Issue 268
Jan/Feb 2019
What's Happening In The Institute In 2019?
JOURNAL
CONTENTS 6
John Swainston's President Message There's lots happening at a National Board level, but as John Swainston explains, the Board would love it all to be happening that much more quickly! Have a read and see if you can help!
12
AIPP National Board - Meeting Summary This is National Board Chair Melinda Comerford's summary of the November 2018 AIPP Board meeting.
Cover
18
Member Support - What We're Doing! Louise Bagger has tackled the challenging job of transferring our National Office into a new, trimmer regime. Here's what's happened – and what's planned for the future.
Matthew Gianoulis APP AAIPP GOLD WITH DISTINCTION, COMMERCIAL CATEGORY 2018 AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
22
Commercial photography is essentially when photographers are providing their services to business (as opposed to consumers). And the AIPP Commercial Committee is here to help! By Louise Bagger.
AIPP JOURNAL is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP). Editor Peter Eastway B.Ec CPA APP.L FNZIPP Hon. FNZIPP G.M. Photog. 1 P.B. 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 Quietly celebrating 26 years of publication.
AIPP Membership Contacts www.aipp.com.au admin@aipp.com.au PO Box 249, Mooroolbark Victoria 3138 Phone 1300 685 334
2
AIPP Helping Commercial Photographers
26
The AIPP's IT Systems Under Review Whether it's preparing content for our website, managing membership subscriptions or running the photography awards, IT is an integral component of AIPP management - and an area that the Board is working hard to improve. Louise Bagger reports.
ISSUE 268 / JAN/FEB 2019 30
Branding & Video Production Jared Kettle and Jacob Williams, winners of the 2018 AIPP Australian Video Producer of the Year, reflect on what makes a successful video producer – and the importance of branding in a crowded marketplace.
40
Reporting from the Andes in 1969! In these days of instant communication, the editor thought a story from past AIPP President and APPA Chairman might put the complexities of sending photos home into perspective. Back in the 1960s...
42
Building on our Luminous Fund Ross Eason APP.L, M.Photog. I, Hon. LM Hon. FAIPP thanks the Cumming family for David Cumming's generous bequest and explains how the Luminous Fund works!
44
48
What Makes An Award Image? Peter Hasson created an emotive black and white landscape featuring the curve of a modern road to earn a Silver Award. What makes it work? Why did the judges respond so positively?
50
"Mentee as Anything” – Mentoring for 2019 The AIPP Mentoring Committee is planning for the return of the Mentoring Program. According to Board member David Simmonds APP.L M.Photog. II., discussions are still underway – so stay tuned!
54
AIPP Honours Committee Appointment
Location Storage: When Small Is Better Location photographers, from landscapes to weddings, will be interest in a new high-capacity, light-weight storage option: introducing LaCie’s Portable SSD Drives. By Peter Eastway.
Past AIPP Chair Melinda Comerford joins Bennett, van der Wolde and Hocking on the AIPP Honours Committee. By John Swainston.
46
Australia Day Honours For Photographers John Swainston reports that Alexandra Cearns, Gavin Blue and David Malin were all recognised in the Australia Day Honours this year.
Platinum Sponsors 3
4
CHALLENGE YOURSELF! ENTER THE 2019 AIPP EPSON STATE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS April to June this year. Get ready now! Entry details and dates can be found at http://stateawards.aipp.com.au
5
NEWS
John Swainston's President Message There's lots happening at a National Board level, but as John Swainston explains, the Board would love it all to be happening that much more quickly! Have a read and see if you can help! Welcome to 2019. Can the year already be one
the Institute – consumers, those businesses
month old? Can it be two months since the last
who don’t yet use professional image makers,
AIPP Journal?
hospitals that don’t impose consistent standards
on birth photography, airlines that make it even
While Christmas and summer are busy times
for family get-togethers, holidays and generally
harder for working photographers to safely
less business, it is always a great time to take
carry their gear to their work destination.
stock – to re-assess the bigger picture.
Is this YOU too?
To many outside the AIPP tent, it’s this lack
With the AIPP's new Constitution adopted in
late November, that’s certainly been where my
of apparent relevance to demonstrably effect
headspace has been.
change that has plagued us for a decade.
And somewhat unusually there have been
major developments across multiple fronts in
since we closed the National Office, we are
the usually quiet months of December and
busier than ever, yet we need to turn out to
January. However, looked at another way,
the marketplace more, and present Institute
it's unsurprising, considering the enormous
members and values better. However, these
amount of work actually being done to
internal things have to be done first, before
rejuvenate the Institute.
outreach becomes doable! And, over time, the
Board must govern more and manage less.
So, let me place some facts before YOU!
BIGGER IMPRESSION
LOTS OF ACTIVITY
As National President, I find myself frustrated by
I sat down over the holiday and tried to work
the pace to actually get things done within the
out why high levels of activity have yet to yield
Institute.
more.
Most important is that we are yet to make
a bigger impression on the world outside
6
As we approach the end of the first year
For a start, there are 15 committees or
portfolio teams plus the Board:
Platinum Sponsors Gold Sponsors Trade Partners ATKINS PRO LAB
ATKINS PRO LAB
APVP Sponsors
Advancing Professional Photography.
For Everyone. 7
NEWS
1. Administration & IT
possible to maintain adequate governance
2. Awards
oversight when each Board member is also
3. Commercial
having to play an active part in 'doing' - in
4. Communications
getting on with the detailed management of
5. Compliance
tasks within one of the committees above.
6. Constitution
7. Council Presidents & Board Liaison
is the most important role a Board member can
8. Education & CPD
contribute.
Strong and effective governance oversight
9. Finance 10. Honours
WHAT WE'RE DOING
11. Membership & Accreditation (MAC)
Current issues the Board is dealing with and
12. Mentoring
debating as a result of committee reports,
13. Nominations
include:
14. Sponsor & Trade Partnerships
• IT major infrastructure investment for new IT
15. Video Producers (AVPA) 16. The National Board
As you can see, these committees focus
on our needs. They do little to promote the profession. So strategically, this will feature as a key question: How to redress balance in activity, and over what time frame so more potential clients know what AIPP means to them,
• Beginning to plan for an enhanced interactive website for members and clients; • Taking our WPC membership to a new level with formal global association relationships; • Membership card restorations and current Member plaque year tags; • Developing a code of peer-reviewed best
whether consumer or commercial.
practice for birth photographers, with world’s
best practice safety protocols;
Currently, a Board Meeting can have up to
24 matters on the agenda! Most boards would regard eight issues as an absolute maximum. For a 2.5-hour meeting, five would be better!
Although the National Board meets
electronically every other month and face to face in alternate months, including in-
8
system to better serve members;
• Airline baggage rules for photographers – advocacy with the airlines; • Drone law consultation with CASA – input by 22 February 2019; • Implementation of new rules for the Epson State Awards, (just published), and APPA 2019;
depth discussion through our online project
• Membership levels and fees going forward;
discussion system, Basecamp, it is just not
• Student initiatives to encourage ongoing
•
Leanne Curtis APP AAIPP
9
NEWS
membership and value in early career; • Further developing content stream for regional and interstate members of capital city events; • Re-imagining mentoring programs and launch for 1 July 2019; • Establishing a proper mediation capability when members differ; • Developing a one-stop-shop, web Q&A for the most common questions and issues; • Evaluating improved communication with members across multiple channels; • Developing a strategy for external communication effectiveness; • A National Events program, in part available
For now, this is driven by members who
volunteer their time generally reduce their own incomes to get AIPP things done. Or, they just extend an already full working day even further to add to the collective energy.
