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP

Astrophotography Workshop with Chris Pegman and Nikon James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP reports:

WITH ALL THE trials of 2020, getting the Workshop Series back up and running has felt like something of a mission, and yet at the same time I think a lot of us are feeling that sense of enthusiasm (and perhaps desperation!) to get out into the countryside and create some new images. When we were finally able to open registrations back in mid-June, it was so exciting to see how eager many of you were to join us on the various workshops around the country, with almost all of them filling up incredibly quickly! There are only a couple of spots left with Bruce Girdwood in Dunedin (12 September), so be in quick if you would like to join us there. Chris Pegman and I planned to catch up before the workshop to finalise a few of 38

the details and locations we were hoping to visit. Pre-planning was one of Chrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; key points about getting a good shot, so we spent Thursday afternoon and evening checking out locations and trying to predict (with varyingly pessimistic weather forecasts) where the most likely clear skies would be. In the end we decided our best option was to head along the lakeshore to Glenorchy, making a series of stops at different spots along the way. We crossed our fingers and placed our faith in the most optimistic forecast we could findâ&#x20AC;Ś Friday afternoon saw us assembling at a small church hall, right in the centre of Queenstown. Using an extensive selection of his work, Chris discussed the elements that go into making a compelling image, using his personal style of panoramic landscape images as examples of how to work with symmetry,

Mike White

asymmetry, framing, using leading lines to draw the viewer’s attention to the real ‘hero’ within the image – often showing that the hero in astrophotography may well not be the stars ̶ and talking about balanced lighting within an image. A delicious meal at the adjacent restaurant made sure we were all fed and watered before heading out to the first location at the Queenstown gardens. This gave us a great opportunity to put into practice the basics of focusing, balancing light sources and elements within the frame, and working with the added challenge of city lights, head torches and of course the rising Milky Way over the lake. From here we split into smaller groups and gradually made our way up the lake, stopping at a couple of different locations to try all sorts of compositional challenges, until we arrived at the Glenorchy jetty at midnight – the half-way point! The groups met up here for a coffee and plenty of time to shoot the jetty, willows and the (in)famous red Glenorchy railway shed! As the Milky Way began to set over the far side of the lake, we started heading back towards Queenstown… Unfortunately our luck started to run out; the clouds gradually thickened overhead until at about 2.30am we decided the game was up and it was time to head off to bed.

We spent Saturday morning and early afternoon working through post-processing, and I must at this point humbly apologise to Chris for providing him some particularly difficult source files to attempt to stitch. It just goes to show that you can’t always ‘fix it in post’!

Les Ladbrook LPSNZ

As the forecast seemed to be less than inspiring for Saturday night, we made the most of what weather there was by heading to Windy Point on the Remarkables access road. We planned to capture a panoramic sunset and blue hour over the bright lights of Queenstown and Frankton. We rounded off the weekend over a leisurely beer and dinner back in town before some well-earned sleep.

We are very grateful for Nikonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participation in the workshop, with their assistance in bringing Chris down to Queenstown, and having Kat join us, bringing with her a variety of cameras, lenses and tripods for our members to use over the weekend.

James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP

Mark Stevens

Chris Pegman

Barbara Lee APSNZ

Les Ladbrook LPSNZ

Expand your creative playground.

INTRODUCING THE Z 5 T H E L AT E S T F U L L - F R A M E M I R R O R L E S S C A M E R A F R O M N I KO N S H O P N O W AT W W W. MY N I KO N L I F E . C O. N Z 42

Audio-Visual News by Trish McAuslan AV-AAPS FAPS APSNZ EFIAP Coordinator of Audio-Visuals for PSNZ

Tauranga AV Salon This is a year we wanted to celebrate. It is the 10th year that we have organised this Salon and we decided to invite Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ to be our guest judge. Newell is both a leading PSNZ photographer and a great supporter of this Salon and other AV activities. Because he lives in the South Island we could not afford to invite him to judge earlier Salons. This time we were prepared, and ready to go.

The judging weekend in mid-June was the first time we had been able to get together for three months. This year there were 109 entries from 50 different authors living in eight countries. We enjoyed all the audiovisuals, including some that were challenging and some that were controversial, resulting in interesting discussions. We reminisced about the way audio-visuals had changed in our Salonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ten years.

