Background

You're a very influential presence on DPC but your profile is lacking in biographical tidbits. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

As most of you know I am an Aussie. I haven’t been anywhere else, although I have lived in most of the states of Australia and moved house nearly 30 times in my life. I am going to be celebrating the big "four-oh" this year…yippee…that will be a humdinger of a party with half the town there. LOL!! But anyways, back to the question. I am the middle of 3 girls. They both live in different states of Australia, as does my mother. My father lives in New Zealand so we are spread out. I was born in Perth, Western Australia, but spent my first 11 years in NSW before moving back to Western Australia onto the farms. I was an advanced child and finished schooling at 14, college at 15 and was in the workforce by 16. I was educated in Office work and worked my way through companies, banks, governmental departments, way before computers. I also worked in many other fields including strapping racehorses, dancing, bar work etc. At one stage I had 6 jobs. I could never sit still and was always employed.

Just before leaving my first husband I paralyzed my right hand in a bad dance move. It took me a couple of years before I got full movement back. This made life a little difficult, but didn't slow me down. I hid in a state on the other side of Australia for over a year until my divorce was finalized by the judge over the kitchen table…(that was a great way to divorce). And then I met my second husband. We went on to have 3 beautiful children.

My photography started when I was about 8 My photography started when I was about 8 (I think). My Dad was going out with a female photographer. She would develop her own photos, always black and white. She was so patient. My dad also loved photography. I remember when they would take us to fun places, .my younger sister wanted to take photos too, so I would always take two of the same scene (even action shots…lol!). I didn’t know that you only needed the negative to reproduce the prints. Hahahaha!!

I am actually surprised I still have anything to do with photography, as I used to become very impatient with my father for taking so long just to get one photo. I couldn’t understand it. But I never said anything to him…he was a gentle, but very intelligent man. I was not the type to hurt peoples feelings intentionally.

Not long after we moved back to Western Australia. I was 13, in my second last year of high school and my dad came over and took us away for a week. He presented me with a Ricoh camera for my birthday. I thought all my Christmas’ had come at once. It wasn’t my first camera, as I had one previous, but it was shared with my sister. The Ricoh camera was just for me. I had no idea how to use it, and no one to teach me. Only a basic instruction sheet that came with the camera. I worked out if I wanted to blur the background…to use F4. And that was about all I knew. Living on a large farm doesn’t allow for much interaction with the public, so you work things out yourself.

That camera stayed with me for many years. Within the first year I was winning prizes at the local show with my photos. My beautiful dog would often sit through dress ups and posing for me. Being on the farm and then living at college, I was exposed to lots of different scenes. I would have that camera with me as much as I could. I used to have to wait a week to see my prints after dropping the roll off. The schools I attended didn’t have any photographic related subjects, so I never learnt anything about dark rooms. I was fully reliant on the shops to process.

That camera finally died and I was without a camera for about a year. During my first marriage I managed to get a point and shoot (that’s all I could afford). But it was enough to keep the addiction going. And still I get snapping away. It wasn’t until my second marriage that my husband had inherited his grandfathers Pratika and with it were lenses and filters. We still have it. And that snowballed my desire. We had about 300 birds by that stage and I would spend hours inside the aviaries photographing these beautiful birds. That’s when things turned towards going professional as I was getting too many requests from people…even in other countries. So I made everything official.

As you can tell, I have had no formal training in the photographic industry. I first saw the internet 5 years ago and went from there. I now teach two day courses on the subjects. And thoroughly enjoy it. I think it is something that you really must believe in and want to be able to take it to where you want to go. As much as I crave the chance to do an official study in Photography, I feel that the institution trained photographer is not necessarily better than the real world trained photographer. Sure the institution style training can polish that diamond, but it can’t show you the real world…and unleash that talent within a person.

Tell us about your family and friends.

I am very much a loner, but also very much out there. Whilst I have a very public side, there is a very private side. And this reflects in my surrounds. I can more than handle myself in the public (whether its in crowds or on stage) and this has gained me many strong acquaintances (that is what I prefer to call them). It has also gained me quite a following (sometimes not in my favour). BUT….there are a very ‘select’ few from throughout my life, even from my childhood, that are very dear to me. Those are my true friends. I like being in public….but I prefer to be alone. I enjoy the quiet, solitude in life.

When I was living on the farms, I would often take off on one of my horses, with my dog by my side and disappear for the day. One of the farms was about 3000 acres. We had quarries, airstrip, miles of bush and a huge lake….1km across, 19 km long. Over the other side of the lake were sand dunes which led to the beach. My nearest neighbour was about 10kms away. So many of my days out bush I would just be in a bikini and go down to the lake and spend it laying on my airbed or galloping up the sides of the quarries, or watching my dog chase the kangaroos, or standing at the top of the highest hill and just looking for miles in every direction.

That particular time in my life was a very difficult time and I spent many days by myself. This helped me work out who I am and what I wanted. But in the same token it allowed me to separate from the rat race of life and treasure what is close to me and know how to handle what isn’t so important. That has reflected in my ability in this industry. When I go into a job, I become very focused. Almost like I am shutting off from the world and I focus on the type of image and story that I want to capture. It’s almost like I am not actually there, I am just hidden behind the camera. And that is the same with people. There are acquaintances, and there are my true friends, the ones I have for life.

How long have you been involved in photography?

From about 8 years old. There are no baby pictures of me. I think my first picture was when I was about 2 and a half….and would you believe, nude. .lol!! So I can’t blame it on an ‘over photographed childhood’. In fact, there were never many photos of me at all. I was meant to have been the boy in the family, so I was treated as such. Short hair and boys toys for birthdays. My sisters were treated as the girls, with their beautiful long hair and dolls. So the camera was very much on them. This used to upset me back then, but I am pleased now. As I became used to being in the background…and like I mentioned above, the camera gets seen, not the person behind it.

But in general I feel it must have been in my blood for me to live it as much as I do.

Have you participated in or won any photographic competitions outside of DPC?

I don’t participate in as many competitions outside of DPC as one would probably expect. The ones that I do, I tend to do well at. I stopped counting after 200 awards, and that was a few years ago.

What's your favorite movie?

I don’t get to watch many movies and rarely watch tv. But there are some movies that I am partial to….and they would probably have to be some of the corniest. Movies like Phar Lap, Black Stallion and such. I love the scenes and the way it plays with the music to evoke emotion. I am absolutely terrible for remembering names and I get very lost in a lot of movies because of that. So whilst I love those fantasy style images with the dragons and knights, movies like Lord of the Rings just lose me within the first 30 minutes. I saw snippets of Van Helsing whilst it was on TV, and to be honest, I fell in love with the scenes, makeup and costumes…and stood affixed to the screen…but don’t remember any of the dialogue..lmao!

