Wayne Wright Photography Blog

WHICH CAMERA SHOULD YOU BUY?

2012-02-23T04:26:00.001-08:00

A question I get asked fairly often is "I want to get into photography, what is the best camera to buy?" usually they are deciding on Canon, Nikon or some other brand.

I am a Canon shooter, but I could just as easily have been a Nikon shooter. I purchased a Canon years ago and my lenses are canon, so I have essentially brought into a lens system. The technology in cameras these days is amazing and it is getting better all the time.

Photography is more about vision and light than megapixels and camera manufacturers. My opinion is don't spend too much on your first DSLR, get something YOU feel comfortable with and can afford. You will get more out of photography by just getting out there and practicing regardless of your camera, maybe take a lesson or two.

Don't get me wrong, there is a difference between say a Canon 60D and a Canon 1d but believe me if you give a good professional photographer a point and shoot and a non photographer a top of the range Hasselblad, the better image would come from the experienced photographer.

This image below was taken with a Canon point and shoot (G10).

Quick Tip: Creating a sense of SPEED.

2012-02-14T02:34:00.003-08:00

CREATING A SENSE OF SPEED = MOTOR SPORTS
When photographing motor sports it is all too easy to set your shutter speed to just freeze the action. This is a safe setting as there is very little skill involved, you will end up with a sharp and boring image, you might as well of taken a photo of a parked car.

Try lowering the shutter speed and panning the camera while taking the shot, it takes practice and the success rate is lower, but what you end up with is a shot that shows motion by the way of blurred backgrounds and wheels.

Sports mode on a camera generally just means it will use the fastest possible shutter speed, try switching to Manual or shutter priority and give it a go.

Happy snapping!

Photographer + Fire

2012-02-09T04:25:00.000-08:00

Met up with a few fellow Photographers for a bit of creative Photography. We used steel wool in a cage then lit it and spun on a chain (or cord). These are some of the results...

Using Google Earth for scouting locations

2012-01-11T02:46:00.001-08:00

In a recent trip to the Stirling Range which is a 5-6 hr drive for me, I decided to use Google Earth to "scout" the area. I have been here before (about 6yrs ago) and got a great shot but for the life of me couldn't remember where I took it from. By using Google Earth I found it which saved me a lot of time when I got there. Scouting an area is a very important part of Landscape photography and tools like Google Earth make it that much easier. Of course you cannot beat getting out there and physically scouting an area and seeing how the light hits the land, but it certainly helps to have an idea of what you could see if you have a fair way to go and a narrow time frame.
Here you can see the image taken and the Google Earth image of the same vantage point.

Stirling Ranges

2012-01-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

The Stirling Ranges are located in the South West Region of Western Australia and are the highest point for a 1000km's.
I took a trip there last week to photograph the mountain range and to highlight the beauty of this area.

Natures pastel colours

2011-12-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday reached 41 and was predicted to hit 38, today they predict 39 with storms so I predict 43 in my garden!

Thought I would get up before it got too hot and catch a sunrise (up at 4.30am), headed up to Two Rocks here in Western Australia, this is the best time of the day. I love the pastel colours in this shot and yes they are real, I try to capture what I see. I have included the image shown by the camera when it was taken.

Enjoy the weather where ever you are today! :)

Baby Portraiture

2011-11-23T05:02:00.001-08:00

We are now providing Baby Portraiture!

Currently offering...

-We come to you and setup a small studio (Perth Metro area)

-All images are edited including Photoshop'ed if required to remove cradle cap, blotches etc

-Free print of your choice

-Online secure gallery for you to distribute to whoever you like

All this for only $150.00

Visit http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/kids_gallery/gallery_kids.html for more details.

Recents

2011-11-08T04:02:00.000-08:00

We have uploaded several new images to our Landscape Gallery...
http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/landscape_gallery/landscape_section.html

Images of the Perth Wildcats home games at Challenge stadium can be seen here...
http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/sports_menu.html

Our latest competition closes at the end of this month so if you haven't registered head over here and register...
http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/competition4.html

WIN a signed LIMITED edition print!

2011-10-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

We are giving away a LIMITED EDITION SIGNED PRINT.
See here for details...

