Website

From now on, I will no longer be using this blog as my main point of interest as the new website is up and operating.

Here's the link: www.sturtjasher.com.au

Wildflower Hunt

Spring is well under way and the wildflowers are in full bloom. Some species of orchid have already reached the end of their flowering cycle, but there are plenty more out there. Walking through the dry October scrub we sense the new foliage that is emerging from the woodland floor. There are yellows, greens, reds, oranges, purples, blues, and just about every hue in between. A overwhelmingly non-directional buzz fills the air as the hover flies and bees search for pollen and nectar.

On the wayside by the idyllic bush walking path we find small diggings, the sign of nocturnal animal life hunting for white ants. A little further in and there is a thick blanket of white and yellow wildflowers covering the ground between the banksias and the taller white gums. Tucked in around the trees bases and clumps of decomposing bark we find small pockets of orchid species. There is an abundance of Cowslip Orchids, but we see others too like the Blue China Orchid, Enamel Orchid, Spider Orchid, and Wandoo Beard Orchid. The orchids are a unique find amongst a sea of beautiful wildflowers so each orchid is special.

The woodland beauties will be faded by summer, but not for long. This time in a year, the next year, and the one after that will bring new joy once again as each one reappears in fresh life. 

A Rare Fog

A chorus of birdsong breaks the silence across the beautifully still water. In the distance, a black swan is gracefully meandering the lake. Sumptuous and thick is the white fog blanketing the land. I have only ten minutes and finding a pleasing composition is proving more difficult than anticipated. I want to stay. I want to sit and watch the birds go about their tireless tasks. They are different to me. They do not have more pressing matters at hand and so the misty scene remains. 

Garden of Sprites

After seeing this short poem, I couldn't help putting these two together.

Garden of Sprites

By Lyndsey Hylton

I sit in the garden

on a small marble bench

beneath the sun.

The roses bud,

and the lilies grow.

The water glows and makes music

as it falls down the stream

of little waterfalls.

I follow the stream

into a land of beauty

and wonder.

I walk around to see wild flowers,

patches of four leaf clovers

and small rainbows.

I follow them to find no gold,

but to find a smaller garden.

Little Sprites dancing

in the middle of a circle.

They dance in little trebles,

and hornpipes.

A celebration it seems.

I didn't wish to intrude,

but I found myself

gazing in amazement

as I sat in the

Garden of Sprites.

Garvey Park

For some reason, I had not made a trip to a little place called Garvey Park in Ascot until recently. The other day, my wife took us over for a peaceful walk along the river with our little boy. The river is hardly moving at this point where it passes by the quiet cafe and kayak clubrooms. One or two kids are having fun in the nearby play area. After breaking for a quick coffee and cake at the cafe, we take a walk downstream and the ducks watch us silently.

Toddlers are great fun to watch especially when they're yours. He is a little sponge and eagerly soaks in everything - couples walking
just like us, bikes gliding past, little waves lap the shore, sun streaming through leafless trees, cool shade under green ones.

This is certainly a spot I'll be back again to shoot. 

Old Prime

Re-discovering an old prime lens recently, I have been enjoying the speed, brightness, and clarity it brings. A number of years ago from eBay, I purchased an old 85mm prime lens from the old olympus film series. Instead of paying more than $800 for a high-quality new lens, I was able to get an equivalent lens in excellent condition for less than a third of the price. Portraiture is an area of photography that I am keen to practise and this lens has recently been a great catalyst for me to do so.

Benefits for using good quality prime lenses:

- Great image clarity
- More compact design (i.e. less intrusive and intimidating for human subjects AND lightweight)
- Nice render of light with improved dynamic range and pleasing bokeh
- Noticeable reduction in minimum focusing distance

Below is an example shot of my son taken this morning. Light is always a significant factor to any image and yet you can see how the lens maintains such great detail in areas of focus. Being limited to manual focus (due to lack of electronic connection - old to new technology), it has also been a great exercise to practise focusing quickly; to me, fast and precise manual focusing is still far more efficient and practical, particularly in low light conditions.









Time-Saver! 
Aside from a couple of slight adjustments, this was all achieved without the need for photoshop, meaning less time on the computer. Unless you particularly love editing, this is a big win. 



Good light control including lens choice is a critical aspect in photography. Megapixels alone are far overrated - 9/10 times the quality you can get with less than 5MP on a reasonably good sensor with good light and glass will exceed your average 20MP with poorly controlled light. In general, I have been very pleased with this lens and excited about the fresh possibilities that it will bring to my photography.

Key point: Lens choice is an important part of the photographic process and heavily influences the look of your final image. 

