NikonGear'23
Travelogues => Travel Diaries => Topic started by: Jan Anne on July 30, 2018, 22:57:13
-
In my early twenties I went backpacking for a year in Australia which turned out to be an adventure of a lifetime which I will always cherish.
As luck would have it the opportunity arose at work for a revisit when country leads where assigned to the branches across the globe to help them reorganise their way of working. Of course I claimed my stake with the intend to extend my stay with another week to revisit some of the places in Sydney I used to live, to visit parts of the east coast I skipped last time, do some whale watching, etc.
While booking and preparing for the trip I realised that a lot has changed over the years, luckily most for the better. Back then I flew economy class where I now fly business class, back then I slept in a dorm room with 7+ other backpackers and now I booked a nice room with an ocean view, the 20 year old Holden Commodore 202 (3.3L 6 in line) will now probably be replaced by a modern camper with an onboard BBQ ;D
Another big change is of course mobile phones, 19 years ago I had one of the first Ericsson mobile phones which could only be used to call and send text messages. For email I had to find an internetcafe and pay a few dollars for some online time so I could send the periodic updates to the homefront.
Camera wise a couple of Kodak or Fuji throw away cameras were used to cover the entire trip as I wasn't into photography at the time whereas I'm now the proud co owner of a certain Nikon forum. With the soon to be announced mirrorless Nikon cameras on the way this trip also became the perfect opportunity to start the jump back to the Nikon ecosystem, tomorrow the man with the yellow truck will deliver a D500 and a 200-500VR to cover the long stuff.
Currently preparing the trip and trying to sort things out like the USB-C accessories for power, storage and the necessary software to process the D500 images. As I will be partly mobile there's a need to stay powered while on the road, though not as powerful as the 87W Apple USB-C charger the 30W 100Wh battery pack and a 36W USB-C car charger should be able to provide the necessary juice for the MacBook Pro 15" and other devices. The Sony A7RII can also be charged by USB, a Nitecore UNK1 USB charger for EN-EL15/14 batteries is enroute and I already have a drawer full of USB/12V AA/AAA /18650 battery chargers for things like flashes and lights.
For the D500 of course an XQD card was ordered together with a Sony MRW-E90 QXD/SD card reader, besides being one of the fastest readers out there it also allowed me to replace the old skool USB 3 cable with an aftermarket USB-C cable. A Samsung T5 500GB SSD will be used to make regular bootable backups with SuperDuper.
I'll land coming Saturday evening btw and will stay in the Coogee Beach Hotel for a few days including meeting up with Mongo which I'm really looking forward to, work starts on the 13th and I'll fly back home on the 17th.
Would be very cool to also meet other NG members in the Sydney area or along the east coast while I'm there btw :)
-
Your trip to Australia looks like prolific, Jan! Mongo is a nice friendly guy, just like his images tell here. I'm not sure who else you are going to see there, but would like to expect some results of NG meet up in Australia. Enjoy!
-
Thanks Akira :)
Its always very exciting to meet other NG members while travelling, for me this was half the fun of the NG trips.
Skill wise I'll be a bit rusty however, the last serious photo trip was the NG Scotland trip in May 2016 and the last time I wielded a Nikon DSLR of my own was 5 years ago so I'll probably need some time to get used to an optical viewfinder again and maybe even more time to reconnect with the glass I'll bring for the a7RII.
-
shooting little birds with Mongo would sure be the high light of a trip to the down under for me. I envy you. Do enjoy your stay an savour every moment. Congratulations!
-
Enjoy your trip JA! As well as the new camera set up, looking forward to see some images from down under ;) I wish I could go along,,,
-
Have a good one :)
-
Enjoy, hope to see some pictures.
Pls inform on the performance of the NiteCore charger, I speculate on buying one for the D50 and Df batteries.
-
Enjoy the trip Jan!
I'm in Melbourne but not really too active on here these days, but I'd definitely would be up for meeting up if you happen to make your way down to here. I was actually in Amsterdam last month.
From memory, there's a few others on here who are also from Melbourne (Hugh_3170, arthurking83).
-
Bring back a kangaroo, a koala, and an emu for your ranch :)
-
I'm sorry that I was not able to meet up with you on this trip, JA. A three week trip to Kenya and Tanzania has got in the way. We can trade images upon our return!
