Cape Camera October 2015

CAPE CAMERA October 2015 Official Newsletter of the

Cape Town Photographic Society

In this issue From the council News flashes Postberg outing Winning images

2 3 4 6

Competition news School competition Top Ten Tips AV News

7 8 9 10

Prince Albert congress 10 Power of photography 11 Photojournalism ethics 12 Gala dinner venue change 14

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October 2015

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News from the council

henever a new council is elected, the initial meeting or two are always quite hectic and it is no different with our current council. While the activities already arranged must continue, we are at the same time planning for next year: Richard Goldschmidt is busy planning our weekend and monthly outings; Lesley Parolis our set subjects; Robert Maginley the AV programmes; Kim Stevens the E&D lectures/workshops; and Lesley and Kim finding/selecting judges for our monthly competition evenings.

Lesley also organised our Interclub entries. This annual competition between the Western Cape clubs will take place at the Sanlam head office in Bellville on 6th November and is one of the highlights of the year as far as club photography is concerned.

Promoting CTPS We have been without a PRO for a long time and Anna Morris has put a plan to council identifying quite a number of issues that we need to tackle and has already started working on a few of those.

Detlef Basel and Richard are busy finalising an agreement with the Cape Town Science Centre for the long term exhibition of some of our cameras at their Camera Obscura. I would like to encourage members to go and have a look at the exhibition to see what wonderful old equipment we have.

Richard has also been instrumental in hiring out some of our old equipment to film companies.

Jacoba van Zyl has been away on holiday but will soon be back to resume her secretarial duties.

Melanie Neethling is busy settling in as treasurer, organising new bank signatories, and with her background in pensions will prove her value on our investment committee. For the treasurer this is also a very hectic time with new subscriptions becoming due, dinner payments coming in, not to mention all the salon payments.

We have already decided to change the format of our annual awards for 2016. Instead of selecting the best portrait, colour print, monochrome print, projected image, projected nature image from the year’s monthly competitions, we’ll have a sep-

arate competition where members can enter their own selection of images for the best print and best PDI of the year.

New editorial team Thanks to quite a few volunteers, Cape Camera will continue to be published on a monthly basis. Trudi du Toit will still do the design, with copy editing done by Anna Engelhardt. All members of council are expected to send in contributions concerning their portfolios. Veteran contributor, Joy Wellbeloved, has agreed to continue, and Margaret Collins, Johan Greeff and Andre Mouton — who also volunteered to handle Snapshot — and Steffne Hughes, who will continue with Facebook, will be making regular contributions as part of the editorial team. Members are asked to also submit articles.

We are reaching the end of our 125th anniversary celebrations and only have the gala dinner, organised by Pat Scott, and the salon left. If you haven’t yet booked for the dinner, please do so immediately. We have the president of the Royal Photographic Society, Walter Benzie, the president of the Photographic Society of South Africa, Francois Rousseau, as well as Johan Kloppers, the regional PSSA director, as guests of honour.

Because of the gala dinner, we had to find an alternative for our year end award function, which will now take place at our AV meeting on the 9th of December.

By the time you read this, the salon entry would have closed already and the judging will be in full swing. The directors of the sections are Antenie Carstens (Prints), Nellian Bekker (AVs) and Lesley (PDIs). Richard, Jacoba, Melanie, Joy, Ken Woods, Carin Hardisty and Trudi have volunteered to help.

Personally I am looking forward to working with a very competent and enthusiastic council, which will make CTPS a better society for all of us. I am especially pleased that so many members have volunteered to help with various aspects of our society. This is a good indication of how passionate members feel towards CTPS and bodes well for the future.

If there are other ideas of things we should, or should not do, please do not hesitate to bring them to council’s attention.

Enjoy shooting!

Nicol du Toit

On the cover

Editorial Team

The image, Spartacus at War by Joan Ward, was our senior PSSA entry for October (see p7). “It was taken at Artscape during the final performance of A Spartacus of Africa,” says Joan. “Ballet is a very difficult genre — one needs speed to freeze movement but often there isn’t enough light, so high ISO is necessary. And a big slice of luck!” She was in the wings on stage, “firmly told by the stage manager to ‘stay behind the yellow line’.

Understandably so, it was a huge cast,” she adds. “The guy on the left, Spartacus, is from Washington, Nagash, the guy on the right, is a local.

