1

Working ProThe

Issue 219 • March 2014

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

Gold Coast

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

Sunday 8th – 10th June 2014Royal Pines Resort

Gold Coast Queensland

SAVE THE DATE

STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS

I T ’ S H A P P E N I N G A G A I NTHIS YEARS EVENT THEME...

‘TURNING THE ORDINARY INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY’

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

Gold Coast

THEEVENT

2014 NIKON AIPP

GOLD COAST

Sunday 8th – 10th June 2014Royal Pines Resort

Gold Coast Queensland

SAVE THE DATE

STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS

I T ’ S H A P P E N I N G A G A I NTHIS YEARS EVENT THEME...

‘TURNING THE ORDINARY INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY’ Working ProThe

C o n t e n t s# 2 1 9 - M a r c h 2 0 1 4

4 President’s Message - The World Photographic CupMore news about Australia’s success at the inaugural World Photographic Cup; and contact with the Greek photographic community.

8 Good Value For $10Are people selling your prints without you knowing? Peter Eastway re-ports on what he hopes is an unusual story.

1 0 The $500 Club – Mel NeumannWould you like your portrait clients coming back and spending a mini-mum of $500 on a regular basis? Mel Neumann explains how.

1 2 What Are Your Social Media Objectives - David WatsonWe’re all using social media, but what should we be posting and which platforms are best for us. David Watson suggests the answers.

1 4 Is Lighting Our Best USP? - Ross EasonWhy do people hire us as photographers? If it’s because we can do some-thing they cannot, then professional lighting is a great reason.

1 6 Diversification, Not Boredom - Tom PuttIn a changing profession, Tom Putt works in a number of different areas to keep his interest levels high and his income buoyant.

1 8 Editor’s Selection - APPA WinnersA selection of entries that caught the editor’s eye from the 2013 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards.

2 2 Award Entries: Rule Of ThirdsShould you place your subject in the middle or use the rule of thirds? Pe-ter Eastway looks at some basic compositional tools.

2 4 Why Do I Enter APPA? – Tony HewittRead why 2013 Canon AIPP Professional Photographer of the Year Tony Hewitt believes APPA is such an amazing experience.

2 6 Do I Charge GST On Overseas Jobs?There are lots of rules that cover GST, but in general, you may be able to bypass GST if your photography is heading overseas. Read more.

2 8 Does Copyright Stop Me Taking A Photo?If someone else has taken a similar photo, does this mean you can’t? It depends on how similar the photo is, as explained here.

3 0 Tamron SP150-600mmIt may not replace the super telephotos with their wide maximum aper-tures, but this new super zoom is small, light and incredibly affordable.

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

Editor Peter Eastway G.M Photog., Hon. FAIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, 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

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Phone: 03 9888 4111

E-mail: enquiries99@aipp.com.au

Cover S i lv e r w i t h D i S t i n c t i o n A wA r D

Peter Rossi G.M.Photog.2013 CANON AIPP AUSTrALIAN

PrOFESSIONAL PHOTOGrAPHy AWArDS

WINNEr OF CrEATIVE CATEGOry

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Australia In The Eyes Of The WorldK y l i e L y o n s M . P h o t o g I . H o n . L M , N a t i o n a l P r e s i d e n t

In early January, I attended the presentation of

the World Photographic Cup (WPC) in Phoenix,

Arizona, USA. This presentation was held in con-

junction with Imaging USA, the conference and

trade show of Professional Photographers of

America (PPA).

Similar Issues

PPA is a membership body for photographers in

the USA, concentrating on domestic photogra-

phers. Without going into fine detail, the gover-

nance structure of PPA is very similar to AIPP.

  PPA is a not for profit organisation that ser-

vices 27,000 members in the USA and Canada.

There were 150 international delegates at the

conference from 32 nations. I met a number of

delegates, including the incoming President of

PPA, Susan Michal and Jillian Chateauneuf, the

President of PPoC (Professional Photographers

of Canada. Jillian and I hit it off immediately. We

spoke on many occasions. PPoC is smaller than

AIPP, but appears to have similar issues to us.

