Australian Photography - January 2022

Great
Southern
Land KEY TIPS FOR
SHOOTING THE
AUSSIE OUTBACK
GO PRO
How you can
shoot for a living
TESTED
Panasonic GH5 II
Tamron 150-500mm
DI lens
AUSTRALIA’S OWN
INDIANA JONES
The incredible photos of
Sir George Hubert Wilkins
January 2022
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EDITORIAL
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mikeoconnor@yaffa.com.au
RIGHT: For
working
Contributing Editors: Mick Fletoridis,
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Rob Ditessa, Drew Hopper,
the business
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Yaffa Photographic Group MIKE O’CONNOR, EDITOR It’s not helped that some perceived the AIPP as ar-
includes: chaic, inwardly focussed, and, late in the piece, too
Australian Photography, Capture,
willing to accept amateur photographers into the fold.
www.australianphotography.com
I
www.facebook.com/ A slow decline in membership over the past 10 years
australianphotographymag t’s only a tad ironic that the same month we run a was greatly accelerated by controversies surrounding
story on making it as a professional photographer its awards system and finally, the arrival of COVID-19.
Publisher: James Ostinga
(See Drew Hopper’s piece on page 44), we also A modern professional photographer has to be so
Marketing Manager: Lucy Yaffa
Production Director: Matthew Gunn lead with the news that the Australian Institute of many things – adept at marketing, social media, net-
Art Director: Ana Maria Heraud Professional Photography (AIPP) is to shut its doors for working and running a business, and that’s before
Studio Manager: Lauren Esdaile good (see page eight), bringing an end to more than 75 you even get into the mechanics of being a creative
Designer: Elyse Judson years of representing and advocating for professional when creativity has never been easier to pursue or
All editorial contributions should be sent photographers in this country. valued less.
to contact@australianphotography.com It’s hard not to feel sad about the demise of the Ultimately then, perhaps the biggest thing we lose
AIPP. The institute was a proving ground for many with the closure of the AIPP is its role in champion-
Australian Photography welcomes freelance
contributions. Please check with the editor of our finest photographers and, for most of its life ing the importance of photography to a public who
before submitting your story. Editorial at least, was a powerful force for good in the photo- are increasingly ambivalent about why you would
guidelines are available via email and include graphic community – advocating for things like copy- hire a professional at all. Like it or not, the Institute
full details on all requirements for story and
image submissions. Please note that stories
right and the value of hiring a professional to do a was the platform to convince the public otherwise,
should be embedded in the body of the email, professional job. and without it, it’s hard to see any unified voice that
or supplied as email attachments in text format But the AIPPs closure is also emblematic of the could take its place.
(.txt), rich text format (.rtf) or Microsoft challenges faced by many membership organisations
Word format (.doc). Ideally, images should be
supplied in JPEG format (.jpg) with a separate
the world over. How do you remain relevant when
list of captions. JPEG compression should fewer and fewer people are willing to invest their time
be no lower than 9/12 (75%). Digital images and money in an organisation to represent their in-
should be supplied at a resolution of 300ppi, terests? Today, many people’s idea of community is
at a physical size of at least 20cm and not
larger than 42cm on the longest side.
online, where you just need an internet connection
and a bunch of Facebook groups to feel part of some-
ISSN 0004-9964
thing bigger.
| 3 | MONTH 2000 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

24 50 SHADES OF WILDLIFE: HOW TO
SHOOT NATURE IN BLACK AND WHITE
Black and white may not be the first thing you think of when
it comes to shooting animals, but it’s a great way to open up
a new world of creativity. Pro wildlife photographers Steve
and Ann Toon show you how to get started.
60 TESTED: TAMRON 150-500MM

F/5-6.7 DI LENS
Tamron’s E-Mount-only telephoto is a properly
compelling package that won’t break the bank. AP
takes it for a spin.
44 MAKE WORKING AS A PHOTOGRAPHER,

WORK FOR YOU
Many of us will have dreamed of turning our love for
photography into something more. Professional photographer
Drew Hopper shares a few home truths, while lifting the lid on
the images that helped define his journey to full time shooter.
CONTRIBUTORS
CRAIG ANDREW MADSEN
DEPARTMENTS
Craig has been a
photographer for over 30
years in New Zealand and
58 TESTED PANASONIC GH5 II abroad. His focus is on
The original Panasonic GH5 bridged the worlds 6 BEHIND THE LENS long term documentary
of stills and videography better than just about Craig Andrew Madsen shares his life- projects. See more @
anything that came before it. So how does its changing and life-consuming project from craigandrewmadsen.
successor hold up? Mike O’Connor takes a look. the last year, Te Ata PǼao.
QUICK SNAPS
8 News and views from the world of
photography.
16 YOUR BEST SHOT

Take a look at the best images from our
‘Insects’ photo competition.
STEVE AND ANN TOON
Contributors to Australian
22 STRAIGHT SHOOTER
Photography for more than
Darran Leal explores how printing at home
a decade, Steve and Ann
has never been easier.
Toon live and breathe wildlife
66 APS ONE FRAME AND COLUMN photography. See more of
their work at toonphoto.com.
34 7 TIPS FOR BETTER OUTBACK News, views and images from the Australian
IMAGES Photographic Society.
With borders slowly opening up, now is the time
to explore the iconic and unforgettable Australian 70 IMAGE DOCTOR
outback. Paula Heelan looks at a few tips for Saima Morel critiques a selection of readers’
maximising your image-making on your next trip. images, and picks the winner of the SanDisk
and WD prize pack.
PAULA HEELAN
Photojournalist and author
Paula Heelan lives on a
small farm in southeast
Queensland where she
focusses on life in rural and
remote Australia. See more
at paulaheelan.com.
DREW HOPPER
52: THE EYE OF WILKINS Drew Hopper is an Australian
Few people witnessed more iconic moments in freelance documentary
history than South Australian born Sir George COVER photographer exploring
Hubert Wilkins, and yet his remarkable story is Photographer Mark Phillips captured this month’s cover in Clifton ecological themes, landscape
still largely unknown in Australia. However, that’s Springs, Victoria. “I had headed out mainly to test a new tripod and
look at one of the old piers in the area,” he said. “I was lucky with the and place. See more of his
set to change, with a new book by historian Peter work at drewhopper.com.
light that evening not only for the colours, but the direction they were
Maddern celebrating the pioneering explorer’s coming from – it forced me to come up with this composition.” Nikon
photographs from a century ago. D850, Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 lens @ 17mm. 0.5s @ f11, ISO 64.
BEHIND THE LENS
| 6 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

I am a photographer based in the Ruapehu region of New The trek each morning was just under a two hour round trip
Zealand, and I am currently six years into a journey to photograph from home, which I did every morning until winter fully settled in.
and document the essence and magic of this beautiful area. Through winter, where temperatures often drop to -11C or colder,
For 2021, my project turned towards the jewel of the region, I cycled or drove to the base of the climb, just to ensure I didn’t
Mt Ruapehu himself. (I say “him” as in local Maori culture, Mt get sick and jeopardise the project.
Ruapehu is known and referred to as Koro, meaning grandfather). As I write this, I still have six weeks to go, but the journey
However, to do the Maunga (Mountain) justice, I decided I wanted has been truly amazing, both photographically and personally.
to photograph Mt Ruapehu every morning at early dawn or first By the time it’s complete, Te Ata pǼao will be a journey, and that
light for an entire calendar year. I decided that all the images journey will be different for many, with different meanings and
would be photographed from the same spot, using the same connections for a wide variety of people. For some, it will be
50mm fixed lens. spiritual, others, cultural. For some, it will be more literal, and as
Arguably, one of the best locations to photograph Mt Ruapehu simple as some pretty pictures of the mountain on a special date,
is from an exposed elevated hilltop located on an army base just and that is ok.
outside of Waiouru. Its view is direct, with no obstructions, just But for me, Te Ata pǼao is a reflection. It’s a reflection of our
you and Koro - beautiful. lives and our mental health. It’s that roller coaster of life, the
However, at the time I was planning the project, the location highs, the lows, the days we wake a little foggy and the ones that
was also 25km away from my home over roads that were are just downright dark. But despite the variety of images I have
frequently closed due to snowfall. I really needed to be within captured, there is one common ingredient throughout the entire
walking distance of the hilltop, and I knew if I was to have any project, light. And when there’s light, there’s hope.
chance of making the project work, I would need to sell the house Once the project is completed, the plan is that Te Ata pǼao
and move to Waiouru. will find its way to exhibition. I imagine it will be somewhat
Thankfully, convincing my wonderful, completely overwhelming, with 365 A2 canvas prints, kindly supported by
understanding, and supportive wife (did I mention wonderful?) Epson New Zealand. And my hope is viewers of it will walk away
wasn’t that hard, as she already worked in Waiouru, so this meant feeling a little of what I have.
less travel for her. We sold up, moved, and on the 1st of January
2021, I started my journey. FUJIFILM X-PRO2, XF 35MM F2.0 LENS. 0.6S @ F11, ISO 200.

QUICK SNAPS
QUICK
SNAPS LEFT: Gideon
Mendel’s
image Jenni
Bruce at her
burnt home
WINNERS OF $70,000 in Upper
Brogo, New
HEAD ON PHOTO AWARDS South Wales,
ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 January 2020.
THE 2021 Head On Photo Awards have

been announced, with the annual pho- tured at the destroyed home of sculp- also commented on the destruction of
tography competition celebrating photo- tor Jenni Bruce. Speaking on her loss the 2019/2020 summer bushfires. Fi-
graphic excellence across three catego- at the time, Bruce shared, “It was all nally, Australian photographer Chege
ries: Portrait, Landscape and Student. gone. I had a great workshop with tools Mbuthi was named winner of the an-
In the Portrait category, British photog- that I had spent a lifetime gathering...I nual Student Award. Mbuthi’s winning
rapher Gideon Mendel won first place wish the people in power would listen; work, By the front door, is a self-portrait
for their entry Jenni Bruce at her burnt I wish they would stop using industries that was created during the Covid-19 re-
home in Upper Brogo, New South Wales, that are so bad for our environment.” lated lockdown of 2020.
January 2020. The sobering photograph The 2021 Landscape prize went to Aus- You can see a selection of the winners,
documents the devastating impact go tralian photographer Aletheia Casey’s A runners up and finalists at australian-
the 2019/2020 summer bushfires, cap- lost place, which, like Mendel’s work, photography.com.
AIPP SHUTS DOORS AFTER 75 YEARS

THE Australian Institute of Professional privacy laws in Australia, as well as input with an AIPP FAQ document confirming
Photography (AIPP) has announced it will into tertiary education for photographic that over the last 20 months, more than
cease operations effective immediately, training. It also contributed to the pro- 700 members were unable to meet their fee
drawing to an end 75 years of representing fessional development of thousands of commitments. This had led to a shortfall
professional photographers in Australia. Australian photographers over this time. of funding to keep the Institute operational.
In a statement, the Institute placed In the last few years, the Institute had According to the AIPP, this reduction also
the blame on financial losses due to Co- faced its fair share of challenging events. accelerated a downward trend that had
vid-19, but also stated it had been ‘in a In 2018, the Institute permanently been observed over the past five years.
slow decline for more than a decade.’ closed its National Office, which was Despite efforts to reverse the decline,
The AIPP could trace its roots back followed by the resignation of the then reinvigorate the AIPP for a new genera-
to 1944, when photographers from vari- National Board. tion of image-makers, and align itself
ous state professional photography asso- In 2019, the Institute found itself at the better with the arts industries, ultimate-
ciations gathered to form an Australian centre of an international controversy ly the Institute could not stem the losses.
association to provide a united voice on when it was forced to rescind the awards As a result, the AIPP will cease trading
behalf of photographers. of AIPP member and photographer Lisa immediately and an Administrator will
Over three quarters of a century, the Saad. At the time, it was revealed she had be appointed to manage the process as
Institute contributed to copyright and appropriated an image by another pho- required by the Corporations Act 2001.
tographer and used clip art in a number This closure also includes sections of
of her AIPP-award-winning images. the AIPP website (including the awards
However, the statement released today website), most AIPP email addresses and
suggested much of the blame for the Insti- all AIPP social media accounts.
tute’s position could be placed on ‘a devas- You can see the full statement at
tating reduction in membership revenue’, aipp.com.au.

