Holiday Postcards

I recently printed three images at 6 by 4 inches size. Why, I hear you asking. Well, the committee of the Canberra Photographic Society decided to have Holiday Postcards as the subject for its monthly Exhibition & Critique meeting – you might know such a meeting as Competition night at your club, but ours removed the use of the term “competition” some years ago and does not have an arrangement whereby members accumulate points towards an end of year trophy. (A score out of 5 is given to each entry and those given scores of 4 or more increase the number of entries their owners can submit to the Print of the Year event.) All entries for this meeting had to be printed A6, 6×4 or 5×7. There were no separate Open entries and no Projected Images this month.

Digital copies of our prints had to be uploaded to an online gallery so that members participating only via Zoom could see them whilst they were being exhibited and critiqued in the club’s meeting room. But the guest critic only saw the actual prints on the wall of the room.

A large part of the committee’s reason for this event (if not the only reason) was, I think, to try and attract more members to enter prints each month by giving them an opportunity to make prints on whatever printer they might have or get them printed commercially at very low cost. Time will tell whether or not more folk will enter prints in future.

The guest who critiqued our postcards was very much suited to that task. Chris Holly has been a professional photographer and more in Canberra for many years. He has critiqued for our club many times over those years. But, most interestingly, he worked for some time in a government agency seeking to promote tourism to Canberra and that, of course, involved the use of images that would attract people to visit our capital city for a whole host of reasons. That meant Chris had some most interesting observations to make about why some of the entered prints of locations visited and things seen on holidays made good postcards.

Chris also had done considerable research into the history and purpose of postcards over the years and that too enabled him to make some most pertinent observations about our various prints. And, during the course of the evening, he also revealed some thoughts about postcards that he had as late as when he was on his way to the meeting. All “judges” should be as thorough in their preparation!

My own research since listening to Chris found an excerpt from a book by a Lydia Pyne titled Postcards – The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Social Network. It informed me that “Postcards have been printed, sold, mailed, and received on a scale that makes them, historically, the largest class of artifacts that humankind has ever exchanged. There are a lot of different ways to dig into the history of postcards and any history will inevitably be incomplete. Although postcards were a mass medium, they were – and still are – a disposable one. This disposability means that there are holes in the historical record, making a complete archive of all the world’s postcards inherently impossible.”

The University of Chicago Press website entry about Pyne’s book says “Postcards are usually associated with banal holiday pleasantries, but they are made possible by sophisticated industries and institutions, from printers to postal services. When they were invented, postcards established what is now taken for granted in modern times: the ability to send and receive messages around the world easily and inexpensively. Fundamentally they are about creating personal connections – links between people, places, and beliefs. Lydia Pyne examines postcards on a global scale, to understand them as artifacts that are at the intersection of history, science, technology, art, and culture. In doing so, she shows how postcards were the first global social network and also, here in the twenty-first century, how postcards are not yet extinct.”

After hearing another member comment that postcards generally have words on them identifying the place that they feature such as “Greetings from …..”, I decided to add words to my images. I spent some time carefully thinking about the font styles, sizes and colours I would use for the words. I also decide to print them without borders. More of my research reveals that, although many postcards have white borders, even modern ones, they are mostly those published between 1915 and 1930 approximately.

So, what postcards did I make and enter and what did Chris think of them? I guess I haven’t yet added them to “the largest class of artifacts that humankind has ever exchanged” – should I write messages on the reverse side and post them to people I know? (Chris kept saying he wanted to turn our entries over to read their messages.)

Greetings from Silverton was taken during the 2023 APS Meet-Up in and around Broken Hill. The message on the pile of tyres amused me and the modern wind turbines on the hills near to this not-so-modern dirt road attracted my attention as I headed for the heritage cemetery. I chose a font that sort of matched that on the tyres and used a red to match that on the sign at the left.

Greetings from Silverton © Brian Rope

My Lyndonville postcard shows colourful things I saw in Vermont when I visited in the “Fall”. I chose a text colour to tone in with all the other colours in the image and what I thought was a somewhat old-fashioned font that I felt “fitted” the mood of the photo.