Then came COVID-19. We had already advertised the Salon, so the decision was made to continue, with remote judging if required. When the government announced the removal of all restrictions except for border controls on 8 June we started to plan. Newell was able to get suitable flights from Christchurch to Tauranga (at full fare of course!) and everyone else was willing to meet.

The overall winner was Malcolm Imhoff from the United Kingdom. His AV A Place of Pilgrimage also won the Documentary category. Theme was won by Guido Clarysse from Belgium with Drawing with Light. Elizabeth Carruthers FPSNZ AFIAP from New Zealand won Music, Poetry and Song with One Day in Winter and World of Nature was won by Sally Hinton from Australia with Crested Terns. The New Zealand Novice category was won by Leo Kwon from

Judging team, from left: Trish McAuslan, Elizabeth Carruthers, Newell Grenfell, Dave Riddleston, Alistair McAuslan (at the table behind Dave), Paul Byrne

Auckland with Cross that Bridge. It was really pleasing to see that 23 New Zealanders entered a total of 40 programmes. The following people were awarded Merits for their AVs: Sue Riach APSNZ ARPS AFIAP, Shona Kebble APSNZ , Trish McAuslan APSNZ EFIAP FAPS AV-AAPS, Sheryl Williams APSNZ and Bob McCree FPSNZ. Acceptances were gained by Bob McCree (2) Leo Kwon (2) , Jo Curtis LPSNZ, Matt Leamy LPSNZ, Gail Stent FPSNZ, Kevin Chong, Paul Byrne FPSNZ ARPS AFIAP, Diana Andrews LPSNZ, Elizabeth Carruthers, Alistair McAuslan APSNZ AVAAPS, John Smart LPSNZ, Koshy Yohannan and Jenny Dowling LPSNZ. Congratulations to everyone who was successful.

Entries in the documentary category may run for any duration up to seven (7) minutes. Entries in all other categories may run for any duration up to five (5) minutes. Entries longer than the prescribed time will be disqualified. Reason for the change Over time it has become clear that some AVs, particularly documentaries, require more time to present the story well. After attending the judging of the Adelaide AV Fest (an international AV Salon which attracts about 150 entries) in 2017 and 2019, we studied the length of the AVs.

The next time we meet will be at the presentation evening on 8 August. We will show a programme of award-winning audiovisuals from the Salon and present medals and certificates to successful entrants who are able to be present.

The majority of documentaries were between five and seven minutes in length while AVs in the other categories were shorter.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Salon in 2020. We don’t know what the world will be like in 2021, but we have begun planning for the 11th Tauranga AV Salon. We look forward to seeing many of your audiovisuals next year.

This meant that a number of the successful documentary audio-visuals created by New Zealand entrants were longer than the five minutes previously allowed in the JSMT competition - and therefore could only be entered if they were shortened. The rule change allows these AVs to be entered in the JSMT as well.

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Competition 2020/21 This year the competition will be organised by the Tauranga Photographic Society. No date has been set for the judging yet but it is likely to be in late October or early November.

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Competition: A Rule Change

For the last two years the Tauranga AV Salon has allowed AVs entered in the documentary category to be up to seven minutes long.

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Competition 2019/20 Because of COVID-19, this year’s PSNZ National Convention was cancelled. One effect of that is that we were not able to show the winning audio-visuals from last year’s competition. With the permission of the authors, I have been putting them onto the PSNZ AV Group’s Facebook page. I have not been able to share all the AVs because

some authors have used a soundtrack that is not free of copyright restrictions. When this happens, Facebook uploads the images but not those parts of the soundtrack that are subject to copyright. This is a private Facebook group, so unless you are a member you will not be able to enjoy these AVs. If you would like to join, either • Go to the group’s home page and click on ‘Join’. You may have to wait a day or two until your application has been approved. https://www.facebook.com/ groups/913767702312027/

Note: You do need a Facebook account to join the group, and I know some people are not happy to do this. One thing you can do is create a Facebook account using a pseudonym, perhaps just your first name, and do not fill out any of the other information. You could use it only to participate in the Group as long as the Group has some way to identify you. You can set personal privacy settings if that is the main concern. Please contact either me or Gail if you want to join in this way.