In Exhibition

For anyone who might be thinking of heading out to The York Mill Gallery, here's a little sneak peak for you. There's a lovely little cafe with great food and coffee and two more rooms for viewing various artwork and hand-crafts. 

Initially inspired by a photograph named "Old Morgan Road", the exhibition "Land" includes a range of colour and monochrome images. Each image has a close connection to our beautiful land, whether it be our sunburnt expanses or the wet top end. 

A big thank you to all those people who made the trip out for our unofficial opening on Sunday. It was a great afternoon enjoyed by all. The project has been a big undertaking with countless hours spent photographing, framing, and preparing artwork. It's also one that couldn't have gone ahead without the help and support of my wife Emily. 

Open for viewing throughout March, 2014.

Exhibition - 1 Day!

When I was a kid, I remember the anticipation of waiting for prints to return in the mail from my little box camera. It was a pleasure that has never ceased to disappoint. Even now, there is always something very special about seeing printed works for the first time and experiencing that little tingle in the spine as I look at the physical images for the first time. My hope is that you experience even just a fraction of this as you explore the exhibition. 

This all gets kicked off tomorrow at The York Mill Gallery in the scenic town of York. Things are shaping up very nicely and I'm quite excited to see it coming together. The exhibition will be held in the boiler room gallery at the mill from the 5th to the 30th of March. 

There will be 15 pieces on display, all of which have been printed using archival inks and high quality photographic materials. Of these, 11 are framed limited and open edition prints. I know you will enjoy seeing the pieces of art as they are all looking fantastic. There has been a great deal of work contributed to each piece and I'm now pretty happy with how it is all looking.

There are plenty of other attractions in the district including a stop-over at the beautiful Lake Leschenaultia, sky-diving, museums, and other art galleries. Finally, finding The York Mill will be easy with its distinctive brick architecture at 10 Henrietta St. 

Enjoy!

Gapuwiyak

After returning from this small town in East Arnhem Land, I already miss the welcoming families and the happy-go-lucky kids in the community. I am somewhat glad, however, to be returning to the more structured lifestyle with which I am more familiar. Although my time here was not focussed on photography, as usual I took the camera along in case I spotted any good photo opportunities. 

It is currently in the wet season here and thus experiences prolonged periods of cloudy skies and rain. This said, there were a few moments of sunshine between the storms. The buildup to the wet season would likely be the best time of year for photography in these areas. I was reminded to simply work with the conditions you are given. All in all, the trip presented me with a chance to practise using some new ND filters and gave me some things to learn. 

Here are a few of my favourite landscape shots from the trip. 

It is a pretty flat landscape, so looking for striking imagery was a tough challenge. I quickly decided it was a good idea sticking to the concept of simplicity. This seemed to suit the type of scenery and produced a few shots that I found pleasing. I wanted to really emphasise the subtle tones and colours throughout. The ND filters worked a treat and I was absolutely loving the extra freedoms afforded by their use. 

Key Points in Arnhem Land:

1. Plan a way to negate moisture - my gear quickly became damp from the humidity. 

2. ND filters are now on my must-have list to allow shooting flexibility.

3. To exploit the spectacular scenery here, shoot it from an aerial perspective.

Dreaming in Colour

Done well, colour management can breathe life into an ugly scene. Done poorly, it can destroy a beautiful one.

Colour is simply part of the broader spectrum of visible light. Advances in colour management must be the icing on top for modern developments in photography . Photographers of old could have only dreamed of having the tools available to us now. From colour film to digital sensors, the range of options we have at our fingertips is huge. Computer processing gives us still further creative control over our final product. A V8 gives you incomparably more driving freedoms than your regular hatchback in many circumstances; so also, we have now have the power to push our images in the direction of our choice. You can run your powerful car into a tree; so also, you can demolish the beauty afforded by colour if used wrongly. I've seen far too many photos killed by the thoughtless use of colour. It only takes a quick google search to find thousands of horrible, jarring images where some well-intentioned soul has taken a blunt machete to the concept of colour management - not pretty.

The trouble here lies in the complexity of the task. Making an image that satisfies all the demands of our eye is rather difficult and an objective I do not claim to have mastered. Thus, I often enjoy the simplicity of a strong black and white image. However, it is certainly one of my aims to bring strong and vibrant colours to my photography. It is imperative that this is done sensitively, however. Below is a recent image of mine that sparked this train of thought and demonstrates what good colour can bring to some images.

Here, it is the colour that makes the photo. It turns a nice photo into something special and brings the scene to life. As previously mentioned, good colour is the end product of a complex process with many factors including environment, angles, planning, camera settings, RAW processing, personal taste, and good luck. This is one of the first times I feel that I am beginning to scratch the surface of the possibilities afforded by good colour management.