Audio-Visual: Joy Wellbeloved

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Competitions: Lesley Parolis Copy editor:

Anna Engelhardt

Council liaison: Lesley Parolis E & D:

Kim Stevens

Outings:

Richard Goldschmidt

Photo genres: Margaret Collins Salons & PSSA:

Nicol du Toit

Snapshot:

Andre Mouton

Top Ten Tips:

Steffne Hughes

Layout:

Trudi du Toit

Cape Town Photographic Society

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October 2015

CTPS news flashes

Jeanette du Toit on a Salon Mission

After the first three salons of the year, which started on the 1st of July, Jeanette du Toit has accumulated no less than 23 acceptances, including a club medal and two certificates of merit.

She won the club medal in the Open Colour Digital section of the recent Swartland Fotografie Klub Salon with her image Blue Droplets, and got eight acceptances in this salon.

She was awarded a certificate of merit for Natural Beauty in the Human Portraits (colour) section of the Tygerberg Salon, and got seven acceptances. De Hoop Dune Detail got a certificate of merit in the Landscapes section of the Westville salon, where she got four acceptances. She also got three acceptances in the Bloemfontein Salon.

And to crown it all, Jeanette also got an acceptance in the first and only AV salon of the year so far.

In addition, Daleen Nel Hall has also opened her account with one acceptance in the Tygerberg Salon for Misty Mountain.

Natural Beauty gained an acceptance in the Westville Salon and a certificate of merit in the Tygerberg Salon for Jeanette du Toit. The photo was taken indoors with natural light

Photo Pat Scott

CTPS promoted at Wild Shots

Anna Morris and well known wildlife photographer Neal Cooper chat about CTPS

CTPS was promoted at Wild Shots, the annual Wild Life Photographic Symposium held in Cape Town on October 24th, with a stand in the display section, ably manned by our PRO Anna Morris, who generated keen interest in our society, reports PAT SCOTT. She was one of the nine CTPS members who attended this event in which 18 renowned wildlife photographers shared their commitment, experiences and photographs of nature and wildlife.

Spectacular photographs of land, sea and animals from around the globe were included, although the areas covered were predominately from the African Continent, says Pat. Some key points that came across over the course of the day were: • Become absorbed in the environment in which you are shooting; • Observe the details of the animals and of the surroundings; • Develop an understanding of the animals’ behavioural patterns; • Consider the narrative, as well as the aesthetics, of your image; • Capture the soul of your subject through your lens • Be true to your own likes and develop your own style • Photography can play a powerful role in the conservation of fauna and flora and promotion of ecotourism.

Special events for the rest of the year

New members Due to the sterling work done by our new PRO, Anna Morris, CTPS has gained seven new members in October. We would like to welcome: Robyn Geisler, Christo La Grange, Marleen La Grange, Jenny Morkel, Mireille Landman, Nicolas Malaise, and Danie Coetzee.

We now have 153 members.

Monthly meetings

CTPS council members President Vice-president Honorary Secretary

Honorary Treasurer Property Manager Education & Development

Competitions Convenor Audio-visual Convenor

Public Relations Website

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October 30: 125th Anniversary Gala Dinner (see p14) November 6: Interclub — tickets from Melanie Neethling at NeethlingM@aforbes.co.za.

December: Exhibition of the acceptances in the CTPS 125th Anniversary Salon in the Cape Town Library.

December 9: Awards evening and showcasing of AV acceptances in the CTPS Anniversary Salon.

Nicol du Toit Richard Goldschmidt Jacoba van Zyl Melanie Neethling Detlef Basel Kim Stevens Lesley Parolis Robert Maginley Anna Morris Lesley Parolis

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Monthly meetings are held in the St Stephens Church Hall No 7 Central Square, Pinelands, at 7pm.

1st Wednesday: Competition 2nd Wednesday: Audio-visual 3rd Wednesday: Education & Development.

CTPS Contact details:

Contact person: Jacoba van Zyl Email: info@ctps.co.za Website: www.ctps.co.za Facebook : Cape Town Photographic Society

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Cape Town Photographic Society

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October 2015

A colourful depiction of the flowers in Julie Dyer’s image titled ‘Postberg 2’.

‘Carpet of Flowers’ by Andrew Denny.

