President’s message - February 2025

Welcome back, everyone! I hope this finds you all well, and keen to return to club nights again in 2025. I hope you have all been having fun with your cameras over the holiday break, getting some new images for our club competitions this year.

This year we are introducing a short segment aiming at answering your photography or camera-based questions (please read ‘How to…’ below).

We are also very fortunate to have a line-up of willing club members presenting their images and sharing their experiences over the next few meetings… 

• February     Martin Barwood    (Polar bears & Bald eagles)
• March     Tony Paterson    (Antarctic expedition) 
• April         Jo Broadhead    (Wait and see…)

As always, there are lots of competitions for you to enter if you wish to do so. It is such a buzz if your entry gets accepted, so don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Yvonne | President

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

This year we are introducing a short 5-10 minute, information session at our monthly meetings. In order for this to succeed, we need your support. Colin has kindly agreed to co-ordinate this, and will work with other club members to try to find an answer to your questions. All questions will be welcomed!

So, please email your photography-based questions to Colin at audioman@xtra.co.nz . This can be done at any time during the month. Questions regarding your camera (menu, settings etc), should also be emailed to Colin. Be sure to bring your camera along to the next club night to see if he, or someone else, can offer some help. We also hope to have an opportunity at break, for you to discuss your question/s further.

Whether you are currently a novice member or an ‘A’ grader, we are all still learning!  

It could be that you want to know:

• What is ‘F’ stop’?
• How do I set up my camera to show movement in a photograph?
• How can I produce great product photography?
• What equipment would I need to achieve good lighting for indoor portraits?
• When, and why, should I re-format the camera’s SD card?
• How do I take and then then stitch photos together to become a panorama shot?

The possibilities are endless!

MEMBER SLOT

Marty Barwood - Polar Bears and Bald Eagles

Late in 2024 Marty fulfilled a photography goal which has been on his bucket list for a number of years. 

He spent six days with a guide, photographing polar bears in Churchill, Canada, on the shores of Hudson Bay.  In November, when the fresh water from the Churchill River flows into the salt water of Hudson Bay, it freezes over. Once frozen, the polar bears go out on the ice to hunt seals. Marty’s guide, Kenny, was excellent at anticipating where the bears were heading. This allowed Marty’s group to get in front of the bears which would then walk straight towards them for the best shots! 

Also, while over in Canada, Marty took the opportunity to photograph bald eagles, in Squamish, British Columbia.  

You won't want to miss this presentation - it promises to be a good one!

SUCCESS

Congratulations to Marty Barwood for winning the Whakatipu Wildlife Photo Competition in December 2024 with this gorgeous image, titled ‘NZ Scaup - Lake Hayes’.

ARROWTOWN BI-ANNUAL PHOTO COMPETITION

Arrowtown's bi-annual photo competition is back and entries are now OPEN!!   

We will accept photos taken over the last 2 years (1st Jan 2023 until March 2025).  

The competition opens 1st January 2025, and closing date for entries is midnight March 23, 2025. 

Winners & Finalists images will be on display at Lakes District Museum during Arrowtown Autumn Festival and all winners receive a cash prize. The overall winner receives the Jade & Opal Trophy for 12 months. 

For this competition, the photography territory is: 
Arrowtown, Arrowtown backcountry, Lake Hayes & Macetown… 
e.g. within our immediate boundary.  

This year there are a few changes to some categories (i.e. regarding the orientation of the image) 

Categories: (Accepting horizontal orientation only) 

• Seasonal (Winter & Spring strongly encouraged) 
• Hero (Dramatic landscape images of Arrowtown Territory as above) 
• Wildlife/Nature (Close up encouraged, but anything of birds, flowers, trees in bloom, native flora or fauna) 
• Outdoor Recreation (e.g. Biking, golf, dog walks etc) 
• Nightscapes (Evening photos and/or Night sky) 

Open categories: (Accepting both vertical and horizontal orientation)

• B&W
• Youth

Info: https://www.arrowtown.com/discover/photo-competition/ 

Enter here: https://form.jotform.com/243437555790869

PSNZ NEWS

Consistent with the PSNZ mission, “To help photographers grow”, the Honours system encourages members to develop photographic skills as they progress through their own personal photographic journey, and the honours system.

PSNZ Honours recognise different levels of photographic achievement and gives members worthwhile goals. The Honours Awards are considered to be one of the main benefits the Society offers.

PSNZ Honours applicants are required to submit a portfolio. A portfolio is a presentation of photographic work in which the total has greater value than the sum of the individual parts. Honours Distinctions are not meant to be achieved by merely submitting a collection of your best images. A successful portfolio should take the viewer on a “journey”. One image can lead to another via “links” of, for example, shape, line, colour, texture, subject matter or progression through time.

The opening date for portfolios to be submitted to the Secretary of the Honours Board, on the appropriate application form is January 16th each year. The closing date is 28th February each year.

For more information, go to: 

https://photography.org.nz/honours/guidelines-and-submission/     and 

https://photography.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Guidelines-to-PSNZ-Honours_updated-November-2024.pdf

The 70th PSNZ National Convention will be held in Nelson in 2025. PSNZ, together with the Nelson Camera Club, have an exciting programme of activities lined up for all attendees! For a sneak preview about the convention, watch this short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncXf3lUjGc4

Registrations are still open for the PSNZ National Convention 2025 in Nelson, 01 - 04 May 2025!

Upcoming Competitions

SONY National Exhibition 2025

Work is underway for the welcome return of our flagship PSNZ Salon, the SONY National Exhibition. The exhibition will be presented at the 2025 PSNZ National Convention, to be held in Nelson 1-4 May, 2025.

Entries will open, for a full Open and Nature, Digital and Print Salon, on Monday, 20 January 2025. 

We will also be welcoming back the PSNZ National Interclub Competition featuring: 

• The Wiltshire Interclub Competition for Digitally Projected Images
• The Bledisloe Interclub Competition for Photographic Prints
• The George Chance Interclub Competition for Landscape Prints
• The Bowron Interclub Competition for Digitally Projected Landscape Images

CANON ONLINE 2025

The Canon Online Competition is available to PSNZ members only. Submissions are accepted via the Canon Online Entry Form. Members will need a database login to access this form.

PSNZ members simply log in using this link:   👉🏻 Submit Your Image

For information on upcoming PSNZ competitions, please go to https://photography.org.nz/salons-galleries/ 

Set Subject this Month

PETS 
(The deadline for these images is 28 February 2025)

SET SUBJECTS 2025/26

Join our Facebook Group

Thanks to those who’ve been posting on our private Facebook Group - QPC Social, if you haven’t yet joined, send a request to Duncan and start sharing your photos.

CLUB COMPETITION

For technical reasons we are not able to publish the results from October 2024 in this newsletter. Look for them in next month's issue.