Issue 247
Do Home Studios Work For Portrait Photographers? Enhancing The Eyes In Lightroom Jannick Clausen’s Landscape Masterpieces Studio Posing Basics
Nov/Dec 2016
CONTENTS 4
Managing People and Performance
6
Do Home Studios Work?
Whether you have a staff of 20 or a single subcontractor, managing people is an essential skill for a professional photographer running a profitable business. AIPP National President Vittorio Natoli outlines his suggestions for getting the most out of your staff and contractors.
Some portrait photographers work from a retail studio, others from their personal residence. But is it really possible to run a profitable photography business from your home? Mary Trantino has the answers!
Cover
Ang i e Co nnell 2016 AIPP AUSTRALIAN EMERGING 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.03, 171 Union Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127 Phone: 03 9888 4111 E-mail: admin@aipp.com.au
2
10
More Signature Worthy From Epson!
12
Epson has extended its partnership with the AIPP to present our annual state photography awards around Australia and its special Signature Worthy Print Award. Details below!
APPA Media Coverage Summary Peter Myers reports that media coverage for the 2016 Australian Professional Photography Awards was up a massive 550% on last year, with outlets from traditional television and newspapers to online sites taking great interest.
ISSUE 247 / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2016 16
Jannick Clausen’s Landscape Masterpieces Are this year’s winning landscape photographs straight captures or figments of the photographer’s vivid imagination? Find out as Jannick Clausen relates the inspiration behind his 2016 APPA print entries.
24
APPA’s First 40 Years
34
At the 40th AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards dinner in Melbourne this year, APPA Event Team Manager Sue Lewis presented a brief history of the Awards. There are many stories that create the legend of APPA, unfortunately too many to include in this short article!
Enhancing Eyes In Lightroom The best way to capture great looking eyes in your portraits is to do it in-camera with correct lighting and reflectors, but if you’re stuck and need to enhance the eyes in post-production, it can be achieved in Lightroom. Here’s one suggestion how.
38
Posing Your Subject Positioning your subject within the frame to create an interesting and engaging portrait is part technique and part art. Do you direct your subject into position, let them pose themselves, or something in between?
44
NiSi Filter Systems Now Available A new filter manufacturer is challenging both the quality of what makes a filter great, as well as the design and functionality of a filter system that ‘just works’. Is NiSi now the best filter system out there?
48
LaCie Storage In the Studio & On The Road Storage is the professional photographer and video producer’s most important duty and with all the technology available, there simply isn’t a good reason for ever losing a file. LaCie has a range of durable and rugged storage solutions for a range of imaging situations.
3
NEWS
Managing People and Performance Whether you have a staff of 20 or a single sub-contractor, managing people is an essential skill for a professional photographer running a profitable business. AIPP National President Vittorio Natoli outlines his suggestions for getting the most out of your staff and contractors. Whether you’re dealing with staff
performance appraisal.
photographers, assistants and office
administrators, or outside providers such
we should start with a clearly defined job
as bookkeepers, photo lab staff and web
description, a list of responsibilities and of
developers, people skills are essential if you
course Key Performance Indicators (KPIs or
want to reach your business goals.
Stats). These can be simply written down in
For each staff member and sub-contractor,
point form on a sheet of paper – one sheet per
NURTURING INVOLVEMENT
employee or subcontractor.
Getting people to understand exactly what is
TAGS Busine s s Peo ple Management
4
required of them and why their involvement is
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
essential to the success of the business isn’t that
The performance review doesn’t just happen at
difficult.
the meeting. It’s really all about observing on
It just requires you to spend the time
a continuous basis what gets done and what
with them, listening to their questions and
doesn’t and why. Once you have seen what is
explaining to them your goals. It should be a
happening, then it’s time to sit down with those
two-way communication.
staff members or sub-contractors to achieve
more.
I have found that even the best people still
need accountability, direction and guidance on
a regular basis.
a performance review, say 45 minutes, and do
it on a regular basis, say once a month. Before
Everyone needs motivation and purpose
Allow a specific amount of time to conduct
because they need to feel valued and they need
you go to the meeting, think about what you’re
to feel that they have achieved something. In
trying to improve, what your goals are, and
this way, performance management is about
acknowledge to yourself that it can take time to
preventing and solving problems. It’s not just a
achieve things.
Give your employee all the information
and training they need and have open lines of
don’t know how, why or what to change, how can you expect any improvement?
communication back to you. Employees and sub-contractors can have great ideas for your
MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
business if you’re willing to listen.
Develop a performance system to measure employee progress that is appropriate for your
BE SPECIFIC
business – even very small businesses.
When directing people, use lots of questions
rather than statements when communicating.
steady growth.
In other words, don’t say, “The workroom is still
messy”, rather ask them if they can see any areas
80 per cent of telephone inquiries into studio
in the workroom that could need tidying up?
interviews. Goals like these are easy to measure,
They will quickly understand what you mean.
but they should also be achievable.
In these meetings, plan precisely with clear
In this way, you can all aim for constant and For instance, your aim may be to convert
There are many ways to get results from
goals and be prepared to change those goals
our employees and sub-contractors. Most of
when needed.
the people we work with want to do well and
It’s important to align an employee’s goals
help our business prosper, it’s just a matter of
with your own by beginning with your vision
developing a comfortable two-way system of
of how the business should work. Describe to
communication.
them the big picture and then relate this to all the specific goals your employee is asked to meet. Producing results also makes people feel good, contributing to their sense of ownership
vittorio.natoli@aipp.com.au
and pride.
0400 418 888
As the business owner, our management
role is to help our employees hit their targets and get their bonuses.
In this way, our communication should be
more about solving challenges than assigning blame.
Employees need regular and specific
feedback about how they can improve. If they
5
EDUCATION
Do Home Studios Work? Some portrait photographers work from a retail studio, others from their personal residence. But is it really possible to run a profitable photography business from your home? Mary Trantino has the answers! Many photographers start their business
4. What should I display and how?
‘out of the boot of their car’, so to speak.
5. Can I run a profitable studio if I don’t have a
They photograph clients on location, burn
leased space and can’t work from home?
the images to disc/stick and move onto the
6. I have no idea how to set it up, do you have
next location. More generally this goes on for
a checklist?
a number of months (if not years) until the
So here’s what I know about retail and
photographer realises that he or she is not
photography spaces.
making any profit using this business model.
So why do we do this for so long? The most
DON’T OVER COMPLICATE IT
common answer is, “I can’t afford my own
When creating a business model, the first place
space right now”.
to start is with your clients. Establishing a client type or genre who you love to photograph is
TAGS Po r trai tu re Busine s s M a r k eti n g
6
PRICING FOR RENT
critical to your business model and the space
The thing is, you will never be able to afford
you will create for them.
your own retail space if you continue to shoot
and burn. In fact, if your products are not
dogs, you need to truly understand dog owners
priced correctly so that you are being paid for
and the love they have for their dogs. You need
both your time and product, then you are in
to understand how they treat them, where their
exactly the same position as a shoot and burn
dogs sleep, the luxuries they purchase for their
photographer.
dogs etc.
