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ISSUE 21, July 2019
INTERVIEW WITH
CAROLE GARSIDE
WILD NEIGHBOURS
COMPETITION
WINNER AND
BEST ENTRIES
THE IMPORTANCE OF
PRINTING PHOTOS
BY RICHARD YOUNG
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
ADVICE FOR THE ASPIRING
MACRO NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER
BY SHAUN BARNETT
July 2019
1
WELCOME TO ISSUE 21 OF
NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE
HELLO EVERYONE,
We continue on the topic of
nature and wildlife photography
in this edition that's packed
full of photos, stories, tips,
and inspiration along with
the best entries from our Wild
Neighbours competition. We
hope you'll be filled with so much
inspiration you'll be throwing
off that blanket and picking
up the camera along with the
thermals to see what new photo
opportunities you can find!
Farms are a reoccurring theme
this month with both Greg Arnold
and Vicky O'Connor letting us
get a glimpse into their life that
revolves around farming and
photography whilst we head out
onto a game reserve in South
Africa for our Behind the Shot
feature with Gary Reid. We learn
about Carole Garside's journey
with photography in our interview and pick up macro nature photography
tips from Shaun Barnett.
For true inspiration, we look to Ana's article discussing the Starfish Story and
how our photos can impact people, whilst Brendon reminds us that we
don't have to travel far to find adventure and new photo opportunities.
Last but not least, and if we can't coax you away from that warm fire,
Richard's article will keep you busy indoors as he discusses why it's so
important for us to print our images in today's online world.
Emily Goodwin
Editor NZ Photographer
General Info:
NZPhotographer Issue 21
July 2019
Cover Photo
Carole Garside
Publisher:
Excio Group
Website:
www.excio.io/nzphotographer
Group Director:
Ana Lyubich
Editor:
Emily Goodwin
Graphic Design:
Maksim Topyrkin
Advertising Enquiries:
Email hello@excio.io
2 NZPhotographer
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS
Brendon Gilchrist
Brendon is the man
behind ESB Photography.
He is an avid tramper
who treks from sea to
mountain, and back
again, capturing the
uniqueness of New
Zealand’s unforgiving
landscape.
Ana Lyubich
Co-founder of Excio, Ana's
photography journey
started many years ago
with one of the first Kodak
film cameras. She loves
exploring the unseen
macro world and capturing
genuine people's emotions.
Richard Young
Richard is an awardwinning
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
© 2019 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.
July 2019
3
CONTENTS
6
8
BEHIND THE SHOT
WITH GARY REID
6
8
16
19
26
37
43
46
48
53
BEHIND THE SHOT
With Gary Reid
PHOTOGRAPHING ON THE FARM
by Greg Arnold
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRINTING
By Richard Young
INTERVIEW WITH CAROLE GARSIDE
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL ADVICE FOR THE ASPIRING
MACRO NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER BY SHAUN BARNETT
LIFE THROUGH MY LENS
by Vicky O’Connor
EXPLORING IN OUR BACKYARD
by Brendon Gilchrist
MIND GAMES: THE STARFISH STORY
by Ana Lyubich
IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO REVIEW SESSION
WILD NEIGHBOURS PHOTO COMPETITION
WINNER AND BEST ENTRIES
PHOTOGRAPHING ON THE FARM
BY GREG ARNOLD
INTERVIEW
WITH CAROLE GARSIDE
37
LIFE THROUGH MY LENS
BY VICKY O’CONNOR
19
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Behind The Shot With Gary Reid
TELL US ABOUT YOU AND YOUR JOURNEY WITH
PHOTOGRAPHY…
Born in Durban, South Africa I'm now living in Auckland
with my wife. My passion for photography first started
with an interest in wildlife way back in primary school.
Game Rangers used to visit school, showing us wildlife
movies and as I got into my teen years I wanted
to capture these wildlife moments. Saving up and
buying my first camera at age 15, I taught myself
photography by reading books and asking many
questions.
I had my first trip into the Hluhluwe game reserve
when I was a teenager and I got hooked. Once you
experience the sights, sounds and smells of the African
bush, it gets into your blood, it never leaves you…
The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking! I wanted
to capture everything through my lens, from the big
game animals to the smallest of birds and insects and
the moods of the African sky.
Aside from the spectacular visual feast, there's the
unique smell of the African bush and the cacophony
of sounds. The night noises fade when the early
morning sun starts to colour the horizon, only to be
replaced by the daytime sounds and so it goes on,
24/7.
After I got married, my wife and I started to spend
longer and longer holidays in the bush and I really
started to get into my wildlife photography. Forty years
on, and I still can’t get enough! I am very fortunate
that my wife and later on, our daughter, has the same
passion for wildlife, because we have spent many
long hours, waiting patiently in the heat of the day for
the perfect shot!
In the last 15 years I have also gone into other aspects
of photography such as portrait, weddings, fashion,
sport, and fine art.
I won Photographer Of The Year (2005) in South Africa
and have had my images published in a variety of
South African magazines after winning competitions
(Getaway, Custos, and South African Country Life) as
well as getting published in NZ Photographer issues
2,9,11,16,18 & 20.
6 NZPhotographer
WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH?
I currently have 2X Canon 30D and 1X Canon Rebel
but I plan to replace both of the 30D's as soon as
Canon release their new range. They have been
reliable but have done their time.
My lenses include the Canon 50mm, Canon 17–85mm,
Sigma 70–300mm, and a Tamron 150–600mm. I have
plans to add a Canon 70–200 to the future kit. I also
have a Manfrotto tripod and various studio equipment.
TELL US ABOUT THIS PHOTO
We stayed at Bayete lodge within the Manyoni
private game reserve in the Mkuze area of Kwa Zulu
Natal. Manyoni is not only a game reserve but also
specialises in conservation and re-introduction of
endangered species (Black Rhino, Wild Dog and
Cheetah). There are a few lodges within the reserve
focusing on giving visitors the wildlife experience.
The best time for wildlife photography at game
reserves is before sunrise or late afternoon as this is
the time that animals are either going down to rivers
for water or feeding/hunting so it was during an early
morning game drive (the sun had just come up) in the
Manyoni Game Reserve, that we came across this
Black Backed Jackal sitting in a pile of old rhino dung
on the side of the road.
Initially we stopped about 50m away and took photos
but as the jackal seemed relaxed, we decided to
slowly creep up to see how close we could get for
better shots. We were able to get alongside on the
opposite side of the road which is where this photo
was taken. This is unusual behaviour, because if you
approach jackals (or any wildlife) they will normally
run a short but safe distance away.
We were able to spend about 5 minutes taking photos
until the jackal decided that it had other things to do!
WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE CAMERA
THAT WE CAN'T SEE?
We were about 8 people in the vehicle, including the
game ranger, all of us having cameras. In order for
photos to be taken this close up, there cannot be any
noise (even talking is done in a quiet whisper) nor any
sudden movements as it will scare the jackal away. It
may looked and act relaxed but its daily life depends
on being alert – It was continually looking at us and
the surrounding area for any danger.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE JACKAL?
