Covid has certainly had a huge effect across the world. However I need to state at the outset that here in my home state in Queensland, Australia, the past few months have seen life to be close to normal apart from a 3 day lockdown of Greater Brisbane. Even this did not have a huge effect on us, as we live in the City of the Gold Coast which was unaffected. We have been very fortunate!!
However we have stayed in our home state as returning from the state south of us, New South Wales mean a 14 day hotel quarantine period. So we were very pleased once this restriction was removed. We were also excited to hear that the premier Portrait Prize Exhibition in Australia, the Archibald Prize, would be visiting the Tweed Regional Gallery, just south of the Queensland / New South Wales border.
The Archibald is usually controversial in choosing the winner as it was again this year. We enjoyed viewing this exhibition, as well as one on Arthur Boyd and a lesser known artist, Kenny Pittock – check out his blog. As usual I took my camera and made a few photos while at the gallery. The view from the gallery includes Mt Warning as seen from a photo taken from inside the gallery.
There was also a couple of sculptures outside, which competed with the scenic view.
It is certainly worth a visit if you live close by.
As usual all photos were processed using Silver Efex Pro2 and Photoshop. Check out my photos on ianmarksphotography.com
Until next time (which I hope will be sooner than last time)
While staying at Winton we decided to take a day trip to Scrammy Gorge in Bladensburg National Park, a few kms south of Winton. On the way we called into “The Homestead”, an old outback station which gave us a greater appreciation of life of yesteryear. It would have been very challenging, especially in the hot summer months!
The road to the gorge was described as a 4WD track but being dry we decided to continue in our Skoda Yeti, which ended up handling the track quite well. Once at the lookout we settled in under some large shady trees for art, painting and of course lunch and a cup of billy tea.
Scrammy Gorge
I had plenty of time for photography, firstly with the Fuji X-Pro2 and then using the Fuji X-E1 which has been converted to infrared. This camera is a relatively new acquisition which has been both enjoyable and fun to use, but also challenging. The conversion to the camera I have removes all visible light so when imported straight into Lightroom the images are pink. However my IR camera preset applies an appropriate white balance which presents an image which is close to a monotone. For the technically minded it has a 720 nm filter. For more information see kolarivision.com, or life pixel.com.
On a technical side some lenses are not suitable for infrared as they suffer from lens flare. Also as infrared behaves differently to natural light, so lens behaviour is different with photos tending to be sharper in the mid aperture range rather than with the lens more wide open. It has taken some experimentation, which still continues, to determine the best lenses to use and at what aperture range they produce the sharpest results. I’ve also needed to adapt to the X-E1, which although similar to the X-Pro2, I’ve needed to learn and experiment with too.
Another factor is using a mirrorless camera, what you see when you look through the eyepiece, or on the back of the camera, is the same as what you see with the naked eye. However with an infrared converted camera this is not the case. The most noticeable difference is that foliage which has sunlight falling on it appears as white. Skies are black, but this can be seen in black and white photography too, depending on filters and processing. Also skin tones are different with smoother skin.
Initially the infrared glow was enough for me to think I had made a good photo, but as time has passed I again appreciated the importance of good composition. I have learnt to be more discerning in carefully identifying the subject of my photos and in checking how it looks as an IR photo on the back of the camera.
All of the photos displayed here were made using the Fujinon XF 14mm f2.8 lens which is an excellent lens. Other lenses which have worked well for IR photography for me are the Fujinon XF 35mm 1.4, my vintage Leica Elmarit 90mm f2.8 and Minolta MD 135mm f3.5. However the Fuji 18mm, and 60mm do produce lens flare.
So I hope you enjoy the IR photos on this blog. You can see these as well as natural light photos on my website at ianmarksphotography.com.
Rangelands is an amazing location approximately 30kms north-west of Winton. We were fortunate to be shown around by a local and given the opportunity to make some photographs for a few hours. We also shared a wine and nibbles as we watched the sunset and the moonrise. It was delightful.
I was particularly intrigued by the trees and how they survive in such a rocky, desolate environment. Unfortunately the trees which make such a nice pattern in the sunset photos are South African prickly acacia, which is now a weed in Queensland. It is ironic that seeds were distributed to station owners so that the plant could supply shade and fodder. Now it is proving quite difficult to eradicate.
