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Issue 45: August 2015

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This month’s competition started as a famine and ended as a feast, with quite a few photos vying for first place. It was a tough decision in the end. Some photos have

immediate impact; they grab your attention. Some photos have staying power; you can look at them for a long time without growing tired of them. The best photo for winning a competition is one that has both.

Kevin Marshall’s water splash photo (see page 19) had an immediate impact and took the lead out of the gates; however as I looked at it more, it started to wane. His red tulips photo was so very close. (See photo critique page). It just needed a little more negative space and with that would be a photo that I would happily hang on my wall.

Dianne Whitehead had two very strong contenders in the competition, but in the end, first went to Red shoes by Sue Block. Red shoes didn’t really grab my attention at first, but then the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. A bit like one of those songs that you need to hear a few times to appreciate, but then becomes a favourite.

Allan CoxResident JudgeNZ Photographer

ABOUT Whether you’re an enthusiastic weekend snapper or a

beginner who wants to learn more, NZ Photographer is the fun e-magazine for all Kiwi camera owners – and it’s free!

EDITOR Allan Cox, allan@nzphotographer.co.nz

GROUP EDITOR Richard Liew

ART DIRECTOR Jodi Olsson

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WEBSITE www.nzphotographer.co.nz

NZ Photographer is an Espire Media publication

Allan Cox

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Next Month's Competition: Abstract

GET SHOOTING AND WIN!Next months competition is ‘Black and white’. Due on 15th of August. The

following month will be ‘Movement’. Due on 15th of September. When the subject or camera is moving, the shutter speed you choose will affect the look

of the photo. Play without restraint and see what you can come up with.

• The winning image on the cover of the next issue

• A high quality print of your image and cover to immortalise your achievement for your grandchildren, courtesy of PCL Imaging

• $50 cash

• And of course, bragging rights and the envy of your fellow NZ Photographer fans!

Check out next month’s theme and enter at www.nzphotographer.co.nz! ✸WIN!

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Rachel Callander

INSPIRING ARTIST

NZP: What kind of look do you try to create?

I don’t think I have a specific look, but my favourite work has a little bit of whimsy in it. I really love photographing faces, unsmiling to capture the depth in their eyes. I have a thing for eyes. In wedding work, my main focus is to capture real emotion and connection between people.

NZP: What advice would you give to people wanting to give wedding photography a go?

Just get into it! Observing other photographers working is a good idea, then maybe work up to second shooting so you can get experience without the pressure. But if those things aren’t possible, try practicing shooting people in a range of lighting conditions, bright sun, dark buildings, snow... weddings are full on with so many different lighting scenarios in one day, so it is good to be confident in a range of them before jumping into a wedding day.

THIS MONTHS INSPIRING ARTIST IS RACHEL CALLANDER. I FIRST GOT TO KNOW RACHEL AS AN UNDERGRAD STUDENT AT ART SCHOOL ABOUT A DECADE AGO. EVEN BACK THEN I KNEW SHE WAS DESTINED FOR GREAT THINGS. OVER THE YEARS I’VE WATCHED HER GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AND WAS VERY PROUD OF HER WHEN SHE WON NZIPP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR IN 2011.

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NZP: What would your three top tips be for better people photos?My approach is to create a space where people can be themselves and relaxed. I spend time talking to them, to gauge the kind of people they are. When they are relaxed, their natural expressions come out, and that is what I like to capture.Care about the people you are photographing – treat them as you would your best friends.

Work with lots of different angles and perspectives. So it’s not so much about posing, but walking around the scene and capturing an image from angles you may not have thought about. This can often inspire other ideas and will help you see in new ways.

NZP: If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why?105mm 2.8 I love this lens. Firstly, it’s super versatile. I use it a lot for portraiture and also for details at weddings. But I feel like I can capture what I want to see with this lens. I love getting in close to things, it’s beautiful and sharp, lovely bokeh at 2.8. It’s great.

NZP: What inspired you to be a photographer?

I have always enjoyed capturing people. The eye and face thing again. I used to love photographing my sister when we were little as she has the most interesting face. She didn’t really love being my model sadly, so it was always a battle to get her to play photography with me. I loved going to the library and pouring over the photography books, all the old masters. I loved the simplicity of the moments they were capturing. I adore black and white. So raw.

NZP: What is it that you love about photography?