Strategically we also have to define what
future paid staff members will be tasked to do. We need to make more of this happen, more effectively, faster and to show the real value of the AIPP to all of the best photographers, whatever stage they are at in their career. And we must work out how we will fund that cost.
The National Board will meet on the
weekend of 2-4 March for board governance
on a streamed basis to allow access for
training, strategic planning and a monthly
regional members and inter-state participants;
board meeting. If you have items NOT on the
• Adopting a budget for the next 18 months;
list above, please let us know. Please send to
• Establishing the five core by-laws for day-to-
me directly (john.swainston@aipp.com.au) or
day governance under our new Constitution;
board convenor Steve Wise (steve.wise@aipp.
• Giving voice to those who are not members;
com.au ) by 15 February. We will share with the
• Providing clear benefits for joining/re-joining.
full Board.
• Using global connections to develop inter-
Lastly, a reminder that nominations are open
linked membership learning access and
for two vacant electable positions and close on
finding common ground for advocacy with
Friday 8 February. Elections will occur if there
like-minded worldwide organisations;
are more than two nominations. We need more
• Making our trade exhibition in August in
10
good people to help lead this great 56-year-
Sydney at the APPA judging a must-visit
young organisation. Now is YOUR time to help
destination for all serious image makers.
shape the future of the AIPP.
From this we are drawing up a list of priorities.
Have a great month!
The Board needs to focus on our overall goals
John Swainston Hon. FAIPP
and to achieve our mission – Advancing
National President
Professional Photography. For Everyone.
john.swainston@aipp.com.au
11
NEWS
AIPP National Board - Meeting Summary This is National Board Chair Melinda Comerford's summary of the November 2018 AIPP Board meeting.
TAGS
DIRECTOR’S DUTIES
seen in the Video Affiliates, who automatically
John Swainston reported to the Board on an
became AIPP members when we joined with
event he had attended hosted by the Australian
APVP. A large number of these were due for
Institute of Company Directors (ACID), which
renewal on 1 August.
had examined court views on critical behaviours
of companies and directors, including risk
contacting students about their renewals
management, record-keeping, duties of care,
and encouraging them to become Emerging
and management of delegated authorities such
Members when appropriate.
as Councils.
AIPP Management
12
The new Admin Team will now be
Most memberships renewals are due
in January and February of 2019 and it is
MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS
important to remain vigilant in ensuring
Louise Bagger presented a breakdown of the
value for membership and that the Board is
membership numbers to the Board, disclosing a
communicating its work with the members.
reduction in membership from 2017 to 2018.
grace period of 90 days, but this will now be
The biggest drop in numbers had been
Members whose fees were overdue had a
NEWS
shortened to 60 days. There was discussion
APP aerial photographers who use a drone
over shortening it further to 30 days, but
may need to prove the correct licensing and
because some members pay monthly, it was
APP birth photographers may need to prove
deemed this would trigger too many accidental
their vaccinations are up to date. This change
cancellations.
is designed to strengthen the accreditation
process and provide useful information to the
Members experiencing financial difficulties
with their membership are directed to the
public and businesses who hire accredited
Member Fundraising policy (http://www.aipp.
professional photographers.
com.au/files/Member%20Fundraising%20
POLICY%20AIPP.pdf).
Board’s strategy meeting in March 2019.
PR & AIPP MARKETING
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
The Board recognises that there is currently not
Strategically, the Institute needed to become
enough marketing material to tell the public
a different organisation than the one it had
why they should hire an Accredited Professional
been two to three years ago. It is important for
Photographer, and also why professional
the Board to examine the strategic direction
photographers should become AIPP members.
of the Institute and also what it means to be a
The Board will work to produce some printed
Member of the Institute as it stands today.
marketing material to this end.
This proposal will be further discussed at the
The AIPP will be reaching out to fellow
organisations in the UK, US, NZ and Japan,
DISCRIMINATION POLICY
to discuss shared challenges and find better
The Gender Diversity Policy Special Interest
solutions.
Group has developed a proposed policy that The policy details the AIPP’s commitment to
FINANCE COMMITTEE / TREASURER’S REPORT
diversity and stance on discrimination within
Councils have been given their second quarterly
the organisation.
allocation of funds from membership income,
will soon be sent to members for feedback.
to be spent on events and member benefits.
ACCREDITATION
The funds are calculated with a base amount,
The Membership Accreditation Committee
plus a per-member amount per Council,
(MAC) will be asked to develop a proposal
ensuring the Councils with fewer members
on genre specific accreditation. For instance,
have a higher per member spend.
13
NEWS
SPONSOR MARKETING & POLICY
Bruce Pottinger is currently working on a draft
was pointed out that other genres do not
policy for sponsors, to focus on attracting and
have a dedicated committee, so perhaps
engaging sponsors who are offering services
the Commercial Committee can broaden its
or products to members. The policy will be
reach with events for its genre on advertising,
designed to avoid the AIPP looking like “money
workflow and best business practices.
There is concern that some commercial
photographers feel unrepresented, but it
grabbers” and instead focus on a symbiotic relationship for both parties.
IT PROJECT Louise Bagger informed the Board that a MSCW
COMMUNICATIONS
(Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t
Melissa Neumann is working on an AIPP
have) was being used to define responses
podcast, to connect members. The format is
from possible IT providers. A full report will be
yet to be formalised, but it will fit within the
prepared and distributed to the Board following
communications policy that is currently being
a hands-on review of one of the potential
developed.
solutions.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
MENTORING
A new Education Committee is being formed,
The Mentoring Committee is looking forward
with a chair and representatives from the
to the introduction of the Mentoring program,
Councils.
redeveloped and revamped. The Board is also
developing a Mentoring Directory, which
The Committee will be designed to work
for and with photography students and their
will allow qualifying members to offer their
colleges.
mentoring services to members and nonmembers alike.
COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE
Geoff Comfort APP.L FAIPP has agreed to chair
be listed in this directory are currently being
the Commercial Committee, with a focus
discussed with the Mentoring Committee.
The factors establishing qualification to
on business practices and advocacy. The
14
committee will be looking at the perception
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE
of the word “commercial” and what this means
Four members of the Constitution Committee
outside of the AIPP.
joined the Board meeting, namely Ross Eason
•
Jordan Cantello
15
NEWS
APP.L M. Photog. I Hon. LM Hon. FAIPP, William
• Matthew Vasilescu (NSW)
Long APP.L M.Photog V Hon.LM, Anna Blackman
• Lib Ferreira (ACT)
APP.L M.Photog II and Roger Rosentreter APP.
• Steve Scalone (Vic)
The fifth member, Robert Edwards APP.L Hon.
• Robert Groom (Tas)
FAIPP, was unable to attend.
• Gee Greenslade (SA)
• Des Birt (WA)
John Swainston thanked the Constitution
Committee for its hard work and dedication.
• Tania Malkin (NT)
He said they embodied the culture of the
Institute – a group of individuals with different
including the running of state awards.
perspectives coming together and creating
something workable that will serve the Institute
an uncertain environment while the Board and
for years to come.
relevant committees work on governing bylaws,
a new Constitution and new policies.
