An interview with Bluedog 'apprentice' Caitlin Allen

Caitlin has been hanging around here at the Bluedog Photography studio for over 18 months now and her motivation and young energy is loved by us all. We invited her to answer this year's tutors and photographers questions.

Q. Tell us briefly your photography journey to date. 


A. I am 16 and have only been interested in photography for a few years now. It wasn’t until I found Bluedog photography during work experience in 2011 that I decided photography was what I really enjoyed doing. From there I have continued working at the Bluedog Studio, receiving lots of tuition, helpful tips and advice. I have participated in many workshops and also attended the Fraser Island Tour which really opened my eyes as to what I might be able to do as a photographer if it becomes my career path.

Q. What inspires you – photographically?

A. As a kid I was always amazed at the images and moments captured within a photograph, whether it was a documentary on the Discovery channel or in a national geographic magazine. They portrayed a totally different perspective of life through the photos and that was really inspiring for me!

Q. What is a highlight of 2012?

A. Gaining membership into Griffith University for a photography course!

Q. Do you have a ‘most memorable’ moment to date?

A. A memorable moment for me would have to be my trip to Fraser Island with Bluedog.  It was also my 15^th birthday. It was a great experience, a great holiday and I learnt so much!

Q. What lens can’t you live without?

A. My EFS 15 – 85mm Zoom Lens, it is my favourite lens as it has the ability to photograph anything from landscapes to close-up portraits.

Q. What is your favourite type of shoot (and why)?

A. At the moment my favourite type of shoot is wildlife, I love capturing a moment through the animals eyes and portraying them as characters through their expressions.

Q. What do you do in your spare time?

A. In my spare time I find anything I can in my room and photograph it using my macro lens, I love to experiment with lighting and WB.

Q. What's your best 2012 photography advice or quick tip?

A. 
Practice makes perfect! Picking up the camera everyday to photograph anything can make a big difference, there are always new things to try and learn!

Q. What are your plans or highlights for 2013?

A. My plans for 2013 are to study photography at Griffith University and hopefully learn a lot of important skills and techniques. I am also really hoping to get a place in the Cambodia tour next year with Bluedog!!

Images taken by Caitlin during 2012:

An interview with Bluedog Tutor and Photographer Linden Neill

We continue to bring to you our responses from our tutors leading into Christmas 2012. This blog we feature Linden Neill who when not jaunting around the world assists us at Bluedog Photography as a junior tutor and photographer. 

Q. Tell us briefly your photography journey to date.
A. I first picked up a camera in 2009. It was just a compact but it had manual controls and I was taking pictures of a waterfall. From then on I was hooked. I did a tour and a few courses with Bluedog and I've been taking pictures ever since

Q. What inspires you – photographically?
A. I'm most inspired most by war photojournalists. To me there is no one doing more important work then they are. They also have photographic access to countries I won't be able to travel to for the foreseeable future, so we get an insight of the countries people we wouldn't otherwise.

Q. What is a highlight of 2012?
A. The three months we spent in Cambodia. It was great to have more time in one while we travel. With the friendships we made there we were given a much more authentic glimpse at their daily life and we will never forget our time there.

Q. What lens can’t you live without?
A. Currently I only have one lens so I guess I would be lost without it. I'm currently using the Fuji XPro-1 and the lens is a Fuji 35mm f1.4. This lens is razor sharp and is by far the best lens I've owned.

Q.  What is your favourite type of shoot (and why)?
A. I like street and travel photography but ialso prefer the documentary/observational approach to taking pictures. I prefer natural events to posing or directing people.

Q.  What do you do in your spare time?
A. As I have a non photographic full time job, I take pictures in my spare time. Also like being outdoors - camping/fishing ect and of course travelling.

Q.   What's your best 2012 photography advice or quick tip?
A. Look for the light first. Nothing else matters if you haven't got the light.

Even outside the golden hours there is good light to be found - you just have to look.

Q. What are your plans or highlights for 2013?
A. We are counting down the days till we return to Cambodia next year. Also plan on pushing my street work to include more of a human element. 

