Born in 1954 Rob has traveled extensively
to such diverse areas as Tahiti, Panama, USA, UK, Europe, New
Zealand, Africa and much of Australia.
During the course of these travels
he worked as a darkroom technician in London and Canberra, a commercial
photographer in Perth, a stock photographer for Globe Photos,
New York and a newspaper photographer in Grafton. He also wrote
and/or photographed articles for travel magazines on subjects
such as London, Paris, African wildlife and bushwalking.
Turning to large-format landscapes
in the mid-90s Rob exhibited, ran workshops, and sold prints from
his small gallery in Canberra until the year 2000 when he, and
his wife Chris, left their jobs, closed the gallery, sold most
of their possessions, and started a life on the road in Australia's
largest and weirdest off-road motor home.
In 2004 Rob retired the large-format camera and
switched to digital equipment, this also signaled a return to his first photographic
love, wildlife and nature photography, but also he is keeping large-format landscape
principles alive by shooting multi-image panoramas, a process similar to using
a large-format camera.
Rob now spends his time homesteading in central Queensland and
photographing wildlife, landscapes, and rural scenes around Australia.
About Rob
"Miles from nowhere
Guess I'll take my time
To reach there
Look up at the mountain
I have to climb
To reach there ..."
Standing on one of the giant granite outcrops
that give the Ramshead Range its character I watch the storm sweep towards
me across the main range. The vision of Mt Kosciuszko falters then vanishes
behind a wall of sleet; a wall that will engulf me before my beard is
much longer.
Looking around I see nothing to remind me of humanity.
No roads, no buildings, no people. Only nature's objects, the giant granite
tors, last winter's surviving snowdrifts, and the approaching storm. I
am alone with the elements in the solitude of the Australian bush.
For years I dreamed of being a landscape photographer,
working with a traditional style of camera that's changed little in over
a hundred years. The words of Frank-n-furter haunted me: "Don't dream
it, be it" he implored. So I stopped dreaming, purchased a five-by-four
field camera, and proceeded to "be it".
Raindrops return me to the present, turning from the
weather I walk to my nearby shelter. As I tread the soft alpine heath
I think about what drives me to photograph the landscape.
The words of Cat Stevens come to mind. Like him I'll
climb the mountain, and like him I'll "reach there", but unlike
him I'm searching for an elusive combination of shape and form. An interplay
of natural entities such as eucalypt and granite. The right light, and
the calm state of mind that allows me to stop looking at objects and start
seeing relationships and balance.
Only when all these elements are in harmony do I find
what I'm looking for. A tranquil state of mind and matter that allows
me to create images that are, by most accounts, peaceful and beautiful.
For I feel privileged to know the solitude of the Australian
bush and I hope that, through my photographs, those who have been there
will remember; and those who have not will find the will to go.
The storm hits, plucking at the fabric of my frail shelter
as if trying to cast it to the valley below. This is nature at its most
raw, it's wild and it will get worse before I see the cold light of dawn.
I lay down, close my eyes and search for sleep with the sound of rain
on canvas as my guide.
I marvel at how lucky I am.
"...Miles from nowhere
Not a soul in sight
But it's alright"
2022
Oops, this is 14 years out of date, I better fix that. Meanwhile the timeline (below) is
more up to date.
2007-8
Building Wothahellizat Mk2.
2005-7
Travelling around Australia photographing nature and writing
magazine articles.
2004
One of several of Australia's leading photographers invited to
take photos for a WWF-funded book on the Tarkine Wilderness, a
project designed to help have this area World Heritage listed.
2003
Represented by Adrianno's Fine Art Gallery, Perth.
2002
Represented by The Wilderness Gallery, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.
2001
Now live on the road full time, photographing Australia.
2000
Still building motorhome, will it never end?
1999
Ran two more MONOscapes workshops, this time we did three-day
affairs in the Blue Mountains with walks into the Grand Canyon.
Still building the motor home.
Still guest lecturing at the Canberra School of Photography.
1998
Taught first MONOscapes workshop. It was
a success so we have scheduled another for 1999.
Still guest lecturing at the Canberra School of Photography.
Otherwise very quite photographically, too busy building my motor
home
1997
Regular guest lecturer at the Canberra School of Photography.
Designed and release a new range of 40 greeting cards.
Designed and released seven posters featuring National Parks and other
wilderness areas.
Started writing a regular column in a new magazine about black &
white photography published by The Black & White Enthusiast.
Finished the book MONOscapes:The thoughts and images of Rob Gray.
1996
Regular guest lecturer at the Canberra
School of Photography.
Gave talks on landscape photography at camera, bushwalking and cross
country skiing clubs, also at local high school.
Released range of 32 greeting cards.
Approached by The Black & White Enthusiast to write a book
about black & white landscape photography.
Images selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook (one of a handful
of photographers to be selected for all three editions).
1995
Opened The Rob Gray Gallery in Canberra.
Images selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook.
1994
First solo exhibition.
Started selling photographs at local markets.
Image selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook.
1993
Returned to photography, specialising in
large format black & white landscapes.
