Member’s photos from our recent trip to Tekapo.
Month: May 2016
May Projected Image of the Month Results (Category: Open)
Appraised by John Hart
Click here for the Monthly Standings.
Member Profile: Matheson Beaumont
| Year joined DPS | 1948 |
| Signification positions held in DPS |
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| Honours | ONZM, FRPS, FPSA, Hon FPSNZ, Hon FNPSNZ |
| Current camera | Canon D5 |
| Favourite camera you have ever used/had | Although I love my D5, I had a love affair with Olympus for a number of years owning OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4’s |
| Which do you prefer: Film or Digital? | Digital |
| And why? | I enjoy the ability one has to manipulate the image, to make it into the picture you envisaged at the time of taking. |
| Which do you prefer: Print or Projected? | |
| And why? | I am a print maker, and prefer this medium to the projected image. I had a long involvement with Slides from the early 1950’s and even pioneered Multi Screen Audio Visuals in NZ , in the early 1970’s. My AV’s being shown around NZ, in Australia as well as in London. |
| How did you get into photography? | I was given my first camera about 1942 whilst at High School. Living next to my parents in St Clair were the Erwin’s; energetic members of DPS. Occasionally Mrs Erwin would bring members of DPS in to our garden to photograph the Gold Fish in our Lily Pond, which fascinated me. And as I grew up I was impressed by the pictures of scantily clad girls on the covers of the Photographic Magazines in the Book Shop at the St Clair Beach, so these two influences were significant. |
| What is your most memorable moment from your time at DPS so far? | Presenting my Multi Screen, 6 Projector AV. ‘Something Special’ To the 21st. PSNZ Convention in Queenstown. – To a standing ovation. |
| What keeps you inspired with your photography? | The Challenge of image making and the involvement with the special people who share the same interest. |
| Do you have a particular theme that would summarise your photographs? | I love the Landscape and the challenge that it presents. I have pursued many branches of photography, from Marine to Portraiture and Genre, but it continues to be the Landscape which presents for me the greatest challenge. |
| Where is the best place that you have been to take photos? | I have photographed in many places from Mexico to Tibet, in The UK the USA and Europe, but the place that really brings me on is the Mackenzie Country and the ‘Lindis’ Pass. When I am there and the light is “right” I think that I ‘vibrate’. |
| What piece of equipment could you not do without in your camera bag? | My Canon 28mm to 135mm zoom. |
| Do you have any advice for your fellow photographers? | Learn to Look. And having looked – See! |
| Any other comments? | Some thoughts on photographing the Landscape. The very nature of the photographic process is perhaps the reason for the landscape being so seldom done well. Photographs are made in a 125th of a second, usually less, and are often made by casual photographers who are out “Taking Pictures”. If the painter could rip off a canvas in so short a time, the world would be without many of its great works. The photographer who understands the landscape takes time to contemplate and actually feel what is going on in front of the lens. The skill is in ‘making’, rather than the predatory ‘taking‘ which leads to success.The great landscape relies on fine union of trained eye and imaginative mind. To make it you must be not only intellectually involved, but sensitive to what is going on in the subject, if you are you, you will have a better chance of communicating your feelings to your viewers. The photograph should open up our minds to the mystery of the scene and allow our imagination to to escape”. |
May Print of the Month Results (Category: Open)
Appraised by John Hart.
Click here for the Monthly Standings.
Member Profile: Pam Constable
| Year joined DPS | 1987 |
| Current camera | Olympus E300 / Canon ixus 800 |
| Favourite camera you have ever used/had | Olympus C730 |
| Which do you prefer: Film or Digital? | Digital |
| And why? | Because I can process the image exactly how I saw it in my head when I pushed the button. AND its a lot cheaper (once you have your computer setup) |
| Which do you prefer: Print or Projected? | Both – no preference |
| And why? | They each do different things. I prefer projected images now because all my photo work is done on the computer, but the printed image allows for more care and thought both when during the creative process and when being interpreted by the viewer. It is a pity for instance, when the photographer has put a lot of effort into making a distinctive image, enters it into the projected images section of a salon where it might even win an award but it is still only seen for 6 seconds during a convention. A print submission will be on the wall for the entire convention and is available for people to absorb and make comment back to the author. |
| How did you get into photography? | My whole family were passionate photographers and I had the usual box brownie when I was 12, then a gap of many years till I was given a Kodak Instamatic, which took square photos so I dutifully recorded the babies and pets till my husband gave me a small 35mm and a week or so after that we went to Taranaki and while he was busy I spent a whole day driving around Mt Taranaki shooting off 5 films in all. The difference for me was that the 355 mm format was making a picture rather than just a record, the shape suited how I saw things and suddenly I couldn’t want to do more and more. On the flight back home I said to my husband “Thank you again for my Christmas camera but I have had such fun today that I think I need to go and spend a lot more money and get a proper SLR”. And so I did. |
| What is your most memorable moment from your time at DPS so far? | Walking into the exhibition and seeing my first ever top print award on the wall. |