The jackal is a very cunning animal that is related to
wolves and dogs. They are generally found in pairs,
but can also live solitary lives. They hunt small animals
and birds, but where large predators live (lion, leopard
etc.) they will salvage from these animals.
IS THIS YOUR FAVOURITE SHOT FROM YOUR TRIP?
The simple answer is probably no. Not because I don’t
love the shot, but because it’s difficult to pick a favourite.
BEHIND THE SHOT IS PROUDLY
SUPPORTED BY
Photos reflect memories of where I was at the time the
picture was taken and what it took to capture it. For
example, the time we sat in a vehicle for four hours in
36° heat and 90% humidity, waiting for exactly the right
shot of a leopard (published in NZP issue’s 2 & 20). Or
the series of photos of an impala antelope that had
just given birth. Or waiting patiently for the bright green
chameleon to cross the road in front of our vehicle,
until it climbed safely into the trees (NZP issue 2). And
the side-striped jackal which I have only ever been
able to photograph on one occasion. Photos that may
never be repeated or seen again.
So when I look at my photos, these memories flood
back and fan my desire to create even more.
WHAT WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS CAN YOU
SHARE WITH US?
For a wildlife photographer to consistently take good
photos, I think these 3 things will help:
1. You need to know your subject or be with
someone that can help and guide you with
information.
2. Have a plan – Decide what it is you are going
to photograph and what type of photo you
are looking for. With wildlife it is so easy to get
distracted and go off on a tangent. Be prepared
to 'hunt' for your subject and once you find it,
spend as much time as possible photographing it.
This may take months or even years.
3. Have patience, lots and lots of patience, and then
you may get your shot.
I always encourage others to join groups and/or clubs,
in this way you will pick up valuable knowledge from
those who have the same interest as you never stop
learning and improving as a photographer – I myself
am always looking to improve and learn from others.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
www.gazza.photography
www.facebook.com/gary.reid.3705
albums.excio.io/profile/Gazza
PHOTOGRAPHING
ON THE FARM
Ihave been interested in photography (cameras
particularly) for the best part of 60 years. It started
with my Dad’s old bellows Ensign at age 10 and
literally 100’s of cameras later I’m now using Sony’s
a9. You can read about my camera journey over on
the Excio blog but for this wildlife edition, I want to
share my deer and other critters with you.
I bought my first deer about 35 years ago, at the
height of the speculative market. I was trying
to maximise my return on a small (otherwise
uneconomic) block of land. I never considered myself
an animal person, but that changed quickly as I soon
loved being around these beautiful creatures.
I had gone from a lawyer in Auckland, to farming in
the Wairarapa and had never felt vocationally more
content. Divorced years ago and with no children
I’m sure there is lots of room for conjecture as to why
critters became important in my life!
Around 1992 (and after a couple of farm changes)
I ended up on my current property at Kahutara, near
Featherston. I presently have about 150 deer on the
farm, a handful ostrich and access (between duck
shooting seasons) to a lagoon full of water birds.
Pets include a hind and her fawn (both hand reared),
along with an African Grey parrot “Angel” who is a
constant companion (even in the car).
My “critter photography” is motivated (essentially) by
wanting to capture moments that give me pleasure,
rather than having any specific purpose for the
images. A typical sunny day will give me access to
frogs, insects and rabbits without having to walk too
far from the front door, but (without question) my
favourite time of year is “Fawning” (early November
through to Christmas).
My deer have been selectively bred for temperament,
out of the many, many hundreds I have had on this
and other larger farms, since the early 1980’s. The net
result is deer that are exceptionally quiet, very trusting
(of me) and are wonderful to handle. The fawns, in
by Greg Arnold
turn, learn this behaviour from watching their mothers.
The oldest hind I have owned lived to about 24
which is far beyond average life expectancy which is
generally mid teens.
Even with a long line of selective breeding though, the
deer are edgy by nature and instinctively cautious of
strangers (especially) when they have fawns. In order
to get close enough to get the shots I want, I typically
spend most of an afternoon lying and sitting in the
grass, or quietly moving around amongst them to get
angles and changing light. Having a bottle-fed baby
with me in the paddock furthers my advantage as
well as the deer are very interested in this ‘strange’
parenting arrangement.
I pretty much only shoot handheld and I like my
shots to be from ‘prone’ whenever I can and ‘sitting/
crouch’ position where I can’t. It allows me better
bracing with a long telephoto lens (Image Stabilization
is great, but steady is always better!) plus an added
benefit of me being at ground level with the deer is
that the fawns are inquisitive and if one comes close,
others follow.
Wearing camouflage is of no advantage at all when
photographing my farmed deer, I need to move
around so them knowing I’m there and being OK with
that is best. But if you’re photographing feral deer the
normal hunting procedures are the only way to get
close(ish). Just remember that whilst their eyesight is
“just OK”, (it is optimised for low light and to detecting
movement), their hearing and sense of smell, is acute.
I shoot colour files and do most of my B&W converting
in “Silver Efex Pro 2”. Occasionally I will choose to keep
an image in colour, but I prefer the timeless feel of
B&W; it’s the medium I am familiar with from Darkroom
days.
I believe that perspective can lift many wildlife
shots from ‘ordinary’, to ‘more interesting’ and it’s
important, (in my opinion) if you’re trying to convey
the personality of your subject. What I mean is, the
same or similar photo of a duck on a pond will, as
a general rule, look better the closer you can get
to water level. This is true in Macro too, if I shoot, for
example, an insect directly from the side, it will look
better than had I taken it from above, where I may
get a sharp shot, but it will look like a scientific record
rather than an art image. However, getting down and
close to the bug’s face/eyes/mouth, will make the
shot far more dramatic and interesting.
"NICE DAY AT WORK DEAR"?
A BABY HERON FLUFFING UP
IT'S FEATHERS PRE FLIGHT.
July 2019
9
I HAD A BOARD ACROSS THE POND TO
SUPPORT MY ELBOWS AND THE LENSHOOD
IN THE WATER TO GET THIS SHOT.
I have no chance of getting close enough to the bird
life on the lagoon without wearing camouflage – Duck
shooters have left them understandably nervous! But
it’s not just the birds where camouflage comes in
useful… when wearing my old Swan-Dry jacket (frog
colours), some of the little frogs that would normally
scatter when they saw me, will come over and jump
on my arms to check me out.
On my wish list, as soon as the weather provides, is
getting the water birds at ‘first light’, in a cloud of
radiation fog (which on rare occasions happens)
across the lagoon. In recent months any chance of
fog has been lost to the morning wind. This is where a
one-man, portable (photographers) hide with a builtin
seat, works very well and spending 2–3 hours is not
too uncomfortable. I have to be in there well before
sunrise and wait for daylight – Thick socks to combat
frozen toes is high on my checklist, for early morning
shoots in Winter!