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to a large range of music. But I detest head banging stuff and that Country & Western crap. (I can just imagine the rotten tomatoes heading my way right about now!!) One of my recent paper interviews asked me what influences my work, and I replied Music. Depending on what I am listening to prior to or during a shoot will determine how that shoot turns out. When I had this computer built, I insisted that I had good sound. So with my subwoofer and headphones it is quite normal to find me working away with the music blaring in my ears. Anything from Enigma to 80’s….Vangelis and Enya to Meatloaf………OMD to Nellie Fertado or Suzie Q. I love music and it goes everywhere with me. I do all the concert photography for the Entertainment Centre in another town. They get all the big names like Jimmy Barnes and Grinspoon as well as all the Orchestral Tours and stuff, so I am right in my element there for doing the shoots.

What is your favorite food?

I love a variety of food, from hot curries and Satays to international foods, like Polo Madrid and Chinese dishes. But I would have to say that I am partial to Lobster. If that is available that is what I go for. Second would have to be mangos, I live on them during summer. Oh and of course you can’t go past me with chocolate without me pinching some. LOL!!

Do you have a main source of caffeine? If so, is it Tea, Coffee. Chocolate or Other?

Caffeine (insert the Homer drool please!!)!!!!! I gotta have my caffeine. Whether it’s a freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning, or the chocolates sitting in the fridge, or the huge pile of whipped cream sitting on a café style ice coffee, I gotta have it. But I have to say that my caffeine fix no longer includes tea. Living on the farm we relied on bore water that went through the salt conditioner. Now as some of you know, the weather played a big part in the taste and smell of that water. So some days it was just normal water but most days it smelt like rotten eggs. When you come in sweaty and dirty from stock work or wet and freezing from riding the motorbikes through the stock to collect the orphaned lambs you tend not to care what the water smelt or tasted like. A cup of tea was heaven. And that was what I became accustomed to. So when I moved to the city the tea tasted disgusting, it wasn’t the same. I have tried tea many times since and I can barely manage a full cup before I throw it.

Do you have your own web site, if so can I list it here?

Sure…! I think most people already know my site by now, www.judigraphics.com. This site has been a huge learning curve for me. From absolutely no knowledge of HTML prior to building it….to now..has been a huge step. I create and maintain it all myself, although I had a dear friend (also on DPC) help me with the initial set up. But after that I was on my own and that is where I ripped apart a template and rebuilt it to suit my needs to what it is today. And whilst I am probably doing everything the long way, I know that in time I will pick up even more shortcuts and learn enough to enable me to save time in my work.

Indulge us in a bit of "polarizing" personality typing:
Coke or pepsi?

Coke is the only one…! Pepsi is recycled Coke, just crap!

Mac or Windows?

Hahahaha, I was waiting for this. I use Windows. I have so many people say to me to go Mac, .maybe one day I will. But for now, let me stick with what I have.

Early bird or night owl?

I love sleeping in, but rarely ever do. Most mornings I am up between 4am and 5am. Whilst everyone is asleep I empty the dishwasher, brew a fresh cup of coffee and take one to my hubby in bed. He usually lets it go cold (although I get the blame for that) and I take my coffee to the computer and check the emails and what intelligent discussions have started on DPC and check my other areas of work. I then head to the gym by 6am if hubby hasn’t gone to work and am usually back before anyone is awake.

Night time usually entails working on the computer with my headphones on. I get less distractions at night as the kids are asleep and hubby is fighting the Z’s in front of the tv. Sometimes I pull an all nighter depending on the urgency of the job. But most days I try and grab just 10 minutes sleep on my lounge to keep going.

Big crowds or small groups?

I actually prefer neither. I can handle big crowds and being on stage…that doesn’t bother me. Although announcers around here know I hate microphones…they know that I will throw them. So whilst I will speak on a microphone when I am doing radio interviews, I won’t speak on one on stage. Ummmm, back to the question. I do teach groups of people and I am comfortable in that….but I still prefer to be on my own. Where I am not getting hammered with questions or followed like a puppy dog.

Perfectionist or slob?

Before things got crazy in my work, I used to be a fanatic. People would say that they could come over to my place and know exactly what day and time of day it was by looking at what I was doing. Everything was immaculate. From scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush to dusting behind bookcases. But nowadays I don’t have that time. I hope to organize a cleaner to help me out…one day. It was difficult allowing myself to not be so much of a perfectionist, but I came to the conclusion that tomorrow my house will still need cleaning but my kids will be a day older. And they are more important to me then having a dust free shelf.

But when it comes to my work, that is different. My clients know that I am incredibly fussy. I get angry at myself for overlooking any detail. And that is the same with my entries. When I get low votes on an entry on DPC I initially get angry at the voters….but I know that they are really only pointing out my mistakes and that peeves me off that I allowed those mistakes to slip through.

Cash or credit?

I prefer cash, although credit plays a big part in my life. Because of my location I have to purchase everything on line without seeing or trying the equipment. I can’t do that with cash unfortunately.

I say, you surprise me…there are some questions that I thought you would have asked!!!! LOL!!

Like what?

Nah, I was just referring to the usual comments about my red hair and my nudity images. They make me laugh and I half expect them, but you haven’t asked anything like that yet, that is what I was surprised about.

Honey, be patient, we're just getting started! ;-)

Hardware

You mentioned above some of the cameras you used when you were younger. How and when did you convert to digital?

I converted to digital a few years ago. My Mother-in-law had a 2mp camera and then upgraded to the latest 4mp, that was just unheard of…wow! So then I got my first, a 1.3mp camera. I can’t even remember the brand, but it was a good stepping stone into what was ahead of me. I gave it away about 6 months later when I got the Sony DSC F828. That camera was the biggest on the market for a long time, then Canon stepped up to the plate after the Rebel.

How much are you loving the EOS 5D?

Ugh!! It is orgasmic. Oops…can I say that? LOL!! Anyways…my work partner has the Mark II 1DS. So sometimes when I go solo on a job I have both the Mark II and the 5D hanging off me. I switch from one to the other but I keep going back to the 5D. I am about to buy another back up camera and I am tossing up between the 5D and the new Mark III. Because of my wrist injury I wrote about earlier…I have to be careful of weight…but my 5D is usually carrying a battery grip, 580EX, Lightsphere and lens…so the weight difference between the two isn’t that much. Plus with my camera bag on my back at most times (and that usually weighs in at about 6kgs)…I am slowly building up my weight tolerance overall.

I heard one photographer state that the 5D monochrome is comparable to the Hassels…which blew me away…so I really feel this is one of the best cameras ever to hit the market.

Tell us a little about your lens collection: favorites, most and least often used, etc.

"Dance of the fairies!"

Lenses. Hmmm…Yeah I have some of them…those are those black tube thingies with numbers on them..!!! Hehehe, only joking. I do have a few but am partial to a couple. My walkabout is the Canon 28-105. It gets me out of most situations.

