Forward and back

Guest blog by Kelly Morgan

This time of year we always find ourselves looking back at what was, and forward to what might be. For me, 2012 has been an interesting year – some ups, some downs – but when I think about most of the memorable, enjoyable and ah-huh moments they always seem to involve photography, and Danielle Lancaster.

Very early in the year I was frustrated with life and at a cross-road; at the moment I was discussing that with someone Danielle called out of the blue. Next thing I know I’m part of a photography exhibition!

That whole experience was great – learning a bit about curating and selecting images, getting them right to print well, and hanging them in a gallery. (Hanging my own photos in a gallery exhibition wasn’t even on my
bucket list!)

My husband and I both grew up on farms so heading bush to wide open spaces, peace and fresh air has always been an easy sell to us, but the trip to Cunnamulla was even better than expected. Hanging prints in a gallery was so much more fun than I thought it would be – no stress, but lots of laughs. It may have been a different experience in a fancy city gallery (I'm sure they don't usually allow wine to be imbibed while ladders are in use, even if the featured artist is afraid of heights). It was also wonderful and humbling to be welcomed by a great group of people, some who travelled a long way to be there for opening night.

There's something about people from the bush - they can spin a yarn better than anyone I've met in the city. And laugh - genuine laughter from the bottom of their belly. Some of these people were actually in Danielle's photos from many years before and I can see why she chose them as subjects for her portraits - it's something in the eyes.

While being part of that exhibition was something I’m really proud of and a great experience, it was also a big catalyst for everything that came after. I've been made to think about what I really enjoy doing and what's next (hard to top an unexpected exhibition!). I've focussed on writing and trying to publish my story about my time in Cambodia with Mr Douk. I don’t know if I would have pursued it at all if these things didn’t roll out the way they did.

After encouragement and constructive criticism from Danielle and the Bluedog team - I've also done two workshops this year - I’ve committed to focussing on photography and learning more, challenging myself to be better and do it at a level that deserves payment. An opportunity to be paid to play with a camera
seemed to come out of nowhere too! When a friend with a wedding photography business asked me to join the team I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but it’s a real adrenalin rush and it makes me work harder to get better - I love it.

So this is a very long, round-about way of saying thank you to the top dog and Bluedog team – for the opportunity to learn more and be genuinely challenged, for pushing and encouraging me (and many others) to be brave enough to try harder and try something different, for sharing your knowledge and passion, and perhaps most importantly for your honesty.

That’s long and perhaps a bit gushy, but I wanted to say it, and before the end of 2012.

 Mr Douk formed the study for Kelly's photo essay 'Lessons from an armless man'

   Kelly, middle shooting during the Bluedog Photography Cambodia Tour

 

'The road ahead with no idea'by Kelly Morgan

Here's a link to an interview with Kelly Morgan on YouTube

On the street - travel photography with Linden Neill

A guest blog from Linden Neill currently of no fixed address.

Bazaar Basics

As we have been travelling around, one of the areas that we try to visit in each town are the markets. Whether it is the local produce and fish markets or the speciality bazaars (in Turkey), we find that they are stimulating to the senses with the smells, sights and sounds of the local area. Being food lovers, we also get some of the local ingredients to use in our nights cooking. They are also great areas to practice photography. There are so many different styles that can be captured is such a small space - from macros to candid portraits, abstracts and street scenes.

Image by Linden Neill

Due to weight restrictions, the camera I have brought with me is a Canon G11. I have found that a camera of this size and capability really excels in a street shooting situation. Here are some tips I have learned in this situation.

Use the custom modes if you have them. I have both of the custom modes on the G11 set-up for street shooting. One of them is set-up based on aperture priority and the other on shutter priority. I use aperture priority most of the time and shutter priority if I want some movement in the image.

Image by Linden Neill

For outdoor markets I have both set-up on Auto White-balance, while indoors I set a custom white balance for the area I'm shooting in, as each stall usually has a different temperature light.

I also have it set-up on manual focus. I leave it at about 5m focus distance. Because of the small sensor in the G11, depth of field is either huge or really huge so I find that even if what I'm shooting isn't 5m away,it will be acceptably focused. The reason for using manual focus is that all compacts are plagued by shutter lag and this goes some way to reduce it.

