No theme today. I had an errand to run in the city, so afterwards I just wandered back toward work, poking my nose here and there, snapping almost at random. I did make a point of visiting the memorial at the Immigration Museum that Jason stumbled upon earlier this week, and I confess that wide shot of the pools and wall is a blatant rip-off of one of his. This looks to be an interesting spot, and one that I'll return to and spend a bit of time exploring.
Flower power /
I used to photograph flowers a lot when I first got a DSLR because they were easy targets. Not necessarily easy to photograph - they can in fact be complex and difficult subjects - but they were patient and pretty, and didn't complain if you pointed a camera at them. I learnt a lot shooting flowers, including some of the more subtle aspects of focusing and exposure, and even complex techniques like focus stacking.
I try to keep my hand in, not least because I need a dozen or so images for the calendar I produce each year as a Christmas present for friends and family. The challenge is to produce images that rise above the simple snapshot. A macro lens (like my beautiful Olympus 50mm f2.0) helps to reveal the hidden beauty of even the simplest blooms, but you don't always have to get close. Some blooms, like this orchid, have an elegance of form which would be lost if you got too close.
I don't do it as often as I used to, perhaps because I'm not as reticent as I used to be about taking my camera into the world beyond my back yard. I think the turning point came when podcaster Jim Harmer made the observation that there are photographers famous for shooting people, landscapes, and any number of other subjects, but not flowers. While I'm not necessarily seeking fame through a lens, there's no point making it any more difficult than it needs to be.
Line up /
Lines, be they straight or curved, real or implied, can be strong elements in an image. They can serve to focus the viewers attention on the main subject, provide depth and perspective, lead the eye around the various components of an image, or even be the primary element. Careless use can also drag the viewer's eye to the edge of the photo and beyond in search of something interesting to look at. Their use can be cliched, but they can create interesting relationships between the various elements in a photo and add strength to a composition.
Game on /
Autumn in Melbourne is the best time of the year. The weather tends to be balmy, the winds light and the move toward winter so gentle it's almost unnoticeable. Most importantly of all though, it marks the start of the football season. Australian football is, in my humble and completely unbiased opinion, the greatest game on earth. It doesn't hurt that my team - the Geelong Cats - are going through an era of sustained greatness I never thought I'd live to see. Since 2007, I've seen three premierships, more wins than some teams have experienced in 20 years, and some of the greatest players of the modern era proudly wearing Geelong's hooped jumper.
Today I made my way to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to see Geelong take on our fiercest rival of recent years, the Hawthorn Hawks. Both teams are undefeated four games into the season, so interest is high. Outside the imposing structure that is the G, tribal colors are everywhere, with playful kick-to-kicks giving a taste of what's to come. Gradually the the fans begin streaming into the ground, building to a crowd of more than 80,000.
At our last meeting, Hawthorn prevailed in a preliminary final and went on to win the premiership the following week (the night shot of the ground is from that night). Today, Geelong won a tough and tightly contested game, typical of recent contests between these two great teams. Hopefully it's a portent of things to come, but it's a long season and anything could happen before we meet again on August 23, and perhaps again in the finals after that. I'm on board for the ride.
Gone fishing /
Most lens designs of any quality attempt to ensure that when you take a photo of a straight line, it comes out straight in the image. A few - mostly expensive single focal length lenses - achieve the goal of having virtually no distortion. It's rare to see this characteristic in wide angle lenses, but some (like my cherished Olympus 7-14mm zoom) even manage to keep distortion to a minimum at ultra-wide angles of view. At the other end of the scale is a class of lens that revels in not playing by the rules - the fisheye.
Fisheye lenses are curious things. They achieve a spectacularly wide 180 degree field of view by not even trying to keep things straight. The resulting distortion can vary from moderate to extreme, depending on the placement of objects within the frame, their distance from the camera and whether or not the camera is held level. The effect can be stunning, comical or downright disturbing. They're not the sort of thing you'd want to take all your pictures with, but used with care, and on the right subjects, they can produce arresting images.
I've never been much of a fan of fisheyes. I've seen too many photos where the rationale for using the lens appeared to be that the photographer had one. I also thought that there was too much cross-over with my 7-14mm ultra-wide. But having recently had the chance to play with one, I can see they provide an interesting perspective and can be a lot of fun. Perhaps I should fish around for one.
Winter is coming /
Yes, the title is a shameless reference to Game of Thrones. I'm hoping it will get me a few more hits in Google. But winter IS coming. It's now mid-autumn in Melbourne, daylight saving has ended and the days are getting shorter and cooler. After a hot, dry summer we've just had our first good rain of the season. Three days of steady, soaking rain to revive our parched gardens and provide a different perspective on photography.
The timid will retreat inside when it's wet, but rain and soft light just provide a different challenge to be mastered. It's probably wise to take appropriate precautions if your gear isn't weather sealed, but shooting in the rain can be both challenging and rewarding.
Ghosts of the past /
Old and abandoned buildings have an endless fascination about them. They are often full of character and intrigue, and they often feel haunted by their past and the ghosts of former residents. The textures, colors and light are so different from the buildings we normally inhabit that these decaying shells often have an eerie other-worldly feel about them.