If you’re wondering which camera you should get for
wildlife photography, different camera models and
brands often bring different advantages to the table,
but the brand/model that feels most intuitive and
comfortable to use, (in my honest opinion) will get
you shooting better and faster. My favourite lenses for
critters are my Canon 200/2 and Sony 400/2.8 GM and
Sony 90/2.8 macro (400mm still is too short for most
bird shots, but is fast enough to allow converters and
still maintain high shutter speeds during early morning
and evening when the light is most beautiful but
scarce).
You can see more of my critters on Excio along with
my travel and street photography collections.
albums.excio.io/profile/GregA
10 NZPhotographer
A FIRST FAWNING HIND THAT NEEDED
HELP TO HAVE HER FAWN.
July 2019
11
CLEANING UP A NEWBORN FAWN...
THEY ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL,
BUT SOME HAVE THAT
LITTLE EXTRA MAGIC...
12 NZPhotographer
BABY III AT ABOUT
3 WEEKS OLD.
July 2019
13
THIS HIND FOUND A
BEAUTIFUL SPOT TO HAVE
HER FAWN. (ABOUT 2
HOURS FROM BIRTHING).
AN 'EARLY SEASON' FAWN
AND A 'RECENTLY BORN'
FAWN MEET EACH OTHER...
14 NZPhotographer
AN EARLY TAGGING
INDICATING ASSISTED BIRTH SO
THAT I CAN KEEP AN EYE ON THE
FAWN IN A MOB.
July 2019
15
The Importance of Printing
When was the last time you printed your work?
Today, in the world of digital photography, it
seems that printing has become less popular
among photographers. The trend toward sharing
our images on digital devices and via social media
platforms has taken over from the printed image as
a finished photograph. However, due to this digital
world we now live in, there has never been a more
important time to print your work. Today we see so
many images in our day to day life that we don’t
spend enough time properly appreciating them -
flicking through Instagram posts, a split second per
image.
Considering the image you just ‘liked’, what was it that
made it stand out to you? Well, probably you cannot
really tell, in fact, you probably can’t even remember
the shot after looking at so many images. A print is
different. When you put a print into someone’s hand,
they will take the time to look at it in detail. Having
more time to reflect on one photograph allows us to
By Richard Young
fully appreciate its beauty, composition and the story
the photographer was trying to tell. Subtle images
alongside ones that rely on small details within the
photograph often work great as prints. These images
can hold our attention and make us look deeper into
the photograph and appreciate its fine details. This is
something which is very hard to achieve when sharing
images via social media since every photo requires
a strong initial impact to gain attention on the tiny
generic screens they are presented on.
Moreover, a print is a tangible object: something we
can hold, put into a beautiful portfolio or get framed
for our wall. Presenting and embracing your work
in such a manner offers a deeper connection and
authentic way to share the photographs that you are
proud of with your friends and family. A good fine art
print will last a lifetime - often even longer. Frequently
I ask people where they think their digital file be in 10,
20, 50-years time? Even if you are an accomplished
and respected photographer it is likely that your
16 NZPhotographer
thousands of digital files will pass on with you as how
would someone even begin to work out what is
important from all the Terabytes of images you have
on your hard drives?
Printing has always been a hugely important part
of my photography, right from the beginning of my
journey as a landscape photographer. When I started
to print my work, it quickly turned into the end goal
for most of my photography in the form of fine art
prints for exhibitions and gallery sales. I feel a digital
image never truly becomes a ‘photograph” until it is
in a printed form, and nor is it finished being worked
with until it is printed. Yes, I share my work with others
via digital forms, we must nowadays! Alas, one of the
biggest problems with them is the lack of consistency
when viewing digital images, with each image looking
different depending on the device they are displayed
or a differently edited version of the same file. When
I print an image, it is final, it will stay in that form (as
long as the right archival substrates are used). I can
share it with others safe in the knowledge that they
are seeing my image being represented in the way
that I intended. When I sign a finished print, it is my
way of saying that I am happy with this finished piece
of my work, or at least I was in that moment when I
signed it! Over time my vision of this photograph may
still change and I could still return to the digital file,
making further edits to the master print file or reprinting
on an alternative paper to achieve the look I desire,
but this is also part of the process of a constantly
evolving photographic vision and growth as an artist.
FINE ART PRINTING
People often get confused by the term “Fine Art
Print”. A Fine Art Print can be made with any (good)
photograph, and differs from the term “Fine Art
photography”, a different discussion altogether....
A (digital) “Fine Art Print” is an image printed from a
digital file using the best archival pigment inks and
onto acid-free Fine Art paper to ensure its longevity as
a piece of artwork. It is printed with the latest printing
technology, using a “Fine Art printer” which will likely
have an ink set of 8 or more inks, providing a large
colour gamut and offer the finest reproduction of the
digital image as printed work.
THE DARK ART
Printing is often considered a dark art, requiring
very in-depth technical knowledge. With terms like
colour space, ICC profiles, resolution; both PPI and
DPI (which are not the same thing!) it is easy to see
why, however, it doesn’t require as much in-depth
knowledge as one may presume. Much frustration will
often come from your first printing experience, your
prints will likely come out too dark, have the wrong
colours, or be of low quality but try not to stress - often
these are easily fixed issues.
A good print requires a good RAW file to start with,
you are not going to make a stunning 44inch print out
of a low-resolution file that has been shot with poor
camera techniques. The next step to getting good
prints, and one of the most critical, is to view and
edit your image on a good quality colour calibrated
monitor set to the correct brightness. Using a
calibrated screen and the correct ICC profiles for the
printer and paper you are using, you should be able
to accurately poof the image before printing it, thus
saving you time, money and frustration. If you send a
file to a high-quality lab or print it yourself with a good
colour managed workflow and the colours come
out differently to your screen, chances are it that the
print is correct and the screen you are viewing it on is
wrong, not the other way around!
PRINTING AT HOME OR A LAB?
When you start out printing your images, printing labs
can offer a great introduction to the process, with
the lab taking care of some of the end settings. Be
aware though, they are only going to print what you
give them, so if you don’t set up the file right you will
still run into the same issues as you would printing at
home. If you do print with a lab, choose wisely! While
high-quality labs do a great job, cost-effective online
printing and/or from large chain stores might seem
a cheap option, but their prints are not likely to be
“Fine Art” quality prints due to the budget inks and
papers used. At large chain stores, the printer might
also be operated by someone that knows little more
than yourself about printing!
July 2019
17
Printing at home can offer much more control and
a full understanding of the printing process, allowing
the ability to experiment. I have an Epson SureColour
P800 in the office that I use for all of my smaller
work (up to A2 sheets/17” rolls). These modem ‘proconsumer’
printers are easy to operate with basic
printing knowledge and produce the same results -
in terms of quality and colour - as their larger 24”/44”
cousins. One of the biggest things that has changed
home printing for photographers is the print module
within Adobe Lightroom CC Classic. Compared to
Photoshop it has made setting up print files much
easier, automating a lot of the process like file size,
colour space, and sharpening - allowing you to print
directly from your RAW file.
