NZPhotographer Issue 25, November 2019

Brought to you by

ISSUE 25, November 2019

INTERVIEW WITH

SHONA JARAY

PRESERVING

ANVIL HOUSE

BY PETI MORGAN

ARCHITECTURE IS A

PART OF LIFE

BY PETER KURDULIJA

PIHA BEACH CLEANUP

BY RICHARD YOUNG

November 2019 1

WELCOME TO ISSUE 25 OF

NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE

HELLO EVERYONE,

In this issue we put the focus

on capturing historical

architecture along with

a healthy dose of nature

photography plus doing

#photographyforgood.

Peti Morgan takes us on a

photographic journey around

Anvil House in Wellington,

Ana reflects on her love

affair with the Sydney Opera

House, Chris McKeown takes

us across to New York to

shoot the Chrysler Building

from a unique angle and we

welcome Peter Kurdulija back

to discuss why architecture is

a part of life.

Meanwhile, we've interviewed Shona Jaray and Michelle

Vollemaere, Brendon has been out exploring New Zealand's very

own Pearl Harbour whilst playing with time-lapse photography and

Richard has done his part in the Peak Design Piha Beach Cleanup

where we get to see the best photos from the day proving that our

own message of #photographyforgood is gaining strength.

Emily Goodwin

Editor NZ Photographer

General Info:

NZPhotographer Issue 25

November 2019

Cover Photo

Tranquility

by Shona Jaray

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

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

any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher.

Disclaimer:

Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the

opinion of the magazine.

November 2019

CONTENTS

ARCHITECTURE IS A PART OF LIFE

BY PETER KURDULIJA

INTERVIEW

WITH SHONA JARAY

INTERVIEW WITH SHONA JARAY

BEHIND THE SHOT

WITH CHRIS MCKEOWN

EXPLORING PEARL HARBOUR NEW ZEALAND

by Brendon Gilchrist

ARCHITECTURE IS A PART OF LIFE

by Peter Kurdulija

42 #WOMENINPHOTOGRAPHY

GETTING TO KNOW MICHELLE

VOLLEMAERE OF MIVO PHOTOGRAPHY

PRESERVING ANVIL HOUSE

by Peti Morgan

PIHA BEACH CLEANUP

by Richard Young

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

by Ana Lyubich

BEST READERS SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH

BEHIND THE SHOT

WITH CHRIS MCKEOWN

#WOMENINPHOTOGRAPHY

GETTING TO KNOW MICHELLE

VOLLEMAERE OF MIVO PHOTOGRAPHY

1 Day Workshops

Learn how to take full creative control

and capture your own unique images.

Different one day options:

Basic Photography

Creative Photography

Long Exposure

Fine Art Printing

2 Day Workshops

Small Group Photography Weekends

Lightroom Processing

Tongariro Landscapes

Kaimai Waterfalls

Cape Palliser

BOP Seascapes & Waterfalls

4 Day Masterclass

Be inspired with our master class

workshops, which are designed to be

educational vacations, where you are

immersed in a specific area

of photography.

Long Exposure - Coromandel.

Landscapes - Aoraki, Mt Cook.

Astro - Aoraki, Mt Cook.

Autumn Colours - Wanaka.

Wildlife - Otago Peninsular

Photography Tours

Taking you to the best locations

the country has to offer.

Draw inspiration from capturing

New Zealand’s most iconic

landscapes alongside some of

our more hidden gems.

20 Day: South Island Highlights

20 Day: North Island Highlights

17 Day: Ultimate New Zealand

12 Day: New Zealand Icons

15 Day: New Zealand

Coastal Landscapes

15 Day: North Island Landscapes

7 Day: Wild South Island

7 Day: West Coast Wilderness

7 Day: South Island Beaches

& Bays

7 Day: Volcanic North Island

7 Day: Northland & Bay of Islands

4 Day: Fiordland

www.photographyworkshops.co.nz

info@photographyworkshops.co.nz

021 0845 7322

Preserving Anvil House

by Peti Morgan

I’m a Wellington based photographer who uses the

camera as a tool for creative expression. My work

spans landscape, architecture, fine art, travel, and

abstract - often focusing on the sea, and aspects of

nature.

Some key moments in my photography journey

include receiving my licentiate honours from the

Photographic Society of New Zealand in 2014, winning

a gold medal in the PSNZ Canon National Exhibition

(NATEX) in 2015, and exhibiting at the New Zealand

Academy of Fine Arts in 2016.

It was during a PSNZ convention that I was able to join

an architectural workshop with Jim Simmons, at Anvil

House on Wakefield Street, Wellington. We toured up

the stairwell, into one of the empty office spaces, and

onto the roof.

Anvil House was built in the ‘50s, for Smith & Smiths. A

little light research reveals that “Anvil” was actually

their paint brand, and their emblem is still shown on

the front of the building (the two blokes whacking

an anvil). Their original building was burned to the

ground, and Anvil House built in its place.

The stairway is exquisite. For such an outwardly

unpretentious building, this was a lovely surprise!

Looking up, or looking down, the stairwell is a

convergence of clean lines and warped angles. It

felt best to photograph it in black and white so that

I could focus on these lines and shapes. Given that I

was on a photography walk, I admit to having cloned

out the odd photographer in the finished images!

Sometimes though, I left them in to illustrate the

moment.

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I find stairwells in general, fascinating as they can be such a

beautiful feature of a building, and are often well preserved.

