Rooty Tangle

Burnsall, River Wharfe. I had this idea in my head, that trees could be as big below the ground as they are above it, considering the massive network of knobbly roots they burrow deep into the ground to secure their lofty presence. Trees are pretty awesome all things considered. Of course my rooty idea is not entirely true, but this shot almost captures that thought and through using black and white creates a simple but effective image to reflect upon. 

1/200|f4.0|ISO80|

Ocean Stacked

Great Ocean Road Twelve Apostles, Victoria.  Watching the sun slide beneath the horizon from a rocky outcrop with a sharp wind numbing my fingers and body. This was one of those times where I almost did not appreciate quite how staggeringly beautiful the view was until I got home and saw the pictures again months later through a fresh set of eyes. The ocean erroded limestone coastline, with the pink candyfloss clouds and cobalt blue water- I went into photo overload. Not really a clever or admired technique but it was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities I didn't want to miss or mess up, and felt that one of the pictures I took would give a close representation that would match the one I'd sellotaped in my head forever. It is also nailed on my bedroom wall. 

1/320|f4.0|ISO200|

Super Market

Market day in Chichicastenago and an acknowledged spiritual day in the Mayan calendar. The plaza put me into sensory overload with the vibrant colours of the rambling endless maze of stalls, busy purposeful people, the ringing sound of market trade, hot bright sun and the smoky sandalwood incense drifting across the square. I sat down for a while on the church steps to allow myself the time to take it all in. I thought it would be a good opportunity to attempt some people photography- something I am not so familiar with. I soon realised why a zoom lens would be very helpful for future attempts. The woman photographed had just left the church with her shopping and small cannister still smoking from the incense she had just burnt while observing her ancient ritual. Depth of field was used to blur the background and focus in on the subject. 

1/250|f4.0|ISO80|

Twin Peaks

 

Lake McDonald Glacier National Park, last days of summer. In awe of the pure open beauty contained within the ancient ice carved peaks. 'Give a month at least to this precious reserve. The time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.' John Muir, naturalist and explorer (taken from a plaque in Glacier NP). I took a polarising filter on this trip and put it to reasonably good use with this shot, bringing out the mineral tones of the jagged rocks resting beneath the surface of the water, but still capturing the reflected outline of the mountains in the distance. It also enhanced the already very blue sky.

1/100|f5.6|ISO100|

Arid Survivors

Karlu Karlu, Wauchope Northern Territory. A road trip through the outback in dense heat brought us to the Devil's Marbles. Scrambling through this weathered, abrasive landscape I was consistently surprised to see the Eucalyptus tree and wiry grass punch through the dry earth. All I had to do for this shot was press the shutter release and let the camera do the work. The complementary colours of the silky blue sky and rough orange boulders made my eyes buzz in the harsh sun. 

1/640|f5.0|ISO80|

Steely web

Brooklyn Bridge on a windy day, early Autumn.  Not an original shot as this bridge has been photographed more times than I've eaten cheese (and thats a lot), but I liked the perspective the taut steel spiderman cables created. Since it was difficult to not lose the detail of the stone tower against the cloudy sky, and there was little colour interest, I thought the black and white might add a dramatic effect. Almost managed to get it dead level too without too much Mack horizon (invariably very wonky)...

1/800|f7.1|ISO400|

Shell Millions

Early evening walk on Mount Maunganui beach. Left to my own devices I lost a couple of hours here, with the gentle sunset, shell treasures and waves to occupy me...This shot I discovered was all about composition, and I struggled to select just one patch of shellyness when so many of them were photo opportunities. The shells in this photo behaved very well as I macro captured them.

1/160|f4.0|ISO 80|

Glistening Gold

Times Square and Broadway at night. Following an epic trip through the Rockies we wound up in New York for 24hrs. Desparate to make the most of our limited time we planned to end our trip with a bang. Seems we underestimated our partying ability and after hitting a couple of Irish bars our campfires, clear mountain air, cold nights and early starts caught up with us. Sleepiness set in, beer bottles became heavy, bed was calling. This shot was taken once more without a tripod- this time with amped up ISO in order to avoid blur. The overall effect was fuzzy lights and noise- it summed up pretty well how Times Square struck me that night.

1/125s|f2.8|ISO800|

Rocky Start

Early sunrise heading through the Canadian Rockies near to Kootenay. It was around minus 2 or 3 degrees that morning and having left our camp in a scramble to catch the breaking dawn we happened upon this quiet river and spikey treeline. Here's where I learned that if I held my breath for long enough while taking a shot, I could avoid camera blur. Genius. Several shots later, after almost turning blue, the inability to stop my heart from beating (yep it caused blur too...) and my body's desire to involuntarily wriggle at random points (probably due to the cold) here is also where I learned that I should have taken a tripod with me...

1/15s |f5.6 |ISO400|