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Working ProThe

Issue 222 • June 2014

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)

Working ProThe

C o n t e n t s# 2 2 2 - J u n e 2 0 1 4

4 President’s Message Kylie Lyons keeps the membership up to date with news and information about the Institute.

6 Queensland AIPP Epson PPA In Full SwingThe Working Pro has introduced its first social pages from the party capi-tal of Australia - Brisvegas!

8 Judging Through The CloudPeter Myers explains how the new judging system has made award en-tries both better and cheaper.

1 0 What Categories Should We Have For APPA?Photography is changing and it’s important that the Award systems re-flect our profession. Here’s how APPA is selecting its categories.

1 2 New Birth Category For APPADavid Paterson explains why there is a new category for APPA this year: birth photography.

1 4 Forever YoungPeter Rossi and Charmaine Heyer have published a limited edition book showcasing some of their best work. What makes it so special?

1 8 Capture The Emotion - Melissa NeumannWe might think we are photographing portraits or weddings, but there’s something much more powerful just below the surface.

2 0 Why The Wedding Album Works - Anna BlackmanAnna Blackman says photographers aren’t selling wedding albums sim-ply because they’re not showing them to their clients.

2 2 Read The Small Print - Chris ShainHow often do you just sign something and hope it’s alright? As Chris Shain experienced, it pays to read the small print.

2 4 Editor’s Selection - APPA WinnersA selection of entries that caught the editor’s eye from the 2013 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards.

3 2 Your Awards Entry: ExposureBefore you print your award entry, check it over for exposure, not just overall, but in all the important areas. Peter Eastway explains.

3 4 Is A Speeding Fine Tax Deductible?Don’t incur speeding and parking fines just because you think they will reduce your tax. They won’t!

3 0 Profoto B1Looking for a way to separate your photography from the masses? Take a look at Profoto’s fully automatic B1 battery-powered studio flash.

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

Suite G.02, 171 Union Road,

Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127

Phone: 03 9888 4111

E-mail: enquiries99@aipp.com.au

Cover

Kaye Davis, NZ2013 CANON AIPP AUSTrALIAN

PrOFESSIONAL PHOTOGrAPHy AWArDS

WINNEr OF ILLUSTrATIVE CATEGOry

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The Lucky CountryK y l i e L y o n s M . P h o t o g . , H o n . L M , N a t i o n a l P r e s i d e n t

We certainly live in a lucky country. I’m sure I

don’t need to tell you that, but after having two

Chinese students live with my family for three

months, I realised how lucky we are.

For example, our second student came out

of her room one day to announce, “My father

has asked me to speak with you about five dif-

ferences between China and Australia”.

My husband subsequently started a conver-

sation about democracy, how we voted for our

government and if we didn’t like the govern-

ment, we were free to say so in public.

For a 15 year old Chinese girl, the notion of

voting and free speech was, dare I say, incom-

prehensible. It was a lively conversation, but it

reinforced to me how lucky we are in Australia.

Board Nominations

The AIPP is currently calling for nominations for

the Board. Voting will also take place for Council

positions in most states.

The new changes to the Constitution in No-

vember allow for more members to be nomi-

nated for these positions and every Accredited

member also has the opportunity to cast his or

her vote.

This new election process is very important

and I ask that when the time comes, you do cast

your vote and elect your council members and

Board wisely. Please do not to take the process

for granted – or complain later if you didn’t take

the opportunity to cast your vote.

Big Thanks

I’d like to thank those members who contacted

me and other Board members with their feed-

back recently. I’m happy to say we received

some great responses.

Even our SIG projects, which range from fo-

lio assessments to accreditation and member-

ship benefits, have been very active and have

come up with some great ideas.

Many members have been able to have their

say on how they would like to see processes oc-

cur and the Board now has lots of information

to digest and consider when making future de-

cisions.

State Awards

Our Epson State awards are just about over for

the year, with only South Australia to run next

month. Every other state has been extremely

successful with entry numbers increased and a

new judging system that is being custom built

to cope with our very unique judging require-

ments.

