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Working ProThe

Issue 236 • October 2015

The Year Professional Photography Became

ACCREDITED

PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE AIPP

Working ProThe

C o n t e n t s# 2 3 6 - O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

The Working Pro is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).

Editor Peter Eastway

G.M Photog., FNZIPP, Hon. FAIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, FAIPP

Disclaimer The information provided in The Working Pro and associat-

ed publications is made in good faith, but is general in nature. Neither

the editor, the publisher or the AIPP accept responsibility for or will be

under any liability for any recommendations, representations or infor-

mation provided herein. The Working Pro presents information, opin-

ions and suggestions for subscribers to evaluate in coming to their

own decisions in the light of their own individual circumstances. The

information should not be relied upon without readers first obtaining

independent advice from their own financial and legal advisers.

Unless otherwise noted, all articles are written by Peter Eastway.

Publication The newsletter is published 10 times a year – monthly

with November/ December and January/February being combined.

The Working Pro newsletter is published by Pt 78 Pty Ltd,

ABN 75 003 152 136, PO Box 351, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097, Australia.

Phone: (02) 9971 6857; Fax (02) 9971 6641.

E-mail eastway@betterphotography.com

Copyright © 2015

AIPP Membership Contacts

Suite G.02, 171 Union Road,

Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127

Phone: 03 9888 4111

E-mail: enquiries99@aipp.com.au

Cover

F r a n c e s s u t e r aPP, M.Photog.SILVER WITH DISTINCTION AWARD - ILLUSTRATIVE CATEGORY

2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

w w w. f r a n c e s s u t e r. c o m . a u

4 Ross’s Ramblings Ross Eason APP.L M.Photog., Hon.LM, National President

7 SPECIAL FEATURE: What The AIPP Accredited Professional Means To You

The AIPP has begun ground-breaking work to establish its Accredited Professional members within the Australian market. Read all about it in this special feature.

2 8 Have You Done The Survey Yet?If you really want to run your business professionally and profitably, you need to have good market intelligence - and this can be provided by the AIPP’s Benchmarking Survey. Survey closes 31 October.

3 0 Update: AIPP Reflections ProjectJohn de Rooy reports that the Veterans project is proceeding with gusto and has an extension until November.

3 2 AIPP State ReportsA series of monthly reports and meeting announcements from the State Councils around the country.

3 8 Member Portfolio: Gee GreensladeWinner of the SA Epson AIPP Professional Photographer of the Year, Gee has some clear views on what her day-to-day work is all about - and, wow, is it different!

4 8 Criticise The Judges? Not In Public!Entering photography awards is emotionally charged, but just because your score isn’t as high as you’d like, is no excuse to criticise the judges.

5 0 Canon 35mm f1.4 L II USMWith new, higher resolution DSLRs available and planned for the future, we won’t be at all surprised to see a lot of new lenses from Canon over the coming years.

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Ross’s Ramblings R o s s E a s o n A P P. L M . P h o t o g . , H o n . L M , N a t i o n a l P r e s i d e n t

... recognition by an arm of the Australian

Government (the ACCC) that our standards

and direction are consistent with acceptable

professional practice on a national basis.

This is a huge benefit for our Accredited

Professional members and anyone who

becomes accredited in the future.

The certification did not happen overnight.

You can’t buy it and you can’t lobby for it. The

only way to obtain this level of recognition

requires a long term commitment to develop

standards designed to protect the consumer,

and to project the professionalism of our

industry.

Developing Standards

It took five years of hard work by our team in

the national office, the Board and our sub-

committees to develop standards and systems

that would pass the tests of the Australian

Government.

We now have something that is incredibly

valuable, but we must all use it properly. That

means all members, each individual, must meet

the requirements to maintain this standard.

For many, they are already achieving this

standard, for others it may require some straight

forward adjustments to their business practices

and we will be working with all our members

over the coming months to advise them how to

do this.

Registered

We also have new protocols and systems on

the AIPP website that both consumers and

members can use to raise concerns and report

transgressions, but the true test is for all of us to

operate so there are no concerns.

Our new logos have the ® symbol. This

provides us with enforceable legal protections

for the use of our logo and we will be very

firm with anyone who tries to pass off as an

Accredited Professional.

Our legal representatives recently pursued

a past member for continuing to use the logo

We sit on the cusp of one of the most significant moments in the history of the AIPP and the profession…

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and claiming to be an Accredited Professional

when he wasn’t. We will maintain this pressure

on anyone who alludes they are Accredited.

The following pages in The Working Pro

provide an introduction to the changes, what

they means and how they will affect you.

Please take the time to read it now because

the information is important – and it affects you

now.

Are we exempt from the rules?

There are a number of laws that cover

employers and businesses around Australia, but

just because we are a membership organisation

doesn’t mean we are exempt.

Even though the AIPP is a not for profit

company, the rules and requirements of

corporate law apply to us as much as to any

other company.

Earlier this year, some members raised

concerns over inappropriate behaviour

between members that, in the corporate world,

would not be acceptable. Since then, we have

asked both our legal team and consultants

on Workplace Health and Safety to clarify our

responsibilities.

The bottom line is that regardless of our

volunteer ethos, we remain responsible to

enforce best practices with Workplace Health

and Safety. Because of this requirement, we

will now see a change in work practice at

every level of the Institute. Each volunteer will

be given a role description relevant to their

respective position.

All our volunteers, myself included, will

be required to undertake training modules in

WH&S and our consultants have developed a

simple online test that those volunteers will be

asked to complete. The purpose of the training

and test is to ensure volunteers are aware of the

subtle nuances that may, at a peer-to-peer level,

cause unrest or distress.

As we move forward with both the WH&S

requirements and the introduction of the higher

standards now required of us as ‘Professionals’, it

will require all of us as members to accept that

added responsibility.

