What a week...

I have a new girlfriend...

She makes me feel like this...

Silver Weddings...

I went out to my friends farm this weekend to help them celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary...

It was an interesting weekend weather wise with warmth, humidity, fog & rain...

Before the party I took some photos of cows...




Then the fog set in...


Then the party kicked off and a good night was had by all. Congratulations on your 25th wedding anniversary Warren & Vicki...


On the way home this morning I stopped on the side of the road to take some photos through the fog... It's certainly a beautiful part of the world...

Balmy sunset...

I've just merged two images together into a panorama of tonights sunset over Port Phillip bay in Melbourne.

I cannot believe that the image worked so well given that it was taken with my iPhone!!! It is a little grainy as the resolution on the iPhone isn't very high but I like it... If you click on the image you get to see a larger version...

I also took some more pinhole images but you will have to wait for those...

Unbelievable...

I have finally picked up my 5 x 4 inch negatives from the lab... I used my new pinhole camera and managed to get the exposures somewhat near close to correct...

I am amazed at the quality of the images considering that they were taken with what is effectively a box painted black inside with the tiniest of pinholes in the front... No lenses, no viewfinders, no menus, no batteries... Woo Hoo!

I think I might enjoy more "slow photography"...

The camera comes in three sections and each has a focal length roughly equivalent to 25mm in 35mm film... So when you add them together you start at 25mm, then 50mm, then 75mm focal lengths. There is a pinhole and a zone plate for each focal length and I forgot to change it for the photo below of the seed pods... I think this is why it isn't as sharp as it could be... Just for reference the focal length for this one was 75mm the aperture was f216 and the exposure time was 96 minutes!!! The various seed pods look amazing and I've yet to take an image of them that does them justice...


The second image is of a flowering plant that I'm sure someone will know the name of and was the first image I took with the camera... It is about a 90 second exposure so you there is some movement int the flower heads but I like the look of this image too...


I don't use my scanner very often and I've just remembered why! It's the most user unfriendly piece of software I have ever used. The scanner itself is great and does a very good job but trying to work out how to select the image to be scanned and then working out how to actually scan it requires opening the instruction manual every single time!!!

Love Melbourne...

I had to take my camera to work today to shoot some images for an organisational chart... I got to work at 6am and the Yarra river and the view to Melbourne was just perfect... It was one of those brilliant, still mornings and the sun had just risen... I snapped a couple of quick images across the river on my way in...

The first one didn't focus and I think it just works as an abstract... The "in focus" image of the same shot is boring...


In the hi res image of the second shot you can see the clock on Flinders St clock tower (yellow building in the bottom left of the image) and it's definitely 6am...

Walking around Southbank...

I went for a walk today around Southbank in Melbourne. I had with me my D700 and 24mm PC lens. This lens allows Perspective Correction which simply means that verticals are vertical when doing architectural shots... The lens also allows for some interesting depth of field fun and I will try to make some images that demonstrate this soon...

I went to see a Da Vinci exhibiton that has been put together by a friend and if you are in Melbourne between now and the end of January 2010 go and have a look... Da Vinci was an amazing observer of just about everything and this exhibition shows his examination of the human body and his attempts at making robots based on those observations. These images are from around Southbank...

Eureka Tower - the tallest building in Melbourne. Check out the bees...


Crown Tower Hotel across the Sandridge Bridge...


Pedestrian Bridge near the Melbourne Entertainment Centre (don't know the name of it as it's not on my map...)...


An anchor near the ship Polly Woodside...

Pinhole photography...

Yes... I haven't done much with my blog lately... Sorry to all you avid readers out there...

I recently bought a pinhole camera. It's a Zero Image 45 Deluxe and is a lovely piece of craftsmanship. The 45 means that it uses 4" x 5" sheets of film which are the smallest of the "large format" film sizes... Each frame segment of the camera adds to the focal length and it roughly equates to 25mm, 50mm and 75mm focal lengths in 35mm film terms. The pinhole apertures are tiny and therefore you need exceptionally long exposure times to make things happen. The aperture for each focal length is slightly different and therefore there's some maths to do once you take a meter reading of the scene. The aperture for 75mm is f216!

Today I took a photo in my kitchen and the exposure time given the tiny aperture was 96 minutes... This was partly due to the aperture but also due to the film. The longer film is exposed to light the less receptive it is to taking in more light... Google "reciprocity failure" for and explanation better than I can give.

The next part of the learning curve comes with handling, loading and processing sheet film... All of this was a natural part of photography 40 years ago when press photographers used large format cameras routinely. I took the five unprocessed sheets to the lab today and have to wait for a week to get them back!!! Talk about delayed gratification!