My macros utilise the Canon 100mm 2.8 and sometimes the Canon 50mm 1.8 reversed onto it. My landscapes are usually the Canon 28-105 or the Canon 15mm. My studio shots are either the Canon 28-105, Canon 100mm 2.8, Canon 50mm 1.8 or even the Sigma 50-500 (just for fun). My underground work is usually the Canon 28-105. Concert shoots are usually the Canon 70-200 F4 or the Canon 15mm. I also use the Nikon D70s….but that is usually just for IR work so that utilises the 50mm. My daughter Kita (10 years old) owns the Canon 300D but has now taken over the D70s so she uses the 70-300mm. My oldest son (8 years old) now shoots with the 300D. My youngest is still using a finger camera..lol!! So lenses in this house get used a lot.

What lens lives on your camera?

The Canon 28-105mm lives on my camera and then everything steps up to the job when they are required.

What size memory cards do you have?

Oh now you are making me open my camera bag…hahahaha!! Okay….I just got them out…! I have a very lonely (how did that get in there?) 256mb card for absolute emergency. 3 x 1gb. 4 x 2gb. 5 x 4gb and an 8gb on its way. So what is that..ummmmm… nearly 40gb in CF’s.

Do you shoot in JPG or RAW mode?

RAW mode all the way. I only ever use Manual settings…even on my fast action shots. About 25% of my images are Manual focus also (even some action shots).

Have you ever lost any images on memory cards?

Ugh…don’t go there…I don’t want to tempt fate. No, to date I haven’t…but I have on the computer. I had 3 crashes in 6 weeks…and that hurt. When you suddenly get the black screen with the message… ‘dumping memory’ and the number count is flying faster towards zero….you panic.

Tell us a little about your home studio set up.

Okay…at the moment I am stuck with a small area in my house. It used to be my dining room…but my kitchen is large enough it can handle the dining suite too. So I have hooks in the roof to accommodate my rolls of backdrops. They are 3 meters wide each. My standard black and vinyl white…they are 20 foot long. Then I have about 10 other backdrops of various colours and materials…all about 20 foot long. Plus my petal mat and baby poser. I have 3 pairs of lights (2 x 300W, 2 x 800W, 2 x 1000W) and am currently looking at some Bowens. I have countless umbrellas, a couple of soft boxes, barndoors, gels and other odd bod lights hanging around. I have heaps of different costumes, props and of course….lots of music. LOL!!

I also have a portable backdrop system for when I go elsewhere for private shoots, grads, corporate shoots, calendar shoots, etc. I like simplicity and go with absolute minimum. So much so that my children know how to set up and use the equipment too.

Currently my work partner is building a 10m x 7m two story American barn with a lean to down one side, which will become the studio for us. I can’t wait for that to be finished.

Software

Do you use any software for organizing your digital pictures?

Nope. I do have a few of those types of programmes…but I find them more of a nuisance then anything. Basically I just use the Windows System for storing, sorting and viewing my images….even the RAW files. I download my cards via a Memory Card Reader that sits on my desk and I put them straight into a folder. Hmm…maybe I should go back a couple of steps. I have my work in one main folder. That folder is broken into months. Each month is broken into jobs. Each job is broken into 6 folders – Originals, Working Files, PSD, Chosen, Websize, Gallery. The images are downloaded from my cards via my Memory Card Reader, by means of Cut & Paste. They go straight into my Originals folder. I then go into Digital Photo Professional (for Canon) or Rawshooter (for Nikon) and the selected ones are then batched to the Working Files folder. As I go through them in DPP I make a note of the ones I want to work on straight away and these converted images are then copy/pasted from Working Files folder into my Chosen folder. I then work on them and save a PSD copy into my PSD folder. The chosen image is then saved back into the Chosen folder over the top of the one that was already there. If the image is going to web I then do what has to be done and I save it in my Websize folder. If that image needs a proof watermark that is done and saved in Gallery. It sounds a lot but it actually makes finding things very easy. If I want to rework anything or continue working anything…it is all there…I don’t need to start again or search through and try and remember if I had done any modifications to it. The websize is in its own folder so that makes it easy when I am uploading to a few different sites and the watermarked ones are separate so they don’t get uploaded by mistake.

I have over 1000 full DVDs stored in my library…each one is labeled, and recorded in an index I keep nearby. So finding my work is easy. I rely on two 300GB internal hard drives and 2 x 500GB external hard drives and loads of DVD’s. As an example I burnt off over 110GB of work from my computer last month…and that was only about 5 weeks work.

1000 DVDs? You're talking about 4 or 5 terabytes of data?? Are you serious?

I am deadly serious...do you want a photo of them?

YES! And elaborate: How many photos to you shoot in a day? A week? What is typical for your when you're working? When you're just playing around?

Okay…each month/week/day is different. For example, I have my set shoots each week…where I do progress photography for clients (these are my standard shoots). Or I have non-standard shoots booked in. Some weeks I might only have one non-standard shoot. I like these weeks because I can play catch up. Other weeks I may have up to 10 shoots booked. It all depends on what is happening. In a standard shoot I might take between 20 and 200 images. For a non-standard shoot it might be over 4000 images. Some jobs have to be online within 24 hours…others I have a few weeks to process.

Some shoots are at 2-00am….others are over 12 hours long. Some are local…others involve been flown around the state for 2 weeks with drivers waiting at each destination to take me wherever I need to go. Some shoots involve me wearing overalls and gumboots….other require me wearing suits. Some I shoot solo…others I have a large team of assistants. My work partner assists with weddings, some portraits and some concert shoots.

Some of my shoots are very male orientated…so you need to blend in with them and keep them on their toes as I say. Whilst others you are all alone in the country. Some shoots involve me pushing the model almost to tears one minute and then laughing the next…sometimes I have one model…other times up to 200 in a photo…or with wedding groups we might be needed to go up in cherry picker and arrange large groups into weird shapes.

I can be lying on the ground looking up at models, stuck in the sludge 250 meters underground or running across the roof of three story buildings with no side rails. I could be kneeling in a pet store with little puppies and kittens with big bows around their necks, inside of a light cube…trying to get them too look cute before they pee all over the place…or working with people in their 90’s who need assistants to stand…(but that is a different story).

It is so varied. And that is why I love being a photographer.

Do you use Photoshop or an alternative? If so what version?

I use Photoshop CS2 and on occasion PSP9. I will probably upgrade to CS3 soon…but for now I am happy on that.

Are there any other particular Photoshop skills do you consider to be essential to digital photography?

Yes…imagination. Without it you have no idea what you want from your image. The actual tools are easy. Anyone can be taught them. Just go online and search tutorials. Anyone can be a sheep…but can you be a monkey and climb out on that limb by yourself and show the world how you choose to jump to the next branch?

Out of your own entries on DPC, what photo had the most digital editing?

