- Australian Photographic Society

MONITOR
The newsletter of the Digital Division, Australian Photographic Society
14th August 2013
Page
number
Title
Author
1
Index
2
APS announcements
Robert Dettman
3-6
Digital Division Councillors’ Gallery
Phillipa Frederiksen
7 - 10
Digital Division Councillors’ Gallery
Graeme Watson
11 - 14
Digital Division Councillors’ Gallery
Ron Jackson
15
Naturescapes: The world’s best nature
photography site
Website review
16 - 18
Nature photography: Working your
subject
Graeme Guy
19
Top Gear: What is the best current
point and shoot camera?
Product review
20
End note
1
APS announcements
please enter your images
APS National Exhibition changes
By Robert Dettman
Records show that over an eight year period participation in
the National by print workers has decreased by 50% while the
number of digital entries has increased by 500%.
After extensive discussion of this and other issues by a sub
committee, followed by further discussion on the
Management Committee Forum, decisions on the future
composition of the APS National Exhibition were made.
There will no longer be a print section. Print division believe
that the numbers are such that they can no longer mount a
sensible exhibition. In the future they will mount un-judged
print exhibitions.
Audio Visual is a small specialised interest with three
exhibitions. The Autumn National, the APS National and the
grandly named bi-annual Adelaide International Audio Visual
Festival. It was agreed that A/V workers would prefer not to
be bound by the APS National program and so would be
removed from it.
This means that the APS National Exhibition will
henceforth be digital only.
Editors Note:
Please send me your articles and images to be
featured in future editions.
If you wish to comment on articles or images they
could be included in a ‘Letters to the Editor’ section.
Thank you
Graeme
2
Digital Division Councillors’ Gallery
Phillipa Fredriksen
A long way up
3
Glacial Patterns
4
Three Vases
5
London Bus
6
Graeme Watson
Miniatures
7
Industry
8
What happens next
9
Beautiful Music
10
Ron Jackson
Bridge and Spire
11
Bike 41
12
Burra Heritage
13
Passau Canoeist
14
Naturescapes: The worlds best nature photography site
by Graeme Guy
Screen grab of the Naturescapes homepage.
Over the years various nature
photography sites have come and
faded. Greg Downing and two others
founded Naturescapes 10 years ago. It
had an extensive rebuild about a year
ago. The site boasts a number of
sections and has its own retail outlet.
Members can post images online for
critiquing purposes. There are a
number of sub categories including:
birds, wildlife, landscapes, flora and
macro, travel and culture, as well as
photo and digital art. I have posted in
both the birds and wildlife sections. The
site boasts many really good bird
photographers and standards are
generally very high and good advice is
also given. The Wildlife section is not
quite so dynamic. Various experts
moderate the forums and the best
images feature in an ‘Editor’s pick’
section.
There are various forum categories
where various topics from photography
to business topics are discussed. It is a
great place to get information on some
of the latest photographic gear or
software. Other forums specialize in
future workshops, to selling gear to
upcoming contests. The site also
features forums for regional chapters
where like-minded photographers from
the same area can share information.
There is even an Australasian chapter.
Subscriptions are US$40/year or $300
for lifetime membership.
Thumbnail images from the Bird forum
http://www.naturescapes.net
15
Nature Photography: working your subject
by Graeme Guy
I have been fortunate in having been able to fly to some renowned wildlife
locations in the world. I have also been on an academic salary so cannot
boast unlimited resources. It can certainly be an advantage to go to exotic
locations to get killer images but let’s have a close look at where the good
ones have been shot and how.
Coming from a scientific background I tend to analyze results and see how I
can make them better. If I put my more successful images in a folder and look
at the origins of these two things stand out:
1. Virtually all show action/behavior.
2. Most of them were shot during targeted projects.
I have addressed #1 in my last newsletter article. Let us look at #2 then.
During my working years my ‘spare’ time was limited so when you had
holidays the main photographic objective was to get ‘the best bang for your
bucks’. I thus went to various locations with specific animals and their
behavior as my premiere target. The table below illustrates some of my
targeted shoots:
Location
Target
Rottnest Island
Ospreys
North Queensland
Bowerbirds displaying
Falkland Islands
Nesting Penguins
Kenya
Big cat activity
Costa Rica/Ecuador
Hummingbirds
Penang/Malaysia
Kingfishers nesting
Penang/Malaysia
Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters
Penang/Malaysia
Blue-throated Bee-eaters
Images from project shoots
1. Green-breasted Mango feeding
2. Osprey female feeding chick
16
If I take my current best image folder, bearing in mind some of the older ones have not stood the test of time, the
majority of images do not come from overseas trips but come from working local subjects and working them often
at optimum times. About half an hours drive from my home is a moto-cross track where various species of birds
that nest in excavated holes in the ground have decided to nest annually. The season lasts for six month as one
after another they raise their young in underground cavities. I have the time and equipment to take advantage of
these phenomena and using a recent model camera where ISO settings are generous, I have been able to catch
action at 1/5000 second at apertures of f7.1-f9. (I always use apertures around f8 for birds) I have been happy
with results but the conclusions are interesting:
1.
2.
3.
4.
You don’t have to go to exotic locations
Do your homework and work locally
Have specific images in mind and try hard to capture them
Be patient and observant and spend the required time
At all times the welfare of my subjects is paramount and I am very careful how I operate. These birds get
enough insults thrust at them…see my blog.
http://malaysianwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2013/07/beating-odds-trials-of-blue-throated.html
If you want numbers according to my shooting diary I have been to the above location 80 times in 24 months
and when the action is hot I can easily shoot over 1000 images in a session. I shoot from the driver’s window
of my SUV using a beanbag. The car aircon is not used and it can get very hot in a 4 hour session under
tropical skies, so it is hard ....but very enjoyable ‘work’.
Shooting Locally.
Good images can be obtained
by understanding the local
birds & working them: Whitebreasted Kingfishers and a
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.
17
18
Top Gear: What is the best current point and shoot camera?
Most of us have a ‘point and shoot’ camera we keep handy
when we are avoiding humping 16kg of camera gear around.
I have a Canon G10, which is somewhat old now but has taken
very nice record shots. My daughter shoots travel shots with a
Canon EOS 7D with a zoom lens. It is big and rather obvious in
dubious environments. She asked me recently for advice on a
good ‘point and shoot’ to replace her set-up. The two market
leaders Canon and Nikon both offer a number of pocket-sized
digital cameras. I started searching through long lists of what
was available when I noted an article by a guru, who I trust
explicitly. He has vast knowledge of both Nikon and Canon.
His recommendation without any reservation.
The Sony Cybershot RX100II, which he ventured was streets
ahead of anything else. OK if you don’t like the US$748 price
tag keep looking. This camera does provide low light shooting
that is beyond most compact cameras and looks to be geared
to the future.
What does this Sony camera offer:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
20.2 Megapixels
Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens
3.6x zoom (28-100mm)
High speed auto focus
Up to 12,800 ISO
Connectivity to smartphones and iPads through Wi-Fi
Jpeg and RAW image capture
Connectivity to external flash and specialist
viewfinders.
9. 3.0 inch extra fine quality viewing screen. Tilts to
allow different shooting modes
http://store.sony.com/p/20.2-megapixel,-RX100/en/p/DSCRX100M2/B
19
Out-sourcing
Some African airlines have experienced cash-flow problems and have out-sourced various tasks such
as on-board safety checks.
20