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Working ProThe

Issue 213 • July 2013

SAVE THESE DATES

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© Image by Robyn HIlls FaIPP m.PHotog IV

© DARREN JE W M.Photog I, JACKIE RANKAN M.Photog IV, ADAM PREt t Y

OnlinE EnTriES will close 5pm Wednesday 21st August 2013

PHySicAl EnTriES must be received by Friday 30th August 2013

JuDging will bE HElD at Melbourne Exhibition Centre on 13th - 15th September 2013

APPA AwArDS PrESEnTATiOn DinnEr 16th September 2013

THE 2013 cAnOn AiPP APPA 13TH — 15TH SEPTEmbEr 2013 mElbOurnE

Working ProThe

C o n t e n t s# 2 1 3 - J u l y 2 0 1 3

4 President’s Message A new direction for the Institute - what does Kylie and the Board have planned for the future?

6 Where Has Real Photography GonePeter Eastway asks if there is a sameness in all of our work and does this affect what our clients see?

8 The Nikon Event Was RemarkableRoss Eason reports that The Event was well received - take a look at the social photos and you’ll see why.

1 2 $35,000 For Prostate CancerThe photography industry is a generous one - see the prints that raised so much money for a great cause.

1 4 Portrait Management - Kelly BrownWhy does Kelly Brown shoot both JPEGs and raw, and why can’t her clients come back for a sales session?

1 6 Best Selling Photos - Tania NiwaIf you’re shooting a family portrait, what types of photos should you take to improve sales? Here’s what Tania Niwa does.

2 0 Handling Inquiries - Tania NiwaWhen someone contacts you for a shoot, how do you handle the inquiry? Some tips from Grand Master of Photography Tania Niwa.

2 2 Editors Selection - APPA Winners

2 6 Who Owns The Copyright?If you take a photograph for a client, do you own the copyright or do they? Find out what the law says here.

2 8 The Majority RuleAt APPA, the judging system is incredibly fair because of the Majority Rule. Read how it works.

3 0 Photo CritiqueWhy didn’t this photo earn a Silver Award at APPA? Read Peter Eastway’s suggestions.

3 2 Tax Planning - Unearned IncomeIt’s not too late to look at your accounts and see if this little tip could save you a little tax or a lot!

3 4 Canon’s Dual Pixel Sensor - And Why?Will this new sensor design revolutionise the way we use DSLRs for our video work?

C o v e r :

Tony Hewitt G. M. Photog.viCki bell photographed for the prostate

CanCer foundation of australia auCtion

at the nikon aipp event 2013

The Working Pro is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).

Editor peter eastway gM photog., hon. faipp, faipp

Disclaimer the information provided in the Working pro and associat-

ed publications is made in good faith, but is general in nature. neither

the editor, the publisher or the aipp accept responsibility for or will be

under any liability for any recommendations, representations or infor-

mation provided herein. the Working pro presents information, opin-

ions and suggestions for subscribers to evaluate in coming to their

own decisions in the light of their own individual circumstances. the

information should not be relied upon without readers first obtaining

independent advice from their own financial and legal advisers.

unless otherwise noted, all articles are written by peter eastway.

Publication the newsletter is published 10 times a year – monthly

with november/ december and January/february being combined.

the Working pro newsletter is published by pt 78 pty ltd,

abn 75 003 152 136, po box 351, Collaroy beach, nsW 2097, australia.

phone: (02) 9971 6857; fax (02) 9971 6641.

E-mail eastway@betterphotography.com

AIPP Membership Contacts

Suite 5, 205a Middleborough Road, Box Hill

South, Victoria 3128

Phone: 03 9856 0700; Fax: 03 9899 6577

E-mail: enquiries99@aipp.com.au

4

the organisation of ChoiceK y l i e L y o n s M . P h o t o g I . H o n . L M

one of the biggest challenges the aipp faces, is

making sure our organisation delivers value for our

members, particularly as the nature of our industry

is, itself, constantly changing.

at the beginning of June, the aipp national

board, with some selected members and invited

experts, took a weekend out to create a new strat-

egy which we believe will help the aipp become

even more your ‘membership organisation of

choice’ in the future.

We looked at the institute without rose

coloured glasses, trying to put ourselves into the

shoes of others, to see who we are to the outside

world, and to look at ways of creating a better

institute going forward.

We studied our current mission statement and

looked to see if it was still relevant. a mission state-

ment is important to help us keep track of the fun-

damental reason we exist. sometimes we get so

busy managing ‘stuff’ we forget why we are doing

this ‘stuff’.

the new proposed aipp mission statement is:

“The AIPP advocates excellence in imag-

ing and is the membership organisation of

choice for professional and aspiring image

makers.”

there area couple of key points to draw your

attention to in this statement.

1. We want to use the term ‘image makers’ as

opposed to ‘photographers’. in the modern world,

we believe that we are all image makers, not just

photographers.

2. our belief is that in the future, an aipp com-

munity is important and that we need to include

in our community aspiring image makers as well

as professional image makers.

Current Strategies

strategic goals are really important because they

help us demonstrate how we are planning to de-

liver the aipp mission statement.