For more information on Bluedog's workshops, retreat and tours visit:

www.blue-dog.com.au

 Images all by Linden Neill during 2012

A lady I met yesterday

Words and images by Danielle Lancaster

Japan in autumn is mesmerising. As the temperature slowly drops in preparation for winter’s icy chills, the leaves of the maples, plums, oaks and ginkos transform into a myriad of captivating colours.

One of the best places to see the colours of autumn in Osaka is at Osaka Castle and the neighbouring Nishinomaru Garden.  Sitting under an old maple tree outside the castle entrance I met this lady. Her name is Nagawa-San and she is 85 years old. As I sat next to her we silently nodded politely to each other and she softly spoke pointing and nodding towards the castle.

I nod back and tell her I am going there soon but for now I just want to sit. She bows lower and gently touches my hand as if reassuring me it is OK. She is happy to chat and tells me she comes and sits here every day. It is part of her daily routine that has lasted a life time.

During World War II a building next to the castle was a bomb shelter and Nagawa-San along with her family and other Osaka residents would take refuge there. ‘I remember seeing the planes flying by, low, very low and dropping bombs, many, many bombs. The noise was loud and each day we’d walk seeing less of our city standing,’ she recalls. ‘The castle was safe and we wanted to believe the US didn’t want to bomb it because of its importance to the Japanese’.

After the war Nagawa-San worked at the castle which became a US base. ‘It was very secret work and we are not allowed to talk about it, not ever,’ she tells me pressing her fingers to her lips.

Nagawa-San’s favourite season at the castle is autumn and she tells me she is glad I am seeing it at its best. ‘I paint and autumn brings me great inspiration,’ she continues as I pry a little asking more and more questions. She seems happy to sit in the dappled shade and continue our conversation.

 Nagawa

Traditional Japanese style ink drawing and oils are her favourite mediums. ‘I am still being taught by a man very well known. His name is Uemura-San and maybe he is one of our most famous modern oil painters,’ says Nagawa-San. 

I ask her for the best place in Osaka to see the autumn colours. ‘Why here’ she says ‘in my opinion Osaka Castle is the best scenery in Osaka’. And as another ruby red maple leaf drops to the ground between us, I think she may be right.

About Osaka Castle

The construction of this magnificent castle started in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who intended the castle to be the centre of a new, unified Japan under his rule. It was at the time the largest castle in Japan.

Unfortunately a few years after his death, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage in 1615.

Tokugawa Hidetada rebuilt the castle in the 1620’s however in 1665 the main castle tower was struck by lightning and the castle burnt down.

The castle you see today was built in 1931 and the castle miraculously survived the ferocious air attacks on the city during World War II when much of Osaka was flattened.

The only other area in Osaka that was spared was the red light district:)

It is a major tourist drawcard for visitors to the city. An elevator allows easy access and the interior of the castle which houses an informative museum about the castle's history and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Autumn leaves at Osaka Castle

Hours and Fees
Castle Tower
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (entrance until 16:30)
Closed December 28^th to January 1^st
Admission: 600 yen

Nishinomaru Garden

Hours: 9:00-17:00 (entrance until 16:30 from November through February)
Longer hours during cherry blossom season
Closed: Mondays (or following day if Monday is a national holiday December 28^th to January 1^st
Admission: 200 yen (350 yen during the extended hours for cherry blossom season.

 Osaka Castle

We are back blogging!

So we’ve been a bit light on in the blogs lately. Many apologies and as the buck stops with me I accept all responsibility. However we have been busy, very busy, in other areas.

We’ve been delivering a wide range of workshops across many regions, preparing for some OS soon: roll on Siem Reap at the end of June, attending a few ourselves, doing run throughs for new offerings here at Bluedog and plugging away at contracts, travelling, and having some fun exploring with photography.

Over the past 7 weeks we have entered the video world and let’s say it’s been an interesting little foray. We are trying to produce a weekly Vlog, ‘Kennel TV’, maybe a big ask weekly, but anyway we are trying.

To check it out click Bluedog Kennel TV we’re now up to#7! You can subscribe to it so an email alert comes into your in box each week when we upload.

Along with that we’ve started uploading tips, reviews, tutorials and even some funny ones like our D4 unboxing.

Popular ones have been the first of our Rainforest Photography tips, What's in the Bag and the promo on our new specialty workshop High Octane and the first of our Australian Wildlife Photography Tips. We look forward to bringing you more soon.

