Tasmanian Light - Issue - 06 Summer 2013 Featuringcricketphotographer

BEYOND BASS STRAIT - TASMANIAN LIGHT - ISSUE - 06 SUMMER 2013 FEATURINGCRICKETPHOTOGRAPHER

Banner is of Bellerive Oval taken by Rick.

Cricket and photography have been important to me for about as long as I can remember. So much so that it was inevitable the two would some day combine.

It began when I would take my camera along to games in which I was playing and photograph my mates while they were batting. When I went along to watch Tasmanian games, something I frequently did, the camera came along with me. This began around 1980 and continued for the next decade.

It was always a pleasant way to spend a day until one afternoon at Bellerive Oval in Hobart towards the end of the 1990-91 season, Gary Goodman, who was then the marketing manager for Cricket Tasmania, told me he was having trouble finding action shots of the Tasmanian players that could be used for various promotional and other functions. He wanted to know if I had shots of their players that might be suitable. The result led to my images being used on posters and other material for the coming season. RICK SMITH From that moment I became Cricket Tasmania’s match photographer, a position I have now held for over twenty years. Each summer my task is to record all Tasmanian home games and any international matches. Occasionally I even get to travel interstate. Cricket Tasmania organizes the necessary accreditation that allows me access to the playing arena. As a result they have first call on my images which are used on their website, on various printed and promotional material and around the walls of buildings at Bellerive Oval.

Recording the action on the field is the most obvious of my tasks, but on any day I could be asked to produce a range of images. This AAPS might be anything from pre-match activities, to shots of the ground, portraits of the players, presentations, or almost any task my current boss, Media and Communications Manager, Eve Curley, can think of. In case anyone thinks it is all glamour one task was to

photograph the advertising hoardings on the ground so the sponsors could see how their money was being used.

Occasionally a formal team photo is required. This is the Tasmanian team that played in the first one-day game held at Burnie’s West Park. These photos are taken just prior to the start of play and you usually have less than a minute to get the job done.

Even on a wet day an image might be needed. The rainbow was a lucky extra

The introduction of the Tassie Roar has given me the opportunity to photograph women’s cricket and I was lucky enough to be present to record their first win in interstate competition. .

Tassie Roar fast bowler Katelyn Fryett about to hurl down another delivery. Photography women’s cricket is now part of the job.

It is not just Cricket Tasmania who use my images. Frequently I am asked to supply images to other outlets. Over the years my work has appeared in every major Australian newspaper and quite a few not so major ones as well, and in maga- zines such as Inside Sport. I’ve also worked on occasion for Cricket Australia and the other State associations. While my major focus has always been Tasmanian cricket images of other players are also recorded. You never know when someone might need them.

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is certain this West Indian batsman is out and the umpire is about to agree. The emotion of an appeal for a wicket always makes a good shot.

The workload will vary from game to game. Any international match will be busy while Sheffield Shield games, unless it’s a final, and interstate one-day games are a little more relaxed. Twenty20 cricket is the most demanding of all. Because of the short nature of the contest, it is indeed all action. There are no quiet periods. Added to the fun is the fact that Cricket Australia requires galleries of photographs to be put online within an hour of the game’s conclusion. With only fifteen minutes be- tween innings, editing and image selection have to be done on the go. As a result a three-hour Twenty20 game ends up being more exhausting than an eight-hour day at a Test match.

Hobart Hurricanes batsman Travis Birt launches a ball into Hobart’s night sky.

Hurricanes fast bowler Doug Bollinger is airborne after delivering the ball.

Veteran Ricky Ponting dives forward to take a spectacular outfield catch.

The different tasks require an interesting array of skills. Photographing cricket requires knowledge of the game to anticipate the action and then the reactions to capture the moment. Unlike some other forms of photography there are no second chances so the pressure is on and the stakes can be high. You cannot miss the spontaneous celebration for a century or the wicket that gives Tasmania its first Sheffield Shield and when the team pro- duces the victory photo you have to get it right. You have to get them all right because you cannot get them to do it all again. A major newspaper photographer missed Ricky Ponting celebrating his century in a Hobart Test match. He was flown home the next day. The upside was that they employed me for the remainder of the game.

