My final post for 2016 is a brand new shot from the Styx Valley. Captured during my recent workshop which also includes the waterfalls of Mt Field, it is a shot which really gave me that buzz of excitement as I lined it up on the tripod. It is very easy to shoot lots and cull later but one of the tips I always share during workshops is to compose more and shoot less. Thinking back to the film days, when you were literally limited to however many shots were left on your roll of film really forced you to consider composition and only shoot once you had it just right. This shot was one of those moments – I shot two other compositions (see below) but settled on this one quite quickly, really enjoying the bokeh front and back, and the silhouette of the moss spores in the middle/back.

The shot of the day. Under the giant eucalypts and man-ferns of Tasmania’s Styx Valley is a truly delightful macro world.

This capture was also rewarding as I was able to share the moment with a couple of guests on the workshop. All my workshops are slow-paced explorations of the landscape where we discus all the important aspects of photography – from manual settings and menu diving to shooting and focusing tips in the field. Composition is best taught/learned in the field and using live view and being able to review images in the field is a fantastic learning tool.

These moss spores issued me a challenge I couldnt refuse… The first composition was just a bit of a close up, not really a winner, but that blue light at the back right caught my eye…

Shot 2 – recomposing to include more of the big background blue light… Getting there…

Happy New Year Everybody!

Finally I want to throw out a very special thank you to everyone who visits my website, my Facebook page, my market stall or my workshops. I appreciate your support towards my photography and I hope 2017 has great things in store for all of you! I look forward to sharing more of my photographic travels in 2017 with you all 🙂