But I also felt there was some preservation required by us,

as photographers, as some parts of the building were in a

state of disrepair and no doubt would be renovated soon.

The peeling paint was a great representation of this. It was

quite a juxtaposition of beauty and age - in normal lighting,

the peeling paint showed the age and state of the building.

But when the sun filtered through the cubic windows of the

stairwell it became beautiful.

It’s funny to walk into what is considered a utilitarian

space and yet spend hours poring over the details. But as

visiting photographers, we had the temporary advantage

of seeing with fresh eyes. So the exquisite details that may

have been missed by the buildings’ residents, walking

those stairs daily, glowed like neon to us.

There are many opportunities around us to capture a

point in time, a historic perspective - but it’s easy enough

to become so used to the cities and towns we live in, that

we are immune to their beauty. If you want to reopen

your eyes to these possibilities, challenge yourself to

photograph an unfamiliar space each day. If you make

the challenge long enough (100 days?) you may push

yourself far beyond the familiar to the truly unknown.

Our spaces are always changing, so you can think of

yourself as a visual historian - because that’s exactly what

you are. Preserving a point in time, documenting history.

albums.excio.io/profile/petimorgan

www.facebook.com/petimorgan.photographer

petimorgan.co.nz/photography

NZPhotographer

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November 2019 13

Interview with Shona Jaray

NZPhotographer

THE HAWKDUNS

November 2019 15

SHONA, WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND?

I studied to be a dietitian but eventually started up

my own food business, opening a delicatessen and

catering business in Karori. After 10 years of that I set

up a private practice in Sports Nutrition at Wellington

Sports Med Clinic and at the same time I joined my

husband in the coffee business – we imported green

coffee and roasted it for the hospitality industry, and

imported coffee machinery.

I sold my nutrition practice in 2000 and concentrated

on the coffee business until we sold that in 2003

essentially becoming “retired”. At this point we moved

from Wellington to a lifestyle block in Reikorangi – a

beautiful valley 10 km inland from Waikanae on the

Kapiti Coast.

Once we moved, I would see people – clients from

my nutrition practice and from the coffee business

who would greet me and say “so, now you are not

working, what do you do all day?”

On a 10 acre property, there is always plenty to do.

We grow a lot of our own veggies, we have animals –

little highland cattle – although my husband looks after

them. We have regular house guests – friends to stay.

I enjoy reading, good movies, and listening to classical

music. I am also learning to speak Czech – it’s a

challenge. I have an excellent teacher whom I meet

up with once a week in Wellington. I am currently the

chairperson of the Judge Accreditation Panel for the

Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) and

along with Bruce Girdwood, run 3–4 training weekends

throughout New Zealand per year. These aim to be

an introduction to photographic assessment with an

emphasis on respect for the photographer and the

image they have made.

WHEN DID PHOTOGRAPHY ENTER YOUR LIFE?

When I was 10, a very enlightened schoolteacher set

up a makeshift darkroom in our classroom. We were

taught how to make a black and white print from

a negative and from that moment I was hooked,

wanting to be a photographer when I grew up.

However, we lived in a very remote part of rural

New Zealand – about 40km from Gisborne and there

were not any opportunities in Gisborne for women in

particular to make a career in photography.

When I went overseas on my 2 year O.E based in

London but travelling around the UK and Europe I

bought my first SLR. It was a Praktica, very heavy

(although probably not as heavy as some of today’s

DSLR’s with a zoom lens) and it was totally manual –

manual exposure, manual focus. There was a little

needle you could see in the viewfinder which gave

you a guide in terms of correct exposure. Friends and

family commented very favourably on the images

I created so I thought I must be pretty good. The

reality was, the images had straight horizons, were in

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focus where they should be and were generally quite

nicely composed, but that was all – I did not have the

money to indulge to a degree where I could expand

my skills until digital cameras came along.

In 2001 my husband suggested that perhaps the

coffee business needed to have a digital camera

to record various events we were involved with. Of

course, I agreed wholeheartedly and promptly went

out and purchased a Canon Powershot G1. I read the

manual from start to finish – there were 2 puzzles. First,

the camera was capable of recording raw files – what

the heck were they? More seriously though, there was

a significant section headed “Degrees Kelvin” I spent

a lot of time on that and ended up none the wiser –

until I went out on a beautiful sunny day in Zurich with

the camera set to tungsten.

In 2004 I joined the Photographic Society of New

Zealand (PSNZ) and at the beginning of 2005 what

was then called the Waikanae Camera Club, now

called the Kapiti Coast Photographic Society (KCPS).

I ended up as president of KCPS 2007–2008 and

president of PSNZ 2012–2013. I think the problem is that

I don’t see problems, I see solutions and then I open

my mouth!! However, I have a strong belief in “giving

back” and sometimes this can tend to take over your

life. For me now, it is time to spend more energy on my

own photography.

SHAFT OF LIGHT

November 2019 17

NZPhotographer

EVENING PEACE

November 2019 19

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COALPIT DAM

November 2019 21

FIGS

CAPE

GOOSEBERRIES

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EVOLUTION AND

THE HAND OF MAN

WHAT GEAR DO YOU HAVE NOW?

I have a Canon 5D Mk3 and a Fuji XT2. I like to travel

and find the Fuji XT2 easier in terms of size and weight,

and less hassle with airlines and carry-on luggage. A tall

person can carry a larger backpack without drawing

attention to themselves at check-in, I am not a tall

person and the same sized backpack on me would

always be questioned by check-in staff!

