CameraTalk December 2018 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

December 2018 / January 2019

In this issue PRESIDENT Moira Blincoe LPSNZ t. 09 379 7021 e: president@photography.org.nz

VICE-PRESIDENT

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

TREASURER David Knightley PO Box 99470, Newmarket, Auckland 1149 e. treasurer@photography.org.nz

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

WELCOME TO THE final edition of CameraTalk for 2018. In this issue we give you a run down on the proposed changes to the PSNZ Constitution necessary to keep it up to date. We showcase the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; images from the PSNZ International Salon that were awarded medals, however unlike previous salons these are spread through the publication. We asked our trade partners what they thought 2019 would bring and their responses make great reading. We welcome Trish McAuslan back with a full rundown on the Jack Sprosen audio-visual salon, and Lynn Clayton has provided an interesting history piece on the first women photographers in New Zealand. Finally I got to play with a brand new Nikon Z 7 mirrorless, and you will find my review on page 59.

EDITOR, ADVERTISING & LAYOUT Paul Whitham LPSNZ PSNZ Councillor t. 04 973 3015 or m. 021 644 418 e. paul@pwfotos.com

SUBEDITOR

Paul Whitham LPSNZ Editor

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 1 February 2019 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 Fighting breast cancer by Tracey Scott FPSNZ, awarded a PSA Bronze Award in the 2018 New Zealand International Salon.

Time to say thankyou

Canon Online results

Editorial

PSNZ constitution update

Honours advice

Hutt2019 update

PSA achievements

National exhibition news

NZIS report

What will 2019 bring?

Audio-visual notes

Member profile: Keiko Sato

First women photographers

Waikato A&P show

The story behind the image

Club news

Nikon Z 7 review

FIAP news

THE COUNTDOWN TO the festive season is now on, which for some reason seems to create additional pressure or stress – me included. At this time of year, when we can see the end in sight, but know there is still much to achieve, it is important that we focus on what is truly important to us and pace ourselves accordingly. Since taking office in April it has been a busy and fulfilling time for me and for Council, and I believe we are making some progress on key activities as well as developing some new initiatives. Recognising that we are all volunteers, what many members don’t see is the behind the scene activity that goes on in order to deliver everything to you – emails and phone calls flow constantly; meetings among Councillors and other members of the photographic industry are plentiful; ideas burst forth; inquiries from members and third parties; liaison with the various sub-committees, boards - and much more. It is constant and often relentless! I’m confident you appreciate what Council and the myriad of volunteers do for the Society and recognise that we are trying to ‘lift our game’ to make a difference for each of us. The NZ International Salon in October was again successful and it was rewarding to see so many New Zealand photographers and PSNZ members achieve outstanding awards. Thanks to the organising committee led by Chairman Peter Arnold FPSNZ and supported by John Botton FPSNZ and Michelle Durrant.

From the President’s desk... Looking towards 2019 it is exciting to see the interest and registration uptake for the national convention, Hutt 2019 ‘Focus on Learning’. The convention organising committee has developed a unique and interesting programme that is going to push the boundaries for many of us, in a variety of ways. Yes, the programme is different, but if we continue to offer the same type of programme for each national convention, what is the point of asking and engaging clubs and members to develop an event unique to their creative thinking? Any change is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. As my late Mum, who was a very wise woman, always said to me, ‘Embrace change - it is the only constant in life’.

The Southern Regional Convention is scheduled for Invercargill in October 2019, and I am looking forward to returning to the Deep South. The National Convention in 2011, ably hosted by the Southland Photography Society, is where my tenure on Council started, so it will feel like completing a full circle to return and explore more areas of this scenic part of the country. Meantime, Councillor for Membership James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP is developing a series of unique workshop series purely for PSNZ members. Watch this space and social media for more details on this exciting series. Hopefully by now many of you are well on the way to completing your portfolio for the 2019 Honours Awards. I truly hope everything has gone to plan for you and ‘the end is in sight’ for your project. Remember the deadline to get these to Heather Harley APSNZ is 28 February 2019. That is also the deadline for nominating a member for a PSNZ Service Award. Should you feel a member deserves recognition for their outstanding contribution to either PSNZ or photography in general, there are a number of awards they can be nominated for. All details are available on the website and see also the article in this issue, by Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ. Whatever you are planning – whether you are staying at home, connecting with family or travelling elsewhere - I wish you all a very happy and joyful festive season and that for many, Santa will deliver those well needed and ‘must have’ items of photographic equipment! We will be back in 2019 – see you then! Kind regards Moira Blincoe LPSNZ President

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It’s time to say thank you! By Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ

DO YOU EVER stop to think about the number of members who give so much time to photography, to other photographers or to camera and photographic clubs all over the country? Perhaps it’s time to recognise some of these people. The Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) offers four special awards purely for this purpose, and as the year draws to a close it is a good time to consider nominating people for these awards – to say ‘thank you’ for what they do. All PSNZ members and members of affiliated clubs are encouraged to reflect on those around you and consider who you think may be worthy of a nomination. All nominations must go to the Secretary of the PSNZ Honours Board by 14 February 2019, and the nominations are then reviewed by the Honours Board at the same time it meets to judge the Honours Awards, in early March. Details on the awards and the nomination form can be found on the PSNZ website https:// photography.org.nz/about/service-awards/. The four awards, which recognise different levels of service are:

Emma & William McPherson Award This is a service award that is made to a club, an individual or individuals who, in the opinion of PSNZ Council, has or have helped most to foster the interest of amateur photography in New Zealand over the previous 12 months. This award can be made to a club, an individual or individuals. Any PSNZ member or affiliated club can make a nomination for this award, accompanied by a suitable biography of the nominee of not more than 400 words. Note that PSNZ Councillors carrying out their assigned duties, chair, organising committees and clubs responsible for annual PSNZ events, are not eligible for consideration for this award if the nomination relates to the assigned duties or event.

A PSNZ Service Medal is awarded for service(s) of an outstanding nature towards the Photographic Society, affiliated club or the industry. This outstanding service is usually carried out over a long period of time and anyone who gives outstanding service to photography could qualify. The nominee’s proficiency in photography is not taken into consideration, and the nominee does not need to be a member of PSNZ. The proposer will state from their own knowledge, the pertinent facts about the nominee’s service. Honorary Life Membership (Hon PSNZ) is a higher award for outstanding service(s) to photography in New Zealand, particularly through organisational or similar administrative work.

This outstanding service has usually been given over a longer period of time. Photographic proficiency, as such, is not a requirement; it’s the work that counts. To succeed, a nomination for an Hon PSNZ needs to be recommended by 75% of the Honours Board and approved by 75% of PSNZ Council. Honorary Fellowship (Hon FPSNZ) is the highest honour of the Society. It is awarded only for unique contributions of major importance to photography. It requires the unanimous recommendation of the Honours Board and approval of at least 75% of PSNZ Council. The nominee need not be a member of the Society. The designation of Hon FPSNZ is limited to seven living members at any one time. Don’t forget the most important piece of information – the deadline to submit a nomination is 28 February 2019.

NZIS PSA Bronze Medal - Time to scram by Jo McCarthy

PSNZ Canon Online Results from Round 5, 2018 A GREAT AND varied selection of images were submitted by PSNZ members for round 5 of Canon Online. Once again a huge thanks to our judge, Judy Stokes APSNZ. This round is particularly special, as the winning image goes to an overseas member. Congratulations to Pandula Bandara of Sri Lanka! There’s one more round this year to decide the overall Canon Online 2018 Champion! The last round will likely decide the overall winner as the scores are that close, and for everyone who hasn’t placed yet in this year’s competition, there’s an individual trophy for each round. The final round closes on 25 December. Don’t get distracted and forget – make sure to get your entries in early! Entrants must be financial PSNZ members. Just one image please, sized 1620x1080 and uploaded on the PSNZ website. (Oh, and just in case anyone is suspicious, the images are anonymised and EXIF data is removed before being sent to the judge…) James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP PSNZ Canon Online Coordinator

Comments from the judge: Judy Stokes APSNZ I love the fact that photography wears so many hats. As an art form it enables us to “catch that moment”, showcase our earth, express our deepest emotions, address issues that need to be thought and talked about, or simply produce something beautiful to soothe our eyes and hearts. It can be spontaneous or a lengthy labour of love. Thank you to all the entrants for showing me wonderful images that cover this wide spectrum of our art form, photography. I feel privileged to share in this art form that connects us all as a PSNZ family. 1st Feeling the rain drops of raining by Pandula Bandara I feel strong emotion welling up inside me when looking at this image. I find the tones and textures perfectly matched to the scene. I love the sub-framing of the eyes, love the rainy space beside the man, love the way he is looking above the camera and, most of all, love the eyes that draw us to this other human being and have us wondering what his story is and how the “rain drops of raining” feel. 2nd Humpback whales by John Ford Thank you for taking me to the depths of our ocean in such a beautiful way. I want to reach out and feel the rough textured, scratched, skin of the baby whale.You have subtly and gently kept our attention on the connection between these two creatures and with your camera and artistry have let us share a moment that many of us will never manage to experience with our own eyes.

