The darkened dirty streets reflected a vibrant light. Zombie paced office workers left the crammed metropolis. The 9-5 shift was over, their shoulders bound by modern technology. For the what was the working day to them, just another job to be done or were they enslaved by their portable screens? Tomorrow they will find out as the cycle continues…
Written and edited on a my Google Nexus while travelling.
Ushered by an overworked conductor I made my way to the awaiting battered old vehicle, stickers strewn, broken and stripped. The taxis missing hub caps caused an uneasy unbalance; the station wagon leaning relaxed by the roadside. My thoughts crept up with my eyes…was this a taxi?
Fixated on my thoughts the driver leered over from the safety of this sanctuary, Broken English seemingly fitting his decrepit ride, “whereyou need to go?”
“Rose Bay” I announced, trying to mask my harrowing voice.
“Rose Bay? I know you come?” I nodded with hesitation agreeing to the shady reply.
After the drivers second attempt to unlock the rusty boot he continued to shake his head with frustration as I waited, heavy luggage in hand. The taxis behind me felt uneasy, the disorganised flurry continued to draw an uneasy attention. Suddenly the boot sprang open and an awkward smile hurried towards me.
My bags flew as they were propelled away, landing with a thickened thud into the open boot. Quietly I made my way to the rear passenger seat and calmed my anger. The driver jostled for rank as we exiting Sydney’s busy domestic airport, his fingers awkwardly flicked between the GPS and wheel as he typed in the destination.
Looking into his rear view mirror the broken conversation seemed pointless but I unwillingly engaged.
“Good trip?” He asked to which I detesting replied “yep”.
The minutes passed and foreign driver appeared in his element, comfortable in the wet, driving to the uneasy rhythm of rubber and metal etching its way into the dirty windscreen. The illuminated road twisted and turned before us until it disappeared into the darkened tunnel.
Almost as if on cue once we were bound to the narrowing darkness the driver tapped his disconnected GPS and murmured “which way, left or right?” It was then my heart sank knowing my instinct and guard had slipped, fooled by my long journey and jet lag – I had chosen the wrong cab.
“I have no idea” I replied in disgust. An uneasy silence lingered, turning to face me the driver replied, “no worry I know”.
Worry I did! Frustratingly the highway had become a distant memory in the ordeal. Side streets and traffic lights became a recurring norm. The rain had stopped and the streets were now full of water. Shaking his head the driver tapped the GPS; the small stagnate red dot lay entangled in a myriad of mess, yellow lines overlapped three to four fold. The trip was turning into a tourist bus nightmare, just without the therapeutic commentary of a Sydney-sider.
Coaching our way across Sydney we managed to traverse the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge for the second time before the driver noted his defeat. A forced iPhone landed in my hand as the desperate driver’s eyes quickly glanced and landed on mine. He spoke quickly “you look up and take me.” I acknowledged his request feeling a sense of pity.
I typed in my destination dodging the cracks of his dilapidated screen. Handing the phone back he insisted on driving in the heavy wet traffic while holding his phone to which I strongly disagreed. Instead I turned on Google Maps on my trusty Nexus and was relieved to hear the therapeutic voice of the assistant. “Turn right in 200m.” Ah the serenity.
Following the direction of Google my driver managed to find my destination in just over one hour. After the ordeal, I felt pity on the driver so I decided to give him a flat fee of $60 as by now the meter would have been in the hundreds. He thankfully replied shaking my hand apologising profusely.
So now it is the morning after and based on my story the best advice I can give – don’t judge a book by it’s cover, instead judge a cab by its condition!
Boarding a mosaic of patchwork symmetry the rows of seats sat empty awaiting their passengers. I clambered through to the end of the plane where the tail spoke a louder hum. Numbness set in early, the plane rumbled and briefly shook, accelerating weightless in the sky.
The overhead signage switched off providing freedom to some agitated passengers who showed a fear of Cathisophobia. Like horses at a starting gate, loud children climbed rows of seats dodging unsuspecting passengers as they played in their mid-air playground. The game had begun. Just as small child’s head disappeared behind a seat a replacement would take watch, giggling with a smile big enough to evoke reactions from the engaging crowd. The fiasco continued for a few hours before the screams broke my vanishing solitude. I was surrounded and my head began to throb. My headphones didn’t seem to provide enough protection from the agony.
My small space was interrogated even further by my fellow passenger as his hairy leg recited a small child on a bouncy castle. Occasional jabs in the back from an uncomfortable commuter reminded me I was yet again in the class of cattle. My rejected upgrade was laughing at me from behind closed curtains towards the front of the plane.
