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Working ProThe
Issue 213 • July 2013
SAVE THESE DATES
For more details visit www.appa.aippblog.com
Rulescoming soon
© Image by Robyn HIlls FaIPP m.PHotog IV
© DARREN JE W M.Photog I, JACKIE RANKAN M.Photog IV, ADAM PREt t Y
OnlinE EnTriES will close 5pm Wednesday 21st August 2013
PHySicAl EnTriES must be received by Friday 30th August 2013
JuDging will bE HElD at Melbourne Exhibition Centre on 13th - 15th September 2013
APPA AwArDS PrESEnTATiOn DinnEr 16th September 2013
THE 2013 cAnOn AiPP APPA 13TH — 15TH SEPTEmbEr 2013 mElbOurnE
Working ProThe
C o n t e n t s# 2 1 3 - J u l y 2 0 1 3
4 President’s Message A new direction for the Institute - what does Kylie and the Board have planned for the future?
6 Where Has Real Photography GonePeter Eastway asks if there is a sameness in all of our work and does this affect what our clients see?
8 The Nikon Event Was RemarkableRoss Eason reports that The Event was well received - take a look at the social photos and you’ll see why.
1 2 $35,000 For Prostate CancerThe photography industry is a generous one - see the prints that raised so much money for a great cause.
1 4 Portrait Management - Kelly BrownWhy does Kelly Brown shoot both JPEGs and raw, and why can’t her clients come back for a sales session?
1 6 Best Selling Photos - Tania NiwaIf you’re shooting a family portrait, what types of photos should you take to improve sales? Here’s what Tania Niwa does.
2 0 Handling Inquiries - Tania NiwaWhen someone contacts you for a shoot, how do you handle the inquiry? Some tips from Grand Master of Photography Tania Niwa.
2 2 Editors Selection - APPA Winners
2 6 Who Owns The Copyright?If you take a photograph for a client, do you own the copyright or do they? Find out what the law says here.
2 8 The Majority RuleAt APPA, the judging system is incredibly fair because of the Majority Rule. Read how it works.
3 0 Photo CritiqueWhy didn’t this photo earn a Silver Award at APPA? Read Peter Eastway’s suggestions.
3 2 Tax Planning - Unearned IncomeIt’s not too late to look at your accounts and see if this little tip could save you a little tax or a lot!
3 4 Canon’s Dual Pixel Sensor - And Why?Will this new sensor design revolutionise the way we use DSLRs for our video work?
C o v e r :
Tony Hewitt G. M. Photog.viCki bell photographed for the prostate
CanCer foundation of australia auCtion
at the nikon aipp event 2013
The Working Pro is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).
Editor peter eastway gM photog., hon. faipp, faipp
Disclaimer the information provided in the Working pro and associat-
ed publications 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 recommendations, representations or infor-
mation provided herein. the Working pro presents information, opin-
ions 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 Working pro 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 5, 205a Middleborough Road, Box Hill
South, Victoria 3128
Phone: 03 9856 0700; Fax: 03 9899 6577
E-mail: [email protected]
4
the organisation of ChoiceK y l i e L y o n s M . P h o t o g I . H o n . L M
one of the biggest challenges the aipp faces, is
making sure our organisation delivers value for our
members, particularly as the nature of our industry
is, itself, constantly changing.
at the beginning of June, the aipp national
board, with some selected members and invited
experts, took a weekend out to create a new strat-
egy which we believe will help the aipp become
even more your ‘membership organisation of
choice’ in the future.
We looked at the institute without rose
coloured glasses, trying to put ourselves into the
shoes of others, to see who we are to the outside
world, and to look at ways of creating a better
institute going forward.
We studied our current mission statement and
looked to see if it was still relevant. a mission state-
ment is important to help us keep track of the fun-
damental reason we exist. sometimes we get so
busy managing ‘stuff’ we forget why we are doing
this ‘stuff’.
the new proposed aipp mission statement is:
“The AIPP advocates excellence in imag-
ing and is the membership organisation of
choice for professional and aspiring image
makers.”
there area couple of key points to draw your
attention to in this statement.
1. We want to use the term ‘image makers’ as
opposed to ‘photographers’. in the modern world,
we believe that we are all image makers, not just
photographers.
2. our belief is that in the future, an aipp com-
munity is important and that we need to include
in our community aspiring image makers as well
as professional image makers.
Current Strategies
strategic goals are really important because they
help us demonstrate how we are planning to de-
liver the aipp mission statement.
We looked at our six current strategies to see if
they were relevant. While most are, we still made
refinements which will improve our ability to de-
liver our mission statement
the first and most important goal we have
set ourselves is to constantly provide benefits of
membership which are appropriate for the needs
of all members. this goal is going to challenge
us in the next few years to always make sure we
know what your needs are, and to make sure we
help you. feel free to keep telling us!
the second goal is to provide for you a point
of professional differentiation. We believe that be-
ing an accredited professional photographer is a
great accolade which helps you stand out from
the crowd. nevertheless, this goal is going to chal-
lenge us to make sure you are able to use this
point of differentiation to help yourselves.
our third goal is all about building the aipp
community, making sure we always have a culture
of inclusiveness, professionalism, respect and par-
ticipation. this is going to challenge us to make
sure you feel involved, able to participate and to
get value out of your aipp membership.
our fourth goal is to ensure we have effective
communication channels. this goal is going to
challenge us to constantly stay abreast of modern
communication methods, yet make sure we com-
municate with the entire aipp community.
our fifth goal is to ensure through sound gov-
ernance and responsible management that the
institute remains in a financially robust position.
this goal is going to challenge us to make sure our
income and expenditure match. We cannot spend
money we don’t have and we need to keep mem-
bership fees at an affordable and appropriate level.
lastly, we want to ensure aipp employees cre-
ate and deliver the necessary infrastructure to
guide the organisation to deliver its goals and ob-
jectives. this is going to ensure our employees and
staff, in whom we place a lot of trust, keep us fo-
cused on achieving our strategies and our goals.
