AIPP Journal - August 2016

Issue 244

Fast Cars With Easton Chang How To Use A Grey Card or Colour Target Professionally Automate Your Processing With Lightroom Why APPA Really Is Fair!

August 2016

CONTENTS

Cover

Easton Chang APP 2015 AIPP AUSTRALIAN ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

AIPP JOURNAL is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).

Editor Peter Eastway APP.L, FNZIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, FAIPP Disclaimer The information provided in the AIPP JOURNAL and associated publications is made in good faith, but is general in nature. Neither the editor, the publisher or the AIPP accept responsibility for or will be under any liability for any recommendations, representations or information provided herein. The AIPP JOURNAL presents information, opinions and suggestions for subscribers to evaluate in coming to their own decisions in the light of their own individual circumstances. The information should not be relied upon without readers first obtaining independent advice from their own financial and legal advisers.

Unless otherwise noted, all articles are written by Peter Eastway.

Publication The newsletter is published 10 times a year – monthly with November/ December and January/February being combined.

The AIPP JOURNAL newsletter is published by Pt 78 Pty Ltd, ABN 75 003 152 136, PO Box 351, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097, Australia.

Phone: (02) 9971 6857; Fax (02) 9971 6641.

E-mail eastway@betterphotography.com

AIPP Membership Contacts Suite G.02, 171 Union Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127 Phone: 03 9888 4111 E-mail: admin@aipp.com.au

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4

Making Brand AIPP Work For You

8

Busting The Saturated Market Myth!

National President Vittorio Natoli APP.L, M.Photog. IV suggests that by using our post nominals, our APP logo and linking back to the AIPP website, we can greatly improve our position within a competitive market.

A saturated market? Who are we kidding! Mary Trantino questions the myth when all the evidence points to a myriad of opportunities – if only we adjusted our businesses to give our clients what they want to buy! So, do you know what your clients really want to buy?

10

Advertising Photography @ Easton Chang Travelling around the globe photographing cars for a living sounds incredibly glamorous - and no doubt it is! But as Easton Chang APP explains, there’s a lot of serious business behind that glamorous lifestyle and it doesn’t just happen automatically.

ISSUE 244 / AUGUST 2016 20

Challenge, But Please Don’t Denigrate!

By all means challenge our Awards system, question the process and discuss (over a glass of red wine preferrable) individual successes and failures, but please, don’t question the integrity of countless volunteers by calling it ‘unfair’. That is just cheap journalism!

25

Low Scores = Inexperienced Judges?

28 32

38

How To Speed Up Editing In Lightroom A lot of professional photography can be very repetitive and this is certainly true of ingesting and editing a shoot. However, you can use Lightroom to streamline and speed up your workflow by using Auto Tone within a User Preset. Here’s how.

42

4 Lights 4 Portraiture Everyone knows the limitations of a single flash on a camera, but this limitation doesn’t apply to studio photography, While some lighting setups can use a dozen or more lights, most portrait studios can get by with three or four lights. So where do you place the lights and what type should they be? Here’s a standard portrait set-up to consider.

Should the judging panel only have ‘experts in the category’, or is there an argument for having a wider cross section of judges - to maintain professional standards overall?

Whose Work Is It Really?

Should APPA entrants be allowed to have someone print their images for them, or should the rules be changed and entrants be required to print their own?

The Photography Book Award Are you a photographer who is fascinated by the process of creating and publishing a book? Do you love the way photographs and text fall together on pages to create a completely new expression? Libby Jeffery from Momento Pro reviews the APPA Photography Book Award.

48

SpyderCheckr & Colorchecker There are many reasons for using a grey card or a set of colour patches for every professional shoot: easy white balance, colour and tonal accuracy, and then there is the theatre of being a professional photographer too!

3

NEWS

Making Brand AIPP Work For You National President Vittorio Natoli APP.L, M.Photog. IV suggests that by using our post nominals, our APP logo and linking back to the AIPP website, we can greatly improve our position within a competitive market.

TAGS AIPP B o a rd

Welcome to August APPA and The Nikon Event!

identified as respected service providers.

Here we come, ready or not, and there are still

places available at The Event and APPA if you

taken full advantage of it, here’s what I sugest

can make it – so don’t miss out!

you do.

BRAND AIPP

POST NOMINALS

As many of you already know, the AIPP

The first thing is to use your post nominals!

Accreditation program has been certified by

These are the letters placed after your name

the ACCC. We are now the only photography

to denote you are an Accredited Professional

association with a certified accreditation

Photographer - APP.

process. So now that we have accreditation,

what should we do with it?

the profession and they are Licentiate APP - or

APP.L.

We need to recognise accreditation

If you’re accredited and you haven’t yet

Some APP members have longer standing in

as a major advantage for our businesses.

It’s a differentiator for us as professional

your post nominals. Mine look like this:

photographers in Australia and so to make

Vittorio Natoli APP.L M. Photog. IV

the most of it, we should use accreditation

to promote our own qualifications, as well as

Your name + APP/APP.L + APPA Honours +

Brand AIPP.

Institute Honours

If we all band together and present our

accreditation to the world, this will lead to

So when you write or sign your name, add in

The format is:

An example is:

Billy Bloggs, APP M. Photog. IV Hon. FAIPP

the general public becoming aware of our

4

credentials and status as a profession – and

AND THE LOGOS

choosing to use us because we’re known and

In addition to your post nominals, use your

logos next to your email signature - and

anywhere else you can.

our EO, have lots more information should you

require it.

Another thing we can do to build credibility

The AIPP national office and Peter Myers,

for ourselves and the profession generally

Happy promoting and enjoy the many

is to link our websites to the AIPP website’s

benefits AIPP membership offers. For instance,

professional page. The AIPP website is seen as

take a look at some of the other great resources

an authority website because it is independent

that are available on the website - such as the

of us, so when we back link to the AIPP website,

video presentations.

our visitors will see it as external validation

of our claims and in turn we will gain higher

can at the upcoming Nikon Event and APPA in

personal ranking as a result of our AIPP

Melbourne later this month.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as I

membership.

So let’s get started and become brand

promoters and ambassadors for the AIPP, and become recognised as professionals by using

vittorio.natoli@aipp.com.au

our post nominals.

0400 418 888

5

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EDUCATION

Busting The Saturated Market Myth!

A saturated market? Who are we kidding! Mary Trantino questions the myth when all the evidence points to a myriad of opportunities – if only we adjusted our businesses to give our clients what they want to buy!

So, do you know what your clients really want to buy?

