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Transcript of AIPP Journal - July 2016
Issue 243 July 2016
Kerry Martin’s Fine Art of Pet Photography...Is The Fujifilm X-Pro2 A Serious Pro Camera?How To Search In LightroomShould All Professional Photographers Make Prints?
2
AIPP JOURNAL is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).
Editor Peter Eastway
APP.L, G.M. Photog., FNZIPP, Hon. FAIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, FAIPP
Disclaimer The information provided in The Working Pro and associated publica-
tions is made in good faith, but is general in nature. Neither the editor, the publisher
or the AIPP accept responsibility for or will be under any liability for any recommen-
dations, representations or information provided herein. The AIPP JOURNAL presents
information, opinions and suggestions for subscribers to evaluate in coming to their
own decisions in the light of their own individual circumstances. The information
should not be relied upon without readers first obtaining independent advice from
their own financial and legal advisers.
Unless otherwise noted, all articles are written by Peter Eastway.
Publication The newsletter is published 10 times a year – monthly with November/
December and January/February being combined.
The AIPP JOURNAL newsletter is published by Pt 78 Pty Ltd,
ABN 75 003 152 136, PO Box 351, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097, Australia.
Phone: (02) 9971 6857; Fax (02) 9971 6641.
E-mail [email protected]
AIPP Membership Contacts
Suite G.02, 171 Union Road,
Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127
Phone: 03 9888 4111
E-mail: [email protected]
Cover
Vicki Papas APP AAIPP2015 AIPP AUSTRALIAN FASHION
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
4 Vittorio Natoli, AIPP National PresidentWestern Australia’s Vittorio Natoli APP.L, M.Photog. has shouldered the role of AIPP National President with some clear directions for the future and acknowledgement of all the work done by the previous Board.
8 Mercury Megaloudis - Board MemberA passionate photographer, a past AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year, and well known for his zest for life, Mercury Megaloudis APP.L, G.M. Photog. has joined the AIPP Board with the goal of making a difference - and bringing back both education and fun.
10 David Glazebrook - Board MemberLet’s build on the aspirational nature of AIPP membership, suggests one of our latest additions to the AIPP Board, Master of Photography and Blue Mountains resident, David Glazebrook, APP, M.Photog.
12 Facebook’s New AIPP CommunityOkay, it’s not new, but it’s brand new! And it’s a member-only benefit where AIPP members can talk to other members in the privacy of their own Facebook Group. Peter Myers explains.
CONTENTS
3
14 The ABC of Pet PhotographyKerry Martin APP, AAIPP of Akemi Photography was the 2015 AIPP Australian Pet/Animal Photographer of the Year, so she has a few ideas about what it takes to get the most out of her subjects. Here she reveals some of her hard earned ‘secrets’ for capturing expressions that sell.
24 Knocking The Productivity CommissionIf ever there were an example of bureaucracy taking a wrong path, it is the recent Productivity Commission’s report on suggested changes to copyright. As Chris Shain APP points out, this report must be stopped!
28 Joshua Holko On APPADid you hear about what happened at APPA? APPA is the most discussed event in the AIPP and everyone has an opinion. Joshua Holko APP M. Photog. chats to Peter Eastway about a range of issues, from judge training to reining in scores for multiple images.
36 Why Do Prints Score Less At Nationals?From time to time, a print with a great score at the Epson State Awards will get a lower score at the national APPAs. If we’re supposed to have a single Australian standard, why does this happen? Is it normal? And who is right?
38 Real Photographers Make PrintsHere’s a challenge for the photography profession: To be a professional, you need to offer your clients prints. If you can’t have prints made from your files, then you need to update your skills so you can. Without the ability to make prints, our profession will never survive!
44 How To Easily Search In LightroomLocating a photograph needn’t be like searching for a needle in a haystack – if you follow a few simple steps with Lightroom. However, Lightroom requires text, words or ratings for its search function to work its best, so start by providing this information when you import and edit your images – and then searching is easy! Here’s how it all works...
48 Broad & Short LightingNow that we understand the terms ‘broad’ and ‘short’ lighting, when do you put them into effect? The answer depends on what you want to create as a photographer, but these examples will give you a quick idea of what – and what doesn’t – work so well!
50 Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Is It Professional?The new breed of mirrorless cameras have most of the features of a fully blown DSLR, but less size and weight. Are they only designed for enthusiasts, or are they now truly contenders for a professional photographer’s camera bag?
ISSUE 243 / JULY 2016
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Vittorio Natoli, AIPP National PresidentWestern Australia’s Vittorio Natoli APP.L, M.Photog. has shouldered the role of AIPP National President with some clear directions for the future and acknowledgement of all the work done by the previous Board.
It is a great honour to take on the role of
National President of the Australian Institute of
Professional Photography.
I look forward to continuing the task
of promoting and building what is already
the peak professional body in Australia for
photographers and video producers, and
recognising the needs and interests of
professional image makers in every genre.
INCREASING AWARENESSAs custodian of our AIPP brand, I am passionate
and enthusiastic about supporting the
membership, those entrepreneurial women
and men in their chosen fields of specialisation,
delivering quality imaging to the greater public
and increasing the awareness of the value of
our services.
As image makers become more optimistic
about our value to society, industry and the
arts, our combined strength will continue to
be a shining light for our membership and the
photography profession generally.
I am very excited to be working with the
AIPP Board, the executive team, our national
office, state divisions and the many committees
and sub-committees who volunteer their time
and efforts to nurture our organisation.
SPECIAL THANKSI would like to specially mention our past AIPP
National President, Ross Eason, and to thank
him for his tireless efforts. He has navigated us
through some challenging times and the AIPP is
the stronger for his guidance and advice.
Of course, Ross was not working alone. He
was ably supported by our past Chair Felicity
Biasi, board member Melissa Neumann, ACMP’s
Richard Weinstein and co-opted Board Member
Bruce Williams. I’d like to thank these stalwart
members for their invaluable service.
Our veteran national board member Kylie
Lyons, along with Rocco Ancora and Melinda
Comerford, are now joined by Mercury
Megaloudis and David Glazebrook to complete
our Board of six, a Board that in turn is reliant on
the support of our hard working National Office
staff and our executive officer, Peter Myers.
And I would be remiss not to make mention
of the Board’s special advisors, Rochelle Morris
NEWS
TAGSAIPP Board
5
for the professional video producers, and Chris
Shain for his work in copyright and IP.
Moving forward, the AIPP Board is
committed to increasing the benefits for
our members through the highly successful
Accredited Professional Photographer program,
ensuring the logo is promoted widely to the
community so it becomes the recognised mark
of a true professional, thus further increasing
our credibility and value.
SUSTAINABLE MODELIn terms of delivering member benefits, I
would like to acknowledge the ongoing
support of sponsors and trade affiliates. Their
assistance is greatly appreciated and I hope we
can demonstrate this through our continued
partnerships.
Our National Office has achieved a great
deal over the past few years and while we
have progressed greatly with our internal
organisational structure, it has not happened
without challenges to our culture and our
profession. Technology changes have also been
disruptive, requiring our attention, but we have
more than survived. We have established an
independent and sustainable model which will
enable our future success.
As your representative, I will work with all
our stakeholders to ensure the interests of the
profession are maintained and promoted.
I realise that we, the AIPP, must take the lead
with many issues that are challenging us today,
such as our position in the market, the services
and products we provide, and the high level of
professionalism required.
Collectively, we have the skills, the advice
and the knowledge. All we need to do is use
it. Please familiarise yourself with the many
educational resources my predecessors have
established on the AIPP website, because it
is only with this knowledge that we can be
successful in the future.
APPA & THE EVENTIn the meantime, I am looking forward to
meeting more members and continuing to
grow and improve our Institute.