The process of creating an image out of reality – a still moment, and interpreting that moment through a lens, and then adding colour, texture, like painting but with reality... it’s all very cool.

NZP: Do you have a personal philosophy with regards to photography?

I like to capture people as they see themselves, and then give that back to them in a photograph.

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NZP: Who do you admire and why?I really admire Nick Brandt. He is an amazing African wildlife photographer, and I recently saw his exhibition in Stockholm, the first time all his work has been exhibited as a full collection. His work is breathtaking, but the reason I admire him is that he uses photography as a vehicle for social change. His work is helping to raise awareness and advocacy in stopping poaching of African wildlife. I love that his work is not only stunningly gorgeous, but it has a deeper purpose.

NZP: For you, what makes a good photo?A good photo is one that makes me laugh, cry, stop in my tracks; gets me thinking. A good image is one that creates a reaction in me. The ones that stay with me are ones that make me feel really good. Like watching a good movie, – you want to keep thinking about it, talking about it, because it has opened your heart or mind and has made your experience of the world bigger. My favourite wedding images are ones that give me a sense of story, hope, connection; bigger than just two people in nice clothes. It has real depth and emotion.

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NZP: What common mistakes do you see people making when shooting these days?Copying each other. The industry is changing rapidly, and I can see a lot of sameness coming through. With each new trend, there is almost a visible bandwagon people jump on. People using the same presets, or lenses, styles..... it isn’t so much a mistake as a bit of a cheat maybe.

I also agree that it is hard to be different, but as people we all come from different backgrounds and life experiences so our work SHOULD be different as the way we interpret the world and how we see is different. I am speaking mainly about wedding photography here as I see so many photographers doing work that is very similar. It is great to be inspired by other photographers, but I guess for me, I am not so much inspired by wedding photographers purely. I find inspiration in a whole range of genres, some that I don’t even shoot myself.

NZP: What is next for you?Well, I am building a studio at home which will be lovely. I will enjoy having a space to be creative all hours of the day. I am also interested in continuing the work that has been done with the Super Power Baby Project.

NZP: Any planned projects?I am looking forward to being the official photographer at the World Hardcourt Bike Polo Champs being held in Timaru next February, which is highly random but very fun indeed. Google Bike Polo. My husband is nuts about it, so I have been dragged into this cool as sport with him.

NZP: Finally, where can we see more of your amazing work?www.rachelcallander.co ■

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LESS IS MORE NEW EOS 100D

The world’s smallest and lightest APS-C DSLR*,all performance, no compromise.

*As at 1st March 2013

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Macro Number SevenBy Allan Cox

AS A MACRO PHOTOGRAPHER THERE ARE LOTS OF LITTLE BITS OF EQUIPMENT THAT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER. I DON’T CARRY ALL OF THIS STUFF WITH ME ALL OF THE TIME. I’D NORMALLY DECIDE ON A STYLE OF MACRO AND THEN ONLY TAKE WHAT IS NEEDED (AND THEN SPEND TIME KICKING MYSELF FOR LEAVING THE WRONG THING BEHIND). A LOT OF THESE CAN BE HAD FOR NOT MUCH OF AN OUTLAY. FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THEM:

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A. 5 in 1 collapsible reflector/diffuser. Either to soften the shadows from flash or to bounce or diffuse natural light.

B. Brutus the soft-mouthed cat. Trained to find and bring in alive, large insects like weta for photographing. They get returned to the wild unharmed later.

C. Squirty bottle. Used to add water drops to some subjects.

D. Flash heads. I have four, but you can do an awful lot with just one and a reflector. They don’t need to be dedicated to your camera. Any old flash will do.

E. Bracket to hold a flash, off to one side when stalking moving insects.

F. Receivers. To fire the flash heads remotely i.e. off camera, the receivers go onto the flash, and the sender goes onto the camera. You buy them together.

G. Extension tubes. If I’m not carrying a macro lens, I’ll at least always have extension tubes in my camera bag to turn one of my other lenses into a macro should I need to.

H. Sender: The other half of the flash trigger combination (see F) goes onto the cameras hot shoe.

I. 50mm lens reverse mounted onto the front of a 200mm lens for super super macro.

J. Tweezers for cleaning up a subject and the surrounds before taking a photo. Can save hours in Photoshop later by removing that twig before the photo is taken.