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/competition4.html

On your wall

2011-10-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

See how one of our images could transform a room in your home.

Send us an image your room.

Choose up to 3 images from our Gallery.

And we will show you how they could look in Your home.

Free to try for the first 15 people...
Visit http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/on_the_wall/on_the_wall.html

To digitally enhance a photo or not...

2011-10-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most common questions I get regarding my images is... Did you enhance this in Photoshop.

The answer is yes if you count Colour balance, Cropping, dust removal, vibrance, curves, contrast, sharpening etc.
Professional and serious photographers shoot in RAW rather than JPEG, why?...
When you take a shot with your point & shoot in Jpeg or similar, you get that fantastic shot with beautiful colours, it is sharp and ready for print without digitally enhancing...or do you?
Jpeg's are compressed files with limited image data, you have taken the shot the camera has picked a colour temperature, saturated the colours, sharpened, increased contrast, boosted clarity and all those things that finishes of an image. The camera has chosen how to enhance your image for you and taken away that creative process.
When you shoot in RAW you get maximum information and no adjustments. It is up to the photographer to adjust the image to fit his or her vision.
It is important to a photographer to have full control from the moment they take the shot right through to the final print. Even to the point the monitor they view images on are adjusted and calibrated to show a true representation of what the print will look like. Monitors you get with your laptop or desktop are generally not calibrated for photos, they are far too bright and the colour balance is usually way off.
There are "purists" out there that believe you should take an image and not touch it, that way it hasn't been enhanced. I say if you are using digital the camera is doing it for you, it would be purer to do it yourself. If shooting with film, the choice of film and the chemical process changes the way an image will look, so you are manipulating chemically instead of digitally.
Photos have been manipulated or enhanced since the beginning of photography.
While I think adjusting your image is a necessary process, it can easily be overdone. In my images I try to represent what I saw and re-create the feeling of being there and get it right in camera using filters as much as possible.

Please excuse my grammar and spelling but I think you get my point... :)

Yanchep Lagoon Dawn Shoot

2011-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Up early again this morning to catch a sunrise. This wasn't the usual shoot which was planned and scouted before hand, I just needed to capture something. Yanchep Lagoon is only 5 mins from where I live so it is a convenient place to shoot, which is handy as I get twitchy if I haven't shot anything for a while.

So here it is, I was hoping for a colour filled sky but it wasn't to be, I'm happy with the shot though and I met another photographer (on the rocks in the distance) who was mad enough to get up early on a Saturday.

All round a productive morning...

The difference a 10 Stop ND Filter can make for daytime photography.

2011-09-23T21:49:00.003-07:00

I recentley purchased a 10Stop ND filter, which basically cuts down the amount of light entering the camera allowing for longer shutter speeds.

The below image was taken at 1/40sec F16 ISO 100

The below image was taken in the exact same spot and taken within 2mins of the previous one. This time we add the ND Filter. I adjusted the settings to 30secs F16 ISO 100.

This can allow for some fantastic photography in the middle of the day! Although the sun side lighting will still add more depth.
I will be using this effect to photograph city scenes and street scenes.

Bali Indonesia

2011-09-19T06:10:00.001-07:00

Rice, to the Balinese is more than just the staple food, it is an integral part of the Balinese culture.
Before planting throughout growing time, at harvesting, ceremonies are held and offerings are presented to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice. In the middle of rice fields far from the village, you often find little shrines with neatly presented flowers, fruit, and offerings for Dewi Sri. ~ indo.com

Perth Wildcats Photography

2011-09-11T04:59:00.001-07:00

Wayne Wright Photography is now an Official Perth Wildcats photographer 2011/12.

This is a real privilege and I'm really looking forward to capturing some fantastic basketball action.The first home game is on the 14th October at Challenge Stadium. If you haven't been to a game, get down there and experience it, trust me its awesome! And you'll get to see me. ;)

Free 2012 Calendars are now available

2011-09-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

We have just released 3 2012 calendars available to download and print at A4 for free.
Enjoy!
http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/free_calendar_2012.html

On the wall

2011-08-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Stirling Ranges SW Western Australia

Yanchep Western Australia

State Basketball League Qtr Finals have started.

