foto Priority

I’m very excited about working with Steven from InkedupTV on the creation of a new promo clip for SPW so keep an eye out, it’s coming soon.Without doubt Steven is one creative dude!

Browsing through some of his most recent work I came across this clip which he had just completed. Enjoy!!

NEW EDGAR “OSOK” HOILL VIDEO!!! Steven catches up with leading photographer of Lowrider Magazine! Without a doubt Edgar Hoill has a natural talent of capturing the raw essence of his subjects. “All my stuff is street, so all my stuff is real. And everything that I shoot is either people I know real close or that I work close with or just stuff I see on the streets.”He also has a sick ass collection of tattoos done by some of the best around the world. Jack Rudy, Horiyoshi III, Ben Grillo, Tattoo Tony just to name a few

Courtesy of Steven Guzman at InkedupTV

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.

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

Canon Australia and New Zealand today officially announced the EOS Masters.

The below information is from Canons recent media release: Canon unveils EOS Masters

Showcasing the talent and leadership of six of Australia and New Zealand’s leading professional photographers, the Canon EOS Masters aim to inspire and challenge photographers of all experience levels to grow their creative photography capability.

“The Canon EOS Masters represent some of the most gifted and awarded photographers in their respective fields,” said Cathy Hattersley, Brand Manager – EOS Professional.  “We hope photographers of all experience levels and interests will find inspiration through the Masters to get out there, experiment with their photography, develop their expertise, and have fun trying something new.”

The Canon EOS Masters are already playing a role in inspiring and developing the skills of photographers with their individual monthly photographic challenges on EOS 1Wall In coming months, keen photographers can also look forward to hearing the pros’ top tips for taking the perfect shot.

Introducing the EOS Masters

Graham Monro – Wedding and Portrait

Photographer Graham Monro is the founder of one of Australia’s leading wedding and portrait studios, GM Photographics. A prolific photographer, Graham’s work has been published extensively throughout Australia, and internationally. Graham’s passion for photography was born out of a hobby which grew into a successful career in fashion and advertising, and most recently portraiture and wedding photography for clients in New York, Sydney and Singapore. Graham is a Double Master of Photography with the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photographers), a Fellow of the NZIPP (New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers) and recipient of numerous industry accolades. He has been a Canon user from the start.

Mark Horsburgh – Sports

Mark Horsburgh is regarded as one of the world’s leading sports photographers and specialises in the high-speed world of motorsport, where he boasts such prominent manufacturers as Ford, Holden, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mini and Volvo as valuable clients. Mark’s core business is as the series photographer for the V8 Supercar Series, and also provides action imagery from Formula One, Le Mans, Moto GP and IndyCar events to major international agencies. In recent years Mark has built his business, Edge Photographics, into an industry leader.

Urs Buhlman – Commercial/Advertising

Urs has been a professional photographer for 28 years and still loves it. Urs spent his early career travelling around Australia, shooting commissioned annual reports, before moving into specialist automotive work both in Australia and abroad. The passionate Urs “lives and breathes” photography and is recognised as one of the region’s leading Advertising and Commercial Photographers. Urs was awarded the Canon AIPP Australian Photographer of the Year 2006, voted Top Advertising Photographer in 2008 and 2009 and also has a couple of D&AD (British Design and Art Direction) gongs under his belt.

Yervant – Wedding and Portrait

Yervant was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1958 as the son of royal photographer Hagop Zanazanian. Yervant won his very first award in photography at age 11 with an African landscape image that he had photographed.
Yervant was the first ‘Wedding’ photographer to win the ‘Digital Image Maker of the Year’ award in 1996, a category never before attempted, let alone won, by a wedding photographer. In 1998 Yervant became the youngest Fellow of AIPP in recognition of his significant influence in refashioning traditional wedding photography to what is now a standard mode within Australia and moreover overseas. Since then, Yervant has continued to receive international recognition and awards including being listed as one of the ‘Most influential photographers of the decade’ in January this year. Yervant also received the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) Lifetime Achievement Award 2010 in March this year – the only Australian and one of the youngest in WPPI’s 30 year history.