WHAT DO YOU CAPTURE?

I like photographing landscape, street photography,

architecture, flowers, plants, and foliage, humour,

beauty, and travel – I guess most things except birds and

fungi. I enjoy experimenting.

I am not sure if I have a distinctive style yet – I asked

a friend once if he thought I had a recognizable style

(he judges our club competitions at least once a year)

and he told me that he usually guessed which were

my images because of the quality of the presentation –

I am a print person and take a great deal of pride in the

quality of the printing and matting.

ON YOUR EXCIO PROFILE, YOU SAY ‘I STRIVE TO

CREATE A PHOTO THAT REFLECTS MY POINT OF

VIEW’, CAN YOU EXPLAIN MORE?

I believe we all see things differently – even when we are

in the same place at the same time. I have made images

that sometimes get the response of “that’s not what you

saw though is it?”. If I am feeling happy and cheerful then

the scene in front of me will probably appear bright, and

colourful. I could visit the same scene when I was feeling sad

and make a totally different image, even though lighting/

weather conditions might be similar. I guess what I am saying

is that I want my images to reflect how I feel about the

subject I am photographing.

With digital photography, because there is no incremental

cost (as there was with film), every time we press the shutter

I think there is a tendency to rush – in fact that is life in the

21 st century isn’t it! When I am photographing a landscape,

instead of rushing, I like to spend a bit of time first just sitting,

surveying, thinking about how I feel about what I am seeing.

Then I try to make an image which reflects this. I think it is the

creative process which is my initial motivation – I like to create

something which is either beautiful or has a strong message.

HOW DO YOU LEARN AND IMPROVE?

I have been on a number of photographic workshops,

most of them run by Tony Bridge in Central Otago, and

have learned a lot from each one. Since 2006 I have

attended a number of PSNZ Regional Conventions and

since 2007, all of the National Conventions. There are

generally a good variety of workshops available to

choose from and inspirational speakers to learn from.

November 2019 23

TESSIE AND TOMMY

Back in 2005 I decided to try and learn Photoshop, this

being my biggest learning curve relating to photography.

I am pretty good at learning new software, but Photoshop

was a step too far for me in terms of learning intuitively. It

happened because I had to have foot surgery and knew

that I was going to be pretty immobilised for a couple

of months so I purchased a book called “Photoshop

Classroom in a Book”. It had 20 tutorials in it, each lasting

1–2 hours. I worked my way through it. It was a really good

start but now there are so many courses online, YouTube,

books, e-books to help people learn new skills.

I think my biggest limiting factor now is time.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS REGARDING

PROMOTING YOUR WORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

I am not very good with social media – I tend not to

spend a lot of time on it. Getting lots of likes and/or

followers is not really important to me. I would rather

sit with a group of friends and get some good honest

critiques of my images.

AS CHAIRPERSON OF THE JUDGE

ACCREDITATION PANEL, WHAT TIPS CAN YOU

SHARE WITH READERS?

Get feedback from someone you respect and admire

who has a good knowledge of photography. That

person should be able to enunciate what the image

communicates to him or her, and why. They may or

may not have recommendations you might consider,

which to their mind, may make the image a stronger

one. All this needs to be put in a way which honours

and respects both you and your work. Having friends

and family say that they like it, is perhaps good for

your ego, but is not really helping you grow.

If done properly, I believe that critiques help you

grow as a photographer. It is very difficult to be totally

objective about your own work.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.instagram.com/shonajaray

www.facebook.com/ShonaJaray

www.shonajaray.com

albums.excio.io/profile/Shona

NZPhotographer

Wellington Heritage

PHOTO QUEST

OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 10

Find out more at

www.excio.io/heritagewalk

Sponsored by

November 2019 25

Behind The Shot

with Chris McKeown

NZPhotographer

F9, 1/320s, ISO200

CHRIS, ALTHOUGH WE’VE INTERVIEWED YOU ON

THE BLOG, REMIND US WHO YOU ARE AND HOW

PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWS UP IN YOUR LIFE…

I’m originally a geologist from Glasgow and recently

realised that I’ve always taken photos of landscapes.

My first field trip back in 1987 was to a place called

Ardnamurchan Point, the most western point in Scotland

– That trip made me realise how beautiful Scotland is.

I travelled a lot around the world as a geologist – I’ve

been to China, USA, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Oman,

Holland you name it – any oil and gas town pretty much.

I moved to NZ in 2002 and was just stunned by it.

Although I’ve always taken photographs of landscapes,

I started being a bit more serious about it 6 years or so

ago. I think I was in Singapore when I decided I wanted

to buy a real camera as I only had a point-andshoot

(a decent one by the way – a Fuji or Panasonic

something), so I bought a Samsung NX1000 and the

quality of images just blew me away, I thought “Oh My

God! This is amazing!”

WHAT CAMERAS DO YOU HAVE NOW?

A Samsung NX1, crop sensor with a range of lenses,

plus a Fuji X1000. The Samsung is a great camera, but is

showing its age now with a few things going wrong, and

as is not supported by Samsung anymore (they have got

out of the camera world), I have just recently bought the

Sony A7Riv which has a full fram 61MP sensor and a 24–

105mm f4 lens. I am hoping for good things from it!