You will escape Europe's heat for a while as it is cool but sunny here - 21ºC max. Bring your sun block and surfboard.
Hope you can make it here again at the end of the year.
-
Looking forward to see some of your images
-
Enjoy your trip JA! As well as the new camera set up, looking forward to see some images from down under ;) I wish I could go along,,,
Thanks amigo, and if you can make it you are always welcome to join.
But lets plan a new NG trip for 2019 coming September when the crew is at my place for the Photokina visit, I'm really eager for an epic photo trip again like an NG safari and think a lot of others are as well :)
-
Enjoy, hope to see some pictures.
Pls inform on the performance of the NiteCore charger, I speculate on buying one for the D50 and Df batteries.
So far I’m impressed with the litle Nitecore UNK1 charger, besides the ability to charge the EN-EL15 with any USB A charger its half the size of the Nikon wall charger while it can charge two batteries instead of just one. As I've been using Nitecore AA/AAA/18650 chargers for years now without any issues I'm also pretty confident it will serve me for years to come but time will tell.
It also provides a lot more info about the charging progress, both in bars for dummies as well as in Voltage for those familiar with li-ion charging (8.4V is full, if it doesnt reach this voltage anymore its time for the bin). It also shows the temperature and the amount of amps the battery is being charged.
Though not applicable for me (yet) the UNK1 can also charge EN-EL14 batteries on the backside simultaniously with the EN-EL15, should be very handy for those with both a D500 or D8x0 in combination with for example a Df. The recently announced UNK2 can charge two EN-EL15 batteries btw but I couldnt find it in the shops yet.
The attached USB A cable is a double etched sword, yes it can never be lost but it can also never be replaced with an USB-C cable for future use with USB-C chargers (without adapters).
Below some snapshots of the UNK1 together the Nikon charger for size reference.
-
Thanks for the information, very good.
-
Bring back a kangaroo, a koala, and an emu for your ranch :)
There's a nest of buzzards in one of my trees since a few months, no kangaroo, koala or emu can trump that amigo 8)
-
I'm surprised the charger connects to USB, how long does it take to charge the enel15 ?
-
Have lots of fun there. Looking forward to your images and stories!
-
Haven't charged an empty battery yet but in the pic posted before we can see that the UNK1 is charging at 6W (8.2Vx0.728A), if you take roughly a 25% charging loss into account it should be able to charge an EN-EL15 with an 14Wh capacity from empty to full in three hours or so.
-
Enjoy the trip Jan!
I'm in Melbourne but not really too active on here these days, but I'd definitely would be up for meeting up if you happen to make your way down to here. I was actually in Amsterdam last month.
From memory, there's a few others on here who are also from Melbourne (Hugh_3170, arthurking83).
Hi Will, thanks for the offer but was kinda planning on driving North from Sydney as I have only 5 days of driving around in a camper but must admit that those plans aren't set in stone yet (though the camper has just been booked).
Definitely wanna see and photograph some whales with their calfs but for the rest I'll go with the flow :)
I lived for a month in St Kilda btw, saw Jos Verstappen park his F1 car in the gravel in Albert Park (now his son Max is racing in F1), worked a few days at the Melbourne car show selling merchandise on the Ford stand and of course cruised around on the boulevard with my tuned Holden Commodore 202.
-
J.A., cool. Business Class should help with the carry-on :) , and travelling on other peoples money (OPM) is always more fun. Have a great trip. I've not been to Aus since 2 months in Aus and NZ in 1971.
Cheers,
Tom
-
So far I’m impressed with the litle Nitecore UNK1 charger, besides the ability to charge the EN-EL15 with any USB A charger its half the size of the Nikon wall charger while it can charge two batteries instead of just one. As I've been using Nitecore AA/AAA/18650 chargers for years now without any issues I'm also pretty confident it will serve me for years to come but time will tell.
It also provides a lot more info about the charging progress, both in bars for dummies as well as in Voltage for those familiar with li-ion charging (8.4V is full, if it doesnt reach this voltage anymore its time for the bin). It also shows the temperature and the amount of amps the battery is being charged.
Though not applicable for me (yet) the UNK1 can also charge EN-EL14 batteries on the backside simultaniously with the EN-EL15, should be very handy for those with both a D500 or D8x0 in combination with for example a Df. The recently announced UNK2 can charge two EN-EL15 batteries btw but I couldnt find it in the shops yet.
