Fremantle In Black And White

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Fremantle being one of my favorite places and yet I never seem to photograph it.
Today I have a couple of photographs I made which are in black and white.

The first is the Fremantle Round House which used to be a prison. Underneath is a dedicated tunnel which used to be used for bringing in ship supplies and also captured whales.
I processed in black and white to give an old time feel.

I split toned the photo to give a slight yellow for the highlights and blue for the shadows.

The next photograph consisted of me turning around and walking about one hundred meters and getting an image of the Fremantle Town Hall from a distance.
I liked the leading lines of the street lamps which took the eye to the Town Hall.

The car moving across the street seemed to put a distraction but otherwise I don't mind.
You can see by the lights on in the street lamps to give an idea how close to darkness it was.

All images were before Covid-19 lock-down.
Remember to stay safe and self isolate.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Any comments good or bad always appreciated.

Vedran

The Boat Sheds In Black And White

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.



One of the things I like in photography is black and white and long exposure.
One place that a few people make photos of is a set of boat sheds in Freshwater Bay.
Not as popular as that much photographed iconic Blue Boat Shed which has been done to death lol. Although even I have made a photograph and even a timelapse there as well in the past.

I was looking at the boat sheds in freshwater bay and although the light wasn't particularly good on this occasion, I liked the clouds that were moving across the horizon.

I set up for what I thought would be the best composition and set the settings to make the shot.
I fired a test shot to make sure the picture looked correct and after a few adjustments made another shot. I then put my filter holder onto the front of my lens and put in a 10 stop neutral density filter.

A neutral density filter is like a pair of very dark sunglasses. ounce on then you need to adjust the shutter 10 times longer to get the same exposure.
With a longer shutter speed the water will tend to smooth out and the clouds would start to look streaky. When I eventually processed the image it was in colour and I didn't quite like it that much. I then changed it to a black and white with a few more minor adjustments and so below is the image.

The sail boats moved around while the photograph was being made which also gave motion to the image.


Thank you for taking the time to look and read. As always if you have any comments please leave below. Hopefully the lock down will finish completely soon and it will be safe to go out again.

Stay Safe

Vedran

Photography Close To Home

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I hope everyone is staying safe and social distancing in these weird times.

Today I have three photographs from the last couple of years that I would share and talk about.

Sometimes we have all these plans to photograph a landscape that is not very close to where we live.
Nice landscapes in the country or in another country. I tend to look local as a lot of us do to see what can be found. In my area there is always subjects that have been photographed many times because they are photogenic.
At times you might be in your car in a side street parking area and the conditions are just right.
This particular morning before sunrise I had parked for a little while as to let the fog clear a little.
I liked the line of the road and just the general warmth of the incandescent lights.

The trees gave a skeletal feel which I liked also.

The next photograph was at a nearby park and as I walked around and it there was a water feature with a few little ponds. I played around until I got the composition I wanted making sure that I was featuring the little waterfall.

I didn't want the background and using a longer shutter speed to blur the water but still give some texture in the water.

The last photograph was at night and I went around a park that was of the main road. There was an old observation platform of which the stairs had been removed. I liked the lights they used to illuminate the platform and I added some light of my own with a torch.

I thought the contrast of the orange/red on the platform and the nice blue of the sky made for a nice contrasty image. I used just enough light on the grass so could see the foreground.
All the photographs were within a twenty minute drive from where I live.
All photographs were from a couple years back but for this post wanted to basicaly show what is around within a twenty minute give or take five minutes.

Thankyou for taking the time to read. Thoughts and comments always appreciated.


Vedran

Sunset And The Storm Clouds

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

There is nothing more exciting than seeing storm clouds around when close to sunset.
I was driving around and not planning a shoot but as always my camera is on my front passengers seat. I was near Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbor and looked at the scene around me. I didn't want to go to the South Mole Lighthouse as I always seem to make photographs there and so was a bit bored with it.
I arrived at the roundabout where the original sea rescue building is.
I was running out of time so I parked my car, took out my camera and this is what I ended up with below.

I underexposed a little to highlight the light on the horizon and the lovely light that was shining on the boat. There wasn't as much colour as I was hoping fore because of the heavy clouds. The clouds looked fabulous with the nice texture.

This outing was before the covid-19 lock-down.
Remember to stay safe and self isolate.

Thank you for raking the time to read. All comments good or bad appreciated.