QUICK SNAPS
NIKON ANNOUNCES Z 9: 45.7MP,

30FPS SHOOTING AND 8K VIDEO
NIKON has officially announced the Z though its fast readout speeds sug-
9, the company’s newest full-frame pro gest Nikon has further enhanced
sports mirrorless camera. The Z 9 is its capabilities.
Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless cam- The advantage of a stacked sen-
era built without a mechanical shutter, sor is typically around burst rate
which Nikon says allows it to shoot with and readout speed, but it also
the world’s least rolling shutter distor- means AF processing can occur
tion. Combine this with its fast-readout, faster, with Nikon saying that
stacked 45.7MP CMOS sensor, 30fps the combination of the Stacked
shooting and 8K/30p capture, and the Z CMOS sensor and the faster data
9 looks to be a real statement of intent throughput of the Z mount allows
from the Japanese company, and quite the camera to process and com-
possibly the ‘halo’ product many Nikon municate 120 AF calculations per
shooters have been waiting for. second, a key requirement for many
Likely familiar to many sports shoot- sports photographers.
ers, the Z 9 keeps with the large format Another Nikon first is the addition of
and slightly angular style borrowed from i-TTL balanced fill-flash, where face
the Z-cameras. Unlike these though, it information is applied for flash control. megapixels, the Z 9 can fire away at 120
features a newly-designed ‘multi-direc- This technology takes the human sub- fps JPEG shooting at 11MP resolution.
tional’ 3.2-inch rear-LCD that uses a ject’s face into consideration and con- Raw maxes out at a still consider-
cradle-type system to allow it to move trols the volume of light to be fired ap- able 20 frames per second, and Nikon
both horizontally and vertically, while propriately when flash is used to avoid says the camera’s buffer can shoot for
keeping the screen centred. overexposure in shots. over 1000 frames. That stacked sensor
This means regardless of whether Like the Canon R3, the Z 9 is ca- also means no blackout in any shooting
you’re shooting in portrait or landscape, pable of tracking humans, animals and mode, and Nikon has a,so implemented
the rear-LCD can be displayed in the vehicles, but the Autofocus differs from two new High Efficiency (HE) formats
correct orientation – very trick. its rivals by not requiring the user to de- that compress the camera’s RAW files to
The Z 9’s EVF is a 3.69M dot panel termine the subject in advance. In the help manage storage.
that Nikon says makes full use of this camera’s Auto mode, the Z 9 will assess At launch, the Z 9 offers very compet-
resolution for the camera’s live view (and a scene for any of the types of subjects itive video specs that likely leverage the
not just playback). And finally, most of it can recognise, although according to large 45.7MP sensor. Video maxes out at
the Z 9s buttons are back-lit, and can be Nikon there are also settings that can be 8K/30p, but there’s also oversampled 4K
illuminated when you’re trying to oper- tweaked to ensure the camera doesn’t (from 8K) at up to 30p, or 4K/120p taken
ate the camera in dark conditions – a pick the wrong subject. from the full width of the sensor. The
feature we wish more camera manufac- Nikon’s excellent 3D tracking tech- Z 9 also becomes the first Nikon cam-
turers would implement. nology also returns and should perform era to be able to capture Log footage in-
The stacked 45.7MP CMOS sensor like it does on the company’s DSLRs. ternally, and a firmware update in 2022
in the Z 9 delivers the fastest readout The Nikon Z 9 can shoot bursts of will enable internal Raw video capture
rate of any full-frame camera, resulting JPEGs at up to 30 frames per second, the at up to 60p.
in a flash sync speed of 1/200s. With same as the Sony A1 and Canon EOS The Z 9 features two CFexpress Type
the same megapixels as the Z 7, it’s R3 (although this camera is lower reso- B slots which are backwards-compatible
likely that the sensor is very similar, al- lution). Plus, if you’re willing to sacrifice with XQD. It also uses the EN-EL18d
battery, but will also work with all pre-
vious EN-EL18 batteries from ay of
Nikon’s other pro cameras.
Speaking of the battery, Nikon says
the Z 9 can deliver 740 shots per charge
if you use the rear LCD and 700 with
the viewfinder. When it comes to bursts,
the rate is much higher, with Nikon
claiming the Z 9 is capable of captur-
ing 5310 shots when shooting bursts be-
fore you’ll need to swap out the battery.
The Nikon Z 9 is available now for pre-
order for $8,999 AUD.
You can find out more at Nikon.com.au.

QUICK SNAPS
Optical performance.
Full versatility.
OLYMPUS OM DIGITAL
SOLUTIONS AUSTRALIA
LAUNCHES REBRAND,
HINTS AT NEW CAMERA
OM Digital Solutions Australia, formerly
OIympus Imaging, has rebranded and
launched a new website, with the com-
pany now officially known as OM Sys-
tems, with the tagline ‘Break Free’.
Since Olympus divested its camera
business in late 2020, the Japanese com- Olympus’ OMD-EM1X remains the companies’
28-200mm pany has remained relatively quiet on flagship, some three years after its release.
the gear front, only announcing a small
number of new lenses and just one cam- turing capabilities and cutting-edge
F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD (Model A071) era, the PEN E-P7, which never made it technologies to significantly improve
to Australia. performance and provide an unrivalled
For Sony E-mount. According to a new OM Systems photographic experience,” the state-
Di III: For mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.
brand story on the website, the company ment said.
sees itself as ‘a dark horse’, focused on The company confirmed that Olym-
‘creating cameras that do not yet exist, so pus branded consumer products and ser-
photographers can do things previously vices remain unchanged, and the new
impossible.’ brand will co-exist alongside Olympus
In a statement, the company also products for now.
confirmed it is working on a new Micro “With new products and services
Four Thirds interchange- planned, we do not antici-
able lens camera that will pate any major impact to
‘embody the OM SYSTEM business,” the statement said.
concept’. “The two brand names will
“The interchangeable be used together during a
lens camera that we are now transition period.”
developing combines our You can see the new website
industry-leading manufac- at omsystem.com.
FUJIFILM LAUNCHES CHALLENGE PROGRAM

FUJIFILM has launched the GFX 2021 ilm, with the opportunity to receive a
Challenge Grant Program, with the aim of substantial cash prize and gear support
discovering new creative talents and ‘fos- to bring their creativity to fruition.
tering their biggest photographic dreams.’ There will be 5 global award recipi-
Until January 5th 2022, aspiring con- ents, each receiving USD $10,000 and
tent creators in selected regions across GFX gear support, as well as 10 regional
the globe will be invited to submit their award recipients, each receiving USD
Caption xxxxx xxxxx most creative project proposal to Fujif- $5,000 and GFX gear support. The gear
xxxxx xxxxx xxx support will be on a
xxxxxxx xxxxxxx. loan basis. The com-
pleted projects will be
showcased on the web-
site X.com in Septem-
ber 2022.
You can find out
more about the Grant
program at fujifilm-x.
www.tamron.com.au com/global/special/gfx-
challenge-program.

U N S T O P P A B L E
© Jasin Boland
Captured on a pre-production Nikon Z 9
Confidently capture decisive moments without missing a single frame and let your creativity flourish even
in extreme conditions. Nikon’s first mirrorless flagship, the Z 9, sets image-makers free from limitations.
ł ϝ Ι ϝ Ł ī ļ Ĺ ϝ Ľ ī ĺ Ļ Ĺ ϝ
Ľ Ι ī
ϝ ĺ Ļ Ĺ ϝ Ľ ľ ě ŀ ϝ Ŀ Ľ Θ Ļ ľ Ŀ Ĺ Ĺ
QUICK SNAPS
World’s first
*
for APS-C mirrorless
18-300mm
F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD
(Model B061)
Di III-A: For APS-C mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.

*Among interchangeable zoom lenses for APS-C mirrorless cameras
(As of July, 2021: TAMRON)
DJI RELEASES MAVIC 3 AND MAVIC 3 CINE
DJI has released two new Mavic drones, Swedish company providing ‘Hasselblad
the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, with Natural Colour Solution’ which helps
both equipped with dual lens setups. capture natural colours directly from
The two models share a number of the drones’ camera.
improved features over the Mavic 2, In addition to the improvements to
with the standout features Apple ProRes the drones’ camera, DJI has upgraded
422 HQ footage at 5.1K up to 50fps on the drones’ autonomous functions, in-
the Mavic 3 Cine, and 4K up to 120 cluding improvements to the omni-
frames per second on the Mavic 3. directional obstacle sensing feature,
In addition to ‘standard’ 28mm lenses, which can now detect objects up to 200
both drones are equipped with 28x hy- metres away, 10 times further than pre-
brid zoom lenses. vious models.
Both models also feature an extended This enhanced sensitivity gives rise
battery life that DJI claims can support to a number of other improvements,
up to 46 minutes of flight time on one including an Advanced RTH (return-
charge, which is a marked improvement to-home) function, APA 5.0 and Active-
on the Mavic 2, Mavic Air 2s & 2S, Track 5.0.
which could all only fly for just over 30 ActiveTrack 5.0 will not be available
minutes after a single charge. yet on the drone’s release, but instead
Like its 2018 predecessors, the Mavic come as a firmware update later. DJI
3 and Mavic 3 Cine also continue DJI’s claims it will greatly improve the drones’
relationship with Hasselblad, with the ability to track and follow subjects as it
will be able to use visual sensors on the
camera body of the drone to maintain
continuous tracking of a subject, even if
the subject goes out of frame.
Both models come with updated ver-
sions of DJI’s proprietary transmission
technology OcuSync 3+, which DJI
claims will deliver 15km of range in ide-
al conditions, as well as 1080p at 60fps
live feed transmission to your drone con-
troller or smartphone.
The Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine are
available for purchase in as part of a
number of different bundles starting at
www.tamron.com.au $3,099 AUD.
You can find out more at DJI.com.

QUICK SNAPS
NEW UPDATES FOR ADOBE LIGHTROOM

ADOBE has rolled out a suite of new Lightroom community through sharing
Lightroom Classic and Lightroom up- edits and letting others try alternative
dates, with new technical updates for edits. Adobe says Community Remix
Lightroom, as well as a series of com- will allow users to explore versions of
munity-led initiatives promising to en- different landscapes ‘far away from your
hance education and sharing within the home, experiment with varying subjects
image editing and sorting programme. of photography, or even other camera
Firstly, Lightroom’s Selective Adjust- lenses.’
ment tools have been entirely ‘re-envi- Community Remix is available on
sioned’, and are now all accessible with Lightroom Mac & Windows now, and
one click on a newly named masking is expected to come to other platforms
button. The functionality will allow shortly.
the creation of more complex and accu- In addition, Lightroom users can
PANASONIC LAUNCHES rate selections with multiple masks, in- now fine-tune framing with ‘Smart
LUMIX S 35MM F1.8 LENS cluding utilising color and luminance cropping’. With this update, Users can
masks. All devices, including Light- choose new crop overlays for different
PANASONIC has launched the Lumix S room mobile, will see the addition of aspect ratios, such as Golden Ratio and
35mm F1.8 lens, rounding out its set of this new functionality. Golden Spiral.
four f/1.8 prime lenses for the full-frame Lightroom now incorporates presets Finally, ‘Lightroom Academy’ is a
L-mount system. that can be created and shared by the new resource for photographers that
The new 35mm shares a similar size entire Lightroom community. Light- teaches essential photographic concepts
and weight to its siblings, the wider room uses AI to suggest a selection of and improving editing skills, regardless
24mm f/1.8 lens that debuted back in presets that scan an image and match of experience or equipment.
August, as well as the earlier 50mm f/1.8 the subject with the presets that will Topics are broken down into short-
and 85mm f/1.8 lenses. ‘improve’ the shot. form articles featuring succinct text,
All the lenses in the series have a com- New preset packs have been added to images from the Lightroom commu-
mon positioning of controls for ease of the Premium Presets in Lightroom, fol- nity, interactive illustrations, quiz-like
use, a similar size that makes it swifter to lowing what Adobe describes as a posi- challenges, and numerous “On Your
switch between lenses, and a common tive response after Lightroom launched Own” exercises that encourage learn-
barrel diameter (67mm) that allow filters its initial seven Premium Preset packs ing by doing.
to be shared across the lenses. in June. Lightroom Academy is free, with
The Lumix 35mm F1.8 S lens weighs This new set of Premium Presets in- Adobe promising to continue to up-
in at 295g, with a 73.6mm diameter and cludes eight new categories: Black & date it with new classes and resources
a length of 82mm. It’s comprised of White, Food, Landscape, Urban Archi- throughout 2022.
11 elements in nine groups, including tecture, Lifestyle, Retro, Travel II, and You can find out more about all the
three aspherical elements and three Ex- Cinematic II. updates at blog.adobe.com/en/pub-
tra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements. Pan- Next, ‘Community Remix’ is a new lish/2021/10/26/max-2021-photography-
asonic says the aspherical elements help feature that lets users engage with the releases#gs.e4qrd1.
to ensure sharp image quality across the
frame, while the ED elements help sup-
press chromatic aberration.
Like the others in the series, the lens
features a linear AF motor for fast and
silent autofocusing performance, a rug-
ged dust/splash-resistant design, and the
35mm F1.8 S lens also supports Lumix
cameras’ high-speed contrast-detection
AF system with sensor drive at up to
240fps. Inside there's also a mechanism
designed to suppresses focus breathing,
and a 'micro-step' aperture control for
smoother exposure changes.
The Lumix S Series 35mm f/1.8 lens
should be available now, and has an
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YOUR BEST SHOT
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INSECTS
Insects are a great subject for photography as they can be found just
about anywhere, and yet they really challenge a photographer’s technical
and creative skills. This month we were looking for images that told us
something a little more than ‘just’ the subject itself – a bug’s life, if you will!