What Does This all Mean For You?
Why are we telling you this and why should you
be bothered? because we want you to understand
the direction and aims of your institute.
We want your views, feedback and ideas.
over the next several months, you will see
some changes and we all know change is uncom-
fortable, so please be patient and understanding.
We think you will like some of the changes
we have planned. for example, we are planning
a more robust accreditation and folio assessment
system. We want to ensure that anyone who calls
themselves an aipp accredited professional pho-
tographer has been through a rigorous and ongo-
ing validation process.
We are planning new membership categories
that will encourage family membership, studio
membership and even corporate membership.
We plan to change our membership fee struc-
ture to recognise our longer standing members
and the contribution they have made.
and most importantly, we are planning to give
you help in using ‘the point of difference’ to en-
able you as an aipp accredited professional pho-
tographer to really benefit from your membership.
How You Can Help Us?
feel free to use the aipp blog to post your views,
comments and suggestions. We need your feed-
back and help as we develop our new policies and
tactics. Working together we really can make the
aipp the ‘membership organisation of choice’ and
an organisation of which you can be proud.
[email protected] - 0411 552 488
6
Where has real photography gone?P e t e r E a s t w a y , G M . P h o t o g , H o n . F A I P P, F A I P P
a few people in my life have started talking and
writing about ‘real photography’. they claim that
all the images we see these days are more like
illustrations or graphic design than what we
used to call photographs.
they believe that the introduction of the
computer and the opportunity to edit our im-
age has done great harm to the process that we
used to know as photography.
is this true?
Broad Scale
if you look at how people are using photogra-
phy today, it is completely different to ten years
ago and a world away from 20 years ago.
today we use the word ‘photography’ to de-
scribe a language that is used in many new and
different ways.
With smartphones and tablets, the world
is using photography as a form of casual com-
munication and, just as previous generations
would write in Capitals or use an italic type-
face to make a point, contemporary society is
using a button in hipstamatic or instagram to
add a filter effect.
is this photography? Yes. is it good, saleable
photography? probably not, but it’s not sup-
posed to be. it’s just another way of communi-
cating, like speaking or writing emails.
there is so much photography in the world
today that it can take some getting used to, but
i also see a more educated public. people seem
to appreciate the work i do even more because
they know their buttons don’t do what mine
do! or perhaps they are just being nice!
APPA Prints
Critics also claim the Canon appa and ep-
son state awards should be called photoshop
awards, because unless you use photoshop, you
have no hope of winning. this is just pure twad-
dle.
great photographs shine through, whether
they use photoshop too much or just a little.
that’s a creative choice we make as photogra-
phers. and what one photographer likes, anoth-
er will hate. it’s always been the same.
however, i think what my friends are point-
ing out is that a lot of photography today has a
‘sameness’ about it, and that’s not a good thing.
one thing i learned at the nikon aipp event
listening to Michael kenna is that you need to
have your own vision, your own voice, your own
style. how you create it doesn’t matter, but if
you don’t have something that’s special to you,
how will you compete as a professional?
7
Sheep near the Stirling Ranges, South Western Australia. Photoshop by Peter Eastway.
8
the event Was remarkable!A n I n t e r v i e w W i t h R o s s E a s o n M . P h o t o g .
the nikon aipp event in hobart was an unmiti-
gated success! around 400 photographers and
trade people descended on tasmania in mid-
June for the fourth nikon event and it seems
that the formula is working perfectly.
and that’s the editor’s perspective, not the
organisers’, although they are pretty happy too!
no doubt there were a few anxious moments
for the event team looking after it all. headed
by aipp national events Manager kim harding
and ross eason, the team Judy eason, bambi
Wixon and Mel Comerford co-ordinated a host
of helpers, speakers and volunteers to produce
a world-class event.
next year the event will be administered
by kim as ross is standing down (but as he re-
mains an aipp national vice president, he won’t
be too far away). i asked ross what the feedback
had been like.
“overall the feedback from delegates and
trade has been great. as successful as the event
was, it would still be nice to see even more
members coming along. some people look at
the program and think there’s nothing for them,
particularly the more experienced photogra-
phers, but ultimately there is something in the
program for everyone and most people who at-
tend get the big picture.”
and the big picture is all about the little
things you take away that you can implement
back in your own business.
“i remember at the event in adelaide rich-
ard bennett stopped me after attending kris-
ten Cook’s presentation and saying that he had
been a photographer for 40 years, but he had
just learnt something incredible from a young
lady who had been a photographer for just
three years.
“a few years ago i was sitting at the back of
a peter Coulson workshop with two other ‘old
dogs’. We thought we knew it all, but then pe-
ter asked his model to just lift off her toes by
a centimetre or so before he shoots. this un-
weighting elevates the clothes and the model’s
hair, and as peter was shooting live, you could
see the difference in the images. one of the old
dogs leaned in and whispered that this one tip
made it worthwhile attending and he was right.