New Agreements

Shortly, each member will be sent a new set of

membership agreements. It is easy for all of us

to sign on the dotted line without digesting the

facts, but I would encourage you to read and

understand these requirements first. To help

with this, we plan to run a series of information

nights around the country.

So, yes, there’s a lot of paperwork, but if that

paperwork can help us build an organisation

and a profession that raises our standards and

improves our businesses, then I consider that a

great success.

ross.eason@aipp.com.au

0438 722 992

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What The AIPP

A C C R E D I T E DPROFESSIONAL

Means To You

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S i lv e r A wA r d • C o m m e r C i A l C At e g o r y

Tim Griffith, APP.L, GM.Photog., FAIPP2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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The New Accredited Professional A quick overview of the Accredited Professional status and why this is really useful for professional photographers

Why do photographers join an

organisation like the AIPP? What

can an organisation do to help the

profession? How do we separate

ourselves from the amateurs and

enthusiasts? How do we establish

standards so newcomers don’t inadvertently

devalue the profession?

The AIPP is many different things to many

different photographers, but at its heart is the

aim to represent professional photographers

and their interests.

It must lead the profession.

In recent years, the definition of a

‘professional photographer’ has been diluted.

It seems that anyone who uses a camera and

charges a fee is considered a professional

photographer.

We need to change that view.

A professional photographer is an artist or a

craftsperson who produces images and supplies

services to a high standard. A professional

photographer takes an interest in what his or

her clients want - as well as what they need.

There are too many newcomers who have

no understanding of lighting, composition

or even exposure. Worse, they have no

understanding of business standards

and in many cases, no knowledge of

what their chosen profession can do

and offer its clients.

The standards of professionalism have

been diluted, not by experienced

photographers who care, but by entrants who

have never trained as photographers.

Using a camera does not make you a

professional photographer.

If the AIPP’s role is to lead, it needs to claw

back professionalism by establishing standards

that serious photographers can agree to and

aspire to.

The AIPP Board has given this issue a lot

of attention. It believes that by raising the

standards of professionalism, by establishing

in the community’s mind what a professional

photographer can do, we can re-build

expectations. We can educate our clients to

demand a level of professionalism that is in

danger of disappearing.

This is what the AIPP’s Accreditation process

is all about.

But it won’t be the AIPP Board that does it.

It’s up to us. All of us. We are the ones who need

to make a stand for professionalism.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • P o r t r A i t C At e g o r y

Robert Piccoli, APP.L, M.Photog., FAIPP2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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What Is Accreditation? What does Accreditation really mean? Who says I’m Accredited? What are its main benefits? Why should I bother?

Accreditation means that APP (AIPP

Accredited Professional Photographer)

and APVP (AIPP Accredited

Professional Video Producer)

members are officially ‘professional’

photographers and video producers.

And technically speaking, APP/APVPs

are now the only photographers and video

producers who can correctly claim they are

‘professionals’ (as explained later).

The long term benefits of this change

are dramatic. In a period when practising

as a professional is becoming increasingly

difficult, accreditation gives extra leverage to

photographers and video producers who choose

to meet a recognised professional standard.

It states to the community at large that

we are Accredited Professionals, that we meet

high standards and that we are members of

a professional organisation – just like doctors,

accountants and architects.

For years, we have called ourselves

professional photographers, referring to the fact

that we charge clients for our work. However,

according to Professionals Australia and the

Professional Standards Council of Australia,

photographers haven’t previously been

‘professionals’ because they haven’t

done what professionals do.

To be a professional, you need to be a

member of a profession. And for there

to be a profession, you need to have an

organisation with the main objective of

improving the standard of its practitioners, and

with a published code of practice and standards

for members to abide by.

If you’re not a member of a professional body,

then by definition, you can’t be a ‘professional’.

And until now, there hasn’t been a

professional body in Australia for photographers

that met our government’s requirements.

However, as of 18 September 2015, the

ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer

Commission) has certified the AIPP as meeting

the requirements to be a professional body -

and so its APP and APVP members can in turn

be considered professionals.

We understand that non-members may

consider all this just semantics, but as time

passes, as recognition of the AIPP’s position

in the profession grows, our hope is that the

community and business will expect ‘professional’

photographers to be members of the AIPP.

And that’s where the benefits begin.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • P o r t r A i t C At e g o r y

Jessica Truscott, APP, AAIPP2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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Accreditation Helps The Profession What good does Accreditation do for me as an AIPP member? And what if I’m a non-member? What are the benefits and advantages?

There are thousands of people who

fill in their tax returns as ‘professional’

photographers and video producers,

but many do not offer a professional

quality product, provide a professional

quality of service or even charge

enough to make a basic living. Their business

practices are lacking in many ways, yet they have

a right to operate in the market as photographers.

It’s up to their customers to beware!

With the Accreditation process, AIPP APP and

APVP members are agreeing to meet a set of

standards that establishes them as professionals.

In a crowded marketplace, it is expected

that over time, our customers will look for

photographers and video producers who meet

these standards and who operate professionally.

In time, we expect that Accreditation will

be what all customers look for when hiring a

photographer.

Photographers and video producers who

are not APP or APVP members of the AIPP will

be encouraged to join the AIPP and meet the

same standards. Photographers who choose

not to become APP/APVP may find that their

customers move to other professionals who do

have these credentials.

Would you hire an accountant who

is not recognised as a professional?

Would you hire an architect who is not

recognised as a professional?

The AIPP expects that in time, people

will consider hiring a professional

photographer in the same way.

Certainly there will be thousands of AIPP

members out there promoting the fact that

only APP and APVP members are acknowledged

as professionals. They are the only creatives in

Australia who have taken the time to become

Accredited and who can use the logo.

The benefit of being Accredited is that you

will have a stronger position in the marketplace.

In the short term, there will be many

photographers who are not APP/APVP. Their

businesses may continue to be successful, but

as time passes, we expect that more and more

of their clients will question why they don’t

have the APP/APVP logo as a symbol of trust.