My first opportunity is likely to be at APPA
or The Event which is being held at the end of
August in Melbourne. If you haven’t yet booked
your tickets, may I suggest you do so now!
We have an amazing program of inspirational
speakers - and that follows the equally amazing
Australian Professional Photography Awards.
See you there!
0400 418 888
MICHAEL GRECCO COMMERCIALDAVID & LUKE EDMONSON PORTRAITURE/INSPIRATIONTIM BAUER EDITORIAL PORTIATUREDAVID DECHUMIN PHOTOJOURNALISTIC VICTORIA BEREKMERI & CASSIE EMMETT BIRTHGEOFF COMFORT AERIAL JERRY GHIONIS WEDDINGNATALIE HOWE NEWBORNMARCUS BELL WEDDINGSTEVE SCALONE CREATIVE PROCESSNICK GHIONIS LIGHTINGROCCO ANCORA POST PRODUCTIONMARK DUFFUS COMMERCIAL/BUSINESSGLENN GIBSON ADVERTISINGKAREN ALSOP POST PRODUCTIONALAN MOYLE BUSINESSSARA DELPOPOLO LEGAL/COPYRIGHTROBYN CAMPBELL BUSINESSROCHELLE & DEAN MORRIS VIDEORUSSELL BARTON BUSINESSNICK RAINS TRAVEL/DOCUMENTARYAND MORE...
THEEVENT
2016 NIKON AIPP
27TH 31ST AUGUST 2016
melbourne
THEEVENT
2016 NIKON AIPP
melbournemelbourne
27th August-31st August 2016melbourne
2 7 t h A u g u s t - 3 1 s t A u g u s t 2 0 1 6
melbourne2 7 t h A u g u s t - 3 1 s t A u g u s t 2 0 1 6
P U L L M A N M E L B O U R N E A L B E R T P A R K
SPEAKERS
EARLY BIRD BOOKINGS OPEN WWW.AIPPTHEEVENT.AIPP.COM.AUIMAGES LEFT TO RIGHT: DAVID EDMONSON, NICK RAINS, LUKE EDMONSON, ADREW CAMPBELL, KAREN ALSOP, MICHAEL GRECCO, ROCCO ANCORA, DAVID DECHUMIN, NATALIE HOWE, GLENN GIBSON, TIM BAUER, CASSIE EMMETT, NICK GHIONIS, GEOFF COMFORT, JERRY GHIONIS, MARCUS BELL, ROCHELLE & DEAN MORRIS, MARK DUFFUS, ALAN MOYLE, ROBYN CAMPBELL, VICTORIA BEREKMERI, SARA DELPOPOLO, RUSSELL BARTON, STEVE SCALONE, KAREN ASLOP AND DAVID DCHUMIN.DON’T MISS OUT - BOOK NOW!
MICHAEL GRECCO COMMERCIALDAVID & LUKE EDMONSON PORTRAITURE/INSPIRATIONTIM BAUER EDITORIAL PORTIATUREDAVID DECHUMIN PHOTOJOURNALISTIC VICTORIA BEREKMERI & CASSIE EMMETT BIRTHGEOFF COMFORT AERIAL JERRY GHIONIS WEDDINGNATALIE HOWE NEWBORNMARCUS BELL WEDDINGSTEVE SCALONE CREATIVE PROCESSNICK GHIONIS LIGHTINGROCCO ANCORA POST PRODUCTIONMARK DUFFUS COMMERCIAL/BUSINESSGLENN GIBSON ADVERTISINGKAREN ALSOP POST PRODUCTIONALAN MOYLE BUSINESSSARA DELPOPOLO LEGAL/COPYRIGHTROBYN CAMPBELL BUSINESSROCHELLE & DEAN MORRIS VIDEORUSSELL BARTON BUSINESSNICK RAINS TRAVEL/DOCUMENTARYAND MORE...
THEEVENT
2016 NIKON AIPP
27TH 31ST AUGUST 2016
melbourne
THEEVENT
2016 NIKON AIPP
melbournemelbourne
27th August-31st August 2016melbourne
2 7 t h A u g u s t - 3 1 s t A u g u s t 2 0 1 6
melbourne2 7 t h A u g u s t - 3 1 s t A u g u s t 2 0 1 6
P U L L M A N M E L B O U R N E A L B E R T P A R K
SPEAKERS
EARLY BIRD BOOKINGS OPEN WWW.AIPPTHEEVENT.AIPP.COM.AUIMAGES LEFT TO RIGHT: DAVID EDMONSON, NICK RAINS, LUKE EDMONSON, ADREW CAMPBELL, KAREN ALSOP, MICHAEL GRECCO, ROCCO ANCORA, DAVID DECHUMIN, NATALIE HOWE, GLENN GIBSON, TIM BAUER, CASSIE EMMETT, NICK GHIONIS, GEOFF COMFORT, JERRY GHIONIS, MARCUS BELL, ROCHELLE & DEAN MORRIS, MARK DUFFUS, ALAN MOYLE, ROBYN CAMPBELL, VICTORIA BEREKMERI, SARA DELPOPOLO, RUSSELL BARTON, STEVE SCALONE, KAREN ASLOP AND DAVID DCHUMIN.
8
Mercury Megaloudis - Board MemberA passionate photographer, a past AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year, and well known for his zest for life, Mercury Megaloudis APP.L, G.M. Photog. has joined the AIPP Board with the goal of making a difference - and bringing back both education and fun.
Mercury knows that the AIPP has changed.
When president of the Victorian division, his
thing was to do a monthly newsletter, run a
monthly meeting and put on a great state
awards. “If you did that, everything just worked”,
he said.
However, today he believes the Institute
needs a change in direction and he’s taken
some leads from the NZIPP’s national president,
Katherine Williams - who coincidentally has just
won the 2016 NZIPP Professional Photographer
of the Year Award.
“Recently I spent five hours with Katherine.
We were driving to a wedding in the country
and for most of the trip, she was organizing
the NZIPP awards, liaising with sponsors and
working out what meals everyone would have.
She was completely hands on and she inspired
me so much, that I put my hand up to join the
AIPP Board.”
Mercury has already given a lot to the
Institute, but he was concerned that many
of his friends were leaving. Some of them are
simply retiring, others saw the Institute moving
in a different direction, but from Mercury’s
perspective, the Institute is all about contacts
and friendships. He wants to retain them.
“I think one of the reasons these members
are leaving is that the creativity and fun have
disappeared. It’s something the NZIPP has
rediscovered and I think that’s what we have to
do, too.”
However, Mercury fully understands that the
Institute isn’t only about fun. In addition, there’s
an invaluable exchange of advice that makes
the difference between success and failure.
“When I was a young photographer, I’d
attend seminars by international photographers
like Monte Zucker and Anne Geddes. Not only
did they show you how they created great
photographs, they gave you material on how to
market yourself and how to bring work in.
“I don’t think there is enough of this
type of education today. I’m told many new
photographers only last three to five years in
the industry and that’s partly because we’re not
teaching them enough about business.”
We welcome Mercury to the Board!
TAGSAIPP Board
NEWS
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Mercury’s experience and expertise as a wedding and portrait photographer can be seen above in the perfect placement of his light in a day-to-day portrait sitting. The studio is not dead - in fact, it is making a strong comeback!
10
David Glazebrook - Board MemberLet’s build on the aspirational nature of AIPP membership, suggests one of our latest additions to the AIPP Board, Master of Photography and Blue Mountains resident, David Glazebrook, APP, M.Photog.
One wonders what tempts David to ever leave
his home in the beautiful Blue Mountains,
just outside Sydney. Yet you’ll often find him
travelling to photograph weddings, commercial
jobs and landscapes. And now you’ll also see
him travelling to AIPP Board Meetings!