TELL US SOME BACKGROUND INFO REGARDING

YOUR TRIP TO NEW YORK…

I was lucky enough to go to New York for work and had a

full day to myself to wander around Manhattan taking a

bunch of photos of the landmarks. I’d been in touch with a

really helpful NYC based photographer to look at getting a

guided tour. Even though he couldn’t be there when I was,

he sent me a copy of his guidebook, telling me the best

places to go to get the best shots, which was so helpful.

I’d always wanted to go to New York and it certainly

lived up to my expectations, the sheer scale, noise,

and busyness was awesome! There were a number

of highlights: taking in the view from the Empire State

building (day and night (very, very cold…), the ferry to

Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty, looking up at

the Chrysler building, Central Park in the low winter sun.

All amazing.

I’m obsessive about taking only carry-on luggage so usually

take the Fuji camera with me, as was the case here.

AND THE STORY BEHIND THIS SHOT?

The Chrysler Building is my favourite. I love it because it’s

just so… un-necessary and over the top and beautiful

and symmetrical and of it’s time complete with chrome

covered gargoyles. I feel the same way about the Opera

House, the Guggenheim and the Shard: functional

internally but bonkers on the outside!

That’s why this shot just stuck out for me. It was taken

around 3.30pm on a freezing February day, it was –7C

with a wind chill taking it down to –11C. The light was

fading, but the sky was still very blue.

I had heard that there was a good angle to take a shot of

the Chrysler Building from outside the New York Public Library,

on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, looking east

along 42nd Street. I wanted to capture the crispness of the

architectural lines of the Chrysler building, but frame it with

the non-vertical angle of the building on the left of the view

and the branches of the tree on the right of the frame.

Normally for a shot like this I’d use as wide an aperture as

possible, indeed the Samsung lens I was using could go as

wide open as f4, but given the variable depth of field with the

trees etc, I kept the aperture to f9, and adjusted the exposure

and ISO accordingly. The focal length was 130mm, which is

around 200mm on a full frame sensor, so pretty zoomed in.

I was a bit worried about camera shake so had optical

image stabilization (OIS) switched on and tried to keep

it as steady as possible… There were a lot of cars and

buses on the road, and lots of people around, but I think

I managed to capture it well.

I then took the image into Lightroom 5.7 for some

cleaning up (some dust on the lens) and to export

in B&W with some vignetting to make the focus (the

building) pop.

WHAT TIPS FOR ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US?

For me the building is only part of the story, of course it’s

the key part of the image, but it’s also about light falling

in interesting ways, and other elements (e. g. the bare

trees in this image) that invokes a time and place.

If you can find an interesting angle, juxtaposing the

building with some other element, that can make it stand

out. Including people for scale and movement can be

great too, something that added interest to my photos

inside Grand Central Station.

I got some interesting photos of the inside of the Chrysler

Building, and wouldn’t have known about the lobby

without reading up before hand so I also recommend

doing your research.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.chrismckeown.photography

www.instagram.com/chris_mckeown70

albums.excio.io/profile/Chris McKeown

BEHIND THE SHOT IS PROUDLY

SUPPORTED BY

Exploring Pe

New Ze

by Brendon

NZPhotographer

arl Harbour

aland

Gilchrist

F14, 1/125s, ISO100

November 2019 29

F3.5, 1/100s, ISO100

There are not many places around Lake

Manapouri that will give you easily accessible

epic views, that is until you discover the Circle

Track which is accessible by water taxi or your

own boat followed by some leg power!

The Circle Track is a full loop track that is 6.9km long

roughly a 3–3.5 hour round-trip that starts on the

opposite side of Pearl Harbour. Yes, that's right, New

Zealand has its very own Pearl Harbour.

I started my short 5 minute boat ride across the harbour

and then up onto the jetty and into the bush at around

9am. I was told by the water taxi company that the

track is rather steep, but I thought it would be ok, it

didn’t look too steep on the map.

You see, I had checked the topographical map and it

looked fine, but I always forget to look at the contour lines

and the distance between the maximum height of the

track and where you start from – it can be very deceiving

at times. The elevation gain on this track starts at 200

meters and rises to 556 meters in quite a short distance.

Allowing for snack breaks to keep the sugar levels up,

it took me about 1 hour 20 minutes to climb up to the

top, it was hot going. Not in temperature but just in

general – walking at a steady pace along a slippery

track with a heavy camera bag plus water bottle

(there is no water source on this ridgeline) is tough work.

When you know what the view looks like it helps with

motivating you to keep going though and I knew

I could rest and take some epic photos of a place that

I have never seen before.

Upon my arrival at the top, the view over Manapouri didn’t

disappoint with the famous monument that is a feature of

this lake along with the rest of Hope Arm, West Arm, and

Pomona Island all visible. What a sight I was looking at.

I was hot but I had at least 2 hours up here before I had to

start the descent back down to meet my boat.

When I arrive at new locations I always stop and take it

all in before I photograph anything, it helps me to see

where the wind is blowing and which way the clouds

are going and allows me to can capture the raw

beauty mentally before digitally. It also gives me time

to put on some warmer clothes and have some lunch,

a drink, and maybe send a photo to friends to make

them a little jealous of where I am standing!

This time I only took one camera with me, my Nikon

D750 which I chose because it is smaller and lighter as

I wanted to take my big 80–200mm lens with me which

alone weighs as much as my other camera! My main

goal on this trip was to time-lapse at 24mm, 50mm,

80mm and 200mm to have different focal lengths and

different compositions to choose from.

