My Brothers new bush block

[two utes]

My brother just purchased a 700 acre bush block only 40 minutes away from where we live, and we went to check it out today. I took my Nikon Coolpix camera, which l normally just use on automatic settings, but wish l could work the controls a little bit better. You will be able to tell from the photos l took why l say this.
I'm sure this camera has more potential than this, but l really don't know where to start.....maybe someone can offer me a few pointers.

We came across a few echidnas, which for the first time didn't have their head buried in the dirt. This guy staggered right bast me checking the air out every now and then.
The block has an old hut which someone attempted to restore. We were told that its about 120 years old.
The fences are in reasonable condition, and we came across a few of the old rabbit proof fences.

Looking forward to going there again soon for some camping and bush walking. We still have a lot of exploring to do there, but hopefully next time round l may come back with some better photos...Please help :)

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[Jenene]

Can't help with advice on the photos- they look awesome to me. Not thinking I would want to get much closer to that creature.

How lucky you are to have an area to use for nature photos and camping when ever you choose. Keep the pics coming!

[Second Hand Pat]

Joe, I think you have a natural eye for landscapes. On the little anteater (guessing) try getting at it's level if you can safely. You want to catch the eye with a little light in it and light on it's face if possible. You are shooting in a strong sun which leads to lots of contrast in the photo. Next visit try going early morning/late afternoon.

On the camera if you want to get out of auto try Aperture Priority. You will adjust the aperture and the camera will handle everything else. Aperture is the amount of light entering the lens and controls the depth of field in the image. The larger the number the smaller the amount of light entering the lens.

I am still a beginner at this but there is a practice thread which might be helpful http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117195-Practice&highlight=Practice. Ricardo walked me thru some exercises you might found useful.
Pat

[Discus-n00b]

700 acres, wow that's a nice plot I'd say. Jealous! I agree with Pat pretty much on everything she stated. You just need to use the manual settings to really get the hang of them, it's a practice thing and will become easier the more you use them. It's all a balancing act between the three settings. Aperture Priority or AV on most camera dials is a good place to start. You have a good eye on that fence shot, fence on an angle like that in a landscape is hard to go wrong. Play with difference heights, get lower and shoot kind of up through the fence...stuff like that. That is how Photography really separates itself from a tourist with a camera type of situation IMO, go where others may not think to go with it. Also you could probably get some nice black and whites with a closer shot of some of those fence posts with the fencing connected to it. Rusty old hardware on an aged fence post can look great. Can do the same with the hut. If you can go in safely, looking out use the windows as frames for the landscape outside. Of course these are just examples to maybe get you thinking a different way creatively, shoot what looks good to your eye!

I bet you could get some KILLER starscapes out there, man....makes me crave it! Astrophotograhy is a whole different animal but 700 acres and I'm sure very distant neighbors, no light pollution, and an old building like that? Milky way dreams! Stick a light inside the house to illuminate the windows, with the milky way overhead, awesome. Not sure if your camera can capture something like that, but it's the first thing I saw in my mind when I saw the hut.

It's hard with wildlife, they don't stand still like landscapes. More light on certain spots like Pat said would be ideal, but sometimes it's tough. If you can shift positions to accomplish it by all means. Sometimes you don't have the luxury of the light being perfect when the animals are active, or they go where you hoped they wouldn't go. I think your first attempts here are pretty good, all seem in focus and most of the animal is lit well. I think I like the middle picture out of the 3, can see the face and the spines and I just get the overall impression that it's going somewhere compared to the other two.

Pat I think safely and Australia wildlife never go together no matter what it is. LOL just kidding.

[Second Hand Pat]

Depends on the wildlife Matt but very good point. :)
Pat

[two utes]

Can't help with advice on the photos- they look awesome to me. Not thinking I would want to get much closer to that creature.

How lucky you are to have an area to use for nature photos and camping when ever you choose. Keep the pics coming!