Next will be scanning the negatives and working out the best way to do that. As soon as I have all of that worked out I will post some images (both good and bad).I am really looking forward to playing around with the long exposures to see what creative things can happen.

There are some awesome pinhole images out there if you Google the term.

Native parrots...

I went for a drive today to the Sherbrooke Forest near Melbourne.

I actually went to see if I could get some good photos of the tall gum trees in the area but I chose the wrong time of day for that.

The parrots in the area are very friendly although the woman who stuck her finger in the air got it bitten because the parrots thought she had food for them...

I can't believe how good a couple of these images are. The small images here don't do them justice...

Cockatoo... The males and females look the same...

King Parrot - Male

King Parrot - Female


Kookaburra

More flowers...

These are the same flowers I used the other day but they have changed since then. The centres have opened up and look almost fluffy.

Just experimenting with depth of field and composition.

Colour perception test...

How well do you see colour?

I found a test that will accurately tell you how "well" you see colour...

According to the test 1:255 women and 1:12 men have some form of visual colour deficiency.

The lower score you get the better the results. I have a really good quality Eizo monitor that was calibrated a couple of months ago (if I was producing images for clients I would calibrate it fortnightly) and I scored 3. I will calibrate my monitor and try again one day soon.

Try it out... Here...

Where does my head go...?

I was sitting at work the other day, thinking... Fairly profound thoughts really.

I remembered a time when I was in high school all those years ago and one of my friends very excitedly pointed out that it was 12:34 on the 5th of the 6th of 1978 (12345678 - if you didn't pick it up). There has got to be a name for this type of thing and it doesn't happen that often.

Then I realised (a couple of days early instead of a couple of days late)... On the 7th of August 2009 at 5:06 am the sequence will be 05:06 07/08/09...

I was probably thinking this as I was trying to work out another date for my first photo tutorial class. Of all the people I sent out the message to for last weekend only one could make it. He then had to cancel because of work commitments... Sigh, it will happen one day I'm sure...

Orange...

I have a 24 hour flower shop near my home. Lucky me...

I love taking photos of flowers. They are fascinating and have the most intricate details.

They are also pretty colourful.

Here are a couple of samples of my efforts this morning...

It's time...

It's time to stop talking and start doing...

It's time to bite the bullet...

It's time to put up or shut up...

My photography tutorials start next weekend...

I was speaking to (yet another) person about photography (yet again) the other day and he said that he would be interested to learn more about how to take better photos...

This probably makes hundreds of people that would be interested in my course that I have already spoken to. I know there is lots of interest in learning photography given the prolific websites out there that all try to help.

The problem, as I see it, is that every course I have ever seen seems to assume that you already know something about how to use a camera. Based on recent experience in a course I was a student in this may not be the case. Most books on "The Basics" are still way more advanced than a beginner needs and contain so much more information than is necessary to get started.

The other thing I found is that to learn by doing is far more effective than perusing a plethora of books and websites, gaining knowledge without experience and becoming confused by esoteric concepts and mathematics.

Given that anyone can pick up a fully automatic camera and take a photo is there a need for this type of education? Emphatic YES to that question...

Honestly, what is a camera? It's a light tight box with a hole in it and a way to collect the light from that hole.

There are only three settings that are important...

All the rest is fluff (very expensive fluff) and can be really effective in image making but unless you understand those three basic, fundamental settings nothing else matters.

So, I'm getting together a small group, going out for a coffee and some instruction in the basics and then taking them for a walk to try out what they have learned.

If you are interested, live in Melbourne and have a SLR camera (digital or film) maybe I'll see you on one of my courses soon?

Amazing...

I went to the park today for a walk and decided that I should take my camera. I'm glad I did as there was lots to see and plenty of photographic potential...

While I was wandering around I spotted a couple of trees with the most amazing branches. Everywhere you looked in these trees the branches were convoluted and twisted together. It seemed to be the way these particular trees grew as they looked very healthy (and large). The photo is of a single branch that has just about done enough to qualify as a yoga master...

There were also a few places that Rosella's were nesting so I'll be back there to see what I can manage over the next couple of weeks...

Self portrait...

Did you know that when you look at a mirror the distance that you need to focus to see your image is twice the distance from you to the mirror? If you focus on the mirror itself this is what happens.

This was taken using an old mirror in my bedroom. The reflective film on the back of the glass has broken down causing the blotchy effect.

Cornucopia...

It's winter at last. The cold weather has set in and the comfort food has been added to the shopping list. Mind you, there isn't really a requirement for winter to set in to enjoys these "fruits"...