Or • Email either Gail Stent or me and ask to join. We will send you an invitation to join the group.

Key Summit by Judth Bishop LPSNZ

PSNZ Canon Online Results from Round 3, 2020 THE WINNING IMAGE, chosen from 132 entries, is Karen Moffatt-McLeod LPSNZ, a part time photographer from Whitianga. Over the last few years Karen has developed a passion for creative portrait photography and particularly for the monochrome image. She explained her intention for this image: “I wanted to convey a sense of mystery, mystique, with viewers creating their own story around the image. And, even though the image was very colourful as you would expect of a gypsy, I feel the monochrome tells more of a story and showcases the subject. “I try to engage the viewers, draw them into the image and make them ask questions and think about who the person is, what is being doing, and how the image tells its story. The judge for this round was Alison Viskovic FPSNZ, an accredited PSNZ judge and member of the Kapiti Coast Photographic Society. She has a long history in photography. “I was given my first camera in 1951 when I was ten. I had my own darkroom from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s when there was a pause before my photography went fully digital in 2006. I like working on projects with subjects from around me, such as informal environmental portraits, and experimenting with quirky things like illusions and kaleidoscopes. “Thank you for inviting me to be a selector. I consider it an honour, and it was a pleasure to be offered such a range of quality images to select from.”

Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP Canon Online Coordinator

Comments from the Judge 1st Teller of Fortunes by Karen Moffatt-McLeod The thoughtful gaze, engaging directly with photographer or viewer, and the flow of lines linking hands and face, make this a strongly composed portrait. It really suits the monochrome treatment, and the details of the jewellery add to the theme.

PSNZ Canon Online 2nd Ascent of Imagination by Julia De Cleene LPSNZ I love the subtle tones throughout, and the way all the parts complement each other, coming together to tell the story of a magical staircase. The flying birds made of book pages add just the right final touch.

3rd Autumn Airshow by Alison Denyer LPSNZ A really nice idea, beautifully executed to merge the various parts into a coherent design, with pleasing colour and shapes. Simple but memorable.

4th Tasman Remnants by Mark Chamberlain LPSNZ This looks like a fairytale landscape, with its other-worldly colours and the glassy surface of the glacial lake, the reflections, and glimpses of light coming through the ice. I like the sense of depth and the subtle sky colours, too.

5th Hallway by Peter Rodgers LPSNZ I see this as a study of shapes, planes and lines, subtly lit by soft light from different directions. The monochrome treatment draws attention to the composition; I think colour would be a distraction. This image puts me in mind of some Mondrian paintings.

PSNZ Canon Online 6th The Green Eyed Monster by Bryan Lay Yee This image is great fun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the bold, bright head, sharply focused, looms out of the blurred background, and the angled lines add to the drama. The contrast between the green and red tones is also very dynamic.

7th Coming in to land by Richard Laing The flying bird stands out well against the blue tones and lines of the sea surface, and I feel as though any moment it will bounce as its feet touch down. The fine details of the bird and its reflection are well caught; the side lighting is just right for this image. 8th Tuturiwhatu, NZ Dotterel by Deborah Martin The soft tones of both subject and background, and the rounded shape of the bird, complement each other. Yet, within that softness the feather details and light in the eye are sharp, and I love the way the wings curve round in an enclosing pattern.

9th Last Rays by Greg Thompson LPSNZ There is a dramatic contrast between the clouded and shaded areas of this landscape, and the central slopes caught in a low band of warm sunlight. There is also contrast between the linear man-made elements – the windmills and the lines on the road - and the softer natural features. The whirring vanes add extra detail to complete the picture.

10th Fading Tulips, in the Style of Robert Maplethorpe by Joan Caulfield LPSNZ The pattern of the strongly lit white flowers and green leaves against the black background, with a hint of the vase shape, makes a very effective composition for me. The reference to Mapplethorpe’s style is well considered – inspiration rather than imitation.

Entries for Round 4 close on 25 August 51

2020 North Shore Salon There is no doubt that 2020 has challenged anyone trying to run events. The organising committee of the 2020 North Shore Salon decided to push ahead with the event despite the disruption of COVID-19. To find our how things went CameraTalk interviewed the salon chair Diane Costello LPSNZ.