I set up the first motion time-lapse with the Syrp Genie

then stepped away to find shelter from the cold and

strong wind amongst the trees, enjoying the scene

whilst the camera was busy clicking away, taking

around 350 images for one time-lapse which takes

about 30 minutes to complete.

I took the 2nd time-lapse at 50mm with 300 images

lasting another 30 minutes. I thought the framing

looked much better now than it had on the previous

24mm motion time-lapse, but at 50mm it is impossible to

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create motion from a slider, so this one was a stationary

time-lapse. I completed set up and walked away

into the bush again to stay warm, I could still see the

view but the wind was coming straight over the snowy

mountains and up to where I was standing.

The last time-lapse I took was at 80mm, deciding that

the 200mm was a little too zoomed in. The 80mm timelapse

I liked even more than the 50mm – superimposing

the mountains is something I am starting to love and

the telephoto lens is a great tool to achieve this.

So another 300 images and another 30 minutes later

(1.5 hours in total) and I had a total of 900 images

resulting in 21seconds of footage – It seems a little

excessive but I was amazed at how 3 different focal

lengths can have so much impact on 1 location.

With all the motion time-lapses finished and feeling happy

with what I had captured it was time to take the stills, while

considering how much time I had left to walk back to the

jetty! I’d had enough time to think about what I wanted

to capture whilst waiting for the time-lapses to finish. It was

a challenge as I was limited to one viewpoint with few

options but it would have been difficult not to take a great

shot here so I only needed about 10 minutes to finish up.

Once I had captured everything, wishing that I could

have camped here to capture sunset which surely

would have been epic, I packed up, took one more

look at the amazing view, loaded my pack on my back

and headed off. I was hoping for another viewpoint

along the ridgeline that leads back to the lake but

unfortunately, there were no views, just lots of bush,

ferns, and many birds but it’s times like this when I can

reflect on what I have just captured and be at peace

with everything that is going on in life.

I returned to the jetty a little earlier than expected so

I gave the water taxi a ring and asked if they could

pick me up early. I was told ‘see you in 15 minutes’ so

I sat down on the jetty and waited, preparing a nice

composition with the front of the small metal boat

before boarding.

3 TIME-LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

• Make sure that the intervals between each image

are not too long. If they are, the final MP4 Clip will

be jerky rather than smooth.

• Remember that you will crop to a 16:9 ratio and

that you need to set the composition to allow for

this, knowing what framing you are aiming for.

• If it is windy, position the camera in an area that

is not affected as much, any slight bump of the

camera will affect the smoothness of the final

footage.

www.instagram.com/esbphotography_

www.facebook.com/ESB23Photography

2020, 1 Day Dates:

Auckland Workshop

NZPW Tutor Ken Wright

29th Feburary, 4th July

& 24th October

Wellington Workshop

NZPW Tutor Richard Young

2nd Feburary, 31st May

& 4th October

Long Exposure Workshop

This is a one day coastal and long exposure photography workshop at

Murrys Bay on Aucklands’s North Shore or Wellington’s South Coast.

On this workshop, you’ll learn how to shoot dramatic and awe-inspiring

coastal landscapes and make long exposure photographs.

This is designed as an intermediate-advanced workshop.

www.photographyworkshops.co.nz

info@photographyworkshops.co.nz

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November 2019 31

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November 2019 33

ARCHITECTURE IS A PART OF LIFE

by Peter Kurdulija

NZPhotographer

JUST LIKE YOU, ONCE UPON

A TIME I WAS A BEAUTIFUL PROMISE

November 2019 35

Ihave learnt to respect architecture. The

domineering socialist structures of my birth city were

an important component of the socio-economic

milieu which shaped my personality, including my

visual perception. I spent my childhood in a maze of

neatly aligned concrete buildings, which epitomized Le

Corbusier’s description of urban edifices as ‘machines

for living in’. For better or worse, the overbearing

masculine geometry of the place fostered my acute

curiosity for man-made landscapes.

Moving to New Zealand and leaving the ideological

Shangri-La behind, refocused my attention on the

living spaces that are smaller and emotionally easier to

approach. While large crumbling buildings symbolise

the erosion of power, the decay of civilization as a

whole, empty family homes bring the same message in

a more evocative and deliberate fashion.

There is an undeniable truth written on the faces of old

walls by the abrasive hand of time, left there to serve

as symbolic signposts on our epic, one way trip towards

the rendezvous with mortality. If architecture is ‘frozen

music’, as Goethe put it, doomed dwellings have to be

heartbreakingly sad, solo violin pieces.

ARCHITECTURE IS LANDSCAPE

It is a man-made one, but a landscape nevertheless.

From a technical point of view, it means that you

will rely mostly on your wide angle lens and make

apertures between f8 and f16 your best friends, giving

your subject a substantial depth of field. If your tripod is

handy, it will help to keep the ISO setting at a minimum.

The electronics within your camera will take care of

the shutter, and if it has any problems with doing it

correctly, the exposure compensation dial is there to

the rescue.

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Finally, for a healthier post processing experience, all

images should be consumed RAW.

Let’s see some interpretations of the concept of

‘place-in-time’ by dissecting several of my images.

CONTRASTING CONDITIONS HELP THE

STORYTELLING

If we observe the existential tension through the

prism of opposing forces, it will give us an analogy

applicable to the world of photography. The

interaction of the visually polarising stimuli will ask

neutral observers to subconsciously resolve the

issue, forcing them to engage.