David is one of our two new AIPP Board
Members. He has a strong association with
his local NSW division and he is a passionate
supporter of APPA. Himself a Master of
Photography, he has been picking up Silver
and Gold awards since 2011 and was awarded
the AIPP NSW Science, Environment & Nature
Photographer of the Year in 2013.
However, David has a good balance
between his passion for photography and
seeing photography as a business and as his
profession
“There’s no doubt the profession has
changed dramatically in the last five years or
so. I think the AIPP may once have been seen
as a ‘boys’ club’, but now there are more female
members - and there are also more parttime
members than fulltime.”
Whether fulltime or parttime, David doesn’t
see this new reality as a problem as long as all
members run their businesses professionally.
“The AIPP needs to embrace the changes
happening within our profession so we can
remain relevant.”
However, that doesn’t mean a lowering of
standards in any way. “I want membership of
the AIPP to be aspirational. If you’re in there,
it’s because membership has a value. It has
knowledge, education, financial benefits and
camaraderie. If you’re going to have a crack
at becoming a professional photographer,
whether parttime or fulltime, joining the AIPP
should be an essential step. And just because
you only shoot on the weekend doesn’t mean
you should only charge half price - we need the
public as well as our members to understand
the value of what we produce.”
David sees great opportunities for
helping members to be better with their
pricing, negotiating and creating a product
that separates them from non-professional
photographers. “With the Board’s help, I’d
like to add to the aspirational nature of AIPP
membership.”
TAGSAIPPBoard
NEWS
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•
D a v i d G l a z e b r o o k A P P M . P h o t o g .
12
Facebook’s New AIPP CommunityOkay, it’s not new, but it’s brand new! And it’s a member-only benefit where AIPP members can talk to other members in the privacy of their own Facebook Group. Peter Myers explains.
According to the AIPP’s Executive Officer,
Peter Myers, “The Board has always grappled
with the AIPP’s presence on social media and
how we deal with different types of posts and
comments.
“Around six years ago we began with the
AIPP National Facebook page and that now
has around 24k followers. It has a fairly active
following, too, and is a good platform for the
AIPP - but it is also completely public.”
Seeing how successful the AIPP National
Facebook page was, most of the state councils
and committees also set up their own
Facebook page. “Even Eric Victor has his own
AIPP mentoring group page on Facebook”,
explained Peter, “which is great in one way,
but challenging in another because all the
information isn’t available in the one place.”
FACEBOOK“The world of community and group forums
has changed in recent years and by default,
Facebook appears to have replaced the old
fashioned forums and bulletin boards. However,
rather than every state council and committee
having their own separate groups with limited
reach, we have created a new AIPP national
group – the AIPP Community – with a national
reach to every member of the AIPP.”
The AIPP Community is a closed group. Only
AIPP members, including educational and trade
partners, will have access – and that’s why Peter
is calling it ‘the AIPP community’.
If you are reading this, you should already
have received an email inviting you to join (If
not, check your Trash folder or contact National
Office). Members will have access for as long as
they are financial members of the AIPP – lapsed
members will be removed from the group.
“It allows us to lock down the
communication to members only, something
we haven’t been able to do before. There will
be guidelines, of course, but essentially the
new group can be used for anything a member
wants to discuss.”
So, how do you get involved? If you’re a
member, simply search for and visit the AIPP
Community on Facebook. Join up! Then
bookmark the page in your browser and add it
to your favourites in Facebook.
TAGSAIPPFacebookCommunit y
NEWS
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14
TAGSPetsAnimalsPor t fo l io
FEATURES
The ABC of Pet PhotographyKerry Martin APP, AAIPP of Akemi Photography was the 2015 AIPP Australian Pet/Animal Photographer of the Year, so she has a few ideas about what it takes to get the most out of her subjects. Here she reveals some of her hard earned ‘secrets’ for capturing expressions that sell.
Kerry Martin specialises in capturing the
connection that animal companions, specifically
dogs, and their humans share. And when you
hear how passionate she is about her subjects,
you begin to understand why her clients love
her work and refer her too.
“I photograph in my Melbourne based
studio and offer on-location and destination
photo sessions. This approach gives me great
flexibility with the dogs that I photograph – to
capture their personality, the things they love to
do with their people and to customise what my
clients would love to have at the end.
“I approach my photography as a dog lover,
so the most important part of my photography
is meeting with the dog and their people,
learning as much as I can about them, their
connection, the time they spend together and
the ‘must have’ photos.
“I also discuss the type of photography or
finished art that they are looking to enjoy when
they display the results on their walls. All of this
information helps us plan their unique photo
experience.”
Kerry says she has photographed dogs and their
people in a variety of locations and finds that
by choosing exciting environments, such as the
snow for her Aussie Snow Dogs Retreats, she’s
able to capture a variety of emotion, light and
action.
ALL AROUND“Dogs seem to enjoy my company, as much as I
do theirs, so we work well together. Throughout
my career, I’ve learnt that some dogs need a
quiet and calm approach, while others thrive
on enthusiasm to get the best out of their
photography session.”
Kerry grew up on a five acre property, so
she always had pets and animals around her as
photography subjects. Throughout her twenties,
she travelled quite a bit, including hiking the
battlefields of Turkey and remote parts of Papua
New Guinea, and seeing the contrast between
imperial and communist Russia and so much
more.
“A camera was a must-have for these travels. I
am mostly self-taught and began taking photos
15Bernese Mountain Dog, Alfie. Photography by Kerry Martin
16
for friends and family. After a few photography
sessions that included dogs and pets, and with
welcoming my own dog into the family, I soon
realised pet photography was my happiest
place.
“That’s when I founded Akemi Photography
and chose to specialise in pet photography.
“I am always looking for ways to grow and
evolve my photography and I’m constantly
reading about other photographers’
17
experiences and tips to setup and create
beautiful photos.
“While I love the opportunity to meet and
photograph any dog, my favourite place for
photography is in the beauty of a snow covered
alpine environment. It’s wonderful fun and
Old English Sheepdog, Douglas. Photography by Kerry Martin. Gold with Distinction. Cropped slightly here to fit the layout.
18
my clients love the photos. Not only do they
have their dog captured in a great location, but
they also have the memories of the experience
of heading away together to somewhere so
amazing.”
IN THE SNOWCertainly Kerry has nailed her technique as
evidenced by her recent competition successes,
including the 2015 AIPP Australian Pet/Animal
Photographer of the Year.
Her photograph of an old English sheep
dog named Douglas (photographed in the
snow - see previous page) was announced as
the highest scoring print in its category and
one of only a handful of prints to be awarded a
Gold With Distinction at the Awards that year.
She more recently won the 2016 AIPP Epson
Victorian Pet/Animal Photographer of the Year.
“My camera gear is all Canon. I use the EOS
5D Mk III and a mix of lens. My favourite lens
in the studio is the 35mm because it’s a good
focal length for my set up and it’s super quick to
focus which you need when working with dogs.
“On location, I love to mix it up between the
16-35mm for capturing fun and quirky wide-
angle photos, the 135mm for beautiful soft
backgrounds and the 70-200mm for capturing
the action.”
In the studio Kerry has Elinchrom flash
heads and modifiers, and she says she loves
both her Lowepro backpack and Crumpler
shoulder bag for carrying her gear about. “It
depends on where I am going and what I need
for the photography as to which bag I use for a
particular session.
“The other essential gear is what I use to
work with the dogs – anything that is going to
help capture their attention – treats, squeakers,
balls. I always have a long leash which is
essential if a dog has a tendency to not come
back! Their safety is paramount and a leash can
be removed in post-production if necessary.”
Back at the office, Kerry has a dual screen
Mac and a MacBook Pro for work on location.