Despite my “adventure” I managed to keep a sound mind, for I was on a journey – a window of opportunity which rarely showed.
Pastels of watery bliss began appearing in broken clouds. The big city awaited me, thick clouds lingered as golden hues shone lost in the darkening overcast sky. The slight dribble of rain could be seen as the descent unveiled my final destination.
I had arrived. Sydney was now my place, my pad and my home.
And now for something a little bit different…
THE HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Until next time.
Happy Shooting.
This post is intended for the local audience
If I have impacted your life through my life (photography related or non photography related) over my years in WA I would love to say goodbye to you before my big move to Sydney.
Family, friends, online followers, work colleagues past and present… if we have or haven’t met be sure to come along and say hello or goodbye before I go. Let me know if I have impacted your life in Western Australia. It would really mean a lot.
I’m organising a bit of a farewell at the Aviary in Perth, Western Australia so I would love to see you. I will be at the Aviary from 7.30pm on Friday 22nd March..
The evening will be casual so feel free to bring partners and friends. So on that note I look forward to seeing you there.
If you would like to get in contact with me my phone number is 0408 957 090.
Waiting, I watched the gentleman patiently stand in the crisp cold night air. He rubbed his hands together cupping his mouth to keep the cold at bay. The still morning hung silently as a growing energy surrounded me.
Deadpan in appearance, cold iron tracks stretched from my feet into the darkness, waiting for the ride to pass. The faint click-clack of moving metal echoed and encompassed my surroundings.
The atmosphere grew dense and sharp as hissing sparks leaped and danced on the wires above. The screaming whip-like crack had marked the arrival of the train. The growing light seemed to emerge from nowhere as the graceful snake-like movement of the locomotive rolled around the corner, arriving silently at the morbid station.
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Edited and written while listening to the track – Anti Gravity by Lindsey Stirling
THE MEDIUM RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting.
The 2013 HBF Rottnest Channel Swim kicked off at the crack of dawn this morning so I went down to Cottesloe Beach to capture some photos of the start.
The first group of swimmers left Cottesloe Beach at 5.45am to undergo the 19.7km swim to Thompsons Bay, Rottnest Island. The rest of the groups left the beach in 15 minute intervals after the first group. Swimming groups were made up of either one of four categories; solo, duo (teams of 2), team (teams of 4) or Lavan Legal Charity Challenge (teams of 4). Colin Barnett, the Premier of Western Australia sounded the hooter for each of the groups to start their epic journey.
The first photo I captured was probably the most difficult due to the lack of light. Fortunately the cameraman at Channel 9 had a very powerful video light which I was able to use to frame the first photo. Although I did have to use ISO 8000 so I could use a fast enough shutter speed.
I wanted to try to portray the salt of the ocean in my photographs so I decided to produce some high contrast black and white photos. These 25 photos are the end result. If you wish to use these photos commercially please credit with the following details: Leigh Diprose – www.leighdiprose.com
These images are free for anyone to use. If you would like a high resolution copy please email me at leighdiprosephotography@yahoo.com.au and I will forward a copy to you.
See what happens when I play with paint and brushes? I think all the finger painting in my childhood paid off!
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting!
After work yesterday I ventured to the top of Monument Hill in Fremantle to take advantage of its towering presence over the suburbs. The clouds were out in full force bouncing some beautiful light and it was my goal to capture them for later Photoshop use.
The sun was setting and I had carded a few great shots when I noticed another photographer in the area photographing a beautiful model.
I approached them both and introduced myself. I then asked if it would be okay to take a few photos, to which they replied no worries. My cloud photos could wait!
I found out the photographer and model had only been in Australia just over a month…when I asked them, are you enjoying living here? They both replied at the same time “its hot!”
These photos were captured using the Canon EOS 1D MK IV and Sigma 120-300mm
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Today I have officially put in my resignation from my managerial role at Valentine’s Camera House. I have given 4 weeks notice to the owners and for those who don’t already follow my blog if you didn’t hear the news already…I will be moving to Sydney at the start of April.
My preparation for the big move is going well and my spare time doesn’t seem so spare! I find myself breaking down furniture whilst dealing with the general public on Gumtree as I try to get rid of it. The dealings I have had so far have been good however on one occasion some guy decided a swap should take place, my Canon EOS 1D MK IV for his electric golf buggy. After receiving a photo of a golf buggy I messaged back the official line from the movie, The Castle and said, “Tell him his dreaming.” I think he got the message after that! There is no way I would swap a pro body for a golf cart! Hell no!
