A Visit to the Royal National Park

We had a delightful visit to the Royal National Park on Wednesday and I came home with some shots I am pleased with.

First we revisited the path where I did the Seniors walk in March and came across several different fungi.

Fungi on a rotting log

Canon 7D, Focal Length 100mm, 1/25 sec @ f/13, ISO 800, Flash
These were the smallest of the different types of fungi we saw (smaller than a five cent coin) and I liked the way the orange stood out from the green moss growing on the tree trunk.

After we drove to Bundeena for a delightful lunch at the RSL Club we travelled down to Wattamolla where we chanced upon a film crew setting up to shoot the waterfall.  They were a friendly lot and happily talking to us and explaining what they were about.  It was interesting to hear people who are just as passionate about their profession as we are about our hobby.

As the sun began to set in the west, I noticed colour start to come into the clouds over the ocean on the eastern horizon.

Looking out see over the lagoon at Wattamolla

Tripod mounted Canon 7D, Focal Length 24mm, 3 shot bracket exposure 1/50 +-2 Stops @ f/11,
ISO 800, No Flash

I liked the way the palm tree leaned over the water and framed the entrance to the lagoon.

The film crew waitied until it got dark before they began filming and while their lights were set up to illuminate the waterfalls I took the opportunity to take some bracket shots to try to keep some detail in the scrub on the top of the cliff.

Wattamolla Waterfalls

Trippod Mounted Canon 7D, 24mm, 3 shot bracket exposure 0.4 Sec +-2 Stops @ f/4.0,
ISO 800, No Flash

1. By now it was quite dark as it was heading for 7 o'clock so we packed up and had a nice drive home after spending a pleasant, relaxed day just taking things as they came , never suspecting we would spend time with such interesting people.

The HDR images were processed using a Beta trial program,  Oleono PhotoEngine which is a free download until the end of May.

Cronulla Dawn

After photographing the sunrise at the Mahon Pool at Maroubra last week we did a follow up dawn shoot down at Cronulla last Thursday.

Having been to Cronulla before and given the earlier experience at Maroubra I had a better idea of what might be achieved this time.  It was certainly a different result as the tide and sunrise were not as well aligned.

As the sky began to brighten I arrived and set up, at first concentrating on the water in a similar way to the week before.  But once the sun rose up behind the low cloud bank I reframed the scene to capture the unexpected beauty emerging in the sky.

From the sun first rising until the colours faded was only twelve minutes.

The colours in the sky were enthralling and the rays of the sun were spectacular.  The other photographer was a bonus.

Canon 7D, 17mm focal length, 1/20sec @ f/11, ISO 100, 3x ND Grad filters.

Cropped out foreground to create a scenic panorama

Normally I shoot in RAW format and so was able to import this single file into Oloneo PhotoEngine and give it some HDR treatment as even with the ND filters I didn't have enough dynamic range in the initial image to do justice to the sun's rays and felt the photo needs to have some detail in the foreground to balance the colour in the sky.

Oloneo PhotoEngine is a new HDR program which is still in Beta mode and available as a free download from the Oloneo website ( http://www.oloneo.com/ ) until the end of May. 

Sunrise Photography

We went out to the Mahon Pool at Maroubra on Wednesday to catch the glow of sunrise with a high tide.  This was a new experience for me as although I have taken sunrise shots before this time I went out with a plan to catch both the colours in the sky and the action in the water in a more creative way.  Of course I could have chosen a more personally convenient time as I had a photo walk with friends around the Rocks during the day planned and an appointment to judge a camera club competition way on the other side of town that same night which made it a long day but did not want to miss the opportunity.

Arriving just before 7:00am we each scouted to find a location which suited our personal conceptions.  I have seen many photos of water flowing from the wall of seaside pools so wanted a different perspective which was to catch a wave as it crashed across the rocks.  To achieve this, I got down close to the shore for a low perspective with the rising sun in the background and used the cameras burst mode to increase the chance of getting the shot I wanted.

I like the misty effect of the water washing over the rock

Canon 7D, 24mm, 0.3sec @ f/16, ISO125, Tripod, Burst Mode.
Cropping and tonal adjustments in Lightroom

As the tide came in I noticed the turbulence of the water and the action of the incoming waves

Canon 7D, 1/13sec @ f/11. ISO125, Tripod, Burst Mode.
Cropping and tonal adjustments in Lightroom


Even though it ended up being a very long day, it was an enjoyable one.  As well as Maroubra, we had a pleasant walk in the Rocks and I spent the evening with another group of people who share my passion for photography.  As a matter  of fact, a couple of the competition entries at the club gave me reason to consider the landscape format for these two images.