I am constantly being told by photographers

to be a professional photographer to get access to

that they are in a saturated market and that

the equipment, the printing and the albums.

the competition is choking them. They believe

that if it wasn’t for the cheap ‘shoot-and-burn’

took the leap into digital photography – the year

photographers, they would be thriving.

2000. For the first time ever, our business had

an overdraft, a line of credit and a bank loan. Of

They also believe that the stay-at-home

Mum who dabbles in photography is killing their

course, back then a small 42” flat screen TV was

business.

$15,000 and digital cameras were expensive too!

TAGS AIPP B o ard

8

I remember the year our glamour studio

So, if our business was changing overnight 16

SMART PHONE COMPETITION

years ago, so was the way our clients shopped and

The fact is that your next door neighbour with a

now the world is on steroids!

smart phone is your competition. In fact, if that

next door neighbour has a child in high school,

technology is leading the way in how we go about

then they are your biggest competition! The speed

it.

at which the smart phone and compact cameras

Booking a professional photographer for family

are changing the way we capture our everyday

photos is no longer about the quality of the

lives is the professional photographers biggest

tools or the finished product. Our neighbor can

challenge.

reasonably access all a professional can.

Once upon a time, going to a professional

The lives we live are faster and smarter, and

But what they can’t get is time. They can’t

photographer for your family photos was all about

slow it down and they can’t create a memorable

the quality of the finished product – the photos

experience by setting up the timer on their camera

themselves. It was something that was not only

and asking the family to stop whining and smile!

expensive for the everyday person to produce, but

it was unavailable to them privately. You really had

is spending their money, what they are spending it

Your business needs to reassess how your client

on and what is of value to them now.

evening dress as she steps into the light of the

soft boxes. WOW! The shy woman from earlier

We are living such a fast-paced lifestyle that

when we give our clients permission to slow down,

was transformed into this smiling, shoulders back,

to relax and have ‘me time’, to listen to their children

confident woman who was working a floor fan like

laughing, reflect on who they are becoming,

a pro!

spend time together, honour their child or fur child,

show their partner how much they love them or

room where the slide show unfolded images of

celebrate an unborn life, the value for a professional

her in a way that she thought was not possible.

photographer’s services just went UP!

This woman had lost herself along the way. She

I decided to follow her journey into the viewing

had three grown up children, lost her husband

OUR VALUE WENT UP!

tragically and did everything for others. She sat

Clients are now spending their discretionary

there with tears rolling down her cheeks, thanking

income on ‘experiences’ more than ever before. But

the team for everything they had done for her.

are you providing an experience, or just some files

on a USB stick?

The photos were a by-product of the experience

she had during a professional photo shoot. This

I will never forget the day when I realised the

This woman was not there to buy photos.

photography industry was where I wanted to live

woman was buying self-confidence.

out my passion for customer service.

if you truly know why your clients need you and

I was the accountant (don’t hold that against

So, there is no such thing as a saturated market

me!), sitting in a corner of a glamour photography

you show them how you can solve their problems.

studio, crunching the numbers when I saw a shy,

self-conscious, lacking in confidence woman enter

service is the new product.

Building a desire to want what you have as a

the studio with an arm full of clothes, brushing her fringe over her face as if to hide herself.

Mary Trantino is the founder of the Photography

Business Academy. The Academy specialises in im-

The studio make-up artist and team members

all greeted her with open arms. One takes the

plementing marketing, sales and customer service

clothes she is carrying, one runs off to get her a

systems designed to help portrait photographers

freshly ground coffee and one chats with her for a

gain qualified leads, high-paying clients and repeat

while, before sitting her up in the make-up chair.

customers. For free one-on-one consultation call

Mary NOW. Contact Mary on (03) 9448 2303 or via

About an hour goes by and a woman wanders

into the shoot room, stunning, beautifully made

Facebook www.facebook.com/photographybusi-

up, hair curled and flowing, picking up her

nessacademy

9

FEATURES Easton Chang is giving a seminar and a workshop at Incite, the 2016 Nikon AIPP Event. BOOK NOW!

Advertising Photography @ Easton Chang Travelling around the globe photographing cars for a living sounds incredibly glamorous - and no doubt it is! But as Easton Chang APP explains, there’s a lot of serious business behind that glamorous lifestyle and it doesn’t just happen automatically.

Asked to suggest one of his most memorable

but when you start working for international

experiences as a car photographer and Easton

advertising agencies, it’s a completely different

Chang APP was quick to nominate a 350 kph

game with big budgets and high expectations.

jaunt down a Northern Territory highway in a

million dollar Porsche 918 Spyder.

advertising job, I had no idea what I was doing.

I tried to put a budget together, but really I

engineering experiment. Porsche just wanted to

didn’t even know about production companies

see how fast its new super car would go, so they

or licensing. After I lost the job, I swore that I

shipped it out to Australia and threw me in the

would never make those mistakes again and I

passenger seat next to Carrera Cup winner Craig

did as much research as I could. It was difficult

Baird.” Easton said he had full faith in Craig’s

because most of my contacts at the time were

ability at the wheel, but at 350 kph, “the car is

shooting editorial, but a colleague’s partner

moving around and the world is running past

turned out to be an advertising producer, so I

you so fast that even pointing a camera towards

took her out for coffee and she gave me the low

the driver’s face can be very dangerous”.

down.

TAGS Adver ti s i n g Po r tfo li o

“It was a fun job and basically a public

Based in Newcastle, NSW, 33-year-old Easton

Chang has been photographing cars for over

TWO PYRAMIDS

15 years, yet he considers himself a newcomer

Easton describes the role of an advertising

to the profession. And one thing he has learned

photographer as being more like a film director

is that being an advertising photographer is

than a camera operator.

all about understanding the business side of

photography.

photography. The agency pyramid comprises

the client, the in-house producers and, at the

Advertising is a challenging career path.

At one end, it’s a product shot for a website,

10

“The first time I was asked to bid on an

“There are two pyramids in advertising

very tip, the creative director. The other pyramid

Photography by Easton Chang APP

11

FEATURES

is all about production and includes everyone

the other. As the photographer, you sit in the

from the grips, runners and assistants up to the

middle, so I see myself as an interpreter as much

line producers and executive producers at the

as anything else. On the one pyramid is the

top.

client who knows what they want, but no idea

how to implement it. It’s up to me to translate

“So you have all the creative people on one

side, and the pragmatic production people on

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this idea or concept into a visible outcome. I

Photography by Easton Chang APP

give the producer the instructions - like I need

Not all advertising photography happens

a car, a location and lights - and this all filters

this way, of course, but when you’re dealing

down the production pyramid to make the

with the car industry and their international

shoot happen.�

reach, you know that there are going to be lots

13

FEATURES

of layers of creativity and bureaucracy involved.

university when he picked up a camera and

started photographing his major passion, cars.

