NZPhotographer Issue 10, Aug 2018

ISSUE 10, August 2018

INTERVIEW

WITH KANE HARTILL

WHAT'S YOUR WINTER?

COMPETITION WINNER

ANNOUNCED

JOURNEYING

TO JAPAN

WITH EMANUEL MAISEL

HOW TO CAPTURE:

COASTAL WILDLIFE

WITH RICHARD YOUNG

5 HOUR LIGHT SHOW

BY THE CITY

BY BRENDON GILCHRIST

August 2018

WELCOME TO ISSUE 10 OF

NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE

DEAR READERS,

I hope Winter is treating you

kindly and you've still been

getting out there with your

camera. If inspiration is a

little lacking at the moment

hopefully this issue will give

you the boost you need!

Among the following pages,

you'll find a good dose of

wildlife photography plus

some travel inspiration both at

home and abroad. Brendon

shows us that we don't have

to travel far to get new shots,

whilst our returning guest

contributor Emanuel Maisel

takes us on a visual journey to

Japan.

Richard shows us how best to capture coastal wildlife in this issue

whilst Charlie Dougherty's wildlife photography is sure to inspire you,

and show that talent can come at any age. Whilst James is away,

we welcome Ray back to the pages to discuss Prime vs Zoom lenses

and we also get to know Kane Hartill in our interview.

Whilst we've been busy preparing all of that, the entries have also

been coming in for our 'What's Your Winter' photo competition. The

winner is announced on page 69 along with a selection of the best

entries – Is your photo included?

Emily Goodwin

Editor NZ Photographer

General Info:

NZPhotographer Issue 10

August 2018

Cover Photo

by Kane Hartill

www.kane9.myportfolio.com

Publisher:

Excio Group

Website:

www.excio.io/nzphotographer

Group Director:

Ana Lyubich

ana@excio.io

Editor:

Emily Goodwin

Graphic Design:

Maksim Topyrkin

Advertising Enquiries:

Phone 04 889 29 25

or Email hello@excio.io

2 NZPhotographer

CONTRIBUTORS

Ray Harness

Ray is an amateur

photographer who has

dabbled in photography for

45 years. He has a lot of

pre-digital knowledge under

his belt and enjoys capturing

landscape scenes and

animals.

Brendon Gilchrist

Brendon is the man behind

ESB Photography. He treks

from sea to mountain, and

back again, capturing the

uniqueness of New Zealand’s

unforgiving landscape.

Richard Young

Richard is an award-winning

landscape and wildlife

photographer who teaches

photography workshops and

runs photography tours. He is

the founder of New Zealand

Photography Workshops.

nzphotographer nzp_magazine nzp@excio.io

any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher.

Disclaimer:

Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the

opinion of the magazine.

August 2018

CONTENTS

INTERVIEW WITH KANE HARTILL

HOW TO CAPTURE: COASTAL WILDLIFE

by Richard Young

BEHIND THE SHOT AT MILFORD SOUND

with Kirsty Tamatea

5 HOUR LIGHT SHOW BY THE CITY

by Brendon Gilchrist

RISING TALENT - GETTING TO KNOW

CHARLIE DOUGHERTY

JOURNEYING TO JAPAN

by Emanuel Maisel

PRIME LENSES VS ZOOM LENSES

by Ray Harness

WHAT'S YOUR WINTER?

PHOTO COMPETITION

HOW TO CAPTURE:

COASTAL WILDLIFE

JOURNEYING TO

JAPAN

RISING TALENT - GETTING TO KNOW

CHARLIE DOUGHERTY

PRIME LENSES

ZOOM LENSES

August 2018

Interview with

KANE HARTILL

This month, we get to know the

winner of our Wanaka Tree photo

competition.

KANE, WHAT’S YOUR STORY? IS

PHOTOGRAPHY SOMETHING YOU’VE ALWAYS

BEEN INTERESTED IN?

Let me take you back in time to the moment when I

turned just in time to watch my pack slowly tip off the

ledge and tumble away into the darkness. Not my

best gear management performance! But it was 2am

on the descent of Mount Arrowsmith; we were just

high school kids and we were tired out. Because the

pack was open, my gear was scattered down 300m

of Cameron glacier snowy rockyness. It took a while

to locate the VHS-c video camera and Canon SLR I’d

borrowed from my dad… both just wreckage... It was

a great adventure but not an auspicious beginning to

my photography hobby!

After a year or so I bought another SLR camera and

a couple of lenses and carried those weighty items all

over the hills and crags of this fair island from the tip of

Mount Cook to the shadowy lushness of Paynes Ford.

Those years of exploration and risky adventures with

fellow geology students were amazing and after each

trip, I’d be chomping at the bit to get my boxes of

Fujifilm Velvia slides back. At over one dollar per click

and on a student budget, it definitely helped hone a

keen sense of composition!

I met my wife Steph and under subtle coercion mostly

moved away from the risky alpine to concentrate

more on rock climbing and snowboarding. We both

swapped lens duties and enjoyed seeing our images

6 NZPhotographer

and the odd ramble featured in magazines and

guidebooks. To be honest, as the years went by it was

increasingly Steph’s eye at the viewfinder with myself

and friends on the sharp end.

