Armed with a new lens in hand, a Sigma 12-24mm ART Series, and the first opportunity to put it to the test, what better than a colourful sunset to give it a try.

Over the duration of about an hour, it was interesting to see the constant atmospheric changes that were taking place and how the light affected the location. It soon became obvious that there were many opportunities to capture not just one sunset shot, but many images, and all so different to each other. I call that “working the scene”.

You never know just how interesting the images will look unless you keep shooting and constantly adjusting exposure settings as the circumstances require. Starting the session with a shot in aperture priority and allowing the camera to do the rest soon proved that some human intervention was required. The old friend exposure compensation soon came into play with a -2 stop setting proving to be the best to start off with while the sun was still fairly high above the horizon. At this point, blues and gold colours were rather dominant and reflections were colourful and artistic. The light changed constantly, and the colours in the clouds intensified from orange/red to subtle pinks and mauve. By moving around the location as the incoming tide changed the foreground, watching the sky and the reflections that it created and working the scene, time quickly passed. Once the light was gone the show was over for another day as darkness descended.

The moral of my story is to keep shooting and keep looking for the best location within the area you are working in, in order to maximise the variety of images that may be possible. Don’t forget to look behind you from time to time as often there is another shot to be had as can be seen from the last image in this series.

A visit to any garden in the Springtime is sure to provide plenty of opportunity to photograph beautiful flowers. Visiting an Australian Native plant garden certainly won’t produce the usual garden specimens of roses and daffodils, but there is plenty of beauty to be found once you look a little closer at our Australian natives.

Nestled in the Dandenong Ranges, the two hectare Karawarra Australian Plant Garden in Kalorama was established in 1965 and our destination for a photo shoot. While nearby, the Destiny Point Cafe, located on the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road proved a welcome lunch time spot on the day of our visit.

Here are just a few specimens from the 1400 different species of native plants that can be found at Karawarra.

After spending a week based in Ambleside photographing the beautiful Lakes District, we decided to devote our last afternoon to observing both the people and their dogs as they went about their day.

It soon became obvious that the town was a mecca for walkers and pet lovers with many of the numerous shops and restaurants displaying signs that dogs are welcome. Yes welcome to come inside, just not on wet days in some establishments.

With the Lakes district known for its high rainfall one must wonder how many days of the year are doggy friendly ones.

But who could resist admiring some of these adorable four legged friends.

With dogs of many shapes and sizes in every direction you looked it was possible at most times to stand on the corner of the street and count at least half a dozen dogs on leads with their owners in tow. Some dogs were anxious to get to where they were going.

There were also the patient ones that were prepared to wait around while their human companions went about their business of having an ice cream or waiting for a friend.

Wherever you looked dogs were welcomed and obviously a big part of the mature family. We noted at the time that there was a distinct lack of children around and the dogs were plainly now entrenched as part of the family, something we sometimes refer to as empty nesters.Looking at the people was just as interesting. I guess this lady in the passing bus was just as amused by two strangers in town walking around with big cameras. Her expression was classic.

The hotels were busy with locals and tourists alike. This was one of our favourite dinner spots during our stay.A mild 12 degree (54F) day for us, but no doubt quite summery for these parts of Cumbria, saw the ice cream vendors doing a steady trade.

I guess what ever way you look at it, Ambleside is a lovely village and a great place to base one’s self for a tour of the Lakes District.

More details of our travels through Cumbria to follow shortly.

It isn’t often that in the suburbs of Melbourne we get to see very much of the Southern Aurora, unlike our friends in Tasmania and south island New Zealand.

When solar activity is sufficient to create activity in the middle latitudes where we live then it certainly does stir up a degree of excitement. Only once have I seen a really strong aurora from the suburbs of Melbourne and that was when was just about 8 years old in 1957 or thereabouts.

I vividly remember going to the beach with my parents just a few doors down from where we lived in Black Rock to see the amazing sky show. A full curtain of waving red to pink light in the south-western sky certainly was a sight to see. No digital cameras in those days and film wasn’t an option either and it was black and white anyway.

Such as it was, the experience left a lifelong impression upon me.

Driven by the childhood experience, I was excited to have a wonderful trip to Norway and Iceland in 2014 where we managed to capture the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Being in the Arctic circle in the Lofted Islands was an ideal place to see the lights. To get that close in the Southern Hemisphere we would need to head for Mawson or Davis Antarctic bases to see images like this.