“A car manufacturer will engage an

advertising agency and then the agency asks

“I started with a Canon PowerShot S45 with a

for bids from three to five photographers. It is

four-megapixel sensor and a few of my photos

always a bidding process, although the exact

turned out alright. A year later I scored my first

details can vary from country to country and job

commission with a local car magazine called

to job. Sometimes it’s up to the photographer

Speed, so I put the payment towards a new

to set up the production pyramid, to get

Canon EOS 300D and started shooting editorial

quotes from subcontractors for production and

car photography.”

retouching etcetera. Other times agencies will

directly source production houses, who in turn

magazine cover and by 21, his first Wheels

may find and pay the photographer.

Magazine cover. “Things moved quite quickly

and I found myself shooting lots of covers

“I get a lot of emails asking for quotes and

At the age of 20, Easton had his first

you can usually tell how big the job is going

for several car magazines. This work was

to be based on who sends the email. The

inadvertently training me for advertising shoots.”

larger jobs will come through an agency or a

production house.”

is all about shooting 20, 50 or 100 shots in

a session. You’re shooting from the hip and

Easton says an agency email will also tell you

Explained Easton, “Editorial photography

a lot about who the client is likely to be and also

reacting to events as they unfold, whereas with

the likely usage.

a cover photograph, it’s much more planned.

You have a full day or session to shoot just

Usage in advertising photography is

incredibly important. In addition to the creation

one photograph. You need to leave room for

of the photograph, there’s a further payment for

the title and shout lines and there are lots of

the use of the photograph based on territory

political issues to be aware of. For instance,

(where the photograph is used), time (how

you may need to find a very specific angle to

long the image is used) and how the image will

present a special car feature that is a key point

be used (size, number, media etc). Usage can

in the cover story. You have to be very, very

be a significant component of an advertising

specific.

photographer’s income stream.

KEEPING IN TOUCH

14

MOVING INTO ADVERTISING

“So all those years of cover photography ended

Easton was studying software engineering at

up training me for advertising work.”

Photography by Easton Chang APP

15

Photography by Easton Chang APP

16

FEATURES

However, Easton is the first to suggest that

they became a photographer themselves, they

there was some good fortune when it came

knew how the process worked.

to his early advertising jobs. Good fortune – or

simply keeping his options open by doing good

background where everything is done on a

work for all his clients.

shoestring. A lot of car photographers of my

generation are the same – they have all learned

It was a magazine client who found him

“However, I’ve come from an editorial

his first job. “I was known by an art director at

online and are predominantly self-taught. While

Car magazine who left to become a creative

this is challenging, the advantage is that we’ve

director at a new advertising agency - that just

all developed our own styles. Our styles haven’t

happened to have the Jaguar account in the UK.

evolved from the work of a mentor.

He specifically wanted to bring photographers

on board with an editorial edge.”

how to use Capture One or do what a grip does.

I can’t tell them what weight scrim I want, I

Easton’s first bid for his contact was

“Today, assistants know that I don’t know

unsuccessful, simply because he was unknown

just tell them I need some diffusion overhead

and the client didn’t want to risk using a new

and they sort it out. However, what I do know

photographer.

is how to piece together and engineer a visual

concept. I know how to manage clients and

“So six months later, the creative director

tried a different approach. He invited six

agencies and I can interpret a visual brief – and

photographers to develop a mood board from

that’s what clients are buying.”

their recent work and then presented them,

anonymously, to the client. Fortunately for me,

car photographers on social media because he

the client picked my work. I realise this is a great

finds it distracting. “It can inadvertently affect

little story, but I think a lot of us need something

the direction of my own creativity – and it can

like this to get a break.”

be depressing to look at other people’s amazing

work! Of course I see my friends’ work from time

Easton said that some months later when he

Easton doesn’t purposefully follow other

found out who the other photographers were – big

to time, but I don’t actively research it – and

name international shooters – he fell off his chair!

I think that’s important. I believe those who obsessively copy other artists’ styles are doomed

FINDING CREATIVITY

to never discover one of their own.

“Typically in the past, photographers would

learn the business and develop their style while

digital drawings – like the nerdy video game

assisting other photographers, so by the time

covers with amazing atmospherics and lots of

“Personally, I draw a lot of inspiration from

17

FEATURES

eye candy. They have nothing to do with cars, but I love looking at them and trying to capture colour, dynamic range and atmosphere in my own work. I think they are the inspiration for my photography.”

FOOTNOTE Elsewhere in this issue of the AIPP Journal, there is a discussion about photographers engaging the services of experts to retouch and print their APPA entries. While the nature of Easton’s professional work is to collaborate with many different creative people, including retouchers, he does all his own work when it comes to entering APPA.

“When you retouch yourself, you have your

own signature style and that’s very important to me. I am constantly shooting personal images when I am not working, and then using that personal work to get more advertising commissions. Clients want to see something new and exciting, not what is already out there in the market, so it’s essential to generate new material all the time – to reinvent yourself.

Laughed Easton, “Of course, after they see

something amazing in my portfolio, all they do is hire me to shoot a basic shot against a white background!”

Some things in advertising never change!

You can view more of Easton Chang’s work at www. eastonchang.com or see him at the Nikon Event.

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Photography by Easton Chang APP

19

AWARDS

Challenge, But Please Don’t Denigrate!

By all means challenge our Awards system, question the process and discuss (over a glass of red wine preferrably) individual successes and failures, but please, don’t question the integrity of countless volunteers by calling it ‘unfair’. That is just cheap journalism!

TAGS APPA s s Busine Advordc as c y Awa Co mpeti ti o n Ca tegor i e s

20

Should we never question the APPA system or

complaints about this not being fair.

the judges who cast their votes? Of course not!

Everyone should be subject to scrutiny and

from the judges themselves because, in their

perhaps the system most scrutinised in the

collective opinion, the best portfolio did not

profession of photography is APPA.

end up with the highest score, but they were

powerless to change things.