Overall, how did the 2020 Salon go? What a rollercoaster ride it was this year, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealanders were required to self-isolate at Level 4 at 11.59pm on 19 March 2020, and there was great uncertainty surrounding our ability to fully progress and deliver the Salon this year. Achieving Level 1 at 11.59pm on 8 June ensured we were well positioned to move ahead as planned for the 26th North Shore Salon. Where there is a will there is always a way, and having to be agile in the our thought processes, the Salon Committee was able to navigate through the various COVID Levels and settle on the best and most viable solution for progressing the Salon.

How did that compare with previous years, especially in the number and standard of entries? We had an increase of 340 entries, compared to 2019, with a total of 2,007 entries. There were 676 print and 1,331 digital entries, whereas last year we had 445 print entries and 1343 digital entries. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Never Seen Beforeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; category proved very popular and had the most entries of all the print categories. Last year, there were 85 prints in the category (Monochrome) that was replaced. A selection of 137 prints out of 676 was exhibited at the Mairangi Bay Arts Centre in July. We believe the standard of the exhibited prints was easily as high as in previous years. It is truly an accolade to receive an Acceptance and upwards in this company, selected by six judges.

COVID-19 changed the way that prints were handled, in that initially the selection was made from digital images and then only those accepted were printed. What was the reaction of your entrants to that process? We did not have any objections to the manner in which we were forced to operate the Salon this year. We insisted on receiving enough pixels in the digital file presented to be sure that a top quality print could be made, and that no defects were hidden behind compression and size reduction. The judges were able to inspect the images at 100% resolution if required. Everyone was supportive and patient. I would assume that those who did object, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enter. The proof was in the pudding when we saw the final selections on the MAC walls, all well deserved.

The Odd Couple by Jay Drew APSNZ - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Digital Opposites

How much extra work did gathering in the prints after selection create? If there are sound processes in place, with excellent software by Phil Thornton and a receptive supplier/sponsor for printing, each step goes according to plan. We submitted a Question/ Answer scenario so that all entrants understood exactly what was required. Only one or two entrants didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t supply prints in the timely manner. As always, communication is key.

What percentage of people took up your offer to have the images printed in Auckland, rather than submitting their own finished work? Around 80% of print award entrants were delighted to accept a special on printing and matting by our sponsor, Print Art.

White Faced Heron by Vivienne Rowell - Winner of the Salon Trophy 2020 and Gold : Never Seen Before Print

Are you likely to continue with this approach, or do you see a move back to prints in 2021? The digital judging of prints was forced upon us, and we are pleased with the results. We are not sure that entrants would be so supportive if we were to decide to operate the same way in the future without the imperative of lockdown. We will not make a decision without asking for feedback and careful consideration, but at the moment we expect to revert to judging prints as prints. The Salon Committee is still to convene to do a wrap up of the 2020 Salon. However, all things considered and with few key people, we were delighted to have delivered a Salon this year.

A face of a Nun by Breen Porter FPSNZ ARPS LBIPP AFIAP - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Digital Street

Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon News from the Organising Team

THE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES we found ourselves in by the end of March put a big question mark over this year’s Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon. Everyone who submitted images showed us that we made the right decision to go ahead, and that made it worthwhile facing the many challenges along the way. Luckily COVID restrictions were lifted in time for the judges to meet in person and the annual awards celebration could go ahead as originally planned. On 8 July, the Christchurch Photographic Society hosted the Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon for the 24th year in the row. Those who could attend and braved the elements on that freezing and wet night were in for a treat. We were very fortunate that convener Brian Eastwood MNZIPP came to Christchurch specially to present the awards and acceptances. He was joined by last year’s winner, John Hawkins. Brian and fellow North Island based judges Bob McCree FPSNZ and John Jones-Parry LPSNZ selected this year’s winner from 395 images entered by 100 participants. In Brian’s words, “There were some outstanding images amongst the entries… and some could have succeeded with a bit more consideration to basic editing. The successful images were those that captured the scene, conveying an emotion or mood to the viewer, with good lighting and strong composition.” These criteria were met by 85 (22%) of the submitted images and of these 11 images (3%) received awards. However, there can only be one winner and this year the Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon trophy went to Deborah Martin and her image, Approaching Storm,Tawharanui.

