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:

Photographing autumn foliage

Words and images by Danielle Lancaster
 

For the past ten days I have been visiting Japan during the changing of the leaves as autumn kicks into full swing. Japan is renowned as one of the best places on Earth to witness the colours of autumn. While many of the locals are saying this year the colours are not at their best, the sea of golden yellows, oranges and reds have for me been a thrill to see and photograph.

Colour is an important compositional tool in photography and we use it in all genres. Colour can tell a story, therefore the placement of colours in the image is very important.

When photographing the colours of autumn try using the strongest colours in the foreground as this will really grab your viewer’s full attention. Look for patterns and line to connect elements from the foreground to the background.

 Red is a stronger colour then green or yellow.
The image above is not as dynamic as the red is in the background while the
image below is more dramatic as the red is now in the foreground.

Find colours that are complementary, this is easy in autumn. For example: brilliant yellow leaves contrast against a bright blue sky. Try looking to the ground for a red leaf on green grass or against a pile of yellow leaves can make for striking images.

Keep your images simple. Minimalism is powerful so look to isolate a tree or leaf to make a strong focal point.

I generally find underexposing my autumn images brings out the vibrancy and gives the colours the saturation level as seen by our human eye.

We’ll have more tips for photographing autumn coming up both here on our blog and on You-tube.

For more information on the Bluedog Autumn in Japan Photography Tours please visit www.blue-dog.com.au or email us at info@blue-dog.com.au

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

Photography Style - Is it Important?

By Danielle Lancaster
While looking through some images yesterday, I was reminded of one thing I preach.

‘Each time you pick up the camera, work on your style.’

The topic, ‘having your style’ has been niggling at photographers since the first capture. Why is it so important? Do so many aim to be a Master of the Lens? And if so, what does this mean?

Being a master, I believe, is having an eye for light and composition and an element of Lady Luck on your side. It comes firstly from patience.

Each time I pick up my camera I aim to gain at least one image for a folio and hence this image catching my eye yesterday. It fits perfectly into my framing folio.

Folios can be comprehensive. A couple of mine are: frames; portraits, wildlife, textures.....the list goes on and yes you would expect that after 20+ years in the industry. However, each time I pick up my camera, no matter for fun or work, I aim to push myself to add at least one image to a folio. Then I have succeeded in pushing myself another step. Do you?

Image (C) Danielle Lancaster 2010
Injune, Queensland, Australia

New Nikon Coolpix P7000

Now this is one camera us Nikon users here at Bluedog are keen to try out.
Due for release next week in stores across Australia, it could well give the Canon G11 a run for its money.

Yes, I have a Canon in my kit. I grabbed the G9 after rave reviews from colleges and while I have been a bit if a Nikon fan, there has been a huge gap in this arena between the two and I am the first to admit Canon, to date has been winning. Could this change?

Nikon claims the COOLPIX P7000 ‘combines advanced shooting functions and simple operability in a compact body that looks, feels and performs like a digital SLR. Features include a high performance NIKKOR lens, Zoom Memory function and Long Exposure NR, providing greater control over shooting and resulting images.’

No doubt its list of features is impressive, and as a photographer who requires a good quality professional’s compact that can perform like a digital SLR, this is catching my eye, especially at only approx. 360 g and for a couple of extra grams I can add an external speedlight. But has Nikon caught up? Let’s see.

Street photojournalism in areas such as Burma where these two images were taken by Danielle Lancaster is often much easier with a point and shoot.

Our top 5 features from Nikon’s claim to fame list:

1. An effective pixel count of 10.1 million pixels and a 7.1× optical zoom NIKKOR lens with a zoom range beginning at the wide-angle 28mm focal length (equivalent with 35mm [135] format)

A large CCD image sensor, high-performance NIKKOR lens and new image-processing engine—EXPEED C2—that achieves greater image quality and faster image processing, have been adopted for rendering capability that enables capture of photographic works of art.


i. Large 1/1.7-inch RGB CCD image sensor Individual pixels with greater pitch enable richer tonal expression and a broader dynamic range for excellent image quality, even with shooting at high sensitivities.
ii. NIKKOR lens A lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) function and two ED lens elements that effectively suppress chromatic aberration have been adopted for the 7.1× optical zoom NIKKOR lens that covers a wide range of focal lengths from the wide-angle 28mm to telephoto 200mm (equivalent with 35mm [135] format). These features of the NIKKOR lens enable capture of sharp, high-resolution images.
iii. Built-in ND filter: Enables a three-stop decrease in shutter speed. This allows you to apply slower shutter speeds when shooting in bright surroundings.
iv. 6-blade iris diaphragm


2. Specify zoom focal length and register camera settings
i. Zoom memory
This function allows you to easily specify a preset focal length with zoom photography. As zoom can immediately be switched from a wide-angle position to a specified telephoto focal length, capturing images at the intended angle of view is fast and easy.
ii. User setting modes
Up to three combinations of settings specified by the user can be registered by the camera. Simply rotate the mode dial to apply registered settings and achieve the intended results quickly.


3. Superior rendering with shooting at high sensitivities in dark surroundings
i. Low noise night mode
The camera automatically detects surrounding brightness and controls noise while applying a higher ISO sensitivity setting.
ii. Noise reduction filter
The level of noise reduction processing performed can be adjusted according to shooting intent.
iii. Long exposure NR
Reduces the noise that occurs with shooting in dark surroundings at slow shutter speeds.


4. High-speed response that ensures certain capture of fleeting scenes
Preserve precious photos with instant capture of sudden movements or fleeting expressions. A power-up time of approximately 0.95 seconds and a shooting time lag of approximately 0.23 seconds ensure quick response to sudden photo opportunities.


• Power-up time measured according to CIPA guidelines. Shooting time lag measured according to Nikon standards: 28mm focal length (equivalent in 35mm [135] format), shooting distance of 2 m, ambient brightness of LV 10; images recorded to 4-GB Class 10 SDHC memory card.


5. Tone level information display for checking exposure
The new tone level information function not only allows users to verify exposure with a histogram (graph showing brightness distribution), but also allows them to choose the desired tone (brightness) from nine levels.


• The horizontal axis shows the number of pixels and the vertical axis shows luminosity.

Just another feature we think is tops for those of us who see the world a little curved.