YOUR BEST SHOT
MICHELLE BOWEN
Just Hanging Around
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Michelle Bowen says this little fellow was tucked away in the frozen any movement behind your subject, but whatever the
fronds of her Grass Tree just happily watching time go by. This case, it’s a very cool image, and one that really plays to the idea
is a great image because of that dynamic background – it gives of the dragonfly watching time go by.
a sense of movement while the main subject remains perfectly
still. We’ve tried to work out how it’s happened, as you would TECHNICAL DETAILS
expect the relatively fast shutter speed of 1/400s would have Canon EOS R5, 100mm Macro Lens. 1/400s @ f11, ISO 1000.
Thanks to the team at Blonde Robot,
STEVE GENESIN Steve Genesin has won a Peak Design

Everyday Backpack 15L Zip v2 bag
valued at $399. Ideal for everyday
I’m late This image has a lovely balance, and bright, carry and light photo carry, the bag is
vibrant colours that draw the viewer in. It also accessible on the top and sides via a
EDITOR’S COMMENT does that wonderful thing of placing the Monarch single weatherproof 270-degree zip.
Steve Genesin says he came across trees full in its environment – shifting the focus away Inside, configurable FlexFold
of Monarch butterflies in Deep Creek, SA. from the species and telling us a little about dividers keep photo, drone,
“There were so many butterflies either on its behaviour as well. Combine this with lovely or everyday gear organised
the leaves or flying around that it was hard sharpness throughout, and this is a real winner. and protected, while outside,
to decide where to focus,” he explains. “I a 100% recycled 400D
decided to concentrate on one branch and TECHNICAL DETAILS weatherproof shell keeps
use a high shutter speed to see if I could Olympus EM-1 Mk II, Olympus 12-100mm lens everything safe.
catch a butterfly landing.” @ 100mm. 1/2000s @ f5, ISO 640. MORE INFO:
PEAKDESIGN.COM

YOUR BEST SHOT
LINDA CUTHBERT
Proboscis Curling Delicious
HOW I DID IT
On one of my many nature walks on the
Central Coast I spotted this moth on
a lantana flower. There were no other
plants behind, so it produced this lovely
background. I only did basic adjustments
and cropping in LR, then a touch of Topaz
Denoise.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Nikon D850, Nikkor 200–500mm lens @
500mm. 1/500s @ f10, ISO 3200.
LAURIE WILSON
Moth symmetry
HOW I DID IT
This moth’s resting place on a glass door made it very easy to photograph it from both
sides. The view from inside also displayed its body in silhouette. Natural overcast lighting
from outside the glass door. To emphasise its bilateral symmetry, each view of the moth is
made up of one left/right half image reflected mirrorwise to create the right/left side of the
moth (this also allowed me to crop out some sightly out of focus sections on one side only).
Finally, the two views were laid side-by-side to create this highly symmetrical image.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Canon EOS M50, Canon EF-S 35mm macro lens. Left image: 1/60s @ f22, right image:
1/125s @ f9. Both images ISO 3200.
MAKE YOUR PHONE A BETTER TOOL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO.
| 18 | JANUARY 2022| AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

YOUR BEST SHOT
RONALD FRITZ
Computer bug
HOW I DID IT TECHNICAL DETAILS

I was working late at night when this little bug Nikon D90, Tamron
decided to “infect” my computer. I couldn’t resist, 90mm lens. 1/50s @ f20,
so I grabbed the camera and took a few shots. ISO 800.
Take your photography

in a new direction.
introduction.
local camera store for an
have had upgrades. Ask your
Billy, Corey, Travis and Brian
HAVE LANDED.
MARGOT HUGHES
Red eyed cicada
HOW I DID IT
It was fascinating watching the nymph cicadas appear from holes in the
ground, shedding their shells and then flying away all within a couple of hours.
HEY HO, LET’S GO!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Sony A7R III, Sony 100-400mm lens @400mm. 1/40s @ f8, ISO 2000.

YOUR BEST SHOT
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STRAIGHT SHOOTER
DO YOU PRINT?
Darran Leal explores how modern printing technology
makes it quick and easy it is to produce beautiful results.
I
think it’s fair to say that most pho-
tographers have a history of being
frustrated with their print results,
whether that comes from a profes-
sional print service or their printer at
home. So, let’s see if we can fix that and
demystify printing.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE
Recently I bought a new Epson SC-
P906 printer. It prints up to A2 (420mm
X 594mm), and I really love it! I can
open the box, set up the printer, down-
load the printer drivers, and have an ex-
hibition quality print within an hour.
For me, that is how modern technology
should be – fast and simple to set up
with few technical complexities. Does
simplicity equal good results? Well, I
think it can equal beautiful results!
I always try to keep my printing work-
flow simple. Part of this comes down to
not aiming for absolute perfection. Sure,
once you understand a few key points,
you can become more technical, but I
am happy with my quality at or around
95% for every print. That other 5%? I’ll
leave to others.
QUALITY
When it comes to buying a printer, most
cheaper models are for office use only.
They may offer reasonable photo qual-
ity, but only in exceptional circumstanc-
ABOVE: My older Epson 9800 es will you find anything near archival
44” printer was a great machine
that offered me years of use. quality. My printer/inks and paper have
Its first print job paid for the been tested for a life of 140-200 years.
printer and made a small profit. A true photo-quality printer will start
I used it for another 10 years! If at around $500 and print beautiful A3+
you are keen to go BIG and sell (329mm x 483mm). My new printer is
your images, then printing them
yourself is easy and rewarding. just under $2,000, and my older printer
(44” large format roll capable) is now
RIGHT: I got my new Epson just over $10,000.
SC-P906 printer in time to use
for proofing my new book, Ultimately, buy a printer that suits your
Wild Visions. I also use mine budget and size requirements. I generally
for personalised birthday cards suggest starting with an A3+ printer, with
(typically selling for $5-10 and many models around that $500 mark a
calendars $25-50). You can good bet. These will usually be cheaper
make two cards using an A4
sheet of paper. You can even because they offer fewer colours and can
make your own book! be a bit slow when printing.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER
One of the fun things about printing using those downloaded ICC specific ABOVE: Printing at home allows me to control
at home is the variety of paper types you paper profiles mentioned above. It is the entire creative process from visualisation
to final output and use. Writing this feature has
can try. My favourite is Lustre, because not as difficult as it sounds.
motivated me to go and print this lion again for
it handles well and offers the closest re- If your colours are looking off, this my own wall!
sult to your screen. Remember, you will is often due to your screen calibration.
want the correct ICC profiles for the Check you have a consistent colour
paper you end up using. ICC profiles workflow from start to finish if in doubt.
are used to match the colour values of Finally, I also take great care with my
your display with a particular device final histogram in LR. Often, but not
such as your camera, printer, scanner, all of the time, I work on – ‘Light bright
etc, and can usually be downloaded. to the right’ for my final Histogram.
This gives bright, well-exposed images,
WHAT ABOUT COLOUR rather than a bit dark or muddy results.
PROFILING? Of course, if you are after dark and
Many photographers get caught up (and moody results, having your white point DARRAN LEAL
then confused) by screen calibration. I to the right edge might not be suitable!
Darran has been teaching
do not own a screen calibrating device, If you’re serious about your photog-
photography since
and I have never calibrated my colour raphy, I highly recommend buying a 1981. His company,
profile system using a device. However, photo-quality printer. You could be World Photo Adventures,
I do work to a simple and specific co- printing your images to add to your takes small groups
lour workflow. I start with a good qual- walls, or for calendars for the family, of photographers on
ity screen set to Adobe RGB. From this or even selling your work. Printing is professionally guided
photo tours around the world, including
point, I use Adobe Lightroom Classic fun, gives great results and is nowhere
a once-a-year trip with AP in 2022. More
to process files and at the print window near as complicated as you may think. info: worldphotoadventures.com.au
identify the medium I am printing on, Have fun! ❂
| 23 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY.COM

PHOTO TIPS: WILDLIFE
50
SHADES
OF WILDLIFE
HOW TO SHOOT NATURE IN BLACK AND WHITE
STEVE AND ANN TOON
Dull in grey? No way. Subtract colour to add

oomph to your shots, suggest award-winning
pro photographers Steve and Ann Toon.

With their long necks it’s often quite easy to isolate giraffes
from their background and photograph them cleanly against
a bright blue sky. Images like this make good contenders for
conversion to black and white; bringing out the lovely contrast
of their coat patterns. Canon EOS-1DX, Canon EF 100-400mm
lens @ 241mm. 1/200s @ f16, ISO 320.
D
isplay and defence, camouflage, and court- But these are not the main reasons we’d urge you to
ship; for mimicry and to mesmerise; colour consider giving black and white wildlife photography a
is crucial for survival when it comes to the go. The thing that excites us both most about refram-
world of wildlife. When it comes to wildlife ing the natural world in mono is that it completely
photography, on the other hand, it just might be the frees us up to present our wildlife subjects in any way
thing that’s holding you back. we choose. By taking colour off the table, we’re instant-
Crazy as that sounds you’d have to agree that ly signalling that we’re breaking with one of the biggest
without the familiarity of colour a viewer is certain- constraints that bedevil conventional wildlife photog-
ly forced to look twice at a black and white wild- raphy; that ‘by nature’ it’s got to be representational.
life shot; even of a common or much-photographed Presenting the vivid and richly colourful world of
subject. And while generally something to celebrate nature in mono is about as far from ‘natural’ as you
in nature pictures, colour isn’t always the wildlife can get. So, if you’re looking for exciting new ways to
photographer’s best friend; often posing an unwel- present your wildlife subjects and would welcome the
come distraction in the constant battle to isolate chance to convey a different or more personal take on
subjects from clashing and over-fussy backgrounds the world of nature, why not take a closer look at what
in the field. black and white could add to your portfolio.

MONOVISION – SHUTTING OUT This is why we don’t tend to convert many images
NATURE’S RAINBOW from our existing files to black and white; preferring
We should make it clear we’re not suggesting you to work at the point of capture from a preconceived
turn your back on colour completely. While the idea, or in response to something inspiring in the
top fine art wildlife photographers tend to major field. Our best mono shots have usually come where
in black and white, they like to keep their options we’ve responded to strong potential for pursuing a
open and still shoot in colour when it suits them. black and white approach ‘in the moment’.
But there’s a reason they like to shun colour. The big advantage of working this way is that it will
That’s because black and white not only offers help you train yourself to see and ‘think’ black and
them massive scope for creativity but done well white when you’re out with your camera. It also means
has bags of instant impact. It can certainly prove that you’ll have the advantage of being able to lock-in
a more direct, intense, and arresting way to convey any minor in-camera adjustments as you photograph
something meaningful, metaphorical, or evocative so there’s less to do at the post-processing stage.
about nature’s beauty, fragility or the changing hu- If you find yourself struggling to visualise the re-
man relationship with the natural environment. sults when photographing wildlife in black and white
For this reason, it will help you hugely on your at first, it can help to set your picture style to mono-
black and white journey if you have a clear reason chrome and check the LCD display or use Live View
or vision in your head each time you turn away from to get a preview of your image. Bear in mind on some
using colour in a picture. Black and white works cameras you may need to shoot in RAW + JPEG to
best where it’s a considered choice for a deliber- see the preview image in black and white.
ate, desired effect. It’s not just a matter of opting for If you’re equipped to photograph wildlife, then
black and white when the light’s a bit rubbish in the you’re equipped to photograph wildlife in black and
vain hope you’ll salvage something from the day’s white. There’s no investment in new equipment
shoot. Nor a case of simply converting any random, needed – it’s more about cultivating a new mindset.
decent, conventionally shot nature photo from your We certainly don’t use any special equipment or
back catalogue to black and white and ‘bingo’. filters. Wildlife photography requires a lightning
response to fast changing opportunities so fiddling
around with filters isn’t really an option for us – es-
pecially given the fact most filter effects can easily
be replicated in post processing should you require.
GET WITH THE MONO-CULTURE – BEST

SUBJECTS FOR BLACK AND WHITE
To make life easier for yourself we’d recommend
making a beeline for high contrast subjects that
readily suggest a black and white treatment. Obvi-
ous contenders for us would be mammals like zebra
with their bar-code stripes and giraffes with those
wonderful crazy-paving coat patterns.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so don’t
overlook obvious subjects that are monochromatic
to start with; snow hares, black swans – that sort of
thing. ‘Oven-ready’ for consideration in black and
CLOCKWISE FROM THIS PAGE: It’s all about

contrast. A white owl flies from the shadows
of a dark barn is a natural contender for
black and white treatment. This is an
example of a shot we’d had in our minds
for a while before working with a falconer
friend who helped us realise our idea. Canon
EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens
@ 400mm. 1/1600s @ f9, ISO 4000;
We are big fans of stark simplicity in our
pictures and enjoy the chance to present
commonly-photographed wildlife subjects
in striking new ways as in this pared back
silhouette of an elephant on patrol. The
key to success with such images is finding
subjects with iconic profiles that a viewer
will instantly recognise. Canon EOS-1DX Mk
II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens @ 234mm.
1/4000s @ f5.6, ISO 100;
Colour isn’t always a feature of the natural
world. Take a white swan on a cloudy day
for example. What we liked here were
the translucent wing feathers that from
underneath appear almost like an X-ray
when converted to black and white. Canon
EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens
@140mm. 1/1250s @ f9, ISO 800.

