The Smirkonian Sightseer

iPhone view of Launceston

Here are three photos taken today of my home town Launceston, Tasmania.

Taken with iPhone 5 and processed in Lightroom 4.

Photograph Issue 3 e-magazine

 

The newest issue of PHOTOGRAPH—a digital quarterly magazine for creative photographers—is now available! This is a gorgeous, ad-free magazine full of great photographs and articles from exceptional photographers who understand that this is not only a technical pursuit, but an artistic one as well. They write as much from the heart as they do from their expertise. Issue 3 is packed with incredible portfolios and Q+As—this time from: Hengki Koentjoro, Dave Delnea, and Kevin Clark. And there are the usual great columns from people like Martin Bailey, Nicole S. Young, Kevin Clark, and John Paul Caponigro, as well as a featured article from yours truly about my recent work in Northern Kenya. The magazine is getting better and better all the time, and we’re very proud of this issue. Curious about what's inside? Download the table of contents. You can purchase Issue 3 of PHOTOGRAPH for USD $8 on Craft & Vision. As with all of our offerings, we aim to knock the content out of the ballpark and do so at exceptional value. That’s why we're offering a one-year subscription for $USD 24—that's four issues for the price of three. I really believe the best way to learn photography is to study exceptional photographs, and to listen to voices that not only know the craft, but also practice the art of photography. I hope PHOTOGRAPH inspires you the way it has inspired us. - David duChemin

Beginner's Guide To Lens Whacking

Take that lens off the camera and do some freelensing, aka lens whacking. Unmounting the lens can create tilt-shift effects and introduce great light leaks. 

via Phototuts+

Free e-Book: Craft & Vision 2

Our Latest eBook is Completely FREE! You're going to love reading this 45-page PDF eBook—and yes, it's completely free. Inside you'll find articles by six Craft & Vision authors, and nine unique ways to improve your photography. Craft & Vision 2 is a gorgeous eBook of articles that will help photographers of all levels make stronger photographs. Martin Bailey, Piet Van den Eynde, Nicole S. Young, Dave Delnea, Sean McCormack, and David duChemin have all written articles exclusively for this eBook covering a variety of topics: making sharper images and learning to shoot in manual mode, developing smarter, balancing flash with ambient light, learning to see light, developing style and consistency, isolating your subjects, experimenting with B&W, and coping strategies for challenging light. Download the FREE eBook But wait! There's more! Liquidation Sale! BIG INFLATABLE GORILLA! Act now and you can get TWO free eBooks for the price of NONE! Craft & Vision 1 Eleven Ways to Improve Your Photography This eBook is jam-packed with 11 hands-on, practical articles written by David duChemin, Piet Van den Eynde, Andrew S. Gibson, Nicole S. Young, Alexandre Buisse, Stuart Sipahigil, Eli Reinholdtsen, and Michael Frye. Download the OTHER Free eBook

New Smirkonian Flipboard Magazine

I've started creating my own personal Flipboard magazine "Smirkonian". It's similar in a way to the old Tweetsheet posts I published on this blog last year. Primarily the Flipboard mag is a collection of articles, rss posts and tweets that I've read and had an interest in.

It requires the Flipboard app for iOS or Android. Download the app and search for Smirkonian.

Available on the App Store

Android app on Google Play

Bernard in Taiwan

It's always great to see Tasmanians doing well on the world stage. Last week Bernard Sulzberger won the Tour De Taiwan.

Here's a collection of images I've found about the web ...

Timelapse - An Introduction to Still Photographs in Motion (e-book)

Download Dave Delnea's latest eBook TIMELAPSE for just $4 USD! Or buy the Author Bundle for $8 USD.