"Am I Trapped In My Sins?"

"The Soul of an Android"

Hmmmm….that would be a close one between "Am I trapped in my sins" and "The Soul Of An Android." The ‘Sins’ image took 34 minutes to photograph and 15 hours of processing. A total of 31 images were used. The PSD files incorporated 133 layers, 84 masks...equaling 2.55GB in size. The ‘Android’ image took 20 minutes to photograph (4 locations) and 6 hours of processing. A total of 15 images were used. The PSD files incorporated 122 layers, 76 masks...equaling 2.26GB in size.

Those are absolutely astounding lengths to go to for challenge shots. Going back to your comment about being a "monkey out on a limb," this is what you're talking about, eh?

I mean....you can be a sheep and follow the steps of a tutorial...or what other photographers are doing. OR...you can be yourself and experiment and let your style find you. Never try to find your style...it will never happen. By playing and creating and working with what you like, one day someone will say...I recognized your style and knew it was your image. That is when you know you are not like the others. You are your own person and have your own style...not someone elses.

On the whole, do you prefer a minimalist approach to post editing, a no rules approach, or somewhere in between?

I don’t really have any rules. I believe every image is an individual, so how can you have a set plan to follow. You can’t. I have some images that don’t take any work….just a resize and sharpen (I shoot RAW). Others take lots of work. I do try to get it right in camera. But some images are taken purely for digital art…so of course loads of work are ahead of me. I am currently working on a major project for a client. Without revealing too much it has been incorporating weekly meetings for the last 5 months….16 models, 5 locations and the entire town behind it. I have two weeks to do all the processing…and trust me…some of these images will be more involved than the Sins or Android shot.

Photography

I'd like to ask you about a few of your DPC challenge entries. Your photography crosses into a number of genres making you difficult to nail down for a particular style.

Style?? What is that? Oh that’s that thing a photographer is meant to have…!! Oops!!

Here are a few of your shots I find particularly intriguing:

"Road Through Dreams"	A wonderful landscape with strong leading lines and superb post-processing. Have you done any more work with IR? Ahh yes. This image was sold exclusively for a CD cover, so is no longer available through DPC Prints. Although Kita did reproduce the image in a Déjà vu Challenge using the same camera. I still do loads of IR work but not all makes it to the web. I started IR for a project which I am yet to complete.
"Look into my eyes"	A masterpiece of lighting and negative space. Mirror shots are often criticized as being gimmicky but this seems to work well in part because of its simplicity. This was one of my very shy models who won’t even let their spouses take photos of them. She has 3 children and had been visiting me for quite a while when one day I saw something. I never thought I would do this…but I asked her to take her hair out of the elastic and let it hang around her face. I immediately saw something special. And that night her hubby put makeup on her face (she never wears makeup) and I put her in front of the camera. I normally expect to do up to 100 images before I really see the model start to shine. But this girl blew me away. 5 images into the shoot and she started producing some incredible looks. I then took her further and started playing with the mirrors…and this image was one of them.
"Dark Angel"	In stark contrast to the previous image, here you've clearly gone to some lengths to create mood using make-up, props, and a very willing and patient model! ;-) Talk a little about your creativity in the studio with models and your children in particular. (the outtakes are awesome too!) My daughter is so much like me. She is bold, imaginative, confident, head strong and in your face. But she is beautiful and comes across well in photos. She doesn’t like the frilly lacy dresses…but is very much into individuality…! So when it comes to dramatic shoots like this, Kita just jumps at the chance. I made the wings the week before…they stand at 6 foot tall and are quite heavy. The makeup is so much fun to do on her. Her skin is incredible and so easy to work with. Her eyes so big and clear that the slightest makeup makes them stand out. I have quite a few props like jewellery and costumes so that was easy. Her hair, which is now almost past her backside, works well for the wild look. I use my black backdrop the most and with the help of some floor lights and smoke machine she started to perform. She loves it. As for children…my children hated been in front of the camera in the beginning. They preferred to be behind the scenes. Until I started doing fun things where they could dress up and pretend to be something or someone else. From then on they hassle me to be in front. When it comes to models I generally go in the same direction but some models are more willing then others. I tend to feel my way but surprisingly, I have to admit that is what gets me most of my work. When I get enquiries on the phone, I warn them that I don’t go for the soldier looks…I like to different styled images….and most of them say, that is why they want me.
"Classic"	Your title pretty much sums it up, but I'll point out that this was entered in the "furniture" challenge. That's quite a bit out of the box, but once I looked at it (and I imagine a lot of others felt the same way), I just said "of course!" Such a great idea, and so perfectly executed. Where do your ideas come from? Ideas are in all of us and it is a matter of finding them. Sometimes they can be triggered by songs, something someone says, friends, family, media…everywhere. Haven’t you ever been driving along when suddenly an idea pops into your head? Well save those ideas….they may just come in handy. That particular image was all studio made. The wall was a backdrop…the wood skirting was left over from renovations. The furniture had just arrived that morning and so I kept it in the studio until I was finished with it…the flowers, I bought for the shoot. The lampshade got removed off a lamp in my office. And then there was Kita. She was wearing my high heels and a couple of bits of material twisted around her and pinned at the back. Her head was too small for the lampshade so she had to balance a book on her head, her long hair pulled back in a bun and the lampshade balanced precariously on her head. It had to be perfectly straight so she really had to be careful and listen to my instructions or the shade or the book would keep slipping off. We took 6 shoots to get that one right. The light coming from the lamp shade is real…it was not added in later. Here is an outtake from one of the first shoots for that image.
"Am I Trapped In My Sins?"	You've written extensively about this shot, including a detailed step-by-step that's linked in your photograher's comment, but I've just got to ask you again, about the idea phase - where does this stuff come from - and about the sheer amount of time dedicated to shooting and post-processing as you mentioned above. You wouldn’t believe how many times I have been asked this. Even on the radio I got asked how this came about. Basically I had this idea in my head for sometime and then the challenge came up. It was the right time. I will quote the text from the about as I feel that best describes the image and where it came from. “I came up with the idea of capturing the emotion where one feels trapped within ones own life...not in a physical sense...but an emotional sense. A sense that sometimes leads to a physical effect on the person involved. And I started to picture a person that was being held back from their life by many hands...each hand representing another sin of that persons life.....almost like each hand reaching out from a portion of that persons life...and yet no hand with any attachment to a body or soul....just attached to a part of the persons past or mind. And the image started to form...a person covered in hands...with a bland look on their face...earthy tones to represent the neutral side of life...and small indicators of both the good and the bad of life....hence, the rose, spiked dog collar, barefoot, hair pulled back to reveal the face, lace lingerie, feet and hand ornaments, whips and handcuffs. The eyes needed to be bland...but also show an inner pleading for the souls desire to reach their goal. A goal that may never be reached.” As for the time spent….I am a perfectionist. I have always been known for my attention to detail…not just in photography but other areas as well. And realistically I cannot understand why anyone would spend time or money on a project if they are not going to give it their 100%. You may as well just throw it away. Do it….and do it right! Not everyone will like my work…I expect that. But I hope to convey an emotion within the viewer…that means I have succeeded. What do you think about the "expert" editing rules? Here to stay? I love them. Photography is an artform. It has been around for centuries and will be around forever more. The car started as a very basic form and evolved over the years to accommodate many different likes and dislikes. There will always be the old age argument between Ford and Toyota (example only). This is no different to photography. What we are doing on the computer (digital darkroom) is nothing different to what was being done before World War 1. It is only that it is more accessible to the general public that it has become so popular and therefore it isn’t considered the gentlemans club anymore. But instead it is becoming more and more a family hobby. So with regards to DPC…I don’t feel the site is becoming a Digital Art site. Not at all. DPC is a car. It is adding features to accommodate the types of people that want to drive that car. It isn’t becoming a truck or a bike…it is keeping its general form…just improving its look. I don’t believe that Expert Editing should become a weekly event. The amount of time and creativity involved would dissipate over time with so many regular challenges. Instead it should be once a month where people can take a break between and still think of ideas before each challenge is announced. But at the same time, I feel that if people don’t like EE then they shouldn’t go in and vote. If they don’t like it…then they should stick to what they do like. Simple. Yes…they have a right to vote…but not a right to purposely go into to drop scores.
"I Believe In You"	You make extensive use of nudity in your work and, maybe uniquely among current DPCers, you use yourself as a model a lot. Talk a little about your philosophy of nudity and your feelings about "putting yourself out there" in that way. This image - not a challenge shot by the way - is one of my favorites. Again, masterful use of lighting and composition to create mood. I do use myself for a lot of images, especially nudity. I like to experiment with lighting and angles…and therefore I use myself before I use a model. I can work out what does and doesn’t work. BUT…people think the majority of my nude work is of me…it’s not. I give all my models (nude and non-nude) the choice whether their images go online and if they are allowed to be used for my portfolio. Therefore many don’t make the web. And when you have a time limit, such as DPC challenges, I prefer to just use myself and that way if it doesn’t work out…then I don’t have to worry. I love lighting and like to use it creatively. It seems to make a difference in images when you have the same pose, model, location but different lighting…the one that sets the mood will always stand out. As for my philosophy on nudity…well anyone that listened to that podcast on Nudity, would remember that I said that ‘to me the skin is just a shell’ It’s like a book cover. But the words written inside take time to read and absorb…and that is more about the person than the outer shell. With that being said I tend to avoid using the genitalia in images. When I am photographing the male nude I will go to great lengths to angle them in a way so as not to show. This can be more difficult than one thinks…especially as all men are sized differently. (Hmmmm!!) I was raised in a family that felt the naked body was taboo and just not spoken about. Maybe that is why I rebelled in my life and have a completely different outlook on the subject. I am not sure…but I do like to think that I have some morals in how it is handled. With it must come respect. I don’t like to produce tacky images…and really strive to show a bit of class about them. I like them to tell a story or evoke an emotion…just like a normal photograph would.