  Jillian and I promised to keep in touch and

talk further in the future as we both agreed

there we things each association already does

that would mean the other wouldn’t have to re-

invent the wheel.

  I was told by PPA and WPC organisers they

were pleased to see an Australian attend the

event, given the distance and short notice. The

presentation and conference coincided with a

family holiday, so I was able to make the detour

to Phoenix. Most of the other participating na-

tions in the WPC had a representative at the cer-

emony.

Second Place

Team Australia ended up taking second place in

the World Photographic Cup, just one point be-

hind the USA. Team Portugal came in third. Aus-

tralia took home two gold medals for the high-

est scoring print in the category, one for Kelly

Brown in the Portrait Category and the other for

Nick Ghionis in the wedding category.

We also had two other finalists who came

within the top 10 of their category: Elizabeth

Bull in the Landscape category and Quinn

rooney in the Documentary category. A full run

down including pictures and a video of the cer-

emony and lists of the winning images are pro-

vided online on the WPC website: www.world-

photographiccup.org.

I believe my presence gave Australia and

the AIPP a recognition of existence in the pho-

tographic world, reinforcing the great achieve-

ment of our team. Many delegates and judges

Photo by Kelly Brown. Gold Award, Portrait Category, World Photographic Cup.

6

told me that they were impressed by the quality

of our images entered in the WPC competition.

Greek Influence 

Two weeks after returning home from the USA,

I travelled to Greece at the invitation of PWS

(Photo Wedding Stories) to attend their fourth

annual conference, judge at their annual awards

and be the guest of honour at the gala dinner

in Thessaloniki.

  Greek law does not allow for the formation

of institutions or governing bodies like the AIPP,

so PWS is a private body owned by three pho-

tographers. PWS is in its fourth year and may

appear a little rough around the edges, but

given the circumstances in Greece, it is remark-

able and has a very upbeat vibe that focuses on

interaction between photographers. The confer-

ence program is similar to what we know. There

are sessions in English only, Greek only and then

many English programs were repeated with an

interpreter the following day.

  The event attracted many delegates from

outside Greece. I met some great people from

around the world including those from Greece,

Turkey, Spain, romania, UK, Italy, Armenia, Cy-

prus and Crete.

The PWS awards are very much based on

the WPPI model. Images were all judged digi-

tally and entries were still being received at 8.30

p.m. the day before judging! The major differ-

ence between PWS/WPPI judging and APPA is

that the panel chair can vote as a sixth judge,

add comments or challenge a final score!

  All images scoring 80+ were considered fi-

nalists and were rejudged against each other (as

prints made on an Epson printer onsite) to de-

termine first, second and third place.

  Entries nearly doubled in 2014 with 48 al-

bums and 729 images. Given the apparent ‘state’

of the Greek economy, I was surprised with the

great numbers of entries. Still, with only one day

to judge, we didn’t finish until 1.30am.

  As President of AIPP, I was made to feel very

welcome as the guest of honour. Delegates

were impressed that I could be present at the

conference. I was invited to make an impromp-

tu speech at the awards dinner.

  I believe there is currently strong interest

in the AIPP from around the world and we are

at the beginning of a huge opportunity to in-

crease the profile of the AIPP internationally. The

links have been made and the doors overseas

are now open. I believe there are positive ben-

efits to afford our AIPP members by engaging

with the international community and bringing

their ideas and inspirations to us here in Austra-

lia.

 

 

Kylie Lyons. M.Photog., Hon. LM

AIPP National President

Photo by Nick Ghionis. Gold Award, Wedding Category, World Photographic Cup.

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Good Value For $10P 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

There was a message on my telephone from a

lady. Let’s call her Doris. She said she was inter-

ested in buying one of my prints and could I get

in touch.

Interesting, I thought, as my website makes

it pretty easy to buy prints, but the age of the

caller indicated that maybe she didn’t have the

internet. I called.

“Thank you so much for calling”, she

said. “I’m interested in buying a copy of your

Grasstrees for a friend. you sold me the copy

I have for $10 when you were down giving a

seminar in Wollongong. Could I have another

one?”

My interest was piqued.

“Where was the presentation”, I asked?

“At the WEA talk a couple of months ago on

a Monday morning.”