CTPS 125 years:

Flower Power at Postberg PAT SCOTT reports back on the outing to the West Coast National Park in August she organised as part of the CTPS 125 Year Celebrations The weather was perfect and the flowers were lovely when 17 CTPS members went on an outing to Postberg in the West Coast National Park. Unfortunately, due to the ideal weather conditions after the cold wintery weather, the reserve was overrun with cars and people, with the result that it was difficult for all the CTPS members to get together at either of the appointed meeting places. Despite that, from all accounts, all who went thoroughly enjoyed their day.

“We spent two to three hours on the boulders at Uitkyk where most of us were capturing the beauty about us — from macro shots of the colourful display of flowers to landscapes of the bold rock formations and the amazing colours of the lagoon,” reports Pat Scott. Paul Nuttal, however, had a bit more excitement than anticipated when he had an up close and personal encounter with a Cape Cobra! (see next page) “Thereafter, we wandered down to Plankies Baai — where it was difficult to find parking and a spot to sit and enjoy our picnic lunch, sipping wine while watching the waves crash on the rocks as the day drew to a close.”

Jeanette du Toit captured this ‘Moody Rock Scape’.

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Coordinated themes for 2016 outings reports RICHARD GOLDSCHMIDT CTPS members enjoyed many varied photographic outings and activities in 2015 to celebrate our our 125th year.

For the remainder of the year there are still our gala birthday celebration dinner (30 October) and in December our salon exhibition and year-end award evening ahead of us.

Council therefore decided not to hold any further outings in 2015.

Instead, we are planning a coordinated approach between outings, Education & Development evenings, as well as Set Subjects for competitions for 2016.

Outings would then be planned, as far as possible, to assist with, and reinforce, the themes chosen. More details will be available in subsequent Cape Cameras.

Members are encouraged to communicate any ideas or contacts they may have for outings for 2016 to Richard Goldschmidt on richard@goldschmidt.co.za.

Our last outing for 2015 was to Postberg in the West Coast National Park on Saturday 22 August, which Pat had organised.

A study in ‘Blue and White’ by Jean Bradshaw.

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October 2015

Two versions of Daisies: above left by Julie Dyer and above middle by Jean Bradshaw.

Johan Strydom and Joan Ward taking a picnic break.

Right: Barbara and Detlef Basel enjoying the good weather.

Right: Another version of Postberg

by Julie Dyer.

Below: Paul Nuttal’s Cape Cobra.

Jean Bradshaw photographed the boulders from diferent vantage points.

Above is ‘View from the boulders’ and below ‘Vertical Boulder’.

Below: ‘Rays over Langebaan Lagoon’ as captured by Andrew Denny.

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October 2015

Winning images in October

The following are the requirements to be promoted from one level to the next: • Beginner to Intermediate: 3 gold awards & 30 points • Intermediate to Advanced: 5 gold awards & 40 points • To Salon: 5 gold & 30 points in club competitions & 30 in salon acceptances / or 50 gold awards.

Points awarded in club competitions count as follows: Gold = 3, Silver = 2, Red =1. Salon acceptances = 3 .

Points needed to get an award Salon Advanced Intermediate Beginner

Gold 24 22 20 18

Silver 20 18 16 14

Red 16 14 12 10

Left: PDI Set Salon winner: Our heritage in stone and nature by Lesley Parolis Right:PDI Set Advanced winner: Signal Hill star zoom by Karyn Parisi.

Left: PDI Set Intermediate winner: Watch your step by Paul Nuttall.

Right: PDI Open Salon winner: Behold the moon by John Spence.

Left: Print Set Advanced winner: Hout Bay memories

by Karyn Parisi.

Left: PDI Open Advanced winner: Gliding along by Keith Bull.

Right: PDI Open Intermediate winner: Changing shoes on the canal by Paul Nuttall.

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October 2015

See all the top competition images in “Galleries” on the CTPS website www.ctps.co.za Left: Print Open Salon winner: Late afternoon among the quiver trees

by Lesley Parolis.

Right: Print Set Salon winner: Time warp by Kim Stevens.

Left: Print Open Beginner winner: Wings by Mike de Villiers.

Right:Print Open Advanced winner: A day away by Cathy Bruce .

Competition News

Photo Anna Morris.

The October competition had the set subject theme of 125 Celebrations and members could enter any images that they had taken during the eight outings that CTPS has organised this year as part of our special 125th anniversary celebration year, reports LESLEY PAROLIS. We had a special judging panel of CTPS members comprising Neels Beyers, Malcolm Jones and Frank Reuvers, who took turns to comment on the images.

