Canon Online — Results

PSNZ Canon Online - Results Round 5, 2021

Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP, Canon PSNZ Online Coordinator

The winner of this round of Canon Online is Allysa Carberry LPSNZ from Auckland with an intense, courageous and moving self-portrait.

Comments from the judge

The judge for this round was David Smith FPSNZ, who says, “It wasn’t until I received the 134 images submitted for this round of Canon Online that I realised this meant excluding 124 of them. I recalled Aliah Jan’s comment from the last round, that nailing it down to 10 is excruciatingly painful because there are often too many images deserving a spot right up there. How true.”

I ask myself two main questions when assessing an image; how much impact has the story/concept for me, and does the execution augment or diminish the story? Inevitably, much of the process is subjective and I often find myself lingering over images as I "see" more in them.

I have tried to balance the coverage to include "selected" (e.g. street), "arranged" (e.g. studio) and "imagined" (e.g. composited) images. I hope you enjoy my choices and commentaries.

Like many people, I have taken snapshots throughout my life, but it was only in 2013 that I decided to take photography more seriously. Since then I have made a whole new group of helpful and supportive friends, gained FPSNZ honours, become a PSNZ accredited judge, assessed images for many clubs, served on selection panels, put together several themed books of my photographs, held or participated in three exhibitions and been awarded trophies at national level. I sometimes wonder how it all happened…

Comments from the winner

“This image was my way of being in control of something at a time when I had no control over what was happening to me and my body. It was a way of saying goodbye to what was to happen and I also wanted something that could show the devastation to one’s body through breast cancer. It is a record for others to see. This is not me; I don’t recognise myself in this image, although… it is me!!!

“I set up my camera on a tripod and used a trigger. A strobe on a low setting was high up and to the right of me, and I had black "poly" boards set up. As I wasn’t taking photos at the time, I was able to leave my set-up "as is" for the duration of my double mastectomy, so the images were all taken with exactly the same set-up.

“This is not a glamour image. I am not a model. In fact, I look absolutely awful in these images, but this is real. Cancer is real.”

You will find larger versions of the images on this link: photography.org.nz/canon-online-current-results

Awarded Photos

1st - Self Portraits During a Breast Cancer Journey

Allysa Carberry LPSNZ

Here a woman confronts the reality of a health crisis. I imagine her thinking about the practicalities of capturing the individual portraits while taking them but wonder what she thinks when away from these moments of distraction. How is she coming to terms with her own mortality; how has this affected her concept of self and her expectations of the life now more tenuously stretching before her. A confronting image for some but, for me, it embraces beautiful moments of enormous courage.

... PSNZ Canon Online. Awarded Photos.

2nd - Time After Time by Lia Priemus

For me, this image is a poignant metaphor. The background implies dark memories, with the rose on the left hinting at past love. The woman's right-directed pose and the clock suggest that she is conscious of the passage of time and perhaps contemplating the future. She carries the consequences of the past on her back but they are not visible on her face.

3rd - Quietly Waiting for a Pulse by Paul Byrne FPSNZ ARPS

The most thought-provoking and enjoyable street photography is about more than simple slice-of-life moments. In this image, the photographer evokes humour through the juxtaposition of the sign and the elderly couple. But, is the viewer being invited to laugh at the couple, or conspiring with the couple to tell a joke?

4th Unity Through the Eye of the Needle

Olivia Matthews

I see this as a particularly New Zealand metaphor that speaks to the issues of racial, inter-generational and socio-economic equity that simultaneously unite and divide the nation. The impact of the concept is greatly amplified by the simplicity of its presentation.

5th - Intelligent Sheep Graeme Skinner LPSNZ

A clever and rather whimsical story that tickles my brain and reminds me of the Far Side cartoons that I enjoyed so much in earlier times.

...PSNZ Canon Online. Awarded Photos.

6th - Love is in the Air Marie Bilodeau LPSNZ

I keep coming back to the seemingly preposterous attitude of the bird on the left as it appears to be chasing the bird on the right. The action sets this nature image apart from perhaps more polished but static behavioural studies.

7th - Wipeout

Sue Riach APSNZ ARPS AFIAP

A spectacular sporting moment captured with split-second timing. In addition to the "wow" moment, this image speaks to me of the photographer’s situational awareness and great camera skills. The monochrome treatment strips away distractions from the powerful story.

8th - Light Reading Peter Boot LPSNZ

For me, this is a new take on an oft-repeated still-life subject. What lifts this image above the ordinary is the subtle repetition with variation in the arrangement of pages and the pleasing complementary colours and tonal gradations.

9th - Ninja Fashionista

Bryan Lay Yee

I see an environmental portrait in which the photographer has captured much about who the subject is as a person. The monochrome treatment shifts the story from being about the man’s clothes to being about the strength of his character. It is this shift in emphasis that makes this image stand out for me.

10th - After the Quake

Sue Henley

I see, in this image, a restful early morning or late afternoon coastal scene with interesting rocky shapes, leading lines and pleasing tonal textures. The milkiness that is often a feature of slow shutter speed coastal photography is evident on the right but is not intrusive.

Enter online in the PSNZ members area!

https://photography.org.nz/canon-online-submission/

PSNZ Membership Benefits

• Expert advice to help improve your photography.

• The opportunity to achieve a higher Society distinction (LPSNZ, APSNZ, FPSNZ).

• A complimentary copy of New Zealand Camera, and the ability to submit your images for selection in this annual publication.

• Access to member only resources, including a member only PSNZ Facebook page for social chat and updates with other members.

• The opportunity to enter the Canon Online Competition, with trophies for each round and for the overall winner each year.

• Discounts for Society activities, such as the annual PSNZ National Convention, special workshops, international competitions and much more.

• The opportunity to participate in regional club meetings and events, including the PSNZ Workshop Series.

• A copy of our bimonthly magazine – CameraTalk, with news, reviews, events and some of the best photography around.

• The opportunity to exhibit your work in exhibitions such as the PSNZ Sony National Exhibition, Regional Salons and other member only online competitions.

• Access to judge training workshops at a reduced rate for PSNZ members.

• Ability to promote your website on our website.

• Receive our regular blog posts to stay up to date with the latest news on events, activities and special offers.

• Product discounts and savings when they are offered from our corporate partners and associated companies.

• Discounts for major NZIPP events as a PSNZ member.