tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69314795205332592242024-02-18T16:05:24.570+11:00Have Camera Will TravelPaul Dymond is a professional travel photographer who has been published in more than 30 Lonely Planet guidebooks and various magazines and books around the world. Have Camera Will Travel gives him the chance to post the images that mean a lot to him and talk a little about the technique he used to take them. If you want to learn how to take better travel photos then join in the fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.comBlogger540125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-33990225986976445802015-07-02T10:46:00.002+10:002015-07-02T10:46:33.198+10:00What is the role of a travel photographer? And how should that inform your photography?<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000WUhXS0iI_B0/s/750/I0000WUhXS0iI_B0.jpg" /><br />
Let's get a definition out of the way first. When I say travel photographer I mean anybody who travels, and takes photos. Amateur, pro, beginner, veteran. If you go somewhere and take photos you are a travel photographer. Right, now that that is out of the way I guess we can come to the conclusion that for any of us reading this on a computer, laptop or tablet who has the financial ability to leave the place where we live, well that makes us travellers. If we take photos while we're away that then makes us travelling photographers. And that gives us some responsibilities.<br />
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Here in Australia at the moment there is a lot of demonising of peoples from other countries, religions or backgrounds. It's mostly a lot of rhetoric and hyped up political clap-trap designed to fool those who don't know any better. And who doesn't know any better? Those who haven't travelled for one. So that puts you dear reader at a distinct advantage. When you travel and come directly into contact with foreign cultures and peoples you get to form your own opinions first-hand, without the filter of somebody else telling you what you should believe.<br />
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But photography then gives you the chance to be one of those filters, or influencers. If you choose to do so. Never before have we had such possibilities to share our work with others. In the days of film you would have to hold a slideshow, or pass around the family album, and would at most reach those in your family and close circle of friends. Now you can reach millions at the touch of the POST button on any social media platform. You have the opportunity to show those who can't (or won't) travel how things really work. Not how mass media wants you to think it works.<br />
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So what should you be showing them? Well if I may be so bold as to give some suggestions here is what I think. I think that we travel photographers should be showing what an amazing planet we live on. We should be showing beauty in all its forms. Immediately you might be thinking of the usual travel cliches - Cable Beach in Broome with the camels walking along, sunrise at the Taj Mahal, neon signs of Tokyo. Yes you should definitely photograph those things, one because they're wonderful to see and experience, and two because they are truly wonderful examples of this amazing planet. But if you stop there you've missed the most important bit.<br />
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And for me the most important bits are the bits and pieces on the way to those destinations. The street on the way to the Taj Mahal where ordinary people live ordinary lives that are so different from our own. Where shops sell trinkets and foods that you have never seen before, but the locals consider a part of their everyday life. Where grandparents hug their grandchildren, just like in your home town, only whilst wearing a sari, or a kimono (rare these days I know!), or a conical hat. Not because they are trying to impress you, the visitor to their land, but because it is a part of their culture, their way of life. And to them it is nothing out of the ordinary.<br />
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Only by showing what to us is extraordinary, but in the light of ordinariness, can we contribute to the breaking down of cultural barriers. By showing those who don't have the opportunity to travel, that we are all basically the same, we stop these idiot politicians and mass media dimwits from trying to shape us all into their view of how the world should be.<br />
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So by all means photograph the cliches, but also take time to photograph ordinary life. Ordinary for some, maybe extraordinary for others. In this amazingly inter-connected world (again a first and second world phenomenon I know) we have the opportunity to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. To say, this is how incredible this planet is and how wonderful the people who live in it are. To celebrate our differences while acknowledging our similarities. To show that we're all in this with each other and the big,wide world is a beautiful place full of wonderful people that are just like you and I and deserving of all the respect and understanding that we seem to sometimes only show those from our close-knit social group.<br />
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In short travel photographers can, and should be, the true voice for cultural understanding and compassion. Together we can drown out the scaremongering politicians and headline chasing mass media which seeks to highlight our differences in order to promote xenophobia, rather than highlighting our similarities to promote compassion and understanding. Travel photographers of the world unite I say!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-12432725581701941432015-05-29T14:37:00.000+10:002015-05-29T14:37:45.650+10:00Business advice<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000baktVSssFCo/s/750/I0000baktVSssFCo.jpg" /><br />
A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk to first year photography students at James Cook University. It was a really fun couple of hours where I got to talk a little about my niche area of photography as well as answer lots of questions.<br />
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I spoke quite a bit about the business of photography, mainly because I believe that the technical side of our art is pretty easy to get a handle on. Practice, practice and more practice. Check your results, learn from your mistakes and constantly improve. It takes time but the overriding concept is pretty simple.<br />
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The business side of things is different though. There are many photographers out there nowadays running (attempting to run?) their own business, that really have no business being in business in the first place. I believe the market helps sort out the photographic wanna-bes from the truly gifted artists. Produce enough crappy work and you'll soon get a reputation that will make it hard to get new customers.<br />
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Being bad at the business side of things doesn't work that way unfortunately. You can continue working at a loss until your savings run out, and even then people will be happy to pay you peanuts for your hard work.<br />
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I told the students to think of their business as an exclusive club. Not everybody gets in. We can only afford to work with the people who can afford us. If you ring a plumber and he quotes you $80 for a job you're not gonna offer him $40. Or if you do you'll get hung up on pretty quickly. Yet photographers seem to like acquiescing to these requests for cheap work at the drop of a hat. One student even raised that eternal fear that if they quoted a price that the client didn't agree to, that client would find another photographer.<br />
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Let them! Let somebody else make a loss on that job whilst you bust a hump to find clients who like and respect what you do, and are willing to pay good money for it. If you can afford your own rates chances are you're not charging enough!<br />
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Know and understand the value of your work to your customer. What is their return on investment? How much money do they stand to make when they use your fantastic photographs to help them increase their bottom line? That is what you need to be thinking about. Not how much time it takes you to take the photos. Not how many megapickles your camera has. The client doesn't care. They want to know how much money they will make. Hiring a photographer isn't a cost, it's an investment. They want to see a return on that investment. The more money they stand to make the more money you can charge.<br />
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So don't be afraid to say no. Be prepared to explain your rates and fees. Explain it in language that a business owner will understand. Show them how much money they stand to make by using high quality photography, and how much they stand to lose by using crappy imagery. Your job is to convince them that you can provide photographs that will have value far beyond and above what it will cost them in assignment fees.<br />
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So what are those fees? That is the 64 million dollar question isn't it? And it varies from person to person, country to country, region to region. You need to first of all know your lowest possible number. The figure below which if you dip you'll make a loss. That's no-go territory. Once you know that then, let's be honest, it's a free market. Your job is to get as much money as you can whilst your client's job is to get it for as cheaply as they can. Somewhere in the middle you will come to an agreement. The larger your overheads (including your salary) the higher that fee will be. Don't forget to include a profit for the business so that you can upgrade equipment etc and things will go smoothly.<br />
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The main point is to know what you need to charge to make the amount of money you deem necessary and refuse to work for anyone who can't afford it. Let them go to another photographer with either lower overhead, lesser lifestyle expectations or no idea of how to stay in business for the long term.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-7463977900986754762015-05-19T14:08:00.001+10:002015-05-19T14:08:14.104+10:00Not every image has to be award-winning<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00009LmqcKyr0uE/s/750/I00009LmqcKyr0uE.jpg" /><br />
I gave a talk to first year photography students at James Cook University the other day. It was a chance to hopefully give them a little bit of insight into the workings of the small niche of photography that I work in - namely that of travel editorial and stock photography with a smattering of commercial work here and there.<br />
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One of the questions I received was something along the lines of do I take lots of images to flesh out an idea before taking the final shot. Yes, yes and majorly yes.<br />
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The digital camera is like a visual notebook for me. I use it to photograph anything and everything that takes my fancy. Whatever interests me. And I'm not necessarily thinking about producing mind-blowing, knock your socks off images every time. Because thinking that I had to do that with every press of the shutter would be too stressful.<br />