We looked at our six current strategies to see if

they were relevant. While most are, we still made

refinements which will improve our ability to de-

liver our mission statement

the first and most important goal we have

set ourselves is to constantly provide benefits of

membership which are appropriate for the needs

of all members. this goal is going to challenge

us in the next few years to always make sure we

know what your needs are, and to make sure we

help you. feel free to keep telling us!

the second goal is to provide for you a point

of professional differentiation. We believe that be-

ing an accredited professional photographer is a

great accolade which helps you stand out from

the crowd. nevertheless, this goal is going to chal-

lenge us to make sure you are able to use this

point of differentiation to help yourselves.

our third goal is all about building the aipp

community, making sure we always have a culture

of inclusiveness, professionalism, respect and par-

ticipation. this is going to challenge us to make

sure you feel involved, able to participate and to

get value out of your aipp membership.

our fourth goal is to ensure we have effective

communication channels. this goal is going to

challenge us to constantly stay abreast of modern

communication methods, yet make sure we com-

municate with the entire aipp community.

our fifth goal is to ensure through sound gov-

ernance and responsible management that the

institute remains in a financially robust position.

this goal is going to challenge us to make sure our

income and expenditure match. We cannot spend

money we don’t have and we need to keep mem-

bership fees at an affordable and appropriate level.

lastly, we want to ensure aipp employees cre-

ate and deliver the necessary infrastructure to

guide the organisation to deliver its goals and ob-

jectives. this is going to ensure our employees and

staff, in whom we place a lot of trust, keep us fo-

cused on achieving our strategies and our goals.

What Does This all Mean For You?

Why are we telling you this and why should you

be bothered? because we want you to understand

the direction and aims of your institute.

We want your views, feedback and ideas.

over the next several months, you will see

some changes and we all know change is uncom-

fortable, so please be patient and understanding.

We think you will like some of the changes

we have planned. for example, we are planning

a more robust accreditation and folio assessment

system. We want to ensure that anyone who calls

themselves an aipp accredited professional pho-

tographer has been through a rigorous and ongo-

ing validation process.

We are planning new membership categories

that will encourage family membership, studio

membership and even corporate membership.

We plan to change our membership fee struc-

ture to recognise our longer standing members

and the contribution they have made.

and most importantly, we are planning to give

you help in using ‘the point of difference’ to en-

able you as an aipp accredited professional pho-

tographer to really benefit from your membership.

How You Can Help Us?

feel free to use the aipp blog to post your views,

comments and suggestions. We need your feed-

back and help as we develop our new policies and

tactics. Working together we really can make the

aipp the ‘membership organisation of choice’ and

an organisation of which you can be proud.

kylie.lyons@aipp.com.au - 0411 552 488

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Where has real photography gone?P e t e r E a s t w a y , G M . P h o t o g , H o n . F A I P P, F A I P P

a few people in my life have started talking and

writing about ‘real photography’. they claim that

all the images we see these days are more like

illustrations or graphic design than what we

used to call photographs.

they believe that the introduction of the

computer and the opportunity to edit our im-

age has done great harm to the process that we

used to know as photography.

is this true?

Broad Scale

if you look at how people are using photogra-

phy today, it is completely different to ten years

ago and a world away from 20 years ago.

today we use the word ‘photography’ to de-

scribe a language that is used in many new and

different ways.

With smartphones and tablets, the world

is using photography as a form of casual com-

munication and, just as previous generations

would write in Capitals or use an italic type-

face to make a point, contemporary society is

using a button in hipstamatic or instagram to

add a filter effect.

is this photography? Yes. is it good, saleable

photography? probably not, but it’s not sup-

posed to be. it’s just another way of communi-

cating, like speaking or writing emails.

there is so much photography in the world

today that it can take some getting used to, but

i also see a more educated public. people seem

to appreciate the work i do even more because

they know their buttons don’t do what mine

do! or perhaps they are just being nice!

APPA Prints

Critics also claim the Canon appa and ep-

son state awards should be called photoshop

awards, because unless you use photoshop, you

have no hope of winning. this is just pure twad-

dle.

great photographs shine through, whether

they use photoshop too much or just a little.

that’s a creative choice we make as photogra-

phers. and what one photographer likes, anoth-

er will hate. it’s always been the same.

however, i think what my friends are point-

ing out is that a lot of photography today has a

‘sameness’ about it, and that’s not a good thing.

one thing i learned at the nikon aipp event

listening to Michael kenna is that you need to

have your own vision, your own voice, your own

style. how you create it doesn’t matter, but if

you don’t have something that’s special to you,

how will you compete as a professional?

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Sheep near the Stirling Ranges, South Western Australia. Photoshop by Peter Eastway.

8

the event Was remarkable!A n I n t e r v i e w W i t h R o s s E a s o n M . P h o t o g .

the nikon aipp event in hobart was an unmiti-

gated success! around 400 photographers and

trade people descended on tasmania in mid-

June for the fourth nikon event and it seems

that the formula is working perfectly.

and that’s the editor’s perspective, not the

organisers’, although they are pretty happy too!

no doubt there were a few anxious moments

for the event team looking after it all. headed

by aipp national events Manager kim harding

and ross eason, the team Judy eason, bambi

Wixon and Mel Comerford co-ordinated a host

of helpers, speakers and volunteers to produce

a world-class event.

next year the event will be administered

by kim as ross is standing down (but as he re-

mains an aipp national vice president, he won’t

be too far away). i asked ross what the feedback

had been like.

“overall the feedback from delegates and

trade has been great. as successful as the event

was, it would still be nice to see even more

members coming along. some people look at

the program and think there’s nothing for them,

particularly the more experienced photogra-

phers, but ultimately there is something in the

program for everyone and most people who at-

tend get the big picture.”

and the big picture is all about the little

things you take away that you can implement

back in your own business.

