Page 74 - Australian Photography Dec 2020

IMAGE DOCTOR
LOOKING GOOD
Rebecca Wilholt found that “Melbourne lockdown provided the opportunity to spend a lot of time reviewing past images for lack of being able to take new ones. The meerkats at Werribee Zoo are one of my favourite animals to photograph.”
Meerkats are just an instant hit in terms
of subject matter. Their “standing alert and nicely to attention stance” is incredibly
cute and, fortunately, they hold this long enough for photographers to get good shots. Complementing the great content is the lovely lighting and the catch lights in the eyes! The image is sharp in all the right places, the depth of field is spot on for the meerkats, and the
background is soft with nice colour. My main wish is that this had been shot with a lens offering even better bokeh, but this would come at a bigger cost. I am just glad that you dragged this out of your files and shared it with us.
SAIMA’S TIP: An upside effect of lockdowns is that they offer a chance to revisit older shoots with different “eyes” and maybe even allow more time for image-making.
TITLE: Lookout
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rebecca Wilholt DETAILS: Nikon D5500, 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 125mm. 1/400s @ f7, ISO 250.
GO WIDER?
According to Mike Smee: “This photo was taken on a sunny, blustery day on the breakwall at Brunswick Heads, NSW. My granddaughter
was twirling around a pole so I pre-focused at the spot where she appeared, set a fast shutter speed and a wide aperture, and took a few shots as she swung into view. I thought this one really captured her free spirit.”
All the tones in the subject’s face, hair and jumper are good, the backlighting is pleasant, and the black and white is a good choice. While you may have captured her in mid-flight around the pole, there is nothing really to indicate that this is a still from a scene of motion rather than a posed image. For you, it shows her “free spirit” but for the viewer, it might
just be a portrait of a pretty child with very unkempt hair. A more dynamic body shot with stretched out arms, legs, and a tilting head would create more of the sense of freedom that you felt at the time and wanted to convey.
SAIMA’S TIP: Backlighting can produce
a pleasant haloed effect on a subject, without any harsh lighting effects on a face.
TITLE: Mae @ 5
PHOTOGRAPHER: Mike Smee
DETAILS: Fujifilm X-T10, Fuji XF 18-55mm lens @ 55mm. 1/800s @ f4.5, ISO 250, straightened, cropped and converted to black and white in Lightroom.
Thanks to Fujifilm, Akira Nakajima has won a brilliant Fujifilm XF10 camera valued at $799. A premium
compact digital camera with a high quality FUJINON 18.5mm F2.8 fixed lens. The camera features an APS-C sized sensor which is 14 times larger than the sensor in a standard smartphone. The Fujifilm XF10 includes all the hallmarks of the
X Series system, combining simple manual operation with superior image quality and versatile picture-taking options.
Find out more at fujifilm.com.au
HOW TO SUBMIT AN IMAGE
• Email entries to: imagedoctor@ australianphotography.com with “Image Doctor” in the subject line.
• Include your name, image title and up to 150 words about how you created it.
• Only one image per person per month.
• Images must be saved in JPEG format. Maximum file size is 5MB. Include your name in the filename of the image.
• An Australian address is required in order to receive the prize.
• Employees of Yaffa Publishing or the sponsor are not eligible to win the prize.
• The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
A FUJIFILM XF10 VALUED AT $799
| 74 | DECEMBER 2020 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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