Saturday, June 20, 2009

Every Picture Tells a Story

Well my all day photographic workshop which was to have involved learning about the technical aspects of my Canon 400D SLR . . . and taking lots of lovely shots of our fair city, was nothing short of a washout!

Yep, sunny Sydney has been anything but. Deluged with pouring, gutter-gushing, bus splashing, skin soaking, shoe-sogging, glass-steaming relentless rain. We're just not used to it here! WAH! I got wet, I got damp, I got cold . . . It didn't just pour, it pissed down all day splishy sploshy splatty pookanooie rain! Lubly day for ducks and seagulls but totally sucky for would be photographers!

Despite the lack of photo opportunities because of relentless wet stuff and freezing 17 degrees (c'mon this is Australia that's cold!) . . we did learn plenty (whether I remember any of it remains to be seen) and whilst it might not look like it, each photo has been taken with different ISO, aperture, manual focus and other lar-de-dar manual settings . . .I think I'll just stick to point and shoot! If you're interested (and I can't imagine why . . ) you can click to see the bigger pics. I so must alter my margins in html so that's not necessary . . . WARNING: No photoshop has been used in these images cos that's just plain cheating!

I should have known the skies looked ominous . . .
Nice shot fiddling with light settings

So as the rain set in, we retired to the Hyde Park Barracks Cafe
for Latte and a lecture but didn't sit on their bum-wetting outdoor chairs


Knobs were twiddled and settings were set


Tourists stayed away but the bus remained on time


Popes were unperturbed by the weather


Centrepoint Tower disappeared in the cloud


Another setting shows exactly how pissy the weather really was


Really . . this is 'Irish' rain folks! More changes to aperture,
ISO and shutter speed

I swear I'm developing chill blains!

44 comments:

Colette Amelia said...

most awesome photos! I learned at me son's wedding that bright sun and maybe bright sun reflecting on snow was very difficult to shoot.

I love the city scape with the clouds!

hokgardner said...

Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, those are lovely pictures.

And I covet your weather right now. We've had two weeks of 100+ degrees. We don't usually see heat like that until August. It's going to be a long, hot one.

Kate said...

I think you deserve a medal for even attempting it... and the fact that you got those photos makes it doubly deserved.

The skyline one is my favourite!

I've almost given up with cameras now - i just use my mobile - not perfect but quick and it does the job!

xxx said...

great pics...
I remember Sydney winters and it can get very cold.

take care
keep warm

ribbon :-)

Grannymar said...

You want our sympathy???

Here in Northern Ireland the temperature range for today is 16°/10° and it is supposed to be summer!

I like the pics. Did you arrange to do a photowalk with any of the attendees?

Susan at Stony River said...

Wow, some beautiful shots!

My mother-in-law came to our son's 1st Communion and said "the heat will kill ye, it will kill ye". It was 20 freaking degrees, but yes, it was the hottest day we'll probably have all year. I have GOT to get out of here. Calling 17 degrees 'cold' sounds more my style!

I need to learn more about camera settings and stop leaning so hard on the "auto" button--you've inspired me to finally do something about it. Happy snapping, and I hope the weather brightens up for you!

Unknown said...

It just stopped raining so it is also 17 Celsius here in Hungary.

Brian Miller said...

love the cityscape shot with the clouds moving in. looks like you had a fun group to join you. hope the rain clears up for you or you are at least able to enjoy the weekend!

ian said...

The temperatures discs on the television weather map go red when it reaches 20 degrees in Ireland. That is not 'Irish' rain, you could see the tree, it is not entirely obscured by damp mist.

Anonymous said...

Oh I dunno, Baino...these look pretty good. Tho', I may be able to clear up that darker one for you. I came home this morn in a bank of fog ( this after two days rain ). Ach! I'm just as wet! And 17 degrees isn't so bad ('course, I like it on the cooler side, wot? )

tony said...

How Come Everytime I see A London Bus It Rains!!!!!?????
Good Photos.....I,m getting my own head around a second hand NIKON D200.All those bloody buttons & Dials!!!!!!Happy Snapping!