white, these make a great starting point, espe-

cially if you can also make use of complemen-
tary or contrasting backgrounds – white on
white or white against black for example.
Discovering which subjects and scenarios
benefit from being in black and white becomes
easier if you can train yourself to see past the
individual animal or bird you’re photographing
and break everything down into a series of con-
trasting tones, shadows, shapes, and textures.
Without the distraction of colour these are
the elements of your image that will be starkly
revealed to your audience in black and white.
Your job is deciding which of these graphic
elements you want to showcase; whether it’s
line, form, pattern, or simply the tension be-
tween your subject and the remaining space ABOVE: A backlit subject proud of the horizon with a moody sky. Our first thought here was
in the frame. black and white in order to highlight this well-fed cheetah’s clean, iconic outline against the
This is where the benefits of doing your black clouds. Canon EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens @140mm. 1/800s @ f7.1, ISO 800;
and white creative thinking in the field comes RIGHT: ‘Bedazzle’ is the word often used to describe how a moving herd of zebra confuses a
in. Once you’ve worked out what it is you want chasing predator. The black and white stripes make it difficult for a lion to target an individual
to emphasise you can tweak your camera set- animal. We used a slow shutter speed while panning to convey what this might look like. That
notion of the herd merging into one being clearer perhaps in black and white than in colour.
tings accordingly to make it stand-out. For
Canon EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens @ 400mm. 0.3s @ f32, ISO 160
example, suppose we wanted to celebrate the
shape of an iconic wildlife subject like an el- BELOW: When we came across these kudu antelope locking horns on the banks of
Botswana’s Chobe river, distinct against the paler background of the water, we knew their
ephant in black and white, we could choose to
bold shapes would look really simple but striking in black and white. To emphasise the effect,
draw more attention to that in our picture by we deliberately underexposed the shot and increased the contrast a little further in post-
creating a silhouette. In this case we’d dial in processing. Canon EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens plus 1.4x extender @ 390mm.
considerable negative exposure compensation 1/1600s @ f9, ISO 320.
– possibly a couple of stops or more – to re-
move all detail, radically beef up the contrast,
and hammer home to the viewer it’s that classic
outline we want them to appreciate.
At the other end of the scale, say we want to
capture an ethereal shot of a flying white swan.
For a pale, delicate subject like this we might
choose to go to the opposite end of the scale
and deliberately overexpose for a dreamier and
ghostly high-key style – an effect which will be
stressed even further in simple black and white.
BACKGROUND BRIEFING ON
BLACK AND WHITE
Your background is always a key consideration in
wildlife photography, but when you’re showcas-
ing wildlife subjects in black and white it can be
the make-or-break element in your shot.
Because black and white is all about strong
contrast we tend to lean towards backgrounds
that are fairly clean, simple and uncluttered
for most of our black and white shots; so little
gets in the way of that bold juxtaposition be-
tween the animal and the surrounding space
in the frame.
When weighing up good backgrounds for
black and white we tend to gravitate to open
and empty landscapes with a fairly limited
colour palette. Think in terms of even-toned
backdrops like deserts, snowscapes, grasslands,

LEFT: This image is really about the water splashes

created as this elephant bull runs along the river
panic. In black and white they look like stars against
the night sky; enhanced at the editing stage by
careful dodging and burning in Lightroom. Canon
EOS-1DX Mk II, Canon EF 100-400mm lens @
400mm. 1/1000s @ f8, ISO 500.

wide plains and so on. These can all be the perfect blank make a wildlife subject ‘pop’ in mono. It can be intensely
canvas for mono wildlife shots. powerful sometimes simply to showcase your subject against
Such backdrops don’t have to be totally featureless of course, a very pale or very dark background – fully exploiting the ex-
and sometimes it’s a huge boon for your composition if there’s a treme contrasts of black and white.
stand-alone tree, rock formation, tracery of leaves or a network of
branches you can use for visual balance and graphic interest; SHADOW PLAY – EXPLOITING THE LIGHT IN
or just simply to make a point about scale in your picture. BLACK AND WHITE
Some of our favourite backgrounds for black and white are Overcast conditions lend themselves well to black and white and
extremely minimal indeed. We like the way that detail as well this can be particularly helpful where you’re looking to pick out
as colour can be subtracted to powerful effect in black and lots of fur and feather detail. We frequently exploit this potential
white images, and we often opt to make use of empty ‘nega- on days when the sun has gone AWOL, but we’d hate to give the
tive’ space in the frame when looking to add extra impact. impression black and white’s only for when the light’s a bit flat.
A vast expanse of empty sky (blue and cloudless or over- There are lots of other, more interesting lighting conditions
cast), a large, still body of water or a broad area of dense, dark that can help make your subjects sing out when they’re convert-
shadow can be used much as a studio background to really ed to black and white. Stormy skies and dark brooding clouds
“WE’RE BIG FANS OF BACKLIGHTING, AND LOVE HARNESSING

ITS POTENTIAL IN OUR BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES...”

in bright sun, for example, can be great for ramping up the We’ll also have black and white somewhere in mind
tension in a black and white wildlife shot – but remember when there’s strong raking sunlight hitting our subjects.
to try to match the mood of the sky to your subject. A fear- Side lighting casts beautiful deep shadows that sculpt and
some predator could really benefit from a dramatic back- enhance textures, for example, a crinkly-skinned elephant,
drop like this – a graceful antelope might not. the rugged scales of a crocodile or the mud-covered horns
We’re big fans of backlighting, and love harnessing its of a wallowing rhino. You can accentuate these effects
potential in our black and white images. Shooting into even further in black and white, underexposing a shot a
the light allows us to be extreme and turn our subjects little perhaps to bring the effect out more and increasing
into silhouettes like children’s paper cut-outs or shadow the contrast at the editing stage.
puppets. Dust particles and water droplets created when And when the sun’s high and casting rich, dark shadows
our subjects are in motion can totally transform images that repeat and echo the shape of a subject keep in mind
when shot backlit and converted to black and white. The that images that might not work at all in colour might just
results can be quite magical as the dust and water splashes look really dramatic converted to black and white. But don’t
register like diamonds or twinkling stars against an inky forget to add a dab of negative exposure compensation to
black backdrop. make all those rich shadows jump out in your end result.
Elephants like to cover themselves with earth that they use like talcum powder
after bathing. On an overcast day we knew the shot would work best in black
and white, and that with careful dodging we could create a sense of them being
erased by all the dust as if the herd were being wiped out. Canon EOS-1DX Mk II,
Canon EF 100-400mm lens + 1.4x extender @ 264mm. 1/250s @ f13, ISO 400.


“WE’RE OFTEN A WHOLE LOT BOLDER WITH

TONAL ADJUSTMENTS IN BLACK AND WHITE...”
THE EDITING STAGE
Our approach when converting RAW images to black
and white in post-processing is pretty simple. Like most
wildlife photographers we like to prioritise time out-
doors over time in the office.
We do almost everything in Adobe Lightroom, oc-
casionally using Photoshop where we want to use lay-
ers. And while we sometimes experiment with presets
to explore ideas that might not have occurred to us, we
mostly prefer to adjust each image individually until it
tallies with the vision we had in mind at the point of
capture or approaches what we’d previsualised before
heading out to photograph.
Once we’ve switched to the Black and White tab in
Lightroom, our workflow for doing mono pictures is
actually very similar to that for our colour images; mak-
ing adjustments to exposure, shadows, highlights, con-
trast and clarity and dodging and burning.
But we’re often a whole lot bolder with tonal adjust-
ments in black and white in order to achieve the exact
artistic effect we’re after. Being assertive here pays off
when editing black and white shots. We also use in-
dividual colour adjustments more when we’re process-
ing in black and white. While this might seem a bit
counter-intuitive, it’s extremely helpful in mono where
contrast is key. For example, if we’ve photographed a
lion on a grassy plain the similar tones of the tawny yel-
low predator and the green backdrop could mean that
in black and white the big cat merges into the back-
ground and gets lost. But if we adjust the luminosity
of the two colours independently, making the greens
darker and the yellows lighter, we can make our lion
stand out proud again.
There’s also much more scope to experiment with
tonal adjustment in the sky in a black and white wild-
life picture than with a colour image, where it can eas-
ily look overdone and false.
Although we’re generally aiming for a full range of
tones, taking care to avoid clipping, there are some sit-
uations with black and white pictures where clipping
is not a big issue. Very often where we’re looking to
deliberately create areas of negative space in an image
there’s no need for us to retain highlight or shadow de-
tail in those areas so we’re not going to lose any sleep
about clipping in these parts of our picture. ❂
A dark, fairly monochromatic subject like this old buffalo

shot against the dark of night from a nocturnal hide
provides the perfect opportunity for a really low-key shot.
Converted to black and white the result is a powerful,
mysterious and intriguing portrait. Canon 1DX Mk II, Canon
EF 24-105mm lens @ 75mm, 1/40s @ f4, ISO 1600.

PHOTO TIPS: OUTBACK AUSTRALIA
7 TIPS FOR BETTER

OUTBACK IMAGES
BY PAULA HEELAN
Photojournalist Paula Heelan has been

photographing the Australian Outback for
more than two decades. Her work captures
the everyday life of people who live and work
in remote towns and on stations; the grandeur
and unforgiving nature of landscapes and
weather as well as wildlife and livestock. Here
are her tips to help you make the most of your
next Outback adventure.
This image was taken at dawn on a Central Queensland cattle station. The country was shrouded in heavy fog, making it ideal to catch moody, soft images. Kangaroos moving across
paddocks give even more appeal to the landscape shots. In flat country like this, standing up high in the back of a ute makes it easier to capture the wider scene.
Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG lens @ 200mm. 1/2500s @ f4, ISO 400.

This image of a
stockman mustering
cattle was taken near
Longreach in western
Queensland. I was
travelling past in the
late afternoon and
happened upon the
muster. As the light
softened and faded,
I pulled over to take
advantage of a brief
opportunity. Canon
5D Mark II, Sigma 70-
200mm f2.8 Ex lens
@ 200mm. 1/320s @
f4, ISO 500.
With overseas travel seriously cur- squawking, and there are insect and wild- petition starts at 6am) or late afternoon
tailed by the arrival of COVID-19, The life explosions. Dams, creeks, waterholes – perfect for that great mix of dust, fad-
Outback has never been more popular and rivers spill over and the dust settles. ing sun and cowboy action. Ask a camp-
with Australian photographers. And You might want to consider booking a drafter how the sport works and a whole
while you can cover tens of thousands of station or farm stay to give you easy ac- new world will present itself.
2
kilometres exploring the Outback, you cess to all that unfolds on a property.
never have to travel too far to discover Country races: For a lot of young people,
a kaleidoscope of colours, textures and LOCAL EVENTS the country race day has become the new
light, spectacular vistas, unique wildlife Time your visit with a fes- B&S venue. It’s a rare chance to dress up
and flora, and wonderfully photogenic tival, campdraft, rodeo, and mingle. With a great mix of colour,
1
local characters. country race or agricultur- characters and action, photo opportuni-
al show and your images ties range from fun and fashion on the
PLANNING YOUR TRIP will be better for it. Check field, horses hurtling along dusty tracks,
While it’s important to tourism websites and so- trainers preparing their horses in rustic
plan your trip around the cial media to see what’s stables and jockeys hanging around be-
destinations and events on when you’re passing tween races. Ask permission to enter the
you want to visit, make through. Most events are jockeys’ sanctuary – they generally enjoy
sure you allow plenty of scheduled in the cooler, the attention and are happy be photo-
time for unexpected photo drier months so that’s generally the best graphed. Trackside, look for unusual an-
opportunities. If you find time to travel. gles to shoot and try something different
yourself passing a cattle for each race – find a high spot or lay flat
muster, an approaching Agricultural shows: The local show is on the ground near the finish line to cap-
storm or a particularly usually a big event for the town and sur- ture horses crossing the line.
photogenic abandoned farmhouse – rounding communities. Most people,
your itinerary should provide enough proud of their well-trained animals, their Rodeos: Full of colour and action, rode-
flexibility to stop and shoot. Or return home-grown produce, hand-made craft os are amazing places to explore with a
the following day. and their bush lifestyle are only too happy camera. Chat to the competitors and ask
Make sure the roads are open, dry to pose for a photo. Look for interesting for permission to photograph behind the
and safe by checking websites that list environmental portraits and action shots scenes. Ask them to explain the sport’s
road conditions and closures – or make of some of the bush sport events. skills and rules, where to stand for safety
a few phone calls. Landscapes vary sig- and what action shots to look for. A shut-
nificantly between the dry and wet sea- Campdrafts: Men, women and children ter speed of 1/1000s or higher should
sons. When the wet hits, dusty, parched from remote cattle stations follow the freeze the image without blur and sharp-
country transforms to a lush, emerald winter campdraft circuit and compete ly capture any flying dirt. A photo of a rid-
green and the Outback bursts with new as often as they can. Again, the best im- er being thrown from a horse might wow
life. Gangs of birds return screeching and ages can be taken early morning (com- your social media audience, but rodeo

Hot artesian baths at a family run sheep station, Charlotte Plains, near Cunnamulla in south west Queensland, are popular with travellers.
While campers bathe throughout the day, I chose to tell the story in the best light by shooting at sunrise.
Canon 5D Mark IV, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX lens @ 70mm. 1/200s @ f2.8, ISO 100.

ABOVE: Taken at a campdraft on

a chilly, winter morning. I waited
near the rails to capture riders as
they came towards me. Canon 5D
Mark II, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8
EX lens @ 200mm. 1/320s @ f7.1,
ISO 100.
ABOVE, RIGHT: Country Races

- a great place to capture horses
hurtling along dusty tracks.
Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-
200mm f2.8 Ex lens @ 200mm.
1/250s @ f4, ISO 100.
ABOVE: Cockatoos shot in pink, afternoon light - a common sight in the Outback. Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Ex lens @ 200mm.
1/320s @f4, ISO 400.
RIGHT: An Outback portrait of former drover, Bob, who was watching a rodeo event. A random portrait taken in golden afternoon light. While he was
a little reluctant to have his picture taken, his doting granddaughters insisted he agree. Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX lens @ 200mm.
1/320s @ f2.8, ISO 100.

fans and riders look for images of skilled horsemen controlling their rides.
Capture quiet moments in the yards, portraits of cowboys, rodeo clowns,
close up of saddles, chaps, spurs, belts, reins and boots – the opportunities
are endless. With practise, you’ll find your preferred speed for action shots.
A lot of rodeos continue into the night, so you’ll need to boost the ISO to
3
keep the shutter speed up.
PEOPLE & PORTRAITS

Taking photos of people in the Outback is my favourite
kind of photography. You’ll almost certainly come across
warm, friendly characters wherever you go. Take the time to
chat and you’ll generally find most people are happy to have
their picture taken. I find that offering to email a photo to
them later on is a good way to build trust.
Some shoots can be planned but I find that most are ran-
dom and unexpected. Look for even lighting and frame the
image so as to avoid distractions. Simple backgrounds often
work best, but sometimes you can move the subject, or yourself, in a way
that helps you incorporate background elements that tell you more about
who the subject is and what they do. Don’t always shoot straight on, a
three-quarter angle can be more interesting. As much as possible, try to
4
keep things relaxed and simple.
WHEN AND WHERE?