GET PRINTING!
So the next time you take a stunning image that you
are proud of, make sure you finish its journey as a
finished photograph by turning it into a beautiful print
that you can enjoy and share with your friends and
family.
FINE ART PRINTING WORKSHOPS
Join Richard Young on a 1-day fine-art printing workshop with New Zealand Photography Workshops. Learn
how to set up print files using a colour managed workflow to turn them into professional grade prints on an
Epson SureColour P800 printer and different styles Epson Signature Worthy Fine Art Paper. The workshop has
been designed to simplify the printing process, you will come away with the knowledge to print at home or
send files to a lab.
18 NZPhotographer
Interview with
Carole Garside
CAROLE, WHAT’S YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
BACKGROUND?
I was born and bred in Yorkshire in the UK over 50
years ago and received my first camera for my 10 th
birthday which I think was a Kodak Instamatic! My
dad always had a good camera, and after every
holiday we would sit down in front of a big projector
screen to watch the slide show of photos.
When I moved to New Zealand in 1998 (my husband
took a 3 year contract in Auckland) I was blown away
by the landscape so I bought my first digital camera
as I wanted to be able to show my friends back in
England my new life.
We had a short stint in Australia, where I took myself
to college for a graphic design course. I’d pretty
much been doing graphic design work since 1990, but
had no official qualification so after returning to New
Zealand from Australia, we took out citizenship and
moved to Te Kauwhata in the Waikato. I worked as a
graphic designer/mac operator for the next few years
part time but the commute to Auckland got a bit
much, so I eventually took a job in Hamilton working
for the Hamilton News where I stayed until 2011 when
I was made redundant.
At this point I decided to take some time out. I played
more golf and I upgraded my original digital camera
to a small pocket size one for taking on holidays.
About four years ago, I noticed a group of friends were
posting photos on Facebook, which I really liked and so
I asked what they were doing and if I could play too?
Turns out 2 of them had just bought DSLR’s and were
having a weekly photo challenge so they could learn how
to use their camera’s on manual. They kindly let me play
along with my little point and shoot. I upgraded again,
but still not to a DSLR, I was content with my photos, and
bought a Nikon P900 as I was impressed with the zoom lens.
This was probably the start of my bird photographs. The
same friends then started a camera club in Te Kauwhata
and it was at this point I realised how much creative control
you have using the manual settings on a DSLR.
About 2 years ago, I had an Aunt pass away, and she
left me a sum of inheritance money. I went straight out
and bought my current Nikon D7500. I turned the dial
straight to M, sought out a lot of advice from my friend
who has a D7200, and went out every day, taking at
least one photograph… I was officially hooked!
I think I’m still developing my own photography style
but I suppose I do have a tendency to take wildlife/
nature images, birds in particular. I miss the UK when
I see photographs of foxes and badgers etc but I’m
learning to enjoy insects more.
TELL US WHAT LENSES YOU’RE USING…
I’m becoming a lens collector it would seem. I love
my original Nikon 16–80mm lens for my everyday
photography but also have a 105mm macro lens from
when I was taking lots of photographs of bees, and
flowers.
I also got the Tamron 18–400mm lens which is a really
good one to have with you, if you don’t want to be
swapping out your lenses all the time. I took it on a trip
back to the UK last year, and it proved to be a good
lens for exactly that.
I then decided I wanted more reach for birding and
bought the Nikon 200–500mm lens which I’m still
learning to use properly. I do find this one heavy and
quite cumbersome… I once ended up lying on my
back with the tripod and lens on top or me when I lost
my balance with it!
My latest acquisition is the Tamron 10–24mm wide
angle lens which I’m hoping will help me with my
landscape photography aspirations. I love how light it
is, and I’ve had some fun crawling on the ground with
it!
July 2019
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE IMAGE?
I love Tui’s and I’m always trying to get that
perfect shot of one – This one is my favourite so
far. It was a real lucky shot. I was actually in a golf
buggy in the car park at Wairakei (Taupo) setting
off for a round of golf and had put the camera in
the cart as the course has a predator proof fence
around it. My husband stopped the cart just long
enough for me to take the shot. I had the Tamron
18–400mm lens on and it was taken at full zoom,
using my knee as a tripod.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ‘AHA
MOMENT’ IN PHOTOGRAPHY?
I’ve had two which worked coincidingly. Shooting
in RAW (which I couldn’t do with my other
cameras), and using Lightroom. Definitely a
defining moment for me.
I’d used Photoshop for many years through my
graphic design background so I knew how to use
it, and had done some processing of jpgs but
I’d always felt a bit guilty doing this with my little
group of friends working straight out of camera.
Then I discovered RAW and read all the
arguments about processing. I bought Lightroom,
really for its cataloguing programme, but fell
in love with it. I stopped feeling bad about
processing photos and now class it as part of my
style.
WHAT TIPS / TRICKS CAN YOU SHARE
WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE JUST
STARTING OUT ON THEIR CREATIVE
JOURNEY?
Find a friend who is also interested in
photography. Only a fellow photographer can
spend hours wandering around a garden, zoo,
or forest without getting bored after an hour.
They can stop a car quicker to get that shot too!
It’s good to have someone to bounce ideas off
and to help with the technical stuff. Other than
that, just go out every day and take at least one
photograph whilst getting to know your camera.
20 NZPhotographer
YOU’RE A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR
READERS SUBMISSIONS SECTION, HOW DID IT
FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW YOUR PHOTOS
IN OUR MAGAZINE?
It felt fantastic! This Winter landscape was the first one,
I ever got published in NZPhotographer. It was in the
August 2018 edition, which featured the best “What’s
your Winter” competition entries.
I think our little camera group in Te Kauwhata must
have decided to give it a go, as I had entered this
image, Nichola Smith had entered ‘Colours of the
Rainbow’ and Ali Pike had ‘Winter in the Winterless
North’. I had literally stepped out onto our deck to get
my shot which was taken on the 4th July at 6.20am to
show a typical Waikato mist though it was quite frosty
that morning too.
I always doubt my photography and think I’m not good
enough so imagine how I felt when I saw my image
featured all those issues ago and then when you asked
if I’d like to be featured this month on the cover!
HOW DO YOU PUSH YOURSELF TO IMPROVE
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
I have been posting a daily photograph on project365
for three years now. It’s a great site for inspiration, and
when you’re really stuck there are challenges to take
part in. I have also been doing 52 Frames for nearly
a year which is another site where you are given a
weekly challenge. It certainly stretches your mind, and
I look forward to the new challenge each week.
I sometimes get people stopping me to ask if I’m
a photographer when they see me with my tripod
and big lens. I’m always a little embarrassed and
say “no, I’m just an amateur photographer” but
when my friend asked me if I would be interested
in doing a course with her, I leapt at the chance
of having a qualification so I could say “yes, I am a
photographer”.