“i remember at the event in adelaide rich-

ard bennett stopped me after attending kris-

ten Cook’s presentation and saying that he had

been a photographer for 40 years, but he had

just learnt something incredible from a young

lady who had been a photographer for just

three years.

“a few years ago i was sitting at the back of

a peter Coulson workshop with two other ‘old

dogs’. We thought we knew it all, but then pe-

ter asked his model to just lift off her toes by

a centimetre or so before he shoots. this un-

weighting elevates the clothes and the model’s

hair, and as peter was shooting live, you could

see the difference in the images. one of the old

dogs leaned in and whispered that this one tip

made it worthwhile attending and he was right.

“sometimes you listen to a speaker and it

just reinforces what you’re doing, but i think

tony hewitt nailed it when he said the advan-

tage of attending a conference is being able

to speak about what you heard with other del-

egates. the learning curve continues.

“We have a diverse membership at differ-

ent stages of their careers, but that’s why we

9Photographs of the Nikon AIPP Event from Ross Eason’s camera.

Photographs courtesy of Ross Eason and Steve Lovegrove’s cameras, but others may have pressed the button!

10

have such a broad range of speakers. and they

are good speakers. bambi and i don’t just invite

someone along, we research them thoroughly,

ensuring they are not only good photographers,

but good presenters with a good message.

“each year we ask delegates for feedback

and suggestions, and this forms part of the

model we use to build the following event.

“facebook is another source of feedback for

the event team and this year it has been very

supportive, but even so there are comments

and suggestions that we pay attention to.

“one member commented that for $500

more, he could go to Wppi in the usa when

he added up the cost”, ross added, but i con-

fess i couldn’t quite see how. having been to

Wppi myself many times, i think this member

was forgetting the cost of airfares, food and his

own time spent getting to and from las vegas.

the nikon event included many meals and sev-

eral special events (such as a visit to the Mona

museum), so if the event is $500 cheaper, why

would you go to Wppi?

the bulk of speakers at the event are paid,

although it’s also fair to say that for the amount

of time and effort they put into their presenta-

tions and travel, it’s a very generous arrange-

ment on behalf of the speakers. More so for

those who waive their fee altogether, specifical-

ly to support members attending.

however, there’s no getting around the fact

that the event is expensive for some members.

“if we could double the delegates to each

event, the price would come down”, explained

ross. “but even in its current format, for four

years in a row we’ve had people telling us it’s

the best thing they have ever been too.

“We’ve also made the workshops at the

event more of an experience. for instance, rich-

ard bennett took a group over to bruny island

by boat, we shot video at the Cascade brewery

and we hired a heritage homestead for other

shoots. and with russell shakespeare’s editorial

workshop, to make it a believable experience

for delegates, we had former greens leader bob

brown as a model! .

“and having the support of nikon behind us

is huge, especially when they also host the din-

ner on the second night for all the delegates.”

i asked ross what was the most memorable

or special aspect of the four events he has been

involved with,

“the student bursary or, more specifically,

the feedback we get from the students who

attend as part of the bursary, has always been

special. delegates and members need to be

proud of the support they give to students by

offering the bursary, but that took on a new di-

mension this year when one very generous del-

egate donated $1000 to support bringing an

additional student to the next event.

“When i heard that, i realised that the event

and the institute are evolving into something

new, something we can all take ownership of.”

11Photographs of the Nikon AIPP Event from Ross Eason’s camera.

Photographs courtesy of Ross Eason and Steve Lovegrove’s cameras, but others may have pressed the button!

12Photograph auction, left to right, top to bottom: Shireen Hammond, Phil Kuruvita, Grant Matthews, Barb Uil, Russell Shakespeare, Richard Bennett,

Tony Hewitt, Michael Kenna, Jennifer B Hudson, Todd Hunter McGaw, Rocco Ancora, Liam West, Mel Neumann, Bella West, Bruce Williams.

13

$35,000 for prostate CancerI n t e r v i e w w i t h B a m b i W i x o n

photographers and the photography industry

are a generous lot, as evidenced by their con-

tribution to the prostate Cancer foundation

of australia at the nikon aipp event in hobart,

where over $35,000 was raised.

it all started last year at the hunter valley

nikon aipp event.

grand Master of photography david oliver

photographed fellow grand Master tony hewitt

during a workshop. tony adopted lewis Mor-

ley’s famous Christine keeler pose, which in-

cluded taking off his shirt, and the print sold at

the nikon Cocktail party that night for several

thousand dollars.

this got the aipp thinking and two nights

later at the event’s gala dinner, a series of prints

from the speakers was auctioned. over $30,000

has been raised for breast cancer research.

explained the event team member bambi

Wixon, “as soon as it was over, we thought this

has to happen every year. it created a really

good buzz on the night and it was great enter-

tainment.

“once the speakers have been chosen, my

job is to organise their travel arrangements,

so when i contacted them, i also asked if they

would be prepared to donate one of their prints

for a good cause. everyone said yes!”

there are two aspects to the fund raising.

Continuing the tradition started by david

when he photographed tony, it was tony’s turn

to photograph someone and he chose vicki

bell. the result you can see on the cover of the

Working pro this issue.

the print was auctioned at the nikon Cock-

tail party, one of the social highlights of the

event, and two bidders were locked at $3500

each. the solution was to make a print avail-

able for both of them and so the first $7000 was

raised.

the balance of the donation came at the

gala dinner again, with a further $28,000 being

raised.

Continued bambi, “Michael kenna brought a

silver gelatin print and the other presenters had

their images printed at the event by epson on

epson paper. the photographers signed them

on the epson stand.

