MASTERING COLOUR BALANCE WITH EASE $19.95 ISSUE 100 Better WINTER 2020 Photography Our 100th Issue Collector’s Edition! • Art Wolfe’s Human Canvas • Murray Fredericks on Art • Luminosity Masking for Colour • Shooting Butterflies l GADGETS & GIZMOS A FUJIFILM SPECIAL PROMOTION All photos by Jack Picone. Taken during cremations at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Fujifilm X-T4, XF23mmF2 R WR, f2.2 @ 1/30 second, ISO 500. Fujifilm X-T4, XF23mmF2 R WR, f4 @ 1/125 second, ISO 400. JACK PICONE: FAST, FLUID AND INTUITIVE Fujifilm’s Amazing New X-T4 What does it take experiences and ideas, but after all to be a successful this, what continues to drive documentary Jack are his personal photographer? projects. Apart from “Generally, my the skills required personal work is street to find and photography and capture the images, most of the currently I’m working on better-known documentary ‘The Other Chinatown’ photographers you’ll meet are also in Bangkok and a surreal deeply-thinking individuals. For them, shopping mall rooftop photography is only a part of their zoo, also in Bangkok, personal involvement with the world – called ‘Pata Zoo’.“ how they interact with their subjects While Jack is equally important. acknowledges challenges that all documentary Jack Picone photographers face – Australian-born Jack Picone shoots finding stories, access to editorial, corporate, architectural and subjects, engaging with subjects street photography professionally. and obtaining permissions, it’s the Over the past three decades, he has nature of the interaction that is most covered wars and social issues in important to him. Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe “I find it challenging to achieve Collaboration and his work has won several an ethical balance with the “I have partly surmounted this international awards, including World people I document in longer-term challenge by collaborating with the Press Awards, the U.S. Photographer documentary photography projects.” people I photograph,” explained Jack. of the Year Awards (POY) and In other words (and at the risk of over “I once read that it is impossible the Mother Jones/IFDP Grant for simplifying the issue), a wealthy first- (without getting into the subject’s skin) Social Documentary Photography. world photographer documenting to share an identical purpose. That Professor Picone is also passionate a poorer or disadvantaged subject said, and as Sarah Pink (in Doing Visual about educating new generation creates an immediate bias, no matter Ethnography, 2007) observes, working photographers, passing on his how genuine the project is. in close parallel can help to offset the 2 BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY fujifilm-x.com/en-au/ All photos also used the Bleach Bypass film simulation, one of Fujifilm’s many strengths. Fujifilm X-T4, XF23mmF2 R WR, f2 @ 1/250 second, ISO 400. Fujifilm X-T4, XF23mmF2 R WR, f2 @ 1/250 second, ISO 640. unequal power relationship that makes them less intimidating and I “Even so, photographing the ritual often exists between a subject and a think it is this combination that creates of death is mostly about respect, practitioner, resulting in a body of work a potent and positive psychology when unobtrusiveness and speed. There can that is more ethically balanced.” photographing people, especially those be beauty in pathos and poetic and in fragile situations.” sorrowful photographs can be made or Unobtrusive Prior to its release, Jack tested the lost in microseconds. Readers looking at Jack’s work (and new Fujifilm X-T4 in Kathmandu, Nepal “I found while documenting the that of other great documentary on an assignment. cremations at Pashupatinath Temple photographers), often wonder what “Like Kathmandu itself, the X-T4 in Kathmandu that the Fujifilm X-T4’s cameras and techniques were used has a dual personality: on the outside, fold-away LCD screen, in combination and while these aspects are important, it resonates retro with classic design with the large dials and controls on the the strength of the images usually lines not eclipsed by time. On the top deck, allowed me to work fast, stay results from addressing other issues, inside, it is all twenty-first-century in the moment and learn about the such as ethics. space-age technology. It’s a compelling Nepalese peoples’ conversation with Having said that, how does Jack combination. death. I can’t imagine working with work when he’s out in the field? Does “Nepal is a spiritually multi- a camera that requires you to scroll he walk up to his subjects and shoot dimensional and creative place. Much through endless menu pages! with a wide-angle lens, or shoot from of its creativity is rooted in Hinduism. In “I push my cameras to the an unobserved distance? Kathmandu, Hinduism is omnipresent extreme edge of their capabilities. “It depends on the genre in life and death. In fact, Hinduism is a Having six and a half stops of image of photography I am working conversation between life and death stabilisation, lightning fast autofocus, in,” answered Jack. “If it is street and it is