Approaching Storm Tawharanui by Deborah Martin

Deborah’s winning image resulted from testing a newly acquired lens and playing with a variety of apertures and speeds. The approaching storm provided great drama for “the interaction between the dark and light sides of the sky, while the rock stood firm no matter what the elements threw at it” that conjured up a vision for this image. The one that stood out for her though defied various ‘photographic rules’ but, as Deborah put it, “Taking risks and breaking the rules was worth exploring.” The two silver medals went to Shona Kebble APSNZ for Mountain Vista and John Boyd Hon FPSNZ Hon PSNZ APSNZ for Early Shower. Bronze medals went to Annemarie Clinton for Saltation, Bruce Crossan LPSNZ for Karekare Sunset and Joanne Southgate for Summer Starting. All of this year’s successful images can be viewed at https://lauriethomassalon.com Congratulations to all successful participants and to those that were not. Don’t be disheartened; your support has been vital in making this year’s salon happen and we encourage you to try again. There is plenty of time to enjoy and explore New Zealand’s stunning landscapes. Visit known and unknown places before entries for the 25th Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon open in May 2021. We look forward to receiving your images next year. Until then, happy snapping.

Mountain Vista by Shona Kebble

Early Shower by John Boyd

Saltation by Annemarie Clinton

Karekare Sunset by Bruce Crossang

Summer Starting by Joanne Southgate

2020 Trenna Packer Salver by James Thompson - Trenna Packer Coordinator

The following clubs entered the winning sets: • 1st Place - Christchurch Photographic Society

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE Christchurch Photography Society for winning this year’s Trenna Packer nature photography competition. This annual competition run by the Nature Photographic Society comprises sets of six nature images from New Zealand and surrounding Islands. Honours awards are given to four to six individual high-quality images. This year there were fifteen entries, four from the South Island and eleven from the North Island. This was down from previous year, with the COVID-19 lockdown not helping. Judge, Julia Home APSNZ EFIAP AAPS GPSA PPSA, had this to say about the Christchurch Photographic Society’s winning set. “A good variety of subjects with consistent image sizes. A very strong starting image and a lovely strong finishing image. No repetitive subjects and all images of equal size, giving good transition from one image to the other. Just watch the relative brightness of image 4 compared to the rest of the set.”

• 2nd Place - Howick Photographic Society • 3rd Place - Nature Photography Society of NZ • 4th place - Whakatane Camera Club Honours were awarded to: • Darrell Knight, Manukau Photographic Society: Phalacrocorax varius (Pied Shag) • Lynette Vallely APSNZ, Whanganui Camera Club: Petroica longipes (North Island Robin) • Anne Lambe, NPSNZ: Todiramphus sanctus (Kingfisher) • Bob McCree FPSNZ, Howick Photographic Society: Apis mellifera (NZ Honeybee) • Carol Molineux APSNZ, Kapiti Coast Photographic Society: Clavriaceae family This year’s and last year’s judges had similar comments to make about entries needing to show good flow between the images, with image size being an important factor. This is something for clubs to think about for future entries.

Alan More (Christchurch Photographic Society) receiving the Trenna Packer Salver from Peter Hockley (President, NPSNZ)

A link to the audio visual presentation can be found here: https://naturephotography.nz/trennapacker-2020/ The Nature Photographic Society of NZ looks forward to receiving club entries next year.

Those Letters after Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Names By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

IF YOU HAVE read CameraTalk for some time, or have seen other PSNZ publications, you will notice that some people have letters after their names. These represent the various levels of honours that have been bestowed on them by PSNZ or other photographic societies that PSNZ acknowledges. The following appeared in 2020 issues of CameraTalk.

PSNZ Awards LPSNZ

Licentiate of the Photographic Society of New Zealand Success in submitting a portfolio of 10 images.

APSNZ

Associate of the Photographic Society of New Zealand Success in submitting a portfolio of 12 images.

FPSNZ

Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand Having received an APSNZ, success in submitting a portfolio of 18 images.