LYNDONVILLE – Vermont-USA © Brian Rope

My Piha postcard shows Lion Rock (also known as Te Piha) – a stunning natural attraction and a sacred spiritual site for the Te Kawerau a Maki people who once lived in the area. It juts up from the Tasman Sea near the mouth of Piha Stream, separating the north and south sides of the “black sand” beach. The strong font I used for the word Piha matches the strong rock, whilst the delicate font for the other words might be seen as representing the tracery of the clouds or the grains of sand. The font colour was used to match the dark brooding colour of the rock as shown in the image. I’ve visited this lovely place a couple of times on trips to New Zealand.

PIHA – Auckland-New Zealand © Brian Rope

And, finally, what scores did Chris Holly give to my three postcards. Along with most other entries he awarded each of them a 4 out of 5. A small number received scores of 3.5 and just two were given 4.5. But, in my view, the scores are not important. The range of interesting responses to the challenge and the critique commentaries on all the entries are the important things – as they always should be, so we learn.

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This article was first published on pages 18-21 of the April 2024 issue of The Printer here.

The Entertainers

I have photographed musicians, dancers, actors and other artists entertaining in various situations over the years. Three A3-size prints on Hahnemuhle Fineart Photo Pearl Paper made (on my Epson Stylus Photo R3000 printer) from such photographs now hang together in my home. They are each off-white matted and black framed. Let me share something of why, of all the images I have taken over the years, these three photos hang side by side on one wall of a room in my house.

All three images were taken on a Nikon D700 with a Tamron AF 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro A20N lens. The captions with each image provide details of the settings and the post-processing. You might notice that I’ve given each image an ‘arty’ look during my post-processing.

For seven years now these prints have been, and still are, hanging together on one wall of a guest bedroom in my home. As there are rarely guests the room is also used to store lots of my photography gear, plus old slides and negatives awaiting scanning! I see the three prints every time I enter the room. They remind me of three quite separate situations. The people in each image are not specifically connected to the folk in the others, other than by their common interest in performing.

As I look at the three framed prints the one on the left, titled Art Magic, portrays two members of the well-known Australian group, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, performing on stage before a full house at the 2015 National Folk Festival in Canberra. Each artist in this group has a character name. At the left of the image is Rufino The Catalan Casanova, aka Pip Branson, performing a supposed magic trick. Pip is (and has been) in various other live bands, including Rufino and the Coconuts. As it happens, I have known Pip all his life and I often see him when he visits other members of his family in Canberra. Another copy of this print adorns a wall of his mother’s home. This print makes me smile every time I look at it.

Art Magic © Brian Rope
Focal length: 50mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400, Pattern metering.
Tone, contrast, sharpening & filter adjustments in Photoshop (CC 2015)

The print in the middle is also of an image taken at the 2015 National Folk Festival but in a much less well patronised performance space – indeed, very sadly, there was a tiny number in the audience for the Indigenous professional singer/songwriter Kutcha Edwards (a Mutti Mutti man). At one point he invited a man from the audience who had been singing along to come and join him on stage using another mike. The invitation was happily accepted, and the invited amateur artist is also in this image. Thus the title Art Pro-Am.

Art Pro-Am © Brian Rope
Focal length: 220mm. Exposure: 1/30 sec, f/6.3, ISO 5000, Pattern metering.
Tone, contrast, sharpening & filter adjustments in Photoshop (CC 2015)

Kutcha Edwards has been prolifically combining songwriting and activism since 1991, when he joined Koori group Watbalimba and began a remarkable journey that has taken him from the tiny Riverina town of Balranald to tours of Australia and the world. It is his experiences as a survivor of the Stolen Generations and his proud Mutti Mutti heritage that has shaped his diverse creative output in groups like Blackfire and The Black Arm Band. At the same time he’s also been able to forge a successful solo career combining his ‘Bidgee’ blues with traditional songs of people and country.

This print reminds me about the great contribution Kutcha Edwards and numerous other Indigenous artists have made to the arts and culture in Australia.

The final print, on the right, is of an image taken in 2016 and features a young girl seated on the ground before a colourful backdrop busking outside of the Jamison Centre, a suburban shopping centre in the Canberra suburb of Macquarie. A man using a laptop whilst seated nearby seemed blissfully unaware of the young flautist but, of course, may have been a family member providing unobtrusive protection. I always admire youngsters who have the courage to perform publicly in such a way and wonder whether they might go on to have a career in the performing music arts.

