Anzac Dawn Service & March

On the 25th April we remembered the soldiers and service people that risk their lives in service to our country but we more importantly remembered those that gave there lives at Gallipoli 100 years ago. I could not imagine what its like to be in the situations that our armed forces have to endure but I am thankful for their dedication and protection.

This was the first dawn service I have been to but it wont be the last, I felt I needed to attend such a memorable time in history as I will take a guess that I wont see the 200 year anniversary...

As far as the photos go I did what I could. My camera does not have the ISO capabilities as the new cameras have but I think it did ok considering how dark it was and the amount of people that showed at the dawn service . The March later on that day was perfect as the weather cleared up just nicely but I only had a slither of view of the march itself so my composition was a little off but I wasn't creating art so much I was documenting the day for my own memory.

Hope you enjoy the images and on a last note, it was good to see younger people coming to the service as it would be a shame for the Anzac memory to be forgotten. Australia might not have a long ancient history as other countries but we definitely can be proud and honour the men and women that helped make it what it is today.

 

Podcast 01/04/15 - Filter Review & Upcoming Gear Talk

Today's Podcast has nothing to do with April fools but it does have to do with the Fotga fading ND Filter I purchased recently..in short I wasn't happy with it.

 Have a listen to the Podcast to find out more details which will make the photos below make so much more sense :D

I also discuss gear I will be getting very soon so there will be more reviews coming so stay tuned.

Enjoy

This was the filter at max setting which I was told not to have it at by the company I bought it from, even though it hardly worked at all up till this point.

This was the filter at max setting which I was told not to have it at by the company I bought it from, even though it hardly worked at all up till this point.

This is the filter backed off below max and it still produces this X across the image. I should also point out that it didn't have solid darkening across the glass at all, at any point along the fader.

This is the filter backed off below max and it still produces this X across the image. I should also point out that it didn't have solid darkening across the glass at all, at any point along the fader.

Podcast 19/03/15 - Gadgets & Revisiting Old Locations

Today I talk a bout a couple of little things I have picked up to help with my photography and to have a bit of fun and try new things.

I purchased a FOTGA Slim ND fading filter which I will test out and show my results in an upcoming Podcast/Blog.

The other is a trigger for my camera to help keep my images still when doing AstroPhotography, below is an image I have previously done with just using the camera timer.

Also we revisit an old cemetery that has alot of sad history. 

 

Please enjoy the images I have posted and remember, if you visit places you must respect the property, history and the people involved in it.

One of my first attempts at AstroPhotography 

From my first visit to the cemetery, the engraved stone has since been moved but luckily still there.

PODCAST 28/10/14 - Gear

Today we talk about gear! What I have at the moment and what I would like to have.

Photography can be an expensive thing to take up and even more so if you decide to do it professionally. My list of gear is ever growing but I do touch on some of my dream gear as well as discuss the gear I've had for years and used with great results.

Enjoy..

 



PODCAST 9/10/14 - First Podcast

Ok here it is! My first Podcast. All I ask is for you to go easy as I'm getting use to speaking to myself, its a weird feeling and its easy for me to lose track of what I'm saying lol

 

Basically The topic is why I switched from Nikon to Canon but I end up getting myself sidetracked onto mirrorless cameras and iso for some reason. 

 

Please enjoy..

Risks and life choices

Well things have been busy. I quit my day job as of Monday but I do have somewhere else to go but doesn't offer the same hours, but the best part is it opens up a chance to do more photography. I decided to take a risk and it has paid off so far, and has also paved the way for something interesting and cool on the horizon (photography related) but I'll keep that hush hush for a little bit :D


I also have had the chance to take in the sun recently as its spring here atm so as I was enjoying the day and out of the corner of my eye I could see that I was being stalked but some hungry ducks. Apparently if you sit down they think you have food or something and before I knew it I was surrounded by sneaky ducks.


They were very cute and would come up very close so I snapped this shot. I know its not the best composition etc but I found it cute :)


So I'll leave you with this cute little fella


ninjaduck


Cuteness

I've had the pleasure recently of photographing a little puppy named Sammy, one of the photos attached is of the little fella munching on a bottle, which I was more than happy to let him do it kept him still long enough for me shoot lol.

 

Soon I will be posting some personal project stuff which is in the works but until then enjoy the puppy photos :D

 


All Settled

Woohoo! All settled in to my new place! Its pretty small but since its just me its actually pretty cosy, and the good thing is I may be able make a section of it a little studio so that a bonus.