She uses Lightroom and Photoshop for her
post-production.
CREATING A STYLEThe photos accompanying this article are
both Kerry’s day-to-day work as well as some
personal work.
“Being based in Melbourne, I love that we
have four seasons. On location, I am looking
to combine the beauty of a seasonal location
with my gorgeous subjects. It’s the snow in
winter, but there are flowers in spring, falling
leaves in autumn and water and beaches in
summer. In the studio, I love to use colour
to catch attention, perhaps a contrasting
colour to highlight the dog’s coat colour, or a
complimentary colour to draw attention to their
eyes or another feature.
“As a dog lover myself, I look for experiences
FEATURES
19
When the opportunity arises, I like to take profile photos of rescue dogs to help them attract the attention of potential adopters. It’s a valuable photography practice and an opportunity to build my understanding of dogs. Lucky, the puppy in this photo, has quite significant scars on his back. I don’t know how he got them, but it was heartbreaking to see such a young pup and to know that he had already experienced pain and cruelty in his life. He was incredibly timid and I had to approach working with him in such a way as to build his trust, in order to take photos that gave him the best opportunity to find a home. It has a happy ending though: beautiful photos and Lucky has found himself a forever home. Photography by Kerry Martin.
20
Above: Australian Shepherd, Barkley. Below: “Alfie and Pippa were looking to their human to throw the ball but lined up perfectly in doing so which gave me the opportunity for this photo. I love how perfectly their body shapes match and, of course, the beautiful sunset at the snow.” Photography by Kerry Martin.
21
and photography opportunities that I would
enjoy with my dogs and that I think other
dog lovers would want to have captured
as memories, so sunrise and sunset create
beautiful lighting and skylines for photography.
“I often take my dogs to places or on walks
where they get the experience and the exercise,
but I can also see if there’s photo potential.
“I was the first photographer in Australia
to offer Aussie Snow Dog Retreats specifically
for photographing dogs, their people and the
experience of the visit.
“The photography captures the connection
these clients have with their dog and every
time they look at the photos, it reminds them of
the fun and experience they had in visiting the
snow.
“Following the wonderful results and
feedback from the Snow Dogs, I was inspired to
launch destinations for all four seasons.
PRACTICAL ISSUES“Scheduling sessions is important. The best
times are first thing in the morning or just
before and after sunset. If there’s no option
but to work in the middle of the day, then I am
hopeful for some cloud cover or nice areas of
open shade.
“My studio set up and lighting technique
is intentionally simple because when working
with dogs, there is a limited window in which
they are interested and responsive to what I am
doing. If I were fussing with lighting equipment
during a session, I would be missing the
FEATURES
Photography by Kerry Martin.
22
moments way too often.
“I do minimal post-processing in Lightroom,
while more major jobs such as removing
objects such as leashes or background clean-
ups are done in Photoshop. I frequently use
the Nik and Totally Rad Lab plugins to quickly
enhance my photos in Photoshop.”
Kerry says she also uses three or four
Lightroom pre-sets that she has developed for
different environments to speed up her post-
production.
“I run these as I import the files and then
tweak from there as required.”
And at the end of the process, Kerry offers a
personal preview and artwork consultation for
her clients.
“At this appointment I show my clients
a gallery of photos that I have prepared for
them (all are edited) and some wall art design
ideas based on what they indicated they
would like at their earlier design consultation
appointment.”
While Kerry is undoubtedly passionate about
her subjects, she seems equally aware of the
importance in setting up a structured business
that is also designed to support her.
Kerry Martin Akemi Photography
Website: www.akemiphotography.com.au
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/akemiphotography
Instagram: instagram.com/akemiphotos
FEATURES
“My Japanese Spitz, Keiko, taken in the Sugar Pine Forest near Batlow, NSW.” Photography by Kerry Martin.
23
Photography by Kerry Martin.
24
Knocking The Productivity CommissionIf ever there were an example of bureaucracy taking a wrong path, it is the recent Productivity Commission’s report on suggested changes to copyright. As Chris Shain APP points out, this report must be stopped!
The Productivity Commission’s Draft
Recommendations on intellectual property
arrangements appear to be ideologically
driven, designed to protect consumers and not
creators, and if implemented, would be very
detrimental to the livelihood of AIPP members.
On 27 June 2016, Chris Shain attended
a public hearing hosted by the Productivity
Commission where he and several other
representatives put forward their contrary
views. It’s not just photographers who would be
affected, but everyone from authors with books
to big businesses with patents.
CONSUMER, NOT CREATORAt the heart of the problem is the apparent
desire by the Commission to protect
the consumer and drive down prices for
photography, music and literature. Funny, $10
for a book or $2 for a song doesn’t seem too
expensive in the first place? Compare what
creative people provide with the cost of a cup
of coffee and it is ludicrous to suggest that small
time creatives like professional photographers
are gouging the public.
Explained Chris to the Commission, “The
Copyright Act works okay as it is right now.
Consumers can make a copy of their DVDs and
school kids have very fair access to copyright
material, so what problem is the Productivity
Commission trying to solve?”
One of the suggestions from the
Productivity Commission was the introduction
of ‘fair use’ along the lines of the provisions in
the USA today. However, if there’s one thing
that fires up photographers who understand
copyright, it’s how damaging ‘fair use’ is to our
profession.
Continued Chris in his presentation to the
Commission, “Photography is a very widely used
creative medium. There is an insatiable appetite
for good quality visual material in the online
world, but not all photography is equal. There
are many examples of significant moments
in history that are marked very strongly
and effectively by a professionally captured
photograph and our society would be a much
poorer place without images like these.
“Today everyone has iPhones and crowd
sourcing of news imagery is widely used,
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but even so, if our society wants to record
something properly, from a new bridge to a
stillbirth, then a professional photographer is
called in.”
If the ‘fair use’ provisions were brought
into Australia, there is a genuine concern that
copyright creators could lose up to $1 billion
a year in revenue - and some of that would be
lost by professional photographers.
WHAT IS FAIR USE?According to the U.S. Copyright Office, ‘fair use’
promotes freedom of expression by permitting
the unlicensed use of copyright-protected
works in certain circumstances - such as
criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching,
scholarship and research.
However, this is such a vague definition that
it is difficult to prove that unlicensed use isn’t
‘fair use’, thus opening the doors for anyone to
use any copyright-protected material.
Take the experience of Australia’s own
Peter Coulson. His photograph of model Alice
Kelson, posted by Kelson on Instagram, was
appropriated by US based artist Richard Prince
and exhibited as part of Prince’s exhibition. In
fact, Prince had used 37 Instagram images for
the exhibition and one was reportedly sold for
over $100,000.
Suffice to say Peter Coulson was not happy
and nor was another photographer Donald
Graham who is currently in legal proceedings
against Prince. However, how many
photographers have the time or the financial
resources to contest a case like this? And the
fact that an artist like Prince is trying to rely on
the ‘fair use’ provisions indicates how fraught
the legislation is.
Said Chris Shain, “I’m a working professional
photographer, freelancing for 40 years and my
income is based on my ability to control the
copyright in my work. There are many situations
in which copyright is the ONLY way I can make
money from my work.”
Introduction of the ‘fair use’ provisions, Chris
explained, would make it too easy for people
to use photographs without permission – and
without any likelihood of being taken to court
by the photographer because the outcome
would be so uncertain.
Chris added that the Commission seemed
to confuse large corporate companies who
demand to own copyright and small, individual
creators, who also need to own copyright.
“It appears many of the Commission’s
recommendations are trying to give consumers
free and uncomplicated access to content on
their phones and screens, but this is incredibly
simplistic.
“As a small time content creator, I’m equally
affected by these proposals because they will
limit my ability to earn an income.”