Consequently, we have embarked on an online
Diploma in Photography through SIT. We’re doing
it part-time but doing two papers this term; An
Introduction to Digital Photography and an
Introduction to Digital Post-Production. It has certainly
taken me well out of my comfort zone! One of the first
marked assignments we have had to do is portraiture.
I’m learning a lot about lighting, and composition.
It’s also really different using Photoshop from a
photographer’s point of view rather than a graphic
designer’s – I’m using parts of Photoshop I’ve never
used before.
July 2019
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22 NZPhotographer
July 2019
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WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Hobbies are a big part of mine and my husband’s
life. I met him through sailing 40 years ago, we took
up golf in our 30’s, and now practise photography
although his thing is video and instead of a still
camera like mine, he has a drone, a go pro and an
Osmo Pocket. We make films of our adventures and
travels with a combination of his videos and my stills so
I feel like my life has come full circle from those early
days of watching slide shows made by my dad on the
projector screen, to watching digital films made by
me and my husband.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU PHOTOGRAPHY WISE,
WHAT DREAMS OR AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?
I’d love to travel more with photography as the main
focus. If I could master a long lens, I’d love to do
a safari. Iceland and the Northern lights would be
another dream.
An ambition is to learn more about compositing. I love
the fine art pictures done by Jai Johnson, a mixture
of photography and textured painting. I’ve also just
discovered Bird Art by Judi Lapsley Miller. Her prints are
inspirational too. Perhaps one day, I too can become
a photo artist.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
albums.excio.io/profile/YorkshireKiwi
www.instagram.com/yorkshire.kiwi
24 NZPhotographer
July 2019
25
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
Advice for the Aspiring
Macro Nature Photographer
by Shaun Barnett
TRY PROCESSING BLACK AND WHITE
It’s worth experimenting when you process
your raw files back on your computer.
Perhaps try black and white? This can
work very well with strong patterns, or high
contrast light, where the tonal range is better
rendered as greys rather than full colour.
While taking my children on nature walks when
they were small, I was often surprised by what
interested them. Big, impressive mountain
vistas? Zero enthusiasm. A small leaf on the track?
Appealing. Some invertebrate crawling in the moss?
Fascinating.
As adults, we tend to look for the big picture and
often overlook the small world at our feet. True, we
are further away from that world than small children,
but we could learn a lot from their observation skills.
On the forest floor, countless subject make possible
photography subjects. And what’s more, when the
light is overcast and perhaps too dull for landscape
photography, it’s perfect for the forest interior, or
the details of the shoreline. The range of subjects is
countless: leaf litter, moss, insects, ferns, and stones –
even roadside weeds can make worthy subjects.
GEAR
For the best results, you’ll need a macro lens, or a
mid-range telephoto that focuses close-up (ideally
as close of 10 cm). Also essential is a tripod with
independent legs, which can be positioned for
the right distance and angle to your subject. Some
tripods have the option to position the central shaft
horizontally, meaning much greater flexibility to move
your camera close-up.
ISOLATE YOUR SUBJECT
It takes time to learn how to see a subject in
miniature. Forests can be chaotic places, and at first
it can be difficult to isolate a subject. Simple is good.
Lack of clutter is usually good too. Look for bold lines,
pure forms, or contrasting colours. Perhaps a single
yellowing leaf on a bed of moss? Or an uncurling
koru? A shapely pebble which is a different shade to
others on the beach?
LOOK FOR PATTERNS
Patterns are another pleasing subject for close-up
photography. The more you look, the more you will see
patterns in nature. Most plants have similar sized and
shaped leaves, and depending on the angle, you can
juxtapose several to find a repeating motif. Sand often
makes exquisite patterns after the tide retreats.
26 NZPhotographer
During spring, the fronds of some ferns are a
different colour to the adult fronds, and can
make striking contrast. This one is Blechnum
fern frond in the Paparoa National Park,
West Coast.
APERTURE IS CRUCIAL
The closer you are to an object, the more
dramatic the effect of aperture will be. In
macro photography, depth of field is crucial.
A shallow depth of field can be used to isolate
your subject from the surrounding clutter.
Equally, you may want everything crisp and
sharp to give a full sense of the detail.
SACRIFICE F11 FOR BETTER DEPTH OF FIELD
The closer you are to an object, the more your
aperture will become crucially important. A general
rule of thumb for landscape photography is most
lenses are sharpest at f11. If you are using a macro
lens, however, it may be more important to use a
smaller aperture, even as small as f32 or f45, to get
everything in focus.
EXPERIMENT WITH APERTURE
It’s often difficult to tell exactly what is, and isn’t in
focus using the screen on your camera back, so it’s
best to experiment with a range of apertures, and
determine which works best back on your home
computer.
ALIGNING PLANES
Another important aspect of close-up photography is
the plane between the subject and your camera lens.
If you are photographing a relatively flat subject, such
as the bark of a tree, it’s worth spending some time
aligning your camera lens perfectly parallel with the
subject. That maximizes your ability to get everything in
focus, and might mean you can drop your aperture to
f11.
WIND IS YOUR ENEMY
Air movement will move ferns or any delicate object
very easily, and the smaller the object and the closer
you are to it, the worse the problem. You can use
your pack, or an umbrella to help shield your subject
from the wind, or wait for any small lull and then press
your cable release. If the wind proves too much of
a problem, consider a higher ISO to enable a faster
shutter speed. It’s worth sacrificing extra noise for a
sharp shot.
KNOW YOUR SUBJECT
As with any photographic subject, the more
you know, the better the chance of making a
meaningful image. Buy a guidebook, read the
information panels at the start of the track, search
online. It all helps, and greater knowledge usually
leads to greater appreciation too.
HONE YOUR OBSERVATION SKILLS
Take your time. Have patience. Look underfoot,
overhead, sideways, behind you. Sometimes the
best subject is the one you just passed, but looking
back on it from a different angle.
These shots of the same koru, at McLean Falls
in the Catlins, show the effect
of experimenting with aperture on depth of
field.
FINALLY…
Experiment. Take risks. Be prepared to fail. Try again.
That’s photography!
July 2019
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28 NZPhotographer
Kidney ferns have thin, almost translucent leaves, and make excellent
subject for close-up photography. They are common in damper areas,
like here at Ship Creek, South Westland.
Beech trees are the most common native trees in New Zealand, and often have
wonderfully textured bark, sometimes encrusted with lichens. This one is at Butterfly
Creek, Wellington.
July 2019
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30 NZPhotographer
Lichens on rock make interesting textures, colours and patterns.
These ones are at Buttars Peak, above Otago Harbour.
Rocks and pebbles have the advantage of not moving much in wind. Look for an
interesting shape, or patterns. Schist, like this pebble at Gillespies Beach, South
Westland, sometimes has white flecks or veins of quartz.
July 2019
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32 NZPhotographer
Even dead leaves and fern frond can form
interesting patterns.
Mahoe leaves decay into exquisite skeletal forms, like lace,
and make great photographic subjects. These ones were
photographed at the Lake Okataina, Rotorua.