Rangelands is a “jump-up”. The Age of Dinosaurs (located also near Winton) website is built also on a Jump-Up. On their website they say (https://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/page/55/australian-age-of-dinosaurs-the-jump-up) “Like much of the Winton Shire, The Jump-Up is part of the Winton Formation, which is dated around 95–98 million years old. As the cap-rock surface of The Jump-Up is solid rock it has resisted erosion throughout a period of deep weathering that has eroded the surrounding countryside.”
At Rangelands it is possible while standing on a Jump-Up, to observe another Jump-up to the east. The rock itself has eroded to form channels and outcrops which it was fun to explore. I’ll leave the photos at ianmarksphotography.com/rangelands to help you understand this wonderful part of the world.
Again I used my trusty Fuji X-Pro2 with the Fuji XF 60mm lens and processed the photos using Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro2.
I recently travelled to Winton in outback Queensland for an art trip with my wife Sue and some friends. We were lucky enough to meet up with a local lady, Sasha, who was able to take us to Rangelands Station, a few kms north of Winton on the Kennedy Developmental Road. It was an amazing landscape with many photo opportunities.
We were also fortunate to be able to visit the day after the Full Moon, so sunset and moon rise nearly occurred simultaneously. We enjoyed sunset with wine and nibbles, very nice, while taking photos of both the sunset and the moon rise.
Those people who know my photography would be aware that my photography has been exclusively black and white for over a year now. My Fuji X-Pro2 has been setup with the Fuji Acros Film Simulation so I see black and white through the viewfinder and also the back screen. I then process my photos mainly using Silver Efex Pro2 from Nik Software.
As this week started I had a preliminary look at the photos I made on the trip and started to process them. I processed this particular photo a couple of times before I was happy with it, but found the processing a bit ho-hum. I seemed to have settled into a routine with my processing, so then, after watching a few processing videos, changed my processing with the photo above being the finished product.
Usually I am satisfied with this but for the first time in quite a while I wondered what it would be like in colour. When I had a look I really liked the colour out of the camera and then used Color Efex Pro 2 (again Nik Software) to make a colour version which I was also happy with.
For those interested, I used the Fuji 60mm lens (90mm as a 35mm equivalent) to make the photo with settings f4.0 and 1/90th of a second.
I like them both as I think they tell slightly different stories. It has however, led to me to question whether I should process exclusively in black and white. For now I think I will treat each photo on its merit as either a black and white or a colour image, or maybe both! What do you think?
Check out more photos at ianmarksphotography.com .
The pandemic has had many effects as we all know. Fur Sue and I it has helped us to purposely plan to travel when we can inside our own state. So when we had picked a date, then it was choosing a location. This was super easy on this occasion as we were travelling with friends and the destination was to be the Sunshine Coast.
You never know what to expect when you enter a new camping area. What struck me most at Kookaburra Park, approximately 10kms from Kenilworth on the Maleny Kenilworth Road, was the space and the hills in and surrounding the park. There were no rows of caravans, but people parking in different places on the site with both powered and unpowered sites. Check out the plan and animals on their website – http://www.kookaburrapark.com.au. The amenities were clean and well maintained. We camped with friends in “The Garden” and found it to be a pleasant and enjoyable stay.
My first venture was into Kenilworth to explore and also pick up some paper maps for bush-walking and sights in the surrounding areas. Kenilworth is a small town in The Mary Valley, with dairy farming being the main industry. The town is known for the cheese factory and the bakery which makes donuts. Now I am not a big fan of donuts, so I’m really the wrong person to give a review. I had a couple and enjoyed them. They had a great range of donuts and their coffee was good too. Unfortunately we missed the cheese factory.
Sue was off painting during the day and I spent time taking exploring the national parks, taking photos and bush-walking. I intended to process photos on my laptop, but discovered early on that I left the power plug at home, and as the battery is nearly dead, that was the end of photo processing, which was unfortunate as you will soon find out.
The information Centre in Kenilworth supplied some maps and information and so I ventured down to Charlie Moreland Camping Area, on the banks of Litte Yabba Creek. This is a large camping area (no power) with multiple facilities and looked to be a peaceful place to camp. The road to the camp was dirt with some corrugations but presented no other challenges.
There were two walks – Little Yabba Creek Circuit, and Picabeen Circuit (named after the palms) which is an extension of the Little Yabba Creek Circuit, a total distance of 5kms. With photo stops it took a little over 2 hours to walk. It was an easy track to walk and navigate.
