Bluedog Photography Heads to Injune and Carnarvon Gorge - Day 1

Our first day on the road has been a big one! We left the mountain with the Bluedog truck not quiet packed to capacity a little before 5.30am. This was an hour after we had scheduled, and for that we can thank Miss Augustine and maybe a bottle or two of fine red while packing last night - am still wondering what clothes I may have packed.

The run down the highway was uneventful except for Therese and I rating the tradies on their way to work - she’s a tough one on that! Then it was up the range to Toowoomba and beyond onto the long open roads and westward bound into the wide open spaces.

It’s been a day of new discoveries and new photography adventures for my travelling companions. Jake and Therese ventured into the water Steve Parish style photographing a water lily now extinct in its natural habitat at Chinaman’s Lagoon in Miles.

“This was sick. I would never have done this if Danielle had not ‘pushed’ me to do it. If I went there I would normally put my big lens on and just shoot from the bank and by going in I could try different angles and get a better shot,” said Jake.

Jake saw his first eagle in the wild, we photographed grass trees on a sandy remote track north of Roma, spotted camels and no doubt Therese and I have educated our junior travelling companion in many topics of interest outside of photography.

We are now settled on a 30,000 acre property north west of Injune at the foot of the magnificent Central Queensland Sandstone Belt. Our abode for the night is the “Tin Hilton’ (the shearer’s quarters) Mt Moffett looms high behind us, the dingoes are howling and the stars are twinkling so we are set for some star trails later tonight. Check you all tomorrow!

Please note: all images are being shot in RAW and jpeg but we are not editing on the road so only unedited jpegs are being loaded.

Jake  goes "Steve Parish' style to capture a rare water lily.

Therese does not hesitate and hits the cool water to photograph the rare lilies.
(If Therese had not done this we may have had to push Jake!)

The Bluedog vehicle along the Graften Terrace Track north of Roma in Queensland.

Image Stabilisation – in lens or in camera – is it worth it?

Image stabilisation (IS) is not a new technology, however due to marketing a lot of confusion has been generated to the benefits of IS in both lenses and those digital cameras which feature IS in-camera.

To firstly understand what IS does and why you may need a lens/camera with the IS feature it is important to understand what actually causes blurred images.

1. Camera Shake
   Camera shake is caused by pressing the shutter release button and moving the camera during the exposure. Every time we press the shutter we cause some amount of movement. This may be ever so slight and depending on how steady you are, blurriness can go unnoticed.
   
   There are other factors that contribute to each person’s level of ‘steadiness’ such as age, medication, sleep deprivation, sugar levels etc. Even if you have ‘sniper-steady’ hands there are shutter speeds you will not be able to hand hold without causing blur.
   
   The likelihood of camera shake increases as the focal length used increases. As focal length increases, the slight movement of the camera get magnified and therefore the chance of blurred images increases. (See previous blog ‘Reciprocal of Focal Length Rule of Thumb’.
2. Subject Movement
   Caused when your subject moves during the exposure, that is: while the shutter is open and the camera is recording the scene.

Also called Anti-Shake, Vibration Reduction, IS may be optical (in lens) or image sensor based (in-camera) and counters the effect of camera shake ONLY. It makes no difference to your exposure settings. The technology, and in jumps the physics of photography, ‘moves either a lens element (optical image stabilization or O.I.S. or simply IS) or the image sensor (CCD Shift) to compensate for camera shake. In doing so, it eliminates, or reduces the likelihood of obtaining blurred images due to camera shake. It helps to ‘steady’ the image projected back in camera by the use of a ‘floating’ optical element. Canon IS stabilised lenses have as a IS suffix after their name, Nikon uses the VR "Vibration Reduction" suffix on their image stabilised Nikkor lenses.

So let’s return to the original question: Image Stabilisation – in lens or in camera – is it worth it?

Once again there are positives and negatives to both options and even to having IS at all. It basically gets down to the environment you are shooting in and your subject.

One could try and argue that all you have to do to counter balance low shutter speeds and camera shake is to increase the ISO, however in all but the higher end professional bodies shooting at high ISO ratings produces noise. Fine if all you wish to produce is 6”x4” prints or web based images but high ISO also produces a decrease in image quality. Even for the keen enthusiast this combination quickly becomes unacceptable.