Eventually, we hope these successful

photographers will come to see AIPP

membership and Accreditation as simply a

sensible way of doing business – because not

being an Accredited Professional will become

increasingly difficult.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • A d v e r t i S i n g C At e g o r y

Liam West, APP, M.Photog.2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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How Do I Become Accredited? What are the steps required? What paperwork do I need? Is it different for members and non-members?

If a photographer isn’t an AIPP

member, then he or she can’t become

an Accredited Professional - it’s as

simple as that.

The only way you can become

Accredited is to first join the AIPP.

Then, to become an Accredited Professional

Photographer or Video Producer, you have to

meet the accreditation standards set by the

AIPP.

You must:

• At a minimum, for the past two years, have

invested your time and resources into

developing your photographic business and,

at the same time, have consistently earned a

professional level of income from photography;

• Provide documentation to support your

application as an Accredited Professional

(details are on the AIPP website);

• Submit a portfolio of images or videos to

an independent folio assessment panel and

reach the appropriate pass standard (full

details are on the AIPP website);

• Agree to comply with the AIPP Code of

Professional Practice;

• Agree to be bound by the AIPP Membership

Terms & Conditions;

• Agree to comply with the AIPP

Accredited Membership Business

Requirements; and

• Agree to take part in the AIPP

Continuing Professional Development

(CPD) program.

As you can see, becoming a professional is a

commitment. It’s something you do to separate

yourself from people who are in business as

photographers, but perhaps don’t take it as

seriously as you do.

The AIPP realises there will be experienced

and capable photographers who, for a

variety of reasons, are not currently members

of the organisation. However, it is hoped

with the AIPP’s accreditation process now

being recognised by the ACCC, that these

photographers will look to the future and what

the AIPP can become with their help.

The more experienced professionals we

have as APP/APVPs, the better it will be for all

the profession - because the more people in

the market who are acting professionally, the

more the community will expect from us, and

that will make it difficult for non-professional

photographers to stay in business.

We encourage all to become accredited.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • C o m m e r C i A l C At e g o r y

Ross Eason, APP, M.Photog.2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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How Do I Stay Accredited Each Year?Is there any CPD requirement? What is it and how much is required? How does the AIPP check up on me?

Is Accreditation a lot of paperwork for

just a logo on a letterhead?

Well, there certainly is some

paperwork to do, but the result of

this paperwork provides important

benefits, the most significant

being able to market your professionalism.

And as time goes by, the expectation of the

community to hire a professional photographer

with qualifications will only increase.

At the heart of the Accreditation process is

the aim of improving the quality of what we

provide to our clients. You don’t see a doctor,

accountant or architect becoming qualified and

then never studying again. They need to keep

abreast of developments in their profession and

for many, expanding their knowledge makes their

profession more interesting and exciting as well.

If you’re a professional photographer, why

wouldn’t you want to remain up to date and

improve your skills?

One of the requirements of all professionals

is continuing professional development (CPD).

All professions require this of their members.

However, it is not up to the AIPP to tell you what

courses or workshops you should take.

Every individual is different and the fact that

you are a professional means it’s up

to you to determine what areas you’d

like to learn about. Of course, the AIPP

will help its professional members by

providing appropriate seminars and

workshops.

Currently, the AIPP Nikon CPD program

provides education, hands on practice,

workshops, seminars, discussions and tutorials

on five core elements relating to the profession

of photography:

• Photographic Input

• Photographic Output

• Photographic Workflow

• The Business of Photography

• Personal Development

Accredited members can choose whatever

learning resources they like. Furthermore, their

CPD activites can happen away from AIPP-

sponsored events. All that is required is their

continuing development.

Each year when renewing their membership,

APP/APVP members will be required to register

their non-AIPP CPD activity via their members

dashboard on the AIPP Website. All AIPP events

booked through the AIPP will be recorded

automatically.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • C o m m e r C i A l C At e g o r y

Peter Blakeman, APP, AAIPP2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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How Do We Advertise Accreditation?What is best practice for telling the world I’m accredited? Where can I use the logo? How do I use the logo?

It is up to the APP and APVP

professionals to tell the world

about their professionalism and

Accreditation. It is not enough to

become an APP/APVP and hope that

the AIPP will automatically send us lots

of business – logically that’s not going to happen!

However, if there are 2,000+ APP and

APVP members, all out there promoting the

Accreditation logo and talking about the need

for hiring a professional, that will have far more

impact than a centralised marketing campaign.

We need to change our mindset about

membership of a professional organisation

- and this is no different for a doctor, an

accountant or an architect. Membership

requires us to promote ourselves and the

profession. If we all do it, then we can create a

groundswell of interest.

The first and most important thing you can

do is put the APP or APVP logo on your website

so that everyone who visits your site sees it. This

will generate a great deal of exposure. (The AIPP

has provided a style guide to help.)

In fact, this is something all APP and APVP

members are asked to do when they sign up as

an Accredited Professional.

It will also be a requirement to

show the logo on all your marketing

material and business stationery, so

it won’t take too long for the market

to see the logo and expect any

photographer that they hire to have it.

However, the AIPP will also be supporting its

members, helping them tell the market about

Accreditation. It will provide links so visitors to

members’ websites can connect through to the

AIPP website and read all about Accreditation,

what it means and why they should only hire a

photographer who is accredited.

And an independent professional body like

the AIPP explaining why Accreditation is so

important adds to the credibility of our message.

In the future, the AIPP will investigate more

centralised advertising campaigns, which are

funded by APP/APVP members. This has the

potential to be a strong marketing campaign,

but only if all of us (2000+ strong) are using the

Accreditation branding.

Essentially, the branding is the logo. We

need to have that visual connection apparent

on all our websites and marketing material.

The general public can’t ‘Look for the Logo’ if

it’s not there to be found.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • F A m i ly C At e g o r y

Natalie Howe, APP, M.Photog.2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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What Accreditation Means To The PublicWhat are the standards and who sets those standards? And if the standards aren’t met, what happens?