My fascination with colour continues; I watched a show about it a few nights ago and may even buy the DVD series. The show explained a lot about how we perceive colour from the purely mathematical physics of it through to the psychological/subjective interpretations of it. There was one interesting experiment that was done to demonstrate the difference: The subject was to look at a 3D shape as colours were applied to it with a projector. They were to say yes or no when the colour was what they thought the colour of a banana should be. They rejected more than half of the options. When the shape was changed to that of a banana they accepted that all of the colours could be the colour of a banana.

Years ago my dad built a cover over the BBQ. He found some old, green, corrugated sheeting that allowed light through and put it over the top. What this did was change the colour of uncooked meat from red to a purple/magenta (just not "right") and cooked meat to a grey colour. Nobody, and I mean nobody could eat that lovely, cooked BBQ meat under the green light... It just wasn't right!

Unicycle hockey...

I went out today to see what I could see... I found a unicycle group that were warming up and playing hockey. I admit to having looked up what was on so I didn't just "find" these guys & girls... I read about a guy who is to ride his unicycle from Perth to Sydney and it piqued my interest. I also see a guy riding a very large wheeled unicycle past my work in the mornings. I must admit to always having wanted to give it a try...

The people at the Melbourne Museum last Sunday meet on the last Sunday of every month to play unicycle hockey it looked very cool and lots of fun for all ages. I heard someone say once that the reason people go to the Grand Prix is to see either the world champion or the crashes. I'm not sure if there were any world champions there that day but I didn't see any real crashes so that inspired my confidence. In the second photo you can see a young boy, he mixed it up with the big guys with no apparent fear.

I may just have to give it a try one day!

Concentrate...

I've just had an AAARRRGGGHHH/GRRRR moment...

I have been up since 5:30 this morning to go and shoot some images for a client. It was a magnificent morning and the sunrise was brilliant...

I shot the images, came home, started processing the images and all was going well.

What the client wants is a collage of images of the buildings that they design and build. I have made up a template of sorts and spend a bit of time processing the images then creating the collage for each building. All of this is fine and I pretty much just get into the zone and go through the process.

I normally work with layers within Photoshop so that if an image needs to be changed I can just delete the layer and replace it rather than doing the whole thing again. The last layer I create is a text layer with a copyright notice.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about that's ok. Just think that the copyright notice is written on a clear layer over the top of the images and it can then be removed when I want to send the image to the lab for printing. Works perfectly........ When you concentrate...

The next step is to create a small version (megabyte wise) by flattening all of the layers and resizing the image for the web. I then send that copy to the client for approval and the original, full size version is ready for printing or fixing as necessary.

The problem arises if you don't concentrate and close the flattened file as is and tell Photoshop to save changes as it closes the file... That's the AAARRRGGGHHH/GRRRR moment right there... As soon as I did it I realised that if I would have to redo two of the collages because once the file is flattened and saved you can't get rid of the copyright notice!

Just so that you know the correct way... Before you save your images as a flattened file go back one step in the history to an unflattened file and save the image as a TIFF or PSD file.

It's a good idea to learn from mistakes. Very wise people learn from the mistakes others make...

Photography, walking, tutorial...

I'm trying to come up with a "snappy" name for the photography tutorial I am planning to run in the next few weeks. I'm open to suggestions...

All About Light is a bit of a mouthful... Someone in the USA has already used Photo Walk Pro... Hmmm? I'll need to keep my thinking cap on for a little longer...

Anyway: This is the news.

I did a course at work last week and one of the tasks we had to perform was to state what we wanted to achieve from the course. I thought long and hard and finally concluded that to tell the truth was the best option (there were senior management people in the course with me). So I declared that what I wanted to achieve from the course was to focus (no pun intended) on being a succesful, creative and sought after professional photographer.

Part of that ambition is to teach people the basic principles of photography and to do it during a walking tour of a photogenic part of Melbourne (or wherever I happen to be)... Maybe a coffee and a chat first followed by a walk around shooting everything in sight with your camera. All the time aiming to master, or at least improve, your understanding of using your camera to capture your creative vision. I've been thinking of doing this for quite some time but the course last week crystalized it all and made me put a date on the first course.

So if you are around Melbourne on the 13th of June and you would like to improve your skills with your camera drop me a line.

Gang Gang Cockatoo...

I went for a walk in the sunshine today and saw a small group of Gang Gang Cockatoos eating the flowers in a large gum tree. They were way up at the top of the tree and I watched them for a short while and kept walking. About 20 metres away, in another tree, there was a pair of rainbow lorikeets sitting outside a hole in the trunk. As I watched one of the pair went into the hole and didn't come out...