1981-93
Left photography to work in the computing
industry. Although I kept in touch by teaching adult classes in basic
photography and darkroom practices. I also wrote and/or photographed
articles for travel magazines on subjects such as London, Paris, African
wildlife and bushwalking.
1979
Newspaper photographer, Grafton. General
photography of sports and events with the occasional fire and storm
damage photos.
1978
Darkroom technician, A&B Studios, London.
All forms of darkroom work for the advertising industry, including
extremely accurate stripping of line and half-tone negatives. Also
did much of the product photography for the studio.
Joined Globe Photos stock library, New York.
1975-76
Employed by Noel Holly (Illustrations
P/L in Perth) as a commercial/product photographer. Studio and in-store
product photography. Smaller industrial jobs and assisting Noel with
larger jobs. Fashion and model's folio shots. Interior and exterior
architectural work.
1972-75
Darkroom technician with
the Australian Information Service in Canberra. Also wedding work.
1971
'Asked' to leave school. I never
went back.
Nearly joined the Army, passed medical but, after being kicked out
of boarding school because I couldn't handle the discipline, how
clever would it have been to join the Army
In 2000 we left the rat race to live on the road
and until last year (2018) I really had no opportunity to exhibit. That changed recently
as we have now dropped anchor and I also worked in a local gallery.
I now plan to exhibit
more often.
Solo
Exhibitions
2018
Australian Nature, Courthouse Gallery, Gin Gin.
1999
Australian
MONOscapes, North Light
Gallery, Toronto, Canada (cancelled, I think
the gallery folded).
1997
Silver
& Silicon, The Arts
Factory, Watson.
1996
Untitled,
Gallery Restaurant, University of Canberra
1995-6
Untitled,
Mooi Café, Canberra
1994-5
Tranquil
Light, QANTAS Club lounge,
Canberra.
National
Parks, Kosciuszko NP Headquarters,
Sawpit Creek.
1994
MONOscapes,
Graphix Gallery, Canberra
Group
Exhibitions
1995
Photex
95
AIPP
Print Awards, Link Gallery,
Canberra.
Six
Canberra Photographers,
Bungendore Woodworks Gallery.
1994
Lost
& Found, PhotoAccess,
Canberra.
Ten
out of ten, Link Gallery,
Canberra
Untitled,
Kayell, Canberra.
Photex
94
1993
Vote
1 the Budawangs, PhotoAccess,
Canberra .
NOTE: Sometime
in 1997 I decided not to enter any more competitions. Much as I
think it's important to have your work judged by your peers I felt
I was in danger of taking photos just to win competitions and earn
more brownie points. In 2005 I got over it and started submitting
to competitions again but only a couple. I no longer see much point
to be honest.
2006 ANZANG nature photographer of the year
Runner up in the Interpretive photography category
with image #21162
Highly commended in the Black & White section
with image #00342
2006 Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Short listed in the world's most prestigious and
hotly contested competition (used to be called British Gas Wildlife
Photographer of the Year).
2005 ANZANG nature photographer of the year
Runner up in the Botanical category with
image #10279
1997 ACT AIPP print awards
Winner of Ilford open black & white print
award.
Winner of Most Outstanding Portfolio award
Highest scoring black & white print
1996 ACT AIPP print awards
Joint
winner of Ilford open black & white print award.
1996 Nikon Panorama Photographer of the
Year
Honourable mention.
1995 Photex '95
Winner
of "Peoples Choice" award.
3rd in "Self Commissioned" section.
1995 Escalade Nikon Photographic Competition
Winner of Ilford award for best black & white
print.
1995 ACT AIPP print awards
Joint winner of Ilford open black & white
print award.
3rd in "Landscape & Pictorial" section.
1995 Heritage Acquisitive Photographic Awards
Three acceptances.
1994 Kosciuszko Nikon Photo Competition
Best overall photo.
Best photo, landscape section.
1994 Blue Mountains for World Heritage Competition
1st in open black & white section.
2nd in open black & white section.
2019
After a long hiatus I am returning to photography. I'll still be using
my DSLR gear but also plan to return to large format shooting, using
the hybrid technique of film and scanning as it's no longer practical
for me to have a darkroom.
2011
Dropped anchor in Central Queensland, building a house from shipping
containers.
2008-11
Once again, travelling around Australia photographing nature and writing
magazine articles.
2007-8
Rebuilding the motorhome.
2005-7
Traveling around Australia photographing nature and writing magazine
articles.
2004
One of several of Australia's leading photographers invited to take
photos for a WWF-funded book on the Tarkine Wilderness, a project designed
to help have this area World Heritage listed.
2003
Represented by Adrianno's Fine Art Gallery, Perth.
2002
Represented by The Wilderness Gallery, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.
2001
Now live on the road full time, photographing Australia.
2000
Still building the motorhome, will it never end?
1999
Ran two more MONOscapes workshops, this time we did three-day affairs
in the Blue Mountains with walks into the Grand Canyon.
1998
Taught first MONOscapes workshop. It was a success so we have scheduled
another for 1999.
Still guest lecturing at the Canberra School of Photography.
Otherwise very quite photographically, too busy building my motor home.
1997
Regular guest lecturer at the Canberra School of Photography.
Designed and release a new range of 40 greeting cards.