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You should use the camera first and foremost as a way of expressing how you feel about something. Take the image above. Shot off quickly from the roof of a passing bus it's a bit blurry, slightly noisy and not likely to make it to 500 Pix's image of the day, or the hour for that matter. But I like it. It speaks to me of what enchanted me about Paris. Late night cafes with tungsten lighting, locals walking nonchalantly through what seemed to me to be an amazing place. So I snapped it without a second thought. <br />
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And I think it is very important to do so, because you need to tell a complete story of your travel. It's all fine and dandy to wander around and only take photos on a tripod with mirror lock-up when the light is beautiful and the conditions are co-operating, but realistically how often does that happen? And how many pictures do you think you will come away with? Not many I'm willing to bet.<br />
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So use your camera to flesh out your ideas and feelings about the places you visit. Photograph anything and everything that captures your imagination. Sure you need to get some amazing images or else you won't be satisfied as a photographer, as an artist. But don't let that be the only images you take. Settle for the less than spectacular when it helps you tell a complete story about a destination.<br />
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Not every image is destined for the front cover, but magazines still need lots of images to fill the supporting roles on the inside pages, and so do your travel albums.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-462060509898929052015-03-02T13:46:00.002+11:002015-03-02T13:46:44.986+11:00We are all different, yet all the same.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroepdspNzwG6jO1cji1y_QtILK2Wa80dPjGhkNB5UCD00W38z8w98KUA3ve8RVyBVf_dtP-FVwOzs0_1l8aVDWXZj9LBv0rxQssO_dTPgqnSEOmM1Vz_yVjDsapF2e-cGJBS9ZQQfVSk/s1600/Dymond_131216_6173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroepdspNzwG6jO1cji1y_QtILK2Wa80dPjGhkNB5UCD00W38z8w98KUA3ve8RVyBVf_dtP-FVwOzs0_1l8aVDWXZj9LBv0rxQssO_dTPgqnSEOmM1Vz_yVjDsapF2e-cGJBS9ZQQfVSk/s1600/Dymond_131216_6173.jpg" /></a></div>
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That was the title of a speech I made as an exchange student in Japan way back in 1989. To be honest I can't really remember what I talked about but I do remember I won a brand new Walkman and a very expensive Bizenyaki pottery vase s it must have been pretty good. The guy who won quoted Martin Luther King. But I digress.<br />
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It has been a common theme throughout my life and work. The fact that, at the core of it, we all basically want the same thing. To be happy, surrounded by family and friends and to live our lives in peace. It's easy to cast dispersions about another people or country when you don't know them as indivuduals, which is why I've always believed that travelling and really immersing yourself in another culture is vitally important for everybody.<br />
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I found this recently whilst in Barcelona with my family. I have to admit I found it hard to photograph there because every time I pulled my camera out some kind local would warn me to put it away lest it get stolen. After a while these well-meaning souls really wore me out.<br />
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Visions of dark strangers whisking my camera gear off into the wilds of Spain made it hard to relax, but in the end I came to my senses and realised that I probably needed to be a bit cautious but not paranoid.<br />
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Which is what brought me here. To a little park opposite the majestic Sagrada Familia. In the middle of the night. With my own Familia in tow. My wife and two boys - 9 and 11. I knew where the park was, just not how dark it was. I have to admit we were all a bit nervous but figured the thieves were all probably asleep!<br />
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<br />
And this is what we found when we got to the park. Apparently every night a bunch of locals with little dogs get together and let them play in a big group of semi-organised chaos. They only bring little dogs to protect them from bigger dogs. As the owner of two Chihuahua Maltese crosses needless to say my kids were beyond excited. In fact I think the hour they spent playing with the puppies while I photographed was probably their favourite in their whole month in Europe! This is my eldest in the foreground rushing in for more play time with a Jack Russell.<br />
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Many of the people spoke quite good English so conversation bounced along and we learnt quite a bit about life in the city that we would never have discovered as tourists.<br />
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An experience that, once again, proved that wherever you go in the world people are people. Yes there are terrible people everywhere but mostly we're all just kind, friendly people living their lives to the best of our abilities. I think we should stick all racist people on a plane and send them to parks like this all over the world and let them play with the locals and their dogs. And the politicians should be first.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-88412819679861854052015-02-20T12:34:00.001+11:002015-02-20T12:34:16.951+11:00Let me help you sort your images out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pXPRZsclO3Ey2QvAHuIdnGBm6m7CihDQ2SNloOMLrqAL_kD_UJXmrMGugYTWVuKkGB6tmkZVKCpwH2T5pa2khVuHX5MCL49gdQC1NJ0CCYtjCeNTmSzUPkyLuuNaORyr7Czy0JuqHSg/s1600/PDymond+catalogue+screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pXPRZsclO3Ey2QvAHuIdnGBm6m7CihDQ2SNloOMLrqAL_kD_UJXmrMGugYTWVuKkGB6tmkZVKCpwH2T5pa2khVuHX5MCL49gdQC1NJ0CCYtjCeNTmSzUPkyLuuNaORyr7Czy0JuqHSg/s1600/PDymond+catalogue+screenshot.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
I have a really exciting announcement to make. Well at least I'm excited about it, and so are the clients that I've worked with so far. An expansion of my business into a slightly different, but totally related area.<br />
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For those of you who don't know, I've been a photographer for close to 15 years now. Which means that I have a lot of pictures. I mean a truly astounding amount of images on both film and digital format. Now for most assignment photographers work involves shooting a job, sending the images to the client and then forgetting about it. The images get stored on some hard drive, backed up to another hard drive, and then are never seen again.<br />
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But for me a major part of my business has always involved stock photography, which involves shooting images and then having them available for clients at some point in the future if and when they might like to license them. Which means that I can shoot a picture and it might not sell for quite a long period of time after the shutter has been pressed - sometimes years!<br />
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But when that call (or more frequently these days - email) comes I need to get my hands on a specific picture very quickly. I can't spend half a day searching for a particular image of Paris which might be on one of a number of internal or external hard drives or DVDs. I need to get it out to the client as fast as possible.<br />
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All of which means I had to become an expert in cataloguing and sorting my pictures. The screenshot above is of one of my photo catalogues and if you have a look down the bottom right hand corner you can see that there are nearly 50,000 images in there. And I can pretty much find any one of those images in a very short period of time.<br />
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How many organisations can say the same thing? In my experience basically none. And this is costing companies a lot of time and money when employees try and go looking for pictures that they know are somewhere, but have no idea where. Or even those pictures that they have on file but everybody has completely forgotten about. What a waste of valuable digital assets.<br />
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And this is where I come in. Last year at the request of James Cook University I was hired as a consultant to help them sort out their image library. 45,000 digital files with very little information to tell people what the pictures were of, who took them and any other relevant information. Marketing and Communications were getting bombarded with requests for pictures that they would then have to spend time searching for and delivering to other departments. All of which was a burden in both time and money.<br />
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So the first thing we did was do an inventory of their pictures to find out what they were dealing with. All the pictures were on a central server but nobody knew how to find stuff on there. So we created a system whereby all the images were not only catalogued, but staff from the different departments could see all those images, search for those images and then download those images directly from the server. Bang. The whole university suddenly had access to over 45,000 pictures that before they had no idea existed. But Marketing and Communications were still able to control which images were able to be used and which weren't. They were also able to keep track of what licenses applied to which pictures to stop inadvertent copyright infringement - always a big risk for major corporations.<br />
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Is your image library in a total state of disrepair? Does it take you hours to find pictures for a specific project? Do you have multiple version of a single image filling up servers? Then I can help you.<br />
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As I said, I'm very excited about this expansion of the business because it's something I love doing. I love the look on people's faces when they suddenly realise how easy it is for them to find images, to classify images, to use images in specific projects and to share those images with other staff members.<br />
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I rarely post ads on the blog but I'm hoping this one will appeal. If you are interested, or know anybody who you think could use such a service get them to email me at info@dymond.com.au for a no-obligation appraisal and quote. And let's get our digital assets back in order!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-6675910109467045942015-02-12T14:49:00.002+11:002015-02-12T14:49:45.552+11:00What does a professional photographer do?<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000rE4gbgi__A4/s/750/I0000rE4gbgi__A4.jpg" />
I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and he made an
interesting comment. We were talking about the business of photography
(he's not a photographer or involved in the industry at all) and he made
the remark that it must be hard to sell services as a professional when
cameras are so good these days that anybody can take a fantastic photo.