For those of you who are interested I will be organising some farewell drinks as I would love to say goodbye to everyone I know in Western Australia. I wish to invite anyone who I have impacted with my photography, anyone within the imaging industry and of course family and friends. The date I have put aside will be Friday afternoon/evening on the 22nd of March. The official invite containing more details will be posted here on my blog as well as Facebook so please leave the date aside as I would LOVE to see you all there. I will provide more information on the venue in the coming week so until then…
Happy Shooting!
I hope you enjoy this small selection of photographs I captured at Chris and Charlie’s wedding.
The wedding was held at the stunning Maitraya Luxury Private Retreat, located near Albany, Western Australia. If you haven’t stayed at Maitraya before I would certainly recommend it! The views are breathtaking and the accommodation is all class. Hey even Lady Gaga has even stayed there so it must be good!
The bridal party, family and guests were all fantastic to work with. I enjoyed photographing all the smiles and love for Chris and Charlie, so thank you to everyone who made this wedding truly spectacular!
To see more of the weddings photography by Leigh Diprose please visit Brides Perth.
This wedding was photographed using the Canon EOS 1D MK IV and Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Rejoicing in the clear waters;
Flowing from every direction the moment filled the air.
The last swim.
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Have you ever wondered how your film is developed?
So what’s first? Let me take you through the process…
To start get your favourite old camera out. You know that camera you found at an op shop or garage sale. The one that says Lomo on the side or Leica on the top? Either way its still around and you might as well put it to some use. Load your favourite film and continue by spending the morning or afternoon out photographing your favourite subject.
Once you have finished your shoot the satisfying sound of the rewinding film should be music to your ears. With a smile head into your local film lab to get your marvellous shots processed. At this point you should be smiling as you have captured images on the original camera sensor – film! ….and nothing beats the original right?
So now your film has arrived, you can continue on your journey while the staff at the film lab go ahead and turn your art into memories. Your little favourite film’s journey is just about to begin.
The time has come for me to make the move away from my Canon kit. I won’t say much more as its all in the video. All the prices and details can be seen below the video or on my YouTube channel.
If you have any questions on my gear simply visit the YouTube page and read the comments section under the video – you should find all the answers there. If you have any other questions comment below here on my blog.
A few ground rules first.
I will be VERY selective to replying to people on Youtube and other social platforms about general questions about the gear I am selling.
The condition of the gear is talked about in the video so all your questions should be answered there.
The purchaser will have to pay for any shipping and any landing fees (for example VAT) to their country.
All goods will be sent via AUSTRALIA POST. Items will be very well packed in bubble wrap and double boxed. To work out a rough guide for postage costs see the following links (All items will be sent from Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia 6160):
For international postage: http://auspost.com.au/apps/international-parcel.html
For parcels within Australia: http://auspost.com.au/apps/domestic-parcel.html
There will be no returns on purchased goods.
Payment can be made via Paypal. I will only release the goods once I recieve full payment. I am a man of my word. If you don’t believe me speak with anyone who knows me online (Google+ or simply google my name ‘Leigh Diprose’)
The list of gear I’m selling is:
1x Canon EOS 1D MK IV Body Only – AUD $4500.00
(AUSTRALIAN BUYERS ONLY FOR THIS ITEM due to the item containing batteries)
WORLDWIDE SHIPPING for any lenses:
1x Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens – AUD $1600.00
1x Sigma EX 120-300mm f/2.8 APO DG Lens – AUD $1500.00
1x Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x Lens – AUD $800.00
1x Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite – AUD $700.00
1x Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens – AUD $750.00
1x Sigma 2x Teleconverter (Canon Mount) – AUD $150.00
To get in contact with me you can see all my contact details on my site – http://www.leighdiprose.com
My year in review. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the blog this year. Well done to the top 5 people who left comments and the numerous regulars who like and sometimes dislike my photos and stories. You are my inspiration. I have a massive year planned for 2013 and I can’t wait to share my ideas with you all in mid January. I’m off to photograph a wedding today so until next time have a safe a happy New Year!
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 53,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 12 Film Festivals
Click here to see the complete report.
From the bottom of my heart thank you for visiting, commenting and liking my photographs.
Another successful worldwide photo competition has finished and the winner has been selected!