One hundred and ninety proxy votes
State and territory issues were discussed, The Councils have been working tirelessly in
were received for the Constitution, which was
deemed an excellent result. The Board had
increasing member engagement through more
looked at developing a system for members
events unrelated to awards, and reaching a
to submit their proxy votes online, however
cross-section of long-term and newer members.
the quote received on this was approximately
$19,000, and the Board deemed this an
areas marked for improvement and everyone
unnecessary expenditure.
has agreed to work on these.
The Constitution Committee will remain,
The Councils are doing great work,
Communication and role definitions are
It was discussed that there was a
minus Ross Eason, to develop the bylaws of the
perception that the AIPP was still run by staff
Institute, which will relate to the Constitution.
or government funding, but instead it is run
by like-minded people who share a passion
The bylaws should be completed by April,
when the Committee will then disband.
for photography and who volunteer their time and expertise, acting as a support network for
COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES MEETING
members.
On the morning of the AGM, the Board met
needed to be developed for new Council
with Tony Hewitt as Awards Chair, and a
members.
representative from each Council:
• Alison Hockings (Qld)
16
It was agreed that an induction process
Meeting concluded.
•
R o b e r t P i c c o l i A P P. L M . P h o t o g . I V F A I P P
17
NEWS
Member Support - What We're Doing! Louise Bagger has tackled the challenging job of transferring our National Office into a new, trimmer regime. Here's what's happened – and what's planned for the future. The day to day operation of the AIPP Member
Admin Support has, on inference, a very close
operational control of the Institute was never
relationship to our IT functional requirements.
seen as a long term solution.
More importantly though, this is the human
The sustainability of the Board working as
As a matter of urgency at the time, Sharifa
interaction side of the Institute that provides the
Ghionis was brought on as a contractor as
outwards voice and face to our members and
someone who is familiar not only to many
also the members of the public. Believe you me,
members, but also with the culture of the AIPP.
it is a machine!
Suffice to say, quite a few of our members
were actually not even aware that our National
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD
Office had closed or that anything had
The first thing I want to do is thank so many of
changed, albeit for the phone connection being
you who have been patient with our admin staff
inhibited for a short period of time pending the
through a difficult transitional period.
interim solution of establishing a mobile phone.
Following the events earlier last year, our
priority was to manage all admin support with
(Read on further for an update on our phone
functions).
as little disruption as possible and as seamlessly
18
as possible.
DAY TO DAY LOGISTICS
We receive a very high volume of email
At the same time as Sharifa joined, we also
traffic through our system on a daily basis,
engaged the services of Kim Valenti in the
which we endeavour to respond to as quickly
role of bookkeeper (accounts receivable and
as possible, either with a resolution or at least to
payable), as well as taking on some of the
acknowledge receipt.
member admin functions.
•
William Carroll AAP AAIPP 19
EDUCATION
Working closely with me through the initial
enables each of our admin staff to receive calls
stages, Sharifa and Kim soon took the reins and
via a diversion roster.
have become an integral part of the Institute’s
day-to-day logistical processes; we could not
established, we will also be implementing
have come through without them.
extended operational phone hours to
incorporate the WA time difference.
In September, we advertised to employ a
Once the number and roster have been
casual Melbourne based admin support staff member who could take the member functions
EXTENDED SUPPORT
being carried out by Kim and enable her to
This means the AIPP phone support will
focus exclusively on the bookkeeping tasks.
be operated Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. Melbourne time to 5 p.m. Perth time, and
LEVERAGING EXPERIENCE
Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Melbourne time.
After considering a number of applications,
and following a productive interview process,
instigated on a trial basis and be monitored
the Board saw an opportunity to leverage the
over the coming three to six months to gauge
diverse experience being presented to us and
ongoing requirement.
provide a variety of skill-sets to be filled across a
range of operational functions.
potential to employ additional staff and will
be focused on specific skill sets as deemed
Hence, we introduced four new casual staff
This extended phone roster will be
At this time, the Board has discussed the
members, Marie-Elizabeth, Christine, Jon and
necessary.
Carla.
progress.
Jon has unfortunately since left the team
Further updates will be provided as we
following a personal re-evaluation and Carla has
been shuffled across to work as the permanent
ongoing support, patience and understanding
admin support for the Awards Committee.
as we continue to work towards improving our
systems and processes, both from our IT and
Sharifa, Marie-Elizabeth and Christine are
now focusing between them to implement
Again, to everyone, thank you for your
administrative perspectives.
routines and protocols across all member admin functions, including the introduction of a new
Louise Bagger APP AAIPP
phone system.
National Vice President
louise.bagger@aipp.com.au
Prior to Christmas, a 1300 number was
introduced and a system implemented that
20
•
Julie Kerbel APP AAIPP
21
EDUCATION
AIPP Helping Commercial Photographers Commercial photography is essentially when photographers are providing their services to business (as opposed to consumers). And the AIPP Commercial Committee is here to help! By Louise Bagger. The genre of commercial photography can
Practice Notes’.
be seen as something of an enigma. Every
member who sells their photographic work is
Dashboard on the AIPP website.
actually working, as far as the general public is
concerned, in a commercial environment. That
Pro’ and ‘AIPP Journal’ in a searchable form.
is, they are making or intending to make a profit
from the work they produce.
and industry sites that you may also find helpful.
The AIPP Commercial Committee has
Here you will find articles from ‘The Working There are other articles from government More articles will be added as they come to
realised this. Many of the questions on the AIPP
hand.
Community Facebook forum are from members
working in genres other than what we
broadened its reach and established the
traditionally know as ‘Commercial Photography’.
Business Practice Task Force and the Advocacy
Task Force. The aim is to provide more
However, at times they are asked to engage
Recently, the AIPP Commercial Committee
in ‘business to business’ photography as well as
information that will be of benefit to those
their usual ‘business to consumer’ work.
members working in the area of ‘business to
business’ photography.
A classic example is a wedding photographer
being asked by a wedding venue owner for
permission to use his or her images for the
focus on subjects that are of value to members,
venue's promotional or marketing purposes.
we need some feedback.
Typical questions being asked are: how
In order to help the Commercial Committee
The Advocacy Task Force will soon be
much should I charge, what about copyright
sending a survey to all members to gather
and how does licencing work?
feedback on matters such as:
• Problems of ‘red tape’ when dealing with large
In order to answer these questions and
many others, the Commercial Committee created a set of ‘Commercial Photography
22
These are available on your Member
companies or government departments; • Whether members need guidance on
•
Ashley Karakatsanis APP AAIPP
23
EDUCATION
payment protocols when dealing with large
suggestions need to fit within our main
companies or government departments; and
priorities. These priorities include being a
• Working with government and councils
regarding photographing people in public
your marketing strategies, the promotion of
spaces.
commercial photographers to the buyers of
From the responses we receive, we can see
where we need to focus some of our energy.
24
professional, how the AIPP can help with
This may result in articles in the AIPP
commercial photography and how to best leverage and measure SEO to raise the overall public profile of the AIPP. In essence, something
Journal or lobbying some large companies and
positive for all members.
government departments with suggestions
that would help our members.
commercial members have volunteered to
make these proposals work. Geoff Comfort
This survey is part of the AIPP Commercial
Two of our long term and highly regarded
Committee’s aim to assist all members in
APP.L G.M.Photog. FAIPP has accepted the
gaining an understanding of the principles
position of Chair of the AIPP Commercial
of working in a commercial or business-to-
Committee and will also head up the Business
business environment.
Practice Task Force. Board member David
Simmonds APP.L M. Photog. II will look after the
We believe more understanding is required
on setting fee structures for your business,
Advocacy Task Force.
preparing quotes or estimates, the use of
contracts, licencing and copyright.
committee members will follow once all
invitations have been confirmed.
