2016 Photography Retrospective
Well, I had intentions to write a 2015 retrospective...I think i even commenced writing it but life got in the way and I never completed it. So now, another year has passed and I always like to reflect on what the year has brought photographically. It also provides me an opportunity in the future to re-read about some of the great photography outings that I have.
If I could describe my photography in 2016 in 1 word...I would choose 'intermittent'. I haven't ventured out too often on photography outings and we haven't had much time away as a family. These are generally the two times I do a lot of my photography - and it just hasn't happened all that much in 2016. Regardless, I trust you'll enjoy reading and seeing some of the images captured and the stories that go with them in 2016.
January
January started out as it has for the last few years with a New Year dawn shoot. I headed out with Chi to the Gold Coast. We hadn't totally decided on the location when we left Brisbane, but we thought either Currumbin or Surfers Paradise from the beach. As I had shot at Currumbin a few years earlier I opted for some shots of Surfers Paradise from the beach.
The sunrise was a little disappointing with fairly thick cloud on the horizon (see above) but after the second sunrise (i.e. when the sun got above the horizon cloud) there was some nice light on the buildings.
I did shoot a roll of film this particular morning but I didn't really like the results.
The next opportunity I had to take my camera out was 23rd January when my daughter tried her first 'real food'. Photographically this image isn't spectacular, but as a parent it's a pretty exciting time!
February
In February, Kane and I decided to go on a spur of the moment Sunday afternoon trip down to Fingal Head. This trip was a bit peculiar as it isn't often that both Kane and I are free to go photographing with short notice. Also, there were really good conditions - some nice well balanced clouds and nice light and full moon!
Later in February we headed to Noosa River for a Saturday afternoon outing. I took along a little medium format YashicaMat124G which takes square format photos. I had bought it at a second hand camera market in 2015. I took a few photos of the kids playing in the river.
March
In early March, Kane and I headed out west with the intention of scouting some locations for future photography outings. We didn't get too far as basically the first road we went down we found an awesome tree to photograph.
We did a little bit more scouting around this location but quickly returned to this tree to photograph the sunset.
This location didn't let us down with a nice show of pink sky at sunset.
Shadow and LightLast Sunday afternoon, Kane and I headed out on a spur of the moment photography scouting mission. We planned to head to Mount Barney but we didn't get real far. We found a neat little mountain range, tree and driveway and just hung around for some nice light.
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 17mm
ISO100 f/16 1/20sec
Pink PasturesI took his photo west of Brisbane in March 2016. Kane and I had planned to to a specific location, but on the way we got side tracked. We scouted around this area for somewhere to photograph and found a nice country road and tree. At sunset there was this awesome display of pink!
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 22sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 6/6/16 6:21pm
On Easter Saturday, Cecily, Harry, Sienna and I ventured down to Burleigh Heads.
April
In April I took a week off work to clean the house, relax and help prepare for Harry's 3rd Birthday Party. To be honest, I think I basically spent all week preparing for Harry's birthday party! I did manage to get out one morning to Shorncliffe. I met Kane there on his way to work and we shot a pretty fantastic sunrise!
Pre-dawn ShorncliffeThis was the first frame I took at the new Shorncliffe Pier. The trails of light you see were a cyclist taking a ride along the pier.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f22 6minutes
Lee 0.45 soft grad filter
Capture date: 12/4/16
The second sunriseThis shot was taken down at the new Shorncliffe jetty in April this year. I wasn't hopeful for some good light when I arrived given the thick cloud on the horizon, but the clouds moved and we were treated to this gorgeous light. It pays to be patient and wait for the second sunrise.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50
The New PierThe New Pier
On Tuesday morning I decided to head out to shoot sunrise. Seeing as the Shorncliffe Pier had re-opened I decided I would head down there. I asked my mate Kane if he wanted to join me as I knew it was on his way to work. I arrived at 5:20am and Kane had been there since 5am. We were met with thick black clouds on the horizon. We weren't hopeful of some nice light but as the morning progressed some nice high cloud came over and the thick cloud was moving. After waiting for the sun to pop through, we weren't disappointed with the sunrise!
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 17mm
ISO 100 f/16 1/100sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 12/4/16 6:45am
A few days later it was Harry's 3rd Birthday party!