The AIPP is now responsible for

setting the standards for professional

photography in Australia.

What the ACCC has certified is our

approach to setting those standards,

not the standards themselves, but in

practice it comes down to the same result: the

AIPP is responsible for setting and establishing

the minimum standards of behaviour and

image quality for APP and APVP members.

Importantly, these standards are designed

to support our customers. People want to know

that if they hire a professional, they can expect a

minimum level of service and product quality.

There are four standards that Accredited

Professionals recognise and uphold:

1. Code of Professional Practice

This covers how we operate our business, such

as dealing with the public honestly, providing

a three day cooling-off period for domestic

customers, not using high-pressure sales tactics

and not bringing the profession into disrepute.

2. Membership Terms & Conditions

When you become an APP or APVP, you agree

to membership terms and conditions that are in

addition to the Code of Professional Practice.

This includes paying your debts, not having any

consumer complaint tribunals upheld

against you, and not to bring the

profession or the AIPP into disrepute.

It also requires you to strive at all

times to produce images and services

that meet the highest standards of

professionalism.

3. Accredited Member Business Requirement

Additional business requirements include

complying with general legal and licensing

laws, such as using correctly licensed software

and being up to date with your taxes.

4. Continuing Professional Development

And there are the CPD requirements to keep up

to date and to continue improving.

Failure to meet these obligations means that

your Accreditation can be removed by the AIPP.

The AIPP has introduced a whole new

compliance process, so that both the public and

other AIPP members can request a review of a

professional’s imaging standards and business

practices. Similarly, there are safeguards in

place to prevent this compliance process being

abused, so that spurious complaints can have

consequences for the complainer as well.

What Accreditation means to the public is

confidence in our professionalism.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • w e d d i n g C At e g o r y

Paul Cincotta, APP, M.Photog.2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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Are Only AIPP Members Professional?If I’m not a member of the AIPP, does that mean I can’t call myself a professional?

Of course not, but in the future others

might not agree...

Johnny Fstop is an established

photographer with a successful

business. He shoots weddings and

portraits, offering both stills and

videos, and his clients see him as being very

professional. However, Johnny isn’t an AIPP

member.

Without being an AIPP member, Johnny

can’t become either an APP or an APVP.

Short Term No Change

And technically speaking, because Johnny isn’t

a member of a suitable professional body, by

definition he can’t be a professional either, even

though he may operate professionally.

Initially this isn’t going to be a problem. No

matter what the AIPP has introduced in the

Accreditation area, business for Johnny will stay

much the same in 2016.

Long Term Big Change!

However, the AIPP is committed to promoting

the concept of Accredited Professionals to the

community. It has worked very hard to set up a

structure that will benefit both the community

and its members and it plans to see it succeed.

Beginning in 2016, all APP and APVP

members will be actively promoting

their professionalism by showing the

logo. The logo will be their badge,

so to speak. And as time passes, the

community and public in general will

associate professionalism with the logo.

The AIPP isn’t looking to say non-

members aren’t acting professionally; rather

it is supporting the photographers who also

support the profession in the same way.

An Inclusive Approach

As the years pass, more and more of Johnny’s

customer base will be aware of the AIPP’s APP and

APVP programs. Repeat and referral customers will

probably still hire Johnny, maybe 30% of his work.

But the other 70% may start to ask questions and

perhaps choose to hire a photographer who has

taken the trouble to become Accredited.

There may be genuine reasons why Johnny

hasn’t been an AIPP member in the past, but

in the future, Johnny may see business being

lost, simply because he doesn’t have the same

badge as an AIPP Accredited Professional.

The good news is that the AIPP will welcome

Johnny to apply for Accreditation. Those

benefits are there waiting for him. In the long

term, this is a positive change for all of us.

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S i lv e r A wA r d • w e d d i n g C At e g o r y

Michelle Thomas, APP, AAIPP2014 CANON AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

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Does The AIPP Set The Standards?How does Accreditation affect the quality of work I need to give my clients? Who says what I do is good enough?

How does accreditation affect the

quality of work I need to give my

clients?

Experienced members of the AIPP

have essentially set the standards that

professional photographers need to

meet. This has happened over a number of

decades since the AIPP introduced its first code

of ethics, which has been refined many times.

What is a professional standard, after all? It’s

not something an inexperienced government

bureaucrat can determine on his or her own.

When it comes to the profession of

medicine, accountancy or architecture,

the government doesn’t dictate what the

professional standards should be. These

professions regulate themselves, within the

overall legal structure of the nation.

For professional photography, there is no

better organisation than the AIPP to determine

the standards a professional should meet.

However, don’t confuse this with our

wonderful National Office setting the rules!

It’s not National Office, it is experienced AIPP

members who, with the help of legal experts,

are writing our Code of Professional Practice,

our Membership Terms and Conditions, and our

imaging standards.

Similarly, when a member’s portfolio

is being reviewed, it isn’t seen

by an administrator; rather by an

experienced Accredited Professional

photographer. The standards might

be high (they should be for a professional), but

they are achievable.

The business of photography has

become incredibly competitive and with

the introduction of easy-to-use cameras, the

barriers to entry have dropped. We even hear of

new photographers stating they don’t need to

learn about the craft of photography because

that’s the camera’s job! If we are to have a future,

we need to have standards.

It’s true that a view on imaging standards can

be somewhat subjective. An architect’s building

design can be viewed in a similar way, but like

the design or not, at the basis of their design

is a professional approach to the assignment.

Photographers should work the same way.

That’s what Accreditation is all about - how

you approach your assignments and how you

treat your clients in business.

It’s about setting – and adhering to – a set of

professional standards.

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W h e r e a r e m y f r e e c o p i e s o f

B e t t e r P h o t o g r a p h y M a g a z i n e ?