Mike Langford – Commercial/Landscape/Education

Mike Langford is a Master and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and a Fellow and Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP).
He has been a professional photographer for 30 years and an International Awards judge for 20 years. With a raft of awards to his name, Mike has been awarded Australian Geographic Photographer of the Year, Korean International Photographer of the Year, NSW Photographer of the Year, twice Australian Institute of Professional Photography Landscape Photographer of the Year and the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography Photographer of the Year, Corporate/Industrial Photographer of the Year and Landscape Photographer of the Year. He is co-director of the Queenstown Centre for Creative Photography with his wife Jackie Ranken.

Jackie Ranken– Illustrative/Landscape/Education

Jackie Ranken has been a photographer since she was sixteen and lives in New Zealand with husband and fellow photographer Mike Langford. Jackie has been awarded Master Photographer status multiple times in New Zealand and Australia. Her list of awards is long and includes, since 2002, eight category wins from the AIPP and NZIPP and a 2nd place title in the Nature and Environment series section of the Canon World Press Photo Awards. What matters to her most is that she is out there exploring who she is and expressing herself through her photography. She considers her ‘art’ to be classic black and white landscape photography. Her main career is pursuing her personal photographic practice and running the Creative Photography Workshops as part of Queenstown Centre for Creative Photography. Her main commercial work is editorial in content. She is the current NZIPP Illustrative/editorial Photographer of the Year.

Our apologies for a delay in posting the final Top 30 of 2009. We’re blaming lots of things, but mainly Christmas holidays, travel, too much eating and definitely drinking, children, pets, photo shoots and technical issues. We hope it’s worth the wait.

Every time I sit down to run through this editing process I am astounded by the number of quality images presented by those, who only 8 weeks earlier knew NOTHING about photography.

This time we started with 1480 images which were presented on the final night ( wk 8 ) by each of the students. The first edit was easy, as images were selected based on initial impact. Basically, they stood out from the rest of the pack. Within a few hours the 180 were whittled down to 60 as we lost a great number to critical (or general) focus issues and slightly sloppy composition. From there things really slowed down, we compared, discussed and even argued over each image, and it’s merits.

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! I feel most would agree that these images hold their own on most gallery walls around town.

Click on the image below to reveal the top 30!

International Photographer Scott McGale braved a coolish early morning in Sydney last week to cover “The Base” an installation by Spencer Tunick. Below is Scotts account of the morning, sit back and enjoy!

©Scott McGale

©Scott McGale

It was 4.45am and I was just parking the bike near the Harbour Bridge,  a good walk away from the event site, knowing that I would be able to get away easily after the gig was over.  As I made my way to the Opera House, I was thinking, what the hell am I doing here?  I’m still half asleep, its just about to start pouring with rain, and I am going to take pictures of a few naked people lying around the steps of the Opera House!  I need coffee –  fast!

The event I was covering was called “The Base”.  The 2010 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, had invited photographer, Spencer Tunick, over from the USA to do his thing.  Spencer has developed a solid reputation for roaming the Globe and asking as many people as possible to take off their clothes so he can photograph them, in good taste, for art’s sake.

©Scott McGale

I first encountered Spencer in London in 2004 I think, doing the same thing over there.  A friend of mine was involved in the organisation of the event, and I ended up covering it for The Observer Magazine.  I have to say it was one of the most interesting events I have ever been to.  Spencer creates amazing body-scapes in an urban setting that are just incredible.  Hundreds, or thousands of bodies filling the horizon makes for fabulous images.  So when I got the chance to be involved with the event here in Sydney, I put my hand up straight away because I knew that there were some amazing images to be had.

After securing a rather large coffee, I made my way to the Media entrance to the event.  It was still dark, cold, and it felt like rain was just minutes away.  The Media were corralled into a very small, confined front, facing the left hand side steps of the Opera House.  I was there at 5.00am, but it was obvious that others had beaten me to the prime spots already.  I spent the next few minutes elbowing my way into a very nice spot on the railing at the front of the section, pretending to be very friendly to the other journos and photographers who had been up from the wee small hours before me.  All in all, there must have been about a dozen of us there at that time in the morning.