Wandering through a building in such an advanced state of decrepitude is not without its risks. This old shop - located by the roadside near Castlemaine - was littered with broken glass, pieces of wood with large projecting rusty nails, and what was left of the shingle roof appeared likely to collapse at any moment. However it seemed worth the risks involved to get these shots - the images of the building's exterior are mundane by comparison.
It helped having an ultra-wide lens. My beautiful Olympus 7-14mm zoom is one of my favourite lenses and perfect for this type of task. I took 3 bracketed shots of each of these scenes intending to try creating HDR images, but I was unable to produce one to my liking. I did end up blending two exposures manually for the first image, but the second is a single exposure.
Mist again /
Photographers love mist and fog. Potentially drab photos are immediately transformed into moody and atmospheric masterpieces by a bit of suspended water vapour. Unfortunately, it's not something you can just turn on, but if you're in the right place at the right time, the results can be stunning.
The still days of autumn and early winter provide the atmospheric conditions and necessary chill. The best light will be found during the blue hour of early morning and evening (often with the added bonus of sunrise/sunset colours), although night-time can be very good for cityscapes. Mornings are generally better if you can drag yourself out of bed in the pre-dawn chill. You're more likely to find still conditions with less dust haze to mar the beautiful pastel hues the sky takes on as the sun emerges.
That's enough. I'm getting all misty-eyed.
Vroom, vroom /
I'm not much of a rev-head. I like the convenience of owning a car, but I get frustrated by the increasing congestion on the roads. I have little time for motor sport and I certainly wouldn't be upset if Melbourne lost its Formula One Grand Prix. I do, however, have a certain fondness for the curvaceous design aesthetic of many 50's European cars.
I'm also not a big fan of high dynamic range photographic processing, a technique which aims to get as much detail as possible in both shadows and highlights. It often produces images which have a cartoonish look with garish and unrealistic colors. I think it can work in stylized images such as these though.
These shots (all from the Fox Classic Car Museum) are not true HDR - that would require several exposures to allow for extremes of shadows and highlights, which are then blended into a single image. These are all single exposures processed using the Detail Extractor pre-set of the Nik Color Efex filter in Photoshop. It produces an HDR-like look which I rather like on these classic beauties.
Face off /
It's unusual for a portrait not to show the subject's face. The traditional approach is a full or three quarter view, with the occasional profile thrown in for good measure. Obscuring part or all of the subject's face can be an effective way of emphasizing aspects of a person's features or character.
In the first image, I like the way Ernie's hand seems to lead your attention in toward his eyes. The steely gaze is the main feature of the picture for me. The lack of any visible face in the second makes it almost an abstract study in form. All the attention - both the artist and ours - focuses on his work. The strong vertical highlights of hair and hoodie drawstrings also focus attention on his hands, reminding us this is a man and not just an abstract composition.
Work in progress /
Summit Cafe and Bar is located on the ground floor of the building I work in. I pass it every day when I catch the train to work, but it's only in the last couple weeks that I've really noticed the intriguing pattern formed by the booths along the front window. The bright orange lighting has started to stand out distinctly as the mornings get darker, and that's what catches the eye. But it's the organic flow of the booths that really makes this such a fascinating subject.
I congratulate both the architect and the owner who decided to forego a couple of tables to make space for a work of art. The owner saw me taking these shots through the window and chased me up to find out what I was up to. We had a chat and he kindly invited me in to take some more photos. I'll certainly take him up on that because there are lots of possibilities in this marvelous design. but I might wait for outside light to drop a little more.
Not just a gallery, it's also a great place for coffee or a meal. It's at 700 Collins Street, so drop in if you're passing.
Early to bed and early to rise... /
Photography is nothing more than the art and craft of capturing light. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? But there's light, and then there's LIGHT. Midday light, with its deep shadows and harsh highlights, can create dramatic images but is generally regarded by photographers as poor light to work in. Generally, the closer to the horizon the sun is, the better the quality of the light. We're all familiar with the glorious colors that sunrise and sunset can bring, but usually the sweetest light occurs in the blue hour.
The blue hour is the twilight period immediately before sunrise and after sunset. It's a bit of a misnomer in that it doesn't last anything close to an hour - at least in these latitudes. The best light can last as little as 10 to 15 minutes, so you need to be prepared and work fast. The morning blue hour tends to be clearer and more still and lends itself to stunning images, but unfortunately it also means you have to get up early. If you're sensible you won't try this in the middle of summer when the blue hour occurs at very a very unsociable time. Autumn is a great time to experience it - temperatures are crisp but not yet frigid, the air is clear and on this occasion the sun rose at a reasonable 7:15 AM.
I arrived at Shallow Inlet near Wilson's Promontory shortly after 6:30 AM and waited to see what would happen. I took a few shots, but I unfortunately the most interesting feature on the beach - the beached boats further up the inlet - were pretty much invisible until the best light had passed. I'm still happy with the two boat images, but the light was past its stunning best.
Even though it's hard work, dragging yourself out of bed well before sunrise has its rewards.