Image by Linden Neill

Play with the inbuilt colour settings. Before this trip I shot exclusively RAW files and processed everything, however going home with thousands of files to edit didn't interest me. Using the controls over jpeg, I can produce something pretty close to processing on the computer.

Most cameras these days have alot of settings that can be changed in respect to the jpeg files. In the G11 for example I can produce black and white, sepia, different film styles, selective colouring, swap colours in the image and make contrast adjustments. Give them a go and you might be surprised with the results.

Image by Linden Neill

Most importantly make sure you take your camera. None of these tips will matter if your camera is sitting on the shelf at home. There is always something to take a cool picture of.

Image by Linden Neill

 

The advancing lava flows and photographing panoramas for stitching

There is something humbling about standing next to lava flowing across the land. As it crackles announcing its advancement in a victorious way, the glow beneath the black bulge hints at the devastation this molten rock can cause.

Yet watching new land being formed on the youngest of all the Hawaiian Islands is a memory I will not soon loose.

Red hot lava crackles as it flows. Image by Danielle Lancaster

One house sits spared from the flow, almost as if Pele has seen a reason to allow Peggy, the owner another day of reprieve and a house down the road with the for sale sign erected seems not to be gaining a lot of attention. Next door the twisted lava now has the land at least 8 metres higher than it was the day before.

A house for sale on the lava fields Image by Danielle Lancaster

Charred utensils covered in lava are just some of the reminders of human habitation.
Image by Danielle Lancaster

Nearby, the beach township of Kalapana was once an icon of Hawaii. It’s sweeping black sand beach fringed by swaying palm trees is still seen today plastered across postcards and tourist brochures beckoning you. The reality is Kalapana Beach is now covered in deep black lava with not a grain of sand in sight.

A tip for you when visiting these fields: keep an eye on your shoes - when they start to smoke it’s time to move.

Smokin' Shoes Image by Danielle Lancaster

The coastal drive from Kalapana to Hilo is one of the most scenic I have done. To do the whole route a 4WD is required. Hilo itself I found an unimpressive town.

Our accommodation at the Hilo Hawaiian was well below standard for the price paid. My rating 3/10 and I would not bother booking here again. Polystyrene cups in my room, one serving of coffee for your stay, dirty and stained linen, a smell in the restaurant and bar that had me gagging were just a few of the points I disliked.

From Hilo we continued north to Honokaa, a small town based on plantations most now past, with a stop at the impressive 135 metre Akaka Falls. We stayed overnight at the Hotel Honokaa Club – budget accommodation but well worth the $40.00 US we paid for the night. Annelle our hostess had a great sense of humour. For Aussies the word Hotel does not necessary mean it serves alcohol, however the local patrons at the sports bar next door readily welcomed us Aussies and before long had us joining them swigging shots of Patrón tequila.

Thankfully our heads were fine the next morning for our adventure into the stunning Waipio Valley – Sacred Valley of the Kings and the revered home of Hawaii’s powerful rulers and once considered the centre of Hawaiian civilisation and politics.

The valley is surrounded by 610 metre high cliffs draped by waterfalls and finishes at a beautiful black sand beach. See wild horses and meet friendly locals who farm this fertile valley most continuing the ancient practice of kalo cultivation. Again hire a 4WD to do this drive – if you prefer to use you own horse power, this is a steep walk in and out (25% incline) so allow plenty of time.

Waipio Valley Image by Danielle Lancaster

The most common disappointment I heard from visitors while on the Big Island was not being able to capture the entire splendour in front of their eyes. A wide angle lens is a must here and if you don’t have one then consider shooting images for stitching later on.

A couple of tips for shooting images to stitch:

Take the images from the same point of view – a tripod is best to use. After you take each image recompose the image by moving the camera either vertically or horizontally no more than 70%. This should allow a 30% overlap. More overlap is better than less.

Don’t change the exposure between shots – this includes white balance and focus distance.

Avoid shooting images to stitch when your scene lighting is changing dramatically such as at sunset and sunrise.

Don’t include moving objects.
Most times it is best to take off your polarising filter or your image will look unnatural.

Shoot in RAW.

Landscapes in wide allow more of the scene we see with our own eyes to be captured.
Image by Danielle Lancaster