Here are my most commonly asked
For example, if you are going to photograph
Once you truly understand a dog lover, you
questions about studio spaces:
can start to create a space that clearly shows
1. Can I run my photo studio from home?
these clients that you can be trusted with their
2. When should I transition to a leased space?
dog and that they will enjoy their experience
3. How big do I need the space to be?
and want to spend money with you.
What would this space look like? Maybe
What about boudoir? Women are coming
sterling silver dog bowls, pet treats displayed on
to you for pampering and a luxury experience
a cake stand, plush floor cushions made for their
that includes a hair and make-up artist, a
dogs to rest on and a whoopsy station ready to
photo shoot and a cinematic viewing of their
clean up any little accidents.
photographs.
When a dog lover walks into a space that
is purpose built to cater for their fur children,
BOUDOIR AT HOME?
the value of your products and service just
Let’s say you have enough space at home to
quadrupled!
photograph them. Walk through your home as your client would. Drive up to your house
THE TOP 4 QUESTIONS
and look around you: can they easily find your
Now, it is up to you to answer the top four
home? Is it signed? Is the house number clear?
commonly asked questions listed earlier. Let’s
continue to use the dog studio as an example.
park in? Is the garden immaculately manicured?
Is there another sign at your front door with
Can you run a dog studio from home? If
Do you have your driveway clear for them to
you photograph on location, but meet your
your business logo? Is the lead up to the front
client beforehand to design the photo shoot
door spotless or are all your family’s shoes, dog
and bring your clients back to view their
leads, hats and school bags piled up around the
photographs in person, can they bring their fur
door? This is all before they even walk inside!
child? After all, to a dog lover, this is their child.
meeting you, even if they had a ‘fantastic’ phone
Is your home equipped with the type
Your client is often very nervous before
of space that allows your client to part
conversation with you beforehand. They are
with copious amounts of money for their
walking in with no make-up, their hair is not
photographic artwork and then hug you and
done and they have their arms full of clothes
thank you for creating an experience they will
and items for the photo shoot. And they are
never forget? Is it big enough to cater for dogs
not really sure this is a ‘legit’ business because
both large and small? Do you have enough
they’ve rocked up to your home address and
wall space to display large feature photos and
they can’t park, they see kids bikes laying
photographic collections to showcase how your
around and clothes on your line (items they just
work should be purchased?
should not have to see!). Then if they see big
If so, then yes you can run a profitable
photography studio from home!
muddy work boots at the door, they are just not sure this is where they should be parting
7
EDUCATION
with their hard earned dollars.
worried that it could be something dodgy.
Mum then went onto say that when she saw
This is all commonsense stuff, right? I wish
it were. I can’t tell you how many studios I have
me welcoming them that she instantly felt
visited who have lost sight of why they are
relaxed and at ease.
photographing, who they are photographing
and ultimately what is the experience they want
But don’t treat it as your home when your
their clients to walk away with. Running your
clients are there. Be ready, clean up every
business out of your home should not be just
surface as you would if you had a leased space.
because it is convenient for you.
So yes, you can run your studio from home!
I have helped many studios transform their
home spaces into a photography business. I
HOMES CAN WORK
have also seen them go from a home space to
Recently I visited a client who has successfully
a leased premises where they can command an
transformed spaces in their family home into
even higher product price tag.
a photography business. It is immaculate, it’s
welcoming, it’s signed and branded, it has
the jump to a leased space at the beginning of
everything their clients would expect to find.
your business, that’s okay. Start with what you
Still, it is a home address.
have, go back to your clientele type and arrange
One girl arrived with her mother, whom we
your space to suit them. Take baby steps with
If you are not fortunate enough to make
were not expecting. Because we knew what
the vision and direction of moving to a purpose
time their appointment was, I watched out for
built space when your cash flow allows and you
their arrival and went outside into the driveway
are clear on your business, marketing, sales and
as they parked. I greeted them at their car
customer service model.
on the street, introduced myself and helped
8
them carry in anything they needed. I was well
Mary Trantino is the founder of the Photography
dressed, make-up on and wearing a branded
Business Academy. The Academy specialises in im-
name badge. I immediately offered them a
plementing marketing, sales and customer service
freshly ground latte to have with the beautifully
systems designed to help portrait photographers
presented chocolates on the coffee table.
gain qualified leads, high-paying clients and repeat
customers. For free one-on-one consultation call
During the consultation, the client’s mother
confessed that she came along because her
Mary NOW. Contact Mary on (03) 9448 2303 or via
daughter had found the studio on Facebook,
Facebook www.facebook.com/photographybusi-
realised it was a home address and were
nessacademy
SAVE THE DATE
25 -27 AUGUST 2017 TH
TH
APPA awards dinner | August 28th Entries open | July 10th Entries close | August 10th
MELBOURNE PARK FUNCTION CENTRE
9
C H A R M A I N E H E Y E R A P P. L G M . P H O T O G . I P. B .
NEWS
More Signature Worthy From Epson! Epson has extended its partnership with the AIPP to present our annual state photography awards around Australia and its special Signature Worthy Print Award. Details below!
Craig Heckenberg, General Manager, Business Division, at Epson Australia
Epson has furthered its commitment to
Award is now an integral part of the AIPP
promoting excellence in Australian professional
Epson State Awards and one of the most hotly
photography by extending and expanding
contested. We look forward to our partnership
its partnership with the Australian Institute of
with Epson and its impact on the profession of
Professional Photography (AIPP). As part of its
photography in Australia going from strength to
new partnership, Epson will present the AIPP
strength.”
annual State Awards and its Signature Worthy
Print Award, which honours the quality of the
papers is designed in collaboration with the
printed image.
world’s leading creative professionals. Each
Signature Worthy paper is developed and tested
Craig Heckenberg, General Manager,
Epson’s collection of Signature Worthy
Business Division, at Epson Australia said,
at the highest levels to work in concert with
“Epson’s business is all about the image,
Epson’s industry-leading professional printers
whether it’s how it’s captured, printed or
and inks.
presented so the more we continue to Peter Myers, Executive Officer of the AIPP
TAGS Pa r tn e r s State Awa rd s
10
encourage excellence in this field through
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to
ventures like our partnership with the AIPP as
connecting people, things and information with its
the only membership organisation of choice
original efficient, compact and precision technolo-
for professional and aspiring image makers,
gies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers
the better it is for the world of Australian
and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors,
photography and the amazing talent within it.”
smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial ro-
bots, the company is focused on driving innova-
Peter Myers, Executive Officer of the
AIPP added, “Epson’s support of professional
tions and exceeding customer expectations in ink-
photography over the years has been invaluable
jet, visual communications, wearables and robotics.
and truly helps our industry and our craft
http://global.epson.com/
progress and improve. The Signature Worthy
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•
Chri sto pher I an M.Photo g. I
11
APPA Media Coverage Summary Peter Myers reports that media coverage for the 2016 Australian Professional Photography Awards was up a massive 550% on last year, with outlets from traditional television and newspapers to online sites taking great interest.
