Trip to Melbourne - Jan11

Jenn and I spent a long weekend in Melbourne. We stayed with Chris (her brother) and he showed us all the key sights and the interesting back streets that make the city interesting in my opinion.

I love all the street art and quirky cafes and hidden areas. Here are a sample of shots from our trip.





Above two: vibrant street art near city centre





Above two: Queen Victoria Market

Below: More street art







Below four: St Kilda, including the pier











Above: View from observation tower of the city

HDR Shoot - Pyrmont - Jan11

I have always been interested in HDR photography as it compensates for the lack of dynamic range within modern digital cameras. I usually expose 3-5 shots for each image then blend them together using Photomatix. Sometimes the effect can look surreal, almost cartoon-like. However if done well it can look terrific!

I've decided this year to spend more time wandering around Sydney looking for these sort of opportunities - watch this space!





Above two shots: The abandoned Edwin Davey & Son's Flour Mill



Above: Looking into a rail tunnel, close to the flour mill

Toy Town Creative Shots - Oct09

I was reading an article in Digital Camera about how to make landscape shots appear as though they are small models - this technique works especially well where you are looking down onto a landscape with people from a reasonable distance back.

It can also be highly effective with vehicles, giving them a small model appearance.

These shots are images I have taken over the last few years of our travelling. My favourite is the Wellington waterfront panoramic with the colourful boatsheds (first image) - click on all images to enlarge. Enjoy!

Sydney Dust Storm - Oct09

Imagine waking up to think you are inside an inferno - this is what it felt like on 23rd September when we both woke up!

A huge dust storm swept across Sydney (and much of NSW for that matter) - the conditions were caused by a cold front that lifted top soil from parts of western NSW and South Australia.

These shots were taken from our balcony around 6.20am that morning. Evidently it was blood red around 6am (while we were still snoozing). You can see where the sun should be - in the top right, the colouring is more yellow!

Click on each image to enlargen (especially the first which is a panoramic).