This theme proved popular with members and we had a total of 35 entries in the Set Subject PDI and print sections.

At the end of the judging session Malcolm Jones selected a few images from the evening’s competition and shared his insights into how they could be improved from a processing point of view.

PSSA club entries for October Every month we select two images to be entered into the PSSA National Club Winners competition (see their website www.pssa.co.za. The senior entry (Advanced and Salon) for October, selected by Frank Reuvers, was Joan Ward’s Spartacus at war (see cover and p2).

The junior entry (Beginner and Intermediate) was Mike de Villiers’ Bridge reflections (see left). It was the winner of the PDI Open Beginner section.

While the monthly club entries are selected by a judge, members are free to enter their own images in the PSSA monthly website competition (see www.pssa.co.za)

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October 2015

Jana Faure (right) was the runner-up in the My Town category with her image of Cape Point (below).

Ratzeburg by Adrienne Clynick (above middle) won the My Town category.

CTPS 125 years:

Winners of the school competition

Zander Bester (right) won the Nature category with the image ‘Sand Art’ above.

The schools competition CTPS organised as part of the 125 Year Celebrations inspired some budding photographers to enter interesting images, reports LESLEY PAROLIS, who also interviewed the winners

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n June this year, a letter was enne Clynick from Rustenberg sent to all the schools in All the winners in the competition are Girls High School with her image the greater Cape Town area active photographers at school and ei- Ratzeburg, which she took on a inviting learners to enter ther take photography as subject or be- recent stay in Germany. Adrienne the CTPS Schools competition. long to a club is a keen photographer who is a There were two categories, Namember of her school phototure and My Town. The learners graphic club and a photographic could enter one image in each section. reporter for events at her school.

Most of the entries were received from schools that offered The runner up in the My Town category was 16-year old Jana photography as a subject, or had a photographic club at the Faure from DF Malan High School with her photograph of school.

Cape Point. Jana is always asked to go along on school outings Leon Oosthuizen (www.leonslens.com) was our judge and to record events, both sporting and cultural. chose the two winners and two runners up. The prizes for the The winner in the Nature category was 13-year old Zander winners were R800 vouchers from the Cape Town School of Bester from Paarl Gimnasium. The photograph of an elephant Photography towards any course that the learners wished to at dusk was taken in the Kruger Park, which he loves to visit attend, and the runner-up prizes were R400 vouchers from with his family. His parents are keen photographers.

Orms Prophoto Warehouse.

The runner-up in the Nature category was 16 year old Rianke The winner in the My Town category was 15 year old Adri- Fouché from Stellenberg High School with her close- To p9

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Top Ten Tips for

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Shooting reflections & shadows Steffne Hughes shares a few tips about creating images for the November Set Subject: Reflections & Shadows. Deadline for entries: 28 October Reflections — not to be confused with refractions — are mirror images of light that bounce off water, metal, glass and other reflective surfaces.

1. Watch yourself. You don’t want to unintentionally catch your own reflection.

2. Choose an interesting angle. Shooting from a low angle will help you capture more of the reflection. Or how about capturing the image upside down?

3. Your horizon line can be in the middle! This is one time that you can place the horizon slap bang in the middle of your composition as the reflection and the subject will be of equal interest.

4. Mornings and evenings are best. There is less wind before the sun rises or after it sets, which helps you get that glass-like reflection on a body of water — and you benefit from that lovely golden light.

5. Ripples are good too. Sometimes the actual ripples say more than the full mirror image. Be creative.

6. Keep the light behind you. If you stand with the light in front of you the reflections might be too dark.

7. Focus on the reflection. Use manual focus and focus on the reflection (not the subject) to get a sharp reflection.

8. Use a large depth of field. If you’re capturing a reflection in a landscape this will ensure that both the reflection and the landscape are in focus.

9. Use filters. A graduated filter will help to even out the contrast between the brightly lit subject and its reflection, while a polarising filter will cut down on glare.

10. Look for symmetry. Your composition will be strengthened if you look for an object and reflection that create a

symmetrical when viewed together.

Shadows offer up deep, dark secrets and help to show form and shape. Don’t confuse a shadow with a silhouette though — shadows are formed by something, whereas a silhouette is the object, just lit from behind.

