What Lachlan Bence has learned about news photography after nearly 40 years

They have a combined 70 years of experience between them as news photographers, each with unique passions and who bring something different to their craft.

Not only do they capture the best in regional photojournalism, but their visual eye now lends to video as our newsrooms shift to different ways to tell the story across platforms.

This week, we go behind the scenes with Lachlan Bence, who has been a news photographer for almost 40 years in Ballarat.

February 4, 1985 - straight out of school. Ted Cavey was the editor at the time. I had worked for The Ararat Advertiser and the Hamilton Spectator. I was the second cadet hired at that time.

I was one of four photographers, including Reg Cochrane, Ian Wilson and Herman Ruyg.

We learned through the hard knocks school of trial and error. At that stage, I knew how to print black and white, though not as efficiently as I learned.

It's like anything the more you do it the more proficient you get at it.

We were using large format, Pentax cameras with one 10s and two 20s. One 10s had 10 shots on a film and two 20s would take 20 shots. It would take two minutes to develop a roll of film.

I remember walking into the building and hearing the cacophony of phones actually ringing.

The actual size of the darkroom amazed me as I'd only remembered being in a dark room with only one other person.

Back then, I would do anywhere from five jobs to 14 jobs in a day. On Thursdays we used to do all of the real estate and car ads and whatever else needed to be done.

Relationships with police were far more personal.

I was amazed because the minute I walked in, I was photographing John Cain, who was premier of the state.

They were trusting you to photograph a premier and I'd only been there a few weeks.

Paul Keating was one of my most memorable election pictures, for the simple fact of his quick wit.

He was a sharp as a tack. He was up at Sovereign Hill and close by was a female actor, playing a drunk on the goldfields. Keating looked at her and said that's what will happen if you run Medicare.

He'd never let an opportunity go past.

Keating was on point. That was literally a bun fight at Sovereign Hill as they had all the Canberra press gallery there. i

I climbed up on the bar to get that photo. You can see Michelle Grattan in the background, along with Doug Sarah and Gerry Tobin.

This was probably one of the first times I realised I could play with the big boys. It's very easy when you come from a country paper to get drowned out by the press pack. It was also a learning experience, for the simple fact they could actually think on their feet quicker than you could and after a while you realised you could too.

Mainly technology. When photography was in black and white you always had to come back to a darkroom. Now you've got instant access to upload your picture to wherever it needs to be uploaded. Anywhere can be your office.

Every day is different. Sometimes that picture that you don't set up is the best picture. This one below is a favourite. I was looking for a weather picture.

With this one, the umbrella blew itself inside out and they're always the best pictures, getting the unexpected moment.

Dealing with people's emotions when you meet them at their hardest time. You're being intrusive while trying to balance it with being respectful. Sometimes you're better to sit back and take a breath.

Fill the frame. Don't waste space.

Sometimes you've got to go to jobs with an open mind. Sometimes if you go with high expectations they are burst. Never have theatre of the mind.

You've always got to go where the story takes you. Sometimes the story you go to isn't the story it is. Sometimes you sit down to talk to your subject and it's a completely different story.

Some of the best days are when you go out and you don't have any ideas. Some days you go out without any ideas and come across the best picture of the day.

It was always never a country town but not a city. Now we're basically a satellite city of Melbourne. Sometimes that's to our advantage and sometimes that's to our disadvantage.

I'm still finding new places I didn't know existed.

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