However, I took exception to Keith Shipton’s

Significantly, many of these complaints were

opinion piece on the ProCounter website when he

called Alison Lyon’s result in the Epson AIPP NSW

and today around the world, there are many

Professional Photography Awards ‘unfair’.

professional competitions that take the top

photos or portfolios and assess them a second

Alison earned four Gold Awards (including one

The AIPP agreed the old system didn’t work

Distinction), but placed second in her category

time because it gives the judges an opportunity

behind a portfolio which scored some 30 points

to review their scores.

lower. This, according to Mr Shipton, was ‘unfair’.

irreversible decision several hundred times in a

The following reply was posted on the

What’s not fair is asking a judge to make an

ProCounter website and is reproduced here so all

day without a chance of review.

our members can have a better understanding of

what is probably the fairest system in the world.

print assessed by a judge who is generous with

the scores, while another entrant is scored by a

I feel for the organisers of the AIPP and our

What’s not fair for an entrant is having one

Awards system who seem to be damned if they

miserly adjudicator.

do and damned if they don’t. May I first separate

the awards system from Alison’s experience?

held behind closed doors is to keep the winners

anonymous during the final PPY judging (which

A decade ago, we gave first place in the

And the reason the final category judging is

category to the four prints with the highest

is between all the category winners), and also

aggregate score. Over several years, we received

so there’s a surprise at the awards dinner or

•

Ken Spence

AWARDS

22

announcement party. It is ‘opaque’ for good

will agree with you, but I don’t think it is ‘fair’ of

reason.

us to call into question the fairness of the AIPP

awards system or the honesty of its judges.

When I was the APPA Chairman, I inherited

and defended these rules because they are

fairer than giving first prize to the highest

120 category judgings and I can guarantee you

scoring portfolio. In fact, I congratulate the

119 will work as the designed - but that is just

AIPP for listening to its members and creating a

my ‘opinion’!

system that better served them.

with the following observation:

Sometimes we forget that the people

This year I estimate the AIPP will conduct at

Keith duly posted my reply on his website, along

who run the AIPP, voluntarily, are just other

photographers like me and Alison.

the background to the system as it stands today.

So now, let’s turn to Alison’s experience.

I just re-read the story to try to see whether I

Keith, I agree with your opinion and were I one

had indeed called into question the honesty

of the judges (and with the greatest respect to

of the judges. I think you are on shaky ground

the photographer who won the category, and

in that assertion. But as for questioning the

the judges on the panel), I would have voted for

fairness of the system – that’s what people do in

Alison’s portfolio as well.

open societies.

You suggest that the judges were wrong,

Thanks, Peter, for taking the time to give us

Keith has been in the photography industry for

but how can an opinion be wrong?

many years and I don’t question his loyalty to it.

He is just as passionate as I am and that’s a good

We can disagree with opinions, but if we

have invited someone to be a judge, I think we

thing.

need to give them the benefit of the doubt

when it comes to their intentions.

Keith’s opinion piece began, “This is why I will not

be participating in the AIPP anymore...” Both Keith

There were five judges on the panel and it is

However, the first online comment following

a majority decision.

and perhaps many others still seem to confuse

‘fairness’ with ‘opinion’.

The process is not wrong, nor is it unfair,

but you’re correct that situations like these can

damage the Awards when they are looked at

disagree with the judges, but just because the

from the outside.

system doesn’t produce the result we think is

correct, doesn’t make it ‘unfair’.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity of

We are all entitled to our opinion and to

defending our system. And by all means declare

that Alison was robbed and (on this occasion) I

my opinion!

But perhaps I am not being fair and this is just

•

H i l a r y W a r d h a u g h A P P. L M . P h o t o g I I I

23

•

Stefanie King APP M.Photog

24

AWARDS

Low Scores = Inexperienced Judges?

Should the judging panel only have ‘experts in the category’, or is there an argument for having a wider cross section of judges - to maintain professional standards overall?

It’s understandable to be disappointed when

A: The advertising photographer may be

you don’t earn a Silver Award (or higher) for a

a father. He may have done a national

print that you really believe in. And it’s true that

campaign for baby products which involved

the result is not always correct, but that is the

photographing lots of newborns.

nature of print judging. However, while we can

point to specific examples where we agree the

judges provide a broader pool of experience

wrong score was given, overall we have a very

against which an entry is assessed.

robust system - with two provisos.

is to provide five expert perspectives. If we

The first is that we have a high standard

More importantly, these ‘out of category’

The idea of having five judges on a panel

of judging. The second is that the entrants

only had wedding photographers judging the

understand what the Awards are all about - and

wedding category, the judging panel could be

how their genre fits into the overall scheme of

considered to have too narrow a focus. Similarly,

professional photography.

a newborn panel without any newborn photographers would be considered to have

EXPERT JUDGES

insufficient expertise. It’s a balancing act.

Q: “Why is a landscape photographer judging

weddings? What would she know about

advertising judges were experts in post-

photographing brides?”

production because their clients had the

A: She may have been a bride herself! She could

budget to pay for expensive equipment

also be well placed to consider the wedding

and re-touchers. In comparison, wedding

photographs that include figures in the

photographer judges were just learning about

landscape.

post-production. It was all new to them.

Q: Why is an advertising photographer judging

newborns? What would he know about

wedding photographers and one advertising

shooting a young bub?

photographer assessed a print. The four

An example. Around 15 years ago,

TAGS APPA Award s Comp et it ion Categ or ies

On one occasion, a panel of four

25

AWARDS

wedding photographers wanted to give it

Gold, but the advertising photographer said

together, we expect to see a consistent

he couldn’t because the quality of the post-

standard of technique and creativity. It would

production was inadequate.

be incorrect to see one or two categories being

won by images of a lower standard.

There was a huge stir from the wedding

When we see all the category winners

photographers who were simply enchanted

by the print. They had never seen anything like

entrants that the judges didn’t have the

this before, but the advertising photographer

experience to properly assess their work. “The

had. His experience was able to point out the

judges don’t know how hard it is to get a bride

problems in post-production. He was also able

to smile or a newborn to keep still. Without an

to reference other photographs that had a

understanding of the degree of difficulty, how

similar composition and style - and that were

can the judge properly assess an entry?”

produced to much higher standards.

take the entry. Our clients don’t care either! All

Today, all judges looking at that print would

From time to time I hear comments from

Judges shouldn’t care how difficult it was to

see the problems. However, without a different

that matters is the final print and the reason we

perspective on that panel, the wedding

have experts in a particular category judging

photography judges could have given a poorly

is because of their experience. They have seen

crafted print an unrealistic score.

a wide variety of imagery that allows them to

assess both the technical standard and, to some

This would have sent the wrong message to

advertising photographers (“How did that earn

extent, the entry’s originality.

an Award?), to wedding photographers (“So this

is the standard I need to aspire to!”), and to the

from outside (or with experience outside) the

market place in general (“This is a professional

category, we ensure that the standards are

standard of photography.”).

compared not just within the category, but with

Then, by putting in one or two judges

entries from all the other categories as well.