“the prints were then displayed in the foyer

during pre-dinner drinks.

“i loved the way tony hewitt ran the auction,

asking people for the sake of his prostate to dig

deep!

“our highest bid on a print was $4500 for

Jennifer hudson, followed by $4200 for Michael

kenna and $3600 for grant Matthews.”

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portraiture ManagementK e l l y B r o w n

kelly brown shoots around 120 photos from

which the final 20 are selected. she shoots both

raw and Jpegs, but given the controlled lighting

in her studio and her experience with the expo-

sures, she says her workflow usually runs from

the Jpegs. the raw files are insurance.

the whole shoot is backed up and the final

20 photos opened and edited in photoshop.

“My images aren’t going on billboards, just on

big canvases. brilliant prints did a 1.5 metre can-

vas for me recently from a Jpeg and it was sim-

ply beautiful!”

kelly uses a Canon eos 5d Mark iii and her

photoshop technique is based on layers and

masks. “i adjust the skin tones because some-

times they are quite red, and then i’ll soften up

the image with blur over the background. i also

have a couple of actions i’ve developed which

give the image its individual style.

“i like to think i edit my images like no one

else and i don’t want my photography to look

like other photographers’ work.

“all my selling is done online or over the

phone, but of course i have already explained to

them at the photography session what’s avail-

able. i have all my products on display and i talk

them through my price list, showing them the

sizes as i go. in some ways, i’m doing my selling

at the end of the photography session.

“Most of my clients with newborns find it

hard to come back for a selling session, so i

found it works better this way. i used to do per-

sonal sales, but my sales weren’t any higher.

What’s more important is to ensure you have

20 different images that are so good and so dif-

ferent, they are going to order every single one.

they will pick one or two to enlarge and then

they’ll order a number of smaller prints to give

to grandparents and family.”

kelly realises when it comes to prints that

she is competing with harvey norman and oth-

er big retailers, so she has a couple of examples

on the wall just outside the studio. one is a har-

vey norman print, the other a beautiful fine art

print created by her and a note explaining that

this is what they are purchasing.

“for our photography to sell, we have to cre-

ate products that they can’t create themselves.”

Newborn and baby portrait photographer Kelly

Brown was a speaker at the recent Hair of the Dog

in Queensland. She was the 2012 AIPP Queensland

Family Photographer of the year and the 2012 AIPP

Australian Creative Photographer of the Year. Her

business Little Pieces Photography is based in Bris-

bane.

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Infant photography by Kelly Brown.

16

Photography by Tania Niwa.

17

best selling photosT a n i a N i w a G . M . P h o t o g .

“pets are a big part of our family portraiture

business. it can be pretty crazy and full on, es-

pecially with cats, as they usually take a lot more

enticing than dogs.

“You have to be patient and never give in

until you get those special shots. With cats, it is

like playing a game of patience and i never give

in! eventually they seem to relent, relax and re-

spond to our games. this can easily take more

than 90 minutes at the studio, but less at clients’

homes.

“the challenge of working with such charac-

ters is what makes it all the more rewarding and

fulfilling creatively.

“i absolutely adore the interaction children

have with their pets, especially dogs. ”

Canvas Sales

tania says around 70 per cent of her family por-

trait clients used to purchase canvases from

their sittings, but this is changing.

“although canvas is still very popular, we

have noticed a recent client shift back to framed

images lately. a couple of clients have com-

mented that they think canvas has had its day.

“it will be interesting to see if this return to

classic framed portraiture collections continues.

it is more usual to sell large print sizes of family

and children together as a group, unless there

is just one child in the family in which case the

parents will buy a large individual portrait.

parents tend to stick to small freestanding

images of themselves together (if they have

portraits taken at all), feeling more comfortable

with this option.

Family Groups

the photos that sell the best are the full family,

the children together in different scenarios and

individual photos of the children.

“for a family group image, most people will

buy at least a 20x28 inch canvas and often big-

ger if they have a large home with high ceilings.

“We display 40x28 inch canvases in the stu-

dio and a bigger 40x51inch image which then

makes the 40x28 inch not look too big. We ex-

perimented with what we put in prime spots on

the studio walls and where. by moving a land-

scape 40x28 inch canvas of four children direct-

ly alongside the 20x28inch canvas, we now get

more of the larger 40x28 inch size sales. this

wall is the main wall clients see when sitting on

our couch.”

What they will buy?

tania’s clients are surrounded by the size of

prints she’d like to sell them.

18

“the photos are really engaging from an

emotive point of view – with images showing

children, so people are drawn to them. i don’t

have large size portraits where the faces are

close up, so viewers aren’t overwhelmed and

could more easily imagine their own children in

similar scenarios to be on their own walls.

Having A Ball

“When it comes to shooting the family portrait,

i try to combine an interesting design [the posi-

tion of the family members within the frame], a

relaxed feeling and engaging expressions.

“very often, the photos the family go nuts

over are ones where their children look like they

are having a ball, their innocence (or cheeki-

ness) and vibrant smiles are shining through.

add a dog with a quirky, adorable expression

and you have a winner!

“a lot of our clients live on the north shore

of sydney and are very house proud.

“they are highly educated, very discerning

and appreciate and expect a premium level of

product and service.

“the mums don’t always work as the dads

are in high-powered careers in banking or fi-

nance and have to travel away for work fre-

quently. We get to work with many families

with friends who have also worked with us lots

of times.

“the community is quite small and are of-

ten connected by their children who go to local

private schools, so you really have to be giving

each and every family a great experience in or-

der to be recommended, respected and valued.