Thanks Jenene. Some of the photos I've seen on here are astounding, and l am pretty sure that with some tips l could improve quit a bit. As you can see l have already received loads of help with ideas, which l can't wait to get back out there to give them ago.
Yes l am lucky to have access to this property. It has a creek flowing through it with little falls, deep waterholes with tadpoles, and fish. We saw lots of kangaroos in the wooded areas. It holds wombats, possums and loads of other wildlife both natives and feral which we will endeavor to find. I know that a professional hunter was going through the property to keep the rabbits and foxes under control to help protect the native animals. My brothers and l are responsible hunters as well so we will help keep things under control.
The echidna is and Australian native, and an ant eater. It is really very safe to approach, but they dig themselves in protecting their soft underbelly and face when feel threatened. I was very happy to see this one and it walked only a couple yards away from me.
I'll be sure to put some more photos on here the next time l visit the property.....hopefully there will be some improvement in the photos. Thanks for your interest

[two utes]

Joe, I think you have a natural eye for landscapes. On the little anteater (guessing) try getting at it's level if you can safely. You want to catch the eye with a little light in it and light on it's face if possible. You are shooting in a strong sun which leads to lots of contrast in the photo. Next visit try going early morning/late afternoon.

On the camera if you want to get out of auto try Aperture Priority. You will adjust the aperture and the camera will handle everything else. Aperture is the amount of light entering the lens and controls the depth of field in the image. The larger the number the smaller the amount of light entering the lens.

I am still a beginner at this but there is a practice thread which might be helpful http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117195-Practice&highlight=Practice. Ricardo walked me thru some exercises you might found useful.
Pat


Thanks for your reply Pat. I love the photos you put up on here, and always wish that l can get close to taking photos like yours. I do think that l have a reasonably good eye for photography, and with some help l think that l can do a lot better. A good tradesman never blames his tools, and l'm not doing that, though l do know that with a large investment l can purchase a quality slr, and some high end lenses that will help me endeavor, l'm not going there at this stage but may down the track
I really like your suggestions about getting down low to the anteaters level. Yes it was a very sunny day, and l always thought that lots of light would help with a good shot, but does create shadows. I will definitely have opportunities to shoot photos on different parts of the day and l will try what you suggested.

I will try playing with the Aperture settings. I think this has a scale? I will not adjust any other setting but Aperture and see what l come up with. The best thing with digital cameras is that you can take a shot and view the results instantly. Many moons ago l did have an slr where l played with settings, but by the time l received my photos back from development, l would forget what l had done, and could not improve on my shots.

Thanks also for the link. I will look at it and practice in my back yard before my next field trip.
thanks heaps for your help Pat. I really do appreciate it :)

[two utes]

700 acres, wow that's a nice plot I'd say. Jealous! I agree with Pat pretty much on everything she stated. You just need to use the manual settings to really get the hang of them, it's a practice thing and will become easier the more you use them. It's all a balancing act between the three settings. Aperture Priority or AV on most camera dials is a good place to start. You have a good eye on that fence shot, fence on an angle like that in a landscape is hard to go wrong. Play with difference heights, get lower and shoot kind of up through the fence...stuff like that. That is how Photography really separates itself from a tourist with a camera type of situation IMO, go where others may not think to go with it. Also you could probably get some nice black and whites with a closer shot of some of those fence posts with the fencing connected to it. Rusty old hardware on an aged fence post can look great. Can do the same with the hut. If you can go in safely, looking out use the windows as frames for the landscape outside. Of course these are just examples to maybe get you thinking a different way creatively, shoot what looks good to your eye!

I bet you could get some KILLER starscapes out there, man....makes me crave it! Astrophotograhy is a whole different animal but 700 acres and I'm sure very distant neighbors, no light pollution, and an old building like that? Milky way dreams! Stick a light inside the house to illuminate the windows, with the milky way overhead, awesome. Not sure if your camera can capture something like that, but it's the first thing I saw in my mind when I saw the hut.