Feeling the rain drops of raining by Pandula Bandara

Humpback whales by John Ford

PSNZ Canon Online: 3rd Turmoil by James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP How cleverly, with lights and darks, and tones and shades, you lead us around this wonderful image. The moody darks of the foreground lead us backwards to the turbulent light area, creating a fabulous sense of depth.Your camera has become a paintbrush, creating an emotion that we can touch with our eyes and hearts and linger there for a while.

Turmoil by James Gibson

4th In the shadows by Lindsay Murray Haunting, traumatic, disturbing. Every time I looked at this very cleverly crafted image, more of its hidden depths exposed itself to me from the shadows. Dark against light has been used to its great strength. This is a powerfully dark work of art, where every viewer can let their mind be led on its own personal journey.

In the shadows by Lindsay Murray

5th Turning by Brian Cudby FPSNZ Hon PSNZ HonEFIAP EFIAP Striking and quirky; for me, a marvellous abstract that I can simply enjoy. I enjoy the skill you used to capture this. I love its sense of movement, yet balance. For me this is a slice of art.

Turning by Brian Cudby

PSNZ Canon Online: 6th Diamond beach by Tom Wilkinson APSNZ I find a landscape within a landscape in this image. The ice on the beach could itself be a huge towering range of mountains and I enjoy the textures and tones suggesting this. I then enjoy the flowing water and little flick of the wave behind the ice, suggesting the fleetingness of a moment, leading us to the subtle colour of the ocean. A well captured, showcase moment, of a beautiful place on our earth. 7th The girl with flowers by Jay Drew LPSNZ Strength through subtlety would sum up this image in a nutshell for me. The soft backdrop, framing the girl, lets her sing out and form a strong hero of the image. The expression on the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face, and the choice of flowers, hint at deeper layers to the image. Â I find this a wonderfully thoughtful portrait image. 8th A new beginning by Liz Hardley FPSNZ, EFIAPb, LRPS Warmth, beautiful curves, perfectly placed butterflies. This image is like a hug. I find it lets me rest and simply enjoy it. My eyes can happily sit where they are led. I can marvel at the patterns on the wings of the butterflies and reach the full stop at the central point of their connection.

Diamond Beach by Tom Wilkinson

The girl with flowers by Jay Drew

A new beginning by Liz Hardley

PSNZ Canon Online: 9th Lamp and staircase by Samuel Chan I’m attracted to the graphic simplicity in perfect tones of black and white of this image. I’m sure each one of us follows a different route though this elegant maze. A special part of the image for me is the light catching the floor below the lamp … which then sends me treading, without daring to touch, the perfection of the stairs and I curiously wonder what is around the corner behind the lamp. I love the lamp as the wonderfully central anchor to keep me within the image.

10th Crested tern by Deborah Martin

Lamp and staircase by Samuel Chan

This crested tern seems to have dogged determination written all over him.Your choice of moment and angle of shot for me creates the success of this image. I love the way the curve of the tail takes us right with the bird - from leaving the water, to the tip and curve of his front wing, with a gorgeous beady eye in between to keep us focused on the image.

Crested tern by Deborah Martin

Editorial : Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ignore the crossover skills! By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

A number of years ago nature photographer Chris Helliwell LPSNZ gave a talk at the Hutt Camera club on the five skills that he considered you need to understand to take great nature images. At the end of the session I was discussing how I thought it had been a really good talk and the points he made were really valid. Knowing that I was not a nature photographer the other person was shocked that firstly I had found the session interesting and secondly that I should make such a statement. He was falling into the trap whereby people think that the genres are so unique that I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possibly find things of sufficient interest to discuss. Now on a first glance there is not a lot of apparent overlap between taking a photo of a bird in the wild, and a model in the studio, but the reality is that many of the photographic skills are closer than people may think. Following the meeting I wrote an article in which I went through each of the skills in detail and compared them between nature and portrait photography. Some, such as knowing your gear, were obvious matches. Some were a little less obvious, such as knowing your subject, but I was able to line them up. The final skill that Chris has listed was patience, in that you often needed to go to a location and wait. Even there it was easy to find a match. While I have never had to stalk a model, the process of hair and makeup can take more than two hours.

When we start to specialise in genres, it is very easy to think that the majority of skills we have developed are unique to that genre. The reality is the opposite. Each genre will have a very small number of unique skills and the majority of skills needed cross over into other genres. For example, in my opinion the skills required to track a bird in flight are very similar to the skills needed by a sports photographer. So, why is it important to recognise crossover skills? The reason has to do with learning and how we look at learning opportunities. If you become too blinkered to the genre, then you will limit yourself to look at training only in that area, and could miss out on picking up the skills in another way. Over the next year PSNZ is going to introduce a wider range of events, rather than just the conventions. When these are notified, take off the genre blinkers, and look at what you can learn by attending them, rather than complaining that there is nothing specific for you.

PSNZ Constitution – End of Year Update By Moira Blincoe LPSNZ

SELECTED MEMBERS OF the Executive Council have been working tirelessly to progress the review of the Society’s current Rules (Constitution). The original Rules were written when the Society was first established in 1953, and has only received minor revisions since then. With the announcement some five years ago that the Incorporated Societies Act was going to be updated, all incorporated societies including not-for-profit organisations will be required to review their current Constitution or Rules, to bring these in line with the updated Act. As you know from previous President’s reports and updates, the review was to be undertaken by an external legal firm. That was amended at the 2016 Queenstown Annual General Meeting for Councillors to undertake the initial drafting as it was felt we would have a much better understanding of what the Society is about and how it should function. Since then the Executive has continued to work on making changes to the Constitution. In previous editions of CameraTalk I have undertaken to keep you advised of the progress as best as I can, and have provided links for members to read the current document and familiarise themselves with it. I also outlined some of the specific clauses that were going to be changed and updated. And I asked for any member to contact me with any queries or comments on the proposed changes. I have not received any responses, so have continued to progress the review. Remember, the Constitution serves to look after the wellbeing of all PSNZ members while at the same time setting out a clear mandate for the way the Society should be managed and function for the benefit of all members. The review of the Constitution has now essentially been completed and at the time of CameraTalk going to press, it is in the hands of an external legal team as a ‘draft’ document for their scrutiny and comment of any corrections. Once the legal review is completed, it is my intention to circulate the Constitution to all members, via bulk email, before Christmas, just in time for your festive reading!! On a serious note, in order to meet a relatively tight time frame to have the document included at the AGM, it is important that members take the time to review the revised document. Once the document is distributed, members will be given a set time in which to return any comments to me. All feedback will be taken into consideration and if we have to go back to the drawing board, we will. Any changes suggested will be made to the revised Constitution and returned for final legal sign off so that it can be included in the Annual General Meeting documents that Patrice distributes on 27 February 2019. Our current rules only allow those present at the AGM, or those who have lodeged a proxy, to vote on the amendments. Therefore if you are not able to attend the AGM, I would encourgae 17

you to lodge a proxy by the due date. Once voted on and approved by a two-thirds majority of members, it will end a five to six year project!! If you have not already read the current Rules, here is a link to that document. Please, do take some time to familiarise yourself with the content of this document and then compare that with the updated Constitution when you receive it. To reiterate previous communications, the following are the major changes to the Constitution, which you will receive in December for review:

Intended revisions of existing clauses: The ‘Objects’ of the Society has been renamed to Purposes of the Society, keeping in line with our strategic plan.