It was plainly obvious to me that if I was to move even one step backwards, I was going to lose my position at the front, so I resigned myself to having to stay put exactly where I was until the event started in a couple of hours. Bugger!  That’s about the time you start developing long and detailed conversations with the complete stranger next to you at the railing, who is also determined not to give up an inch of their position until the bitter end.  One thing that was clear to all of us, was that we could only see about 1000-1500 people that had turned up to take their clothes off on such a cold miserable morning.  And they were all right over at the other end of the steps from us!  The media was only allowed at the left hand side of the Opera House steps, and we were trying to work out just how we were going to get a good picture from this side, when all the nudies were going to be on the other side of the steps.  Typical!

After waiting ‘til well after the light started to rise from the depths of the shadows, did we hear that the event was going to get underway.  Drew, the PR man, who was regularly scooting up and down the media line saying just how fabulous it was going to be, announced that there was a record attendance of five thousand, two hundred people and they were just about to disrobe!  As it turns out, there were that many people, and they had been hiding either in the Opera House itself, or around the corner at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.  Needless to say, this news raised our spirits and we all took up our positions with renewed fervor.  A cheer went up from the crowd, and naked body after naked body started flowing onto the steps of the Opera House until all but a very small corner, just out of shot, was completely covered.  It was still freezing at that time in the morning.  Nothing like the early winter’s morning in London, I might add, but cold enough to give a man a reason to wish it was a lot warmer!  And everybody was hopping up and down on the spot to get a little warmth into their extremities.  A few minutes later Spencer Tunick was introduced to the crowd and the arrangement began.

Using a loudspeaker, Spencer very carefully positioned the nudies so they were evenly spaced across the steps.  He also reiterated that everybody had to be completely naked, and that no undies, hats or jewelry could be left on, but he did encourage people not to take out any piercings they may have.

The Opera House was an exceptional venue for this type of event as the steps naturally tiered the bodies to full advantage and created a wall of nakedness of epic proportions.  That coupled with the iconic shell shaped roof, made for some amazing compositions that were wholly Australian.  The other factor that was in our favour on the day was the light.  As it was severely overcast, the light was incredibly soft and even.  Initially it was very difficult to get a good exposure below ISO 2000 without a tripod, but as the sun rose through the clouds and the event took shape, I was able to drop the ISO to about 400 to get some truly awesome images of a great event.  The feel of the images would have been vastly different if the sun was shining directly onto the bodies instead of being diffused through the soft clouds.

During the picture taking, Spencer directed the crowds into a variety of positions.  All this while, the more mainstream television stations were broadcasting the weather, on the half hour, using the event as a backdrop for their broadcasts. It was during one of these weather broadcasts, that there was a huge cheer from our end of the crowd on the steps.  After a minute of cheering, Grant Denyer, the weather anchor from Channel 7, leapt over the media railing completely naked and ran over to the nudies, turned to camera, covered his privates with one hand and held his microphone in the other and presented the weather to the cheers and heckles of the crowd surrounding him.  He just got it done when security “talked” him into returning to the media railing and to put his clothes back on.  In a defiant stance against the event security, before remounting the railing, he turned back to the crowd and proceeded to shake his bits for all to see, and to the great amusement and approval of the crowd.  Not too long after that, the event came to a close, and participants either retreated back into the Opera House, or made a dash for their clothes and a chance to get warm again.

©Scott McGale

©Scott McGale

It wasn’t until I had was back home in my studio did I get a chance to realize the magnitude of the event that had unfolded before my eyes.  Never before had I had an opportunity to witness that many naked bodies, in that sort of composition, with that quality of light before.  And I doubt if I will ever get the chance to do that again.  Somehow I feel that we, behind the media railing, had an even better position than Spencer himself, who was shooting from a raised platform high above the bodies.   Our low lying position, and the elevation of the steps gave us an unparalleled view of a wall of bodies. One, which I will never forget.

Hi all, ok time for some inspiration (said in a heavy French accent) I was recently sent a link to The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (Px3) and was very impressed by the images submitted by both professional and amature photographers.

A little about the competition -

The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and to introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a high-profile gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3Annual Book.

