Council Updates: Mid-term Report

Highlights from the September PSNZ Council

Digital Circle

We are going to trial an online Digital Circle, using a private Facebook group. This is seen as a way of extending the opportunity, particularly for those members who are not part of clubs, to have their images critiqued.

While we recognise that not all members are on Facebook, the platform does provide the simplest means to get a group in place quickly. We had previously looked at other providers but they all had additional complications with them. We had also examined the concept of an online critique, similar to the way clubs assess salons, but this has been put on the back burner due to a shortage of suitable judges.

If you are interested in taking part in the trial circle, please send your email to president@photography.org.nz

Judge Feedback on Clubs

At present clubs can provide feedback on judges who assess club salons. For judges in training this is an invaluable resource as it lets both the Judge Accreditation Panel (JAP) and their mentors know how they are performing. The feedback form can also be used to provide feedback on accredited judges. Any issues raised will be discussed with the judge concerned, should the club wish that to happen.

It was recognised, though, that there was no equivalent that allowed a judge to comment on their experience when dealing with the club. We know that ultimately those experiences can influence whether judges continue to be available as a resource. It was important for the JAP to know if clubs were not fulfilling their side of the relationship.

As a result, we have asked the JAP to prepare a feedback form for judges to record their experiences. Should we see elements that could be detrimental to the availability of judges they will be taken up with the club involved.

New Members Zoom

Council was made aware that some new members do not feel that they had received all important information when they join the Society. While the database system does send out automatic emails, we felt that a personal touch was necessary. Commencing in October we will be holding a monthly zoom meeting for new members who have joined in the preceding month. Hopefully, this will provide the opportunity to meet other photographers as well as ask any questions.

Image Standards

There is a separate article in these pages about the change to the maximum image size for salons. In addition, Council discussed issues around what was and was not allowed to be entered. Members will be aware that AI-generated images, from text prompts, have received a lot of attention recently. Council believes that such images are already excluded, as most rules do not allow 100% computer-generated images. It is not quite so clear in terms of our rules where they are incorporated into an image such as a composite.

We are working on clarifying how non-photographic elements are dealt with. We will also be clarifying the current allowance for post-processing to be essentially outsourced. This allowance existed when photography involved a darkroom and we did not contemplate the opportunities that are available now.

When there has been discussion about image compliance with the rules (particularly around post-processing) the answer has often been that we can ask for the raw files. You may be surprised to learn that such a provision doesn’t actually exist in many of the salon bylaws.

As part of an overall bylaw review, we will be incorporating such requirements, but the mechanics of how such checking takes place needs more consideration. For example, in the NZIPP Iris awards, all photographers are required to submit both RAW files and layered Photoshop files at the time of entry.

We need to consider whether such a move is appropriate or, alternatively, the files are only requested should there be some questions about the image. Ultimately PSNZ operates a high trust model and we expect photographers to adhere to the rules that have been set.

Advertising in CameraTalk

Following comments that the advertising rates in CameraTalk were too high, especially for low-volume activities, Council has agreed that the member rates will be dropped so that they are 50% of that charged to non-members.

If a member supplies an article to CameraTalk an accompanying advertisement will be free of charge.

Council Changes: New Members Welcomed

The mid-year PSNZ Council meeting saw a number of new members welcomed on board. Here are some brief bios on them.

Caroline Ludford LPSNZ LRPS – Councillor for Salons

Born in Lancashire, United Kingdom, Caroline moved to New Zealand with her husband almost 17 years ago. She completed 30 years of service in the Police, in both countries, and retired four years ago as a Police Forensic Photographer based in Auckland. She has been accredited as a PSNZ Judge since 2017, in both open and nature categories. Until taking up the Council role she acted as chair of the Judge Accreditation Panel and assisted in the PSNZ Judge Training Weekends (now held on zoom). She gained her LPSNZ and LRPS (UK) in 2016.

Whilst living in the Auckland area she was a member of both the Hibiscus Coast Photographic Society and the North Shore Photographic Society. During that time she assisted in the running of the hugely successful North Shore Salon. She now lives on the Kapiti Coast and is a member of the Kapiti Coast Photographic Society.

Beyond PSNZ she is a photographer for Heartfelt, a volunteer organisation giving the gift of photographic memories to families who have experienced stillbirth or have children with a serious or life-threatening illness at the Wellington and Hutt Valley Hospitals. She is on the Council of the Wellington Justice of the Peace Association and holds the positions of both Court Panel Manager and Judicial Educator. As a Judicial JP she sits on the bench of the District Courts at Wellington and Porirua on a regular basis.

She says that she is at peace in nature and finds photographing birds very therapeutic. She looks forward to the challenge of Councillor for Salons.

Sandy Odell LPSNZ – Councillor for Club Liaison

Sandy has been involved in photography for many years. She was a member of the Christchurch Photographic Society followed by the Hutt Camera Club and more recently the Dunedin Photographic Society. Sandy is passionate about her photography and joined PSNZ in 2001.

Sandy comes from a defence background as a civilian staff member and has served on several committees ̶ the last being Hutt Camera Club as membership secretary. Sandy is enthusiastic about joining PSNZ Council and giving back to the Society by helping the PSNZ achieve its goals for the members.

Lee-Stuart Boddington – Councillor

Lee was born in Zimbabwe and grew up moving from safari lodge to safari lodge throughout his childhood. His parents were in the tourism industry, running, managing, and owning safari lodges all over southern and western Zimbabwe. He is the eldest of four brothers and a sister, all of whom have spread out all over the world.

He has been in New Zealand for just over twelve years and has made it home. He is married to his gorgeous wife Tamlyn, and they have three beautiful girls. Earlier this year, he felt prompted to start his own business (Lee-Stuart Creations), doing web design and photography.

He has enjoyed art and creativity from a young age. He found photography when about 15 but only dived into it more seriously in the last ten years. He currently shoots with a Canon R6, having recently upgraded from a 7D and 50D pairing. He loves photographing animals and birds but they, unfortunately, don't pay him anything yet. He shoots portraits, families, weddings and product photography to fund his passion.

Lee only joined PSNZ in November 2021 but is prepared to step up and help the organisation.

Off-Council Appointment

Paul Byrne FPSNZ ARPS AFIAP – Chair, Judge Accreditation Panel

A member of the Tauranga Photographic Society since 2008, he became a PSNZ accredited judge in 2012 and frequently evaluates club competitions and mentors trainee judges. He has judged the Regional and National Salons and in October 2022 he will be one of the judges for the inaugural New Zealand National Portrait Salon. In January 2016 he achieved recognition from the Federation Internationale de L’Art Photographique [FIAP] when he was awarded an Associateship. In May of the same year, he was awarded a PSNZ Associateship for his humorous panel of caricature prints.

In 2018 he gained a Fellowship of the Society for his documentary panel of monochrome images depicting the lives of Cambodians. He enjoys making short AVs and has been one of the Tauranga AV Competition judges for many years.

Paul is an Associate member of the Royal Photographic Society and has contributed to their Documentary Group magazine. He was appointed to the PSNZ Honours Board in 2020.

His photographic passions are portraiture, street photography, action photography and documentary. During the Covid period, he took up bird photography and also wrote a book concerning the assessment of photographic images.