The Productivity Commission has yet to
respond to the June round of presentations.
NEWS
Fur ther I nfoYou can read the Produc t iv i t y Commiss ion repor t here : ht tp : //www.pc.gov.au/inqui r ies/cur rent/inte l lec tua l -proper t y/draf t
The AIPP ’s response can be found here : ht tp : //www.pc.gov.au/inqui r ies/cur rent/inte l lec tua l -proper t y/submiss ions#post-draf t
The AIPP At Work
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Joshua Holko On APPADid you hear about what happened at APPA? APPA is the most discussed event in the AIPP and everyone has an opinion. Joshua Holko APP M. Photog. chats to Peter Eastway about a range of issues, from judge training to reining in scores for multiple images.
With APPA just around the corner, many
questions and issues are raised on social media
and in general conversation alike. The AIPP
Journal had a chat with Victorian nature and
wilderness photographer Joshua Holko, sharing
his thoughts on some of the challenges facing
entrants and judges alike.
DIPTYCHS, TRIPTYCHS AND MORE...There has been a trend in recent years for
multiple images to be scored highly, perhaps
more highly than the photography in the
individual photos deserves. Is this a reasonable
criticism?
Suggested Joshua, “We’re all looking for
new ways to present our work that is unique
and different, and that’s great, but it doesn’t
automatically mean that it is good. If a group
of photographs on a matte are mediocre
individually, should they score highly because
of their graphic design?”
It is only natural that judges will have their
interest piqued when presented with a multi-
image entry in a sea of single images, but
should they be looking past the presentation to
the quality of the photographs themselves?
“This aspect of the Awards really interested
me, so I made a series of photographs of a polar
bear I had photographed with a motor drive,
in slightly different positions, and printed them
up as though I were entering them to APPA. I
asked myself, ‘Does this series add to the story,
or should one photograph be enough?’
“If an image isn’t strong enough on its own,
does adding one or two more images make the
presentation any better? What happens if we
add in ten or twenty? Given APPA is all about
photography and not graphic design, I think in
most cases the single image should be strong
enough on its own, or if multiple images are
presented, then they should all be strong.”
MORE THAN PROFESSIONALJoshua suggested that one of the best things
an APPA entrant can think about is what they
want to achieve from entering.
“Very often at the preliminary critique nights,
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Photography by Joshua Holko
30
I’ll hear a judge complimenting a would-be
entrant’s photograph by suggesting that the
client would love it, but it won’t win an award.
“APPA is not rewarding what we do daily
for a living”, explained Joshua. Given these are
‘professional photography awards’, one might
expect that this is exactly what APPA should be
rewarding - and it does. A score between 70
and 79 gives entrants the feedback that they
have produced a professional quality image.
WHAT IS AN AWARD IMAGE?But it’s not an ‘award image’. An award
image is not only professional in quality and
presentation, it has another level of creativity
and impact that sometimes impresses other
photographers more than our clients. It is an
aspirational award.
Continued Joshua, “Many entrants are
creating photographs specifically for the
Awards - and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
However, it also means that good quality
professional work is not always going to be
enough to earn a Silver”.
However, Joshua is the first to acknowledge
that there can be times when two or more
photographs are certainly better than one.
“There was an entry last year, presented like a
proof sheet with 36 images and the best one
circled in red. I thought this was clever because
the photographer have given some thought
on how to present his best work. It wasn’t just
a collage of 36 or so photographs, but a story
about the best one.
“How we present our work to the judges
is critically important, and this worked for me,
but there were also instances where a group
of average photos seemed to be rewarded for
graphic design, not photography. I’m not sure
the judges got this quite right.”
WHO DETERMINES WHAT IS GOOD?All photography is subjective, but in the context
of a professional awards system, there are some
basic aspects of craft and technique that must
be satisfied. You have to achieve a high standard
of exposure, focus, lighting and presentation. It
is expected. From here, it comes down to the
experience of the judges in placing an entry
into the context of contemporary photography.
Based on all the other photographs entered
into the Awards this year and in previous years,
where does this entry sit?
Added Joshua, “Being an APPA judge is a
huge responsibility. It’s not only an honour, in
some way’s it’s a burden because you owe it to
the entrants to do a proper job. As a judge, you
need to familiarize yourself with the work of
previous years, and also more widely around the
world in the genres you will judge. At the very
least, an APPA judge should go through the
previous year’s Awards (either online or in the
book), so they can get a feeling for where the
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Gold with Distinction
100 Exceptional vision, creativity and innovation. Remarkable technique. Encompasses excellence in all assessment criteria.
99
98
97
96
95
Gold Award 94 Outstanding visual communication, interpretation and emotional impact. Remarkable technique.93
92
91
90
Silver with Distinction
89 Professional excellence. Superior visual communication, imagination, craft and skill.88
87
86
85
Silver Award 84 Exceeds normal professional practice, with high levels of communication, imagination, craft and skill.
83
82
81
80
Professional Standard
79 Approaching award level
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77-70 Average to very good professional practice, but does not meet AIPP Award criteria.
Approaching Professional
Standard
69-60 Meets professional standards in some areas, but needs work in others. Entrant is on the way to achieving a professional standard.
More Work Required
59-50 Does not yet exhibit the basic standards required of professional practice.
ProfessionalismA high standard in:• Exposure• Focus• Colour• Lighting• Posing and styling • Composition and image design• Attention to detail• Post-production• Printing• Presentation
Judge Assessment Criteria• Communication and narrative skills• Imagination• Innovation• Visual and emotional impact• Technique• Lighting• Composition & image design• Timing, anticipation• Processing, post-production and presentation
Judge's Assessment Guide
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32Photography by Joshua Holko
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standard lies, what has been done before, what
is new and different.
THE RIGHT TO JUDGE“How can I as a judge give honest feedback
unless I am familiar with what’s happening in
photography? I owe it to the entrant to have as
much knowledge as I can.
“At the State Awards, we have a smaller pool
of judges and I think that accounts for some
of the differences in scores between State and
National awards. However, just because you’re
a Master of Photography doesn’t automatically
give you the right to be a judge. I believe that
first you need to demonstrate a strong core
knowledge of the genres you want to judge.
“We have recently had judge training and
that is great, but I think it was more focused on
mutual respect while the big issue of judges’
knowledge remains underplayed.”
Judges are invited onto a panel because
they add to a collective pool of experience and
opinion. Not all judges think the same way and
that’s an important part of the system. That’s
why there are five judges, not just one.
“Personally, I think we are in danger of being
tagged the Australian Photoshop Awards. I think
it would be unfortunate for us to be seen in this
light because surely we are photographers, not
re-touchers? This doesn’t mean I don’t have the
greatest respect for what other people do, but I
am very much an in-camera artist.
“However, I do get irked when I see images
that are a composite, but they are not disclosed
as such. For instance, you see a beautiful
photograph of Patagonia with some amazing
clouds, but it’s not disclosed as a composite. It’s
important for us to be honest with our viewer.
WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?“In the landscape category, there used to be
a distinction between composite and non-
composite images, but that has gone now.
However, as a judge, I want to know what I am
looking at, whether something is a composite
or a single image because it makes a difference.”
And it certainly does, but Joshua concedes
that this is why there are different rules for
different categories. For instance, composite
landscape are not allowed into the Science,
Wildlife and Wild Places.
“In conversation with Darren Jew recently,
we agreed that judges can’t take into account
the degree of difficulty in capture. If I shot
a polar bear after 10 minutes or five days,
how could a judge know by looking at the
photograph? I think all a judge can do is assess
what is put in front of them - and that’s why
it was helpful to know whether images were
single captures or composites.”
Joshua noted that it can be difficult for
judges to remove their biases completely, but
judging a print isn’t a matter of ‘liking’ or ‘not
liking’ it.