The entries into the Google+ Photographers Competition were outstanding! I couldn’t believe the quality of work that was submitted on Google+. Certainly is the best place for photographers. For the full details on how the competition worked click on the banner below:
The winning photograph was a beautiful black and white photo of a sheep by Gerald Fischer. The post process carried out of the image was superb. Gerald won himself a $100.00 B&H voucher for winning the competition!
Helena Martins – Stairs To The Past
Markus Landsmann – The Colognebay
All of the finalist photographs were judged on the following criteria. Each photo was awarded a score out of 100 points:
1. (25 points) How creative the photograph is.
2. (25 points) How original the photograph is.
3. (25 points) What the technical photographic quality is like.
4. (25 points) How good is the Post Processing Techniques?
The winner was selected from the highest total combined score from all the judges.
Here are the total scores for the above images:
Do you agree with the judge’s verdict? Lets see what the people’s choice would have been: Vote below in the poll:
The judging of the final image was broadcast LIVE via my YouTube channel. Check out the full recorded On Air Google+ Hangout below and watch what the judges had to say about the image.
A big shout out to all the international judges for their dedication to photography and their time.
Matt Granger – That Nikon Guy , André Appel, Joshua Fisher, Don Noll, Andy Gray, Jack Salzke and Helen Sotiriadis.
If you are an imaging wholesaler or photography store and wish to promote your social media and reach online please get in contact with me via leighdiprosephotography@yahoo.com to find out how I can promote your business through one of my photo competitions.
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
A little update for you:
I have been quite ill over the last 24 hours and have been battling through my full time job as well as trying to keep up on my social media, my blogs and wedding photography business. I will try to bring you some photos soon but at the moment I have to focus on getting better. Hopefully I will be fit and well enough to post some more photos over the next couple of days.
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting.
I decided to take this stunning wedding dress outside to photograph it against the vibrant background of the West Australian bush.
Two words – simply beautiful. Katherine looked amazing.
I love photographing and capturing the special memories on a wedding day.
The bridal party, family and friends all enjoyed the celebration of Sam and Katherine’s wedding day, held at Mosmans Restaurant in Mosman Park. I can tell you now it was such a stunning day!
I will be uploading some more photographs to my Perth Wedding Photographer site – Brides Perth and here on the blog so stay tuned.
Over the next couple of days I will have a few more photos to post that I captured using the new Sony A99. Of course as always I have styled the jpeg file using Photoshop. Thanks to Sony for an amazing night of photography.
Sony A99 – Sony 28-75mm f2.8 SAM Lens – ISO 160 – 1/60 sec – f2.8
Its back to editing weddings now.
Until next time – Happy Shooting
A few hours ago I picked up a few Sony A99’s and Sony NEX 6 cameras.
All these photos are nothing serious just a bit of fun as I wanted to test what the jpeg quality was like. Overall I think the image quality is quite good from the basic file size although I had to do a bit of styling in Photoshop to get the result I wanted.
Sony A99 – Sony 28-75mm f2.8 SAM Lens – ISO 100 – 1/60 sec – f2.8
Sony A99 – Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 Lens – ISO 1600 – 1/500 sec – f4
Sony A99 – Sony 28-75mm f2.8 SAM Lens – ISO 100 – 1/80 sec – f2.8
Sony NEX-6 – Sony E 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 OSS Lens – ISO 3200 – 1/160 sec – f5.0
Photography can be a challenge at the best of times however being a colour blind photographer can sometimes make it a bit harder.
Colour blindness is a term used to describe a persons inability to see colour. The term colour blindness is really a misconception as people can see colours however they may not be able to distinguish between colours. In most cases it is referred to as being colour deficient not colour blindness. If you are unable to see colour you would be an achromatopsia sufferer. Fortunately for me I can still tell if a traffic light is green or red (thank goodness) but when it comes to identifying colours it becomes more difficult. This can affect my photography in a number of ways.
I found a video that might help explain the subject more clearly than I can:
There are three basic kinds of colour deficiency.
When editing photos on my computer I don’t seem to have too much difficulty adjusting colour. Over time I have learned where the colour sliders should be to best represt colour. Something that also helps a great deal is the camera’s RAW files. I am able to change the white balance setting in post production which automatically corrects the colour within the scene. My problems start to occur when I play around with photos using Photoshop or Lightroom. For instance I may edit the colours within a seascape making the sunset more vivid. If I make a wrong move the rocks may turn a pink hue when all I wanted them to be was a natural colour. I have no way of distinguishing if the colour is correct so I rely on users comments and my memory of colour tools in Photoshop as my best guidance. Most of the time in my photographs I get away with correct colour. On the odd occasion you may see some horrid colour present in my photographs. If you do please tell me as I can’t see it!