Aurora Borealis – Lofoten Islands, Norway

With rarity comes desire so whenever there are sightings in Tasmania or here on the mainland it is a photographer’s dream to capture even a glimpse of Aurora activity. Last night was just one of those occasions. With predictions from Space Weather Live www.SpaceWeatherLive.com I was prompted to have a casual look at the sky to the south from our balcony.

With a pale dim shadow in the sky, the only way to confirm that what I could see was actually aurora activity was to photograph it and inspect the image for a showing of green colour. Here is what I saw.

Looking south over the rooftops

That meant action, and the race was on to prepare the gear, grab a coat and hat and head for the nearest clear view of the horizon. By the time I managed to set up at Rickett’s Point, the nearest location, half an hour had elapsed and just about all evidence of the green glow had dissipated. In typical aurora fashion, where you need to expect the unexpected, two bright shafts of light appeared in the south-southwest. Luckily I had already sorted out focus and exposure and managed to capture this image before everything faded.

View SSW at Rickett’s Point, Beaumaris just before midnight.

With prior sightings in Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, this is the first time in nearly 58 years that I have managed to see the southern lights from my home town. Nothing as spectacular as what I saw in the northern hemisphere, however, a sighting that means so much in nostalgia terms that it is every bit as special.

If you would like to attempt shooting the Aurora here’s a few tips.

They are unpredictable as to whether you will see them or not as clear skies and no moonlight are really needed to have a chance. Solar activity has to occur and the blast of plasma from the sun has to strike the earth at a time when there is darkness in order for you to see the effect. Sometimes its directed more to the north pole so we miss out altogether. The best way of knowing if there’s a chance is to subscribe for email alerts from Space Weather Live in the link above.

You will need a decent SLR camera that can handle higher ISO settings, a tripod and preferably a cable release. Set the camera to manual focus and focus on infinity using a distant object. Auto focus usually won’t work in the low light. Set the camera to manual mode with a shutter speed of 15 seconds and an ISO of 1200 with the aperture at around f2.8 to f4.

If your image is too bright then lower the ISO setting. If it is too dark then expose for longer, say 30 seconds. Do not exceed 30 seconds otherwise the stars will streak as they move during the exposure.

To the naked eye you may only see a pale grey-greenish hue but your camera will detect all the light and colour present that the rods and cones of our eyes are unable to see.

You will be amazed at your skycapes even if there is no aurora.

Happy shooting.

On a recent visit to the Shetland Islands chasing landscapes, I discovered a whole new area of photography that I hadn’t really explored to any great degree previously – bird photography.

Being in the company of an expert in bird and wildlife photography (Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife Tours) meant that some of the skills required were quickly learnt and suddenly a whole new wave of enthusiasm took hold.

Our first encounter occurred within an hour or so of arriving on the island when we were introduced to the fascinating Atlantic Puffin colony located at Sumburgh Head.

Sumburgh Head – Shetland Islands

The grassy cliffs dotted with their pretty summer wildflowers made a perfect breeding haven for these fascinating little birds. Spending most of the year in flocks at sea, they make their way to the various islands in the area where they scratch away small burrows in the soft soil high above the waterline.

Tiny burrows dot the cliffs

Nesting pairs can be seen gathering grass to line their nests as they busily go about their task while others come and go with their funny way of landing.

With small wings compared to their body size and webbed feet, not unlike that of a duck, their landing approach looks quite clumsy as they come down at a steep angle feet first and often finish with a belly flop.

Feeding mainly on small fish and sand eels they are able to hold several fish in their beak as they return to feed their young.

Following on from our wonderful time with the Puffins our next bird experience was a visit to the cliffs of the Isle of Noss, another island in the Shetland Group and about an hour offshore.

The sheer rocky cliffs are home to nesting colonies of several species however the Northern Gannets seemed to be the dominant species with Skuas, Black Guillemots and the odd Atlantic Puffin making up the numbers.

Cliffs of the Isle of Noss

A small part of the huge Gannet colony

We managed to approach within almost touching distance of the sheer cliff face as the nesting birds watched us with curiosity and a degree of attitude as if to question our presence. Undisturbed, they went about their routine of preening feathers, squabbling over territory and tending their young as the sky was filled with others circling above.

With their noise and constant bombardment of droppings from above, it was an experience to remember for years to come. The following images are just a small sample of the hundreds that we managed to take as we practiced our shooting skills, learning to track and pan a moving subject from a moving boat while attempting to maintain one’s balance.

With landing rights challenged, spectators at rear wait for the outcome.

Northern Gannets with chicks

Greenery gathered for the nest

Gannet launching from high above the water

Skua on the wing

Soaring and plunging deep for fish, all a part of their daily life.