When the big Indian Ocean decadal switch occurred

in the late nineties we gave up on Mt Olympus

powder and started dabbling in a fringy sport I’d

been trying since 1987 through my high school years;

kiteboarding. It soon became an obsession and

Steph and I were both swept up in the new sport.

A whirlwind five years or so of mostly back-to-back

summers as sponsored athletes on the world cup

tour. Based in The Hague, between competitions and

demos, we also worked in equipment development

and did promotional video and photography.

EXCITING TIMES! WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

One day in 2007, on the monotonous commute down

gridlocked Blenheim road I realised I’d had enough

of urban-ness and decided we should go bush.

Luckily, after subtle coercion, Steph concurred so we

sold up and bought an overgrown run down 10 acre

organic farm up toward those Abel Tasman beaches

and soon had a little guy accompanying us on our

adventures.

Family life, work, and renovations kept things simple for

a long while… a phase of point and shoot cameras!

I ended up attaching a waterproof compact to the

leading edge of my kite for many missions. I would

MISTY FREQUENCIES

F2.8, 15s, ISO6400

set it on time lapse mode, one shot per 20 seconds,

and then head out for hours exploring the golden

sandy coastline by kiteboard, sometimes with my son

onboard standing between my feet!

In early 2015 I started pointing the compact camera

and a GoPro upward attempting astro time-lapse but

that didn’t last long! In 2015 I bought my first DSLR, a

lightweight little Nikon D5300 body with a Tamron

17-50mm F2.8 lens.

By the end of that year, I had night shooting and

stitching as dialed as could be with rudimentary

gear and software and was itching for full frame.

Pretty much everyone was shooting Canon 6D’s,

and stomping on Nikon in online discussions, or so it

seemed. But after seeing some noise tests and DR

scores I diverged and got the Nikon D750 along with

Samyang’s 24mm F1.4 and the Sigma art 50mm F1.4

had me ready for any composition.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR

PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?

I think I tend toward aiming for moody vignetted

scenes with a dramatic in-scene light source and

some close foreground feature of interest. At least

in my visualising and motivation that’s what I like if

not overly manifested in my gallery yet! It’s a cliché

formula yes, but likely for the reason that it optimises

all elements in the frame for maximum impact. I used

to be staunchly thirdly, framing landscape views but

now if I glance across my online gallery I notice it has

become quite centrist.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR PROUDEST MOMENTS

IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

My first trip with the new gear was a windy February

night up at the Base of Farewell Spit. An image from

that night, “Badlands” won third place on Gurushots

and they used it as their social media promo image.

Then there was a fantastic night out on the Abel

Tasman coast. Firstly I remember quite nervously

shooting a two row panoramic nightscape which

spawned “Misty Frequencies”, a composition I’m

really proud of which has been one of my most

printed images… NikonNZ took a shine to it using it as

their Facebook sponsored ad image for quite a while.

I also caught "The Navigator" (next page) just before

sunset, a tricky bracketed stitched pano which won

the D-photo landscape photographer of the year

2016.

Next, I scored an epic night at the Tekapo Church

on a full moon with a fast moving veil of stratus…

perfect for single shot super wides. A couple of my

long exposures from that night won a few Viewbug

competitions - “New take on an overshot scene”

theme etc. I was really lucky with the conditions

making it easy to get something unique, but it did help

to have a wide 14mm and a low rising point of view to

accentuate and ‘radialise’ the cloud streaks.

August 2018

THE NAVIGATOR

F8, 15s, ISO100

8 NZPhotographer

August 2018

HALIG

F5, 300s, ISO300

10 NZPhotographer

MIDNIGHT RUSH

F3.5, 60s, ISO800

August 2018

IRON BORNE

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400

12 NZPhotographer

August 2018

JOVIAN NIGHT

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400

14 NZPhotographer

August 2018

WAIRUA KI WAIKOROPUPU

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400

16 NZPhotographer

August 2018

NORTH WIND

F8, 120s, ISO100

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING

SHOOT TO DATE?

Motukeikei! Growing up I spent a lot of time playing

and climbing rocks along that coast so I’m pretty

comfortable out on the reef. But one of the days

I had out there was decently wild! Like 40+ knots

blowing masses of spray and waves across the starfish

platforms. First I ruined my 14mm and then later also

shattered my 150mm big stopper when I tripped due

to a really pushy gust. It was an expensive day!

CAN YOU CHOOSE A FAVOURITE IMAGE?

I do have a favourite but whenever anyone

enquires they’re often surprised that it is not a

nightscape. Those nights out are by far the peak

aspect of photography for me and I have seen

some phenomenal sights… those “Avatar” nights

of twinkling Milky Way, bolide explosions, beaming

aurora and seal pup acrobatics in bioluminescent

blue. But I really just like the depth, dynamism and

almost rendered in paint feel of “North Wind” with its

subtle muted tones. It is a Wharariki long exposure with

the Samyang 14mm fitted with a Lee SW150 10 stop

filter. It looks grand printed in black satin floating frame

canvas - the 16:9 or 2:1 wide-scene format pleases my

eye, and I’m reflection averse!

WHERE WERE YOU AND HOW DID YOU FEEL

WHEN YOU REALISED YOU’D WON OUR

WANAKA TREE COMPETITION?

I remember sitting at the workstation one afternoon

last month and it struck me that it was well after the

closing date of the recent NZphotograper Magazine

Wanaka Tree competition. So I did a quick search

and as I flicked through it was slightly surreal to see

my image with the first place logo! Delicious surprise

brightened up the rest of my day.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR

WINNING SHOT? WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND IT?

