Lions, bats, hawks and dragons.

Unfortunately I didn't shoot any of those animals, a dragon would be cool, maybe even cooler than a unicorn, but we all know how hard they are to find and shoot.

Chinese new year just passed earlier this month and they sent me down to Crown street mall and the Nan Tien buddhist temple to shoot some lunar new year celebrations. Nan Tien is beautiful, it's the largest buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere I hear, architecturally very beautiful with fantastic gardens as well. Having spent the last couple of Chinese New Year's in Gladstone it was nice to come to a city where they had a lion running and jumping around. Obviously it's not Melbourne, Sydney or Asia but hey, it's better than nothing.

Sometimes in my job I have to go and photograph things that are pretty confronting, things that make me feel uneasy, usually i'm not too bothered by things, i've been to my fair share of fatals, sure they're bad, I don't enjoy seeing people die, but i'm usually pretty distant from it. I'm an observer just documenting what's happening in front of me, however this time it was different. 

I wasn't at a fatal shooting someone who had driven into a truck and killed themselves at 100km/h, or someone who had been murdered by their significant other, it was a bat, a grey fruit bat. We covered a story about people putting nets over their fruit trees because they didn't want birds or bats eating their fruit, sounds fair enough, when I was growing up my uncle would always put nets over his apple tree to deter the birds - and it worked - however I never thought about what would happen if they got trapped or if they ever injured themselves on the nets. 

The job description for this was pretty basic "meet such and such who is a carer of fruit bats." in my head I had the perfect shot, she would be smiling at me and her arm would be out with some bats hanging off her. Brilliant photo, lets go. 

I walked up and introduced myself and prepared for my shoot, I asked to see the bat we'd be shooting. She scurried off to the other room and pulled a bat out of a cage who'd been severely injured when caught in nets. 

It was not what I expected, he was dying, practically dead. She pulled him out slowly and he let out what seemed like his final breath, the smell of rotting fruit is what struck me. Here was this little creature about to die, dying right in front of my lens. 

I'm usually not bothered by these things but anything to do with animals hits me right to the core. We shot him for about 10 minutes and when we put him back, Sandra, the fruit bat volunteer told me. "He's gone." She slowly put him back in the cage and covered him with his blanket. 

Feeling pretty despondent I asked to see if she had any bats which were on the up, not so.. dead, to be blunt, luckily she had some.

Speaking of 'on the up' the Wollongong Hawks won their 4th game in a row last week against the New Zealand breakers. The hawks have been pretty up and down this year, unfortunately NBL is no where near as big here as it is in other countries, there are rumours of clubs shutting down due to lack of funding and low ticket sales, but the Hawks are one of, if not the only original club left since the inception of the NBL in the 70's. They're playing for their 5th win in a row tonight, fingers crossed they get there.

Last week I shot my first NRL game, I don't know anything about league but being in a stadium with thousands of fans cheering really gets the hairs on your neck to stand up. I've shot league before but never at a professional level. I don't know any of the players, hopefully I can learn them within the next few months so shooting them and identifying them will be a LOT easier. 

End of an era

When I drove into Wollongong for the first time nearly 6 months ago, the first thing I saw on the horizon was the Port Kembla stack. It's hard to not notice it, standing nearly 200m high it was the tallest thing in the Wollongong skyline.

Within my first few days of working at the Mercury, I was told that the stack was going to come down, it was going to be blown up. How could you not be excited about that?! I'd never seen anything get blown up or demolished before, so as you could guess, I was pretty excited.

However, the months passed and the stack was still standing, I grew to really like the stack. As a non Wollongong local, it was always reassuring to drive into Wollongong and see the stack standing so high in the skyline acting like a beacon to navigate your way back.

When the date was finally confirmed as to when the stack was going to come down we went in a frenzy shooting everything and anything stack related. As the weeks went by it seemed that we shot something stack related everyday, safe to say, we were all pretty relieved when it was all over and done with.