Key point: If using colour, use it tastefully and thoughtfully.

Como Sunset

Having the opportunity to get a few sunset photos was too good to pass up. The other day as I was driving past on the freeway, I spotted this location and thought that it would make for a good sunset at this time of the year. So when I saw the clouds shaping up during the afternoon, I made my way down to this spot on the river. Here is a shot taken about 20 mins after the sun set.

It seems like many of the good spots in perth involve some jetty, bridge, building or other structure. I suppose that's what comes of living in a city. The shot below was taken about five or ten minutes prior to sunset. 

Finally, this shot was one I grabbed from a bit higher up. It's rare for me to do a vertical shot, however I thought it seemed to be rather suitable here.

No real key point for this post except for the reminder to keep getting out and taking photos.
Have fun!!

Surprise Sunrise

Thought I'd head back to the spit where I was the other morning as I was not 100% satisfied with what I get at the time. I guess the point of this post is the show how diverse the conditions can be for a given location. Even after looking up tide and weather charts, I had the idea that I might be able to get a certain image. I had the image in my head all lined up and ready to fire. However, the sunrise turned out a lot different that I anticipated. In some ways, it made for  a cool shot with some nice colours. Although still not perfectly satisfied, I was able to adapt to the changing circumstances and still get a shot or two. Here's the before and after shots. I found it quite interesting how the two colours were reflected on the water in different ways.

And anothery for good measure...

Key Point: Even though pre-visualising a shot can be important and helpful, it is even more important to go with the flow and adapt to the circumstances. 

Enjoy. 

Point Walter

Here's my favourite shot from this mornings trip down to Point Walter. By chance, I happened upon another photographer this morning. I haven't really bumped into anybody in that context before, so it was rather unusual for me. 

I will have to make a second trip down for a sunrise soon as there is another little spot nearby which I would like to photograph.

Enjoy.

4 AM

Thinking that I'll probably be getting up for a few more sunrises over the next 12 months. It is a good feeling to have already been out and about by the time I get to work. Reasonably happy with a mornings labouring behind the camera.

Here's the results...

I always come away from shoots like this with the desire to work on better, more compelling compositions. Regardless, as mentioned I'm OK with what came of the morning.

Have a great day!

Decoy Sunrise

As a sequel to my previous post, I returned this morning to one of the more commonly photographed locations in Perth.

Although the sky didn't turn on anything special, it certainly feels good to be up early, out and about, and getting a sunrise. So, here's the result of a 4 AM start to a November day.

Plenty of things to get finished, so I must now shoot off.

Have a great day. 

Photographer in Focus

Local Perth photographer Dylan Fox has recently re-ignited a personal desire to capture the beautiful surrounds of our capital city. Hailing from rural areas, I am the first to admit that I find the concrete jungle a rather inhospitable, uninspiring photographic environment. With an ever-present camera and his trusty tripod, Dylan has already demonstrated that he is a well-capable photographer and doesn’t hesitate to voraciously seek out the beauty in life.

Some of my favourite shots from his collection

He is the image (so to speak) of a budding young photographer at the beginning of a highly decorated photographic career. The guy's got a lot going for him: great images (in colour, composition, and elegance), great marketing strategy, great direction, and plenty of years up his sleeve. He clearly has his financial head screwed on with his marketing emphasis and decision to complete business school. People-savvy, tech-wise, and money-smart would be just a few very apt descriptions for this boy from Perth. Sinking his teeth into the industry is paying profile-raising dividends for him with a variety of accolades and media articles already up his sleeve.

However, these things and the unfolding potential in his career are not what I find intrinsically inspiring about Dylan. Many people piss up their youth on nonsense and trivialities only to regret their rash behaviour once their opportunities have come and gone. To me, it appears that Dylan has possibly grasped something important: this life is here one moment, gone the next. Photography is undoubtedly a part of Dylan’s life that he values – it runs hot in his blood. From reading his personal reflections on various photographs, I know Dylan also – very importantly – enjoys the company of good friends and partaking in the lighter (unintended pun) things in life.

Yes, there are fleeting thoughts that I too could have followed an attractive career path such as this. Yes, when playing with our beautiful six-month old monster, I have the occasional twinge of jealousy at the flexibilities I was afforded at his age. Have I been one of the aforementioned rash individuals? No, I think not. However, I am glad to be inspired by individuals such as this. Specifically, I hope and aim to continually push my own boundaries in life rather than to sit back and ultimately languish in the sorrow of my own laziness. 

Back to Dylan. Without having actually purchased any of his prints, I would guess that they are high quality. Have a look at his website or blog and if you like his style, I'm sure he'd be happy for you to hit him up for an image. 

Have a good week!!