Tom said...

i never understood that celcius stuff...17 degrees sounds damn cold! Still looks like you got some nice pictures despite the rain. I like the colorful bus...i still don't have a clue how to change speeds on my camera.

Don't Bug Me! said...

Looks like Vancouver rain to me - now I know where it has gone. Can we have it back please? Just for a day or two, to water the garden and fill up my water butts. Thank you!

Baino said...

Collette I was drenched. Very disappointing from the 'practical' sense, I just hope I can remember all we learned.

Heather, I shouldn't complain, we need the rain badly but it's been so wet over the past couple of weeks it's beginning to get tiresome!

Actually Kate, I've decided that you need two. One SLR for the fancy stuff and a little point and shoot for happy snaps.

Ribbon, I haven't seen rain like that for ages. The gutters were overflowing, my jeans and shoes were soaked . . .

Nah, they weren't that friendly to be honest . . one girl that I did get along with didn't have a camera . .she'd done the course before buying one and had a loaner. I have found a photo walk group though and am thinking of joining. I know, your summer temps are the same as our winter! WAH!

Frankly Suze, the auto buttons have served me well but I need a polarising lense and a 50mm for night shots . .see, I did learn something. Your pics are lovely. Plus a lot of photographers cheat and use photoshop to sharpen and colour their images, cheating in my book!

I know Ropi, I shouldn't complain it was just a shame it had to happen on that particular day. We need the rain.

The cityscape is actually taken on an 'indoor' light setting so it appeared all dark and blue! Cool huh!

OK Rev, I stand corrected but there's a thick fog here this morning!

Subby, I don't mind the cool at all. Normally June/July here is crisp sunny days and cold frosty nights . . not lately! Well at least I have a brolly now!

Tony, the guy running the workshop was a Nikon freak. Reckons they're the best buy at the moment with a Hoya 58mm lens.

Tom I'm not sure I'll remember. He's sending notes through and when all else fails, read the manual!

DBM you can have it back any time but it's being stubborn and refusing to move!

Don't Bug Me! said...

I am still not sure what I think of Photoshop. You can use it to enhance photos to get them to look like the actual scene did, which I do a lot or you can use it to really enhance photos so that they look much better than the actual scene, which I do sometimes and yes, this is bordering on "cheating". You can also use it to get some really nice, artistic effects, like removing all but one colour. So, I guess the question is, do you want an aesthetically pleasing photo or one that is realistic? Take your skyline shot - the white balance is off, so the photo is not in fact realistic. The end result is a nice shot, but did you cheat? Hmmmmm - I just know that I like to see pretty pictures that are not too far removed from reality.

Baino said...

Yeh I guess I cheated with the WB on the first shot but I cheated with a camera. I can see the value of photoshop for cleaning up pictures, especially tidying RAW images. Maybe I'm jealous cos I haven't got it! Clare does though . .really must have a 'play'.

jay said...

Ah ... that last picture is lovely! Good falling-rain effect there! Well done!

I love the "popes" one, and also the blue scene. You did well, especially considering the weather!

Sarah Lulu said...

Great shots !!! I would love to do a photography course myself.

You have a little award on my blog :)

laughingwolf said...

ye done good, baino, despite it all :)

we're having rain too, but only 20 - 30 mm... 14 C overnite, high of about 17 tomorrow, fathers' day

KENNY was NOT happy out in it...

Unknown said...

I used to have a lot suits, but I had been growing but they hadn't. :D

Kath Lockett said...

The Centrepoint tower pic looks brilliant. Am freezing here in Melbourne as well and am writing this with the heater blasting and trusty ugg boots on.

nick said...

The last pic of the beautiful tree and the solidly teeming rain is rather wonderful. Plenty of rain here too - as Grannymar says, it's more like autumn.

I was thinking that instead of seeing rain as just depressing and dreary, I should see it as an artist sees it - something that subtly changes the landscape and the quality of light, muting and subduing everything. That way it gets more interesting....

nick said...

