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

Focus after taking the photo: Computational Photography

Here's a novel idea, take your photo and then decide where you want the focus point to be! This is one of the possibilities of computational photography, it is unclear from this article if it is possible without a plenoptic camera (uses microlenses to capture multiple images). I wonder if this can be used to extend the DOF as well as just choose your focus point. Oh and it has possibilities for various other uses such as HDR which combine multiple images.
Photo Rumors: Startup company Lytro promises to redefine photography with computational imaging

Glacial Stream

Glacial Stream, a photo by will_hl on Flickr.

Going back through old photos I thought I'd have another go and processing (LR3) and stitching (CS3) this one. Was able to bring out the shadow detail better and correct the perspective so I could keep the waterfall on the left in the shot. The original version is here.

Commercial food photography

Last year I had the opportunity to combine two things I dearly love, Food & Photography, and get paid for doing it!

Last year while setting up a graduation group photo at Ridley College (will write a post on that soon) I was approached by the head chief of Hot Dish catering, Michael Shaw, to take some food photos during the day.  I said sure, thinking he just wanted some photos of the spread while doing the event coverage.  A few moments later he started laying out a table for a formal set-up.  Anyway I quickly organised some lights, took a few shots and landed myself a couple of dedicated food shoots.

The main aim of the shoots was to produce advertising images for the web site, print advertising and any press releases.  Some also ended up being used for as a submission for food competitions and some may even make it into a book one day.  This meant that they needed to be clear commercial images but be 'artsy' enough to not just look generic or for a fast food store.

With that in mind and the knowledge that we had to produce a lot of images quickly as a default I used a two light set-up; a small softbox key light high, behind and slightly to the side and a relatively on axis fill through a silk (shower curtain) to fill the shadows and give another spectral highlight on the food.  I also used a reflector or two for most shots.

 



All photos by Will Hore-Lacy, food styling by Michael Shaw.

Thanks to Michael for letting me post these and with any luck there will be more to come in the future!

New Canon EF 200-400mm announced

Canon has just announced it is developing the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender1.4x and it looks sensational! It will cost a mint and weigh a tonne but I suspect it was be a sensational lens for wildlife and sports photographers who need some extra length. The Nikon 200-400 f/4 is very highly regarded so provided canon doesn't do anything too silly, I think this lens will be a huge success.

The downside of this lens is going to be the size, weight and $$$$. You can't make a f/4 long zoom without a lot of glass and steel (or magnesium or whatever they are using these days) so it will be big. I heard someone say the Nikon goes for around $7000 so that gives a ball park for the Canon, given it includes a teleconverter I wouldn't expect it to be less.

In my last blog post I mentioned that there were some rumours that canon would be replacing/updating the 100-400 soon. Well there were also some rumours that the new 70-300 IS would fill that gap and that they might go for something new for a new xxx-400 zoom. Looks like they went for something new!

Anyway, not long after that last blog I did end up buying a second hand Canon 100-400mm, and even with this announcement, I'm glad I did for a few reasons.

1. I’m currently getting photos I couldn’t any other way and it was the best option at the time. (Just had a trip down to Tasmania)
2. I won’t be able to afford the new 200-400mm for a very long time, and
3. It’s a less expensive way to try wildlife photography and practice, practice, practice. Results are improving already!

Pied Oyster catchers at Fortescue Bay, Tasmania (Canon 50D with Canon 100-400 IS)

So all in all it looks like a great lens but given the weight and the price it's time to hit the gym... and then the casino?

Cup Weekend Day 3

Day 3 saw me fortunate enough to borrow a lens I'd been thinking about buying, Canon 100-400 IS.  I've been wanting to do wildlife photography for years but I've never been able to justify the big $$ to get started.  So my aim for the few house spent with this lens was to determine if wildlife photography is for me and if the lens is worth buying.