Sharing Sites: Cambridge in Colour

Technical skills for photography should only remain a limiting factor for so long. Inspired photography is rather a product of a person's imagination and their state of mind.

I have had many questions regarding photography, how to improve, equipment, etc etc. Whilst I agree with a recent post by Bruce Percy, a certain level of technical understanding is always required. Hence, the reason why I thought I'd pass on a great website I recently stumbled across that gives a fantastic overview of all the technical aspects you need for photography.

It's called Cambridge in Colour and it includes information and guides from everything to basic exposure concepts through to lens corrections, histograms, and stitching. I noticed also a photographically thought-provoking section regarding the human eye.

Anyway, there is plenty for you to peruse so the rest I'll leave to you. There are lots of other sites, but this is one of the best I have seen.

Enjoy.

Cold Front on the Horizon

When I heard there was a cold front coming through, once of my first thoughts was the imaging potential. Although I don't always get out when there is good light, it is the atmospheric changes that always provide the lighting for your photos. So, a storm or a cold front certainly hold potential for some dramatically lit scenes.

I guess this post is actually concerned with photography planning. Regardless of how much time has gone into planning a photo, it is great to be aware if there is something dramatic happening. At the very least, this means you might take the camera out more often. Photographers always say to take the camera everywhere you go. However, for some of us this is simply not the reality; so, it sometimes requires a little more motivation for keeping the camera handy.

Below is the satellite image from this afternoon's BOM website which I find to be a great resource. As you can see, there's a whole lot of cloud coming in from the west here in Perth which will hopefully bring with it some great photographic opportunities.

I recently stumbled across another planning resource used extensively by photographers across the world is the Photographer's Ephemeris which is essentially a pictorial, map-oriented version of rise and set azimuths of celestial bodies. This is certainly something that I will be quite excited to try out as I have arrived on location numerous times to find the sun setting at just the wrong point. With this tool, it should make the precise azimuths much more predictable. Although long-term weather predictions are quite unreliable, it is certainly helpful to know the climatic conditions of your shooting location.

Key Tip: Be aware of what's happening or going to happen to future light conditions!

The Old and The New

An interesting exercise is to review some old photos and revisit them with some improved skills and photographic thoughts. My apologies in advance for the fluffiness of the post - it is unashamedly a little arty farty. 

The photo below was from a while back and I re-did it the other day. Interestingly enough, I don't think I would have done anything differently at the time of photographing for this one as it's got a certain style that I enjoy.

I suppose it is this style that hopefully remains in any image. Looking back at older photos, I am less than impressed with many of the technical aspects of my photography. However, it is some of those photos that hold some style which I am more happy to revisit. Maybe it's just an odd perspective, an unusual feeling, or a strange sense of reality. The much more recent photo below was taken of a joey  relaxing with its mother and has some similar attributes. Although I would love the larger kangaroo to also have her head down, there is just something about the photo which appeals to my own imagination; this may not appeal to the imagination of another. 

Moral of the story here is this: an ideology that I believe perfuses my photographic drive strips a photo away from it's technical aspects. If photography was purely about technique and image quality, the person with the biggest camera, most gear, and most money would be the winner. However, from this perspective, EVERYBODY can enjoy being part of a creative process. In doing so, they can also communicate something good for themselves and their viewers. Ideally, what someone communicates in their photography is also common to man and can be appreciated by all who see it. 

Takeaway Tip: Enjoy your own artform and practise seeing the good in that of others. 

Black & White Crush

Over the past couple of years, I have developed a strong passion for distinctive black and white images. I think this could be partially attributed to the fact that there are millions of over-saturated and poorly constructed colour photographs. So, as much as I enjoy a great colour photo, I'm always keeping an eye out for scenes that would make good monochrome conversions. Most times, these turn out best if they are pre-planned rather than an afterthought; however, there is always the occasional exception to the rule.

Some fantastic black and white photographers include those earlier people such as Max Dupain (Aus), Frank Hurley (Aus), and the renowned Ansel Adams (US). 

Max Dupain

Ansel Adams

Frank Hurley

                                                                           

I suppose these men did not have the same access to colour that we now have. They were forced to utilise the tools that were available to them which I believe accentuated their ability to use monochrome to its full potential. After taking away the colour, it draws the eye then to the other photographic elements, primarily composition and texture. Correct exposure is critical.

The image above is in some ways a little peek at my next possible exhibition; a compilation of a few portions of most images. Some time ago now, I spoke about the possibility of putting together an exhibition; mostly due to baby circumstances, it didn't come to fruition at that time. I am happy to say that I currently have twelve un-exhibited  black and white images selected. Most of the images have, however, been presented on my blog at some point over the past twelve months or so and it will roughly follow a Southwest WA theme.