Ouch.<br />
<br />
But you know what? Cameras are really good these
days. Fast autofocus, brilliant exposure metering and even the ability
to change things up in post-processing afterwards if you want. So what
is it exactly that a professional does differently if the taking of the
photograph is so easy?<br />
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Firstly there's the illusion
that it is easy. In the right light, if you're in the right position and
there's a nice moment in front of you then everyone's chances of
getting a nice picture are pretty even. No questions about it. If we're
both standing in front of Uluru (Ayers Rock) during a beautiful sunset
we're going to come away with something pretty special.<br />
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But
what happens for the 99% of the time when the conditions aren't
co-operating? What happens when you have to shoot a portrait of somebody
outside in the middle of the day? The professional will know to put up a
scrim to soften the light. They'll know to break out the lighting to
fill in the shadows, and the optimum position to put that light for the
nicest effect. They'll also know what to do to the background exposure
to create a spectacular effect. And they'll know how to do it every time
no matter what the weather is doing. Oh and they'll also know to get on
fabulously no matter how much of a bad mood the portrait subject is in
and to get legally binding model releases signed so you don't find
yourself getting sued down the track!<br />
<br />
OK so maybe a
deep knowledge of lighting is something that can help separate a pro,
but what about those who only use natural light. Let's take a travel
assignment. The professional will, before they even leave, have
ascertained what direction things are facing. Why? Because if you need
to use natural light, and we know that sunrise and sunset are the best
times of the day, then you want to know what you need to photograph at
what time of the day. East facing buildings are a morning shot, west
facing buildings are an evening shot. But the professional will also be
on Google Earth checking out if there are any impediments to the sun
meaning you need to be there later or earlier than usual. For example
here in Cairns the sun goes down behind the mountains at about 5pm. No
point finding out that the sun sets at 6.30pm only to find out that
everything has been in shadow for the past hour and a half. Research is a
huge part of what a professional photographer does.<br />
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The
professional also knows why they're photographing what they are - the
significance of an event, action or object. Take a couple of
photographers at the Sumo. One has never been before and just snaps away
willy nilly, getting some great action shots. The professional who has
done his research is concentrating on the details everybody else misses.
The ceremony of purification as the wrestlers throw salt into the ring.
The wince of pain as the grand champion bends down on the knee he hurt
in training the previous week. Background knowledge is as much, if not
more, important as the images themselves. If you know the significance
of certain things the photos themselves have more meaning.<br />
<br />
The
same goes for portraits. I did a series of portraits for James Cook
University where we photographed people in various fields of study
including Conflict Resolution, Terrorism, Turtle Rehabilitation and Pub
Management! Try illustrating some of those in a single image.<br />
<br />
Take
the Terrorism shoot for instance. I had an idea for a dark, brooding
portrait. I had to make sure that the image didn't allude to any
particular nationality or religious inclination and I didn't want it to
be bright and airy. So we chose to photograph her in her office - at
least that was how she described where she worked. Turns out it was a
50cm by 50cm boring grey cubicle in the corner of a tiny room filled
with other boring grey cubicles! A visual nightmare. This is when the
professional's experience comes into play. When knowledge of your
equipment is good enough to be able to cope with any difficulty thrown
at you. People with less experience might just throw their hands up in
frustration.<br />
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And the other differentiating factors come
after the shoot is finished. Can the amateur be trusted to have triple
copies and back ups of everything they shoot in case of hard drive
failure? Can they provide low res jpegs for selection purposes on a
password-protected website (so your competitors can't accidentally see
them)? Will they invoice on time and in the format that Accounts Payable
needs to process it promptyly, or will it require a telephone call or
two to sort things out?<br />
<br />
So yes, whilst I agree that the
advancement of technology has made taking good pictures a lot easier -
particularly in the perfect situation - I think when using a
professional photographer is absolutely vital is the other 99% of the
time. In other words when the shit is hitting the fan and you need
someone with the experience to get through with a smile, a laugh and
great images no matter what the world throws at you. That's what a
professional photographer does.<br />
<br />
Oh, the image above was
taken on the Japanese island of Okinawa. A tropical paradise famous for
its world class beaches, beautiful aqua skies and water sports. Only
the week I was there it rained the whole time and the sun never came out
once! No point telling your editor the weather is terrible. You need to
change tack and find a different angle to your coverage. Anything less
would be totally unprofessional.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-35263926931969133282015-02-05T15:27:00.001+11:002015-02-05T15:28:47.089+11:00Big Megapixel jealousy?<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000G0iT6nqntpc/s/750/I0000G0iT6nqntpc.jpg" /><br />
So the word is out. We Canon shooters may soon be able to stop feeling inferior to our Nikon brethren with their 36 Megapixel D810. Rumour has it that Canon is about to release a whopping big 50MP beast, which brings up some interesting questions.<br />
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Firstly who needs 50MP? I can see how all those glorious pixels would come in handy if you shoot and print huge prints. I'm afraid I can't remember the last time I printed a picture (although my clients use them in print regularly). So I guess that crosses me off that list.<br />
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I could also see it coming in handy if you're shooting wildlife and your longest lens just doesn't get you close enough. Just crop a bit out of the middle and, assuming your lenses are up the task, I'm sure you could get a very good, large image. Unfortunately I don't really shoot wildlife either so I guess I'm off that list too.<br />
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Hmmm..I'm not doing myself any favours if I really have designs on a new camera here. In fact, truth be known, I can't think of a single use (in my business) for all those pixels. In fact, until the reviews come out, I would be worried that it would be a downgrade from what I'm shooting now. How could that be you ask?<br />
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Well at the moment my camera shoots a little over 20MP, about standard for a Canon full-frame camera. But, more importantly for me, it's low light shooting abilities are phenomenal. I regularly shoot it at 1600 and 3200 ISO without the need for any noise reduction work. Hell, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I shot plenty of images in Paris at 12,800 that were perfectly usable for up to A4. The ability to shoot in low light is a godsend for me.<br />
<br />
But not only when shooting available light, as in this shot from the Louvre above. I often use the high ISO capabilities when using flash. Why would you do that you say? Because many of my compositions involve blending flash with ambient light to create as natural a look as possible. Sure if my entire frame was lit by flash I could shoot at ISO 100, but I like to retain the natual light of an environment as much as possible. Bumping up my ISO means I can do that easily.<br />
<br />
So is this new fandangled camera up to those same levels? Only time will tell but with more than twice as many pixels on a sensor the same size I'm thinking something has to give?<br />
<br />
Also there's the issue of increased file sizes leading to the need for faster computers, bigger hard drives, more storage cards, more portable hard drives on the road. I've only just rebuilt my computer and don't really feel like doing it again for a very long time!<br />
<br />
Yep, it almost sounds like this is my wife writing this post. Explaining exactly why I don't need 50 Megapixels.<br />
<br />
But here's the underlying question that needs to be asked. Will a new camera fundamentally affect the way you are able to create images? Will it enable you to do things you'd never thought of? And will having more megapixels than the photographer next to you mean that you'll create more insightful, thought-provoking images? Of course you know the answer to that one, or at least I do.<br />
<br />
Advances in equipment are wonderful when they free your imagination and allow you to create pictures that you could only imagine before. When I was shooting film (yeah I know, I'm old) we were limited to 50 or 100 ISO. Can you imagine shooting documentary travel work on 50ISO? If only I had a dollar for all the pictures I couldn't physically take!<br />
<br />
For me the most recent game changers have been (in no particular order) - high ISO capabilities, Wi-fi enabled, GPS tracking. Those things might not appeal to you at all but for me they were all huge game changers for various reasons. 50MP? Meh, not so much.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-81530731706167967352014-11-26T13:44:00.002+11:002014-11-26T13:44:42.330+11:00Don't sweat the small stuff - at least not at first.<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00000C2TX2rkK4c/s/750/I00000C2TX2rkK4c.jpg" /><br />
I haven't really made a big deal out of this,but since hitting 40 I've taken some big steps to get healthy and into shape. Inspired by my constantly fit wife I decided it was time to lose the extra fat gained through the previous 40 years of not really giving a damn.<br />
<br />
And when I started doing my research into the type of exercise that I would enjoy, and that I could enjoy over the long haul I found a lot of similarities between the world of exercise and the world of photography.<br />
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You wouldn't think it, but early practitioners of both have a very big point in common. They get hung up on the small stuff before they need to. For example, in the world of fitness you can really concentrate on the tiniest little details of diet. Eat more protein, eat less protein, carbs are good for energy, carbs are the devil, fasting is great for your hormones, fasting will crash your hormones.<br />
<br />
Unlike the photography world, however, the fitness world is full of scientific studies that can pretty much back up any new idea you come up with. But, just like the photography world, they're often splitting hairs.<br />
<br />