As mentioned previously, much of
Formal introduction to the remaining
this information is already available in the
Commercial Photography Practice Notes.
committed to raise the standard of AIPP
business-to-business photographers, whether
Longer term goals for the Commercial
The AIPP Commercial Committee is
Committee will generally be driven by
they are full time or if it is only a small part of
members’ demands.
their normal business.
For our established commercial
Your feedback is always welcome, as are
photographers, we welcome your suggestions
offers of help for any of your suggestions which
for topics of interest or indeed suggestions
can be sent to feedback@aipp.com.au
for events which could be run at a state or
Louise Bagger APP AAIPP
national level. Please take into account that
National Vice President
our resources and time are limited and that
louise.bagger@aipp.com.au
•
M a r k D u f f u s A P P. L M . P h o t o g . I V
25
EDUCATION
The AIPP's IT Systems Under Review Whether it's preparing content for our website, managing membership subscriptions or running the photography awards, IT is an integral component of AIPP management - and an area that the Board is working hard to improve. Louise Bagger reports. In today’s world, the operational functionality
completely seamless, but we kept the lights
of the AIPP is non-existent without Information
burning and the AIPP continues to thrive.
technology (IT).
to the issues surrounding your membership
Through the events of early 2018, the
priorities of the Board were first and foremost
renewal, it stretches far and wide across
focused on communication to our members
the borders to our awards system, portfolio
through regular updates, but a strong and
assessments, electronic direct marketing (or
immediate second was the continuity of our
emails), event management and website
member administrative services.
content – just to name a few.
26
Member admin services is not only limited
Since taking on the task of the physical
STRETCHES FAR & WIDE
operations of the AIPP and having to learn all
In the early stages, this may not have been
associated IT systems, the Board came to realise
•
Lily Martin
27
EDUCATION
that the functional requirements of our IT
own working knowledge across the majority of
systems were not set out in any great detail, if at
the AIPP’s technical infrastructure, a number of
all.
consultative meetings were held with Robert
To define our requirements, we needed to
to enable him to record and map the AIPP IT
document what our current capabilities are and
operational processes.
include any functions we saw as problematic or
lacking – a ‘wish list’ if you like.
for the relationship with our awards system and
Additional meetings were also conducted
current merit point data base.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
The IT systems came under detailed discussion
detailed Functional Requirements Document
at our Board meeting in June 2018, with a
which is now being used for industry product
strong focus on the Membership Relationship
research and comparison and will also be
Management.
retained on record for future reference.
Questions were raised about exactly
Robert has delivered a concise and highly
The Board is placing an extremely high
how we were conducting our membership
priority on member relationship infrastructure
management functions and more significantly,
to ensure ease across all processes, but also
the cost of running and maintaining our current
notes the importance of the fiscal balance
systems.
to ensure that we are operating within our
financial means.
The Board unanimously agreed to conduct a
detailed functional requirements process to not
Work on this project is ongoing and we
only document the business operations of the
assure you that we will keep you up to date as
AIPP across all IT platforms, but also to enable
further information comes to light.
subsequent assessment of product comparison, including cost analysis.
Louise Bagger APP AAIPP
National Vice President
The Board engaged the services of ACT
member Robert Coppa APP AAIPP who has extensive experience as a high level IT consulting specialist.
DETAILED REPORT Together with admin support staff Sharifa Ghionis and Kim Valenti, and coupled with my
28
louise.bagger@aipp.com.au
•
Nicole Anderson APP AAIPP
29
PORTFOLIO
Branding & Video Production Jared Kettle and Jacob Williams, winners of the 2018 AIPP Australian Video Producer of the Year, reflect on what makes a successful video producer – and the importance of branding in a crowded marketplace.
Jared Kettle
After winning the 2018 AIPP Australian Video
Producer of the Year, Jared Kettle and Jacob
so diverse, it’s almost impossible to have an
Williams are well known for their work in the
umbrella brand that covers everything that we
wedding industry, but they have an equally
do.
important stake in producing commercial work
as well. However, the two arms of their business
business. It is an extension of who we are and
are run separately and this is a conscious
so we want our brands to reflect that.
branding decision.
In fact, when you visit their respective
departure from what everyone else was doing
websites – Humdrum Films and Cheer Squad
at the time – and that’s what we were trying to
– you can see that the two businesses are both
do, to stand out in a crowd.”
distinctive and completely independent.
Jacob Williams
30
“And because our commercial work is
“We believe branding is really important in
“When we started Humdrum, it was quite a
“And now, six years later, so much about
us and our business has changed, it was time
CREATING A BRAND
to evolve the branding, which admittedly felt
“Our wedding clients don’t really care if we
a little too weddingy. We’ve learnt a lot more
shoot commercial work and, similarly, our
about who we are and the type of work we
commercial clients aren’t interested in our
want to create, and so the exisiting Humdrum
wedding work. So it was important we had two
branding no longer reflected who we were.”
distinct brands to cater for that.
For many small businesses, brand isn’t
Jacob Williams in action mid take on NSM TVC. 31
Above: Mid-take on set for National Sports Museum TVC. Below: Jared Kettle checking focus marks with the 1st AC and production assistant.
32
PORTFOLIO
something that is thought about very deeply,
ahead of the curve.
yet it is an integral part of business success.
And a brand rarely just happens; rather it is
there seemed to be two avenues we could take.
consciously created based on an understanding
Either be a lower-cost, volume studio and pump
of what the business stands for and the
out the work; or shoot less, elevate the craft and
customers it wishes to reach.
charge accordingly.
“When it came time to rebrand, we collated
“When we looked at our business early on,
“We chose to go down the bespoke route,
a bunch of things we liked – images, motifs,
targeting the high end market. It means we can
ideas – and we took all of this to our design
shoot less and put more effort into the jobs we
team.
take on, which is perfect for us as we juggle a
full time wedding business with our commercial
“Branding for us isn’t just about creating a
neat website, it’s considering every touchpoint
work as well.
from email footers to packaging, to the colour
of the front door of the studio. It’s about
we’ve taken on too much work and it's become
creating a bespoke experience. We know we’re
a hard slog. That’s not how we want to work –
not the cheapest in the market, so we need our
we’ve always said we’ll stop shooting weddings
clients to have a brand experience that reflects
if we stop enjoying them. We’re big believers in
our premium positioning – and to feel that they
that you have to love what you do in order to
are receiving something of value.
deliver a great finished product.”
“We’ve been in the position before where
“While our brief to the designers was to
consider the bride and groom, we actively
ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS
encouraged them to throw out everything they
“The fact is, we know we lose business because
thought they knew about weddings. We don’t
we’re not the cheapest, but we feel that if
take ourselves very seriously, so we needed a
people are shopping based on price, that was
brand that reflected us – we didn’t want it to be
never a battle we could win anyway. There’s
‘weddingy’.
always going to be someone cheaper. Our
approach is to create great work and attract
“When we started, the genre wasn’t as
flooded as it is now. Today, the barrier to entry
clients who ‘get’ what we do.
has never been lower and there are a lot of very
talented creators out there. The quality of work
so gear has also become irrelevant. What you’re
is super high, so winning awards isn’t enough,
selling is your style, not what you shoot on.”
we still need to distinguish ourselves and stay
“Anyone can get their hands on good gear,
It’s taken Jared and Jacob a decade of hard
33
PORTFOLIO
work to establish themselves, a process they
confide involved making friends and contacts
in, but we’re consciously not trying to compete
within the wedding industry – such as wedding
in the middle of the market because that’s
photographers, stylists and planners.
simply too hard!”