So, now that I know where their nest is I will try to get some shots as things progress.

The Gang Gangs were kind enough to wait for me to go home and get my camera. The lorikeets were taking the opportunity for some sun and were not to be seen when I got back.

These guys were probably 10 - 20 metres above the ground and seemed to have the "hide behind a branch or leaf and look the other way" skills honed to perfection.

This is the only sharp image (and even then it's not that sharp) I managed of the male.

Introducing Sarah & Leigh...

Last weekend I shot a wedding for the friendliest couple ever. Congratulations Sarah & Leigh.

Sarah & Leigh were a pleasure to work with and they picked the most amazing venue to hold their wedding. Kilmany Park Mansion near Sale in Victoria is an old farm homestead in only the loosest of terms. It was built in the 1800's and is still a working farm. Today, however, the mansion is a B&B with lovely gardens, serenity and just the right amount of space to hold an intimate wedding for up to a couple of hundred guests...

The manager told me of a couple of weddings where people had arrived by helicopter!

The main building is huge and old and quite dark inside with wood panelling everywhere. This provided me with some lighting challenges and I'm still working my way through the images.

The photo was taken in the gardens as the sun set and the weather threatened. At one stage a turned and saw a guest totally rim lit by sunlight and we rushed over to take advantage...

This is the result...

Frangipani...

The frangipani is still trying to flower. I think it may be getting a little cold for the poor thing now. There are still a number of buds and the flowers smell divine.

A short walk from home...

I live in Richmond, Victoria, Australia and it has an interesting history.

Richmond used to be quite an industrial area and this shows in the old buildings in the area. Not to mention the small terrace "workers" houses that are now trendy and very close to the city (read: expensive). There are also numerous pubs (to cater for all of the "workers") and one of them was frequented by a notorious gangster from the early 1900's, Squizzy Taylor. I just can't remember which one...

I have been meaning to take some photos around home for quite a while and went for a short walk this morning and these are a couple of the results...

This building has been coverted into residential units but they kept the old frontage...

And not far from there is a large painted sign letting people know that their orders for wood, coal and coke from T. W. Blundy will be attended to next to the hotel...

The last one a shot of the autumn colours I found on the way...

Project Saxophone...

There are numerous shiny things out there in the world. One of the challenges of photography is photographing them. Whole books have been written on the "science" of lighting and when you get it right things just look magnificent.

I have a saxophone and I've been meaning to learn to play it since I bought it just on 12 months ago. Last night I had my first real lesson and I had a great time. I hit some really dodgy notes but I can see that, with a little practice, I could really get into it...

I spoke to the owner of the business David Temby (and the designer of his own range of very nice instruments) about how to go about photographing instruments that are not only shiny but also have so many reflective surfaces. So today I borrowed some gear to see what I could come up with. It will require a bit more practice but these are just a couple of images.

There are faults in these images that are more to do with composition and lighting but I think that as a project to photograph very shiny things it has turned out ok...

Aarrgghh! I need help...

I woke up this morning and went for a walk. I came home, did the morning things (shower, dressed & breakfast) then got my camera stuff out and laid out some pencils...

Took some photos, cleaned them up and posted them here... Maybe a pencil company will snap up my photos for their marketing... Maybe I need to speak to a stock agency???

I need to take photos of something else! So I'm out today seeking out items of interest. Seeking out those interesting things that people either don't or can't see...

Stay tuned...

I can't help it... I'm addicted...

One of my earliest memories of primary school was of a new kid (I still remember his name) sitting next to me and breaking all of the leads off his coloured pencils and poking them into his ear. I have absolutely not a single clue as to why he did this but there you go...

There is just something about the colour, the smell, the "potential" of pencils that gets me going... So to speak...

I really do need to get out more...!

Lotus images...

I saw some lotus pods at the florist last week and went back today to get some because they look absolutely fascinating. There were a couple of different sizes and the smaller ones had a full compliment of seeds.

When I went back they also had flowers so I'm hoping that over the next couple of days they will open and I can get more images...

Walk around Melbourne...

I went into the city this morning with my camera. The plan was to see what I could find that was of interest to photograph with my 50mm lens.


On the technical side the 50mm lens on my D200 camera gives a cropped view similar to a 75mm lens would on a full frame sensor or 35mm film. The lens has a largest aperture of f1.4 but I didn't really play much with depth of field today...


One of the really cool things about Melbourne is the variety of architecture (look up once in a while) and the array of interesting alleys and laneways.

There are some very gifted graffiti artists out there and some that aren't so talented...

And there are some things that make you go "Hmmm???"