On the day of the stack demolition I made sure to wake up nice and early, 5am early, to get some sunrise shots of the stack for the last time. Unfortunately where I was situated I had a pretty average sunrise, the skies were pretty washed out and the light was in a less than ideal place to get nice colours in the sky. I set myself up with a 200mm lens with a 2x converter to get in tight enough to see the stack but not so tight as to cut out the lake and houses on the horizon.

And just like that, it was over and done with. 4 years to build, stood high in Wollongong for 50 years, felled in 20 seconds. 

Meikon underwater housing review

A few of weeks ago I pulled the trigger and bought an underwater housing for my NEX, I had a long weekend coming up and paid for express shipping hoping that I would arrive in the 3-5 days like it said. It didn't, it took 2 weeks and last week I finally received my underwater housing for my NEX after a delay due to the eBay store having issues with their supplier.

When it finally arrived I was immediately struck with how well the housing was built. To be honest, I haven't played with many underwater housings but this certainly didn't look or feel cheap considering it was only $120AUD.

The Meikon housing is rated to withstand depths of up to 40m. I tried to find some information on the Meikon housings for NEX but it was pretty hard to come by. From the few pages that I did find, people said that the camera started playing up around 20m due to the pressure it had on the housing. Luckily as a snorkeller I have not encountered any problems and find it to be a perfect housing for free diving <10m nbsp="" or="" p="" so.="">

There are 2 models for the NEX, the 16mm and the 18-55mm. I opted to go for the 18-55 because I didn't want to be restricted to only using one lens. The 18-55 gives me a few more options when it comes to shooting underwater as I can zoom the lens a little bit if I don't want something too wide and I can also put my 35mm lens into the housing which I have found to be a great lens underwater.

Like I mentioned before, the housing is built extremely well considering the cost. It has all the buttons to allow full control of the camera, which can be handy if you want to do any full manual controls underwater. I'm pretty lazy and leave it on aperture priority and let the camera do the rest. The buttons are useable, but underwater they can be a bit of a hassle to use.

The case adds a fair bit of size to the NEX and as a result, the ergonomics are a bit difficult to get used to when compared to using the NEX natively with no case. The shutter button is in a little bit of an awkward position due to the added size of the case and some of the buttons require a bit of force to push in in order to get them to respond. It's not overly difficult but can be a little annoying when you're wanting to do things relatively quickly.

My biggest surprise when using the housing was how buoyant the actual case is. It does not sink. at all.

The waterproofness of the case is pretty good, there's a tight seal around the edges of the housing with an O ring and also comes with some water resistant lubricant which should be used every time you go in the water. The case has 2 locks or hinges to unlock before the case can be opened, there is a top hinge which doesn't really do much in terms of keeping water out and actually doesn't do much at all. The main lock is located on the right and makes up the grip of the housing, it requires a pinch action to unlock two hinges which opens the housing. I'm always a little paranoid that I will accidentally bump the latches and the case will open underwater - fortunately it hasn't happened yet, touch wood.

Overall i'm extremely happy with the Meikon underwater housing. The only gripe that I do have with it, is the inability to pop the flash up or down when it is inside the case. This is only a small gripe, but sometimes I don't want the flash to fire and the only way I can turn the flash off is to open up the case and pop the flash back down. This is only a small issue, but for $120 I really shouldn't be complaining.

Until next time.

Natural light or flash?

Sometimes natural light is the best light, especially when it comes through a window or better yet, a window with some scrim over it. However, I like to flash the crap out of everything I shoot.

I never used to like using flash, when I was first starting photography I hated flash, partly because I didn't have a flash, but also because I didn't know how to use it, so I learned to shoot without it, using the available light, finding where the light was and moving my subjects into the light. Come Tafe and university, I still hated flash, refused to use it, I found that it got in the way of my shooting style and had to force myself to use it more and more. It wasn't until third year when I finally realised there was a reason for using a flash (obviously) and I made myself use it more and more.

Since working as a full time photographer I hardly never use flash on an assignment. The reason I use flash is because it is the easiest and best way IMO to isolate your subjects from the background. I've always loved lifestyle/editorial styled photographs and knowing how to use your flashes is the best way to do that - i've found.