When it comes to printing I leave it to the professionals. I have no clue what to do if a photo looks like it has too much magenta because I don’t know if it has too much magenta. Sounds a bit confusing I know but I can tell you now it is more frustrating than anything else.
I have had a search on the internet to find a similar test to ones I have done in the past. In the following video I could only see 3 of the numbers in the patterns. How many could you see? (some advice before watching the video….mute the music!)
Thanks to Kev Isabeth for the suggestion to write on this subject and to The Colour Blind Photographer for your descriptions on colour blindness.
The following are my thoughts I have learned over the past 5 years of photographing weddings. I hope you find my insights helpful for when you next shoot someone’s special day.
I typically meet with all my clients at least two or three times before the proposed date to plan a photography shoot around their desired needs. The first step for me is to establish what type of wedding the couple will host . Country, beach, church, backyard or is it going to be something completely out of the square?
I then proceed to ask one of the most important questions – what sort of feel would you like portrayed in your photographs? Would you like the photographs to looked relaxed, hipster, documentary or traditional? Most couples would have previously looked at your website or portfolio of images so I also ask if there any wedding photos that they enjoyed looking at. I find asking these simple questions really gives you a great foundation to plan their wedding photography.
A wedding is one of the biggest events you will ever photograph in your lifetime. Most brides have been dreaming of this day their entire life. From the moment a young girl styles her favourite doll in white cloth forming the most elegant of gowns, the slow steps begin down the confetti filled isle. The unsuspecting brothers toy, typically a dreamy Tuxedo Ken nervously awaits the hand of his beautiful bride as the ceremony unfolds.
The Fat Controller announces the famous words – “You may kiss the bride” and the perfectly timed monumental occasion rises to a new level, Elmo and the other stuffed congregation of misfits (family or friends) celebrate with cheers of joy. The makeshift shoebox comes alive as the bride and groom skip back down the aisle.
So now lets look back at this scene. Where is the photographer in this dreamed scenario?
The photographer is actually the child directing every move of the day as the preparation, ceremony and reception unfold. Knowing this fact it well worth your while to find out what the developed child’s mind is visualising for her wedding day. It’s your job to develop a shooting schedule that will show off her dreamed vision of the day. You will have to use all your creative, negotiation and leaderships skills to pull off the best wedding photography shoot ever.
I would say photography is a small part of photographing weddings. Firstly you have to be a people person, secondly a business mind and thirdly you need to have the creative genus to create amazing memories. Be sure to learn some good editing techniques, learn how to use your camera gear and if possible try to encourage an assistant to come along for the ride. I have used an assistant on all my wedding jobs and the difference is clear.
I pay my assistants well as they work just as hard as me! I have had a few assistants work with me over my time and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all (you know who you are) for the wonderful photographs you helped create. I would especially like to thank Caroline for giving me my first film SLR to explore this amazing world with. Without my first SLR camera I wouldn’t be where I am now. So thank you.
Getting back to discussing some wedding preparation – next on the list would have to be discussing the timeline of the day. As a general rule I normally arrive an hour before I need to be there. The extra time allows me to interact with the everyone involved and set up any gear. If you arrive too close to leaving for the ceremony the rush will last the rest of the day and the photos you capture will certainly suffer.
I really don’t want to make this post into a long boring wedding speech so I will keep it short.
Be sure to practise your photography craft at friends weddings, learn from others and practice some more. Wedding photography isn’t for everyone so if you aren’t up to the task then certainly leave it to a professional.
Weddings are truly one of my favourite things to photograph so I do hope you have enjoyed some of my thoughts and tips on the subject.
Remember to enjoy what you do and you will always succeed – Leigh Diprose.
Until next time – Happy Shooting.
Published in The Sunday Times – Sunday, 29th June 2012
The article written by Emily Moulton on page 31 reads:
Power and the glory
THIS breathtaking shot of a female humpback having a whale of a time was taken off Albany.
The majestic creature entered King George Sound with her newborn calf a few weeks ago and was seen by whale watchers on board an Albany Ocean Adventures tour.
Fremantle photographer Leigh Diprose was one of those lucky passengers and captured this magical moment of the humpback breaching.