Media Coverage Summary
12
We tried something new this year. We hired a part-time in-house PR Manager to handle publicity for APPA. As a result, there were 79 pieces of coverage published to-date – a whopping 550% increase on last year when publicity was held by Canon. We were featured in just about all major national media outlets including: The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun, The Daily Mail Australia, Australian Geographic, Brisbane Times, Canbera Times, News Corp Australia’s Kidspot, to name a few, as well as prime time TV interviews (including 6pm news), trade publications and dozens of regional and local newspapers. This robust amount of publicity has placed a number of APPA category winners at the very forefront of the industry with prominent national media chasing them for interviews (including prime time TV shows) post APPA. I believe this illustrates that our new in-house PR function has contributed to building and strengthening our members’ profiles within, not just the industry and the wider community, but also amongst news producers, editors and reporters. This has also placed the AIPP on the “media map” with national mainstream publications starting to approach us for comment on various industry developments/ issues on an on-going basis. Many of our category winners have also reported their website traffic increased by between 20 and 40 percent in the days and weeks following the APPAs, with business inquiries and bookings also increasing “significantly”. Some category winners reported receiving such high numbers of inquiries in the weeks post APPA, they were quickly booked out well into 2017 and couldn’t take more bookings. One was head hunted and invited to exhibit her work at a prestigious national gallery. As you know, exhibition organisers rarely chase photographers themselves. A number of APPA winners have been invited as speakers at prominent photography seminars around the world. One category winner was approached by one of the largest publishing companies in the world to discuss a possible book deal. And of course Selena Rollason and Natalie Howe were chased by channel Nine’s producers for TODAY EXTRA show, on the topics of birth and newborn photography, respectively, illustrating they are now regarded as ‘thought leaders’ in their genre of photography. Below is the snapshot of the 2016 APPA coverage for your review.
Peter Myers
13
Summary
COVERAGE
TO DATE • 79 media clips achieved in total (plus 9 pending) ***26 of which national/tier 1
• TV: 4 (all prime time) • Radio: 1 (national/tier 1) • Podcasts: 2 • Print: 11 (plus 4 pending) • Online: 52 (plus 5 pending) ***20 of which national/tier 1
• This media activity to date has a potential global audience reach of more than 700 million • Total estimated cost of media coverage achieved: in excess of $300k
15
Jannick Clausen’s Landscape Masterpieces Are this year’s winning landscape photographs straight captures or figments of the photographer’s vivid imagination? Find out as Jannick Clausen relates the inspiration behind his 2016 APPA print entries.
16
A beautiful and emotive portfolio of
Jannick Clausen APP M. Photog. the 2016 AIPP
predominantly black and white images earned
Australian Professional Landscape Photographer
of the Year award. Perhaps the judges could
passport ready, so I travelled on my own.
sense the depth of feeling in the quietly
Unfortunately, my father passed away, but in the
atmospheric depictions of Jannick’s Danish
days following I went travelling with my mum
masterpieces.
around the countryside.
“I had to take a bit of an emergency trip
home to see mum and dad in Denmark.
ISLANDS BIG AND SMALL
Dad wasn’t well and my wife didn’t have her
“My dad was a keen photographer and we used
17
FEATURES
to go out on day trips as a family, so mum and I
“There are many times when I’ve heard
revisited some of these places. The locations are
judges say an image was a composite and got it
all on Fyn Island where mum still lives – but it’s a
completely wrong.”
big island.”
TAGS Awa rd s L a n dsc a pe Po r tfo l i o Clau sen
18
Considerably bigger than the islet that
IN THE MIST
features in one of his winning images - and
Jannick seems to like birds because another
perhaps more tangible (see photo on opening
can be discovered with close inspection of his
pages).
tightly cropped image of a stand of trees in
mist.
Explaining where the unusual island with the
trees and stone fence came from, Jannick said it
was from his imagination.
taken while driving around, looking for places
“There are three different captures. The
to shoot. I found a small plantation forest and,
island and the background are from one shot.
except for the bird, the photograph is basically
However, the trees and the stone circle were
straight out of camera. I felt the photograph just
from a different location and then I added in the
needed that little extra element, otherwise it
birds as well.
was just another bunch of tree trunks.”
“When driving around with mum, I found
“This was an early morning photograph
Jannick prints his own photographs using an
the stone circle with the trees and thought it
Epson Stylus Pro 3880, although he has his eyes
was really cool, but it was missing something. It
on Epson’s new SureColor SC-P800.
wasn’t special on its own.
“Then a couple of days later I drove past the
doing one of Les Walkling’s fine art printing
location with the small island and thought this
workshops, even though I have been in the
is it, so I turned around with the idea of placing
printing industry myself for much of my life.”
the trees on the island.”
photographer, Jannick supplements his income
So, why were the birds added in? “I don’t’
“The biggest learning curve for me was
In addition to being a wedding
know, I just like them! They add a bit of freedom
as a printer technician, working on larger
and motion to the image.
reproduction machines.
“Personally, I would like to see the return of
“I guess over the years I have developed
composite and non-composite sections in the
an eye for printing. My process is to print out
landscape category for the Awards, so when
a couple of versions, hang them up and view
you do capture something in camera, the
them for a few days. I had already decided to
judges can appreciate it for what it is.
include the bird in the composition with the
Two landscapes from Jannick Clausen’s portfolio from Denmark that were not entered into APPA in 2016.
19
FEATURES
trees, but I did note that the mist was a little
However, he is also more than a little excited
thicker towards the top and unbalanced. The
about an upcoming trip to Tasmania. After
solution was to change the exposure up the
shooting a wedding, he will spend a week
top, producing a more even tonality across the
travelling around with a Phase One medium
whole image.
format camera.
“I crop by eye in Photoshop, taking out any
“I have never had a camera that includes a
elements that don’t add to the picture. I don’t
seismograph – that’s just fantastic.
have any hard or fast rules – I just keep working
at it until I find a composition that I like.”
Awards dinner and said he had a Danish
“Bruce Pottinger came up to me at the
product I should try, but I am worried that after
INSPIRATION
Tasmania I won’t want to hand it back!”
Jannick says he doesn’t really follow a lot of
other photographers, preferring to keep his
ago and became a Master of Photography in
own counsel.
2014. He says he enters the Awards to better
himself as a photographer and to see how he
“I have a bunch of friends on Facebook
and of course I see their work from time to
compares with everyone else.
time, but my personal inspiration comes from
nature, its patterns and simplicity. I like finding
the scenes as a print handler. That was also
compositions that draw your eye into the image
a huge learning curve, just being there and
– like the tree in the field with the tracks leading
being so close to all those beautiful prints.
up to it.”
The handlers used to have a game trying to
second-guess what the judges would score –
In the original capture, the tractor tracks
“I started in the Awards by working behind
were a little off centre, so Jannick moved
sometimes we were close, but often we were
them so they lead directly to the tree. He then
way out!
brought up the contrast in the tree, while
maintaining the softness in the rest of the
as good. It’s one thing to look at a computer
image.
monitor, but something completely different
when you see the actual print in good lighting.
“I’m happy to emphasise elements in
“Watching the judging online is not nearly
the composition, but I don’t want it to look
unnatural.”
texture of the papers – it’s a real print! In fact,
there are images you see on screen which you
Jannick shoots with Canon’s EOS 5D Mark
III and is looking to upgrade to the Mark IV.
20
Jannick joined the AIPP around eight years
“You see all the details in the image and the
simply don’t get, but when you see the real
Two more landscapes from Jannick Clausen’s portfolio from Denmark that were not entered into APPA in 2016.
21
FEATURES
print you suddenly understand what the judges
are talking about.”
take home.”
