No Plan

Just felt like shooting...  spent an hour or so down at Hallett Cove at the end of the day last Sunday doing some long exposures with the setting sun & the tide. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to achieve but I was happy with the results. All where taken with a straight 24mm lens (D3 / full frame sensor), and a combination of neutral density & graduated neutral density filters - exposures times between 20 & 30 seconds. I would love to get some people into these shots with some creative off camera lighting at some point... next time.

Plan B

Mindil Beach, Darwin

About a month ago I returned from a four week, 10,000km four wheel driving & camping trip away with some great mates - the trip was aptly named "Plan B" because it was literally that. Originally we had intended to go to Cape York but changed due to time constraints and lots of water potentially adding to the detours we might need to take...   what we didn't realise was how apt that name was to be.

the Plan B crew at El Questro

It seemed almost every where we went we faced detours due to flooding, walks closed because of new time limits, towns booked out because of shows etc etc etc. We probably saw and drove through more water, and took more detours than we would have it we had stuck to the original plan truth be told but that just added to the adventure. 2000km of detours, lots of crazy weather and more mud than we knew what to do with... it wasn't exactly what we expected but it definitely was 'plan B'.

In a nut shell we went from Adelaide, South Australia through to Alice Springs via a lot of far north outback South Australia, which was very wet & muddy, then out to the Kimberly region of Western Australia (not via the Tanami Desert which was flooded), then back across to Darwin, back down through the Centre, and home via lots more mud & the Flinders Ranges. I wont go into details as you can read all about that on Tiffany Downing's blog she did on the trip http://topendtrip2.blogspot.com , but here are some images...

morning on the Oodnadatta Track

 nothing beats a camp fire in the middle of nowhere

northern Bungles

chopper flight..  yee haaar!

chillin' at a waterfall in the NT

lots of this on the way home...

Inspiration from the past

I grew up reading National Geographic as my dad had an annual subscription to the magazine. I didn't always understand the stories but I was always amazed & inspired by many of the images, even at a very young age.

In recent years as I have started to rediscover my love of photography I have made many uncanny connections to things in my past. In particular photography/photographers whose images made an impact on me in one way or another. For example, I didn't necessarily take note of the photographer of a particular image but that image and the story behind it  firmly etched itself into my memory, and then I discover that a photographer whom I admire today is that same guy behind the lens of that particular image - and many others I have yet to make the connection with I'm sure. It has got me going back through lots of old magazines & books and looking at everything again with fresh eyes & fresh ideals.

One particular photographer who I would love to meet one day is Joe McNally - an American photographer who has shot for virtually all the famous magazines of substance out there including National Geographic plus a tonne of other great stuff. Below is a short video of some of the behind the scenes work of his to get an image of a light bulb being changed on the very highest point of the Empire State building for the Nat Geo story "The power of light". It is worth taking to the time to watch this *and make sure you watch till the end - amazing stuff. Bear in mind this is before digital was mainstream & Photoshopping was used to deal with 'unforeseen issues' - you had to get it all done right at point of camera. It is quite amazing to see what goes into the making of some of these brilliant images.

Joe is amongst many people I draw inspiration from, but he is a standout to me not just as a great photographer but also as a great human being - I highly recommend reading his blog (if you aren't one of the millions already).

Enjoy...

Ouch !!

There are many different opinions on whether a UV / skylight or any sort of protection filter is required on your lens, and whether one reduces the clarity & performance of your expensive piece of glass. Well that last point is a good reason to consider one at least, as it can well be the difference between replacing the filter versus replacing the lens or at the very least an expensive repair to the lens's front element. I personally haven't found there to be any degradation to my images  - all my lenses are fitted with a UV filter. I would recommend buying the best you can afford though as some of the cheap ones will definitely lower the image quality from what I have seen. I am definitely careful with my gear, and have had a pretty good run over the years but twice now a lens has been saved by that UV filter. The last incident involved my camera body with 24-70 lens attached falling from a back pack that wasn't zipped up properly onto a tiled floor (from over a metre). The lens hit first followed by a very loud noise and the distinct sound of glass smashing. This was followed by a string of naughty words from me along with a small coronary. After the smoke had cleared and I calmed down I discovered the filter had sacrificed itself and the lens had only a  minor battle scar around the end of the barrel - I have tested it thoroughly since and it hasn't missed a beat. I am most certainly counting my lucky stars but I think it is also testament to the build quality and toughness of the true pro gear - it is big and heavy for a reason, and not just to put your spine out of whack. That $50 filter saved me $2000+.

 this is the filter's outer ring after I  persuaded it to part company with my lens.