 

Speaking of lighting and nudes, here are two shots that just blow me away. Your use of light is amazing, and the composition really makes each a treat for the eye that far transcends the baser appeal of the nude female form. Talk a little more about your goals in nude work, and about who you're trying to reach with this style.

"Skin"

"Moments"

The human body is amazing. It is natures most incredible sculpture. I like how the light caresses the skin…shapes the curves, touches the most delicate areas of the human form. People sculpt out of clay, they paint images, they are only doing the same as what photographers are doing. Creating. By using light you are creating a sense, portraying an emotion, a story. The light sculpts for the photograph and yet it paints at the same time. If you have areas that need to be hidden…an artist would cover it with paint, paint in a prop, a piece of clothing…a photographer will alter the light….make it either low or high key, move it into shadow. The light is their tool. Use it to sculpt your creation.

For too long, people have frowned at nudity. There is a lot of shameful nudity, put out by people who really haven’t taken the time to study it properly…they only see the dollars that can be made from it. I am not proposing to change that outlook overnight…but I hope to make a difference…even in one person's life. Then I have succeeded. The human body is graceful…it doesn’t need to be covered up. Sure…attire can accentuate, assist in conforming ideas…but why not let the body tell the story the best way it can.

Your portfolio tends to attract a lot of attention because of nudity, but you've also carved out quite a niche in portrait photography. I've picked out three of my favorites for you to comment on here, but pick a few more - of your personal favorites - and talk a little about your portrait work.

"Pretty in Pink"

"The Hard Faces Of Australia"

"The Old Man"

Everybody does the old man with the sepia look. And I try to refrain from that. So it is only when I can really connect with the subject, that I go down that path. I like the subject to tell the story…and again the lighting helps..but in these instances, so does the hue. The human brain is lazy. With colour it is all there for them. With black and white the brain hasn’t got as many obvious factors to work on. It has to work out the story by itself. So the viewer generally takes a little longer to look at the image and figure it out. By removing the obvious, the subject then has a chance to tell its story. Even if just for a split second longer…it is enough.

Now "The Old Man" was quite a character. He lives by himself out in the gemfields. He was chatting about his life to the two women with me. And I stood back with my Sigma 50-500. (I like using that lens out in the field at 500mm because of the vignetting.) And I waited for the eyes to tell the story. I don’t mean by having them open with the classic glints…I mean let them relax and show the emotion within his stories. By having them looking down the viewer then has more of a story to figure out. This is matched by his facial muscles. He isn’t smiling, but not frowning…his head is partly down. Therefore he is in thought…of a time that once was. Is he regretful? Is he relieved? Do you understand?

I'm starting to. How about some of your own picks from your portraits?

I have many images that I love…but for sentimental reasons. I have tried to pick ones here that are mainly on technicalities and hopefully viewer appeal.

"The Song Trail 2"

This is a portrait I keep getting drawn to. This was part of a governmental campaign. I can’t remember if it was statewide or national. But anyway…this was one of the outtakes…and I am pleased..it meant I got to keep it. This was taken about 7-00 one morning…it was a very rushed shoot…the graphic designers were waiting for the shots. I stood on a ladder and took all different angles out in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly we had two 4wd’s come sniffing around. Which meant we had to wait for them to drive past us, turn around and drive back in the other direction before we could continue. The pressure was on. But we got the shots…and this one really came across to me. I shows a youthful side, devilish in that eye, but very relaxed and confident within his own self. It is clean but inviting.

"Pardner"

This would have to be one of my all time favourites. This is my work partner, Ricco. We were just playing around with the studio lights when I took this. I gave it a sky later on. But the detail in his face and those eyes….they say it all. He knows I love photographing his face.