The attached USB A cable is a double etched sword, yes it can never be lost but it can also never be replaced with an USB-C cable for future use with USB-C chargers (without adapters).
Below some snapshots of the UNK1 together the Nikon charger for size reference.
I also see a Hahnel ProCube2 but none of them will charge an en-el20a from the 1 aw1 i think.
-
I also see a Hahnel ProCube2 but none of them will charge an en-el20a from the 1 aw1 i think.
Doesn't seem like it but this one does seem to be able to charge two of them via USB:
https://www.bol.com/nl/p/patona-dual-quick-charger-f-nikon-enel20-el20-incl-micro-usb-cable/9200000053599526/?Referrer=ADVNLGOO002018-G-47859320105-S-412339317074-9200000053599526&gclid=CjwKCAjw14rbBRB3EiwAKeoG_7YmUgpuDWdCy-lM2fXHPYFO0Jj-B7QVv99P99OgRzUBR8lu-A21qhoCehAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
-
JA, thank you i saw that too.
-
D500 plus 200-500VR vs a7RII plus Canon 100-400IS MKII.
Heavier and bulkier but also a longer focal length and the AF is a lot faster and way more predictable.
Its good to be back :)
-
Congratulations with your latest purchases, Jan Anne :D :D
NB: If you plan on drowning the D500, do bring a hair dryer. A towel drying rack is not standard in all hotel rooms.
-
JA, looking forward to seeing the results!
You were never gone, as far as I am concerned. But if you feel like it, welcome back :)
-
Doesn't seem like it but this one does seem to be able to charge two of them via USB:
https://www.bol.com/nl/p/patona-dual-quick-charger-f-nikon-enel20-el20-incl-micro-usb-cable/9200000053599526/?Referrer=ADVNLGOO002018-G-47859320105-S-412339317074-9200000053599526&gclid=CjwKCAjw14rbBRB3EiwAKeoG_7YmUgpuDWdCy-lM2fXHPYFO0Jj-B7QVv99P99OgRzUBR8lu-A21qhoCehAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Universal charger for all nikon batteries!?
https://www.hahnel.ie/irish-shop/ultima_plus_nikon/ (https://www.hahnel.ie/irish-shop/ultima_plus_nikon/)
-
D500 plus 200-500VR vs a7RII plus Canon 100-400IS MKII.
Heavier and bulkier but also a longer focal length and the AF is a lot faster and way more predictable.
Its good to be back :)
Just sell that stuff on the right.. ;D
Have a good trip.
-
.....
I'll land coming Saturday evening btw and will stay in the Coogee Beach Hotel for a few days including meeting up with Mongo which I'm really looking forward to, work starts on the 13th and I'll fly back home on the 17th.
....
Melbourne is about 900klms south of Sydney(about 10 hrs drive .. and I don't fly! :p) .. and I'm always trying to find any half decent excuse to go for a drive.
My major issue is I'm not a big fan of 'big smokes' .. and the bigger, the less enjoyable I find them.
I've done Sydney a few times now .. caught up with my main man Mongo a few years back to finalise a short deal I couldn't pass up on too.
But if you had the time to head west, into the nicer, less populated, areas I'm more interested in, I'd try harder to take the time off work.
So you're in Sydney between 4/8 and 17/8, but busy between 13-17th.
So does that leave you with 5-12th as free time to yourself?
if so, unfortunately I'm now all tied up with commitments with work and kids. 18th and beyond is where I could manage to take some time.
-
Congratulations on the new set! Enjoy ;)
-
Melbourne is about 900klms south of Sydney(about 10 hrs drive .. and I don't fly! :p) .. and I'm always trying to find any half decent excuse to go for a drive.
My major issue is I'm not a big fan of 'big smokes' .. and the bigger, the less enjoyable I find them.
I've done Sydney a few times now .. caught up with my main man Mongo a few years back to finalise a short deal I couldn't pass up on too.
But if you had the time to head west, into the nicer, less populated, areas I'm more interested in, I'd try harder to take the time off work.
So you're in Sydney between 4/8 and 17/8, but busy between 13-17th.
So does that leave you with 5-12th as free time to yourself?
if so, unfortunately I'm now all tied up with commitments with work and kids. 18th and beyond is where I could manage to take some time.