That image was taken on the first trip we did down

South in winter 2015 with the D5300. I arrived predawn

in total claustrophobic foggy darkness and with

first light, one other guy turned up and it was just the

two of us through a great lightshow. He left his D800e

perch on full height carbon and came down the

gravelly beach, eyeing up my $29 tripod, and said

“What’re you shooting?” I think I pointed at the little

cropper and mumbled something about “a few snaps

for my photo album”. It was a sublime morning of

total calm, and so relaxing sitting there clicking away

with the changes of light and arrival of ducks and

eventually more people.

I sometimes look at an image like my “Lake

Mysterious” Wanaka tree and think about how I would

shoot that same scene now with my trusty D750. I think

about end use more now… for large print, I’d shoot

a one or two row pano with the Sigma art 50mm,

possibly with an extra foreground row or two at more

appropriate focus and exposure. Then I’d quickly

change to the super wide (which is currently an Irix

11mm just to be well off the bell curve) and shoot

some longer exposures, making sure to get some vertstitch

or portrait shots for device viewing. I’d be sure

18 NZPhotographer

to ferret around for some nice white schisty-quartzpebble

foreground interest. I remember thinking back

then that a broom would be handy to gently brush

the brown algae off the pebbles!

YOU’VE RECENTLY JOINED OUR APP, EXCIO,

WHAT’S YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE SO FAR?

After noticing NZPhotographer magazine popping

up here and there (virtually) I had a look at Excio

and saw a few familiar photos from Mr. Gilchrist

and decided to take part. What I like about the

random feed of imagery on the mobile is that it keeps

me thinking of places, scenes, experiences, and

possibilities. I became a member so I could display

my work, mainly so that they’d be looking nice on my

wife’s 6” C9 pro (I downloaded the app for her). She’s

my harshest critic and I love the fact Excio starts up

discussions at her workplace!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

As I write this I’m readying for a family adventure/

photography trip down to Mount Cook. It’s been a

while since I’ve had exciting views in front of the lens

so I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve just finished

a time pressured international student marketing

shoot for a high school which went well in spite of

winter light. Next up is a non-time pressured project to

provide two big canvases for each motel room… but

the accommodation owners are quite particular and

seem to want a few views/styles which haven’t really

been on my radar so it’s not so easy.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?

My life might sound like 1 big adventure but there

have been some very tough times too. I’ve done

my best despite having a decidedly traitorous

immune system with ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s

and vasculitis delivering extensive dollops of pain

since 2001. Recent years have been better, but this

year I’ve had another two of many episodes of iritis

trying to rob me of sight. I find that the creativity

of photography and ecstatic glee of getting out

amongst it really helps keep my chin up.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.kane9.myportfolio.com

www.instagram.com/kanehartill.photography

www.facebook.com/Kanehartillphotography

LAKE MYSTERIOUS

F14, 1/25s, ISO100

August 2018

HOW TO CAPTURE: COASTAL WILDLIFE

Wildlife photography tips with Richard Young

Yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho, Otago Coastline

KNOW YOUR SUBJECT:

The key to great wildlife photography is capturing

fleeting moments of natural behaviour. It pays

to observe your subject, getting to know their

behavioural patterns so you can predict what they

will do next. Most importantly stay at a distance so

that you are not changing their behaviour - Getting

too close will only result in stressing out the animal and

them running away.

GET YOUR SETTINGS RIGHT:

Make sure that you are using a fast shutter speed to

capture any movement, this is also important when

using long lenses as any vibration in the camera will

be magnified. The most import part of any wildlife

photograph is the eyes of your subject, they need

to be sharp and in focus; set your camera on single

point focus (not auto point focus) and then make sure

the focus point is on the eyes.

CAPTURE THE ENVIRONMENT:

Don't just zoom right in on your subject and

completely fill the frame with it. Try to show your

subject within its natural environment and the

landscape where it lives, a close-up shot could just as

well be taken at a zoo! Make sure you take the time

to just sit there and enjoy the privilege of spending

time with an animal in its natural environment.

FIND SOME WILDLIFE:

F6.3, 1/250s, ISO 800, 280mm

In NZ we are lucky to have the chance to encounter

some amazing wildlife while walking along our

coastline. Time of day and year plus knowing where

to find your subject always helps; whether it's seals

on a rocky shoreline, penguins walking up a sandy

beach to their nest in the forest or some of the many

bird species that migrate along our coastline.

IMPROVE YOUR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY ON A 4-DAY WILDLIFE MASTERCLASS WORKSHOP ON THE OTAGO

PENINSULA: 3RD - 6TH NOVEMBER WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

THE DIFFERENCE MAKER

MARK

100 SENSOR

The search for uncompromising photography and videography performance is over. The

Nikon D850 sets remarkable standards of quality with an impressive 45.7 effective megapixels.

Capture the most awe-inspiring images and produce phenomenal 8K UHD time-lapse movies.

Create epic film masterpieces in full-frame 4K UHD with NIKKOR wide-angle lenses, or prolong

exquisite moments with its 120p/100p Full HD slow-motion recording.