“sometimes you listen to a speaker and it
just reinforces what you’re doing, but i think
tony hewitt nailed it when he said the advan-
tage of attending a conference is being able
to speak about what you heard with other del-
egates. the learning curve continues.
“We have a diverse membership at differ-
ent stages of their careers, but that’s why we
9Photographs of the Nikon AIPP Event from Ross Eason’s camera.
Photographs courtesy of Ross Eason and Steve Lovegrove’s cameras, but others may have pressed the button!
10
have such a broad range of speakers. and they
are good speakers. bambi and i don’t just invite
someone along, we research them thoroughly,
ensuring they are not only good photographers,
but good presenters with a good message.
“each year we ask delegates for feedback
and suggestions, and this forms part of the
model we use to build the following event.
“facebook is another source of feedback for
the event team and this year it has been very
supportive, but even so there are comments
and suggestions that we pay attention to.
“one member commented that for $500
more, he could go to Wppi in the usa when
he added up the cost”, ross added, but i con-
fess i couldn’t quite see how. having been to
Wppi myself many times, i think this member
was forgetting the cost of airfares, food and his
own time spent getting to and from las vegas.
the nikon event included many meals and sev-
eral special events (such as a visit to the Mona
museum), so if the event is $500 cheaper, why
would you go to Wppi?
the bulk of speakers at the event are paid,
although it’s also fair to say that for the amount
of time and effort they put into their presenta-
tions and travel, it’s a very generous arrange-
ment on behalf of the speakers. More so for
those who waive their fee altogether, specifical-
ly to support members attending.
however, there’s no getting around the fact
that the event is expensive for some members.
“if we could double the delegates to each
event, the price would come down”, explained
ross. “but even in its current format, for four
years in a row we’ve had people telling us it’s
the best thing they have ever been too.
“We’ve also made the workshops at the
event more of an experience. for instance, rich-
ard bennett took a group over to bruny island
by boat, we shot video at the Cascade brewery
and we hired a heritage homestead for other
shoots. and with russell shakespeare’s editorial
workshop, to make it a believable experience
for delegates, we had former greens leader bob
brown as a model! .
“and having the support of nikon behind us
is huge, especially when they also host the din-
ner on the second night for all the delegates.”
i asked ross what was the most memorable
or special aspect of the four events he has been
involved with,
“the student bursary or, more specifically,
the feedback we get from the students who
attend as part of the bursary, has always been
special. delegates and members need to be
proud of the support they give to students by
offering the bursary, but that took on a new di-
mension this year when one very generous del-
egate donated $1000 to support bringing an
additional student to the next event.
“When i heard that, i realised that the event
and the institute are evolving into something
new, something we can all take ownership of.”
11Photographs of the Nikon AIPP Event from Ross Eason’s camera.
Photographs courtesy of Ross Eason and Steve Lovegrove’s cameras, but others may have pressed the button!
12Photograph auction, left to right, top to bottom: Shireen Hammond, Phil Kuruvita, Grant Matthews, Barb Uil, Russell Shakespeare, Richard Bennett,
Tony Hewitt, Michael Kenna, Jennifer B Hudson, Todd Hunter McGaw, Rocco Ancora, Liam West, Mel Neumann, Bella West, Bruce Williams.
13
$35,000 for prostate CancerI n t e r v i e w w i t h B a m b i W i x o n
photographers and the photography industry
are a generous lot, as evidenced by their con-
tribution to the prostate Cancer foundation
of australia at the nikon aipp event in hobart,
where over $35,000 was raised.
it all started last year at the hunter valley
nikon aipp event.
grand Master of photography david oliver
photographed fellow grand Master tony hewitt
during a workshop. tony adopted lewis Mor-
ley’s famous Christine keeler pose, which in-
cluded taking off his shirt, and the print sold at
the nikon Cocktail party that night for several
thousand dollars.
this got the aipp thinking and two nights
later at the event’s gala dinner, a series of prints
from the speakers was auctioned. over $30,000
has been raised for breast cancer research.
explained the event team member bambi
Wixon, “as soon as it was over, we thought this
has to happen every year. it created a really
good buzz on the night and it was great enter-
tainment.
“once the speakers have been chosen, my
job is to organise their travel arrangements,
so when i contacted them, i also asked if they
would be prepared to donate one of their prints
for a good cause. everyone said yes!”
there are two aspects to the fund raising.
Continuing the tradition started by david
when he photographed tony, it was tony’s turn
to photograph someone and he chose vicki
bell. the result you can see on the cover of the
Working pro this issue.
the print was auctioned at the nikon Cock-
tail party, one of the social highlights of the
event, and two bidders were locked at $3500
each. the solution was to make a print avail-
able for both of them and so the first $7000 was
raised.
the balance of the donation came at the
gala dinner again, with a further $28,000 being
raised.
Continued bambi, “Michael kenna brought a
silver gelatin print and the other presenters had
their images printed at the event by epson on
epson paper. the photographers signed them
on the epson stand.
“the prints were then displayed in the foyer
during pre-dinner drinks.
“i loved the way tony hewitt ran the auction,
asking people for the sake of his prostate to dig
deep!
“our highest bid on a print was $4500 for
Jennifer hudson, followed by $4200 for Michael
kenna and $3600 for grant Matthews.”