34
“I think we charge fairly for the work we put
“It’s not just your work, it’s your personality
and your willingness to get along with other
THE CORPORATE ARM
people. Like attracts like and nowadays, we
Jared and Jacob believe that shooting
find ourselves working with really dedicated
weddings has made them much better
suppliers, whose style and approach aligns with
corporate shooters.
ours. We no longer have horror stories about
working with people who aren’t team players.
documentary approach because that’s what
This is true both in the wedding world and the
we’re used to doing – that’s what we’re
commercial space.”
dealing with at weddings and that’s where we
started working. Then, as we have gone on,
“We also think it's important that you put
“Our commercial style has an inherently
the type of work you want to do out into the
we’ve almost had to re-learn our approach to
marketplace – and not something else. Own it.
commercial work, as it so often requires creating
something out of nothing in terms of lighting
“For instance, we want to shoot destination
weddings, so that’s what we show. Today, about
states, talent and art direction.
50% of our work is outside our homebase in
Melbourne. And we feel that’s because that’s
cinematographer and a video producer. A
what we put out into the world.
cinematographer needs to be able to make
something out of nothing and that’s a needed
“We get a lot of traffic through our site and
“I guess that’s the difference between a
have a high enquiry rate, but our conversion
skill for commercial work.
rate is very low. The honest fact is most of
the time, the reason people don’t book us is
from people who had seen our wedding work –
because of price and we’re totally cool with that.
whether clients or other industry professionals
like stylists – and it's snowballed from there.
“We’re really looking for couples who get
"A lot of our commercial work has come
what we do and appreciate the investment.
“For our commercial work, we need to put
The further we go on this journey, the more
a lot more effort into lighting and art direction.
we understand what it’s truly about. For us, it’s
It’s a novelty and a curse, and makes you
about human connection – and that’s even
appreciate the many awesome things that
more important than the money.
happen at weddings naturally. In this way,
Jared Kettle: A producer's work is never done – ferrying props between takes. 35
Above: Jacob and the 1st AC check camera settings before a shot on NSM TVC. Below: Jacob offering direction to the talent on NSM TVC.
36
PORTFOLIO
weddings are much easier because good stuff
need all the pixels.
happens all the time and we just have to be flies
on the wall, capturing moments that unfold
anyway. It’s not about the gear, it’s about the
naturally.
story.”
"With commercial work, it’s less likely to work
“However, we’ve never been big pixel people
And finding a point of difference – and then
that easily, but shooting weddings has certainly
sharing that difference with the clients.
helped us produce much better commercial
work.”
some vintage lenses, saying they enjoy the
Recently, the boys have been trying out
imperfections they produce in the finished
PACKAGE DEAL
product.
When Jared and Jacob are hired to shoot a
wedding, clients get them both. They are a
can usually tell what lens a clip was shot on just
package deal.
by looking at the flares!
“The standard joke here is, that between the
“Normally I’m a bit of a lens flare nazi and I
“We don’t really own much in the way of
two of us, we make one adequate shooter!”
lights, hiring in what we need for each job.
There really isn’t a single light we use that
However, on commercial shoots, Jacob
works as director/cinematographer, while Jared
consistently to justify buying it.
is a producer.
lenses, they tend to change depending on the
Back at the studio, Jared and Jacob have
"I think lighting is a life-long craft and, like
a team of editors doing post-production. On
job. So we haven’t committed to buying our
commercial shoots, they bring in assistants,
own lights or cinema lenses, rather hiring them
sound guys and gaffers when required,
on a job by job basis.”
depending on the budget and brief. In
comparison, when they’re on a wedding, it’s
goal, even if somewhat unattainable.
more like a one-man band where they have to
do everything themselves – and quickly.
with a backpack and everything he or she
needs to do a shoot, but we’re finding that
Their standard equipment for weddings are
For destination weddings, travelling light is a “A stills photographer can get on a plane
Sony A7 Mark II cameras, while for commercial
when shooting international weddings, we’re
jobs they pull out their RED Weapon Helium
taking more and more gear. We struggle to
S35.
compromise, even when on the road”
“On the RED, we shoot it at 8k so it fills the
sensor, but we output at 4k because you don’t
“For instance, everyone loves a drone,
so that’s more gear. And this is the nature of
37
PORTFOLIO
business today – it’s all about putting in the
others follow in their footsteps.
effort.”
money we didn’t have on marketing, we spent
Asked how they manage to generate so
“When we started, instead of spending
many inquiries, the boys suggest it all revolves
time and energy creating behind-the-scenes
around those relationships and longevity.
videos for other wedding suppliers.
“Early on, we put a lot of effort into forging
"This was when Facebook was pretty
relationships with other wedding suppliers,
new, but we saw our work being shared with
photographers and stylists, so today, a lot of our
hundreds of positive comments.
work is referral based. In fact, over 50 per cent of
our inquiries come direct to us this way.
more established than us and already had a
good network of followers, we received great
“It’s pretty simple, really. We try not to be
"And because these suppliers were so much
dickheads. If you’re not a dickhead and people
coverage.
like you, they’ll refer you. It’s about being nice
people who are nice to work with – and we
intentionally thought through at the time, but
think our work is okay as well."
looking back, it was a great way to get ourselves
“I’m not sure if this approach was
out there.
38
GETTING STARTED
In many ways, this is how Jared and Jacob
do work for nothing, but it’s a great form of
became established and how they recommend
networking.”
"Sure, you don’t want to sell your soul and
Above: Jacob shooting food prep for Melbourne Jet Base. Below: Jacob Williams framing up a shot on board a private jet for Melbourne Jet Base.
39
NEWS
Reporting from the Andes in 1969! In these days of instant communication, the editor thought a story from past AIPP President and APPA Chairman might put the complexities of sending photos home into perspective. Back in the 1960s...
PHOTO: BELINDA COX
40
Many AIPP members might not know that
with Qantas in New York to forward any
Richard Bennett is a mountaineer.
packages received from me in the coming
months.
Back in 1969, he was a member of the
Australian Andean Expedition which climbed
many peaks over 18,000 feet. At the time,
(British Overseas Airways Corporation) freight
Richard was also a budding photographer
department where I arranged for them to
and here's his story about how he got
forward any parcel from me to Qantas in New
photographs from South Amercia back to the
York. I paid in advance.
Hobart Mercury newspaper for publication!
stayed for two weeks to acclimatise, I arranged
Sending a “progress report” and photographs
When I arrived in Lima, I visited the B.O.A.C.
When I later arrived in Cusco, where we
to the Hobart Mercury newspaper from a
for the local airline to forward any package from
remote mountain basecamp in the Peruvian
me to B.O.A.C. in Lima.
Andes in 1969 was not as simple as sending an
email!
from Cuzco was Santa Teresa in the Urabamba
Valley. We passed Machu Picchu on the way.
How remote? In July 1969, when the
The last village at the end of the railway line
pictures were sent, we didn’t even know that
the Americans had landed on the moon!
access to local police stations where we could
I wanted to send a progress report back
refresh and receive any help we required. I went
to my local Huon valley community who had
in to the police station and asked the policeman
supported our expedition.
whether he could forward any parcels from me
to the airline at Cuzco. He kindly agreed.