There are often times when I walk onto a site and just stand there looking at the light. The old "put the hand in front of the camera and check the light" trick is used 99% of the time when walking into a room or out in the open. Often i'm looking at the quality of light, sunny, overcast, the direction it's coming from and how the shadows are falling from the light - if any.

Sometimes I come across a scene that I want to use and am too stubborn to change it even though the light isn't right. There are many times when I want to put my subject in a certain spot but the light isn't right, casting too many shadows, throwing too much light onto my subject - or not enough, that's when throwing in a bit of flash helps - a lot.

As you can see, I like using flash. I try to make it look as natural as possible, although you can tell there's flash in there I try not to make it look overdone.

So why do we go with natural light sometimes? Good question, I don't even know myself, but I normally go with natural light if i want a certain 'look'. The word 'look' is a pretty broad term, especially as a photographer but for me I will use natural light if the light is right. It doesn't really explain much, but just like when I shoot a frame and I know it's a good shot, there's something inside that lets you know "yep, that's the shot". Sometimes the natural light compliments the subject matter and I will often opt to use that instead of flash. The shot below, I didn't feel the need to have to isolate my swimmer from the crowd or from the beautiful mountains behind him, he is part of the image, a part of the story. The light hit the mountains perfectly and the sun was creating a beautiful rim light on the subjects.

Sometimes the natural light is SO good you have no option but to shoot it. The shot below in the steelworks was a natural light shooters dream. There was a BIG open doorway on left and a HUGE skylight 20m above the subject which lit up the whole area. The steelworks was under maintenance, so all the doors were open, normally it's dark and gloomy in there, however on this day everything was open resulting in a beautifully lit photo. The skylight above is what makes the photo, the light lit up enough of the steelworks to add some location and context to the shot. The beauty of soft light (like below) is that it almost creates no shadows, the light fades off gradually without the harshness which you normally see in broad harsh daylight.

 
Sometimes I mix flash with natural light. The below shot could've been replicated with flashes, but in this instance the natural light was perfect. I had my subject sit in her sitting area where the light streamed in perfectly lighting her up adequately. As my foreground subject who is a cleaner, was in deep shadow because I was exposing for the daylight outside, I added a little bit of fill flash to light up the inside of the house and her to create a more natural looking scene.

Like my point earlier, sometimes natural light is just too good to say no.

Relying purely on natural can be challenging sometimes as you need to make sure you're not putting your subjects face in complete shadow. Using natural light slows me down, it makes me wait for the decisive moment when the light falls perfectly on the subject, it's very much a waiting game, but when it works, it works very well indeed.

So what's my conclusion? I really don't have one, there is no right or wrong answer. Light is light, use what works best in your vision, use what works best to best tell your story.

Until next time..

Ciao.

2013 in review

I'm a week late in writing this, but as I always say, better late than never right?

So what happened to me in 2013? I always say this and i'm sure everyone says it too, but 2013 sure went fast. For me it was a whirlwind year, one minute I was celebrating new years eve at my girlfriends house with her family and our friends getting drunk and eating too much food and then suddenly I was covering floods during Australia day, bush fires in winter, fatalities, murders, birthdays, grand openings and everything else you can think of.

I was enjoying myself in Gladstone, I had completed my cadetship, I had made some fantastic friends, was doing a large chunk of the photography at the paper and doing what I loved, taking photos everyday.

However, despite all this, a part of me wanted to leave and find a new challenge. Towards the middle/end of 2013 I had nothing more to learn, I had peaked, learning wise and was starting to plateau, starting to get bored and feeling unchallenged with what the Observer had to offer me. I wanted more responsibility, but I wasn't allowed, so for me, I knew it was time to leave.

Unfortunately for us photographers, jobs do not grow on trees and a good job comes once every few months (if that even) and you need to grab them as soon as you can. The market is over saturated with photographers and companies constantly under valuing photographers by advertising volunteer, part time, casual photography jobs hoping and knowing some sucker will apply and do it just to get their name out there in the market. I'll admit, when I first started I thought having my name out there would kick start my career as a famous photojournalist. I was wrong.

