Pic of the Week_Fallen Leaves

This image of fallen leaves was made with early morning light on a frosty morning in Central Victoria. It was a simple image to make. I used a telephoto macro lens from an elevated (birds eye) viewpoint and moved in close to isolate the key elements of the image from their surroundings.
The dewdrops and tonal [...]

River Ice_Jiuzhaigou_China

Situated in the north of Sichuan Province, Jiuzhaigou is a national park of truly stunning beauty. Crystal clear turquoise lakes, steep, forested hillsides and clean, mountain air makes the park an outstanding natural beauty and one of the very best locations for landscape photography in China.
The above image was made in the middle of winter [...]

Pic of the Week_Close-Up_Yarra Valley

This image was made on a workshop to the fine wine-growing region of the Yarra Valley, north of Melbourne, Australia.
Actually the original image came about, at least in part, by accident. I was setting up a shot with a Canon 180mm f3.5 Macro L  series USM lens. I remember fitting the lens to my Canon [...]

Photographing Graffiti_Why?

What is the purpose of photographing graffiti? As man-made subject matter it’s more like photographing statues or architecture than the natural landscape. Is the idea to document someone else’s work, whether you consider it to be art or otherwise? If so, fine, make it a sharp accurate rendering.
But if you want to make art from [...]

Sunlit Leaves

Today’s post features a delicate detail of leaves backlit by warm, early morning light. The fresh yellow/green colors of the original image are contrasted with the luminous silver/grey of the black-and-white rendering. I feel each version talks to us about the luminous quality of light and provide an equally interesting view of our world. Which [...]

Changing Seasons Presents Opportunities

These days I live in Melbourne, Australia. In this neck of the woods winter has officially begun. With that in mind I thought it was a good idea to post an image that speaks about the last days of autumn. I particularly like the color contrast between the leaves as well as the luminous quality [...]

Flower and Water

 
Here’s a wee detail of a tiny flower lying on the surface of a birdbath. I found rendering the original color image into black-and-white emphasized the luminous qualities of the scene as I’d perceived it. I love the way the abstract qualities within the sunlit water add a sense of mystery to the image.
A very [...]

Bark and Stump

 
Hi folks! Here’s an image I made earlier today. It’s a relatively straightforward close-up of a piece of bark on top of a tree stump. I was originally drawn to the bark by its deep red color. Closer inspection revealed the circular bumps on the surface of the bark, the repetition of which provided an [...]

Leaf and Earth_Central Victoria

 
Here’s a very simple close-up of a fallen leaf on a patch of textured earth. I like the contrast in form between the gentle feminine shape of the leaf against the hard, textured earth. Placing the leaf off-centre adds a slight tension to the image and encourages the viewer to consider the background almost as [...]

Water Detail_Erskine Falls_Lorne

 
Here’s the final image from last Saturday’s Landscape Photography workshop in and around Lorne on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. This image features a rock pool at Erskine Falls. As there was hardly any water flowing over the falls, most of the rock pools were fairly still. This provided opportunities for close-up work. My thinking is [...]