It's hard with wildlife, they don't stand still like landscapes. More light on certain spots like Pat said would be ideal, but sometimes it's tough. If you can shift positions to accomplish it by all means. Sometimes you don't have the luxury of the light being perfect when the animals are active, or they go where you hoped they wouldn't go. I think your first attempts here are pretty good, all seem in focus and most of the animal is lit well. I think I like the middle picture out of the 3, can see the face and the spines and I just get the overall impression that it's going somewhere compared to the other two.

Pat I think safely and Australia wildlife never go together no matter what it is. LOL just kidding.

Hi Matt.
Thank you very much for your input here. You have given me lots to think about and try. I actually cant wait till l get back there for our first camping trip. The property is approx 70 miles away from the city and surrounded by much bigger properties. it has some really high wooded areas as well. I liked shooting the rabbit proof fence with its rustic look, but there are also some really neat timber fences and pens next to an old sheering shed, which l will take a close look at next time. You and Pat have highlighted to shoot from different angle. I like the simplicity of that l can try next time out. I've always tried having something in the foreground when taking a landscape, such as a branch, some long grass, but never a window frame. I will give that a go for sure.

Starscapes! I've seen some killer shots, but have no idea where to start with these. I would think that l would need a tripod, and maybe a much slower shutter speed to start? I can already picture what you are thinking with the old hut in the foreground...cant wait to give that a go!

I really like wildlife, and there is loads of it here, and yes some of it can kill you. My brother has already come across some brown snakes which are very active at the moment. Some of the spiders can do some damage as well, so i do have to be careful about these. I was excited about seeing the active echidna and tried to stay in front of it to get these shots. I think l finally got to close and spooked it into going into defensive mode, which means it only dug itself in. You can actually touch these guys gently without getting spiked, but l really don't like interfering with native wildlife too much, but feral animals is a different matter all together.

Thanks for your interst here Matt, and l will definitely take on board what you have said,and hopefully get back on here with some better shots...Thanks heaps. I'm wrapped!

[Second Hand Pat]

Joe, it's not the gear. It's the guy behind the gear who makes the magic happen. :)
Pat

[SMB2]

Echo above, it's not the gear.
But, it is the light! The echidna is a great subject, but I would urge you to shoot early in the AM and late in the afternoon. That is not to say images can't be made midday but the sun is harsh (not unlike Pat's Florida) and the images get very contrasty. There would have been a lot more detail in that prickly little guy if the light was lower in the sky.
You do have a nice eye so put it to work.

As far as Mat's Milky Way you will need an app to find where it is in relation to the barn, (you may already know this), like Google Sky Map.
"When discussing the visibility of the Milky Way, many people reference the hemisphere, but don’t explain how exactly this factors in. The reason that your location in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere matters is twofold. First, the duration of daylight is different during the time of year when the Milky Way’s core is most visible. The Southern Hemisphere has the built-in advantage of being in the middle of their winter (i.e. short days, long nights) when the core is most visible. Meanwhile, the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing long days and short nights in its summer months, thereby limiting the available viewing (and photographing) time of the Milky Way’s most visible section."
(From an article I have.)
You will need a tripod for that shot and a decent wide angle lens. Light painting the barn would be really cool.


106144

[two utes]

Echo above, it's not the gear.
But, it is the light! The echidna is a great subject, but I would urge you to shoot early in the AM and late in the afternoon. That is not to say images can't be made midday but the sun is harsh (not unlike Pat's Florida) and the images get very contrasty. There would have been a lot more detail in that prickly little guy if the light was lower in the sky.
You do have a nice eye so put it to work.