"Fearoia"

"Hands around you"

Fearoia – The blend of Fear and Paranoia. This series is another favourite. I keep getting drawn to it. Kita is only 9 years old here and yet comes across much older, much wiser. Again we had fun with the goth look and just using a cloth…a whole other look came through. The hands image was the beginning of the Sins idea. She portrayed such emotion through those eyes…and yet as you can see that only one of the images have her looking at the viewer. Which proves what I was saying earlier…that by changing the angle of the eyes can make a big difference in an image. And yet both still convey emotion within the same field but on slightly different levels…one is more severe then the other…why? Because it has a direct connection with the viewer…the one looking away has broken that instant connection but makes the viewer want to know and see more.

You're one of a fairly small group of DPCer's who has submitted to well over 200 challenges. What keeps you going?

"Beauty Of The Soul"

Madness! LOL!! I joined DPC in September 2004. But never had much chance to do anything here until about July 2005. A wonderful member (who wishes to remain anonymous, but still keeps in contact) gave me a free membership that same month. There had been a membership giveaway of about 6 memberships, I think. I got knocked back because of my lack of participation….at that stage. I only had 2 challenges under my belt. And then out of the blue this member sent me a free membership. I was blown away. What kind of site does that amongst its members. I said to that person that my first ribbon would be dedicated to him. And I did. But more suprising was the very first member challenge I entered was Nude III with "Beauty of the Soul."

In that challenge, I was mistaken for Dr Jones by one member and received a comment from Dr Jones himself, plus I finished 13th. From that moment on, I pushed myself to keep entering. And since then, I have competed for two years, with 235 entries and only missing 5 challenges (I think). That involves entering all members challenges, basic challenges and bonus challenges. I keep saying I am going to miss this week or I can’t think of an idea or I just can’t do it. But somehow, I always get that entry in.

We've talked about equipment and processing and some of your photos; what do you consider to be the central, crucial aspects of photography?

Not being afraid to be yourself. If you have an idea, it doesn’t matter if people screw up their faces or think you are weird. People are scared of what they don’t know or don’t understand. Do you think the great photographers would have done so well if they listened to all those negative opinions from people? I am not saying that every idea is a good one….but you won’t know unless you try. Use your imagination, push the limits with your equipment, if you go for low key and you have some time….try high key..you never know it just might give you the look you were after.

Are there any photographic styles/techniques that you don't like?

Yes. But not because I don’t like it, more that I can’t relate to it. Abstract and blurry, grainy images. I just can’t grasp them. I am not saying they are wrong, because they aren’t. They are a style that is liked by many, but an area that I really struggle with and can’t get my teeth into.

Who among DPCers have you found inspiring - who first caught your eye at DPC? Whose portfolios do you find yourself returning to time after time, etc.)

There are a few. I will answer them as separate entities.

First to catch my eye? – Dr Jones. His work draws me in. I drool over those images…and not necessarily the same way a male would..LMAO!! To have access to those models and all that latex…yeahhhhhhhhhh!! I could have so much fun.

Who do I keep returning to? – Larus, Ursula, Scalvert. Those three members are amazing. Most people would have chosen Joey…and he is my 4th choice…but these 3 are so different. Larus doesn’t realize how damn good he is…and that relaxed attitude shows in his work. Whether its landscapes or models..he knows his stuff…now I wish someone would tell him that. Ursula is out of this world. Her personality shines through her work…so beautiful and feminine and yet it has the same effect on males as it does females. And to be able to do that with the unorthodox subjects that she chooses is nothing short of amazing. Scalvert….I would love to help him with his creations. He goes that step further…he plans meticulously, and is not scared to involve colour, children and imagination.

Who do I want to spend a day with? – Librodo. I am drawn to that type of photography. The sadness, the mystery, the colour, the emotion. I would love to escape to that part of the world and just study the lifestyle, the people and the land. He doesn’t need any fancy lighting or famous models to reach people. He blows me away.

Someone I am watching? – De Sousa. He is a sweetheart. When I first noticed him, I was sure that something fishy was going on. Who could do so well at so many themes and be so new to the game? But then through studying his work and looking at this lighting and his pedantic attitude towards detail…and his background, I realized he is very similar to me. If you are going to do something then do it right. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got the latest equipment but a bit of imagination and willing friends will always get you there. Watch out….he is the type of person that will sneak up behind you and tap you on the shoulder. And as you pause to look behind he will overtake you. Never look back peoples…only look forward.

Pick a few of their images and give us a brief critique. What about their photography speaks to you?

Instead, I think I would like to pick a few other images of other members that also shine…but maybe not as well as the ones mentioned above.

Go for it!

"Feeling Dark" "Angel Eyes" "Omega"	Qart – Rudy has style. He is a brusque man with a big heart. He is complimented by a beautiful and generous wife. With her support he has been able to allow his style to come through. He has dealt with a few DQ’s and some heavy negativity by some members…he calls a spade a spade and yet continues to produce quality imagery. You just need to look at the two images here that are so white, so pure and yet convey an incredible emotion to the viewer. Again, one doesn’t even show the eyes but it is still there. Now look at his SP. Is that the type of person you would expect behind the camera. No. He is a silent achiever….watch out as he will grace the front pages once again. He may not be as big as Librodo but he is a success in his own way.
"Release me" "Let them go" "Dancing Queen"	biteme – Hanneke. Well what can I say. She has come a long way since her peeling fruit. She has studied hard and suddenly the bird flew from the cage and became free. Free to study subjects and show them to the world in a whole new light. Her work is extreme…it pushes the boundaries and yet people can relate to it. She is fussy…over the top and yet harbours a shy, quiet side. A side that she keeps very private. And that allows her to brew up all these amazing concoctions and present them to the world.
"Barber Trip" "Portrait of a Bull Rider" "(TIME Cover) "America's Fading Glory""	SJCarter – Jimmy. He fascinates me. He is not afraid to be himself. He can laugh at himself and be able to show so many sides to his personality. And the camera doesn’t even need to be focused on him. It comes through his work…whether it be a tree or a witches ball. Whether he as dressed up like a clown, or grunged his sad face. Swinging an umbrella or climbing out of the monkey cage…he has one heck of a personality that he is able to share with the world.

I'd like you to pick several images from DPC that really speak to you. Your personal "top tier" of favorites, if you will.