“It was on my bucket list,” Mr Diprose said. “The whale had a two-week-old calf with her and it was fantastic to have witnessed the calf trying to breach the water, then its mum came out of nowhere and started breaching. It was amazing.”
Paul Guest, from Albany Ocean Adventures, said the cow and calf stayed in King George Sound for about six days after this picture was taken – the first time a migrating humpback had done that in a long while.
“Normally they swim right on through,” he said. “It was a little unusual. You could also tell the calf was very young, less than two weeks old.
“Its dorsal fin was still bent over. It straightens up after 14 days.”
I release two free photos every month. The full resolution photo of the humpback whale is one of the images you can download for free.
Feel free to share this page with family and friends.
Until next time – Happy Shooting
Fujifilm Cameras Australia have come up with a brilliant concept for any photographer to have the opportunity to hijack their Facebook cover photo making them Fujifilm Famous for one month! This months theme is Australian Landmarks. Have you been anywhere in Australia that stands out?
If so I challenge you to go to the Fujifilm Cameras Australia page hit LIKE to hear about how you can become Fujifilm Famous! There is only 13 days left before the comp has finished. So get to it! This was my entry I posted on the Fujifilm Cameras Page to become Fujifilm Famous! I took this photo of the Sydney Opera House from the Harbour.
As a photographer I have travelled around various places and seen some amazing sites…some of them I didn’t even have a camera with me! Oh No! One of my favourite places to visit here in Western Australia would have to be around Geraldton area also known as the Coral Coast. The rocky coastline and beautiful sunsets are beautiful on any day. Whenever I head to the ocean around that area I can always rely on capturing something special.
Taking about taking special photos, the last two Fujifilm Famous hijackers have had some really amazing photographs. This months photographer is Paul Pichugin who found some amazing water detail along the West Australian coastline. What an amazing photographer and an amazing image don’t you think? The clouds on the distant horizon seem tame compared with the swirling water in the foreground and I love the way the water trickles over the rocks creating a cascading waterfall. Simply beautiful.
The previous months Fujifilm Famous photographer, Sue-ann Tilby captured another beautiful sunset which rocked the community on the Fujifilm Cameras Australia Facebook page. The colour in this image is simply amazing! I would certainly have a big smile on my face if I captured this image. I’m sure Sue-ann did! Have you ever tried taking a photograph like this before? Why not get out this weekend and give it a go then share it with the world so everyone can see it….who knows you might be the next Fujifilm Famous photographer!
I am planning a beach shoot this weekend down at my local beach however I don’t think I can match these two photographers….however I will give it a go.
I’ll leave you with this question: If you could go anywhere in the world to take a photograph where would it be?
Until next time – Happy Shooting.
Wow! When I got a message from Paul Guest from Albany today I was excited. He told me my photograph had made it to the front cover of the local paper – The Great Southern Weekender. The Great Southern Weekender has a circulation of just over 20,000 homes and businesses. Thanks also to Shawn Haywood from Geraldton (one of my favourite places!) who ended up telling someone in Albany about the photo…who told someone else…and so on….
I would like to thank Albany Ocean Adventures for the true adventure photographing such an amazing animal – the Humpback Whale. Paul was so knowledgeable about the whales and put the boat in the perfect position to take the photo. If you ever get the chance to get to Albany be sure to book a trip whale watching aboard the Silver Star with Albany Ocean Adventures.
Paul Guest from Albany Ocean Adventures
Feel free to share the love
The Front Cover of the Great Southern Weekender
The Inside Cover of the Great Southern Weekender
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
Olympus have done very well to put amazing specifications into such a small camera body. Holding the OM-D with the new Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens attached simply made photography enjoyable. Shooting in low light hand held wasn’t a problem.
This is a quick portrait photo I took of Sean Standen – aka “Stakky” in Northbridge, Western Australia. Check out the meta data below the image. Hand held at what???? Crazy!
(Just so you know the lighting was poor and outside it was freezing – I was shaking when I took this image so it may be a little bit burry)
I will be doing a review on this camera in the future so stay tuned to see the photo quality stack up against the Canon 1D MK IV and the amazing Fujifilm X-Pro 1.
Olympus OM-D EM-5 – 75mm – ISO 500 – f1.8 – 1/20 sec (handheld).
RAW Conversion – Adobe Lightroom 4 – Edited – Adobe Photoshop CS5
I feel an amazing sense of joy when I am asked to photograph a couple’s wedding day. Portraying emotions through photographs is truly a rewarding experience for my myself and my team.