July 2019
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34 NZPhotographer
Even a weed, like this one on the roadside at Otago’s
Lindis Pass, can make an interesting subject.
North Island harebell (Wahlenbergia pygmaea pygmaea),
Tongariro National Park
July 2019
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FRESH SHOOTS
PHOTO COMPETITION
We’re inviting photographers to highlight all the wonderful things that make the Wellington
Botanic Garden much more than a garden, while encouraging photographers to focus on
the garden season by season.
For prizes and full Terms & Conditions see: www.excio.io/freshshoots
The last season of the competition is now open:
Winter
22 June - 20 September 2019
CATEGORIES
NATURE
PEOPLE &
EVENTS
CREATIVE
PARTNERS
36 NZPhotographer
Life Through
My Lens
From childhood cancer to cows and now clothes,
this is the story of one women’s photographic
journey spanning 18 years.
I describe my photography as “Life through my lens”.
My style is quite varied, as has been my own life’s
journey, but agriculture, animals and nature have
played a very big part in my photography world.
Being outdoors is just 100% me – To wander around
outdoors with my camera and take it all in is the
happiest place I can be and the ability to then
by Vicky O’Connor
share that with others, especially those who may
not be able to have the same opportunities, is truly
rewarding.
I discovered I could use photography to connect
to others to help them to slow down, to stop long
enough to firstly look then to see and experience the
little things we all miss in our rushed daily lives. I have
used my photography to raise money for Children’s
Cancer Research to try to help in any way I can to
lessen some heartache.
Life threw my family, like many others, a few curve
balls. My eldest daughter was diagnosed with a heart
condition so underwent open-heart surgery at the
age of eight. Her little sister by this stage was nearly
a year into her treatment for an Ependemoma Brain
Tumor diagnosed as a two year old. Then my second
eldest was diagnosed with a Spinal Tumor.
Making the journey through Childhood Cancer
with your children is something that will change you
and your family forever. How you choose to react
is an individual reaction born from your personality,
support network, geographical location, and financial
situation. But the biggest impact is the diagnosis and
outcome for your child. Considering the treatment
endured I am the very proud mother of four beautiful
grown up daughters that I am privileged to have in
my life as many of the families we journeyed with
tragically lost their children.
One very special little girl was Renee Tomasi who
would have celebrated her 21st birthday this year.
Tragically, Renee died at the age of three after a
courageous battle but her memory lives on.
July 2019
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38 NZPhotographer
July 2019
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The day Renee passed away I went out into
the hospital gardens and took a photo of a
bumblebee on a flower. Renee had attended a
fancy dress party as a bumble bee. This was after
her chemotherapy had ceased and her hair had
grown back into little black curls. Many of us over
the years have felt Renee’s strong presence in our
gardens and feel she flies around visiting us all.
That bumblebee photo made more appearances
when I made gift cards for the doctors and nurses
when leaving the hospital after 18 months of
treatment with our own daughter.
I continued to use my photography to make more
gift cards with all the profits from selling them going
to the Children’s Cancer Research Group based in
Christchurch. I also produced three calendars from
home featuring our brave children, which raised over
$200,000 enabling the research group to fund a PHD
student.
Over the past 18 years I have supported many
other charities either by providing my images or
my time with my love for our New Zealand Working
Dogs evident with my work. My respect for their
huge hearts and the work they do day in and
day out for shepherds all over New Zealand is
immeasurable.
I think photography is a wonderful way to be able
to give to others when you are unable to support
financially or in other ways. I help with creations to
advertise their cause to aid fundraising or to create
awareness. I help because it is a way of giving
back to the many people who helped me through
my families pain and suffering. I help because
I can. I help because I want too and I help because
it helps me too. I will help anyone I can who is
working with youth and especially young children.
Actually just anyone in need fits my criteria!
Alongside the charity work, I also do client work
with the core focus for many years based around
agriculture and nature.
I recently built a commercial gallery on to my
website for agriculture companies to use as a tool.
The reason for this is that a lot of my work is just
ordinary images taken in my everyday farming
life. There are not too many spectacular images
suitable for displaying on a wall at home but they
are many useful images for commercial advertising.
Many editors are unsure, looking out of their city
offices, what the difference is between a heifer and
a cow but farmers reading an article do. So to save
both money and time sourcing a photographer
for these images for these sorts of articles, I have
provided a source.
My images have been used in a huge variety of
ways, promoting animal health products, appearing
40 NZPhotographer
on banners, brochures, websites, and on the side
of buildings, etc. However, after undergoing both a
foot and back reconstruction that has not gone well
for me, I am now in the process of changing focus
slightly, if you’ll pardon the pun!
For many years I have slowly but surely been
collecting dress up clothing from the second hand
shops. At the risk of being accused a hoarder, I am
finally putting my plan for these clothes into action!
I am starting to do more family photography,
specializing in children, but am also doing High Tea
and Bubbles for the ladies using different themes –
We set the table like a High Tea, I take along some
champagne and the ladies pick old fashioned outfits
to dress up in for their photo shoot – It’s a huge laugh!
I plan to continue with as much outdoor and
agricultural photography as I can manage but
the difference between a 700 pound Angus Bull
between you and a skinny electric tape and a
few middle aged woman who’ve been drinking
Champagne is perhaps not that much safer!
Another exciting project I have under way
is working with the youth. In this challenging
technological filled world it is more important than
ever to help our young people find themselves
through the ever changing and confusing maze of
social media which has replaced trashy magazines.
Using my dress ups and some cool sussed out
locations I am doing photography shoots to help
young girls see how absolutely beautiful they truly
are. It is the most rewarding thing I have done to
date. To witness them transform from quiet shy girls
into confident and happier young ladies within
themselves is when I feel I have accomplished
something real and significant.
One Mum emailed me to say how truly grateful she
was that I could do something for her daughter
that she could not. I cried because of how that
email made me feel. I want to do this for as many
daughters out there that I can because I couldn’t do
it for my own girls back when they were growing up.
I see myself in the future just keeping doing what
I am doing – Clicking, giving, loving and above all
enjoying.
For any further information, whether it be relating
to farm animals, childhood cancer, or empowering
our daughters through photo shoots, please don’t
hesitate to contact me on my website.
erimagingphotography.co.nz
albums.excio.io/profile/ER Imaging Photography
July 2019
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42 NZPhotographer
CASS BAY
F7.1, 30s, ISO64
Exploring In Our Backyard
It always surprises me how many secret places there
are in our own backyard meaning we don’t actually
have to go far to find something interesting to visit,
to explore, to photograph. From the parks in the city
(there are 740 parks in Christchurch, my home town)
where every tree has a different shape to each
uniquely shaped bay which has different rock shapes
in the harbour, all of this changing with every season
too.
There are 17 bays in Lyttelton Harbour which I consider
a small area – When you stand on the top at Sign Of
the Bellbird you can look right down to the head of
the harbour but just imagine how many photographic
opportunities there are with the many different tracks
available on the port hills. There are unlimited options
to explore and photograph.