2011-07-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Qtr finals have started and the Men and Women from the Wanneroo Wolves won their first games.

Men 97 - 86 over Tigers

Women 68 - 61 over Magic

Images are now online of the Women playing the Magic last night at Joondalup. Great game!

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/sports_menu.html

Once the image has been taken

2011-06-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

As most of us have experienced, randomly turning up to a beautiful spot, lifting the camera and taking the shot rarely results in to an image that represents the beauty and scale of what you saw with your eyes.

The same goes for printing, monitors have to be calibrated, profiles need to be created for different types of papers and inks to re-create what you see on screen.

I print on Epson printers using Ilford paper for small runs and prints up to A3+. For larger runs and larger prints I use a professional lab that is also calibrated to my monitors.

Then I hand check the print carefully for any inconsistencies. The result is a print that will last for years and retains the essence of what I was capturing at the time.

To learn the basics of composition and camera settings I have some simple tutorials to help.

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/photography_tips.html

New images added to gallery

2011-06-02T03:18:00.000-07:00

Two new images have been added to the gallery.

The first taken at Two Rocks WA.

The second taken in Yanchep WA.

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/landscape_gallery/landscape_section.html

The Final Frontier

2011-05-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thought I would try something different, I took this image from my backyard! It was taken with my standard SLR and a standard zoom lens (200mm). I think im going to enjoy these sort of images so stay tuned for more. :)

Photographing Dunsborough South West WA

2011-04-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Day 1, Friday 8th April

I'm up early to get into Dunsborough to photograph the Charity Golf Day for Prostate Cancer Research, which was great, apart from getting sunburnt. Friday finished off with a dinner and Auction (including 10 of my images), a long and productive day.

Day 2, Saturday 9th April

Up early again! 5am to catch a sunrise, its hard getting up but once I've reached the spot scouted on a previous visit, the camera's set up and the sky's starting to light up, I realise this is the best time of the day. I take several shots of different compositions, the colours are awesome. The window for the best light this morning was only 2-3mins.

Off to breakfast, first customer of the day.

I spend the rest of the day scouting for an image that night and an image for Sunday morning. I end up shooting the popular Sugar Loaf Rock for the sunset image (will be on website within the week) The following image was taken at dawn.

Day 3, Sunday 10th April

Another 5am start, off to my last location for the weekend. Again I have a window of about 2-3mins for the best light. I found this great composition with the rock almost creating a path which created a great leading line and again mother nature provided the cloud and colours.

I love it!

My next planned trip will be to the Stirling Range WA.

The Grey Kangaroo

2011-03-08T04:21:00.000-08:00

The Kangaroo can be found anywhere in WA where there is bush. This shot was taken against the back-light of the morning sun in Yanchep.

A dry McNess in Yanchep WA

2011-03-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

According to the CSIRO, Perth s water supplies could dip by nearly 50 per cent in 20 years in the worst case scenario.
Believe in global warming or not the climates around the world are changing and we need to be pro active.

Week 6 of the Tips is up - Graduated Filters

2011-02-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

This week we look at how using Graduated filters can transform your images. Sorry its a bit late. :)

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/tips_landscape_Filters.html

Being there

2011-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Photography is as much about being there as it is taking an image. I get to see things that some people don't. Getting up at 3-4am to get somewhere before the sun starts to rise and late nights to catch sunsets and twilight images. Its so peaceful, and the kids like to "stay up" and watch a sunset.

Left: Mason and Jasmine doing a little photography while I set up.

Below: This image of myself and my daughter Jasmine was taken by my son Mason.

"Time is the most valuable currency we have to spend"

Point Walter Western Australia

2011-01-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

These images were taken at Point Walter Western Australia, the Jump Shot was taken while scouting for an evening shoot.

Hillarys Boat Harbour Western Australia 2

2011-01-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

This image was taken as the sun was coming up behind me.

Week 5 of the tips is up - Camera Settings

2011-01-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

This week we take a look at some camera settings for Landscape photography...

