The ridiculously generous early bird tickets for a weekend of inspiration talks by top-level commercial photographers, both local and international, have almost sold out.

You can currently grab a ticket to the Image Nation conference, hosted by the Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association (AIPA), for as low as $69, but as of this morning there are only 20 such tickets left.

AIPA, NZIPP and students are eligible for the early bird price of $69, everyone else pick them up for the still very affordable price of $119 – get in quick before they’re gone.

The event takes place on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14 – confirmed speakers include international advertising photographer Simon Harsent, local photographers Emma Bass; Dean Zillwood; and Joseph Michael, published Geoff Blackwell, and five more to be confirmed.

The event will this year be held at Auckland’s Q Theatre, and you can purchase tickets directly from its website.

Image Nation is always one of the most exciting and creatively energising events of the year and the AIPA has done ...full story

The finalists for this year’s edition of the nation’s biggest awards programme celebrating excellence in local media, including photography, have been announced.

There are 190 finalists across 66 categories in the 2014 Canon Media Awards, selected from a record 1687 – up 21 per-cent over last year. Winners will be announced on May 9 during a black tie event at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel.

Below are the finalists of the photographic portion of the awards.

Press Photographer of the Year – Senior

Iain McGregor – The Press

Peter Meecham – Fairfax Media

Richard Robinson – The New Zealand Herald (more…)

Adrian Hatwell talks to rising star Camus Wyatt about creating candid, meaningful street photography

An apostle of Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’, Wellington-based photographer Camus Wyatt likes to roam the streets as a spectre, unnoticed as he goes about creating his art. That obscurity does not extend to the other end of the creative process however; the 26-year-old photographer’s beguiling black-and-white prints have attracted rather a lot of attention.

The young street photographer is a two-time recipient of the annual Ronald Woolf Memorial Trust Grant for photographers under 30, 2011 winner of the National Photojournalism Competition, and has three solo exhibitions under his belt — not bad for someone who only picked up a camera six years ago.

“My dad is a former journalist and photojournalist,” Wyatt explains. “One evening he and I watched a documentary film, In Love and War, about the combat photographer Robert Capa, which presents a powerful message about photographs and their potential for meaning.

“I was seeing some amazing imagery and I was fascinated by the ability of photography to ...full story

One of the country’s most respected photography educators has just expanded its programme to include a workshop on getting the most out of Lightroom’s organisational and image-enhancing features.

Three Little Wishes, which already offers a variety of photography workshops and Photoshop courses, launches its one-day Lightroom workshop in May, with an introductory special for those who book a place this month.

The course, aimed at beginners and requiring no previous experience with Lightroom, will cover all aspects of Adobe’s powerful imaging software – from the user interface, importing files, and organising folders to exposure adjustments, re-touching, converting colours, and exporting files.

If you make a booking for one of the May Lightroom workshops before April 30 you’ll can secure a spot for a special introductory price of $250 – click here for details.

The first workshop commences on Saturday, May 3 at Photogear in Albany, Auckland. It runs from 10am to 3pm and you’ll be required to bring a laptop and mouse (and basic understanding of how to use them) along with a copy of Lightroom on the computer.

To ...full story

Adrian Hatwell talks to Mark Taylor, dubbed one of New Zealand’s top sports photographers

It’s not a new story; those in front of the lens bathe in fortune and glory while the craftspeople behind the camera toil away thanklessly to make the stars look good. In New Zealand there’s no shortage of hero worship when it comes to our top athletes, and the artisans responsible for capturing those split seconds of excellence that create idols tend to remain obscure. But each year The National Sports Journalism Awards roll around to shine a welcome spotlight on the hidden heroes of the sports world, such as Waikato Times photojournalist, Mark Taylor. (more…)