New eBook Dave Delnea's newest eBook Timelapse – An Introduction to Still Photographs in Motionis an exciting eBook for photographers looking to shoot and process stunning time-lapse sequences! Timelapse takes a step-by-step approach to the important aspects of creating moving photographs. Dave discusses the following key areas: cameras and lenses, tripods and support gear, intervalometers, tethering, filters, and of course the settings and techniques to pull it all together. Dave also walks you through Lightroom so you can successfully tackle the editing process, flicker, and output options. This eBook is full of tips, tricks, and ways to stay clear of common pitfalls when creating timelapses. Most photographers already have the tools they need to shoot their sequences, but they need help turning their vision into reality. "I shot and assembled my first timelapse sequence in about two hours after Dave showed me how to do it." - David duChemin  Watch Dave Delnea's awesome Iceland time-lapse. About the Author Dave Delnea is a commercial advertising photographer and creative collaboration advocate. His work has taken him around the world producing sports, lifestyle and travel imagery for clients such as Trump Hotels, Ritz Carlton and Lululemon. Buy the Author Bundle Get Timelapse PLUS Dave Delnea's other title Below the Horizon: Understanding Light at the Edges of Dayfor $8 USD (that’s 20% off). Special Offer For the first five (5) days only, use the promotional code TIME4 when you check out and pay only $4 OR use the code TIME20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ eBooks. NOTE: These codes expire at 11:59pm (PST) March 22, 2013.

Sneak Peak

Sneaking a peak over the hill at a make-shift drive-in set up showing Ice Age on a warm Prospect evening.

Nikon D5000
Lightroom 4

Tonights Sunset

Tonights sunset... photo-bombed by a flock of birds.

Mt Wellington Cable Car

I've just completed an on-line survey for the Mount Wellington Cable Car proposal in Hobart, Tasmania.

While my political persuasion says I should oppose the development, I'm very much in favour of it.

So many times I've been to the summit of Mt Wellington, spent a short amount of time admiring the view then returning to Hobart. There's nothing to do up there but admire the view.

Last year I visited Vancouver in Canada and one of the most popular attractions there is Grouse Mountain, right on the city's doorstep. Cable car access to Grouse Mountain takes about 8 minutes, and once on the mountain there's a choice of activities to choose from, with winter and summer schedules.

Hobart and Tasmania in general, would benefit greatly from a development similar to that at Grouse Mountain.

Natural attractions have a limited appeal. Man-made attractions are proving more popular to the modern tourist.

You can participate in the Mt Wellington Cable Car & Visitor Centre survey here.

Tasmania's Disappearing Kelp Forests

Tasmania's disappearing giant kelp forests from Rebecca Ramaley on Vimeo.

This video is a tribute to the beauty of these forests in the hope that the attention they are finally getting from the government is not too late to prevent their extinction.

The decline of this kelp forest and numerous others along the east coast of Tasmania include: warming waters, increasing occurrence of invasive species and a disruption of the natural food chain due to overfishing.

As of January 2013, the kelp forest at Fortescue Bay (seen in this video) no longer exists.

PHOTOGRAPH Issue 2 - Digital quarterly

The newest issue of PHOTOGRAPH—a digital quarterly magazine for creative photographers—is now available! This is a gorgeous, ad-free magazine full of great photographs from exceptional photographers, and articles from photographers and authors who understand that this is not only a technical pursuit but an artistic one and write as much from the heart as they do from their expertise. Issue Two includes featured portfolios and interviews with Martin Bailey, Andy Biggs, and Chris Orwig, as well as articles from some of my most trusted colleagues on topics like composition, post-processing, inspiration, editing, printing, and yes, even gear. Curious about what's inside? Download the table of contents. See more sample spreads. You can purchase Issue Two of PHOTOGRAPH for USD $8 by clicking any image above, or by visiting Craft & Vision. As with everything we offer we aim to knock the content out of the ballpark and do so at exceptional value. So we're offering a one-year subscription for $USD 24 - that's four issues for the price of three. I really believe the best way to learn photography is to study exceptional photographs, and to listen to voices that not only know the craft, but practice the art of photography. I hope PHOTOGRAPH inspires you the way it has already inspired us. - David duChemin

The Full Frame revolution

I've just read Ogden Chestnutt's column in the Jan 19 issue of Amateur Photographer. In it, he discusses the sudden popularity of 'entry level' full-frame sensor cameras and warns of "more bad bokeh, flimsy light trails and garish light painting" in the hands of budding photographers.

On the upside, the quality of UFO videos are set to improve!

As more manufacturers introduce full frame cameras to the market, prices will plummet. So now I wait for a price that's appealing as the pictures it promises to produce.

Tonights Sunset

Sunset at Prospect Vale, Tasmania
January 28, 2013 

Nikon D5000 with wide conversion lens
Lightroom 4

Tonight's Sunset