14
portraiture ManagementK e l l y B r o w n
kelly brown shoots around 120 photos from
which the final 20 are selected. she shoots both
raw and Jpegs, but given the controlled lighting
in her studio and her experience with the expo-
sures, she says her workflow usually runs from
the Jpegs. the raw files are insurance.
the whole shoot is backed up and the final
20 photos opened and edited in photoshop.
“My images aren’t going on billboards, just on
big canvases. brilliant prints did a 1.5 metre can-
vas for me recently from a Jpeg and it was sim-
ply beautiful!”
kelly uses a Canon eos 5d Mark iii and her
photoshop technique is based on layers and
masks. “i adjust the skin tones because some-
times they are quite red, and then i’ll soften up
the image with blur over the background. i also
have a couple of actions i’ve developed which
give the image its individual style.
“i like to think i edit my images like no one
else and i don’t want my photography to look
like other photographers’ work.
“all my selling is done online or over the
phone, but of course i have already explained to
them at the photography session what’s avail-
able. i have all my products on display and i talk
them through my price list, showing them the
sizes as i go. in some ways, i’m doing my selling
at the end of the photography session.
“Most of my clients with newborns find it
hard to come back for a selling session, so i
found it works better this way. i used to do per-
sonal sales, but my sales weren’t any higher.
What’s more important is to ensure you have
20 different images that are so good and so dif-
ferent, they are going to order every single one.
they will pick one or two to enlarge and then
they’ll order a number of smaller prints to give
to grandparents and family.”
kelly realises when it comes to prints that
she is competing with harvey norman and oth-
er big retailers, so she has a couple of examples
on the wall just outside the studio. one is a har-
vey norman print, the other a beautiful fine art
print created by her and a note explaining that
this is what they are purchasing.
“for our photography to sell, we have to cre-
ate products that they can’t create themselves.”
Newborn and baby portrait photographer Kelly
Brown was a speaker at the recent Hair of the Dog
in Queensland. She was the 2012 AIPP Queensland
Family Photographer of the year and the 2012 AIPP
Australian Creative Photographer of the Year. Her
business Little Pieces Photography is based in Bris-
bane.
15
Infant photography by Kelly Brown.
16
Photography by Tania Niwa.
17
best selling photosT a n i a N i w a G . M . P h o t o g .
“pets are a big part of our family portraiture
business. it can be pretty crazy and full on, es-
pecially with cats, as they usually take a lot more
enticing than dogs.
“You have to be patient and never give in
until you get those special shots. With cats, it is
like playing a game of patience and i never give
in! eventually they seem to relent, relax and re-
spond to our games. this can easily take more
than 90 minutes at the studio, but less at clients’
homes.
“the challenge of working with such charac-
ters is what makes it all the more rewarding and
fulfilling creatively.
“i absolutely adore the interaction children
have with their pets, especially dogs. ”
Canvas Sales
tania says around 70 per cent of her family por-
trait clients used to purchase canvases from
their sittings, but this is changing.
“although canvas is still very popular, we
have noticed a recent client shift back to framed
images lately. a couple of clients have com-
mented that they think canvas has had its day.
“it will be interesting to see if this return to
classic framed portraiture collections continues.
it is more usual to sell large print sizes of family
and children together as a group, unless there
is just one child in the family in which case the
parents will buy a large individual portrait.
parents tend to stick to small freestanding
images of themselves together (if they have
portraits taken at all), feeling more comfortable
with this option.
Family Groups
the photos that sell the best are the full family,
the children together in different scenarios and
individual photos of the children.
“for a family group image, most people will
buy at least a 20x28 inch canvas and often big-
ger if they have a large home with high ceilings.
“We display 40x28 inch canvases in the stu-
dio and a bigger 40x51inch image which then
makes the 40x28 inch not look too big. We ex-
perimented with what we put in prime spots on
the studio walls and where. by moving a land-
scape 40x28 inch canvas of four children direct-
ly alongside the 20x28inch canvas, we now get
more of the larger 40x28 inch size sales. this
wall is the main wall clients see when sitting on
our couch.”
What they will buy?
tania’s clients are surrounded by the size of
prints she’d like to sell them.
18
“the photos are really engaging from an
emotive point of view – with images showing
children, so people are drawn to them. i don’t
have large size portraits where the faces are
close up, so viewers aren’t overwhelmed and
could more easily imagine their own children in
similar scenarios to be on their own walls.
Having A Ball
“When it comes to shooting the family portrait,
i try to combine an interesting design [the posi-
tion of the family members within the frame], a
relaxed feeling and engaging expressions.
“very often, the photos the family go nuts
over are ones where their children look like they
are having a ball, their innocence (or cheeki-
ness) and vibrant smiles are shining through.
add a dog with a quirky, adorable expression
and you have a winner!
“a lot of our clients live on the north shore
of sydney and are very house proud.
“they are highly educated, very discerning
and appreciate and expect a premium level of
product and service.
“the mums don’t always work as the dads
are in high-powered careers in banking or fi-
nance and have to travel away for work fre-
quently. We get to work with many families
with friends who have also worked with us lots
of times.
“the community is quite small and are of-
ten connected by their children who go to local
private schools, so you really have to be giving
each and every family a great experience in or-
der to be recommended, respected and valued.
Clients appreciate that we offer a finely tai-
lored service and appreciate we have a high at-
tention to detail throughout every step of the
process.
“they also appreciate our expertise and ad-
vice on how to dress and what will look good
on their walls (our software programme prose-
lect helps them to imagine this through virtual
technology).