Since I have invested in a sea kayak (not only for more
access to new locations to photograph that I didn’t
by Brendon Gilchrist
have access to before, but also for fitness) I have
found that small places like Lyttelton Harbour have
become very large places.
I recently went for a short 14km kayak with a friend.
We left from Cass Bay which is only a 15 minute drive
from my place at sunrise on an outgoing tide and
headed to our destination; Ripapa Island. The only
way to get here is by boat which makes it more
exciting as you are going on an adventure where
so much can happen and you can also see a lot of
wildlife, even dolphins which we did see although they
were not interested in showing off this time!
Ripapa Island holds significant value to Ngai Tahu
a place of memories and traditions, a very small
island that you can easily spend hours on exploring
the tunnels and reading all about the history that is
in one of the buildings, we only spent about an hour
exploring though before heading back.
July 2019
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When we left we did not know if we could actually
get onto the island as it is an old fortified pa which
was built in the early nineteenth century by Taununu
and was fortified against musket attacks between
the 1820s and 1830s. From what I could see, the
quality engineering was really something with an
incredible job carried out considering the age, even
withstanding the recent Canterbury earthquakes.
We always leave on our kayak missions in the early
morning as the waters are always calmer. Once the
wind picks up things can get interesting on the water
especially when a southerly comes through and the
wind is strong. This is what happened to us, perfectly
calm waters with rolling waves on the way over. But
our return journey was more interesting! About 30
minutes out the NZ Coast Guard pulled up beside
me and said “Kayaker can you hear me?” I replied
yes, he then said “we just had a radio in of a large
earthquake in the Kermadec and we are expecting
large swells to come through”. I said it was ok as we’d
be out in an hour, he then departed and left a huge
wake to paddle through – as if the waves were not big
enough as it was!
So you see, a half day trip just 15 minutes from
home can provide plenty of excitement and new
photography opportunities. I leave you with this
question – How much is waiting to be explored in your
city or the nearby surrounding area?
RIPAPA ISLAND
F11, 1/100s, ISO100
44 NZPhotographer
IMAGINE
AUCKLAND
PHOTO COMPETITION
1 May 2019 - 10 July 2019
July 2019
45
Mind Games: The Starfish Story
by Ana Lyubich
Continuing on the subject of wildlife, nature
and the butterfly effect from the last issue, let’s
remember the starfish story ‘The Star Thrower’
by Loren Eiseley. You may have heard this story, but it
doesn’t hurt to be reminded of it once again.
An old man had a habit of walking on the beach
every morning before he started his work. Early one
morning, he was walking along the shore after a big
storm had passed and found the vast beach littered
with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in
both directions.
Off in the distance, he noticed a small boy who was
walking towards him, pausing every so often, and
occasionally bending down to pick up an object and
throw it into the sea. The boy came closer and the
man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is
that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied
“Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed
them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the
sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun
gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into
the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of
thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you
won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
46 NZPhotographer
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish
and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then
he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to
that one!”
WHEN STARFISH BECOME PHOTOS
There is so much attention brought to worldwide
problems such as global warming, poverty, tackling
world hunger and so on that it is natural for us humans
to tend to think that we, as individuals, are too small
to make a difference and being always busy, why
should we even care? We think that we can’t change
everything and that our “input” will not make much
difference.
Not every photographer, even I, think about the
impact a photo is going to make at the moment of
taking that photo. Most of the time we return home
with a few hundreds of photos for post-editing and
share them online with friends wondering how many
likes we will get. Photography should not necessarily
be about the global problems, you don’t have to
jump on the next flight and start photographing the
refugee crisis, for example, but your photographs do
still have an impact on people’s lives.
Having a photo of a turtle with a plastic bag flowing
around it featured in National Geographic draws the
attention of millions of people to the plastic problem
once again and would also be a great achievement
for you as a photographer. But what about starting
small and making an impact on individual’s lives?
Can you recall the last photo you took? A flower in the
backyard? Autumn leaves against the bright blue sky?
A landscape? Your pet? Awesome! Now, I want you
to think before you share it with anyone – what will
people think when they see this photo? What do you
want them to think and feel? For someone who is lying
in a hospital bed totally separated from the outside
world, your photo of a fresh Autumn morning with blue
sky and yellow leaves may be exactly the reminder
they need of why they should get better soon. If you
add a bit of a story as a background it will be even
better – It’s one thing when you look at a photo and
create a story yourself and another when you actually
discover what the photographer was doing/thinking
at the time.
The same relates to photos that may be technically
perfect and would get the highest award at the
next camera club meeting but that may be visually
disturbing to those looking at them. Wildlife photos are
not always about fluffy and cute creatures, they may
show blood, fights, killing and so on, just look at the
Wildlife Photographer of the Year entries to see what
I mean. Pause while looking at every photo and think
how it makes you feel as a person (switch off your
critical photographer mind for a moment!).
THINK BEFORE YOU SHARE
What impact will your images have on those who see
them?
Once your photo is out there on the world wide web
it is very hard to know where it will end up and what
exposure it will get, what people of what age group
will see it and what difference it will make in their lives.
Don’t forget that even with simple photos that you
sometimes think barely deserve space on your hard
drive may be unlikely to change the entire world but
can still change a small part of it, for someone.
Go through your photos one-by-one, select your
favourite or best shots and share them, one at a time,
same as the boy did one starfish at a time. What you
do may seem insignificant in the overwhelming world
of photo sharing, but to someone out there, it can
make a world of difference.
Starfish photo by Emily Goodwin
Beach photo by Ana Lyubich
“A single, ordinary person still can make
a difference – and single, ordinary people
are doing precisely that every day.” — Chris
Bohjalian, Vermont-based author and speaker.
July 2019
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Improving Your Photography
Photo Review Session by Excio
Mushroom Kingdom by Amelia Schimerman
REVIEW BY: KORRY BENNETH
INITIAL THOUGHTS
What a very interesting photo! I like how you used a
different approach to make something ordinary look
unusual and unique.
The colors are really nicely done, I don’t know if this
was the natural setting or you helped with a bit of post
processing but the earth tones combined with the
dark green background are a great combination.
MAKING THIS PHOTO EVEN BETTER
What could be done differently is the contrast and
lighting. You have wonderful light beams dropping on
your subject and with just a bit more contrast those
would give a whole new dimension to your image.
Notice the difference between the original photo and
the photo on the next page where I’ve added just a
bit of contrast. Not only is the image more vivid, it also
became a bit sharper and makes your subject really
stand out.
48 NZPhotographer
WHITE BALANCE
If you look close at your picture you’ll notice some blue spots (circled red).
This happens when light the hits too hard on some spots and because your white balance was set to auto. If you
want to avoid a lot of postprocessing to fix these problem areas, manual white balance is always a good option.
COMPOSITION
You used a very basic composition with a centered subject but it works well in this setting. However, don’t
forget that there are more ways to present the subject than just placing in in the middle of the frame. Next
time maybe you can try placing your subject in one third of the photo, or doing portrait orientation instead of
landscape – Play around!