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“At a critique night recently, I was presented
with a birth category entry which, for me, was
very confronting. It’s not something that I ‘like’,
but the image was incredibly powerful and I
scored it a Silver with Distinction. As a judge, it’s
really important to remove the ‘like’ and ‘don’t
like’. We’re there to see if the photographer has
demonstrated a level of skill above professional
standard. Have they taken that next step into
Award territory - even if we don’t like the
photograph?
“When I sit on a judging panel, I like to look
at the score descriptions because they remind
me what I am looking for in a photograph. It
can help when you’re presented with images
that are very ‘popular’ or ‘trendy’.
“For instances, over the past few years there
have been many aerial photographs winning
awards and many of them are breathtakingly
beautiful. However, as a judge I have to ask
the question: does this entry demonstrate any
real creativity, or is it just a snap out of a plane
window? It’s an interesting question and you
can only answer it on an image by image basis. I
score it highly if it displays exceptional creativity
and is unique, but a lower score if it only
displays something that has been done many
times before.”
FIRST TO MARKETJoshua is referring to the photographer who
is first to market. While in Australia we can
look back on photographers like Richard
Woldendorp as being the father of aerial
photography, more recently it was Jackie
Ranken with her lith printed aerials taken while
upside down in her father’s biplane (Jackie won
the 2002 Australian Professional Photographer
of the Year with this series, followed up in 2005
with the AIPP Australian Photography Book of
the Year).
Jackie was followed more recently by Tony
Hewitt’s highly coloured, square aerials in 2013
and the ND5 group’s 2014 AIPP Australian
Photography Book of the Year of aerials
photographed above Shark Bay, so while the
rush of aerials in following years has produced
some beautiful work, how should it be scored at
APPA?
“It’s tough because, as entrants, you’re
putting in work to be assessed by your peers,
by other professional photographers who are
widely read and experienced. It can be really
hard to find something that’s new and different.
“I think it all comes back to why you entered
the Awards in the first place. Sit back for a
second and consider why you are entering - or
not entering. If you want kudos from winning
awards, I’m not sure that’s a good enough
reason. If you want to know how your work
stacks up against the profession generally, I
can certainly understand that. If it’s to assist
you in your development as a professional
photographer, then that’s an excellent reason.”
AWARDSAWARDS
35
“The secret to photographic technique is layers, and that’s whether you use Photoshop or Lightroom.”
How To Master Layers is a series of video/article presentations by Peter Eastway.
To purchase and view on your computer, visit:
www.betterphotography.com
$6.49 each or $19.95 for all four titles
If you download the files from the website, they will not play properly on the iPad.
How To Master Photoshop Layers
36
Why Do Prints Score Less At Nationals?From time to time, a print with a great score at the Epson State Awards will get a lower score at the national APPAs. If we’re supposed to have a single Australian standard, why does this happen? Is it normal? And who is right?
When discussing the AIPP’s photography
awards programs, I often begin with the
comment that all photography award and
competition results are subjective.
We have five human beings giving an
opinion about the value of the print.
They are expert opinions, but as we know in
all walks of life, different experts can have quite
different opinions. It shouldn’t surprise us this is
the same in photography - and that’s why we
have five judges, not one.
This is also why our Awards are represented
by a range of scores. It’s hard to say one print is
worth 82 and another must be better at 83. It’s
much fairer to say both prints are Silver awards
because, at the end of the day, the difference
between 82 and 83 is relatively meaningless.
Of course, the difference between 79 and
80 is professional standard versus Silver Award
standard. One point can be very important.
So, granted there is variability in the scores
we receive, but why do the scores at the State
awards appear to be higher than those at
Nationals? With all the judge training we have
had, why aren’t the results more even from one
awards to the next?
There are many reasons, but it’s probably
easier to agree that it is a little harder at the
National Awards, just like the swimming or
tennis becomes harder between state and
national events.
However, the vast majority of prints receive
similar scores. If you scored 83 or 84 at State,
usually you’d get a Silver at Nationals too.
Statistically, it is unusual for a print to get Gold
at State and nothing at Nationals, but it has
happened. I don’t have an answer why.
The National awards have a larger pool of
more experienced judges and, overall, their
standards are higher. Your work has to be good
to impress them.
And there’s also the chance that a print
judged at Nationals has already been seen at
the State awards - and so there is less impact if a
judge is seeing it the second time.
It shouldn’t make a difference, but perhaps
it does. As I said, the judges are human and all
competition results are somewhat subjective.
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TAGSBus inessPr ints
FEATURES
Real Photographers Make PrintsHere’s a challenge for the photography profession: To be a professional, you need to offer your clients prints. If you can’t have prints made from your files, then you need to update your skills so you can. Without the ability to make prints, our profession will never survive!
Everyone who picks up a camera thinks they
are a photographer, so how do professional
photographers stand apart? What makes them
different to someone with an expensive, fully
automatic camera set to program mode?
Answer: Prints.Now before you stop reading and think this
is a load of rubbish, please spend a couple of
minutes considering my thoughts and see if you
agree. I’m not saying your clients have to buy
prints, but I am suggesting you have to offer
prints as part of your work as a professional.
ONLY PRINTS LASTLet’s begin with domestic photographers - such
as wedding and family portrait photographers.
We know that the majority of our clients
engage our services because, deep down,
they expect the photographs to last a lifetime.
Most of us have family photos of our parents or
grandparents we can relate to, but what will our
shoot-and-burn clients have in 10 or 20 years’
time, let alone a couple of generations?
Let’s look at the facts. In the history of
computers and digital storage, we have seen
constant change.
The floppy disks some of us remember can
no longer be read and there are many formats
that are no longer available. Many computers
today don’t have CD/DVD drives, so how long
will our recent clients have access to their files
(assuming the media is still readable)?
And while we have cloud storage today,
it will only take one company to go out of
business to shake apart this brave new world as
well.
Historically, nothing in the digital realm has
survived as long as a photographic print. Yes,
there are limitations with prints as well, but
kept in an album or drawer like many important
family keepsakes, they will last a lot longer than
digital files.
Note, I am talking about how clients are
likely to behave. They are unlikely to make
multiple backups of their digital files every few
years to refresh their data, so it is up to us to
recommend a medium that is most likely to
last the two, three or more generations that our
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fact or fiction?
To be a Professional Photographer
you need to be able to make
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clients expect.
We should be recommending prints.
Some clients won’t want them. That’s
fine! We can’t force our clients to buy prints,
but we can offer them. It also gives us an
opportunity to explain that if they want their
grandchildren to look at the photographs they
are commissioning today, they need to have
prints. They can still have digital files, the prints
are provided as an addition.
WHAT ABOUT COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS?Commercial, advertising, fashion and stock
photographers don’t make a lot of prints these
days, but their clients sometimes turn their files
into printed matter (even if we acknowledge
most uses are web based).
One of the reasons for suggesting all
professional photographers offer prints is to
impose a minimum image standard.
A lot of images I see that are provided to
clients as digital files are below professional
standard - and naturally I’m excluding AIPP
Accredited Professional Photographers from this
statement!
To be printed, a file needs a basic level of
processing for density, contrast and colour that
makes it appropriate for printing - and many
other applications.
Let’s ensure all the files we send to clients
are of ‘print’ standard, whether or not they will
be turned into a print or just used on a website.
It’s a quality thing.
DIFFERENT GOAL POSTSMany professionals correctly believe that
their quality of work sets them apart as
photographers. I have no doubt it does, but our
problem is convincing our clients.
The world’s population is already taking
photos with their phones and they are loving
the results. Why would they need a professional
photograph when their phone does everything
that they need? Or they think they need.