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Thinking of entering APPA this year? Everything you need to know can be

found at:

www.appa.aippblog.com

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The system will be fully functional by APPA

come September.

My sincere thanks to the dedicated Awards

Event team lead by Kim Harding and Sue Lew-

is who have worked tirelessly at each state

award, not only to help the State Councils run a

smooth event, but to drive the development of

the judging system.

One big improvement that will come in

2015 during Phase 2 of the development will

be improvements to Live Streaming. It’s been

wonderful to see the membership embrace Live

Streaming of the Awards and it’s a great benefit

for those in the regions or who cannot physi-

cally get to the judging.

The new improvements will do away with

the need to Live Stream images from the judg-

ing, and only stream the audio. The web server

will serve the images being judged to the user/

audience and the audio will be streamed in

sync. This means we have no upload bandwidth

restrictions and our server can send high res im-

ages. This in turn will mean good quality hi-res

images can be seen by the user and no more

pixilated images online!

Ian McKenzie OAM

Finally, I would like to be one of the first to con-

gratulate one of our country’s newest Order of

Australia (OAM) recipients.

Again as a lucky country, Australians are rec-

ognised for their service to their community

and awarded with various accolades.

Ian McKenzie was honoured as part of the

Queen’s Birthday list this June. I would like to

share a brief history as to why Ian was nominat-

ed to receive this prestigious award.

AIPP Beginnings

The AIPP began in 1963 and Ian became a

member on day one. In 1966, he began a four

year program designing and overseeing the

construction of educational facilities for a diplo-

ma in photography course at Prahran College,

in Melbourne. He was department head for two

years and the diploma course he introduced

was later reclassified as a degree.

In 1973, he returned to private practice and

became the convener of the Institute’s national

conference. Such was the success of the pro-

gram, Ian was asked to perform this voluntary

task for the next four conventions up until 1981.

Ian has also had a long association with the

Institute’s Awards, joining the National Awards

Committee in 1976 and then serving as a judge

and panel chairman until 2012.

Publishing

Venturing into publishing with Attila Kiraly and

Val Foreman, Ian republished Jack Cato’s The Sto-

ry of the Camera in Australia under the Institute’s

imprint. He went on to publish the Contem-

porary Photographer Series. This consisted of

monographs by photographers such as David

Moore, Athol Shmith, Lewis Morley, Wolfgang

Sievers, Graham McCarter, Ian Dodd and Mi-

chael Coyne.

Ian was also actively involved in the first

moves to bring to Australia internationally re-

spected photographers to give lectures to our

photographers and help lift the standards of the

profession.

AIPP President

In 1978‐79, Ian became the President of the

AIPP. This is a voluntary role that requires many

hours of dedication to the profession of photog-

raphy.

In 1980, a new body was formed called the

Australian Photo Industry Association. The ob-

jective was to bring together the numerous in-

dividual photographic associations to explore

common goals, and Ian was the representative

for the AIPP. This joint collaboration brought to-

gether a new industry show called Photograph-

ics ’83, of which Ian was one of the convention

convenors.

In 2006, Ian McKenzie established and

chaired the AIPP Commercial Group and be-

came a member of the Institute’s Policy and

Planning Committee, a role that he held until

the end of 2013.

Mentoring Role

In 2010, he developed the structure and sylla-

bus course materials for the AIPP National Men-

toring scheme and he continues to assist the

National Office staff manage this scheme na-

tionally.

It is hard to think of many who have made

such a long and sustained contribution to the

AIPP and the photography industry in general.

For his dedication to our Institute, Ian has

been awarded an Honorary Fellow (Hon. FAIPP)

and a Fellow (FAIPP) of the Institute, the highest

accolades that can be given.

The service Ian McKenzie has provided to

professional photography is second to none

and most of his work has been done externally

to running and operating his own photography

business in Melbourne.

And as I mentioned before, there is no pay-

ment for roles undertaken within the AIPP, so all

of Ian’s work has been done voluntarily for the

past 50 years.