Designed and released seven posters featuring National Parks and other
wilderness areas.
Started writing a regular column in a new magazine about black &
white photography published by The Black & White Enthusiast.
Finished the book MONOscapes:The thoughts and images of Rob Gray.
1996
Regular guest lecturer at the Canberra School of Photography.
Gave talks on landscape photography at camera, bushwalking and cross
country skiing clubs, also at local high school.
Released range of 32 greeting cards.
Approached by The Black & White Enthusiast to write a book
about black & white landscape photography.
Images selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook (one of a handful
of photographers to be selected for all three editions).
1995
Opened The Rob Gray Gallery in Canberra.
Images selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook.
1994
First solo exhibition.
Started selling photographs at local markets.
Image selected for the Creative Monochrome yearbook.
1993
Returned to photography, specialising in large format black & white
landscapes.
1981-93
Left photography to work in the computing industry. Although I kept
in touch by teaching adult classes in photography and darkroom practices.
I also wrote and/or photographed articles for travel magazines on subjects
such as London, Paris, African wildlife and bushwalking.
1979
Newspaper photographer, Grafton. General photography of sports and
events with the occasional fire and storm damage photos.
1978
Darkroom technician, A&B Studios, London. All forms of darkroom
work for the advertising industry, including extremely accurate stripping
of line and half-tone negatives. Also did much of the product photography
for the studio.
Joined Globe Photos stock library, New York.
1975-76
Employed by Noel Holly (Illustrations P/L in Perth) as a commercial/product
photographer. Studio and in-store product photography. Smaller industrial
jobs and assisting Noel with larger jobs. Fashion and model's folio
shots. Interior and exterior architectural work.
1972-75
Worked as a darkroom technician with the Australian Information Service
in Canberra. Also did the obligatory wedding work.
1971
'Asked' to leave school. I never went back.
Nearly joined the Army, passed medical but, after being kicked out of
boarding school because I couldn't handle the discipline, how clever
would it have been to join the Army?
Instead I went to Europe, bought first SLR (a Praktica Super TL) in
the Panama.
While it's true that fancy equipment does not make you a good
photographer, it's also true that you need appropriate tools to
do a job and when that job is nature photography this usually
means fast cameras, big glass, and good flashes.
Landscape work on the other hand doesn't normally require speed, so an old
camera with good glass is all that's required.
Panasonic FZ-2500
This is an amazing camera. So far it can do all I currently need of a camera although I suspect it might not be up to the job for fast-moving
wildlife. That may or may not matter as these days I mostly photograph pretty static objects.
Meanwhile I am enjoying not carrying 20kgs of gear around.
With a zoom of 28-480mm it cover most scenarios, I would like wider but this can usually be handled using panorama techniques.
Canon gear
I've owned Canon professional camera equipment for nearly 50 years, starting with my first AE1 in the mid-seventies. In 2004, after two
or three years following the progress of digital equipment, I finally bit the
bullet and purchased a digital kit.
Because I had old Canon FD equipment (which was totally incompatible with Canon's
EOS system) I may just as well have bought into Nikon or maybe Olympus. I stuck
with Canon because I felt they had the best solution to my needs, and also because
in all those years of using Canon equipment it has seldom let me down.
At 16.7 mpx it was the world's best full-frame digital camera when it was released
way back in 2004, that was 16 years ago, roughly equivalent to three centuries in camera years,
but I still use them. The quality of the images this camera produces was quite incredible and it's
just as good now, sure the new cameras are better, but the Mk2 are well good enough and
quite affordable these days.
These cameras are used when I am primarily looking for landscape photos, and to be fair a 5D
would be better in many ways as it weighs 890gms and the 1Ds is 1500gms.
So why not buy a 5D or other modern full-frame body at less than half the
price? Mostly because I often use two or three cameras at the same time with
different lenses, when I do this I like all cameras to be exactly the same
physically so when I swap I'm not fumbling with a different user interface.
These days I have lenses permanently attached to these bodies, namely my 11-24,
24-105, 70-200+1.4 and 400+1.4, so I almost never have to swap lenses, I just
pick up the one or two I'll need for a shot. Of course I'm mostly car based
now, if I go bush walking again I'll have to whittle things down a tad.
Canon EOS 1D Mk2 N
If this isn't the world's best camera for
photographing wildlife (at the time of writing) I'll eat my Landcruiser.
Whereas the 1Ds (above) has amazing quality and reasonable speed,
the 1D has amazing speed and good quality.
At 8mpx and 8fps this camera is tuned for sport
and wildlife. It also has a smaller sensor than the 1Ds effectively
making all lenses 1.3x longer, always a good thing with wildlife
photography.
Canon EOS 10D
While not a pro-quality camera the 10D was very good in its day. These bodies are now just kept as backups.
11-24 f4 L zoom
This is an amazing lens, wide as all heck and sharp to boot.
It also weighs a ton so I won't be using it on long bushwalks.
17-40 f4 L zoom
The selection of a wide-angle zoom was one of the main reasons I delayed my
move into digital, because at the time I could only afford a crop-sensor camera. What really
tipped the balance for me was an analysis of my photos.