Indian batsman Virat Kholi leaps into the air in jubilation as he reaches his century. Kholi’s amazing innings was just about the best I have ever seen and produced a win from an impos- sible position.

These are the shots you can’t miss.

Team celebration photos are very important. The Australians led by Ricky Ponting have just wrapped up a series against Pakistan. The trick here is to see everyone’s face and hopefully they will all have their eyes open.

Over the years there have been many moments to record, but none better than Tasmania’s first win in the Sheffield Shield (then called the Pura Cup). After nearly thirty years in the competition it was quite an emotional experience. At certain times it was hard to take photos with tears in your eyes. It was a day I will never forget. They’ve won it twice more since then, but nothing will top that first one.

Late in the best day I’ve ever spent at a cricket match. The Tasmanians celebrate their first Sheffield Shield (then called the Pura Cup) victory. The framed photo in the fore- ground is a tribute to teammate Scott Mason, who died suddenly at the age of 28. The images of Mason were taken by me and I’m honoured that my work was used for such a special memorial.

There has also been the privilege of watching and photographing the world’s best players, and the excitement of covering a number of Boxing Day Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It’s all added up to a body of work of which I am very proud.

West Indian Brian Lara delivers the biggest hit I’ve seen at Bellerive Oval. He struck Austra- lian fast bowler Brett Lee out of the ground and into the front yard of the house over the road.

Perhaps the most surreal moment came during the 2011-12 Test against New Zealand when I received a call to come to the Chairman’s lunch and photograph a presentation. The subject happened to be Prince Frederick of Denmark who had decided to come to the cricket for the day. Not a task I would have anticipated that morning.

Prince Frederick of Denmark seated next to Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings. Surely not your average day-at-the cricket shot.

In order to cover for any eventuality a considerable amount of gear needs to accompany me to the game each day. This consists of a long lens for capturing the action in the middle, a medium length zoom and wide-angle lens for anything else, along with my Speedlite flash. In this digital age my laptop is also included. As a result my backpack fully loaded weighs some 20kgs. My choice of camera gear is Canon and I use an Ap- ple Mac laptop. I have a much larger Mac at home and external hard drives and archival DVDs and CDs for storing my work. In addition to Adobe Photoshop, both Elements and the full version I use Lightroom to catalogue my work. As a rule the images are not cropped; this task being left to editors and web designers when they images are used.

This was not always the case. Initially images were shot in black and white as it was the only film capable of delivering a fast enough ISO to capture the action. These negatives are catalogued in folders, as are the colour negatives that were used when film technol- ogy improved and good colour at a decent ISO could be guaranteed. Colour slides were also used at different times, and these are also catalogued because it is surprising how often requests to use them come along. One of the most recent was from the ABC for photos to use in their Australian Story about Ricky Ponting and I was able to supply a number from his early days which were used in program. Some of these images were also used in his autobiography and to promote its release in papers around the country.

A young Ricky Ponting walks off Bellerive Oval after scoring a double century against Western Australia in 1994-95. This photo was used in Ponting’s autobiography and in various newspapers around the country.

Ponting’s career was a source of much enjoyment. Here he plays a perfect drive during his century against Victoria in his final season. He was superb to the very end.

There are days when it is stinking hot, although not that many in Hobart, more when it is the exact opposite. There are wet days and days when the game is slow and tedious, but there are also moments and performances which take your breath away. The beauty is that you never know what you are going to get when you walk through the gate, and it’s that which keeps me coming back.

