Brachina Gorge, SA

This is one of those images I’ve always kept as colour. It's also one of those images that has a very painterly feel when printed as a canvas, especially large. Although the original exists somewhere on a hard drive which I prefer to work from, this is a conversion from a tiff file. I’ve been through the conversion process several times now but have never been really satisfied with the results. Still, I’m relatively happy with this one. Should the Raw file turn up - I’ll have another go.

Australian Landscapes

You count yourself fortunate when you set out on a photo trip and the weather chooses to cooperate—something that rarely happens, at least not often. This particular tree was the reason for the entire journey; I even mentioned it in a post on November 1. Yet, on my first attempt to find it, I drove straight past the tiny sign pointing the way, a marker so low to the ground it was easy to miss. The weather wasn’t encouraging either—grey skies, scattered showers, the sort of day that can dull a photographer’s hopes.

But then I paused. Sitting for a few minutes, watching the sky shift, I noticed a break in the clouds forming. Soon enough, as I lined up one of the few frames I’d get, the sun slipped through at just the right moment. By mid-morning I didn’t want the harshness of full sunlight—just a touch, enough to give the scene some drama without blowing out the highlights. The upper canopy of the tree was still thick with leaves, and including it would have thrown the composition off-balance with too much empty sky.

Here’s the original photograph for reference: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/134.1975/

You can see how the tree earned its name. The Australian outback can be unforgiving, but on this occasion, I was lucky.

Back to China Part 3.2

How the other half lives! Wife and child riding unsecured on a pile of boxes. Brake suddenly, get knocked by another vehicle or some other random event - humble people doing it the hard way. I really don’t have any reason to complain. Some people don’t benefit from ‘progress’ as much as others. Makes you aware - sorrow is just a moment away.

Back to China Part 3.1

Whilst by and large I was ignored on my trip through China, I did find that children had a natural curiosity. This little boy approached me while I was crossing a bridge and , obviously doing photography. I was very grateful to have an auto-focus lens back in those days. There was something very endearing about his open character.

Back to China Part 3

I spent a couple of weeks in China sometime around around 2005. I wass fortunate to get access to a deepwater port some 32kms from Shanghai across the ocean which was spanned by the newly constructed Donghai Bridge. As it wasn’t fully completed there was virtually no traffic and I could stop the car and take a few shot of the bridge with only the one other truck crossing at that time.

Build up of activity on the wharf with passing boat.

Before the port opening.

Donghai Bridge linking Shanghai with a deepwater port.

Woman looking through hole in Great Wall

Guangzhou - perhaps

Meandering down the Li River through Guilin

A Banzai display in a small town with Canals running through it - Blacktown

Tiananmen Square in the evening - long exposure.

A lake with a park somewhere…

Back to China Part 2

Portrait of a young monk

Young monks adopted doing their best Kung Fu movements

Family in the Dai community

Young kitchen staff happy to pose in the air-conditioned section of the restaurant

Someone said the bus is coming

Gypsy cart

A friend and myself hired a couple of scooters and rode out of town - somewhere outside of Udaipur. A gypsy family and cart. An interesting structure with great detail though it didn’t seem like it would travel any distance. Around 2007.

Sandbar sunset

Without a doubt, Tasmania has been my favourite ‘hunting ground’ when it comes to photography. So may locations to explore. Partly due to comparatively less build up or expansion of the man-made environment. This photo is from the Bay of Fires on the east coast. In my mind at least everywhere is only a few hours from everywhere else.

The Local Area

View down to the inlet where the rock shots were taken.

A tree in the cenetary.

House opposite the beach.

Panorama shot taken with iPhone with Fuji 400H sim applied.

We found this little guy trying to be discreet while waiting for the tide to come back in.

Water trails

I could’ve called this ‘Faces in the Wall’. Not dissimilar to Rock Faces - an image I posted several months ago, The increase contrast levels bring out lines and impressions, forming faces and features not observable in a lower contrast scene.

Wing demonstration

Pay attention. Dad tries to show off ‘wing skills’. However kids lose interest quickly when he reverts to single wing technique. In a final desperate move he attempts to show takeoff technique…. nothing.

Anatomy of a rock

Looking almost like an MRI scan - the internal workings of the upper portions of a rock, including stomach and lungs. It seems like something is lodged in the throat however, hence the discolouration of the lower organs. That’s just one theory though ; )

Rock collection

I think my obsession with rocks is in some measure due to the way they can configure themselves - various tones, textures and positions. They’re a subject you can move around easily for a favourable angle.

“Whale Graveyard” for mini-rock whales obviously.

Above shot looking a lot like an aerial photo

These rocks shot as jpg with simulation (classic chrome). Rocks take on a slightly pink hue.

Big rock little rocks

South coast - Gerringong to be precise, provided a range of images, mostly rock related with plenty of texture and colour variation. Salt deposits added the necessary highlights and accents. Some were just as effective in B&W. More to come.

Fossil Cove

While travelling around Tasmania some years back, I caught up with a friend who lived there. We went for a short photo outing to a place called Fossil Cove. I have to say I was out of condition at the time and the prospect of climbing down a fairly steep embankment (and having to climb up again) was discouraging. I thought I’m not really interested in exhausting myself for photographing a few rocks! But as you can see, the colour and detail in those rocks was quite amazing and well worth the oxygen I used up getting there. There are many places in Tasmania in close proximity to each other - small coves and inlets, that are great value for any photographer interested in more intimate landscape subjects.

Heysen's Road

The Flinders Ranges are about a 5 hour drive from Adelaide - the capital of South Australia. If you’re visiting Australia, this destination is well worth it for some interesting photography. Rainfall can vary a lot from year to year but late October might be a good time to plan a trip. Hopefully some wildflowers have sprung up by then. You don’t really need a 4WD to get around here. I hired a motorhome and accessed lots of places.

What do I think of AI?

Fuji + Pentax 90mm f2.8

I guess in a word I would say disappointing. This rabbit warren goes deep however. I’m not in the business of commercial sales. That’s not to say I don’t sell my photography - I do. If I had a fully-fledged business outlet and I depended on sales for income I would feel short changed by the AI revolution. Why? Because AI based products can be produced and sold cheaply. You can buy a landscape image from IKEA for next to nothing. It’s called Decor. If AI can approximate a photographic work and doesn’t cost the earth - it will do. If you’re an art lover it’s a different matter.

But in terms of photo retouching which is almost as old as photography itself there are benefits for all photographers. The vast amount of my photography was done pre-AI. You can of course apply AI functionality retrospectively. But I’m pretty happy with what I have in terms of image processing. I don’t feel the need to go back and ‘re-do’ my images. The real benefit for me in all this advancement is the time saving element in post-processing I have to do anyway.

There’s not much in the photographic world though that hasn’t been retouched in some way. Even in the conversion process from colour to B&W there have been advances in ways that have made that easier. I’m all for that. After all I don’t have a darkroom now and don’t have any desire to work with chemicals. So, digital it is. You have to find your own comfort level with it. AI has crept up on us in increments. We barely notice or can discriminate it any more. It’s used extensively in just about every piece of media we consume. You can still seek out original work though, which has relied for maybe 90% on the skill of the artist. I haven’t conducted a survey myself so I wouldn’t know if most consumers even care. I still enjoy the creative process - the travel, image taking, even a little post.