“I must remember to give my mum a print to While in recent years Jannick has
REFLECTIONS
experienced some success with several Gold
The trip to Denmark was about reflections
Awards (including three this year), he has had
in more ways than one for Jannick. The
his share of entries that score in the 70s as well.
photograph taken in the grounds of a Danish
castle includes a tiny figure in the distance:
they enter, but they come back with what they
Jannick’s mum.
get! It’s awesome to get a Gold, but you learn a
lot from the lower scores too.
“There was no wind that day and the water
“Everyone packs away four gold prints when
was like glass. The castle is behind me, so what
you can see are the stables and a little summer
a little with a series of infrared shots out of a
house, with the ocean behind and out of sight.
moving car. I thought they would do quite well,
but perhaps not in the landscape category!
“The walls were painted white and the only
challenge was to match the roofs as one side
“Last year I tried to push the boundaries
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
was considerably older than the other. I also
22
corrected the perspective so everything was
For more information, visit Jannick’s website at
nice and straight.
www.clausen.com.au
The three images on this spread were part of the winning set of four images that earned Jannick the title 2016 AIPP Australian Professional Landscape Photographer of the Year.
23
AWARDS
Peter Foeden. Photo by David Oliver
Early judging rooms had a table and dividers for the judges.
APPA’s First 40 Years At the 40th AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards dinner in Melbourne this year, APPA Event Team Manager Sue Lewis presented a brief history of the Awards. There are many stories that create the legend of APPA, unfortunately too many to include in this short article! In the late 1960s, a number of IAP members
club.
returned from overseas where they had
attended professional photography awards and,
interesting idea and Peter pressed his case,
following their recommendations, the Federal
citing the successful American PPA annual
Council (the AIPP Board of the time) appointed
awards.
However, others thought it was an
a committee to investigate an awards system for Australia. The committee comprised Peter Foeden, John Cato, Max Townsend and Max
24
Williams.
Years of debate followed during which these
members fought vigorously to keep the issue
In 1970, Peter Foeden proposed that a ‘merit
awards system’ be established. It was initially
on the agenda. They met regularly to come up
received with a certain amount of disinterest,
with a workable program, which was finally
with some members commenting quite
approved and called ‘The Merit Awards’, with the
strongly that the IAP was not a glorified camera
aim of encouraging consistently high quality
AWARDS
Richard Bennett’s print case still going strong after 36 APPAs.
The print turntable was an early invention for the judging system.
photography.
a decorative display and creating a talking
point, the exhibition gave visitors a yardstick
The first Awards Chairman was Peter Foeden
and in July 1977, the first Merit Awards print
with which to compare their own photography
judging was held in Melbourne. There were 30
standards.
Merit winners from 268 entries (or just over 10
per cent).
have today when the winning prints are hung
This exhibition, which we essentially still
after judging, has become a focal point of the
FAIRNESS & CONSISTENCY
Awards system.
It was important to ensure consistency of
judging and this was the role of the Chairman of
for the second Merit Awards, that of packing
Jurors, shared in the beginning by Peter Foeden
and re-packing the entries.
and Val Foreman.
of wrapping materials took far too many hours
Peter remembers that if a judge scored too
There was one very significant rule change
Opening, indexing, and storing all manner
high or too low, he could be sacked and after
of volunteer’s time, to say nothing of the
scoring an entry with 27, Atilla Kirally was not
time spent returning prints to their original
invited back!
packaging.
Ensuring fairness is a huge task and one that
Sometimes a couple of months passed
Michael Wood took on. For more than a decade,
before entrants received their prints.
he was instrumental in keeping the judging on
track from the back room.
standard print mailing cases from China at an
extortionate price of $10.14, including sales
At our early annual conventions, it was
To avoid this irksome task, the IAP imported
the custom to have a small exhibition of
tax. One more challenge was solved, with the
professional photographs. In addition to making
promise that a print case would last you a
TAGS APPA Award s
25
AWARDS
One of the photos that earned Robert Imhoff the first Master of Photography in the AIPP.
Ian Hawthorn, the second Chairman of APPA.
lifetime. Richard Bennett says his print case has
judge. Judging must never become a contest
now been used at 36 APPAs.
between one judge and another.
The winners from the first Merit Awards
In the early ‘80s, Lindsay Brown volunteered
were printed in the Professional Photography
his time to computerise the judging system.
in Australia magazine and so the committee
Previously the Awards had used pad and paper
correctly expected a larger response the
along with a rather antiquated keypad that still
following year.
required someone to write everything down.
Rob Imhoff also became the Institute’s first
Keypads were re-designed to plug into a
Master of Photography through the Awards
computer, along with a sophisticated database
system.
program.
26
David Puddefoot, Co-Chairman of APPA.
Many nights were spent programming and
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE
improving the system and one of the most
After the third Merits in 1979, sadly there was
useful productivity improvements was the
some talk that, ‘the judging was rigged’ and the
introduction of a barcode for each print.
judges were, ‘just ego tripping’.
Hawthorn in 1984 with David Puddefoot as co-
As with all organisations, there are jealousies
Peter Foeden passed the chair over to Ian
and criticisms, but the Institute decided not to
Chair.
waste time on the negatives and do everything
humanly possible to make The Merits fair and
started to put a window mount around their
effective. Does this remind you of Facebook?
print to protect it from scratching. Some
entrants then noticed that smaller prints were
Attention was turned to judge training,
It was during the mid ‘80s that entrants
encouraging judges to be objective and willing
getting better scores, perhaps because they
to listen to a good argument from another
were different and just maybe because the
AWARDS
1985 Professional Photography Handbook.
Doug Spowart, the third APPA Chairman.
Ruby Spowart, one of the APPA team’s great workers.
judges didn’t get out of their chairs to inspect
Australian Institute of Professional Photography
them closely enough! A new rule was required
and The Merits became the National Print
for minimum print sizes.
Awards.
Keen to set up a permanent record of the
Then in 1987, the AIPP joined forces with
winning award entries for each year, in 1984 Will
Photo Imaging Council of Australia and the
Street persuaded the team at Iris Publishing to
photo industry to combine the print judging
produce a special Professional Photographer’s
with an annual trade show. This proved to be
Handbook. Although this was a soft cover for
of enormous benefit to both parties and after
some years, it was the forerunner of the high
a few stops and starts, has become a regular
quality hard cover awards book published ever
partnership.
since.
year sponsorship with Hanimex/Fuji, 1990 saw
The consolidation of the Merit Awards into
With Kevin O’Daly’s persistence and a three-
a key event on the Institute’s calendar can be
the National Print Awards printed in a hard
largely attributed to Melbourne photographer,
cover collector’s book.
David Puddefoot.
1991 and under the direction of the National
David was the enduring strength of the
Doug Spowart became APPA Chair in
Awards from 1979 to 2004 and an extremely
President Malcolm Mathieson, was asked
efficient organiser who handled the ever-
to expand the event for all professional
growing task of coordinating the judging
photographers, whether an AIPP member
process with his dedicated team.
or not and so the Australian Professional Photography Awards was born.
APPA IS BORN
In 1986, the Institute changed its name to The
Year awards had also been running, requiring
A separate Professional Photographer of the
27
AWARDS
After Fujifilm, Agfa sponsored the Awards book for many years.