I came to see that if I wanted to lose weight I needed to burn more calories than I was taking in. It didn't really matter what form the 'calories in' part took at the start, nor how I chose to create this deficit. I could eat less, or I could move more. As long as I was in a deficit I would lose weight. Couldn't be simpler. Hell I even found a guy in America who lost 18kg eating Twinkies for three months - just to prove a point!<br />
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In terms of exercise there were a million choices, all with supposed benefits (if you listened to the authors of the programme) and downsides (if you listened to the authors of competing programmes). But upon looking into it further it became pretty clear that the one I could keep up with and continue with was the one that would give me the most benefit. And there were a million different options, with no one thing being significantly better than another.<br />
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In other words as long as I took care of the basics first - move more, eat less - I would lose weight and get fitter. All the other stuff was merely fine-tuning and best left for a long way down the track, if at all. <br />
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And that's how I see a lot of beginners in photography. A common question I get asked is "I like this photo but do you think it would have been better if I'd taken it at f8? I've heard my lens is sharpest at f8." Check the metadata of the picture - they took it at f11. In all honesty? It doesn't matter two bob.<br />
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There are far more important things to consider in the creating of great photography before you get to worrying about the tiniest details. First and foremost, is the subject compelling? Is what's within the frame enough to capture the viewer's interest? If not then it makes no difference what aperture you're using. A boring photo at f2.8 with nice bokeh is the same as a boring photo at f16 with a big depth-of-field and lens diffraction!<br />
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Alright so you've got a nice subject. Well done. Step one is complete. Second step. Is the light nice? Or at least complementary to the subject? Beautiful light can turn the mundane into the sublime, but it can just as easily turn the spectacular into the ho-hum. Choose the right light for your subject. Understand light. Learn to see light even when you don't have your camera with you.<br />
<br />
So we have nice light and a great subject. To tell you the truth we're probably about 90% of the way there. A third thing I would add to my list is lens choice and perspective. Does your choice of lens improve the picture. If a wide-angle lens shows too much surrounding stuff and it's not interesting you might need to change to a longer focal length. If that distant background is really attractive then you might need a really big telephoto to compress the perspective. But be careful because your equipment can get in the way.<br />
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Or more precisely your love of equipment and a desire to use as much of it as possible just for the sake of using it can. Do you really need 7 speedlights for that portrait? Is it adding to the impact of your subject or is it simply a way of screaming from the top of your lungs "I have 7 speedlights and I can fire them all at once in High Speed Sync!"<br />
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Do you have to use that new fisheye lens simply because you just bought it and it cost a lot of money, or does it actually enhance the image? Let the subject decide.<br />
<br />
Just like the move more, eat less mantra this could be your new photography mantra - great subject, nice light, right lens. If you've got those three right and you still have time to stop and think about these things then you can concentrate on the fine details. But believe me, they are the last 5% of a great picture. Without the other stuff you've got nothing, no matter what aperture you shot it at.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-16569169677356025182014-07-05T14:16:00.000+10:002014-07-05T14:16:11.658+10:00The travel photography/holiday balance.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAu5cEjXwcmW4h2W1rveOQjFpW5lQRDwYGJgar3ihEXye85wFReaLsid8FbKVc7yWtx5GI2cO9xAXaJX-xOrCni0s1Qdg3StNQCBQibmXJTltr3r0FY0bwknb3xQleNnmI07VkV1f7j10/s1600/Dymond_140630_0173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAu5cEjXwcmW4h2W1rveOQjFpW5lQRDwYGJgar3ihEXye85wFReaLsid8FbKVc7yWtx5GI2cO9xAXaJX-xOrCni0s1Qdg3StNQCBQibmXJTltr3r0FY0bwknb3xQleNnmI07VkV1f7j10/s1600/Dymond_140630_0173.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I've just come back from a whirlwind trip up to Japan. My wife had a few days off in a row so we decided to quickly pop up there to say hello to her Dad and give the kids a bit of a holiday. This is my youngest son Keyra playing with fireworks in the local park behind his Grandad's house.<br />
<br />
Family holidays are difficult times for travel photographers, well for any serious photographer whether professional or amateur I guess. That desire to photograph all the amazing things that you see often clashes with your family's desire for you to spend more time with them.<br />
<br />
Photography is by its nature a solo pursuit. I find it very difficult to get any good photographs in a group situation - say a camera club trip - or any situation where I don't have total freedom as to where I go and what I photograph. I find it just makes it very frustrating.<br />
<br />
And I used to take that frustration out on my family. I would want to wander off and photograph something, or hang around in one spot for longer waiting for the perfect opportunity, whilst they wanted to keep going.<br />
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It was a constant source of tension until I just decided to let it go. When I'm working I resign myself to the fact that I can never photograph all the amazing things I see and do. It's just not possible. So I took that same attitude over to my family holidays.<br />
<br />
I know some photographers who schedule days and times that they can go out by themselves and satisfy their photographic muse, but to be honest with you after a day of running around with the family I'm too buggered to go out and photograph for myself.<br />
<br />
I sometimes schedule time off for myself if we're in one place for a long time, like trips back to Sapporo. But otherwise I become more of an opportunist photographer. I get grab shots here and there and spend the majority of the time photographing my kids, something I never do at home. I know, terrible photographer father.<br />
<br />
So if your better half is giving you grief about all the time you spend looking through the viewfinder whilst on holiday maybe it's time to put the camera down for a bit. Or point it at the ones you love. Our kids grow up so quick that I'm sure I will be kicking myself twenty years down the track if I don't try and capture their youth. Plus it saves me getting yelled at too much!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-64042890846735318852014-06-18T10:17:00.000+10:002014-06-18T10:17:28.806+10:00Why you need to be interested in more than just photography.<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000dYzg9xmQ6MM/s/750/I0000dYzg9xmQ6MM.jpg" />
<br />
<br />
There seems to be a bit of confusion in the photographic world about what you need to know to be a better photographer. The overall search for knowledge seems to be around technique and equipment. What aperture do I use to take this photo? How many flashes do I need to take this photo? How many bracketed exposures do I need to take this HDR photo? But in all this searching people are missing the most fundamental questions? What do I want to say with this photo and why should people care?<br />
<br />
After you've learned how to take an HDR multi-image stitched panorama with 32 off-camera speedlights what then? What have you achieved? Nothing that anybody else with an internet connection and the right gear could replicate with a bit of practice, trial and error. So you need to find out more about what it is you're photographing and that information can't be found in the metal and plastic of your camera.<br />
<br />
Now before I go any further, let me say that I'm not denying that gear and the knowledge of how to use it is important. It is extremely important because it's half of the puzzle. Without the knowledge of how to create the image you see in your head you will have to rely on dumb luck and serendipity to get consistent results. In fact I would go so far as to say that learning how to use off-camera lighting completely saved my photographic business (but that's a story for another day). What I am saying is that knowledge of technique is still only half of the equation.<br />
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An interest in photography is not enough to create anything more than images that make people say "Wow I wonder how they did that?" and move on to the next image of the day using the technique du jour. If that's what you're after then all power to you but I want to create images that have longevity because of their content. Images that cause people to stop and think about something. To think about what is in the image, as opposed to how it was taken.<br />
<br />
Take the photograph above. Yes we all know what it is and where it is. But, to be honest with you, that's all it says. It tells you nothing at all about what is special about the Mona Lisa. Sure you can see that lots of people go to see it because I walked to the other end of the hall and shot it with a telephoto lens, compressing the crowd and making it feel more crowded than it was. So that's what I wanted to say about the situation.<br />
<br />
Because that's all I could say. Apart from the fact that I know it was painted by Leonard daVinci I have to admit that I know nothing about the technique or style used, or even much about the history of it. No shame in admitting you don't know stuff. (I'm not really sure I could make an HDR multi-image stitched panorama with 32 off-camera speedlights either!).<br />
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It's not a bad photo, as photos go, but there's no insight here. Nothing new is learned. No HDR, multi speedlight technique could have saved it as far as I'm concerned. Because the background knowledge and interest aren't there. Sorry Leonardo.<br />
<br />
So how could I have created an image that resonates? By being interested in more than just photography. Make no mistakes about it, interested photography often takes more effort and leg work before the shoot than it does during the shoot. For example, if I had been on assignment I would have contacted The Louvre beforehand after coming up with some ideas for images. I would have thought of different angles to the story. Is there a tour guide that has a deep connection with the painting? Are there people whose job it is to take care of the painting in various ways? I don't know. Without researching it I'm clutching at straws here but you see what I mean.<br />
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I would then figure out who to get in touch with to try and get access to those kinds of photographs and situations. But that's The Louvre you say. They're not going to let any ol' Joe Blow come in and take behind-the-scenes photos. And you might be right, but you never know unless you try. And if they refuse then at least you have studied up on your subject and can think of other photographic possibilities and what you might want to say photographically. And, granted, this is an extreme example but you can extrapolate it back to your local area.<br />