The best way to do that was to send the
The Peruvian Ministry of Sport kindly gave us
pictures and captions to the local newspaper.
also pay whoever delivered the parcel to him -
This was not a simple process without access
I gave him some money and asked him to
to any services.
but only if it were unopened. I didn’t want my
precious film fogged!
Planning ahead, I had made an arrangement
Later while in the Andes I could see the
package to the police station in Santa Teresa.
occasional muleteer making his way along the
valley floor far below. This was my connection.
would be paid again when he delivered the
package – but only if it was unopened.
The photographs on Ilford black and white
I paid him well and advised him that he
negative film were carefully captioned with
frame numbers.
Channel 9 in Melbourne who later used it in
their news bulletin.
I packaged the film and notes, and then
I also included some movie film for GTV
when down in the valley, I handed over the
The system worked! The story was published
package to a very surprised muleteer with
as a full page in the Mercury four days after the
the following instructions: Please deliver this
moon landing.
41
NEWS
Building on our Luminous Fund Ross Eason APP.L, M.Photog. I, Hon. LM Hon. FAIPP thanks the Cumming family for David Cumming's generous bequest and explains how the Luminous Fund works!
42
The March 2017 issue (#249) of the AIPP
The 2018 post-APPA Luminous auction helped
build our AIPP Luminous Fund which is aimed
Journal reflects briefly on David's career and as
at supporting the education of our rising stars
we develop the AIPP website, we will also create
and building a fighting fund for the future, but
a dedicated page to honour David and other
there are many other ways we can support the
members who in the future decide to make a
Luminous Fund.
donation or bequest.
Later in 2018, we also received our first
We would like to thank David's daughters
bequest, a generous donation of $6000
and family for their generous support in
from the estate of one of our legends, David
honouring David's career and memory this way.
Cumming Hon. L.M. David passed away in 2016.
the other funds from the Luminous Auction be
David was a former NSW state president and
So, how exactly will David’s bequest and
an avid supporter of those who were starting
used?
their careers. His open door policy and a passion
to share his knowledge with any who asked,
offset the Luminous Grant, an educational grant
set him aside from many of that time who
that students can apply for annually. However,
were reluctant to share. He gave an endless
the big picture comes in the future when the
amount of time to the Institute and had no
fund builds to a level that creates sufficient
qualms harnessing the support of the leading
investment interest that the grants are financed
photographers of the day who considered him
from the interest alone and the main pool is left
a friend.
to grow.
His Balmain Studio became a hub, a meeting
In the short term, the funds will be used to
If we had started Luminous 20 years ago and
place, for professionals at all stages of their
the auction raised $10,000 per year, then today
career, from the legendary David Moore to first
the fund would have in excess of $300,000!
years students. He treated everyone the same –
Imagine if we had started it when the AIPP print
with respect.
awards first started!
Photograph of a younger David Cumming – as you can guess by the camera he is using if not his clothing! 43
NEWS
AIPP Honours Committee Appointment Past AIPP Chair Melinda Comerford joins Bennett, van der Wolde and Hocking on the AIPP Honours Committee. By John Swainston. It gives me great pleasure to announce the
Jurors with Mark Zed on the newly-developed
appointment of Melinda Comerford to the
Awards Team in 2014, Melinda and Mark also
Honours Committee of the AIPP.
received a joint Claude McCarthy Award in 2017
for service to the industry through their work in
Melinda joins Ian van der Wolde and Greg
Hocking, as well as founding Chair, Richard
this role.
Bennett.
AIPP’s National Board.
Melinda Comerford APP M.Photog. joined
Most recently, Melinda was a member of the
the AIPP in 2006 as a photography student,
brought along to a Queensland Council
portfolios including the Luminous Committee,
meeting by teacher, Michelle Kenna.
Awards Team, Nominations Committee and
as a member of the Caretaker Board in early
She was co-opted as the Council's Secretary
With two stints as Board Chairman, and with
from the first meeting and remained there for
2018, Melinda resigned from her position in
six years.
November 2018 to focus on her photography
and photographers’ workflow businesses.
On her retirement from Queensland Council,
she had convened multiple Hair of the Dog
conferences, State Epson Print Awards and had
and active member of the AIPP.
served two years as Queensland President.
this important new role.
Melinda was a member of the committee
Melinda remains a passionate, dedicated Please join me in congratulating Melinda in
that ran the AIPP Nikon Event for several years
The AIPP Honours Committee recognises
from its inception, has been an AIPP judge
exceptional achievement in our community and
and panel chair for the past 9 years, and has
was established in 1998.
presented at numerous local and national
44
events.
John Swainston Hon. FAIPP
National President
Undertaking the joint role of Chairman of
•
Mat Beetson APP 45
NEWS
Australia Day Honours For Photographers John Swainston reports that Alexandra Cearns, Gavin Blue and David Malin were all recognised in the Australia Day Honours this year.
Alex Cearns. Photo John Swainston.
Congratulations go to two AIPP members, Alex
the gift of photographic memories to families
Cearns (WA) and Gavin Blue (Vic) for recognition
that have experienced stillbirths, premature and
in the 2019 Australia Day Honours with Medals
ill infants and children in the Neonatal Intensive
in the Order of Australia. David Malin (NSW),
Care Units of their local hospitals, as well as
Hon. FAIPP received the prestigious AM.
children with serious and terminal illnesses.
Gavin is a former president of the ACMP and
ALEXANDRA CEARNS:
recipient of the Claude McCarthy Award from
Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM),
the AIPP.
Houndstooth Studio, North Perth, WA.
Gavin Blue. Photo John Swainston.
David Malin.
For service to the community through
DAVID MALIN:
charitable organisations. Her citation recognises
Member in the General Division of the Order of
her five books and AIPP Pet/Animal Professional
Australia (AM), Ingleside, NSW.
Photographer of the Year, Western Australia,
AIPP, 2017, as well as her role as Ambassador,
an astronomer and astro-photographer.
Guide Dogs, WA, since 2015. Alex Cearns
Founder and director, David Malin Images,
epitomises the values of caring for her
since 2001. Principal research/photographic
community and for those disadvantaged and
scientist, Australian Astronomical Observatory,
at risk in the animal kingdom. The AIPP salutes
1975-2001. Adjunct Professor of Scientific
Alex for her service to the community.
Photography, RMIT University, since 2003.
For significant service to science as
Recipient of an Honorary Fellowship of the AIPP
46
GAVIN BLUE:
in 2003.
Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM), Gavin
Blue Photography, South Yarra, Victoria.
earliest moments of time through astro-
photography and developing unique methods
For Service to the Community. The citation
His work in bringing the wonders of the
references his role as President of Heartfelt, an
of illustration are renowned across the world.
international photographer collective, giving
His technique is even called Malinisation.
•
Claire Pinder AAP AAIPP 47
EDUCATION
What Makes An Award Image? Peter Hasson created an emotive black and white landscape featuring the curve of a modern road to earn a Silver Award. What makes it work? Why did the judges respond so positively? Is there a formula you can use to create award
interpretted, plus it has all the other necessary
winning prints?
ingredients.
Sometimes, the AIPP's award systems are
He starts with great light and while it is
criticised for producing work that looks 'all the
unlikely this is how his eye saw the scene
same', but this is quickly refuted when you view
through the camera lens, he would have
the enormous variety of creativity submitted
observed the breaking clouds in the distance
every year.
and the way he could frame this area inside
darker compositional elements. Note how an
However, there are 'formulae' that seem to
be universal and timeless.
overcast, gloomy day can be used to create
great light!