Another day to file away in the memory. The Tasmanians win the Shef- field Shield for the second time, and aren’t they happy. Their photographer was pretty pleased too

Even after more than twenty years I still love what I do and anyone wanting my job might have to wait a while yet - Rick

AIPC Competition Results 2013:

Entry MONO COLOUR MONO DIGITAL COLOUR DIGITAL TOTAL PRINT PRINT ACT 77 84 94 95 350 NSW 92 104 100 92 388 TAS 101 85 102 90 378 VIC 97 104 101 103 405

Note: - scoring system used resulted in a maximum of 15 points being awarded per image..

You will see here that we did well, especially in the monochrome, coming first in the prints and digital. However we did not stand out in the colour versions of the same competitions or overall but we did not come last and some of us managed to get awards.

The Herbert Medal Monochrome Digital Images 2013

Phillipa Alexander EFIAP FAPS EPSA – TAS “Gironde Fishing Huts”

MONOCHROME PRINTS Merit Monochrome COLOURED Digital PRINTS AIPC 2013

Felix Staub EFIAP FAPS PPSA - TAS – “Red Rocks Agua Caliente”

Merit Colour Prints AIPC 2013 Felix Staub EFIAP FAPS PPSA - TAS – “King Penguin Huddle”

Merit Monochrome Prints AIPC 2013 Richard Claase TAS “Toilet Humour”

Merits Colour Digital AIPC 2013

Phillipa Alexander EFIAP FAPS EPSA - TAS—”Heron”

Phillipa Alexander EFIAP FAPS EPSA - TAS - “Cormorant Arrival”

In a totally different international competition -

Phillipa has received a FIAP badge for the best author of a Salon, or best exhibitor in the 1st RTANJ Digital Circuit 2013 - Kladovo Salon (Serbia)

http://photoclub-danube.com/2nd-danube-exhibition-2013-catalog/

(there were 6,062 photos entered from 558 authors from 62 countries)

She also received a Gold FSS medal for “Cormorant Arrival”

Well done Phillipa, it is good to know that Tassie has photographers that equate with the best in the world.

Congratulations go to Felix Staub who recently received honours from the Photographic Society of America. He is not the only one in Tasmania to have this award. Phillipa Alexander has also received the same award earlier this year.

Well done to two of our own very distinguished photographers.

Laura J. Davies, FPSA Public Relations V.P. 194 Windsor Court New Brighton, MN 55112 [email protected]

September 4, 2013

For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE

Felix Staub Receives Photographic Society of America Distinction Award

The Photographic Society of America (PSA) is pleased to announce that Felix Staub, EPSA has been awarded the Excellence Distinction (EPSA) in recog- nition of his photographic achievement record in PSA recognized International Exhibitions of photography. To qualify for the Excellence Distinction, 700 or more acceptances are required. The award Certificate will be presented at the 2014 PSA International Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The award includes an invitation to submit a sample of work to the EPSA Gallery on the PSA web site.

PSA is a worldwide organization of both amateur and professional photographers, with membership in over 70 countries. Visit the PSA web site at www.psa-photo.org to view the ROPA Galleries and to learn more about PSA, its activities, and the benefits of membership.

Images to remind us of Summer all taken around Tasmania. Again they are mine for easy access. - Anne

Another Apscon has been and gone with many enjoying what it offered.

Here Laki gives us his thoughts on the 51st Annual Convention of APS in Bunbury with some images he has taken during that time.

What did this APSCON mean to me - Laki Anagnostis AFIAP AAPS

As an active photographic competitor nationally and internationally, Apscon is the only time I can put a person to a name I see in national photographic catalogues. Added to that is the enjoyment of sitting down with them over a coffee or lunch and talking about the joy we get out of our passion of photography.

Apscon this year had a wide range of presenters and workshops, from movie making to a light workshop which gave us the opportunity to photograph some amazing images. We had choices of outings such as a wildlife park, rail museum, winery's and even the gnomesville farm that at- tracted a number of photographers. The Mayor of Bunbury gave us a warm welcome and lots of fine food to kick start our week at the welcome cocktail party & the midweek dinner at the Lighthouse Beach Resort sponsored by the Digital Division was just superb. The highlight was me winning one of the grand prizes of the night, a large digital TV set. Unfortunately it was too big to come with me to Tasmania.

