Brisbane based photographer and general nerd

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Gallery Event Today!

Update: Here are some photos from us setting up. It was great to see such a range of talent in all different mediums.

On the off chance that you may be in Brisbane city today, there is an art/gallery event to showcase talent and help raise money for the endangered Bridled Nailtail Wallaby.

Entry to the event will be by gold coin donation – all proceeds will be donated to the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby. Art may be sold on the day and a percentage of sales will be donated.

The Gallery is at Level 3, 400 George Street for all day viewing 9.00am – 4.00pm. There is some great photography, painting, sculpture etc.

There will also be a lunchtime gig (hip-hop artist, singers etc) 12:30pm – 1:30pm

The bridled nailtail wallaby is unique (endemic) to Queensland. It is listed as Endangered in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992) and is only found on two protected areas and one nature refuge. Australian Animals and Care Australia (AACE) have worked with DERM to help recover the bridled nailtail wallaby. However, AACE have limited funds to look after their captive population of bridled nailtail wallabies and AACE is facing extra challenges with the repair of the wallaby pens (after damage from the floods) and the decline in the volunteer workforce. Donations to AACE will go directly to their work.

QLD Photography Network

If you’re looking to meet other photographers or just learn and improve your photography, come and check out the new discussion forums at QLD Photography Network. I just met up with some of the guys for the first time – we took some sunset photos at Kangaroo Point after work today. A helpful and friendly bunch! Here’s one of the shots I took this afternoon.

Photo 101 – Aperture Explained

One of the key elements to taking good photos is to make sure you have the correct exposure; you don’t want it too dark or too light, you want it just right (like Goldilocks). There are three factors in setting the correct exposure, often referred to as the “golden triangle”.

  1. Aperture
  2. Shutter Speed
  3. ISO

 

Camera lens and apertureCamera lens and aperture by nayukim, on Flickr

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Night Photography Tips

Once the sun goes down, the world takes on quite a different appearance. Things that were bland and ordinary during the day can spring to life at night. But taking photos in low-light situations is a little different to shooting during the day. Here are some tips (originally posted on my other blog) to help you prepare for night photography.

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Thoughts on new photo technologies

Recently a couple of new technologies have been revealed that may change photography as we know it. The first of these is the Lytro light field camera. Using a new type of light field sensor, this camera enables you to focus after you’ve actually taken the photo! The software also enables you to share the photos with other people, and they can change the focus as well. This sort of camera is in its infancy, with the Lytro being the only consumer camera to feature this tech so far, but I can easily see this trickling down into consumer point-and-shoot cameras in the next few years.


Another technology that Adobe has revealed is the “unblur” feature that they are working on for a future version of Photoshop. Using this feature you can actually rescue photos that otherwise would have been relegated to the trash heap. I finally have a reason to be thankful that I keep ALL my photos! The algorithm will work out what movement caused the photo to be blurred, and then automatically correct for it, resulting in a sharp photo from absolutely rubbish input. It even works on blurry text photos taken with a mobile phone (as you can see in the video below).


So, I put it to you – is this a good thing or a bad thing for photographers? I have seen lots of people whinging about these advances in photo technology, saying that now everyone is going to think they’re a professional photographer and it will just make it hard for “real pros” to make a dollar. I really don’t think this is the case, though. People whinged about digital when it came in, saying that it would never replace film. Even today I hear people saying that digital just can’t stand up to film. Yet for any foibles that digital had, it quickly became the standard for professional photographers. The fact is that technology moves along whether you like it or not, and it can certainly bring along some useful features. Whether you choose to cling to the old technology for one reason or another, that is completely up to you. Whilst these technologies seem amazing and will certainly be a big bonus for photographers, I still don’t see that they are any replacement for a good skillset. Whether you shoot with a film camera and manual focus lenses, the latest digital, or the new Lytro camera, there is still no substitute for being able to capture the mood of your surroundings, waiting for the right moment, framing the shot perfectly and pressing the button. What are your thoughts?

Welcome!

Welcome to my new site! I have installed WordPress and will start posting some camera and photography-related articles soon. I aim to put up some product reviews as well as some tutorials and tips. Hopefully that should be a bit more interesting than just a portfolio site! In the meantime, to fill in some space, here are some random photos that I’ve taken ’round the traps.