On a recent assignment in Asia I shot still images, produced video clips and recorded sound bites from the location to be used as a soundscape for a sequence of images.

Technology has rapidly changed the way we think and work as photojournalists. To continue working in this genre many photojournalists have diversified, added extra skills and become multimedia experts. They have learnt to shoot videos, acquired interview skills and been taught how to write articles. All of this helps the photographer to have more control over projects and offer extra value to a media organisation. After all, when you pitch for an assignment you need to offer something that sets you apart from your competitors.

A number of photojournalists and documentary photographers are struggling to earn a decent living and yet they are still not willing to embrace the changes happening around them.

Meet Steph Doran, our wonderful Japanese based, Australian Photography guide. Steph is a successful Commercial Photographer, fluent in the Japanese language and culture. She is a passionate advocate for empowering people with the skills and knowledge to create beautiful imagery with their cameras. Steph will be accompanying us on our Discover Japan Tour this September, here she gives us a perspective of life in Japan.

What are your favourite thing to do on the weekend or in the evenings in Japan?

I'm glad you started with an easy question- my absolute favourite thing is to go to izakaya with my friends. An izakaya is a kind of Japanese pub, but it's nothing like the pubs we have back in Australia, and the experience is completely different. Back home, I never really liked "going out" or drinking, but going to an izakaya has become one of my favourite ways to unwind. The reason is, you are really there for the atmosphere, and the focus isn't just on alcohol. At an izakaya, of course you can enjoy a drink, but it's also a prime place to sample a variety of small dishes, both traditional and sometimes very modern (and let's be honest, the real reason I go there is to eat!) My flatmate and I love exploring back-street izakaya, especially if we can stumble across tiny hole-in-the-wall type places. Izakaya are best visited in the evening, so if it's still daytime, I love finding some nature and just getting out of the city for a while.

The Chilean piper played patiently while we waited for the light to be in the right place. I had allowed an extra  day on this assignment to research the location and determine the best time to make the image.

I arrived a lot earlier than I needed too, a habit I acquired early in my career from watching other photographers  at work. As a young man I assisted a National Geographic Photographer on a project. He asked me to get to the location early in the morning and I thought I had but he was already at there when I arrived, planning and preparing. By the time the talent arrived and the sun was rising, the photographer had everything in place        and was ready to shoot the image.

As part of the 40 years Sister City Relationship between Melbourne City Council and Osaka City Council an Australian delegation visited Osaka last week. One of the highlights organized by Osaka City Council was the Osaka Food and Tourism seminar which explored opportunities for Osaka based on Melbourne’s great success in this area.

Photography Studies College's Osaka-based Japan- Australia Educational Liaison Officer, Steph Doran was one of four guest presenters at the seminar. Her presentation, delivered in Japanese, featured photographs of Osaka and Melbourne, including her own and a number shot by PSC students. She highlighted the food and coffee culture of both cities, their similarities and differences. Her lively presentation was enthusiastically received by a predominantly Japanese audience drawing on her knowledge of the great food culture of both cities.

Other presenters included Professor Shinya Hashizume from Osaka Prefecture University, Councillor Philip Le Liu from Melbourne City Council and Mr David Lawson, Australia’s Consul General in Japan.

http://www.michaelcoyne.com.au

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Waiting is a big part of my working life as a photojournalist. Waiting to be contacted, waiting for permission, waiting for the light and waiting for the right moment to happen. Recently, I was waiting at a Timor Leste prison for permission to photograph the inmates. I sat behind the metal bars watching the sun going down hoping we could start taking pictures before it got too dark. Getting into a prison as a photographer is not always easy. Permission has to come from the guards, warden and often politicians, all of which takes time. Everyone has a vested interest in what I see and photograph except regrettably the prisoners themselves. Waiting was uncomfortable, the buckled chair wobbled and threatened to collapse each time I moved. Across the compound I could see men with the word prisoner, emblazoned in bold letters on their shirts. I’ve photographed prisons in other countries. Sometimes it’s easy to get in and on other occasions I’ve waited days, weeks, even months to be told no, I can’t come in. Once when I was at a prison in the Philippines a guard with a gun strapped across his chest, performed karaoke for me as I waited to meet the prisoners. On this occasion I was lucky. I got permission, passed security, went through the gates and then I waited for the prisoners, also the captive audience of the guard’s karaoke via loudspeakers. A poorly performed Elvis Presley numbers doesn’t make waiting any easier!