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.
Water flow
Movement of shallow water flowing in different directions on a low tide.
Walkway shadow
Captured at a local shopping district. X-Pan on the Fuji.
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.
Pentax 67 90mm test
I haven’t had much opportunity to use this lens a lot but it has a maximum aperture of f2.8. Not quite the same as the much loved 105mm f2.4 but quite a capable lens nonetheless. This was the first image taken in a cafe after acquiring it. It ‘s a jpg using Fujicolor Pro 400H simulation. Obviously not in-camera but I’ve taken a liking to these colours. The lens was a bargain at $220 (AUD). I think I even prefer the focal length in these tighter situations (comparing it to the 105). Taken on Fuji GFX 100S.
Iceland B&W
What Iceland lacked in colour it certainly made up for in B&W opportunities. This photo was a straight conversion from the colour file. The hilly landscape provided a lot of geometric forms adjacent to each other. This effect was accentuated by the lack of trees. Viking settlement coupled with volcanic materials and sandstorms have all added to the deforesting of the landscape. I travelled in October - easier to get around. Plus I preferred a landscape that wasn’t completely covered in snow.
Colour for some variety.
Boy and Dog, Chennai
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.