Canon became a major sponsor in Richard Bennett, fourth APPA 2000. Chairman.
two judging events, so in 1995 the Professional
innovation and Australian photographers led,
Photographer of the Year was incorporated
and still do, the world in new directions of the
into the Awards system itself, with much of the
art and the craft of image making.
machinery driven by David Puddefoot, Ruby
Spowart and a dedicated committee.
of digital imaging capture and enhancement.
The APPA committee responded initially to the
With increased entry numbers the Awards
This era also saw the gradual introduction
became a huge logistic undertaking. An
industry’s acceptance of the new technology
APPA Handbook was developed to control
and the new image potential derived from it.
operations, the functions and responsibilities of
roles of the APPA Committee as well as judges
his partner Victoria Cooper, judge training and
and the newly instituted student teams.
mentoring programs took place around the
APPA was changing. Members previously
country and during the APPA event, enabling
had entered the work that represented their
a broader member base access to the honour
client’s brief. Now they were increasingly
and privilege to be an APPA judge. A significant
entering personal work – except in categories
aspect of this initiative was to resolve the
that required client commissions like wedding
historical gender imbalance on judging panels
and commercial. This change meant that the
by creating the opportunity for more women
work coming into the APPA/PPY space was
judges to serve.
innovative, creative and inspiring.
Under Spowart’s guidance, supported by
The legacy of these changes is that they
made an important contribution to the
28
NEW ERA
development of the Awards event as we know
Ultimately the nature of photography changed
it today.
in this country due to this experimentation and
Agfa started sponsoring the printing of
AWARDS
Lyn Whitfield-King, the first Grand Master of Photography.
The old wire baskets for handling the thousands of prints..
The new computer system was introduced in 2007.
the Awards book in 1993 and in 1994, the
Photography Awards and during that time,
requirement for print titles was removed from
Craig Bassett gradually assumed the role of
our entries.
event team manager from David Puddefoot.
No longer did the panel chair have to read
out useless titles like, “Girl in front of red door”, or
GRAND MASTERS
worse, “Heavenly beauties”.
There had been talk of a ‘Grand Master’ from
the time of Ian Hawthorne, but it was Richard
In 1995, Robyn Hills took on the role of the
APPA publicity officer and wrote a media guide
Bennett who introduced it in 2005 and the first
for winners.
Grand Master of Photography was awarded to
Lyn Whitfield-King.
She even managed to convince Bert Newton
to interview the 1996 Photographer of the Year
Peter Eastway on national morning television.
in 1986 and received her Grand Master of
Photography some 19 years later.
In 1999, AIPP National President Richard
Lyn received her first silver merit point
Bennett became our next APPA Chairman and
with the National Board, spearheaded the idea
Peter Eastway stepped into the role in 2006,
of obtaining a long term sponsor to secure the
the year he also became a Grand Master of
growth and development of the event.
Photography.
Under the watchful eye of Eric Victor, Canon
With Richard’s retirement as APPA Chairman,
Some of the most important changes from
came on as part sponsor of the Awards book in
APPA’s perspective seem relatively small, like
2000 and later signed a contract as the Naming
changing from wire baskets to specially made
sponsor of the Awards in 2003.
containers so the event team could transport
the entries from the ‘breakout’ location to the
Thus the Awards for many years have been
known as the Canon Australian Professional
judging venue.
29
AWARDS
The APPA Committee under Richard Bennett and David Puddefoot.
The 2005 APPA Team.
Trade affiliates like L&P and Kodak in
awards had been introduced as encouragement
Sydney, NMIT college (as it was then) and PSC
for scores of 75 to 79.
in Melbourne allowed our small APPA army to
invade their space to prepare the entries for
Awards increased exponentially, they were
judging, a process that used to take five days
phased out and the half point returned to
but with new efficiencies was reduced to just
scores of just 78 and 79.
However, when the number of Bronze
three.
30
APPA was in a constant state of change and
NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM
refinement.
But the biggest challenge for 2007 was the
introduction of new judging software. Entrants
We set up three judging rooms in 2006,
with the concern that it may dilute the judging
could now enter on line, judges had new
pool. We had five rooms this year! However,
consoles and gone was the old DOS system
gone were the binoculars for viewing prints
(for those who are too young to know, it was
and the tables for the judges to sit behind.
a Microsoft disk operating system). In fact, we
Now they had chairs with side tables so it was
had no choice but to move to a new system as
much quicker for them to get up to view the
we could no longer hire the computers needed
print. It might seem like a small change, but it
to run the old system, not to mention the
saved literally hours of judging time over the
challenges of making contact with the previous
weekend.
software developer (his new wife didn’t want
him to spend any time with us).
Half points for scores of 78 and 79 were
available for photographers aspiring to become
The change was not without its issues, but
an Associate, but because it was so difficult for a
once it was working, gone were the hours
number of years to earn a Silver Award, Bronze
trying to work out Excel formulas to run reports.
AWARDS
Essential judge training from Jacqui Dean.
Peter Eastway, 5th APPA Chairman
David Paterson, 6th APPA Chairman.
(One of my first memories of APPA is in Perth
checking that the results were being correctly
in 2002, sitting at a table making certificates
recorded, Peter notified Nathan that the scores
until 1.00 a.m. while David Puddefoot sat at the
were not being calculated correctly! The
computer, working on those formulas, and then
programmers had been warned about all our
a few years later watching the reams of paper
special rules, like majority scores and reviews,
growing on the floor as Craig Basset printed
but had forgotten the one basic calculation:
reports, but forgetting to clear the report from
add up all the scores and divide by five! Thank
the previous run and so we had double ups of
heavens we had an accountant as our Chair!
everything!
in love with the APPA system and worked with
Those problems all seem like a distant
However, Nathan and Trent from IC12 were
memory now.)
the APPA Committee to resolve our issues. The
new automation helped us to easily handle a
Some things I will never forget, like the time
we first turned on the new judging system at
massive increase in entries the following year to
8.34 am on Friday the 4th of May. Although the
over 2500.
boys from IC12 had tested the new wireless judging, when the trade turned up to their
MORE CHANGES & REFINEMENTS
exhibition stands next door and turned on their
In 2009 we had the largest floor plan for APPA
own internet connections, our system came
and credit must be given to PMA for the
crashing down.
assistance they always provided. The Gold Wall
display brought an air of prestige to the APPA
system all night to make sure it was ready for
We quickly went to our wired backup plan,
but then we had a second small problem.
arena and the judging was made even more
Sitting around the database in the back room,
accessible to the public. Craig Bassett resigned
31
AWARDS
The APPA Gold Awards wall is now a fixture.
APPA was transformed into a huge event with the assistance of PMA and the trade.
as Event Team Manager and somehow I’ve been
years!
in that role ever since.
failed to deliver the copy images for the book
Reluctantly in 2010, along with all the other
sub-committees and councils, we had to hand
on time when, at 2.30 a.m., the hotel guard
over to National Office the accounts that Jacqui
turned off the power in the handicapped toilet
Dean, our treasurer had worked on meticulously
where he and Mercury were - well, who knows
over the years to keep APPA in the black.
what they were doing!