1. Use the drama. The best shadows are offered up when the light is low on the horizon, creating long, strong shadows.

2. Exclude the object; photograph its shadow. The shadow is often all you need and can create an air of mystery when photographed on its own.

3. Simplify. Concentrate on a strong composition and let the shadow do all the work for you.

4. Choose your light. The direction and quality of light falling on your subject will either flatten the form or show all the contours and shapes to perfection.

5. Manipulate the light. If you have the means to manipulate the light, you can create either hard-edged shadows or soft, gently fading shadows.

6. Go B&W. This is the time to play with strong contrasts that are well suited to black and white or monochrome.

7. Shoot from above. Shooting straight down onto an object that casts a strong shadow can tell an unusual story from an uncommon perspective.

8. Let buildings talk to you. Different aspects of the architecture will be revealed as the light moves across a building during the course of the day.

9. Show some emotion. Use dramatic shadows to convey emotions such as fear, depression or anger.

10. Get rough. Get in close and take advantage of the texture revealed by the play of light and shade on a rough surface.

School winners cont. from p8

up image of the eye of a hornbill. Rianke is a keen young photographer who wants to study graphic art and enjoys making images with a different perspective to the norm. She is taking photography as a subject at school.

Lesley Parolis, Detlef Basel and Jacoba van Zyl were responsible for running the competition. Lesley visited the schools to hand over the prizes to the winners.

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This close-up of a ‘Hornbill’ won Rianke Fouché (right) the runner-up prize in the Nature category.

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October 2015

Interesting year for AV group The AV group has voted to replace the judging of entries with constructive assessment by members, reports JOY WELLBELOVED During the next 12 months the AV Section of CTPS will continue to hold workshop evenings and constructive assessment of members AVs on alternate months.

On members’ constructive assessment evenings, formal judging by three judges will, by popular vote, be replaced by interactive audience participation where the members present will give their constructive comments on the AV. This will be a much more pro-active way for members to learn not only from the critique of their AV, but also by paying attention to comments on other AV’s.

For those members who like to be given a topic on which to make AVs, a number of Set Subjects or Challenges will again be listed. Challenges are there to help members with ideas for an AV, and are not compulsory.

The following suggestions have been received so far: AV’s of Images representing Letters of the Alphabet My Favourite . . . (insert your choice here) AV’s that address environmental Issues Fantasy Humour If you have any other ideas, please submit them to Robert Maginley.

A weekend outing-cum-hands-on AV-making workshop is being considered where members are required to produce a slide-show or AV of the outing illustrating their unique point of view.

Once again, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Good selection shown in October At the October showing of AV’s members were treated to a good selection, ranging from wildlife, to the sea, birds and old villages in Namibia. The following AVs were screened: Pomona – by Neels Beyers The Seaside – by Stella Coram Tiervlei Rieldansers – by Joy Wellbeloved Don’t Jump – by Joe Innes Elizabeth Bay – by Neels Beyers Abandoned Dreams – by Hannelore Seifart Zambia Luiwa National Park – by Jeanette Du Toit Kokerboom – by Nellian Bekker Many thanks to all authors for submitting their work and to all who made helpful comments.

Next Meeting The next AV meeting on 10th November will be a workshop evening.

If you would like certain topics covered during the workshop evenings, just drop a line to Robert at rmaginley@worldonline.co.za, or post your query on the CTPS Facebook page.

Robert Maginley is the AV group convenor.

Remember to register for the National AV Convention in Prince Albert The 2016 Cape Regional and National AV Congress to be held 25-29 April in Prince Albert, will be a 3-in-1 event.

It will include two events that would be of huge interest to all AV makers, namely the 10th PSSA Audio-Visual Convention and the 2nd PECC International Audio-Visual Festival.

The PE Camera Club (PECC) salon has patronage from FIAP and PSSA and is open to AV makers from around the world. The closing date for entries is 15 March, 2016.

The AV events will be held in conjunction with the 18th Cape Photographers Congress. The Showroom Theatre in Prince Albert will be the venue for all three congresses.

Registrations are now open on the PSSA website www. pssa.co.za. For information about the PECC salon go to the section for salons. For more information contact Paul Rixom at prixom@webmail.co.za.

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October 2015

Left: A ‘selfie’

by Vivan Maier in 1950.

Right: Fourteen photographers took photos of this girl shot by police in Haiti and in many images her body had been rearranged ... by looters trying to rob her.