26

YOUR GENRE IN CONTEXT

We have already seen how Facebook and social

liking your print doesn’t really matter. If three or

media have dumbed down the standard of

more judges score it a Silver, it gets Silver based

professional photography. The idea behind

on the majority rule. If your print doesn’t score

our Awards is to lift it back up again. If our

well, you can never single out a judge, even if

profession is to survive, it needs to establish a

that judge talks your print down, because at least

base level of quality.

two other judges on the panel have to agree.

And remember, one or even two judges not

•

David Brittain APP M.Photog.

27

AWARDS

Whose Work Is It Really?

Should APPA entrants be allowed to have someone print their images for them, or should the rules be changed and entrants be required to print their own?

As a judge, when you look at a photograph

for assessment, should you assume it is all the

photographers to employ printers and

work of the entrant? And is this a reasonable

retouchers is because that’s how they ran

assumption for a professional photography

their businesses. That’s what professional

awards?

photography was all about.

Under the rules for the last 40 years, APPA

The original reason for allowing

In the days of film, most photographers

entrants can engage someone to produce a

didn’t run a darkroom, certainly not a colour

print for them, as long as the preparation of the

darkroom. It was quite common for wedding

print is under their direct instruction.

and portrait photographers to farm out the

processing and, when it came to Awards time,

In other words, you can’t hand a file over

to someone and say, ‘Make me a Gold Award,

they would have a custom print made where

please’, but you can tell them you want the sky

they could provide instructions on how the final

darkened down and a vignette added.

print should look.

Obviously there is a lot of ‘grey’ in between

In advertising, the photographer often

these two statements.

handed over the transparencies or raw files for

the agency’s designers and artists to work on.

Despite this rule, there is a perception that

some successful prints at APPA have been

It’s not that advertising photographers didn’t

produced not by the photographer, but by the

want to work on their files (some certainly did),

printer or re-toucher. And I know some of these

it’s just that’s the way business works.

winners are very open about the assistance they

received.

entered into the Awards, as representative of

And if we want to see the best photographs

what our profession can do, we want to accept

28

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE

these entries.

But these are professional awards and there is a

difference.

today, believing their time is best spent behind

Some photographers still work like this

•

J a c q u i D e a n A P P. L F N Z I P P G . M . P h o t o g H o n . F A I P P F A I P P

29

AWARDS

the camera or marketing, and leaving the

work wasn’t even entered?

production to others. And if APPA’s purpose is to

assess the standard of professional photography

the print, not the photographer and not how it

in Australia, why wouldn’t we accept the type

was created.

of work that our entrants are selling to their

customers?

what the AIPP is: a professional organisation.

Here’s another thought: we are rewarding

Now I know this is semantics, but it goes to If you ask me for my personal opinion, I think

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

entrants should do all of their own work and

Over the years, APPA has changed and it’s

not send out anything except a finished file

more about the ‘art’ of photography, than the

for printing and mounting. However, that just

‘profession’.

suits the way I work and ignores the underlying

I don’t have a problem with this because

reason for having the Awards in the first place,

without the ‘art’, we have nothing to sell – and

so I’m not sure it is the right thing for the AIPP

certainly less to sell these days since all our

to do.

clients have their own cameras. What used to be

craft based by necessity needs to become art

enforcing the rules that are already there

based if we are to survive.

more strongly. If you ask someone to help you

retouch a print, you should be the creative mind

I realise that some entrants only have their

On the other hand, I have no trouble in

annual award entries produced by an expert

that is in control.

retoucher and all the day-to-day photos they

sell to their clients are done in house, so there

actually do this, I’m all ears (not that I am a part

is a disconnect between the practice and the

of APPA management anymore).

If anyone has a suggestion as to how we can

entry.

30

However, what hasn’t changed is the fact

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

that these are professional awards and one

criteria our judges use is ‘professional standard’.

of a retoucher, maybe we should make it

mandatory to acknowledge this person/s, as

If we change the rules to say that

And if an entrant does engage the assistance

photographers must do all the post-production

many other professional Awards do around the

and printing themselves, will we exclude a lot

world.

of high quality work created by specialists in our

profession? Does that mean that the images

entry receives, but it will acknowledge the

that end up winning do so because the best

creative team that put the image together.

That shouldn’t change the score that the

How To Master Photoshop Layers “The secret to photographic technique is layers, and that’s whether you use Photoshop or Lightroom.”

How To Master Layers is a series of video/article presentations by Peter Eastway.

To purchase and view on your computer, visit: www.betterphotography.com $6.49 each or $19.95 for all four titles

If you download the files from the website, they will not play properly on the iPad.

31

NEWS

The Photography Book Award Are you a photographer who is fascinated by the process of creating and publishing a book? Do you love the way photographs and text fall together on pages to create a completely new expression? Libby Jeffery from Momento Pro reviews the APPA Photography Book Award.

In contrast to the volume of photographs that

• 2007 Abstraction by Ryan Humphreys

now go unprinted, hiding on hard disks and

• 2008 Who Shot That? by Peter Adams

memory cards, the photo book format and its

• 2009 Three Days in the Gaspe by David Paterson

community have experienced a renaissance over

• 2010 25th Anniversary Big Book by Peter Lik

the last decade, with it now being possible to

• 2011 Aquabumps by Eugene Tan

spend the whole year hopping between photo

• 2012 The Contemporary Australian Family by The Fier Institute

book festivals and photo book fairs around the

• 2013 Houses: Denton Corker Marshall by Tim Griffith

globe. This year is the 10th year of the APPA

• 2014 2016 Shark Bay Inscription by ND5

Photography Book Award, so Momento Pro has

• 2015 Geiko and Maiko of Kyoto by Robert van Koesveld

compiled a history of the category winners and

explored the experiences of some AIPP members

ranging from a desire to archive a long-

who have published a book.

term photographic project, to creating a

The purposes of the books was varied,

cultural legacy, produce a resource or printed

TAGS Busine s s Pr in ts

32

TEN YEARS OF WINNERS

promotion, enhance professional credibility,

The APPA Photography Book Award is designed

generate awareness of an issue or simply an

to encourage excellence in photography in

alternative revenue stream.

published work, with entries being judged on the photography, storytelling, design creativity,

NEW MODEL

production values and saleability.

