As the first batch of 2011 Digital SLR Photography students eagerly await their Top 30 results we have a little bit of exciting news to announce.

The Top 30 will now have a ‘Viewers Choice Award’ for the most popular image as selected by you, our supporters and photography enthusiasts.

The process is simple, just after Easter once the first Top 30 for 2011 is announced, we will create a gallery where you will be able to browse through the final  images and vote for your favourites. The image that gets the most votes within a set period of a month will receive the great prize courtesy of Lexar Media.

“To show Lexar Media’s continued support of the Australian photography industry, it is proud to support the SPW Top 30 Viewer’s Choice Award. Lexar media will be offering the talented winner of this award a professional photographer’s memory accessory prize pack, valued at $470.00″

The pack includes;

1x Professional Dual Slot Reader

2x 16GB 600x CF Cards

1x 16GB JumpDrive S70

We’re sure you’ll agree that it’s indeed a very worthy prize. A huge thank you to Lexar Media for their kind support. Make sure to check out Lexar’s Digital Photography page for some great workflow tips and lessons.

Meanwhile, do yourself a favour and check out the amazing selection of Top 30 images from 2010.

2010 “Top 30″ Galleries

2010 Intake 1	2010 Intake 2
2010 Intake 3	2010 Intake 4
2010 Intake 5

Also, don’t forget to check us out on Facebook. Make sure to ‘like’ our fan page to receive all the latest updates and inspirational tid-bits.

Sydney Photographic Workshops Fan Page

As I initially came across this iPad app and without knowing what an Ephemoris was, I assumed it would be just another exposure calculator “photo buddy” app for which I’ve yet to discover a practical use in my day to day photographic activities. For some strange reason however, I felt compelled to check it out. Perhaps it was the rather cool, old school icon that drew me in.

What I discovered however, was exactly what I have been desperately yearning for, to assist with location scouting and shoot planning. This baby is going to save me hours in returning to locations checking sun (and also moon) rise and set positions.

This is probably the best $12 I’ve spent on the iPad for my photography. If you don’t own an iPad then it is also available for the iPhone and as a free Mac or PC desktop app.

Photoephemeris.com

By the way, here is the dictionary definition.

ephemeris |iˈfem(ə)ris|noun ( pl. -erides |-ərədēz|) Astronomy & Astrologya table or data file giving the calculated positions of a celestial object at regular intervals throughout a period.• a book or set of such tables or files.ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from Latin, from Greekephēmeros ‘lasting only a day.’

It’s nice to know that someone out there is looking out for the rights of all us photographers, pro or amateur. The Australian Institute of Professional Photography’s (AIPP) “Competition Watchdog” William Long has recently successfully lobbied Australian Tourism to change it’s “Nothing Like Australia” photo contest entry terms which were a blatant disregard for photographer’s rights.

A big thank you to William Long and the AIPP team!

Read the full press release

Enter “Nothing Like Australia” Contest

Join the AIPP

A huge congratulations to our very own SPW tutor Michael Good who recently entered a work in the Thirroul Seaside Art Festival.  Competing against over 300 other invited artworks and judged by the curator of Wollongong University Art Collection, Michael won the overall, Anita Commelli Prize .

Upon seeing the work I was immediately intrigued by the process that led to it’s creation. As it turns out the process was a collaboration of two great talents and is an alternate slant on the CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) process that seems to dominate today’s photography. I asked Michael to pen a few words about his latest collaborative project.

© Michel Good

“A little over a year ago I had a chance meeting with an amazing artist Arthur Apanski, when I was commissioned to photograph his house being put up for sale.  I found it very difficult to control my enthusiasm, as every wall in this little cottage was filled with a number of Arthur’s amazing artworks.  Of course being the curious type I talked with Arthur for quite some time about his works and what he had in mind for the future.  This led to us coming up with a new challenge that Arthur believes hadn’t been done before.  I was to get some of my landscape photos printed on to large format canvas and then hand it over to Arthur for him to perform his own piece of magic on the works.

To set the context of my trepidation I provide you with two images which easily show Arthur's amazing and very intimidating talent.

Our first projects consisted of two commissioned works.  One of which was for a local builder who wanted a classic Arthur signature piece to hang on his wall.  Not being able to afford one of Arthur’s original works we offered to create an artwork especially for him.  This meant photographing his favourite landscape (East Corrimal Beach) and then handing over to Arthur for his interpretation.  East Corrimal beach is a very classic long sandy beach with small sand dunes.  A very cliche kind of landscape.