Although I've always had very wide lenses, down to 14mm, and considered myself a
keen wide-angle user, I found that wasn't necessarily the case.
In analysing the 1000s of images on my database I found that only about 300 were taken with
lenses wider than 28mm.
If I narrowed the search to those images I considered to be "good",
I had only about 30 wide angle (<28mm) shots. When I looked at
my "best", there was only 3.
This realisation finally got me over my wide angle hangup, so, as the 17-40 is equivalent to
27-64 on the 10D (and of course much wider on the 1D and 1Ds bodies I now use), and it was half
the cost of the 16-35/2.8, my decision
was made.
The bottom line is that you tend to see photos that it's possible to take with the equipment you
have. For years I used a 5x4 camera with only two lenses, 90 and 210mm (roughly equivalent to 30 and
70mm lenses on a full-frame DSLR). No super wides here, and yet I made some of my best ever images
with that combination.
All that said, Canon have now got a 16-35/4 with IS, if I ever get cashed up enough to essentially
duplicate the 17-40 I might just buy one.
24-105 f4 L IS zoom
Fantastic lens and, on a full-frame
camera at least, the ideal walk-around bottle. It's a bit long for
this on a 1.6 factor camera (38-168mm equiv) but fills the gap between
my 17-40 and 70-200 (which I mostly use on a 1.4 converter) nicely.
Fantastically sharp, and the IS is great. I'll
never buy a lens without IS again.
100 f2.8 macro
You can stick any lens on extension tubes
to get macro capability, and that's what I used to do. But a good
macro lens will blow you away.
Firstly the quality is way better, the lens is
designed for this job.
Secondly, with a longer focal length, you get
an improved working distance. To get 1:1 (approx.) with extension
tubes I used to put a 28mm lens on a 25mm tube. This worked, but
the subject was in focus when about 20mm from the lens. Very few
subjects will allow you to get this close, and those that do want
to attack their reflection.
With a 100mm macro you can get 1:1 with the lens's
front element still being about 150mm from the subject.
Even at 2:1 I'm still several inches from the
subject.
I always wanted a 180 or 200mm macro but they
are very expensive. With the 10D I get the equivalent of 160mm for
a reasonable price and weight, and on the 1D it's a 130mm lens.
This is a fantastic lens, the sharpest thing I've ever seen by
itself, and still very good with the 1.4 converter and/or extension
tubes.
70-200 f2.8 L IS zoom
This is one serious lens, it's heavy (1.3kgs),
but that's OK for such a useful focal length. It normally has a 1.4x converter
mounted giving it a 98-280 equivalent focal length.
The IS works well, the auto focus is fast, and
the lens is very sharp, all of which you would expect for 3500-odd
dollars.
This is probably the best lens of its type in
the world. Unbelievably sharp even at 2.8, extremely good with the
1.4 converter, and still pretty good with the 2x, if you stop down
one stop.
400 f4 DO IS
Pics I take with this lens are RAZOR sharp, even wide open with
the 1.4 and 2x converters. In fact one image with the 2x is so sharp
it looks like it's been taken with a 50 1.8.
I do get some soft shots but that's my technique, or lack thereof.
A 1.4x lives almost permanently on this lens giving a full-frame equivalent
focal length of 727mm (on my 1D Mk2) in a package I can handhold
and that's light enough to carry around just in case I need it.
This is one fantastic lens.
1.4x converters
These work well with my long lenses and in
fact are almost permanently mounted to them. Loss of image quality
is not noticeable (unlike the 2x).
One of these converters gives me a 98-280 equivalent focal length on the
my 1Ds bodies and this, combined with the 11-24/4 and 24-105/4, gives me a good
carry around range in three lenses (all at f4) of 11mm through to 280mm.
In the 1D bodies I get a range of 127-364 when used with the 70-200,
this ia a nice range for most large
and/or approachable wildlife, and still fairly fast at f4.
The other lives permanently on my 400/4 DO lens as mentioned above.
2x converter
Back what I used the 10D bodies this doubled my 70-200, giving me a 35mm
equivalent of 224-640/5.6 (182-520 on the 1D Mk2). As it happens this
range is good for most smaller wildlife, especially birds, which is
why I bought the converter.
The combination is a little slow for my liking (f5.6) and really
should be stopped down at least one stop for sharp images. This
makes the 70-200 an f8 lens which is even slower, although still
very usable in the field.
I have hardly used this since I bought the 400/4.
Right-angle finder
Don't leave home without one. One reason
I stayed with the Canon F1 for 30 years was the speed finder, a device
that allows you to look down into the camera and easily take low-angle
photos without breaking your neck. The speed finder worked well, but
was difficult to use when shooting vertical photos at ground level.
The right angle finder is better than the old
speed finder, allowing the easy shooting of either horizontal or
vertical photos with, if required, the camera right on the ground.
For a lot of macro work this is essential and it's also very useful for low-angle telephoto
work as you can comfortably lie on the ground and look down into the viewfinder,
not have to twist you neck to try and see horizontally. This in turn allows you to rest the
heavy camera and long lens on the ground.
The only disadvantage the right-angle finder has
is that it's a separate piece of equipment that must be attached
or removed according to the needs of the shot. The old speed finder
was part of the camera.