How Much?

This had me flummoxed. I have never given a

talk to WEA, let alone one in Wollongong.

“And you purchased the print for $10”, I

asked, gently.

“yes, she said.”

“And my talk, what was it about?”

“Oh, you weren’t actually talking, you were

just there with the gentleman giving the

speech.”

“Do you remember what I looked like”, I

asked? But no, Doris couldn’t remember my

face, but she described my print precisely and

said it had my name and title on the bottom

left.

This was unusual: I title on the left, but sign

on the right. So, was the print a forgery? Was it

a print someone picked up while I was doing a

workshop (a sample file perhaps) which made

its way through the network and was sold for,

gasp, $10.

Not Today

I explained gently to Doris that my print prices

were a lot more than $10, that I couldn’t even

print and post it to her for that amount, and

that I hoped she enjoyed the print she had.

I’m still not sure if it is Doris’s memory, or if it

was a prank call, but I guess it showed me how

easily someone can take our photographs and

print them out. If it was a stolen image, it won’t

print at high quality, but for $10, how much

quality do you want?

And at $10, the person who was selling the

prints wasn’t making any money either!

So, if anyone knows how the print came to

be in circulation, I’d love to know. And if you are

‘the someone’ doing it regularly, then do me a

favour and please put up your price!

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Grass Trees, Bridgetown, Western Australia. Photo by Peter Eastway.

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The $500 ClubM e l N e u m a n n ’ s A p p r o a c h T o R e p e a t P o r t r a i t u r e S a l e s

How do you keep portrait clients coming back,

year after year? How do you counteract the rep-

utation that portrait photographers are there to

rip you off? How do you provide a discount ser-

vice without affecting your key work?

There is a right way and a wrong way, ex-

plained Mel Neumann.

“A lot of portrait photographers offer mini-

sessions when their cash flow is quiet, just to

keep the work coming in. They do quick por-

traits at a discount rate, but the problem is that

many photographers do these so regularly that

their clients simply wait for the next special of-

fer.” They don’t hire the photographer at his or

her regular rates.

“Some new photographers don’t yet un-

derstand the importance of branding and pric-

ing. When I started, I also did a few shoots at

discounted prices. It got me some clients, but

when I thought about it, I realised that all these

new clients were seeing my advertising at

the discounted price.” This was the value they

thought Melissa’s photography was worth.

“I wanted to price my work a lot higher, but

clients would simply wait around until I offered

my discount special and book me then.

“I had to work out how to take the discount

away from my work, but still offer something

to keep my existing clients coming back and to

help my cash flow.

“I think photographers who are only do-

ing mini shoots have the same problem. They

may just as well call their mini shoots full ‘photo

shoots’ if that’s how they’re earning most of

their money. There’s nothing wrong with charg-

ing only $500 for a family portrait session, es-

pecially if you can do them all in a short period

of time, but it means you’ll have to do 8 to 12

shoots a week, instead of 2 to 3 shoots a week

at an average of $2000.”

Melissa is more interested in doing two or

three shoots a week than lots of cheaper jobs,

so her ‘mini shoot’ program works a little differ-

ently, but the outcome is that it builds loyalty

and more clients.

She calls it the 500 Club. If you book a 500

Club portraiture session, Mel will do a mini

shoot for the family which lasts 30 minutes and

costs a flat $500.

To read how Mel set up her 500 Club, log into

the Memberss section of the AIPP website.

Mel Neumann AAIPP advertises herself as a domes-

tic photographer, but she also shoots commercially.

She is an AIPP National Vice President with over 20

years’ experience. www.melneumann.com

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Mel Neumann’s $500 Club and How To Set It Up!

Read More AIPP Member Only ContentTo read AIPP member and specific business related advice, visit the AIPP

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

Silver Award, 2013 Canon APPA. Photograph by Mel Neumann.

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What Are your Social Media Objectives?D a v i d W a t s o n S u g g e s t W e N e e d C l e a r I d e a s

Everyone knows you have to be involved with

social media, but exactly how and what should

you expect from this involvement?

David Watson says it’s important for photog-

raphers and video producers to settle on an ob-

jective and from there it becomes much easier

to develop a social media strategy and measure

its success.

