Gallery Pick of the Week
Instead of just showing pretty pictures only, here we have space for contributors to discuss their images every week.
This is a great opportunity to get some insight from the original photographer and the content is entirely open. It could be anything from the personal feeling of the photographer about the image to any photographic techniques or location knowledge he/she would like to share with our visitors.
Gallery Pick of the Week > December 2010
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From Melbourne to Sydney Extended, 17/12/10, Pele Leung You may be puzzling how exciting it could be by travelling along a long and potentially boring highway linking two largest cities in Australia. Of course, I don't suggest the same way how most travellers ride between Melbourne and Sydney. |
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When We cannot Wait Longer, 3/12/10, Pele Leung Every enthusiastic photographer must have a dream to share his/her work with others just like a writer does. In addition to publishing on Web, producing a book is a natural path ahead for many photographers - myself included. |
Pele Leung - From Melbourne to Sydney Extended, 17/12/10, Pele Leung
Yarra River, Melbourne
I came across many people in the last few years when I was away shooting near home, inter-state or overseas. There is no doubt that the most common question so far is "What cameras do you use?". Apparently most people are interested in hardware and also believe that the photographic skill of a photographer is all dependent on the quality of hardware the photographer uses. I have to admit that camera gear is very important but having an expensive camera without knowing it inside out does not really help to improve the photographic skill much.
As a photographer myself, I know we need much more to "create" a masterpiece. Apart from the technical knowledge required for good photography, the immediate need comes to mind is what the photographic expert people called "creative vision". Stop. This is not an article of photographic composition which is a big lesson by itself. However, you are still not ready to be a master photographer even if you have all the hardware, skills and creative vision. What is missing here? The ability to locate the right subject at the right time. Even a dull subject could become interesting when the light is right. This is particularly important to landscape shooters as the location and light conditions are not really controlled by them.
Locating the right subject at the right time may sound easy to some local people because they live there and know much more about their places than any visitors. So what are your location criteria?
- Sufficient photographic varieties from ocean to mountain and cities to country etc
- Abundant chances to explore locally instead of shooting from the roadside all the time
- Reasonably civilised but without losing the feel of wilderness
- Able to practise multiple outdoor photography skills
- One way trip without travelling the same route twice
- Minimum driving time per day. i.e. The travel distance between any major stops does not exceed six hours.
- Reasonable level of comfort
- Able to show your friends afterwards you have actually visited Australia. No this one doesn't count!
Does this ideal route exist? Yes it does. In fact, there are more than one that you can choose from but I will only recommend one - From Melbourne to Sydney Extended.
From Melbourne to Sydney Extended. With some proper guidance, you can achieve the same photographic result as good as the portfolio shown above.
You may be puzzling how exciting it could be by travelling along a long and potentially boring highway linking two largest cities in Australia. Of course, I don't suggest the same way how most travellers ride between Melbourne and Sydney. Here is my proposed itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive at Melbourne. Settle down and refresh yourself before the great journey ahead. If time permits, it is definitely worth taking some cityscapes of Melbourne at twilight. If the Yarra River is calm enough (always), you would have the chance to capture your first masterpiece of reflection on day one. Overnight at Melbourne.
Day 2: Leaving Melbourne early and travel along the famous Great Ocean Road featuring spectacular coastal scenery. Then stop over the Otway National Park and explore the forests and waterfalls. You will wrap up your day at the little town, Port Campbell. Sunset shoot at the well known photographic spot, the Twelve Apostles. Practise star trail or time lapse photography at night if weather permits. Overnight at Port Campbell.
Day 3: Sunrise shoot at a coastal spot of your choice nearby. Then you will have the full day opportunity to explore the lengthy but interesting coastal line in the Port Campbell National Park. Sunset shoot at another coastal spot at your choice. Night photography if weather permits. Overnight at Port Campbell.
Day 4: Optional sunrise shoot. Travel north to the Grampians National Park after breakfast. Grampians has numerous walking tracks and waterfalls for nature lovers. Sunset shoot at one of the lookouts for the gorgeous mountain ranges. Optional night photography if weather permits. Overnight at Halls Gap.
