In our brand new photo competition Urban Oasis we have asked some professionals from the photographic industry to help us judge the lucky winners. So we thought it would be good to get to know these guys a bit better by interviewing them about their lives and careers.

For our first edition we will be heading to the beautiful scenery of the Hunter Valley to have a glass of wine with John Harrison of Harrisons photography who has also very kindly donated a photo tour of Thailand and places on his weekend photography courses, cheers John.

Hi John and thank you for being a judge in our brand new photo art gallery competition!
You’re welcome.  I’m always amazed at the range and quality of work submitted in these competitions.

Can you explain to our members a little bit of your background
Born  in London, I left England when I was 17 to travel around the world.  After several years travelling I finally settled in Sydney where I lived for more than 25 years.  Married with 2 grown-up sons,  in 2004 my wife and I decide to ‘escape the rat-race’ so we bought a few acres near Wollombi in the Hunter Valley and built a house and photographic studio.

- What is your experience in photography?
I’ve been interested in photography since childhood, saving my pocket money to buy my first camera when I was 10!  For many years I had a full time career in electronics, working on weekends  as a wedding photographer before taking up photography full-time .  I  have had experience in most areas of photography,  but the majority of my (paid) work has been in portraiture and wedding photography.    Although I’m trying to ‘semi-retire’ I still shoot about 35 weddings a year and do all the post-production including designing the albums myself so between the weddings, my weekend courses and South-East Asia photo-tours,  I’m kept pretty busy.  

- What inspired you to get into the teaching side of the industry?
When photography changed over to digital, I had to learn a lot of new skills to keep up to date in the industry.  After a lot of study for my own benefit,  I gained a reputation in the local community as an ‘expert’ in digital photography and people would constantly ask for help with their digital cameras.  I decided to run weekend courses for the locals but soon I was getting  people enrolling from all over NSW because at that time there were very few courses available.  Now that Digital SLRs have become so affordable, my clientele has changed to those wanting to learn to use their camera’s advanced features and ‘get it off  automatic’ .

The prize that Harrison's Photography has donated includes a photo tour of Thailand

- Where did your interest in showing off the countries photogenic qualities come from?
With a life-long interest in travel and photography and having a Thai- born wife,  it  seemed a natural progression to offer photo tours to Thailand and Laos. It means we can offer our clients a really different holiday where they not only improve their photography but they also gain an insight into a fascinating culture.  I’m able to help with the photography  whilst my wife, Thatsanee can not only act as translator but also show many aspects of the real Thailand that the average tourist never sees.

- Can you explain what people could expect on one of your photo tours?
We take a lot of care to make our tours fun and enjoyable whilst at the same providing an adventurous and interesting holiday.  Where possible we stay in comfortable family-run guest houses  and use local transport options to get a good feel for the country but without ‘roughing it’.  We normally limit the tour to six or seven participants and hold lots of photography workshops and I’m always close at hand for some one-on-one tuition to brush up your picture taking skills.  With so many photographic opportunities you are bound to come home with a swag of great photos. 

- What do you look for in a good image?
First and foremost I want the image to provoke in me a strong emotional response.  I want to be surprised, moved or amused by the image and that usually means using your imagination.   Of  course the picture needs to be technically sound meaning it should be correctly exposed for the effect you are trying to achieve  and be clear and sharp where it’s supposed to be.

- Do you have any tips for our hopeful photographers?
If you are entering a competition you must make sure the image{s) you enter fit the theme so read the rules carefully.  It’s not good enough to simply send in your favourite images.  More often than not it will mean trying to capture an image especially for the competition.  The best  images are often the ‘simplest’.  Usually they have a strong subject which creates immediate impact with the viewer.  This is aided by reducing or eliminating all elements of the scene not directly supporting the subject. Good luck!

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