Innehållsförteckning för March 2022 från Australian Photography

Despite us running plenty of stories over the years about smartphone photography (the most recent being one in December) I’ve always struggled with using them as anything more than a backup device for photography. I’m sure this is totally unfounded in 2022, but it’s still something I’ve never quite been able to shake. However, a couple of months ago I slipped and dropped my Sony A7. This ended up needing repairs and, combined with me trying to thin out my cameras over the last few years, left me with only a smartphone to shoot with. No problem, I thought - I had the latest Vivo X70, probably one of the best smartphones you can buy today, with a whopping 50MP sensor and four separate sensors to cover everything from wide-angle…

I clearly remember my first images published in the early 1980’s - how exciting. At the time, I did not get paid, but did it worry me? Nope! Instead, I was inspired to start writing alongside my images. Soon enough, I had eight-page spreads with multiple images and editors asking for more. Plus, they wanted to pay me! Australian Photography was the first photo magazine to publish an image of mine in 1984 - I still have it archived. This was followed by a Sydney magazine called BushDriver. They loved my storytelling from outback Australia, and of course, I could also add images. At the time, I went from saving up to undertake my six-monthly trips in the 1980’s to paying my way and starting a unique lifestyle. Today, there’s…

Defining action photography is no easy task. Most associate it purely with sport but, while that’s largely true, it also stretches into lifestyle and commercial photography. In fact, much of my professional work is considered action photography, and yet it is more likely to appear in editorial print use, such as in advertisements, than on the front of the sports section in your local newspaper. The reality is there is as much difference between capturing events and capturing set-up shoots as there is between the photographers who shoot these styles. But in this article, I hope to give you some techniques to try regardless of the type of action you plan to capture. Finally, you may think you need to know world class athletes to photograph these kinds of images,…

Over the past few years, I’ve used several types of Nikon DSLR bodies that I love, each for different reasons - the D5/6 (great for low light and focus), the D850 (high resolution) and the D750 (which I felt sat nicely between the D5 and D850). As a professional conservation and wildlife photojournalist, they have all served me really well, and given me virtually everything I’ve needed. Because of this, and potential switching costs, I’ve been slow to consider any mirrorless system, so when I was offered the opportunity to try out the new flagship Z 9, I was really curious to know - given what I shoot and how I shoot – what could the 45MP Z 9 offer me that my other bodies didn’t? Well, it turns out…

DR LOUISE FAIRFAX Louise Fairfax is a Tasmanian wilderness photographer. She enjoys capturing the beauty of nature, whether it is landscape, or the minutiae of fungi and wildflowers. She hopes her photos will lead others to appreciate nature’s beauty. STEVE THOMAS Steve Thomas has been racing, shooting and writing about bikes and adventure travel for most of his life, and has earned his crust from it for 25-plus years. See more of his work at stevethomasimages.com ANTHONY MCKEE Anthony McKee is a Melbourne-based writer and social documentary photographer. In 2014, he was named AIPP Documentary Photographer of the Year. See more at anthonymckee.com.au SAM EDMONDS Sam Edmonds is a photographer, writer and Antarctic expedition guide focusing on issues of ecology and conservation. See more of his work at samedmondsphoto.com…

THE Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition has revealed its winners for 2021. The contest, organised by the Underwater Photography Guide, is now in its tenth year, and looks for the world’s best photos that document marine life behavior, unique portraits of underwater species, and powerful images that advocate for conservation. The competition was judged by underwater photographers Tony Wu, Mark Strickland, and Marty Snyderman, and featured more than $35,000 in prizes. The overall Best in Show winning image was captured by Belgian photographer Luc Rooman, who won a dive cruise in Indonesia. Closer to home, Australian photographer PT Hirschfield took out the compact behaviour category, with her image of two mating seahorses captured on the Mornington Peninsula. You can see all the finalists at uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-contest-winners-2021.…

