Anyone who has spent time in India will acknowledge the myriad of photo opportunities on offer whether in the city or countryside. Curiosity has both animals and humans looking down the barrel of your lens. The boy here had the presence of an elderly man - I got down low to his level partly to negate the distraction the background created but also to ensure eye level with the dog - a major part of the portrait. The man in trousers at the front provides a kind of half-frame for the boy and dog. Early evening creates favourable lighting conditions without need for flash. Marina beach, Chennai, India.
Walk around the neighbourhood
Things change. For that reason I always make a point of revisiting places. After a storm, things look different especially on the coast. The top level of sand on the leftcovered the waterfall in the background and most of the rocks. Having been washed away by heavy surf, a new water channel was created complete with waterfall. The houses perched on the hill in the background add another layer.
X Pan countryside
A few months back I posted a couple of shots from this place. Would’ve loved to have had more time on the journey home to explore this area. Big trees, big boulders and x pan feature on the Fuji GFX 100S. It’s like a big film set from some western.
Out of the shadows
Many canyon walks have little nooks providing interesting areas of light and shadow. I rarely search for vista shots as often the view is blocked by bush. In any case it doesn’t contain the detail I’m searching for in an image. But there are four main elements to this image that draw me in. Firstly the light and shadow - especially reflecting off the ferns in the middle. Secondly the textural variations which includes the roots, rock wall, horizontal (vanishing) steps and among the foliage. Thirdly, the framing of image provided by the sloping rock wall and the collapsing tree and roots on the right and the leaves above. Fourthly the leading nature of the steps adding a sense of direction and a little mystery.
River Gum
In 2006 I visited a nearby art gallery where I lived in the inner city of Sydney. Looking through some handprints of a rather well known Australian photographer - Harold Cazneaux I was inspired to take a trip to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The photograph I was drawn to in particular was of a gum tree named The Spirit of Endurance taken some time in the 1930s. As it turned out, it was one of the most memorable photo trips I had done.
The photograph above is not of that tree but of another gum tree arching over a dried up creek in the early morning. Yes, it would have been interesting to capture this image after a significant rainfall with a flowing creek underneath it’s branches but as with any situation involving nature, you get what you are given and in this case the lighting could not have been better. And the tree remains the sole subject.
What kind of Photographer are you?
One question you will be asked at some point is who are your influences? IOW, which photographers have influenced your style? Interestingly, some of the photographers I admire haven’t influenced me much at all. Irving Penn for instance. Loved his professional work in the fashion world. His style, approach and attitude were out of the box. His work was indeed compelling. Despite all this, I had no interest in fashion photography myself. It was more the artistic element of his photography that captured my imagination.
Cartier Bresson is another example. I think his decisive moment can be seen in other genres of photography too. The landscape photo above is comprised of a number of elements which would be different just minutes later.Unless you are doing architectural photography or studio shooting you most likely will be dealing with and adapting to change moment by moment.
And, there are some photographers (respected and well known) whose style of photography leaves me wondering about their thought processes. For myself, I have found a natural enjoyment in the photographing of landscapes - in many cases more intimate. Portraiture, street photography even studio work I find interesting. More recently, as mentioned a more creative mix of image combining to create layers and by this, other meaning. I suppose the long and short of all this is that I have never got bored with the photographic process. Change and newness and imagination are the key.
Emu in the Garden
In many of these layered images, an unintended consequence of the layering effect is the creation of hidden lifeforms. These are not real of course but come about through the combination of different natural elements like rock and wood, even water. In this one though, the animal is real, just merged in the natural surroundings.
Reflection and reeds
Like the previous one, this image is made up of several others. I particularly like the combination of B&W with colour and the fact that both are caught in the reflection.
Another world
If you go back far enough in this blog you may come across the topic of multi layered images. It was a project I began working on around 2015. It was an attempt to create a final image comprised of many individual images but with added depth and mystery. Those files are not available in the menu at present but I may rearrange them given time in the coming months. These final images often have more of a story to tell.
Old Man India
Having been to India more than a few times, I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity of life there. Most of us feel we need much more than this to be happy but the quality of lives don’t depend on the things we have. At least it’s not the complete picture. I thought this image embodied the essence of how I experienced that land. This old man probably didn’t own much more that what he was wearing. Water, symbolizing life and the stonework, somewhat worn and broken, symbolic of time. This scene could have been the same centuries ago.