In Australia, there are around 12 million peo-

ple on Facebook, 3 million on LinkedIn and 2

million on Twitter. Many readers are on all three.

So when you set up an account on social

media, what do you want to achieve? David

suggests there are five areas to consider:

• Likes • Engagement • Sales

• Education • Entertainment

Explained David, when a consumer turns on

the computer or smartphone, they are primar-

ily looking for entertainment. For them, social

media is a social place, so we need to interact

with them. “Understanding that our prospective

clients are there to be entertained will help us

craft what we do.””

So, which platforms are the best? David says

this depends on who your clients are. Photog-

raphers and video producers wishing to shoot

weddings and family portraiture (B2C or Busi-

ness To Consumer) should start with Facebook,

and then run through youTube, Pinterest, Insta-

gram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

“Put Facebook at the top of the list and then

pick and choose the other platforms that inter-

est you”, David added.

Commercial and corporate photographers

wanting to deal with other businesses (B2B or

Business To Business) should begin with Linke-

dIn, and then choose from youTube, Google+,

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

“Images are king”, David explained, “and are

probably the most powerful way for us to com-

municate. However, videos are also fantastic,

so if you’re not yet doing anything with video,

think about this space in the future.”

So, if you embrace social media, can photog-

raphers and video producers survive without

a blog? “Of course you can survive, but it’s not

recommended. On Facebook, your posts are

gone within a few hours, whereas a blog has

much more longevity.””

David Watson is a 20+ year sales and marketing

veteran who has worked across different industries

with a range of businesses. Prior to launching his

consultancy business Strategy Point in 2012, David

worked with Momento and was a member of the

AIPP National Board. www.strategypoint.com.au

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WEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHY

THE AIPP IS A MEMBERSHIP ORGANISATION THAT EXISTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS MEMBERS

If you have a “Special Interest” or a keen area you want to see more and better AIPP involvement, the SIG’s are your opportunity to get involved and help us make this happen.

Simply contact us on admin@aipp.com.au to suggest a new SIG or get involved in one of our existing SIG's

SIGSPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

AIPP MENTORING

A C C R E D I T A T I O N

FOR VIDEO P R O D U C E R S

MOTHER & BABY PHOTOGRAPHY

AIPP USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

BIRTHPHOTOGRAPHY

PORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHY

AIPP WORKSHOP P R E S E N T E R S & SPEAKERS

AIPP MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITSWORKING WITH

the ATO (AUSTRALIAN TAX OFFICE)

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Above: What Ross produces for his clients. Below: What many photographers consider good enough. But is it good enough to get another job?

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Is Lighting Our Best USP?R o s s E a s o n R e v e a l s H i s S e c r e t W e a p o n

With so many people able to operate a cam-

era, the mystery that photography once held is

gone.

In fact, many of the jobs we used to do, our

clients are now happily doing themselves! The

challenge is to point out the difference: why do

our photos look better than theirs, and how can

we show our clients this?

“When I receive an inquiry by email or tele-

phone, I try to get myself in front of someone as

quickly as possible. Not only is it harder for them

to say no when they meet you face to face, it

also lets me show them examples of my work

and explain my USP.

“I take an interest in their product, rather

than just turning up and giving them a price.

And if I know who they are trying to reach with

the photography, I can also present them with

a PDF document of sample photos relevant to

their project. It’s also important to know who

the final decision maker is and, if it’s not the per-

son I’m dealing with, I’ll see if I can include them

in the process.

“Today you have to bring value to the prop-

osition, such as finding a way to save them

money. The reason I still have my biggest client

after 15 years is that I continue to bring value

to the relationship, not by saving them money

(as much as they want that), but by suggesting

ways to do it better, faster or more creatively.

Value should not be confused with discounting.

It can come from input, professional conduct

and good advice.”

ross emphasises that lots of photographers

can ‘save you money’, so you need something

else.

“I know a lot of clients take their own photos

and employ people who are keen on photogra-

phy. Most art directors are pretty good photog-

raphers and Nikon and Canon have automated

their end. So has Adobe for the editing, so I

have to ensure that I offer something they can’t

do.