The idea is quite evident in the picture 'Morning's

Burden' depicting a Maniototo defunct farmhouse,

from an area you never leave without a superb

capture of the resident clouds. They didn’t

disappoint on the day when I had to jump the

fence to improve the angle, which helped the

interplay between the serene, softly illuminated

foreground and an angry, ready to strike sky.

The energy born out of this friction also provided

the visual narrative behind 'A Treasure at the End

of a Rainbow', an image of an abandoned house

in Taranaki, which demanded a bit more for its

execution. The pouring rain pinned me down in

a car for what felt like an eternity. The effort was

worth it, as a beam of light sneaked below the

clouds and illuminated the worn-out subject. It was

all there; our vulnerable existence stoically facing

the hostile elements, a broken wire, synonymous

with isolation in our contemporary language and

an ever-present hope in the colours of a rainbow.

MORNING’S BURDEN

November 2019 37

NZPhotographer

A TREASURE AT THE END OF A RAINBOW

November 2019 39

OLD IS PART HISTORY, PART ILLUSION

The much photographed Wairarapa house always

tickled my imagination. Placed on top of a hill, with

an all-round view, it looks like an entry ticket to the

grandiose fantasy called ‘Living Happily Ever After’.

In a complex tale of life, we like to write beautiful

beginnings, but it’s the destiny that scripts the final

chapter. The image ‘Just Like You, Once Upon a Time I

Was a Beautiful Promise’ is a brick and mortar ode on

degraded ideals, living between the world of should

be and the one we end up with.

The Otago scene depicted in the image ‘The Day I

Time Travelled This Land, On Foot’ was akin to

stepping back in time, witnessing a Kiwi flavoured

metaphor of The Wild West era. The intriguing

juxtaposition of subjects gifted the composition a

lyrical and slightly surreal quality. It’s that kind of sight

that naturally appeals to our creative souls, casual

shooters and photography ascetics alike.

HISTORY IS MYSTERY

The past and the unknown are close neighbours.

Mystery is born out of gaps opened by missing and

fading recollections, filled with arbitrary interpretations.

The difficulties arise when we attempt to complete

this jigsaw known as our present relying solely on

memories, those ever-shifting sand dunes of our

emotional landscape.

The image ‘I Often Find You at Extraordinary Places’

explores an idea behind the mystery of memories.

Shot across the pond in monochrome, to emphasise

the return to a time of unknown, the image combines

the barely visible old house within surroundings not

prepared to reveal anything more than they have to.

‘Alone with the Clouds’ asks questions about the

transient nature of civilisation and the ways decayed

architecture can help us comprehend a nearabstract

concept of past. When the geographical

presence of man-made structures diminish in

importance or disappear altogether, the memories of

those may follow them there.

TIMES TO REMEMBER

Reality is personal and always in motion. What we

did, saw or experienced will soon become history.

Meanwhile, the technological revolution has created

a parallel world, all with vast storage places and

cyber shadows of our personas The new home in the

cloud can help us memorialise the past by shifting our

precious moments into its digital realm. This should be

our motivation to photograph and eternalise manmade

places destined for certain oblivion.

THE DAY I TIME TRAVELLED

THIS LAND, ON FOOT

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I OFTEN FIND YOU AT

EXTRAORDINARY PLACES

ALONE WITH THE CLOUDS

November 2019 41

#WOMENINPHOTOGRAPHY

Getting to Know Michelle

Vollemaere of MiVo Photography

ROMAN SUNSET

F16, 1/250s, ISO100

NZPhotographer

November 2019 43

MICHELLE, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU…

I live in Auckland not too far from our famous

Waitemata Harbour (which is great for photographic

opportunities) and am married with 2 grown-up kids.

I have had several careers, but my latest incarnation

involved a Diploma of Journalism and writing and subediting

work on magazines and newspapers. I still work

with words, mostly freelance writing and proofreading

of English translations.

Just for fun, I also study part time at university.

Languages are my current passion; Latin, Italian and

German, inspired by my first overseas trip in 2012 to

Italy and Greece. Travel led to study and study led to

more travel when I got the opportunity to live in Italy

for ten weeks in 2016. I improved my language skills

and took hundreds of photos. I went back again last

year, and to England, Scotland and France, and took

a few hundred more images.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

JOURNEY START?

I was 13 when I got my first camera, a Kodak

Instamatic 255x which I had coveted from the

moment I saw it in our local pharmacy shop window,

imagining the photos I would take just like those in the

National Geographic magazines my family subscribed

to. The reality didn’t live up to my imagination, but

I did learn the art of composition and the importance

of getting close to the subject. The cost of film and

developing made one think carefully before pressing

the shutter.

I got my first SLR when I was 18. A family friend died

and left me a Canonflex R2000 along with a bag full

of lenses and filters. I learned all the photography

basics using that gear until somebody nicked the

camera. I still have all the lenses and am currently on

the lookout to replace the body.

I moved on to an Olympus OM10, and then added

an OM20, using both until I could no longer avoid

the transition to digital. By then I was a stay-at-home

mother with two kids and no spare money. All I could

afford was a ghastly little point-and-shoot. I hated it

but my composition skills compensated for the lack

of aperture or shutter control and I do have some

reasonable keepers from those wilderness years.

WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH NOW?