A beautifully lit studio portrait, for example,
can move out of professional practice and into
the awards if it is executed beautifully. Similarly,
strong framing. He uses lines to control the
a dark and moody landscape can impress the
image: the lines of the mountainsides and the
judges.
dark clouds above surround the light in the
sky, while the literal road markings lead the eye
If there is a formula, it is the combination
Peter has then used composition to create
of great light, strong composition, a suitable
into the centre of the frame. The viewer's eye
subject and some form of interpretation –
is carefully controlled – and once the viewer
something that makes the entry more than just
reaches the centre of the frame, he or she is not
a professional record shot.
disappointed in the misty clouds shrouding the
distant mountains.
Over the years, dark and moody, black
and white landscapes have been presented
countless times, but just making a photograph
but it is Peter's interpretation of the image that
dark and moody is no guarantee of success. The
takes it into the Silver range.
'interpretation' alone is not enough.
image are. Sometimes black is good. No, great!
Peter Hasson's landscape is wonderfully
So, light, composition and a suitable subject,
And note how black and dark parts of the
Peter Eastway is a past chairman of the AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards and an experienced judge. However, his views are those of a single judge and our awards system intentionally uses five judges to obtain a range of opinions. This article reflects Peter's opinion only.
48
re a s g n i k r a m d Roa g n i d a le ' y l l a r e e lit h t g n i t c e r i d , ' lines to n i e y e s ' r e w e i v e h t f o e l d d i m the . n o i t i s compo
ks c a l b h c i r p e e e D h t o t k c a b n e k har W & B l u f r f wonde o s t n i r p m o o darkr . r a e y r e yest
s e s u n o i t a t e r p r e t n i f e o n Th w o d g n i n e g n i y f a dark i l p m i s , e g a m i e n h t a c r e ew i v e d h a t o o r s e t i h t n o e t ra t n e c n co y. k s e h t and
•
P e t e r H a s s o n A P P. L M . P h o t o g . I I 49
NEWS
"Mentee as Anything” – Mentoring for 2019 The AIPP Mentoring Committee is planning for the return of the Mentoring Program. According to Board member David Simmonds APP.L M.Photog. II., discussions are still underway – so stay tuned! The November 2018 board meeting, preceding
then, but in late January 2019, a new Mentoring
an historic AGM, laid the foundations for the
Working Committee met in Canberra with a
future of the AIPP, giving the Board and state
brief to reactivate the program in mid-2019.
councils a renewed ability to support members
in the development of successful and rewarding
along with various innovations designed
careers.
to cater for both capital city and regional
members.
Accordingly, the basics for redesigning,
Much of the old framework will remain,
invigorating and updating the AIPP Mentoring
New mentor/mentee groups will be used
Program are well in hand.
to trial and assess the relevance and value of the content and format, along with the future
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
prospects of the program in general.
A crucial part of the Institute’s long-term vision
50
is professional development and at its heart
NEW MENTORING COMMITTEE
lies the Mentoring Program, the first iteration
The Mentoring Working Committee has defined
of which was created in 2009-10 by Eric Victor
mentoring as:
and the late Ian McKenzie, with the assistance of
others such as Milton Wordley, Chris Shain and
information and connections within the
Ross Eason.
industry to better facilitate the establishment of
a successful professional photographic practice.
Following Ian’s death in 2014, Eric Victor ran
‘the exchange over time of experience,
the program until the end of 2017.
(Note: “professional practice” is not defined by the
number of hours worked or the dollars earned, but
The program has been in abeyance since
•
•
L t iPs A AA P IPP A I aena nRnoel f Ce uAr P PAIPP
51
•
Murray Redpath APP AAIPP 52
NEWS
as the commitment to a high standard of craft,
email exchanges, Facebook messages and texts.
practice and ethics.)’
This relationship is very often an enduring and
individual one.
In the AIPP context, mentoring is a
commitment to assist fellow members with
the development of their business practices (as
experience, evolving over the year, fostering
opposed to the technical or creative aspects of
close relationships between mentees and
photography).
creating a support group for the rest of their
careers.
Mentee candidates may be experienced
Another great value comes from the group
photographers who wish to change direction
or, more commonly, emerging photographers
been driving the revitalisation of the program
who wish to move into full-time professional
thus far, but under the new constitution cannot
practice.
also chair the committee.
Mentee candidates will be assessed
AIPP Board member David Simmonds has
Lib Ferreira, APP AAIPP and ACT President,
individually to determine their suitability for
has accepted David’s invitation to chair the new
participation in the program.
committee, whose members include Program Coordinator, Hilary Wardhaugh, previous
BEST MENTORS
Program Coordinator, Eric Victor, Milton Wordley,
The best mentors are successful, experienced
Melissa Anderson, Selena Rollason and Polo
photographers who are not only passionate
Jimenez. Also providing support are Robyn
about photography, but are also willing to
Campbell, Robert Coppa, Lisa Saad and Bill
listen, challenge and share.
Bachman.
Mentoring can also involve a significant
As David Simmonds notes, “The new
contribution of talent, time and energy and for
motto of the AIPP is ‘Advancing Professional
that reason, only a relatively small percentage of
Photography. For Everyone.’
AIPP members qualify for the role.
The AIPP Mentoring Program will provide
to the mentoring program, which lies at the
such experienced mentors, conducting regular
heart of the many ways the Institute serves its
group meetings spread over 10 months, with
members.”
one-to-one follow-up as sought or required.
willing to mentor and members wanting to be
At the core of the program is the relationship
"This is underlined by our commitment
All we need now are members who are
formed between the mentor and mentees
mentored, so keep an eye out for calls for both
during these face-to-face meetings, along with
in the coming months.
53
NEWS
Location Storage: When Small Is Better Location photographers, from landscapes to weddings, will be interest in a new high-capacity, light-weight storage option: introducing LaCie’s Portable SSD Drives. By Peter Eastway. I’ve just returned from a three week voyage
time, I used the tiny LaCie Portable SSD unit.
to South Georgia and Antarctica. During that
time, I captured hundreds of gigabytes of raw
cautious, especially when we think back to
files and video footage, for both personal and
the days of film (and read about what Richard
professional purposes.
Bennett did with his films back in 1969 in South
America, elsewhere in this issue)!
On board ship, I had no worries about
Some people might consider me overly
security. Cabin doors couldn’t be locked, but
However, given how inexpensive storage
there was nowhere for a thief to hide anyway!
media is, why take any risks at all – even when
However, there’s always a risk of a computer
you return to civilisation?
or hard drive malfunction, so I made backup copies of my files as I went.
TRULY PORTABLE On my trip back from Antarctica, I had to
54
BACKUP WORKFLOW
overnight in Buenos Aires. After checking into
In a perfect world, I take sufficient memory
my hotel room, in what I considered a safe-
cards so I don’t have to over-write them until I
enough neighbourhood, I needed to go out for
return. This is the first copy of my files.
dinner. What do I take with me?
I then transfer all the files to my laptop, day
While cameras and computers are insured,
by day. This becomes my second copy, although
my raw and video files cannot be replaced, so
because my laptop doesn’t have unlimited
if a thief managed to break into my room and
storage, I usually find towards the end of the trip
take my camera and laptop bags, I’d be left with
I am off-loading some of the files to a separate
nothing.
back-up drive, such as my LaCie Rugged.