“My USP which I take to just about every job

is lighting”, explained ross.

“The majority of my work uses lighting and

it creates a big difference between what I’m of-

fering and what my clients can produce on their

own. Even when a job doesn’t require lighting,

I will turn up with it just in case, reinforcing the

difference a professional can make.”

Ross Eason M.Photog., HLM is a commercial pho-

tographer in South East Queensland. He is an AIPP

National Vice President and has been in business for

over 30 years. www.easoncreative.com.au

P H O T O B Y B A M B I W I X O N

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Examples of Tom Putt’s landscape photography, a far cry from the dog portraits shot in his studio.

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Diversification, Not Boredom!T o m P u t t t a l k s a b o u t k e e p i n g h i s w o r k i n t e r e s t i n g !

“Our greatest competition is the iPhone”, said

Tom Putt who runs Ella+Friends Photography, a

dog portrait studio in Melbourne. “People come

to see us and say they already have thousands

of great pictures of their dogs, so we have to

compete against them by offering something

they can’t produce with their iPhone.”

Although 90 percent of Tom’s business is

through the dog portrait studio, he keeps life

interesting with other interests. “I get bored very

easily. Once I can do something, I’m over it. My

challenge over the past 10 years running this

studio has been to keep my role fresh so I don’t

get bored.” And certainly changing from a gen-

eral family portrait studio to a dog portrait stu-

dio would have helped keep life interesting!

“I don’t take photographs in the studio

anymore, whereas in the past, I really loved it

because I was learning how to photograph

people, then dogs. It was different to the sport

photography I used to do.

“I’ve also been really interested in publishing.

As a kid, I would sit up in bed an hour before

lights out, with a pile of books and pore over

them. I especially liked the books about land-

scapes and national parks.

“I loved the idea of a printed image and

that’s why I publish books.” Part of Tom’s dog

photography business is based on the concept

of producing a book with his clients’ images,

and he has also published a number of books of

his landscape work.

“I’ve been shooting landscapes for years, but

the books came about almost by accident. Af-

ter visiting locations several times, like Cradle

Mountain in Tasmania where I do workshops, I

realised I had enough images to form a body of

work.

“I love having a purpose, no matter what I

am doing. Today, I am pretty much shooting all

my landscapes with the goal of a book in mind.”

The workshops that Tom runs came about in

2005 when he noticed a proliferation of courses

in the American photography magazines. “How-

ever, there was hardly anyone doing workshops

in Australia. I enjoy teaching people and im-

parting my knowledge, and I also enjoy visiting

places, so I decided to see if anyone would be

interested in paying to come along to one of

my workshops.” And it has grown from there.

Tom Putt M. Photog. is a portrait and landscape

photographer in Melbourne. He also has interests

in landscape photography, publishing and leading

photography workshops. www.ellaandfriends.com.

au; www.inspiredlandscapes.com.

18

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

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E D I T O r ’ S S E L E C T I O N

• •

20

• •

E D I T O r ’ S S E L E C T I O N

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E D I T O r ’ S S E L E C T I O N

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your APPA Entry: rule of Thirds?I s i t b e t t e r t h a n b a n g i n t h e m i d d l e ?

The question is whether the central position in

the frame is the best position for your subject.

Nothing Wrong With The Middle

There is a lot of talk about the rule of Thirds, the

Golden ratio and other devices we can use to

help compose our photographs. None of them

work all the time, but all of them are useful in

our deliberations.

The most simple tool, the rule of Thirds, sim-

ply divides the photograph into nine equal sec-

tions with four lines. Where the four lines inter-

sect are considered powerful positions within

the frame, and many photographers and judges

will suggest that the subject is placed on one of

these points to make a stronger composition.

Sometimes they are right, but not always.

There is nothing wrong with positioning your

subject centrally, but if it looks like it is in the

middle simply because you weren’t thinking,

points will be deducted.

Which Corner

So, if you are moving your subject to one of the

four intersections, which one? This will depend

on many issues, such as the subject, the sub-

ject’s movement, the subject’s direction, other

leading lines in the composition, tonal balance

and so on.

Please note, there is no right or wrong here,

but you may find the majority of people prefer

one composition over another. Hopefully the

judging panel agrees with your choice.

