 Cottesloe Beach - Perth, Western Australia Whats the best camera? The one you have with you... One of my favourite photography quotes.
Driving past Cottesloe beach last week highlighted the appropriateness of this very quote. I could see the sun setting quickly and the only camera i had was my trusty iPhone 5.5 but felt compelled to stop and see what could be achieved with this device. I've recently seen billboards showcasing the photos that have allegedly been taken on an iPhone 6 as shown here and have been most impressed with what's possible. I do have my doubts about how they can reproduce an iPhone image across a 6m wide billboard but that's a discussion for another time. Needless to say Mother Nature put on a fine display witnessed by the rare few (including a solitary surfer) braving the wind and rain to see such a fine sunset. I was able to shoot a few shots that i was happy with, making me wish i had a better camera available. I normally carry a Canon G1-X compact that can shoot RAW files and produce exceptional shots. I promised myself the reason for getting this camera was to take everywhere / everyday to enable me to capture shots on days like today, but for whatever reason, i neglected to have it on me. This image was processed on the phone in the Google Snapseed app, which i highly recommend. Great interface, easy, simple, fun presets. Give it a go!
1 Comment
 Matilda Bay, Nedlands at Sunset Quickly took this shot before a function photography shoot at the Matilda Bay Restaurant. For most function photography, i shoot with the Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens as it's just so versatile for function work where space and light situations vary considerably from shot to shot.
Another benefit of this lens is it's ability to handle low light situations with it's image stabilisation capability. This shot in particular was shot at 1/25 Sec at F5.6 on a floating (Wobbling) jetty at an ISO of 800. Even blown up it's remarkably sharp. I like he reflections of the yacht masts against the warm tones of the setting sun resting on the water which has that slight softness to it due to the slow shutter speed. 
The Restored Perth Zoo Carousel - A charming and nostalgic link to the past.
Last week i had a function photography job at the Perth Zoo. For the most part this was standard function photography, group shots, speeches etc. The one difference was after the formalities were over, they opened up the historic carousel... I'm not sure if my minds playing tricks on me but i seem to have a recollection of this in my very young childhood... I mean who didn't like a ride on a carousel. Fast forward 30 odd years and i believe that desire to ride one still exists deep within us... even if it takes a few drinks to give us the courage to bring out our inner child.
Logistically the low light was the hardest part of getting a good shot. The cold hard light of my Canon 600ex-rt was just to harsh and cold. Sure, I could warm the shot up and up the colour temp in Adobe Photoshop but it's still not genuine and you don't get the subtleties of light from the actual carousel. Instead i again relied on the magnificent low light capabilities of the Canon 5D MKII and cranked the ISO up to 4000. The low noise levels still impress me even after 2 years. Anyway there was something about this shot (perhaps the child-like excitement) in grown adults that appealed to me.  Perth War Memorial After finishing a real estate photography shoot last weekend i was driving home looking at the Perth skyline and clouds and made a last second decision to pull off the freeway and head to kings park to try and capture a decent Sunset and cliche Perth skyline photograph. I hadn't been up to photograph Perth's iconic skyline from the much visited viewing platforms at Kings park since the start of the Eliabeth Quay project began. Thinking it would be a good opportunity to update my Perth Stock Photography collection of standard landmarks, the sunset didn't turn out to be an award winning one. I'll post the final photo of the skyline in coming days.
However half an hour before sunset, the sun broke through the clouds while i was walking from the Kings Park car park. This photo of the Perth War Memorial and eternal flame was a result of fortunate timing. I've shot this same scene several times but particularly like the cloud reflection in the water on this one. This was shot on my Canon 5D MK III, with the 24-105 Lens and with a Hoya Polariser filter to bring out the contrast in the sky. Shot on my Manfrotto Tripod the several second exposure has helped to hide people moving about in the distance. The resulting RAW File was processed in Photoshop CS5 and had shadow detail brought out using the now Google owned Nik - Color Efex Pro filter. 
Busselton Jetty, Western Australia
First quick image from the Easter long weekend spent down in Busselton. This image was taken at Sunrise looking out from the Busselton jetty. Apparently this jetty is the longest (timber piled) in the Southern Hemisphere and is the most popular tourist destination in the town. At the end of the 1.8km jetty (which you can travel via miniature train) is a underwater observatory.
Aside from the underwater observatory it is a popular place to fish from which starts to get busy from first light. I like the composition of this image with the reflection of the sunrise in the windows of the ticketing office and souvenir shop at the start of the jetty. This image has only had minor saturation and masking applied to it with the long exposure creating a glassy effect on the ocean. For those on the other side of the world… Busselton (Population 20,000) is roughly 220km South of Perth, Western Australia about 2 hours by car. Though this can extend to 3 hours on the Easter 4 day weekend! 
A few weeks ago Perth was rocked by the news of yet another Shark attack this time at one of Perths most iconic tourist destinations, Cottesloe beach. As the office is only minutes away and could hear the news and search helicopters overhead, i headed down with the camera unsure of what would be happening.