Clauses 3 – 8: • All clauses relating to membership and meetings have been removed and a new Bylaw 23 has been created to cover this specific matter.

Clauses 9 – 11: • All information relating to the Executive Officers is now referred to as Management of the Society. • Executive Officers have been renamed to the Executive. • The new clauses have been rewritten in modern language with updated descriptions of the roles of Executive’s positions. • The tenure of the President, which has been a two-year consecutive period has been changed to allow the President to be re-elected for a further one year term, if they choose, but for no more than a total of three consecutive years. • The tenure of the Immediate Past President, which is currently two years, has been amended to a one year term. • The election process of members to Council has been revised, in that Council seeks more information about the member being nominated to ensure that the nominee has the skills to match any vacant role on Council. • The Executive has additional authority in specific areas, namely the ability to pay an honorarium, from time to time. This is a new clause inserted to recognise there is a need at certain times when professional services by members are required by the Society.

NZIS PSNZ Special Gold Medal - A lone tree by Jana Luo

NZIS FIAP Silver Medal - Risen by Daniel Wong APSNZ AFIAP

• The Council shall also have authority to appoint personnel to management or other positions when Council deems this necessary to ensure the efficient functioning of the Society. • Similarly, the Executive may establish sub-committees for the purposes of advising or administering matters to ensure the efficient operations of the Society.

Clause 15: • All information about society meetings has been removed from the Constitution and put into a new Bylaw 24.

Clause 16: • All information relating to the financial affairs of the Society has been renamed to “Money and Other Assets of the Society”.

Clause 17: • Information on altering the Constitution has been edited and rewritten in more modern language.

Clause 21: • Disposal of Assets has been renamed to Winding up the Society.

I am conscious that this has been a long and drawn out project, with considerable input from selected members of the Executive and several members who comprised the review group. Thank you all for your contribution and input. The ‘end of the road’ is drawing closer for this project and, with a final effort from all members, once the draft Constitution has been circulated and approved we will be in a position to finalise this item.

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Don’t leave your Honours Awards to the last minute! By Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ

If you are considering applying for a photographic Honours Award in 2019, you should be well on your way to planning and preparing your portfolios for one of three photographic distinctions. We encourage you not to leave the submission of your portfolio until the last minute deadline date of 28 February. With the Christmas and New Year holidays just around the corner, you should have all your preparation finalised by now so that once the festivities are over, you can turn your attention to fine tuning the final details and complete your work. Allow yourself the time and space to complete the paper work, package your prints (if submitting prints) and attend to the courier and postal services. It also pays to remember that the postal services now only deliver three days a week to most New Zealand addresses. Get yourself organised and submit your portfolio early! As a reminder, here are the requirements for the respective awards: Licentiateship (LPSNZ) – 10 images Associateship (APSNZ) – 12 images Fellowship (FPSNZ) – 18 images For more information about the PSNZ Honours Awards, including criteria, guidelines and portfolio examples, see the PSNZ website at http://photography.org.nz/honours/honourscriteria/ Two articles about the PSNZ Honours Awards have been published in previous issues of our digital magazine, CameraTalk, which members should find helpful. For the article published in the 2018 Convention Special (pages 8-9), ‘Honours Report on 2018 Submissions’ go to https://issuu.com/photographicsocietyofnewzealand/docs/cameratalk_convention_2018 For the second article on pages 36-38, ‘PSNZ Honours’ go to https://issuu.com/photographicsocietyofnewzealand/docs/cameratalk_ june_2018?e=29523563/62069217

26-29 April 2019 Lower Hutt

Thank you Wow, what an opening fortnight of registrations. Since we started sending out the fortnightly promotions, we sensed the excitement building, but nothing really prepared us for the weekend of the 3rd November. We woke to multiple emails and text messages from members asking when registrations would open, because they had been on their computers at 7:00am. When we finally opened at 11:00am, it was like opening floodgates as the registrations came in at over one a minute for the next hour. Two weeks down we are thrilled to have 169 people attending the full convention, and while 14 sessions have sold out, there are still some 2900 possible options available. Rest assured that no session will be cancelled, regardless of how few people end up selecting it. Our smallest class workshop currently has four people - and it will still run. So, a huge thank you to all of you who have registered so far. And just because the financial pressure is relaxed, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that we are easing up. Fortnightly emails will continue until the event, and we still have lots of videos to load to introduce our presenters to you. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already, do a search for HUTT2019 on YouTube and you will find our channel.

Monday speakers The Monday programme is a lot more laid back, compared to the other days, but that is not to say that you will not be inspired by it. In this issue of CameraTalk we thought we would introduce the two speakers who will provide the Monday morning sessions. We have chosen both because we want them to inspire you to go away from the convention with a purpose for your photography.

Sean Gillespie

Sean is a Wellington based freelance writer, photojournalist and videographer. His LinkedIn profile suggests an extremely wide range of roles, including working in the New Zealand parliament and US Department of State. He is a keen Wellingtonian who is not bothered by the slight breezes we have down here. In fact he has headed out into cyclones to record the city in action, with the images appearing on the Spinoff website (https:// thespinoff.co.nz/author/sean-gillespie/). In 2014 he decided he would explore the suburbs of Wellington to see if he could capture images that reflected what was unique about them. When he started he did not realise that he would find that there were 57 separate suburbs! By using references to this project Sean is going to demonstrate that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to venture to overseas locations to create a body of work.

Ian Rotherham

Ian is the final speaker of the convention. He has had a long association with camera clubs and PSNZ, going back to 1982 when he joined Foxton Camera Club. In 1989 he won the PSNZ Young Photographer of the Year award. Fast forward 29 years and he is a senior lecturer in photography at UCOL in Palmerston North. While he has shot pretty much anything, his main passion is photographing people. His most recent project has been producing a book that was based on his 100-week project, in which he shot a separate portrait each week. Ian has been given the task of sending you away motivated to hit the shutters on your cameras, but more importantly to then do something with those images. 25

Space for Honours recipients We know there are a small number of members who make their convention decision in March after they have been notified of the results of their Honours submissions. In previous years the concession to these people has been to extend an early bird registration rate to them. Everyone will know that we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t got an â&#x20AC;&#x153;early birdâ&#x20AC;? rate, so that is not applicable and by March most of the Saturday workshops will be full. However, fear not, if you still want to wait there will be plenty of space at the banquet and in February we will be advising a special Sunday only registration option that will enable you to attend the morning partner presentations, afternoon offsite activities (subject to space) and the banquet. We know from personal experience that it is great to be presented with your honour in person, and to see the images on display.

For those wondering While we have been overwhelmed with positive comments about the convention, we have received some third-hand comments questioning why we did certain things. So, without appearing defensive, we thought we would share with you what our thoughts were when we decided what we were offering in compiling our programme.

Why are there no big name photographers? There were a number of reasons behind this, but the main one was, who defines who a bigname photographer is, and more particularly if you did bring in that person would their name be sufficient to attract enough people to cover their costs? Very early on at a committee meeting we threw around names of international photographers we could approach. Our committee is made up of people who cover most genres in photography and the same thing happened when nearly every name was mentioned. Only the person suggesting them had even heard of them. A lot of people think that an expert is simply denoted by coming from overseas, which is not true. Our line-up is made up of top New Zealand photographers (which is exactly the same thing that Queenstown did in 2016). In the process we saved thousands of dollars on airfares, enabling us to channel that money into a better overall programme.

Why were spaces so restrictive? We made a decision early on, that we were not offering break-out sessions, as had been done previously, which were essentially seminars for a smaller group of people. We wanted the majority of sessions to have hands-on sections and for people to be actively learning in them by doing things. This meant that we had to limit the number of people in each session to enable the tutor to get around everyone. The same is true with the off-sites, as these are instructor led, and we wanted to have time for interaction. Essentially the off-sites are a learning opportunity with an instructor who will be fully engaged in ensuring you get the most out of the experience. In addition, some of the locations place limitations on us for health and safety, or logistical reasons.

When spaces have filled up, why not add more workshops? We simply don’t have the rooms or the presenters available to do this. We also noted from previous convention reports that when this was tried, all it did was create a lot of extra work for the committee, as you needed to offer the new options to existing registrants first.