Anyway back to the blog. We have not forgotten you and coming up soon is: ‘M’s fulfil local Photographers Passion’, a review on the Leica M9 and the Fuji X-Pro 1Fujifilm ISO comparison (you'll find our video review here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4K50n3riuQ), planning a holiday for safety and well that for starters.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Danielle and the crew in the kennel at Bluedog Photography and Travel

CHASING YOUR DREAMS

Guest blog by David Alexander

“Don’t be afraid to chase you Dreams”. I have heard this saying all my life but only in the last few years have I realised how much satisfaction you can get by doing exactly that, your outlook on life will change.

With determination, hard work, support from family and friends and the right guidance/teaching from Bluedog Photography I have seen my dream of calling myself a photographer coming to fruition. I have been offered the opportunity to have one of my photo’s (taken at a Bluedog Test Workshop) made into a poster that will be handed out at V8 Race Meets during the 2012 season.

The SP Number 9 car is driven by Shane van Gisbergen who is currently running fourth in the 2012 V8 Supercars Series. The young Kiwi has driven the SP car for SBR racing since 2008 and is one of the up and coming stars of the V8’s.

So what I have discovered is don’t be afraid to step-up to the plate – tell the world you are a photographer (if that is your dream) be proud of what you produce and keep learning your craft and your dreams can come true.

 Image by David Alexander

Are you ready to be wedding photographer?

Warning: a shiny new camera does not give you a right to be a professional.

Sound a bit harsh? Well unfortunately, we have heard this story more than once before. You have a new camera which looks great, and you've managed to capture a couple of great shots, maybe even done a workshop here and there, all the time gaining valuable knowledge to your new found passion and you should be rightly proud.

And then you are asked to do a job...there are expectations.... it's a one-off like... a wedding!

Shooting a wedding is not as easy as it sounds. It's not just a matter of clicking the shutter button and because it's a 'good' camera means you'll get images that meet the expectations: that is the clients expectations, as that is what it is, a client either paying or non paying when you say 'I do'. That word expectations holds a lot of power. Let's look at a few pointers for photographers wanting to enter this market and brides to be looking for a photographer that needs some practice, and everyone does.

For Photographers

• Know your boundaries, be honest with yourself on what you can and can't do. This is not a day to be learning on the job.
• Manage the expectations - what they are seeing in magazines is not necessarily what you can honestly deliver.
• Have a shot list with family details checked.
• Research your venue: what's the light like, what's in flower, are there rules such as no flash.
• Get help! Have back up and its great if you can have a helper to round up the family.
• Said yes and now panicking because people are saying you need this and that. Before rushing out and buying consider hiring first.
• Always be polite and professional: become a peoples person.
• Have a contract even if they are not paying.

For Brides to Be
If you are paying peanuts expect a monkey - sorry but true. And at the same time, just because they are charging a lot, does not mean they have the experience and the people skills to manage your big day.

• Look at their images, speak with others that have had them photograph their wedding and if it is their first wedding, have realistic expectations.
• Have a contract.
• Make sure you feel comfortable with the photographer and can express easily your likes and dislikes in creating your shot list together - this helps manage those expectations mentioned above.
• Make sure you have a truthful mirror. One of our last but hard tips is be careful of your dress. We all want to look slimmer and usually with as few as wrinkles and bags around our eyes as we can. However, it is a fact, many see themselves in a dress either too small or really not suiting their figure: a classic is the strapless wedding dresses as you have to be a neat size 10 to not look fat in these dresses and under that you look bony and undernourished. Sorry, we said this was going to be truthful.
•  Enjoy the day! When a bride enjoys the day you can tell. Have fun, as this is such a special day for you!
  
  
   
  Image by Mike Geisel at a Bluedog Wedding Photography Workshop

Doorways, windows and Nuns intrigue us in Melbourne

By Danielle Lancaster

The drizzling rain paused here in Melbourne late this afternoon and though the skies lingered a dark grey I decided to take a short hike around the block. Except I got sidetracked: there are alleys and doorways and I wanted to know where they went and who was behind them.