Whatever the purpose, the book format

allows more people to access and view the

The most popular genres have been animal

photography and landscape photography, with

photography beyond an exhibition or screen.

self published entries heavily outweighing trade

published entries.

dramatically in the 21st Century, as major trade

publishers consider art and photography books

The winners for the last ten years were:

The book publishing model has changed

2015 AIPP Australian Photo Book of the Year Winner: Geiko & Maiko of Kyoto by Robert van Koesveld

33

(Top) Promotional banner for Nuran Zorlu’s Persia to Iran book.

(Above) Cover of Alex Cearns’ Zen Dogs.

34

NEWS

to be niche products. They are only willing to

is sold predominantly through art galleries and

gamble on content that has broad popular

museums. The book was partially funded by

appeal, such as iconic Australian landscapes,

the Australian-Iranian Embassy and led to an

animal or street photography.

invitation for Nuran to present at the Tehran Book Fair 2016 earlier this year.

NEW PUBLISHERS Consequently, photo books are now generally

ZEN DOGS

the product of independent or self-publishers

Alex Cearns of Houndstooth Studios in Western

and print runs have shrunk from tens of

Australia has an impressive publishing record,

thousands to only hundreds or tens, with higher

having just released her fourth book, Zen

production values and bigger margins.

Dogs, care of Harper Collins and an international

distribution deal. Her previous book led to a

The role of the publisher and creator is also

changing. The creator may be responsible for

pioneering collaboration with pyjama king Peter

funding, design and editing, while the publisher

Alexander, who saw the cover and will release a

manages the printing, publicity and distribution,

dedicated Houndstooth Studio sleepwear range

or a combination of both. Crowdfunding has

in September this year. ”I can’t even believe it!” says

become a popular vehicle for bankrolling a

Cearns. “Lots of amazing things can come from

book project too, as it provides small and self-

books – you never know who’s reading them!”

publishers with a natural pre-order system, so they only order what is needed from print-on-

BIG OPPORTUNITIES

demand or low volume print suppliers.

Just this month, Melbourne based photographer Craig Wetjen realised a long-

FROM PERSIA TO IRAN

term dream by publishing his first book, Men

Various AIPP members have successfully

and Their Sheds. The book was never about

published books in the last few years, including

making money, but it needed funding so

commercial and travel photographer Nuran

Wetjen approached mental health organisation,

Zorlu. Zorlu combined his photography skills

Beyondblue. Finance wasn’t forthcoming, but

with his passion for art and philosophy to

he got to photograph chairman Jeff Kennett

produce From Persia to Iran, a cultural resource

in his shed and as a result Wetjen is now a

about the landscape and architecture of Iran.

Beyondblue ambassador. The project became

He produced a proof book with Momento Pro

a reality when publisher Bonnier Publishing

before printing a larger hardcover edition that

Australia’s imprint Echo Publishing came on

35

NEWS

board and on 1 August the book was launched,

Entries are still open until 11 August and

selling at all major bookstores for $45.00. The

all category details can be found here (www.

book has arleady received great publicity with

aippappa.com/appa-2016).

a profile on the GO! Manspace TV series, and Wetjen has ideas for a second and third book

PUBLISHING PANEL

but says, “We’ll see what happens.”

There will be more photo book activities at AIPP Incite. From 10.00 - 11.30 a.m. on Saturday 27

LITTLE PIECES

August, Libby Jeffery of Momento Pro will host

Also this month, portrait photographer

a discussion on how Australian photographers

Kelly Brown of Little Pieces Photography,

can design, publish and distribute a photo

will strategically release her self-published

book, assisted by independent book publisher

photography resource, The Complete Guide To

Helen Frajman of M.33, Craig Wetjen, Peter

Newborn Photography, at The Baby Summit

Eastway, Dr Doug Spowart and Nuran Zorlu.

conference in Queensland.

The book was printed in an edition of 100

DO IT YOURSELF!

hardcover books, 100 softcover books and a

Continuing its current trajectory, the production

downloadable PDF format, and there will be

of photography books and the number of book

plenty more sales opportunities at the U.S. Baby

festivals and fairs where they can be traded is

Summit in October. Using a local print-on-

expected to continue rising in the next few

demand service allowed her to produce a proof

years.

and a small run within a month.

Australian photographers can take

advantage of this trend, but only if they have a

APPA JUDGING

book with a clear purpose, strong images and

Some of these books are entrants in the 2016

an excellent design, combined with a solid

APPA Photography Book Award, the judging

social network, a strategic publicity plan and a

for which takes place on Friday 26 August from

suitable distribution channel.

6.30-8.00 p.m. For the first time the judging

36

panel will include a publishing representative

Click through to find out more about

from Thames + Hudson Australia, along

Momento and the Awards here: http://

with photographers Peter Eastway and Sally

www.momentopro.com.au/?utm_

Brownbill, and artist book makers Vicki Cooper

source=APPA&utm_medium=Banner&utm_

and Doug Spowart.

campaign=APPA+blog+post

Craig Wetjen with his Men and their Sheds book.

37

EDUCATION

How To Speed Up Editing In Lightroom A lot of professional photography can be very repetitive and this is certainly true of ingesting and editing a shoot. However, you can use Lightroom to streamline and speed up your workflow by using Auto Tone within a User Preset. Here’s how.

The idea behind Lightroom is to speed up the

editing and processing of a shoot. Everything

that you can more quickly edit a shoot, knowing

from its structure to the tools it provides are

that exposure, focus and lighting are optimum,

designed to streamline the chores of choosing

leaving you to concentrate on the timing,

the best photos and adjusting them to a

gesture and composition - your best frames.

professional standard.

camera technique by applying an Auto Tone

L igh tro o m Tech n i q u e

38

However, Lightroom can supplement good

system are consistently good captures in

adjustment to each file as it is imported, and

camera. You will always struggle with editing

even applying some styles or effects that are

and processing if your camera exposures,

suitable for the subject - such as a little more

focusing, lighting and timing are poor. There

colour saturation or a vignette.

is no substitute for good camera craft. In fact,

if you get your exposures correct in camera,

import your shoot into Lightroom – and at

Lightroom might not have very much to do at

the same time you add your tags and other

all!

metadata.