In the photos opposite, most of us can agree

that placing the subject in the centre of the

photograph is static. As photographers, we’re

really just recording what we have seen.

In the four examples below, the subject has

been moved to one of the four intersecting

lines.

The top two emphasise the foreground be-

cause the subject is high in the frame; the bot-

tom two emphasise the background because

the subject is lower in the frame. you may de-

cide that the background is more interesting

than the foreground, so then it is a matter of

choosing which of the bottom positions is best.

In our society, we read from left to right, so

many people would prefer the subject on the

left, especially since it is ‘facing’ right.

If you position it on the right, the space on

the left of the subject seems wasted. Also, the

background on the left isn’t as interesting as the

background on the right.

So, for a host of reasons, a decision is made.

Generally one decision will just look better bal-

anced than another. Trust your judgment.

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• •

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Why Do I Enter APPA?S o m e t h o u g h t s f r o m P P Y W i n n e r , T o n y H e w i t t

When I first entered APPA and the WA state

awards, it was mainly so I could call myself an

award winning photographer. This was really

useful as a new professional wedding photog-

rapher because winning awards increased my

credibility.

Once you’ve won a few awards, the game

changes. First, it’s all about consistency and the

desire to maintain a high level of quality, every

year. So I’d always aim for four Silver Awards.

Then it becomes a matter of testing yourself in

other areas. I didn’t want to be known only as a

wedding photographer, so I began to enter Il-

lustrative, Landscape and Portrait categories as

well.

However, what is now obvious is the biggest

benefit of all: entering APPA and the Epson state

awards each year forces me to re-assess my

work critically. Many of the major improvements

I’ve made as a photographer have come from

pushing myself to make a better print, a print

that will impress the judges.

Winning a Gold Award means you have

achieved a pretty high level of excellence and

the fact that you have been judged by your

peers is also a nice feeling. However, in terms of

your market place, winning awards every year is

almost expected. That’s when a Category win is

really wonderful.

Over the years, I have admired the work of

many category winners and so winning the

Landscape category was very important. And

then the Professional Photographer of the year

was the icing on the cake.

Most of us would love to win PPy, but we

don’t really think we can because it’s such an

elusive goal. I also know through my involve-

ment with various awards around the world

that there are many fantastic photographers out

there who have never won the title for many

different reasons: they may not have entered,

they might not have had the right shots for the

judging panel, or there may have been another

brilliant portfolio that year.

Each year, there are probably 10 or 20 port-

folios that are capable of winning the PPy. I have

come very close myself on several occasions,

so when I won it last year, I kept the win in per-

spective. Don’t get me wrong, this is a personal

milestone and one that I am very proud of. It is a

wonderful recognition and one that I am hum-

bled to receive.

Tony Hewitt is a Grand Master of Photography,

an Honorary Fellow and a Fellow of the NZIPP. He

works from Perth, W.A. www.tonyhewitt.com.

26

Do I Charge GST On Overseas Jobs?G e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g , e x p o r t e d s a l e s a r e e x - G S T

A lot of photographers find themselves working

overseas or sending products overseas and so

the question about GST arises: do you need to

charge your client GST?

Generally the answer is no, but it depends

on a number of issues and we’ll touch on the

most obvious ones here.

Are You Registered?

If your annual sales (turnover) as a photogra-

pher is over $75,000, then you must be regis-

tered for GST. If your turnover is less than this,

then you may choose not to be registered, and

so this issue won’t affect you. you’re not charg-

ing GST anyway.

Is The Work Exported?

If you’re shooting the job overseas for a client

who lives overseas, and the work stays overseas,

then no GST is payable, in Australia at least. you

may, of course, be subject to the foreign coun-

try’s own tax laws.

If you shoot the job in Australia, but the pho-

tographs are taken out of the country by your

clients, or you send them out of the country

to your clients, then chances are the job is not

subject to GST.

So, a wedding photographer who shoots a

couple in Melbourne and sends the final album

to Hong Kong will find the work is exempt from

GST (subject to time restrictions - see below).