The right-angle finder has it's own dioptor adjustment,
but there's no détentes, so I find that I'm resetting the
focus every time I use it.
Some gaffa tape will be applied before long.
Extension tubes
The Canon documentation states that some
lenses may not auto focus when placed on extension tubes. I find that
the 70-200 zoom works with the tubes, but it's with the 100 macro
that I need them the most, and that does tend to focus hunt more than
normal on a 10D.
In general, when shooting macro with an extension
tube, I switch to manual focus. However, if the subject is particularly
fast moving, I'm more likely to get the shot with the auto focus
enabled, it still misses, but not as much as I do. Normally macro
work is done in manual exposure mode anyway so the above is of little
importance.
420EX flash
In the past I've never been much of a
user of flash, but that's because I hadn't encountered these new-generation
versions. The 420 is fantastic, handling fill flash and off-camera
macro work effortlessly.
But why not buy the next model up, the 550 (or
580)?
I wanted to be able to use the flash in wireless
mode (see the STE2 below), the 550/580 can do that of course, but
it's a lot more expensive, mostly because it can be a controller
as well as a slave. The 420 can only be a slave.
But if you only need one flash, the 420+STE2 is
a more versatile combination, allowing for both on- and off-camera
flash. These two devices costs about the same as a single 550/580.
If you need two flashes anyway, and plan to always
use one of them on-camera, then I'd get a 420 and a 550/580.
580EX flash
Just like the 420 only more so. This
is now my primary flash for everything except macro. It's normally
mounted on top of the 70-200's or the 400's tripod mount with the
STE2 as a controller and a Better Beamer to increase its punch. This
is a great combination for bird photography.
Better Beamer flash extender
The Better Beamer flash extender is basically a fresnel lens that
you mount in front of your flash. It concentrates the flash beam
so you can either use flash at a greater distance or use less power
when the subject is close.
It weighs almost nothing and folds down flat so it will fit in
a pocket and/or take up no room in your bag.
MT-24EX Macro flash
This is an amazing flash and I would
recommend it to anyone who is into macro photography.
Used with both flashes mounted on the lens the
light can be a bit flat depending on the subject, even with the
ratio set to 8:1. eg. head A has 8x more light than head B.
It is however easy to remove one or both of the
flash heads and place them further from the lens to give a more
interesting light. I find that, so far, I have only done this once
or twice, preferring to use a third flash if the subject will stay
still long enough for me to set it up.
Each flash head has a hot shoe and a 1/4"
threaded hole on the bottom, so you can mount them to just about
anything if you wish. A friend of mine who has been using some special
flash arms is considering buying this flash and mounting the heads
on his existing arms. This will work well, and give more options
with the lighting as the heads will be placed further apart.
After some use
Although there are about 20 possible ratios to select, ie. 8:1 through
to 1:8 plus only head A or B, I find that I always use the two extremes,
that is 8:1 or vice versa. This is because I'm trying to create
light that is as interesting as possible. Unfortunately, to get
from one extreme to the other you have to go though all the other
possibilities by pressing a button a hundred times or holding it
down and waiting for what seems like hours as it auto repeats.
It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you
only have seconds to get a shot this can be a bit frustrating.
STE2 flash transmitter
The STE2 will control the EX flashes wirelessly.
This works well, and I find it very convenient to just place the flash
on the ground and work around a subject without any wires.
However, you do need to keep the flash's sensor
pointing roughly at the camera, and this has caused me to miss shots
because I didn't realise that things weren't aligned as well as
they should have been. It's very good, but not perfect.
Wimberly quick release clamps
For years I used a cheap quick release
clamp, and to be fair it did a reasonable job. It was never very secure,
but while it worked I didn't have the incentive to upgrade.
My cheap clamp broke a couple of years ago, so now I've moved to
the Wimberly system, which is based on the Arca Swiss standard.
This stuff is very expensive, a few clamps and
plates cost around A$550, but they do work well, and should last
forever.
VERY well made, all the parts fit together like they were made
for each other, which I suppose they were.
Gitzo G2220 Explorer tripod
I own about 300 tripods, and they
all suited my purpose at the time they were purchased. But these days
I need a flexible pod, one that is "macro friendly", that
can independently move each leg, and with a centre column that can
easily go to the horizontal or even upside down.
The original macro friendly tripod was the Benbo,
and in fact I still own a Benbo 1 which I bought about 20 years
ago. They are great, but I've grown to dislike the way that the
entire tripod is held together by a single clamp, undo the clamp
and all three legs plus the centre column can collapse. You get
used to it of course, but it can be difficult to adjust, for example,
just one of the legs when the centre column is poking out horizontally.
Also the Benbo 1 is quite large, way too big for
backpacking. They do make a smaller version called the Trekker,
but I felt it was time for a new approach.
Enter the Gitzo 2220 Explorer. Each leg is independent
with an infinitely adjustable angle, and the centre column can be
easily flipped to any angle and rotated. In short, exactly what
I want.
There are several tripods on the market that have
removable centre columns which can be inserted in various other
configurations, the new Manfrotto 190 is one that springs to mind.