Take this example: You are using a 60mm lens, the reciprocal of focal length rule of thumb says we need to use a shutter speed of 1/60^th or faster to eliminate camera shake. But the light is low, you don’t want to increase your ISO for the reasons outlined above and you are either using your maximum aperture or require a certain depth of field at the aperture you have chosen, and you need to use a slower shutter speed such as 1/15^th to gain a correctly exposed image. If a tripod is not an option then you cannot hand hold the camera without there being blur from camera shake. Using IS allows us to take our exposure 2-3 stops below that required so now with this scenario we are able to hand hold without worrying about camera shake. If the light drops another 2 stops and say we require a shutter speed of ¼ the IS will not eliminate it totally but it will reduce it.

There are a few situations this becomes advantageous:
Adventure Traveller/Photographer:  No one can argue - 2 stops from IS is 2 stops worth of advantage and carrying a tripod, no matter how light they are now being produced, can be cumbersome especially if you are trekking, kayaking, biking etc.

Those that need to use long focal length lenses: Such as nature, wildlife and sports photographers who need to use long focal length lenses and hand hold these 2 stops are invaluable.

In-low situations where the subject may be moving: and this includes breathing where you either don’t want to use flash or flash is not an option. This is particularly of assistance to portrait and wedding photographers.

Image stabilised lenses and cameras are heavier. Yes, some may be only 100 grams but when carrying all your gear e very gram adds up in the pack or on the back.

IS also means a new set of components or moving parts. This is now another thing that can breakdown and need repair. If it’s the lens that contains IS then the lens needs to be sent away, if it’s the camera then you need to be aware you may lose the body for 1-2 weeks (or more).  If I had the choice I know which one I would prefer to be without.

It is also reported IS lenses do not last as long although there is no concrete evidence we can find on this. For most photographers lenses are a longer-term investment than camera bodies – they will spend more money on good glass. If IS lenses do in fact have a shorter life span I feel many will not notice it due to the time between the purchase  and the ‘breakdown’.

IS lenses are more expensive than those that don’t have it. There has to be something added on for R&D. If you are a landscape photographer who uses a tripod it is useless, in fact you need to have it turned off! If you are shooting outdoors in bright sunny conditions or in a studio under controlled lighting it also would be of little benefit as the shutter speed being used would be appropriate for the focal length of the lens being used.

With in-camera IS, users have the advantage of having IS available with almost any lens they wish to use – sometimes a big bonus.

In fact, we could say in some cases IS is almost a virtual tripod.

Both in-camera and lens IS have their advantages and disadvantages. For general interest shooters there is an obvious benefit with in-body IS. Individually we all have to make an informed judgement for ourselves. Will the leaders of the photography pack, Canon and Nikon be introducing in-body IS in their higher end SLR digital in the future?  Only time will tell.

 Thanks to Michelle Waller for kindly allowing us to use these two images taken during a Bluedog Beginner Photography Workshop.

The above image was taken with the lens Image Stabilisation on and camera mounted on tripod.
The only difference in the image below is IS was turned off.

 

Photography by Michelle Waller

‘Reciprocal of Focal Length’ Rule of Thumb

Is a simple photography ‘rule’ that to be able to handhold a camera without noticeable camera shake in the image the shutter speed should be at least the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens being used.

As we said it’s simple: use a 50mm lens you would need a shutter speed of /50^th sec or faster to obtain an image without noticeable camera shake. With zooms this applies through the range: 70-200mm is 1/70^th sec at 70mm and at 200mm you should be using 1/200^th sec.

This is NOT the same as image stabilisation. (See next Blog)

There are 3 ways to increase the shutter speed and make it faster:

1. Open up the aperture.
2. Increase the ISO.
3. Use flash

If these are not an option then it’s onto a tripod for the only way to get that shot.

This is also why it is so important to stand properly when photographing and hold your camera correctly. With you left leg forward you have a much more stable position over the ground. With your hand under the lens barrel you support it and there is no chance of pushing the barrel, even ever so slightly during the pressing of the shutter (another downward movement).

This may effectively give those who are a little more ‘stable’ another stop exposure. Some people should be enlisted as sniper’s, they are so steady, while there are some who can’t hand hold at all due to medical conditions but this should not stop them enjoying photography. There are ways around this.

Never rely on your cameras preview image to assess your camera shake – unless it’s blindingly obvious. This is a preview screen and when you get back and look at the image on your computer any signs of image shake will be more apparent.

There are factors to consider like wind causing camera strap movement and even tripod movement that can contribute to camera shake. Even the photographers own lifestyle can play a part: are you on medication, had enough sleep, eaten today, dehydrated, cold, consumed alcohol recently, drunk much coffee, coke and the list goes on.

Some images can be pulled into acceptable ‘sharpness’ by using digital editing options such as the High Pass Filter in Photoshop. This increases the contrast of pixels of differing colours and therefore apparently making the images look sharper to the naked eye (as in the image below) and allow it to be acceptable for print. However, these modern day dark room options will NOT fix a completely blurred image as processing programs do have limitations so let’s try and get it right in camera first. 