I made this print as one of 14 that I displayed in a joint exhibition with two friends It was called Canberra – Our Streets and was held at The Front Gallery and Café in Canberra at the end of 2017. When I look at this print, I am reminded of that exhibition. I wish I knew whether the busking girl still performs and, if so, where and how.

Jamison Busking © Brian Rope
Focal length: 300mm. Exposure: 1/2000 sec, f/22, ISO 6400, Centre-weighted-Average metering. Tone, contrast, sharpening & filter adjustments in Photoshop (CC 2015)

So I have these printed photographs of three performing musicians/entertainers on display in my home. Two of the subjects were well established, one was simply a busker. One is Indigenous. Two sang on stages. One of them performed a magic trick. The other had the courage to invite an audience member to sing with him. One played a flute on a public footpath. Three prints telling various stories – in a sense, creating their own music for me each time I look at them.

This article was first published in the February 2024 issue of The Printer here starting at page 23.

Meeting Up

Every few months I write a column for the Australian Photographic Society’s APS Focus page in Australian Photography magazine, intended to encourage people to explore what the Society is all about and has to offer and, then to join. The following article has just been published in the biggest annual issue, known as the Photographer of the Year 2023 issue, of the magazine.

As published

Since 1963, the APS has conducted annual events bringing members together. For years it was a convention known as APSCON. In recent years it has become the APS MeetUp.

All participants make their own way to the destination – a different location each year. In 2023 it was Broken Hill. My wife Robyn and I chose to take a lengthy road trip gathering photos all the way. We drove first from Canberra to the NSW Central Coast, then visited Muswellbrook to view the Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize exhibition just before it closed.

Then we travelled in a more or less westerly direction taking three more days with numerous breaks before reaching the Hill. For me and my camera some of the most interesting places were the tiny fuel or coffee stops in the NSW outback, such as the Emmdale Roadhouse.

Whilst at the Hill, we also explored nearby Menindee and Silverton as well as participating in arranged MeetUp events along with old and new friends from APS.

Menindee was a special place to visit as Robyn had previously travelled there by “bone rattler” train from Sydney back in 1967 when she was just a young woman. Going back to see memories from that trip to visit a cousin, a Deaconess with the Methodist Church who had been sent to serve at the Methodist Nursing Service in Menindee, was a great reason to travel there. We had coffee at the only coffee shop/General Store/photo gallery. Robyn asked the lady behind the counter if she remembered the Nursing Service and its nurses. She did – showing us photos on the café wall of the building Robyn had visited!

Another visit to Menindee the following day with the MeetUp delegates allowed us to photograph the sunset at Lake Pamamaroo. We only just made it for the sunset after our coach broke down and we took photos while waiting for a replacement to arrive and take us the rest of the way.

There were two MeetUp trips to Silverton. Firstly, we explored and photographed the town itself, the famous artist John Dynon in his studio, the Mad Max Museum and, of course, the pub. An appearance by friendly free roaming donkeys provided another interesting subject to point a lens at.

On the second trip we visited Silverton Outback Camels and photographed its menagerie of camels, goats, llamas, dogs, an emu – and a drag queen who accompanied us to various MeetUp events. An added bonus was photographing the sunset and the full “blue” moon rising.

In and near the Hill, we visited a variety of sites including Daydream Mine and The Living Desert Sculptures, each of which provided more subjects. We socialised with other delegates, learned from each other about our photography skills and interests, and participated in a friendly photo competition.

Robyn and I travelled home via Mildura, Hay, Leeton, Gundagai and many more small towns each providing further images to capture. I’m already looking forward to the 2024 MeetUp in Launceston. See you there?

Stop here in Silverton © Brian Rope

Robert Frederick Compton Legge

Bob Legge, SSAPS – photographer unknown but most likely the late Alan Chapple
and taken at a Canberra Photographic Society workshop

Robert Frederick Compton Legge (generally known as Bob) died on 11 November 2023, aged 81. He was born on 30 July 1942, almost 5 months after me. He arrived in Canberra in 1959, again about 5 months after my arrival.

Whilst the vast majority of current CPS members did not know Bob at all, he was very much involved in the Society for many years. At some point he took it upon himself to be the unofficial historian for CPS.

