Australia: My Photography Review

21 Jun

Travel is finally back. Like everyone else, I've been keenly awaiting the reopening of borders and the resumption of international travel. Travelling has always been the number one way to recharge my batteries - in fact, it was through travelling that I discovered my love for photography. While my photography has developed into a passion extending beyond travel, the two are still very much intertwined, and there is still that same excitement and rush from making photos overseas as there was right in the beginning. This blog post shows my favourite photos from the trip, providing both context and reflections about both these shots and my photography in general.

MELBOURNE

Both my shoots in Melbourne were from locations which had previously caught my eye during my last visit to the city in 2018. While I am happy with both shots, I think the shot from Prince’s Pier is one of my favourite photos to date. While there were several fishing lines through the frame (which bothered me endlessly and I ended up cloning out), it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. There was quite an epic sunset, with the light just catching off to the right of my frame, but I thought the light pink glow of the sky and clouds really helped to evoke the peaceful mood I was going for. The long exposure worked out too, with the reflections in the water further adding to the serene, slightly ethereal feel of the image. The Flinders Street Station shot, meanwhile, is just a Melbourne classic. I suspect most Melbourne cityscape photographers have squatted in that same position at the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street, shooting away into the evening as the trams went by. With trams coming in from all four directions, the goal was to capture the dynamism of the scene, and so I experimented a lot with different shutter speeds, ending up with something I was reasonably happy with. While I wish there was a better sunset, my time shooting in Singapore has prepared me not to rely on them as a clutch, and to realise that you can still produce strong cityscapes even without ideal skies.

CRADLE MOUNTAIN

It is somewhat ironic that during the 48 hours up in the Cradle Mountain national park area, I did not take a single photo of Cradle Mountain itself. In what will become somewhat of a running theme throughout the trip, the weather did not cooperate, and throughout our entire visit we did not get a clear view of the namesake once. Nonetheless, the fog presented its own photography opportunities; and so, inspired by the likes of Thomas Heaton and Nigel Danson (two British photographers), I set off looking for images. Because I was on a hike with the others, the photography was rather run-and-gun, and I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to search for compositions. With that being said, I still think I got some good photos, including what has become my favourite shot of the trip. With national parks and such, it is really so easy to become fixated with the iconic shots, replicating what millions of others have previously done. I must admit that it was only because of the fog that I had to look for other compositions, and that I didn’t just have the Dove Lake shot handed to me on a plate.

This is the image I am probably most unsure about - I think in the end though, it may be one of my favourite, without being the best, images of the trip. It feels a bit like an impressionist painting to me, with the orange tree standing out in the sea of green.

Very much inspired by the minimalist landscape photography on Youtube, I wanted to take a photo of the surrounding mountains to capture some of the drama and atmosphere from our trip. This was very much taken on the go, and I think more time trying to refine the composition and allowing the fog to move would have improved the shot greatly.

Binalong Bay - Bay of Fires

My time at the Bay of Fires was defined by the fact that for the first time, I was able to drive myself around. Despite having gotten my license in late 2021, this section of the trip was the first time I felt confident enough to drive solo. This meant that I was able to get to locations to scout beforehand, and to drive myself to sunrise (while sunrise was relatively late, it’s still very difficult to convince most people on holiday to wake up for sunrise). This enabled me to get this shot which I am really happy with. When I arrived at this location, I immediately decided that the tree was something I wanted to work into the composition, especially because there was no movement in the water. I did try and shoot a few other times, but this was by far my favourite image from the Bay of Fires area.

Hobart

During my time in Hobart, there was one (rather obvious) shooting location on my mind: Mt. Wellington. Pre-trip, every Google search of Hobart led to images of the view from the mountain or the mountain itself. I was enticed by the photos of the early morning mist rolling over the city, and wanted to get up to the summit and try recreate that for myself. However, for the majority of our time there, there was a blizzard at the summit, preventing any access. Even when the clouds moved away, most of the roads were too snowed in, and ultimately the conditions weren’t great for what I was looking for.

Instead, I leave Hobart with this image from Mortimer Bay. This is one of the more iconic shots just outside of Hobart, and it’s easy to see why. I always joke that only photographers would willingly spend an hour in the cold photographing some wood in the water (same can be said about Prince’s Pier too), but I do think that there was some pretty epic light, and it was very much worth it. I must thank my mother for this shot - - if she wasn’t willing to drive at breakneck speeds to get me to this location, there was no way I’d have made it on time.

Final Reflections

In most previous trips in the last decade, I would have been in “photography mode” 24/7, constantly looking for a subject or a scene, and sometimes shooting just for the sake of it. There was very much the feeling of needing to record and document everything around me, with the FOMO (fear of missing out) on potential “winners”. While the thrill of the chase was very much present, it was also very draining, and I’d spend the days where I wouldn’t come back with anything I was happy with, upset and frustrated. I’m sure many people can relate, but the “success” or “failure” of my holidays were measured by the quality of photographs I brought back, or whether I had gotten any/many “winners”. Therefore, with this trip, I made it a point to be intentional with my photography time, setting dedicated time for shooting, while using the rest to relax, enjoy good food and just spend time with the family. Frankly, it is a bit more difficult to produce your best work when on holiday with your family, but that’s okay. I’m still happy with the work I produced, and I had the chance to unwind after a long school year. Furthermore, I had some incredible experiences, such as climbing Mt. Amos and Mt. Wellington. Although I was not able to do justice to either location photographically, both were incredible climbs, and I had a blast.

Tasmania, you were cold, wet and wild. But you were incredible. Till next time.

Me on top of Mt. Amos in Freycinet National Park. Photo Credits: Sean Seow

Luke Seow