“if we visit their home for a shoot, we will
take photographs of walls where they wish to
hang their portraits and then, using proselect
software, we can show them exactly how the
finished artworks will look like in their home.
if we don’t visit their home, we ask them to
take photos of the walls with their iphone and
we use these shots instead – it helps us show
them what will look great and sell them appro-
priately sized artwork for the locations.
“they are very impressed and excited that
we have taken away the guess work and provid-
ed them with firm options.”
TANIA NIWA G.M.Photog. Tania shoots family por-
traiture (60%) and commercial work (30%), with the
balance of her business coming from tuition and
workshops. She works on the Northern Beaches in
Sydney and is a Grand Master of Photography and
an AIPP Mentor. www.tanianiwa.com.au
19
An example of how one of Tania’s clients used their photographs in their home.
Read More AIPP Member Only ContentTo read additional specific business related advice, visit the AIPP web-
site and sign in. Once you’re signed in, follow the menu Member Servic-es, My Publications, The Working Pro - Extended Material.
Tania covers how to set up your business to charge a premium.
20
Photograph by Tania Niwa
Read More AIPP Member Only ContentTo read additional specific business related advice, visit the AIPP web-
site and sign in. Once you’re signed in, follow the menu Member Servic-es, My Publications, The Working Pro - Extended Material.
Tania covers how to set up your business to charge a premium.
21
handling inquiriesT a n i a N i w a G . M . P h o t o g .
tania niwa insists on having a consultation be-
fore a family’s portrait shoot. “some people try
to get out of it, but we help them understand
the benefits of seeing what we do first. their
minds are much more open once they have
seen the samples on our studio walls, and un-
derstand that what we create is personalised
family artwork.
in her studio, every print on the wall has a
price under it, so when they point to something
they like, they know how much it will cost.
“the price is really obvious and i prefer it that
way, especially when dad walks in. often the
dad may not be aware of the pricing, so when
he says what he thinks they should purchase,
there’s no awkwardness.” tania also finds that
when dads are at the viewing, the couples tend
to spend more. they walk away enthusiastic
about how their home will soon look!
of course, a pre-shoot consultation takes
time and it might not be appropriate for all stu-
dios. however, many of tania’s clients have re-
ceived gift certificates through affiliates, so they
may not be aware of how her studio operates.
the consultation allows tania to explain
what their gift includes and what products are
available, exciting her clients with the many
possibilities. she will discuss everything from
the shoot itself to the approximate size and
type of portrait finish that clients think would
work best in their home.
“during the consultation, i also explain the
pricing so there are no grey areas. i will even
circle on our price list the things they have ex-
pressed an interest in.”
by choosing appropriate affiliates, tania is
qualifying her clientele. she also has clients
who ring a few studios to compare and are
price conscious. “some people who find us via
google aren’t always our ideal type of clients.
they can be quite flabbergasted by the cost of
our photography and don’t always see the value
of our skill and craft.
“those who are referred usually have friends
from a similar demographic and generally al-
ready understand that what we do is a worth-
while investment and expect to pay a premium
for the relative skill and end result.
“if they are cold-calling, we need to build
rapport with them, ask lots of questions and
excite them about the experience we can of-
fer. We try to build desire and perceived value.”
tania has a very comprehensive website, so
if people wish to do some research, most of the
information including a minimum order of $445
is there to be found.
22
There are so many great images at Canon APPA and the Epson State Awards that not every Award gets the attention it deserves. To redress this in a very small way, the editor will present a small selection each issue for your enjoyment.
e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n
• •
24
• •
e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n
27
Who owns the Copyright? T h e P h o t o g r a p h e r o r t h e C l i e n t ?
it is important to own the copyright in your
photographs, but not essential. if someone
pays you enough money to take photographs,
that may be attractive enough to let them have
both the photograph and the copyright.
Copyright can be sold by the copyright
owner, so it’s important to know who the first
copyright owner is.
Commercial Photography
the general rule is that the first copyright owner
is the person who takes the photograph. so, in
a commissioned situation where you’re photo-
graphing a model for a fashion shoot, a build-
ing for an architect, or a series of headshots for
a conference, because the nature of the job is
business-to-business, you own the copyright.
note, this is still the case even if you are pho-
tographing a portrait, such as the managing di-
rector or a model.
owning the copyright may not give you the
right to sell or use the photograph of a person
without their consent. generally speaking, you
could use the photographs in an editorial or
self-promotional context without their express
permission, but neither you or nor anyone else
would be able to use it without their permission
in an advertising context.
Weddings and Portraiture
it’s a different situation when you are photo-
graphing for ‘private or domestic purposes’, such
as family portraiture and wedding photography.
in this situation, the clients are the first owners
of the copyright.
so, if you photograph the managing director
in his office on friday, you own the copyright.
photograph the managing director and his fam-
ily at home, he owns the copyright.
Fine Print
the first owner of the copyright can be
changed if both parties agree. this is why the
aipp recommends photographers have a con-
tract that clearly states that the photographer
owns the copyright.
these rules applied from 30 July 1998.
there are some exceptions to these rules:
• the copyright in photos taken as an employee
as part of your job are owned by your employer.
• employees of newspapers and magazine pub-
lishers retain the right to photocopy the photos
and include them in books, but the publisher
owns all other rights
• if you shoot for the government, it is the first
owner of copyright.