Vedran

Admiring Perth From Across The River

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


With time on my hands in isolation during lock-down, I had time to look at my photographs and came across two I thought interesting.
The first is a black and white photograph and what I liked was the tree in the little pond which I thought would make a good subject with the City Of Perth in the background.

The clouds were also interesting and that is why I went for a black and white look. I seem to think it gives it a contrasty but interesting look.

The second photograph I wanted more of the city in the background so I looked for a reasonable foreground subject. After walking around a bit I saw this green plant which was within a bed floor of wood chip mulch. I set the tripod very low to the ground. I used a wide angle lens and was about thirty cm away from the plant. I made sure I had the city as a backdrop and made the click.

It was a very moody day and again the clouds made for a moody image.

These photographs were made three years ago and so a good blog post I thought while I had some idle time on my hands.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read. Any comments aalways appreciated.

Remember to keep your distance with the restrictions eased and stay safe.

Vedran

Coogee Lake A Place Of Surprise II

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Today is a continuation of a previous post called,
"Coogee Lake A Place Of Surprise"
I mentioned how it wasn't necessarily a well known lake but, was where I did some of my bird photography. The dead trees and the dry vegetation and generally low water levels.

One of the birds I managed to photograph was a Osprey perched on a dead tree eating a fish it caught in the lake.

I didn't see it land because I was looking the other way and was surprised when I saw it on the tree.
I would have loved to have had an in flight shot but initially it was to far away.

The next photograph is of a Rainbow Larakeet which just landed and having a rest before it took off.
I had to be quick because they don't wait very long as they wait for they're friends.

Very colorful they are although they are considered a pest.
As I was about to leave I saw in front of me something that looked like a rat.
I got down reasonably low and fired a few clicks and this was about the best of the shots.

As I understand it is a Bandicoot. Which I have never seen before. If I am wrong in the ID of this mammal please let me know.
Coogee Lake has a little bit for everyone although the wildlife is not plenty but its fun waiting for a surprise.

All these images are before covid 19 lock-down
Remember to stay home or self isolate.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Any comments please leave below as would love to hear thoughts good or bad.

Vedran

A Little Bit Of Autum

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Sitting at home in isolation and going through some of my photographs, I came across a photograph that reminded me of autumn and the approaching winter.
With covid -19 and the banning of travel for the foreseeable future and the possibility of not going to Croatia this year for the northern summer.
I haven't experienced winter here or at least a full winter since 2011.
The photograph below is just a scene of a few fresh flowers blown of a tree and a dried up leaf.

When restrictions ease and we can get out a bit more freely I will be looking forward to the stormy type photos or even the landscapes just after a storm when the light breaks out after the rain.
It will also be interesting to see if I freeze my ass of during the winter lol.

I know some of you here in Western Australia will say you can go out now by yourself as long as you keep away from people. I understand that but my situation is I live at home with my elderly parents and I dont want to risk getting something that could be a disaster for all of us.

Anyway I thank you for taking the time to read. Hopefully will blog at least twice a week.
Remember to #stayathome and #staysafe.

Vedran

Low Down Bird Photography

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I have always wondered about people who get down low for bird photography.
I had never tried it before as I am always using a tripod and gimbal. The lens I use is a Sigma 150-600mm contemporary. It is heavy and I don't have the muscles in my arms to hold it steady lol.
I needed to get a ground plate where I could put my tripod ball head so I could keep it steady.
Ounce i got the ground plate I attached my ball head to the plate.

I went to Manning Park which is not too far from home. I saw some Cockatoos feeding on the ground and decided this was the spot.
The first photograph is of a Carnaby's Black Cockatoo eating on some pine seeds.

I was amazed at how good the perspective was as the background was blown out and the Cockatoo was big in the frame. The light was a bit harsh but this was more as an experiment than a perfect photograph. My only problem was that being so close to the ground was a bit hard on my neck and very uncomfortable. I tried using the live view with the monitor pulled out looking down instead of the viewfinder and it seemed a lot less stressful on my neck. I think next time will try my gimbal on the ground plate.
I moved to another spot in some shade and I saw a couple of Pink and Grey Galahs having a bit of a grooming session. With my camera and big lens I moved in closer to get a real good frame filling shot.

I was happy all round with this capture.
I will in future continue to use the ground plate and more than likely for shore birds at the beach or somewhere like Point Walter Sandbar.

Thankyou for taking the time to read. Any commentl leave below and always appreciated.

This outing was before the Covid-19 lockdown.

Vedran