Ian McKenzie is a worthy recipient of the Or-

der of Australia for services to the visual arts as a

photographer and to the community. As mem-

bers of the AIPP, we should all send our heartfelt

thanks and congratulations to him.

How lucky are we!

Until next time

kylie.lyons@aipp.com.au

0411 552 488

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Qld AIPP Epson PPA In Full SwingP h o t o D i a r y F r o m B r i s b a n e

It’s been fun and games around the country with most states having now held their annual 2014

AIPP Epson State Professional Photography Awards. The photos on these pages share the festivities at

the recent Queenland event. Photos courtesy of the Queenslanders themselves!

Behind the scenes at every print award judging is a lot of hard work by some selfless volunteers - thanks once again!

(Left to Right) This is what your print sees in Queensland - some of the judges looking on: Andrew Porfyri, Nuran Zorlu, Paul Hoelen, Lesley Downie and Andrew Harrison.

Some print cases are easier to open than others.

Glen Knoblauch and Ian Poole take a closer look during judging.

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(Left to Right) Epson’s Bruce Williams, AIPP’s Kim Harding, Queensland President Sara Pearcy, APPA’s Sue Lewis and AIPP EO Peter Myers.

The winners (L2R) Glen Knoblauch (for Chris Knoblauch - Landscape), Lesley Downie (for Peter Rossi - Portrait), Gary Cranitch (Book/Album), Ola Kwintowski (Travel), Alicia Adamopoulos (Science, Envi-ronment & Nature), Ryan Schembri (Wedding), Sara Pearcy (with Kelly Brown on iPad - Family), Wil-liam Long (Commercial), Andrew Porfyri (Illustrative) and Matt Palmer (Documentary/Sport).

Qld PPY Winner Kelly Brown being congratulated remotely by Sara Pearcy and Bruce Williams

Qld Wedding winner Ryan Schembri with wife Jessica Schembri.

Obviously way too much fun! Ola Kwintowski (centre) with two accomplices in wine.

Robyn Hills hard at work and looking glamous as always!

Interstate revellers Andrew Harrison, Julie Ewing and Nuran Zorlu hamming it up!

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Judging Through The CloudT h e N e w E l e c t r o n i c S y s t e m f o r A w a r d J u d g i n g

Most of the Epson AIPP State Professional Pho-

tography Awards have now been judged (South

Australia will happen later this month) and this

has given National Office a great opportunity to

trial the new judging software that will be used

at the Canon APPA Event in September.

“The biggest change is that we have

taken the entire system and put it online”, ex-

plained Peter Myers. “All we need is access to an

internet connection and a web browser. Previ-

ously we needed access to a server via Ether-

net cables, but now we can do things from our

homes or hotel rooms.

“The awards sit on a cloud-based server and

everything in terms of the judging interface

happens from there. For instance, if you enter

your photographs into the landscape category,

our system can allocate them to specific judg-

ing rooms on a certain day.”

There are also advantages for live streaming

the event. In the past, we required a video cam-

era pointing at the print being judged, whereas

now the image is taken directly from the data-

base and dropped into the screen image. Add

in the judges’ scores and the live audio and the

live streaming process is now of better quality

and cheaper to run.

“And at the live event, rather than requiring a

laptop to drive the large monitors, all we need is

an iPod or any other device with an HDMI con-

nection.”

The judges are using iPads to enter their

scores, as is the panel chairman who is sent a

different package of information to allow him or

her to fulfil that role. The information is config-

urable, allowing panel chairs to see whatever is

helpful: details about the image being judged,

the score, how long it has taken to judge, how

long the judging session has been going, aver-

age scores and so on.

“Part of our long term thinking is to allow

people to judge from anywhere in the world, all

they will need is an internet connection.

“Once you get your head around this being

cloud-based, the possibilities are endless. For

instance, as an educational exercise, we could

invite a class of photography students re-judge

the portrait category from 2014 and compare

what they scored with the professionals.”

Although the system is up and running,

ready for APPA this year, Peter sees the system

as still being in the development stage in terms

of what it can do for the membership.