T h e y a r e h e r e . . .

w w w . a i p p . c o m . a uS i g n i n t o t h e M e m b e r D a s h b o a r d . . .

G o t o S t a y I n f o r m e d . . .

G o t o m y B e t t e r P h o t o g r a p h y M a g a z i n e A r c h i v e . . .

D o w n l o a d a n d e n j o y !

B E T T E R P H O T O G R A P H Y F r e e I s s u e 8 1

P h o t o C o m p o s i t e S e c r e t s w i t h K a r e n A l s o p

A d v e n t u r e P h o t o g r a p h y w i t h K r y s t l e W r i g h t

P h a s e O n e X F C a m e r a S y s t e m

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Have You Done The Survey Yet?I f y o u r e a l l y w a n t t o r u n y o u r b u s i n e s s p r o f e s s i o n a l l y a n d p r o f i t a b l y , y o u n e e d t o h a v e g o o d m a r k e t i n t e l l i g e n c e - a n d t h i s c a n b e p r o v i d e d b y t h e A I P P ’ s B e n c h m a r k i n g S u r v e y . S u r v e y c l o s e s 3 1 O c t o b e r .

A benchmarking survey only works if everyone

gets involved. Unless you’re a newcomer and

don’t yet have a business, I think it’s only fair that

people who use the results of a benchmarking

survey should also have participated in it.

What Is A Benchmark?

If you are charging $100 to take a portrait, but

the photographer down the road is charging

$200 and is incredibly busy, what does this

tell you? Or, if you are charging $100 to take a

portrait and the Australian average is $156, what

does this tell you?

These are benchmarks and this type of

market intelligence could indicate many things,

but importantly, it shows that the market is

prepared to pay up to $156 or even $200 for a

portrait. It could mean everytime you shoot a

portrait, you are being underpaid by up to $100.

Of course, an analysis isn’t this simple. The

quality of your work or service might not be as

high as the photographer down the road or the

industry average, but if you learnt this, wouldn’t

you take steps to improve the quality of your

portraits so you could charge more - and thus

earn a higher income?

As a profession, experienced photographers

often complain about newcomers under-

cutting them, but very often it’s because the

newcomers don’t know how much the market

is prepared to pay for a good quality result.

A benchmarking survey will provide us all

with information that helps establish where we

are in the market.

Importantly, it is not illegal. If the AIPP told

us how much to charge, that’s a problem. But

to let us know the averages, that’s just sensible

business advice that all industries use.

Our survey results will let you make sound

business decisions, rather than just running your

business in ignorance.

The 2015 AIPP Benchmarking Survey is on

now. Visit the AIPP website (www.aipp.com.

au) and click on the link. There’s a survey for

both members and non-members, so let your

associates know and encourage them to take

the survey too.

A survey is only useful with lots of

respondents, it only takes 10 minutes to do, and

it closes 31 October 2015.

So, please, do it now!

29

30

Update: AIPP Reflections ProjectJ o h n d e R o o y s a y s t h e p r o j e c t i s p r o g r e s s i n g s m o o t h l y , w i t h a n e x t e n s i o n o f t h e p r o j e c t u p u n t i l R e m e m b r a n c e D a y , 1 1 N o v e m b e r .

Since March 2015, we have engaged over 6,000

veterans in Reflections – Honouring our WWII

veterans.

With the help of over 400 Accredited

Professional Photographers and Emerging/

Student members, we have done our profession

proud, making a positive difference to the

veterans and their families who we have come

into contact with during the photography

sessions.

Extension

The AIPP Board has decided to continue

the Reflections Project for one more month,

culminating on Remembrance Day, 11

November 2015.

This significant date will bring the project to a

close and will also be a media opportunity to

promote AIPP Accredited Photographers as we

collect the remaining WWII veterans into our

studios across Australia.

All of our Reflections photographers are

encouraged to actively liaise with state and

regional coordinators to identify veterans who

remain to be photographed, to register the

photography sessions, and to send the images

in for printing.

As veterans continue to register up to

11 November, we are staying on top of the

demand.

Our book production and digital collection

for the Australian War Memorial is building as

we complete the photography sessions.

Thanks

Thank you to our sponsors, Kodak alaris, Atkins,

Jorgensen, Graphistudio and Momento Pro.

And a special thanks to all the

photographers for the effort and dedication on

the Reflections Project to date.

It has been a challenging task, but very

positive for the veterans, families and the

photographers who have so willingly donated

their time, talent and skill.

Please spread the word about this project to WWII

veterans and photographers. To register a veteran

or as a photographer for the project please go to:

https://aippveterans.com

31Veteran Jessie Jelley photographed by Olivia Ross.

32

AROUND THE S TATES | V I C T OR IA

What an exciting month! The annual 2015 APPA awards have just completed and we were rapt that it was in our own back yard. Whether you were traveling by plane from interstate to attend the trade show, or jumping on one of our trademark trams to the venue, it was a great time to celebrate our industry and all that it has to offer.

This was also a time to network and make new friends, as well as catch up with old friends. Like anything in life, you get more out of it when you participate. We hope you got involved, sat in on the judging and soaked up the hundreds of images on display.

And, of course, we hope you visited the stands of our industry sponsors and saw what they have on offer.

Then, did you celebrate or commiserate with your fellow photographers who put their heart and soul into their images and entered the 2015 Canon AIPP APPA’s? And did you frock up for Monday night’s gala evening where we wrapped up another year and celebrated the winners? 

The Victorian AIPP council hopes you enjoyed an inspirational and educational weekend.

Please like our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/AIPPVictoria  

This is where we will keep you posted with future events.

UPCOMING EVENT S 27th October Video Critique Night, Glow Studios

F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T SClick Here

CYNDI BRIGGS

CYNDI BRIGGS

Council Structure: Most councils have five members, but this can be varied by mutual consent.

33

F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T SClick Here

FROM THE PRESIDENTWow, how time flies when you are having fun! After a bit over three months as a brand new council, the new car smell still lingers, but the events have been happening all through this past month.

