Crows Nest storm

18 Jan 2021 - 52 mm in half an hour.

(Photos at home)

In garden

Bark shed by gum trees

Road in front of neighbour's gateway. Drainage couldn't handle run-off.

Run-off in yard near shed.

Photographed with a Nikon Coolpix P610

Collectible cameras and other photographica

Kodak Hawkeye

Camera collection - this little box camera is smaller than most of the box cameras we usually see. It was bought in Palestine by an Australian soldier when he served there during the second world war. It used 127 size roll film. If you look to the left of the camera, you will see a slide out wire frame which allowed the user to frame his shot. This was the only viewfinding system that the camera had. A highly valued (but probably not valuable) item in the collection.

Photographic Composition

1 Rule of thirds

2. Balance

3. Framing

4 Perspective (Sense of Depth)

My Gallery

Head shot of bearded dragon

Australian Silver Wattle

Skyscape

Mundane subjects can make interesting photos

Cobweb with dew

Crested Pigeon

Big bad banksia men (seed pods of Banksia Spinulosa)

Keep your camera still – 01

Hand held

Most photography requires the photographer to keep the camera still. The less camera movement that is allowed, the sharper the photograph. Most of us would take more photographs with a hand-held camera rather than a supported camera. Here are a few suggestions:

·        Feet should be comfortably apart, about shoulder width.

·        Brace elbows into the body.

·        When ready to take the shot, hold your breath.

·        Place your right thumb under the camera so that when you depress the shutter, you are applying the pressure from both top and bottom.

·        Don’t rush the shot.

Makeshift

• Rest the camera on the top of a fence post

• Rest the camera on a table. A bean-bag or little bag of wheat allow some adjustment of direction.

• Hold the camera tight against a vertical surface such as a wall.

• The photo below shows my simple solution to getting down to subjects close to the ground such as small wildflowers. I joined two pieces of 75mm X 50mm pine to form a right-angled base then mounted a pan and tilt head to support the camera.

My six foot stepladder also has a hole drilled in the top so that a pan and tilt head can be mounted. This is higher than most tripods and will allow photos to be taken over the heads of a crowd or over other obstacles. Suitable for concerts or parades.

Tripod
Probably one of the simplest and most common means of supporting a camera is a tripod. A tripod offers good stability even on uneven surfaces. All three legs are adjustable for height so that subjects at varying heights can be matched with the height of the camera above the surrounding ground, or even to look up to down-facing subjects. For subjects higher or lower than the range of the tripod, it may be necessary, especially in low light conditions, to find other ways to support the camera at a suitable height. See the above section on makeshift camera supports.
At the top of the legs is the head of the tripod, the normal types being pan-and-tilt and ball-and-socket. Each type has its advantages but either type can be used in most circumstances.

Monopod

Gorillapod

Pistol Grip

Rifle grip

know your camera

                                                                      

10 tips to better photographs

1.Know the camera's capabilities. Read the instruction book.

2.                Keep the camera handy and be familiar with it. Photo opportunities turn up unexpectedly.

3.                A photograph is made, not taken. Think about the situation before you press the shutter.

4.                When looking through the viewfinder, previsualise what the photo will look like.

5.                Fill the frame with the subject.

6.                Check the background. Try to keep it simple.

7.                Look for the most interesting angle onto the subject.

8.                Try photographing with different lighting conditions.

9.                A good photograph should tell its own story.

10.           Be your own harshest critic. If a photo went wrong or you are disappointed with it, find out why. Ask someone who should know.

Happy photographing.

- G.C. Lawson

stereophotography

Have you tried stereo photography? It's fairly simple and the results are amazing. Even if you do not have a 3D camera, any normal camera will do the job. 3D images are based on two or more images taken a short distance apart, for most purposes about 6cm or the distance between the eyes. 3D cameras take these two images simultaneously.

The Lumix stereo camera.

If a normal camera is what's available, the two images have to be photographed consecutively from two positions by sliding the camera sideways between taking the images. The movement of the camera has to be very accurate so that some form of mechanical device is desirable: i.e. a sliding bar arrangement on a tripod. This works well for static subjects but any movement such as a running dog will create problems. With my sliding bar, I also carry a small spirit level to allow me to ensure that the camera slides perfectly horizontally.

The photo below is a stereo image from a stereo pair and should be viewed with a pair of stereo glasses with red lens over left eye and blue lens over right eye. This type of image is called an Anaglyph.

Stereo pair.