The CPS Achievers Book 1989-2000 contains a short history of CPS (based in part on a draft history document provided by Bob). That piece tells us “During the 1980s, several members with strong photographic interests joined the group and developed an enthusiastic commitment to the Society. Many of them are still active today and have helped shape the current and future directions of the Society.” It goes on to name sixteen members including Bob Legge. Of the others named, only Dave Bassett and me are current CPS members. Bob is only one of several amongst the sixteen who have now died. The Book also names Bob as one of the members who had not regularly participated in CPS competitions but who had provided support in other ways.

Bob’s main claim to fame was that he was the shortest, bearded member of CPS. In terms of physical height that is. He didn’t take as many photos as some of us and the unkind were known to make sarcastic remarks when a placing in the monthly competition revealed his camera had been used.

One CPS event Bob did take photographs for was a project to document the 1988 Bicentennial celebrations that happened in Canberra during 1988. He was one of seventeen members who took photos and was one of sixteen of them who exhibited prints in an exhibition at the then link gallery within the Canberra Theatre Centre in early 1989.

Bob also was a member of the Australian Photographic Society (APS) and held one significant office for that national body. As the APS is incorporated in the ACT, the Public Officer of the Society has to be a resident of the ACT, Bob served as the Public Officer of APS for many years. In fact I only took over that role from him as recently as during 2020. Also, in 1990, Bob was a rare ACT recipient of a State Service to APS (SSAPS) Award in recognition of his work for APS.

As well as being a photographer, the death notice placed in The Canberra Times by Bob’s partner Anya and her son Alexei described him as an archaeologist, public servant, researcher, cold war warrior, part-time hobbit, writer and true gentleman. And a beloved, sometimes grumpy, always funny, loving and kind partner, father, friend and storyteller. That was expanded on at a gathering to remember him when Alexia, Anya and various other people, me included, shared stories and memories. Anya and Bob met when they were both working on a project at the National Library of Australia. The main photograph of him displayed at the gathering was the one at the top of this article, taken at a CPS workshop night when the seventeen members who photographed the Bicentennial celebrations were themselves photographed.

In memory of Robert Legge – photo by Brian Rope

This article was initially written for the Canberra Photographic Society’s blog.

Pamamaroo Sunset

This article first appeared in the December 2023 – January 2024 issue of Australian Photography magazine – after the editor asked me to be the featured member of the Australian Photographic Society, on the APS One Frame pages.

As published

As an enthusiast pro-am photographer for almost 73 years, my interests and approaches have changed and evolved. Nowadays I mostly seek to create Contemporary works, but there are times when I capture traditional imagery.

Menindee Lakes comprises nine large, but relatively shallow, lakes located in south-west New South Wales (Australia) on the Darling (Barka) River. The town of Menindee is close by. There are four main lakes, including Pamamaroo. One afternoon during the 2023 APS MeetUp at Broken Hill, participants set off by coach heading there to shoot the sunset.

The drive from the Hill to Pamamaroo should take about 70 minutes. The plan was to arrive in time to set up cameras, tripods and whatever other gear we each wished to use, then eat supplied boxed evening meals before photographing the sunset.

Unfortunately, the coach engine started to play up after about 30 minutes and the driver had to bring us to a halt then phone for a replacement coach when he couldn’t solve the problem. What do photographers do in such a situation? They exit the coach and spread out in search of photographs.

When the new coach arrived, we all quickly clambered onto it and the journey resumed. We arrived at our destination about an hour later than scheduled, parked amongst various groups of campers, piled off the coach and started shooting the sunset colours immediately. Afterwards we ate our dinners in darkness.

Over a period of 45 minutes, I photographed the changing colours. I used my handheld Z5 – and took a few with my iPhone. Every one of my fifty images was shot from essentially the same location on the shore, just pointing the camera in different directions and varying the focal length. I’m pretty happy with all of them.

The one shown here is just my second shot and I love the highlight along the edge of the water. Post-processing? I opened the RAW file in Camera Raw, selected Auto edit, then in Photoshop used Auto Color, Contrast and Tone, and applied the Nik 6 Output sharpener.

© Brian Rope, OAM, AFIAP, FAPS, ESFIAP, HonFAPS, CAPSB
Nikon Z5 with Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR. Focal length 25.50mm. Exposure 1/200 sec, f7.1, ISO 100, Normal program. Pattern metering.

