Waking Up Inside Boranup Forest

A night spent camping in the forest in summer alone is a little creepy. It gets dark in there, really dark and as soon as the sun goes down every insert and creepy crawly and flying bug is out as well as the 1000′s of bats that live in the caves near by.

After a pretty sleepness night from all the noise and waking before dawn to pack up and find the location I wanted to shoot.. I had this idea for a type of image that showed the forest in a way I had not seen before. Having seen countless images from Boranup I wanted to attempt something different. My idea evolved through the night as ideas came and went fast, but something was sticking and that was to try and produce an image that showed the colour and depth of the forest but also not in a stationary way, as the forest is alive and always moving I also wanted to show this. I took 3 images at different shutter speeds and ever so slight camera movement to achieve the final result.

This is the final result of my thoughts and planning while spending my first and not last night inside Boranup Forest.

Also now available as a fine art landscape print Boranup Forest Fine Art Print

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Denmark WA Workshop Date

A Winters Sunrise

Following on from the positive response I have received for the NSW workshop I now have a date for a 1 day workshop in Denmark Western Australia. The course will take in locations around Denmark at the golden hours each day, dawn and dusk with post processing during the harsh light of the day. I will take you through everything I do post production wise from raw file through to print and website display. The course is limited to just 3 people. Course Date 1st April 2012

There will be a lunch provided and light refreshments throughout the day.

What you need to bring is a DSLR camera, tripod and if possible a lap top with at least Photoshop CS3.

The one day workshop fee is $395. If interested please email myself at info@spoolphotography.com …
Course Date 1st April 2012

And if you are not in WA and want to do a workshop I have a 2 day Victoria Great Ocean Road workshop dates coming very soon.

Cheers Neal

Large Framed Australian Landscape Images

Recently I had a request for a size of image I do not normal do. The client wanted the image to be a certain size and aspect ratio. After a couple of attempts at finding the right size and ratio we settles on 70 inches by 40 inches. Sending the file off to print I was a little nervous about the size. While everything looked good on the monitors, one still has a little reservation on printing this large until the final product is seen and inspected.

Well after printing I was very happy with the result, and then onto the framing, again nervous about size and type of frame that would be used. Earlier today I was able to see the final product before delivery to the client and I must say the size and scope of the print and subject matter was stunning and while I am always hesitant to pipe up and sing a little praise about my work but this time I will for a change. I think the final product from landscape photography, to the print quality from my printers and framing from the framer Chris at Leamac is as good as anything I have seen before in a landscape photography print and framing anywhere.

The clients final product ….

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Esperance Sand Dunes

Not too sure where my last series of images are headed post production, but I am enjoying the ride so far … I guess I am trying to reveal less but show more in the image …

Here is something I took almost a year ago down in Esperance … Have a good weekend folks …

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A quiet sunrise at Apollo Bay

One of the worlds best scenic drives in the Great Ocean Road Victoria. While I have been lucky enough to have traveled it 3 times now I only wish I could do it more often. There are so many nice locations to stop and taken a picture of just take a moment to enjoy the salt air and stunning views and the diversity in types of landscapes is large. One moment inside a rainforest at a waterfall the next at an amazing secluded beach or looking over green lush farms in the many valleys that are in the region. Recently I was asked by a fellow photographer visiting Australia what to look for on the Great Ocean Road besides the Apostles … I left them know about a few of my favorite places in the area and I hope they have come away with some nice images, one that I have seen was very original and nice …

Here is a sunrise shot taken along Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road … A road trip every Australian should try and do at least once …

Apollo Bay Great Ocean Road Victoria is an Open Edition Print

Paynes Find

And the things you may find while scouting for wild flowers just a few hours drive from Perth on a weekend shoot with Mark Stothard … We came across this small lake while trying to find access to the big lake … Shooting the lake in late afternoon what really attracted us to the scene was the colour of the sky against the earth with the blazing sun on our back this really brought the colour of the sky and earth to life …

Hopetoun Falls Victoria

Hopetoun Falls … While a very popular Australian waterfall to hike and photograph, to actually getting a nice shot of these falls is a little harder than I originally thought a year or so ago. With the color of the water and flow of the waterfall dictating what you come away with. Now with a couple of return visits timing was just perfect on my last visit. I am finally happy with how the landscape and water looked for my print of one of Australia’s most popular waterfall landscapes Hopetoun Falls.

Purchasing this image is made easy through the webpage on this site http://www.spoolphotography.com/open-edition/australia_1/hopetoun-falls/

Stirling Ranges Western Australia

While on a flying 3 day trip to Western Australia’s southern coastline I stopped by the Stirling Ranges on the way back home … With fast moving clouds and some nice soft light between showers I managed to capture this landscape image of one the most stunning areas in Western Australia, the Stirling Ranges …

The stirling Ranges are a series of very old mountains dating back over 600 millions years that lie around 340km’s southwest of Perth the capital of Western Australia …

Next up for the blog should be a few new australian landscape photographs from the state of Victoria … Till then enjoy my latest panoramic image of the Stirling Ranges, Western Australia ….

West Australian Wildflowers

Well it is that time of year although when the outback of Western Australia comes alive with the colours of our wildflowers. Although very brief before our scoring summer sun takes over the wild flower season brings visitors both local, interstate and from around the the world. This passed weekend I ventured out for a couple of nights with fellow photographer Mark Stothard to see if we could capture some colour. One of the first images I have so far ready is this image of the morning light bring out the amazing colours of pale yellow and pink wild flowers just off the side of the great Northern Hwy near Paynes Find. I am not sure the names of the wildflowers we saw other than they are all WA wildflower everlastings and when in full bloom is quite a sight to see in the Western Australian bush.

Yallingup Reef

Spent the weekend down south around Dunsborough and met up with mr Mark “True North” Stothard for a shoot Saturday evening and again on Sunday morning … Well we will not talk about Sunday morning as the light was some of the worst there could have been. But saturday night was a little different. What promised to be an inspiring sunset ended up being good without being spectacular.

I have always liked the art by Michael R Nelson and I remember seeing his work for the first time round 1988 on my first trip to Hawaii.  It was always a trip to see his paintings of marine life and the landscape in the same frame from water level, with the colors where so rich. While I was scoring over the tidal pools at Yallingup looking for a composition or two, his work came to mind, which lead me to look more at what was just a few feet from me and to see if I could use that with the sky … So I guess this australian landscape photography is inspired by a hawaiian painter  …

It is always fun and exhilarating to get out there and challenge what you want to see but end up seeing as the light and conditions change, with the result sometimes and appreciation of the time spent not fully apparent till well after the time has passed …