Member showcase — Sheryl Williams APSNZ

Member Showcase

Immediate Past President Moira Blincoe LPSNZ presents our second member profile.

Sheryl Williams APSNZ

While Sheryl Williams APSNZ is a born and bred Aucklander, she has travelled extensively throughout the world…until COVID-19 closed our border. Although she has a large and happy blended family of five, none of them live in Auckland. Some are scattered throughout the country; the others are in Vietnam, Melbourne, and Copenhagen. The upside of this for Sheryl and her husband was combining the family visits to explore and photograph the world, as well as indulge in their leisure activities of skiing, hiking, and cycling.

Sheryl has been an active member of the Howick Photographic Society (HPS) since 2011 and last month became an accredited PSNZ judge in the Open category. She completed her training in two years under the mentorship of fellow member Bob McCree FPSNZ. She joined PSNZ in 2012.

In her earlier working life, Sheryl had varied jobs, initially working as a laboratory technician, then for New Zealand Post before settling in the banking industry. Having returned to study horticulture when her children were at school, she quickly found horticulture more stimulating than banking and switched careers. Before retiring in 2012, she was putting her knowledge and skills to good use, working on a 30-acre plant production nursery in Ardmore.

Sheryl also volunteers at the Totara Hospice retail shop in Pakuranga. Tending to their large garden keeps her fit and healthy and provides good fodder for her macro and nature photography.

When did photography start to play a role in your life?

When I was about 10 years old I was allowed to play with my grandfather’s Box Brownie camera. I became fascinated with the way the light could change the whole look of otherwise ordinary scenes. I saw the world in a whole different way and wanted to capture everything. I became hooked!

Describe your first steps into photography.

My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic with the little square flashcube on the top; Mum gave it to me when I passed School Certificate at age 16. At first, I went a little crazy, photographing everybody and everything. As I was using film, it became quite expensive. I later upgraded to a Hanimex 35mm camera, followed by my first film SLR, a Pentax K2 which I bought in 1977, and still have today. I became the “go-to” person for event photos in our circle of family and friends. I did some wedding photography for them over the years, but it wasn’t my thing.

What is your preferred genre(s)?

My preferred genres are landscape, natural history/ natural world and macro/close-up, but I embrace and enjoy pretty much all genres of photography. In the past three years, I have been trying creative work and impressionism. I particularly like the annual Creative Focus competition, seeing what people come up with.

Sheryl Williams APSNZ

I also enjoy creating audio-visuals and was very pleased to gain a bronze medal in the 2019 Jack Sprosen Memorial AV competition.

What situations inspire your photography?

I love the outdoors: skiing, hiking, cycling and gardening. That is usually when I look around and “see” things, especially light play. I love how the light changes your perception of people, objects and scenes. I just want to capture and share that feeling. It’s something that is still with me: that 10-year-old with the Box Brownie! Another inspiration is watching people doing everyday things, without realising they are being observed.

How do you connect with the people you want to photograph (if applicable)?

I’m not that fond of studio and posed portraiture work. I do enjoy street and photojournalism, but am rather reserved about approaching people. I find I lose that natural appeal that first drew me.

Do you think your photographic eye has changed over the years?

Oh yes, definitely. Before I joined HPS I was aware of a few things that constituted good image-making, like DOF, composition, exposure and the best time of day to take photos. I was more oriented to getting a nice clean, socalled “calendar shot” or “straight image”. When I joined the Society, I learned from some very inspiring people how to explore and try different genres, different perspectives and creative techniques. Now, when I am out and about, I find I have my photo eyeballs on. I am always “seeing”. Mahuia Falls

The Snow Wolf

Coprinellus spp

Member Showcase

What is the most important thing photography has taught you?

Patience and acceptance. Patience, because when I first embraced photography seriously I tended to rush, trying to capture all the lovely stuff I saw, only to get back to my computer and find I really needed to slow down! I like to believe I now plan better and think carefully about where I am going, what I am likely to see, and which part of my kit is going to work best for what I want to do. This then brings me to acceptance; sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t come off, no matter what. The weather or lighting, for instance, doesn’t play ball, and you may not get the shots you were hoping for.

