Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Australian Photography

Tourism boards around the world have done very well out of the social media revolution. I’m not just talking about a few likes, but rather a leveraging of Facebook and Instagram that has made a big impact on tourism numbers and profitability. A survey undertaken by Tourism Australia in 2015 found that 72 per cent of their followers used the TA Facebook page for “holiday inspiration” and 16 per cent had actually made a travel booking based on a post they liked. This success has come from a concerted shift in thinking. Instead of the tourism boards generating their own content, many began relying on their audience (and photographers) generating it for them. On paper it’s a win-win: photographers get their work shown to an audience of millions, and tourism…

TURKISH photographer Burhan Ozbilici has won the prestigious 2017 World Press Photo of the Year with a confronting image captured in the seconds after Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was assassinated at the opening of an exhibition at an art gallery in Ankara. “It was a very very difficult decision, but in the end we felt that the picture of the year was an explosive image that really spoke to the hatred of our times,” explained jury member Mary F. Calvert. “Every time it came on the screen you almost had to move back because it’s such an explosive image and we really felt that it epitomises the definition of what the World Press Photo of the Year is and means.” Not everyone agreed with the selection, with Jury…

You’re standing on a beach watching the waves crash against the shore. Your eyes drift across the sea and sand as your lungs fill with the clean salt air. The rising sun gently warms your skin and illuminates the sky in a rick palette of red, yellow and orange. There’s just one thing troubling you. How on Earth are you going to fit all that incredible beauty into a single two-dimensional image? I’m glad you asked! 1 SHOOT AT SUNRISE While sunsets are great, I prefer sunrises – mostly because there are less people around. Set your alarm and get to the beach when it’s still dark. It helps to scout the location the day before so you don’t waste time fumbling around in the dark. You’ll need a torch,…

In late October last year, my wife Marianne and I had the opportunity to visit and photograph the Canadian Rockies for two weeks. We had never been to this part of the world before and in planning we utilised multiple resources to help us fulfil our vision. We knew what we wanted to photograph, a few famous icons, while our other image ideas were found on Google maps image searches. We used Photopills and the Photographers Ephemeris apps to plan for lighting conditions while aurora watching was done through a bookmarked website (www.aurora-service.org/aurora-forecast). We brought outer garments to keep out wind, rain and snow. We also planned to meet up with local Banff photographer Dani Lefrancois and had been talking to her in detail ahead of time regarding which hikes…

Photography can offer so many unique experiences. Today we have equipment that allows us to get far closer to subjects than ever before. Likewise, tourism has changed to help you explore new locations. Imagine a close encounter with a four metre crocodile, or a poisonous snake – up close! This is not something many people would choose to do. Yet for others, the adrenaline rush is irresistible and the photo opportunities are unique. I love such encounters and have done since I was around three years of age. I can remember my dad walking through knee-deep water, surrounded by mangroves with me on his shoulders. Of course, I was at the perfect height where all the spider webs thrived. I had close up details of some very colourful spiders! Up…

Whether it’s family groups or full-on flocks, handfuls of animals or whole herds, photographing multiple wildlife subjects presents a bunch of challenges and choices that can easily freeze up your trigger finger if you’re not adequately prepared. Many species seek safety in numbers, organise themselves in packs or troops, are sociable by nature or gather in one spot because food and/or water is plentiful or it’s breeding season. Some of our favourite and most successful images are those conveying a mass of wildlife subjects or highlighting the inter-relationships within groups. The problem is that while ‘wall to wall’ wildlife witnessed with the naked eye can be truly amazing, how on earth do you convey the sense or distil the beauty of it all in a single image? The end results…

If Goldilocks was a photographer, I think she would be using an APS-C format camera. The APS-C sensor is smaller than the full-frame (35mm) format but it is larger than the Four- Thirds format and nowadays it is delivering some of the best bang for buck of any camera system. A great example of this is the new Sony Alpha A6300, a 24-megapixel mirrorless APS-C camera designed for mid-level enthusiasts. The A6300 is an upgrade on the previous Sony A6000 (also a 24-megapixel APS-C camera) and noticeable improvements include a new 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic view finder with a refresh rate of 120 frames per second (fps), a new autofocus system, 4K video and built in Wi-Fi with the option for Near Field Connectivity (NFC). Like its predecessor, the A6300 can…

