Koala
28 June 2019
Nothing symbolises Australia for me more than the unique animal life. I’d never seen, or even imagined a meadow full of Kangaroos at dusk before I arrived. It was a ‘wow’ moment that took me completely by surprise. There are reptiles and insects here that I’ve not yet got used to and noisy bats the size of cars (well, maybe not quite that big).
The Koala is surely the cutest native species on any measure. Previous generations thought they made very fashionable fur coats, but nowadays they can be enjoyed just for their good looks.
Use of the Definite Article
23 June 2019
It’s a rainy Sunday, so instead of getting outside with the camera, I’m inside with the computer. This gave me time to process and post my first 360° panorama.
The panorama shows an obelisk known as ‘The Obelisk‘, a monument on top of a hill known as ‘The Hill‘, an inner suburb of Newcastle NSW. Someone had their imagination on overdrive when they came up with those names.
To complement ‘The Panorama’, I’m posting this shot from the same location, taken earlier this year.
Decisive Moment(s)
15 June 2019
20th Century French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote that “Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression.” His photographs each snatched a “decisive moment” in seemingly effortless beautiful compositions.
These days, when a decisive moment refuses to happen, we can cheat digitally. This scene is actually two frames, a second or so apart. In one, the swimmer has her arm and face out of the water but the sea is calm and the bird is at rest. In the other a wave crashes at the edge of the pool as a bird takes flight but the swimmer is submerged. Neither were especially interesting. Combined; it isn’t a patch on Henri’s, but I rather like the result.
Going Round
11 June 2019
I have long been hankering after owning a fisheye lens for the opportunity to create some wildly distorted circular pictures. It won’t get used often though. Paying £1,000 (1,800 AUD) to take an occasional wacky photo isn’t an option. Lucky me recently found a Sigma 8mm lens on eBay AU brand new and boxed, and grabbed it at a bargain price in an auction.
The short focal length means that everything in the distance looks tiny and insignificant, so the lens works best with strong lines and a foreground that can be deliberately bent. Hence this picture looking up from almost ground level into the palm tree in our garden.
I’m going to research how to create 360° panoramas by stitching fisheye pictures together, so look out for that later on the Projects page.
ANZACs
6 June 2019
I belong to a group of local photographers that meet each Sunday at a different local landmark or vantage point for some mutual encouragement and photo opportunities. Last week we visited the Newcastle ANZAC Memorial Walk, a clifftop steel structure that commemorates the men and women that served in World War 1.
Perhaps that was why I also worked on a photo of my grandfather this week.
This triptych* captures some of the silhouettes along the walk representing those who served. The patinated steel is stamped with family names of personnel from the Hunter Valley region.
The blurring and distortion are deliberate, and captured in the camera, not added afterwards. I used a Lensbaby lens that has a narrow, moveable area of focus. The blurring here perhaps suggests the passing of time. I was pleased that the background in each case matched the mood and seems evocative of the service that’s represented by the figures.
*Look it up – I had to (apologies to Spike)