I enjoyed the scenery on the walk. It was virtually entirely within the forest and for photography I settled on using my 60mm Fuji XF lens (90mm equivalent on a 35mm camera) . The nature of the forest was such that most photos were taken where the sun lit up the scene, so there were quite a few photos of small subjects and looking up to the sun.
I like being prepared for photography when bushwalking, so I had packed lenses that I thought I might use and carried my Slik Sprint Pro II GM tripod which I have owned and used for a few years now. It is a great little tripod, if only I chose to use it more. All too often, instead of taking the time to set it up, I hand hold the camera and make the photo. I usually check the histogram, but not always the focus. In the past I have got away with it, especially with wide angle and normal lenses, but using a longer lens up close in low light taught me again not to overestimate the shutter speed below which I can hand hold the camera and get a well-focussed photo. I usually have a quick review of my photos on my laptop but this didn’t happen unfortunately, so I didn’t notice the camera movement issue until I returned home.
The following day, I drove down Baloumba Creek Road to the Conondale National Park. While the first section of the road was bitumen, this soon changed to dirt with a couple of creek crossings. The guide suggested that this part of the road was only suitable for 4WD’s, so I took the cautious approach with our SUV and decided to walk to the day use area, and then pick up the track from there.
The road into the park involved two creek crossings which were quite easy, The second creek offered some good photo opportunities.
The hardest part of the walk was from Day Use Area 1 to connect with the main walking track. This first day I decided to walk to the old Gold Mine (not much to see) and return. The main walk followed alongside the creek, sometimes quite high up, and was easy walking with the path being quite wide. One highlight was the Stangler Cairn, built from rocks.
On the second day I walked without stopping to the point where I had turned around the day before and then continued on to the Artists Cascade. On this second day I encountered more walkers who were completing the Great Walk. The Artists Cascades were a good stopping point to enjoy this small waterfall.
The week prior to taking this trip, I had purchased a second-hand Fuji X-E1 which had been converted to infrared. I was interested in this as it would add some variety to my Black and White photography. This was the first trip with the camera, so I experimented with the camera and different lenses around the campsite. Normally landscape photographers tend to prefer early morning or late afternoons, but infrared is best used in the middle of the day in bright light. The infrared shows the green of plants as white, with the sky often quite dark which makes for an interesting effect.
I also took this camera when I completed the “Jurassic Trail” within the caravan park. The trail itself was at times overgrown, steep and the grass was also quite high. However it afforded some good views and opportunities to get close to some Bunya Pines in the wild. I enjoyed using the infrared camera and looked forward to processing them once I returned home.
You can see more photos at ianmarksphotography.com.
It was wonderful news when we learnt that we were once again able to drive up to 500kms and to camp. As luck would have it, we (Sue, my wife, and I) were able to link up with another couple so Sue could enjoy a painting trip and I could listen in as well as make some photos and enjoy the outdoors.
The destination was Lake Moogerah, a drive of an hour and a half and just over 110kms. Lake Moogerah is a dam located above the Fassifern Valley with the nearest town Aratula 11kms from the dam and Boonah the nearest major centre. We enjoyed good coffee from the fruit and veg shop at Aratula.
The dam, built between 1959 and 1961, supplies drinking water to Boonah and Ipswich, irrigation water for local farmers and is used by a gas turbine power station located at Swanbank. When we visited, the dam was quite low as can be seen in the photo below.
The Lake Moogerah Caravan Park, is quite large with powered and unpowered sites for caravans and camping. It is a popular boating and fishing destination, although we just enjoyed being out in nature and the painters had numerous views to choose from. The lake is surrounded by private land; farms and the camping establishments.
The most dominant landmark was Mount Greville, which to me looked like an elephant’s trunk and head. Mt Greville forms a national park with the peak being 767m high. Moogerah Peaks National Park also is near the lake, all being part of the Scenic Rim formed by volcanic activity.
Most of my photos were taken early in the morning with one morning having good mist effects. All photos were taken with my Fuji X-Pro2. Photos on the website, ianmarksphotography.com, are presented in order of being taken. The first morning I used a vintage Minolta 24mm lens which on the Fuji is a 35mm equivalent. Then switched to a vintage Leica 90mm (135mm equivalent) lens and then the wide angle views were taken with a Fuji XF 14mm (21mm) lens. With a few of the Leica photos I used some ND filters to enable a longer exposure time to obtain the milky water effect.
All in all, it was a great time of camping, exploring and creating, apart from a couple of very windy nights.
