May 2008 Newsletter
Inside This Month’s Newsletter…
- May 7: Portrait workshop
- May 21: Guest speaker: Kent Blechynden (DominionPost)
- June 4: Feedback session for set challenge pics; Member’s slot – Duncan McDonald
- April’s events
- Upcoming Salons and Competitions
- Exhibitions in Wellington
- Hutt-Karori Interclub battle
- Regional Interclub battle
- National Convention report
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 7 – Portrait workshop
“Portrait” is one of the subjects for the Hutt battle, but possibly
one of the most difficult photo subjects to master. That is perhaps
because we immediately have a mental vision of sophisticated lighting
systems, and studio backgrounds. However, Stella is going to lead this
session, focussing on how to see the light (so to speak), and showing
how easy it is without specialised equipment. The lighting demonstration
would also apply to shooting in daylight.
Mark raided the Wellington Central Library, discovering in the
process that there are two sections for photography - small books and
large books. This reminds me that sometime I want to write an article
about just how much useful information on photography there is at the
library – including our local Karori branch. However there may not be
much left at the moment after Mark’s trip.
Mark provided the following photo portrait book titles with
simplified links to Amazon:
- Professional Secrets of Natural Light Portrait Photography
- http://tinyurl.com/5cohvn
- The Portrait: Professional Techniques and Practices in Portrait Photography
- http://tinyurl.com/5jnal2
- Portraits and Figures: Developing Style in Creative Photography
- http://tinyurl.com/5cbpn4
- Designing a Photograph: Visual Techniques for Making Your Photographs Work
- http://tinyurl.com/6om59e
- Tête á Tête – Portraits by Henri Cartier-Bresson
- http://tinyurl.com/6kewqe
- There is also a PSNZ Help Sheet - Portraits (209 KB) by the late Reg Graham FPSNZ
- http://tinyurl.com/49b3lx
May 21 – Guest speaker: Kent Blechynden (Dominion Post)
Kent is one of the Dominion Post photographers, and in addition to
seeing his work in the newspaper, you may have also seen it in the
DomPost photographers’ exhibition last year. Kent still isn’t sure
whether or not he's rostered on that night, but should know by 12 May …
but then even if he's free, he might get called away at short notice. If
that happens (like last year), we could either go out and pretend to be
news photographers ourselves, or look at some good photojournalism work.
Or maybe look at work already done for the Hutt battle and regional
interclub and give feedback.
APRIL’S EVENTS
April 2: Show best of challenge pics and summer pics and get feedback.
The challenge was to take photos of plumbing – one of the subjects for
the Wellington Regional Interclub Battle. And also to bring six of your
best summer pictures, either prints or digital images. Unfortunately
only six people turned up, including the chapel curator. There was good
feedback for the pictures that were shown, but it’s disheartening to get
such a low turnout.
The venue was the Beauchamp Street Chapel, a nice little building
further up Beauchamp Street from the Arts & Crafts Centre that I must
confess not ever noticing before. Definitely a good alternative to the
KACC.
April 16: Guest speaker: Loma Dellabarca (creative photography)
Loma showed a selection of digital images and prints. Examples of her
wide range of material included: a large collage of still lifes and
personal memorabilia, sepia-toned, then tea-stained to use an old used
look; portraits of an artist speaking at a party; a child and puppy,
both with intense eyes; close-ups of flowers.
UPCOMING SALONS AND COMPETITIONS
Laurie Thomas NZ Landscape Salon
Closing date: 4 June. Two sections, 1) slides (up to 4 entries
allowed); 2) digital images (up to 4 entries allowed). Entry fee $15 for
one section, $25 for two sections. Entry forms from www.cpsnz.com. Bill
can provide entry forms.
North Shore National Salon of Photography
Closing date: 13 June. Five sections, 1) abstract prints, 2) open
colour prints; 3) open monochrome prints; 4) landscape slides; 5) open
slides. Entry fee $25 for one section and $10 for each additional
section. Entry formss available from the
Society of New Zealand – North Shore">PSNZ website. Bill can provide
an entry form.