Purchase from an Authorised Nikon New Zealand Retailer to receive an Extended Two Year Local Warranty.

www.Nikon.co.nz

August 2018

22 NZPhotographer

MILFORD SOUND

F4.5, 1/500s, ISO400

August 2018

BEHIND THE SHOT AT MILFORD SOUND

with Kirsty Tamatea

KIRSTY, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

AND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY…

Growing up near Muriwai in West

Auckland, Dad was forever snapping

photographs when I was a kid. As much

as I would like to say his passion for

photos sparked my interest… I think his

camera was more fascinating because

I’d been told not to touch it!

I made the move South to Queenstown

4 years ago and was roaming the

mountains year round either on foot or a

snowboard. I always had my cellphone

with me to snap shots and decided to

get a DSLR so I could take better quality

photos of my favourite places. This

snowballed into night photography -

astro and aurora hunting.

TELL US ABOUT THIS PHOTO…

Last Spring I drove to Milford Sound after

work to meet up with Mitch Perfect, Brent

Purcell, and Deb Clark; arriving so late

that evening I completely missed them! I

knew where they would head for sunrise

so the following morning I caught them

up at the beachfront.

Unfortunately sunrise was a non-event

with bad weather setting in but we were

treated to some beautiful reflections and

decided to hang around. Brent took one

for the team and modelled for us; within

minutes dorsal fins broke the surface

and a pod of dolphins could be seen

leaving Deepwater Basin. Besides Kea, I

have never had a wild animal show up

while shooting so it felt quite special -

particularly because we were the only

people on the beach that morning!

WHAT WERE YOU SHOOTING WITH?

My Canon EOS 6D Mki with Canon EF

24-70 f/4L IS USM lens; mounted on the

Manfrotto Compact Action tripod.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE

CAMERA THAT WE CAN’T SEE?

Our four cameras were stacked next

to each other on tripods - there were

excited squeals, panicked shutter clicks

as we held umbrellas above our gear to

protect it from the rain… and the three

of us yelling out to Brent to stay still when

he reached for his cellphone to try to

snap a quick picture!

HOW MUCH POST-PROCESSING DID YOU

DO ON THIS SHOT?

Shooting RAW I tend to favour Photoshop

for editing. I’m still learning through trial

and error but for this image, I tried to

keep it more natural starting with lens

correction and slight tweaks to the

exposure, contrast, vibrancy, and clarity.

I pulled back some of the blue and

purple tones from the mountains and

added a light dodge and burn where I

felt the image needed a boost.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW?

Milford Sound is absolutely stunning on

a beautiful clear day, but never let rain

deter you from visiting. The moody,

waterfall filled landscapes are my

absolute favourite and have an intense

Jurassic Park vibe!

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.instagram.com/kirsty.tamatea

24 NZPhotographer

Wouldn't it be wonderful

if people started their day with your photos?

Don't wait for people to come to you,

become an integral part of their life.

BECOME A MEMBER

www.excio.io/membership

People all around the world will see your images

every time they look at their phones.

Tell your story the way you want it,

take viewers on a journey.

Get hours of exposure.

Increase traffic to your website or

Social Media page.

Manage all your collections from

your browser.

Enjoy real-time in-depth analytics

on how your images are performing.

As a member, get access to special offers,

events and competitions.

August 2018

26 NZPhotographer

5 HOUR LIGHT SH

OW BY THE CITY

by Brendon Gilchrist

August 2018

F3.5, 5s, ISO2000

Have you ever thought about how much you

can do or how far you can go in 5 hours? Have

you ever thought how far you don’t have to

go to capture fresh & exciting images?

Because I love mountains, streams and green

forests, I struggled to get too excited about

capturing images from around Christchurch City,

where I live.

However, I heard about a cute heritage hut high up

on Godley Head, Lyttelton, known as ‘The Cabin’

with great historic significance.

The Cabin was one of four huts built for the British

Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913, which was led

by famous explorer Robert Falcon Scott. The Cabin

was also known as ‘Uncle Bill’s Cabin’ after Edward

Wilson, Scott’s right hand man.

The Cabin sailed on the Terra Nova to the

Antarctic where it was intended to be used as a

meteorological and research hut, but it actually

returned to Lyttelton unused. It became a refuge for

Antarctic adventurers and their families for the next

century.

I’ve always been fascinated by the Antarctic and

places of historic relevance and it’s a place I dream

of going one day.

CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKES

David and Valerie Crichton lived in a house that

surrounded The Cabin, which at that time was on

Clifton Hill, above Sumner. In February 2011, the

Canterbury earthquakes violently shook The Cabin,

and sadly the Crichton‘s home was destroyed. Soon

after, The Cabin was stranded in a no-go zone after

part of the cliff face collapsed in a subsequent

quake that June.

The Crichton’s worked in partnership with the

Department of Conservation to move The Cabin

to the site where it stands now and had it restored

which included putting a stairway over the roof.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how

I wanted to photograph it. I took a friend with me

and we headed off for a night shoot of The Cabin,

the stars and the city lights.

We didn’t know how hard it would be to find The

Cabin in the dark because there was no formed

track leading to it. I’d been there before in the day,

but never in the dark. It always amazes me how

different everything is from day to night.

We parked up at the car park; got the photography

gear ready, and headed off over the fence. We

headed straight down the hill over the golden

grasses to where I remember it standing. It took

awhile!