I use two cameras, both mirrorless: a Leica D-Lux 5 and

an Olympus OMD EM10 Mk III, which I refer to as my

OMG. I also use my Samsung phone a lot, as it is the

camera that I always have with me. I love the retro

styling and the compact size of these cameras which

is ideal for travel. I hate carrying too much stuff and

these are small enough to fit in my shoulder bag, out

of sight of thieves and pickpockets. I have a limited

lens selection: the Leica has a fixed 24–90mm zoom

lens and for the Olympus I have the kit 14–42 mm and

a 40–150 mm, so I tend to choose one lens at the

beginning of the day based on what I think I will be

photographing and work within the limitations of that.

DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED STYLE/GENRE?

I’ve tried all sorts of things mostly inspired by others’

works. I’ve gone to zoos and channelled my inner

wildlife photographer, tried my hand at interiors,

thought inside the square with Instagram, and

tried landscape and seascape, but I never had a

preference until I did a street photography workshop

with Lesley Whyte last year. That really fired me up

and now I think street is most definitely my thing as it

lends itself so well to capturing the essence of a place

that goes beyond the usual standard tourist shots. As

a journalist, I am drawn to the sort of people I used to

interview, ordinary people doing interesting things –

at work, at play, hanging out, playing music, enjoying

themselves. I also love the thrill of taking a quick shot,

capturing a moment and telling a story.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE SHOT…

I especially love 'The Players' because I nearly didn’t

take it. My husband, Willie, the man in the middle, has

a habit of wandering into my carefully considered

shots, just at that moment when the light is right, the

extraneous people are out of frame and everything

is just perfect. This often creates, shall we say, marital

tension. We were in Avignon, France, and this time,

just to keep the peace, I took the photo. Later when

I was deleting my dud photos, I noticed that his

presence added more vitality to the shot than I had

expected, so I kept it and made a vow to at least try

to be more tolerant of his habit in the future.

NZPhotographer

THE PLAYERS

F14, 1/60s, ISO320

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU OVERCOME IN

PHOTOGRAPHY AND HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

I have had two challenges. Firstly, I really struggled

with the transition from analogue photography

to digital. I simply could not get the settings right

and had to resort to using Auto. All the rules I had

learned with film just didn’t work. Luckily, I happened

on a great online course called Digital Camera

Mastery which covered the absolute basics of digital

photography and I am now back in control.

The other challenge is one I have managed to turn to

my advantage. I am shorter than average and tend

to get stuck at the back of crowds, especially at tourist

destinations. Everyone stands ten deep in front of a

famous statue or painting or landmark, for example,

and I can’t get a decent photo. Once I stopped

trying to battle the crowds, I realised that finding a less

popular vantage point could net me a more interesting

photo than the clichéd touristy postcard one everyone

else has taken. Sometimes incorporating the obstacle

even makes for a great photo, too.

November 2019 45

PHOTO FIT

F3.5, 1/60s, ISO1600

NZPhotographer

November 2019 47

GIN DISTILLERS

F4.5, 1/60s, ISO400

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DAVID’S DARK SIDE

F13, 1/60s, ISO500

November 2019 49

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ADVANTAGES ARE

OF BEING A FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER?

I think that the camera is a creative tool without a

gender bias; technical skill, imagination and creativity

are what make great photos. That said, some of

my greatest inspiration has come from women

photographers, especially Annie Leibovitz with her

celebrity portraits, street photographer Vivian Maier, and

the Depression-era photojournalist Dorothea Lange.

HOW HAVE YOU BENEFITED FROM BEING

PART OF LESLEY WHYTE’S WOMEN IN

PHOTOGRAPHY, WHY IS BEING PART OF AN

ALL-FEMALE GROUP IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Any group that generously shares knowledge and

experience provides a stimulating environment for

its members. Being involved with Lesley Whyte’s

Women in Photography has been a great boost

for my confidence as a photographer. This diverse

group of women photographers is always positive

and encouraging and friendly. Lesley, our esteemed

leader, is dedicated to improving our skills and

is always coming up with new ideas for weekly

challenges, workshops, trips and fun – always fun.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS FOR THE

FUTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY WISE?

I always have a list of things I want to do – learn more

about photo editing, get my photos organised, do

more courses, etc, etc. But mostly, now, I would love

for my worlds to collide and that my writing skills,

passion for photography, and love of languages will

lead to more travel and some opportunities for some

paid travel journalism jobs.

ANY INSPIRING WORDS TO LEAVE US WITH?

My mantra is “Take the photos that please you. Have

fun and love what you do.”

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.instagram.com/ereamellov

www.facebook.com/mivophoto

www.mivophoto.co.nz

albums.excio.io/profile/MiVo

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

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November 2019 51

Piha Beach Cleanup

#PhotographyforGood

by Richard Young

As many of you would agree, New

Zealand is a truly amazing place - it

is a small country on the map, but for

photographers, its landscapes, nature,

and wildlife present endless photo

opportunities. Taking care of the environment and

our nature is an important step that everyone should

take, but especially us photographers as without it, our

photography careers and passion for capturing the

beauty would cease to exist.

When out there taking photos it is our chance to help

preserve the beauty not just on the photographs but

also in real life. It’s important to behave responsibly

as photographers, you know the saying, take only

photos, leave only footsteps!

That’s why it was a privilege to join Peak Design

along with a group of 60+ environmentally conscious

photographers on 19th October to clean up Piha

Beach.

It was an exciting event that managed to combine

our passion for photography with doing good and it

was a privilege to be able to capture the fun as well

as some beachscapes whilst getting to know people

and talking photography and the environment

- Photography is truly a universal language and

by spreading good messages and helping the

environment we can all make a difference, one

photo at a time.

