Pictures from the Reef

It is with a sigh of resignation I write this, for tomorrow it's back to work after two weeks on holidays. My holidays were to Cairns & Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia and it was a chance for me to try out my newest camera - the Olympus XZ-1 and the PT-050 Underwater Housing at my dream dive location, The Great Barrier Reef.

I have to say I was very impressed with the XZ-1, I have never used an Olympus before and didn't have time to do any reading on how to use it before I went away, but it was all very intuitive and I got some fantastic photos. The PT-050 is a dream to use, so very easy to load and seal, and a dream to hold and shoot underwater.

The conditions on the Reef were terrible for our 3 day liveaboard trip which was incredibly disappointing. I had hired the S2000 strobe to use with the camera for those 3 days and as the conditions were so bad none of the photos turned out to be much more than backscatter. Fortunately the weather cleared for the second week and we made two additional day trips to the Reef where conditions were much better.

I love this shot, taken just using the standard underwater setting. Moorish Idols (like Gil in Finding Nemo) are my favourite fishes and I was thrilled this little guy ended up mid centre in the shot.

I used the macro underwater setting for a few close up pics of clown fish - but looking at the pics now I see they might be a bit extreme close up and most are a bit out of focus. I did get this one shot which I like, but I am now about to google to find out if there is a quick way to change scene settings, for this was the one thing I found cumbersome.

Anyway, that's my underwater photo wrap up. Great camera, awesome housing, bummed about going back to work.

Tracey

Art & About Sydney

Last weekend marked a momentous occasion for me - for it was the first time my camera made it into full manual mode without cheating.

I'd used manual before, but each time it was simply following the instructions on a "How To" instructional video on You Tube, or by using "DSLR Toolkit for Dummies" on my phone. This time, thanks to the wonderful tutor I had in Amy Cassim during my 8 week course, I felt confident enough to try it alone - with a full understanding of what apeture and shutter speed settings do and how they work.

I ventured into Sydney last weekend with fellow photography enthusiast and friend, Renee, as the city was very conveniently providing new and interesting photo opportunities with the Art & About Sydney festival. This festival brings art to the street, with various artworks dotted around the city. I have to admit that most weren't really my style (although rather than calling it rubbish Renee insists I say I am a 'purist', perhaps for the benefit of any budding artists milling about) but there were two artworks I was very fond of.

The first - Brook Andrew's Donut in Bridge Lane.

"A large inflated PVC form taking shape high above our heads. As we walk underneath the silhouette is a familiar every day shape. But scale and context suggest this is nothing like a regular donut, transformed instead into a striking black and white matrix of Wiradjuri design. The shape references ancient European and Indigenous depictions of time travel and healing, and the popular contemporary notion of a 'pie in the sky."

I'm not at all sure about depictions of time travel and healing but it sure made for a great photo.

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/30
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
ISO Speed 200

I am since devastated to learn that it lights up at night - and I didn't go back when the sun went down!

My other favourite looked very ordinary by day, but was stunning at night.

"Flying high above the heart of the city, Tsunami 1.26. is a gigantic arerial net installation by acclaimed American artist Janet Echelman. This spectacular vision is one of the works from the Powerhouse Museum’s new Love Lace exhibition, and combines ancient craft practice with cutting-edge technology to create an oasis of sculpture delicate enough to be choreographed by the wind. Netted with a high tensile rope, 15 times stronger than steel in weight, and lit by changing coloured lights, Tsunami is inspired by the events that unfolded following the 2010 Chile earthquake. Using a 3D model of the 2010 tsunami, and software to create an outline of the model’s higher amplitude area, Echelman created her sculptural form, with machine-knotted mesh revealing the intricacy of traditional netting."

I didn't see anything that resembled an earthquake, but found it a fabulous photography subject. The ever changing lights that not only changed colours but brightness made getting the shot that little bit trickier.

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 10
Av( Aperture Value ) 22.0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 10
Av( Aperture Value ) 16.0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

At first I was a bit upset about the buses being in shot, but now I think it adds a nice sense of scale and demonstrates the size of the artwork.

Overall it was a fabulous afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Ren, it's so nice to be with someone else who wants to take proper photos - my husband is forever just saying "are you done yet?" 2 seconds after I take the lens cap off.

To see additional photos you can visit my flickr photo stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/traceyfox/

Entered into the following challenge:
Photoblog Challenges - ISO 100

Until next time, happy snapping!

Tracey
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