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 

1

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 


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 

© 2018 NZPhotographer Magazine 

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in 

any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher. 

Disclaimer: 

Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the 

opinion of the magazine. 


3

CONTENTS 

6 

20 

6 

20 

24 

26 

32 

44 

66 

69 

INTERVIEW WITH KANE HARTILL 

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 


PHOTO COMPETITION 

44 

66 

HOW TO CAPTURE: 

COASTAL WILDLIFE 

JOURNEYING TO 

JAPAN 

32 

RISING TALENT - GETTING TO KNOW 

CHARLIE DOUGHERTY 

PRIME LENSES 

VS 

ZOOM LENSES


5

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. 


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THE NAVIGATOR 

F8, 15s, ISO100 



9

HALIG 

F5, 300s, ISO300 

10 NZPhotographer

MIDNIGHT RUSH 

F3.5, 60s, ISO800 


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IRON BORNE 

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400 



13

JOVIAN NIGHT 

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400 



15

WAIRUA KI WAIKOROPUPU 

F2.8, 20s, ISO6400 



17

NORTH WIND 


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 


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 


19

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 

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21


MILFORD SOUND 

F4.5, 1/500s, ISO400 


23

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 


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25

26 NZPhotographer 

5 HOUR LIGHT SH

OW BY THE CITY 

by Brendon Gilchrist 


F3.5, 5s, ISO2000 

27

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 


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. 


F7.1, 20s, ISO1600 

29




31

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 


Know Charlie Dougherty 

with dreams of turning his passion into his career. 


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43

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. 


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. 


45


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. 


47

TOKYO AT NIGHT 


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. 



49

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. 



51


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. 


53


NIPPON MARU 


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! 


55

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. 



57

SHIN KAWASAKI SNOW 


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! 



59


SHRINE SHIN KAWASAKI 


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

temples and shrines are everywhere. 


61

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. 



63

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. 



65

Prime Lenses 

vs 

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. 


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. 


67


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 


69


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 


71

CHILLING 


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 


HIGHLY 

COMMENDED 


73

BUTCHERS DAM 


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 


HIGHLY 

COMMENDED 


75

CLAY CLIFFS, OMARAMA 

F2.8, 1/1250s, ISO100 

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

Dominic Stove 


HIGHLY 

COMMENDED 


77

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 


HIGHLY 

COMMENDED 


79


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 


81

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 



83


TEKAPO 

The mountain range beyond Lake Tekapo. 

David Oakley 


85

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 



87

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 



89

DIAMOND LAKE REFLECTION 

F36, 13s, ISO200 

Dawn reflection of Diamond Lake. 

Hender Park 



91

WINTER SUNRISE 


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 



93

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 


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 


95

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 



97

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 



99

100 NZPhotographer

SNOW VISTA 

F5.6, 1/640s, ISO160 

Climbing up towards "two peaks". 

Milan Maric 


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 




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 





TASMAN LAKE 

F10, 1/2000S, ISO100 

Tasman Lake on a chilly winter's day. 

Paul Stewart 



A TENDER RESTLESS SOUL WITHIN 

A WINTER MYSTERY 

F11, 1/100S, ISO110 

Mackenzie Country, Canterbury 

Peter Kurdulija 




WINDMILL SKY 

F1.8, 30S, ISO3200 

The winter sky across Wellington with Saturn and 

Mars visible around the Brooklyn windmill. 

Philip Banks 

110 NZPhotographer


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 



113

"THERE ARE ALWAYS 

TWO PEOPLE IN 

EVERY PICTURE: THE 

PHOTOGRAPHER 

AND THE VIEWER." 

ANSEL ADAMS

NZPhotographer Issue 10, Aug 2018

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