Why were workshops not repeated? This is for two reasons. The main one is that we wanted to offer a much greater variety in the programme and therefore decided that we would repeat within genres rather than specific sessions. The second reason was that it was much easier on our presenters to have a single slot than to have to do the whole day.

Can’t I simply rock up and pick what I like on the day? Put simply - NO!!! As stated above there are reasons why the numbers were restricted and to ensure that remains true, and to ensure we know exactly who is in each venue for health and safety reasons, we just can’t do that. Just like a VIP function - if your name is not on the list at the door, you won’t get in.

Why isn’t it like it used to be? We are hosting this convention on behalf of PSNZ, and both parties have listened to past feedback.You wanted reduced cost; we have delivered that by not charging any extra for the offsites. In the past, some field trips have required an extra payment; we have absorbed these costs into our budget without the need to pass them on. We are also working closely with the PSNZ purpose of “Helping Photographers Grow”. This is important to us as hosts, and to PSNZ. It is the objective of the society and one that is held at a very high level of importance. Just as technology changes, so do the opportunities we are able to offer, and the way in which we do that. This convention will be different because we have fully embraced the need for change. Without change PSNZ will no longer be able to attract younger members, there would be no point in holding an AGM, in electing new council members, or any of the good work that is currently being done to improve member benefits. And as a convention organising committee, we make no apology for introducing change which is fully supported by Council. We hope that you will celebrate and embrace change and that you will join us in the Hutt Valley for Hutt2019 – it will be an experience not to be missed!

Erratum In the last issue of CameraTalk we were sent, and then published, an incorrect image in the 4 Nations result. In the nature section, Reg Quinn received a bronze for his image Variable oystercatcher, red-billed gull. The correct image is shown below. We apologise to Reg and our readers for this error.

Photographic Society of America achievement by PSNZ member CROMWELL PSNZ MEMBER Mary Hinsen has achieved the Bronze portfolio level with a very clever set of Images. Mary’s statement of intent was well written and was a perfect addition to a thought provoking set. Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP PPSA SPSA will be pleased to answer any questions about the Photographic Society of America. He can be contacted at scottfowlerphotography@scoiwi.com Portfolio Title

A Portrait of Georgia

Statement of Intent I asked, “Who are you?” I sought to portray soul, personality.Yet Georgia is multi-faceted, complicated, intricately woven, with hidden depths. Who is Georgia? Each question revealed a new answer. Stunning model. Tattooed party girl. Loyal friend. Shy and introspective. Sad soul. Beautiful dreamer. Georgia is all of these, and much more. She is complex, ever-changing. Choosing what to reveal. A single image cannot truly portray her.

PSNZ Canon National Exhibition 2019 By Glen Innes Chair - 2019 National Exhibition Organising Committee

ENTRIES FOR THE 2019 PSNZ Canon National Exhibition to be displayed at the PSNZ National Convention in Lower Hutt will open on 22 December 2018 and close on 22 February 2019. Entry forms and associated information will be available on the PSNZ website from 22 December onwards. The categories are unchanged from previous years: Open Prints, Open Projected Images, Nature Prints, and Nature Projected Images. The entrance fee structure has changed to a ‘per image’ fee for 2019. The venue at the brand new Lower Hutt Events Centre is ideal for the exhibition and a total of 68 linear metres will be available to display the selected images in the atrium of the venue. The exhibition selection will be made in Lower Hutt on the weekend of 23-24 March 2019 and the results will be sent to entrants by 31 March 2019.

The selectors for each section are Open Prints • John Boyd Hon FPSNZ Hon PSNZ APSNZ • Dr Neil Gordon APSNZ • Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS

Open Projected Images • Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ • Michele Usher LPSNZ • Shona Jaray APSNZ

Nature Prints and Projected Images • Julia Home APSNZ EFIAP BPSA • Bruce Shanks Hon PSNZ FPSNZ • Bob McCree FPSNZ

Recently approved PSNZ judge IT IS WITH great pleasure that we announce that Irene Callaghan APSNZ has been approved as a PSNZ Judge in the ‘open’ category. Irene can be contacted at ireneecallaghan@gmail.com Shona Jaray APSNZ Chairperson Judge Accreditation Panel

New awards in the PSNZ Canon National Exhibition By Moira Blincoe LPSNZ

COUNCIL IS PLEASED to announce the introduction of new awards in the 2019 PSNZ Canon National Exhibition. Firstly, in the Open category – print and projected images, there will be a trophy and a gold medal for the best portrait in each medium. Photographers can identify their image for selection as a portrait in the same way you are asked to identify an image to be considered as a ‘landscape’ or a ‘photojournalism’ image for the specific trophies. For the best image selected in each category, the photographer will be awarded a PSNZ Trophy and PSNZ Gold Medal for the Best Portrait Print, or Best Portrait Projected Image. Secondly, two more awards have been added – the Ron Willems Medallions. Thanks to the generosity of our Christchurch member, Ron Willems Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FAPS AFIAP ARPS, a medallion has been created which will be given to the most successful photographer in Prints and the most successful photographer in Projected Images in the PSNZ Canon National Exhibition. These will be awarded at next year’s event and in subsequent years. Selection for these two awards will be based on a simple scoring system of: • Gold – five points • Silver – four points • Bronze – three points • Honours Ribbon – two points • Acceptance – one point In the event of a tie, the selectors shall decide who best represents the overall quality and spirit of the exhibition. The principal purpose of awarding these medallions is to acknowledge the all round success of the selected photographers in our national exhibition. The Ron Willems medallion.

Great success for local photographers in the 2018 PSNZ New Zealand International Salon By Ann Bastion FPSNZ EFIAP

New Zealand photographers scored extremely well in this year’s International Salon. While there were hundreds of stunning images in all categories, many PSNZ members walked away with top awards. The ‘Kiwi’ statistics are interesting in themselves: 215 Kiwis entered, and there were 285 acceptances from 1541 entries. New Zealand gained 26 of the 77 available awards. Two PSNZ authors, Gail Stent APSNZ and Constance Fein Harding, gained nine acceptances each, only one less than the FIAP “Blue Pin Winner”, who had the highest with 10 accepted images. There were also numerous PSNZ photographers whose images scored ‘nine’, one point below the Acceptance cut off score of 10. As they say, ‘Close but no cigar’. While there were murmurings on social media from some members disappointed with only one acceptance, to receive an acceptance in an international salon is no mean feat, and it means your work rates among other international photographers. Hosting an international salon requires a lot of hard work and months of preparation, which started as far back as February with a meeting of the 2018 NZIS Chairman Peter Arnold FPSNZ and his core team of John Botton FPSNZ and Michele Durrant. This was the first year a new software package was being used, initially causing Peter a few sleepless nights. However, thanks to his determination and calm approach, he was able to work through the issues and get it up and running in time for the judging weekend in late October.

The 2018 NZIS Judges and committee

The judges were John Hodgson EFIAP/b AV-AFIAP FAPS AV-FAPS ESFIAP Hon. FAPS from Australia, supported by New Zealand judges Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ, Jean Moulin APSNZ EFIAP, Doug Moulin APSNZ EFIAP/b FAPS, Ian Walls FPSNZ, John Boyd FPSNZ. The judging went smoothly, the software performed as it was expected to, and the judges completed their tasks ahead of schedule. Reporting of results and notification to members was also included in the software programme which allowed Peter and John to tidy these up and advise entrants of their results within a few days of judging. It was good to see lots of positive feedback to the committee on this aspect. To see a list of the New Zealand medal winners and their images, the ribbon winners and the acceptances, you can go to the NZIS site https://www.psnzinternationalsalons.com/ Congratulations and well done to everyone. Keep an eye out for more information on next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Salon, which will probably be hosted slightly earlier next year.

NZIS PSNZ Special Gold - Running Free by Kim Falconer APSNZ

What will 2019 bring? WE ASKED OUR trade partners to comment on what they thought 2019 would bring. Several of them picked up the challenge and brought out their crystal balls. It will be interesting to see how many come true in the coming year.

Ira from Fujifilm 2019 will see Fujifilm New Zealand take a big next step in its medium format range when it introduces the 100MP GFX100s. Its extremely high resolution coupled 5 stop IBIS will make this a serious pro-commercial photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camera. 2019 will also see Fujifilm New Zealand continue to expand its lens range. There will be something to suit all needs with 10 lenses in the GF range and 33 in the X Series range.