 

Ive been silent for a little while due to the internet  not being connected, I went through a lot of trouble with a few providers to eventually getting connected but such frustration! But all is well again :D

 

Hopefully soon I will have some new stuff to show everyone from personal projects and some booked shoots coming up as well.

 

Anyhoo just thought I'd drop in and let people know whats up

 

Cyas!

Little Changes

Hi everyone, as most people will know life throws little challenges at us that we need to overcome and recently that is what has happened to me.


Due to the people I live with moving out I can't stay where, I am which means I lose the studio that I have in the current place I am, so when I move into the new place I may have to improvise a little :) or use my brothers studio for a short while.


Anyway as I was packing today I noticed a photo op as my brothers dog (Sash) was having a lay down in the sun coming through the window. Hope you enjoy.


Sash



Ps. Try to always be positive and  have a great week in this awesome weather we are having at the moment :D



New Addition

I have acquired a new item!

After much thought and research into what gear I need I decided my next lens will be a 70-200mm, but which one?

With the amount of brands that make this lens it was not an easy task, but I eventually decided on the Sigma 70-200mm and I must say I'm pretty happy with the choice.

The Canon was a little better on stats but in the end I could not justify the extra $1000+ on top of what I paid for the Sigma, plus money is tight for everyone so that made my choice a little easier.

The close choice I had came down to the Tamron or the Sigma, both have vignetting (darkening of image edges) but could easily be fixed in Lightroom (editing software) with a simple click so that's not a major issue, but the construction of the Sigma seemed so much better and solid.

The purpose of this lens for me is weddings and portraits. I personally would not consider this lens for bird watching as I feel the 200mm is still a little short on a full frame camera, mainly because you still need to fairly close to fill the frame. I would probably purchase  a 300mm or higher lens for bird watching, but that's not my "thing" so I won't be purchasing something like that any time soon :)

Saying that of course my test shot was of a bird lol, but I was in an aviary at my local gardens and the birds have little to no fear of humans, so I was able to get pretty close.


Anyhoo here is the sample shot. stay tuned as I will be taking some more test shots very soon because I have some downtime photographically so that means play time! :D


Birdy



Devils Cave?

Ok I went back to Heathcote to take the walk to find Devil's cave, not knowing if it was worth the effort. After the huge amount of walking I did the day before my legs were already sore before I started.

 

So after a while I came across the "cave" and I'm not sure exactly what defines a cave but what I found was more of a disappointment lol. It was probably as big as a 2 man tent and it beats me why you would make a path and signage to this, because I've dug bigger holes and nobody made that a tourist attraction, but i'll show you anyway :)

 

Does it Look Devilish?

Does it Look Devilish?

So that's it for Devils Cave but keep dropping by to see what I've been up to, should be some more locations coming soon.

 

Too Relaxed

I went on a little trip to the Grampians and almost didn't even take my camera by mistake. I just needed to get away by myself and enjoy the serenity but I did take my camera but forgot my tripod doh!


I still have a lot to learn about Landscape photography, it's not "my thing" but I do enjoy capturing nature. If I had my tripod I could have done a HDR image to get the exposure of the mountains and the sky correct but since I didn't have a solid/stable platform for my camera, I just took the shot and moved on as the day was more about the solitude, than the photos.


Anyhoo Here are some snaps from the day. Not displaying any of the waterfalls as they were disappointing because apparently it didn't rain enough and I don't think some "slightly wet rocks" counts as waterfalls :)



Scouting

I went on a bit of a scouting trip to find some new areas I haven't shot in before and I remembered a place I hadn't visited for a long while. Its called the Liquid Ambers..because I believe that's what type of trees they are :)

 

It also had some other winning qualities too, which included a Powder magazine which held explosives a long time ago. Also found and old photogenic cart that was screaming for its photo to be taken. hope you enjoy the photos.

 

Mark

 

P.S. I will be going back to take a walking path to a place called Devil's caves..hopefully that will be fun. Keep checking in :D

 

Liquid Ambers (Heathcote)

Liquid Ambers (Heathcote)

Right next to the Liquid Ambers :)

Right next to the Liquid Ambers :)

Power Magazine (interior) also right near the Liquid Ambers

Power Magazine (interior) also right near the Liquid Ambers

Powder Magazine entrance

Powder Magazine entrance

Quick Update

Hi guys, dropped back in to say hi and let you guys know what I've been up to.

Been busy trying to organise some wintery shoots now that the weather is getting colder, but ended up booking some studio stuff lol but keep an eye out for some new shoots inbound very shortly!

Btw feel free to ask any questions about my shots, or anything really and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Thanks for checking out my site

 

Stay warm!

Mark

Show and Tell

Hi guys I have something to show you..I've made a  video!