The love shown between the couple on the day is truly the one element that rises over all other aspects in my wedding photography. I never want to stage a photo I simply want to capture the moment as it happens. What makes wedding photography so emotional rewarding for me is the sense of capturing timeless moments and sharing them with the couples family and friends.
Over the last month (June) I have set myself the challenge to share some photographs from a recent wedding I photographed in the south west of Western Australia. These final five images complete the wedding photograph. I do hope you have enjoyed sharing in the many emotions of this recent wedding.
If you would like to learn more about wedding photography by Leigh Diprose Photography you can visit one of my many sites like – Brides Perth
Towards the end of the year there will be a brand new site combining all of my websites. So stayed tuned.
Until next time.
Happy Shooting.
The air was cold as I turned over at the sound of the annoying alarm. The swag I had called home for the night was filled with an alarming rush of cold air, my body was engaged into action. With a flying jump I was out of bed – the adrenaline rushed through my body as I thrust clothes onto my body and camera gear on my back. The pins and needles in my foot had long disappeared as tyres warmed the road – headlights lighting my way. I was on a mission to capture the morning light as it bounced off the cumulus sky.
As I arrived to my destination the air was filled with a hum and the smell of a salty breeze. Walking along the empty car park I looked up at the dawn sky to see a ginormous propeller almost hit me as it rotated toward the ground at a speeding rate. Standing over me were a mass of monumental structures all turning to their own beats. A marching set of wind turbines filled the landscape, the wind was energising their blades. The air was filled with a chorus of hums so rising above the sound I trekked to the highest point in the landscape.
Clenching hands warmed in my jacket pockets. The shutter had been pressed and a time-lapse capture was in full swing. I stood in awe of the mighty machines and waited as the first light stuck the long vertical poles.. The warming natural glow seemed to give the wind farm a brighter energy as it creeped from the ground toward the top of the turbines. I was expecting the reflecting light to broadcast over the cumulus clouds. To my disbelief the light faded as quickly as it started. Disappointment was kicking in. This wasn’t going to be the shot after all.
A time lapse video of the Albany Windfarm with disappointing light.
Optimistically with tripod and camera over my shoulder I headed for a new location. The view I had chosen this time wasn’t going to disappoint.
A rolling rain cloud filled the vista, dark charcoal clouds loomed and the confined ocean swell battered against the cliffs. A photo was brewing. With anticipation my camera was set to manual; the 85mm lens was connected and my glasses were firmly pressed against the viewfinder. Swinging the camera from left to right I aimed to capture the light as it danced about the scene before me… after all this is why I had left the comfort of the swag.
The end result of the distant storm photographed from the Albany Wind Farm (14 image stitch)
What a successful event! I would personally like to thank all of the 25 or more photographers who made it to the One Year Anniversary Google+ Photo Walk which I hosted with Paul Pichugin in Fremantle, Western Australia.
I managed to meet more than 24 new faces and a few old mates as we casually strolled Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and the streets of Fremantle. Amazing we even met a few photographers along the way who had no idea about the event but still decided to join us for the entire walk and breakfast!
Hats off to Google for the amazing platform which enables photographers to connect and share photos anywhere.
Over the weekend I am looking forward to seeing some of the amazing photographs from the many talented photographers who came to the event. You will be able to see what happened at the event as Google recently released a new Events feature on Google+. Users were able to connect to the event live from their mobile devices by selecting a Party Mode which allowed uploads of photographs and video. To see the some photos and video go here.
If you missed out on the walk don’t worry. There will be another photo walk planned later in the year. At this stage the location will most likely be around the Perth Hills although this will be advised later on.
Here is a quick shot from a mobile (excuse the quality) of some of the photographers who stayed on for breakfast after the event.
Now I’m off to Albany to photograph some whales so I hope to see some photos later on tonight.
Until then.
Happy Shooting.
Hey All,
I’ve been lucky enough to be given a Fuji X-Pro1 by Leigh Diprose for the last few days to give it a road test and see what I can do with it. I was heading away for the weekend already, so I took the X-Pro1 on a bit of a road trip around the south of Western Australia. My very initial impressions of the Fuji X-Pro1 is that it has an exceptional build quality, the camera is quite nice to hold even with my large hands, many of the smaller cameras seem to get lost in my hands. The controls are all fairly intuitive and very accessible, with in minutes of picking it up I was able to use most of the functions I would normally use on my dSLR.