reflected in Nepalese culture lots of film simulation modes and extra photography, I make photographs with its religious iconography, art, battery life, keeps me on that ‘edge’ that avoid ‘disrupting’ the original writing, graffiti, music and even the where most of the potent photographs moments unfolding. If documentary cremations on the banks of the sacred happen. photography, then I meet people, Bagmati River.” “The Fujifilm X-T4 is intuitive, fast, spend time with them and invite them fluid and a natural extension of me and to have a ‘say’ in their documentation.” Extreme Edge my creativity.” However, whether street or “Unlike most Western countries, the documentary photography, Jack Nepalese people are unconcerned For more information on the Fujifilm believes the smaller and less obtrusive with the documentation of their dead. X-T4, visit fujifilm-x.com/en-au/ the camera, the better. “Some people They are inclusive of it because it is an products/cameras/x-t4/ are intimidated by cameras and house- intrinsic part of the Hindu religion, to brick size DLSRs only amplify any share life’s experiences and to promote intrusion or intimidation.” a culture of understanding between And in a nutshell, Jack is explaining people everywhere. why he is a keen advocate for the “Hindus believe we are all the Fujifilm X-Series cameras. same and we are all in this life “The Fujifilm X-T cameras are small together. Sharing death is part of that and unobtrusive. Their retro design also philosophy. BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY 3 BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY NUMBER ONE HUNDRED GADGETS & GIZMOS WINTER 2020 100 ISSUES 8 14 EIZO COLOREDGE PROMINENCE CG3146 10 FUJIFILM X100V 10 INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2019 12 CANON EOS R5 12 Cover photo by Peter Eastway. NIKON D6 14 Editor: Peter Eastway Art Director: Kathie Baxter Smith TECHNIQUES Editorial Assistant: Janet McGuigan FUJIFILM X-T4 18 18 Contributors: Faster frame rate, faster autofocus and improved image Michael Langford, Jackie Ranken, stabilisation. Is the new Fujifilm X-T4 worth the upgrade? Len Metcalf, Nick Melidonis, Richard White, Roby Lazar, Kathleen Baxter, Jack Picone, Art 2020 PHOTO OF THE YEAR 22 Wolfe, Murray Fredericks, Greg Will you earn a Bronze or Silver Award – or perhaps it’s your year Sullavan, Roger Skinner, Ignacio for one of the big prizes! Time to enter our annual photo comp! 48 Palacios, Aaron Dowling Advertising Co-Ordinator: GETTING YOUR COLOUR RIGHT 40 Kim Valenti Which is right: precise colour or appropriate colour? It all depends Reader Information Services: on what you want to achieve – so here’s how to get your colour Kim Valenti looking exactly right! Better Photography is a special COLOUR SCHEMES 48 interest photography magazine And what you should know about them. There’s a little more to 52 published quarterly by Pt 78 Pty colour than you think. Jackie Ranken explains the power of colour Limited ABN 75 003 152 136, PO in photography. Box 351, Collaroy Beach NSW 2097. COLOUR GRADING WITH Phone: (02) 4388 6851 LUMINOSITY MASKS 52 Fax: (02) 4388 6852 Luminosity expert Aaron Dowling explains how you can control Web: www.betterphotography.com the colour in selected parts of your image in Photoshop – easily! 56 The cover price of $19.95 is the maximum recommended retail CREATING A GREATER VISUAL DEPTH 56 price only. Mike Langford explains his clever in-camera multiple exposure technique with colour the point of difference. The magazine is printed by Momento Pro in Sydney, subscription copies only. HOW TO WIN PHOTO COMPETITIONS – All rights reserved. No part of this PART 5 60 publication may be reproduced, Yes, we’re still going with this popular series. More great 70 stored in a retrieval system, or suggestions for improving your photographs, whether you enter transmitted, in any form or by any competitions or not! means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or REFLECTIONS 66 otherwise, without the prior Richard White looks back on photography and its recent permission in writing of the transition into a communication means of the masses. publisher, or for particular images, the individual photographers. THE CIRCUS OF DREAMS 70 74 While all care is taken in Roby Lazar takes a look at one of photography’s most popular compiling this publication, the photojournalism subjects, the ‘big top’. editor and publisher assume no responsibility for the effects IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OTHERS 74 arising therein. What is the difference between inspiration and plagiarism? Subscriptions: Visit www. Len Metcalf looks at the difference between being original and betterphotography.com for being a copycat. details. ISSN 1322-7785 Copyright 2020 Pt78 Pty Limited TECHNIQUES SEARCHING FOR THE MOTIF 80 Are you struggling to find great photographs, even in amazing 66 86 locations? Relax! It’s a common problem, but as Roger Skinner suggests, looking for motifs could be the solution! CHASING BUTTERFLIES 86 In this changing world, many of us are finding things closer to home to photograph.