Photographing Australia from Coast to Coast – Color Palettes and the OM-1 OM SYSTEM Mirrorless Digicam
In terms of trusty sidekicks within the outback, you wish to have quite a few water, a hat and dependable apparatus that may maintain the weather. As anyone who isn’t a large fan of tenting, squirms on the concept of spiders inside 100m and will’t trade a tyre (I do know!), I did numerous analysis to make sure I’d continue to exist riding into the centre of Australia.
In spite of travelling to one of the most global’s maximum far flung areas, from glaciers and deserts, Greenland to Chile, there’s one thing about my house nation of Australia that all the time makes me fear about what may move unsuitable, although the vacation spot is all the time definitely worth the effort and prep required!
Something I didn’t want to pressure about was once my digicam tools. Having used the Olympus machine since 2017 (see my International Ambassador profile + tools information right here), travelling with the E-M1 MKII, E-M1X + E-M1 MKIII, I used to be excited to make use of this journey round Australia to check out the brand new OM-1, the brand new OM SYSTEM digicam since their rebrand. I knew in response to the former fashions it could maintain the elements and just a little of bush bashing, so had quite a few waterfalls, dusty deserts, dunes and salty shores scheduled to discuss with.
To proportion just a little of background into this travel, to start with I used to be because of discuss with more than a few places round Australia for a e book challenge in 2020, and everyone knows what came about that 12 months with border closures and indoor time! The places and landscapes I had indexed to {photograph} lined all states and territories, from east to west and north to south. As a substitute of slowly visiting them all through the 12 months as I’d deliberate for 2020, I created two itineraries and two moderately large street journeys for 2022.
The primary was once from Brisbane to Hobart, overlaying outback NSW, the Victorian coast and a whole circuit of Tasmania. Departing in overdue summer season, my spouse Ryan (of The Soundscape Studio) and I packed the entirety into my automotive. Once I say the entirety, I imply the entirety as we left our apartment and stuffed the auto to the roof (with a tiny hollow for the rear imaginative and prescient reflect!) with the purpose of staying long run in Tasmania…however that’s a tale for some other day. This a part of the travel ended up taking 3 months, returning to QLD in early April to spend a while enhancing.
The second one part of the adventure was once the most important, from Queensland throughout to Western Australia in overdue September. Once more, we packed the auto, however this time with minimum property as we had been going additional and didn’t need the effort of repacking each and every prevent. A suitcase every, digicam bag every, 4 x vast brim hats (as a result of I’m identified for by chance crushing them), and about 50L of water as a result of I had it caught in my thoughts that there’d be nowhere to hydrate at any level…after all petrol stations have water, I simply had this imaginative and prescient people being stranded at the facet of the street in the midst of nowhere. Thankfully that didn’t come true, ha!
So, moderately than recount the journeys prevent by means of prevent, I sought after to begin by means of sharing some highlights of each the panorama and digicam options. The puts I liked, the settings I used maximum and a bit of peek at one of the most pictures captured. Extra pictures shall be published as soon as the e book is launched in overdue 2023, and I’ll even be sharing snippets of the adventures on The Wandering Lens and by way of the e-newsletter (join right here for those who haven’t but!) over the approaching weeks and months.
Are living ND Filter out + Mount Box Nationwide Park, Tasmania
Should you’ve been studying The Wandering Lens or following me by way of @the_wanderinglens on Instagram, you’ll know the way a lot I take advantage of the interior Are living ND Filter out on my OM SYSTEM/Olympus cameras.
Blurring water, observing reside because the scene is remodeled right into a shifting marvel has impressed me such a lot during the last two years, and I really like discovering alternatives to click on over to this selection.
With Tasmania identified for its nationwide parks and herbal good looks, one location I had marked for this travel was once Mount Box Nationwide Park, positioned underneath two hours north-west of Hobart.
House to one of the most global’s tallest eucalypt forests, an array of flora and fauna and alpine peaks, there’s additionally numerous cascading falls, the very best alternative for some Are living ND experiments.
It was once the waterfalls I used to be making plans to {photograph} and timed our arrival for the overdue afternoon to steer clear of any direct daylight at the water. Patchy gentle creates contrasting highlights and darker spaces around the water, and I sought after clean, constant tones for my pictures and the encompassing greenery to be in reality lush within the overdue afternoon gentle.
All the 3 Falls Circuit path, which contains Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Woman Barron Falls takes the typical walker more or less 2.5hrs to hide the 6kms. Throw in two photographers, some sound recording and perfect stipulations, and all up we spent 5hrs mesmerised by means of those landscapes making it out on darkish.
Take a peek beneath at one of the most pictures captured with the Are living ND filter out and the OM-1. I photographed every symbol hand held for the reason that aggregate of interior filters with the 7.5 stops of stabilisation enabled me to shoot lengthy exposures with out the desire for a tripod.
Outback Aerials – Uluru, Northern Territory
Aerial images has all the time been a significant interest of mine, I’ve been hooked since I first flew over the Nice Barrier Reef again in 2009. Observing down upon the patterns and color palettes from above has impressed such a lot of of my favorite pictures, and this Australian street travel incorporated 3 scenic flights, a couple of lower than supposed because of climate stipulations.