"photo2" by Vasilieva	This is freedom and yet restriction. The subject has desires but is being controlled by others. Her head is thrown back in defiance…a scream for help. But knowing that no help is on its way, she struggles to maintain her existence. She is proud and yet won't give up without a fight. The nudity shows her bared soul. Clothes hide the true person and she has much beauty but many cannot see past the obvious and see what she really has to offer.
"Tough" by nico_blue	This person has courage. This person is scared and insecure. This person is trying to break out of his shell…he wants to show the world. He has much to offer. He is beautiful…yet not fully aware of that beauty. He is popular and is approached often even when he doesn't want it…but he doesn't understand why he is deserving of that attention. He craves understanding.
"désespoir" by lowonenergy	This reminds me so much of my Sins image….in the emotion within. I don’t know what the photographer intended…but to me this just screams self escape. The bandage both holding back but trying to repair and yet doing more damage whilst the soul is screaming to escape…clawing at itself…self harm in the process but so determined…wanting only to break free for the future yet being held back. The blood represents the washing of the negativity froms oneself and as the blood rejuvenates to cleanse the soul to start anew.
"Golgotha" by philup	I keep getting drawn back to this image…so it has to be included. This photographer would have to be one of the best black and white manipulators that I know. They are so gritty and yet anyone can relate their own tale to them. This particular image shows incredible detail that you would think that what you are seeing is very much real. That is a very difficult accomplishment for any photographer. This is one photographer that will surprise everyone in the long run.
"Fall From the Sky" by steinar	This represents Freedom. I love the whole concept and setup but the finished product is outstanding. The clarity and colour and eye contact with the viewer…it holds me there. Youth is such a wonderful experience…you can be whoever you want…the only thing holding you back is you. So get out there and be whoever or whatever you want to be.

There's a definite theme there. Most of the photos you chose, with the exception of "Fall" and maybe "tough" are images that are very explicit in the discomfort they create in most viewers. I think this speaks to your deep desire to connect viscerally and emotionally with your viewers - and to be touched likewise by powerful images.

I think it is because of my personality. I am a very forward and confident person. I am very emotional…too much sometimes. I fear that too many people withhold that emotion within themselves for the sake of pleasing others…and yet it rips them apart inside and ends up killing the very soul that they were created from. I remember once being told that you never break a horse….without breaking its spirit. And the same goes for people. The spirit of a person is what keeps that person alive…from not giving up…for wanting to continue forward. That spirit is in us all…but how much are you willing to let that spirit show. I wish more people were willing to be themselves.

Those images don’t fear what is being shown or what may be experienced through the viewer. I had a couple of comments on a couple of images that rang true to this. From Jutilda on the "Soul of an Android" image: That scared the sh*t out of me. GREAT job. And from rinac on "sins,"

Oh my, into the realms of nightmares. A dark horror. Disturbing but I cannot look away.

Back to view yet again. How many times have I been here? I don't know, I haven't slept since the first time I saw it. Many thoughts screaming in my head. What are the sins? Vanity? Lust? The title messes with my mind. It's wrong somehow. "Trapped" seems to mock the work as does posing the question. Bound maybe, even seduced. Oh yes, it's a seduction, enveloping me. I'm rambling now. Be afraid, I may come back ;)

These viewers felt these experiences through my images…yet they came back…doesn’t that tell you something?

Some critics still don't think photography is a form of art. What is your response to this?

Art is such a wide area. Truly one persons art is another persons garbage…so I am not surprised with that statement. I don’t mind them saying photography isn’t art…as long as they can handle me telling them my opinion about their interests…I doubt they could. Photography has always been an artform…and always will be. How much is actually accepted within an individual is unpredicatable…and realistically there is no sense in getting wound up about it. That won’t change their opinion. You are better off just going on in your own little world and keep producing art. Don’t let them bother you.

Including anything that we've already talked about, what are your absolute favorite two or three shots that you have taken, and why?

The following image choices and comments were from my interview with Hanneke last year (and never published for personal reasons):

"Little Angel lost"	Another self portrait mixed with photo art. This angel is broken. Someone didn’t believe. Here are the words that were written at the time that I created this image. Somebody has thought terrible thoughts, and something has gone astray. Their angel has crossed the line and somehow lost its way. Evil is a terrible sin, the power is unknown. Help this angel find her way, her path needs to be shown. Don't cry little angel, faith will be restored. Your wings will fly again, with their dreams and thoughts. By Judi
"Wide Open Spaces"	This image may not look much. It may look very simple and plain. But this image means more to me than any other image I have ever uploaded. You see, this is my oldest son. He is now 8 years old. For the first five years of his life he had virtually no hearing at all. It took five years of pleading for help before somebody listened and when they took action. he heard almost for the first time in his life. He heard noises he had never heard before. A simple ambulance siren previously would send him screaming into the house....noises hurt him badly. We couldn't go to fireworks, have smoke alarms or even wash the windows. It would hurt him. And then finally someone listened to my pleas and he could hear for the first time. His head nearly fell off with turning to all these new sounds in the world around him. He previously never had friends and was beaten up daily by other boys because of his problem. He wouldn't dance, but instead would fall down in a crying heap. He couldn't hop on one leg. He was always falling down. He wouldn't get up in front of people....because he couldn't hear them. If I ever went to a performance by his class he would sit on the ground and not move. The school had to sneak me in and hide me so I could see a bit of the performance...but he always knew and wouldn't perform with his class. It would break my heart to see him just scrunched up in a heap. He couldn't handle wide open spaces or playing with other children. The day I took this photo I was photographing the children playing. Nikolas did something he was proud of. He didn't know I was watching him. He started dancing and I caught it on camera. He was singing and dancing his steps in the light of the rising sun. He was happy. He had the world at his feet. He is now the top of his class. And he now dances and sings in front of me. We now have to get him fixed every few months.....but it is worth it. This photo makes me happy. Back very early in the interview I had asked you about your family, and you answered without really talking much about your family. Now you've filled in another of the blanks. Very emotional again, yes? Yes, it was a very emotional time. I think most people have good and bad times growing up. I don’t think that makes me any different from anyone else. I did have a few issues that may have been a little out there…but I like to think I handled them well.
"Oh, the places you'll go"	When I was about 10, my father lived at Bondi Beach, Sydney and he would take my two sisters and I every second weekend. I was still being mistaken for a boy…(I hated that). He would always treat us to theme parks and beaches and stuff. He once told me that I would make a great politician as I would always let the other two girls make decisions, just to keep the peace. So whenever we went to open places I would run, do cartwheels, flip, dig in the sand, go into the water…anything. I just needed to be alone and be free. One day, without me knowing it, my Dad took a photo of me doing a handstand on the beach. He showed it to me on my next visit. The sand was golden, the water rippling, the sun beating in the sky and I was silhouetted with my ankles apart. My hair was as short as a boy but you couldn’t tell who it was. I was not being judged or tied to anything or anyone. I loved it. He kept it in his loungeroom…and even though my Dad and I never had a proper relationship until I was an adult…I never forgot that image and the sad look in his eyes that day. I knew that was one image I wanted to replicate. In May this year, I got called to the coast to accept a photographic award. I drove 300kms with my 3 children. We stayed the night. The next morning I took them to the beach. And I asked Kita to go and do some handstands. Her hair was in a bun. She did. And this image (although a little more orange) is the exact image of the one my dad took. This one speaks to me.