Reciprocal of Focal Length Rule of Thumb is a handy and easy ‘rule’ of photography and at least with photography we are allowed to break the rules!

Image by Danielle Lancaster

National Geographic - Photographs to Inspire

With the passing of the first April don’t be a complete fool and miss out picking up one of the best mags on the shelves for photography: National Geographic.

While the ever important to many, exposure settings for the images contained within the glossy pages are not given away, it is always full of inspiration and the March edition is no different.

The main feature on wolves is good, the images exceptional captures of wildlife taken wild. But there is far more.

It has me pulling out a world map trying to work out how I can trail bike ride from Asia to Africa and visit the tribes in Ethiopia, claimed to be Africa’s last frontier. Since they have discovered red bras time is of an essence.

Or will first be a trip to Peru and hiring a chopper with of course, no doors or a light aircraft that I can have the doors both sides open to photograph the ancient Nasca lines. I concede; it has to be a chopper and maybe the bike ride should be first.

The image of Beijing’s glass and titanium National Centre, gleaming like an out of space egg, has me wondering why I didn’t see it when in Beijing last year – what happened China Tourism and Helen Wong Tours? What an amazing structure!

The slithering Texas Coral Snakes, a double exposure, first has me examining it for digital editing before reading the caption.

The ‘Fatal Attraction’ images of carnivorous plants cannot be missed. Fabulous macro and lighting techniques combined with the use of contrast and colour for composition can be observed with all images undertaken in the on-location studios. This would have been an interesting experience to be involved in with images from many countries in the world, including my home state Queensland, Australia.

Thanks National Geographic! I have been reading you and admiring the images now for too many years that I wish to claim here publicly and they are always of a superb standard and fire my inspiration into gear. I am sure others would be the same. Don’t ever compromise – you are the best and we eagerly await April’s edition to hit the shelves!

Photography Memories at Easter

With the coming of Easter 2010 this blog is a little more personal as my memories have been drawn back to when the Easter bunny that came to my house was replaced with the Easter Bilby.

During a very long trip to document and collect images and stories from Queensland’s outback, my path crossed that of Peter McRae. Now for those that don’t know Peter he is not your average ‘Jo Blow’.

In tow I had my three children and we were living out of a tent while I was working and schooling them via Charleville School of the Air (thanks all at CSA – you were fabulous).

Immediately we were drawn to the cause this quiet achiever was working for. In his clasp lay whether such a cute Aussie animal in a state of peril due to the fact we had introduced the fox and cat to our large island would survive or not. (nothing against cat lovers J)

So as it is here: its boots and all or not at all. We helped build an amazing fence where Bilbies are now breeding and playing; documented and wrote about the Bilby’s plight and the man behind saving them. At the tender age of … ,my daughter was also impressed by Peter’s devotion to these helpless creatures and set about organising a ‘free dress day’ in Queensland public schools  where proceeds went directly to the research being undertaken by the ‘boy from the bush’.

Our dedication to the cause went so far as to carting bilbies around; having them for sleep over’s in my toilet (if this does happen to you please make sure the toilet lid is down), my boys testing trackers, and loads more too long for this blog, however the best memories are the ones that I took with my camera.

Like the image I have of John, one of my sons the day he met Peter, after he had given him his entire money box to help save the bilbies. Pete checking the Bilby fence on a clear skyed winter day and seeing the look in his eyes reflecting the realisation that miracles do happen and people do listen.  Us all partying with Sherrie and Moc at the Hungerford Hotel – another tick to the list!

There’s an image that sticks in my mind of the sun setting through a newly finished sculpture, those who had been chiselling and carving on the project were happily toasting their efforts of a job well done as they stood around a vehicle behind me trying to coax me to join them. I kept insisting ‘yes soon’. I was sure the light would come on through one of the sculptures on the right angle, and if it did I would only have a few seconds to capture it – I was right!

There are images of my daughter dressed in a Bilby suit for the fence opening at Currawinya National Park and others of my youngest son attending ‘ranger school’ with distance educational kids and beside them sat children that attended ‘normal ‘ school who had escaped to the outback for the big fence opening – at moments like these there WAS no difference.

So Easter this year does bring a flood of memories back. The Bilbies are breeding inside the fence – a bit like rabbits. Pete is still toiling away in outback Queensland and now helping with the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat fence. And I have those special memories and a feeling of gratitude that through my images and writing I have aroused awareness in this important fight for survival.