One flight took my breath away.
Departing Yulara Airport prior to first light, we flew around the barren region panorama of Australia’s Pink Centre as gentle gently filtered in from the east. A large financial institution of cloud at the horizon supposed the preliminary few moments of first light wasn’t visual as we flew above Uluru, but if it did seem, the glow was once immense, assembly a thick fog and developing probably the most impressive scenes I’ve witnessed.
Circling above Kata Tjuta to the west of Uluru, the sunshine was once extremely photogenic with sturdy rays shining between the domes of this sacred Anangu Aboriginal website online. You’ll be able to learn extra concerning the Anangu tradition right here. Onward additional north, the first light was once permitting the numerous colors of Lake Amadeus to be published, with the biggest salt lake within the Northern Territory offering the danger for some minimum aerial panorama pictures.
Pairing the OM-1 with the 40-150mm f2.8 professional lens for element pictures, I additionally had the E-M1 MKIII and the 12-40mm f2.8 professional lens round my neck as we flew in a doorways off helicopter. I by no means wish to omit a chance when flying and all the time have two digicam our bodies + 2 x lenses to make sure I will duvet numerous focal lengths in one flight. This tools is perfect for low gentle stipulations along with being great and compact so I will simply trade between the 2 cameras mid-flight.
Sand Dunes – South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula
Sand dunes are a panorama I may {photograph} for the remainder of my profession and be one more than pleased gal. Having photographed the Namib Desolate tract in 2019, I wasn’t anticipating to be wowed by means of the dunes on my checklist in Australia, however wow was once I unsuitable.
The South Australian coast is huge, remoted and plagued by wallet of essentially the most gorgeous sand dunes. Whilst I had a couple of nationwide parks on my checklist, we if truth be told skipped those and as an alternative opted to wander down any street that resulted in our Google Earth discoveries.
Whilst riding from Port Lincoln to Streaky Bay at the Eyre Peninsula, shall we see dune peaks within the distance and pulled over to look what we had been with regards to. A handy guide a rough Google Earth seek published Sheringa Seashore, the place dunes are nestled between a lagoon and the seashore. The most efficient section? We had all the position to ourselves.
Wearing denims and a jumper, I didn’t wish to trade and omit the daylight, so we went exploring and not using a concept they’d proceed for miles. Slightly tip, sand dune and denims aren’t an excellent combine!
Anyway, again to the purpose, I spent two hours mendacity within the sand, getting as shut as imaginable to the textures with the OM-1 to make sure I may compose the scene prior to me and do it justice.
After we arrived in Streaky Bay, some other set of dunes had been on my radar, the Yanerbie Sand Dunes, simply 10mins from the town. I’d deliberate to discuss with for sundown they usually didn’t disappoint. With a equivalent surroundings to Sheringa, we spent the primary hour flying the DJI Mini 3 Professional, then captured pictures of the pastel sky with the OM-1.
Sandstone Patterns – Broome, Western Australia
When mapping out places to incorporate on this e book challenge, the Western Australian coast was once 2nd on my checklist to Uluru and the Pink Centre. I’d in the past photographed from Perth to Exmouth and knew how shocking and various the surroundings and color palettes had been, however the a long way north had all the time intrigued me.
The Kimberley Coast and landscapes of Broome are identified for his or her colourful colors. From pink sands and barren region scenes to turquoise tropical seas and sandy inlets, it’s like a tropical island however one facet is ocean and the opposite barren region…without end.
Whilst I chartered a helicopter to seize the landscapes from above (that have been gorgeous!), it was once the sandstone rock patterns at Gantheume Level that saved me occupied for hours at sundown, 3 days in a row!
Referred to as probably the most perfect places to look dinosaur footprints, the purpose options colourful pink rock cliffs and layers of sandstone, some damaged up and jagged, others flat and revealing some improbable patterns.
One space, tucked nearer to the ocean in the back of the principle viewing spot, had me satisfied dancing after I noticed how the pictures had been turning out. Losing no time, I switched the OM-1 to hand-held high-resolution mode and set about taking 50MP pictures to make sure I captured as a lot element inside every symbol as imaginable.
*Simply to notice, for those who’re the usage of a tripod the high-resolution mode is 80MP, however as I’m all the time who prefer to shoot tripod unfastened, the 50MP hand-held pictures are so superb and greater than sufficient!
Take a peek at one of the most loopy colors and patterns hidden throughout the sandstone layers.
I’ll be sharing extra insights and imagery from my time travelling round Australia quickly. It’s been such an journey to look such a lot of my house nation in this type of brief area of time and it’s taking some time to type and get my head round simply how a lot we’ve noticed and photographed!
Lisa 🙂
Hi! I’m the founder and photographer in the back of The Wandering Lens.
With 17+yrs revel in as a certified commute and panorama photographer, all recommendation discovered in this website online is from my non-public revel in at the street. I am hoping it’s helpful to your personal travels and would like to listen to within the feedback about your journeys and reports all over the world.