Education & Development:

Has the power of photography changed? is the question Sandy Maytham-Bailey asked, and answered, in her thought-provoking E&D talk in September.

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bout 5-bn images are loaded onto the internet per fourteen photographers took photos of a 15-year-old girl who day. Content can be created by anyone with access to had been shot by police for looting during the Haiti earthapps, software and technology, resulting in a visually quake — in many images her body had been rearranged ... by cluttered world with banal images of so little value other looters who wanted to steal what she had. that they render us numb. Sandy Matham-Bailey started her • Universal images: There are many examples of iconic imE&D talk in September on the power of iconic images with ages becoming common property without any regard for the these provocative statements. copyright of the photographer: for example, the Che Guevara As director of the Cape Town School of Photography (CTSP) photo by Alberto Korda has been reproduced so many times she has to give her students and their parents answers to the that it decorated just about every student room in the 1960’s question: Why become a photographer? without “scaring the and ‘70’s and Smirnoff vodka used it in an advert (but eventuliving daylights out of them”. ally paid for the copyright); Sam Nzima had a long fight before “People know little about what a he got the copyright of the iconic photographer is ... and what an im‘Photography keeps this urgent Hector Pieterson image he took at age can do. Iconic images fall into relation between the real world Sharpeville recognised. a category that people do not even and the image. If a photographer • Photography with a message: She consider,” she said. has seen well enough, a viewer mentioned the work of Amy Stein “There is an image revolution gohas no choice but to see the im- in Altered Landscapes, that “speak ing on out there. Photography has about what is happening in our plications bound within it’ changed: technically, aesthetically, world”. Tarryn Simon photographs in structure and in form, and we people set free after they had been haven’t even started the conversation about the impact of unjustly convicted of murder on the spot where the murder social media or the backend business of photography,” said took place; Leni Riefenstahl “perfectly understood the power Matham-Bailey. “We also forget that photography is a part of of the image,” as can be seen in her 1936 video of the Olyma much wider gamut: there’s the citizen journalist, retouchers, pic Games; David Goldblatt sent a powerful message with his reality cam, video 3-D and other hyper-realities, not to men- series of photos of new mayors taken to make them appear tion that film is back (how excited we are!)” small, etc.

The power of photography manifests itself in various ways: What is the future of photography? Matham-Bailey ac• The selfie, resulting in significant image-proliferation. Yet, knowledged that she didn’t know what the future was — but in the 1950’s and ‘60’s New Yorker Vivian Maier created thou- she is excited about it. Among the new trends that are already sands of selfie images that are works of art (see above). Can evident are images uploaded to Flickr, Picasa to share; new the interesting photos Liisa Luts took of her own wedding be genres like poolscapes and peace photographs (as opposed to considered as selfies? war), the use of drones, infrared photography; screen grabs; • The Perfect Image: always seeking the top ten ... images that shapes from things like Google maps, etc. changed the world, most iconic images etc. But, is it ethical “Photography keeps this urgent relation between the real that the photographer records human misery, without step- world and the image,” she concluded. “If a photographer has ping in? Iconic photos like the boy and the vulture in Sudan, seen well enough, a viewer has no choice but to see the implithe naked girl running from the napalm attack in Vietnam, the cations bound within it.”

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October 2015

Left: W. Eugene Smith pioneered photo essays for LIFE magazine in 1948 with his essay on the ‘Country Doctor’.

Right: Robert Capa’s famous image ‘Falling Soldier’ (Spain, 1936).

Understanding a genre:

Photojournalism ethics explained

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Journalism and Ethics came under the spotlight at the September judging workshop for Western Cape club members wanting to learn more about a specific photographic genre and to understand the criteria that should be used for judging. MARGARET COLLINS reports

TPS members who attended Gus Waschefort’s workshop on photojournalism and ethics in September were treated to a presentation by someone totally immersed in this genre of photography.

Running through the categories that fall within the overarching subject of photojournalism (news, documentary, celebrity, conflict, street, travel and sport), he cautioned against rigidity, quoting US photojournalist W.Eugene Smith: hardening of categories causes art disease.

History of Photojournalism Gus covered the history of photojournalism, using work of renowned photojournalists as examples, with emphasis on those who work in his field; photography in conflict areas and images that have made a difference.