Being the first work I was going to produce for Arthur I had little idea as to how it should be photographed.  To add to the mystery I hadn’t met nor spoken with the client.  This gave me free reign over how I chose to photograph the landscape.  Having gone to the location more than a dozen times in varying lighting conditions I felt that I had a good selection to present to Arthur.  I had photographed from many varied angles emphasising many different aspects form large landforms to small detailed driftwoods.  In the end I need not have worried too much as the point of the project was that I would give my own impression of the landscape.  Arthur would then add to it without comment or input from myself.  We wanted to see how the project could work without collaboration.  i.e. I was not to produce works to suit Arthur nor would he try to enhance or compliment the landscape presented.  He would simply interpret the scene and paint accordingly.

Here is the end result of the first commissioned work. Arthur's belief is that Wollongong will be inhabited by great lizards and crocodiles in 50 years due to global warming.

The second commissioned work was for a client who had inherited the family home which would be demolished in the near future and so the theme was to show the existing house being carried away much the same way as the sand dunes come and go…

Our second commission

We have since moved on to our main project which are my selected landscape works to be exhibited in the Wollongong City Gallery in 2011. So far we have produced 8 art works, some of which you can see here. This experience so far has really made me look at landscape and people photography in a whole new light.  Not being content with cliche images the project has forced me to think in a more artistic way and really consider all the elements including composition, colour and textures and of course considered lighting and atmosphere.  This will help my future photography grow to greater heights no doubt.  Being my first exhibited work I’ve now gained a desire to enter more competitions.

© Michael Good

© Michael Good

© Michael Good

© Michael Good

© Michael Good

The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) has announced the winners of the 2010 AIPP Epson NSW Professional Photography Awards for NSW.

Winners were selected from 164 prints submitted by 102 of the state’s top professional photographers. Entries were individually critiqued and scored via a scrupulous peer-review judging process involving some of Australia’s best photographers. The category winners for the 2010 AIPP Epson NSW Professional Photography Awards are:

• 2010 NSW AIPP PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: Peter Eastway, Collaroy
• 2010 NSW AIPP ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: Charles Foulsham, Double Bay
• 2010 NSW AIPP COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: Peter Eastway, Collaroy
• 2010 NSW AIPP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: Tim Pascoe, Mona Vale
• 2010 NSW AIPP PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: John Coxon, Kotara South
• 2010 NSW AIPP LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Winner: Peter Eastway, Collaroy
• 2010 NSW AIPP CREATIVE AWARD – Winner: Liisa Kuisma, Blue Mountains
• 2010 NSW AIPP Photography Album Of The Year – Winner: Ryan Schembri, Pyrmont

HENRY TALBOT AWARD for services to the Photographic Industry – Winner: Jackie Dean, Epping

Winning images can be viewed at a free public exhibition at L&P Digital Photography, 96 Reserve Road, Artarmon. The exhibition is open between 9 am and 5 pm daily from Tuesday 6th April to Friday 30th April.

When Australia’s leading experience supplier Red Balloon Days approached us about trying our Beginners DSLR Photography Workshop in order to write a review, I was naturally nervous. Although I was always quietly confident that we had one of the most thorough and inspiring beginners workshops on the market, there is always that little voice that says ‘perhaps you’re just biased’. Especially now, with so many new offerings out in the market place, the pressure is on to provide the best experience possible. After all, these days more so than ever it’s all about the experience!

Well now the confidence is back in my step, but don’t take my word for it. Here’s what Red Balloon Days had to say about it.

Read the Review

It was that time again where Daniel and I put on our judge’s hats and began the process of choosing the top 30 images from the first intake for 2010 - Digital SLR 8 week beginner course

With just under 1000 images presented on the final night we knew we had a challenge on our hands to pick the 30 stand out images.

This final selection was based on, originality of idea, overall impact of image (mood), use of colour and composition, and technical execution.

Congratulations to all those who made the final cut!

Click on the image below to reveal the top 30!

For something just a little different, AP Photographer David Guttenfelder captures Afghanistan’s largest-scale military operation since 2001 using a unique lens – his iPhone camera coupled with a Polaroid film filter app.

Some of you may know I have a small obsession with my iPhone camera and iPhone photography applications so I really enjoyed this set of images. In particular  image/slide 27, if that was my camera I’d be crying into my lowepro bag! 

These images also created a huge stir and heated debate on the online version of PDN magazine One of the questions raised was “Do the images romanticise the war?” due to the washed out colors and soft focus, making them almost dreamy and beautiful looking.

Do you think the style and feel of the these images take away the the fact that they are actually images of war? Let us know your thoughts.

Take a look at Depth Of Field : Afghanistan

If you’re anything like me these images really hit home documenting the hardship and ordeal the people of Haiti had to and are still going through. Click below to see some pretty powerful images of Haiti, 70 days later.

Haiti, 70 days later

Hot on the heels of the PX3 contest winners, and off-course our world renowned Foto Priority Top 30 …………, Photo District News Magazine (PDN) has announced their Top 30 New and Emerging Photographers To Watch in 2010.

If their portfolios alone don’t blow your socks off, then make sure you read the interviews. Now that’s dedication!