Over the ANZAC weekend, Kane and I headed down to Glen Innes in search of Autumnal colours. This is a photography trip I had been looking forward to for a while. Although I had visited this area previously in autumn I had never been on a photography trip to this area without the family. Also, I had never been on a photography trip with Kane.
On the first day we shot Yundah.
YundahI took this shot on the way down to Glen Innes with the intention of shooting some autumn colours. Kane and I both wanted to get a shot off early in the trip so we had a roll of film in our cameras. We pulled over to shoot an outback country scene of some trees Kane had spotted from the car. Unfortunately we couldn't really make that work and pulled up here to this great scene.
This was shot just north of Stanthorpe.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50
f/22 1/4sec
Capture time: 22/4/16 10:09am
We also shot some autumnal colours in Tenterfield Park.
We also shot plenty of poplars on the first day.
Railway PoplarsThis photo was taken on a 3 day photography trip to New England in New South Wales in April 2016.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/32 0.5sec
Capture time: 22/4/16 2:50pm
Old Ben Lomond RoadThis shot was taken looking down Old Ben Lomond Road, just south of Glen Innes in April this year.
Canon 5D Mark II
70-200 @ 200mm
ISO100 f/4 1/160sec
On the second day of our three day trip we decided to head to Gostwyck chapel as fog was forecast! We were a little sceptical as we drove there as there was just patchy fog, however as we got closer we came across more and more fog! We were not disappointed! We were able to witness the moon setting in the fog!
However, the fog did lift quite quickly.
And then the light hit!
The Red ChurchKane and I headed down to Glen Innes for two nights to photograph some autumn colours. Patchy fog was forecast for Saturday morning so we took a gamble and traveled an hour and a half to this church. We were so happy when we met some fog on the drive there! Unfortunately not long after this image the fog lifted. We then waited for the light to hit...and it hit for a very brief moment of time and then was gone.
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 17mm
ISO400 f/8 1.3sec
Golden GostwyckI took this shot in April at a little church called Gostwyck Chapel in northen New South Wales. This particular morning the light came out for less than a minute and lit up the surrounding trees. Photography is all about being in the right place at the right time.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 16sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 23/4/16 6:30am
I took a few square frames of Gostwyck chapel too.
On the way back to Glen Innes we photographed at a cute little railway line and station, a neat little line of trees near Armidale, some autumnal colours at University of New England, balancing rock, and a neat tree at Guyra.
Rider ReflectionKane knew about this cool little railway crossing so we decided to stop and photograph it on our way from back from Armidale to Glen Innes. There had been a bit of rain in the area overnight, so that left some puddle for reflections and this motorbike rider rode through the scene and I was photographing.
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 19mm
ISO100 f/8 1/250sec
Lee 0.45soft grad
The Autumn TreeKane spotted this tree as we were driving around the Glen Innes area in search of autumn colours. The nice blue sky and white fluffy clouds adds plenty of balance to this image.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 1/4sec
Epson V700 scanner
Capture date: 23/4/16 2:20pm
After some lunch and a rest we headed back out and shot more poplars and an afternoon storm.
Poplar HighwayI took this image while visitng Glen Innes on an autumn colours photography trip with my mate Kane. This is Old Ben Lomond Road. The poplars we photographer really were fantastic - they were at their peak I think - mostly yellow and not too much fall.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 1/4sec
Capture time: 23/4/16 1:39pm
BlairmoreI took this photo during a trip down to Glen Innes in April 2016 with Kane Gledhill. We stopped off at this avenue of poplars one afternoon to fire off a few frames. Great times!
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 1/8sec
Capture time: 23/4/16 2:06pm
Afternoon Storm ApproachingAn afternoon storm builds up on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 1/4sec
Capture date: 23/4/16 3:56pm
At sunset we shot some nice light.
The next morning was the final shoot of our trip and we were treated to some fantastic light and conditions. Even though it was freezing cold and it felt like we were waiting ages for the light to come and hit, we walked away with some great shots.
Shadow, Poplar, RockI shot this while on a two day trip down to Glen Innes capturing autumn colours. This particular morning we waited what seemed like ages for the light to pop out from behind the clouds...and when it did it didn't disappoint!