Hi, having a beer now on my hotel rooms balcony wearing a downjacket, a very nice change from the overheated summer in Europe :)
I'll stay in Sydney for a few days and I'll leave on Tuesday for a short trip with a camper for 5 days, still have to figure out whether I drive up North or down South but I do know I wanna see some whales and explore some of the coastline as I've somehow skipped both the last time I was here (besides the mandatory trip along Great Ocean Road). On Saturday two colleagues arrive to spend a weekend together in and around Sydney before we go to work on the 13th.
Sorry the timing doesn't match up, probably should have announced my trip to Australia a bit sooner ;)
-
The mandatory wing at sunset shot ;)
Shot with an iPhone 7 Plus.
-
Good morning Coogee Beach!!!!!
A quick pano with the iPhone of the amazing view from the hotel balcony.
-
And the day started great image wise and I didn't have to leave the balcony for it ;D
All three images taken with the D500 and 200-500VR, really starting to like this set.
-
Thanks, Jan Anne, keep them coming.
-
Had a chillex day at Coogee Beach today, such a lovely place to be.
Surprise Wave, a7RII and Zeiss 35/1.4 FE.
-
Winter in Coogee, Sony a7RII with Zeiss 35/1.4 FE.
-
Good to hear you made it.
.... still have to figure out whether I drive up North or down South but I do know I wanna see some whales and explore some of the coastline as I've somehow skipped both the last time I was here (besides the mandatory trip along Great Ocean Road).....
Either way is worth the effort.
GOR isn't one of my favourite areas(I'm only an hour or two from it's start point). Some nice places .. wayyyy too much traffic(for my likes).
The further end is OK tho.
I have to say tho that I'm more of a desert traveller(I may have been a Bedouin in a previous life! :P) I prefer the interior of the country.
Whale watching (I think!!) is more along the south of the coast from Sydney. Jervis Bay/Batemans Bay and further south.
There's some nice coast(about the only coast area I actually enjoy visiting) between Mallacoota(far east of Victoria) and approximately Bairnsdale(east Vic). A small town named Marlo is a nice visit. A small, quite hamlet I like to visit sometimes.
My personal preference of the interior includes mountain areas.
As an alternative to the coast route for the entire trip, I think one of country's best drives(actual physical road) is the Snowy Highway across the roof of Great Dividing Range.
Obviously winter here now, and this trip is best done at about Spring time tho. It's still a nice drive in winter too tho.
Victorian weather at the moment is just windy, more than anything else. Not unusual, but there's been more of it this year than I remember recently.
Average temps seem to be in the 13-16°C range.
ps. if you do come close to Melbourne over the next few days, let me know. I work Mon-Wed regularly, Thu/Fri are my 'days off'.
As for the GOR, like I said earlier I avoid it. It's very slow, we recently had it shut down due to a landslide. It's been a constant issue for the past few years(due to the parade of buses) and recent fires, etc.
ATM tho(according to the VicRoads website, it looks fully open) To do most of it's length you may need about 6+ hrs(with a few short rest breaks).
If you're like me and spend an hour or more any any particular site for photography, then it'll be a 10-12 hr journey.
The only section of the GOR that I enjoy is the section west of a town called Apollo Bay. Nice enough town, very touristy, and subsequently very expensive!
From there is an inland section. Nice waterfalls, some temperate rainforest.
The specific area of the GOR I do like tho is from Port Cambell, where the road finally opens up(and you can pass the 20km/h tourist buses).
This is quite the popular area due to the actual coastline with the sanstone formations and coves and suchlike.
Warnambool/Portland is where the really popular whale watching operators run out of. 3-4hrs west of Melb along the inland drive.
I'd estimate that if you took the inland route to a town called Colac(or Camperdown) then south(ish) to the GOR where it meets up with the coast again and on to Warnambool, this would take about 5 hrs with a rest break, but not including any photo time.
And this is where the real photo opportunities slow you down with the coastal formations.
Hope that helps, and again if you do decide the cooler south is more to your liking and you pass through Melbourne, give me a holler.
-
Jan, you seem to be using your luck in Australia a bit too quickly. :D This is already a great collection!
-
Super images! I love the parrot twins and the two beach images, so well framed and PP'ed.
Back on the roll 8) Enjoy
-
I hope you have a great time, JA, and post some great images.