Check out the Px3 website for all the latest winners from each category. I especially love the series that came second titled “Aftermath of War in Lebanon”

I’ve been searching for a decent tool to create flash websites for a long time now, I am pretty sure I have finally found one! WIX.COM. I had been tossing up the idea of paying a web designer $1000’s of dollars until I discovered WIX.( I can now use that money to buy myself a new lens!)

For photographers who want to create awesome flash online portfolios this might be just the thing for you. WIX is a free website builder that’s really easy tool to use, lots of dragging and dropping with the ability to add your own content, pictures, videos, text, animations, effects and widgets. One of the biggest selling points for me was I no longer have to learn or understand any type of programming or code, which is a huge bonus!

The free version of WIX is suitable for just about anyone however you have the choice to upgrade to Premium for features such as –

- Use your own domain
- Remove Wix ads
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Extra storage
- Google Analytics site stats
- Unlimited pages
- Professional hosting
- Premium support

Take a look at some of the example photographers sites that have been created with WIX, they also have a blog to keep you up to date with  latest news and announcements etc.

If you are currently using WIX let us know what you think? Or, if you are using something similar tell us about it using the comments section below.

Here’s a short  video I found on youtube on how to build a website in 2mins using WIX

Have you ever tried to sell your images online? Not sure what websites to use? Or which images attract the most attention from buyers out there? Well, hopefully I can cover some of your burning questions.

I spoke with Phill Danze who has experienced some great success selling images online. Phill is also a long time student of Sydney photo Workshops and has had one on one tuition with Daniel Linnet to try and perfect his craft. Phill shares with me some insider knowledge about what keeps him inspired to keep selling and promoting himself as a photographer.

Trying to decide which photos in your collection would sell the best, or attract the most attention could be a difficult task.  Which images are you having success with?
“In stock my best selling pictures are those that are a series of rocks with inspirational words on them and shots with a recycling or environment theme.”

Then there’s choosing the correct website.  There are many out there that allow you to sell your work.
“I mainly use two agencies for stock and have found most sales success with iStock, not enough to give up my day job but over time it has enabled me to upgrade my equipment and get the satisfaction of seeing my work used in the market place.”

© Phillip Danze

“I also use two online platforms for fine art and of the two, Redbubble is the one I get the occasional sale from. Fine art you need to market yourself, the platform is just that, the means to show your work and provide a place for people to buy it – it is up to you to drive traffic to your work.”

Phill has been lucky in that his “regular” job has allowed him to travel and keep him motivated “I’ve travelled a lot internationally with my job so I bought a digital SLR and took some courses on how to use it plus learn the basics of composition and lighting.”

Remaining inspired about photography is a challenge for all photographers; from amateurs to professionals. We often have t0 find new avenues of inspiration to keep us motivated and on top of the game. “I stay inspired by reading photography magazines, websites, liaising with fellow photographers and seeing their work, plus doing courses and workshops.”

Phill has been fortunate enough to travel to some pretty magical destinations. I asked Phill to describe some of the most interesting places he has photographed around the world, “There would be two, Macquarie Island and Antarctica. The wildlife was stunning and the remoteness and minimal human presence in these places added to the experience and pressure of getting the shot the first time. I also learned a lot about photography in either damp and drizzly conditions, or in freezing, high wind conditions.”

“I owe the success of my shots to some practice before leaving Australia and some tuition with Daniel Linnet”

When it comes to advice about selling images online, Phill offers some final tips and tricks of the trade “Think about what you want to sell and who your market is. There are plenty of sites where you can sell your own work and I recommend you only put your very best work out there as if someone looks at an average shot, they may not look at your other work. Think of themes or concepts to create a collection of shots. Market your work and leverage events or celebrations to promote sales of your work. Stock on the other hand requires you to use an agency and they will inspect your files before accepting them into their database of pictures. They require very high quality files and in my experience do not tolerate poorly composed pictures, artifacting, chromatic aberrations, or over processed work (i.e. keep the post camera processing to a minimum). Finally, be patient, there are a lot of budding photographers out there (not to mention professional photographers) and it could take a while to get your first sale. Most of the enjoyment I get from selling online is that is challenges me to be a better photographer and to think about what I am doing and trying to convey when taking a picture.

Check out Phills images at Red Bubble and istockphoto