The best time to shoot is early morning or late afternoon
when the light is soft and the colours are subtle. The middle
of the day, when the light is harsh and contrasty, will gen-
erally result in blown-out highlights and blocked shadows.
Midday is a great time to scout locations that you can return
to when the light is more forgiving. If you have to take photos
when the light is harsh, a polarising filter will help reduce
glare. If you are photographing people, ask them to move
into the shade. Out of the sun, you should be able to avoid
5
dark shadows on faces.
INTO THE SUN

The mix of fading sun, hovering or flying dust, cattle-
men, horses and livestock is the magic combination for an
iconic Outback shot. To capture this, it’s often a case of
shooting into the sun. Spend time trying different camera
settings for varied effects. While silhouettes can be a little
clichéd, outback silhouettes can be stunning. If you can,
place yourself lower than your subject and make sure the
background isn’t too busy – the aim is to make the outline
of your subject stand out clearly. Expose to a bright light
source (for example, the bright sky) and then move the camera back to
6
your subject and shoot. This will help blacken your backlit subject.
LANDSCAPES
Light and angle is everything when it comes to land-
scapes. The right light and the right angle will result in
a cracking shot. Set up a tripod in the late afternoon and
shoot as the light fades. If you can, return in the morn-
ing to do the same. Get to know and understand the area’s
light and shadows. Light, colours and textures constantly
change. Sometimes different animals will pass through the
landscape too – kangaroos, emus, birds and livestock can
give your landscapes more appeal. Look for leading lines to
draw the viewer in to your image.

Often, the success of a landscape photograph is (with zoom ability, they’re great for bush horse
as much about what you leave out as what you put sports); a 24-105mm for general purpose, a tripod
in. Compose your image to avoid distractions, like and macropod. Take additional batteries, a charger
bright highlights or signs. While many landscape and large memory cards so you can set your cam-
compositions work well in sharp focus, sometimes era on high resolution to capture high quality RAW
it can work to use a narrower depth of field, drop- images. If you have a drone – they’re perfect for
ping the foreground or background out of focus Outback photography, though always check that it’s
7
with a wide aperture. Experiment with different ap- legal to fly where you are. Anywhere around air-
proaches to see what works best. ports or National Parks are no-go zones. Graduated
ND filters will help reduce over-exposed skies and
WHAT TO TAKE? UV filters and lens’ hoods provide lens’ protection.
If you are travelling by air you need A tripod can be helpful if shooting a horse sports
to be selective, but in a vehicle you event, night skies or a landscape and a monopod al-
can take it all. My Canon kit includes lows you to move with the action. Take sunscreen,
a backup camera, a wide-angle lens plenty of water and backup photography gear –
(17-40mm) for landscapes and envi- you’re not likely to find batteries, chargers or SD
ronmental portraits; a macro 50mm cards (particularly for DSLR cameras) for sale in
and a 100mm for closeups and por- many places. There will be plenty of dust, dirt and
traits; telephoto lenses 70-200mm heat, so make sure you protect your gear and keep
and 100-400mm for distance shots it clean. ❂

ABOVE, LEFT: Yet another fantastic

outback character, Steve Beetson,
who is part of the Uluru Camel Tours
team. His red shirt and fabulous smile,
which stood out, made for a failsafe
portrait. Canon 5D Mark IV, Sigma
70-200mm f/2.8 EX lens @ 112mm.
1/50s @ f2.8, ISO 125.
ABOVE: Cattle producer Ben McKenzie

yards up rangeland goats during
drought. I shot into the afternoon
light to capture the dust, shadows
and partial silhouette. Canon 5D Mark
II, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Ex lens @
200mm. 1/320s @ f4, ISO 400.
RIGHT: This passing storm was off

the back of a cyclone and knowing
it would be a dramatic light and sky
I headed out to a long dirt road and
took the dog to add some extra appeal
to the shot. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens @ 40mm.
1/200s @ f4, ISO 125.

“THE MIX OF FADING

SUN, HOVERING OR
FLYING DUST,
CATTLEMEN, HORSES
AND LIVESTOCK
IS THE MAGIC
COMBINATION FOR AN
ICONIC OUTBACK SHOT...”
As cattle producer Bill Fordyce brought cattle into the yards at his property, Mabbin Station, in Central Queensland, I followed him on foot and shot into the setting
sun as they moved forward. The timing was perfect for the iconic outback shot. Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Ex lens @ 200mm. 1/320s @ f2.8, ISO 400.

OPINION: PHOTOGRAPHY AS A CAREER
MAKE WORKING AS A
PHOTOGRAPHER, WORK
FOR YOU BY DREW HOPPER
There comes a time in every photographer’s life when they

will weigh up the possibility of turning their passion behind
the lens into a career. But how do you make the jump, and
how do you deal with people telling you to ‘get a real job’?
This is for all those photographers out there making it work,
and those weighing up taking the leap for themselves.

This is a pretty sentimental image. I spent a few
months travelling around India photographing
everything that caught my attention. When I view this
image it makes me feel proud, something I rarely feel
when I view my work! Canon 6D, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II
USM lens @ 35mm. 1/400s @ f2.8, ISO 320.

RIGHT: This was an exciting moment capturing

this shot. At the time, I was co-leading my first
photography workshop in Bangladesh. I had a few
of the workshop participants standing with me and
was teaching them about using elements to frame
other parts of a scene. Everything aligned perfectly
when this man walked in front of my lens at the
right time to capture this layered composition.
Fujifilm X-T2, XF23mmF2 R WR lens. 1/200s @
f11, ISO 500.
BELOW: The front cover I captured for Australian

Geographic Magazine. I was commissioned to
cover a story on the impact of the Black Summer
bushfires on the koala population. The editor gave
me the exciting (and daunting) task of capturing
the cover image for the issue.
F
or many people thinking of be-
coming a professional photogra-
pher, the unconventional nature
of the work is probably one of the
biggest turnoffs they face in making it
a career. After all, we’re told constantly
that photography is undervalued, overly
competitive, a glorified hobby and per-
haps (often unfairly) nothing more than
a vanity project. The idea of becoming
a photographer can cause tremendous
anxiety and disapproval from loved ones
and those on the outside, and yet every
year thousands of people find ways to how my work should appear, so that is rect, and why I believe it’s important to
make shooting for a living work. Surely where that job came to an end. have this conversation with the rest of
if they can do it, you can too. Years later, after shooting some suc- the working world.
I’ve been a professional photographer cessful landscape images, the editor of
since 2016, and interestingly, photogra- Australian Geographic contacted me HIDDEN HUSTLE
phy was never a career path I had ever and asked if I would be interested in go- For years, and still even today, some of
considered growing up. To be honest, I ing on assignment for the publication. my family and friends think I live in a
was completely unaware that it was even This was one of the best things to have fantasy realm, floating about each day
possible to generate an income from tak- happened in my photographic career to taking photos on the side while my days
ing pictures when I first started! that point and would lead me to becom- are spent sitting around twiddling my
High school wasn’t for me, so I left in ing a contributor to AP as well. thumbs. This is a perception of pho-
year 11 and started to pursue photogra- Having spent the last six or so years tography that is hard to overcome, and
phy. I first enrolled in a diploma in digi- working as a photographer, I’m very it doesn’t matter how often you pick up
tal photography, which took me a year to aware of how critical the advice to a assignments or shoots, many people will
complete. From there, I somehow man- budding photographer can be if deliv- often assume you don’t work as hard as
aged to pick up work shooting for a lo- ered at the wrong moment. Hearing the average Joe working 9-to-5 day-in
cal real estate agency, which was really poor advice or an uneducated opinion day-out.
enjoyable. I loved the creative freedom can be the difference between making Little do they know; we creatives work
and the power of the image to entice po- it or not, especially for many young pho- extremely hard in many unimagina-
tential buyers. Eventually, I picked up a tographers. ble ways. It’s all about how you hustle.
job as a freelance photojournalist for a Rather than telling you that photog- The work that’s hidden from the out-
local newspaper. I liked the diversity in raphy isn't a real career, here are some side world - those countless hours spent
the work but struggled with being told reasons why I think this advice is incor- conversing with new clients, planning

BELOW: One of my favourite travel images. It shows two children riding a bicycle through the ancient
town of Hoi An, Vietnam. At the time, I had been playing around with different exposures with the hope of
nailing a panning shot - this was my first success with the technique. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 35mm lens.
1/4s @ f16, ISO 50.
BOTTOM: This image was included in one of the first publications that approached me about publishing my
work, and would later feature in a book called India commissioned by Affirmations Publishing House. The
bold composition and colours make for a visually stimulating photograph. Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm
f/4L IS USM @ 105mm. 1/1000s @ f4, ISO 200.

This image was my first travel/street photo from Vietnam that went viral online.
Unfortunately, it also happens to be my most stolen image with it being displayed on
numerous printed products popping up throughout Vietnam. It’s a bit bittersweet, but
I guess it captures the culture in a single image. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF70-
200mm f/2.8L USM lens @ 185mm. 1/640s @ f5.6, ISO 400.

“LIKE ANYONE WHO IS SELF-EMPLOYED OR RUNS A
BUSINESS WILL TELL YOU, THERE’S A LOT OF BLOOD,
SWEAT AND TEARS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THAT
HELPS TURN DREAMS INTO REALITY...”

BELOW: I took this image during the Thai lantern festival, Loi Krathong, in Chaing Mai. I was fortunate
enough to bump into one of my favourite travel photographers, Richard I'Anson, during the festivities.
Canon 6D, Canon 85mm f1/8 lens. 1/100s @ f1.8, ISO 1600.
RIGHT: This rainforest image was captured in Dorrigo National Park. It happens to be my number one
best print seller to date and remains one of my all-time favourite landscape photographs. Canon 5D
Mark II, Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens @ 17mm. 6s @ f13, ISO 100.
FAR RIGHT, TOP: This image is part of a larger body of work titled 'West Of Somewhere East', which
focuses on the sense of place, and a glimpse into life in regional Australia. Fujifilm X100V. 1/125s @ f2,
ISO 3200.
FAR RIGHT, BOTTOM: I took this shot on my first ever hot air balloon ride. I had intentions to document
the natural landscape, but when we floated over the urban landscape I was inspired to document this
simple yet striking composition. Canon 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens @ 80mm. 1/200s @ f4, ISO 1000.
shoots, or editing thousands of images symbiotic relationship. Through this In my mind, there’s not much difference
into the evening. community, I’ve found amazing oppor- between being a lawyer, doctor, builder,
Like anyone who is self-employed or tunities to evolve, collaborate, been of- or IT specialist to being a freelance pho-
runs a business will tell you, there’s a lot fered unique work opportunities, and tographer. Sure, the pay cheque may
of blood, sweat and tears behind closed even support from others when times vary, but it’s not always about finances.
doors that helps turn dreams into reality. were tough. Rather, I believe it’s about the service
Just because people question your career I can’t say there are many other jobs you offer.
choice shouldn’t deter you from follow- out there that have that same sense of Just like any profession, photogra-
ing your own path. I’m a strong believer community, and in many ways, the phers provide items and/or services to
that if you work hard, set goals, and com- nature of the industry means it’s more consumers and clientele based on their
mit yourself, the results will show. encouraging than a lot of other indus- knowledge and expertise. The main dif-
tries out there in the ‘real world’. Where ference is that with knowledge comes
SENSE OF COMMUNITY should you start? For me, asking pho- expertise, intuition, and imagination,
With the worldwide photography com- tographers I admire for their advice has and for many creatives, a deep vulner-
munity, being a photographer is most been fundamental to my development. ability paired with a passion for deliver-
definitely a full-time job for many tal- I encourage everyone keen to take the ing above and beyond.
ented creatives. There is a vast network leap to do the same. At the same time, business is business.
of photographers from various back- I spend much of my working day ensur-
grounds who come together for semi- BUSINESS IS BUSINESS ing my accounts are in order, that I’m
nars, workshops, and conferences to Just like any other profession, photogra- up to date with planning, pitching, and
share their knowledge, experience, gear, phy is a legitimate business and one that marketing what I do. This is the founda-
tips, tricks, and skills. It's like a creative should be acknowledged and respected. tion for success.