This time, we cleared Piha Beach of more than 100

litres of rubbish making the environment not only a

nicer place for us photographers to visit, but more

importantly, a healthier environment for our West

Coast wildlife.

The event was organised by Peak Design who

recently launched their project Climate Neutral which

encourages all brands to take meaningful action on

climate change. This is something we at New Zealand

Photography Workshops take seriously too. This year,

NZPhotographer

in an attempt to reduce the impact of our workshops

and tours, we joined the Abel Tasman Tree Collective

to fund native tree planting and offset our carbon

footprint. We also care deeply for the places we

visit and the wildlife we photograph as it is important

that we can return to photograph this in future years.

Some of the projects we have been involved in this

year also include adopting 2 hectares on the side of

Lake Rotopounamu in Tongariro National Park and

donating to both the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust and

the West Coast Penguin Trust to support the work they

do to look after these threatened species.

Incentives always help people get up off the sofa and

out to do good, that’s why Peak Design ran a photo

competition at the same time as the beach clean -

a big congratulations to the winner Lambert Laluz (@

capturedby.thelight) and some of the other entries

that are featured on the following pages.

More events like this will be organised by Peak Design

in the future and of course, NZPW with Excio and

NZPhotographer will continue to share the message

of photographers who are raising awareness and

doing good with their photography so if you’re feeling

inspired, ponder for a moment – How do you do good

when you pick up your camera?

Photos captured on Nikon D850 with an 8-15mm Fish Eye Lens

LAMBERT LALUZ

JONO MCFALL

LYRA ALMONTE

CRAIG ROGERS

MARK WATERSON

PAOLA ROBAYO

RACHELLE GRANT

TOM NECKLEN

LIZ DAVIDSON

SERGIO

NICOLA GUY

ROSE ASCHEBROCK

Building

Connections

by Ana Lyubich

When I was about 10 years old

my Mum gave me a book

about learning to draw for

my birthday - My favourite

image inside was of the

Sydney Opera House. At that time in my

life, growing up on the other side of the

world in Kazakhstan, I had no idea where

that building was or even where Australia

was but I fell in love with that building. I

drew a picture of the Opera House and it

took an almost permanent place on one

of the walls at home. 15 years later nothing

had changed – it was still my favourite

building and it became my dream to visit

that place one day.

That day came when I decided to come

to New Zealand and had a stopover in

Sydney. One of the worst things that can

happen on the day of your flight is falling

sick and I did. It was one of the worst fevers

I’ve ever had, I completely lost my voice

and had a temperature of +39c for several

days but cancelling flights was not an

option. Long story short, two days of travel

and I finally made it to Sydney. Despite my

condition, when I saw the Opera House

it was a magical moment. I can’t quite

describe the feeling I had but I reached

very closely so I could touch one of the

walls and it was like an electric shock.

Almost 8 years later and I still remember

that feeling vividly and will do so for many

years ahead...

How does this story relate to photography?

Well, photographing buildings and

architecture is quite a big challenge for

many of us. While there are a lot of keen

street photography enthusiasts, taking

photos of buildings is not one of the most

popular choices amongst photographers

and can make people anxious as to how to

approach this genre. So here a few tips.

NZPhotographer

November 2019 75

THINK OF WHAT THIS BUILDING MEANS

TO YOU

It’s good if you have a personal connection

with the building like I had with the Opera

House as it becomes more “approachable”.

You don’t have to photograph all of the

building to capture it, you can photograph

parts of it – windows, doors, decorations and

so on. Maybe that window on the second

floor has a special meaning? Maybe that

little crack always captured your attention?

If you don’t have a personal connection

with a building or are not taking the photo

for a particular challenge or task, try doing

some research about it, especially if it’s a

building that is all too easy to overlook. Find

out when it was built, by whom, the original

idea behind it, special design elements

and so forth and see how your perspective

(metaphorically and literally) changes.

ENGAGE ALL YOUR SENSES

If possible, and of course if it is safe, get as

close to the building as possible. Then pause.

Breath, look closely, touch. Is it made of brick

or wood or another material? Is it cold or

warm? Ask yourself – what do I feel?

Sometimes when you see rural derelict houses

you don’t need to engage your senses as

these buildings share their centuries-old

stories with everyone who is passing by. With

industrial buildings however, it can be more

difficult but try to ‘break the walls down’

and see something unusual in the building

whether it is about shapes, sunlight, frames

or other elements. You may also be able to

capture scale in an interesting way and paint

a bigger picture of the building if you have

a chance to distance yourself and find a

new and interesting perspective – a roof or

window view from another building such as a

rooftop cafe may give you new angle.

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS THE POWER OF

CAPTURING MOMENTS AND STOPPING

TIME

If you have an opportunity to photograph

buildings in your own town or while you

are travelling, don’t hesitate and don’t

over think – just do so. We all like seeing

and comparing what the place looked like

50 or 100 years ago and thanks to other

photographers of those times we can do so!

So let’s ‘encapsulate’ history and preserve it

for future generations.

NZPhotographer

November 2019 77

Photography

Unleashed

PHOTO COMPETITION

Submit your long exposure photos by 10 January 2020

to be in to win an Unleashed smart camera control

plus other great prizes.

How much do you dare to expose?

Check Out Now

NZPhotographer Issue 25, November 2019

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