Fresh on the heels of the high-street studio of Ryan Schembri, saw a bit of a change of pace with 18 members visiting Justin Ealand’s aptly named Bush Turkey Studio in the Northern Rivers Region. Around the campfire, Justin spoke from the heart about who he is, what he does, and why he does it – the struggles, the successes and the direction he takes with his business and life.

We then saw over 40 eager photographers attend the second Print Critique night for this year’s AIPP Canon APPA awards, all keen to get the guest judges’ opinions on their in process prints. Panel chaired by the highly respected Melissa Anderson, the evening saw everyone go away with great

insight into how to better their images for the awards.

We hope all the Queensland Members were successful with their entries, and that all your Gold Distinctions came at once.

We also saw the first of a series of Coffee Meet-ups to be hosted by the Queensland Division, this time at the sunny Gold Coast. A small but enthusiastic group of attendees got their caffeine fix whilst building relationships and I am sure solving the problems of the world, all in a relaxed setting.

Stay tuned to your inboxes and the AIPP Queensland Facebook page for details of the next one near you.

The Queensland Council would love to hear your thoughts on our past events and ideas for what you’d like to see in the future, so please don’t be shy to be in touch.

- Adam

AROUND THE S TATES | QUEENSL AND

IMAGES: VIDEO CRITIQUE NIGHT BY TRISTAM EVISON

34

F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T SClick Here

APPA has been on everyone’s minds this month past, so here’s hoping the WA invasion to Melbourne was incredibly successful!

This month we were invited to an exclusive night at The Orangery Gallery where our recent WAPPY John Woodhouse went through his process of creating and running exhibitions. Thank you for putting this on for AIPP members, John. Everyone who attended had a great time.

We have a new state sponsor! Welcome Terraze from Arts Edge in Joondalup. Thank you for supporting the WA photography community! 

Check out the ABC series On Assignment, where James Simmons has spent time with photographers Christian

Fletcher, Russel Ord, Penny Lane and Jarrad Seng. If you missed it, you can still see it on iView.

Congratulations to all the members who have been announced as finalists and shortlisted for the Fremantle International Portrait Prize, check out the exhibition at The Moores Gallery from late October.

UPCOMING EVENT STuesday 27th October – Post APPA Sundowner at Shoot Workshop

Tuesday 10th November – Breakfast Meeting at The Peasant’s Table

Wednesday 9th December – President’s Christmas Party 

AROUND THE S TATES | WES TERN AUS TRAL IA

NIC DUNCAN LISA ANFUSO

VITTORIO NATOLI VITTORIO NATOLI

35

STEVE LOVEGROVE PAUL HOELEN

S AVE THE DATE“ON THE LOUNGE” WITH SUELLEN COOKDate: 23rd October 2015

Venue: Zanzo Studios

Please come along to an intimate mini-workshop style event with the 2015 Tasmanian Professional Photographer of the Year.

A small fee will get you entry and some drinks and nibbles will be available.

Keep up to date on the Tamanian AIPP Facebook group for further details, where we also post details of our social nights and monthly breakfasts.

S AVE THE DATECHRISTMAS FUNCTION Date: 4th December 2015

Venue and costs will be provided as soon as they are confirmed.

AROUND THE S TATES | TASMANIA

F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T SClick Here

DEAN MANSBRIDGE

36

F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T SClick Here

Hello from the ACT council. Just an update as to what is happening for October.

The annual Floriade exhibition ran from Monday, 28th September until the 3rd of October. This was a very successful marketing exercise for the AIPP, and also for the exhibitors’ profiles.

SAVE THE DATE  for Thursday, 19th November when the council will be holding an event called “Improving Your Visual Vocabulary”. Bring a few of your favourite images, not necessarily your own images, but images that have inspired you.

Come and tell us why they do. It is $10, starts at 6.30 p.m. and open to AIPP members only. BYO nibbles and drinks. The council will be having their monthly meeting prior to this at 5:30 and anyone is welcome to join us.

Our next normal monthly meeting is 22nd October at 11 a.m. at Old Parliament House Cafe.

COUNCIL MEMBER FOCUS - LORI C ICCHINI Specialising in creative portraits, fashion and commercial work. 

How long have you been a photographer?   I graduated from CIT in 2013 and have since started my own business. 

What or who inspired you to become a photographer?   It was something I was always interested in, but never took the time to give it my full attention until 2010 when I started to look at the world a little differently.

In history who would you classify as your photographic hero?   My hero in photography would have to be Deborah Turbeville, her fashion work intrigues me.

When you’re not doing photography, what do you do?   If I’m not doing photography related work, I’m eating or sleeping.  This is my full time profession. 

AROUND THE S TATES | ACT

IMAGES BY LORI CICCHINI

Council Structure: There was an equal vote for 5th position, so a sixth position was created by mutual consent.

37

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Purchase the eBooks and the Business Planning Templates separately, or buy both and save $49!

38

GeeGREENSLADE

A I P P A C C R E D I T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L P H O T O G R A P H E R

Gee Greenslade is busy! Not only did she win the 2015 AIPP South Australian Epson Professional

Photographer of the Year, but also the Illustrative and Portraiture categories as well.

“I’m a full-time exhibiting artist, but also a part-time retouch artist, portrait photographer and

social media manager for Avalon City Imaging. Avalon is owned by David Markevicius who taught

me pretty much everything I know about light. And I’m also a part-time lecturer at the University of

South Australia in photography and new media.”

Gee’s work is shot mostly for exhibition and sale. “It’s deeply contemplative and sways from

being highly disturbing and dark to light and fluffy, depending on the gallery audience. Mostly it’s a

discussion around my own personal history and it’s always highly staged and Photoshopped.”

Insight

Gee started in photography by retouching friends’ photos on MySpace for $5 an image. “I guess I’m

one of the new generation of photographers who came into photography from Photoshop.