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/tips_landscape_cameraSettings.html

Hillarys Boat Harbour Western Australia

2011-01-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Up early this morning, a trip down the road to Hillarys Boat Harbour, a very popular spot for tourists (mainly English!). This print will be available in sizes up to 60inch.

WANT TO WIN A LIMITED EDITION PRINT?

2011-01-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

Visit http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/competition.html for more information.

More images of the M5 shoot....

2011-01-02T07:25:00.001-08:00

3 FREE CALENDARS NOW AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD

2011-01-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

We have 3 new calendars available to download and print at A4 for free.
http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/free_calendar_2011.html

BMW M5 E39

2010-12-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

Pic done for my Father-in-Law, taken at Mindarie Marina Perth WA. This is his pride and joy.

Week 4 of the tips is up - Leading Lines

2010-12-28T16:51:00.001-08:00

Hopefully some of you got a new camera from Santa!
This week we take a closer look into how we can guide a viewer through our images.
I have had a couple of emails asking about camera settings and I will come to that in a couple posts time. I'm trying to keep some sort of structure to the tips. Thanks for your patience

Week 3 of the tips is up - Horizons.

2010-12-15T00:40:00.000-08:00

This week we are looking at how we can improve the placement of horizons in our landscape shots.

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/tips_landscape_Horizons.html

Week 2 of the tips is up - Foreground Interest.

2010-12-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

This week we look at how adding a foreground can really enhance your images...

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/tips_landscape_ForegroundInterest.html

NEW! Beginner Photography Tips

2010-11-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

I have had a few emails regarding camera settings, composition and how to fix photos that haven't come out as planned, So i have decided to start a weekly tips page.

I will go through the compositional "rules", Lighting, Camera settings (mainly for SLR's), post processing and any other tips i can come up with or that have been asked by email.

Feel free to email any images you have taken which i will then post as examples.

wayne@waynewrightphotography.net

First up is The Rule of Thirds.

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/photography_tips.html

SBL Photograph of the year 2010

2010-09-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

We were awarded Photograph of the year by the SBL! Thanks to everyone for there support...great stuff!

SBL Grand Finals (women)

2010-08-21T01:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Willetton Tigers Women on winning the SBLW Championship!

Wood scene - Natures Goddess

2010-07-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to shoot landscapes lately, so I decided to go down to the pine forest. I have an image in mind and this is sort of what it is. Although this one was "created" using two images. The first is the forest taken in Wanneroo WA, the other is of the model (Sabina Gosner) taken a couple of months back in a studio setup for Price Attack Warwick (who also came up with the title for the model). The sun rays were added in PS.

Im still planning to create the shot in camera when the weather/light is right and when i have found a willing model.

HQ Nationals

2010-07-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wayne Wright Photography will at the HQ NATONALS at Barbagallo.

Mark down the 18-19 September in your diary for a great day out with the family.

Visit

http://www.hqracingwa.com/

http://www.wascc.com.au/

For more information. :)

Creating a sense of speed!

2010-06-21T04:42:00.001-07:00

Here I used a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/60th of a second and panned the camera to keep the car sharp.

Playing with shadows

2010-06-11T23:46:00.001-07:00

Before and After Glamour Shoot

2010-06-07T05:09:00.001-07:00

Glamour shoot done a few weeks back.

New products

2010-06-06T17:49:00.001-07:00

I really haven't been utilising my Blog as much as I should, so from today I will make more of an effort to find the time.

This "Brag book" is a great little album, it holds up to 20 3.5x5" prints, so it perfect for carrying around with you. We also have New Ice Blocks and Proof Photo Books.

www.waynewrightphotography.net

Wedding and Portrait gallery

2010-05-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have updated the Wedding & Portrait gallery so please check it out.

http://www.waynewrightphotography.net/wedding_gallery/gallery_wedding.html

There are new pics from a recent photoshoot thanks to Price Attack Warwick, Jody and Michaels wedding, young Xavier and Bradley, and more.

Off to Collie today to shoot the HQ's so will post pics of that in a few days.

Don't Stare!

2010-03-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Been really busy lately and haven't had much time to shoot anything, so in desperation I headed to the garden and all I could find is this fly. :)

Two Rocks WA

2010-03-11T02:23:00.000-08:00

Another visit to Two Rocks of an evening to catch a sunset. There was not much interest in the sky, so i converted to B&W.