Day 5: Sunrise shoot at Mount William, the highest mountain in Grampians. You may see sea of clouds if you are lucky. Full day mountain hiking walks in various levels. Sunset shoot at another lookout. Optional Night photography if weather permits. Overnight at Halls Gap.
Day 6: Optional sunrise shoot. Return to Melbourne after breakfast - 4 hour drive. Instead of stopping over Melbourne for shopping, the afternoon programme is garden photography on Mount Dandenong where is located 40km east of Melbourne City. In May, Mount Dandenong is the best spot for autumn colour photography. Sunset shoot at the Mount Dandenong Observatory where holds a panoramic view of Melbourne. Stay Melbourne overnight.
Alfred Nicholas Gardens, Mount Dandenong
Day 7: Optional balloon fly over Melbourne City. Depart Melbourne and head north to Mount Buffalo National Park - 4 hour drive. Autumn colour photography at Bright or nearby. Overnight at Bright or Porepunkah.
Day 8: Sunrise shoot at Mount Buffalo National Park. Then full day hiking and shooting on Mount Buffalo National Park. Night photography if weather permits. Overnight at Bright or Porepunkah.
Day 9: Sunrise shoot at Mount Buffalo National Park. Then head east to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, after breakfast. Canberra is a well designed city with lakes, gardens and architecture and there are a lot of photographic opportunities of all kinds. Sunset shoot at a spot with a panoramic view of the whole Canberra City. Overnight at Canberra.
Day 10: Leaving Canberra for Blue Mountains National Park which is one of the World Heritages in Australia. Blue Mountains hold numerous hiking tracks, waterfalls and spectacular lookouts to suit all fitness levels. Sunset shoot at the Three Sisters Lookout. Over night at Katoomba, the most popular town in the Blue Mountains area.
Three Sisters, Blue Mountains National Park
Day 11: Full day hiking and shooting and lunch break at Katoomba. Night photography if weather permits. Over night at Katoomba.
Day 12: Sunrise shoot at Black Heath, a small town near Katoomba. Then depart for Jenolan Caves for underground photography. No tripod is allowed in the caves although a monopod is usually allowed. Overnight at either Jenolan Caves or Katoomba.
Day 13: Sunrise shoot at a spot of your choice and depart for Sydney. Optional afternoon sightseeing of all choices including Toronga Zoo and various beaches. Sunset shoot at the Opera House. Overnight at Sydney downtown.
The Opera House, Sydney
Day 14: Sunrise shoot for Sydney Harbour including the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Optional shoot from the Sydney Tower (no tripod is allowed). Free activities for the rest of the day. Depart Sydney in late afternoon or evening. Your 2,000km journey is complete.
The above itinerary is only a general guideline and you are welcome to try it out and make adjustment to suit your own requirements.
The best season for this trip is autumn, from early to mid May. If you are interested in trying out this itinerary and shoot side by side with me, you can contact me by email pelel@peleleung.com.
Pele Leung - When We cannot Wait Longer, 3/12/10, Pele Leung
A coming fiction-photo book, "Connect - Interactions with Landscapes" by Anna Filipi (stories) and Pele Leung (photos)
Every enthusiastic photographer must have a dream to share his/her work with others just like a writer does. In addition to publishing on Web, producing a book is a natural path ahead for many photographers - myself included. During the second half of 2010, I have been working together with a writer for achieving this milestone. A writer friend of mine, Anna Filipi, is a person with numerous ideas and skills. In conjunction with her powerful words, we are now in the final stage of preparing our first fiction-photo book, "Connect - Interactions with Landscapes".
"Our aim with this book was to combine a collection of beautiful photographs that capture the quintessential character of the Australian landscape with eight short stories. It will appeal to readers who enjoy short stories, and those who like fine photography and have a deep respect for the environment. At a time when people are aware of the environment like never before, this publication will have wider appeal as well."
Regardless of how you may react to what we are trying to achieve, we would like to hear your comments. Although some of you might want to jump ahead to pre-order a copy, we do not take any orders yet. Stay calm and we will keep you posted.
My favourite motto works once again - "When you are determined to do something, nobody and nothing can stop you".
Eight short stories accompanied with numerious incredible Australian landscape and nature photos
An ultra-panoramic photo spreads across four pages