“I received one of those awesome PC mag CDs full of software and learned to use Paint Shop Pro,

but I switched to Photoshop 4 a few years later.

“At 18, I moved to Adelaide and took a job retouching for the Photographyroom part-time, whilst

studying at university.

“On weekends, I made extra cash by photographing live bands, strippers, BDSM, pinups,

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEE GREENSLADE

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40

41

GeeGREENSLADE

A I P P A C C R E D I T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L P H O T O G R A P H E R

42

burlesque and Adelaide’s underground. It was

a crazy and really eye opening lifestyle, but I

learned a lot from meeting so many people

from so many different places. I went on tour

with bands, I did live-painting at stage shows. I

led the full on hippy life.

“Ten years later and I’m not sure that much

has changed! I still work with Mark Trumble

from Photographyroom from time to time –

he has been a massive mentor for me and our

friendship is something we can’t stop laughing

about because you couldn’t pick a stranger pair

to be friends.

“Over the years, I have started businesses,

closed businesses, moved around studios and

generally tried to find where a nearly full-time

career artist can fit into the industry.

“What I found worked the best was running

art as a business, and teaching and working at

my favourite studio with friends I have known

my entire career and who share an immense

passion for creating images.

“Someone said to me, ‘Oh, that means that

art doesn’t make money and you have a day

job’.

“Yes and no.

“I don’t put pressure on my creativity to

create. Forcing it makes me resent the process I

love the most, so I make sure I’m afloat with the

other jobs, and the gallery work is the cherry on

top.

“I’m really thrilled with how I’m able to

live life and still be exactly who I want to be.

However, I’m under 30, so I realise that could

change at any time!”

Thinking, Feeling

And being under 30, Gee has no hang-ups

about what equipment she uses.

In fact, she says many long-time

professionals will probably gasp when they

hear she uses her phone for some jobs, but it’s

just a matter of picking the right camera for the

project at hand.

She also shoots with a Nikon D600, is very

comfortable with studio lighting and swears by

her Eizo monitor for colour accuracy.

GeeGREENSLADE

A I P P A C C R E D I T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L P H O T O G R A P H E R

43

44

“I loathe the term ‘personal work’ because

for me, all my work is out there for sale.

There seems to be an AIPP epidemic with

photographers wanting to categorise some

photography this way.

“The same people tend to say, “Well, at least

I entered my REAL work because I do this every

day”!

“That bugs me because it disrespects

working artists whose work is both professional

and personal at the same time.

“Do we ask a professional artist if their work

is ‘personal’? Of course it is! But it’s also the

product that they sell.

“So, yes, my APPA entries are also my day-

to-day work. It is all shown in galleries at some

point, but it’s also my personal work.”

Unanswered Questions

In terms of technique, Gee says it’s all in her

post-production.

“I love making an image that has the tones

and colours I can feel in my gut. I don’t ever

make an image to show off my technical

camera skills – that’s just sad. I wish more

shooters would quit believing that apertures,

shutter speeds and how little Photoshop they

used really matters.

Is the shot beautiful? Does it speak on a level

that makes you stop looking at all that technical

stuff? Does it leave more questions unanswered

than answered? Then congratulations, you

have graduated from being a boring day-to-

day shooter into a thinking, feeling human with

something important to say.

“I’m going through a stage of creating things

out of sticks and using their silhouettes to make

tiny people in little scenes. I collect the suckers

and love sitting there, making shapes and then

photographing them.

“I also have a big infatuation creating twinkly

stars from ISO grain, playing around with glitch

techniques using a sound editor called Audacity

to ‘break’ the files and deliberately corrupt them!

I’m interested in pretty much anything I can get

my hands on and mess about with.

“I grew up when the sound of dial-up

internet was music to my ears. It was also a

highly experimental time in digital photography

and I love the exploration and curiosity.”

Nevertheless, while Gee says she’s not

technical, she knows what needs to be done

to create composite images that work, a skill in

itself.

“I’m a one light sucker in the studio, or

maybe two or three if I feel I need a hair light,

but for composite images, I like the flexibility of

keeping my light simple.

“It means if I photograph an object outside

in direct sunlight, I can replicate that in the

studio easily.

“I walk a lot and photograph random stuff

along the way.

“It’s a lovely way to free yourself up and just

take note of the world. A lot of these images

GeeGREENSLADE

A I P P A C C R E D I T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L P H O T O G R A P H E R

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46

become stock for my composites. More often

than not, I get more in a five minute walk than

a day in the studio. Living in Adelaide, we are

surrounded by parklands and I travel through

them on my bike daily. That’s always a big

inspiration for me and I find lots of cool stuff on

my way home.

Rapid Fire

“However, if I’m shooting a person, it’s always

in the studio. I prefer the control. As for posing,

I generally work with people who have known

me a long time and have worked with me over

the years.

“There’s a comfort with models who know

you. I shoot on rapid fire, experimenting and

working out the kinks as best as I can, so posing

isn’t necessarily something I think about. Usually

I already have a pose in mind and we nail it in

the first few minutes. Everything after that is

play time. This approach may be a symptom of

my generation of young photographers, but I’m

cool with it.”

Actually, I’m pretty sure AIPP legend Brian

Brandt would agree. Working in advertising

photography, he told me he would always nail

the shot for the client first, according to the

brief. Then he’d spend a little more time on his

own to come up with something different. He’d

try to add in at least 10 per cent extra for his

clients because it kept them coming back.

Gee’s work comes together in post-

production. “Oh, god, there’s so much post. I

won’t even lie. I’m in love with software like

Portrait Professional and Topaz ReMask. I used

to spend too much time deep etching and

cleaning up skin. Now I can’t get through a day

without either of these apps.

“Sometimes I send more complicated things

out for deep etching. Let’s face it, I can do it

myself and I spend a good part of my life doing

it for other people, but you get to a point in

your life where sweating the small stuff gets old.