I achieved something new and got a nice selection of shots I am happy with and plan to explore this style of photography a bit more.  What I really need to do now is remember to get out of bed early enough.

Camera Club

Last night was another good night at the camera club with a good roll up and a judge, who is new to us, to evaluate and comment on our competition entries.  The judge did not waffle on as some do and so, after she had finished with the print entries, we all had more time to intermingle and discuss our photography over a cup of coffee before vewing and hearing the comments on the digitally projected images.

I was happy with the results for my two entries in the Colour Print Section.  A photo taken of our Portraiture Workshop during a demonstration by the presenter focusing her camera on the model before capturing her shot gained a Merit (our highest award).  You may view this photo in my blog posted 15 March, 2011.

And one I took during last years trip to Roma in Queensland for the Australian Photographic Society Convention (APSCON) gained a credit.  APSCON is held every year and is an opportunity to meet people interested in photography from all around Australia (and even overseas) and to hear experienced photographers, both amateur and professional, give talks on all things photographic.

One everning, three of us took the opportunity to drive out of town to capture a sunset.  We were assured of clouds as there had been a lot of rain before our arrival and and they had flooding shortly after we left so the weather patterns were conducive to photographing sunsets.

As Shot in RAW file format exposed for the highlights

Canon 40D, Shot at 1/8+sec@f/11, Sigma 18-200mm lens focal length 21mm, ISO 400, No flash, Tripod.

Rather than take a number of frames and blend them in software to achieve what I had envisioned when I pressed the shutter button, I made another version of the original file to give detail in the foreground and pasted the two selections together.

Original RAW file adjusted for the foreground

Blended image with crops from first and second files

Once I replaced the foreground in the original image I then tidied up the scene and adjusted the contrast to really bring out the detail in the sky.  Files created from the original RAW file were 16bit TIFF.

Final result

Shooting in RAWallowed me to work in 16bit colour space which I could not have done with a JPEG format.  I like the final result with the muddy road leading off into the storms brewing on the horizon.  With the events which occured in Queensland earlier this year the photo takes on added impact for me.

The Big Day Arrived

The Big Day finally arrived yesterday and the four of us from our camera club got there early to make sure to be ready to guide our tours of people wanting to learn about photography as we took them on pleasant strolls along a path in the Royal National Park.

Crowds arriving at the registration booth

We were responsible for three separate sessions in all over the day and each group was slightly smaller than first indicated which allowed us to form more personal relationships with individuals and, after giving a brief introductory talk before each walk on what to look for when choosing a subject and how to compose a photo, we ambled off at a leisurely pace looking for photo opportunities.
 

The first Photography Walk group head out down the forest path

One of the locals keeps an eye on the events of the day

The kyakers enjoy some time on the water

Tai Chi was another extremely popular activity

Flowers  were hard to find but we were blessed with mushrooms

It was all very enjoyable and we walked further than I have for quite a while, talking all the time so I was weary by the end of the day but really appreciate the opportunity to be part of a team helping interested people get more out of their cameras and to meet such a variety of friendly people.  The overall event was very professionally run by an exceptional team which ensured we could focus on our task without having to be particularly concerned about our safety, security, meals or refreshments as these things were all taken care of.

A Photo Walk in the Royal National Park

Our camera club volunteered to conduct a photography walk in the Royal National Park tomorrow for Seniors Week.  We shall be giving guidance on how to use a camera and what to look for when taking photos.  It is also hoped that the walk will encourage some of the participants to join our club so everyone benefits from the day.

We went down to the venue today to check it out, plan our strategy and identify where we might be able to point out subjects to illustrate our comments and hopefully have the participants go home with some satisfying photos.  With a bit of luck there might also be some wildlife as we experienced today.

For me it was also a liitle bit of a throwback to the day at Lane Cove National Park with Kookaburras and Water Dragons.  There were some young Kookaburras which have obviously learned that people sitting at a picnic table are good for a bite to eat and as we walked along a track a Water Dragon skittered down to the river.

Water Dragon

Canon 7D, 24-105 Lens @105mm, 1/20sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100, Hand held.
Cropped to approx. 1/3 of the frame.

I couldn't resist this shot of a walker in the park framed by the trees with the red top and blue backpack contrasted again the green foliage.  The colours, the dappled light, the leading lines of the path and arch of the trees all contribute to focus attention on the walker.

Canon 7D, 24/105 Lens @ 58mm, 1/100sec @ f/4.5, ISO 100, Hand held.

Can't wait till tomorrow when it's "Game On!".