“And the new system has already allowed us

to reduce award entry fees. That’s another great

benefit for members.”

Peter Eastway

interviews

Peter Myers

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• •

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What Categories Should We Have?A c h a n g i n g p l a t f o r m o f c a t e g o r i e s f o r t h e f u t u r e

In the past, the categories at APPA and the state

awards have been designed as broad compart-

ments to facilitate the judging process (we have

wedding photographers judging weddings,

landscape photographers judging landscapes

etcetera). It was also important to have suffi-

cient images in a category if there were to be

a prize awarded (not much point handing out

prizes if there were only half a dozen entries).

Until now, the APPA Committee would meet

and decide upon the various categories for the

national event, but not all these categories were

available at all the state events and nor were the

rules always the same.

“It seems sensible to have consistency be-

tween the state and national awards, both

with the categories and the rules that surround

those categories”, explained AIPP Executive Of-

ficer Peter Myers.

If the purpose of the awards system is to en-

able working photographers to enter images

for peer review, then it follows that we need to

have suitable entry categories to enable high

quality feedback.

“For instance, if there were lots of photog-

raphers shooting frogs underwater, then we

should consider a category for them”, continued

Peter Myers.

Peter added that the current categories are

too widely framed, giving portraiture as an ex-

ample. “A portrait could potentially be entered

into portraiture, family, illustrative or documen-

tary categories, but there was no consistency in

the way we guided entrants and so they weren’t

necessarily getting the peer review that was

best for them.”

For instance, entrants could receive quite

different comments in documentary compared

to family photography, based on the context in

which the images were judged and the photog-

raphers selected to act as judges.

So, if the entry categories are so important,

who decides what they should be?

“The members should tell us what they

want the categories to be”, said Peter. “We will

ask them what new categories are needed and

when we have sufficient members requesting

a category, we’ll create a group known as cat-

egory advocates. Their role will be to define the

rules and parameters, and what is acceptable

for entry into that category.

“Of course, someone will need to manage

these groups and that will be a job for David

Paterson as the Category Manager. We still need

a person with experience to oversee the cat-

egory process.”

Peter Eastway

interviews

Peter Myers

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New Birth Category For APPAB i r t h P h o t o g r a p h y B e g i n s I t s N e w L i f e

Entry categories for APPA and the state awards

can be proposed by category advocates and, as

long as there are enough interested supporters

and the proposal doesn’t neatly fit into an exist-

ing category, there’s a very good chance it will

be introduced.

The first successful new category is Birth

Photography. It is designed to encourage and

award excellence in documentary style photo-

graphs captured during the labour, delivery and

post-natal hours immediately surrounding the

birth of a human baby.

According to the proposal put forward by

the birth photographers, “The growth of this

genre has been very much consumer driven.

AIPP photographers are now seeking avenues

to have their work in this field validated and re-

warded, to promote their professional standards

and commitment alongside wedding, family

and portrait photographers.

“The sensitivity of viewing, awarding and

promoting outstanding birth photography re-

quires considered discretion to fairly match the

positive outcomes photographers benefit from

in other genres.

“A new awards category will permit birth

images to be judged fairly and on the merits

of the environment that they are captured in.

Whilst birth is closer to documentary photogra-

phy than any other category, it is not deemed

to be a ‘comfortable’ fit for the documentary cat-

egory, nor are the images considered suitable

for the highly posed family and portrait catego-

ries.

“Given the very private nature of birth, a

deep understanding of the birth environment

in terms of its technical challenges, sensitivity,

medical practices and confined spaces is re-

quired.””

AIPP Category Manager David Paterson ex-

plained that the group did a really good job of

presenting their arguments.

“Birth photography is more like documenta-

ry photography than family photography, yet it

is shot for a completely different market with its

own expectations and requirements.

“They argued that their work didn’t fit into

the family photography category because it

was a very specialised area of documentary

photography. Equally important, we need to

have sufficient entries to make the category

valid and initial indications have around 40 pho-

tographers expressing interest.”