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 1sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Epson V700
Capture time: 24/4/16 6:37am
Life BalanceThis image was captured in the New England area of New South Wales in April 2016.
Fuji G617
Velvia50 f/22 1sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture date: 24/4/16
New England LandscapeThe sun rises and lights a typical New England Scene.
Image taken with Fuji G617 and Velvia50 film.
May
On the first day of May conditions were looking good so I headed in to Wilson's Outlook to shoot the sunset. I shot a timelapse (which you can see on my Instagram feed) and some film frames.
Blazing SunsetCan you believe that since I bought my panoramic film camera almost 3 years ago I have only shot sunset on film from this location once! This is usually my 'go to' location if I want to shoot a bit of photography but don't have time to venture elsewhere.
Anyway, on the Sunday of the May Day long weekend the clouds looked like they were shaping up for something pretty spectacular so I quickly raced down to Wilson's Outlook to shoot the sunset. There were already 3 photographers there when I got there and by the time the sun had gone down there were probably at least 8. It was a pretty good evening.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f22 6sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 1/5/16 5:19pm
We headed away to a farm stay at Wittacork on the 2nd weekend in May.
It was great to see all the goings on at a farm and be involved with the animal feeding. The location (up near Maleny) was also fantastic!
I woke up one morning to photograph the sunrise.
Morning MilkingA few weeks ago, Cecily, Harry, Sienna and I stayed at a farmstay called 'Wittacork' near Maleny in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It was a fantastic weekend away. We learned about the processes involved with running a dairy and the hard work that dairy farmers put in morning and night, 7 days a week to supply milk to our tables. There was also opportunities for the kids to collect eggs from the chickens, feed the calves, pig and goats as well as pick mandarins, tangerines, lemons and limes!
This particular photo shows the dairy and some cows who had just had their milking completed for the morning.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f22 20sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 7/5/16 6:10am
Light on the farmThis photo was taken at Wittacork Farm Stay in Maleny, May 2016.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50
I also took a few shots at one of the sunsets.
Home after milkingRecently we stayed at a farmstay called Wittacork, near Maleny. I took this photo one afternoon as some of the cows were heading back to their field after milking.
Fuji G617
Velvia 100 f/22 1/8sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad filter
Capture time: 7/5/16 4:43pm
While travelling into Maleny to pick something up from the shops, I also nipped down to a lookout overlooking the Glass House Mountains and fired off a square frame.
June
Well June came and went without much photography. However, one morning I was woken early and noticed conditions looked like they could be good. I ventured out to Kangaroo Point Cliffs and shot the sunrise. On this particular morning I had left the battery to my digital camera at home so I only shot film.
Bronze BrisbaneI remember this particular morning I took this photo...I woke up early (unintentional) and I noticed the sky looked like there could be an awesome sunrise. I quickly told Cecily I was going to do a 'city run' (which is my terminology for a quick photoshoot somewhere in the city) and put my camera gear in the car. As I was driving to the CBD I decided to head to kangaroo Point Cliffs as I don't think I have many (if any) film shots from there. Anyway, I got there only to realise that I had left my battery for my digital camera at home. (This being the second time I've done this - the first was at Avoca Beach (see the image here --> http://www.martincanning.com/p1028218235/h2fb3faf1#h2fb3faf1))
So...I had all morning to focus on a decent film shot - and I'm super happy with the results - the light on the buildings and colour in the sky was fantastic!
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 45sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture date: 26/6/16 6:28am
July
I headed out with Kane to Lake Moogerah in early July in search of some fog. We were not disappointed!
Lake Moogerah DawnI shot this photo in July 2016. I headed out with Kane to Lake Moogerah hoping for a foggy dawn. There was some fog and nice light this particular morning.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/22 26secs
Lee 0.45 soft grad filter
Epson V700 scanner
Capture date: 3/7/16
In July I also took the camera out and photographed the kids having fun playing in the back yard and an outing to New Farm Park.
August
August brought Sienna's first birthday and first birthday party!
September
Cecily was invited to an event to view RiverFire from the Marriott in Brisbane in September. We headed along and I took my camera. The view wasn't the best and I was that annoying guy with the big camera, trying to lean it on the balcony at the front of the viewing platform...
