I rarely post links to other people’s blogs or websites, but if you’re interested in ‘The Northern Lights’ (Aurora Borealis) do check out the superb captures on Ian A Johnson’s overnight post here
The landscapes towards the end of his current post are stunning.
Most people photograph the sky’s light show, but Ian has also included some landscapes/seascapes and I think they’re the best I have ever seen online.
From the archives……
28th May, 2013
We’ve had rain every day (and often overnight) for about 10 days now and the forecast for next week looks like it’s going to continue.
None of my cameras are waterproof and with the massive task of setting up a new Photo Library, it’s been a good time to work indoors.
Unlike when I lived next to the Royal Botanic Gardens 4 years ago, where there were lots of sun shelters and a couple of restaurants, there is no shelter from the rain or strong winds walking along the river behind my current apartment block, so even light rain showers prohibit walking outdoors with a camera.
Not that I can complain about the inclement weather (it plunged down to 11C degrees the other day), we badly need our dams and water reservoirs filled after such a dry Summer here in Melbourne.
This week’s goal is to file 2011 images (and re-create their respective folders with names). If you’ve read the last few posts you will know I have a new computer and have had trouble importing my Photo Library (and lost my whole image filing system).
With a very cold wet windy weather forecast for this week, I should make great headway stuck indoors (again 😀 ).
I came across these images (above) made in first few weeks in 2011. I’d been using a small Canon ‘point and shoot‘ camera since taking up Photography as a hobby in May 2010 and became totally addicted to the art of Photography.
In December 2010 I bought my first Canon DSLR and 100mm macro lens intending to do flower photography, but soon found the brisk winds in Melbourne made it difficult, so I did lots of research and ended up buying a 18-200mm lens a couple of months later (and borrowed my SIL’s 55-250mm lens for a month also).
I experimented a lot.
After using full Auto for most of 2010, I never used Auto with the Canon DSLR. I dove straight into Manual mode (although I had to use Auto Focus with such poor eyesight). I had no idea about the ‘exposure triangle’ and how to use Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO, but somehow I ended up with fairly good exposure all the same.
I’d also dug a ‘big hole’ in my $3000 photography budget. A small $6000 inheritance is well and truly gone today – 2019.
Photography is not a cheap hobby.
To this day, I still think the 18-200mm lens is the perfect all round general lens (especially if you’re new to Photography and can only afford one lens). Both 18-200mm lenses I bought for my Canon DSLR in 2011 and my Sony a6000 in 2015 have died and I have other lenses now.
I also became addicted to shallow DOF (Depth of Field or Bokeh or background blur).
…..and started photographing leaves, seeds and tree bark.
The images in this post are a random collection of whatever I saw on my afternoon walks in the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens, (where I used to work opposite for 16 1/2 years so knew the area well).
I walked to wherever I could get to via public transport at that time.
Even Melbourne Zoo – but that’s another Story……..