Have you ever considered learning about how best to compile a portfolio? The Australian Photographic Society (APS) is now giving its members the chance to try something different, a new venture for all photographers who wish to move beyond the single-image competition approach. And the cherry on top is you can get an award for it too! We’re also encouraging different ways to create images, from 2D to 3D and beyond. All you need is an idea you want to explore using photography, and the APS will provide mentors to help you along the way. To reward this new venture, APS has developed the Conceptual Art Portfolio Awards (CAPA). You are not obliged to apply for the award but it will be there at the culmination of your portfolio/ project…

After watching the first captive-born panda being released into the wild, I proposed a unique panda rewilding story to National Geographic. This is one of the images from the series. In a region where bad environmental news is common, the giant panda continues to be a glimmer of hope for the future. The biggest challenge shooting this series was getting access to one of the world’s most endangered animals. This is a very rare, finicky endangered animal with teeth and claws. With only a few thousand in the world, the Chinese treat it as a national symbol, and each panda is closely guarded and watched. They are multi–million dollar bears and they are highly vulnerable. This shoot was not just about getting access and gaining trust, but also about being…

LIGHTROOM SIDECAR FILES Q Since I went digital with the Nikon D800 and D810, I made the “scary” decision to backup my Nikon Raw files only, for no other reason than I don’t trust my JPEG and TIFF colours even though they look fine. Scary because who knows if Nikon Raws will be with us forever! I’m trusting Adobe will always be able to convert them. I shoot Manual, in “flat”, and my post-production is via Nikon software only. Very minimalist. I have Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS6 installed, yet I don’t use them. I catalog images on my terms and I’m not sure if Lightroom forces one to use its catalogue system. More importantly, I also don’t know where Lightroom puts all its non-destructive processing files if any, so…

Anyone who has stood under a clear night sky and looked up at the Milky Way knows what an incredible sight it can be. And while it’s one thing to be struck by the splendour of the Milky Way, capturing it in a single photo can be challenging. Here are my top 10 tips to help you plan and execute the perfect Milky Way photo shoot. 1 PLANNING YOUR LOCATION IS KEY In order to capture clear images of the Milky Way it is hugely important you choose a location doesn’t have much light pollution. To get shots of the Milky Way you need to adjust the ISO so the sensor is very sensitive to light. The downside is that any ambient light in your field of view will also…

Peruse seascape and ocean photographer Warren Keelan’s website and you’ll realise he has a distinct way of seeing and capturing images of Australia’s powerful southern coast. While the Wollongong-based shooter’s portfolio showcases stunning contemporary wide-angle seascapes, much of his recent focus has been on images that are less about the location and more about a mood, a feeling or moment in time. These photos could be described in a number of ways – “painterly” or “arty” spring to mind – and possibly evoke a view of the sea that many of us may have never imagined. Perhaps similar to visualising shapes and faces in clouds, Keelan seemingly conjures magical form and beauty from the saltwater he’s immersed in from sunrise every day. As a result of this obvious talent, Keelan’s…

The Larung valley in Sichuan, China, is home to the Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Institute, one of the largest centres for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. Thousands of monks and nuns live in the city of Larung Gar. When a new monk or nun wishes to join the temple, the community pitches in to build the new recruit a wooden house by hand. Not only are these houses tiny in size but they are also built so closely to each other there is barely room to move between them. In 2016 the local government controversially demolished half the houses in the valley, citing fire safety concerns. The Tibetan government in exile asked the UN to intervene. I took this photo in October 2011. I was captivated by the…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER LOOK INTO THOSE EYES! Maryanne Hall writes: “After a long week of work, I escaped to the beach looking for simplicity, water and big sky. I saw something special between these beautiful dogs, one far more approachable, the second shy and reserved. Of the five photos I took, this one reflected the character of the dogs, the beautiful water and by chance a quirky composition. I love the joy it conveys, and how it makes me feel. The colours of the water and the dogs, well, they all speak for themselves.” This series of images is great, and you had wonderfully obliging models. The balance of the dogs is great with one much closer to the lens than the other. It is as if they knew what…