First stop was about 3 hours drive out of Perth, I’m a sucker for clear night skies, we are lucky enough to have very little light pollution here in the west. I decided to give the Fuji a go at some star photography, normally I’d photograph this with my dSLR as it has quite good high-ISO performance.
Milky Way – Fuji X-Pro1
This image was photographed at ISO1600, f2.8 and a 30 second exposure. The camera was in single shot mode and this is a RAW image with minimal processing. Within the first 3 images I was incredibly impressed by the high ISO performance, there isn’t a huge amount of noise in this image and the clarity in the RAW image is exceptional. The straight jpeg was very similar to this RAW file that I’ve just added some sharpening to.
Dawn – Fuji X-Pro1
ISO1600, f2.0, 1/4000. This is a straight jpeg out of the camera with no adjustments, I’ve just resized it and added my signature. The noise levels are very acceptable, I’d have no issues printing this image fairly large. I’m very impressed with the dynamic range of the sensor too.
One of the more interesting modes I found for shooting was the automatic panoramic mode, you set the camera at your start point, press the shutter and sweep the camera from left to right, it then takes a series of images and stitches them together.
Fuji X-Pro1 – Panoramic mode
This is a slightly adjusted panoramic image, photographed with the Fuji X-Pro1 in panoramic mode. f4.0, ISO400, 1/220 the final full sized image is 5120 x 1440 px, so definitely a printable size.
Salt Lake – Fuji X-Pro1
This was photographed at: f8, 1/1500 and ISO800. I’ve done some processing in Adobe Camera RAW, the files are very flexible and retain a lot of detail.
Secluded Beach – Fuji X-Pro1
A RAW image with some minor tweaks in Camera RAW.
Overall I’m very impressed with the camera, I think it would make the perfect travel camera for someone who is accustomed to having professional level gear with them, but doesn’t want to have to carry it all over the world! This camera is definitely aimed at the enthusiast / semi-pro photographer, it has more than enough manual functions to keep any photographer happy, while retaining enough automatic modes to make it easy enough for the beginner to use. The files it’s 16mp sensor produces are very clean and very ready to print!
I have the camera for a few more days so I’m going to be trying out a few more seascape type images and a few other subjects. I’m definitely going to look into getting one, I’d really like to take one with me to Cambodia in September, I think it would be the ideal camera for the photo-journalist / documentary and street photographer.
Regards
Paul Pichugin
Do you want to take photos like this?
Leigh Diprose and Paul Pichugin will be hosting the Google+ One Year Anniversary Photowalk here in Fremantle, Western Australia
A photowalk is basically a bunch of photographers meeting together to photograph an area. Photowalks are a great way to meet other like minded people who share the same passion of photography. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a professional photographer – you are all welcome to come along. For me this is the perfect way to meet other local photographers!
If you are interested in coming along then feel free to join Paul and myself at this free event. The details are listed below.
The Details:
When: Saturday, June 30, 2012, 7:00am (sharp)
Where: Fremantle Fishing Harbour
SIGN UP and register: CLICK HERE
The Event: Sunrise is at 7.17am. The main photography shoot will be around Fremantle Boat Harbour at sunrise followed by a walk into the City of Fremantle capturing some of the old buildings. We will then finish at 9am for breakfast at The Attic in Fremantle (Bannister Road, Fremantle) were we can sort through photos, mingle and enjoy great food and coffee.
Paid and Free Parking can be found around the city. Also not listed on the map is a multi-story car park on Collie Street.
What to Bring – Camera and any photography equipment like memory cards, tripod, batteries etc…., money for breakfast (at The Attic) and a good pair of walking shoes.
For additional information on Fremantle’s Fishing Boat Harbour you can visit the following website – http://www.fremantlefishingboatharbour.com/
If you have any questions please contact myself or Paul by posting a comment below this post.
Regards
Leigh Diprose
I have been working on this background for an interesting project – my self portrait. Over my many years of portrait photography I have never taken my own photograph so I’m considering it a challenge. Next month there will be a Photoshop video showing how I will get to the final image.
My self portrait is a work in progress….the background is sorted so now all I have to do is add in the rest….hopefully it works out.
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded (on the right hand side of the blog).
June 2012 – Big Brook Dam 002.tiff
All I ask in return is:
PLEASE SHARE THIS POST
Enjoy.
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
June 2012 – Port Gregory 011.tiff
(on the right hand side of the blog)
All I ask in return is:
PLEASE CLICK THE SHARE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST
Enjoy.
LEIGH DIPROSE 
