A discussion about what 'type' of photographer are you made me think about why I like or choose the subject matter for my photos. I've always been an outdoor kind of person. Having spent many years by the sea and coastal areas made that environment a natural subject for my photography. In the early years I looked, as many photographers have done, at the work of others who were prominent in the field. Its natural enough to want to emulate the work of those and even try to see some similarity in your own efforts. Then you hear stories of how they spent days under trying conditions waiting for the right light before making an exposure. But I had enjoyed the experience of nature too much to go through any kind of penance to get those shots. I rather developed an interest in the detail and smaller scenes that presented themselves. Seven months in Tasmania allowed me the luxury of walking around coastal areas and observing the intricate forms and colours that were served up. The imagination was stimulated to a higher degree. As with any genre of photography the results are open to interpretation and I often see people glossing over images which I find engaging and vice versa. However I still find more meaning or perhaps relevance in an 'intimate landscape' rather than a richly coloured sunrise or sunset.
Revisiting
Occasionally I'll go through old folders from trips and find images I didn't notice much the first time around. The reason I missed those being they didn't conform at the time to some preconceived notion I had. I was looking for a certain 'type' of image. Maybe colour or texture even subtle things like exposure might guide me to an image that will process into a final result I had envisaged. The choice could also be influenced by previous choices and had to conform to those parameters. Whatever the reason, some images are always overlooked and so its always worth going back to rediscover them. This shot was taken at Coutta Rocks, Tasmania. My previous blog posts reflect a small obsession with rocks. These were by the shore and in the original colour RAW file the rocks almost merge with the water. I kept the low contrast look till the final jpg which is here. In this version the rock features become more noticeable.
*Edit: Another image from the same area. Something resembling a T-Rex skull emerging from the sand. A black & white treatment would be appropriate and perhaps even more effective but I also like the colour version.
50 kms from Alice
This is a photo from 2006 taken at Standley Chasm about 50 kms from Alice Springs. Not a lot of water in these areas but the huge rocks provide ample shade. This was in June. Daytime temps still tolerable.
Ormiston Gorge. Would have been nice to have this shot without footprints in the sand but.. black & white conversion shows a lot more detail than the colour image for these rocks. Especially for this shot which has had a yellow filter applied. If you shoot in jpg as I had too for this trip due to not having adequate card storage, underexposure is a must.
Rock face(s)
The black & white image
I thought to post some further thoughts on my experiences with the Olympus OM-D EM5 now that I have been using it for a year. But I find that after working on an image (below) taken with that camera I became absorbed in elements of the image making the technical qualities of the camera much less significant. In other words, I might have take this photo with just about any recent version of a 4/3 or APS-C or full frame camera. I also could have just post-processed the image in colour paying attention to exposure, sharpness, contrast etc. Even converting to black and white with a standard process through PS or other software and left it at that. However that would not have satisfied my 'artistic' vision at least for this image. Of real significance for me was that as a black & white image, the blacks were not as black as I wanted the in the places I wanted them. Adding black in the same way that you might add eye-liner (not that I have ever done that myself) created definition increasing the 'dimensionality' of the image. A little like selective contrast. The final image has far more impact for me than the straight conversion to b&w. I'm not really a documentary photographer nor strictly a landscape photographer. I rarely do big vistas and in this case this image reflects more of what interests me artistically - personal expression through the medium of photography.
Did someone say rocks?
I don't know where my obsession with rocks came from. You'd have to agree though, the patterns and colours that combine with shapes and in various sizes are pretty spectacular sometimes. Add some interesting lighting and they can be very ambiguous. I've always maintained that due to detail and the fact that they are often in low lighting situations, a tripod ought to be used. How ever on this occasion (and there will be more) time didn't allow that luxury. The downside being you can't really incorporate focus stacking into your routine. I've known about this place for most of my life but never attempted to do any photography here. Tidal movements make it awkward to access as well. Nevertheless, I'm posting a few shots here. When I have another opportunity I'll return with tripod.
Naturally reflective (mostly)
I'm not a big fan of the digital images that have no organic origin or at least have been altered so much that none is visible. That's not to say there is no market for them but they don't hold much attraction for me. Overly saturated nature scenes fall into this category as well especially where very little else is featured except for say, a sunset.
Having said that, I was photographing by a stream today and one image in particular, admittedly subject to post processing, reminded me of a stained glass window in a church. Other shots of the moving water were more abstract and contained some beautiful colours. The original palette was modified somewhat but for my eye resulted in a pleasing effect. The third image (shown here) is a subtle out of focus effort with water in the background.
Day 5 bush fire shots
Its been a couple of weeks since my first visit to this area. There are several tracks around this area that you can walk. Progressively, the green will return especially since there will be significant rain over the next week at least. Nevertheless, black and white images remain of interest to me. In this burnt environment however colours provide an interesting mix. In particular, the blackboys look a little like roman candles against the black of the surrounding bushland.