Clients appreciate that we offer a finely tai-

lored service and appreciate we have a high at-

tention to detail throughout every step of the

process.

“they also appreciate our expertise and ad-

vice on how to dress and what will look good

on their walls (our software programme prose-

lect helps them to imagine this through virtual

technology).

“if we visit their home for a shoot, we will

take photographs of walls where they wish to

hang their portraits and then, using proselect

software, we can show them exactly how the

finished artworks will look like in their home.

if we don’t visit their home, we ask them to

take photos of the walls with their iphone and

we use these shots instead – it helps us show

them what will look great and sell them appro-

priately sized artwork for the locations.

“they are very impressed and excited that

we have taken away the guess work and provid-

ed them with firm options.”

TANIA NIWA G.M.Photog. Tania shoots family por-

traiture (60%) and commercial work (30%), with the

balance of her business coming from tuition and

workshops. She works on the Northern Beaches in

Sydney and is a Grand Master of Photography and

an AIPP Mentor. www.tanianiwa.com.au

19

An example of how one of Tania’s clients used their photographs in their home.

Read More AIPP Member Only ContentTo read additional specific business related advice, visit the AIPP web-

site and sign in. Once you’re signed in, follow the menu Member Servic-es, My Publications, The Working Pro - Extended Material.

Tania covers how to set up your business to charge a premium.

20

Photograph by Tania Niwa

Read More AIPP Member Only ContentTo read additional specific business related advice, visit the AIPP web-

site and sign in. Once you’re signed in, follow the menu Member Servic-es, My Publications, The Working Pro - Extended Material.

Tania covers how to set up your business to charge a premium.

21

handling inquiriesT a n i a N i w a G . M . P h o t o g .

tania niwa insists on having a consultation be-

fore a family’s portrait shoot. “some people try

to get out of it, but we help them understand

the benefits of seeing what we do first. their

minds are much more open once they have

seen the samples on our studio walls, and un-

derstand that what we create is personalised

family artwork.

in her studio, every print on the wall has a

price under it, so when they point to something

they like, they know how much it will cost.

“the price is really obvious and i prefer it that

way, especially when dad walks in. often the

dad may not be aware of the pricing, so when

he says what he thinks they should purchase,

there’s no awkwardness.” tania also finds that

when dads are at the viewing, the couples tend

to spend more. they walk away enthusiastic

about how their home will soon look!

of course, a pre-shoot consultation takes

time and it might not be appropriate for all stu-

dios. however, many of tania’s clients have re-

ceived gift certificates through affiliates, so they

may not be aware of how her studio operates.

the consultation allows tania to explain

what their gift includes and what products are

available, exciting her clients with the many

possibilities. she will discuss everything from

the shoot itself to the approximate size and

type of portrait finish that clients think would

work best in their home.

“during the consultation, i also explain the

pricing so there are no grey areas. i will even

circle on our price list the things they have ex-

pressed an interest in.”

by choosing appropriate affiliates, tania is

qualifying her clientele. she also has clients

who ring a few studios to compare and are

price conscious. “some people who find us via

google aren’t always our ideal type of clients.

they can be quite flabbergasted by the cost of

our photography and don’t always see the value

of our skill and craft.

“those who are referred usually have friends

from a similar demographic and generally al-

ready understand that what we do is a worth-

while investment and expect to pay a premium

for the relative skill and end result.

“if they are cold-calling, we need to build

rapport with them, ask lots of questions and

excite them about the experience we can of-

fer. We try to build desire and perceived value.”

tania has a very comprehensive website, so

if people wish to do some research, most of the

information including a minimum order of $445

is there to be found.

22

There are so many great images at Canon APPA and the Epson State Awards that not every Award gets the attention it deserves. To redress this in a very small way, the editor will present a small selection each issue for your enjoyment.

e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n

• •

23

e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n

• •

24

• •

e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n

25

• •

e d i t o r ’ s s e l e C t i o n

26

• •

27

Who owns the Copyright? T h e P h o t o g r a p h e r o r t h e C l i e n t ?

it is important to own the copyright in your

photographs, but not essential. if someone

pays you enough money to take photographs,

that may be attractive enough to let them have

both the photograph and the copyright.

Copyright can be sold by the copyright

owner, so it’s important to know who the first

copyright owner is.

Commercial Photography

the general rule is that the first copyright owner

is the person who takes the photograph. so, in

a commissioned situation where you’re photo-

graphing a model for a fashion shoot, a build-

ing for an architect, or a series of headshots for

a conference, because the nature of the job is

business-to-business, you own the copyright.

note, this is still the case even if you are pho-

tographing a portrait, such as the managing di-

rector or a model.

owning the copyright may not give you the

right to sell or use the photograph of a person

without their consent. generally speaking, you

could use the photographs in an editorial or

self-promotional context without their express

permission, but neither you or nor anyone else

would be able to use it without their permission

in an advertising context.

Weddings and Portraiture

it’s a different situation when you are photo-

graphing for ‘private or domestic purposes’, such

as family portraiture and wedding photography.

in this situation, the clients are the first owners

of the copyright.

so, if you photograph the managing director

in his office on friday, you own the copyright.

photograph the managing director and his fam-

ily at home, he owns the copyright.

Fine Print

the first owner of the copyright can be

changed if both parties agree. this is why the

aipp recommends photographers have a con-

tract that clearly states that the photographer

owns the copyright.

these rules applied from 30 July 1998.

there are some exceptions to these rules:

• the copyright in photos taken as an employee

as part of your job are owned by your employer.