| What keeps you inspired with your photography? | One of the current inspirations is continuing to enter images in salons throughout NZ. As I cannot roam as I used to, my material is based on my archives, and when an entry is due, I mentally review what I have on hand and rework it ti suit the current requirements. I am also co-manager with Ian Thomson of the yahoo photo group DNZ-3 online and it has competitions every fortnight alternating set subject and open (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/dnz-3/info if anyone is interested) |
| Do you have a particular theme that would summarise your photographs? | I don’t have an exclusive theme, but interests include landscape, specially what I term “specific or detailed landscape”, architecture and created images; i.e. montaged multi image compositions to illustrate an abstract idea. |
| Where is the best place that you have been to take photos? | Travel is always inspiring and Yosemite was a highlight, but then so was a week spent with friends in Hanmer Springs, going out all day up the Clarence Valley, coming home at night then spending evenings reviewing the day’s efforts, the best workshop I have ever done. |
| What piece of equipment could you not do without in your camera bag? | Well, my camera of course, but for me the best piece isn’t in the camera bag it’s in my head, and that’s the piece I enjoy using the most. Probably because it can create endless images from just a single frame, providing that has good basic ingredients to start with. |
| Why have we not seen you much of late? | I find it difficult to get along to club meetings these days but I am still participating in digital competitions when I can, as well as coming along to any special events. |
| Do you have any advice for your fellow photographers? | Always, always follow your own pathway regardless of where others think you should be going. Real inspiration comes from your own individuality, not from conforming to a set of salon rules. Smart phones do not make smart pictures, but they are wonderful to record the exact moment which would be well gone by the time you ran for the SLR. I hope this novelty for the gadget-minded will wear off fast for serious image makers and allow us to get back to what we do best, crafting thoughtful, artistic works for others to enjoy. |
Member Profile: Ian Thomson
| Year joined DPS | 1980 |
| Signification positions held in DPS | Camera craft editor for a few years, after Jean Nelson gave it up. Was also a “judge/selector” for competitions including Festival at times. |
| Honours | FPSNZ |
| Current camera | Nikon D800e |
| Which do you prefer: Film or Digital? | Digital |
| And why? | With digital you get another chance if people shut their eyes and also scanning negatives was a boring task. |
| Which do you prefer: Print or Projected? | Projected |
| And why? | I’m fairly active on Flickr and don’t need prints on there and I could never get my mounts right. |
| How did you get into photography? | My grandfather was a member of a Liverpool photography society and had some salon success about 1910. My Grandma on the other side worked as a photographer’s assistant in Dunedin about the same time and both my parents were photographers. I started with family portraits on a plastic Diana camera about age 10. As a teenager I went with Dad to the Waimate Photography Club and learned lighting for portraits and darkroom work from the town’s Professional photographer, a Mr Jim Hore. At first when I came to Dunedin I was busy with University study and getting to know a young lady who later agreed to be my wife, but when I started work I found time every second Monday to go along to the Otago Museum for DPS meetings. One of my first prints of a rose was said to look like a “cabbage” and I have tried to progress from that. |
| What is your most memorable moment from your time at DPS so far? | There are many memories but sometime in the 80’s (near the time of Halley’s Comet) DPS hosted the national PSNZ meeting and I was lucky to show an AV program on the University set to music from Chariots of Fire. In those days every fade was manual with two projectors and one had to get the timing right while hoping no slide would jam! Fortunately all went well. My wife and 6 week old daughter were there to see the show and Rebecca is possibly still the youngest to attend a PSNZ convention. She had her photo taken with a senior member age about 86. |
| What keeps you inspired with your photography? | I see a lot of pictures every day in selecting for groups on Flickr which helps with ideas. Also just driving around Otago especially when the weather is “bad” |
| Do you have a particular theme that would summarise your photographs? | Just looking for beauty in landscapes or people |
| Where is the best place that you have been to take photos? | Probably in Prague when the mists were rising off the Vlatava River just after sunrise. It was a cold autumn morning but I was so entranced by the light and recession behind statues on the Charles Bridge that I didn’t realise how cold I was until it was time to go. |
| What piece of equipment could you not do without in your camera bag? | I need two, both a camera and a lens 🙂 |
| Do you have any advice for your fellow photographers? | Just that you need to find the light and that won’t happen if you are sleeping in 🙂 |
| Do you have any favourite photography related websites or web resources that you’d like to share with other members? | If you are bored feel free to take a look at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzpix (There are over 4000 photos, a few with over 50K views and nearly 6M views for the stream since 2007)Otherwise I visit DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/) to read about equipment, and occasionally either http://www.photo.co.nz/ or Johnathons to buy.Otherwise I follow DPS on Facebook! |