The Black Crow

The Black Crow is not a simple image of the bird. Rather it is an image created to illustrate a concept or, if you prefer, an idea that I had.

The concept came from the fact that, for many people, the black crow is a symbol of cunning, death and war. Others say crows fly toward the four directions as a guide through life’s journey. And yet others believe the crow imparts wisdom about change and demonstrates that change is not to be feared. To illustrate this, I went looking for a crow flying in various directions about or alongside a “dead” tree.

I went to a location with which I was familiar. I knew that birds were very likely to be flying about and around some trees there. I knew the trees would have few leaves as it was Winter. I didn’t have to wait long for a crow to fly low near one of the trees enabling me to quickly respond and get the image I wanted. As I knew it would, the tree later came to life again in the Spring – the crow had imparted wisdom about the coming change of seasons and demonstrated that the inevitable change is nothing to fear. The tree did not die. There was nothing to fear as the season changed. I had an image which I believed illustrated the concept.

The image was taken on a Nikon D700 with a Tamron AF 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro A20N lens. The focal length was 200mm. Exposure was 1/2500 sec, f/25, ISO 6400, Centreweighted-Average metering. It was created specifically with a view to entering it in what was then (in 2020) called the Mullins Australian Conceptual Photographic Prize. Very much to my surprise, when the finalists were announced this image was amongst them.

I cropped the image to a square format, had a print of The Black Crow made by a professional laboratory and then had it matted and mounted. Then I sent it to Magnet Gallery in Melbourne’s Docklands where the Prize finalists were to be exhibited.

Sadly COVID-19 problems saw the gallery having to be closed – after the exhibition hanging had been completed the previous day. Following that unfortunate start, Magnet put together a virtual exhibition on their website. They also placed a selection of the prints in the gallery windows facing out into the covered pedestrian walkway outside and changed those prints each week during the scheduled exhibition run.

What happened to the print after the exhibition? It has been, and still is, hanging on the wall of my study above, and a little to the left of, my monitor. I can look up at it whenever I am sitting at my computer. It reminds me of my minor success in the Mullins – before the rules were changed making me ineligible to enter (as one of the management team which organises the Prize).

The Black Crow © Brian Rope

This article was originally published on pp 9-10 of the November 2023 issue of The Printer here.

Hackett’s 60th Birthday

In late October 2023, I entered four works in the Hackett Squares Artshow, part of Hackett’s 60^th Birthday celebrations. Hackett is a suburb in the inner north of Canberra, Australia below the slopes of Mt Majura. My personal connection to Hackett (first homes built in 1963) is that it is where I had my first home built (in 1964) and where I then lived from 1965 to 1993. My children attended the Hackett Primary School and participated in activities at St Margaret’s church.

Over the years Hackett has been regularly visited by kangaroos coming down from Mount Majura. These two visited and enjoyed the grounds of the Holy Cross/St Margaret’s churches one day when I was there. The original photograph has been framed by an abstract image of sunlit kangaroo fur.

Two Roos © Brian Rope

The Hackett Art & Craft Exhibition (HACE) was held annually from 1976-1990 in the Hackett Primary School hall, always attracting large numbers of exhibitors, visitors and buyers. It later was relocated to two other schools and continued until 2006. My work below portrays part of the exhibition in 1977. It was created by digitally colouring an original black & white photograph. Much more information about the HAE can be read at https://hackett.asn.au/hackett-art-and-craft-show/. There are also some of my photos on that webpage (including the original black & white image from which the colourised version below was created). I entered the photographic section of the HACE every year from 1977-1984, winning awards every year.

1977 HACE © Brian Rope

The HACE always attracted large numbers of exhibitors and numerous visitors/buyers. This work portrays two women passing by some 1977 batik exhibits. It was created by digitally colouring an original black & white photograph.

Batik Exhibits © Brian Rope

I was pleasantly surprised to take out First Prize in the Hackett Squares Artshow with this image:

Bird amongst Blossoms © Brian Rope

All entries had to be 30cm square in any medium (including photography). Entries also had to be inspired by Hackett (a Canberra suburb currently celebrating its 60th birthday) and had to be accompanied by a 50 words statement explaining how the entry linked to Hackett or to its community. The number of entries was small, so the competition was modest but, nevertheless, it was nice to win.