The APPA committee sadly lost another of its
Yes, in the old days we used to copy every
dedicated members with the passing of Robyn
gold and silver award with a copy camera
Stewart and the beautiful Jessica Dean, our
system for reproduction in the book.
coordinator for many years, also left the National
Office.
was the Awards book coordinator as well.
David also served as Chairman of Jurors and
Judges training continued to be a challenge
and the training package was revamped.
LIVE STREAMING
This was also the year that commercial and
After a suggestion from Jacqui Dean that
all judges should be aware of the history of
editorial entries went digital and judges viewed
photography, the DVD, Genius of Photography
the entries on EIZO monitors.
was purchased and sent to all judges at the
time.
had verticals, horizontals, changing screens. -
don’t start me!
In 2011, David Paterson moved into the
Well, that was interesting as well because we
Chair along with a record 3057 entries.
which is now ardently viewed by thousands of
It was about time after dodging his
responsibilities on the Event Team for over 20
32
On one occasion (around 15 years ago), he
More successful was our 2011 live streaming
photographers around the world.
AWARDS
Yes, it’s true! Judges used to use binoculars to view prints, rather than getting out of their chairs!
We had over 50,000 page views for the 2016
The 2016 APPA Event Team lead by Sue Lewis.
Ancora. And the National Office is intimately
event, which is fantastic when you think back to
involved with the running of the events.
the early years when the only people who had
any understanding of APPA were those who
as you’d expect, still a work in progress.
attended. Live streaming has transformed the
Awards not only for the entrants, but for how
introduced with the appointment of Josh
the AIPP can present professional photography
Marshall as our programmer and the Epson AIPP
to the world.
State Professional Photography Awards are now
under the overall Awards banner to achieve
In 2013, the APPA Committee was
The most recent chapter of APPA’s history is, A new computer system has been
restructured to form a new AIPP Awards Team.
consistency from the state events to APPA.
Some of the former committee members took
their leave, while the remaining members
in effect, could be staged and managed from
helped form the new team.
anywhere in the world.
We introduced our new chairmen of Jurors,
We now have a fully online system that,
And we still have the support of major
Melinda Comerford and Mark Zed for domestic
industry sponsorship, in 2016 represented by
and commercial sectors.
Leica and Digi-Direct.
We involved the greater AIPP membership
I know I haven’t mentioned everything or
in the awards process by opening Category
everybody, but to the hundreds of people who
Advisory Groups.
have been involved with the Awards over the
years, you are to be thanked and admired.
We are now structured to handle larger
entry numbers with our seeding requirements.
As Peter Foeden wrote in the 1980s, APPA is
Felicity Biasi took on the new role of Awards
truly an event where many will benefit because
Chair, followed by our 2016 chairman Rocco
of the efforts of a few.
33
EDUCATION
Enhancing Eyes In Lightroom The best way to capture great looking eyes in your portraits is to do it in-camera with correct lighting and reflectors, but if you’re stuck and need to enhance the eyes in post-production, it can be achieved in Lightroom. Here’s one suggestion how.
TAGS L igh tro o m Tech n i q u e
Lightroom can do a lot of
the edges of the irises and the pupil,
different things and is an amazing
and you enhance or add catchlights.
creative tool, but for professional
There are four separate steps and
photographers, the question
if your client is purchasing a big
is about working quickly and
print, then it is worth getting the
efficiently so you spend less time
eyes looking as good as you can - in
and earn more income.
other words, you can justify a little
time spent on post-production.
Successful portrait
photographers will tell you that
On the other hand, say you
you can capture a perfect portrait
have just photographed 100
in camera if you know how to set up the lights,
accountants for their LinkedIn pages and the
reflectors and, most importantly, your subject(s)!
practice website – there’s no way you want to
individually lighten their eyes this way! It would
This is the best way to operate as a
professional photographer, especially if you
be too time-consuming and there are other
have tens or hundreds of photographs to
products around that will let you enhance
process.
portraits much more quickly and efficiently.
The technique in this article explains how to
enhance eyes using a series of steps adapted
photographed them correctly in the first place
from Photoshop. The Adjustment Brush in
and didn’t need to use post-production at all!
Lightroom effectively works as a layer, allowing
you to make small, selective adjustments
and the eyes are just one component.
without affecting the rest of the image.
following pages and adapt it to the way you
With this technique, you whiten the whites
of the eyes, you lighten the irises, you darken
34
Of course, it would be even better if you had
There are many ways to enhance portraits Have a look at the technique on the
work.
35
EDUCATION
STEP 01
STEP 02
STEP 03
STEP 04
The best looking eyes happen when you get the lighting right in the first place. Some photographers would consider this portrait to already have reasonable lighting for the eyes, but let’s take it a step further to see what is possible.
Let’s begin by lightening the whites of the eyes. Select the Adjustment Brush and set the Effect to Whites +20. (You will need to experiment with this number.) Now use a very small brush to lighten up the whites of the eyes. The brush is set to 100% Feather, 100% Flow and 100% Density, but you may wish to use different settings. Paint to lighten the whites.
36
In Lightroom, enlarge the image on screen so you are working at 100% magnification. If the subject is smaller in frame, you may need to enlarge to 2:1 (200%) or even larger. You will be using small brushes on small areas, so make it easy for yourself and enlarge the image on screen.
When you compare the results, the whites of the eyes shouldn’t be so white they hurt! The improvement should be subtle. Adjust the setting until you’re happy.
Next, let’s lighten the iris in each eye. Sometimes this isn’t necessary or won’t work with brown eyes, so don’t push it if it doesn’t help. Add another Adjustment Brush with the exposure set to +0.50 and the contrast to +15. Again, experiment with these settings depending on your subject. More accurate results are achieved with a high quality monitor like those from Eizo.
STEP 05
STEP 06
STEP 07
STEP 08
The final step is to add or enhance the catchlights. Add a fourth Adjustment Brush and set the Whites to +50 or higher. If there aren’t any catchlights to begin with, you may need to set the Highlights to a positive setting as well. Now paint over the existing highlights or add in your own if there aren’t any already there.
The third step is to darken the edges of the iris and the pupil. They are already dark, so make them a little darker still. Use a third Adjustment Brush with the Black set to -30 or -50. Once again, don’t overdo it, but remember that your clients won’t be looking at the photograph at 100% or 200% like you are on the screen.
The final result should have a sparkle to it, but not so much it looks completely fake! If it looks too strong or not strong enough, revisit your adjustment brushes and adjust the settings to taste. However, note how long this has taken - as professionals, this may not be good use of our time. Better to get it right in camera in the first place!
37
EDUCATION
Posing Your Subject Positioning your subject within the frame to create an interesting and engaging portrait is part technique and part art. Do you direct your subject into position, let them pose themselves, or something in between?
TAGS Tech n i q u e L igh ting Po sin g
Not everyone likes to have their photograph
this series with Peter Eastway) has been taking
taken, so while smartphones mean that
portraits for over 40 years.
everyone is used to having a camera pointed
in their direction, sitting under studio lights
something that comes from shooting
(whether indoors or out) creates a certain
thousands of portrait sittings.
formality to proceedings.
put at ease. He is friendly, always smiling and it
It’s no longer just ‘a photograph’, but
When you meet David, you are immediately
a ‘portrait sitting’ and there are great
is easy to feel comfortable when you’re in his
expectations!
studio.