• employees of newspapers and magazine pub-

lishers retain the right to photocopy the photos

and include them in books, but the publisher

owns all other rights

• if you shoot for the government, it is the first

owner of copyright.

©

this is general information only. We do not know your specific financial or legal situation and we are not providing you with advice. as such, this article should not be relied upon as legal, financial or accounting advice. please use this article as a conversation starter with your own adviser.

28

• •

29

the Majority ruleW h y T h e A I P P ’ s J u d g i n g S y s t e m I s I n c r e d i b l y F a i r

Can a judge control the judging panel by scor-

ing very high or very low?

at the Canon australian professional photog-

raphy awards and the various epson state pho-

tography awards, there are five judges. When

you listen to the comments or watch the scores,

it can appear that one judge is unduly affecting

the overall score, either by judging incredibly

high or way too low.

Majority Rule

one of the many safeguards in the complex

judging system is the majority rule. it states that

if three or more judges have scored a print in a

particular score range, then at the very least the

print will sit in that score range.

the score range dividers are at 80 (silver), 85

(silver with distinction), 90 (gold) and 95 (gold

with distinction). let’s look at a score of 80 and

see how this works. a print receives the follow-

ing scores:

81 81 81 80 72 Average: 79

in this situation, four judges feel the print is

worth a silver award, but one judge scores it

very low. although all five judges may be scor-

ing the print fairly from their personal point of

view, as a panel, one judge is preventing the

other four judges from giving the print a silver

award.

this is where the Majority rule kicks in. be-

cause three or four of the judges (the majority)

are in the silver award range (over 80), the mini-

mum the print will score is 80, no matter what

the average is. let’s look at another example:

70 70 85 86 85 Average: 79

the print will score a silver with distinction be-

cause the majority of the judges are above the

85 score range. of course, the Majority rule

works the other way too:

95 93 79 78 79 Average 85

however, this print will not score a silver with

distinction or even a silver award because the

majority of the judges scored it below silver.

the score will default to 79, just below the silver

award standard.

When you watch the scores at the judging,

or listen to the panel chair call out the score,

this might explain why the final result is differ-

ent to the average.

in fact, if the score is changed due to the

majority rule, the panel chair will usually state so

e.g. “this print has scored 80 by majority and is a

silver award”.

30

The tonal distribution has

been well controlled, but is

it too controlled? Is it miss-

ing that spark of life?

Reflection detail has been enhanced, adding interest.

The left of the image is much

stronger than the right, yet the

jetty is in the middle. It’s not

quite balanced.

p h o t o C r i t i Q u e

76SCORE

Why don’t some prints make it to Silver or Gold? While you can never predict the judges’ reaction with certainty, sometimes there are aspects or features in a photograph that let it down. Past APPA Chairman and Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway has, with the photographer’s permission, reproduced this image because it didn’t receive a Silver or Gold Award. His observations are designed to help others assess images from a judging perspective, with the view to improving not only their Award entries, but their professional photography in general.

A score of 76 means it is good professional practice and, when you compare this edit with the original file on the next page,

I think you’ll agree the image has been tweaked appropriately. So, why isn’t it good enough to earn a Silver? There’s nothing

wrong with the photograph, but there’s nothing that is exciting the judges either. This is a standard composition and you’ll

often see a bride and groom on the end of the jetty in the wedding category. What the judges want is the photographer to

take the next step – add in a fisherman to the side or the Loch Ness Monster. Nothing wrong with this, just needs more!

31

The small bank doesn’t balance the large bank on the left, so perhaps the wharf should not be central as this suggests a balanced composition.

The light area has been con-

trolled, but does it make the re-

sult to perfect, too predictable?

Trees have been

lightened, provid-

ing more detail.

The original file shows how the photographer has improved the image with editing. The trees on the banks have been given

a little more life, some tone has been added to the bright area above the horizon, and the image given a slightly bluer co-

lour balance. These adjustments point to good post-production, but perhaps more is needed with the initial capture. Two

thoughts: is there another composition that is more exciting? Or is there some other element that can be added in to give

the image a stronger centre of interest?

Would You Like Your Photo Critiqued? Are you brave enough to have your award entry critiqued in front of the world? I’m looking for volunteeers! In return for having your entry (state or national) critiqued here (there is no money involved), I wish to be given your permission to use the photo and the critique on my web-sites, on Flickr, YouTube and Facebook etc), and possibly in ebooks on photo competitions. You will remain the copyright owner, but you give me permission to use your image, anonymously, and hopefully you’ll receive some useful advice in return. If you’re willing to partici-pate, here’s what I’d like you to do.1. Create a JPEG of the award entry you would like critiqued, sized to 2000 pixels on the longest edge, setting 8 compression. 1a. Optionally, create a second JPEG of the entry before you have done any editing. Don’t send me the raw file, but a JPEG that hasn’t had much processing.2. Put ‘TWP PHOTO CRITIQUE’ in the header of the email, and attach the JPEG(s).

3. Write this in the email (cut and paste or type the equivalent):“Hi Peter. Enclosed please find my photo (along with an unedited version) for your critiquing and feedback. It scored ?? (enter score). I understand that my photo may not be selected for use. However, if it is selected for use, I agree that in return for you providing the critique and feedback on my photo, I give you permission to use the photo, anonymously, on your website and associated websites such as Flickr, Youtube and Facebook, and in future ebooks. My intention is that this licence will last indefinitely, but I retain the right to ask you to remove the photograph in special circumstances in the future, within a reasonable time (say one month). This just covers me for un-forseen situations.”4. Add your name to the bottom of the email and send it to me at - eastway@betterphotography.com.