There are many charities out there, I agree, and what you choose to support and what not, it is totally up to you.  With Bilbies, it’s easy, just buy a chocolate Bilby at Easter and replace the feral bunny.  If you are ever in Charleville call in and see the Bilby Experience at the Charleville Visitor Information Centre.

Above all, let Easter bring back some memories , savour family time, and  hopefully capture some new ones for the record in years to come.

By notes:  The whole collection of images for the region took Danielle almost 2 years to photograph. All images were taken on 35mm and 6x7” transparencies (slide film).  Her favourite memories: ‘the people, places and faces.’

The Bilby Experience:  April- mid October Monday,  Wednesdays, Friday and Sunday nights from 6.00pm
Bookings:  07 4654 7771

More: www.savethebilbyfund.org

 Peter McRae and a Bilby

Pete checking the fence.

One of the sculptures.

The road into Cuurrawinya.

Where is Currawinya?

Photographing Fungi

After the recent wet weather that has lashed many parts of Queensland lately - as I write this it is falling once again ever so gently – I am reminded that along with the humidity we have experienced in the forest fungi will be blooming – well if that’s what you call it.

One of the more interesting plants of the forest to photograph, fungi can present challenges to any photographer.

Many novices, due to the environment fungi grow in being dark, revert to using on-camera flash. This direct lighting kills the texture and produces harsh, ugly shadows. Therefore a tripod and a cable release, remote or using your camera’s self timer is a must! The simple pressure of your finger on the shutter will, and I repeat will cause camera shake.

The best lighting to photograph fungi is an overcast day. This gives a diffused even light courtesy of nature itself.

If flash is to be used it should be off-camera and diffused. Reflectors are also often necessary in photographing fungi. In one of the images below I have simply used alfoil to reflect light back into the underside of the fungi.

Depth of Field (DOF) is critical in fungi photography, no matter if you are working with a true macro lens or not. Most fungi are very small and if you are working in macro the old rule of DOF of 1/3 in front and 2/3rds behind goes out the door. It’s now 50-50. Your focus point is then critical and should not most probably be the front edge of the cap of the fungi.

Focusing should also be done manually and the last final focus should not be done using the focus ring but by actually moving the camera.

In the newer cameras live view is wonderful. You are often working close to the ground and other than there are things crawling and slithering on the moist earth, the live view is a beneficial tool as it allows you to zoom in, focus and take the exposure without often lying prone on the frequently wet earth of a rainforest floor.

Mirror lock-up is also a handy in-camera tool. The first press of your shutter locks the mirror up and therefore you have no view. The second press releases the shutter and hence decreases shake from the mirror.

Did you know?
A mushroom is the part of a group of plants called fungi that contain no chlorophyll.
The mushroom is the part that appears above ground. It is the fruiting body of the plant, and the spores the mushroom produces are the reproductive units. Due to the lack of chlorophyll, fungi do not produce food and survive by metabolizing organic material. The parts of a mushroom include the cap, the gills that produce the spores (usually under the cap) and the stalk. Well a little science and know how can’t hurt us can it?A good Read:

Want to read a great book about photographing fungi?
Then check out “Photographing Fungi in the Field” by George McCarthy. George McCarthy has been a professional photographer since 1986 and specialises in the flora and fauna of the British Isles, with a particular interest in fungi. He has put his experience and knowledge to good use in writing this book.

Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications
ISBN 1-86108-263-3

Images (c) by Danielle Lancaster

World Press Photo Disqualifies Photographer!

Today the World Press Photo announced that “after careful consultation with the jury, [it has] determined that is was necessary to disqualify Stepan Rudik, winner of the 3rd prize story in Sports Features, due to violation of the rules of the World Press Photo Contest."

Ukraine-based photographer, won the prize for his story "Street fighting, Kiev, Ukraine".

No doubt this will commence many discussions on the word manipulation and what is acceptable in the modern world. 

How did they know? The organisation added in their release: "Following the announcement of the contest results, it came to the attention of World Press Photo that Rudik's story had violated a contest rule. After requesting RAW-files of the series from him, it became clear that an element had been removed from one of the original photographs."

What was removed – apparently a foot. World Press added the new rule last year that "the content of an image must not be altered" ...... "only retouching which conforms to currently accepted standards in the industry is allowed".  

World Press Photo says: "In the opinion of the jury, the photographer ventured beyond the boundary of what is acceptable practice. Consequently, this judgment left World Press Photo no choice but to disqualify Rudik." 

So once again the debate of what is manipulated and what is not is bought to the forefront. What can and can’t we do in our new digital darkroom? No doubt a debate that will continue for a long time.