K. Reading glasses a.k.a. magnifying glasses to help see the detail that the camera will record, but you may not notice otherwise.

L. Cotton buds. Like the tweezers used to clean up the photo. Particularly good for pesky spider webs that seem to be on everything.

M. 24mm lens reverse mounted onto extension tubes for super macro.

N. Macro lens. A lot of people buy a macro lens thinking that once they have one, macro will be easy. It’s knowledge that makes macro easy.

O. Reflective umbrella. Increases the apparent size of the flash to soften the shadows.

P. Closed cell foam bedroll. Better to lie on this, than in the mud. Means I don’t have to change my clothing if I’m going out nightclubbing after a macro shoot.

Q. Light stands, for when I need the flash heads and umbrellas up high.

R. Mini tripods. For mounting the flash heads low to the ground.

S. Small reflectors made from old drink cartons.

T. Two-way focusing rail.

U. One-way focusing rail. Not as good as the two-way rail but takes up a lot less room in the camera bag.

V. Coloured gels used to warm up the light from a flash head when I want to mimic the light from the setting sun. They fit into the grid spots.

W. Grid spots. They go onto the front of the flash head to give the appearance of a light source with an apparent small size. This one was home made using black drinking straws. ■

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By Allan Cox

OPTION ONE. Sell it. Probably the most obvious option. The price you will get for it is mainly determined by how old the camera is. A camera loses quite a lot of its value each year. I think it’s fair to say, it’s a buyer’s market, with more people having good well looked after but now replaced cameras, than people who are prepared to buy second-hand. One question that is often

asked is: “how many photos has your old camera taken?” This number is called shutter actuations.

If you take a photo and then upload it to the following website http://www.shutercount.com, you can find out. It’s an interesting exercise even if you aren’t selling your camera. Most shutters are designed to last for at least 150 thousand photos. Most cameras are sold with less that 20% of this total reached.

After Upgrading Your CameraCAMERA TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING SO FAST THE CHANCES ARE REASONABLY HIGH THAT YOU HAVE EITHER UPGRADED YOUR CAMERA IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, OR WILL BE UPGRADING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. AFTER AN UPGRADE, YOU ARE LEFT WITH THE QUANDARY OF WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD CAMERA. FOLLOWING ARE FIVE OPTIONS.

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OPTION TWO. Give it to a partner or child in the hope, that they too will be bitten by the photography bug. Personally, I quite like the fact that my wife is also a photographer. We go off together, traipsing around the countryside, exploring and look for photos, so I think this is always a worthwhile option.

OPTION THREE. See how much dust it can gather, while stashed away in a draw. Of all the options, this one is probably the one that is the most common, as it requires the least amount of effort i.e. none.

OPTION FOUR. Convert it to infrared. The least common as it requires time and money, but wow, look at those funky results. Either pay to have it converted, or buy the filter and convert it yourself. Personally, I did the conversion myself, but then I am one of those people who likes to pull things apart, put them back together, and then count the number of screws left over.

Rock on over to www.lifepixe.com where you will find enough information to choke a horse; including tutorials on how to do the conversion yourself. One thing that I like about infrared photography, is that the best time, in my opinion, to take infrared photos, happens to be when it’s normally the worst time to take ordinary landscape photographs i.e. the middle of a bright sunny day.

OPTION FIVE. Use it for time-lapse photography. Of the options, this is my personal pick. I think we’ve all seen time-lapse videos of clouds scudding through a landscape, and thought it would be cool to give time-lapse ago. The first thing you discover when trying time-lapse is that it ties up the camera and prevents you from using it to take normal photographs, while the time-lapse sequence is being recorded. It can be an exercise in frustration; you start a time-lapse sequence, and then halfway through see an awesome photo in some other direction. Do you break the sequence to get the photo, or just miss the photo? The answer is two cameras! And since with time-lapse we use low-resolution frames, that old camera is just perfect for the job.