Here's a few of the photos I ended up with:

First bird I shot in the backyard, Crimson Rosella. Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/200, f/7.1, ISO320

Down at Shallow Inlet this was as close as I could get to these tiny Little Stint's.  Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/640, f/9, ISO200

Trying out panning again with an IS lens, only problem was that I didn't know which IS setting was which. Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/200, f/10, ISO100

Large-billed Scrubwren, even at f/9 the depth of field is very shallow. Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/320, f/9, ISO160

Superb Blue Wren.  The IS is a lifesaver here.  Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/60, f/8, ISO320

Jenny Wren. Canon 50D, 400mm, 1/100, f/8, ISO320

More photos with the Canon 100-400mm in my Flickr stream.

So first up, did I enjoy the wildlife photography experience? Umm, YES! Really enjoyed it so will be looking for ways to do more in the future.

Next, what about the lens? As you can see I shot pretty much everything at 400mm and still had to crop the photos so for birds (particularly small ones) 400mm on a crop body only just cuts it. I was not blown away by the image quality but I hear that at 400mm the canon is better than the Sigma equivalents so I probably won't go with them since it will probably be my most used focal length. The IS is a real life saver when you need the extra depth of field which is most of the time with long focal length. I don't have well practised long lens technique but I was able to hand hold down to 1/60th at times. I also wasn't a fan of the push pull zoom, I find it isn't as smooth (something that may improve with practice) but I also found that when zoomed out, your left hand can't support the lens & body very well. I know people say you need lots of practice with this sort of then but I don't think that is going to change. I found that when zoomed out I'd take my hand off the zoom ring and bring it back closer to the body for support, which helped but means I can't zoom.

The other Canon 400mm option is 400mm f/5.6 which is said to be sharper than the 100-400 @ 400 and it's cheaper but it is lacking IS which I think would be a killer for me.

Anyway I heard a rumour that Canon will be releasing a new version of the 100-400 next year so I might wait till then to either get the new version or pick up a cheaper old one.

Cup Weekend Day 2

Day 2 and I took very few photos, just some rolling hills overlooking Sandy Point, Shallow Inlet and of course Wilson's Prom.

Cup Weekend Day 1

Once again it is Cup Weekend in Melbourne and our family tradition (for the last two years) is to spend it at the holiday house in Sandy Point.
Sandy Point is a small beach town in South Gippsland, Victoria, not far from Wilson’s Promontory and surround by some beautiful scenery.  You can see some of my Sandy Point photos here.
This weekend has several priorities, family, sleep (am recovering from the flu) and photos which can be a challenge to balance.   Anyway I’ve been really excited to get back to shooting so headed off in the afternoon, despite less than thrilling conditions.  I started down at Shallow Inlet where there was some windsurfing happening so I thought I’d practice my sports photography and see if I could learn how to pan properly.  Have a look at the difference between the two photos below.

First photos has shutter speed of 1/1250 and the second 1/100 both shot with Sigma 70-200 @200mm

I then moved onto some bird life

All shot with 70-200mm.  I very nearly bought the Canon 100-400 last week but decided I shouldn't make snap decisions that cost that much money.  After having fun with these shots I might just do it if the Aussie $ comes up a bit more again though there a rumors Canon are replacing it next year.

Then some landscapes

Then some driving in the hills behind Walkerville

Then back to Sandy Point just before the sun set

Was a pretty good day!

Black & White Landscapes

I'm the first to admit that I haven't really done a lot of black & white photography, just a few images here and there for weddings and portraits, just barely enough to know that it is a whole new world that requires more than just desaturating an image!  So after seeing so many black & white landscapes on Moose Peterson's blog I thought it was time to have a go for myself.

Here's a side by side comparison of a few photos from a recent hike up Mt Feathertop, let me know what which images you prefer and why.  You may want to click through to see the larger image.

Mountain Ash vertical panorama

Fire ravaged clearing

Resilient snow gum

There's more photos from the trip (including more B&W images) in my Mt Feathertop flickr set and some of the ones above are already up on Redbubble.