My submitted statement for my winning image not only outlined the connection to Hackett but also explained how the work was created: “Hackett is home to a diverse bird life. This one was enjoying the flowering cherry tree in the grounds of the Holy Cross/St Margaret’s churches. The original photograph has been processed to reduce the number of colours in it, then draw black lines on the edges of the image elements.”

As well as the artshow, there was a 60^th Birthday Party attended by large numbers of people – estimated by some to be 500. I spent some time at the party and captured a few images, including the following.

Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan welcomed everyone to country. © Brian Rope

Dorothy Mackenzie (a member of Holy Cross church) spoke of her experience as an early, and current, resident of Hackett. © Brian Rope

Alison Allen (a member of St Margaret’s church) also spoke of her experience as an early, and current, resident of Hackett. © Brian Rope

The Good Faith Choir (of St Margaret’s & Holy Cross churches in Hackett where the party was held) led the singing of happy birthday to Hackett then sang two other short pieces © Brian Rope

St Margaret’s church council chairman John Goss delivered pieces of the birthday cake to all who wanted some © Brian Rope

Rev Don Erickson, the first Minister of St Margaret’s (which started in February 1964), spoke a few words wondering aloud how many of those present had been married or baptised by him and whether any of the Under 10s he had coached in rugby were there. The current rector of Holy Cross, Rev Tim Watson, and Don’s wife Margaret were amongst those who listened. © Brian Rope

Happy 60^th Hackett!

Big Blue Heeler

On 8 July 2022 my wife, Robyn, and I were visiting Muswellbrook. We went for a stroll along the main shopping street and came across a two-metre-high  bronze sculpture by Brett “Mon” Garling of a Blue Heeler dog (called Big Blue) – made in 2001 to celebrate the famous Australian Cattle Dog first bred at Dartbrook (12 kilometres north of Muswellbrook). I took three photos of it:

Big Blue Heeler, Muswellbrook © Brian Rope

Big Blue Heeler, Muswellbrook © Brian Rope

Robyn looking at Big Blue Heeler, Muswellbrook © Brian Rope

All three photos were uploaded to my Flickr site (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianrope/) into its Australia – NSW album (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianrope/albums/72157606060328382). They were identified only as being taken in Muswellbrook.

So, it was quite a surprise on 3 May 2023 when I received an email from the philatelic area of Australia Post seeking my permission to use one of the photos in a planned philatelic issue featuring Australian “Big Things”.

The proposal was to be reproduce my photo three times: on the envelope cover, the inner card (on which a coin would be affixed) and on the stamp area. (Not an actual stamp but printed on the envelope.) I thought the material provided looked pretty good. The attachment was:

Big Blue Heeler, Muswellbrook, AusPost Designs

I was happy with the amount being offered so I responded giving permission and confirming the image they were wanting to use. I provided an invoice and shortly thereafter received payment.

Another surprise followed on 26 June 2023, when a further email indicated AusPost would like to reproduce my photograph on two additional products: a postcard and a mini-sheet and coin collection. Again, I gave permission. This time the attachments included:

The proposed Australia Post postcard image using my photo

Again, I granted permission, sent an invoice and promptly received the additional payment.

I then subscribed to the AusPost collectables mailings so that I would know exactly when the Big Things collectables would be issued. In due course I learned that would happen on 4 September 2023.

On the day before issue, I put posts on my Facebook and Instagram accounts about the coming releases and advised all my Australian friends that I would be most appreciative if lots of them would buy one of the Big Blue Heeler postcards, write a message on it and post it to me – promising to use all the postcards I received in a photo project that I had in mind.

On the day of issue, The Canberra Times ran a story about the featuring of Canberra’s Big Swoop (a sculpture of a magpie pecking on a chip). That’s another big thing I have also photographed.

Big Swoop, Canberra © Brian Rope

Screenshot of CT story about Big Swoop

On the same day I headed to my nearest post office and located their display about the Big Things. There were copies of the postcards, including four of the Big Blue Heeler, and displays of other items that could be obtained at the counter. I purchased the items that used my image, plus one of the coins featuring the Big Blue Heeler on the front and an image of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the reverse.

Scan of purchased products – two postcards at top, a coin at centre left, and the postal numismatic cover product at the bottom.

Scan of reverse side of coin in its container, showing the late Queen’s profile –
made by Royal Australian Mint.