Please, just one image at a time and there’s no rush to do this straight away - I only need a few photos to begin with, so I will repeat this offer in the future! And don’t send me your best images because they will probably be too good to critique!

32

• •

33

unearned incomeT e m p o r a r y T a x S a v i n g ?

sometimes court cases can be interesting. the

arthur Murray dance school charged for a num-

ber of lessons in advance. When they received

the money for the lessons, it hadn’t yet been

earned and so it didn’t have to be included as

income on their tax return until the student had

taken the lesson. it was unearned income.

the same principle may apply to wedding

and portrait photographers who take deposits

for photography, and even for the production of

albums. if your income during the year includes

photography deposits and, at the end of the fi-

nancial year you had yet to shoot some of the

jobs, you may be able to ignore this income un-

til the following year (or whenever you do the

shoot). unearned income is only of interest at

the end of each financial year.

Wedding Deposits

it is quite common for wedding photographers

to be booked up to twelve months in advance,

sometimes as much as two years ahead. a de-

posit of $500 or more may be paid and, if you’re

doing 50 weddings a year, this could add up

to quite a lot of income. as the wedding date

draws closer, most wedding photographers re-

quire more of the total wedding package to be

paid, so at the end of June, there could be quite

a number jobs that have been fully paid, but

not yet photographed.

a similar approach can be taken to the wed-

ding album, if a deposit has been taken and

the album is still not completed. You may argue

that this service (the production of the wedding

album) has yet to be undertaken, and so the de-

posits received are also unearned income. this

is a more contentious argument.

Portraiture Deposits

portrait photographers often take sitting fees

and, while usually a sitting fee is a lot less than

a wedding deposit, if you are doing enough of

them, they can add up. if at the end of June you

have quite a number of paid sitting fees which

are yet to be shot, add them up and count

them as unearned income.

Delay Only

not all photographers worry about accounting

for their unearned income. generally speaking,

unearned income simply delays when you get

taxed. it doesn’t reduce the amount of tax you

pay, unless there are special circumstances.

however, from a cashflow point of view, de-

laying the payment of tax can be very useful,

freeing up cash to cover other expenses.

this is general information only. We do not know your specific financial or legal situation and we are not providing you with advice. as such, this article should not be relied upon as legal, financial or accounting advice. please use this article as a conversation starter with your own adviser.

34

The Canon EOS 70D is the first camera to feature the new Dual Pixel sensor design.

35

Canon’s dual pixel sensor – and Why?C a n o n E O S 7 0 D

video producers probably don’t need to answer

this question as many video cameras already

focus very well, but if you’re using a dslr to

capture movies, then the dynamics of using a

camera with an optical viewfinder are quite dif-

ferent.

or they have been until now.

if you could improve autofocusing on a tra-

ditional dslr, what would you do?

first up, most people would enlarge the area

over which the autofocus system works, and

second, it would be great for the autofocus to

work better during movie capture (as well as

live view mode).

some of these improvements are already

possible if you’re happy to use an electronic

viewfinder (such as some sony, olympus and

panasonic models), but if you like using an opti-

cal viewfinder (the traditional style slr camera),

you’ll have to work within the limitations of a re-

flex mirror system.

Autofocus Systems

there are two basic approaches to autofocus:

active and passive. dslrs use passive systems

and there are two types of passive systems

available, phase detection and contrast detec-

tion.

Phase Detection

Most dslrs use the faster phase detection auto-

focus system when capturing stills. simplistically

speaking, phase detection works by comparing

the image recorded from opposite sides of the

lens separately.

the light is focused onto separate sensors

and compared. if the values are ‘out of phase’,

it means the lens is out of focus, so the lens is

moved until the values are ‘in phase’ and the

lens focused.

phase detection is considered superior to

contrast detection because it can determine

more accurately how far and in which direction

the lens has to be moved to achieve focus with

a single measurement.

Contrast Detection

Contrast detection works on a similar premise,

but it relies on differences in contrast values as

measured by the separate af sensors and deter-

mines the correct focus by making lots of mea-

surements – a process of iteration.

eventually contrast detection determines

the correct focus, but it can hunt around a bit in

the meantime.

so, why use contrast detection at all if phase

36

detection is better?

With the traditional dslr design, a separate

autofocus sensor using phase detection is po-

sitioned in the camera, but it can only be used

when the reflex mirror is in the viewing position.

this is because the reflex mirror has a hole

in it through which light is diverted, using an-

other mirror or two, onto the autofocus sensor.

as soon as the mirror flips up for movie record-

ing or using live view, the autofocus sensor is in

the dark and stops working. another system is

needed.

so, when the mirror flips up, the camera uses

a contrast detection system, employing pixels

on the image sensor instead.

the problem with this approach is that the

image sensor can’t do two jobs. it can’t measure

light for autofocusing and record an image at

the same time.

so as not to degrade image quality, only a

small number of pixels are used for contrast de-

tection autofocus and software is used to fill in

the missing pixels on your photographs.

in practice, the dual system works reason-

ably well, but it also explains why autofocus isn’t

as sharp when you’re using your camera in live

view or movie recording modes.

Canon’s Solution

Canon claims to have solved this problem by

redesigning the image sensor completely. in-

stead of each pixel site comprising a single pho-

todiode for image capture, the new dual pixel

CMos employs two photodiodes for every sin-

gle pixel site.

even better, these dual pixels use the su-

perior phase detection system, so autofocus is

quicker and more accurate in both live view and

movie recording modes.

