Scout Images

I actually managed to get out and shoot this weekend, with a big day on Saturday visiting all three Heads of Sydney Harbour (North, Middle and South), then accompanying some friends to Cockatoo Island on Sunday. Where are the pics? Sorry guys I have yet to find the time to sort and process them…they will be up soon.

This week really does pack it all in for me again, with the opening of Vivid Sydney 2010 on the 27th (Thursday), and I will be out there with my tripod as well! Be prepared for the storm of images that are to come.

Just to keep you distracted…here are some from last year.

I had a relatively active (photography speaking) weekend with a Friday night visit to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair followed by Kirribilli, then a Sunday excursion to Cockatoo Island to view the Biennale.

Every Sydney photographer has shot the harbour, the coat hanger and the sails of the Sydney Opera House, and with the upcoming Vivid Sydney festival of light, we will bombard you all with more images. However, it is an exercise that gives up a chance to measure ourselves against the postcards and the images that are widely used by mass media. My recent trip to shoot the harbour also had an extra reason, the send off of a fellow DSLRusers forum member, a member who was based in Wollongong, but will be headed back to Europe. So I lugged out my Manfrotto, and my D300 to work on Friday and measured myself against the images that typify the marketing of Sydney. To keep things interesting I kept my lens kit to a minimum, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8 and Nikkor AI 135mm f/2.8. Also coming along was my trusty Phottix Geo One.

The trip to Cockatoo Island was accompanying USYD Photosoc to visit the 17th Biennale of Sydney. My kit that day was even more intriguing, as I decided to let my sister pick it. Keeping in mind she is not photographically minded, I did manage to get a nice kit: Nikon D60, Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8, Tokina 10-17mm fisheye, Sigma 180mm f/3.5 Macro.

I was recently up in the Blue Mountains, with a few intentions. To get away from reality, to get out there and take in some of the beautiful landscapes that are so close to us here in Sydney, and to try to re-shoot some of my lost photos (refer here).

So what does one bring on a trip like this? I didnt actually think too hard but settled for a quality over convenience kit, which in many ways I probably regret (the weight made me not so happy whilst we were hiking).

• Nikon D300
• AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
• AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR
• AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
• Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Fisheye
• Nikon SB-400
• Phottix Geo One
• Phottix Duo Cable
• Cokin P-Series ND4
• Cokin P-Series ND8
• Lowepro Fastpack 350

Some Panorama action (Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 + Cokin ND4 + Cokin ND8)

Some HDR action (Tokina 10-17mm, 7 frames)

I have been waiting for this addition to my kit bag for a few weeks now. Since buying my Nikon D60 (refer here) I have been looking for a good lens to match this camera. My predicament was my lack of small, lightweight AF-S lenses (my only AF-S or equivalent lenses being the 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, 180mm f/3.5 macro) leading me on a search for an inexpensive AF-S lens to match the D60, the AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G being high up on my list of lenses in consideration. A good friend of mine headed over the USA just after Christmas, and sure enough, just before new years I was awoken by a phone call from New York, asking for lens advice. In the end my friend offered to pick up a copy of this lens for me (they were at B H Photo Video and were going to buy a copy for themselves), so I became the owner of Nikon’s standard DX prime. My friend arrived back in Sydney yesterday and we caught up today.

The AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

We had lunch then had a stroll through the city centre.

Another trip to the Zoo and this Zoo Friends pass is really starting to get a workout. This time with so much gear out…including my 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and my D300 I decided to try very different kit just to see how it would go. So on this grey, wet day out came the Nikon D60, Sigma 180mm Macro and the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8. Shooting alongside me was a friend Marcus (Photomarcs) with his Canon EOS 1000D, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 and Sigma 18-200mm OS.

Enough gear talk…here are a few images.

Would it be me not to bring a camera to the Seven Bridges Walk, an event that sees participants cover 25km’s crossing seven bridges in a circuit around Sydney Harbour??? With so much gear out of action, I really welcomed the return of my newest toy, the Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye, and this was coupled with my Nikon D60 to provide a lightweight and fun kit for the day.