David also said the group is interested in

having expert judges with skills outside pho-

tography, such as midwives.

Peter Eastway

interviews

David Paterson

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Forever youngP e t e r R o s s i & C h a r m a i n e H e y e r o n b o o k p u b l i s h i n g

Peter rossi and Charmaine Heyer are Australian

photography royalty, both being AIPP Grand

Masters of Photography, both winners of the

Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photogra-

pher of the year, and both being as passionate

as ever about the art and craft of photography.

In terms of the Canon APP Awards, the two

continue to place highly in their chosen catego-

ries, pushing the boundaries of creative photog-

raphy and inspiring us with their novel and ex-

citing ideas.

And that’s what their new book project is all

about: inspiration.

Titled Forever Young - Art for the Heart, the

104-page, limited edition book has been written

not only to showcase their recent fine art, but to

let you into their private world of photography,

design and creative ideas.

Sample spread from Forever Young - Art for the Heart, by Peter Rossi and Charmaine Heyer.

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Some of the pages include all the elements used to create the final masterpiece.

Peter and Charmaine are speaking at the

Nikon Event this month where the book will be

officially launched, but there are only 250 hand-

signed copies available. And at $295 each, Char-

maine and Peter realise they are appealing to a

limited market.

Or are they? When you look at how much

photographers are prepared to spend on a

workshop or a seminar, Forever Young appears

to be a bargain given you get to keep the lec-

ture notes in an exquisite, 12-inch, vintage fabric

hard cover tome, featuring both satin and gloss

pages.

Explained Peter, “We think a lot of photogra-

phers are like us, looking for ideas and inspira-

tion before heading out on a shoot, to spark off

their own imagination. Hopefully people will be

able to flick through our book and get some in-

spiration for their own photography.”

Peter says the book isn’t a how-to volume

per se, although a few of the pages include the

many photographic elements used in Photo-

shop to create their masterpieces. Nor does it

explain the photography process in fine detail,

but maybe there’s another book to come!

“However, we think there’s more than

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enough information to show how our thought

process works, how we start with basic ideas

and turn them into art pieces.

“We want our book to take people on a little

journey, showing them how we shoot around

the hero shot. Sometimes showing the precise

steps can kill a picture because you know how

it was created, and while we do this for a couple

of examples, for most we simply show the fin-

ished art and it is up to the reader to fill in the

dots.” And trigger their own creative process.

Peter also noted that this could be a chal-

lenge for many other established photogra-

phers who have a dozen or so Gold Awards

tucked away and wish to link this to a portrait

promotion, as Peter and Charmaine have (guar-

nateeing a certain number of pre-ordered book

sales). “I think there are lots of us who have a

book or two in us, explaining how we created

our images and the ideas behind them.”

“We’ve also sold a few books to people who

follow our work and now they have a formalised

unit of some of our creations.”

To purchase a copy, visit Peter and Char-

maine’s website at www.highlights.com.au and

order online.

There are so many Gold Awards in this book, it leaves you breathless! How do they come up with so many great ideas?

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Capture The EmotionM e l i s s a N e u m a n n A s k s W h a t A r e W e R e a l l y S h o o t i n g ?

So often we attend seminars where we’re told

that portraiture isn’t just about camera tech-

nique and lighting, it’s about emotion. What’s

often not quite so clear is where you find that

emotion.

Sure, the emotion is in the expression of the

clients you are photographing, but it is also in

the memories the clients have of the shoot. If

you can create a positive experience during the

shoot that they really enjoy, then selling the

photographs becomes much easier.

Melissa Neumann takes it a step further with

newborn babies and their parents, but in a gen-

uine way.

The approach also works best over a num-

ber of meetings, so it begins with the maternity

shoot before the baby is born.

Explained Mel, “When I’m talking to the pro-

spective parents before the shoot, or it may be

during the maternity shoot before the birth, I

tell them the thing I most love about newborns

is their smell.”

Admittedly this approach may work better

for women photographers than for men!