However, removing and replacing the column in a different hole is
nowhere near as convenient as just loosening a
knob. Trust me on this.
Why not carbon fibre?
Several times over the years I've looked into buying a CF tripod,
and, so far, I've come to the conclusion that they just aren't worth
the money.
However I am looking at getting one soon, a saving
of even just 1kg is a lot at the end of a 10k walk.
Wimberly Plamp
This marvelous gadget clamps to a solid object,
usually the tripod leg, at one end, and a moving object at the other,
thereby stopping the moving object from moving. For macro work this
is invaluable.
First impressions
This device is made from parts you can easily get from a hardware
or engineering shop, and in fact I did consider making my own. However,
the price of the components was nearly as much as the Plamp, for
example, the flexible part is just a coolant hose from a milling
machine, $30 (Aus) from a shop in my town. It's only $45 for the
entire Plamp and there's no mucking around.
The small clamp does appear to be a bit strong
for my liking, it may actually crush a small plant. I'll see how
it goes in the field.
Tamrac 5578 backpack
No exaggeration, I've owned just
about EVERY camera case/backpack ever made, mostly because my kit,
and photography style, has changed over the years.
I have two Lowepros, one is an over-the-shoulder
type, good for short sorties, but it doesn't fit all my gear, and
becomes a real pain in the shoulder very quickly. The other is a
Nature Trekker, not bad, but a crappy harness and still not large
enough.
After some research I decided to give Tamrac a
try. In these days of digital photography I felt that the external
compartments would be useful for memory cards, batteries etc. Plus
the tripod should fit snuggly in between the compartments.
First impressions
The pack is longer and narrower than the photos indicate, that's
fine by me.
The pockets in the external compartments don't
hold batteries that well. I find I have to put 6 AAs in each so
they're in tight enough not to fall out when I open the compartment.
Trouble is, I use batteries in lots of four, not six.
My tripod fits nicely in between the compartments
and straps on securely.
Overall, everything fits snuggly and appears to be safe and secure.
NOTE: I am currently in the process of resurrecting all my large-format camera gear, luckily I never sold it.
I have often been tempted to resurrect it in the 16 years since I moved to digital and now is the time.
While I'll never have a darkroom again for printing, I can easily go the
hybrid route and shoot film then scan. I do plan to do my own processing though, but that doesn't need a real darkroom.
When it comes to landscape photography I am unashamedly biased towards large format cameras.
The sheer quality of the image, the tonal range and the
detail, all make the inconvenience worthwhile, even in this digital age.
I fully admit that they are difficult to use and carry,
however I feel that features such as camera movements to help with depth of
field and vertical convergence, and being able to process each sheet of film
individually make the difficulties worth it.
Also, after recent experiences trying to keep up with the
latest technology, I find it somewhat comforting to know that this particular
camera design has changed little in over a hundred years.
The Tachihara 4x5 field camera is made of cherrywood
and folds to a relatively small size. This style of camera, while not as sturdy
as those made of metal, does the job and is ideal for landscape photography.
Of the large formats available I chose four by five inch (4x5")
because I felt it was the best combination of practicality and image quality.
There are other formats but each has disadvantages that I felt outweighed the
advantages. For example, it is very difficult to get film for 5x7" and
it's almost impossible to lug 8x10" equipment around the bush. Some people
do, but they must have levels of fitness and/or determination much higher than
mine. I own and use a Tachihara 4x5" view camera.
The Tachihara is made from brass and cherrywood and, while
not as sturdy as its more expensive metal brethren, it is sturdy enough to do
the job. Most importantly it is roughly half the weight of the metal variety.
This feature alone is enough to earn a hearty recommendation. I haven't used
any other similar view camera so I can't recommend the Tachihara over another
brand. What I can recommend however is this style of camera (usually called
a "field camera") as they fold and unfold very quickly and, as mentioned,
are much lighter than the metal variety.
One common method used to enter the world of large format
landscape photography is to buy an old press camera like Speed or Crown Graphic.
I cannot recommend this approach for landscape work, especially of not car based.
The cameras weigh a ton, their ground glass
screens are usually very dim and most of them have no movements, or at least
they don't have the movements that are vital for landscape work.
I bought my Tachihara about 25 years ago, they aren't made any more but if they were
I'd still but one. That said there are some great new cameras available these days that
are a lot cheaper I think, and pretty good by all accounts.
Lenses
My 35mm arsenal includes ten lenses, ranging from 16mm
fisheye to 800mm mirror lenses. Despite this I find that I use my 28mm and 100mm
almost exclusively.
Realising this I decided that I only needed two lenses when
I put my large format kit together. I purchased a 90mm Nikkor SW and a 210mm
Schneider Symmar. The Nikkor is very close in coverage to my 24mm lens, while
the Symmar is more the equivalent of an 70mm short tele or portrait lens. Why
did I choose these two lenses? Did I analyse test reports? Were they recommended
by a colleague? No. They were simply the first two "name brand" lenses
that I encountered while browsing the newspaper adds for secondhand photographic
equipment.
Don't worry too much about what lenses you have. I find that
I tend to "see" photos that will fit the lenses I have available.