I lost track of how many jobs I applied for and I was getting disheartened in the hope of ever finding a new job. My biggest fear was to be stuck in central Queensland forever, never being able to find a job. 2013 was full of frustration and anger. I wasn't getting the jobs I wanted, constantly falling short of the finish line. Sure, I could've worked at any old photographic joint and made some decent coin, but i'm fussy, I needed to work for a paper, it was either that or nothing at all. Luckily I landed a gig in Wollongong. How I got it, I really don't know, however, this life is full of luck and sometimes things just go you way.

 So looking back on the year that was, I thought the best way to sum up 2013 was to go back and find my 12 favourite photos of the year, not necessarily my best photos but my most memorable ones. So without further adieu...

 - January - 

When I think of January 2013 I think of the Australia day floods. To say it rained in central Queensland is an understatement. It rained like I had never seen before. It was my first time cover floods and not gonna lie, I had a blast going out there seeing flood affected areas.

- February - 

We continued our coverage of flood affected areas in February. What I remember most was going to the Boyne Valley region, completed isolated and cut off from everyone during the floods, the town was left to fend for itself with limited food and water. One of the main sources of income for the locals was dairy production/farming and when the floods hit, many people lost a lot of cattle and farm animals. The town was littered with remains of dead cows. Many cows had become displaced and were left wandering the road.

- March - 

It was still wet and raining in Gladstone in March, but we had a little break from all the wet weather stuff and I went to my first dog show. Had a blast! I love dogs and animals in general and I thoroughly enjoyed walking around taking photos of all the different types of dogs. It's true, some dogs really look like their owners..

- April - 

We did a story about this guy who opened up his own tattoo parlour working from home. Bazaar, he worked from his garage which, as you can see, was very colourfully decorated. 

- May -  

How a car flips upside down I have no idea, yet these guys managed to do it after hitting a pole in a 60km/h zone.

- June - 

We went to the Ubobo fair, where they opened up time capsules buried 25 years ago. There was a series of them buried, all to be opened at 25 year intervals. I don't remember why this guy was there, but he was..

- July - 

Gladstone had a big concert/play organised with the Queensland theatre of arts - or something along those lines - and we had to photograph the different characters in the upcoming play. This shoot was with a bunch of stepford wives dressed up in cool 1950's clothing. I had never done anything like it before and was really happy with the results. 

- August- 

It was quiet for me in August as I nicked off on holidays for a month, so it was pretty slim pickings for August.

- September - 

This was my last photo for the Observer and it could not have ended on a more perfect note than it did. At the Observer we covered a lot of cooky crazy stories and this one was definitely up there. Old mate wasn't happy that he couldn't spend less than $5 on eftpos at a tool shop so he came to the Observer and filed a complaint. He wanted 2 or 3 screws but was denied when he was told that there was a card limit when purchasing goods. Apparently this was news worthy and that my friends, is how I ended my career at the Observer.

One of my first photos at the Mercury. Iron Jay is a wrestler who goes to events and stuff and runs a wrestling for kids kind of activity fun day. Turned out better than I thought.

- October - 

This was the first time I had photographed a dolphin. It just happened to be a dead one. 

- November - 

Like Gladstone, Wollongong is situated on the ocean, however, surfing is a lot bigger here than it is in Gladstone. This was the first time I had photographed surfing and I was pretty happy with the results. I have no idea what makes a good surfing photo  - in terms of surfing technique and such but aesthetically, I just like this photo. 

- December - 

Wollongong has opened a whole new world of opportunity for me in terms of learning as well as photographing new things that I had never done before. I had shot basketball in the past in Gladstone, but never had a shot a sport that was on a national level. Wollongong is home to the Wollongong hawks - my newly adopted favourite basketball team - and shooting a proper NBL game is pretty damn exciting and super fun. This wasn't the first NBL game I shot in Wollongong but this was one of, if not, my first photo to be published on the SMH site. chuffed. 

Ok, well, that's it. I've rambled more that I wanted to, but that was my year in review, I hope you enjoyed, i'm sure 2014 will be bigger and better than the last!

Chris.