I hope you have enjoyed viewing these images of birds of the Shetlands. There’s much more to come from our visit as I post over the coming weeks, so keep following. Greg

A visit to Kilcunda on a field trip with our local photography group initially posed a few challenges weather wise. Overcast conditions and a few light showers passing through the region made one have to think at first as to how to approach the venture. Kilcunda is a seaside town located 117 kilometres south east of Melbourne between Phillip Island and Wonthaggi on the Bass Highway, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. On previous visits I have only ever seen the area bathed in clear blue skies with white capped waves rolling off the gorgeous blue ocean. Today was a little different – dull and cloudy with a chilly wind. So what to do. I wandered around for quite a while looking at familiar subjects and trying to become inspired. It wasn’t until I actually picked up the camera and held it in my hand that ideas started to come together. It must be the magical powers of the SLR. Starting with the old trestle bridge that spans the Bourne Creek the problem was the wind whipping up ripples on the water that spoilt the reflections. Ok so some long exposures were needed to flatten out the water. Surprisingly the results were rather pleasing.

Trestle Bridge at Bourne Creek

With the low tide many of the rocks were more exposed than I had seen them before. This gave the opportunity to venture out a litter further than normal and once again some long exposures were the theme. Well that took care of a couple of hours of the day, provided some exercise and fresh air in the lungs so all in all it turned out a rather successful venture. A quick visit to nearby Shelley Beach and a hearty lunch topped off the day.

The amazing rock formations here are very different from the ones near the creek and would easily warrant another visit just for them alone. Yes there’s always another day and another reason to come back.

Following on from my recent article on sunstars here’s another way of adding something different to your portfolio.

Firstly I might add that its a little quirky and may not win favour with the competition judges, but hey, who are you trying to please when you put your camera to your eye.

For me this is a little project that I’ve commenced and the end product will be in the form of a book when I have sufficient material. Ok so what’s he on about I hear you saying !

What I’m on about is Crystal Ball Photography

Using a pure clear crystal ball to capture the whole image as a miniature world has a fascination for me and I wish I had started earlier. I can now imagine how some of the iconic views of places like Monument Valley would have looked had I discovered my passion a couple of years ago rather than a couple of months ago. Anyway the project has begun and the ideas are as clear as crystal in my mind as to what I want to achieve.

Here’s a shot of the set up that I use. Having the ball sitting on a tripod gives me flexibility to move around freely with the camera in order to compose the image just the way I want it.

As you can see the distance you set yourself up from the ball will be determined by the focal length of your lens and the minimum focus distance it is capable of going down to. A lens with a macro focussing  feature will give you the ability to get much closer to the ball of course.

What I do is to set the focus manually to the minimum distance and then move myself closer until the image in the ball is perfectly sharp.

I have found shooting in aperture priority gives me ultimate control of depth of field. The aperture that you use will determine just how much detail you will have in the background according to the dof. I am still experimenting with that and trying to decide whether I want  sufficient detail to place the ball image into context with the background detail or whether a totally blurry background drives the viewer’s eye to the sharp image in the ball. I am thinking that it really depends on the image as some seem to work better either way.

Here’s what I mean about context.

The view of the background while very blurred still resembles the scene to the extent that you can recognise the shapes of the bridge and city buildings. This gives the ball a floating effect, especially if you eliminate the stand in post capture editing.

Here in this shot of the Polly Woodside I have purposly blurred out the busy background so the ship is the only really recognisable feature.

One piece of optical physics that you will quickly discover is that your image in the ball appears upside down. That’s when you need good friends with photoshop skills that can teach you how to rotate the ball in relation to the background. It looks much better than having buildings hanging upside down from the sky.

Another thing I have discovered is that for it to be an interesting image within the ball it must be an interesting scene to start with so look around for interesting subjects.

This image taken at Queenscliff was worthy of being photographed either way so a couple of “before the ball” shots are justified. Its all too easy to become so engrossed in what you are doing that you forget to lift your eyes and get the bigger picture as well.

Going under the jetty was fascinating as the fish-eye effect really came into play in this shot in the confinement of the pylons.

Finally I discovered that sunsets work really well, with this shot taken on a warm summer evening at Half Moon Bay, Black Rock

That about wraps up this session on having fun with your camera. If you have any questions I’ll be happy to answer them of course.

Oh and one last tip. Don’t hold the ball in your hand on a sunny day unless you are good at juggling. I learnt very quickly that the concentrated sun’s rays will burn just like a magnifying glass.