Film holders
For 5x4" sheet film I have a dozen or so standard double dark holders. I also
have three Grafmatics and a Kodak Readyload system. Unfortunately the Readyload system
is no longer in production, but I still have some film and the holder, it's a great system
and maybe one day they will re release it.
For my 6x12cm work I have a Horseman 6x12 roll film holder.
Tripod
When car based I use a Manfrotto #055. This is a huge tripod that will extend maybe
seven feet and it also has legs that can be independently angled, important in uneven terrain.
When backpacking I use a Gitzo 2220.
Any photographer who works in the field has conflicting requirements
when it comes to tripods. As mentioned on long walks I use a Gitzo, many people would tell you that this
tripod is far too small
for large format cameras and I would partially agree. However I'm not convinced
that you need as sturdy a tripod as is often recommended for large format. When
there is no wind almost any tripod will do, and when there is wind the design
of the large format camera is such that it is easily buffeted and will probably
move regardless of the tripod's stability. Anyway if your backpacking for days what choice do you have?
The Gitzo is however a little
short which is very inconvenient at times, so on shorter walks I carry the large Manfrotto #055.
Most tripods come with a pan tilt head. These heads have one
advantage in that you can move the head in the vertical dimension without disturbing
the horizontal alignment, and vice versa. However most of them are quite heavy
and have great big handles that catch on every branch you pass. There are solutions
to these problems You can buy a lighter head, and it's often possible to get
a version with shorter handles. Nevertheless I prefer a ball head. They have
almost no protrusions and have a simple one-handed operation. I use both Benbo,
Manfrotto and Slik ball heads and find they are all up to the job.
I like the look of geared heads but most are way too expensive for what they offer in my
opinion.
Quick release plate
Regardless of what tripod and tripod head you use, I recommend
that you attach your camera to it with a quick release plate.
These nifty little devices allow you to quickly attach and
remove your camera without fumbling with threaded knobs. Quick release plates
are very convenient when using SLR and rangefinder cameras as they allow you
to explore an area to look for different compositions. For example, if you have
set up your camera and then decide that the shot might look better from three
metres to the left. You can quickly remove the camera and check out the new
composition. If it doesn't look good just replace the camera.
Light meter
For my money there is only one kind of light meter that
is of much use for landscape work: a spot meter.
I detail my reasons in the essay on my system of exposure
and contrast control. Suffice to say that you need accurate readings from objects
that are very small or appear that way because of their distance from the camera.
A true spot meter with a one-degree angle of view is the only convenient way
to do this. You can get spot attachments for a hand held meters, or cameras
with a spot setting for the meter etc. but, to my knowledge, none of these options
has a narrow enough angle of view.
I use a Pentax digital spot meter. I chose it because it is
simple, small and light. Some spot meters can average multiple spot readings,
take flash exposure readings etc. I don't think any of these features are important
in landscape photography. All I need is a device that, when pointed at an object,
will tell me how bright that object is.
You can get the Pentax calibrated to give it a flatter and
more accurate response curve, frankly I don't think you need to be that accurate.
Filters
I use Cokin filters. This is mainly because, with adaptor
rings fitted, the filter holder fits both lenses. Therefore I only need one of
each filter type and one lens hood.
Speaking of lens hoods, I find the Cokin model particularly
good because it comes in sections that clip into each other to adjust the depth
of the hood. I own two of these sections and use one on my wide angle lens and
two on the tele. If I had a longer tele I could buy a third section to increase
the depth even further.
At present I use only two filters, Orange and Red. However
Cokin is renowned for the vast array of special effects filters they manufacture.
I make my opinions about special effects filters plain elsewhere so I won't
waste any more time on them here.
Viewing frame
With a rangefinder or SLR camera it is an easy matter to
wander around the countryside checking out different compositions through the
viewfinder. This is not so with most large format cameras, so you need a viewfinder
equivalent.
If you were to take a 35mm slide mount and hold it 300mm from
your eye, the area visible through the hole in the mount would be equivalent
to that visible through a 300mm lens. Move the mount to 100mm from your eye
and you can see what your 100mm lens would see, etc. The same applies for any
format if you use a frame that is equal in size to the negative of that format.
Enter the viewing frame. A viewing frame is basically a rectangle
of cardboard or similar material with a hole cut that is the same size as the
negative of the camera you are using, in my case four by five inches. If I hold
this frame 210mm from my eye I can see what will be included in a photo taken
with my 210mm Symmar lens, holding it at 90mm shows me what my wide angle lens
will see.
I knew about viewing frames for a long time but could not
think of a convenient method to measure the distance from my eye while using
one. Then I spent some time photographing with friends of mine on the Sunshine
Coast in Queensland and was dumbfounded at the simplicity of the method they
used. A piece of string, calibrated and used as follows. Cut some string about
one metre in length, punch a hole in the frame and thread both ends of the string
through the hole. The string should now form a loop. Put this loop around your
neck and slide the frame along the string. When the frame is at appropriate
distances from your eye (90 and 210mm in my case) mark the string with a marker
pen. Now remove the string from your neck and tie a knot in the position of
the mark that was furthest from your eye. Trim any excess string and you have
a calibrated viewing frame.