Flower photography was my focus during January, but as February approached I was determined to change my focus. I chose Jacobs Well, a coastal suburb of the northern Gold Coast positioned on the delta of the Pimpama River. As it is close to home, I was able to visit it on a number of times in the early morning with quite different conditions which provided good opportunities for photography.
The village is popular for boating, fishing and water sports with a small beach, boat ramp, tackle shop and ample parking. There is also a Volunteer Marine Rescue Station based there. The caravan park borders the carpark.
Differing light and weather conditions gave the opportunity to make photographs of different light, moods and emphasis.
There was also a variety of activities occurring to create interest and different subjects.
I’m looking forward to revisiting this area again soon. Just need to remember to take the Insect Repellent. The midges can be savage!
Check out more photos at ianmarksphotography.com. Enjoy!
My first Fuji camera was a Fuji XT1, which I bought in Melbourne. I like trying things out, so once I got home, I put on the 35mm lens (50mm equivalent) and headed out to Box Hill Central, which has a strong Asian focus. After the Canon 5D, the camera felt small and so I didn’t feel like I would be noticed as much, even though I probably just looked like a tourist.
For all that, I happily made a few photos worth processing, which I am pleased to look at again nearly a year later. I used the camera pretty much as usual apart from zone focusing and thinking about the composition without using the camera. Then lift it up and press the shutter quite quickly. I felt like I had made a good beginning and felt quite comfortable using the camera, maybe because it was such a busy, bustling environment.
A year on, I don’t feel as comfortable. Maybe it is because the XT1 covered my face much more than the X-Pro2. Perhaps it is because I am using my camera in less busy environments.
Over the last two weeks I have visited the Queensland Art Gallery and also spent some time at the Mt Coot-tha Lookout which overlooks Brisbane City and thought I would have another try at street photography type photos.
On both occasions I used the much maligned, but very small, Fuji 18mm lens (27mm equivalent). I also decided to shoot from the hip. I tend to zone focus, and then with the shutter on electronic (silent) mode I take photos quietly and hopefully without drawing attention to myself. Using the wider angle lens I find I need to get closer but with the bigger sensor on the X-Pro2 I also have more scope to crop the image. I turned the back screen off too, so I only see how the photos turn out once I start editing. A surprise (or disappointment) much like the film days.
With a wide angle lens, I can also include people in the scene which also leads to more interesting photos.
After looking at this last set of photos I thought I would find out more about shooting from the hip. I searched it on Duck Duck Go search engine (it doesn’t track you) and discovered Johnny Stiletto. If you know nothing about him check him out here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/8749783/Banksy-with-a-camera.html.
I remember my first camera well – a Minolta XE1 film camera which I loved using with the MinoltaMD 24mm f2.8 lens. I still have the camera and Minolta lenses and recently learnt that the XE1 was made in conjunction with Leica! Wow! Unfortunately one day the shutter jammed and the camera went into retirement. At times I dream of repairing it and shooting film, but I’ll write about that another day.
This signalled the change to digital – a Canon EOS 300D with a 50mm lens. As time passed I upgraded to a Canon 40D as well as buying an assortment of lenses. I remember my favourite was the 17-40mm lens, which was used a majority of the time for landscape photos. When photographing with a friend (a Nikon owner), we often discussed how good it would be to own a full frame camera and eventually I became the owner of a Canon 5D Mark II and 4 Canon lenses. It was an excellent kit and I really enjoyed making photos with it. I was also happy with the photos and thought that this was all I needed.
And it was for when I went on a photoshoot. All the gear fitted into a camera backpack and I could hang the tri-pod off the bottom. It worked well!
One of my other hobbies is bushwalking, and it is here where I wasn’t sure. I had a little Canon 50mm f1.4 lens which I often used, taking multiple photos to stitch together, or else cropping a photo to zoom in. Or else I would use the 17 – 40 f4.0 which I enjoyed using, but it was still big and heavy. I have also travelled in NSW and Victoria over the last couple of years and gradually became disillusioned with the size and weight of this equipment. I loved the quality, but was looking for a quality product which was smaller and lighter.
And then one day I discovered the “Aladdin’s Cave” of camera gear in Melbourne – Camera Exchange. You could spend hours here.
And so one morning, my Canon gear was exchanged for my new Fuji kit, an X-Pro 2 and 3 Fuji lens equivalent to 27mm, 50mm and 90mm! Much smaller, lighter and still great quality! I was hooked.
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