This log washed up on the beach like a carcass of some big animal. It would have been good to visit this area during the ‘bomb cyclone’ as it was described. Big seas of course but damaging winds. And with constant rain photography becomes a nightmare. Next best thing - photograph what turns up on the beaches. An interesting project if time permits.
The Shape of things
Coastal areas provide an almost infinite array of designs and features. Photographers often spend a lot of money on travel and capturing scenes that can’t be found in their own neighbourhood. I’m fortunate to live not far from the coast. The cliffs and shores of these beaches offer up plenty of opportunities over the seasons to capture images or textures of an abstract nature.
a highlight
I enjoy the sometimes random nature of photography. The unplanned elements can be a nice surprise. In an effort to incorporate a little more exercise into my day I took a walk around the dam when the rain eased up. Still overcast, the sun forced it’s way through the clouds just enough to not to make this a high contrast image but at the same time providing a counterpoint to the darker subtle tones..
Close to shore
A study of nature in it’s variety of forms can lead to endless explorations of the imagination. It seemed for a while I was endlessly ‘seeing things’ in rock formations. It’s a play in dimensionality if there is such a word. Perspectives become very fluid and elastic. Shape combines with texture which adds to the feel. This could be a photo shot from above (which it isn’t).
Less ambiguous is this beach image. It belongs to a series of underexposed photos that came about through chance. As it turns out the B&W conversions are quite striking and this simple image has far more impact than it’s correctly exposed colour counterpart.
Another textural variant. Water weeds in a creek.
Back on land for a moment… a leaf that escaped from the group. One sits on the surface, the others are stains on concrete - sun does the rest of the work.
Combination of factors
Although this image looks OK in B&W, it has more appeal for me with the combination of darker tones and transitions. The deep green of the water and ‘blonde’ grass with the embedded brown ferns and exposed roots on the bank make for a nicely detailed image. There is extra texture from the light diffraction in the water adding more dimensionality. The muted lighting suggests it was somewhat overcast providing a more rich colouration and evenness to the tones.
Smaller things
Back in 2012 BC (before crowds) on my first and only visit to Iceland, I got to drive around the island at a reasonably leisurely pace stopping whenever I felt the need or just to observe things on a smaller scale. Photographically oriented tourists shying away from crowds and fixed bus stops can take in some quiet reflective moments. Four swans in a minimalist landscape provided me that opportunity.
There wasn’t a lot of wildlife to be encountered, at least while I circumnavigated the country. What does strike you though is how such a small island can convey a sense of vastness. No doubt the open vistas are accentuated by the almost complete absence of trees, but Iceland also has huge mountain and hill slopes throughout it’s length and breadth.
First studio shot
Back in 2008 I decided to have a crack at studio photography. Figuring I’d more than likely continue with my efforts I invested in a modest setup (Paul C Buff) of a couple of strobes, softbox etc. including a roll of marine vinyl as a backdrop. This photo of a friend, taken in his dining room was one of a series for a self published book called The Hidden Self. Robin, being an actor was able to vary his look and pose with small movements and posture changes. This was ideal for someone starting out with portraiture. The final prints for the book were not in colour but warm toned B&W.
Fuji GFX 100S w/Tilt Shift adapter
If you need an adapter for your Fuji GFX to accommodate third party lenses it might be worth considering a tilt shift version. Yes, they are more expensive than a straight adapter but add significant versatility. Due to some health considerations I wasn’t able to do a proper test as I would’ve liked. So, these shots are handheld. The adapter is a Fotodiox Pro TLT ROKR - Tilt/Shift Lens Mount Adapter Compatible with Pentax 6x7 (P67, PK67) Mount since that is the lens I used. More specifically, the Pentax 6X7 55mm f4 lens.
v2 in different light
The first shot was taken from a balcony on the 5th floor of the front building shown in the image below. Maybe not the most necessary angle to take advantage of the TS adapter. The below shot shows a more obvious need for keeping lines straight. I’ll be looking for some more obvious applications in the next couple of months together with a tripod for twilight shots.