Blair from Lacklands On Nikon 2019 will see Nikon continue to move their approach from the consumer to the pro markets. There will be little development in the compact area and there are hints at a more professional level mirrorless camera. The roadmap for the Z series lenses is already in place with more lenses coming out in 2019. There is also a focus on the development of mirrorless from third party developers. On other brands Video is on the rise and content creation will become easier and more accessible. This is particularly prevalent in video blogging. Bag design is changing to reflect the digital lifestyle, with bags being tailored to comply with airline rules, and being mutli-purpose. For example, some new Peak Design bags have removable compartments that you can change, based on what you want to put in them.

NZIS PSA Silver Medal - The proud pearents by Constance Fein Harding

NZIS PSA Silver medal - Holding onto life by Steve Harper

NZIS PSA Gold - The lifecycle of water by Helen McLeod FPSNZ SPSA

Andrew from Panasonic The market has been going through an evolution for the past decade, but we are now coming to a pivotal moment. The cheap compact market is in decline, but brands are carving out a niche with higher end compacts with larger sensors.You will see further development in this area for people who want more than a phone, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go all the way to an interchangeable system. We are coming to the watershed moment when mirrorless is being taken more seriously by all facets of the industry, from professional photographers through to amateurs. While it has sat for a while in the enthusiast community, it is now being seen as a viable alternative and as such DSLR will continue to decline. 2019 will be the year of changing systems. There is so much happening, and it is happening fast. Late in 2018 five manufacturers announced new mounts; this has never happened before. There will be a lot of focus on the top end of the market, especially full frame, but people need to remember that that is only a very small portion of the market. There are some exciting things happening in crop sensor, and it is still a very viable market. There are people looking at moving from full frame to crop as they value the portability. It is going to be interesting to see how customers react to the availability of both open and closed systems. Several brands have mounts that are far more open to collaboration with other manufacturers, with more traditional brands releasing mounts that are completely closed to competition. There has been a perception in the market that mirrorless has equated to small, and in the crop sensor market this is particularly true. With the move to full frame this is likely to change as manufacturers rectify some of the issues that have come about by trying to pack all of the features of a SLR into the mirrorless form.

Aaron from Sony NZ We will continue to see camera brands shift more of their focus to mirrorless, with further development and innovation in mirrorless technology. While we can’t reveal any information about specific Sony products that are in development, at Photokina (September 2018) we announced our intention to release 10-12 new lenses before the end of 2020. Sony is also focusing on improving the artificial intelligence within our cameras. For example, Sony’s engineers are currently working on extending the Eye Autofocus feature to also include animals (at present Eye AF only works with humans). This development will be fantastic for wildlife photographers. The video space keeps advancing rapidly. 4k is well established now, and 8k is already on the horizon. With 8k recording it will be possible to pull a 32 megapixel still image from the video file. Media display formats are changing, and video is quickly gaining greater prominence. All the social media channels are becoming more video-centric (e.g. Instagram and Facebook Stories). Even around town we’re seeing more digital displays (e.g. in bus shelters), and as a result we will see more professional image makers offering both stills and motion services. Mirrorless cameras are well placed for this shift as they are designed and built to shoot stills and video, rather than the video just being an add-on feature, as it is with DLSR cameras. The development of the Sony E-mount lens range has had video usage factored in from day one - so they’re quieter and smoother when focusing. For stills photography it really doesn’t matter if the lens makes a noise, but with video (and especially when using a shotgun mic above the lens) you don’t want it making any noise. The next generation of photographers are not as fixated on the traditional camera brands. They are hybrid shooters, telling stories with both stills and video, and they need cameras that allow them to jump very easily between the two.

NZIS FIAP Gold Medal - Beauty and the beast by Ilan Wittenberg FNZIPP FPSNZ

Audio-visual notes Compiled by Trish McAuslan APSNZ EFIAP AAPS

Congratulations on achieving AV honours THE FOLLOWING HONOURS were presented at the recent Australian Photographic Society Convention. Alistair McAuslan APSNZ achieved his Associate of the Australian Photographic Society for Audio-visuals (AV-AAPS) and Trish McAuslan APSNZ achieved her Licentiate of the Australian Photographic Society for Audio-visuals.

Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy for digital audio-visual sequences This year’s competition was organised by Gail Stent APSNZ and her team from the North Shore Photographic Society. Our thanks to all of them for the excellent work they did, and to everyone who entered. Without them there would be no competition! We appreciated the work of the three accredited AV judges, Bruce Burgess FPSNZ, Bob McCree FPSNZ and Karen Lawton, who had the challenging task of selecting the winners. Congratulations to everyone who was successful. This year I have asked the authors of the award winning entries to tell us a little about their audio-visuals. These AVs will be shown at the PSNZ National Convention in April next year.

Trish and Alastair

‘I had visited Inle Lake and had taken many photos, but they were merely a record of my visit. They needed a framework so that they could be used to tell a story. As a geography teacher who had also taught tourism I knew about some of the impacts of tourism on local people. I also knew that Mynamar had been isolated from the rest of the world for several decades but had recently begun welcoming visitors. My aim in this AV was to consider the impact of the rapid growth of tourism on the people of Inle Lake.’

The overall winner who will receive a PSNZ Gold Medal and the Jack Sprosen Memorial Trophy Winner of the documentary category - Trish McAuslan APSNZ EFIAP AAPS AV-APS for ‘Tourists come to Inle Lake’ Tourists come to Inle Lake

Silver Medal: Winner of the Music, Poetry and Song Category - Gail Stent APSNZ for Water dance

‘Although depression and anxiety can happen to anyone, it is a fact that males in particular find it difficult to ask for help. Friendship bonding between men is crucially important for their health and wellbeing. But just what do the boys get up to while out on their Sunday bike ride?’

Bronze Medal Helen McLeod FPSNZ SPSA for On the factory floor

Water dance

‘I photograph a lot of synchronised swimming competitions and always have many photographs of water splashes and body parts that are not used for the competitions. I keep these photos as the different shapes of the splashes and the water movements fascinate me. I also love the mystery of seeing body parts emerging from the water. This year I decided to create an AV using these photos.The hardest part was to find music to suit the images but I finally found a beautiful piece of music, In the Deep Water by Michael Whalen, which totally represented what I was trying to portray in the AV.’ Silver Medal: Winner of the Theme Category - Jo Boyd APSNZ for Sunday bike ride

Sunday bike ride

On the factory floor

‘The AV came about as this depicts a side of Stainless Steel Fabrication that most people don’t get to see. Thanks to my partner, Phill, I have a model who is proud to show his skills in this area and doesn’t mind being in front of the camera quite as much as his work colleagues do. I found photographing the factory with all its bits and bobs lying around quite a challenge artistically, as I wanted to find a way of depicting hard, dirty, functional items in a more abstract way. I toyed with the idea of using heavy, grungy music but thought this would be too predictable - hence the use of a more catchy, funky, contemporary track. I thought the use of movement in my imagery with sparks flying and welding occurring in time with the music would add another dimension. The movement images are all still images fused together with a short transition time; no snippets of video were introduced as I am not video savvy. For the record, I had to process more than 300 individual images and lost a couple of items of clothing through burns for this AV - the things we do to get our images!

‘A huge thanks to Phill Jarratt, the workers of Staybrite Stainless and its owners for indulging me in my passion!’

Bronze Medal - Judith Hodgson AV-AAPS LAPS for From 1844 to Evermore

Merit Certificate Alistair McAuslan APSNZ AV-AAPS for Oradour John Hodgson EFIAP/b AV-AFIAP FAPS AVFAPS for Spring clean

Commended Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ for Whose amusement? Newell Grenfell Hon PSNZ FPSNZ FNPSNZ for Dies irae - day of wrath John Hodgson EFIAP/b AV-AFIAP FAPS AVFAPS for Music in space 1844 to Evermore

‘The idea for From 1844 to Evermore came from my suggestion to our AV club that we make an AV about something within a kilometre or two from home. Penfolds Magill Estate is about 500 metres from our house and we walk past it regularly. I began to research the history of the winery and the reason for their phenomenal success. I took my camera up to the winery and took photos from the outside, and on another occasion they very kindly allowed me to take photos inside. I also visited their cellar door in the Barossa Valley where the staff were very helpful. I loved some of the slogans they developed over the years, especially the one that says Be never without Penfolds within.’