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Sure a photo of a clock tower in your local town might be nice but easily obtainable by anybody else, tourist or local. Can you get permission to photograph the people who clean the clock? Or the engineers who calibrate the time? Or the Historical Society that works to preserve it? Think outside the square by showing a deeper interest in what you want to photograph. <br />
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In this world of billions of images on social media, to create something that goes beyond the ordinary you need to go deep. You need background knowledge and interest and you need to come up with an angle that represents what you want to say about something. And once you've figured that out? Then you can get out your 32 speedlights. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-82514933074254975642014-06-11T10:46:00.001+10:002014-06-11T10:46:58.033+10:00Why you need your copyright and your clients don't.<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000nErUB4lDB5E/s/750/I0000nErUB4lDB5E.jpg" />
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<br />
If you take a look in the bottom right hand corner of this image of the Champs Elysees in Paris you'll notice a big Copyright Symbol with my name and website details around the outside. Copyright. It's one of those things that we don't always pay as much attention to as we should. Now granted that the copyright laws may be different depending on where you live in the world but there are some generalities we can make before we move on to specifics.<br />
<br />
When you take a photograph for your own personal pleasure the copyright is yours. That means that nobody else can take that photograph, use it without your permission or do anything with it at all without you saying it's OK. That's a pretty simple concept that I'm sure we all understand. We go on holiday, take a bunch of photos and they're all ours and nobody else's. But there are things you can do to your pictures voluntarily which could irrevocably change that, and if that happens it could be a very, very bad thing.<br />
<br />
So let's say you buy a house. And it's a beautiful house with a fantastic garden which everybody compliments you on. So you enter some pictures of your house into a competition and there's a big, long contract there but you don't read it because those things always say the same thing blah, blah, blah.<br />
<br />
And then one day somebody shows up on your doorstep and claims that you no longer own your house. In fact, by entering the contest, you have agreed to give your house away to the organisers of the competition. Not that you won and are going to get a nice prize or anything, you just sent in the entry form. Sounds ludicrous doesn't it? Who would think of such a stupid idea?<br />
<br />
Well, whilst photo competitions won't cause you to lose your house, quite a few of them will take away your photos just by entering them. Seriously. They have little clauses in there that will take away your copyright. So what you say? That just means that the competition people want to use those pictures to promote next year's competition? Believe you me, if that's all they wanted to do that's all they would ask for.<br />
<br />
So what exactly do you give them when you give them your copyright? Firstly the photo is theirs. No ifs or buts about it. The photo is no longer yours. That means that you can't show it on your website or anywhere in public. You can't sell it to another person, or even claim it as yours. Because it's not. It's theirs. And if they wanted to they could sue you for using 'their' photo. Because they now own it lock, stock and barrel.<br />
<br />
Which means that they can do with it whatever they want. They can use it to promote next year's comeptiton of course, but they can also use it however they like. They can put it on billboards, in magazines, on TV. They can sell it or license it to whoever they want. So not only have they not paid you for it, but they can then make money off what was once your picture. If the competition is being run by a state or national tourist board it's often simply a way of getting great photos for free that they can then use to advertise their local area. Haven't got the budget to pay for photos? Run a photo competition. Works every time!<br />
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Think that's not gonna happen? There's a major magazine publisher in the US which is now selling original photographs that they commissioned and took the copyright for. The photographers don't get a red cent and the mega-corporation makes yet more money. Tourism Boards all over the world have the same clauses in their photo competition contracts.<br />
<br />
OK so this all sounds like conspiracy theory stuff and you're saying "huh that'll never happen'. OK, call me cynical, but if they don't think it will ever happen why do they insist on taking the copyright?<br />
My advice would be to run, don't walk, in the opposite direction of these so-called contests. There are plenty of legitimate competitions out there that won't ask you to hand over your first-born child just to enter. Read the fine print.<br />
<br />
But what about when somebody hires you for a job and tries the same thing?<br />
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Government departments are notorious for demanding the copyright in images that are shot on assignment, and I have always either negotiated out of it or walked away from the job. But it is never done in anything but a friendly, non-confrontational manner. I'm not at war with these people. We're trying to work together to get beautiful pictures that they can use for their marketing and promotional purposes. We're on the same team but sometimes the corporate lawyers don't see it that way.<br />
<br />
So how do I explain it? Firstly it all comes back to how the pictures are going to be used. For example, if a magazine sends you on assignment all they really need (as opposed to want!) are the rights to print the pictures once in their magazine and also maybe on their website and iPad App edition. That's it. That's all they need.<br />
<br />
And yet they will still send you their boilerplate contract with a Copyright Transfer (also known as a Work Made For Hire) in there. Believe me when I tell you that there are always different versions of the 'standard' contract, and no contract is above negotiation.<br />
<br />
Government departments often have more extensive usage requirements. They might need to use it in slideshow presentations, websites, brochures etc. A whole range of usage that they're not really sure about. Which is often their excuse for requesting copyright. "Oh but we don't know where we're going to use it so we just need everything."<br />
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This is how I explain things. I firstly explain what copyright transfer means. It means that the pictures become theirs and I can never show the image on my website, in my portfolio or even claim it as my own. I explain that I wouldn't get much work as a photographer if I couldn't show my work to people and my website would look pretty boring if it was all blank spaces! That they in fact could sue me if I did any of that. Standard response? "Ooh we would never do that!" My reply? "Maybe not, but you could if you wanted to and I don't want to expose myself to that kind of risk."<br />
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I then explain that they would also then have the right to put those images into a stock library and make money off them, or sell them to third parties without either my permission, or paying me extra money. Standard response? "Ooh we would never do that!" My reply? "Maybe not,
but you could if you wanted to and I don't want to expose myself to that
kind of risk."<br />
<br />
And that's usually all I ever have to write. We work together, as a team, on terms of service that give them the usage of the pictures that they need and I retain the copyright. The people who contact you aren't the bad guys in any of this. Ever. The legal departments aren't necessarily evil either, they're just trying to cover their own butts and save time, money and hassle.<br />
<br />
If they take copyright they never have to worry about you charging them extra money for using the photos in ways that weren't charged for in the original contract. They save time by not having to contact you to ask permission to use the photos in new ways. And they save hassle by not having to keep track of which images have been licensed for what use. In other words they're most likely being more lazy than they are greedy. Or maybe that's the naive, optimistic side of my personality coming out?<br />
<br />
But here's the thing. Unless all you do is photograph for local, very small businesses, then usage will be a big part of how you charge. A big corporation that intends to use your pictures in a multi-million dollar campaign will pay a lot more for your pictures than a small magazine that wants to use it once. But guess what? If that small magazine is owned by that multi-million dollar corporation and they get your copyright? They can use that picture in ways that would have netted you a lot more money. So, in essence, they've saved themselves a lot of money and you've lost a lot of money.Can you afford to subsidise another person's business? I know I can't.<br />
<br />
So this is my hard and fast line that I draw in the sand and never cross. I never sign away the copyright in my work for anybody. Never, ever. I will negotiate very extensive usage (with an equivalent charge) to cover those clients who want to use the images every which way (but loose!) but the images never become theirs. They are always mine and will continue to be mine. They are my property, and my legacy to the world. Not all of them are fine art and perhaps many will never see the light of day again, but they are mine and I am proud of every single one of them. And that's non-negotiable. I suggest you adopt the same policy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-44523216474373715802014-06-10T10:10:00.002+10:002014-06-10T10:14:24.044+10:00Never be afraid to admit who you are...<br />
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<br />
So I'm sure it hasn't gone unnoticed around here but I've been very
quiet in the blogosphere. And on social media. An on the internet in
general.<br />
<br />
And while I'd like to tell you that I've been so busy photographing all
round the world that I just haven't had time, that's not exactly true.<br />
<br />
Mind you, I have been doing a lot of travel. In the last year or so I've
been to Bangkok, Japan a couple of times and a month or so in Europe.<br />
<br />
And my local Cairns photographic work has also kept me very busy, but so
busy that I couldn't find time to sit down and put out a blog post
every week or so?<br />
<br />
Nobody is that busy surely. No my true excuse is procrastination and
denial. Procrastination in that I put it off, and put it off in the
belief that nobody is really reading so there's not much point writing.
True or not it's what I told myself.<br />
<br />
And denial of the fact that I am actually a writer. Or more the fact
that I didn't necessarily want it to be true. I was happy to be seen as
purely a photographer. The thing is, editors don't see me that way. In
fact I've probably written more articles for magazines in the last year
than I have in quite a while, and some of them even ran without photos!