You will most likely need to buy a ‘timer remote control shutter release’, and you should get a second tripod. You’ll need one for the time-lapse, and you really should be taking your ordinary landscape photos from a tripod as well. The tripod you use for time-lapse doesn’t need to be particularly big, so a smaller tripod that can double as a travel or tramping tripod will kill two birds with one stone. I’ve personally attached a length of wire cable to the camera that I use for time-lapse, so I can padlock the camera to a fence post and leave it unattended. But then I live in crime riddled Otago. If you live somewhere safe like Auckland, this is probably overkill. ■

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Critiquing Your Photographs By Allan Cox www.nzphotoworkshops.com

So many photographers get hung up on the subject and end up doing photo-subjects instead of photo-graphics. It’s the graphical elements behind the

subject that make the photo. Lines in a photo, whether actual or implied, have strong graphic weight. Curves, whether S curves or C curves hold our eye longer, so are particularly strong.

In this case it’s a sweeping curve that starts with the dogs tail, runs along the dogs back, is picked up by the bride’s veil, and finishes at the green bottle. This line is the strongest graphical element in the photo. As a secondary

element there is also a diagonal line running down the steps. Diagonal lines imply action: imply something is happening. This is repeated with the groom’s foot half way between steps, so as a result, our image has a dynamic feel to it. We don’t want to see the faces, as they would draw the eye away from these graphics. Learning to leave stuff out of a photo is probably one of the quickest ways to improve your photography. And to finish it all off there are areas of dark on the edge of the frame that act to hold the eye in the photo. You can’t set up a shot like this per say, but with practice you get good at seeing it and clicking at the decisive moment.

WHILE CHOOSING PHOTOS FOR THIS MONTHS INSPIRING ARTIST ARTICLE, I CAME ACROSS THIS COOL PHOTO BY RACHEL’S SECOND SHOOTER ANNA HANSEN. (WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS OFTEN USE A SECOND SHOOTER AS YOU CAN’T BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE.) I THOUGHT AS A TEACHING PHOTO, IT WOULD BE A GOOD ONE TO LOOK AT, AND ANALYSE WHY I THINK IT WORKS SO WELL.

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KEVIN MARSHALL HAS VERY KINDLY ALLOWED US TO USE A PHOTO THAT HE ENTERED INTO THIS MONTH’S ‘RED’ COMPETITION FOR A CRITIQUING. SPRING TULIP; CANON 7D, 18-135 @ 50MM, 1/8 SEC; F4, ISO 500. ONE SMALL LED LIGHT FROM THE RIGHT WITH BLACK MOUNT CARD AS BACKDROP.

With a little more black added to the left hand side, this photo becomes exquisite. So simple, yet so effective. I think, because the tulip is

leaning left, it needs a little space to lean into. A bit like when we photograph wildlife, we often have space in front of the animal for it to move into. It just feels more balanced with extra negative space on the left (we call areas of a photo that don’t draw our attention negative space).

When it comes to composition, as well as learning compositional rules/guide lines, we also need to learn to trust our feelings. Rules and feelings are just two sides of the same thing and to rely on one, at the exclusion of the other, is a mistake. ■

Original: Red Tulip

Revised: Red Tulip with more black

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Red Shoes by Sue Block Fashion parade in Melbourne CBD

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Railway Crossing by Gail Orgias Railway Crossing, Newmarket. There was a lot going on in this shot - I wanted to simplify the background details & focus on the red light. Canon 6D, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/4000.

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Mt Albert Wall By Steve Harper A wall, Mt. Albert, just like the subtle touch of red. Lumix GM5, 1/250 sec, f8, @ 32mm.

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Red bottle by Kevin MarshallTrying motion freeze using two Speedlite 600EX-RT

flashes and a tank of water. Canon 7D; Canon EF 100, 2.8 lens; 1/160 sec; f8; ISO 100.

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Keeping dry in style by Dianne WhiteheadUmbrella on display in the Devonport shops. The bright colour of the umbrella just

caught my eye. Canon 6D. Focal length 85mm, exposure 1/25s, f/4, ISO 400.

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Sunrise in Central by Dianne Whitehead Sunrise. Central Otago. A beautiful sunrise, worth braving the winter cold to get these magnificent colours. Canon 6D. Focal length 88mm, exposure 1/10s, f/8, ISO 100

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Bethells beach by Anna Ulyanova Blood red sunset on Bethells beach. The picture reveals unbelievable colors of nature at the moment the sun is about to disappear for the night. Nikon D5300, 55 mm, f/5.6, 1/4000, ISO 100.

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Red by Ita Daniels Bamboo in our garden. I was trying to create lines through movement. ISO 200, f22 and 1/20 sec.

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A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it. - Edward Steichen

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