July 2019
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DOF
Shallow depth of field is another great choice you
made as it makes the mushroom pop out instead
of getting lost in the leaves and grass. However,
your DOF is a bit too narrow and your subject is not
completely focused because of that.
It’s not a big deal - being able to properly produce
a shot with the right depth of field is very hard and
getting such narrow DOF right requires a lot of
practice. I’m not sure if you used manual or auto
focus and whether you used the viewfinder or screen
when capturing the scene, but here’s a tip - when
you’re trying to achieve very narrow depth of field
(where everything in front and behind the subject is
blurred) always use manual focus and always adjust
it when looking through the viewfinder instead of
screen. Camera screens will often miss some blurriness
which will be seen when the photo is looked at on a
bigger screen later.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this is a very good photo considering the difficult setting and I really love your creative approach
to the subject.
50 NZPhotographer
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July 2019
51
honoured. What a
Honestly,
person I am to be able to
lucky
my images of our
showcase
NZ birds with a global
native
Thanks to Excio
community.
image has had more
that
than it ever had on
exposure
or Instagram.
Facebook
Your photo "Disgruntled Bellbird" on Excio
has reached 64K+ views!
How does it feel?
Fairlie Atkinson, Excio Member
Join new generation photography community.
www.excio.io/membership
Wild Neighbours Photo Competition
Winner and Best Entries
WINNER:
Jan Abernethy with 'Serene'
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Allan Fleishmann with 'Tui Iridescense'
Clint Thambi with 'Black, White and Red'
Rhiannon Voice with 'Freshening Up'
Rob Weir with 'Kingfisher'
Jamie Richards with 'Stare Down with Lizzie'
SPONSORED BY:
WINNER
SERENE
This image was taken on the Hauraki
Gulf. I was visiting Auckland and it
was an amazing still warm day.
Jan Abernethy
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
BABY DOLPHIN PLAYING
I was very lucky to capture this baby dolphin playing and jumping
out of the water in Auckland earlier this year.
Jan Abernethy
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
TUI IRIDESCENCE
When the light source is at a specific angle to the viewer/camera
the magic of iridescence occurs. The colours are not pigments.
Taken at Auckland botanical gardens.
Allan Fleischmann
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
BLACK, WHITE AND A
DASH OF RED
I took this photo at the Staglands,
Wellington. It had a flamboyant and vibrant
appearance. Feathers were so bright and
colourful. I loved the contrast that mother
nature puts into its creation.
Clint Thambi
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
FRESHENING UP
Taken at Wellington Zoo on one of
the hottest days in January 2019.
Rhiannon Voice
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
KINGFISHER
I located this kingfisher at
Waimanu Lagoon, Waikanae.
Rob Weir
HIGHLY
COMMENDED
STARE-DOWN WITH LIZZIE
An Asian Lizard who was living in our
backyard when we were in Jakarta Indonesia.
Jamie Richards
CHEEKY FANTAIL
On a recent visit to Tiritiri Matangi I was
stalking the Takahes trying to get the right
shot. Meanwhile I was being stalked by this
cheeky little fella.
Karen Miller
WHO, ME?
Olla is a very large bull, we don't get up
close and personal very often. He and his
family were visiting our place to eat our
grass. The hay was a bonus for them.
Ann Kilpatrick
BATTLER
Red, the rooster,getting old and tired. Too
many young ones trying to take him on.
Ann Kilpatrick
KAREAREA
Taken from the deck outside our
kitchen in Wellington.
Alison Valentine
WATCHING YOU
The donkey at the Staglands reserve had a
keen eye for my camera and lens. Think it
was posing for me??
Clint Thambi
PAS DE DEUX
The mating dance performed by these two birds was enchanting
and could be likened to a classical ballet. The photo was taken on
the foreshore of Attadal conservation area, Swan River, South Perth
in Western Australia. The City of Perth is directly across the river and
provides a stunning backdrop to the area.
Corinne Moore
MULTICOLOURED PIGLET
This little pigwas livinga free range life in Paradise Valley in Rotorua.
Craig Chalmers
LOST BABY GOAT
I came across this little baby goat
apparently abandoned on a back
country road near Port Waikato.
Craig Chalmers
KATYDID NYMPH
This young Katydid was enjoying the Summer
sun on a rose bush in my garden.
Eric Pollock
TUI'S
Photographed in my backyard. The Tui's
where singing to each other after a romp in
the bird bath...
Graham Jones
WHERE'S MY DINNER
White Heron and chicks taken at
Whataraoa, West Coast.
Robert Green
WIDE-EYED
This image was recently taken at Wingspan
where they do raptor presentation.
Jan Abernethy
GOLDEN SHAG
The shag was drying his/her wings after
a morning sunrise dip. I loved the gold
shimmer on its wings.
Jan Abernethy
SANDPIPER
Arya
MALIK
This photo was taken during
a visit to Wellington Zoo. I was
lucky to see this beautiful lion
before he was shifted up to
Auckland.
Karen Miller
SPOONBILL SPOONBILL KOTUKU
Taken in the late afternoon on the Whitianga estuary shortly after
the birds had finished catching and eating their dinner.
Karen Moffatt-McLeod
MONK SEAL
A Hawaiian monk seal is disturbed from his
slumber and takes a look at what I'm up to.
Kelly Vivian
DUCK AMONG THE PETALS
Duck swimming amongst the petals in the
duck pond at Wellington Botanical Gardens.
Peter Maiden
HOME STRETCH
Photo taken on an early summer's evening in
Anderson Park, Napier.
Rhiannon Voice
HUNTER
Taken at Wellington Zoo.
Rhiannon Voice
GOLDEN LIGHT
Early morning image captured
at Ahuriri Estuary, Napier.
Rob Weir
NEST BUILDING
This shag was acquiring foliage
at Waimanu Lagoon,Waikanae
and flying some distance with it.
Rob Weir
WHITE FACED HERON IN FLIGHT
White faced heron in flight captured at Foxton Beach estuary.
Rob Weir
I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU
Yellow-eyed penguin at Katiki Point, Otago
Robert Green
RUA
At Waimanu Lagoon near Waikanae
Beach on the Kapiti Coast.
Rogier Stoks
IT'S THE EYE
Feral pigeon in Cornwall Park, Auckland.
Steve Harper
WE CALL HIM
BEAUREGARD
A local pheasant that insisted we
hand feed him at Cornwall Park.
Steve Harper
GIRAFFES AT
WELLINGTON ZOO
I took this photo of Wellington Zoo's new
giraffe, Sunny. I really like this photo as the
subject is the new giraffe with the other two
giraffes in the background.
Tanya Rowe
“BLACK AND WHITE ARE THE COLORS
OF PHOTOGRAPHY. TO ME THEY
SYMBOLIZE THE ALTERNATIVES
OF HOPE AND DESPAIR TO WHICH
MANKIND IS FOREVER SUBJECTED”
ROBERT FRANK
120 NZPhotographer