Camping - Gordon Country and Namadgi

Over the Easter break I flew up to Brissi and went camping with my brother and a few mates. The place we went to is known as Gordon Country, and is traditional bush camping next to a creek. Then, a couple of weeks later my brother and a few friends went camping in Namadgi National Park in the ACT. Again, this was typical bush camping.


Both trips gave me a good chance to take a few pics, and to get out the tripod or High ISOs for some low light shots around the campfire.

 

f5.6, 1/100, ISO640 

(As the sun was going down over the river, I thought I should at least try to catch a good shot. I think I may have been a little too early, as I couldn't quite seem to get the pic I wanted. I did a bit of playing around with the contrast and colours on this one on the PC, and got this to a point where it is OK)

 f4.5, 30 sec, ISO100

(I quite like this one, a long 30 second exposure at a low ISO with a tripod. The big log moved a bit because the boys on the other side were kicking the fire to throw up the sparks. Still, I think even with the "not completely in focus" log, it's a good effect)

 F6.3, 1/250, ISO100

(I think these prickly bushes look pretty cool, so tried to get a focused shot of one with the kangaroos in the background. It worked, but the shot was taken at pretty much the worst time of the day (midday))

 

 f3.5, 1/30, ISO2500

(This is was one of the first time's I had taken my camera up to some of the higher ISO settings. I didn't have the tripod with me at this stage, so had to rely on hand-held, but i think the lighting and the great big fire came out really well)

 f4.5, 1/60, ISO 400

(After putting a log on the fire, we looked at one end and noticed a swarm of ants pouring out! This is a bit of a basic "snap")

 f5, 1/60, ISO400

(just a possum)

Fireworks - Skyfire 2011

Last weekend was Skyfire - a firework show which is held over Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra on a yearly basis. I originally wasn't planning on going along, and the on/off again rain of the night didn't do much to help.  I did however, receive a tripod for my Birthday recently, so at the last minute I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to test out taking some photos of fireworks.

I did my research beforehand...

http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv/photojournalism/fireworks-photography-tips

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/digitalcameras/tips-for-photographing-fireworks/974

 
... and determined the general consensus on taking good firework pictures seemed to be low ISO, long exposure, manual focus and a mid range aperture.

As I do not have a shutter release cable, I had to set the self timer to 2 seconds, then press the button before I expected the fireworks to be visible. As a result, using shorter exposures (such as 1 second) didn't seem to capture the moment as I intended as the timing was too difficult. For a solution, I opted for longer exposures (ranging from 4  - 30 seconds) making it impossible to miss the action.

On  side note, after coming home I decided (a) I did want a remote shutter release, but (b) I wanted one cheaply, so I jumped on eBay and have ordered myself the following Infared Remote Shutter Release. For $5.49 it will be interesting to see how it goes!

Some of the results...

f/11, 3.2s, ISO 100

f/11, 13s, ISO 320

f/11, 5s, ISO 125

Landscapes

Over the last couple of weeks I've decided I like landscape pics - both looking and taking. I think it is because I enjoy doing almost anything outdoors - and taking landscapes involves getting out and about - a perfect combination of my interests!

Considering this, I've taken my camera with me a couple of mornings on my ride to work. Once winter kicks in with a bit more force the lake will have a low fog and the sun will be rising far later so I think there should be a few chances to get a good shot or two.

For the time being however, this is a sample of what I've managed.

 

f11, 1/125s, ISO 100

f7.1, 1/50s, ISO 100