With the new sensor, Canon claims it can use

80 per cent of the viewfinder area to focus on

which is a useful improvement, but this is 80 per

cent of an aps-C size sensor. it will be interest-

ing to see if the same area can be covered with

a full frame sensor in the future.

Fully Featured

and, of course, this only applies if you are using

live view or movie recording modes – for opti-

cal viewfinder shooting, you’d still be using the

same but very effective phase detection system

found on other Canon dslrs, depending on the

model.

the first camera to feature the new focusing

system is an enthusiast model, the Canon eos

70d.

scheduled for sale in september, it features a

20-megapixel aps-C CMos sensor, uses a 14-bit

dig!C 5+ processor and shoots at up to seven

frames per second.

additionally, a native iso range of 100-

12,800 (expandable to 25,600) enables shooting

in lower light conditions, something the new

autofocus system will revel in.

37

Internationally awarded travel photographers Ignacio Palacios and Pep Roig are leading an amazing photographic journey to Patagonia in South America

next year and AIPP Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway will join the tour as a guest presenter and instructor.

Patagonia Itinerary

Santiago de Chile, Pta. Arenas, Torres del Paine National Park (Pehoe Lake, Nordenskjöld lake, Salto Grande waterfall, Laguna Larga, Grey lake and Grey

Glacier), Pto. Natales, El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier), Viedma Lake, El Chaltén (Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy, Maestri camp, Poincenot camp), El Calafate.

The trip includes accommodation, all meals, English and Spanish speaking guides, local travel (minibus), transfers and visas. On the Patagonia tour, Peter,

Ignacio and Pep will provide instruction and assistance with your photography as required. There are only 15 seats available on the tour.

Price: AU$7995*(*) Twin share price. The tour price does not include flights.Note: Some level of fitness is required to reach some campsites in Torres del Paine and Cerro Torre. Porters will be available at an additional fee. The tour finishes in El Calafate (Argentina) from where there are flights to Buenos Aires connecting back to Santiago de Chile or directly to Australia. Dates and itinerary are subject to change.

For further information, contact Ignacio by email: info@iptravelphotography.com.au or visit www.iptravelphotography.com.au.

PATAGONIA 2014WITH IGNACIO PALACIOS, PEP ROIG & PETER EASTWAY

Torres del Paine, Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy 8 – 21 March 2014 / 14 days

An eBook by Peter Eastway

G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, Hon FNZIPP, FAIPP

For more information and a read of the free sample, please visit:

www.betterphotography.com

I have judged

many photography

competitions and

there are lots of little

things that entrants

forget to do. If only I could let them

know before entering the competi-

tion, they would do so much better!

Well, as a judge I’m not allowed

to ring up and help entrants, but I can

write a book that distills what I have

learnt over the last twenty years that

will give you a great head start.

Of course, no one can give you an

iron-clad guarantee that you will read

my book and then win the next photo

competition you enter – and I explain

why in the book. However, what I can

guarantee you is that if you read my

book, you will improve the quality of

your photography.

You see, whether you’re aiming to

win a photography competition or just

take a better photograph, the advice is

very similar. And I know that the tech-

niques and approaches I’ve developed

over the years will help you capture

and produce better photographs.

My book is called How To Win Photo Competitions.

It begins with a little about me.

After all, it’s easy enough to write a

book about winning photography

competitions, but it’s better if you have

a little bit of experience. Fortunately

for me, I’ve been lucky enough to win

quite a few competitions, plus I have

a lot of experience as a judge. I can

talk to you about both sides of the

competition.

Add in the fact I’ve been a maga-

zine editor for 30 years and I hope I’m

able to communicate my message

pretty well. So, in just a couple of

pages (I don’t want to bore you), I

explain why I know what I’m talking

about (even though my Dad told me

not to boast).

We then look at competitions

and how they work, how you should

approach them, and how to use the

results to assess your own photog-

raphy. It’s important to set the scene

before we get into creating photos

that win competitions.

The next two sections are the

nitty gritty. We begin by talking about

taking a great photograph in the fi rst

place. Competition winners begin

with the camera and so we talk about

camera technique, colour, composi-

tion, framing and so on - little tricks

and hints that will make a world of

diff erence to your photographs.

From here we step into post-

production – using the computer

to improve the images our camera

has captured. Most readers will have

dabbled with Photoshop, Elements

or Lightroom and this is all you need

to enhance your images so they are

in the running for a competition win.

These days, no matter how good your

camera is, you simply must do a little

post-production to fi nesse your entry.

I fi nish the book with some use-

ful background information about

how competitions work (generally

speaking), and then I analyse some of

the images that have won awards for

me, pointing out the aspects that the

judges responded to in a positive way.

The book has lots of photographs

and illustrations to explain exactly

what I’m talking about.

And it is an eBook. It is easy to

read on a computer, laptop or iPad,

and you need Adobe Reader (Acrobat)

to view the book. There is no paper

version of this book, although you can

print out the Acrobat Reader fi le if you

wish.

I have created a sample eBook for

you to look at on the Better Photogra-

phy website, so please visit and have

a read. If you like what you see, I hope

you’ll purchase a copy.

And for your next photo competi-

tion - good luck!

– Peter Eastway

How To Win Photo Competitions

How To Win

NEW PRICE FOR 2013only $29.95www.betterphotography.com

WinPhotoCompAdvert-2013.indd 1 21/01/2013 9:24:27 PM