Convention updates

Speed It Up and Slow It Down! PSNZ Regional Convention – You’re Invited!

JOIN US IN celebrating the art of photography at the PSNZ Regional Convention in Taupo from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September.

Our theme highlights the many technical and artistic elements that we photographers use to create great images. There are so many ways to Speed It Up and Slow It Down in our photographic work. Do you want to capture the feeling of speed by slowing the shutter speed down and panning to evoke the sense of movement? Or capture the height of the action by upping your shutter speed and freezing the moment?

John Cowpland knows all about this. As one of the country’s top sports photographers, John knows all about working at high speed and under intense deadline pressure, making quick decisions about the feeling he wants the image to evoke and what settings to use. Perhaps you prefer life at a slightly slower pace, taking your time. Taupo is the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the view, to make those beautiful landscape images, long exposures with beautiful milky waters as you look across to the mountain.

Perhaps you like your images to have a more painterly look and want to try impressionism, the art of combining slow shutters speeds with movement, expressing emotion through photography. Both Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ and Eva Polak LPSNZ have this down to a fine art.

If you’re keen to return to where photography started for you, the way it used to be, you will enjoy listening to Michael Bradley as he tells us about his personal project using wet plate photography. If you’re a traveller, someone who likes to get off the treadmill of everyday life and escape to another country, see other cultures, tell stories of other places and times gone by through your images, then Jeremy Bright APSNZ is your man.

Our programme will be a mixture of high energy and chill, opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances, learn about and share our passion for photography - all in and around Taupo, the wonderful and beautiful place that members of Taupo Camera club call home.

Our venue

The convention will be based at Suncourt, an established and full-facility convention centre with easy walking distance to lake and town. It has an on-site restaurant and bar, and our convention dinner will be held on site. High quality accommodation is available at the centre, and Suncourt have agreed to hold all rooms for us until 30 May. View the facilities at suncourt.co.nz and when booking mention Taupo Camera Club for convention rates.

Bruce Girdwood FPSNZ is a long-standing member and Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand. He currently chairs the PSNZ Honours Board. Originally from southern Africa, Bruce has lived in New Zealand since 1996. He leads photographic tours, runs creative photography workshops and frequently presents photographic talks around New Zealand.

“As I progress through life I seek to give expression to what I find in my journey of self-discovery. Some people talk, some write, some paint, some sculpt, some photograph and others combine some or all of these to express their views, thoughts, feelings, experiences and discoveries as they journey. I try to achieve this through my photography. My photography is an intensely personal expression of who I am and hope to be.”

Eva Polak LPSNZ As a photographer, artist, author and teacher, Eva Polak is well known for her enthusiasm and passion for impressionist photography. She has written three books: Impressionist Photography Techniques – A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Great Images by Using Your Digital Camera, Transcended Light, and The Secret Life of Dandelions, describing ways to use your camera for painterly effect. Eva has had three solo exhibitions and has participated in a variety of group exhibitions. Her photographs are in private collections in New Zealand, Australia and Europe. As an educator, Eva has passed on her knowledge and experience to keen photographers through a variety of workshops.

Jeremy Bright APSNZ is originally from the U.K., from Essex in fact. He likes to point out, ‘from real Essex, not London overspill - and proud of it’. Cortinas and fluffy dice aside, he feels that being born and raised in this heartland gives him a certain edge to his character that people feel drawn to. In 2010 he formed Grabb – for image excellence, a commercial photographic company that produces stills and moving imagery, specifically for businesses and corporates. He also continues to work as a freelance documentary photographer and is passionate about the many personal projects that are at the heart of his creativity. In both endeavours his fascination is for storytelling – to discover the subtle nuances behind the person and subject, in other words, what makes people tick. He loves the chance encounter, a passing conversation or an observed situation. He is now in his 29th year behind the camera. His journey continues . . .

John Cowpland

An award-winning photographer based in Napier, John Cowpland has been shooting full time for more than 30 years, for the past 18 years running his own business, Alphapix. John shoots a variety of commercial and editorial work and covers sports for numerous clients. John’s images grace the pages of many national and international newspapers and magazines every week. In 2017 John was awarded Sports Photographer of the Year at the Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards.

John has covered world cups, a variety of major sporting events and the Commonwealth Games. He was one of only two New Zealand photographers at the Rio Olympics and he will be joining us freshly back from the Tokyo Olympics. We can’t wait to hear about his experience as a photographer during the Olympics and as professional sports photographer; what it’s like to work for a wire service and filing images while still on the sideline capturing the action. John will explain how the latest technology allows the rapid turnaround of photos that clients now demand.

Michael is based in Auckland and specialises in commercial, food, editorial and sports photography. He works for a wide range of corporate clients and sporting organisations including ANZ Bank Ltd, SKY CITY, Foodstuffs, The Edge, Netball New Zealand. He is also a contract photographer for Fairfax Media. Michael covers a number of major sporting events in New Zealand: he is the official photographer for Netball New Zealand, has covered the world netball champs and two Commonwealth Games.

On the flip side of all this fast-paced sports action, Michael set himself a personal project, spent four years mastering the art of wet-plate photography, studying under the guidance of “godfather of wet-plate”, Brian Scadden. In his research Michael became fascinated by the way the wet-plate process served to essentially erase ta moko. This fascination all came together after lots of research and hard work, culminating in his PUAKI exhibition in 2018.

We are excited to have Michael joining us as one of our keynote speakers. We look forward to hearing about his fascinating journey and seeing images from his exhibition.

Bruce Girdwood

Eva Polak

We’re excited to promote our region and what it has to offer photographically. Taupo has opportunities to practise everything from beautiful lakescapes to sport and action, impressionism, street photography and industrial landscapes. Here are some of the options we are working on.

• Impressionism workshops with Eva Polak and Bruce Girdwood - endless opportunities with our beautiful lake shore just a stone’s throw from the venue.

Timberline Huskies field trip – visit New Zealand’s largest Siberian Husky race kennel. Get up close and personal with the huskies and photograph them them running as a team around the purpose-built track.

Graffiti Walk

• Action Photography - workshops with John Cowpland and Michael Bradley. There is no better place for action photography than Taupo; there is always something happening.

• Industrial Landscapes – we have access to the Wairakei contact energy site. Photograph our geothermal power facilities and make stunning industrial landscape images.

• Natural Landscapes – our lake and mountains, the mighty Waikato River, the Huka Falls, forests and more.

• Botanical Gardens

• Taupo Markets

• Other Treats – Watch this space for confirmation of other exciting locations.

Key Timeline

Convention registrations will open at the end of April, just after the National Convention. The full programme, workshops and field trip options will be on our website prior to registration opening. You will have plenty of time to choose your options.

John Cowpland

Michael Bradley