We could hardly see where we were going, but

after about 10 minutes I started to see a shadow of

what resembled a building. Was that The Cabin?

The closer we got the clearer it became until, after

further walking and talking, we were welcomed by

this incredible sight.

There was The Cabin, illuminated by the Milky Way

shining high in the sky behind it. Wow! What a

beautiful sight.

This is a special location for photography. On a

clear night it’s the perfect distance from the city to

see the Milky Way shining and to also get a great

view of the city lights. This combination of lights

makes the surrounding hillside look like a painting.

We were ready start shooting. There’s a ladder

leading to the top of the roof of The Cabin so the

plan was to take a selfie looking out towards the

Milky Way. My photos came out perfect, exactly as

I’d imagined them in my mind when I first saw The

Cabin in the local paper.

My next vision for this location is a time lapse of

the Milky Way, rising behind The Cabin but I’ll have

to wait until this ‘River of Heaven’, as it’s known in

Japan, to be lower in the night sky for what I am

planning.

SHOOTING THE CITY LIGHTS

On our way back to the car we decided we’d

check out a couple of other sites, including Mount

Pleasant and take some city lights shots. From there

you look out across Lyttelton Harbour providing a

beautiful view.

The trouble with shooting these types of photos is

that the lights of the Harbour are so bright and the

sky so dark. How you get a good picture showing

both city lights and stars is a challenge.

I decided to experiment with my graduated neutraldensity

filter. I took a few shots before reversing

the filter to have the darkest side against the

harbour lights, which really worked well. Why hadn’t

I tried this before! The difference was more stars

in the image, the harbour lights were not so bright

allowing me to have a longer exposure to capture

more light, but also reducing light at the same time.

It’s an odd concept when you think about it.

We then headed to a part of Summit Road near

Sumner, overlooking Ferrymead and out to all

the city lights. It has been on my list to shoot for

sometime but I’ve never had the motivation to

shoot it. The urge was there this night & I captured

this amazing scene; a vast landscape covered in

city lights.

The one disappointing part of this is seeing the new

white LED lights, which can cause over exposure

due to the brightness the LED lights emit in such

28 NZPhotographer

a small space… This is all part of the changing

landscapes and future of Christchurch.

On this night I didn’t take many photos; 64 in total.

I love to watch more then take photos, which is

one reason I love time lapse photography. Also,

planning what I want to shoot before I get there

helps so much. I can take fewer photos and have

more time to enjoy the setting I’m in.

I look forward to more 5 hour trips, random short

drives with the camera to capture something new,

or something that I don’t usually shoot to inspire me

to try this type of photography more. What will your

next 5 hour trip be?

3 TIPS FOR A NIGHT SHOOT

• Find an old building that’s in the east of the

city (out of the city is best). I use an app called

Photopills to plan what time the Milky Way will be

present at that particular location.

• For city lights, depending on how bright it is,

if you have a Graduated Neutral-Density (GND)

filter take some shots with it upside down.

• When taking long exposures, always use a

remote trigger, even in daylight, as it will remove

any possible camera shake to make your images

sharper.

August 2018

F7.1, 20s, ISO1600

30 NZPhotographer

August 2018

F4, 20s, ISO10000

Rising Talent - Getting to

Here’s someone to watch over the next few years… Charlie is a talented young wildlife photographer

Charlie is 17 and lives in the heart of

Otago in a place called Maniototo

where he works on the 150 year old

family sheep and beef farm. Photography is

his passion, he’s a self-taught photographer

with an affinity for capturing wildlife in their

natural surroundings.

Starting off with a Nikon D3300 Charlie

currently has a D7500 and uses a Tamron

150-600mm lens with tripod (which he says is

a must!) for his wildlife photography.

His biggest achievement so far is getting

one of his WaxEye photos displayed at the

Otago Museum through their photography

competition.

Charlie grew up hunting so has been able

to transfer his skills of spotting animals and

stalking them to his photography - Tongue in

cheek crudeness, he’s gone from one type

of shooting to another! He says that wearing

the right gear is crucial to getting close to

the animal - the more camo the better whilst

also being careful to remain as hidden as

possible. For big game animals, he says it’s

also vital to make sure the wind isn’t blowing

towards the animal as they’ll smell you and

run.

With plans to build a website so that he

can start selling his work, Charlie would also

love to travel to Africa one day in order to

photograph Cheetah’s in the wild, his all

time favourite animals. His dream is to make

photography his career and full time job.

www.instagram.com/charliedougherty_photo

www.facebook.com/Charlie-Dougherty-Photography-1579344348821250

32 NZPhotographer

Know Charlie Dougherty

with dreams of turning his passion into his career.

August 2018

34 NZPhotographer

August 2018

36 NZPhotographer

August 2018

38 NZPhotographer

August 2018

40 NZPhotographer

August 2018

42 NZPhotographer

August 2018

JOURNEYING TO JAPAN

by Emanuel Maisel

You might visit Japan expecting to find a Samurai, a Geisha, and a Ninja all in one

place but that Japan does not exist anymore. Now, in a country where old meets

new, it’s a place where Taiko drums fill your spirit and ladies still walk around in

their colourful and stylish Kimonos.

Japan for me, is an extraordinary

experience that I will surely never tire of.

I hope my words and my photography

will transport you to this wonderland for a few

moments as you click through the following

pages.