-
Great photos JA. I hope the rest of the trip goes well.
-
I hope you have a great time, JA, and post some great images.
+1
-
Jan, Sorry I couldn't get to meet up with you yesterday along with Mongo, Sue, Sar, Darryl and Rob and apparently a young English backpacker! You were in great hands with that crew. I would still love to catch up, but it seems as though it will be a forlorn task as I am also away next week and I think you leave for home on the 17th. Anyway, good luck with the rest of your trip and hopefully we can meet up another time.
-
You Sydney fellas travel way too much ;)
Sorry you couldn't make it last Monday but as you say I was in very good hands, though fully outgunned by the locals I was able to squeeze out a few acceptable images myself because Mongo and Sar knew exactly where to go which made it a lot easier to get close to these amazing birds of prey.
Attached is the osprey we captured just after sunset, what an amazing encounter that was and the D500 with 200-500VR did what it had to do :)
-
I'm in Hervey Bay btw to shoot some whales, apparently they all moved here to calf so this is where I needed to be :)
Picked up the campervan yesterday in Sydney and drove the biggest part of the 1200km journey up the coast in one go, went for a sleep at 3:30 in the camper and arrived just in time in Hervey Bay this morning to get a quick lunch and catch the 2 o'clock afternoon whale watching trip.
-
Here's the Kite Mongo sniffed out.
All of a sudden Mongo stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air, grunted a bit and quietly whispered "there's a Kite nearby and he just caught lunch".
To my amazement a Kite flies over seconds later with a small lizard in his claws, guess the rumours about this mythical creature are all true :o
-
I'm Hervey Bay btw to shoot some whales, apparently they all moved here to calf so this is where I needed to be :)
Picked up the campervan yesterday in Sydney and drove the biggest part of the 1200km journey up the coast in one go, went for a sleep at 3:30 in the camper and arrived just in time in Hervey Bay this morning to get a quick lunch and catch the 2 o'clock afternoon whale watching trip.
Yes Hervey Bay is one of the best spots photograph whales.
If you have time, you can go in the Kingfisher Bay resort garden (near the pool) on Fraser Island: amazing birdlife there and also along the beach of the resort.
-
Here's the Kite Mongo sniffed out.
All of a sudden Mongo stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air, grunted a bit and quietly whispered "there's a Kite nearby and he just caught lunch".
To my amazement a Kite flies over seconds later with a small lizard in his claws, guess the rumours about this mythical creature are all true :o
Excellent portrait of the Black-Shouldered Kite. It looks like he/she was digesting his/her brunch!
Mongo's bird sniffing abilities are very well known in Sydney! :)
-
that is a darn good Black-Shouldered Kite Jan and definitely worth the sniffing. Mongo knows you got some kestrel photos from our other sniffed out location. It was great to meet you and a great day overall. All of the credit should go to the king sniffer and ace long shot man on the day - Sar ! Although, you were in very good company with our other friends and ace shots. Shame Lance could not be there who is a super birder and long lens man.
On your way back to Sydney, you will pass Nelson Bay (which is really a collection of 4 or 5 beautiful small bays). Remember, the Village Grind for coffee and Little Beach for heaps of pelicans up very close.
Enjoy your holiday and you are very welcome back any time.
-
Thanks gentlemen for the compliments and correction, I’ve updated my story accordingly :)
-
Here's the Kite Mongo sniffed out.
All of a sudden Mongo stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air, grunted a bit and quietly whispered "there's a Kite nearby and he just caught lunch".
To my amazement a Kite flies over seconds later with a small lizard in his claws, guess the rumours about this mythical creature are all true :o
Great Black Shouldered Kite shot, Jan! Looks like a very productive day by all! Glad you could get some decent shots and had a safe trip to Hervey Bay. Enjoy your time.
-
Enjoy your stay JA and keep the pics comming! would like to go back there one day since it has been 25 years ago since i backpacked that amazing country!
Say hi to Sheila for me
-
Great shots, JA. The new Gear gives very good results, nice. Enjoy your special Australian trip !
-
It looks you’re enjoying you’re time. :D
-
Here's the Kite Mongo sniffed out.
All of a sudden Mongo stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air, grunted a bit and quietly whispered "there's a Kite nearby and he just caught lunch".