LaCie Portable SSD and slip it into my shirt
And then I have a third copy which I make
My new solution was to pick up the tiny
at the same time I’m ingesting the cards to my
pocket! How easy was that! I could enjoy my
computer. In Antarctica late last year, for the first
meal without worrying about what might
55
NEWS
56
NEWS
happen, even if it usually doesn’t!
LaCie suggests it will take less than a minute to
transfer one hour of video footage.
In the past, I’d take my LaCie Rugged drive
and while it’s not large, it would have to go in a trouser pocket or be held in the hand with
FULLY FEATURED
my phone. So while the Rugged drives are not
Other key features on the LaCie Portable SSD
large, the LaCie Portable SSD drives are around
drives include:
one quarter the size and one quarter the
• pre-formatted exFAT for Apple macOS and
weight!
So, given the small size, does this limit the
Microsoft Windows; • LaCie Toolkit Software Suite, which makes it
drive in any way? The short answer is no!
simple to give important files the essential added protection they need, such as backing
SUPER FAST
up on demand with one click, schedule daily,
As file sizes for both stills and video have
weekly, or monthly backups, and sync files
increased, so has the speed of computer
and projects across multiple devices;
processing and, importantly, transferring data to
• drop resistance of up to two metres;
and from hard drives.
• a three-year limited warranty;
• three-year Seagate Rescue Data Recovery
The new LaCie Portable SSD drives offer
maximum sequential read/write speeds of 540/500 MB/s.
Plan; • one complimentary month of the Adobe
What this means is that you can edit your
Creative Cloud All Apps plan; and
work (using Photoshop, Capture One or
• USB-C and USB-C to USB 3.0 cables included.
Premiere Pro, for example), straight from your
external drive with speeds of up to 540 MB/s.
in 2TB, 1TB and 500GB capacities.
This is really good news for photographers
The new LaCie Portable SSD will be available So, while LaCie’s Rugged drives are a little
and video producers using a space-limited
larger and cost less than the new Portable SSD
laptop for processing on location. No longer do
drives, there are size and speed advantages
we need to worry about filling up our built-in
that are set to make the Lacie Portable SSD
hard drives, we just dump our data onto one or
drives the new default standard for creative
two LaCie Portable SSD drives without incurring
photographers.
any noticeable drop in computing performance.
a specialist photo supplier or better computer
And transferring your files to the LaCie
Portable SSD drives will be quick. For instance,
For more information, visit www.lacie.com,
suppliers Australia-wide.
57
$50 off
Special fo r AI Coupon C PP Members ode: AIPP 2018
The Complete Photo Business Package by Peter Eastway Don’t waste your time going in the wrong direction – turn your photography into a well paying career! There are a lot of people offering great advice on how to run a professional photography business, so what makes this package different? Perhaps the main difference is that it’s written from a background of extensive practical experience. Peter Eastway is not only a highly regarded professional photographer, he has a background in business and accountancy (he is a qualified CPA), and he has years of experience working as a writer and publisher. He knows how to earn a living from photography, many of his accounting clients are successful professional photographers, and he can write and communicate business issues in an easy to understand style. So when you read the Complete Photo Business Package, you can feel assured the advice is real, qualified and practical. And it comes with a moneyback guarantee, so there is no risk. The Complete Photo Business Package comprises six publications. Have a read of the contents to understand why this is the essential information you need to break into professional photography.
What You Need To Know To Be A Successful Professional Photographer • So, Do You Really Want To Be A FullTime Professional Photographer? • Professional Photography Has Two Words • Business = Manners • What Photography Skills Do You Need? • What Photography Equipment Do You Need? • What Business Skills Do You Need? • What Type of Photography Will You Shoot? • Who Are Your Clients Going To Be? • How Will You Find Your First Clients? • How Will Your Clients Find You? • Have You Done A Practice Shoot Yet? • Why Should Someone Hire You? • What Products & Services Will You Offer?
• What End Of The Market Do You Want To Work In? • Do You Need A Flash Car And Studio? • Creating A Portfolio With A Difference • What Does Your Portfolio Look Like? • What Will Your Clients See On Your Website? • What Design Will You Use? • What Stationery Do You Need? • Some Sample USPs • Getting You First Portrait • First Wedding • First Commercial Shoot • Charging $200 An Hour Is Different From Earning It • How Much Do You Want To Earn A Year? • How Much Can You Charge? • How Many Jobs Do You Need A Year? • Does It Matter If You Don’t Charge Enough? • Who Owns The Copyright? • How Does Licensing Work? • Insurances For Photographers • Working With Children
Professional Portrait Photography In Detail • Setting Up A Portraiture Business • Portraiture: Equipment Suggestions • Portraiture: Suggested Lighting Techniques • Portraiture: Shoot List • Portraiture: Can You Just Sell Digital Files? • Portraiture: Why Selling Physical Products Is Better • Portraiture: Files For Social Media • Portraiture: Price List • Portraiture: Client Information Pack • Portraiture: Money Back Guarantee? • Portraiture: The Sales Process • Portraiture: Benchmark Prices
Professional Wedding Photography In Detail • Setting Up A Wedding Photography Business • Weddings: Equipment Needs • Weddings: Post-Production
• Weddings: The Shoot List • Weddings: What Are You Selling? • Weddings: Can You Make Money Selling Digital Files? • Weddings: Making Shoot-And-Burn Work • Weddings: Offering More Than Shoot-And-Burn • Weddings: The Price List • Weddings: Booking Your Clients • Weddings: The Paperwork
Commercial & Landscape Photography In Detail • Setting Up As A Commercial Photographer • Commercial: Equipment • Commercial: Lighting • Commercial: Quotes and Estimates • Commercial: Terms and Conditions • Commercial: Bits and Pieces • Landscapes: The Big Picture • Landscapes: Marketing Landscape Photographs • Landscapes: Equipment • Landscapes: What Will You Photograph? • Landscapes: Limited Edition Prints • Stock Photography
Business Planning For Professional Photographers This is a step-by-step guide that will take you through the process of creating a business plan. You don’t need a business plan? Well, a business plan is the difference between successful professional photographers and those who struggle to make a living. Business planning needn’t be scary and this publication is an interactive PDF, meaning you can read the instructions and then fill in the 12 worksheets on your computer. The worksheet templates will also help you calculate important figures such as how much you need to earn, how many jobs you need a week and how much you need to charge. It’s an essential part of being in business and this publication makes it really easy.
Business Planned: What A Plan Might Look Like And just in case you’re not sure, we’ve filled in a business plan to show you what it looks like. No, this isn’t a plan that you can just put into practice, but it shows you exactly how to complete the templates in your own business plan.
Is This Package For You? The Photo Business Handbook package covers all the basics for running a successful photography business. It will give you a strong foundation so when you do other courses or workshops, the photography, marketing and selling skills you learn will work properly. It doesn’t matter how good a photographer you are, being a professional photographer is all about running a business. You’d easily pay thousands of dollars at workshops or with accountants to obtain this quality of advice, so why is this package so inexpensive? “The profession of photography has changed dramatically and there are many people entering it for the first time. Unfortunately, most of these new photographers are unaware of what is required to run a successful business, or indeed of the value of the photographs they create. “With my accounting background, I know what they need to do. I have been giving the same advice to photographers for over 30 years and while the nature of photography has changed completely, the underlying basics of running a business remain the same. “The more people who understand these basic principles, the better it is for all of us.”
Full package: $99 ($149 less $50) - online/download. To purchase visit: www.betterphotographyeducation.com