PASSION PREVAILS that our passion could never be a genu- If you can do this, you may just have the
Everyone’s heard the expression ‘do ine profession. And, like so many of the career you’ve always dreamed of. ❂
something you love, and you’ll never things we become passionate about,
work a day in your life’. For me, I get to photography can be difficult, stressful,
go to work each day doing exactly that, and frustrating. But when you think of FOUR THINGS EVERY
and it’s the complete opposite of work- the joy it can bring, and those ‘pinch EMERGING PRO
ing in a job that doesn’t satisfy me. Bet- yourself’ moments only photographers PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD DO
ter yet, when you live and breathe what understand, you’ll know if it’s some-
you do, it rubs off on your work and your thing that’s meant to be for you.
• Follow your instincts. Your passion
desire to deliver the best possible results. Ultimately though (and doing my best will prevail if you’re committed
For me, I have an obsessive mental- not to sound like a motivational speaker
ity with photography that keeps the fire here), if you want it bad enough, you can • Think ahead by insuring your precious
photographic equipment. You never
burning long after the job is complete. always turn adversity into something
know when you’ll need to use it
Of course, there are always aspects of positive for yourself. There will always
any job that we will dislike more than be people who find it hard to under- • Keep a logbook handy as this will
others. But when you start with some- stand your career choice, but that’s no make life much easier come tax time
thing you love, it makes those parts reason to stop beating your own drum • Embrace community, and reach out
much easier to swallow. - instead, use it as a drive to raise the bar and connect with as many creatives
for your own personal career growth. as possible. the saying is true - it’s
NURTURE WHAT IS not always what you know but who
Engage in the community, push your-
you know.
At some time in our lives, we've all been self to take better images and don’t let
told that we'll never make money, or the knockbacks affect your confidence.

PROFILE: GEORGE HUBERT WILKINS
BY MIKE O’CONNOR
More than three years in the making,

historian Peter Maddern has recently
released The Eye of Wilkins, a new
book celebrating the photographs
of the pioneering reporter,
cinematographer, polar explorer,
naturalist, geographer, climatologist,
aviator and photographer Sir George
Hubert Wilkins. This is how the
project came to life.

COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY.
In May 1913, Wilkins joined the Canadian Arctic Expedition as expedition photographer and cinematographer. At the time, it was the largest and best resourced polar expedition in history,
with four major ships and a dozen specialist scientists. Three years of exploration and research were planned on its ultimately futile quest to find the continent supposed to exist at the
North Pole. In three years in the Arctic, Wilkins survived ice cracking beneath his feet, traveling in frost biting storms that the locals themselves pleaded he not attempt, and a fight with a
polar bear where he was saved by the distraction provided by a barking dog. In this image, chief scientist Dr Rudolph Anderson and the crew of the steam-whaler, The Belvedere, on which
the crew would spend three months, are pictured near Barter Island, Alaska.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF BYRD POLAR AND CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER.

B
orn in South Australia in 1888, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Cen-
Sir George Hubert Wilkins’ list tre at Ohio State University, and about
of achievements is simply mind- 2,000 or so from the British Natural His-
boggling. tory Museum, the State Library of New
A pioneer pilot of early air explora- South Wales, Dartmouth University,
tion, Wilkins was also the first to trav- and the Australian War Memorial.
el under polar ice in a submarine. He I think if you’re going to play the role
would spend two years travelling across of editor, you’ll have to back your own
the top end of Australia collecting sam- eye for what makes a good photograph. I
ples of fauna and flora for the British put together an initial set of images that
Museum, travel with Sir Ernest Shack- was about twice as many as made the fi-
leton on his final voyage to Antarctica nal cut, and then refined it further. Many
in 1921, and record the battles and lives of the images were in varying condition,
of Australians on the Western Front of but most scanned for print very well.
the Great War under the leadership of
Charles Bean. AP: What do you know of the gear he
As one reviewer wrote, no other man used?
rode in the front seat, advanced in the
front lines, or was otherwise caught up PM: Very little, although it’s safe to say
as witness to such an extraordinary ar- it was pretty primitive, and all with pho-
ray of world events as Sir George Hubert tographic plates. To be able to take some
Wilkins. And yet, despite his outstand- of those images, especially in polar con-
ing reputation internationally, he was ditions with the reflection of the light
virtually unknown back home in Aus- off the snow must have been difficult –
tralia. let alone the images where he was being
The Eye of Wilkins, released on what shot at!
would have been his 133rd Birthday, cel- I included a couple of images in the
ebrates his extraordinary photographs book that were blurred, mainly because
taken from 1912 to around 1939, during the subject matter warranted it. I felt
his adventures and expeditions all over these would have likely been taken when
the planet. he had no time to set up his tripod, and
I can imagine him putting the camera
Australian Photography: What drew you on his lap or holding it to his chest while
to the project and Sir Hubert Wilkins? these moments unfolded.
Peter Maddern: I didn’t know about Hu- AP: What makes Wilkins’ work so capti-
THE EYE OF WILKINS
bert Wilkins until a little over three years vating?
ago, but that changed when I read Simon
Independently published by Palmerston Nasht’s biography The Last Explorer. I PM: If you look through the images in
Projects, The Eye of Wilkins by Peter was just so captivated by how he lived this the book, you’ll often see someone look-
Maddern is available to order now. ‘Boy’s Own Adventure’ life, that never ing back at the camera, or looking direct-
seemed to end. Along with these adven- ly at the camera. Given Wilkins wasn’t
More info: wilkinstheadventurer.com.au.
tures, he also had this remarkable ability taking multiple frames, this shows he
to avoid being killed along the way. It’s had a real eye for ‘the decisive moment’
hard to imagine anyone else ever match- and what he was doing. I think he was a
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A scene on the Menin road beyond Ypres, ing his achievements. very good photographer, and he was cap-
Belgium. It was reported that the loss of horses, especially to shell fire that What became apparent to me later turing images well before many of the
ripped open their lungs and required them to be immediately put down, was
most distressing to their responsible soldiers. Of a similar image Wilkins was that nobody had brought his images greats who followed like Henri Cartier-
wrote “This particular spot, during the various Ypres battles, was never free together before, and I thought I might Bresson and Ansel Adams turned pho-
of such a scene as this photograph depicts.”; give it a go. tography into an artform.
Ultimately, without him having an in-
A Wilkins ‘team’ photo, here of an Australian battalion just back from AP: How did you start to collate the im- terest in the camera, there is no Wilkins
the front after engaging with the Germans. Close inspection reveals
extraordinary individuality amongst the men, remarkable for an army setting; ages for the book? story. He’d never have got his job in
London, he would never have gone to
George Hubert Wilkins as a teenager; PM: I initially reached out to the State the Western Front, or joined Shackle-
Library of South Australia, and then ton’s expedition. In many ways, his pho-
One of the earliest images of Wilkins working in the field is this from his time from there the collection grew. By the tography is what links all his adventures
on the Canadian Arctic Expedition from 1913. The photo is also notable for
the camera bag marking out its contents as the property of the Gaumont end, I had about 7,000 images to work together, and his images capture history
Company, his first employer after he arrived in London around 1912. through, including about 5,000 from the like nobody else did. ❂

RIGHT: Eskimo or inuit girls at Point Barrow, Alaska.
FAR RIGHT: From the mid-1920s Wilkins made a series

of flights to Antarctica. At the time, Wilkins’ goal was
the circumnavigation of the ‘unknown’ continent for
the purpose of setting up weather stations that he
believed would measure changes in the air masses that
governed the weather ten thousand miles away. Here,
his Lockheed Vega monoplane prepares for take off from
open water in Antarctica.
BELOW: The horrors of World War I. Here, dead and

wounded Australians and Germans lie in the railway
cutting in the Ypres sector, Belgium, during the battle
of Passchendaele. It is not certain who took this image
but other images indicate that both Wilkins and famed
Australian photographer Frank Hurley were present at
the time it was taken, with Wilkins claiming it as one of
his own. In time, the image has become one of his most
famous pictures from the Great War.
COURTESY OF BYRD POLAR AND CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER.

COURTESY OF STATE LIBRARY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY.

COURTESY OF STATE LIBRARY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
LEFT: From Left to Right: Sir Ernest Shackleton, Alex Macklin and Frank Wild (second in command) in
1921 about to depart from London. As well as being the ship’s surgeon, Macklin also took photographs
of the now famous final expedition for Shackleton, though neither he nor Wilkins was the expedition’s
official photographer; he jumped ship in Rio de Janeiro. Wild would go on to write the definitive account,
Shackleton’s Last Voyage. Macklin’s family would donate to the State Library of New South Wales
the images he took and those given to him by Wilkins.

✔
TESTED: PANASONIC GH5 II
PANASONIC GH5 II
When we reviewed the original
GH5 back in 2017 we described
it as a camera that rewarded both
photographers and videographers
equally–no mean feat at the time.
But now, some four years later,
does its successor bring enough
to the party to compete in an
increasingly crowded marketplace
for hybrid cameras? Let’s find out.
T
he first thing to mention is the THE BODY
GH5 II is not technically the ‘real’ The improvements to the internals of
successor to the GH5. That would the GH5 II unfortunately don’t extend
be the GH6, which Panasonic has to the body – and it’s almost identical to
confirmed is in development and will be its predecessor. This means it’s still rela- As you might expect from such a vid-
here early in 2022. The company hasn’t tively compact but dense at 727g. Built eo-centric camera, connectivity is a real
fully announced the GH6’s specs, but it of a magnesium alloy, it’s also dust and plus on the GH5 II. There’s a full-size
is expected to offer higher-resolution re- splash proof. HDMI port that’s capable of sending out
cording, 5.7K 60, and when it’s out, both The body features a slew of control a clean 4:2:2 10-bit signal, dual UHS-II
the GH5 II and GH6 will coexist in the buttons that can initially be a bit over- SDXC slots, a 3.5mm mic input, and a
Panasonic line-up. whelming if you’re used to more mini- headphone jack for monitoring.
For now, you can think of the GH5 malist designs. As well as top and rear
II as an update to the GH5. Panasonic control dials, there are dedicated con- AUTOFOCUS
have stuck with the same 20MP Micro trols to set the drive speed, a rear switch The GH5 II relies on Panasonic’s Depth
Four Thirds image sensor, 4K60 re- to swap between focus modes, dedicated from Defocus (DFD) autofocus sys-
cording at 16:9, and 6K30 when using buttons for white balance, ISO and ex- tem. It’s a contrast detect system that
anamorphic lenses, but improved the posure compensation, and an eight-way uses 225-points, and although the more
camera’s processing power by adding joystick for control over the focus area. common phase detect systems (as used
the Venus Engine 10 that’s found in the With so many dedicated buttons, Pan- on Sony, Nikon and Canon cameras,
Panasonic Lumix S1H. asonic does without the custom buttons among others), get the tick for reliability,
you might be used to on other cameras, I found autofocus with the GH5 II very
however most can be customised, and consistent. Occasionally I noticed a little
the Q button can be setup in a myriad audible pulsing in continuous AF mode,
of ways, including separate screens for but this didn’t seem to greatly affect the
video and stills settings. camera’s ability to track. It also offers
On the rear, the GH5 II’s 1.8 mil- Head, Body and Animal AF as well as
lion dot 3-inch LCD is (smartly) touch the pre-existing Face and Eye detection.
sensitive, perfect for capturing video For video, autofocus supports face and
on a tripod. It works seamlessly, and I eye detection. I’d read from other review-
often found myself using it to focus as ers that the GH5 II was better at keep-
opposed to the dedicated joystick. The ing on your subject at 30 or 60fps than
OLED EVF also sees an improvement at 24fps because the camera checks for
over the GH5. It’s brighter and refresh- focus more often when using quicker
es twice as fast (120Hz) for a smoother frame rates, but I couldn’t see any notice-
viewing experience. able difference. In my testing it tracked

✔
TESTED: PANASONIC GH5 II
SCORE
RESULTS
7.8
HANDLING ★★★★
No real surprises here, with the GH5 II as
comfortable as its predecessor.
FEATURES ★★★★
Panasonic have done well to update the
GH5 II to make for a faster experience.
Video specs also receive a well-needed
bump.
AUTOFOCUS ★★★★
Say what you will about Panasonic’s DFD
autofocus, the GH5 II is a solid package.
IMAGE QUALITY ★★★★

No complaints here, although if you’re
serious about IQ you’d likely choose the
S1H.
VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★

At $2,199, the GH5 II is competitively
priced, especially so for budding
videographers and photographers keen to
diversify into video.
FINAL WORD
The GH5 II may be an iterative update,
but it still brings with it many features
that are welcome – 4K60, a bigger buffer,
streaming, and improved autofocus that
bring it right up to date. The challenge is
whether to buy this or wait for the GH6,
very consistently regardless of frame rate. stabilisation (IBIS) as well as lens-based IS which we know is just round the corner
Finally, the GH5 II supports 12fps to deliver up to 6.5EV of compensation. and will likely meet or exceed all these
features. With the GH5 II, Panasonic have
capture with either Raw or Jpeg using
made this decision a very tough call.
the mechanical shutter, provided you VIDEO
choose AF-S, which fixes focus after the Compared to the GH5, the Mark II now SPECS
first shot. The burst depth has seen a shoots 4K60 (the GH5 maxed out at Sensor 20.3MP Live MOS
considerable jump over the GH5, with 4K30) although this is limited to 4:2:0,
Format Micro 4/3
the GH5 II capable of shooting up to with 24 and 30fps retaining more colour
around 108+ Raw or Raw and Jpeg files information, as those frame rates sample Lens mount Micro Four Thirds
or 999+ Jpegs before it hits the buffer. at 4:2:2. The addition of half-speed slow- Size 139 x 98 x 87mm
mo is welcome, and so is the addition Weight 727g (incl. battery)
IMAGE QUALITY of V-Log L. This was only available as a
Autofocus Contrast Detection with DFD:
Despite the age of the sensor, image paid upgrade previously. Face/Eye/Head/Body/Animal
quality remains excellent. Both JPEG The ability to live stream via a smart- detection, Tracking, 225-area
and RAW display plenty of latitude phone and Panasonic’s Lumix Sync app Video 4992x3744 (30p/ 25p/ 24p)
for editing in post. If you’re a JPEG is a welcome feature, and it’s also pos- 4096x2160 (60p/50p/ 30p/
shooter you’ll appreciate the variety of sible to stream to Facebook or YouTube 25p/ 24p) 3840x2160 (60p/
in-built presets, and it’s cool that a few via RTMP/RTMPS to a URL using a 50p/ 30p/ 25p/ 24p)
video presets like Cine2 are also avail- stream key. The process to set it up can EVF 3680K-dot OLED, 1.52x
able to stills shooters. be a little slow, although that could have / 0.76x (35mm eq.)
When light levels drop, you’ll be just been my phone, but the connection magnification
pleased to know the GH5 II is no slouch. was very stable once established. Rear LCD 3’, 1,840,000 dots
It supports a native ISO range of ISO 200
up to 25600, and I found images held up THE WRAP UP Memory UHS-II, SD / SDHC / SDXC
well to about ISO 6400, which is consis- The GH5 updates the GH-series with wel-
tent for what we know of the sensor. The come improvements to autofocus and video Connectivity USB 2.0 High Speed,USB 3.0
GH5 II handles colours very well and performance, while adopting an ‘If it ain’t Super Speed, Bluetooth, WiFi
even in very bright conditions too. broke, don’t fix it’ mentality to the body and Price RRP $2,199
Finally, the GH5 II uses Panasonic’s sensor. It means the GH5 II is a more solid,
More info panasonic.com.au
5-axis Dual I.S. 2 (Image Stabiliser 2). although perhaps a touch underwhelming,
This can utilise both the in-body image update to the four-year-old GH5. ❂

