Australian_Photography__Digital_-_September_2015_

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 79

Let there be light

According to Vince Robinson: “There was a really big swell

and rough seas at Avalon Beach in Sydney so I went down just

before sunset to get some photos of the waves and the clouds

on the horizon. My objective was to capture the power of the

waves, but what I like most now is the marbled pattern on the

breaking wave.” There are some dramatic elements in this scene

with those clouds and waves, but you really lucked out with the

lighting, which is all in the sky rather than on the waves. That

sea – which is the main subject here – is dead, and tweaking

and lightening up the shot later doesn’t compensate for the

lack of sunshine in the original. While the spray, spume and

shape of that rolling wave are powerful, there’s none of the

sparkle and magic that a good dose of sunlight can provide.

SAIMA’S TIP: Software can’t bring sunshine into an image.

It needs to be there in the original shot.

TITLE: Big swell at Avalon Beach

PHOTOGRAPHER: Vince Robinson

DETAILS: Nikon D7000, 105 mm focal length, 1/320s @ f/4.5,

ISO 100. Increased detail, contrast, vibrancy and exposure in

Adobe Lightroom.

Different thinking
Thierry Rocchia put a different take on Sydney’s
Centrepoint Tower in this photo made at the Asian
markets by using the Chinese-style lanterns to highlight
the foreground while the tower is back stage. If this
scene was taken with a wider aperture, say f/5.6, it
would heighten the effect by making the tower in the
background softer, and emphasising the lanterns in the
foreground. The tower has such an iconic shape it would
still be instantly recognisable, but then the image would
have more depth. It’s great to see another perspective
and those lines, circles and colour add a fresh twist to an
old landmark!

SA I M A’S T I P: If everything in an image is in focus, the
effect is more two-dimensional, while different degrees of
focus give a stronger three-dimensional feel.

TITLE: Untitled
PHOTOGRAPHER: Thierry Rocchia
DETAILS: Ricoh GR, @ 14mm focal length,
1/80s @ f/11, ISO 200.