As far as Mat's Milky Way you will need an app to find where it is in relation to the barn, (you may already know this), like Google Sky Map.
"When discussing the visibility of the Milky Way, many people reference the hemisphere, but don’t explain how exactly this factors in. The reason that your location in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere matters is twofold. First, the duration of daylight is different during the time of year when the Milky Way’s core is most visible. The Southern Hemisphere has the built-in advantage of being in the middle of their winter (i.e. short days, long nights) when the core is most visible. Meanwhile, the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing long days and short nights in its summer months, thereby limiting the available viewing (and photographing) time of the Milky Way’s most visible section."
(From an article I have.)
You will need a tripod for that shot and a decent wide angle lens. Light painting the barn would be really cool.


106144

Thanks for your input Stan.
You have given me more to think about, particularly with the shot l hope to get of the Milky Way with barn shot. The one you posted looks amazing, and l'm wondering how the barn in your shot looks illuminated.
Painting my brother's shack will not be an option, but maybe l can throw light on it, or like Matt suggested light it up from the inside. You also made me think about doing some research to determine the best time of year to shoot the Milky Way.
Photography isnt just about pressing the button, but a little bit of thought and imagination on what you want to achieve....a bit like an artist.

Thanks again for your input.

[Second Hand Pat]

Joe, Stan doesn't mean painting the barn. He means during the time the pictures being taken you paint the barn with light.
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Thanks for your input Stan.
You have given me more to think about, particularly with the shot l hope to get of the Milky Way with barn shot. The one you posted looks amazing, and l'm wondering how the barn in your shot looks illuminated.
Painting my brother's shack will not be an option, but maybe l can throw light on it, or like Matt suggested light it up from the inside. You also made me think about doing some research to determine the best time of year to shoot the Milky Way.
Photography isnt just about pressing the button, but a little bit of thought and imagination on what you want to achieve....a bit like an artist.

Thanks again for your input.


Joe I think that Stan meant to use post processing to lighten the Barn up.

al

ps.. when can I visit..:) what a great parcel of land!:)

[two utes]

Joe, Stan doesn't mean painting the barn. He means during the time the pictures being taken you paint the barn with light.
Pat

Hmmm O.k thanks for pointing that out......Newby here :)


Joe I think that Stan meant to use post processing to lighten the Barn up.

al

ps.. when can I visit..:) what a great parcel of land!:)

Thanks Al...l have lots to learn, and looking forward to it....You are welcome here any time. I think you will feel at home as well :)

[SMB2]

Light "painting" is a lot of fun. You can do it with a small flashlight. Try it at home on a dark night. You need a tripod and will have to set your camera for a long exposure.
For instance the shot above was set at 20 seconds. While the camera shutter was open, one of the members of our group took a small flashlight and passed the beam to cover just the barn, from about 15 feet away, "painting" the wood in several passes. Maybe 10-15 seconds of light.
To get this shot it took many tries to get the barn just right.
There is no recipe, just trial and error on the amount of light and shutter speed.

Here is a reject, to much light on the grass.

106151

[rickztahone]

Light painting is very fun. You can do it with a small torch or a power flashlight like Stan shows above. You can always stitch in PS in PP and take the sky out of perfectly exposed frame and blend in. That is what I would do.

Nice shot Stan.

[Discus-n00b]

And sometimes you can even do it with multiple exposures. Say you may not want the entire barn lit up the same way, so you'd light one side in one exposure, then do another, then another, etc and stack them in post processing at the end. This is how a lot of the car in a dark warehouse type of shot is done so they can make sure they get every part of the car lit how they want. Beautiful photos Stan, still on my capture wishlist.

[two utes]

Light "painting" is a lot of fun. You can do it with a small flashlight. Try it at home on a dark night. You need a tripod and will have to set your camera for a long exposure.
For instance the shot above was set at 20 seconds. While the camera shutter was open, one of the members of our group took a small flashlight and passed the beam to cover just the barn, from about 15 feet away, "painting" the wood in several passes. Maybe 10-15 seconds of light.
To get this shot it took many tries to get the barn just right.
There is no recipe, just trial and error on the amount of light and shutter speed.

Here is a reject, to much light on the grass.

106151

Thanks for the clarification and example Stan. I think l will have a go at something in my backyard