My own fascination with Japan started when

I was about 11 years old after having seen

You Only Live Twice, a James Bond movie

which was shot in Japan and featured Ninja,

craters, and beautiful landscapes. Now, I’m

able to visit regularly as a tourist thanks to my

son living in Yokohama – He is married to a

Japanese girl and they live in Shin-Kawasaki.

He is an English teacher at a Japanese

school and she is a Theatre Sister/Nurse at a

hospital in Tokyo.

I find the Japanese culture and its people

absolutely fascinating; the extremely

reserved and almost over-polite people and

the calm, almost serene way of going about

daily life. Their respectful interactions and

aim-to-please mentality are quite refreshing

although no doubt, behind the closed doors

of their homes, people are dealing with the

same life challenges as you and I. Some

might see it as a weakness but underneath

there is a precise and very structured way

of managing everyday life and surely the

country would be less successful if it was

anything less. How else do you maintain

order in a country with a population of over

126 million where everything works and

there’s basically no crime whatsoever.

A country where beauty is found almost

everywhere can be overwhelming to

explore, especially for a photographer who

doesn’t want to miss anything! In an ultramodern

city such as Tokyo, the old and the

new blend together - temples, shrines and

magnificent gardens are hidden behind

modern buildings and if you do not have a

keen eye, you might just miss it. You might

think the thousands of people walking on the

streets and the helter-skelter of telephone

poles, electric wires and bicycles are

elements of disorder and confusion, but it

is very much a part of modern Japan and

everyday life. I greatly enjoy capturing the

hustle and bustle of the city in my street

scenes but if you take note of the small

things in life you will easily see a small flower

growing somewhere outside the barriers

around a construction site or a bonsai tree in

a garden.

We try and visit different cities and places

every year we visit Japan. We love visiting

in winter as it is easier to dress warmly than

face the humidity of Japan in summer where

you’re wet the whole time with perspiration!

I think if I had to choose a favourite city, it

would be between Tokyo, Yokohama, and

Kyoto but Japan is Japan and for me, the

country as a whole is the most beautiful

place I have ever been to.

44 NZPhotographer

HIROSHIMA CASTLE

F4, 1/160s, ISO80

There are a few castles in Hiroshima and this one is,

for me, the most impressive. You are allowed to take

photographs of some of the displays inside the castle

but not the swords etc.

August 2018

46 NZPhotographer

SHIBUYA CROSSING

F13, 1.6s, ISO100

It is every photographer’s dream to take night shots

at Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. Every angle becomes

a challenge and an enjoyable indulgence of shutter

speed and composition.

August 2018

TOKYO AT NIGHT

F13, 1.6s, ISO100

Your senses are overloaded almost every moment in the city with

sounds, colours, advertising, and music. Tourists, cars, crossing goahead

sounds, all seem to go on at the same time.

48 NZPhotographer

August 2018

TOKYO - CHINA TOWN

F8, 1/50s, ISO400

Music from small open shops and the noise of traffic and people, all

becomes a part of calming you down, forcing you to enjoy every sight

and sound.

50 NZPhotographer

August 2018

52 NZPhotographer

HIROSHIMA AT NIGHT

F8, 10s, ISO200

There is a canal flowing through Hiroshima and this specific shot

was taken on the bank of the canal across the lake/canal towards

buildings that never seem to switch their lights off at night.

August 2018

54 NZPhotographer

NIPPON MARU

F8, 1.6s, ISO100

This sailing ship is actually a museum and serves as a training vessel.

It is permanently docked in Yokohama harbour and is every bit of a

photographer’s dream!

August 2018

OSAKA SHRINE

F3.5, 1/20s, ISO200

There is no way I can describe the flow of people in Osaka. On this

specific day, a public holiday, there were thousands out. We found

this almost hidden gem in one of the side streets.

56 NZPhotographer

August 2018

SHIN KAWASAKI SNOW

F8, 6s, ISO100

Shin Kawasaki is where we stay when we go to Japan every year, it's

about 2 hours from Toyko. We usually miss out on seeing the snow but

this specific evening… the reward was given!

58 NZPhotographer

August 2018

60 NZPhotographer

SHRINE SHIN KAWASAKI

F8, 6s, ISO100

This shrine/temple is in one of the side streets in Shin-Kawasaki, these

temples and shrines are everywhere.

August 2018

TAIL LIGHTS

F8, 4s, ISO200

Standing on a corner, waiting for the lights to change I suddenly felt

inspired for light trails and long exposure. There was a slight drizzle and

this was the result of rain, long exposure, and some really good luck.

62 NZPhotographer

August 2018

TEMPLE KYOTO

F8, 10s, ISO100

The Kiyomizu–dera is a temple that has to be seen at night. It is

situated on a hill in Kyoto. It is just unfortunate that the camera does

not see what the eye picks up. The colors were spectacular.

64 NZPhotographer

August 2018

Prime Lenses

Zoom Lenses

by Ray Harness

Much is spoken about the virtues of prime lenses

as opposed to zoom lenses, in this article

we will try and discern the advantages and

disadvantages of both.

SO WHAT IS A PRIME LENS?

A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens, it cannot

zoom, be it ultra wide angle, wide angle, standard

(50mm) or a short or long telephoto lens. In the days

before DSLR’s, prime lenses were the norm on SLR

camera’s, the standard lens in everyone’s kit being a

50mm due to it being the closest field of view to the

human eye.