Leaning gum
Can’t quite remember where this gum tree was. Nice conditions though - slightly cloudy so not extreme contrast in the middle of the day. There were quite a few angles on this but I think this angle showed the most. Below, a country shack from the same trip both BxW and colour for comparison. Probably close to the Victorian border.
Rare sight
I’ve only seen this northern end of Bronte beach like this once. Eaten away by storm surf, a shallow waterfall appeared changing the entire look of this section. The B&W shows up the textures and details nicely.
Water patterns in sand
Death of a blast furnace
Not sure whether the local council has removed the remains. This was one of the blast furnaces that had full production in the early 1900s. Shortly after these photos were taken, the whole area was fenced off with no close access. As you can see it has been reclaimed by nature to a large extent, making for interesting subject matter. The last photo is a reverse shot of the final slag pulled from the furnace. The blast furnace is located adjacent to the town of Lithgow, NSW.
Wynne's Rocks
An area in the Blue Mountains (Mt Wilson). Always interesting in the mist with it’s mixture of gum trees and mossy rocks. Photo taken around 2019.
Variations
Blue Mountains rainforest area. Small movements can make a difference.
Bushfire colours
Depending on how much an area is affected by a bushfire, the foliage takes on a variety of colours. This was taken several weeks after a fire went through part of the Blue Mountains. Some natural bush on the perimeter was less affected and took on some paler tones providing an interesting and varied colour palette.
Glen Davis
Quite an old black and white looking a lot like film (but not). A good representation of greys and sense of distance with faded escarpment in the background.
Benches
Some scenes on benches look like they were from movies. Actors memorising their parts maybe? Discretion is required to capture a natural look. I don’t really want people looking down the lens. The second image seems like ‘the day after’. Clouds reflecting in the window are an interesting touch. The third image is sheer luck. Not only to have an ‘extra’ in the scene but also that there were no other people to distract in the shot at such a busy place in Sydney (Circular Quay).
Standley chasm
As far as I remember this photo goes back to 2006. Central Australia can be a bit ‘samish’ in areas where there are not so many features. But there are plenty of pockets, especially where there is water that throws up some pretty spectacular images. Lots of reds and oranges and beautiful gums with white trunks to give that green accent. Day to day lighting is similar when its clear. One of my favourite spots.
Forgotten pics
Looking back through the ‘archives’ I’m finding plenty of images that I never posted or even processed. Some of them go back 20 years or maybe more. Nearly all of them would have been taken on a Canon 5D or 5DII. Some with a fisheye I had at the time. I expect most will be street photos with some landscape or still life shots. The first of these is an older model Citroen parked on a street in Glebe. I’m drawn now in particular to the reflections in the windows. Would have liked a close-up version.
GFX 100S plus Pentax 6x7 90mm f2.8
Of all the Pentax 67 lenses, the 105mm f2.4 is the most hyped. Can’t say it’s without reason, I just don’t have one. However, I came across a 90mm f2.8 for a very good price. I’m posting a couple of the first shots taken with that lens. Just had to cross the road at Manly to get these. I’ve only really seen it in use with portrait shoots where they excel. But I have to say, ignoring the half stop loss between the two (105 and 90mm) once it’s stopped down as you mostly do in landscape photography, I doubt the difference, if there were any, would be noticeable. The results speak for themselves. I kind of like the extra width in the shots anyway. Certainly no complaints about the sharpness.
Bench shot below is a jpg using ‘Nostalgic neg’ simulation. I particularly like the way this camera/lens combination renders the bench almost as if it were an illustration (shallow depth of field contributes to that). Again, as I mentioned in the previous post, the ease of editing these images makes this system well worth the investment. Final results shows how much software is otherwise used to make an image look good. Over editing then becomes another nightmare and source of frustration for photographers.