Tabletop Photography

While scanning through the blogs I suscribe to I came across an example showing depth of field and how it can be controlled by adjusting the aperture.  The demonstration used a piece of timber with nails partly hammered in about 5cm apart with the timber running away from the camera.  With wider apertures (lower f/stop number) the depth of field was more shallow than when the aperture was closed down (higher f/stop number).  This was illustrated by how many nails were sharply in focus as the aperture changed.

I have been aware of this for some time as Depth of Field and the Focal Length of the lens used is so critical in macro photography.  But it made me think how I could use depth of field creatively and it occured to me that if I used a knife and fork on a plate I could have tips sharp and fade off to the back of the plate and the handles of the utensils.  I set up my el cheapo trusty cardboard lightbox with some desk lamps and got to work

This first shot illustrates my initial idea of the knife and fork sitting on a plate.

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm Lens, Av Mode 1/100sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, No flash, Tripod.

It then occured to me that it could be improved with an additional element so on raiding the freezer some peas were found:-

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm Lens, Av Mode 1/60sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, No flash, Tripod.

Was one pea enough?

The fork was also turned over to make the tines more prominent
Canon 7D, Canon 50mm Lens, Av Mode 1/30sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, No flash, Tripod.

I am quite pleased with the excercise and already have plans to try more variations on the theme.

Brushtail Possum

The weather has not been condusive to outdoor photograhy which caused me to cancel a trip with our camera club to the Moss Vale Show over the weekend.  But tonight, while locking the house up before going to bed for the night we heard soft growling sounds which appeared to be coming from the trees at our back fence.  So being a dilligent photographer I grabbed the torch and camera before heading off with the dog to investigate.

After searching along both sides of the fence I moved further away and found this Brushtail Possum in the neighbour's gum tree.

Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Canon 40D, Sigma 18-200mm @ 200mm, 1/60s @ f/6.3, ISO 800, Flash ETTL EV+-0, Hand held.

The challenge here was to aim both the camera and the torch together to get enough light on the subject in order to manually focus until the auto focus could kick in for a sharp image.  Certainly not the most flattering angle but I did enjoy the experience.

St Patrick's Day

Had lunch at St George Motor Boat Club for St Patrick's Day overlooking the George's River.  I did not take my camera but the view out the window has always enticed me so I couldn't resist taking this snap from the dining room looking over part of the marina towards Tom Ugly's Bridge.  I couldn't get out onto the balcony so it was shot through the glass using the camera in my mobile phone.  I was surprised by the image quality.

iPhone, standard camera app fully auto mode, hand held through the window.
Removed flag pole and adjusted contrast in Photoshop.

Every time I go there I promise myself I will go back to take a similar scene in the evening light.

Fantastic Portrait Workshop at Camera Club

After a terrific photographic weekend including an outdoor portrait workshop where we were shown how to deal with harsh outdoor lighting I was delighted to attend our camera club last night for an indoor 'studio style' portrait workshop.  It was rather fortuitous for me that the subject on our Annual Syllabus just happened to coincide with the weekend event.

Our guest speaker is a professional photographer which truly showed in her presentation and the young lady who attended with her performed wonderfully in spite it being her first time before a camera in this manner.  Following a walk-through of the background and lighting setup we were given a detailed explanation of how to use our camera and interact with the model.

In order to get a different perspective, I chose to use the occassion to practice my personal 'photo journalistic' style and shot from the back and sides of the room to record the interaction between the photographer and her subject which I pre-visualised would presented it's own unique opportunities.  Because I chose not to use flash and the room was in total darkness apart from the tungsten modelling lights of the strobes in the soft boxes, I had to explore the capabilities of the Canon 7D.  Where the 40D struggled at ISO 800, I decided to push the 7D to its limit and ended up shooting in manual mode at ISO 6400 in order to shoot hand held rather than be restricted by using a tripod.

I was blown away by the result!  Whilst the darkest areas of the images were certainly noisey, this was easily dealt with during processing of the RAW format files in Lightroom 3.  Three of the resulting photos are posted here for your comment.  I would have been happy to get one good shot.

This first shot shows the studio setup in our club room around which our members were able to view the action before trying their hand.

 

Canon 7D, 24-105mm Lens, Focal Length 40mm, ISO 3200, 1/30Sec, f/4.0, No Flash, Hand Held.

Here I caught the photographer framing and focusing before capture.

Canon 7D, 24-105mm Lens, Focal Length 55mm, ISO 6400, 1/50Sec, f/4.0, No Flash, Hand Held.

The model was relaxed and preparing for her next pose when this shot was taken.

Canon 7D, 24-105mm Lens, Focal Length 105mm, ISO 6400, 1/50Sec, f/4.0, No Flash, Hand Held.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.