Prime lenses have fewer moving parts than zoom

lenses, thus giving more accurate critical focus,

sharper focus across the whole picture area, and

better colour saturation. This holds true for all prime

lenses, as they only have a focusing ring and an

aperture ring. On the aperture side, a wider stop is

available on these lenses, sometimes as wide as f1.2

or f1.4 which means a narrower depth of field and a

much faster overall shot.

Prime lenses still cost the mortgage on a small house

but they will generally outperform a zoom of the

corresponding size.

ADVANTAGES OF PRIME LENSES:

• Sharper pictures.

• Better colour rendition.

• Wider apertures allowing faster speed in low light

situations.

• Best choice for specialised photography such as

bokeh.

DISADVANTAGES OF PRIME LENSES:

• Need for constant lens changes (time consuming

with a strong possibility of you missing the shot).

• More chance of dust getting into the sensor due to

frequent lens changes.

• Your only zoom function is to walk in closer or crop in

closer.

ZOOM LENSES

Zoom lenses were designed to negate the need to

carry many different prime lenses around, making

them much more versatile, the photographer being

able to quickly take advantage of changing photo

opportunities when needing to go from wide angle to

short telephoto pretty much instantly.

Zoom lenses have an extending barrel to give

different focal lengths in one lens. The larger telephoto

zooms suffer from less than perfect critical focus and

softening of the edges of a picture due to what is

called “pin cushioning” meaning the outer edges

show increased grain and detrimentally affecting the

picture.

Although modern day zooms have the clarity of

prime lenses for the most part, prime lenses still hold

sway when we are talking about ultra wide or macro

photography or ultra long telephoto requirements.

66 NZPhotographer

ADVANTAGES OF ZOOM LENSES:

• Versatile, 1 zoom lens takes the place of 2 or 3 prime

lenses.

• Allows instant re-framing of a subject for a different

perspective.

• Less equipment to carry and change.

DISADVANTAGES OF ZOOM LENSES:

• Heavier than single prime lenses but not as heavy as

2 or 3 different prime lenses!

• Smaller maximum apertures mean restricted low

light creativity (i.e a slower lens).

• More moving parts and glass inside result in less

accurate focus and colour rendition, detrimentally

affecting the result when compared to prime.

SO WHICH IS BEST, ZOOM OR PRIME?

There’s no right or wrong answer for this, it’s really a

question of what you are trying to achieve. You must

weigh up the different aspects of both types of lenses

against cost and the type of photography you are

pursuing.

For example, wedding photography, with the need to

include closeup details as well as group shots, benefit

from the zoom’s versatile focal lengths, unless you

have two camera bodies like the pros.

Prime lenses, will give you an extra sharpness when

you have the time to plan and setup the shot,

whether for product and still life work, or portraiture

when obviously your subject is not about to run away.

In all cases, reading the reviews of different

manufacturers lenses, preferably from an objective

source, will give a broad view of the type of lens best

suited to your photography. It is said that in some

cases, zoom lenses are actually sharper than prime’s,

but if you view the manufacturers spec and cost of

the zoom versus prime, usually (and I stress USUALLY)

the prime lens wins out for quality.

If you are using zoom lenses for what I would call general

photography, then they give much greater flexibility

over primes. If on the other hand, you want to do

specialised photography, macro for example, or bokeh,

then in my view, prime lenses win out in terms of quality.

August 2018

WHAT'S YOUR WINTER?

Photo Competition

A big 'thank you' to everyone who took the time to submit an image, we

had a great time looking through all the shots and seeing what Winter

looks like to you. On the following pages you'll see the best entries that

we received - A huge congratulations if your photo has been included.

WINNER:

Linda Cutche

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

William Robertson

Jacqui Scott

Dominic Stove

Chris Watson

August 2018

70 NZPhotographer

WINNER

MIST OVER THE MOUNTAINS

F10, 1/160s, ISO100

National Park, Ohakune, Mt Ngauruhoe had received a soft cover of snow

during the night.

Linda Cutche

August 2018

CHILLING

F16, 152s, ISO100

Taking the time to isolate a detail in an epic location like Hooker Lake in

Mt Cook National Park can be one of the most rewarding feelings.

William Robertson

72 NZPhotographer

HIGHLY

COMMENDED

August 2018

BUTCHERS DAM

F8, 8s, ISO100

A trip out to Alexandra to Butchers Dam, I had seen a hoar frost out there

years ago, and was keen to go out again, now that my camera skills have

improved. Hoar frosts are very beautiful but disappear quickly once the sun

comes out.

Jacqui Scott

74 NZPhotographer

HIGHLY

COMMENDED

August 2018

CLAY CLIFFS, OMARAMA

F2.8, 1/1250s, ISO100

I stopped to catch the light filtering through the clouds at Omarama.

Dominic Stove

76 NZPhotographer

HIGHLY

COMMENDED

August 2018

NEW ZEALAND KEA

F7.1, 1/250s

One of the famous Fiordland and Southern Alps locals sitting high in

Fiordland near the Milford Road. The kea sat there for quite a while enabling

me to get quite close and arrange the composition nicely with the valley

behind.

Chris Watson

78 NZPhotographer

HIGHLY

COMMENDED

August 2018

80 NZPhotographer

WINTER IN THE WINTERLESS NORTH

F7.1, 1/1250s, ISO200

I have recently moved to the North of New Zealand and along with my AA

(able assistant aka husband) I took my crystal ball down onto the beach.