(Taken from Hanneke's interview) Are you happy with who you are and what you have become in life and photography, and can you tell us why?

Am I happy? Yes. I started out as a mixed up child who had no guidance in life. I struggled and competed with life’s challenges. I managed to refrain from touching drugs and other sources which was quite an accomplishment for that era. And I got through it all with many experiences. I taught myself a lot….dealt with a lot of pain…but continued to show the determination to bring joy to others. I started in a poor lifestyle and have worked hard and am able to buy myself the equipment I need to continue to bring joy to others and to tell the world my story.

My story isn't pretty…but it is because of that I am who I am. I would not change any part of my past. Or I would not be the person I am today. I am not everyone’s cup of tea…I never will be. I will always upset others at times…unintentionally. But you have a choice. Accept me for who I am or don't accept me at all. I don't care. I cannot change my ways for one person. If I can bring joy to just one person…then everything I have done in my life was worth it.

I am……Judi!

What is your most under-rated entry?

"Stageman"

Stageman. I really don’t know how negative space could have been different considering there was hardly anything done to this image. I felt it accentuated the subject to its best. I took this image at a live performance and this particular actor/musician was standing mid stage with the one light on him. The rest of the crew were near him but out of the light. There wasn’t any cropping of the image and really I felt that this was utilizing the negative space to accentuate the image. The image itself is clear in technicalities and yet moody to view. It met the challenge clearly but the score was dreadful.

Are you working on any special projects now that we'll be hearing about in the forums soon?

Yes I am. I have been trying to get around to putting out some DVD’s with my tutorials on them. Because I teach 2 day courses I have all the lessons waiting to be recorded so people are able to work through them at their own leisure. Everything from basic through to advanced in both PSP and PS and camera technique. But they take time…so keep a look out for them. I have also released my own range of screensavers. These are created in conjunction with Nicholas Bryant’s music. I will be releasing more over time…but there is a free one there to give people an indication of the quality. There are also a couple of other major projects that I am in the middle of…one of them might be received with very mixed emotions by a lot of people…so that will be interesting.

DPC

What is your first recollection of visiting or stumbling onto DPC? What caught your eye? What made you stay?

I remember googling Photo Contest, or something like that. And DPC came up. It intrigued me and I joined and bookmarked it. I kept getting the weekly updates and the images on those emails fascinated me. Nearly a year later I thought I would participate…but couldn’t remember if I had actually joined, and if so, under what name…so I tried to rejoin. Fortunately it said I was already a member so I found my password and I started entering the challenges.

If you could change one thing about DPChallenge, what would it be?

I would have a third level of membership…that allowed you to enter the bonus challenges like EE and Minimal…BUT…only those level members could vote on them. So the ones who are serious about doing well are encouraged…and not put down by brown ribbon hopers or negative voters. And with it would come rules on voting…if your pattern of voting indicates you are negative towards a particular challenge then those votes are discarded.

I would also add that you cannot vote under a 4 on any challenge entry on the site without a compulsory comment of at least 10 words. Strict? Yes…but fair. People might say that this would only encourage lots of 4 votes…that may be true. But lots of 4 votes is easier to recover from then lots of 1 votes.

If you could offer some advice to somebody who is new to DPC and submitting to DPC challenges, what would it be?

Don’t rush in. Read the rules, check your dates, experiment with settings, read the rules again, ask lots of questions…learn from your mistakes and have fun. But most importantly, remember you are human. You will stuff up sometimes. We all do.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Yup…sure do. There are certain members who are antagonistic little so-and-so’s. They enjoy nothing more than going into the forums and stirring trouble. There is nothing wrong with some general humour and stirring…but not when it is specifically to cause a fight. Also the foul language and name calling is not called for. I can swear with the best of them…but there isn’t any need for it to be used continuously in the forums. There have been occasions when looking at the going’s on I feel it has been handled wrongly…but I understand the SC can only do so much…but that is my opinion on the situation.

I also can’t stand the members who waste peoples time by specifically going for the brown ribbon. It is a mockery of all the members who try to meet that challenge. And I especially detest the members who go in and low vote people just for the sake of it. Or maybe they do have a reason…but not for the technicalities of an image…it might be that they don’t like flowers…or there image is getting hammered…whatever…if you are upset or negative about something…then stay away from voting. Leave comments instead.

Since challenge entries are pretty much a part of your "permanent record," in retrospect, are there any pictures you wish you hadn't submitted to a challenge?

Heaps.

Care to share one with us?

"The Dart"

"Exploding Glass"

Sure. This one:

I tossed up between four from that series...and I had seen other images similar by other photographers....and they all had the same shape. So I chose "exploding glass".....instead of "the dart."

The latter image has gone on to win many awards and also being published in the newspaper. I have never stopped kicking myself.

How do you decide which challenges you are going to enter and which ones you'll skip?

I don’t. The ones I haven’t entered have been out of my control. For example…Best Of 2002…I didn’t have any EXIF images for that. The challenge requiring more comments given then received. I was about 800 down on that and no chance in 24 hours to pick them up. The speed challenge Self Portrait…I was out of town for that.

Do you ever seek assistance outside of the DPC community in trying to determine which of your photos you should submit?

Yes. I ask my hubby…and then delete his choice..! LOL!! I ask Kita…then I look closely at it a bit more. I ask a few others…and then weigh up their opinions to my own. I usually regret it…as other peoples choices are usually the opposite to the voters.

Do you regularly get together with any other DPCers?

There are two members on DPC that I go out with each Thursday. They are doing well considering they are still too nervous to vote. But they are getting there. Oh and there is Kita of course…and Ricco…but he doesn’t do anything except view and read on the site.

If you could personally ask Drew & Langdon for one new site feature or enhancement, what would it be?

Please, please, can you implement some kind of watermarking to the site. Even if you make it optional and maybe include it for the top level members only as an incentive…I don’t know. But please….that is the one area that seems to be the most wanted across the site.

If I could just add one piece to this interview. I never regret my past…through all the good and bad. I would never change my past….as without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I only wish that others would realize that about themselves as well. Don’t dwell on what has happened…but strive to build the future. It is YOUR life.

Final Question

Why photography?

I want to show the world how I see the world…and I can do that with photography. As you have probably already read I like to be alone…and I can do that with my camera. When I am out I don’t feel like I am actually there….that is, people see the camera…not me. I like that. I feel like I am hidden. I can just be myself without having to have the approval of anyone or be controlled by anyone.

Judi, this has been a wonderful experience for me. I've really gotten to know something about what makes you tick! Thanks so much for subjecting yourself to this. I appreciate your time and honesty!

Thankyou John…I have had a great time chatting with you about my life and work. I really do hope that somebody out there can gain something positive from all of this. I hope you continue on to produce other interviews….you really do well in this line of work.