Pelican on a Post…


Sunset, an ocean wall, a pelican… I love Pelican, there’s something about their size, gracefulness in the air and on the water – but ungainly gait on land – which I find endearing. This one seemed to be enjoying the sunset as I finished the 2009 Worldwide Photo Walk and I shot him more out of hope of getting a good image than expectation.

The frame needed a bit of cropping but has come up quite well.

Hardware: Canon 5DMkII, 100mm f/2
Exposure: ISO125, 1/80s @ f/4, +0.67ev
Post: Cropped, increased saturation and contrast, sharpened.

Insects on the Rock…


An old shot today, rediscovered as I looked for images on my Mac which could be safely moved to an external to free up some space. This image was shot eight years ago with my first DSLR – a Canon D60. Six Mega Pixels for an awful lot of money, in some ways I should have stayed with my workhorse EOS 1, but the allure of never having to scan again – or pay for film and processing – was too much.

As for the shot itself, being able to divide a shot diagonally and have people walking doing something you’d more often associate with ants – marching in line – means this is one of the more memorable shots from that trip. Uluru/Ayers Rock.

Hardware: Canon EOS D60, Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 HSM @ 200mm
Exposure: ISO100, 1/125s @ f/5, +0.67ev
Post: increased definition, contrast and sharpening. (Aperture)

Click on the image to see it larger.

The cropped subject…



Most of us photograph all of a subject, but sometimes it’s good to pick something out of something bigger. For this image I’ve concentrated on the tank, maker’s logo and seat, while having other motorcycles in an out-of-focus background has added to the image.

Making it monochrome has given it on old-world feel, despite the bike being almost new.

Hardware: Olympus EP-1, 17mm f/2.8
Exposure: ISO 250, 1/100s @ f/2.8, -0.3ev
Post: Black & White preset with red filter, increased contrast, cropped, sharpened (Aperture)

Majestic interior…


The grand cathedrals of Europe must have been intimidating places for the peasants centuries ago: huge, imposing edifices built as places of worship, but having the additional benefit of giving such an impression of power & might most people would have been too scared not to be believers.

This image, shot in Notre Dame, Paris, shows just how imposing those high ceilings and strong pillars are. Normally getting down low and using an extre wide angle creates an impression, but I didn’t need to get fancy with this one, I just had to be steady: for some reason I can now not remember, I shot this at just 400ISO, meaning I had to keep the camera steady for 1/8th of a second. Olympus’ in-camera stabilisation’s helped me out there, and I got a memorable, if not stunning, travel shot.

Hardware: Olympus EP-1, 17mm f/2.8
Exposure: 400ISO, 1/8s @ f/2.8
Post: Straighten, recovery, increase contrast (Aperture)

Young cricketer…


This is another example of shooting sport, and why I love Canon’s 300mm f/2.8: it’s soooooo sharp, produces beautiful out-of-focus backgrounds and works well with a 1.4x converter, too.

This image was relatively easy to capture, although many would argue it’s never easy to shooting full-frame with a big, heavy lens and a converter: but I’ve shot with the 400 f/2.8, and it’s a monster compared to the 300. The converter absorbs one stop, so f/4.5 is just off wide-open.

Hardware: Canon 5D MkII, Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS, Sigma 1.4x converter
Exposure: ISO 320, 1/1250s @ f/4.5
Post: Cropped (a lot), recovery increased to improve highlight detail, increased contrast (to make the background less intrusive), sharpened.

I think it’s a cuttlefish…


I think this is a cuttlefish… but I’m really not sure. Anyway, I think it’s a not-to-bad picture: certainly not the sort of thing professional dive photographer would bring back, but I’m not a diver: this was shot at the Underwater World, Sunshine Coast.

An almost impossible shot to get back in the days of film, digital capture has allowed me to ramp up the ISO, leave the flash in the bag and shoot through glass to capture the image. A little tweaking in Aperture and I have a great shot of an interesting sea creature.

Hardware: Olympus EP-1, 17mm f/2.8
Exposure: ISO 1600, 1/80 @ f/2.8
Post: Increased contrast, saturation and sharpening in Aperture.

Race action…


There’s something about a good action pan of a racing motorcycle which makes your adrenalin pump. Knee on the deck, high speed, lots of danger… it’s action captured in a still image. Requires a smooth flowing motion of camera and lens as the shutter is gently released.

James Toseland at Phillip Island, 2010.

Hardware: Canon EOS 1D Mk2N, 300mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: ISO 125, 1/200th @ f/13
Post: Cropped slightly, recovery to bring back highlights, lightly sharpened.