Vision-21 – Attendee Reflections

Look back: Vision-21

Attendee Reflections

Out of My Comfort Zone!

Text and Photos by Anna Heasley

This was my first convention. I’m a ‘newbie’ and I didn’t know what to expect. When I went to pick up my registration information I wondered, “What am I doing here? I don’t know anyone and I’m a bit out of my league. There are some pretty amazing photographers here.”

Anyway I rocked up the next morning to listen to the speakers. Once it started it was awesome, and I met lots of friendly likeminded people.

I really enjoyed all the speakers but Bruce Girdwood’s FPSNZ talk was the most inspiring for me. I liked his approach to photography: a personal expression of who you are and to create photos that convey a feeling. His talk was just what I needed to hear; I realised that I do photography for me, and it is the process and the creativity that I love. Yes, I have entered competitions, but the fun starts when I stop trying to create that perfect photo and stop comparing my photos to the work of others. This approach is more sustainable for my photography because it encourages creative growth.

I chose the Ferrymead Heritage Park trip because I have fond memories of the place. As a kid we spent many weekends wandering around Ferrymead with our Grandma, Mum and Aunty Marg. Grandma lived in Heathcote her whole life so the trip was pretty nostalgic for me. When I was at Ferrymead I wanted my pics to show feelings or ideas of ‘old, heritage, cluttered, handmade and crafted’.

Workshop - Photo by Gail Stent

Bird Photography Workshop - Photo by John Miles

Convention Hopes!

Text and Photos by Jane Muller

What are you hoping for when you sign up for a workshop at a PSNZ national or regional convention? For me, it’s to learn, to have fun, and to get some good images. I’m not mad about having a setup all ready for us, and we all shoot and get the same or similar shots, and I’m not a fan of sitting watching PowerPoint presentations about ‘how to’. It’s the doing it that does it for me.

So, the highlight of the convention for me was the Industrial Imagery workshop – thanks to James Gibson APSNZ EFIAP for organising it, Ewing Engineering Contractors for hosting it, and to the guys who came in on their day off and were incredibly obliging about welding and grinding bits of metal for us to shoot.

James sent a single page of how-to tips for shooting welding sparks, gear to bring, etc., to all the participants in advance. It was short and to the point. Then, when we arrived at the venue, all we had to do was have an essential health and safety briefing, and we were set loose. Four ‘stations’ were set up with the Ewing chaps working and obligingly moving their gear, themselves, and their sparks into whatever poses we requested. The shoot even went as far as using a forklift to bring a huge metal tube in from the rain so A Ewing worker could climb into it to grind – for us to photograph the sparks. One of these images even won Round Two of the Canon Online Competition – well done, Gordon Speed.

We all got into it straight away. James circulated to give pertinent and much appreciated help to those of us who requested it. I found having one or two comments on my images a couple of times throughout the shooting to be worth more than hours of PowerPoint presentations.

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this workshop, but I came away with some shots I am happy with and a clearer idea of which workshops I will sign up for in the future.