We know that the majority of those phone
photographs won’t last. They will be lost forever
when the owner loses the phone, changes
phone carrier or stops paying their cloud
storage fees.
So when someone does make the effort
to approach a professional photographer, it
must be for an important reason. They expect
our image quality will be good because we’re
professionals. However, they possibly won’t care
whether our quality is much better than what
they take with their own phones!
The point I am making is that no matter how
good we think we are, no matter how much
better we are than the average snap shooter
with a camera phone, it isn’t going to earn us
money. As far as these people are concerned,
their snapshots are usually ‘good enough’.
Our skill alone will not always define us
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as professional photographers. We need
something more. We need marketing,
advertising and interesting products.
That’s why I suggest we need prints.
OUR PRICE LISTI have two recommendations.
1. All APP domestic photographers should
include prints on their price list. They can
still offer digital-only services as well, but
it’s important to show our clients that their
photography can be turned into prints.
2. All APP commercial photographers should
refer to their files as ‘print quality’. To say ‘print
ready’ is a bit difficult depending on how a
client might wish to use the files, but ‘print
quality’ says it all.
So, instead of producing a quote or estimate
for 20 photographs, it would be ‘20 print quality
photographs’. What do these changes do?
1. It lifts the standard of our craft. To make a
photograph ‘print quality’ requires a higher
standard of work than a file merely destined for
social media and that’s important for the whole
profession.
2. For domestic photographers it puts our
clients on notice that they can buy prints. This
in turn gives us something extra to sell to our
clients - it can only be a good thing for both
parties.
3. For commercial photographers it puts our
clients on notice that there is a difference
between the photos their secretary takes and
the files that will be presented by a professional
photographer.
4. In the commercial world, it’s not always
the case that a client will want a print, but I’m
still selling prints from time to time for the
boardroom or the office from jobs I have shot
for a client. If clients don’t know you can make
a print for the wall, or more likely, if they simply
never think of it, they certainly won’t order one!
Let’s put the idea out there!
5. I am not suggesting that to be a professional
you need to make your own prints. There are
many business models where the photographer
hands over the raw files to other creative people
who handle the post-production and printing.
What I am suggesting is that the end product,
whoever does it, is capable of being printed to a
high, professional standard.
So, do you agree? This article is a challenge
to the profession. From where I sit, I see
some very successful studios, but many more
photographers who are struggling to make a
living. In many cases, photographers struggle
because they aren’t yet as good at business as
they are at photography.
Is this one way that can help our profession
stand apart?
If you’d like to make comments or suggestions,
please send them to eastway@betterphotograpy.
com.
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How To Easily Search In LightroomLocating a photograph needn’t be like searching for a needle in a haystack – if you follow a few simple steps with Lightroom. However, Lightroom requires text, words or ratings for its search function to work its best, so start by providing this information when you import and edit your images – and then searching is easy! Here’s how it all works...
Whether you’re using a local search on your
computer or Google to trawl the internet,
finding and filtering all information and
photographs works on the same basic
principles. You need to have something that is
searchable!
WE NEED KEYWORDS!While there are some search functions that
will look for a copy of a photograph (Google
will do this and there’s a lot of new technology
coming that may make this more available in
the future), you can’t ask Lightroom to look for
photographs of Mary Smith by describing her in
words. “Search for a young girl with dark blond
hair and a blue blouse...” Lightroom can’t yet
recognise photographs in this way.
However, if you have added to the
photographs of Mary Smith metadata (such
as keywords or tags) that includes the words
‘Mary Smith’, ‘blond’ or ‘blue blouse’ , then the
Lightroom search function will work because
it can recognise text, words and ratings.
Lightroom uses the terms Text, Attributes and
Metadata.
For the purposes of this discussion, we
can think of Text as the keywords and tags
that you add to your photographs; Attributes
are the flags, stars and colours you give your
photographs during editing, and Metadata
comprises all the camera settings.
So, for Lightroom to work its best, it needs
you to add in keywords and tags so it can in
turn help you find the right photographs later
on.
WHERE IS LIGHTROOM LOOKING?Lightroom’s Library Filter feature will look in the
catalog that is open. So, if you have one catalog
for every photograph you have ever taken, and
you have added keywords and tags to your
photo files, Lightroom will be able to find your
photographs.
However, if you use lots of smaller catalogs,
say a catalog for each job, then chances are you
TAGSL ightroomTechnique
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STEP 01 Searching in Lightroom is
primarily done in the Library module. Up the top right of the screen, in the Library Filter bar, you will find the words ‘Filters Off ’. Click on these words and a drop-down menu will appear, allowing you to ‘filter’ the images shown in the develop module based on a range of different options. The keyboard shortcut is the backslash: \.
STEP 03 The most obvious search or ‘filter’ is for
a specific word, so the Text attribute comes in handy. Leave the default ‘Any Searchable Field’ in the first drop down box; you may wish to change ‘Contains All’ to ‘Contains’ in the second drop down box, then type in your search (e.g. Mary Smith). Lightroom will now show you all the files which include Mary Smith in the metadata.
STEP 02 Also in the middle of the Library Filter
bar you’ll see the four options to filter or search by: Text, Attribute, Metadata or None (which is turned off ). The Library Filters bar is where you will do most of your searching and it can be very powerful, especially when you have added keywords and tags to your photographs upon ingesting or during editing.
STEP 04 Of course, sometimes you may need to be
more specific in your search, especially if every photo in the catalog has a particular tag or keyword in it. You have to think a little laterally from time to time to get the search function working for you. Take a look at the options in the two drop down menus and you’ll soon see how powerful Lightroom’s search feature is.
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EDUCATION
don’t need Lightroom to do much searching.
Your task may be to find the job catalog or
folder first - and so it’s important that your
catalog naming system allows you to find jobs
quickly and easily in the first place. This was
covered in detail in the previous issue of AIPP
Journal.
Unless you have added a keyword or a tag to
your files, Lightroom won’t find them for you!
Lightroom will also filter on folders within
your catalog, so if you don’t want to filter every
photograph you have ever taken, you can
restrict your search to specific folders.
SEARCH AND FILTERING IN PRACTICEMost photographers rate their files after a shoot,
usually by giving a rating of one or more stars,
but you can also add flags or colours instead.
Usually, only files that are going to be
shown to the client or edited are given a star.
Some photographers give different star ratings
depending on how good the photograph is,
others just start with one star for the initial run
through.
Once the whole shoot has been assessed, the
folder or catalog can be ‘filtered’, selecting the
Attribute section and ticking the one star. All the
photos without a star rating are hidden, making
it easier to see what you’re working with.
Photographers who give a range of star
ratings might think they have too many
photographs with one or more stars, so they
filter on two or maybe three stars, thus reducing
the number of shots they will work with. The
idea is to use the filtering function in this way to
speed up your post-production.
OLD FILESFor current shoots, we generally know where to
find them, but if a client wants you to pull out a
photo from a family portrait or a wedding, and
you don’t have keywords or name tags, what
can you do? Often your diary will have the date
you did the shoot - and assuming your camera
is set to record the correct date, it will be a
straightforward matter to go into the Metadata
search area and filter or choose by date.
You can also sort and filter based on a
variety of different specifications. For intsance,
once you have found all the photos taken on 1
May 2012, you could then filter for only those
photos with 4 or more stars, or taken with an
85mm lens.
To keep more than one search option open
in the Library Filter bar, hold down the shift key
and click the next option.
If you are doing the same complicated or
compound search regularly, you can go to
the Custom Filter drop down box and add the
current settings as a custom filter.
Finally, the Film Strip also allows to filter by
star rating - and the custom filters as well. Very
handy!