Melbourne to me associates more with many a European city than an Australian one at times. While Sydney is brash, Brisbane appears a teen, Perth can be deceiving, Adelaide a feast, Hobart a gateway to wild wilderness and Darwin a tropical party city, each has their own something a little different and yet something the same, Melbourne is different.

My abode for my stay is The Nunnery in Nicholson Street, Carlton which I was directed to by a fellow photo journalist that calls Melbourne home (more on this in another blog to come). Its history excited me and what better place I thought for my two teenage boys who have joined me to stay. Surely they could get up to no mischief here. Instead The Nunnery is humming and it’s not hymns that are being sung.

Travellers of all ages are here – though I will admit I think I must be the oldest or as I like to say these days the most mature, however that hardly matters. Tonight its free hot soup down in the kitchen, so the international back packers are not missing out. Some are reclining in the lounge room reading, playing cards or catching up on their laptops. I catch glimpses of Facebook pages and hear the blimps of Skype messages coming in, no doubt from all corners of the world. The room feels warm with the tungsten lighting giving an orange glow and the myriad of accents has my ears straining to place them all. So far I think I have nailed everyone and their country of origin. It’s a friendly, tender atmosphere in the air - a nice feel for a home away from home for a few days.

One thing I love about Melbourne other than the food, art and shopping is the architecture. Old versus new and in my short walk today once again doorways and windows gain my attention. Their frames so carefully  constructed in an array of colours, shapes and in the materials used. Somehow I think I’ll be back out there tomorrow capturing some more.

All images by Danielle Lancaster and straight out of camera.

All alike but a little different and within half a block of each other, these windows and doors lure me to know more what goes on behind. Luckily enough I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who lived across the lane this arvo so hoping to catch up with him tomorrow. All are private residences. He tells me 'Friday is a bad day to meet his neighbours as everyone is out'.

For more info visit www.blue-dog.com.au http://www.blue-dog.com.au

We are back on Fraser Island!

I get to travel a lot, however Fraser still ranks in my top 10 places on Earth to visit. There is just an exceptional ‘thing’ here and to me it is so special to accompany people to the island to discover some of our secret photography haunts.

Fraser Island stretches over 123 along the southern coast of Queensland, and is the largest sand island in the world. The whole island was inscribed on the World Heritage List: “in recognition of its natural values as an outstanding example representing significant ongoing ecological and biological

processes and as an example of superlative natural phenomena”. It is indeed a extraordinary place formed from the shifting of sands over the last 700,000 years.

While on tour we stay at Kingfisher Bay Resort. Why did we pick this resort for our abode? Well as some of you may know we here at Bluedog are trying very hard to be green, clean and eco-friendly. Kingfisher Bay Resort is a leading example of eco-tourism. Their dedication to environmental tourism has been recognised by receiving 32 Australian and international awards for development, architecture, and environmental tourism since opening their doors in 1992.

All the resort buildings are deliberately set below the tree line – you can’t even see them from the jetty when you arrive. They are leaders in energy efficiency: the building’s design, use of low energy bulbs and room key shut-off systems is estimated to save 855,000 kW hours of electricity per year!

Add to that all paper, glass, aluminium, tin and plastics are recycled. There’s an on-site worm farm turning sewage sludge, waste paper and kitchen preparation scraps into compost for the herb garden plus other waste minimisation, green purchasing and green product programs complete their environmental program. Not bad for a resort that welcomes thousands per year.

Anyway back to the tour. After arriving on the ferry we all checked in and headed for lunch at the Sand Bar. Your packs were handed out, the fun daily ‘challenges’ revealed, questions answered and already we are all sharing jokes and laughing a lot. Something tells me this is going to be a great group to tour with.

During lunch we talked about a few of Pete and my tips for their next few days including looking after our gear – sand can be disastrous to our gear, salt water worse but with a little care and attention we can make sure our gear is in top shape when we return . Tomorrow we head in land exploring the forests and lakes with sunset at the old McKenzie jetty.

One of our tips here to the group was to take the time to look for the finer details in the forest, textures and patterns and the way the light is falling through the foliage. This tiny fungi below was smaller than my pinky finger hidden by the base of a tree along Wanggoolba Creek. Many would have missed it.