Continued Mel, “When they return a few

weeks or months later for a newborn shoot, I

will set them up and take a few photographs.

“Then I ask, ‘Do you remember what I said

about the new baby smell’?”

The parents undoubtedly smile, they bring

their baby up to their noses, they hold the baby

close, they look at each other, compare notes,

smile, laugh and so on.

“This is when I capture the emotion. I get the

best expressions and some beautiful connec-

tions, and as soon as they see the images, the

connection stays in their mind.

“Some of the photos will have them holding

the baby up close with big smiles, sometimes

their eyes are closed, but it sells every time. I

swear it is only because of the connection and

what has been said during the shoot.”

Melissa shoots from her home studio, but

she has no qualms about packing up her gear

and visiting a client’s home or location.

“I’m very flexible in how I work, but of course

I’m only doing two or three shoots a week and

maybe a couple of 500 Club shoots, so it’s no

big deal to pack everything up and drive to a

location. If I were doing 15 shoots a week, then

I’d need to be based in my studio.

Mel Neumann AAIPP is an AIPP National Vice Presi-

dent with over 20 years’ experience. She is also in-

volved with a new venture to help photographers

- take a look at www.cameralove.com.au

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Capturing that newborn baby smell. Photograph by Mel Neumann. Explanation in the article!

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Why The Wedding Album WorksA n n a B l a c k m a n e x p l a i n s w h y w e c a n s e l l a l b u m s .

Anna Blackman makes the wedding album work

for her on several different levels, beginning with

a tactile experience that is impossible to refuse.

“It’s all about the tactile experience. Once

they have the album in their hands and I seem

them stroking the cover and feeling the weight

of the pages, I know I have them! They smell the

leather, touch the art paper and they want to

own an album.”

Anna has a number of different album de-

signs, some with pressed cotton pages, others

with interesting cover designs.

“They are different to the print-on-demand

photo books you can get online for $50. They

have to be, otherwise the clients will think they

can do it themselves.

“A lot of photographers don’t make sample

albums to show their clients because they think

the albums will cost a lot of money and they are

a pain to put together, but my view is that every

album I send out brings me in more clients.

“A DVD won’t bring you in lots of referrals, it

just sits in a drawer after being shown on televi-

sion a couple of times. In comparison, an album

is handed around and, being a tactile experience,

people love to look at them.”

Function Centre

“I met a lady 18 years ago who ran a function

centre. She said she despised wedding photog-

raphers because they always arrived late with the

bride and groom, the food would spoil because

of the delay, and not once had a photographer

sent her a photo of her reception centre.

“So, I made sure the bride and groom ar-

rived on time and I gave her some photos. I also

gave her an album which included photos of her

function centre, and now she sells me for free.

In fact, I get around 25 per cent of my weddings

through her and all it has cost me is a new album

every two to three years.

“Why can’t every wedding photographer just

choose one venue to be nice to and give it a

go? Show them how great their venue looks, do

some free shoots for them and build a relation-

ship. I help my friend by doing her advertising

and promotional photographs for free, and why

wouldn’t I when those photographs are also go-

ing to help sell me?

Customer service isn’t just about being

nice to customers, but to other suppliers in the

game as well. And an album, well, it is the cen-

terpiece of all these relationships.

Anna Blackman is an AIPP Master of Photography

who runs a successful boutique wedding studio

near Wollongong, NSW. annablackman.com.au

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Two examples of Anna Blackman’s wedding photography.

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Photograph by Chris Shain.

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read The Small PrintT h e I m p o r t a n c e o f u n d e r s t a n d i n g c o n t r a c t s .

recently Chris Shain was asked to sign a docu-

ment that allowed him to attach remote cam-

eras to a telegraph pole in order to photograph

a commercial job.

“I asked the authority involved for permis-

sion and didn’t expect there to be any trouble

as my client and the authority were working on

the project together. Plus I did all the hard work,

identifying the exact pole, its GPS co-ordinate

and describing the equipment we wished to at-

tach.

“I get the okay and then a couple of days lat-

er I receive a form asking me to sign an indem-

nity and waiver.”

