Australian_Photography_-_March_2016_

14 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

STRAIGHT SHOOTER

Darran Leal

Advances in digital camera technology

mean there are fewer stories about “the

one that got away” writes Darran Leal.

T

he world of photography is

changing every day as new

technology offers more varied

shooting opportunities. On

a recent tour in the Kalahari Desert of

northern South Africa we presented our

tour party with a unique opportunity just

500 metres from our accommodation.

In years gone by my group would have

most likely watched this experience,

hoped for some creatively blurred images

(at best) and told the story to everybody

back home, as few of their photos would

have been successful. Instead, we had

camera technology that allowed us to

shoot images before sunrise. After 40

tours to Africa, what a difference this can

make! We woke to bird calls and the deep

rumbling roars of lions. This Is Africa.

low light

Shooting in

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY MARCH 2016

RIGHT

A higher ISO setting might add some

noise to the image but who cares if you get

the shot? Nikon D810, 80-400mm lens @

400mm, 1/500s @ f/5.6, 3200 ISO. Image

processed in Adobe Lightroom, hand held.

BELOW

This image was shot before sunrise. It

simply wouldn’t have been possible a

few years ago. Nikon D810, 80-400mm

lens @ 400mm, 1/350s @ f/5, ISO 3200.

processed in Adobe Lightroom, hand held.