Adele Ashton APSNZ LRPS for Memories Judith Hodgson AV-AAPS LAPS for Winging it Trish McAuslan APSNZ EFIAP AV-LAPS for Is Iceland really made from ice? Gail Stent APSNZ for The artist’s eye

Member profile:

Keiko Sato AFIAP ESFIAP KEIKO LIVES IN Japan, and has been a member of PSNZ since the late 1990s. She has travelled to New Zealand on several occasions, attending PSNZ national conventions. Her father presented her with a camera at a very early age, and she closely observed bugs and butterflies at great length, before learning to photograph them. Keiko has been awarded numerous awards worldwide, with particular distinctions at FIAP events. She has attended many FIAP conventions, as well as competing in PSNZ Nationals. She is very interested in travel, especially in northern hemisphere countries, and since 1989 she has visited the northern parts of Greenland, Norway, Iceland, Canada and Japan. Initially she was wary of the freezing temperatures, but this was soon forgotten once in the beautiful northern lands, engaging in the different cultures and seeing the Northern Lights. Her first experience of these was a particular red variety, watched in a tiny mountainous village in Alaska. Through photography, she has explored many places, met countless valuable friends and has had many treasured experiences. Photography is not just about the images, but about people and their customs.

All images by Keiko Sato

First women photographers in NZ By Lynn Clayton Hon PSNZ APSNZ EFIAP ESFIAP

RECENTLY I HAD a chance meeting with a young man in a men’s fashion boutique in Newmarket. It was Thomas Thew and he told me his great grandmother was one of the first women photographers in New Zealand. I decided to do some research and discovered that his grandmother and another woman were indeed our first women photographers.

Elizabeth Pulman I believe Elizabeth Pulman started practising as a photographer some six to eight years before Harriet Cobb. It doesn’t appear that these two women knew each other; however their stories have many similarities. Elizabeth’s camera was similar to Harriet Cobb’s precious camera, brought to NZ on the Lady Jocelyn. It was a Dallmeyer, made in London. New Zealand’s first female photographer was born on 1 August 1836. She was named Elizabeth Chadd, daughter of Mary (Clayton) and William Chadd of Cheshire, England. Her father was a bricklayer, and little is known about her working-class childhood. At the age of 22, Miss Chadd married local resident George Pulman, a widower with two young sons, and he had a great interest in photography. After giving birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Pulman and her family sailed from London to New Zealand on the Broadwater, finally arriving in Auckland on 30 July 1861. His wife shared his love of photography and, because independent opportunities for female photographers were non-existent at the time, she collaborated with her husband, joining him both in the studio and in the field. They were fascinated by the Maori culture, and photographed several chiefs and historically significant landmarks. 46

Elizabeth Pulman

Her husband, George Pulman, died on 17 April 1871, and Elizabeth continued supporting her family through her photography. Her income was compromised by the lack of copyright protection for photographers. Mrs Pulman became a crusader for artistic copyright protection, and in a letter to the New Zealand Herald she issued an appeal to the public not to purchase pirated copies of her studio’s photographs.

Image by Elizabeth Pulman, NZ Govt Photo

Her activism led to an introduction to another widower named John Blackman, a reporter for the Auckland Star. They married on 14 June 1875, and together they had a son. Widowed again in 1893, Mrs. Pulman (she continued using her first husband’s surname for professional purposes) continued operating Pulman’s Photographic Studio and was later joined by her son Frederick. Her deep respect for the Maori people and culture is readily apparent in her portraits that are distinguished by their intricate detail and emphasise the photographer’s mastery of light and shadow techniques. She provides a rare glimpse of the indigenous Ngati Maniapoto tribe, and her images celebrate their unique traditions and ornate style of dress. She was one of the few ‘outsiders’ welcomed into the North Island chiefs’ inner circle. After nearly three decades, Mrs Pulman sold her successful studio shortly before her death on 3 February 1900 at the age of 63. Her negatives were sold to the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau, and their reprints remain popular tourist keepsakes. Other original photographs and correspondence are housed in the National Library of New Zealand’s Alexander Turnbull Library.

NZ GOVT PHOTO: Photograph of the important Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Waka Nene, c. 1870. Elizabeth Pulman, possibly our first woman photographer, was one of many early New Zealand photographers who sold portraits of Māori.

NZ GOVT PHOTO: by Elizabeth Pulman

Harriet Cobb The other early New Zealand woman photographer was Harriet Cobb. Harriet lived in Christchurch, England. Since Joseph and Harriet both had a mutual passion for photography, they set up a photographic studio in the glasshouse behind their High Street shop (in Christchurch). It was here that Harriet began specialising in portraiture, particularly focusing on photographing children. Harriet claimed that the lighting in the glasshouse enhanced the quality of her work. Harriet gave birth to her first son, Arthur, on 23 September 1868. Alfred was born on 20 June 1869 and Robert arrived on 20 October 1870. During this period Harriet won a medal and certificate from The Photographic Society (now known as the Royal Photographic Society) for a portrait of her three children. It is not known if this photo is still in existence. A daughter, Elsie, was born into the Cobb family on 19 November 1872. The Cobbs sold their shop in 1881 and eventually took passage on the sailing ship Lady Jocelyn in 1883. By that time they had nine children, ranging from 14 year old Alf to Harold who was just a few months old.

Joseph and Harriet Cobb

September 1883, bound for Wellington with the Cobb family on board. More importantly, on board that ship was a special piece of equipment – Harriet’s studio camera! Shortly after their arrival in Wellington, Harriet and her family embarked on the ship Kiwi which was heading north to Napier, arriving there on 5 January 1884.

After two weeks of repairs, the Lady Jocelyn set sail from Portsmouth, England, on 18

Dallmeyer camera similar to the one used by Harriet Cobb

Family portrait by Harriet Cobb

Joseph and Harriet lived in Port Ahuriri for approximately one year. During that time, Harriet opened a photographic studio on Waghorne Street, opposite the London Hotel. According to the Hawke’s Bay Herald,Vol XXI, Issue 7022, 26 November 1884, Harriet exhibited a “fine collection” of photos at the inaugural Working Trades and Art Exhibition which was held at the Theatre Royal, Napier.

“Harriet’s photographs get noticed.” A series of photographs which Harriet entitled ‘Vignette Studies from Life’ were exhibited at New Zealand’s first Industrial Exhibition which opened in Wellington on Saturday 1 August 1885 to much fanfare. While the main part of the exhibition was housed in the purpose built Exhibition Building, the art and photographic exhibits were displayed on the upper floor of the adjacent St George’s Hall. The exhibition was a showcase of New Zealand’s talent and organisers hoped to attract overseas interest in the wares on display. One person who noticed Harriet’s work was the famous Sir Julius von Haast, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. He was so impressed by Harriet’s photographs that she was invited to show her work at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London the following May. Haast was present at the London exhibition in the capacity of New Zealand Commissioner.

Newspaper advertising for the studio

Many of the photographs that Harriet sent to the exhibition in London were of female faces. According to one newspaper report, in the Hawke’s Bay Herald,Vol XXII, Issue 7335, 3 December 1885, the best photographs were entitled, Sympathy, Happy Thoughts and The Gypsy Queen.

Image by Harriet Cobb

Harriet Cobb’s Prize medal, Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London, 1886

The London Exhibition of 1886 was opened by Queen Victoria and was viewed by more than 5.5 million people in the 164 days it was open! In it, Harriet was one of only two New Zealand photographers to exhibit portraits. Her exhibits were described in the official catalogue as being ‘photographs and vignettes’. All exhibitors at the fair were awarded a bronze medal and a certificate. Click here to see what the certificate looked like. It is unknown what happened to the photographs that Harriet exhibited or the medal she was given. In the Daily Telegraph, Issue 5398, 11 December 1888, a newspaper reporter described one of Harriet’s photographs called Tired Out as “one of the finest photographs I have ever seen.” Harriet’s occupation is listed on the 1896 Napier electoral roll as ‘photographer’. Joseph and their son George are also listed as being photographers. Harriet was renowned as a quality photographer by this point. A reporter from the Hastings Standard described her in the 14 July 1896 edition as being “well-known“, and her work as being “first class”. The brief

Image by Harriet Cobb

article says that Harriet had an excellent reputation in the district and that the quality of her work exceeded that of most other local photographers due to her ability to compose a well-balanced picture. Apparently Harriet was admired for the creative way she positioned her subjects in her photographs, and for the finishing touches to her work. The article concluded by saying that Harriet had won medals at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, London, in 1886 and at the Dunedin Exhibition of 1889. Interestingly some of Harriet’s descendants live in Auckland and they are also talented in the art world. Harriet was a strong and resilient woman. In spite of losing her husband and a number of children during her lifetime she went on to work tirelessly for the church after retiring from photography. She died on 18 December 1929.