Droplet

2010-03-01T04:48:00.000-08:00

Heres what a photographer does when there bored and stuck inside...lol

Two Rocks

2010-02-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Taken at Two Rocks, only 20 mins up the road, cant believe i've never taken a photo here. Not the best lighting, but i will be back! Thinking a nice sunset with a few clouds in the sky would be nice. See how we go.

End of summer

2010-02-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Another scorcher today, cooler than yesterday but still hit 39.8 at Swanbourne. Hope the storm were supposed to get clears the air a bit. Were about to hit the hottest summer ever on record!

Mindarie Marina - sunset

2010-02-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

Been a while since my last post. Having trouble finding time to get out and shoot. But here we go, this is Mindarie Marina Perth WA, great spot and only up the road. Theres a few compositions Iwant to try here so i will post them too.

Cottesloe beach - sunset

2010-01-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

Haven't taken many images of late, so after work I headed to Cottesloe and took this shot. 5 vertical images stitched in PS.

On the way down the cloud was quite thick so I didn't expect anything spectacular, but when I got there the sun started to shine through, and when it went down it coloured the sky nicely. Result!

John Oldany Park

2009-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

Took the kids into the city with the plan to find a "different" viewpoint for when the sun went down. So we ended up at John Oldany Park just below Kings Park on Mounts Bay Rd.

Beautiful spot, didn't find the composition I wanted for the city, so I ended up with these shots. Im very pleased how they turned out, the pano version is 4 vertical shots stitched so that will make a very nice print. :)

Perth City skyline

2009-12-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Haven't been into the city of an evening in a long while, so thought it nice to take the family there for the evening... Oh and the camera. :)

The Pano is 4 frames stitched in PS.

Boat shed - Evening

2009-12-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Taken around 7.15pm, again hoping for a bit of colour in the sky, instead I got a bit of rain and plain skies. But I did get some nice compositions and when converted to black and white it works really well. So I think this one will end up being a block mounted canvas. Happy days. :)

Boat shed

2009-11-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Out the door at 4am this morning to have a go at the famous Boat Shed in Maltida Bay Perth Western Australia. This is one of the most photographed boat sheds in the world, very popular with wedding photographers. When I got there at 4.40am the sky was already becoming light so I didn't quite get the shot i wanted so i will try again. I also want to get a sunset shot which i will do in the week to avoid the wedding photographers.

Australian Sealion

2009-11-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Took the kids to the local beach this morning and this Sealion was watching me take pics while I was on the rocks. Then I went onto the beach with the kids and it came right up to us on the beach. Awesome! :)

An extract from the Department of Environment and Conservation...
Australian sea lions live only in Western Australia
and South Australia and are among the rarest of
the world’s seal species. The total population is
thought to be about 10,000, but is perhaps
decreasing in some areas. About 1,000 sea lions
live on our west coast (between the Abrolhos
Islands and Perth) and 2,000 on the south coast
(between Albany and Israelite Bay).

Mindarie Beach stormy sky

2009-11-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

Taken at Mindarie Beach with the hope of some lightning, which never happened. Again!

I like this shot with the green rocks as foreground interest, and using filters I was able to slow the exposure down to create "movement" in the water, and darken the sky.

No lightning but I think it came out ok. :)

Mindarie Beach storm approaching

2009-11-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

Taken at Mindarie Beach with the hope of some lightning, which never happened.

I really want to get some lightning shots, but it wasn't meant to be, ah well thats landscape photography.

Peacock Spider - Maratus pavonis

2009-10-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

This liitle guy is only about 4-6mm in length, and quite plain until you look closely.

This male' peacock spider', Maratus pavonis, is one of Australia's spectacular spiders. The spider has a cape or flaps around its abdomen. He was falsely named 'gliding spider' because it was thought the spider could glide on his flaps through the air.
When the brightly coloured male courts with his relatively duller mate he expands his flaps like a peacock's tails and raises his with white hairs tipped legs. A spectacular courtship dance of this 'peacock spider'.