Later that day I had a conversation with Ron Cerabona of The Canberra Times and provided him with some information for a short piece he wanted to run the following day. Then, on 5 September 2023n his story was published.

Screenshot of CT story about Big Blue Heeler

What is next? Well, that depends on whether or not I received the requested postcard messages from anyone. As I write this, tomorrow two weeks will have passed since the postcards were put on sale. So far, I have not received any in the mail.

Is printing photos still relevant in 2023?

This article was first published on the APS Focus pages (for which I write a few times each year) in the August-September 2023 issue of Australian Photography magazine.

As published

I recently enjoyed a great presentation to my local photography club. The speaker, professional photographer Ben Kopilow, mentioned the commonly heard “it’s not a photo until it’s printed”. He said that, whilst he absolutely understood and appreciated that point of view and personally enjoyed holding prints, he wondered whether it remains true in this day and age. He suggested that the digital age, with its capacity to show us images on our phones and multiple other devices, might well mean the need for prints is disappearing.

It is an issue that has impacted the Australian Photographic Society, particularly its Print Group. There was a time when the Society had large print exhibitions every year at its APSCONs (conventions) – sometimes at the venue and other times at separate locations nearby. I exhibited my own prints in them. There also once were APS traveling print exhibitions. Nowadays such exhibitions have become part of history. Instead, the Society, prints members’ images in online magazines (including The Printer) and shows their works in online galleries (including Print Group Gallery).

So, why should we still print? I do it for many reasons, including to enter them in local competitions, give them to people as gifts, display them in exhibitions, and display them on the walls at home. I also print them in a magazine that I edit which is available both online and in a printed version. And, sometimes, I make postcard-sized prints just to keep my home printer’s inks flowing as I don’t want them to dry up due to lack of use. Occasionally, some of us get to have large prints made because we have had a work selected in a major competition which displays finalists’ entries. That is most exciting and the large print I had made of my own selected work in the international 2010 Art of Photography Show has hung on my study wall ever since.

Some of my most cherished possessions are the many old albums full of printed photos – my own, my wife’s and my mum’s. They are all part of our history, including old photos of my parents’ lives before I was born and photos of my wife’s life before I met her. Yes, the most important ones have been scanned and I have digital copies, but who wouldn’t prefer to hold and feel and look at a battered old – and old style – album?

I know we can’t prevent the march of time and technology, but for me there will always be many excellent reasons why we should make, or have made, prints of our images. So, I encourage you to do that. I also encourage you to join APS Print Group, if you are not already in it, and to become an active participant by contributing prints to The Printer and, perhaps, joining with other members to organise print exhibitions as well.

Peeping Gold © Brian Rope (an early photo of my children hanging on my bedroom wall)

Zoe Elena

Zoe Elena is a portrait of, you guessed it, Zoe Elena. When I took this image she was a model. She still is. It was 29 March 2014 and I was attending a workshop conducted by the high-profile Australian photographer Peter Coulson, who continues to produce a stunning body of portraits of Zoe and numerous other models and to conduct workshops around the world.

The workshop I attended was held inside the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra where I live. There were a couple of other models as well as Zoe and the small group of lucky attendees had the opportunity to work with each model after seeing demonstrations of how to work with them and how to use natural light in a number of non-public corners of the Gallery building.

My previous experience of working with models was limited – still is. I am not particularly good at communicating what I want from any person when I am trying to make a portrait of them. So it was great to work with models who had experience and skills and who could readily create poses for us. I was sufficiently pleased with this particular shot to decide that I wanted a decent-sized print of it.

The file information tells me the shot was captured in colour and without flash using a Nikon D700 digital camera, using a Tamron AF 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro A20N.  The focal length was 55 mm. Exposure was 1/50 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 1000, Manual, Pattern metering. Resolution was 300 PPI.

I converted the image to monochrome using Photoshop, then made a print on Epson Premium Glossy A3 paper using my Epson Stylus Photo R3000 printer. I matted and framed it myself. The frame size is 45 x 57 cm.

Where is the print now? I installed it on the wall of my study where, 9 years later, it remains hanging within my field of view as I sit at my computer. It is a memory of that workshop and what I learned by participating in it.

Zoe Elena © Brian Rope

This article first appeared in The Printer, the online magazine of the Australian Photographic Society’s Print Group, starting at page 22 here.