Australian_Photography_-_March_2016_

APS FOCUS

With Peter
Manchester

T

he Australian Photographic
Society has a long history of
providing services to amateur
photographers throughout
Australia. For many talented shooters it
has helped them improve their knowledge
and skills and forge new relationships. Like
many not-for-profit societies, however,
it is facing a range of challenges borne
out of social, technological and political
change. Being associated with APS for over
35 years, I have noticed that much like
Australian society, the way our members
interact with each other has changed.
Sometimes the true spirit of the society’s
aims and objectives appear to have been
misinterpreted. Australian people are
becoming more critical, more fault finding
and disparaging – but isn’t this the way of
the healthy place in which we live?
Recently an Australian wedding
photographer posted that he’d “had
enough” of snap-happy guests ruining his
photos. Are the good old days gone when
wedding guests were seen smiling, tears
in their eyes, shaking hands in photos,
now that they have iPhones and iPads
constantly thrust in front of them?
Not that long ago I witnessed at
an Australian Photographic Society
Conference (APSCON) quite a heated
discussions between two photographers
about whether we should photograph

people in public places without their

permission. Another noted APS member

expressed her view on Facebook recently,

saying “I don’t shoot people”. She believes

photographers should behave more ethically

when photographing people in public

places. Agree or not, these kind of robust

discussions are always important among

photographers, as long as it’s not personal.

Then I was reminded of a discussion

I had a while ago with a landscape

photographer. My curmudgeonly

comment was “I don’t shoot landscapes on

private property, but I do shoot people in

public places!”

From judging photographs, to looking at

professional internet sites and TV monitors

on walls at airports and information centres

playing slideshows of landscape photos, I’ve

concluded that most landscape photographs

these days are really beautiful – they

show amazing locations, wonderful light,

colourful sunsets, starry skies, waterfalls,

ocean views, tropical beaches, AND

those brilliant colours. All these images

have revealed a mastery of technique, an

accurate choice of location, delightful

compositions and masterful post-processing;

all of them could get a million “likes” on

social networks. But then I was uneasy,

really, as almost all of these images were

enhanced, manipulated, and changed like

a model on the front cover of a women’s

Is this

landscape

real?

ABOVE

What are the ethics

of photographing

people without their

permission? It’s a

discussion worth

having. Photo by

Peter Manchester.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY MARCH 2016 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 73

Australian Photographic Society

member Peter Manchester laments

the trend towards conformity in

modern landscape photography.

magazine. How many more beautiful

photos do we need of Cradle Mountain,

camels on the beach at Broome, Uluru

and the Devils Marbles at sunset, or

Kakadu lakes? Haven’t we seen enough of

Antelope Canyon yet? I see a growing trend

to conformity in landscape photography.

There is a prevalent style in landscape

photography that aims to capture the viewer

with dramatic light, strong composition and

bright, over-saturated colours. Most people

like it, but personally I don’t anymore.

I can hear photographers saying when they

processed the image, “How can I ‘wow’

the viewer, get more accolades online, and

make more sales?” Many are shooting what

the public and judges like and in a way

that the public appreciates. I don’t see any

of the photographer’s emotions and mood

conveyed through some of these images,

and to me this is not art. I believe it’s art if

the artist puts themselves inside their work,

not if somebody pays money to hang it on

a wall.

Perhaps this is a rant against some

photographers, but it’s a ref lection

on where I want to be with my own

photography. This is why I’m developing

my art of “shooting people” in the genre

of street photography. Membership

of APS allows for meetings and the

gathering of other photographers’

thoughts and ideas. This is the main

reason why I’ve been an APS member

for 35 years. “Give and you will receive”

is the old adage.

In my next column I’ll offer my

thoughts on why I photograph people

in public places, while at the same time

aiming to make sure I don’t take away

their dignity. ❂