Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Australian Photography

Is a talent for photography something that’s sitting inside us waiting to be discovered, or is it the result of learned behaviours? Or let me put it another way – if you spent a lifetime following a set of rules and techniques for making great images, would that be enough to make you a great photographer? It’s something I’ve been considering lately, especially so after watching a YouTube video by photographer Nigel Danson where he explores the nature versus nurture debate. I think the answer for most of us is somewhere in the middle – you need a bit of the nature side and a bit of the nurture side to be good at just about anything in life, but having a dedication to learning (the nurture side) can really…

UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES SEPTEMBER ISSUE PORTRAIT June 30, 2019 OCTOBER ISSUE WILDLIFE July 31, 2019 NOVEMBER ISSUE UP ABOVE August 31, 2019 DECEMBER ISSUE WHEELS September 30, 2019 JANUARY ISSUE BOKEH October 31, 2019 YOUR ENTRY 1. Email your entry to yourbestshot@australianphotography.com with the name of the competition theme in the email subject line, for example: Weather, Abstract, Landscape, etc.2. The image file must be the same as your name, for example Jane Smith.jpg. If you enter multiple images, each new image file name should be appended with a unique number, eg Jane Smith2.jpg3. A maximum of three images can be entered per person.4. Images must be in JPEG format.5. Email file size must not exceed 7MB.6. Please include the following information about your entry in the body of your…

Capturing sharp landscape images is harder than it looks. Technically, we can only really focus on one point, or plane, in an image. For the landscape photographer, the trick then is to make it appear the entire image is in focus – or at least the important parts of the scene appear sharp. It’s a juggling act between focus, composition, aperture and depth of field. There are compromises and workarounds (as there always are in photography), but if you know what you’re doing, pin-sharp images are just around the corner. 1 GO WIDE The first step in capturing sharp images is choosing the right lens. Typically, landscape photographers use wide- and ultra-wide angle lenses to get extensive depth of field. Wide angle lenses have a more gradual decrease in focus…

BLUR SAYS ACTION Writes Gary Moloney: “This shot of polocrosse was my best image out of 131 taken over two days at a major event at Roma, Queensland, in August last year. I was aiming for movement and a 3D effect; very hard to achieve and hence the high failure rate.” This image ticks a lot of boxes, with strong interest, action and a panoramic format which suits the subject matter and narrative. The action going left to right across the frame is also good as it follows eye movement. While the blur and dust create a sense of action, there is still enough sharpness in the riders closest to the viewer to hold our attention. The panning is also competently done. Firing off 130 shots paid off – eventually!…

DJI LAUNCHES OSMO ACTION CAMERA DJI has announced the Osmo Action, a robust action camera that appears to have plenty in common with GoPro’s Hero line of action cameras. The dustproof, shockproof and waterproof action gets the same ½.3-inch sensor as that in the Osmo Pocket, and can capture 12-megapixel Raw stills, as well as 4K HDR video at 60fps and 100Mbps. In front of the sensor is a three-element f2.8 lens with a 145 degree field-of-view covered in an anti-reflective coating. There’s a 2.25-inch rear touchscreen with a water and fingerprint repelling coating, and a 1.4-inch front screen. Osmo Action is the first DJI handheld camera to include RockSteady, DJI’s Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) technology. Stabilisation algorithms work in conjunction with EIS, although according to DPreview, DJI estimates an…

Despite most of us spending our lives surrounded by amazing architecture, it’s a genre of photography that many amateur photographers struggle to do well. It shouldn’t be the case. Architectural scenes are typically packed with interesting focal points, textures, tones and shapes – perfect visual fodder for photographers who know what they’re doing. So grab your camera, get yourself to your favourite building and try these nine pro tips and techniques to supercharge your architectural portfolio. 1 FRAME WITH NATURAL BORDERS Using additional composition techniques can help add an extra layer of interest to your architecture image. One of the best techniques you can use is to add a natural border to your subject. Why, well because surrounding a building with blue sky all the time can leave frames looking…

“It is like a crumpled piece of paper, discarded between India and China,” remarked our guide, and in many ways it seemed an apt description. Bhutan, a small kingdom on the eastern edge of the Himalayas is so mountainous that for centuries it was mostly ignored by the rest of the world. Aside from skirmishes with Tibet and India, Bhutan was a sheltered society, its rugged mountains discouraging foreigners from crossing its borders, and even locals from crossing between valleys. In recent years though, Bhutan has slowly opened up its doors to tourism and last December I was fortunate to join experienced travel photographer Ewen Bell on a two week excursion into this remarkable country as co-leader on a tour with a group of keen amateur photographers. Ewen has spent…