©
this is general information only. We do not know your specific financial or legal situation and we are not providing you with advice. as such, this article should not be relied upon as legal, financial or accounting advice. please use this article as a conversation starter with your own adviser.
29
the Majority ruleW h y T h e A I P P ’ s J u d g i n g S y s t e m I s I n c r e d i b l y F a i r
Can a judge control the judging panel by scor-
ing very high or very low?
at the Canon australian professional photog-
raphy awards and the various epson state pho-
tography awards, there are five judges. When
you listen to the comments or watch the scores,
it can appear that one judge is unduly affecting
the overall score, either by judging incredibly
high or way too low.
Majority Rule
one of the many safeguards in the complex
judging system is the majority rule. it states that
if three or more judges have scored a print in a
particular score range, then at the very least the
print will sit in that score range.
the score range dividers are at 80 (silver), 85
(silver with distinction), 90 (gold) and 95 (gold
with distinction). let’s look at a score of 80 and
see how this works. a print receives the follow-
ing scores:
81 81 81 80 72 Average: 79
in this situation, four judges feel the print is
worth a silver award, but one judge scores it
very low. although all five judges may be scor-
ing the print fairly from their personal point of
view, as a panel, one judge is preventing the
other four judges from giving the print a silver
award.
this is where the Majority rule kicks in. be-
cause three or four of the judges (the majority)
are in the silver award range (over 80), the mini-
mum the print will score is 80, no matter what
the average is. let’s look at another example:
70 70 85 86 85 Average: 79
the print will score a silver with distinction be-
cause the majority of the judges are above the
85 score range. of course, the Majority rule
works the other way too:
95 93 79 78 79 Average 85
however, this print will not score a silver with
distinction or even a silver award because the
majority of the judges scored it below silver.
the score will default to 79, just below the silver
award standard.
When you watch the scores at the judging,
or listen to the panel chair call out the score,
this might explain why the final result is differ-
ent to the average.
in fact, if the score is changed due to the
majority rule, the panel chair will usually state so
e.g. “this print has scored 80 by majority and is a
silver award”.
30
The tonal distribution has
been well controlled, but is
it too controlled? Is it miss-
ing that spark of life?
Reflection detail has been enhanced, adding interest.
The left of the image is much
stronger than the right, yet the
jetty is in the middle. It’s not
quite balanced.
p h o t o C r i t i Q u e
76SCORE
Why don’t some prints make it to Silver or Gold? While you can never predict the judges’ reaction with certainty, sometimes there are aspects or features in a photograph that let it down. Past APPA Chairman and Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway has, with the photographer’s permission, reproduced this image because it didn’t receive a Silver or Gold Award. His observations are designed to help others assess images from a judging perspective, with the view to improving not only their Award entries, but their professional photography in general.
A score of 76 means it is good professional practice and, when you compare this edit with the original file on the next page,
I think you’ll agree the image has been tweaked appropriately. So, why isn’t it good enough to earn a Silver? There’s nothing
wrong with the photograph, but there’s nothing that is exciting the judges either. This is a standard composition and you’ll
often see a bride and groom on the end of the jetty in the wedding category. What the judges want is the photographer to
take the next step – add in a fisherman to the side or the Loch Ness Monster. Nothing wrong with this, just needs more!
31
The small bank doesn’t balance the large bank on the left, so perhaps the wharf should not be central as this suggests a balanced composition.
The light area has been con-
trolled, but does it make the re-
sult to perfect, too predictable?
Trees have been
lightened, provid-
ing more detail.
The original file shows how the photographer has improved the image with editing. The trees on the banks have been given
a little more life, some tone has been added to the bright area above the horizon, and the image given a slightly bluer co-
lour balance. These adjustments point to good post-production, but perhaps more is needed with the initial capture. Two
thoughts: is there another composition that is more exciting? Or is there some other element that can be added in to give
the image a stronger centre of interest?
Would You Like Your Photo Critiqued? Are you brave enough to have your award entry critiqued in front of the world? I’m looking for volunteeers! In return for having your entry (state or national) critiqued here (there is no money involved), I wish to be given your permission to use the photo and the critique on my web-sites, on Flickr, YouTube and Facebook etc), and possibly in ebooks on photo competitions. You will remain the copyright owner, but you give me permission to use your image, anonymously, and hopefully you’ll receive some useful advice in return. If you’re willing to partici-pate, here’s what I’d like you to do.1. Create a JPEG of the award entry you would like critiqued, sized to 2000 pixels on the longest edge, setting 8 compression. 1a. Optionally, create a second JPEG of the entry before you have done any editing. Don’t send me the raw file, but a JPEG that hasn’t had much processing.2. Put ‘TWP PHOTO CRITIQUE’ in the header of the email, and attach the JPEG(s).
3. Write this in the email (cut and paste or type the equivalent):“Hi Peter. Enclosed please find my photo (along with an unedited version) for your critiquing and feedback. It scored ?? (enter score). I understand that my photo may not be selected for use. However, if it is selected for use, I agree that in return for you providing the critique and feedback on my photo, I give you permission to use the photo, anonymously, on your website and associated websites such as Flickr, Youtube and Facebook, and in future ebooks. My intention is that this licence will last indefinitely, but I retain the right to ask you to remove the photograph in special circumstances in the future, within a reasonable time (say one month). This just covers me for un-forseen situations.”4. Add your name to the bottom of the email and send it to me at - [email protected].