Taken on Nikon D3 with a 105mm macro lens
Image by Danielle Lancaster

After lunch while the others got to have a little relax time to explore the resort, Pete and I went and completed all our paper work for the vehicles and permits to transport our crew around the island over the next two days.

So it’s almost time for me to head on down and meet them all now to photograph sunset across the Sandy Strait and enjoy our complimentary welcome drinks at the jetty hut before our dinner and presentation by Pete and myself later tonight.

The clouds are looking like it’s going to be a good one. The wind is down and the sand is warm. It’s so good to be back on Fraser!

TOP 5 TIPS FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER VISITING ITALY

Guest Blog from Lisa Kurtz
Thanks Danielle for the opportunity to be your guest blogger this week.

Based on our fifteen years of photographing Italy, we have put together these tips for fellow photographers visiting this beautiful country.

1.       Time your visits to monuments and famous places well

Italy’s famous monuments are some of the most-visited in the world. There will always be crowds. If you want to capture the crowds in your images, then you can visit these places anytime. If you want to avoid crowds, we suggest you visit just before or after opening times, or just before closing times.

We also recommend you look at ways to “jump the queue” for tickets – investigate all-inclusive tickets, daily passes, booking in advance online etc - or else you may find yourself waiting for hours to get into these beautiful places.

Lighting for outdoor photography will obviously also be better earlier or later in the day. Knowing the orientation of the monument or place you want to photograph will help you determine whether morning or afternoon will be better. For an unfamiliar location, we will use google street views (in google maps) or google earth to get a sense of the location’s orientation and surroundings and to identify likely vantage points.

2.       Italians are, on the whole, relaxed about photographers - but use your commonsense

Given that photographers have been coming to this country since the earliest days of photography, Italians are fairly relaxed about us. If you exhibit relatively normal behaviour (ie you look like you’re a traveller with a camera taking photos of the beautiful building, monument, scene in front of you), you will be more than likely left alone.

That said, use commonsense – don’t be a disturbance to others, be mindful about where you put your tripod so as not to cause a trip hazard, and be respectful in places of worship. The majority of churches in Italy ban the use of flash and tripods, and any shooting is likely to be prohibited whilst a service is in progress.

Tip – it goes a long way to know how to politely ask if you can take someone’s photo:

“Per favore, posso farle una fotografia?”

This translates to “Please, can I take your photo?”

We don’t normally carry model release forms, although if we feel the shots we are taking may be used for commercial purposes we always get at least a verbal agreement from the subject. We appreciate this aspect of photography is starting to get a little tricky, however at this stage Italians still seems quite relaxed about such issues.

1/200 second, f/6.3, ISO 400, focal length 70mm.

Grain added in Photoshop.

Image by Lisa Kurtz, Capture Italy®.

3.       Take plenty of memory cards

Italy is so beautiful and inspiring you will shoot more images than you would expect. Memory cards are more expensive and harder to find - Italy just doesn’t have “shopping centres” as we know them, so take more than you think you will need.

We always recommend you take more smaller-sized cards (eg 4 x 4GB) rather than fewer larger cards (eg 2 x 8GB). That way if you lose your camera or your card corrupts you lose a smaller amount of images.

4.       Go easy on the gear

We are always asked “what equipment should I take to Italy?”  It’s always difficult to answer, as it depends on why and what you’ll be photographing.

Obviously less is best for the majority of travellers - the less equipment you take, the easier it is to carry and look after it. (As in most other countries, theft is a daily occurrence in Italy - lots of expensive camera equipment can make you a target.)

Lenses - I take a 50mm, a 24-700mm, and a 70-200mm on a full-frame camera.

The 24-70mm is the workhorse – the vast majority of my images are taken with this lens; the 50mm gets used when I feel like being “discrete” and challenging myself with its fixed focal length; the 70-200mm only comes out when I get in the mood!

Many travellers will opt for the full-range zooms such as the Sigma or Tamron 18-200mm – whilst it’s commonly agreed that you may miss out on some image quality using such a full-range lens, you certainly won’t miss any photographic opportunities, for which there’s something to be said.

Tripods - take one if you know you will use it (perhaps you love landscape photography, or you have a passion for evening shooting) – don’t take one “just in case”. You can always make do with other supports such as ledges or fence posts or folded-up jumpers “just in case”.