Basically its about how I see photo editing and retouching skin. I could write a whole bunch of stuff but why not watch the video? You will see examples of my work as well as some timelapse video of me editing 3 photos.

Any questions please ask.

Hope guys enjoy!




Here is something fun!

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd update my blog and show you guys something I made a while ago that you might find interesting.

My older brother (who is also a photographer) does Wetplate photography and what's wetplate photography you ask? well its an old process of photography dating back to the 1800s and the photos were usually developed onto glass or metal (no negatives) most recently the process was brought to light when the actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away and a photo surfaced from Sundance that was taken using this process. Also other actors had their photo taken with this process also. here is the link! http://tiny.cc/8fo8bx

If your interested in seeing my brothers work go to his wordpress site The Silver Sunbeam here is his link! http://tiny.cc/qmo8bx

Anyhoo here is the video hope you enjoy :D

We all start somewhere

I think it's great to be able to look back at your older work and view your journey to be what you are today. I have always suffered with anxiety but pushed through it to create work I have come to be proud of but at the same time knowing I have a lot of improving to do.

If you were to look through my work you would probably recognize some of my older work from the ones that are cropped as I don't really crop at all now (unless I crop for printing sizes as standard camera dimensions are odd. sometimes I do when printing....other times I do directly to the image). I try to be disciplined and keep myself from being lazy by doing as much as I can in the camera.

Also I believe its important to be innovative and push yourself outside of your comfort zone, for example: Learn video and video editing and expand the genre of photography you do. If you are more of a studio photographer try outdoors using natural light.

I don't do weddings as a rule but I still do them from time to time and I try to better myself with each one I do.

I am also going to attempt to make some photography videos and you know what? they will probably suck but as the title says "We all start somewhere" and If you persist with new things you will only get better :)

Looking at my 1st photos I've taken 10 years ago to now I would say that not only am I a different photographer, but I'm a different person by a long way. My work ethic, my passion, my will has improved, my ability to fight with anxiety and all of it has come from just trying to improve even a little where I can.

If I was to give advice to photographers just starting out it would be , DO EVERYTHING.. Knowledge is the most important thing there is. I also suffer with a bad memory so I will always be relearning things I've forgotten, so keep learning and re-learn if you have to. I started out wanting to take landscape photos like Ansell Adams but ended up loving portraits and without that thirst for knowledge I would never have learned what my real passion would be.

Also here is a request for when you become good at your craft, never discourage or look down on people that don't have the same skill as you do, give them a hand and support them as much as you can especially if they are asking for help. If I can share what I've learned with people then everyone wins and so does the industry. In short..Just be nice.

 

Mark

Gear!

I thought I'd post what gear I've had over the years :)

My 1st ever camera was a Sony Cybershot point and shoot :) it came with me everywhere! I shot everything lol

When I finally upgraded I used Nikon, mainly because my brother (who is also a photographer) used Nikon for years, I purchased a D300. It wasn't bad but my favorite piece of equipment was the 105mm macro lens....damn I miss that lens!

But to be honest the Nikon never felt quite right in my hands, I just wasn't comfortable, but then I held a Canon and it just felt..right.

I sold all my Nikon gear to buy my 1st Canon which was a 7D and a 24-105mm L series lens and then a Sigma 17 -70 lens which is surprisingly sharp for a dedicated crop sensor lens, in fact most of my best portraits were taken with the Sigma/7D combo.

Then I bought a cheapy 1000D with a 50mm 1.8 lens. I had plans of getting it Infra-red converted, but those plans sadly fell through and I sold them to a local artist which now he has become a photographer, so something good came of it.

Just recently I purchased a 5D mkII and I can instantly see the difference in quality with the full frame and much better bokeh etc. I got it for a good price and some extra gear with it. In my opinion its a great upgrade to the 7D for quality, but it certainly has focus issues but its awesome for what I use it for.

Due to losing my job a few years back (thanks to the wonderful world economy we have) I have struggled to get the professional gear I want/need and the photography jobs I got, paid for every day things and I never got ahead but now things are hopefully going to turn around. I have a job and I'm working on getting more photography jobs so new gear will be inbound shortly!! :D

As it stands my gear collection is Canon 7D - Canon 5D mkII - Canon 24-105 mm L f4 (x2) - Canon 50mm f1.4 - Sigma 17-70mm

My gear I have in mind for the next purchase is a Canon 70-200mm 2.8L and Canon 24 -70mm 2.8L but as they are ridiculously expensive, cheaper alternatives may have to suffice but we'll see :)

Stay tuned for some more images too, they should be coming in the next few days.

Mark