Similarly, a commercial photographer shoot-

ing a building in Sydney for a client in Dubai

would not need to charge the client GST be-

cause the images are exported.

However, if the client in Dubai used the

photographs here in Australia, then GST would

be payable - the goods (photos) are not export-

ed. The fact that the client is overseas isn’t the

issue, it’s whether the goods or services are ex-

ported.

Time Limit

The ATO requires the photographs or services to

be exported within 60 days of you issuing an in-

voice, or within 60 days of the final payment for

your invoice, whichever is the earliest.

This normally isn’t a problem for a commer-

cial or portraiture job, but it could cause some

issues for wedding photographers because of

the length of time over which the wedding is

booked, shot and an album or DVD produced.

If you issue an invoice more than 60 days

out from the provision of the wedding album,

then you may be subject to GST.

It may be possible to split the invoices be-

tween the shoot and the album production, or

you can also contact the ATO and ask for it to

extend the 60-day period.

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.

27

W h e r e a r e m y f r e e c o p i e s o f

B e t t e r P h o t o g r a p h y M a g a z i n e ?

T h e y a r e h e r e . . .

w w w . a i p p . c o m . a u

S i g n i n t o t h e m e m b e r ’ s s e c t i o n . . .

G o t o m e m b e r s e r v i c e s . . .

G o t o m y p u b l i c a t i o n s . . .

G o t o B e t t e r P h o t o g r a p h y . . .

D o w n l o a d a n d e n j o y !

W o u l d y o u l i k e t o r e c e i v e a p a p e r v e r s i o n o f B e t t e r P h o t o g r a p h y

m a g a z i n e , f o u r t i m e s a y e a r ? y o u c a n s t i l l s u b s c r i b e a n d r e c e i v e

a 2 0 % d i s c o u n t . F o r d e t a i l s , e m a i l

k i m @ b e t t e r p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m

I s s u e 7 5 . . .L e n s S e l e c t i o n - W h i c h O n e s ?

S t i t c h i n g P a n o r a m a sM a s t e r i n g L u m i n a n c e

M u l t i p l e E x p o s u r e s I n C a m e r aA n d l o t s m o r e . . .

28

You can copyright a photograph, but not an idea. Do the idea differently and you’re okay. Photo by Peter Eastway.

29

Does Copyright Stop Me Taking A Photo?W h a t H a p p e n s I f S o m e o n e E l s e H a s T a k e n I t B e f o r e ?

The idea behind copyright is to stop other peo-

ple from using your photograph without your

permission. One of the ways it does this is to

prevent them copying your photograph.

you can copy a photograph by using a scan-

ner, or even a camera and taking a picture of it.

Or you can copy a photograph by setting up

the same scene, background, lighting and sub-

ject matter. This isn’t an identical copy, but it’s

close enough for copyright law.

Copyright stops other people copying our

photographs, but what happens if we are tak-

ing a photograph that someone else has photo-

graphed before? Are we breaching copyright?

You Can’t Copyright An Idea

If the law worked this way, then wedding pho-

tographers would be in deep trouble because

they all photograph brides in front of churches!

However, a bride in front of a church is an

idea or a concept. What sort of church? What

type of bride? What type of lighting, weather,

clothing, surroundings etc, etc. There are many

things in addition to the bride and the church

which make these photos different.

So, every photograph of a bride in front of a

church is, generally speaking, unique and some-

body else’s photograph of a similar (but differ-

ent) bride and church will not stop us from tak-

ing our photograph.

Similarly, we can continue to take our photo-

graphs of the Opera House or families running

on beaches. However, when we take our idea

and photograph it exactly like someone else’s,

then we may indeed be breaching copyright.

A Direct Copy

Let’s return to the photograph of a bride in front

of a church. Let’s say the photograph is very

specific with a particular hair colour, make up,

veil, dress, shape of church, type of lighting... If

everything is copied, right down to the pose

and the expression of the bride, then your copy

could be breaching the other photographer’s

copyright. In other words, you have started with

their photograph and made your own. This is il-

legal.

It is also unlikely to happen to wedding pho-

tographers, but commercial and advertising

photographers are often shown the work of an-

other photographer and asked to copy it. This is

also illegal.