To my amazement a Kite flies over seconds later with a small lizard in his claws, guess the rumours about this mythical creature are all true :o
Wow, Mongo, you keep me amazed!!!
Jan, this is a great capture!
-
Great Black Shouldered Kite shot, Jan! Looks like a very productive day by all! Glad you could get some decent shots and had a safe trip to Hervey Bay. Enjoy your time.
Hi, Lance, great to see you here!
-
...
All of a sudden Mongo stopped in his tracks, sniffed the air, grunted a bit and quietly whispered "there's a Kite nearby and he just caught lunch".
...
... and the Mongo legend lives on ;D
good luck on your whale watching, hopefully you get a decent size boat, I can't imagine handling the 200-500 on a small one
-
If you are stopping at Port Stephens for the coffee or the Pelicans, there is lots to photograph. A visit to Mambo wetlands is worth it (not the least as there is a chance we are going to lose them), lots of beach / sunrise / sunset opportunities. More whale watching, either via one of the commercial operations (can recommend Imagine Cruises if you want to go out), or go to the headland at Boat Harbour to watch the humpbacks from the shore.
-
Thanks Mark, any good camping spots for an RV you can recommend?
On my way to Byron Bay now and tomorrow Ill head to Nelson Bay / Port Stephens for the coffee and pelicans :)
-
Thanks Mark, any good camping spots for an RV you can recommend?
On my way to Byron Bay now and tomorrow Ill head to Nelson Bay / Port Stephens for the coffee and pelicans :)
Enjoy ....and no eating any pelicans. Mongo has them each labeled for future snacks when he next marauds in that area . ;D
-
The whale watching boat trip was insane in so many ways, attached a borrowed image from the Whalesong.com.au of their boat for reference. I choose this operator because they went out the latest (14:00) covering the sunset while on the water, a decision I definitely did not regret making but more on that later :)
Humpback Whales a very intelligent and curious animals, they swim over from Antartica to calf in Hervey Bay where they come across these floaty thingies with these unfamiliar humans on them so for them we are the show and the more you wave to them the more interesting it is for them to come in for an inspection.
Once we found the first whales we stayed with them but more came in to investigate what was going on, in the end we were surrounded by a group of 7 surfacing on all sides of the boat incl swimming under the boat. Did see one breach but but couldn't take an image as I was on the wrong side of the boat when it happened ::)
All in all a very special experience and another check off the bucketlist :)
-
Still have to go through hundreds of images but here's a few that stood out so far.
First a reference image of how close the whales got, here's three of them checking out the waving dude with the cool tattoos.
-
Btw not looking to replicate the zillion commercial grade images out there so went a little creative to make it a little more interesting for myself ;)
The "Blue Whale" was captured with the a7RII and Zeiss 35/1.4 FE and the high keyish b&w of course with the D500 and 200-500VR. The difference between the two cameras became very obvious during this outing btw, the D500 focussed way faster and never run out of buffer even at 10fps whereas the little Sony ran out after 5 shots or so which caused me to miss a few shots here and there. But when the a7RII did nail the shot the 42MP images offered a lot more detail and cropping possibilities, made me curious whether the new Nikon ML can deliver both the MP's, good AF and decent buffer ;)
I was constantly switching cameras as the whales were constantly passing by the boat, a bench was very helpful to store the second camera as carrying both and trying to keep the shouldered camera from banging the railing was a bit too distracting.
-
And now on to the icing on the cake :)
While the majority was sitting inside enjoying a cold beverage on the way back to Hervey Bay I put on a wind jacket and set myself outside on the starboard to enjoy an amazing sunset. Thinking the day couldn't get any better a squadron of fruit bats flew over so I had to put the cameras back to work, most people around me had now idea what I was shooting at as the bats were very hard to see with the naked eye but somehow both cameras nailed the focus any way which was rather impressive.
What a treat to see these flying foxes again after almost two decades, back then we hunted them in Arnhemland as they are considered a delicacy for the aboriginals but this time the shooting was limited to just taking images of these beautiful animals.
-
A wonderful report and photos, Jan Anne. I am sorry for you that you had to waste your time on work. ;-)
Having been in Victoria, Tasmania, and Sydney I am again planning a trip at the end of the year.
I am looking forward to seeing more photos and reading your stories.
-
The first shot in #63 is wonderfully crystalline
and of course I love the HiISO shots. What do we see here 8k? 20K?