So it seems that while I was trying to convince myself I wasn't a
writer, the world around me doesn't see it that way.<br />
<br />
So I'm dropping the facade of being the 'cool' photographer only and
admitting that I'm both a writer and a photographer. And I need to write
as a cathartic process. One that keeps me on the straight and narrow in
a way that photography by itself can't do.<br />
<br />
Photography is a very in-the-moment activity. You're looking through the
viewfinder and totally concentrating on what is taking place. Trying to
anticipate a moment and capture it for eternity. But you're often (in
fact invariably) catching somebody else's emotions. People's smiles,
frowns, laughter. A nod, a wink. Our job as photographers is to capture
that moment of emotion, without necessarily injecting our own emotions
into it. Or, in the case of commercial work, you're working to a brief
and there is a detailed concept and layout in mind and you're working
within that framework.<br />
<br />
Writing, on the other hand, gives us the opportunity to explain how we
feel and think. To explain why the image (or the moment that we captured
in the image) was so important to us at the time. And the more
eloquently and emotionally we can express that, the more we are able to
connect with other people on a whole different level. Yes a photograph
is worth 1000 words, but sometimes adding a few words to that photograph
can make a world of difference.<br />
<br />
So I will be back blogging. More as a process that I thoroughly enjoy
and a way of self-expression than anything else. I don't know how many
people are reading, or will stick with me, but I don't think there's
going to be too much in the way of explicit education. In other words
I'm not going to explain the difference between a wide angle and
telephoto lens (which by the way is the most often searched for phrase
that leads people to my blog!). Instead I am going to wax lyrical about
photography and travel and present myself no-holds barred. Opinions will
be freely given and damn the consequences!<br />
<br />
Mind you I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky guy in general so don't expect
anything too controversial but I will call it like I see it. To ease
back into it I am going to post once a week. I've already written down
quite a few ideas for future posts and I figure I can manage one a week
without boring the back teeth out of you all.<br />
<br />
So, if you've got this far, thank you for sticking with me through this
long absence and I look forward to re-acquainting myself with you all.
See you tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Paul
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-63764020512647376112014-02-07T11:13:00.000+11:002014-02-07T11:13:03.987+11:00I hate noise!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes I do. The most terrible thing about digital photography is noise. It ruins so many photos it's just not funny any more.<br />
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And how does it ruin photos? Because people are so afraid of it they just don't take the photo. They rationalise that because the picture will be noisy, the quality will be diminished and it's not worth it.<br />
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I spent half of my photographic career shooting on 50 and 100 ISO slide film. I know too well the pain of having to miss out on shots because you couldn't get a fast enough shutter speed when you're not allowed to use a tripod.<br />
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Now that I'm shooting digitally I am pushing those limits as far as they go - and revelling in it.<br />
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Take this shot at left. Taken just a few weeks ago in the monastery at Mont San Michel on the Normandy coast of France.<br />
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I've been quite quiet on the blog here because I was a way for a month and this was one of the places we visited. Absolutely spectacular. And dark. Very dark. So dark I could hardly see. And my camera goes up to ISO 2 million or so, but all the magazines tell me that I don't want to go past 1600 because after that it gets really noisy. ISO 1600 would have meant a shutter speed in the realm of 1/2 second. Even after a couple of Scotches my hand isn't that steady. But all the magazines tell me I can't go past ISO 1600.<br />
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Really? Let's try it out. This was shot at ISO 12,800. Seriously, that is insanely high but the only way I could get a shot. And does it have noise? You betcha. Can I get rid of some of it in Photoshop? That would be a yes too. But doesn't it soften the details? And a yes again.<br />
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So if it's noisy, and getting rid of the noise softens the details wouldn't I have been better just to not take the shot? Are you kidding me? I may never visit this beautiful place again. The noise (after Photoshop work) is about the level of an ISO 400 from one of my older crop cameras. In other words it might not be a poster any time soon but it should be pretty good for even an A4 at a stretch.<br />
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Don't be scared of noise. Don't ever miss a shot because you're worried about the lack of quality. Not every shot is meant to be a 30 x 40 inch poster on your wall. Being able to shoot up to ISO 12,800 (I still can't believe I'm typing that!) afforded me the ability to shoot in so many marginal situations that I could never have got an image in that I am truly thankful for it, noise and all.<br />
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Travel photography is mostly about capturing a moment and an experience. Yes it would be wonderful if we could set up our tripod wherever we wanted and shoot at our lowest ISO setting with a cable release and mirror lock. But reality dictates that that ain't gonna happen. So before you put your camera away in dread of the horrible noise, give it a go. Push your camera to its limits. The shots will most likely be noisier than you would like. Reducing the noise in post-production might make them softer than you would like. Photography has always been about compromises and this is just one more you need to embrace in pursuit of your art. So go make art and leave the noise worrying to the pixel peepers.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-67706104460943457682014-01-27T12:05:00.001+11:002014-01-27T12:05:23.115+11:00Latest Billboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's always nice to see your images used big and they don't come much bigger than billboards! This is a recent pic from a series I did for Trinity Anglican School and it is currently being used in a large billboard on the southern access road coming out of Cairns. It's always a buzz seeing your pictures used in such a great way, although I'm sure the kids are sick of me mentioning it every time we drive past. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-56092798301180436902014-01-14T19:14:00.000+11:002014-01-14T19:14:22.786+11:00Travel with kids. Just do it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I'm probably preaching to the converted here but travel with kids. It can be frustrating, and annoying, and tiring. But oh so rewarding. They may seem like they're bored stupid and not learning anything (and they probably are bored after the 50th art gallery in Paris!) but they are most definitely learning stuff.<br />
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They're learning that even though the country may be different, the language different and the food different - it's all good. Different is good. Not something to be feared. There are good people everywhere you go.<br />
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Here is my wife and two boys ice skating in Amsterdam in front of the Reijksmuseum. It was probably more fun than the Rembrandts in the museum behind but both will remain in their memories forever.<br />
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Apple has a new ad for the iPad and in it is a scene from inside the famous Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona - that glorious work of architect Antoni Gaudi. My two boys recognised it as soon as they saw it - which is good because it was only a few weeks ago.<br />
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Long after we parents have forgotten how many times we had to yell at the kids to 'look at the damn paintings not your iPod', or 'walk in a straight line so you don't bump into people' and other such angry statements, the photos and the memories will live on.<br />
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As you can guess, we've just come back from Europe. 8 days in Paris, 8 in Barcelona and 3 visiting old trekking friends in Amsterdam. Those friends have kids now too. They don't speak English, my kids don't speak Dutch. But somehow they managed to communicate in a joint language of Minecraft and Lego! My youngest son, after dinner at our friends' house, proclaimed it the best night of the whole holiday. Wow, think of all the money I could have saved on hotel rooms if we'd just gone to our friends' house for three weeks. :)<br />
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People often exclaim how lucky we are to do all this travel (and believe me we're nothing compared to other of my travel writing buddies!). To them I say it's not luck. It's sacrifice. We go without in other areas of our lives. My wife works hard at a job that takes her away nearly half of the year. I forego my desire to travel to look after the kids full time. We never eat out at home, don't drive expensive cars or buy all the fancy toys that those around us seem to have.<br />
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Instead every penny we have gets put into travel. I would much rather give my kids experiences than stuff. Nothing lucky about that just a matter of priorities. So in closing I would say this. Get your kids out into the world. Show them that there's more to the world than just what's around them. Get lost with them in a foreign city. Stumble your way in a foreign language with them. Teach them that life is a book, and those who never travel only read a single page. (heavy paraphrasing there I know!)<br />
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And stay tuned for more stories and pictures from Europe.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-84489298641381123012013-11-21T12:13:00.000+11:002013-11-21T12:13:15.242+11:00Travel photography and what it brings to the world.<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000AebWmSpMic0/s/750/I0000AebWmSpMic0.jpg" /><br />
I had a great time at the Cairns Pechakucha Night last night. There was about 100 people there and some really inspirational speakers covering all sorts of topics from cleaning up beaches of rubbish, advising the Rwandan government on how to transition their education system from French to English, to a skateboarder trying to benefit the world through his passion for his sport.<br />
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And then there was me. I spoke about one of my passions - the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Mine was a rather light-hearted affair. Being the last one up I got to watch all the other presenters do their thing. There were some amazing talks of people really changing the world. And here I was selling a destination. I felt a bit light weight I have to admit.<br />
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But after a night to think about it I'm not so sure. Yes there are lots of pressing problems that need to be solved, many of their environmental. And travel might not seem to be such an important thing in the grand scheme of things, after all it's just people enjoying themselves.<br />
