Author Archive
Pondering the idea of doing a video blog entry…
Posted by: | CommentsAt this stage I have to admit I’m only pondering the idea of doing a video blog entry, however the idea does intrigue me. Currently I have available high-definition WebCam and the high-definition video camera, therefore logically now would be the best opportunity to attempt a video blog entry.
However at this stage I honestly have no idea what I would say in a video blog entry, therefore if anyone has any suggestions I very much open to this.
Stuart
Today this blog expands!
Posted by: | Comments… Much to everyone’s dismay *grins*.
In the interest of narrowing the amount of blogs that I have, and spreading everything everywhere… I have decided to shut down my old Personal Blog (Secluded Habitat) and being posting all my random thoughts here. For some time I ‘kinda’ had this intention but never really stuck to it and ended up posting personal stuff on both but today it is decided.
So this should mean that I should be able to begin posting more regular updates here at Eccentric Reality.
Stuart
Canon Australia has been Brilliant to Me!
Posted by: | Comments
For those that have followed my journey into photography you will know that I had the wonderful luck of being approached by Canon Austraila’s PR Agency as part of the Canon Blogger Product Review Program over a year ago (when I first reviewed the Canon EOS 1000D). Over the last 14 months I have jumped into the deep end of photography and have been learning as much as I can.
At a recent celebration night that Canon Australia was holding (celebrating 50 years since the first Canon SLR Camera) I was once again offered the chance to borrow a camera to have a play with and review if I wish, which is is a Canon EOS 5D MKII. While we are waiting for one of those to become available I have had the Canon Legria HFS11 High Definition Video Camera on loan for a few weeks to have a play with. I am currently in the process of reworking all the sample footage and will upload this along with the review sometime next week (I hope).
However in the mean time I wanted to let you know that I recently won a competition Canon Australia was running. On visiting the EOS website a few weeks back I noticed they were running a survey where you would win prizes. At the end you had to state in 25 words or less what you loved about the Canon EOS Community. I cant remember exactly what I wrote but it was along the lines of the chance to see other peoples work, and interact with other photographers of all skill levels.
So long story short I received an email two days ago letting me know that the judges had picked my answer as the best and I had won a Canon EOS 500D Single Lens Kit. So this means that (just because I can) I will most likely be doing a review of the EOS 500D in the not too distant future as well. So I just wanted to throw out a big thanks to Canon for not only providing me the opportunity to begin my journey into photography but also fueling my desire to learn more and try new things while providing me the opportunity to do so.
Anyhoo just thought I would provide an update I have loads of ideas and will have the time to put them into writing later this week after I am back from holidays.
Once again a HUGE thanks to Canon Australia and their PR Agency team.
Stuart
Photos of the Seaworld Dolphin Show
Posted by: | CommentsCurrently I am coming to you from Sunny Queensland in Northern Australia. Yesterday I went to the lovely Sea World and I have to say it had PLENTY of opportunities to see (and hence photograph) some lovely animals. While sifting through these I came across one of them that I have since put as the desktop background from my computer as it is just beautiful. So I thought I would share with you, I do apologise that the dolphins are slightly off centre but hey, LOL it is difficult to catch them at the speed they move.
I would love to hear feedback if you have any but as I said feel free to use it as a desktop.
Stuart
(click to get full version)
People Photography – My Initial Thoughts
Posted by: | CommentsIn the last month or so I have had two opportunities to do photography of people subjects as opposed to my usual landscapes or people subjects. Unfortunately at this stage I have not been able to confirm that I am permitted to publicly display any of the photos thus far however I hope to shortly.
The first chance I had was with a friend who offered herself as a model for the day in which we both went down to Manly Beach to take some photos. I managed to learn some key lessons on this first outing which included:
- Prior to a shoot, take the time to really plan some ideal shots that you would like to get
- In the initial planning stages ensure you take into account the terrain of a location, crawling over rocks is not always comfortable and/or easy with camera gear
- If working with a person that has never modeled before, give them a briefing before hand of what you are going to do/try to achieve as it is better that they have a rough idea than to dump them in the deep end
Having said that, it was a great first experience and it showed me that I have a lot to learn, especially surrounding the composition of the photo and how the model should pose within the shot. Granted it was a first attempt but I look forward to giving it another go soon.
Then today I had another opportunity to do group shots at a work Social Club Christmas Party. It was a rather interesting experience in which I kept the camera in auto mode virtually the entire day. My reasoning was that I needed to get comfortable getting people to pose and get the actual photos prior to attempting to do artsy photos on the fly. All in all I feel that it went quite well, I was able to get some really good photos and had my first real experience using the flash on the camera. After using it a bit I honestly think (nay KNOW) that I need to get my hands on a decent diffuser, a lot of the photos worked well bouncing the light off the roof but some I feel needed a direct diffuser to really get the lighting correct.
After having a look back through my photos I feel that today I was far more comfortable turning the camera on the side to get a decent profile shot rather than always leaving the camera in landscape mode. I think this is something that I have struggled with in the past but it seems that today this came really quite naturally.
Anyhoo, that is enough of a brain dump for now, I am going to pick out a few individual photos and ask the staff members if they would mind me using them on the blog then hopefully I can analyse them in detail.
Until next time, behave!
Stuart
