CHRIS’ YEAR IN REVIEW – PART I

Lorne, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

At first, I was struggling with the composition of the water, whilst beautiful, didn’t have any foreground interest. I then spotted various fishing rods and angles of the pier, and set about finding an interesting perspective. The finished shot perfectly sums up to me a warm summer’s evening in Australia.

Mt Buller, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

A favourite family spot on top of the summit looking towards Mansfield. Shooting into the sun is always tricky, or not recommended, but I feel it works here if you pick up the light being cast over the magnificent landscape.

Howqua Valley, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

There is nothing technically astounding or overly artistic about this image, however, the combination of landscape, amazing clouds and perfect sun angle defines this image for me. Mt Buller can be seen in the distance with the grapevines of one of our favourite wineries, Delatite Winery in the foreground.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

India has an amazing and beautiful culture. People are not as materialistic as the west. A favourite past time of Mumbaikars is to spend time on Marine Drive in Colaba. Whether its groups of men, women or that special person, it is the place to be seen. I love this image as it sums up a typical Indian scene. Simple.

Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

The sky this morning was as dramatic as this photo presents. Sometimes I like to break away from foreground interest and vanishing points and  just shoot a simple image. The colours do the job in this image and for me, nothing else is required.

Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 IS II USM.

I had a particular shot in mind when I arrived for sunrise at Bells Beach. I wanted to capture a silhouetted image of surfers entering the water against a rising sun. It’s incredibly hard to do with a moving subject, and composition wise without a setup shoot. Instead I ended up with this image which I love. It reminds me of the old school surf culture that exists at this famous beach, and the warm summer light hitting his face worked out beautifully.

Moorlort Plains, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

I shot this with Mike whilst he was visiting Australia, so I felt impelled to add this to my favourites of 2017. Once again, with many of my images I go for simplicity. I love rolling hills set on thirds along with bright saturated skies.

Maldon, Victoria, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

This was shot early on a Sunday morning with Mike. We had an impromptu photo walk to capture some of the classic Victorian architecture that exists in this magical town. I like the layered buildings and side lighting in this image.

Lake Crackenback, New South Wales, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

One of my favourite places to visit.  This was shot on assignment for Novotel Resorts and the weather turned it on for me. It was bitterly cold being high up in the Snowy Mountains in Autumn. The sun rose above the peak, and it was just a matter of timing a long exposure to capture the lens flare nicely.

Perisher Valley, New South Wales, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

As I shoot a lot of stock imagery, this kind of scene gets me excited. Metadata keywords such as ‘winding road’, ‘travel’ and ‘road trip’ spring to mind. This area has such wonderful scenes set amongst classic Australian alpine landscape..albeit this shot was taken in summer.

Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

This is called the ‘Blue Pool’ and is a fed directly from the sea. A wonderful famous landmark of the area. This was a cold night, so no one was around. It isn’t hard to get many wonderful compositions as the sea laps over the edge.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Canon 5DsR EF 50mm F1.4

I respect the fact there isn’t anything artistically outstanding about this image, however, photography isn’t always about this. I love the street life in India and there are dogs on every corner. This particular dog followed me up a street but was very timid. After some time I was able to capture him looking towards me with a nice out of focus effect that still shows his surroundings, and where he lives.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

Perhaps my favourite image of the year. I just love meandering through the streets and stepping into a street portraiture mode mentaility. It’s not something I get to do too often. I happened to walk past these magnificent steps and door. There at the base, is this wonderful man sleeping. This scene perfectly sums up Mumbai around lunchtime in oppressive heat. The colour of his shirt was just the icing on the cake.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Canon 5DsR EF50mm F1.4

Another typical Mumbai scene at lunch time. People really are able to sleep anywhere, at anytime in India. I complain if my pillow is too hard! This man is laid out in a car seat, in hot humid conditions, and fast asleep. Amazing.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Canon 5DsR EF16-35mm F4 IS USM.

I think this photo captures the friendliness and vibrancy of Indian culture. This man asked for his photo to be taken on Marine Drive, and then proceeded to jump for an action photo. This would never happen in the western world. Never.