Nikon has officially announced the Nikkor Z 400mm F2.8 TC VR S – a new telephoto lens for the mirrorless Z mount. Originally teased alongside the Z 9 announcement back in October, the Z 400mm F2.8 TC VR S has been designed from the ground up exclusively for mirrorless. The super tele's standout feature is the inclusion of a built-in teleconverter, which increases the effective focal length of the new lens at the flick of a switch to 560mm, although this will decrease the maximum aperture to f4. The lens is made up of 25 elements in 19 groups. This includes two ED glass elements, one Super ED element, two Fluorite elements and finally an SR (Short Wavelength refractive) element. This specifically bends blue light rays to help correct chromatic…

EYES The eyes really do have it! It’s said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and capturing them can turn an ordinary photo into something quite striking. We loved the creative interpretations of our theme this month. SHARON JONES Crocodile Stare EDITOR’S COMMENT We’re not usually ones for selective colour in an image, but sometimes we’ll make an exception, especially if the results are as good as this! This is a great, graphic image that has been edited for maximum attention. Photographer Sharon Jones says she was trying to capture a sense of the intimidating stare of a salty – something that will send shivers down your spine. We really liked the high key editing style and use of white space in this image. It strips everything…

My early attempts at infrared photography were always a bit of a struggle. I’d buy a roll of Kodak High Speed Infrared film to put through my Nikon, but because I never owned a proper infrared filter that would prevent visible light from reaching the film, my results were never as impressive as they might have been. On those rare occasions when everything worked though, the images were spectacular; skin tones would fluoresce and foliage would appear white against inky black skies. Kodak stopped making High Speed Infrared film about a decade ago but film users in Australia can still buy infrared sensitive films from Rollei and Ilford in both the 35mm and 120 film formats. But infrared photography is not just limited to film cameras; digital cameras can also…

We now look at more content than ever on our computer screens and while many people use two or more monitors to view everything at once, some are preferring to work with just one big 4K monitor. Aside from the fact that 4K monitors have four times the pixel density of a conventional display, a large 4K monitor also makes it a lot easier to enjoy big pictures. Until recently, photo quality monitors in this class were costing $3000 or more, but recently ASUS released a 32” 4k monitor for just $999 and it could be the perfect display choice for recreational photographers. The ASUS ProArt PA329CV 32-inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) monitor has a viewing area of 708 x 398mm, which over 100mm wider than an A2 print.…

What project are you working on this year? Recently, I’ve found that walking, cycling, or driving around my neighbourhood is all I’ve needed to do to discover my own photography projects. Here’s an example. Not long ago, I found the roadside littered with many corflute signs when it was election time here. See. Stop. Photograph. Repeat. The result was 54 images – plenty for a photobook. Then I found Love. Well sort of. Someone was, and still is, painting graffiti all over the place and, most particularly, around the suburbs closest to where I live. Every artwork primarily consists of images of a dinosaur/worm/alien, often accompanied by a heart and messages. I’ve completed a book, Expressing Love in Canberra, featuring many of those artworks that I photographed. If nothing else,…

Thanks to our great sponsors ASUS, Joe Bourke has won an ASUS ProArt Display PA148CTV monitor valued at $599. The ASUS ProArt PA148CTV is a 14-inch FHD 10-point touch portable monitor designed for creators. It delivers exceptional colour thanks to 100% sRGB and 100% Rec. 709 colour spaces, and it is world’s 1st portable monitor that reach Calman Verified certification and factory pre-calibrated to provide a Delta E < 2 color difference. The anti-glare IPS panel features wide viewing angles with minimal color shift, even when viewed from off-center positions. Find out more at asus.com. HOW TO SUBMIT AN IMAGE • Email entries to: imagedoctor@australianphotography.com with “Image Doctor” in the subject line.• Include your name, image title and up to 150 words about how you created it.• Only one image…