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But is that all there is to it? I really believe that conflicts, racism and a lot of our misunderstandings about other people and cultures come about because we don't take the time to get to know other people. To see where they live, how they interact with each other and how their lives are not so different from ours.<br />
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My job is to help break down the doors between different cultures. To show people who might not otherwise get the opportunity, that for all our differences we all basically want the same things. That the world is full of decent, friendly people that you would have a lot in common with if you just had a chance to sit down and talk to them.<br />
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So whilst I might not be saving the world, or even a part of it, I believe I'm helping make it a better place. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-14077727638818092612013-11-20T13:35:00.000+11:002013-11-20T13:35:04.682+11:00Of big hairy spiders and blending<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000IwKH2Fb.j94/s/750/I0000IwKH2Fb.j94.jpg" /><br />
Now this is what I call a fun job! Not holding the pipette, photographing the spider. :)<br />
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This is another image done as a series for James Cook University here in Cairns to help them promote the amazing research their staff and students undertake. Here David Wilson is milking this pretty ferocious looking funnel web spider.<br />
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David and his colleague Norelle Daly are trying to find a way to cure breast cancer using this very toxic venom.<br />
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Photographically I thought I would have to be really quick to help freeze the motion of the spider. I needn't have worried as these guys hold that pose for upwards of half an hour - giving me plenty of time to try different set-ups. This is actually a blend of two images because I couldn't get enough depth of field with my 200mm telephoto lens.<br />
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The first shot is focused on the spider (which rendered David out of focus), and the second shot is focussed on David (which causes the spider to go blurry). The two images are then blended together in post-production to create a single image.<br />
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There are two flashes at work here. One through a see-through umbrella lighting David and the spider, and one in the background to stop the rest of the room going pitch black.<br />
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I love my job! Can you tell? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-8451825623489931252013-11-19T13:34:00.001+11:002013-11-19T13:34:43.118+11:00Is a small camera in my future?<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000x9sQQXHtRW8/s/750/I0000x9sQQXHtRW8.jpg" /><br />
Call me crazy but I actually like carrying round a dSLR with lenses. Maybe it's the continuous paranoia of not having the right equipment for all situations. An inability to accept that you can't photograph all the great stuff you see.<br />
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I've never been much of a street photographer per se. Yes I photograph festivals quite often, and enjoy walking around with a camera, but I'm never really worried about whether my camera is inconspicuous or not. Usually just by being a foreigner you're pretty conspicuous.<br />
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Does photographing people with a big telephoto lens make them uncomfprtable? I guess that kinda depends on how comfortable you make them beforehand. If you take a look at my website you'll notice that the vast majority of my portraits are shot up close and personal. There's invariably an interaction with my subject beforehand. After I've formed some sort of rapport I will then choose whether to photograph them with a wide angle lens, to include more of their environment for a sense of story, or maybe to back off and photograph them from a distance with a telephoto.<br />
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Both lenses have different looks, neither one better or worse than the other. Different lenses for different situations I say. The important thing is that my subject knows I'm photographing them and is happy about it.<br />
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I can't imagine paying a lot of money to go half way around the world and not being prepared for as many photographic opportunities as possible. As far as I can tell (and correct me if I'm wrong!) but the smaller cameras don't seem to have the same capabilities yet.<br />
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Even though many of them have interchangeable lenses the focal lengths seem to be at the shorter end of the scale. For many of my images - particularly landscapes - I like to go really long to pull details out of the scene. Some of my most well-known images have been shot using a 400mm lens with a 1.4x and sometimes 2x converter attached.<br />
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And, to be honest, even though your shoulders might be sore at the end of the day, I actually like the feel of something hefty in my hands. I carry a point and shoot for fun family events and I never quite feel like the real deal.<br />
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So for those of you shooting with the smaller formats how do you find it? Do you get frustrated with missed photographic opportunities or do they do everything you want? Does the convenience of light gear trump any of those inconveniences? I'd love to hear your opinions, especially if you think I'm totally wrong!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-55603273916914548352013-11-18T14:21:00.001+11:002013-11-18T14:21:25.445+11:00Recent portrait for James Cook University<br />
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For a number of years now I have been responsible for producing a series of images for advertising use for our local university here in Cairns - James Cook University, affectionately known as JCU.<br />
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One of the main reasons I love the work is the fascinating people I get to meet. The entree into lives and fields of study I would otherwise know nothing about.<br />
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I can't profess to becoming an expert in any of these things but speaking to experts in their field certainly helps me expand my knowledge.<br />
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The other thing I love is the challenge. Very often I have a very short period of time (my subjects are always really busy people) in which to figure out how I'm going to make their portrait exciting and vibrant whilst being different from the others we've done.<br />
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And they're often in the last place you would ever choose for a photographic portrait - like inside a tiny little cubicle of a server room with a whole bunch of pretty unattractive (to the untrained eye!) wires and doodads everywhere.<br />
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In situations like this my first instinct is to reach for some coloured gels. Colour can turn bland into fun. I firstly reached for a couple of blue gels and two flashes. One pointed at the server box in the foreground and the other pointed at my subject - Postgraduate student Adam Rehn.<br />
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With only blue flashes though, the problem then becomes that Adam looks like a smurf. You can see the stripe of blue down the left hand side of his face? His whole face looked like that! So to overcome that problem I enlisted the help of a third flash to the camera right - this one gelled with a slightly orange colour to warm up the tones on his face.<br />
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The two blue flashes were sitting on top of computer doodads (the technical term I believe), whilst the orange flash was on a light stand and I was shooting through a hole in the stands filled with servers. A very tight squeeze!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-33762339973381000652013-11-18T13:58:00.000+11:002013-11-18T13:58:19.463+11:00Update on Pechakucha night - the other speakers announced!<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000C8ymi5kzIEI/s/750/I0000C8ymi5kzIEI.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, it's official! I'm not the only speaker, even though my ugly mug is the only one up on <a href="http://www.pechakucha.org/cities/cairns/events/52775ca34f5c295003000001" target="_blank">the page</a> so far. The other speakers for the Pechakucha Cairns Night on the 20th November at 6.30pm at the Tanks Arts Centre are according to the email I just received:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Good Morning to all our PechaKucha Night (PKN) fans and Cairns
community, </span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We have another real treat for you for this Wednesday
evening with a wonderful line up of storytelling at the TANKS. This time we will
be located in TANK 5 as the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">PechaKucha Nights are about people sharing their stories
& passions. They have 20 slides & 20 seconds per slide, thats 6mins
& 40 seconds about a subject close to their heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The presenters this month are from
all walks of life such as printmaking, photography, conservation, teachers,
travellers, skateboarders and many others coming together to celebrate their
passions and stories. The presenters are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Heidi Taylor </em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em></em></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><em><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lyndal
Berry</span> </span></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Adam Garnet </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Denis Walls </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Pascale Gerson </em></span></span></div>
<em><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rosemary Hill </span></span></em>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Dian Darmansjah </em></span></span></div>
<em><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Adam Walker </span></span></em>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Paul Dymond<strong> </strong></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So please come along and support them
and their stories, see </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the information below for all the
details as well as the poster attached, we would love to see you
there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>DATE: Wednesday 20
November<br />COST: $5 | Tickets Sold on the Door ONLY<br />DOORS / BAR:
6.30pm<br />EVENT STARTS: 7.30pm<br />VENUE: TANK 5, TANKS Arts Centre, Edge
Hill</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: cyan; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Please spread amongst your networks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Warmest creative
regards,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sarah and Sue</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #8c0095;"><strong>PechaKucha Nights
Cairns</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #8c0095;"><strong> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #8c0095;"><strong> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #8c0095;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Looks like I'm closing the event - the pressure is on! Hope to see you
there. Oh and now I've figured out how to link to my blog from my
website then I'll make sure I post regularly once again. Stay tuned for
more irreverent commentary on the word of photography. </span></span><strong><br /></strong></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-57345822908497628492013-11-14T13:13:00.001+11:002013-11-14T13:16:28.364+11:00Pechakucha talk on Hokkaido November 20th.<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000q36Fbw5Lglk/s/750/I0000q36Fbw5Lglk.jpg" />