TAGS

Of course, at the heart of a good editing

The idea behind good camera technique is

All this can be done at the same time you

This is easier to do when you’re working in

a studio with a constant light source, but much

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

harder when faced with the complexities of

Presets in Lightroom are very powerful – and

outdoor locations and variable lighting - such as

very precise. If you edit an image to perfection,

encountered at most weddings. Nevertheless,

then saving those settings as a preset may not

if you get your exposure right (and, we assume,

work so well on the next file. Some settings will

correct focus, lighting and timing too), then you

change with each image, depending on the

should end up with a folder of consistent image

light, the subject and the camera exposure.

files to work with.

For this reason, you generally won’t create

STEP 01

Open up a photograph and reset any adjustments to zero [Develop: Settings > Reset All Settings]. Next, make the types of adjustments you wish to apply to all your images (or all images of a particular type or from a particular shoot – you can set up as many presets as you wish following this approach).

STEP 02

Some adjustments can’t be easily or appropriately applied to every image, so keep it simple. Leave the tonal adjustments alone as we will fix these later. However, you can look at Auto white balance, clarity, vibrance, saturation, cropping and vignetting. Remember, just because these settings are applied during import doesn’t mean they can’t be changed later on.

STEP 03

Create a Preset with these settings. On the left, click the ‘+’ sign in the Presets panel. The dialog (opposite) will open.

Name your preset (e.g. Portrait01), place it in the User Presets folder, and then tick (and untick) the options. Click Auto Tone to correct your exposure and contrast. Click White Balance if you selected Auto.

39

EDUCATION

STEP 04

STEP 05

When you import (ingest) your next shoot, look for the Apply During Import panel on the right of the Import screen.

Next to the Develop Settings, click the drop-down box and select your preset from the User Presets folder (assuming this is where you saved it. After you have selected it, the preset name should show in the panel.

Now, as the files are imported, your preset is being applied to each image. You could also have your EXIF data (copyright, captions etc) being added at the same time. Note, it may take a few seconds for the thumbnails to update with your preset adjustments, but by the time you move from the Library to the Develop module and open them up, they will be there!

a general preset with specific tonality settings

(exposure, contrast, highlights etc) because they

Auto Tone function is to fix up most of your

will be different for each raw file. Fortunately,

files most of the time. It still requires you to go

Lightroom understands this only too well and

through your shoot and adjust the images.

offers a solution: Auto Tone.

make final adjustments if the preset has taken

You are possibly already using the Auto

The idea behind applying a preset with an

However, it should now be a lot quicker to

button to set the tonality when editing your

you most of the way. And if you do need to

files in the Develop module. In the same way,

adjust the entire shoot a little more, then this

the Auto Tone check box under the Auto

can be easily done as well.

Settings (accessed when you’re creating your

preset) will automatically set the tonality as you

Auto Tone feature will disguise your incorrect

import your files.

exposures. You may think you have nailed a shot

One little caveat for using this approach: the

and that all it needs is a little more adjustment,

40

NOT ALL CORRECT

only to find that Lightroom has already pushed

One thing to remember is that this system does

the file about as far as it can go. So, if you’re

not guarantee you perfect results all the time.

learning, this might not be a good thing to do!

•

Raquel Betiz

41

EDUCATION

4 Lights 4 Portraiture Everyone knows the limitations of a single flash on a camera, but this limitation doesn’t apply to studio photography, While some lighting setups can use a dozen or more lights, most portrait studios can get by with three or four lights. So where do you place the lights and what type should they be? Here’s a standard portrait set-up to consider.

As we move into more complicated lighting

three dimensionality in the portrait.

patterns, we need to make some assumptions.

For this lesson, the lighting pattern is designed

appreciate a strong angle, so you may bring the

to photograph a single person, head and

light back around towards the camera for them,

shoulders.

with less angle on the light (and less shadow

cast by the nose).

We can control the mood and atmosphere

Sometimes people with longer noses don’t

to some extent by our choice of background,

wardrobe, make-up and the lighting ratios.

dish for the key light. A beauty dish is a large,

shallow reflector with a deflector in the middle

Lighting ratios describe how bright one light

A lot of portrait photographers use a beauty

is in comparision to other light sources and can

over the flash tube. The result is a harder light

be used to transform our multiple lighting set

than an umbrella or a softbox, but it is soft and

TAGS

ups from soft and fluffy to strong and dramatic.

flattering enough to be useful for portraiture.

Tech n i q u e L igh ting

We’re not going to discuss lighting ratios in

this lesson, rather we’ll concentrate on what

the beauty dish retaining some of the specular

different lights do and the angles to consider

highlights that can be flattened by an umbrella

when setting them up.

or a softbox. However, there is no rule that

The difference is in the quality of the light,

says your key light needs to be a beauty dish,

KEY LIGHT

you can certainly use a standard dish reflector,

The key light (also called the main light) sets the

umbrella or a softbox.

scene. It is the strongest light and it is usually

42

positioned at an angle to the subject and

FILL LIGHT

slightly above the subject as well.

The fill light isn’t at all sexy. Its job is to fill in the

shadows. If you set the fill light with too much

Because the key light is angled, it creates the

PORTRAITURE LIGHTING SET UP

4 Light Combination a s i t h g i l r i a h h c i e h h w T h c d u e o v t e nice est achi b e l e p b i t l u can m a . h p t i u t w e s g n il ghti

The b light ackgrou help nd s sepa the s rate ubje ct an creat d e sha dark pe in ened a stud io.

BACKGROUND Hair Light

Background Light

Subject

Key Light Fill Light

43

EDUCATION PORTRAITURE LIGHTING SET UP

4 Light Combination Key Light

44

Fill Light

The key light (also called the main light) is

The angle of the key light will create some

usually placed at a diagonal angle, meaning it is

deep shadows, so a fill light is used to fill in the

not directly in front of the subject, nor directly

shadows. On its own, the fill light is quite flat

to one side. This isn't to say you can't position

and uninteresting, but it bathes the subject in

your key light here, but for general portraiture,

light, removing unwanted deep shadows. The

it is usual to have it at around 45 degrees, and

trick is not to overpower your subject with fill

also a little higher than your subject's face, so

light. Either use a lower power setting for the fill

the light is pointing down, again at around 45

light, or position the fill light further away from

degrees. Try using a beauty dish or an umbrella.

the subject. Or both! Try using a softbox.