Seaweed pile
I liked the way this pile of seaweed presented itself on the shoreline. Somewhat dramatic lighting at the end of the day. Slightly darkened around the edges for artistic effect.
Rome
I had a brief stay in Rome in 2007. Loved the Umbrella pines which gave a distinctive look to the streets and worked well with the architecture having expansive canopies but allowing you to see through them. Canon 10D (most likely).
This looks to me like a set of a movie - actors waiting around for cameras to roll. It was too long ago now to remember the location.
Old and New
Taken around 2014 in Tasmania: Nikon D800E 18mm lens.
Beach Scene
This scene, in particular the sky looks heavily manipulated. In fact, it looks like some battle taking place in the heavens. A simple double conversion from a standard jpg taken on the iPhone to Fujicolor Pro 400H then to BW with a yellow filter. Actually a very pleasant spring day with lighting that was a little dramatic. I regret not having the regular camera at hand.
Storage Solutions
I had about a dozen archival photo storage boxes where I used to live and had them stored in a shed. They didn’t directly come in contact with water but it’s a mountain region that’s pretty wet a lot of the time. Anyway, after sitting around for several years, I went to retrieve them. Alas…
I had to sacrifice them. Probably around 200+ prints (A3 and A4).
Three elements
Although not visible in this image, there was a howling wind. This is a 4 sec exposure so water surface is also smoothed out. Sand texture was nicely detailed. A few shots didn’t work out as the tripod couldn’t be kept still enough even standing in front of it.
Six Poles
This photo was taken at 7:50pm if the EXIF data is correct. Late evening in Tasmania on the east coast. It’s from 2014 and I’m just processing it now. Not a very long exposure as is popular nowadays (thank you Michael Kenna). I don’t mind a little texture or movement in the water. I never noticed the wispy clouds near the moon adding a little something more to the mix.
Nearly missed out
I’m finding more and more that when going on photo trips by car, it pays to allow some extra time for unscheduled stops. Especially, if the weather provides good photographic conditions. Nothing worse than having ordinary weather for a stay then conditions changing on a return trip and having to drive straight back with little time for a break. I tend to do random stops anyway and arrive late at my destination.
Returning last year from a trip to Victoria, I came through some country towns and places that I wasn’t familiar with as notable photo destinations. This location - Woolshed Falls, was one of those places. It was a few kilometres out of the way and somehow I’m reluctant to make detours when time is limited and it turns out the waterfall may have dried up or some other unknown factor is at play. In this case I was happy I took the risk. A little gem of a place with very few people strolling around or perched on rocks for lengthy periods. For that reason, weekdays are a good options for travel.
Mad Tree disease
I posted this image about 10 years ago. You may not have scrolled back that far in the blog so here it is again. Driving through New Norfolk in Tasmania, this tree was some 100 metres from the road but stood out. It resembled a crazy person to me at the time. What made it more interesting was the passive cow standing nearby. Mad cow disease was in the news around this period and this image seemed to reflect a reversal of roles.
A side note - in the conversion process from a colour image, I’ve been using a baseline starting point, and this is useful whether you’re processing for either colour or B&W. Instead of selecting Landscape, Vivid or even Adobe colour, in the profile option select Adaptive colour. Check out Mark Denney’s explanation on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KijswhEgovs&t=2s) for a detailed explanation as to why this is a more useful option. You will need to start out with a RAW file to make use of this setting.
Yangshuo, China
China is such a reflective place. As a photographer there is a lot to take in. On the whole I didn’t see a lot of tourists. This photo was taken around September 2007. Looking back, I would have liked to stay here for several days instead of just passing through. It requires more time to explore, but it’s a goldmine really - plenty of atmosphere and old world charm. It’s so refreshing to be in a place that has a lot less of the modern trappings. Colours here are rich and muted. It was either misty or drizzling for most of this portion of the trip. These limestone stacks are a common sight in this area, not far from Guilin. Access was along the Li River. I was fortunate enough to have a translator ( a friend who was Chinese ). Otherwise, travel, food and accommodation would have been much more complicated.
Cormorant man was well known and sought after apparently for promo purposes.