Some bird life from the bush fire zone. Neither the Kookaburra nor the Black Parrot seemed to be turned off by their surroundings. There are still food sources for both of them. Although I have other images of black parrots, none of them show the beautiful detail in their tail feathers.
Beautiful and strange
Bush fire scenes naturally supply graphic black & white images with leaves curling and turning pale. Quite a bit of colour remains though with these objects standing out among all the black and providing some beautiful and at times strange images. This was from a third day trip to the fire zone. As it is now spring we can look forward top some new growth and more green in the landscape. The final photo here appears as though it might be the final moments of the bush fire. However its mist and not smoke over the land.
We heard some muffled calls, then we came across this....
Post fire
Another opportunity to explore some of the burnt out areas in the Blue Mountains. I was hoping for some light rain or mist (as I always do). I t didn't eventuate. Nevertheless, some interesting shots were had. A few B & Ws here including one of a a log that drank too much.
Hello possums
New Zealanders look away now. I saw a friend off this evening and found a family of ringtail possums on their way out. We had some torches with us and a quick dash inside produced the 5D MKII with my favourite 135mm f2 lens. These are very sweet animals and like others will keep fairly still when the lights are on them.
After the fire
Well the recent bushfire might have taken its toll but as far as I'm concerned it hasn't diminished the beauty of the Australian bush. Somehow its added some character. Many homes were clearly in the path but were saved as our wonderful Fire Services people again did a miraculous job as they do each and every year. To my original point, some of the images offered up show extraordinary beauty after the passing of the fire. Though eerie in places due to the blackness, there are other areas close to the fire's perimeter which serve as great metaphors for survival.
My Imagination
In the process of creating abstract images, sooner or later the imagination plays its role in giving significance to an image. It may not be in the first instance. The striking nature of an image will have an impact perhaps due to contrast or lighting or maybe through form. Invariably in conversations with colleagues a significant variation occurs in the interpretation of an image of this type. By that I mean abstract image. The more form plays a part the more imagination can get involved - at least the cognitive aspect. Where colours and forms are more muted, we seem to be more influenced on a feeling level. Some images I like almost immediately with the imagination being triggered, I create a sense of ownership of it. This doesn't speak to the quality of the image as a piece of art and with time my interest may wane with my evaluation of the piece becoming less with time. This process as described may explain the saying 'I don't know about art, but I know what I like'.
Unexpectedly...
Many times we go out as photographers with the intention of perhaps just unwinding or enjoying the afternoon maybe with another photographer friend which I did today. We went to a place I had been to previously but hadn't fully explored. Clouds came and went and there was a chance of rain which didn't eventuate. In any case the detail in the rock face which we had to make effort to access became more interesting the more we photographed. No, we had not taken anything to make this experience out of the ordinary but as it happens which photographic excursions, you can get really immersed with the subject matter. Quite a few of the shots were taken in an intuitive manner, meaning not thinking too hard about what should be where in the screen or viewfinder. Perhaps the process was guided more by the prevailing and changing light. Its only after viewing the day's efforts that certain images stand out and they are not always the ones that were expected to do so. Not that the results are always random by any means but some images have there own special quality.
Gums and grass
I find nothing more interesting and engaging than driving out in the mist and rain in search of images of the Australian bush. Well, more mist than rain. It provides that layered, multi-dimensional effect than renders so well in a photo. The background becomes shrouded in mystery with the foreground gaining attention with accentuated detail and colour. The light grey of the mist is always a good backdrop for whatever colour is in the foreground. There are photographers who will exclusively venture out in such weather and leave sunrises and sunsets with their early morning rises to others. This is also my favourite time.
Bush detail
I had a chance to get around a property today in Leura. The weather looks like changing and becoming warmer slowly. So signs of winter will pass and the sun will soon leave its mark. There was some good detail to be seen in the form of lichen on the old fence posts with other micro life forms adding some extra colour - easy to miss if you're busy with other tasks.
Emus around tree
An image from the Flinders Ranges which I hadn't printed. Wildflowers were only just beginning to emerge and the grasses a little dry which gave a very pastel-like flavour and softness to this scene. Taken 2007.
Old place, new discovery
Photographers often revisit sites to get new perspectives. Sometimes the different weather brings new light. Same scenes show another side of themselves - a little like humans. Other times we just get to see something new that went unnoticed on a previous trip.
A tree by the side of the road showing some real enthusiasm.
Textural
Waiting for the mist... or snow, either would be good. Mostly cold weather accompanied by blue skies for the moment. In the meantime some wood detail and textures - a reminder that I'm living in the country.