BTW, if you've got a moment, can you change Jenny's South Belfast Diary to East Belfast Diary on your blogroll? SBD is now defunct, nailed to its perch, it is no more!

River said...

I should probably do a photography workshop thingy. I'd love to know how to set my camera to capture falling rain and how to zoom in on the moon, although I probably have the wrong type of camera for that. The insruction book that came with the camera is quite confusing, although I have managed to work out the macro setting. And I once successfully set it to continuous shooting to capture the Roullettes, they're a group of planes who do fancy manouvers when the Clipsal race is on here in Adelaide. Can't remember how I did it though, I'll have to refer back to the book if I want to do it again. Trouble is, the book is quite confusing....
Your pictures are very good. I love the steps at the cathedral.

Sandy Kessler said...

your pictures were positively orgasmic why becasue there was a special feel to each one - a texture - afeeling capture - brill

Candie said...

Wow,this was a hell of a rainy day!
The pictures are great!:)

kj said...

still, your photos are really nice. i like that you are doing this, and i'm planning to do the same thing.

keep it up baino, i think you have a talented eye.

xo

Nancy said...

Hi, stopping by via Sara Lulu's blog. Your pictures are just beautiful. I would love to visit your fine city. We are having the wettest June in history where I live, and it is summer! Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

very jealous - I'd love to do a class like that - not jealous of the Irish rain though :-)

Unknown said...

Bains, I'm dead impressed. D keeps trying to teach me about ISO and shutter speeds and warrah-warrah-warrah and I just can't be arsed (I did used to know all this stuff long ago when I used a manual camera but now... yep, point and squirt works well for me). But I LOVE what you've done - your skyline shot, your rain through the trees and the group photographer shots are all stunning!
And yeah, 17 degrees is cold - we're expecting 12 later this week. Eeeeek!

Mo said...

Beautiful pictures :)! You are talented. You made Sydney look lovely even though the weather "sucked".

Ronda Laveen said...

Your photos are wonderful. There is a lot to learn isn't there. That is why I stick to my point and shoot. But it would be nice..........

Renee said...

The pictures are fantastic.

Everyone of them. I love the night sky and the steps and the popes.

I suggest you date neither of those men as they are not my type and I don't think they are yours either.

Love Renee xoxoxo

Christopher said...

Fantastic pictures. I could see you pursuing a career as a photographer.

Mike said...

Seems like a lot of rain this year!

Baino said...

Thanks everyone for the compliments and the congratulations. I'm on Day 2 working with Lancom. It's OK. Pretty good work but not an over friendly crowd. Maybe they'll warm to me over time. I'm enjoying the work but not the commute so it's cut heavily into my blog writing and commenting. Hope you forgive me but I will try to comment as often as I can.

Cheers:!

Bimbimbie said...

I'm a point and shoot girl too ... life's too short for all those technical settings, I get myself into knots just trying to take off my sunglasses before raising the camera to my eye ;)

Great photos, I like the way gloomy weather enhances our world. I love that shot in the cafe of your fellow camera setting twiddlers *!*

Unknown said...

Oh, ok. And yes, you shouldn't complain.

Kat Mortensen said...

That shot of the photographers twiddling their knobs is classic!

Kat

Unknown said...

I am not "gawky" or anything like that!

Ces Adorio said...

Look at that rain! Send some to the US gulf. It's been parched and humid! Just shoot!

Renee said...

Hey Love, I'm so excited about the job and hope it is going well.

By the way I ate like that for about two weeks and then went right back to eating crap.

Love Renee xoxo

ashleigh said...

The rain photos showing the effect or shutter speed and aperture are good! Great!

I love mucking about taking photos of moving water. Try lots, bin most, keep the good ones. And you get to learn so much...

Photographs, when you get away from point-n-shoot and into fiddling with settings, are more than just capturing the moment, they are art in their own right.

Have fun!!

ashleigh said...

Re yr comment about having two: Thats what we do. Some of our really good photos ended up being taken with the point-n-shoot. If you do this, make sure you get one that can do close up / macro.