(Of course, for those who know David, he
BE AN OBSERVER
prefers to shoot in the home or outdoors, in fact
Professional portrait photographers with years
anywhere but in a studio these days, but that’s
of experience pose their subjects so easily, you
another story).
often wonder if it’s the photographer or the
subject who is doing all the work! The answer is
that you’re relaxed and friendly, too.
a bit of both.
you will be a bit nervous, in which case, tell your
AIPP Grand Master of Photography David
Oliver (who captured many of the portraits in
38
His approach is relaxed and easy going,
If you’re doing a portrait shoot, it’s important If it’s your first portrait shoot, chances are
subjects what’s happening and you’ll all relax a
POSING SAMPLE
POSING SAMPLE
TO CAMERA
AWAY FROM LIGHT
Front On
Angled
Turn ing t he b into ody the s hado can h w e l p hide cloth the ing o r a la phys rger ique . The no ri ght o re's r wro what ng work s for or yo you ur su bject ?
g n i o g g n i h t y l n is e The o s o p c i t a t s s i h h for t c i h w g n i t h g i l the e e r h t e m o s s d ad . y t i l a n io s n e m i d
While the lighting on the subject might be acceptable,
The easiest change for a standing portrait is to ask your
the pose is very static. This is how people stand for
subject to stand three-quarter or side on. This creates a
their passport photograph to be taken and is really
more dynamic composition. It can also hide someone's
a pure record photograph. Artists have sometimes
thicker physique. Think about which way you ask them
used this banal pose very effectively, but for successful
to turn - towards or away from the light. Here the body
family and commercial photography, it rarely works.
is in shadow. Is this what you want?
39
EDUCATION POSING SAMPLE
Angled
TOWARDS LIGHT
To reveal more interest in your subj ect or his or h er clothin g, it may be sensible for him or her to tur n towards t he key lig ht to be bett er lit.
40
POSING SAMPLE
Use The Hands TO ADD INTEREST
To strengthen t a h w , e s o p the t c e j b u s r u o y can r e h r o s i h h t i do w e h t e k a m o t s hand e k i l s s e l k o o l o phot a passport?
When turning your subject one way or the next,
To create more excitement and interest in the portrait,
experiment with how far they turn. Watch for creases
ask your subject to do something with his or her
on the neck if they turn too far to the side. It is usual
hands. Crossing arms is a good place to start, while
to ask your subject to turn towards the key light so he
putting a hand in a pocket or on a hip (the latter
or she is better lit, but even so, a straight portrait with
doesn't always work so well for men, of course) can
the hands to the side remains static.
greatly improve the overall feel of the portrait.
POSING SAMPLE
Angle Shoulders TO CREATE MORE INTEREST
POSING SAMPLE
Use The Angles WITH BODY PARTS
Ask your subject to put their weig ht on one leg o r the other, thu s tilting the shoul der line. This impr oves the composit ion with a diagona l.
The perfect pose is a search for one that matches your subject's expression and personality.
So far, our poses have been relatively static because
Watch the angle of the head and counter-balance
the main compositional lines - the body and the
it with the angle of the shoulders and the position
shoulders are vertical and horizontal. By tilting the
of the hand(s). You can also think of posing in terms
shoulder line, you can introduce a diagonal line which
of personality and encourage your subject to pose
is much more dynamic and interesting. Ask your
himself or herself naturally - but now you also
subect to put more weight on one leg.
know what to look for in terms of lines, shapes and composition.
41
EDUCATION
lot more.
pose and so we don’t have to work so hard in
precisely posing our subjects.
If you’ve been shooting quite a few portraits
and you’re struggling to get the best poses,
check your proficiency with your equipment.
boring and with experience, you learn what
Knowing your camera and lights back to front
these are.
means you don’t need to worry about them
during the shoot.
or sit for the camera, he will let them do their
own thing and, once they are comfortable, he
And if you’re not worrying about your
There are some stances that are just plain
So when David invites his subjects to stand
equipment, chances are you’ll automatically be
will move in and suggest some (usually) minor
a lot more relaxed!
changes.
The advantage David has is years of
There are lots of things to consider. First,
experience observing the human body. He
what is the angle of the body relative to the
knows what poses work and what ones don’t. It
camera - front on, side on, back on?
has become second nature for him, but when
you try to pin him down as to exactly how he
- front on, side on, tilted?
positions someone, he says he lets his subjects
pose themselves.
Are they square or angled? Which shoulder is
Next, what is the angle of the subject’s head Now, what about the angle of the shoulders?
higher?
NATURAL POSES
And to a certain extent, he is right. David will set
Are they in view or out of view? We’ll look at
up his lights and invite his subject to stand or sit
hands in more detail in a future issue.
in approximately the right position.
differently depending on your subject’s size,
In David’s view, the best poses are those that
All of these questions may be answered
look natural, so if your subject stands naturally
shape, clothing and personality.
in position, shouldn’t that be a good pose? Yes
and no!
we’ve been focusing on.
For fashion and swimsuit photography,
And, then there’s that little issue of lighting Sometimes a particular pose doesn’t work
the poses can be quite complex and the line
because it doesn’t suit the light - so either you
between success and failure can be just a few
change the light to match the pose, or vice
centimetres.
versa.
For family and commercial portraiture,
however, we’re generally looking for a natural
42
And what about the hands and the arms?
Lots of decisions!
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43
NEWS
NiSi Filter Systems Now Available A new filter manufacturer is challenging both the quality of what makes a filter great, as well as the design and functionality of a filter system that ‘just works’. Is NiSi now the best filter system out there? There are lots of filters to choose from, but one
because its filters are currently less expensive
argument hasn’t changed over the years: If you
than some well known brands, yet appear to
have spent a lot of money on good quality
offer superior quality.
lenses, you don’t want to ruin the result with
TAGS Co lo ur ma n a a g e m e n t M o n itor s
44
poor quality filters.
NEUTRAL DENSITY FILTERS
Landscape photographers find neutral density
Indeed, many photographers resist adding a
filter in front of (or behind) their lenses, fearing
filters very useful, especially when wanting
it will degrade image quality. In reality, that fear
to blur the water or clouds. However, long
is unsupported because with a good quality
exposures can result in unwanted colour shifts.
filter, any image degradation really is invisible to
the eye.
filters over the years and the NiSi is the most
neutral in my experience. One of the problems
However, it’s true that some plastic filter
I have used a range of neutral density
systems can produce inferior results, although
I encountered with other brands was a warm
to be fair, it’s not so much a problem with
colouration which I put down to being a
image sharpness or clarity as colour fidelity. The
characteristic of the Bayer filter array over the
quality of the UV or polarising effect may not be
sensor (on the basis that the same filter would
as good as a glass filter, and when it comes to
give different results with different cameras).
neutral density filters, the ‘neutral’ aspect can be
However, I now believe the colouration is due
coloured, producing a non-neutral result.
more to infrared light. Many filters include
UV coating, but NiSi filters also include an IR
These issues also flow through to the more
expensive glass filters to some extent and,
coating that absorbs infrared light, explaining
generally speaking, the more you spend on a
why its ND filters produce such a neutral result.
filter, the better your chances of getting a better
quality result.
noticeable with standard one, two or three
stop filters, but at 10 stops and exposures of 30
However, NiSi filters is challenging that
Colour shifts with ND filters aren’t easily
Above: The NiSi filter holder design for ultra wide-angle lenses is functional and easy to attach, but you will need the larger 150mm or 180mm filter systems to provide the necessary coverage. Below: NiSi filter holder, professional kit and smart leather filter holder.