It was “scoparia” time of year… I hoped. With the native plant Richea scoparia, you can never quite tell. It marches, as all nature does, to its own drum, and can be at its peak earlier or later as is its whim. One tries to predict by looking at other plants that are easier to access, and to make a call according to how they’re going, but ultimately, it is always a lucky dip, and some years you get it and others you are too early, or too late for the best of the party. It is a plant that enjoys high altitudes (as do I), so it is also hard to just pop in and see how it’s going. Despite this, I wanted to be in the mountains to…

CANON has launched a video-centric version of the EOS R5, the 8K capable EOS R5 C. Described by the company as a powerful, hybrid cinema camera, the EOS R5 C combines the filmmaking features of the Cinema EOS range with the EOS R System’s photo capabilities. Like the EOS R5, the new body features a full frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC X processor and RF Mount, but the R5 C is also capable of 8K 60p RAW capture. Like the R5, the R5 C also offers 45 megapixel still photo capture at burst speeds up to 20 frames per second. The EOS R5 C is capable of internal 8K 30p RAW recording and up to 60p when using an external power source, while an onboard internal active cooling system allows for…

Ricoh has announced the details of its newest 360-degree camera, the Theta X, which features a 2.25” touchscreen display, an interchangeable battery and a Micro SD card slot. The new action cam is due to be released sometime this month, and looks to be less reliant on needing a link to a smartphone or tablet like previous models. The inclusion of a 2.25” colour touchscreen display that’s used to both navigate the camera’s menu and compose shots should help its usability as a standalone camera. Like the other Theta devices, the X works with a pair of back-to-back cameras with 180-degree fisheye lenses to capture everything around the device in a single shot. The X is capable of capturing 11K images for “high-resolution bright-light indoor photography” or at 5.5K “to…

If one were to choose a place on Earth to start a career as a professional surf photographer, Sydney’s Northern Beaches would surely be near to your first choice. With twenty-something world class surf beaches frequented by a collection of local world champions and big wave-riders, simply strolling down to your nearest break on a Saturday morning is half the battle in capturing magazine-worthy surf photographs. But the trouble is that a lot of photographers already know this, and so do the surfers. Among a sea of amateurs all vying for tripod real estate on the beach on a Saturday morning, few are afforded the respect of local champions like Laura Enever – something achieved only by a handful of photographers who through sheer time and consistency prove their commitment…

When I bought a lens ball, the first thing I did was to google how people were using them. I found a huge number of lovely landscapes upside down at sunset, and some interesting experiments with tabletop night lighting close ups, but then it was just more of the same, more of the same, more of the same. It seemed to me that the lens ball was a constraint to originality, rather than a source of creativity. What to do? One of the limiting issues seems to be that the lens ball must either sit on a stand or be handheld. So, I handheld it over a bunch of flowers, picking out the detail of individual blooms, being careful to position my fingers right at the edge of the ball.…

DON’T BE SHY TO DESATURATE Joe Bourke captured this image in Benalla, Victoria. "The walking track here passes under the historic Monash Bridge, and occasionally, when the conditions are just right, the water is still and the reflections are amazing!” he said. “I made some adjustments made in Photoshop include straightening, contrast, dodging and burning.” Repeating arches are always an attractive design element; in this image the symmetry in the horizontal looks great, and if you were able to bring the camera down a metre or two, the symmetry in the verticals would also improve. The main thing I would do to improve this image though, would be to manage some of the colours in the picture. As we look into the lower half of the image, the muddy brown…

World Photo Adventures is giving away an amazing opportunity to a photographer. Book any of our 2022 adventures operating between July 1 and December 9, 2022 and you will go in the draw to WIN a 50% discount for that holiday, plus a three day stay on the beautiful Fraser Coast, Queensland including one-on-one photo tuition, plus $500.00 towards airfares. * Total value is over $6,000.00! Contact Julia for details about our unique photo adventures - we only take small groups. Email: julia@worldadventures.com.au Web: www.worldphotoadventures.com.au Julia and Darran have been offering photo adventures in Australia and around the world since 1989, in fact, over 400 events! They are the longest running photo adventure operator in Australia. “Join us for a fantastic adventure to your dream destination.”Darran & Julia Leal…