So I've been really slack here on the blog! Apologies for that but I seem to have gotten lost in the social media world and have been posting to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pauldymondphoto" target="_blank">my Facebook page</a> more often than not. I promise to be more attentive in future!<br />
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Anyway I wanted to let you all know that I'll be giving a little talk here in Cairns on the 20th November at 6.30pm at the Tanks Arts Centre.<br />
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Pechakucha is a Japanese word meaning to talk and talk and talk....so needless to say I thought it would be a good idea to talk about Japan. Well my favourite place in Japan and second home anyway.<br />
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So the title of my talk is 'Hokkaido - the wild side of Japan'. I'll be showing 20 slides (some of which have two images in them) for 20 seconds each, all taken over a 15 year period on the beautiful island of Hokkaido.<br />
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Expect pictures of the beautiful city of Sapporo (above), as well as the incredible landscapes and natural beauty to be found. There'll be portraits of locals enjoying festivals, giant snow sculptures and a squirrel or two. :)<br />
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So if you can make it come along and for more information click <a href="http://www.pechakucha.org/cities/cairns/events/52775ca34f5c295003000001" target="_blank">here</a>. It's only a $5 entry fee at the door.<br />
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My kids rarely let me out of the house so I'm looking forward to it! Hope to see you there.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-65485226153308264982013-04-30T10:17:00.001+10:002013-04-30T10:17:29.768+10:00Should our professional bodies be responsible for our business practices?<br />
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What is the role of a professional body representing a group of artists? I have been a member of a couple of professional bodies over the years - photographic and travel writing - and there's always been debate over what exactly the role of the body is.<br />
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The majority of Australian organisations seem to think that the body's role is to elevate the level of the work of its members through competitions, workshops and other learning opportunities. The more gold points you get in print competitions the higher your grade within the organisation. The theory being that a rising tide floats all boats and that, as a result of everybody's work getting better it is seen by the general public that it's worth hiring a member of said body of professionals. In other words, by being a member you have a marketing advantage because you're seen by people outside the organisation as producing a top-notch product.<br />
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But is this where the resources could best be applied? My problem is that they often emphasise the artistic/creative side of things whilst pretty much ignoring the 'professional' side of the equation. In the photographic industry in particular, I don't think we got into the mess we're all in today because of the flood of crap imagery. I mean, let's face it, the stuff you find on photo sharing sites like Flickr, 500px et al is often brilliant. I mean truly exceptional.<br />
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Even in my local arena, a small country town of less than 2000,000 people, taking a look at the websites of photographers working around me it's often beautiful, refined work that any working pro would be proud to show. So I think that the professional bodies' emphasis on raising the quality of the art is a bit misguided. The marketplace will do that for us. Produce shitty work and the entire world will know about it seconds after you post it online. Try getting any more clients after you totally overexpose every shot from a wedding, or shoot a commercial client's brochure in low quality Jpegs. If your work isn't good enough technically or artistically then you're not going to be in the game for too long at all. And I hate to be condescending but, you don't scare me!<br />
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So who am I scared of, and where do I think the professional bodies need to be focussing their attention? I'm scared of the capable photographers who don't know their cost of doing business, what kind of a profit margin they should be aiming for, or what the going market rate is. The ones who are happy to take a job at any cost, damn the consequences for them or those around them. That's who I'm scared of and that's who I think needs help from our professional bodies.<br />
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Granted they run lectures and symposiums, online discussion groups and other stuff. But is it working? Do people care? Do they pay attention? Here's a radical concept. Instead of not allowing people of a sub-standard technical ability to join (which many do through pre-membership portfolio reviews etc), let's change things up and say 'You can't join our professional photographic body unless you prove that not only do you know how to run a profitable photography business, but you put that knowledge into practice.'<br />
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Let's make it so that our professional photographic bodies stand for 'professionalism' not just in terms of our abilities behind the camera (which I would again argue the market will judge for us), but by our abilities in all aspects of our 'business'. Hold the members accountable. Undercutting a job just so that somebody else doesn't get it? You're outta there! Deliberately lowballing so that you get as much work as possible without thinking about its effect on the market around you? You're outta there!<br />
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Unintentionally charging less than you need to run a sustainable business? Well that's where the professional body can help you through education. Discussion groups, mentoring, online articles etc. And when you can prove that not only have you read this stuff, but you've taken it to heart and are using it day in and day out...well then we'll let you in. And your clients will know that when they're dealing with a member of a professional body that they're not only going to get a great product, but they're going to be dealing with a complete and total professional.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-45135815623465985962013-04-17T14:04:00.001+10:002013-04-17T14:04:18.929+10:00View from a Wat<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000E9ia6dp62iw/s/750/I0000E9ia6dp62iw.jpg" /><br />
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Well I've been a bit slow with new posts, I know. Blame it on school holidays I say! How do two little people manage to make a mess of something in such a short period of time when it takes me hours to clean it up again? Anyway, where were we? Ah, Thailand.<br />
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Here's another shot of Bangkok chaos, brought to you after the chaos that has been my household for the last couple of weeks! This was taken from the top of Wat Arun, on the banks of the Chao Praya River.<br />
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It was taken with a telephoto lens, which I chose because of its ability to compress a scene and make things look really crowded. Not that the Chao Praya needs much help in that regard mind you. But the telephoto does do a nice job of really compressing the perspective and giving it the wow factor.<br />
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You can see the various ferries and barges as they make their way up and down, and back and forth across this giant river. In the background you can see the rooves of the Grand Palace. I could have sat here for hours and just watched the boats go up and down and life go on in this busy metropolis.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-27758841627938179162013-03-20T11:14:00.001+11:002013-03-20T11:14:47.143+11:00What's what at the Wat?<img src="http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00004ZL1OhzTBF0/s/750/I00004ZL1OhzTBF0.jpg" />
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I have a special place in my heart for Buddhism. I don't profess to understand all its tenets, or adhere to them all but I try to live my life along the lines of its teachings as much as possible. I find Buddhist temples to be calm. relaxing places and very different from country to country - obviously a reflection of the national character more than the religion itself.<br />
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In Japan the temples are often very calm, serene places lacking in ostentation. There is hardly any sound at all as people whisper and move about in hushed, reverant tones. In Tibetan Buddhist temples I tend to find people walking around chatting with each other as they spin their Mani Wheels and catch up on the latest town gossip. Almost as if the temple takes the place of the local coffee shop as a meet up place. Whilst some of the temples contain very ornate statues and decorations I often find that it's not particularly over the top.<br />
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And then there's Thailand! Wow, there's more gold here than Smaug the dragon could have hoped for! Everything is bright and lairy, opulent and ostentatious. Well at least it is here at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. My kids were gobsmacked at all the 'jewels' and 'gold' plastered everywhere the eye looked.<br />
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For a photographer it's a dream come true as the bright golden chedis contrast with the (often) grey sky. When the sun comes out and gives you a dash of blue it's perfect. Technically speaking the one thing you have to be careful about is blowing out the highlights - especially in the red channel. Keep an eye on your histogram and make sure you are recording all the information and let the shadows fall away if you need to because it's important to keep the detail in all the bright areas of the frame. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931479520533259224.post-6628663389638393512013-03-15T15:36:00.000+11:002013-03-15T15:36:14.648+11:00If Spiderman can be a photographer by day....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXs1VS4rKMpeGH3J9KRHJkLbXbB1rIaCN2D7ql9-yd1VkoUQ7FDXJoVPh9GTs9zY_f_cci2LVezb72ZoW4SSmewZy7BmYzvnmYIzMqNy8Rv57Uq1byrZJ3ueZyoeKDGUAbwiqvLGFOVQ/s1600/Dymond_130218_PS_1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXs1VS4rKMpeGH3J9KRHJkLbXbB1rIaCN2D7ql9-yd1VkoUQ7FDXJoVPh9GTs9zY_f_cci2LVezb72ZoW4SSmewZy7BmYzvnmYIzMqNy8Rv57Uq1byrZJ3ueZyoeKDGUAbwiqvLGFOVQ/s640/Dymond_130218_PS_1864.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
I try not to give away my secret identity, but for you trusted readers I'll let it slip.<br />
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Yes, mild-mannered photographer by day, crime fighting justice fighter by night.<br />
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I was having a lovely holiday in Thailand when this dastardly criminal tried to steal our tuk-tuk.<br />
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Needless to say I couldn't let him get away with it.<br />
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Just as Jimmy Olson is Spiderman's official photographer, I too have my own accredited snapper - my eldest son Mirai!<br />
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A little bit of lightheartedness to send you into the weekend!<br />
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Have a great one. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472292909635671327noreply@blogger.com2