Astro Visual Photography

Several years ago (back in 2007) we visited New Zealand and one of the wind farms they have in the Waikato region.

Solar versus Wind

OBJECTIVE:

To show one of the electrical energy windmills in a different ‘light’

COMPOSITION:

With the sun reasonably high in the sky, shadows were part and parcel of the surroundings. Straight on shots of these monsters weren’t overly exciting. As we drove around the hill sides I saw this scene where the sun had been blocked by the windmill and decided that would be my shot.
Getting out of the car and walking up and down the road a bit I found a spot that put the sun behind the blades and also allowed me to zoom to where I could include some of the trees as well.

SETUP & SETTINGS:

1/500th – f9 – ISO 100. 30mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Hand held. No flash.

POST PROCESSING:

Sharpening, curves (contrast) and a little colour saturation to bring out the sun flare a bit more.

END RESULT:

The portrait orientation allowed me to capture the height of these things to some degree, but the trees have countered that effect somewhat I think. I could have maybe gotten the windmill higher in the frame but I was restricted with the location ( a dirt bank behind me, road in front) and a car full of wife and in-laws that get bored with photography after the 97th stop for a shot by me that morning.

The lens/sun flare wasn’t planned at first but I did see it in the viewfinder while taking the shot and figured it might work. It did I think, better than I thought.

While working in a university last year I took some time to wander around the ‘Grand Court’ which is a central area within the uni grounds. A large grassy area to study or rest is surrounded by the pillared walkway and stone buildings.

The Grand Court

OBJECTIVE:

In the early morning, this area has a nice orange glow to it which seems to complement the marble. The rows of pillars and narrow windows just seemed to scream out so I wanted to feature them and give a feeling of the grandeur somehow.

COMPOSITION:

The area is many hundreds of metres around so I had several views to choose from. I chose this view because of the light and the glass work above the door. I played with angles but finally decided on the most simple of all, centered. I felt this gave the feeling of walking down the corridor as if heading for the door itself.

SETUP & SETTINGS:

0.8 sec – f8 – ISO 100. 100mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Tripod. No flash.

POST PROCESSING:

Sharpening, curves (contrast) and a little colour saturation to bring out the orange glow a little.

END RESULT:

The landscape orientation allowed me to include a wider view again, but in hindsight, I think a portrait view would have worked better perhaps. Portrait orientation would have allowed me to include more height which would have added to the ‘grandeur’ I think.

The Shorncliffe Jetty is one of the most photographed objects on the north side of Brisbane I’m sure.

Low Down on the Jetty

OBJECTIVE:

Like many others, I’ve shot this jetty a few times. This time I wanted to find a lesser or never seen angle.

COMPOSITION:

It was early morning a couple of years ago and the sky had a beautiful pastel, painted feel to it so I wanted to make sure that featured in my photo. The thought of that led me to shooting a very low down shot up the jetty and making sure I included the seat on the left to add something as well.
I debated over landscape and portrait orientations for this one but finally ended up choosing both and shooting this several times. For this entry I’ve gone with the landscape version as I think it’s my favourite.

SETUP & SETTINGS:

1/400th – f6.3 – ISO 200. 24mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Hand held. No flash.

POST PROCESSING:

As I often do, just a little sharpening and curves to both brighten the light areas but also darken the dark areas.

END RESULT:

The landscape orientation allowed me to include a wider view which made for a more dramatic converging of the leading lines I’d included. The low camera angle also helped with this but also aided in including plenty of that pretty sky as well. In the end I think, the boards, the railings, and the light posts all rush our view down the jetty to the shelter at the end and then allow us to admire the sky as well.

Cedar Creek is a location I have gone to many times. Flowing water is always an attraction for me. However, once I’ve visited a location often, I find myself looking deeper for more interest than the overall views I’ve shot before.

The Stick in the Creek

OBJECTIVE:

The stick on the rock bed in the creek appealed to me so I wanted to make that the central focus of my shot but also liked the overall scene before me..

COMPOSITION:

I took one in portrait mode as well which well and truly made the stick the main subject but lacked the environment factor I thought was important also, so I went with the landscape orientation above. I wanted to include some of the foliage to further show the secluded nature of the stream.

SETUP & SETTINGS:

2 sec – f14 – ISO 100. 21mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Tripod. No flash.

POST PROCESSING:

A little sharpening and curves to both brighten the light areas but also darken the dark areas.

END RESULT:

With the landscape orientation, I was able to include where the creek had come from, which added some ‘flow’ to the photo, something for the eyes to follow. By placing the stick low and roughly in a rule of thirds position, it’s obvious that the stick is indeed a main feature here.

Framing is popular way to add interest to a photo. I was down along the waterfront early last year, just after dawn, and struggling to find something to catch my interest, until I saw this stone window.

Stone Window

OBJECTIVE:

I liked the stone texture and wanted to use it as a frame for the sea beyond. The sea itself lacked any real interest so my objective was to create more interest.

COMPOSITION:

The frame of the stone window dictated much of the composition but I noticed a fella kayaking out there and waited for him to paddle into view of the window.

SETUP & SETTINGS:

1/200th – f14 – ISO 100. 100mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Tripod. On camera External Flash.

POST PROCESSING:

A little sharpening and curves to both brighten the light areas but also darken the dark areas.

END RESULT:

Mixed results here really I think. My original intention of using the stone frame as an added feature of interest may have backfired somewhat and ended up becoming the main subject. The sea and kayak reduced to the added interest role.The flash was used as fill light but in a subtle way so as not to destroy the suns effect on the left side of the frame.