In other words, if the camera falls off the

pole and hits someone in the head, Chris would

be liable.

“The nuts and bolts were that we would be

responsible if someone else damaged the pole,

even though we or our camera had nothing to

do with it. The insurance company’s view was

that this was beyond what I was being insured

for, so if I signed the form, not only would I be

indemnifying the authority, I possibly wouldn’t

have any PL insurance either! ( always show

your insurance broker any of these forms you

sign)

“What I found interesting was my lawyer’s

response. He suggested I simply ask for some

of the sections of the form to be removed or

changed. He put a few lines through the form

and sent it back. The lawyers acting for the au-

thority made a few counter changes and even-

tually we ended up with an indemnity that was

reasonable.

Interestingly, Chris noted, his contact at the

authority said that he had given out 50 of the

same indemnity forms to other contractors

(from lawn mowers to builders) and they had all

just signed them and sent them back without

query.

“Our lawyer admitted that the chances of

anything happening are pretty small, and even

if the terms weren’t enforceable, you can find

yourself dragged into the court system for six

months trying to sort it out.”

The better approach is to read the small

type and if it doesn’t seem fair and reasonable,

change the terms so they are. Be prepared to

negotiate.

Chris Shain is a commercial photographer working

in Sydney. He is very active in business and legal is-

sues for photographers and holds a board position

with the Australian Copyright Council.

www.imagesforbusiness.com.au

26

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

• •

27

28

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

• •

• •

29

30

• •

31

32

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

• •

33

34

Exposure isn’t just the overall exposure (top), but the subtle changes to tonality that you make to the file in post-production (bottom). Before entering the Awards, critically evaluate your entries to ensure the exposure is right, not just overall, but in detail areas as well.

35

your Awards Entry: ExposureI s t h e e x p o s u r e c o r r e c t - e v e r y w h e r e ?

When your print swings around at the Awards, it

is centre stage. All five judges are looking at the

image critically. They want to like the print, but

equally, they want to be impressed by the craft

and control exhibited by the creator.

All the judges have entered photography

awards, so they know what it is like to win – and

to lose. No doubt they have sat in the audience

and watched their prints receive low scores, re-

turning to their studios later in the day, asking

lots of questions about themselves and their

entries. Why didn’t the judges like my image?

Chances are they did like the image, but

there were aspects that could clearly have been

done better.

Often these aspects are just subtle, but it

is this subtlety that distinguishes professional

photography from the amateurs. Anyone can

press a button on a fully automatic camera, but

producing a professional quality print requires

more thought and craft.

Self Analysis

Take a look at the two photographs opposite. At

first glance, there’s not much difference. Howev-

er, the difference can turn a below award print

into a Silver Award.

In the top photograph, the overall exposure

would be considered correct. The background

and foreground are evenly exposed, you can

see detail in the yak’s head (just). And given the

bright overhead sunshine, it’s what you would

expect from a camera.

And this is the limitation of a camera expo-

sure. It can only provide one exposure for all of

the image, even though different parts of the

image may require different exposures.

Post-Production

When you look more critically at the top photo-

graph, the way a judge will look at the print, you

notice two main problems. First, the highlights

on the yak’s back are very bright. Some would

say distracting. Second, the yak’s face is quite

dark. It is hidden away in the shadows.

Now compare the bottom photograph.

Note how the highlights on the yak’s coat are

controlled and the head of the yak has been

lightened up. Importantly, if you cover up the

top photograph and return to look at the bot-

tom one, you can’t see where the image has

been lightened and darkened, where the expo-

sure has been changed. It looks natural.

Whether you would edit the yak exactly like

this isn’t the point, it’s the process of critically

evaluating your photographs and adjusting the

exposure in areas that need change, before you

enter!

36

Is A Speeding Fine Tax Deductible?A n d w h a t a b o u t p a r k i n g t i c k e t s ?

There is no good news for parking and driving

offenders. The rules state that fines and penal-

ties are not tax deductible.