Pre 1930’s: In the early days of photography, the time it took to capture an image and the of weight of equipment placed constraints on the speed with which images could be taken.

Most were posed, instead of portraying the reality of war, or unfolding events.

The Golden age (1930’s to 1950’s): With the advent of the

Gus Waschefort’s expertise

In addition to being a freelance journalist, law professor and author of International Law and child Soldiers Gus Waschefort was recently appointed one of Fujifilm's XPhotographers, and a member of the International Human Rights Law Committee of the International Law Association. His ideal is to use the power of visual communication as an instrument to work towards positive social change and the realization of Human Rights. To this end, he is currently documenting the effects of armed conflict on children. The project, called Children and Armed Conflict: An Untold Story in Pictures, has taken him to South Sudan, the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Liberia. commercial 35mm film camera (1925) and flash, printing processes changed, introducing the Golden Age of Photojournalism, which includes the World War II period. Photojournalism was successfully used to mobilise the public to support the war effort. The work of Robert Capa and W.Eugene Smith are outstanding examples of photojournalism in this era. Capa covered five wars from 1925 to 1954, and is known for the quote If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough.

Vietnam (1954 to 1975): Hoping for the same positive spinoffs as during World War ll, the US allowed journalists free

This is one of the most memorable images of the Vietnam war. Yet, New York Times editors were hesitant to publish Nick Ut's photograph of Kim Phúc fleeing from a napalm-bombed village because she was nude. The image, ‘The Terror of War’ was, however, chosen as the World Press Photo of the Year for 1972 and earned a Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1973. After taking the photo, Ut took the injured children to hospital.

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October 2015

Left: James Nachtwey’s image ‘Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket’. (Afghanistan, 1996) Right: Carol Guzy photographed this child as a family is reunited in a Kosovo refugee camp. access to conflict areas. PhotogOther influential photojournalraphers such as Nick Ut and Philip During the past year Antenie Carstens, ists of the modern era are four Jones Griffiths and Larry Burrows Celia Fouche and Alicia Greyling have times Pulitzer Prize winner Carol (using colour, while most other been organising monthly workshops Guzy, David Alan Harvey, awardwar photographers only used black for Western Cape club members who winning Magnum Photographer, and white), however, showed all want to become judges, or just want Sam Abell, the National Geoaspects of the conflict in their im- to improve their own skills graphic photographer who inages, which also portrayed the US cludes macro and micro views in in negative light. his compositions, as well as layering, ancillary information and Don McCullin (the modern equivalent of Capa) covered bat- graphic techniques to accentuate aspects he wants to highlight. tlefields in Cyprus, the Congo, Biafra, Vietnam, Cambodia, Rui Palha, the Portuguese black and white street photograBangladesh, El Salvador, and the Middle East from 1964 to pher was influenced by Cartier Bresson.

1984, becoming one of history’s great war photographers. On Journalism and Ethics the African continent he documented the AIDS crisis, as well Manipulation of images is not acceptable in any form for phoas refugees of the genocide in Darfur. tojournalism, though it has been done since the earliest days.

The book Vietnam Inc. by Philip James Griffiths, influenced Even setting up, or suggesting a posed scene, is unacceptable.

American perceptions of the war, maintaining news attention The Associated Press (AP) code of ethics is very stringent, proon Vietnam and became a classic of photojournalism. It also hibiting any changes to an image. showed the long term effects of agent orange.

Famous historical examples of photos that have been manipModern (digital) era (1975-present): The digital era is charac- ulated include the February 1982 National Geographic cover terised by the immediacy of information. Citizen journalism image of the pyramids of Giza: a landscape image was altered comes to the fore, with few restrictions on the number of im- to suit the portrait format of the cover; ages captured and published online, resulting in information Late in his career, award-winning Magnum photographer overload. Newsroom budget constraints restrict the time pho- Paolo Pellegrin found his reputation in jeopardy through contojournalists have available to cover an event and this affects troversy after it was established that an image that won a the depth of insight in reporting. news award had a false caption, which created a misleading Citizen journalism has both positive and negative aspects: and more dramatic impression. quality varies, and there is less certainty regarding the reliabil- Right to privacy: The French photojournalistic ethics and ity of what is portrayed. standards are considered to be the benchmark for what, Among the leading photojournalists is James Nachtwey, where and when it is acceptable to photograph people. It is known for immersing himself in projects and his involvement generally acceptable to photograph people in public spaces, with his subjects. His images have a strong artistic influence. with some provisos. For commercial use, a signed release is Look out for the movie War Photographer (2001) about him. needed, while for personal or club use, this is To p14

In the 1860’s Lincoln head was imposed on a more imposing body to create this famous photo.