-
You should have trade in your sony and bought the 16-80/2.8-4.0E ;D
-
Contrary to what names like "Pacific Highway" and "Old Ocean Road" suggest there were very few if any views of the ocean during the long trip South back to Sydney and most of the "Tourist Drives" also didn't offer any photographic opportunities but were merely a detour through some small towns where one could get a cup of coffee or lunch.
During one of those rather lacklustre tourist drives I did however encounter my first and only siting of a few skippies which weren't turned into roadkill.
This family of three was chilling in the shade besides the road, I pulled over, quickly grabbed the D500 with the 200-500VR and jumped out the RV to get a few shots. They got up when I got closer to inspect what I was doing, jumped across the road into the better light and disappeared into the bush when an cyclist passed by and spooked them.
Very impressive to see how big and muscular the male kangaroo was, definitely a lot bigger than the dozens of wallabies I encountered up North almost two decades ago.
-
As my drive from Byron Bay to Nelson Bay was to become yet another long evening drive I pulled over at a riverside rest area half an hour or so before sunset for a bit of relaxing and consuming the necessary nutrients and calories for the rest of the trip.
As I walked back from the picknick table to the campervan to do the dishes a pelican swoops by so I dropped everything and ran to the riverside for a closer inspection but sadly enough the pelican landed on a rock in the middle of the river which was too far away to be of interest photographically. As my attention diverted to a small heron a second pelican flies in, turns around and swims towards me into the golden light of the setting sun, passes me by and starts grooming itself for an awesome backlit puffy feather shot with a nice ring of fire around the neck.
All three shots were taken within a 5 minute timeframe, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment ;D ;D
-
Meanwhile the little heron returned to the scene demanding some attention, as the sun was very low the water in the background was in the shade of a small hill while our subject was nicely lit with soft golden light for a nice warm vs cold capture.
Was about to call it a day when a rather cute blond showed up to give her dog some exercise so of course I couldn't resist showing off my "big camera" and took a few shots of her canine in action ;) ;)
-
Friday night I camped in the bush near Nelson Bay, was kind of a remote camper spot which involved a rather bumpy 10 minute ride into the woods but luckily all the plates and glasswork survived the journey.
As I was the first on the scene around 23:00 at night I thought it was going to be quiet night of solitude but as it turned out the opposite happened. Another car came in shortly after my arrival and setup a tent for the night, a couple of 4x4's passed by a few times headed for the 4x4 only camping area further down the road and the next morning I woke up surrounded by a noisy pack of Boy Scouts gathering for a hike in the area ::)
After a rough night I headed to Mongo's favourite feeding ground and favourite hangout of the local pelican population. The reason why they hang out there is that there's a cleaning station for the local fishermen and the pelicans get all the scraps or fish not deemed fit for human consumption.
This of course this provided an awesome opportunity to shoot some pelicans swooping in for a free lunch or get really close to them for a nice portrait as they are accustomed to human interaction. Their wingspan is btw really impressive when they come flying in straight at you :o
-
Here's a quick snapshot of the fish cleaning station to give some context to the story posted above :)
-
This morning it was time to cleanup my looks after the crazy 5 day 2500km road trip and trim the beard to be a little more presentable for my office duties this week.
Simply had to take an image of the carnage in the sink because my road trip comes full circle with this trimmer as I had it with me during my backpacking adventure 19 years ago (hooray for replaceable AA batteries).
The melted surface of the trimmer is from a leaking container of DEET anti-mosquito creme btw so please let this be a warning to keep that junk away from your precious gear as it will literary melt the plastic parts away :o :o
-
That seated peli in #71 is quite the character :)
-
He sure was Fons, while the rest was fighting over scraps he was chilling in the morning sun on the beach by himself.
Two ladies in bikinis walked up to him and sat down within 5 meters or so and he just stayed put, when they left I got into action and he was totally cool with me getting close as well even though I wasn't half as sexy as the two women ;)
Only got two shots off when two obnoxious mountainbikers raced onto the beach and scared him off, as I didn't have my morning coffee at the Village Grind yet I might have been a bit rude in focally expressing my displeasure towards the bikers ::) ::)
-
The white pelicans are impressive and quite photogenic, I have shot them nearby, they also gather near a fish cleaning facility
-
Very nice captures! And great narrative ;D
-
Found some time between work and dinner with colleagues to go thru some of the images again and see which are also interesting to post, or at least I hope they are :)
Here's another shot of the Osprey posted before, where the other was posted to set the scene this one provides a closer look of this impressive bird of prey in flight.