October
On the October long weekend ( I can't remember what it is for anymore - they keep changing it) I headed out with Kane to Point Cartwright. This was a fairly enjoyable afternoon.
The sunset was shaping to be a beauty all day and all afternoon, but unfortunately it didn't show up. A scene Kane had planned to shoot didn't light up as expected due to some late heavy cloud which rolled in on sunset. I took a couple of slow shutter shots.
Point Cartwright WashI headed out yesterday with Kane to photograph Point Cartwright. I shot off a few daytime film frames. The sunset was looking promising all day but then some thick cloud filled the western horizon about 20 minutes before sunset so what was shaping up to be a really good sunset was a little disappointing. There were still some colours in the sky though.
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 17mm
ISO100 f/16 0.8sec
Lee 0.9 hard grad
November
One Saturday afternoon in November the sunset was shaping up so I did a quick run to Kangaroo Point. The sky didn't light up as I was hoping over the city but it certainly did facing west!
The Sunset WatcherThis photo was taken from Kangaroo Point Cliffs one Sunday afternoon after a storm had passed through. I think 1 William Street had the best view of this sunset that afternoon!
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f22 10sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture date: 12/11/16
The next day, I headed out with the family to Southbank. The intention was for a quick swim as Harry had been asking all weekend, but we ended up having a long swim, running around on the grass and staying for dinner! As the kids (and Cecily) ran around on the grass I took some shots of a storm moving south over eastern Brisbane.
In November I also headed over to Perth for a work conference. My boss also arranged a field trip to a hospital over there which meant I had a few days in between to visit a few iconic Perth locations to photograph. One of those was Elizabeth Quay.
Elizabeth QuayI took this photo while in Perth in November 2016 attending a conference. A couple of work colleagues came with me to take a few photos from this vantage point at sunset. This particular frame was an 8 minute exposure.
Fuji G617
Velvia 50 f/16 8min
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture time: 16/11/16 7:24pm
I also visited Cottesloe Beach at sunset.
Sand PatternsThis photo was taken just before sunset, north of the famous Cottesloe Beach. I had plans to shoot Cottelsoe in nice sunset light but there was a John Butler Trio concert on so I went for a walk north. The light hitting the grass and the patterns in the sand drew me into this composition.
Fuji G617
Provia 100F f32 1.4sec
Epson V700 scanner
Capture time: 20/11/16 6:27pm
West Coast SunsetThis photo was taken just north of Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia. It was great to be able to photograph sunset overlooking the ocean - you don't get many opportunities on the eastern coast to do that!
Fuji G617
Provia 100F f/22 1/2 sec
Lee 0.45 soft grad
Capture date: 20/11/16 6:57pm
I don't think a trip to Perth would be complete without a trip up to Kings Park.
I did photograph a sunrise and sunset from here but haven't had chance to edit them all. I also ventured to South Perth for sunset.
P E R T HI took this photo from South Perth foreshore. I was actually capturing a timelapse and then saw this nice pink cloud float over, so I cancelled the timelapse and decided to shoot Perth CBD with some negative space above filled by this nice pink cloud!
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 @ 23mm
ISO100 f/16 1.3sec
Lee 0.6 soft filter
I also visited the iconic Crawley Boat Shed, but I haven't finished processing those images either.
December
In early December I took a quick panorama of the back yard after a nice sunset following a storm.
Today I ventured out with Harry, Sienna and Cecily to Warwick to photograph some sunflowers - it was great! We had some nice blue sky and sunshine. The clouds were a bit uneven and clumpy, but there wasn't much wind so almost perfect conditions. I shot 3 rolls of film today (which is a lot for me for 1 shoot! - I blame Cecily who kept encouraging me).
Conclusion
Anyway I trust that you have enjoyed looking through this blog post and admiring creations' beauty that I've been fortunate to capture. I don't know what 2017 will bring photographically but I look forward to being able to capture and share whatever I am photographing, wherever it may be. You can see all of my 2016 landscape shots at www.martincanning.com/2016 You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram as @canningmartin or follow me on Facebook. I hope you have a great 2017!