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Copyright 2014

Peter Magubane’s photos of the Sharpeville massacre showed that the people were shot in the back.

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Cape Town Photographic Society

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October 2015

Stop press! Venue for gala dinner changed to Capetonian THE Venue for the CTPS 125th Anniversary Dinner on Friday 30 October had to be changed at the last minute after the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) cancelled our booking at the Granger Bay Hotel School due to the student protests.

But, Pat Scott worked her magic, and after a nail biting day, found us a new venue at the Capetonian. Owned by longtime CTPS member Rashid Latiff, the catering staff at the Capetonian went out of their way to accommodate us at such short notice — only four days before the function!

It is fitting that CTPS’ birthday will now be celebrated in the venue where we held our monthly meetings in 2009. The Capetonian has also been a popular venue for our year-end functions.

The Capetonian’s address is Pier Place, Heerengracht

Street, on the Foreshore.

All the other arrangements for the celebrations stay the same — it is only the venue, booked about a year ago, that was cancelled by CPUT at the last minute. Walter Benzie, President of the Royal Photographic Society, Francois Rousseau, President of the PSSA and Johan Kloppers, Western Cape Director of the PSSA, will still be our guests of honour.

And we will still be enjoying top class food, wine and other drinks as part of the celebration.

Please note, the gala birthday dinner is NOT our year-end prize-giving function. The awards evening is on 9 December, when the AV’s that gained acceptances in the CTPS 125 Year Anniversary Salon will be shown, as well as the AV made from images taken on the 125 Year Celebration outings. It will be held in our usual meeting venue.

The ethics of photojournalism cont. from p13 generally not required.

If the subject takes an active step to protect his privacy, he has a right to privacy, both legally and morally — although celebrities will forfeit this right in public spaces. Care should be taken in photographing children and a release must be obtained from parents or guardians. In reality, this can be influenced by public values: for example, photos of third world children taken without permission seldom have the same repercussions as in the US.

What is good photojournalism?

In photojournalism the photos that tell the story best and have the greatest journalistic value — not necessarily those with the best photographic or technical values — have the higher value. Gus therefore argues that additional information, not only the image title, should be allowed and considered when judging images in this category.

Many photojournalists have been criticised for taking harrowing photos, rather than stepping in to assist the people affected — for example, Kevin Carter for taking the Pulitzer Prize-winning image of the starving child in the Sudan shadowed by a vulture, rather than assisting the child.

Yet, it is often these controversial and disturbing images that result in political or social change, and sway public opinion.

For example, South Africa’s Peter Magubane took images during the Apartheid era that influenced public opinion worldwide, for example, the Sharpeville massacre (1961) and the Soweto uprising (1976).

Paul Watson’s photos of the US soldier’s body being dragged through the streets in Mogadishu, Somalia, influenced US foreign policy on intervention in African conflicts, many people believe. This reluctance to become involved had tragic repercussions for Rwanda, where the US did little to prevent the genocide.

In recent news, images of a drowned Syrian refugee child focussed world attention on the plight of these refugees and generated more sympathy for their plight.

Regarding the use of disturbing images, professional photographers generally don’t use their most gruesome images, they rather choose images that show important information. For disturbing images or those containing violence, careful consideration must be given to where/whether these should be published.

The role and requirements of a photojournalist The journalist’s role is to gather, assess and analyse news and information. Off-camera skills are essential because to get to the thick of the action, or close to the subject, the photojournalist needs to convince people that he is not threatening, even across language barriers. As an outsider your introduction into the space and getting into the rhythm and mood of a crowd, are important. Gus, for example, wears a football jersey of the local team as an icebreaker when entering a foreign space.

Right: Letizia Battaglia is an Italian photojournalist who photographed the Mafia wars in the 1970’s. She later became involved in women’s and environmental issues.

Far right: The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Stanley Forman of a woman and her child falling when a Boston fire-escape collapsed, provoked a storm of controversy, yet the image resulted in changes to the city’s fire regulations.

www.ctps.co.za

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Copyright 2014

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Cape Town Photographic Society