After burning my hand, I decided to let him hold it and I just pressed the

shutter button!

Ali PIke

August 2018

FROST AND MIST

F8, 1/10s, ISO100

Taken at 6.30am from my deck in Te Kauwhata, Waikato on the 4th of July

with the sun just starting to rise over the frost and mist.

Carole Garside

82 NZPhotographer

August 2018

84 NZPhotographer

TEKAPO

The mountain range beyond Lake Tekapo.

David Oakley

August 2018

A WINTER OASIS

F4, 1/10s, ISO100

The appearance of an isolated land protruding from the mist. Taken in the

hills in proximity of Cambridge, NZ.

Derek Teague

86 NZPhotographer

August 2018

WINTER IN OTAGO

Living here in Middlemarch, we get a lot of snow

and frost on the hills - The sheep get used to it.

Georgia Hendrie

88 NZPhotographer

August 2018

DIAMOND LAKE REFLECTION

F36, 13s, ISO200

Dawn reflection of Diamond Lake.

Hender Park

90 NZPhotographer

August 2018

WINTER SUNRISE

F8, 8s, ISO100

When everyone is shooting across Tasman Lake towards Mt Cook, you

should never forget to look behind you. I was graced with this stunning view

looking down Tasman Valley. The contrast between the mountains and the

beautiful colour in the clouds is absolutely breathtaking. This is a stunner

of a winter sunrise. Winter is a beautiful time here in New Zealand and I

sometimes forget that. But looking at this image helps me remember that I

truly am lucky to call NZ my home.

Hunter Smith

92 NZPhotographer

August 2018

FULL MOON OVER WAIRAKA

F11, 1/50s, ISO100

The first full moon of Matariki (Maori new year), sets beyond Wairaka (lady

on the rock) on a crisp winter sunrise in Whakatane, the morning of Friday,

June 29th, 2018. I planned this shot for a little while and was lucky enough to

get perfect conditions for it! There was not a spot of cloud and the beautiful

pre-dawn hues, were colouring the sky just right to be able to get this shot

with a single exposure.

Joe Brownless

94 NZPhotographer

RAINBOW FOG

F2.8, 1/1600s, ISO64

I wanted to get some foggy shots and what better place to do that than

at Reperoa. I was driving around looking for compositions when I noticed

Rainbow Mountain peeping through the mist. it looked cool but was missing

some foreground interest. I continued to drive then noticed this line of trees

with a gap in them.

David Gallacher

August 2018

CHANDELIER

F11, 30s, ISO200

"Wow come get a shot of this Dad"... "Nah come on, we've gotta keep

moving to get to the top in time for sunset"... But then I had a microsecond

ponder over the fact that he's usually right and so peered down the creek.

With fumbly cold fingers I quickly ditched a hefty pack and whipped out the

D750 to catch this icy masterpiece.

Kane Hartill

96 NZPhotographer

August 2018

BRIDGE BEAUTY

F13, ISO200

The Vector Harbour Bridge lights are in full force on

a very cold July night in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour.

Kelly Vivian

98 NZPhotographer

August 2018

100 NZPhotographer

SNOW VISTA

F5.6, 1/640s, ISO160

Climbing up towards "two peaks".

Milan Maric

August 2018

101

COLOURS OF A RAINBOW

F8, ISO100

A friend was driving us to Muriwai to take photos of the gannets when this

really vibrant rainbow appeared. We had stopped to take some photos of

it but this one was actually a "drive-by" out of the passenger window that I

took once we'd started on our travels again.

Nichola Smith

102 NZPhotographer

August 2018

103

EARLY MORNING STEAM

F1.7, 1/1144S, ISO40

This photo was taken in late June 2018 in Otorohanga as I was

going for a walk through a little park in the freezing early morning.

Niska Steele

104 NZPhotographer

August 2018

105

106 NZPhotographer

TASMAN LAKE

F10, 1/2000S, ISO100

Tasman Lake on a chilly winter's day.

Paul Stewart

August 2018

107

A TENDER RESTLESS SOUL WITHIN

A WINTER MYSTERY

F11, 1/100S, ISO110

Mackenzie Country, Canterbury

Peter Kurdulija

108 NZPhotographer

August 2018

109

WINDMILL SKY

F1.8, 30S, ISO3200

The winter sky across Wellington with Saturn and

Mars visible around the Brooklyn windmill.

Philip Banks

110 NZPhotographer

August 2018

111

LAKE POAKA

F16, 1/3s

Lake Poaka Twizel region before the sun came up.

It was -6 degrees but worth the effort.

Sandra McCoy

112 NZPhotographer

August 2018

113

"THERE ARE ALWAYS

TWO PEOPLE IN

EVERY PICTURE: THE

PHOTOGRAPHER

AND THE VIEWER."

ANSEL ADAMS

114 NZPhotographer

NZPhotographer Issue 10, Aug 2018

products

Features

Resources

Developer

Company

Pro Features

Help & Support

Integrations

Plans & Pricing

Company

NZPhotographer Issue 10, Aug 2018

Delete template?

Save as template?

products

Features

Resources

Developer

Company

Pro Features

Help & Support

Integrations

Plans & Pricing

Company