What are your preferred post-processing tools?

I do most of my editing in Adobe Camera Raw because no data is lost. If I need to do any other tweaks I use Photoshop. I try to get as much correct in-camera as possible. I prefer to be behind my camera rather than sitting in front of a computer, trying to fix something. I am a great believer in really thinking about what you are shooting while out in the field, and not relying on your editing program to fix it. Been there, done that; however, I have found some impulse shots have worked well for me too!

You recently became an accredited PSNZ judge. What motivated you to become a judge?

When I joined HPS in 2011, I started entering competitions with my precious images. That was really stepping outside my comfort zone! I found most of the judges gave great feedback. It was a huge learning curve for me, finding out from these people how I could improve my work, my perception, challenge my thinking, and try to create my own style. I want people to love photography as much as I do. For me, it is a way of helping photographers to grow. I have learnt from meeting others that it is a real passion we share: a desire to share our unique view of the world.

Which other photographers have inspired your photography, and why?

When I was much younger, someone gave me Ansel Adams’ book, The Negative. I loved this book and read it over and over, and was very inspired by his beautiful black and white images. I admit to being a little bamboozled by his talk of ‘the zone system’, but after a while, I could sort of see where he was going with it. I can’t say I fully understand it today, but it obviously worked for him. I admire photographers who have found their own style, particularly those who embrace and are proficient in pretty much all photographic genres. To me, a truly talented photographer can see an image in almost any situation. In HPS, I am still inspired today by a couple of people in our club who I consider wonderful all-rounders and great mentors.

Sheryl Williams APSNZ

What’s in your kit?

I am a Canon girl through and through, so it’s a Canon 5D MKIV body. Canon lenses: 24-70mm f2.8, 1635mm f2.8, 100mm f2.8 macro. My latest acquisition is a beautiful Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 ̶ a beast of a zoom! A sturdy Manfrotto tripod, a remote shutter release, a little raincoat for my camera and lens (invaluable), a plastic sheet for kneeling on, a portable A4 size folding reflector, a bicycle headlamp and a supply of soft lens cloths. Oh yes, lots of SD cards and a couple of spare batteries!

Do you use any specialist photography equipment such as large format cameras, special lenses or filters, drones etc.? Or any specialist techniques?

I have and use regularly a set of magnetic Benro filters; it includes a polariser, three graduated ND filters and three ND filters. I like long exposures and ICM techniques for impressionism and have just started trying out multiple exposures in-camera. This is a work in progress, with lots of fun stretching the grey matter! I also love macro work and sometimes, if I need to, I will focus stack to get sharpness where I want it. Often I will use my cell phone to take some snaps to see how they look before setting up.

Has the lockdown hampered your photography at all, or perhaps allowed you to expand in other areas?

I am fortunate that I have half an acre of native garden which keeps me quite busy. At this time of year most plants are flowering, attracting a lot of birds, especially wood pigeons and tūī. I have been trying bird photography for a while now, so my lockdown time has been a good opportunity to hone some skills, especially when feel I can sit around for a while, waiting. The 100-400mm beast is getting a good workout.

Any other information about yourself you would like to share? Please do so.

I am an outdoors person. I love to walk, hike, cycle and garden. My husband and I also attend an outdoor “Boot Camp” three times a week, 6 am at Eastern Beach. There is something magical about exercising outdoors with very few people around, watching the sun come up. It’s a good chance too to check out any likely locations of interest for photos during this time of lovely lighting. My husband is not a photographer at all, not even remotely interested, but he is very supportive and patient. I find this quite an appealing trait in a life partner. We have five adult children and six beautiful, healthy grandchildren; three girls and three boys who all from birth thought their grandmother had a camera for a face!

Nevis Valley Sunrise