17th Annual NZ Photojournalism Competition
Closing date: 30 July. Three sections: slides, prints, digital
projected images. Entry fee $10 per section. Bill can reluctantly
provide an entry form.
Karori Arts & Crafts Art & Photography Exhibition and Sale
Date: July 5 to 11 (with a wine & cheese on July 4). KAAC
exhibitions give you an opportunity to formally exhibit one or two
pieces of work with a minimum of cost or hassle – it doesn’t get any
easier than this! KAAC takes 10% of the purchase price if you sell your
picture. You’ll need to be a KAAC member. Don’t ask Bill for an entry
form.
EXHIBITIONS IN WELLINGTON
Courtenay Place Park
The series of lightboxes outside the St James Theatre, the newly-opened
Courtenay Place Park, feature photographs by Andy Palmer, Shaun Lawson,
Victoria Birkinshaw, Amelia Handscomb, John Lake, Steve Rowe, Jessica
Silk and Clare Noonan.
Photospace Gallery - 1st flr, 37 Courtenay Place (above Sahara Cafe)
Indecisive Moments – Ross Coombes, 18 April - 10 May
Te Papa - Cable St
Toi TePapa - includes photographers Aberhart, Richard Collins, John
Johns, Noble, Peryer & Len Wesney, but also worth seeing for the Maori
art and European paintings, sculpture and ceramics.
{Suite} 69 Owen Street, Newtown, (cnr Owen/Constable Sts)
Fronstage - Anoek Steketee 2 - 28 May
Website: http://www.suite.co.nz
National Library Gallery - cnr Aitken St & Molesworth St
5 April to 19 July – A Capital Suburb: Pipitea Thorndon - the story of a suburb at the heart of a city.
New Dowse - Laings Rd, Lower Hutt.
Assume Nothing - Rebecca Swan, until 31st August 2008
Sinfonia Antarctica - “Responding to life on ‘terra incognita’,
thirteen NZ artists, writers and musicians richly illustrate this
icescape with an artistic medley that touches on everything from the
global warming to the Erebus disaster. Experience the great white
continent as seen through the eyes of Dick Frizzell, Nigel Brown and
Grahame Sydney, ceramicist Raewyn Atkinson, writers Bill Manhire and
Chris Orsman, jeweller Kirsten Haydon, textile artist Clare Plug and
photographers Anne Noble, Andris Apse and Joyce Campbell.”
See website: www.dowse.org.nz.
Pataka - Cnr Parumoana/Norrie St, Porirua
Water on Water - Kiribati in Crisis? - Tony Whincup. 22 March - 22 June
Thanks to the Photospace website, www.photospace.co.nz, for the above information.
HUTT - KARORI INTERCLUB BATTLE
It’s our turn to host the annual competition with our friends from the
Hutt Club. The battle will be on July 16, with our club selection on
July 2.
- Prints: open subject (10 images from each club)
- Prints: set subject: portraits (10 images from each club)
- Digital: open subject (10 images from each club)
- Digital: set subject: weather (10 images from each club)
REGIONAL INTERCLUB BATTLE
This year‘s battle will be hosted by the Kapiti Coast Photographic
Society on August 12. We will make our club selection on July 30 (note
that’s not one of the standard 1st/3rd Wednesdays, so that we have more
time for printing and matting). Each of the five clubs participating
will enter one print for each of the following topics:
- Plumbing
- Clouds
- Night
- Abandoned
- Liquid
- Glass (not reflective)
- Rocks
- One Tree
- Glint in the Eye
- Wide
- Interior (Architecture)
- Orange
Perhaps, for both the Hutt and Regional battles, you’ve just looked
down the list and thought, “oh yes, I’ve got a good one for that
category.” OK, so write it down, or put the image in a separate folder,
or something like that. These events are fun, and stimulating, and well
worth being a part of.