Hon PSNZ

Life member of the Photographic Society of New Zealand Awarded for outstanding service to photography, particularly through organisational work

Hon FPSNZ

Honorary Fellowship The highest service award granted by PSNZ. This is awarded to a member who has made unique contributions of significant importance to the Society.

Other New Zealand Awards ANPSNZ

Associate of the Nature Photographic Society of New Zealand Success in submitting a portfolio of 12 nature images to the Nature Photographic Society of New Zealand.

Recognised Overseas Bodies Australia Photographic Society AAPS AV-AAPS FAPS

Associate of the Australian Photographic Society Associate of the Australian Photographic Society in Audio Visual Fellow of the Australian Photographic Society

The honours levels within APS can be gained through two completely separate pathways. For more information, refer to their website https://www.a-p-s.org.au.

Royal Photographic Society (Great Britain) LRPS

Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society Success in submitting a portfolio of 10 images.

ARPS

Associate of the Royal Photographic Society Success in submitting a portfolio of 15 images.

The RPS honours system is much more extensive than the PSNZ framework. More information can be found at https://rps.org/qualifications/.

The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) AFIAP

Artiste FIAP Have taken part in at least 15 international salons under FIAP patronage in at least eight countries and received at least 40 acceptances with at least 15 different works. Also includes a minimum of four different prints that have received acceptances.

EFIAP

Excellence FIAP Having previously been awarded an AFIAP and had at least 250 acceptances with at least 50 different works in at least 30 international salons under FIAP patronage in 20 different countries. Also includes a minimum of 12 different prints that have received acceptances.

MFIAP

Master FIAP Must have been a holder of EFIAP for three years and submitted a portfolio of 20 images.

ESFIAP

Excellence FIAP for Services Rendered Awarded to those persons who have given exceptional service over a long period for the benefit of FIAP.

Photographic Society of America Portfolio based BPSA

Bronze Distinction Success in submitting a portfolio of 10 images.

SPSA

Silver Distinction Having received BPSA and success in submitting a portfolio of 15 images.

GPSA

Gold Distinction Having received SPSA and success in submitting a portfolio of 20 images.

Recognition of Photographic Achievement (ROPA) QPSA

Qualified Having received 54 acceptances from one or multiple PSA Divisions.

PPSA

Proficiency Having received 288 acceptances from one or multiple PSA Divisions. Excellence Having received 700 acceptances from one or multiple PSA Divisions.

EPSA

More detailed information on PSA distinctions can be found at http://www.psa-photo.org. 64

PSNZ Membership Benefits Helping photographers grow As a PSNZ member you can enjoy a range of benefits, including: • Expert advice to help improve your photography. • The opportunity to achieve a higher Society distinction (APSNZ, FPSNZ). • A complimentary copy of New Zealand Camera, and the ability to submit your images for selection in this annual publication. • Access to member only resources, including a member only PSNZ Facebook page for social chat and updates with other members. • The opportunity to enter the Canon Online Competition, with trophies for each round and for the overall winner each year. • Discounts for Society activities, such as the annual PSNZ national convention, special workshops, international competitions and much more. • The opportunity to participate in regional club meetings and events, including the PSNZ Workshop Series. • A copy of our bimonthly magazine – CameraTalk, with news, reviews, events and some of the best photography around. • The opportunity to exhibit your work in exhibitions such as the PSNZ Canon National Exhibition, Regional Salons and other member only online competitions. • Access to judge training workshops which are free for PSNZ members. • Ability to promote your website on our website. • Receive our regular blog posts to stay up to date with the latest news on events, activities and special offers. • Product discounts and savings when they are offered from our corporate partners and associated companies. • Discounts for major NZIPP events as a PSNZ member.

Last Thoughts By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

Of all of the photographic genres, I believe that portraiture is the only one that lets us personally connect with the past, and especially our whakapapa. When people depart this planet, it is the photos of them that we seek out to provide comfort for those left behind. And to the future generations, they give the clearest indication of where they have come from. I have just restored one such family treasure and have chosen it for â&#x20AC;&#x153;the last imageâ&#x20AC;?. It is a portrait of my wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great grandmother Hannah (standing) and great-great grandmother Jayne (seated). We do not know when it was taken, but we estimate that it was between 1900 and 1910. Hannah was born in 1882 and looks to be in her early 20s in the image.

The Last Image