✔
T E S T E D : T A M R O N 15 0 - 5 0 0 M M F 5 - 6 . 7 D I L E N S
TAMRON 150-
500MM F/5-6.7
DI III VC VXD LENS
The Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7
Di III VC VXD lens is a pretty
compelling package – it offers a
focal length ideal for sports and
wildlife photography, a weather-
proof build, great optics and a
seriously competitive price tag
($1,899 AUD) to make it a solid
option for more budget-minded photographers.
S
ony’s E mount is pretty well cov- compared to the Sony FE 200-600mm, elements. It has a very useful minimum
ered for longer telephoto lenses in the Tamron is noticeably smaller and focus distance of 0.60m with a magnifi-
2021. Sigma offers its 150-600mm lighter, although you give up 100mm cation of 1:3.1 and a working distance of
F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens in E reach at the long end. And, like both of 0.37m at 150mm. At 500mm, the mini-
Mount ($1,979), and Sony sells two tele- Sony’s lens (and many other telephotos), mum focus is about 1.5m.
photos – the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5- it also extends when zoomed in. On the exterior, there are four toggle
5.6 GM OSS, ($3,369), and the FE 200- The barrel is made of a composite switches to control (from top to bottom),
600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS ($2,899). material and is fully weather-sealed, and focus zoom range, AF/MF, VC (Vibra-
Unlike Sigma, Tamron makes its 150- the front element has a fluorine coating tion control) On/Off, and a toggle to
500mm exclusively for the Sony mirror- to repel fingerprints and water droplets. switch to move between the three stabi-
less system, and, compared to the other The lens comes with a removable lisation modes.
lenses mentioned above, it’s the most tripod-collar and Arca-Swiss style tri- To avoid any of that dreaded lens
affordable super-telephoto option for E- pod foot, and a reversible lens hood. creep (well some people dread it), Tam-
mount – not that you’d know it to look The lens takes 82mm filters. It would be ron includes a zoom lock switch, which
at it, though. useful if the barrel displayed 90-degree keeps the barrel set at its shortest length
click stops for moving between portrait for storage and transport. interestingly,
BUILD and landscape orientation—but the col- there’s also a locking zoom clutch.
At 209.6mm long and 1,725g without lar is adjustable if you want to set it at This allows the zoom to be locked at
the tripod mount, the 150-500mm is a square angles. any focal length—just push the zoom ring
hefty lens, although it’s almost as com- Internally, the lens features 25 ele- forward to set the lock and pull it back to
pact as Sony’s FE 100-400mm, but the ments in 16 groups, including six special release and re-adjust zoom control. It’s a
Tamron offers 25% more reach. When dispersion elements and two aspherical nice feature and neatly integrated.

ABOVE: The wide focal length covered by
the Tamron makes it useful for a variety of
subjects. One minute I was photographing
distant hills on the other side of the bay, the
next I pulled in close for this portrait. Sony
A7 III, Tamron E 150-500mm F5-6.7 lens @
200mm. 1/1000s @ f6.7, ISO 1600.
LEFT: a cool morning at Wentworth Falls Lakes,
Blue Mountains. Sony A7 III, Tamron E 150-
500mm F5-6.7 lens @ 160mm. 1/80s @ f6.3,
ISO 3200.

✔
T E S T E D : T A M R O N 15 0 - 5 0 0 M M F 5 - 6 . 7 D I L E N S
IMAGE QUALITY
I used the 150-500mm with two Sony
bodies, the flagship Sony A1 and my
own Sony A7 III, and with both I found
results excellent, especially so with the
higher resolution body.
At f/5 at 150mm, there’s very little
barrel distortion, and by the time you
get to f/8-to f/11, the sweet spot, images
display excellent sharpness throughout
the focal range. Having used the Sony
100-400mm f4/5-5.6 for the last three
years (an excellent performer), I was
very impressed with how close the Tam-
ron was to it edge to edge.
If you’re an APS-C shooter, you’ll
likely find the results even better, as
bodies like the Sony A6000 series only
use the middle area of the full-frame
image circle.
Finally, this sharpness is helped by
the in-built VC system on the Tamron.
It offers three modes: Mode 1 is standard
ABOVE: Compressing perspective is one of the reasons to pack a telephoto in your landscape
stabilisation, mode 2 is specifically for photography kit. Sharpness is very impressive with the Tamron. Sony A1, Tamron E 150-
panning, and mode 3 maximises view- 500mm F5-6.7 lens @ 283mm. 1/1000s @ f6.3, ISO 1000.
finder stabilisation for easier framing.
As I was focussed mainly on moving
objects for this review, I really didn’t
SCORE
8.8
push my shutter speeds that low, but in-
dications are you can expect about two RESULTS
to three stops of stabilisation and usable
images at 1/15s depending on the light HANDLING ★ ★ ★ ★ SPECS
and subject. The matte finish is nice to hold and the lens
has big solid rubber rings for moving focus. Mount Sony E
The one downside of the Tamron
The Arca Swiss tripod foot is a nice inclusion. Focal length 150-500mm
100-500mm is it’s not compatible with
teleconverters, which both the Sony FEATURES ★ ★ ★ ★ Optical Construction 25 elements in 16 groups
100-400mm and 200-600mm work All the features you’d expect from a
with. modern telephoto lens, although the lack of Weight 1,725g (Without tripod mount)
Teleconverter compatibility could be a deal
breaker for some. Aperture blades 7 (circular diaphragm)
AUTOFOCUS
Minimum aperture F22-32
AF-operation and image stabilisation of BUILD ★ ★ ★ ★
the Tamron 150-500mm is all but inau- It’s big, it’s heavy and it’s built tough. The Included accessories Round-shaped hood, Lens
dible, and I found the lens matched the weight may be an issue for some, but it’s caps, Tripod mount
autofocus performance of both Sony very robust.
Filter size 82mm
bodies well, focusing quickly and track-
IMAGE QUALITY ★ ★ ★ ★
ing action without fuss. Excellent, especially in the centre. The VC Max. magnification ratio 1:3.1 (WIDE) / 1:3.7 (TELE)
There is one caveat for Sony A1 users (Vibration Compensation) is a nice feature to
Minimum focus distance 0.6m (WIDE) / 1.8m (TELE)
however that’s worth a mention – the have for longer exposures.
A1 supports the full 30fps continuous Angle of view (diagonal) 16°25’-4°57’
drive mode with many Sony FE lenses VALUE FOR MONEY ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Little to fault here. With an RRP of $1,899, Price $1,899 RRP
but is limited to ‘just’ 15fps with the this lens is very competitively priced.
Tamron 150-500mm. More info tamron.com.au
FINAL WORD
WRAP-UP If you don’t want to spring for the native
After more than three months with the E-mount options, the Tamron 150-500mm
F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD lens offers great
Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 Di III lens,
value for money and impressive imaging
I’ve been greatly impressed by its overall capabilities.
performance, sharpness, and build. We
recommend it highly. ❂

A E R O 15 O L E D Y D
BY DREW HOPPER
For photographers on
the road, Gigabyte's new
AERO 15 OLED YD could
help transform your ideas
into reality, wherever you
are, at any time.

A E R O 15 O L E D Y D SPECIAL PROMOTION
C
omputers have become para- A VISUAL FEAST
mount to the photographic Photographers and creatives alike are
workflow in one way or an- in for a visual feast with the AERO 15
other, and it’s important OLED YD. Featuring a stunning 15.6
for photographers to have a digital inch Samsung AMOLED 4K display,
darkroom they can trust to get the job the AERO provides increased brightness
done. Given the number of hours we of- (400 nits) and a higher contrast ratio
ten spend processing our work, it makes whilst supporting 100% DCI-P3 colour
sense to invest in a system that can han- gamut (30% more colours than sRGB).
dle the heavy lifting, so to speak. Gigabyte says the monitor is colour cali-
brated via X-Rite technology, and is Pan-
THE PORTABLE SOLUTION tone certified to ensure colour accuracy.
Desktop computers may With a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pix-
still be a popular els and a wide viewing angle, details
choice for the home are incredible in every way, making the
office, but for travel, a high- AERO 15 OLED ideal for creative proj-
performance laptop is what most ects where seeing is believing.
pros will rely on. Laptop manufacturer Part of what makes the AERO 15
Gigabyte recently released its latest OLED YD so impressive is its use of an
powerhouse laptop, the AERO 15 OLED display. Ordinary displays utilise
OLED YD, which has been specifically LEDs to illuminate from behind a Liq-
designed with the creative generation in uid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, and
mind. use red, green, and blue coloured filters
Inside, there’s an 11th Gen Intel Core to generate and alter each pixel on the
H-series CPU which powers a quicker, screen. An OLED (Organic Light Emit-
smoother, and more immersive creative ting Diode) screen, on the other hand,
experience. Combine this with its beau- has a red, green, and blue LED in each
tiful design and unrivalled 4K HDR pixel. The result is an OLED can offer
visual experience, and the AERO 15 a faster refresh rate and improved screen
OLED YD is a powerhouse proposition brightness.
for creatives. On the AERO 15 OLED YD, the
screen itself has a minimal 3mm bezel
POWER FOR CREATIVE to maximise every inch of screen real es-
WORKFLOWS tate. In short, editing images has never
The Gigabyte AERO series now enables been more enjoyable.
rapid data transfers and up to 4K video
output via Thunderbolt 4. Additionally, YOUR NEW TRAVEL
more storage equals more output. A COMPANION
built-in PCIe Gen4x4 SSD storage slot All that power is housed in a thin and
provides up to 7000 MB/s of bandwidth elegant chassis, with the AERO 15
and sequential read performance, OLED YD decked out in a gorgeous
which is 2X faster than the previous matte aluminium finish that’s at home
generation. on the office desk as it is on location or
If you’re a photographer who relies on in the studio.
SD cards, then you’re covered with the Weighing in at a lightweight 2.30kg,
AERO 15 OLED YD. A built-in high- the AERO 15 OLED YD is a perfect
speed UHS-II card reader offers an im- companion for photographers and cre-
pressive transfer rate of up to 300MB/s, atives who aren’t willing to sacrifice per-
12 times quicker than traditional SD formance or connectivity, yet still demand
card readers. In use, it means transfer- a modern and sleek user experience. ❂
ring and importing large numbers of
ABOVE: Sleek in design and powerful in performance, the Gigabyte AERO files to programs like Lightroom is fast
OLED is perfect for photographers on the go, and is also future-proofed with and efficient. In addition, you’ll find
plenty of connectivity options. two USB 3.2 ports on the side, and clev-
erly, an HDMI 2.1 port, mini DP 1.4,
another USB 3.2 port, a 3.5mm jack
and a single Ethernet RJ45 port all
neatly located on the rear of the laptop
to complete the connectivity package.

APS ONE FRAME
THE LANDING
A touch of good fortune and a fair bit
of planning helped photographer Martie
Labuschagne capture this beautiful,
award-winning image.
WITH MARTIE LABUSCHAGNE
I
started my journey in photography after
marrying into a photography obsessed fam-
ily. My first camera arrived on Christmas
that same year, and with my trusty Pentax
MZ-5 at my side, I’ve never looked back.
Of course, it did help that I lived in South Af-
rica for many years and there is never a shortage
of subject matter, whether it be sport, fantastic
scenery and best of all, wild animals and birds. I was lucky enough
to visit most of the national parks and wetlands, and spent many
hours searching and photographing the natural world around us.
Of all the subjects to photograph, birds are my favourite. They
teach us so much – how to stop for a while and listen to the sound
of the wind blowing through the trees, the call of various animals
and other birds, to be patient, to read the signs of nature, and for
photography in particular, how to learn to operate your equip-
ment blindfolded.
Since moving to Australia, I have been fortunate enough to
live in one of Queensland’s most beautiful places, Bribie Island.
Not only is Bribie a relaxing atmosphere, it has a diverse variety
of native birds and summer visitors.
A couple of years ago on one of my afternoon visits to Toor-
bul, I spotted a group of Pelicans on one of the many small tidal
islands in the Pumicestone Passage. Conditions were ideal, the
tide was rising with expected high tide around 5:30pm, there was
a slight north westerly wind and a beautiful afternoon sun.
Hiding in the mangroves, I waited for a while and as the tide
rose, the Pelicans resting spot got flooded. They flew low across
the water, and as they got closer, they landed right in front of me.
Pelican landings on water normally entail a bit of a water-ski, and
this time was no exception. Luckily, I was ready for the action.
Knowing the bird’s behaviour was very important in this case
and with the help of the tides, winds, and perfect late afternoon
light, it gave me an image that has served me well at club and
salon level. ❂
NIKON D500, NIKON 200-500MM F/5.6 LENS @500MM.