The convention centre at the Lord Forrest Hotel kept the good food rolling and topped it off with tea, coffee and muffins. Our keynote speaker, Sally Mason from NZ, spoke about going back to basics and looking outside the square plus bringing the play back into our photography. Sally's quote is ‘not about waiting for the storm to pass but to get out there and dance in the rain’.

Speaker Brent Acie spoke about what is art in photography and how the viewer feels when he looks at it. Dale Neil told us to photograph from your heart and saturate yourself with your subject, that way you get a good grasp of the work you love to shoot. Stephanie Faulkner talked about the do and don'ts on copyright. Peter Eastway was about understanding Photoshop and making the image yours. Nick Melidonis, travel photographer of the year, it was the importance of getting it right in the camera and learning to see.

The speaker list goes on and on. The two presenters who appealed to me were Nick Rains with his Light Room skills and Tony Hewitt Austra- lian multi award winner photographer of the year who made it clear we must shoot with feeling and doing so, our energy will follow our passion.

In short, APSCON to me was about making good friends who have the same passion as myself, as well as learning new ideas and having a week of fun. I now look forward to APSCON 2014 in Ballarat Victoria.

FROM THE LIGHT PAINTING WORKSHOP - LAKI

FROM THE WILD-LIFE PARK & FROM THE WILD WATERS OF BUNBURY - LAKI

STATE SERVICE AWARDS - SSAPS

We see many people receiving awards for images in one way or another, but the awards granted for service to Photography are often hidden.

This year we see Ruth Timperon EFIAP FAPS SSAPS (North) and Baydon Smith (North West) receive State Service awards for their commitment of service to photography in our State. Congratulations to you both on behalf of us all.

Should you wish to see the two citations that tell you a little about the work they have done over the years, you will find them printed in the October edition of E-News.

Focus Fine Photography Group - an update (Susan, Galina, Jenny & Inesa)

Since our last update we have been a busy group, undertaking various excursions and day trips. We had a successful exhibition at the Clarence City Council’s Rosny School House Gallery - enti- tled ‘Mono’ with many fantastic comments on the work. Excur- sions have been to such places as the newly opened ‘Willow Court’ in New Norfolk, the Boat Houses at Conningham, looking for fungi on the Myrtle track at Mount Wellington, chasing the Aurora and star trails (night photography) from the top of Mt Wel- lington, playing with light boxes and macros of tiny plants. In Au- gust we went to Maria Island and had another exhibition titled ‘Water’, which was held in the Moonah Arts Centre, Hopkins Street. In November we head down the Tasman Peninsula and in December we wrap up the year with our Christmas celebrations.

Focus Exhibition at Moonah Arts Centre 2013

Susan Mace -

My Year of Wellness: The last couple of years have personally been a bit of a struggle and I have found that picking up my camera and heading off some- where to take photographs has been great therapy.

Hence, 1st April 2013 started the ‘Year of Wellness’ – taking at least one photograph a day over a 12 months period, aiming for something a little different each time, with 203 days already gone. Plus venturing into new environments I haven’t been to before, I have learnt a lot about myself during the last year and know that photography is my thing, losing myself in it constantly. I hope those viewing my images feel some emotion and connection to them as I have felt during their creation.

We live in such a beautiful place here in Tassie, with a multi- tude of amazing environments to photograph, no matter the weather! I am constantly being inspired photographically, especially now the spring is here and everyone and everything has more energy and enthusiasm! I have created my photography business, Bluepatch Photography, which is slowly growing. I am working hard to develop my website, have had some commercial work come my way, and am constantly endeavouring to better my craft.

www.bluepatchphotography.com.au

Jenny Schorta - During the last 6 months I have been taking a wide variety of photographs, from the life in Vietnam’s North to the tiny fungi in the Tarkine wilderness on the West Coast of Tasmania. In addition, I have been hunt- ing around and photographing old cars and playing around with a few Photoshop filters to come up with interesting effects.