On The Way To Work

So, you’re a wedding photographer. The bride

has left her home and you need to get to the

church before she does. you take a short cut

and plant your foot on the accelerator, only to

see a road side speed trap flash as you pass by.

Bugger! That will reduce the profitability on

the job, especially if you’ve only charged a low

fee for a shoot and burn!

The speeding fine arrives and it is duly paid,

but when you show it to your accountant at the

end of the year, you’re told it is not a tax deduc-

tion.

Although expenses incurred while working

are generally allowable as tax deductions, there

are special rules which deny tax deductibility for

fines and penalties. The argument seems to be

that the government doesn’t want to encour-

age misdemeanours by making them tax de-

ductible!

Providing Good Service

Now you’re a commercial photographer. you’re

shooting a series of corporate portraits, includ-

ing the board of directors. you’ve allowed an

hour and paid for two hours on the parking me-

ter. During the job, the client asks you to take a

few extra portraits and you arrive back at your

car five minutes late.

However, the parking inspector wasn’t late

and you have a $100 fine - who pays for it?

Well, your client won’t want to – you should

have put more money in the meter. And the tax

office won’t give you a deduction that’s for sure

– it doesn’t want to encourage you to break the

law either!

Not Only Road Offenses

Of course, the $3 you put in the parking meter

is deductible, and the cost of running your car

for business purposes is also deductible.

It’s just that fines and penalites are not and

this principle flows through into most areas of

life.

One area where a penalty or interest for late

payment isn’t a problem is your banking. If a

credit card or cheque account charges you pen-

alties for late payment or a bounced cheque, or

charges you interest for being overdrawn, these

are not treated in the same way. rather, they are

simply a cost of financing your business and, as-

suming the underlying transactions were busi-

ness in nature, the interest and penalties would

be tax deductible.

As always, check with your accountant.

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.

37

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 6 . . .C a p t u r e A m a z i n g B & W I n - C a m e r a

• C r e a t e B e a u t i f u l V i g n e t t e s • T h e B e s t S h a r p e n i n g T e c h n i q u e

• S t u d i o L i g h t i n g F o r P o r t r a i t sA n d l o t s m o r e . . .

38

39

Profoto B1A u t o m a t i c S t u d i o F l a s h F o r C a n o n a n d N i k o n .

Studio flash used to seem a

bit hard.

Well, actually, once you

understand apertures, flash

sync, ISO and can get your

head around it, studio flash

is actually pretty easy.

But it’s even easier now

with the Profoto B1 because it calculates the

flash for you, plus it’s a battery operated unit

which means you can take it on location. No

mains power required.

The unit is not small like a speedlight flash,

so you’ll need a light stand to hold it and you

might as well take advantage of some of the

great light shapers too, like a brolly, a softbox

or a beauty dish (which was used for the photo

above).

The quality of light you can produce with

the right attachment is second to none.

The rechargeable batteries attach to the side

of the unit and multiple batteries mean you can

shoot for as long as you need to.

I took around 150 shots and the battery

showed 2/3 power left. Profoto says a battery

will give you 220 full power flashes, but you may

find you’re rarely using full power and so the

number of flashes in practice could be much

higher.

Using the flash unit is

easy. Attach the special Pro-

foto remote control unit

to your camera’s hot shoe

(I was using a Canon EOS

60D) and turn it on. Make

sure you have the channels

set correctly (chances are the default settings

will be right) and press the buttons until you see

TTL.

Point camera, press shutter, flash exposure

is correct. It’s that easy and the results are excel-

lent.

The photo opposite has some strong sun-

shine coming through from behind left, but the

Profoto B1 provided just the right amount of fill-

flash from front left.

And in other shots without strong sunshine,

the exposure was equally correct. It just seemed

too easy.

There are three remote controls - a general

one that doesn’t offer TTL exposure control and

works with all cameras, and one each specifi-

cally for Canon or Nikon DSLrs which offer fully

automatic control.

For more information, contact L&P Digital

Photographic or click here.

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 � 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

di� 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 � nesse your entry.

I � 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 � 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

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