In this Sure-Shot series, Coromind invites photographers to break down two of their favourite shots, sharing the stories, techniques and moments that make each image special. This month, Lia Priemus takes us behind the scenes of her inspiring work.
Over 50 years ago in Dunedin, while still at school, I started doing a few casual shoots for McRobie Photographic Studio.
They still are a successful studio now but in those days they were situated at Arthur Barnett’s department store, and my sister-in-law was one of their photographers.
I was employed to take street portraits of spectators enjoying public events such as Christmas parades.
This progressed to being employed in the capacity as the second shoot for weddings taking photos of guests having a good time.
I moved forward into digital technology in 2012 and gained a professional photography diploma after completing my studies with the Photography Institute. To this day, portraits – be they street, travel or creative – are still one of my favourite genres of photography; I really like capturing people in the moment.
My husband and I are regular travelers to India and most of the portraits I have taken there are casual street shots in natural light.
My camera is with me wherever I go … Sony A 7R III and my allrounder 24-105mm lens. The people and communication, the vivid colours at times, the costuming and surroundings can all come together in one simple capture to tell an interesting real life story, at times bordering on photo journalism.
Middle Eastern dance/belly dance has also been a part of my life for many years and I am fortunate enough to have photographed many amazing dancers in the past and right up until recently.
I do enter some of my work in photography competitions with mixed results, and if needs be I call myself an enthusiastic amateur photographer – we never stop learning or experimenting.
I highly encourage people who have an interest in photography to give it a go with any camera you have available … yes, phone ones too. Experiment. Google some techniques, the world is your oyster.
Most of all, have fun.
Instagram: priemus_photography / Facebook: PriemusPhotography
Image 1 – Tribal Women, Pushkar, Rajasthan.
ISO 250
F/4.5
1/250
One morning, we were sitting outside a local eating place in town, my camera on the table; it was a dull and rainy start to the day. These beautiful village women were on their way to the holy temple.
They spotted me, saw my camera and asked me to take their photo, lucky me. It was very impromptu and honestly I would be telling an untruth if I was all about camera settings for this one. I cropped and edited this capture in photoshop because it was a bit duller than I wanted it to be.
Image 2 – The Sadhu, Pashupatinath, Nepal.
Lens 24-105mm
F/4.5
1/250 s
Street portrait of a Sadhu having a rest in the chaos of Old Delhi.
I caught sight of him and had to be quick.
My Sony A7R III was set on Aperture priority – I choose the aperture and the camera will then automatically select the appropriate shutter speed for proper exposure. I chose this setting because I planned on taking many street images and the pollution in Delhi was extreme. The light was marginal and very hazy. I needed to be able to shoot quickly and not fiddle too much with camera settings; Old Delhi and the Spice market are a crazy busy place.
Slight crop and edit done with photoshop.
Image 3 – The Band, Pushkar, Rajasthan the Holy lake
ISO 250
F/5.6
1/640
We were in Pushkar at Diwali time and this is one of the top bands having a break, they really put their heart and soul into their music, full sound.
Once again an impromptu capture but definitely for nice day light I go for an ISO of 200 or 250 because I am confident that there is enough light for a nice clear image.
Some cameras and lenses can create noise when going up in ISO … that grainy speckled effect you can sometimes see on the blacks of an image taken in very low light or night time.
Image 4 – Tolfa Animal Hospital, Rajasthan
ISO 200
F/10
1/20
This hospital is amazing, no animal is ever turned away.
There were camels, horses and of course dogs and cats; it is a charity – totally run by the generosity of donations.
As you can see these carers were sitting under a tarpaulin.
The desert sun can be a bit overwhelming, and the light for photography is challenging with a hugely bright background and shady foreground. I tried to focus on the carers in the shade and it blew out the bright background (over exposed, bright white) So I cropped and edited in photoshop to minimise it.
Words by Lia Priemus
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