Self analyzing my photography styles

As I look over my growing collection of photos in iPhoto, I have several patterns I tend to follow. Of course, there are plenty of shots of friends and family, but then I have a lot of material that I prefer. I lean towards landscapes and nature photography mostly. The subject matter generally doesn't talk back.

I have a decent "prosumer" DSLR camera and two basic zoom lenses to cover wide angles to respectable distances. Recently, I picked up my first prime lens -- a 50mm f/1.8 which really should be the first lens for all photographers. With this, I can really push the depth of field technique. A second prime lens is on my wish list -- a 28mm wide angle.

Also, I started using a speedlight for better flash coverage instead of using the unreliable popup flash.

I have modest aspirations of having my material used for stock photography companies. I have pending applications at a few places, but even if they never pan out I'll still be out there clicking away.

So, here's the first in a series of my growing body of material.

Macros, or close ups

Sometimes, the subject is the "trees" instead of the "forest." Getting up close with your subject can give you more rewarding results. The first is the side of a log cabin barn at Keystone Colorado. Its texture fascinated me and I felt the story was better explained in a tight shot rather than a wider one to capture the entire cabin. The second is the base of a tree that had been struck by lightning, causing it to split down its trunk. The exposed fibrous elements were best captured in a closeup rather than a possibly more understandable wider shot.




Future posts will cover depth of field experiments, candid subjects, the rule of thirds, elongated perspectives, and ideas that were great but didn't quite work out.

Great Otway National Park

Think of Australia and what first comes to mind? I'll guess it's one of the usual suspects - the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, kangaroos, koala bears, the vast red outback, or Uluru. But a rainforest probably isn't going to easily register.

We had the pleasure of a three week trip to Oz a few years ago and it remains one of our most enjoyable vacations ever. I don't have enough good things to say about Australia, its citizens or its natural and man-made resources.

Our itinerary included a trip along the southern coast, near Melbourne, to the town of Warrnambool. From there, we saw the highlights of the Great Ocean Road, including the famous Twelve Apostles (now eleven). On a more intimate note, we traversed through the Great Otway National Park, and witnessed firsthand some of Australia's temperate rainforests. We traveled down a well worn path to the base of this waterfall, all the while admiring the lush oasis around us. I didn't have my tripod, so I utilized a fallen tree and my camera bag to steady my camera and used my trigger release cable to captured the long exposure shot of the waterfall. Interestingly enough, this was on my old film SLR (Minolta Maxxum 8000i).

If you have a personal 'bucket list' please put on it a visit to Australia. You won't regret it.