PORTRAITURE LIGHTING SET UP

4 Light Combination Hair Light

Background Light

On it's own, a hair light seems to do very

The background light is another finishing touch.

little, but compare the Key Light and Fill Light

It separates the subject from her background,

examples with the 4 Light Combination on the

adding a more three dimensional feeling to the

previous pages to see what a difference it can

composition. It is also useful to give the subject

make. It's one of those finishing touches that

shape, especially where dark hair and clothing

gives the portrait a professional edge. The hair

can merge with the background. Adjust the

light requires a ceiling mount or a tall lighting

power of the background light to give the

stand with a boom arm so it can be positioned

separation you need. Some photographers

directly above and slightly behind the subject.

place the background light on the floor, without

Try a dish reflector with a snoot or honeycomb

a stand. A standard reflector will do the job.

grid.

45

EDUCATION PORTRAITURE LIGHTING SET UP

4 Light Combination camera’s LCD screen.

In addition to the hair light, or instead of

the hair light, some photographers skim the light around the side of the face. The light is positioned behind and to the side of the subject, creating a highlight which is sometimes called a kicker. If you don’t need a hair light (perhaps your subject is bald), you may choose a kicker instead.

The biggest challenge with a hair light is

positioning it above your subject, safely. A ceiling mount or a boom arm on a solid lighting stand will work. power, it will not only fill in the shadows, but overpower the key light as well. This isn’t the

BACKGROUND LIGHT

result you want.

The final light is for the background. You might

just position this on the ground, using a narrow

Generally speaking, the fill light is one to

three stops (EV) less than the key light.

dish reflector so you can control how the light spills onto the background.

HAIR LIGHT

How do you separate your subject’s hair from

setting, adjusting it so the result looks pleasing

the background? This can be a big issue when

on the back of your camera’s LCD screen.

shooting dark haired subjects against a dark

background: there is no difference between the

portraiture, but the lighting pattern on the

hair and the backdrop and the resulting image

opening page is typical for a standard portrait

is ambiguous.

sitting.

The solution is to light the hair separately. Again,

choose the power output carefully because too

or super creative, rather it is about ensuring

much will overexpose the hair, whereas too little

the subject is the most important aspect of

and the hair light won’t be visible.

the photo. The lighting makes it easy for the

viewer to engage with the subject, without

Fortunately, it’s an easy matter to experiment

and you’ll clearly see when it’s working on your

46

Once again, keep an eye on the power

There are many ways to use four lights for

The result is not supposed to be tricky

overpowering her.

•

Luisa Dunn APP

47

EDUCATION

SpyderCheckr & Colorchecker There are many reasons for using a grey card or a set of colour patches for every professional shoot: easy white balance, colour and tonal accuracy, and then there is the theatre of being a professional photographer too!

TAGS Equ ip m e n t Ca mer a s Co lo ur Management

48

Most photographers are shooting raw files. If

adjustment are easily accommodated.

you’re only shooting JPGs, then either you are

an expert with a specific need (e.g. press or

the scene with either neutral values (like a

sport), or possibly you don’t really know what

sheet of white paper, a proper ‘grey card’ or a

you’re doing!

more sophisticated series of colour and tone

swatches). You don’t leave the target in every

The reason for talking about JPGs is that

Step two is to photograph a ‘target’ in

it can be really difficult to adjust the white

photograph, just the first shot at the beginning

balance if you’ve captured it poorly in camera.

of each shoot or change of lighting conditions.

In comparison, a raw file is much easier to

manipulate and adjust and for this reason

your files, step three is to open the test file and,

alone, it is the preferred capture format in most

using the colour temperature tools (the colour

situations.

picker or colour temperature selector), click on

the target to set a neutral colour temperature

Accurate or pleasing colour is one of

After the shoot, when you’re processing

the hallmarks of high quality professional

setting.

photography. When your client looks at the

work you are presenting, there should be no

setting and apply it to all the other images

unwanted colour casts. Either the colour should

taken under the same lighting conditions and,

be natural, or if natural is not pleasing (such as

in theory, your colour balance problems have

tungsten lighting), then it should be corrected.

been solved!

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL

WHY BOTHER?

There are a number of ways you can easily

It’s true that many photographers may never

produce natural or corrected colour in your files.

consider colour temperature as a major concern

and, to be blunt, it shows in the standard of

Step one is to shoot raw files so later colour

Step four is to copy this colour temperature

Using a target like this SpyderChekr from Datacolor for each shoot is sensible practice for many situations.

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Both Xrite and Datacolor provide a target and software solution for profiling your camera.

50

EDUCATION

their work. You only have to look through a

and, if you take the theory all the way through,

sub-standard portfolio of wedding or portrait

even the lenses will have an impact (due to the

images with ugly skin tones to understand

different multi-coatings and glass properties).

what I mean. That’s not what we should be

presenting to our clients.

several dozen different swatches is that a profile

can adjust the colour channels separately

Sure, there will be times when even a target

The advantage of using a colour target with

won’t solve all your colour problems, but in 95%

(which a white balance does not), thus giving

of situations, this simple procedure will make a

you an even more accurate result.

big difference.

camera profile will also open up your files to use

If you’re going to use a white sheet of paper,

However, in addition to more accuracy, a

don’t use a glossy sheet, nor a tinted sheet.

the full tonal and colour range available from

You’re better off looking for a neutral grey, but

your sensor - your images may look cleaner,

even these can be problematic because they

brighter, just like they’re freshly out of the wash!

might not be neutral. Your best solution is to buy a purpose-made photography target with

SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

known values that are truly neutral.

Both Xrite and Datacolor offer comprehensive

solutions with separate apps or a plug-in that

And while it might seem to be a bit silly,

going through this process in front of your

works with Lightroom to produce the camera

clients, even asking them to hold the target

profiles.

for the first photograph, establishes you as a

serious photographer. Yes, it is partly theatre,

profile, load the photo into the software which

but it’s something they are unlikely to do

reads the colour values and then produces a

themselves. It’s also something they don’t

profile that will correct all your images. As a

completely understand - which helps establish

compromise, you often photograph the targets

you as an expert and someone they should feel

in one or two ‘typical’ lighting situations, so it

comfortable to employ.

becomes a combination of using the camera

FUR THER DE TAILS

profile and making a white balance adjustment.

w w w.kayellau strali a.com . au

Simply speaking, you photograph the

PROFILE YOUR CAMERA

You can take the simple white balance setting a

instructions and cost from $75 to $400,

step further and create a custom profile for your

depending on the number of swatches and the

camera. Of course, a camera profile will change

accuracy required.

every time you change your lighting conditions

Both systems come with comprehensive

Or a grey card might cost you just $20!

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PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE AIPP