Three years later...

Looking up the coastline to Bronte, Tamarama and Bondi beaches

It’s been three years and nine days since my last blog post! Things have changed a lot since then. Family life has jetted across the globe to sunnier climes and stronger COVID-safety in Sydney, Australia.

Opportunities have changed and I am now in a position to pursue photography in a more professional way, albeit part-time. I am combining the photography with my ten years experience working in digital content to offer those mixed skills to interested local businesses.

Being based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, I have incredible access to some beautiful beaches, where I can indulge in my love of seacsape photography and general love of being by the sea. I feel very lucky to be here and getting up early-doors to suck in the sea air has become quite the tonic!

My aim is to write a blog post a month, documenting my journey and experiences as a photographer, and because sometimes it’s nice to write down your thoughts :)

Isle of Mull

Stars over the Isle of Mull

I’ve just returned from a brilliant Easter weekend on the stunning Isle of Mull in Scotland's Inner Hebrides. My wife and I coverered almost every road on the island during our trip and saw countless breathtaking views.

This island has endless photographic opportunities and it was hard-going not stopping the car every 5 minutes to take a shot!

The best thing from a photography point of view was the range of photos I was able to take and practice while I was there. I dabbled in astro photography one night where the sky was clear and the moon was sitting low on the horizon. We were lucky enough to encounter some dolphins and plenty of woolly highland cows too!

And then of course all the classic landscape photography took up the most of my tripod-time. Beaches, lochs and mountains, sometimes all three. It was so much fun and I felt like I mastered some more techniques which was really satisfying!

A brilliant trip and we even scoffed a creme egg each at Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa on Easter Sunday :)

Filters, trails and psychics

Tooting Common lake

Earlier this week I returned to one of my favourite local photography spots – Tooting Common lake. I've visited a few times recently and have been lucky enough to capture some great sunsets and sunrises. 

I set out with a lap of the lake, looking for new vantage points but settled on a tried and tested spot. A woman on a bench in earshot, shared her relationship woes with a friend and how her family are all psychic (righto... 😄). Maybe I should've asked her if there was a good sunset coming?

Once the wittering woman departed, I pressed on setting up my new flexible mini-tripod and waited for the sky to do something exciting. I tried out a portrait orientated composition this time and crossed my fingers for the high clouds to reveal some colours.

My patience eventually paid off. Post-sunset, a short burst of pink briefly (3mins) flashed across the sky, reflecting off the clouds and smoke trails of aeroplanes. 

I also tested out some old grad filters I bought years ago, crudely holding them by hand over my super wide angle lens but managing, somehow, to successfully darken the sky.

Learnings from this outing:

• I need to buy some more filters.

• A filter holder would be easier than my hand.

• To be patient for possible pinks, post-sunset.

😀 📷 ✈️  💕❄️

Change of plans

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Millennium Bridge over the River Thames, London

First blog it is then!

My plan last night was to shoot some pictures on or around Tower Bridge straight after work. Dinner with friends at an Italian restaurant was booked in at 6.30 down Tower Bridge Road - very convenient, and ample time to get some shots taken. 

The first step in my plan to leave work on time failed, leaving less time to decide on compositions and get set up properly. Spanner in the works number two, the tube I was on broke down at Mansion House, 3 stops too soon!

Patience and time diminishing, I walked east along the river in the hope of getting some nice shots nearer to London or Tower Bridge. After about 30 seconds I wasn't feeling the Tower Bridge vibe anymore and thought perhaps I'll run out of time to shoot anything before dinner.

Let the zooming commence

I looked back west down the river to see the sun setting behind some dramatic clouds over the Millennium Bridge. I trotted through the underpass beneath Southwark Bridge and set up the tripod in a quiet corner spot with a great view.

It was a peaceful non-touristy area to shoot from and a chance to properly test out my new zoomy 55-300mm Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR lens. Some really epic shaped clouds were forming and moving across the sky, as the glowing yellow-orange sun set and drifted down behind the clouds. I got some great shots with little people shaped silhouettes scattering across the bridge.

Several walkers stopped near me to take their own photos of the beautiful sunset and I had a guy ask me if I got any nice shots as I was packing up my tripod. Sure did matey!

I often prefer shooting when there's next to no people around. That's always gonna be a tough gig in very central London but this spot was a good balance. No loud tourists jostling for space, poking you in the side with selfie-sticks for example!

Nailed it

I packed up my gear, really satisfied with my efforts and was restaurant-bound, having enjoyed a beautiful city sunset.

So even when plans fall apart, there's always something else to shoot. And if there hadn't been there was soon to be burrata, pasta and gelato to stuff into my face ;)