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Above: Standard exposure at 1/125 second. Below: 30 second exposure with NiSi ND1000 (3.0) 10-stop filter. There is no colour cast difference between the two exposures, which is exactly what photographers want! Photographed on Canon EOS 5DSR with 11-24mm lens.
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NEWS
seconds or more, you’ll quickly see if there are
manufacturers is a special filter holder and
colour shift issues to deal with.
larger filter sizes. However, some of the solutions are awkward to use, requiring you to mount
SQUARE OR ROUND?
the filter holder from behind the lens, meaning
Round filters are screwed onto the front of
you have to remove the lens from the camera
lenses, so if all your lenses have the same filter
before you can attach the filter holder.
thread, you will only need one of each filter
type. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, so
elegant design that slips over the front of the
you end up with two, three or more sizes of
lens and secures itself in the corners of the built-
the same filter type for different filter thread
in flower-petal lens hood with four locating
diameters.
pins. It is quick and easy to attach.
The more sensible option is to buy a square
In comparison, the NiSi holders use an
Nisi offers both 150mm and 180mm system
filter system based on a filter holder. You need
sizes, the latter designed for the bulbous Canon
one filter holder adapter for each lens filter
11-24mm. It also has standard 70 and 100mm
thread diameter, and now your filter holder and
systems and all four sizes offer extensive ranges
filters will work with all your lenses. It’s also a
of ND, graduated ND and polariser filters.
great cost saver.
and they have an online shop at www.nisifilters.
Naturally, you’ll need a holder that covers
NiSi is distributed in Australia by Pixel One
the largest lens diameter you have – and that
com.au. If you’re looking for a new filter system,
may be a reason for still having two square filter
NiSi offers a range of packs that include adapter
systems because the largest filter in the NiSi
rings, filter holders and various sets of filters –
range is 180mm, which seems a bit unwieldy in
and it is cheaper to purchase the kits than the
comparison to a smaller 100mm system.
items individually.
SUPER WIDE-ANGLES
NiSi ND (Neutral Density) sizes include: 70x70mm,
One of the challenges for DSLR photographers
100x100mm, 150x150mm and 180x180mm.
FUR THER DE TAILS w w w.n i si f i lters.com .au
using super wide-angle lenses, like the 1124mm from Canon and the 14-24mm from
GND (Graduated Neutral Density) sizes include
Nikon, is the large front element. You can’t easily
70x100mm, 100x150mm, 150x170mm and
fit a filter over the front and certainly there is no
180x210mm.
filter thread.
The solution from a number of
www.nisifilters.com.au
47
NEWS
LaCie Storage In the Studio & On The Road Storage is the professional photographer and video producer’s most important duty and with all the technology available, there simply isn’t a good reason for ever losing a file. LaCie has a range of durable and rugged storage solutions for a range of imaging situations. There are two types of people in this world:
shoot is progressing. And certainly this seems
those who have had a hard drive crash and
to be the norm for video productions. So, what
those who are going to have a hard drive crash!
sort of external drive do you use?
Despite this gloomy prediction, modern
hard drives and storage solutions are getting
drives available from main-stream stores like
better and better. Even so, hard drives do
OfficeWorks, but these drives are not really
not last forever and so a system of updating
designed for the rough and tumble of a
and refreshing drives becomes a part of
location shoot. Drop one of these drives just a
a professional photographer and video
short distance or knock them a little hard and
producer’s annual maintenance schedule.
they are likely to break.
TAGS Co lo ur ma n a a g e m e n t M o n itor s
48
There are many inexpensive external
In comparison, the LaCie range of Rugged
ON THE ROAD
external drives can take the rough and tumble
Whether you’re travelling through remote
of professional life.
Bhutan for a fortnight or shooting a local
wedding on a Saturday afternoon, all
me to Bhutan to test it out for my still and video
professional photographers need portable
files. I confess I was careful, of course, but the
storage devices.
drive lived in my camera bag for two weeks
between a couple of lenses and never missed a
In the case of weddings, professional
I took the LaCie Rugged Mini 2TB drive with
photographers should be using cameras with
beat.
two-card slots and duplicating the shoot onto
both cards. The easiest solution is to have
metre drop, it will survive a one ton weight
sufficient cards for the whole wedding, but
rolling over the top of it, it’s rain and dust
even so, often it’s an assistant’s job to download
resistant and if you wish, you can password
the files to an external drive and check how the
protect it. The USB 3.0 drive is up to four times
The Rugged Mini is shock resistant for a 1.2
The LaCie Rugged comes in several different flavours and sizes, but all are small - and rugged, ideal for location work.
49
NEWS
faster than USB 2.0 and software on the drive
can help. As drive capacity increases, it is more
will let you format it so it will work with both
helpful to discuss external drive systems in
PC and Apple computers (by partitioning the
terms of the number of drive bays the unit
drive). And at 240 grams, you won’t notice it is
offers. The LaCie d2 offers a single bay, while
there.
the LaCie 12big offers 12 bays. Other models
include 2big, 5big and 8big and you can guess
Of course, a single backup is never enough,
so my files also remained on my memory
how many bays each has!
cards and my laptop as well, until I was able to
transfer the job to my computer and storage
transfer speeds of up to 2600MB/s, suitable
system back in the studio. I think I need two
for 6K video editing, and with current storage
LaCie Ruggeds next time!
options, equates to a massive 96TB of storage.
The LaCie Rugged range includes capacities
Currently the 12big offers Thunderbolt 3
While the 12big comes as a tower, the
of 500GB to 4TB and comes in various
8big sits in a 1U rack and offers speeds up to
configurations, including a RAID Thunderbolt
1330MB/s for 4K video editing (and more than
model with transfer speeds of up to 240MB/s
fast enough for photography). It offers hardware
and RAID 0/1 flexibility for speed or security.
RAID and full component redundancy. There are
dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy chaining, so
However, back in the studio, chances are we
need something more!
you can add further components as well.
The 5big and 2big units are currently a little
LACIE BIG
slower, but still fast enough for 4K video and still
Many larger studios don’t (or can’t ) keep every
photography editing, with the 2big including
photograph ever taken immediately available.
USB 3.0 connectivity for both PC and Mac
They need a backup and archiving system.
compatibility.
Normally, it is current files that are kept
The LaCie units are smartly designed,
locally, but many computers don’t offer the
well built and are designed to be part of a
capacity needed by photographers and
photographer and video producer’s storage and
certainly video producers with their internal
archiving solution. And as with all computer
drives. The solution is an external drive that
storage options, they should be just one of your
operates as quickly as an internal drive, and
strategies for storing your valuable digital assets.
also allows you to swap drives around as jobs
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require.
http://www.lacie.com/as/en/professional/
This is where the LaCie ‘big’ series of drives
LaCie is distributed by better retailers. Visit –
The LaCie 12big (top) and 5big (below) are described by the number of drive bays they have, not their total capacity.
51
PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE AIPP