Photographing in Vietnam was amazing from the colourful tribes in the hill near Sapa to the more modestly dressed locals in Hanoi. I spent two weeks in the country and undertook a trek through the hills to visit the local tribes. We then spent a week in the old quarter of Hanoi where old and new meet in an amazing buzz of life.

Over Spring we have had an amazing amount of rain in Tasmania and the waterfalls around the state have been wonderful - I have been visiting a few of them such as Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Lady Barron Falls all up at Mt Field National Park.

In September I was privileged to photograph the Tall Ships that visited Hobart - Galina and I climbed the mast of one of the ships and took photographs downwards. On the Wednesday when they did their parade of sail down the Der- went River, Galina and I went out in the boat fol- lowing them as they set sail for Sydney.

It is now springtime and all the wildflowers are out - orchids are everywhere in the Parks and Reserves around Hobart and many of us have been using our Macro lenses and capturing some beautiful coloured flowers.

Images by Galina Romalis

From the Editor

Tasmania has been affected by the reduction of members as is APS generally . This ‘shrinking of numbers’ was spoken about at Apscon and we are hopeful this is not a continuing thing. Tasmania has lost 28 members over the last 12 months, which is a huge number for us in the scheme of things. We now have a membership of 57 with 20 in the south, 24 in the north & 13 on the North West Coast.

Various reasons have been given for this across Australia. Some members have been in the organisation for many years, with minimal activity in photography & as changes have occurred, they have decided it was time for them to leave.

Others have been unhappy with the new fee structure or with the changes to digital only. Some have left because the magazine Image has ceased to be produced as a hard copy. Others have left for reasons known only to themselves but the overall reduction in membership is worry- ing to the organisation. Plus Australia is going through a hard time financially. Many are being laid off, businesses are closing, superannuation is not paying as well as people would like, so fees associated with membership may be something that is put on a back burner for now.

Another thing rarely spoke about & related to the society is the voluntary nature of the organisers. Everyone involved in the running of the society is a volunteer, barring the two paid office staff, René & Stella who are very part time and struggle to maintain what is required of them within the time they are there. However, they do a good job and I am sure they put in a lot more hours than what they are paid for. Everyone knows how hard it is to get volunteers, especially today. Many of the volunteers within APS have been there for many years and are looking for replacements. Yet it still continues as a society, with those who are there putting in many hours of their own time & expertise to keep it going.

So let’s keep our little group in Tasmania alive & kicking with as much energy as we want to put out. It is wonderful that this newsletter continues to get contributions and I am very hopeful memberships will pick up again at some point into the future. Should there be opportunity for any of you to promote APS to others, that would be wonderful. I am also mindful that there is only one of me and my time is very limited. I have just recently received some business cards and I am hopeful that pamphlets which advertise APS to non-members will also come my way in the near future. This will assist me in the promotion of the society throughout Tasmania by being able to leave them at various venues for the public to see.

Should there be anyone in Hobart or on the North West Coast who might be willing to co-ordinate events for the local areas under the banner of APS, I would appreciate them contacting me around what might be possible.

I would also like to wish everyone on behalf of APS a very happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year in 2014. Even though we are small, we are strong and can pack a punch if needed. We are Tasmanians after all - Anne

Nadia Trevan - My Creative Journey

When Anne O’Connor, APS Tasmanian Representative, asked me to write something about myself for this magazine, my immediate thought was “gosh me – what do I say, I’m only an amateur photographer.” However, I knew from experience how hard it is to get contributions for newsletters and so I said “ok.” Although I have always liked photographs, I didn’t really consider photography as a creative medium. I remember as a very young girl being fascinated by people in photographs. I would stare at the pictures and be captivated for a few minutes feeling that somehow I had a connection with them. I would ask myself questions like “who are you, what went though your mind when you posed for this pic- ture, are you happy or sad?”