Please, just one image at a time and there’s no rush to do this straight away - I only need a few photos to begin with, so I will repeat this offer in the future! And don’t send me your best images because they will probably be too good to critique!
33
unearned incomeT e m p o r a r y T a x S a v i n g ?
sometimes court cases can be interesting. the
arthur Murray dance school charged for a num-
ber of lessons in advance. When they received
the money for the lessons, it hadn’t yet been
earned and so it didn’t have to be included as
income on their tax return until the student had
taken the lesson. it was unearned income.
the same principle may apply to wedding
and portrait photographers who take deposits
for photography, and even for the production of
albums. if your income during the year includes
photography deposits and, at the end of the fi-
nancial year you had yet to shoot some of the
jobs, you may be able to ignore this income un-
til the following year (or whenever you do the
shoot). unearned income is only of interest at
the end of each financial year.
Wedding Deposits
it is quite common for wedding photographers
to be booked up to twelve months in advance,
sometimes as much as two years ahead. a de-
posit of $500 or more may be paid and, if you’re
doing 50 weddings a year, this could add up
to quite a lot of income. as the wedding date
draws closer, most wedding photographers re-
quire more of the total wedding package to be
paid, so at the end of June, there could be quite
a number jobs that have been fully paid, but
not yet photographed.
a similar approach can be taken to the wed-
ding album, if a deposit has been taken and
the album is still not completed. You may argue
that this service (the production of the wedding
album) has yet to be undertaken, and so the de-
posits received are also unearned income. this
is a more contentious argument.
Portraiture Deposits
portrait photographers often take sitting fees
and, while usually a sitting fee is a lot less than
a wedding deposit, if you are doing enough of
them, they can add up. if at the end of June you
have quite a number of paid sitting fees which
are yet to be shot, add them up and count
them as unearned income.
Delay Only
not all photographers worry about accounting
for their unearned income. generally speaking,
unearned income simply delays when you get
taxed. it doesn’t reduce the amount of tax you
pay, unless there are special circumstances.
however, from a cashflow point of view, de-
laying the payment of tax can be very useful,
freeing up cash to cover other expenses.
this is general information only. We do not know your specific financial or legal situation and we are not providing you with advice. as such, this article should not be relied upon as legal, financial or accounting advice. please use this article as a conversation starter with your own adviser.
34
The Canon EOS 70D is the first camera to feature the new Dual Pixel sensor design.
35
Canon’s dual pixel sensor – and Why?C a n o n E O S 7 0 D
video producers probably don’t need to answer
this question as many video cameras already
focus very well, but if you’re using a dslr to
capture movies, then the dynamics of using a
camera with an optical viewfinder are quite dif-
ferent.
or they have been until now.
if you could improve autofocusing on a tra-
ditional dslr, what would you do?
first up, most people would enlarge the area
over which the autofocus system works, and
second, it would be great for the autofocus to
work better during movie capture (as well as
live view mode).
some of these improvements are already
possible if you’re happy to use an electronic
viewfinder (such as some sony, olympus and
panasonic models), but if you like using an opti-
cal viewfinder (the traditional style slr camera),
you’ll have to work within the limitations of a re-
flex mirror system.
Autofocus Systems
there are two basic approaches to autofocus:
active and passive. dslrs use passive systems
and there are two types of passive systems
available, phase detection and contrast detec-
tion.
Phase Detection
Most dslrs use the faster phase detection auto-
focus system when capturing stills. simplistically
speaking, phase detection works by comparing
the image recorded from opposite sides of the
lens separately.
the light is focused onto separate sensors
and compared. if the values are ‘out of phase’,
it means the lens is out of focus, so the lens is
moved until the values are ‘in phase’ and the
lens focused.
phase detection is considered superior to
contrast detection because it can determine
more accurately how far and in which direction
the lens has to be moved to achieve focus with
a single measurement.
Contrast Detection
Contrast detection works on a similar premise,
but it relies on differences in contrast values as
measured by the separate af sensors and deter-
mines the correct focus by making lots of mea-
surements – a process of iteration.
eventually contrast detection determines
the correct focus, but it can hunt around a bit in
the meantime.
so, why use contrast detection at all if phase
36
detection is better?
With the traditional dslr design, a separate
autofocus sensor using phase detection is po-
sitioned in the camera, but it can only be used
when the reflex mirror is in the viewing position.
this is because the reflex mirror has a hole
in it through which light is diverted, using an-
other mirror or two, onto the autofocus sensor.
as soon as the mirror flips up for movie record-
ing or using live view, the autofocus sensor is in
the dark and stops working. another system is
needed.
so, when the mirror flips up, the camera uses
a contrast detection system, employing pixels
on the image sensor instead.
the problem with this approach is that the
image sensor can’t do two jobs. it can’t measure
light for autofocusing and record an image at
the same time.
so as not to degrade image quality, only a
small number of pixels are used for contrast de-
tection autofocus and software is used to fill in
the missing pixels on your photographs.
in practice, the dual system works reason-
ably well, but it also explains why autofocus isn’t
as sharp when you’re using your camera in live
view or movie recording modes.
Canon’s Solution
Canon claims to have solved this problem by
redesigning the image sensor completely. in-
stead of each pixel site comprising a single pho-
todiode for image capture, the new dual pixel
CMos employs two photodiodes for every sin-
gle pixel site.
even better, these dual pixels use the su-
perior phase detection system, so autofocus is
quicker and more accurate in both live view and
movie recording modes.
