Friday, February 22, 2013

Cheynes

We were fortunate enough to spend the weekend fishing and boating with Em's family down near Albany. The south coast is one of my favourite places for photography and Cheynes Beach is no real exception. It has more of the sweeping beach front scenes, but still plenty of rocks. 

Anyway, here are two of the shots I got over the weekend. The first is the wife's favourite and the second is my favourite. I think what makes this type of shot is its subtlety. To me at least, it certainly has a beachy feel about it. However, it really only makes a suggestion of the ocean. It's interesting how such a small part of a photo can dictate the overall feeling. 


Unfortunately, I woke up too late for the kinda light I needed for the next shot. I wanted to get up for sunrise, but I really needed to get to location more than half an hour pre-dawn. I have recently been working with no camera filters which means I must utilise existing light and improvise to get my shot. However, I enjoy the subsequent creeping brightness. 


Great for a weekend getaway and fantastic place to relax. I would not be surprised if there are more Cheynes Beach photos in the months to come!

Lastly, the boat... :)


Monday, February 11, 2013

The Forest

Another photo from the elusive forest. I have another one that I am also happy with. However, I thought I'd just put this one up because it represents some of the interesting shapes and patterns found in some of the forested areas down south. 

This day, a few of us went down from Margs along Caves Rd specifically to shoot the forest. 


I am slowly getting a few of the forest with which I am pleased. I am very interested to see some of the other photos from the afternoon - James and Calvin :)

On a related note, this is an example of a photo where I have tried to represent the greater texture of a subject by utilising the foreground area. Once certain texture and detail is built up in the foreground, the mind is somehow tricked into believing that much larger portions of the image are also of the same quality.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

One Down

One of the more simple photos is now back to its finished state!! Strangely enough, some of the photos that provide me with the most satisfaction are often the ones that have a simple concept, were simple to capture and were simple in post-production. For me, this is one such photograph. 

I am happy to say that there are also a few more on the go and they will not be too far off. I have relatively recently been enjoying the process of converting to black and white images. I find it can really get rid of a lot of the distracting elements in an image and allows you to appreciate the shapes and tones of the image in a different way.


At the time I took this, I had a similar image in my head waiting for the right opportunity. So when we saw this old tree standing all on its own here, I couldn't help myself. Quickly stopped, got what I wanted, and headed off again.

And on another note, just been admiring the work and personal reflections of a Scottish photographer by the name of Bruce Percy

Friday, February 8, 2013

Road to Recovery

Although most of my lost images will have to be re-processed, there were a few that somehow turned up in the deleted files scan....

The image below is one of those. I have struggled to get a satisfactory image of a particular south-west forest. However, I am happy to say that I am close to having something that pleases me. There is another that is more satisfying. I like this one because it shows a view of the area that is not your regular run-of-the-mill type stuff which is always what your after when photographing. I enjoy finding a slightly different perspective or different focus to what I have already seen.


Today, I discovered a check-box in iPhoto advanced preferences that had been switched OFF for some strange reason. This meant none of my recent file imports were copied to iPhoto library and hence my lost files... GRRRR - don't ask me why it was switched off.

Anyway, on top of everything else I need to get done, I have a load of photos to re-edit.

Weekend time!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Luck of the moment!

On a lighter note today...

When we were camping near Margs, at the lovely Gracetown Caravan Park, I thought I'd have a bit of a go at photographing one of the numerous possums that inhabit the park. Just as I was about to push the shutter on this one, he decided to turn around and face the other way. I think to myself, "Well, I might as well snap away anyway after all the effort of getting him lined up and focussed in the dark."

What followed was totally worth getting the camera out for!!!

The little sucker decides to let go of his bladder contents right in front of me. AND, weirdly enough my flash catches the very first little bit!


The wife and I laughed for about 20 minutes.

Thought to remember: Taking the camera with you wherever you are CAN lead to some very interesting shots. Although luck might play a big part, if the camera were in its bag this would not have happened.

Good for a laugh anyway. Have a good week!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

R.I.P. Photos

It is a sad post when you must say goodbye to a number of photos....


Whilst I was recently organising and dutifully backing up files, I managed to lose quite a few photos. I suppose I will eventually learn. However, it seems rather ironic that I have now lost data on two separate occasions through the processes involved with backing up files.

Files can be rather unstable if they are in the process of being copied or transferred. I think this would be particularly true of larger files. Fortunately, for most of the lost I have maintained the original RAW files so I can re-process them in time. However, these four are likely never to be seen again.






Sadly, all of which I enjoyed; none of which had yet been to print.

Lessons to learn:

1. Perform regular back ups, HOWEVER files are easily corrupted and can be permanently lost when being copied or transferred.

2. ALWAYS maintain copies of your original RAW or camera shots for safety purposes.

Friday, February 1, 2013

K.I.S.S


SIMPLIFY (or the age-old K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple Stupid)

My two previous posts were essentially about getting a complex or busy scene and making it into something more visually manageable. I feel both of the following images also help to demonstrate this point. At times, you are presented with a beautiful sunset, a stunning landscape, or a lovely little creature. It can be hard to capture the whole thing in one single photograph. In fact, I think you would be struggling to find a decent photographer who claimed they always captured an entire scene perfectly or even aimed to do so. 2D art forms simply cannot show everything. The answer to this problem is actually rather simple - initially, only choose ONE small thing on which to focus your attention. 

The image below is a portion of a recent black and white (SIDE TOPIC: For better black and whites, here is a fantastic technical B&W blog post - as you can see, one image can produce a host of different B&W) image of a blue wren. I enjoy the photograph because it is so simple to the point of removing all colour. The small bird is the ONLY focus of the image. Whilst it is not the only element, it is the only focus. The image is not confused with trees, shrubbery, or creek-line. Although these were all part of the original scene, it is often better to cut out many aspects of the scene in order to make a visually appealing representation. 



The below image was taken at a time when the clouds above the lighthouse were stunning to look at. Although I also photographed those clouds, I almost prefer this image as it makes the eye a lot less tired when viewing the picture. The golden colours still give the viewer a feel for what it was like and yet still allow them to enjoy the image.




There are many different "rules" that can really help with your photography. If you have ever noticed, many of these rules act to simplify and provide structure to your photography. However, if you know this before you begin shooting, those guidelines will come much more naturally. 

Anyway, if you read this I hope it was helpful.