Having been “labelled” as creative by the school career counsellor, I decided to ignore it and pursue a career in business focusing on marketing and public relations. In the course of my career I became increasing reliant on photographs to instantly convey a message. The decision to Dark Thoughts—Nadia Trevan choose the “best photograph” was difficult as the “right” photograph was more powerful than any words on paper; after all we only had one chance to get it right. Experience taught that ultimately, photographs will capture the imagination of the target audience. Buskers—Nadia Trevan

The creative label was always at the back of my mind and I knew that, eventually, I would need to fulfil that part of me but going back to music was out of the question.

An overseas trip forced me to buy my first digital camera, a Canon Power Shot. Well, this little camera was the beginning of my journey with photography and so I decided to pursue the medium as a way of expressing my creativity.

I quickly upgraded to a basic DSLR, a Canon 400D kit with two lenses and, after reading and reading the camera manual, I realised how little I knew about photography. So my journey with photography as a creative medium really started some eight years ago. I started taking lots of pictures but I quickly became dissatisfied with the output as what I envisaged didn’t always translate into reality. To help me achieve my goals I undertook many short courses, read some books and maga- zines and experimented with techniques. Meg—Nadia Trevan I joined the Launceston Photographic Society (LPS) to be with like minded people and to gain an insight into the medium. I learned about portraiture when I became a member of the LPS portraiture group and how different it was compared to taking pictures of bees, birds and flowers! I truly enjoyed this genre of photography as I like the connection with people. Also, how one can create a mood when converting the images to monochrome.

One of my photographs was accept as the Editor’s choice in Burke’s Backyard magazine which won me an Epson printer. Cool Josh—Nadia Trevan This experience boosted my confidence and I felt more positive in entering other competitions with some success.

I recently joint APS and the digital division. I entered my first competition and was encouraged that some photographs were accepted while others were rejected!

My current experiment is in macro photography, again my level of frustration pushed me to review my techniques. I wanted the whole subject to be in focus and the background blurred. But how? I did- n’t want to spend lots of time in Photoshop!

Having listened to a talk on photo stacking, I thought that this technique could be the answer. My first task was to learn how to “stack” and once I mastered this, it was time to move to the next phase.

What did I need to do to create this composite image? I started

Bee on Flower—Nadia Trevan with three shots of a subject, divided into three parts, top, middle and bottom. Set the camera on a tripod, used remote control, manual focus, same f stop, ISO and WB but different exposures. Two hours later and I couldn’t wait to download the images and see the results – umm ok but not that satisfactory! Dusky Bell—Nadia Trevan

After reviewing where I needed to improve, I revised the criteria and decided to still divide the image into three parts but have them overlap more - yes, works a lot better – and so the journey to master this technique continues with more and more experi- ments!

Photography brings out the technician in me but also the creative – what a conundrum and no wonder I tussle with it all! Nadia Musk Lorikeet—Nadia Trevan Coneflower—Nadia Trevan

Looks like we have come to the end of this edition. THANKS TO ALL

To conclude, I have added an image by Felix Staub portraying a bush fire on Hunter Island, one of the FOR THEIR islands in the Hunter Group off the North West Coast of Tasmania - Anne See http://www.discovertasmania.com/about_tasmania/our_islands/north-west_islands INPUT TO THIS EDITION WITHOUT IT, THERE WOULD BE NO NEWSLETTER And yes, I am always happy to receive any material from anyone for inclusion Provided it is related to APS, Tasma- nia or Tasmanian members of APS

It will be printed in an edition with the first available space as close as possible to receipt of the material.

It must also be within the ethics and principles of the APS

NOTE: Content is copyright to the author. Any reproduction must be with that person’s consent.

UNTIL NEXT TIME ENJOY YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

ANNE The next edition of Tasmanian Light will be a Autumn edition, hopefully out some time before March, [email protected] so I will be wanting material anytime from now until the second week in April. Thanks again for all the wonderful contributions. Lets hope the next one equals what has gone before — Anne PHONE: 03 6334 5144 MOBILE: 0418 332 022