2016 Photo Calendar

Yes it's that time of the year again and I've come up with another calendar for 2016 but it's a bit different this time around...

As you may have seen from our travel blog Jacq and Will went up the hill, we done a little bit of travel this year.  That means I've taken more than a few photos so trying to come up with on 12 (or 14 really) for the calendar was quite a challenge but I think the result is pretty darn good.  It features a mix of landscape (mostly natural) and wildlife photos from across three different continents so has a travel theme more than anything else.

The other thing that is a bit different is that I bulk ordered them  from a printer rather than just making them available through Redbubble.  It was a bit of a scary process to go through for the first time but the end result was worth it.  The print quality is fantastic and it means it means I can get them to you at a substantially lower cost.

The date pages are set-up with Australian public holidays and school term dates for all the states and territories, however I can ship them anywhere in the world.  Plus I'm pretty sure the moon phases are the same everywhere...

You can order them from my web site: 2016 Calendars
Or if you are not in Australia from my Etsy store.

Travel Photo Tips

Antelope Canyon

You may have seen in my previous post, my wife and I are writing a travel blog while on a trip around the world.  Since then I've started a 'Photo Tips' series about some of the places we've been that I thought might be of interest to readers of this blog:

• Grand Canyon
• Horseshoe Bend
• Antelope Canyon 
• Roadside Photography in North America

Photo packing for 6 months of travel

I've just embarked on a 6 month around the world trip with my wife and we've started a blog for the trip called jacq and will went up the hill.  You can expect lots of photos and photography related posts so I'll be making a few links from here as we go but the first one was on picking gear and packing for the trip.  Check it out here:

Packing - For Photography

Photography to change the world

Ever wondered how you can make a difference in the world today?  Even more specifically, how you can use photography (or any other skill/gift you have) to help people?

This question has been on my mind for a while now and while I've made some progress, I still haven't got very far.  To a certain extent that's ok but this blog post from John Keatley has given me some inspiration to look a bit harder and try and get some other people inspired to do the same!

John is an award winning portrait photographer from Seattle who has shot many household names in his own unique style, but last year decided to do something different and ended up in Liberia documenting communities that MiiR via Well Done Organization had installed clean water wells.  This year he is heading to the Philippines with Arts Aftercare to document their work with survivors of sexual slavery and the training of carers.  In doing so (and blogging about it) he's raising awareness for what is a massive and tragic issues in many parts of the world and hopefully inspiring more and more people to take action.

So what action are you going to take to change the world today?

I know the action that everyone take will be different, and so it should be, we are all different and will have different issues close to our heart.  On top of that we are all blessed with different skills, responsibilities, financial situations and personalities, but there's always something we can do if we have both the courage and humility to do it.

Wildlife of Southern Africa 2012 Calendar

After many late nights since returning from my trip to South Africa and Botswana I've finally got a new calendar together for 2012!  It is filled with 13 (including the cover) of my favorite wildlife photos from the trip printed on A3 200gsm satin art paper with a sturdy top wire binding and hanger.  They are a fantastic gift idea and if you order before the 17th of December in many parts of the world then you will receive your order before Christmas (Redbubble Christmas shipping dates).

If you are looking at this post mid year and don't want to wait 6 months to get a calendar you actually select which month of the year you want you calendar to start when you order.  The default should be Janurary but make sure you double check before you click Add to Cart.

African Wildlife is not your thing then I also have several other calendars available in my Calendar Album or go to my portfolio page for card & prints of all my photos including many more from the trip.  If I can get a few more photos uploaded tonight I might have a "Birds of Southern Africa" calendar too.

For the photographers out there, all images were taken with a Canon 7D with Canon 100-400.

South African Adventure

So for those of you that don’t know, I’m in South Africa! I’m having a holiday that has involved some time in game parks while touring around South Africa (and a bit of Botswana) and obviously taking a few photos, just a few…
Currently at the half-way point but I thought I share a photo or two, you’ll have to go to flickr for more: South Africa Set

That's not a flash, THIS is a flash

Ever wanted a bit of fill flash on that aeroplane you are flying alongside?  Or overpower the sun that on that luxury yacht cruising the harbor?  Well Claes Axstål has a just the rig to get the job done!  Although the article doesn't really talk about the set-up for specific photos it does mention shooting medium format with leaf shutter to get a higher sync speed (Mamiya 645DF) and lighting with twin Profoto 7b heads with Magnum reflectors for power and short flash duration.  Check out the "Claes Axstål Challenges the Sun" post on on the Profoto blog for more details and some amazing photos.
via strobist