Research from: TEARA – a biography, written by Phillip D Jackson, first published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography in 1993. Images from Canterburyphotography.blogspot. com/2014/02/cobb.html http://thecobbfamilyofnapier.blogspot.com/p/ blog-page.html

On 19 September 1893, after submitting a petition with nearly 32,000 signatures, New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the vote. In most other democracies – including Britain and the United States – women did not get that right until after the First World War. New Zealand women voted for the first time in a general election on 28 November 1893. Elizabeth Pulman and Harriet Cobb were out there creating their own photographic careers prior to women getting the vote in 1893. Just an interesting foot note ….

Leon Cobb is an Octogenarian Leon has had an illustrious career in advertising and publishing in New Zealand. He was the art director in a major company before branching out to publishing and designing books for Handsdowne and Paul Hamblyn. Later on his own company produced books for organisations and companies including handbooks for the NZ National Parks (1980) and histories of Howick and Pakuranga, New Zealand Synfuel, The Alpine World of Mt Cook, Proceedings of the 13th World Orchid Conference 1990, Great Golf Holes of New Zealand, AA Road Atlas of NZ and many others. His paintings reflect his wide range of interests from a series of Hawaiian Golf Courses to Mountains and his hobby of growing and painting orchids in their natural habitat. Leon is a fine artist (see the painting behind his portrait above). Many of Leonard’s children have developed careers in the world of photography, graphic design and other creative industries.

Harriet’s headstone

Waikato A&P Show, 1-3 November 2018 By Karen Lawton

PSNZ WAS PLEASED to provide sponsorship to the inaugural photography competition held at the recent Waikato A&P Show at the Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton. PSNZ’s sponsorship was provided in kind: firstly, through review and assistance with the organiser’s judging criteria; secondly, through the offer to provide a PSNZ accredited judge to join the judging panel; and finally, through the provision of a one year membership subscription to PSNZ to add to the prize pool for the category winners. PSNZ accredited judge Aliah Jan FPSNZ joined local Hamilton based photographer Trefor Ward to complete the judging before the show. Entries were subsequently presented gallery style on black panels to allow great viewing access. This inaugural event received a very heartening 68 entries covering several subject categories – Rural Life, Scenic and Motion - across the Adult and College sections. The organisers hope to add a Youth category for 2019 and already have plans in place to speak with local schools to become involved with their programmes and/or utilise their networks in 2019. In addition to the named winners, the show ran a public choice over the weekend; 350 people cast a vote for their favourite and the winners of those category votes were each awarded an A&P Show Rosette. This cooperation is a new initiative for PSNZ and one which we would like to see repeated and expanded. It fits well with the vision to “Help Photographers Grow” and was a great opportunity to raise PSNZ’s profile in a community event visited by a host of people. Full information about the event and the winning images can be found here: http://waikatoaandp. co.nz/the-show/competitions/waikato-ap-photographic-competition/

NZIS FIAP Silver medal - City scope by Helen McLeod FPSNZ SPSA

The story behind the image In this section CameraTalk asks members to discuss what went into making an image, and not just the technical specs. This image “Tui flight” by Lindsay Muirhead was award a FIAP Bronze Medal, so we asked Lindsay about the background.

This was taken on one of my many trips up to Maungakawa Reserve up the back of Cambridge. I call it a tui season up there from about early September though to Christmas. In September it starts with several cherry trees with up to 50 tuis in each sometimes, then near to December they feed on the flax flowers. This photo was shot with Sony A7r2 and Sigma contemporary 100-400mm lens and is the result of concentrating on the bird and being ready to follow the flight. This is not easy to do, but I’m learning, Tuis are a very special bird to me ever since I saw my first one on a hunting trip to Port Craig when I was much younger. I would rate them as my favourite native bird.

PSNZ develops new workshop series for members

PSNZ is proud to announce the imminent arrival of the PSNZ Workshop Series. Commencing in 2019, PSNZ will be giving you the opportunity to work with highlyskilled tutors covering a variety of topics to further develop your skills. From basic camera skills to post-processing skills, or perhaps trying a new technique in small social groups and under expert tuition, the Workshop Series will be offered in six locations around the country. The schedule will be announced early in the new year along with details of how to sign up. These events will be exclusive to PSNZ members with limited places on all PSNZ Workshop Series. Watch this space for more information.

Kapiti Coast Photographic Society exhibition: Through the photographer’s eye

Club news If your club has information or events that you would like to share, email the details to Lindsay Stockbridge LPSNZ at dilinz@ actrix.co.nz.

Alison Viskovic FPSNZ reports

IN SEPTEMBER AND October Kapiti Coast Photographic Society held a very successful exhibition in the gallery at the entrance to Paraparaumu library. This was the third in what we plan will be a two-yearly sequence, and showcased a variety of genres and subject-matter. Twenty-six members had work included, selected from submitted digital files and then printed and mounted to attain a consistent presentation.

The venue was ideal, as it captured a lot of passing traffic, and the visitors book gathered many positive comments. Images were grouped in five sections - Nature, Landscape, Kapiti, People and Creative. Images from the Kapiti section of the show were then used for the club’s annual calendar, sales of which support things like weekend workshops, and some of the cost of the next exhibition. The photo below shows about half of the exhibition.

Change to regional boundary line Following a recent proposal from Rachel Hume, President of the Taupo Camera Club, that the regional boundary line be changed so that Taupo Camera Club could become part of the Central Region, this has now been implemented. Effective immediately, the regional boundary now runs to the north of Taupo. A full list of affiliated clubs and their corresponding regions can be found on our website at https://photography.org.nz/about/affiliated-clubs/.

Changing details WITH CLUB AGMs out of the way for another year, don’t forget to check that the contact information on the PSNZ website is still accurate. Also for those clubs, who are registered charities, don’t forget to update the officer information on the Charities Commission website (www.charities.govt.nz).

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Courier or storage boxes. Contact Sean Dick, sean@evokestudio.co.nz

Printcases for 16”x 20” prints. $75 plus post. Contact Jocelyn Barrett, the.barretts.jl@gmail.com

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Nikon Z 7 review by Paul Whitham LPSNZ

AS A LONG time Nikon user I have taken a keen interest in their new mirrorless offering (announced in August) and I was keen to get my hands on one to review for CameraTalk. With the great support of the guys at Nikon NZ we were able to arrange just that. The original intention was that I would have the camera for a week but unfortunately, due to a series of events, the camera did not arrive until lunchtime Friday and had to be sent back to Auckland on Monday. Therefore the time that I had to play with it was extremely limited and there is a distinct possibility that some of the issues I found were not an inherent issue with the camera but with the way the last person using it had set it up. Also, with a camera that offers a wide range of features, it always takes time to become familiar with them. Because I wanted to ensure a balanced review, I checked a number of issues with Nikon NZ, and their responses were then incorporated in the review. I was supplied with the Z 7 model, the brand new Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens and the lens FTZ adapter. I was particularly interested to see how the FTZ adaptor performed, as none of the promotional images that I had seen online had used it. Given that the majority of people who would be buying this camera would be wanting to use it with their existing glass, I was particularly interested in how it performed. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a wide range of technical reviews done of the camera, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to go into the specs or anything on the pixel-peeping level. Rather, my review revolves around my experience in operating the camera and the results that I obtained from it in a very brief time.

First impressions When you first open the box you do realise how much smaller the camera body is when compared to other cameras in the Nikon range. The image shows the Z 7 centre with a D90 crop sensor left and D600 full frame right. In many comparisons the Z 7 has been linked directly to the D850 (as the technical specs are similar) which has an even larger body than the D600 shown.