I am a fine art portrait photographer based in Brisbane. My photographic journey began in 1985 when I acquired my first ‘real’ camera, a Canon AE1, and set about trying to teach myself how to use it. This was before Google and YouTube so there was a lot of trial and error, and many rolls of overexposed, underexposed, and out-of-focus film to prove it! For many years my photographs were of my family and the places we visited. I never considered photography as something I could do professionally or as an art form I wanted to pursue. At the time, taking photos was something I did now and then, while other things, such as my career and family, took precedence. In 2008 I bought my first digital camera, a Canon…

Thanks to Fujifilm, Gary Maloney has won a brilliant Fujifilm Finepix XP140 camera valued at $299. The first XP Series model capable of recording 4K video, The XP140’s ‘High-Speed Video recording’ function also allows you to record HD video for smooth slow-motion even for fast-moving subjects. Inside, the camera features a 16.4 megapixel ½.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor and it is waterproof to 25m, freezeproof to -10°C, and shockproof to withstand drops from 1.8m. The widest setting of 28mm on the Fujinon 5x optical zoom lens is perfectly suited to close up action shots, while clear portraits are easy using the 5x optical zoom and 10x Intelligent Digital Zoom. There’s also a large 3-inch high-definition 920K-dot LCD and Bluetooth connectivity. Find out more at fujifilm.com.au HOW TO SUBMIT AN IMAGE • Email…

Creating remarkable portraits is challenging. There are many elements that need to be embraced when creating a powerful image and the most important are emotion and connection. A really great image conveys a mood that draws the viewer into the scene. Any image that pulls on our heart strings will be successful. Capturing emotion in an image not only depends on how we connect with the subject. The way we use light can dramatically alter the feel too. Contrast between light and dark adds a point of interest and can be visually exciting. Using shadows and having part of the subject hidden also creates a sense of mystery. This image of my daughter was taken one day after school. Around seven o’clock in the evening in the summertime, the light…

TRAVEL THIS MONTH'S WINNER ROBIN YATES The cabbage vendor EDITOR’S COMMENTS Robin Yates took this image in the village of Xingping in Yangshuo, China. “It was so interesting I just had to take my time and ‘people watch’,” he says. “When this old guy came past selling cabbages I was quite fascinated, and this picture of him was my favourite from the day.” Great travel photography has the ability to transport us to not just another place, but also to another time, and in this evocative image it’s easy to imagine a scene where little has changed in decades. We really like the lanterns that help anchor the frame and draw the viewer’s eye through all the different interactions. TECHNICAL DETAIL Canon 5D Mk lll, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens @ 70mm,…

The rise of social media has made it easier than ever to find great photo locations. Unfortunately, it’s made it easier for everyone else to find great photo locations too – so the chances of you showing up at that perfect spot and being the only one there are slimmer than ever. So, what do you do when you’re trying to capture the sparse beauty of an isolated landscape, or the clean lines of an early morning street scene – and people keep walking through the frame? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use Photoshop to remove unwanted moving objects from your images. SOFTWARE: PHOTOSHOP CC RATING: INTERMEDIATE STEP 1 IN CAMERA If you’d like to follow the steps in this tutorial, download the project images at…

Few cameras enjoy the sort of cult following that Ricoh’s GR lineup benefits from. An unchanged formula of stuffing impressive specifications into a compact body, paired with a fast fixed lens has resulted in the various incarnations being adored by street and travel photographers around the world. The GR II did especially well, with photographers appreciating the 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, discreet styling and no-nonsense menu layout. But as the GR II was launched back in 2015, it’s fair to say the compact camera was certainly due an upgrade. FEATURES Enter the GR III, a camera that stays true to the GR DNA, while introducing cutting-edge features that are a must for today’s photographers. Although the the shape of the body is more or less similar (with the exception of no…

This year I decided to commit myself to a year long bird and nature photography challenge. The challenge entails a new theme each week, and also focuses one of three elements: creative, technical and storytelling. It also offers different levels for those just starting out for more advanced photographers. Participating has has been a good way to build upon my photography skills and experience. It’s also helped me learn more about the different capabilities of my camera. Another positive is that the challenge has introduced me to a world of artistic photography that I’d never really considered before. It’s now an aspect of photography that I would like to explore further. I was a little nervous about starting this challenge but I now look forward to the new theme each…