If the client insists on a direct copy, you

should walk away from the job. Fortunately,

you can usually explain the situation to the cli-

ent and then work on a different image that

achieves a similar outcome. An idea can’t be

subject to copyright, only the execution.

©

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.

30

31

Tamron SP150-600mm I t ’ s n o t a b i g a p e r t u r e , b u t i t i s a l o n g l e n s !

This has to be a winner. Tamron’s SP 150-600mm

F/5-6.3 VC USD zoom is everything a wildlife

and sport photographer dreams about. Let’s

face it, whether you’re following a football play-

er around the paddock, or chasing a lion on the

African savannah, you never know exactly how

close you’re going to be when the action hap-

pens.

Traditionally, photographers would take a

300mm and a 600mm, and maybe a 1.4X or

2.0X teleconvertor, but this required changing

lenses or camera bodies. With Tamron’s 150-

600mm super zoom, you are ready for anything.

When designing supertelephotos, there is

always a compromise between weight and fea-

tures. If you want the f2.8 or f4 maximum aper-

ture (which in turn allows faster shutter speeds

to freeze the action), you pay for it with a large,

heavy lens.

Tamron’s solution is a relatively lightweight

lens and so it’s maximum aperture is f5.6-6.3.

However, its weight is under two kilograms,

whereas the supertelephotos can easily weigh

twice this. And the solution for faster shutter

speeds these days with DSLrs is to dial your ISO

setting up, so instead of shooting at ISO 200,

shoot at ISO 560 and you are effectively match-

ing the shutter speeds you would otherwise get

with the wider aperture lenses.

The Tamron 150-600mm has been released

for Canon mounts first, with Nikon and Sony

mounts to follow.

It will work happily on both full frame and

APS-C size sensors, but of course, the equivalent

focal length for the latter is 233-930mm! Now

that is a super telephoto!

The Canon and Nikon models include Tam-

ron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) technology,

but this is not required for Sony cameras which

have equivalent technology built into the cam-

era body.

The lens uses 20 elements in 13 groups,

including three LD (Low Dispersion) glass el-

ements for improved image quality. The ele-

ments also use a new eBAND coating technol-

ogy, designed to suppress ghosting and image

flare.

The lens features a USD (Ultrasonic Silent

Drive) motor which is claimed to be very quick

and quiet, and the nine blade circular dia-

phragm produces a beautiful out-of-focus effect

(bokeh). Add in a tripod mount collar and the

new Tamron supertelephoto zoom seems to be

lacking ... absolutely nothing!

For more information about the 150-600mm

lens, visit www.tamron.com.au.

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

Presented by Les Walkling & Tony HewittThis is a full seven day all-inclusive unique experience designed for professional photographers and enthusiast/non-professional photographers. The James Cook University Orpheus Island Research Station is a world class research and teaching facility, and the tropical islands provide for amazing photographic opportunities. This is the tenth year Les has presented this workshop and he rates it as his best. This year his co-presenter is Tony Hewitt, 2013 Canon AIPP Professional Photographer of the year.

www.leswalkling.com

© Jeremy de Rooy

Orpheus Island Photography Workshop 201411th to 17th August

Register for this workshop now at:http://www.leswalkling.com/orpheus/

© Tony Hewitt

The workshop comprises lectures and presentations each morning, backed up with hands-on work after lunch and into the evening with state-of-the-art printing and colour managed workflows.

Fine art printing, print critiques, advanced image editing, camera craft, RAW processing, pictorial design, colour management, marketing/business planning, small group tutorials and one-on-one consultations are highlights of the workshop.

This year Les and Tony are supported by several experienced tutors to ensure that the knowledge you are acquiring is immediately translated into real-world imaging skills and new ways of seeing.

Our renowned chefs, Natalie and Melissa will create marvellous banquets for us and each evening we dine under the stars by the beach celebrating the days achievements.

Our sponsors also attend the workshop and supply ‘state-of-the-art’ cameras, printers, knowledge and materials for all our creative photographic needs.

“Orpheus will give you the time

and support to complete your masterpieces.”

Tony Hewitt

Enquiries Ph: 07 4725 4860 E: events@leswalkling.com

www.tonyhewitt.com