The major advantage that has always been stressed with mirrorless is that they are lighter than equivalent SLRs, and this is certainly the case with the body. The table below shows the relevant weights of the camera compared with a number of others. Camera Nikon Z 7 Nikon D600 Nikon D850 Sony A7Riii (FF) Lumix G9 m4/3

Type Mirrorless DSLR DSLR Mirrorless Mirrorless

Body & battery 712g 867g 1,005g 657g 687g

With 24-70mm lens 1,269g 1,752g 1,890g 1,084g

The Z 7 is definitely lighter than the Nikon full frame models but is marginally heavier than the Sony. I should note that a comparison with the camera fitted with the 24-70mm lens is not quite valid, given that the new lens is only an f4, whereas my existing one is f2.8 and over twice the weight. Nikon have had a long tradition that their existing lenses fit new cameras, so the new Z mount is a major departure from this. I am sure that this change is being made so that future development is not held back by the past, and it will be interesting to see what the potential benefits of the new mount are, going forward. When I picked up the F 7 the layout felt very familiar, and there is a really good size grip (although more on that later). The main menu system is the same as on the DSLRs, however it also has a quick menu option that contains the most commonly changed items. I understand that this menu is highly customisable and that you can remove items from the standard one, which will be really useful. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try this out for myself as changing menu items is best done on a camera that you have been using for a while. The touch screen allows for a number of functions to be altered, however the function does not extend to all of the options displayed.

How did it actually perform? When you look through the viewfinder, you could be fooled into believing that you were looking through a mirror-type finder. It is that clear and does not give the impression that it is electronic. However, when you put the camera in manual mode it gives a very good indication of what the shot will look like (exposure-wise) and is extremely close to the photo taken. This was really good when you are going for a more dramatically lighting look that the cameraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meter will struggle to create.

Image stabilisation appeared to be really good even when using it with the adaptor and older lenses. While sitting inside I decided to see how far I could push it and I could quite easily get sharp images hand held at one second. Note that this image was made with a macro lens that has a very narrow depth of field. I had read a number of early reviews that reported some focusing issues, so I was perhaps slightly biased when I tested this. I can say that I did have a couple of issues getting it to focus on what I wanted, however I would concede that I had similar issues when I started using my current mirrorless camera. I would therefore concede that this was an area that you would need time to come to grips with, because when you did get a good focus lock the images were very sharp.

The screen on the back for the camera flips out and is handy for you to position the camera and was really useful when I had the camera extended for the macro shots. While this is a great feature, on my SLRs the live view function can be zoomed to get pinpoint focus when using macro. I could not find a similar way to zoom the display, but when I went to single point focus, the focus indicator (the focus point turned green) was pretty accurate. Nikon NZ have confirmed that the camera can zoom the display and it also has focus peaking, so the issue I picked up was related to setup and not something missing from the camera. 61

How did the adapter perform? On the first afternoon I thought that the adaptor was not working, as pressing the shutter button was not resulting in it taking images. I eventually discovered that it needed a fairly firm press to actually take a photo, unlike my other cameras. Once I sussed out the right amount of pressure, the adapter performed exceptionally well. I really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice any difference in the performance of the two lenses (I tried it with 70200mm f2.8 & 105mm f2.8) compared to the new f4 native lens which was extremely pleasing. One surprise though was that as the bottom of the adapter extended below the bottom of the camera it was not possible to screw my Manfroto tripod plate to it. There is probably a good reason for this as you are recommended to mount directly from the lens to the tripod when using heavier glass. This may be an issue for those wanting to quickly change lens once they have a selection of the new ones. I understand from a friend that the adapter for Sony cameras has similar issues.

Looking at the lens that came with the camera, the focus dial was very smooth and responsive. The cameraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 45MP files mean that the files are huge. I shot 100 photos and it used 6GB of space. Fortunately storage is relatively cheap. The camera also uses a new type of card so I had to download using the camera plugged into the computer. Now while you do have the option of shooting at lower resolution I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the point of spending the money to get those megapixels and then not use them. The big advantage with the file size is that you can really crop an image

While I was generally happy with the performance of the camera, there were a few things that I did not like, however I will concede that these may be due to settings. These were: 1. The camera seemed to be focusing on pressing either the main shutter button, the EF back button and the centre of the joystick, or all at the same time. Therefore it was confusing to know which one to use. The idea behind back button focus is to separate the focus/metering actions from taking the image. As the configuration I encountered was not usual, in my opinion I suspected that it had been set up by a prior user, and Nikon have confirmed that the function setting on each button can be configured in the menu. 2. The time that items were displayed on the back of the camera was extremely short, which I suspect is designed to save on battery usage. Again I suspect that this can be altered in the menu, and Nikon NZ have confirmed that this is the case. 3. I could not get an audio alarm to play on the self timer, so unless you looked at the front of the camera to see the little light flashing, you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if you had activated it. Despite looking in the manual and through the menu I could not easily identify how to change it. The self timer function only seemed to work for a single image and needed to be reset each time. 4. While the ergonomics of the camera were really good, it does have two custom buttons on the front, between the lens and the grip. Personally I found that the depth of the grip did not allow me to easily reach the buttons with the camera to my eye. This may not affect people with larger hands, and in all honesty this is an issue I have with other cameras as well.

Final thoughts I found the Z 7 to be a really good camera, and if you are a Nikon shooter and want to move to mirrorless then you should look at it, or the smaller (and cheaper) Z 6. It is quite an expensive camera, and therefore will not be in everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, so I suspect that more people will go for the Z 6 instead. I would like to thank Blair at Nikon NZ for making this model available to review. Those coming to convention in April will also have the opportunity to play with it, as well as other cameras in the Nikon range.

PSNZ membership benefits ‘Helping photographers grow’ BY JOINING THE Photographic Society of New Zealand you can...

• Obtain discounts for society activities, including reduced registration fees for the annual PSNZ national convention. • Obtain discounts for some New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers events. • Receive a copy of New Zealand Camera. Members are entitled to submit images for inclusion in this prestigious annual publication. Purchase additional copies via our website. • Submit a portfolio of work for consideration to achieve a society distinction, (LPSNZ, APSNZ or FPSNZ). The quality, consistency and competency of your work is recognised and you can display letters after your name. • Obtain discounted rates for entering the Canon PSNZ National Exhibition. • Enter Canon Online, a bi-monthly digital competition with trophies for the winner of each round and for the overall winner each year. • Attend judge training workshops free of charge. • Promote your website on the PSNZ website; receive a link from our site to yours; access the ‘member only’ area; gain access to online entry forms and valuable help sheets. • Join a print circle to help improve your photographic skills and build friendships with fellow members. • Keep up to date with the latest news on events, activities and special offers through bulk emails. • Obtain product discounts or savings, including reduced rates for photographic equipment insurance through Rothbury’s insurance brokers.

To join PSNZ, please visit our website: https://photography.org.nz

FIAP Photo meeting Morocco 2019 By Ann Bastion FPSNZ EFIAP, FIAP Liaison Officer

IF YOU HAVE ever thought of visiting Morocco, here’s you chance to do so. The FIAP Bi-Annual Photo Meeting is to be held in Morocco 23 to 30 June 2019. It is a a circuit covering Marrakech - Ouarzazate - Tinghir - Merzouga- Rissani- Alnif -Tazzarine Nkoub -Tamnougalt - Agdez Ouarzazate – Marrakech. There is also an optional tour that follows on from the end, 30 June – 2 July, which covers Marrakech - Essaouira - Agadir – Marrakech. These trips are very well priced; compare the price with other trips and you will find this great value. They usually include all meals, 4 star accommodation, airport pick-ups, local transport and a few drinks. Main Program: 8 Days and 7 Nights (Four Star Hotels / Marrakech, Ouarzazate), • Double room: 851 EUR / person • Single room: 1051 EUR / person • Registration deadline 31 January 2019.

Here is a chance to take a photo tour with other photographers, seeing what photographers want to see without the hassle of organising it. Details and prices are in a PDF on the PSNZ website. If you think you might be interested, contact me ajbastion@gmail.com and I will put your name on my list of interested people to keep you up to date. You will also need a FIAP photographers card if you do not already have one. This needs to be obtained from FIAP and applies to spouses etc. Contact me for further details.

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NSIZ FIAP Bronze medal - 1984 by Liz Hardley FPSNZ EFIAPb LRPS