They say that you will go through a phase where you will fisheye EVERYTHING when you first buy a fisheye, and this feels rather true. But at the same time I am starting to get a feel for what should be fisheyed and what should not.

Rather than to bore you all with more talk here are some pictures….

I have decided to get myself an annual pass to Sydney’s Taronga Park Zoo with the goal of devoting some time there over the next year working on different techniques. Hopefully I will improve my animal pictures (and portraits in general) as I keep shooting the cats and birds that inhabit this sanctuary in the heart of the city.

Here are some of my efforts from today, shot with my D300 and Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR

It is true that a proper macro lens does a great job when your getting up close and personal, that is why we spend lots of money on them. BUT what happens when you dont have one on you?

I was out and about today with dad (keeping the Father’s Day thing rolling today) so I was travelling light (Nikon D60, Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8, Tamron 70-300mm and Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8). Being the beginning of spring in Sydney I couldnt resist but to have a walk down to the Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. The flowers were in bloom and there were plenty of nice shots to be had. With my Sigma 180mm macro sitting very usefully at home, I had to fall back on what I did prior to owning a macro lens: I always carry a Marumi close up filter set for my 50mm f/1.8 and my Tamron 70-300mm has a 1:2 macro ability (not great quality but it gets the job done). Here are some of my photos from the day.

I previously mentioned that I recently added a Nikon D60 to my arsenal as a lightweight option when carrying my D300 or S5 Pro was not an option. Today was one of those days when I was happy to trade the features and build of my heavier cameras for the lightweight D60. I managed to borrow a (very) light 18-55VR from a good friend and with this I took a DSLR with me on my quest to complete the annual City2Surf, in which this year saw 75,000 competitors ran and walked the 14km’s from the city CBD to Bondi Beach. Here are a few pictures from the day, although not my best work (far from it) I was more focused on enjoying the event rather than photographing from the within the runners.

I am still getting used to this new camera and was shooting in JPG only. Hopefully I will get to know this camera better as time goes by.

I have spent the last few days at PMA over at the Sydney Convention Centre, I just thought I would share a few of my experiences. I have to admit that this was my first PMA and I spent a lot of it working at a stall so this is what I saw and not really an accurate representation of the show.

For the record I was helping out at the hottest stall in the show….PHOTTIX!!!!!

What did I see:

Nikon

To celebrate 50 years of Nikon F, Nikon put up a pretty good show. Nikon brought along quite a show with a nice set up of long lenses as well as an arsenal of stock for people to try. I had my trusty D300′s sensor cleaned and made sure I visited the low light shooting room.  Nikon also put on quite a few public talks with guest speakers including Jason Boland. I didnt notice anything new at their stall though.

Canon

I only had a quick once over of the Canon stall, but I did notice that they had a painted model and lenses for loan as well as a large showcase of their printers.

Fujifilm

I have to admit that Fuji was showcasing some very interesting stuff. As well as their current line up and some new printing and photo kiosks they had an interesting concept….a 3D camera which really works. Unfortunately there was nothing firm about a new Fuji DSLR….hint hint Fuji (I would love a Fuji SuperCCD EXR in a D700)

Olympus

Olympus put up a very good show with an acrobat claiming the airspace several times over the weekend. They also had a lot of gear on show including a few new toys. As a follow up for my earlier post (here) I saw and played with an Olympus PEN E-P1. I have to admit I am very impressed by the build quality and the ease of use.

Maxwell (Lowepro/Tamron)

These guys were also putting up a good show, displaying some great new lines for their new brands (Acme Made) as well as demoing their tried and true products (Lowepro and Velbon). The best part was that they had a model and were lending out the Tamron glass for all to try. I had a quick play with the new 10-24 (which was quite nice…but I would have to have a proper play to comment more on) and a play with my old favourite 90mm Macro as well as the very nice 70-200mm f/2.8.