Please be aware that I'm still using Capture NX-D for the processing of all the Nikon files, so there's a bit of a learning curve and I'm not getting the full potential out of these images. The Sony files are processed with a Sony only version of Capture One which I master a lot better, it's still to be decided whether to go all in with Capture One for all cameras or use something else entirely for the Nikon files once I've sold the Sony bodies.
-
On our way to the whales we encountered a few dolphins hoping to ride our bow wave but as we were getting close to the whales we had to slow down so they disappeared as quickly a they appeared. The image is not as sharp as I would've liked and its cropped heavily but hopefully its good enough to contribute to the travel diary for story telling purposes :)
Second shot is a mandatory whale tail shot, this one is from the front and plan to find a suitable one from other side as well with the water dripping off.
-
In the peak hour whales were popping up all around us, this one came straight up just in front of us while I was holding the D500 with 200-500VR so instead of missing the moment by switching cameras I zoomed out to 200mm and got a close up of the tip of the nose.
The image is uncropped and only processed to high contrast b&w to enhance the amazing details of their bumpy skin.
-
Hello world in a new setting. Marvellous.
-
Thanks Jan for sharing all this wonderful trip and images. I´ve miss you and your work.
Great images!
-
Shooting whales is fascinating , really like the close up of the nose
I like the b&w processing
-
I knew I captured a dripping tail shot with the 35mm from behind but until now couldn't find, but here it is :)
-
Oleeee
-
Thanks Jan for sharing all this wonderful trip and images. I´ve miss you and your work.
Great images!
Likewise amigo :)
When I lived in Amsterdam there was a huge internal drive to travel to escape the small appartment and citylive in general but after I moved to the countryside 2.5 years ago that completely dissapeared and so did my involvement with photography as I mainly do travelphotography nowadays.
The last trip I brought a full set of camera gear was in May 2016 for the NG trip in Scotland which is more two years ago :o
The plan is to start travelling more so my contributions to the NG community should go up as well :)
-
Wonderful whales! I love the one with the bumpy skin, really your style JA ;)
-
The nose capture is amazing!
-
Fishermen as shot from the Coogee Beach Hotel balcony.
Shot as framed here at 500mm, really digging the versatility of the 200-500VR but those who own it already figured that out years ago :)
-
So far, so superb. Even if you stopped right now and didn't take another shot, this is already a great series.
-
Mongo has now returned after being away in Port Douglas for the last 10 days. Opened up NG to see what you have been up to. Delighted to see you made the best of every moment and venue. You got your pelicans, whales and a lot more. Great shooting JA !! you have been very versatile with the gear you chose to bring with you.
Cheers from Mongo
-
In the peak hour whales were popping up all around us, this one came straight up just in front of us while I was holding the D500 with 200-500VR so instead of missing the moment by switching cameras I zoomed out to 200mm and got a close up of the tip of the nose.
The image is uncropped and only processed to high contrast b&w to enhance the amazing details of their bumpy skin.
Fantastic shot, Jan!
-
JA, so happy you started sharing your impressive images with us again! Thank you!
-
JA -- you need to pick up your camera more often :D
-
Thanks to all of you for the nice comments and compliments, really appreciated :)
And yes I really have to shoot more often, I was really rusty in the beginning as I haven't shot action like BIF in ages and was more accustomed to the Sony menus and buttons after 5 years of using the a7 platform but the guys were very helpful in getting me back on track.
Embarrassingly enough I had ask Rob how to setup the AF of the D500 for BIF while in the old days I used to write "how to setup your Nikon Dxx" guides and when Sar mentioned he was shooting in manual exposure mode while I was still struggling in aperture mode a little voice in my head sad something like "of course dumbass" ;D ;D
But with the proper AF modes finally dialed in and using manual exposure mode with centre metering, auto ISO and an -0.7EV correction for the white birds I was finally getting sharp and well exposed birds in flight so by the time I encountered the pelicans it was a simple track the bird and release the shutter exercise :)
-
I'm late to this party! Fantastic shots, especially the pelicans and the kangaroos.