1/2000S @ F6.3, ISO 160.
| 67 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY.COM

APS FOCUS
CAN’T COMPARE!
Have you ever heard the expression ‘comparison is the
thief of joy?’ Here’s how to fight it.
This old feeder

sits in one of
Helen Carpenter’s
paddocks, and
captured her eye one
day when she was
looking for black and
white subjects.
WITH HELEN CARPENTER images that are popular on social ceive feedback from peers on ways to im-
E
media or winning and achieving awards prove my photographic practice.
very photographer suffers from or conforming to any of the trappings The APS CAPA journey has also pro-
comparison disorder at some stage the photographic industry tells us equals vided me with another avenue which
throughout their photographic life success. It’s about learning and challenging has challenged me and given me the
- it’s human nature. We are always ourselves, while capturing special moments opportunity to learn and research about
looking at, and for, things to compare that will never be repeated. techniques, genres and other photog-
ourselves to. In fact, my main reason for taking pho- raphers’ practices. I have now success-
Comparison disorder can manifest tos is to capture and document the envi- fully completed the first two levels and I
in many ways, and it is important to re- ronment in which I live. I like to think of am now working towards the gold level.
member that when it comes to photog- my photos as a journal of my life rather The CAPA program is self-paced learn-
raphy, it is a personal journey, and ev- than a conventional written diary. If I was ing and is a great way to challenge the
eryone looks at images in different ways. to spend my whole time comparing these way you think and approach photogra-
No two photos are ever the same. photographs to what’s on social media, it phy. I find it also helps you to appreci-
I believe as photographers we need wouldn’t be my story anymore. ate other photographers work and not
to sometimes step back, step away and Since joining the Australian Photo- compare your work to theirs. For me, it’s
ask ourselves why we take photos. Why graphic Society I have chosen to take on reinforced the idea that photography is
are we sometimes disappointed with a self-education approach, to learn tips a personal journey, and image apprecia-
our images? During Covid and with the and tricks of the photography world and tion is also a personal view as we all see
lockdowns many of us have faced these learn from fellow photographers, new the world around us differently.
thoughts and it has become more evi- and exciting techniques, to experiment Comparison disorder is ultimately
dent because we have all been at home, and to challenge myself to step outside a mindset, and it is important to keep
unable to get out and find new inspi- my comfort zone. My membership with reminding yourself that photography
ration and having spent endless hours the APS has also allowed me to network doesn’t have to be defined by other peo-
trolling over the different social media and form friendships with many differ- ple’s work and perceptions. Photography
channels and magazines looking at im- ent people from different backgrounds and creativity go hand in hand, but they
ages and critiquing our own work. across Australia, and to learn from them, also reflect our individuality as to how we
For many of us, it’s not about creating through focus project groups and to re- see and portray the world around us. ❂

IMAGE DOCTOR
IMAGE DOCTOR
BY SAIMA MOREL
Images need a pick-me-up?
The doctor will see you now.
BW BEAUTY
Bushwalking in the Gardens of Stone National
Park, New South Wales, Robert. A. Baillie
came across this dead tree. "Tentacle like
branches radiating out from its base and
bleached from the elements. I wondered about
how it met its demise, lightning, drought
or rot, anything was possible in this harsh
environment. The scene had potential but
the light was very flat due to cloud cover so I
continued on my way. Sometime later the sun
did break through the clouds and revealed the
dramatic moody scene that I had hoped for so
I frantically backtracked. The light was again
about to disappear so no time for tripods, lens
changes or setting tweaks. A quick check of
shutter speed, camera hand held and raised
above my head for composition would have to
do. One shot and the light was gone."
Wonderful choice shooting this in black-
and-white! It is a lost worlds-type scene. You
have it in all in the image from foreground to
background: the foreground with the tentacle-
like branches, then some branches and that
smoky mists and those wonderful "buttes"
in the background. What worries me is the
blurred bushes on the left in the foreground,
but the rest is so special. What can I say,
except but to make it a bit darker to get rid of
those grey bits in the middle and accentuate
the forms.
SAIMA'S TIP: What a mood, a little bit of rain

can make, just as photographers head inside!
TITLE: Wilderness Drama

PHOTOGRAPHER: Robert. A. Baillie
DETAILS: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-105 IS
lens @ 24mm. 1/60s @ f5.6, ISO 100.

TITLE: Untitled
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Kim McChardy
DETAILS: Canon 5D
Mark III, 24-70mm
f/4 lens @ 38mm.
1/200s @ f18, ISO
250.
THE BIGGER PICTURE

This image of the Tsarap River, at Sarchu India, with the Himalayan feature about the Himalayas. It would have been in a series, in which
mountain range as a backdrop was shot in the mid to late afternoon, by were revealed different aspects such as the Himalayas, the river
Kim McChardy. He said: "The image shows the natural rock formations formations, the camp sites etc. I hope you have other shots that tell
lining the banks of the river. Camp sites are set up for traveller during the bigger picture, as it can be hard to have a massive landscape to
summer months, one such camp site (white tents), can be seen right of shoot, but that it is the beauty of digital: no film canisters.
centre, providing some perspective to the size and depth of the valley."
If you wanted to show the natural formations lining the banks of SAIMA'S TIP: Consider the story you want to tell with every frame, and
the river, could you have got closer? Just getting one third into the try and create a narrative in a series too.
frame would have done it. This looks like an establishing shot for a
TITLE: Untitled
PHOTOGRAPHER: Thierry
Rocchia
DETAILS: Sony A6000, 16-
50mm lens @16mm. 1/640s
@ f3.5, ISO 100. Increase
contrast, decrease highlights
and increase shadows, slight
sharpening and increase to
clarity.
CARE TO CROP?
Thierry Rocchia was walking under the bridge and noticed the panels the left almost irrelevant! If you added the crop line about third in from
on the side of the road relating to the construction of the bridge and the left, you would then have a square format. You would still have a
the Opera House right at the end of the frame. He said, " I thought that leading format, the Opera House, and the reflection/transparent all in the
would make a great black and white photo!" frame - without having to share the frame with all the sky and road.
Good luck for shooting in black-and-white when the sky looks so
muddy and uninteresting. All the classy matter is on the right and makes SAIMA'S TIP: Look at the object, and crop out the irrelevant.
IMAGE DOCTOR
TITLE: The Caves

PHOTOGRAPHER:
Steve Alder-Goad
DETAILS: Canon EOS
60D, Canon EF 10-
18mm lens @ 10mm.
Image one: 1/6400s
@ f4.5, ISO 640.
Image two: 1/800s @
f4.5, ISO 640.
SUBTLE TWEAKS
According to Steve Alder-Goad: “Shot in Inverloch, Victoria, this textures, and are quite distinctive. On the otherhand, the landscape
image was created with two exposure shots merged together. One is nice, but not that unusual, The landscape would look even better
was for inside the cave and one for outside.” or stand out more, if the shadows in the background were darkened.
I have to put a tick for the HDR aspect of this image. The cave and This would be a great image if it was shot at night.
the outside are well exposed. I have to really think about what is most
interesting. Caves or the sea and sky! I think it has to be the caves, so SAIMA’S TIP: Not everything in an image has to be sharp or well
huge and right there in front of me. They have a great shape and large exposed.
CRACKING COMPOSITION
This image was taken at Moogerah Dam, west of Brisbane. Tim
said: "I turned up without any shot in mind but saw several tree
stumps that had been exposed due to low water levels. The
golden-brown tones in the dusty sunset perfectly complemented
the ochre lichen that covered the tree and the rock. The result is a
strong, high impact image that I now have hanging on my wall!"
I like the great trunk and its branches winding into the rugged
stones. The clouds in the sky are quite dramatic and the tones
are quite good. However, be careful with the over sharpening
lines around the horizon and the trunk. If you ever go back, this
composition would be a great candidate for a long exposure with
a neutral density filter, so the water on the left was smoky.
SAIMA'S TIP: Take the time to build your composition with

points of interest in different parts of the frame.
TITLE: Sentinal
PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim MacTaggart
DETAILS: Nikon Z 6, Nikon Z 14-30mm f4 S lens @ 14mm. 1/50s @ f7.1,
ISO 100. Post-processed in Photoshop, where I removed a small stump
in the background, used an ochre-coloured solid colour layer mask to
selectively emphasise the orange and brown hues, and sharpened the
stump for definition.

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IMAGE DOCTOR
NATURAL TALENT!
Mark Tawton bought this camera from a friend in January 2021 for $50 to start learning
photography. He said: "I was taking photos around Bells Rapids, Perth, when I was informed
of a “secret” waterfall. This was a little rapid in the creek on the way that turned out to be more
interesting than the falls. It was named due to the bolt being in the creek, right in the middle, left
behind from construction of the train tracks nearby. So I was experimenting with different shutter
speeds and apertures enjoying this one the most. This is one of the most enjoyable photos I have
managed to take, from the journey to actually taking the shot."
So you only have a camera for $50 to start learning, then having to do different shutter
speeds and apertures, and are using a ND filter? This sounds like a fast learner indeed! This
image is pin sharp, has a good composition and the water is smoky. Darkening the rocks on the
right and left of the bolt would be a wise choice, but I am sure that that wouldn't be too hard for
you - if you have picked up photography as well as you have!
SAIMA'S TIP: Shadows are a good thing for accentuating curves and textures.
TITLE: Left Behind

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mark Tawton
DETAILS: Canon EOS 50D, Canon 17-40mm L lens @ 40mm. 0.7s @ f8, ISO 100, variable ND filter.
RULE OF THIRDS?
In Lightroom Drew Sculthorpe started "by merging three photos. I added
a linear gradient to the top third of the image and dropped the exposure,
texture and clarity of the sky while increasing dehaze and contrast. I
added a second linear gradient slightly askew to the bottom of the image
and increased contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, texture, clarity and
decreased dehaze. Next, I added radial gradient to the lights around the dock
and street lights to the right of the photo and increased the temp, highlights,
shadows, whites clarity and dehaze. I added an additional radial across the
middle of the image and slightly decreased exposure, contrast, clarity and
dehaze. A final radial was added to the bench in the foreground with similar
adjustments to the above".
Whew! What a lot of details! I look at this and I think the real interest is
in the bottom of the scene. It has a heavy and thick sky, which draws down
on the interesting foreground. Just crop half of the sky and see what a
difference it makes.
SAIMA'S TIP: The rules of thirds is a good reminder when shooting,

and could save a lot of cropping later.
TITLE: Lake Burley Griffin

PHOTOGRAPHER: Drew Sculthorpe
DETAILS: Canon EOS 90D, 18mm focal length, 1/8s @ f11, 100 ISO
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Australian Photography - January 2022

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Great

WD 8TB MY CLOUD HOME HARD DRIVE VALUED AT $479 AND

All mail to:

| 3 | MONTH 2000 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

60 TESTED: TAMRON 150-500MM

44 MAKE WORKING AS A PHOTOGRAPHER,

CRAIG ANDREW MADSEN

16 YOUR BEST SHOT

| 6 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 7 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

THE 2021 Head On Photo Awards have

AIPP SHUTS DOORS AFTER 75 YEARS

| 8 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

NIKON ANNOUNCES Z 9: 45.7MP,

| 9 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

FUJIFILM LAUNCHES CHALLENGE PROGRAM

| 10 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Captured on a pre-production Nikon Z 9

for APS-C mirrorless

Di III-A: For APS-C mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.

| 12 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

NEW UPDATES FOR ADOBE LIGHTROOM

| 14 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

YOUR BEST SHOT

| 16 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Thanks to the team at Blonde Robot,

STEVE GENESIN Steve Genesin has won a Peak Design

| 17 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

MAKE YOUR PHONE A BETTER TOOL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO.

| 18 | JANUARY 2022| AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

HOW I DID IT TECHNICAL DETAILS

Take your photography

| 19 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

MARCH ISSUE APRIL ISSUE MAY ISSUE

| 20 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 22 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 23 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY.COM

STEVE AND ANN TOON

Dull in grey? No way. Subtract colour to add

| 24 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 25 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

GET WITH THE MONO-CULTURE – BEST

CLOCKWISE FROM THIS PAGE: It’s all about

| 27 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

white, these make a great starting point, espe-

| 28 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

LEFT: This image is really about the water splashes

| 29 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

“WE’RE BIG FANS OF BACKLIGHTING, AND LOVE HARNESSING

| 30 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 31 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 32 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

“WE’RE OFTEN A WHOLE LOT BOLDER WITH

A dark, fairly monochromatic subject like this old buffalo

| 33 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

7 TIPS FOR BETTER

Photojournalist Paula Heelan has been

| 35 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 36 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

| 37 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

ABOVE: Taken at a campdraft on

ABOVE, RIGHT: Country Races

| 38 | JANUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

PEOPLE & PORTRAITS