NATIONAL CONVENTION REPORT
by Mark Berger
I was able to travel down to Timaru to attend the National Convention. I did this for a couple of reasons. The first is that I look after the PSNZ Website and wanted to catch up with the people I deal with. The second was the interesting list of speakers and subjects:
- Matheson Beaumont – Landscape
- Melanie Burford – Photo Journalism
- John Doogan – Photoshop expert and Landscape
- Robert Catto – Performance and low light
- Gottlieb Braun-Elwert – Landscape
- Emma Hughes – Wedding and Portraiture
- Ron Davies – Audio Visual
You can find further details about the speakers at the
PSNZ Web Site.
The speakers were all very good. After the conference was opened by
the Governor General, Anand Satayanad, first up was Matheson Beaumont,
author of “Chasing the Southern Light.” As a founding member of the
Photographic Society, it was great to hear him talk and see the images
that he has taken around Central and Southern New Zealand.
Melanie Burford, part of the team that won a Pulitzer prize for their
work on the impact of Hurricane Katrina, gave a number of presentations,
the first on Thursday morning. Not only is she a fantastic photographer,
but she is also an amazing human being. One of the main points that she
makes is that it is important not to just "take" the photograph, but to
somehow "give" something back. As a photographer, one should show
empathy with the people being photographed. Converse with your subjects.
Be interested in them. Show them some empathy.
Ron Davies specialised in Audio Visual (AV). The AVs he produces are
at a different level, combining ambient music, background music,
transitions and dialog. Very professional indeed, The AVs he showed were
almost like mini TV shows. However, in his words, "I don't do happy". So
be prepared for some emotional upheaval when watching any of his
AVs.
Robert Catto did a couple of presentations. The first was probably
not quite as strong as the others - possibly because he was following
Matheson, Melanie and Ron. However, as the conference went on, he
relaxed considerably and his second presentation showing work on the
recently completed Arts Festival was pacy, intriguing and well
executed.
John Doogan, a landscape photographer and Photoshop expert, gave two
presentations. The first showed a series of photographs that had been
fixed or corrected using Lightroom/Photoshop. The second explored some
of the techniques used to make these shots.
Emma Hughes, a wedding and portrait photographer who lives on
Waiheke, showed some of her early work as well as some of her current
wedding and portraitures. She certainly managed to bring out something
special in her subjects.
On Thursday evening Gottlieb Braun-Elwert gave a stunning
presentation of the South Island high country. The presentation was
punctuated by the fire alarm going off, but he did not miss a beat when
the meeting reconvened.
On Saturday, about 250 people clambered onto buses and we set off on
a field trip to Oamaru. Most of the time was spent in the Oamaru
Historic District. The historic society were dressed up in period
costumes and were available as models. I don't think that they have ever
been faced with such a barrage of people and equipment before.
After lunch, there was also a trip to and the Parkside Stone Quarry.
The quarry and the machine used to cut the Oamaru stone were quite
impressive.
The conference is also the time that the National Exhibition is
displayed. There were some outstanding prints on display. Also on
display were the successful portfolios of those who had applied for
Honours. The standard was lifted this year and a much lower percentage
actually succeeded gaining their letters.
The conference was superbly organised by the Focus-Aorangi club. The
catering was very good - plenty of South Island produce. The organising
committee were always around and very approachable.
Candids from the conference can be viewed via the PSNZ Website
Next year the National Convention is being held in Wanganui from the
15th to the 19th April. I already have this penciled in!
The Central Regional Conference is going to be held in Palmerston
North 19th to 21st September and organised by the Manawatu Camera Club.
Although the presenters and details haven't been announced yet, I am
thinking of going to this. Any other takers?
FOOTNOTES
The Karori Camera Club is part of the Karori Arts & Crafts Centre.
For information on all Centre activities, contact Stella Mason, 476-6817
during working hours.
Karori Camera Club meets on the first and third Wednesdays of every
month at the Karori Arts & Crafts Centre, at 7.30 pm.
For any enquiries, or a copy of our 2008 programme/information to
newcomers, contact our co-convenors Stella Daniel
or Mark Berger.
For contributions to the newsletter, contact Bill Leask