Award-winners to speak at national convention

Ken Wright, of Lightwave Photography, is one of the speakers at the New Zealand Photographic Society's 2015 convention in Tauranga later this year.

It's 19 years since the Photographic Society of New Zealand's annual convention was last held in Tauranga.

But it's back in the city in 2015, hosted by Tauranga Photographic Society, and organisers have pushed the boat out.

Two highly regarded international photographers and Adobe's US-based ambassador are on their way to speak, with two New Zealand-based photographers also booked - including one from Tauranga.

Guy Edwardes is a professional landscape, travel and wildlife photographer based in south-west England while Christian Fletcher is one of Australia's premier photographers.

Fletcher won the Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year award last year.

Since joining Adobe in 1992, Julieanne Kost has learned her craft through hands-on experience and now serves as the Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist for Lightroom and Photoshop. Her primary role is customer education encompassing photography, design, and photo illustration.

"We looked at previous conventions' programmes and decided we'd like to get the best (speakers) we could possibly get," said organising committee chairwoman Vivianne Baldwin.

Closer to home, England-born Ken Wright, of Lightwave Photography in Papamoa, and Kevin Clarke from Christchurch will both speak.

All five guest speakers will also present workshops.

Mrs Baldwin said the convention has been three years in the planning.

"It's been a lot of work, but it's a great honour."

While most events are open to only convention delegates, Kost's Friday evening talk and Natex, PSNZ's Canon National Exhibition 2015 on the Saturday of the convention, will both be open to the public.

Registrations so far have been strong with 140 made within a month of being open.

Tauranga Photographic Society treasurer Richard Baldwin said he hoped local people would take advantage of having some of the top names in the world of photography on their doorstep.