It surprised me as it seemed business as usual, though this was Bryn's bathers had been discovered at the bottom of the ocean (which would force the immediate closure of the beach). This photograph is a 10 image stitch which has some nice cloud formations (perfect shark attack weather) as well as reflections of the sun bouncing of the glorious Indian ocean. When you blow this image up you can see that below the Indiana Tearooms is closed off to police and there is both a helicopter and police boat within the scene. The scene is nicely book-ended by the Tearooms and the boy gazing out to the ocean.   For those that have been on one of the Perth Photography Tours that i run through the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia you may recognise this location? It's our meeting point at the Fremantle Town Hall.
From this point I take photography enthusiasts for a leisurely photo walk through Fremantle passing iconic locations such as the Fremantle Markets, Historic Wedding Wall, Limestone Tunnel under the Fremantle Round House as well as taking in the fabulous heritage listed architecture that dominates the "West End" of Fremantle. Along the way I aim to teach a series of creative principles and elements of photography that participants are then challenged to achieve in small groups with their cameras. As well as hopefully imparting some creative tips that customers can take away, I mix this with a series of technical points to encourage participants to go beyond the Auto mode on their DSLR or compact camera and start getting a greater understanding of the modes and capabilities of these cameras. If you're interested in coming along for what i believe is Perth's best value photography course, tours run every Saturday morning all year round. As mentioned earlier, the meeting point is at the Fremantle Town hall at 8.30am and finishes down at the Fremantle Harbour near Little Creatures Brewery, which can be a great place to unwind and discuss the mornings events. Perth Photography Tours run for 3 hours and is limited to a maximum of 10 participants to ensure plenty of one on one tuition and opportunity to ask questions and feedback. These tours are great value at just $99.00 Please click this link to take you straight to the online and secure booking form. Just out of interest i'd love to hear peoples opinions on which composition they prefer out of the two photos above.  This shot was taken in the picturesque mountain town of Dalat in the south of Vietnam. Having taken a scenic cable car voyage to the top of the mountain where the Buddhist Monasteries dotted the hillside I came across this couple having their wedding amongst the carefully sculpted gardens which were meticulously maintained by the monks that called this place home. I wanted to test out some of the colour profiles that were pre-set as a test to using this filter to batch process a series of portrait shots for future photography shoots in Perth. I thought this would be the perfect image to shoot as I wanted to test how the fine details in the white clothes of both the bride and groom held when the remaining colours were enhanced.
Overall I found the highlights stayed together quite well and was able to boost the saturation of the green tones of the foliage both in the foreground and background of the key subject matter. This plugin is very kind to skin tones and naturally smoothes out blemishes and softens the skins complexion subtly without over doing it and becoming a glamour style shot. I can highly recommend “Portrature” as photoshop plugin or a stand alone program. I also believe its available on Aperture as well.  Wide angle close-up taken on 14mm aspherical fish-eye lens. Another shot of a commercial photography job i did late last year for Deltaforce Paintballing in Baldivis, south of Perth. This shot was also taken on the Canon 5D II with my 14mm F2.8 EX Sigma aspherical fisheye. This is an amazing piece of glass and has paid the $1,400 price tag many times over.
With this shot i would of been no more than 30cm away from the closest person. I originally bought this lens taking landscapes though with the development and improvement of stitching software i now use this lens mostly for close-up wide angle shots. Most of my landscapes now seem to be stitches of my 28mm lens. If you're looking for any action or sport photography in the Perth area don't hesitate to contact me for an obligation free quote.  Deltaforce Paintball - Perth I have been sifting through a backlog of commercial photography jobs completed over the past year and wanted to post a couple to my photography blog. While travel and landscape photography is certainly my passion, commercial photography pays the bills.
My question to photographers is, what criteria does a commercial job need to satisfy you creatively as well as financially. Secondly where does the satisfaction/financial line fall with most projects? Late last year i did a commercial job for Delta Force Paintballing down in Baldivis, South of Perth. Having never shot paintballing before presented me with a few challenges but i was wrapped with the results. Unfortunately i can't publish the majority of the shots as they are going to be released over coming months and they maximum exposure and wow factor. I have to say of all the places that I've been paintballing in Perth, Deltaforce (At Bonneys Water Ski Park) blows its compeditors away with the facilities and courses they have. If you're looking for a event to take your staff or host a bucks party...This is the place. I'll try and post a few more pics over the coming weeks but for now I'll let you stare down the barrel of a gun. |
AuthorChris Bishop professional commercial, landscape & travel photographer based in Perth, Western Australia. Archives
December 2015
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
Call Chris : 0417 271 647
Copyright Chris Bishop Photography 2020. Perth real estate, commercial, travel, and landscape photographer
Copyright Chris Bishop Photography 2020. Perth real estate, commercial, travel, and landscape photographer