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STEP 05 The Attribute search bar lets you select
images based on the flag, star or colour rating you’ve provided. If you haven’t rated your images, this feature won’t work! When using the Rating selection, you can choose when you select a number of stars if it is greater than, equal to or less than. The default is greater than, so selecting 1 star will select 2, 3, 4 and 5 stars as well.
STEP 06 The Metadata search option lets
you choose from a range of different specifications for your files, from date, camera, lens to creator, job and copyright status. For the average working professional, it’s useful, but not as good as adding keywords and tags and doing a text search. The metadata search fields available are shown opposite.
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Broad & Short LightingNow that we understand the terms ‘broad’ and ‘short’ lighting, when do you put them into effect? The answer depends on what you want to create as a photographer, but these examples will give you a quick idea of what – and what doesn’t – work so well!
Every studio photo on a web page or in a
magazine is a lesson in lighting. Note the types
of lighting you like and then work out how they
were created. One trick is to look at the eyes
because you can usually see the lights reflected
in them (unless they have been retouched out,
of course!)
Opposite are three portraits with different
lighting patterns. You will probably only like
one or two of them – and this is a good start.
Learning to be discerning about what you like
and don’t like is the key to lighting effectively.
You’ll notice the problems if we talk about
the angle of the light in terms of left or right.
However, if our subject changes her pose to
the other side, then these lighting patterns all
change as well. The lights might not move, but
their effect on the subject changes completely.
This is why portrait photographers talk in
terms of broad and short lighting, so it doesn’t
matter whether it’s the left side or the right side.
(See the previous issue for an explanation of
broad and short lighting.)
Not many portrait photographers talk in
these terms anymore, since so much portraiture
is shot without studio lighting, but an
understanding of these principles can be very
helpful.
LIGHTING PATTERNThe example photos use three lights. Two of
the lights are just ‘padding’ or ‘fill in’ lighting.
The background light creates the graduated
effect. The fill light is behind and above the
camera and its job is to illuminate the subject
broadly. The stronger the fill light, the lighter the
shadows. If there was no fill light, the shadows
would be very harsh, especially when the key
light is 90° to one side.
The main purpose of these examples is
to demonstrate the effect of the key light on
our subject, the light that creates the light
and shade and dominates how our subject is
illluminated. It’s a pretty straightforward lesson,
but if you’re setting these patterns up yourself,
also experiment with how high or low the lights
are positioned. We’ll cover this in more detail in
future articles.
EDUCATION
TAGSTechniqueLight ing
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Key Light 45° Left
This is called a 'broad light'. The
'broad' side of the face is the side
facing the camera, or the side of the
face where the distance between
the ear and the nose is greatest. It is
camera left, the model's right side,
in this photo. When the key light is
on the 'broad' side of the face, it is
called broad lighting. However, for
traditional portraiture, photographers
tend to prefer short lighting, as seen
in the previous issue of the AIPP
Journal (AJ242).
BACKGROUND
Subject
Fill Light Fill Light
Key Light
3 LIGHT SET UP
Key Light Front On
When the key light and the fill light
are essentially lighting the subject
from the same angle, there is very
little modelling in the face. Note that
because the lights are higher than the
subject that there is still some shadow
under the chin, but this could be
eliminated by lowering the light a little.
Flat lighting is often used in beauty and
fashion, but is not so popular for family
or corporate portraiture.
BACKGROUND
Subject
Background LightBackground Light
Key Light
Key Light 90° Right
As you move the key light around to
the other side of your subject, the
shadows become more noticeable
and the result more dramatic. This
example probably isn't what you
want for a family portrait, but could
be good for a theatrical effect. (See
previous issue for a good example of
short lighting for portraiture.) How
deep the shadows are is determined
by how much fill light you use.
BACKGROUND
Subject
Fill Light
Key Light
Background Light
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Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Is It Professional?The new breed of mirrorless cameras have most of the features of a fully blown DSLR, but less size and weight. Are they only designed for enthusiasts, or are they now truly contenders for a professional photographer’s camera bag?
If Hasselblad was happy to have Fujifilm’s
involvement with its camera and lens design
over the years, there’s no doubting Fuji’s
acceptance as a manufacturer of professionally
specified cameras.
Indeed, Fujifilm developed a range of
different format professional film cameras,
from 6x17 cm panorama cameras to the studio
based GX680. It is no stranger to the world of
professional photography.
X-SERIESToday, Fujifilm doesn’t produce medium format
cameras or even full-frame DSLRs, but it has
taken a niche role in the new mirrorless camera
design.
SLR and later DSLR cameras needed a reflex
mirror design so you could see your subject
through the lens that would actually take the
photograph, rather than having a separate
viewfinder lens and the inevitable problems
with parallax error.
However, with digital technology, that
requirement no longer exists and while many
mirrorless cameras today look and behave like
the conventional SLR design, they are quite
different beasts.
Importantly, they are smaller and lighter
(because they can be).
While this might not be so important for
a studio photographer, it is of great interest
to professional photographers who work on
location. It makes their job easier.
In the past, our clients would often judge
their photographer based on the camera being
used – and not the photographic results! These
days people are much more sophisticated and
knowing. And camera’s like the X-Series models
from Fujifilm certainly look the part.
X-PRO2The largest challenge until recently for Fujifilm
(and the other mirrorless cameras) was
convincing people that 16-megapixels was
enough.
In many ways, it was an odd argument
because both Canon and Nikon’s flagship
DSLR cameras, designed specifically for
TAGSEquipmentCamerasM ir ror lessFuj i f i lm
NEWS
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professional photographers, only sported 16- to
18-megapixel sensors anyway!
Even today, the latest Canon and Nikon
professional SLRs use roughly 20-megapixel
sensors, although both have 36- or
50-megapixel models as well.
But being mirrorless doesn’t mean you can’t
have bigger sensors (in terms of the number of
pixels). Sony has a 42-megapixel body and now
Fujifilm has launched a 24-megapixel X-Series
model: the X-Pro2.
There will be few professional applications
where a 24-megapixel sensor isn’t enough, so
now the question becomes whether or not a
mirrorless camera can do the job.
FULLY FEATUREDThe simple fact is that the new X-Pro2 has
all the features a professional photographer
needs - and a host of extras that are loved by
enthusiasts.
To date, the majority of photographers
taking up the X-Series cameras have been
photojournalists, travel, portrait and wedding
photographers.
In fact, the X-Series has been considered in
the light of the rangefinder design, being small
and quiet. And the X-Pro2 takes it a step further
with a strong retro look.
However, the X-Pro2 is far from retro in
operation. It has an amazing hybrid multi
viewfinder, which gives you an optical
viewfinder if you want one (like the rangefinder
design of old), or at the flick of a switch, an
electronic viewfinder as well. Plus there’s a
combination optical and electronic viewfinder
with a digital enlargement of the focus area.
It is very cool!
Where DSLR designs can struggle to give
you focus points around the edges of the frame,
the X-Pro2 provides very fullsome coverage.
Shutter speeds range from 60 minutes to
1/8000 second, the body has weather resistant
construction, and the camera is more dials and
knobs than LCD menus.
LENS RANGEHowever, what really makes the new X-Pro2
a serious professional camera is the range of
lenses it now offers.
There are prime lenses from 14mm to
90mm (and given the sensor is APS-C size, this
equates to a 21mm to 145mm range) with wide
maximum apertures (f1.2 on the XF56mm R
lens), while the zoom range starts with a 10-
24mm (15-36mm) f4 R OIS wide-angle and
extends to the 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS
WR telephoto!
Autofocus is fast and accurate, but it doesn’t
yet match the professionally specced DSLRs in
terms of continuous shooting.
However, with such a small size and weight,
it’s definitely a camera to consider. It will
certainly lighten your load.
FUR THER DE TAILSwww. f u j i j f i lm . com . au
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