To use it, simply put the string loop around your neck, pull
the frame out to the knot when viewing for your longest lens and in to the marks
for your other lenses.
I used to use a Beseler 45MCRX enlarger. This enlarger was built
like a brick outhouse and is a real workhorse. It can handle formats from 35mm
to 4x5" and uses either a colour diffusion or a black & white condenser
head. I owned both and normally used the colour head but occasionally had to mount
the condenser head to increase contrast when printing very thin negatives.
Darkroom (no more I'm afraid)
Most of my other darkroom equipment is very standard and
includes a simple electronic timer, large fibreglass and small stainless steel
sinks, an old cabinet-style clothes drier, two secondhand work benches (one holds
the enlarger and the other is used as a general work area), an archival print
washer, light table, processing trays in various sizes up to 20x24" and a
stereo.
For prints that are too large to be processed in the trays,
I have three large troughs. These troughs are long enough to accommodate the
standard 42" roll paper.
Processing tanks
When I started developing sheet film I had all sorts of problems obtaining even
development and consistent results. At the time I was using a daylight processing
tank, the design of which seemed to preclude even development. In despair I
tried tray development but couldn't get the hang of it. Finally I designed and
built my own set of small dip and dunk tanks and a special hanger that holds
up to six sheets of film. The results were a revelation. Perfectly even and
consistent negatives. The only catch is that the entire process must be performed
in darkness, so I needed a method of timing. A friend reminded me of a method
using a tape recorder so I recorded a set of tapes that prompt at appropriate
times, telling me to "Put the film into the stop bath" etc.
Note: David Houlder, a friend of mine, took my
design and modified it to improve the way the sheets are held. He has documented
the design at, davidhoulder.com/info/4x5tanks.html
One aspect of my darkroom that was slightly innovative was the
plumbing and construction of the large sink. It was built as a free standing
unit, with all copper plumbing built into the framework of the sink and connected
to the main water supply with two washing machine hoses.
This arrangement satisfies three requirements. First,
it is legal because it connects to existing taps; second, it is easily isolated
if a leak occurs; and third, it can be removed and reinstalled with a minimum
of fuss, an important consideration when I move house.
Note: I no longer use this equipment, having traded it in
on a digital kit in 2004.
2 x Canon F1 bodies with MD motor drives and speedfinders
2 x Canon F1N bodies with MD motor drives and speedfinders
Canon T90 body
FD lenses - 14/2.8L. 20/2.8, 24/1.4L, 28/2.8, 50/1.8, 85/1.2L, 100/2.8, 135/2,
200/2.8, 300/4L, 300/2.8L
The panorama images on this are all created by stitching
together exposures from a digital camera.
I am finding that creating panoramic images is very
much like working with large format cameras. You have to be very deliberate
in deciding what to photograph, because there is quite a lot of work
involved in setting up the camera.
It's a slower more methodical approach than normal
shooting, and as with large format photography has a very high hit
rate, most images are worth keeping.
While not all images in this gallery are of the
true panorama format, ie. with a ratio >= 3:1, they have all been
created with panorama software. Therefore, for the purposes of this
web site, I call them panoramas, even if they are square.
In the technical part of each gallery page, FOV
stands for Field of View, therefore FOV 220 means that the photo covers
an angle of 220 degrees in width (or height if it's a vertical photo).
The panorama size is the number of horizontal and
vertical photos, for example "4x3 panorama" means three
rows of four photos were combined to make the final image.
The graphic below shows some typical examples.
What software is used?
After trying several other well-known stitching programs I settled
on PTGui. I could get no other program to properly merge the images,
especially when there were objects close to the lens (and I do rotate
around the lens's nodal point).
Some years ago PTGui used to be a bit more fiddly
than the others, mostly because you had to manually define control
points so it knew what points on image boundaries correspond to
the same place in each adjoining image. Even then it was worth the
effort to get a properly stitched panorama.
However it now has an "idiot mode" that
will automatically generate the control points, I find this works
really well 99% of the time. Very occasionally I have to go in and
set a few control points manually.
This program actually works, producing well-stitched
panoramic images requiring minimal work in Photoshop to complete the
merge.
The technical detail displayed on most photo gallery pages are there because
most photographers like to know some of this stuff, and because,
with the digital photos at least, it's easy to extract the information.
Older photos may or may not have any details. Usually I can remember the lens, and
sometimes I can remember either the aperture OR the shutter speed
because one of these was significant. For example, if the photos was
taken hand-held, in low light, with my 300/2.8, then it's a given
that the aperture used was 2.8.
Although I can't
remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, I can often remember
these details about a photo I took 30 years ago.
For digital
photos the number in brackets is the 35mm equivalent focal length,
for example,
Canon
EOS 10D, 70-200mm@122(390), 2x extender, fill flash, 1/350s, f5.6
This image was taken with a 70-200mm zoom set to 122mm which, when including the 2x extender,
is equivalent to a 390mm lens on a full-frame camera (The 10D has a 1.6 crop
factor, therefore 122x2x1.6=390).
The f-number
is the actual value, which is not necessarily the number indicated
on the lens at the time. In the above example the lens was set
to f2.8, but with a 2x extender the actual f-number was 5.6.