Letters to the Editor

Letter to the editor

The Two-Year Rule

Dear fellow members of PSNZ,

In the last issue of CameraTalk, it was announced that certain exhibitions and competitions would no longer accept entries made more than two years ago. This came as an unwelcome surprise to many of us, and it is our hope that this position might be reversed.

I accept that the Council has been elected to govern, and has no constitutional obligation to consult on every issue. This decision, however, is of such magnitude that it might have been wise for the Council to gauge the level of member support before deciding to impose it on the Society at large.

The stated rationale for the proposed change was to support the priority of “showcasing current photographic trends”. I utterly reject that priority. While there are many who disagree, I have absolutely no interest in showcasing any kinds of trend. I am a member of PSNZ for the simple pleasure of making and sharing photographic images. While I appreciate any and all advice offered for improving my images, I deeply resent anyone attempting to coerce me into being a follower of trends.

There are few days on which I don’t press the shutter at least once. This naturally results in a fairly large catalogue of saved images. I have no illusions of being a prize-winning photographer, but somewhere in my 90,000 or so saved pictures, there are a few that I would not be ashamed to show. I do not accept that they cease to have merit just because two years have elapsed since they were made. Nor do I accept that someone else’s images are intrinsically better merely because they follow the latest trends. It would be preferable that the images are judged purely on their photographic merit, rather than on their adherence to current trends or the date on which they were created. I want the judging panel to say whether the image has merit for the arena in which it is being assessed.

In my opinion, the two-year image capture rule is a solution in search of a problem. There is no barrier that prevents anyone submitting their latest work or showcasing the latest trends. Nor should there be any rule that says only the most recent and trendy images are worthy. If the selection panel judges the “on-trend” image to be worthy, without having to check the metadata, then it should succeed on its own artistic merits.

A substantial number of PSNZ members choose not to use social media and would thus have missed the flurry of objections raised in the society’s Facebook page. I gained the impression that there was a considerable body of opposition to the new rule. Accordingly, I am seeking indications of support (or otherwise) for a recommendation to the council from the next AGM that the decision be reversed.

Let me be clear that, while I think the Council reached a bad decision, they have done nothing wrong. I very much regret that the backlash on Facebook was upsetting to council members. They are generally deserving of our support. However, it would be unrealistic to expect the membership to agree with them all the time.

We should understand that not even the AGM has the power to make the Council conform to any motion. Nevertheless, while it is Council’s prerogative to make, amend or rescind bylaws it would be unwise go against the wishes of members at an AGM.

Accordingly I wish to discover whether or not there is merit in proposing a recommendation to the AGM. If you are interested in this, one way or the other, please email a brief statement of your position to harmer.brian@gmail.com. Thanks for your attention.

Editor’s comment:

Please note that Brian’s letter was received some time ago and he was not aware of the changes outlined on page 6. Brian Harmer LPSNZ

What will 2021 bring?

By Aaron Key, Digital Imaging Product Specialist, Sony NZ

WE WILL CONTINUE to see all leading camera brands focus primarily on their mirrorless product lines, with further development and innovation in mirrorless technology. While we can’t reveal any information about specific Sony products that are in development, it’s highly likely that in the future we will see improvements in many areas, such as

• Better image quality for both stills and motion

• Faster and more accurate autofocus

• Updated AI algorithms

• Enhanced digital image stabilisation

• Even more advanced movie functionality

Locally, Sony NZ will continue to support a wide range of photography industry events in 2021, including the PSNZ National Convention and National Exhibition. We’re also looking to expand our Sony Scene learning platform (scene.sonyanz.com) by bringing onboard more Sony Digital Imaging Advocates. This will allow us to host a greater variety of photography workshops and seminars in more locations around New Zealand.

Letter to the Editor

(The words and opinions shared here are a personal response to recent FaceBook commentary, not endorsed by the PSNZ Council.)

Sir,

I have served on the PSNZ Council for four years, for the last three years as Vice President with responsibility for the Partnerships portfolio.

My role as Vice President (VP) involves a great deal of (often behind the scenes) support for our President, Moira. As such, I have insider knowledge of the amount of time and effort Moira contributes every week to PSNZ. Equally, I have a clear idea of the substantial time committed by other Council members in their respective governance roles.

In my opinion, these past four years have seen a great deal of productive, forward thinking, change initiated and then brought to fruition, not least of which was the approval of PSNZ’s current Constitution. The amount of hard graft that went into the initial creation and subsequent iterative versions of that Constitution, all by unpaid volunteers to the Society, was hugely significant.

Beyond that, Council has worked diligently to support the rejuvenated Honours Board, update and modernise all PSNZ By-laws, introduce new member benefits such as the very well received Workshop series, recruit volunteers and generally keep the ship afloat for the benefit of our Society’s membership.

The recent vocal discontent expressed on social media about the ‘two year capture’ governance decision made in good faith by Council – that very same Council that is elected by members and given the devolved responsibility to govern the Society – was extremely disheartening. Moreover, I suggest that very little constructive comment was made by those vociferously opposing the policy. It all reminded me of how very easy it is to criticise unconstructively, to pour water on the sandcastle.

Council is ALWAYS seeking volunteer help – to ease the burden (and yes it can be a burden) on Councillors whose governance roles invariable get blurred into administration to implement policy, quite simply because we do not have enough hands on deck to implement the day to day reality of governance decisions. We have repeatedly advertised, cajoled, at times almost begged for people to step up and give back to their Society. To so very often come up empty handed is also disheartening and demoralising, to the state where Council has seriously questioned the viability of PSNZ going forward. Questions about the future relevance of the Society are often top of mind.

To those PSNZ members who are quick to criticise governance decisions made by your dedicated, selfless, hardworking, volunteer Council (and their invaluable helpers) I would say – please show Council the respect it is due. If you disagree with a proposed policy implementation, come up with constructive suggestions whose validity may assist Council in refining that policy.

Think beyond your own horizons and consider that policy changes are made with the vision of PSNZ always to the fore. “Helping Photographers Grow” backgrounds all Council decision-making. We are doing our best, and obviously Council decisions will not please everyone all the time. Consider that constructive support, and the volunteering of your precious time could be the most valuable resource you – in turn – could offer to help guide PSNZ into whatever its future may turn out to be.

Karen Lawton

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