“Why waste time on the small stuff when

I can focus on the big stuff? I want to be free

of the technical side so I can focus on the

actual communication of an image. Honestly,

whatever the hell works.

A GG Original

“I print some of my own work, but I have Atkins

handle all the colour-critical stuff. I also leave my

framing up to them. Let the experts do their job

because they just know what’s right.

“I have Del La Liff Gallery in Rundle Place

here in Adelaide to handle my artwork sales,

although to a much lesser extent I sell some

smaller items over Etsy and at craft fairs.

However, as much as I hate selling, nothing

beats good old face-to-face contact. I often

have my art clients over for a cup of tea when

they pick up their work, but Del La Liff has been

a godsend and honestly, if you are in Adelaide,

you have to check out their place.

“Maybe you can pick up a Gee Greenslade

original while you are there.”

GeeGREENSLADE

A I P P A C C R E D I T E D P R O F E S S I O N A L P H O T O G R A P H E R

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Criticise The Judges? Not In Public!E n t e r i n g p h o t o g r a p h y a w a r d s i s e m o t i o n a l l y c h a r g e d , b u t j u s t b e c a u s e y o u r s c o r e i s n ’ t a s h i g h a s y o u ’ d l i k e , i s n o e x c u s e t o c r i t i c i s e t h e j u d g e s .

How often have you thought your football/cricket/

soccer team received unfair treatment from the

referee? We really want our team to win, so any

decisions against it are looked upon poorly.

But what happens when the opposite team is

penalised ‘unfairly’ by the referee? Do we feel the

same way, or do we choose to ignore the other

point of view? Surely the other side should just

accept the ref’s decision as final?

After the game, we can look back and more

maturely understand that the referee was simply

doing his or her job. Perhaps there are one or two

crooked referees in the world, but the vast majority are

doing the best they possibly can. Their mistakes are

human and we all make mistakes from time to time.

So let’s talk about receiving a score in a

photography competition, such as the Epson AIPP

State Professional Photography Awards and the

Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography

Awards. After and during these awards, there are

many inappropriate comments about the judges

on social media. By all means, comment about the

judging system, but don’t single out the judges

because, like referees, they have good intentions.

It is never acceptable to publicly criticise judges

for giving you a bad score. If you feel let down, get

over it. Don’t act like a spoilt brat!

Privately, you can think the worst of the judges

all you like, but be careful. I remember a print of

mine was critiqued poorly by a judge and while

I may have confided my disappointment with a

couple of close friends, I said nothing publicly.

Years later when I was the APPA Chairman, my

position required me to assess all the judges and

this same judge was one of our best. And then

more recently, the same judge apologised to me

because the comment he made about my print,

over 10 years ago, still worried him. That admission

elevated my now high opinion of that judge, and

it also reinforced my belief that all judges are doing

their best.

To single out a judge for criticism on social media

is not appropriate behaviour, ever. Send them an

email or a personal message, asking for clarification.

You may find their reply includes an apology - or an

insight to your work you didn’t see before.

A judging system is just a matter of opinion.

If you can’t handle criticism of your work, don’t

enter photography competitions - and for heaven’s

sake, don’t be a professional photographer either

because some of our clients are not nearly as polite

as our judges!

49

Photograph by Andrew Campbell, Silver With Distinction Award, Science, Environment & Nature Category, 2014 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year Awards

50

Canon 35mm f1.4 L II USMW i t h n e w , h i g h e r r e s o l u t i o n D S L R s a v a i l a b l e a n d p l a n n e d f o r t h e f u t u r e , w e w o n ’ t b e a t a l l s u r p r i s e d t o s e e a l o t o f n e w l e n s e s f r o m C a n o n o v e r t h e c o m i n g y e a r s .

We expect to see quite a few new lenses over

coming years as Canon ensures all its lenses

meet the demands of the new Canon EOS

5DS and 5DSR (the 50-megapixel DSLRs) - and

that’s not to mention the recently announced

120-megapixel DSLR that is currently being

designed!

A new 35mm lens is a street photographer’s

classic, producing very little subject distortion

while including a little more of the surroundings

than what used to be ‘the standard’ 50mm lens.

Canon says its new 35mm f1.4 lens is the

first to include BR optics, a new lens technology

featuring an organic optical material, which

has been engineered at a molecular level to

help reduce chromatic aberration and produce

sharper images – via its ability to refract blue

light.

The BR Optic is integrated into a compound

element in the lens.

Together with its lens coatings, including a

Subwavelength Structure Coating, the EF 35mm

f1.4 L II USM delivers results with improved

contrast and minimal flare and ghosting.

To create shots with beautiful background

blur, important for portraiture, the fast f1.4, nine

blade aperture can be used to minimise depth-

of-field, as well as enabling photographers to

continue shooting without a tripod as light

levels start to fade.

The new lens is also more responsive than

the model it replaces, featuring a ring-type

ultrasonic motor to drive the extremely quick

and near silent autofocus.

A full time manual focusing ring allows you

to make fine, real-time adjustments, whether

shooting stills or movies.

Designed to withstand challenging

shooting environments and prolonged use,

the EF 35mm f1.4 L II USM boasts advanced

weather sealing and fluorine coatings to help

protect the lens against adverse weather

conditions and the robust body ensures

durability.

Price was not available as we go to press,

but the previous lens cost between $1700 and

$2000 (online prices, Australian retailers), so not

a cheapie, but no doubt a goodie!

For more information visit www.canon.

com.au

51Canon 35mm f1.4 L II USM

52

Photographs by Rebekah Wilson for the AIPP Reflections Project.

Your InstItute needs

You!You are not too late to join the AIPP’s Reflections Project. In fact, this

is the perfect time to join. We have over 3,000 veterans to photo-

graph and we really need your help. It won’t take you long, but the

experience will live with you for a lifetime.

Please help.Register today by visiting https://aippveterans.com/photographers/

See the video at: https://vimeo.com/132887934