Filters – I take and use when required a UV filter, a polariser (see Bluedog’s guest blog on polarisers: http://italytravelphotos.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-polarisers-guest-blog-by.html ) and a graduated neutral density filter. If you don’t know how to use filters, practise at home or do a course that includes filters before you leave.

Tip - I also take a Holga film camera, just for my own personal work. It challenges me and it forces me to think a lot more before I start shooting.

Holga camera, Fujifilm Fujicolour Pro 400H ISO 400 120 film

Image by Lisa Kurtz, Capture Italy®.

5.       Dress appropriately

As a sign of respect, to enter churches women are required to have their shoulders covered and men are required to wear long pants. Although this can vary depending on the city or church you are entering, it’s best to err on the side of caution and be prepared to cover up.

Also, Italians (like many Europeans) are well-dressed people. Whilst we’re not suggesting for a moment that you don’t dress comfortably – in fact comfortable shoes are a must for the cobblestones of Italy - we suggest you leave the thongs and stubbies at home! A polite request from a nicely-dressed traveller can open doors that lead to wonderful photographic opportunities and memories of warm and welcoming Italians.

Happy Shooting from Lisa and Dianne at Capture Italy®.

For more information on Capture Italy tours, visit www.captureitaly.com or contact Lisa or Dianne on 07 3367 8167.

Stop Press!
Capture Italy run 2-week small-group photography tours through Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. They also offer workshops in Venice and will soon be releasing the dates for their 2012 photography tours to Sicily.

If you are thinking of heading to Bella Italia and seeing all that these classic beautiful locations have to offer photographers, let Lisa and Dianne know that you are a Bluedog client (or facebook fan) and you will receive a $250 AUD discount on your next tour booking.

Also… due to a last-minute cancellation, they have asked us to get a message out that there are 2 spaces now available in their September 2011 tour at a “heavily discounted” rate. Departs Rome Monday 12th September, finishes Siena Monday 26th September. Contact Lisa or Dianne on 07 3367 8167 or info@captureitaly.com for more information.

Buon viaggio!
Lisa and Dianne

Photography tips for using Program Mode

A challenge with your camera is always a great way to improve your photography. While here in Cambodia before our tour officially begins, I’ve been challenging myself to shoot mostly on P Mode and get it right in camera.

What is P Mode? P stands for Program Mode though some joke and call it ‘Professional’ or ‘Pissed’ Mode. It allows you full control of your ISO and flash as well as white balance and under and over exposing in camera.

With my camera set on spot metering I am finding as long as I take the exposure reading off a part of my scene that is approximately the same tone as 18% grey then the image is usually close to correctly exposed.  If the scene does not have this then I usually do a quick calculation in my head – will the camera’s metering tell me exposure should be more or less and then I exposure compensate to that side. 90% of the time this is working.

Take note that once you take your meter reading using your focus point and then regain your focus off another area in the image that the camera re- meter reads the scene. Pay attention to the first meter reading and just adjust your exposure compensation accordingly.

Problems arise in images where there are contrasty lighting conditions. One quick way around this is to use flash. Again I am often flash exposure compensating more frequently to the negative side to make the flash light look as balanced to the natural lighting as I can.

Other problem areas can include too slow a shutter speed for the ISO chosen and associated subject movement, lack of appropriate depth of field for the scene and noise from having to use a high ISO.

However, I am finding it is a great mode to use while travelling when I want to have a fair amount of control over my image making while having fun with my family.

All images below straight out of camera. 

The first two images demonstrate how the focus point on spot metering can radically affect your exposure.

 Image 1
Nikon D3 28-300mm lens

Shutter Speed 1/400; f10; ISO 800
Focus Point on man.

Image 2
Nikon D3 28-300mm lens

Shutter Speed 1/800; f14; ISO 800
Focus point on the statue

The two images below demontsrate how flash can be used to balance contrasty lighting situtations. In Image one the sky is blown out while the statue looks correctly exposed.
In Image 2 the flash was fired and the meter reading for the image set from the blue sky in the background.

Image 1

Nikon D3 with 24-27mm
Shutter Speed 1/200; f7.1; ISO 1600

Nikon D3 with 24-27mm
Shutter Speed 1/200; f7.1; ISO 1600
Flash fired.