With the new sensor, Canon claims it can use
80 per cent of the viewfinder area to focus on
which is a useful improvement, but this is 80 per
cent of an aps-C size sensor. it will be interest-
ing to see if the same area can be covered with
a full frame sensor in the future.
Fully Featured
and, of course, this only applies if you are using
live view or movie recording modes – for opti-
cal viewfinder shooting, you’d still be using the
same but very effective phase detection system
found on other Canon dslrs, depending on the
model.
the first camera to feature the new focusing
system is an enthusiast model, the Canon eos
70d.
scheduled for sale in september, it features a
20-megapixel aps-C CMos sensor, uses a 14-bit
dig!C 5+ processor and shoots at up to seven
frames per second.
additionally, a native iso range of 100-
12,800 (expandable to 25,600) enables shooting
in lower light conditions, something the new
autofocus system will revel in.
37
Internationally awarded travel photographers Ignacio Palacios and Pep Roig are leading an amazing photographic journey to Patagonia in South America
next year and AIPP Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway will join the tour as a guest presenter and instructor.
Patagonia Itinerary
Santiago de Chile, Pta. Arenas, Torres del Paine National Park (Pehoe Lake, Nordenskjöld lake, Salto Grande waterfall, Laguna Larga, Grey lake and Grey
Glacier), Pto. Natales, El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier), Viedma Lake, El Chaltén (Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy, Maestri camp, Poincenot camp), El Calafate.
The trip includes accommodation, all meals, English and Spanish speaking guides, local travel (minibus), transfers and visas. On the Patagonia tour, Peter,
Ignacio and Pep will provide instruction and assistance with your photography as required. There are only 15 seats available on the tour.
Price: AU$7995*(*) Twin share price. The tour price does not include flights.Note: Some level of fitness is required to reach some campsites in Torres del Paine and Cerro Torre. Porters will be available at an additional fee. The tour finishes in El Calafate (Argentina) from where there are flights to Buenos Aires connecting back to Santiago de Chile or directly to Australia. Dates and itinerary are subject to change.
For further information, contact Ignacio by email: [email protected] or visit www.iptravelphotography.com.au.
PATAGONIA 2014WITH IGNACIO PALACIOS, PEP ROIG & PETER EASTWAY
Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy 8 – 21 March 2014 / 14 days
An eBook by Peter Eastway
G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, Hon FNZIPP, FAIPP
For more information and a read of the free sample, please visit:
www.betterphotography.com
I have judged
many photography
competitions and
there are lots of little
things that entrants
forget to do. If only I could let them
know before entering the competi-
tion, they would do so much better!
Well, as a judge I’m not allowed
to ring up and help entrants, but I can
write a book that distills what I have
learnt over the last twenty years that
will give you a great head start.
Of course, no one can give you an
iron-clad guarantee that you will read
my book and then win the next photo
competition you enter – and I explain
why in the book. However, what I can
guarantee you is that if you read my
book, you will improve the quality of
your photography.
You see, whether you’re aiming to
win a photography competition or just
take a better photograph, the advice is
very similar. And I know that the tech-
niques and approaches I’ve developed
over the years will help you capture
and produce better photographs.
My book is called How To Win Photo Competitions.
It begins with a little about me.
After all, it’s easy enough to write a
book about winning photography
competitions, but it’s better if you have
a little bit of experience. Fortunately
for me, I’ve been lucky enough to win
quite a few competitions, plus I have
a lot of experience as a judge. I can
talk to you about both sides of the
competition.
Add in the fact I’ve been a maga-
zine editor for 30 years and I hope I’m
able to communicate my message
pretty well. So, in just a couple of
pages (I don’t want to bore you), I
explain why I know what I’m talking
about (even though my Dad told me
not to boast).
We then look at competitions
and how they work, how you should
approach them, and how to use the
results to assess your own photog-
raphy. It’s important to set the scene
before we get into creating photos
that win competitions.
The next two sections are the
nitty gritty. We begin by talking about
taking a great photograph in the fi rst
place. Competition winners begin
with the camera and so we talk about
camera technique, colour, composi-
tion, framing and so on - little tricks
and hints that will make a world of
diff erence to your photographs.
From here we step into post-
production – using the computer
to improve the images our camera
has captured. Most readers will have
dabbled with Photoshop, Elements
or Lightroom and this is all you need
to enhance your images so they are
in the running for a competition win.
These days, no matter how good your
camera is, you simply must do a little
post-production to fi nesse your entry.
I fi nish the book with some use-
ful background information about
how competitions work (generally
speaking), and then I analyse some of
the images that have won awards for
me, pointing out the aspects that the
judges responded to in a positive way.
The book has lots of photographs
and illustrations to explain exactly
what I’m talking about.
And it is an eBook. It is easy to
read on a computer, laptop or iPad,
and you need Adobe Reader (Acrobat)
to view the book. There is no paper
version of this book, although you can
print out the Acrobat Reader fi le if you
wish.
I have created a sample eBook for
you to look at on the Better Photogra-
phy website, so please visit and have
a read. If you like what you see, I hope
you’ll purchase a copy.
And for your next photo competi-
tion - good luck!
– Peter Eastway
How To Win Photo Competitions
How To Win
NEW PRICE FOR 2013only $29.95www.betterphotography.com
WinPhotoCompAdvert-2013.indd 1 21/01/2013 9:24:27 PM