The Noojee – Toorongo Photo Trip
It was one of those spur of the moment decisions.
Chris and I took off for a leisurely drive intending to have lunch at the Noojee pub followed by an afternoon of shooting at the Noojee trestle bridge and the Toorongo River.
As it turned out things were very quiet in Noojee that Friday.
We entered the strangely vacant Noojee hotel dining room and spent a few minutes looking through the menu whilst hoping that they were actually open for business.
After a short time we were discovered by a helpful barmaid who ushered us into the bar area whilst explaining to us that the dining room was closed.
Pictured below – Dappled sunlight across the middle of the Noojee Trestle Bridge.
After being seated in the bar area Chris and I both chose the beer battered fish n’chips for lunch. Perhaps it wasn’t the most “heart smart” choice from the menu but it was indeed very tasty and satisfying without being too heavy. 🙂
As we ate our lunch Chris and I would occasionally glance over at the only other occupant of the room. One of the elderly locals was perched at the bar with beer in hand and kept nodding off to sleep. He appeared to be very skilled repeatedly awakening himself just prior to losing balance.
Pictured below – A shot taken from the top of the trestle bridge looking down on the access road. I’ve applied an Orton effect filter to this image to soften it a bit.
After finishing our delicious meals we visited the nearby Noojee trestle bridge. The light wasn’t particularly friendly that day as the morning clouds had dispersed causing a problem with harsh shadows and bright spots but we did our best.
Next stop was the wonderful Toorongo River. I always enjoy the scenic drive along the Toorongo Valley Road that leads to the falls.
It’s great to see the river with such a strong flow and healthy green mosses and small ferns growing on the moist rocks again.
During this trip I decided to try out the camera built into my phone and capture some images using an Android app called Retro Camera. It uses some interesting processing techniques to imitate old school cameras. A fun app!!
Pictured below – The Retro Camera interpretation of the Toorongo River.
Pictured below – A serene image from along the Toorongo Valley Road processed by the Retro Camera app.
Pictured below – Chris checking her shots on the banks of the river behind the Noojee pub.
Image processed by the Retro Camera app.
Cyclical Rendezvous – water motion at Rye beach
Pictured below, a long exposure image capturing the remnants of spent waves returning to the relentless ocean at Rye beach, Victoria, Australia.
Number Sixteen beach – reprocessed
A couple of images from the previous excursion to Number Sixteen beach, reprocessed in black and white, ……and with a little more drama added.
A long exposure from Rye back beach, Victoria, Australia.
Rye Back beach.
Swimming at the Sixteen – Rye Beach
After a recent photographic excursion to Koonya beach two weeks ago, I swore not to return my feet to the icy waters of the ocean until the warmer weather arrived.
Alas, the lure of the salty seas proved to be too much for me.
This week’s excursion was a low tide expedition to Number Sixteen beach at Rye on the Mornington Peninsula.
Unfortunately I arrived just a little bit too late in the tidal cycle to safely photograph my intended target. Rather than risk my life on the rocky shelves I decided to play around on the beach photographing easier targets, …..and only got wet up to the knees. 😉
A long exposure image from Rye beach.
This rock is one of the main features of the Number Sixteen beach. It dramatically changes it’s perceived shape depending on the direction from which you photograph it.
Water rushes back from the beach to join the pounding surf.
Water swirls around the foreground rocks as it enters the beach.
The landmark rock from a different perspective.
American Dreams Exhibition and the Bendigo Sacred Heart Cathedral
We left early Saturday morning for the two hour drive to the regional city of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia.
The Bendigo Art Gallery was hosting a photographic exhibition called American Dreams, a selection of 20th century photography from George Eastman House in the U.S.A.
On arrival in Bendigo my friends and I stopped for brunch at the Cafe El Beso located opposite the art gallery.
After due consideration of the menu we all coincidentally chose the “big breakfast” to kick start our day. The big breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, fresh spinach and tomatoes all served on thick crusty toast. It was indeed big, satisfying and delicious, ….and highly recommended. The cafe for some strange reason doesn’t serve coffee in mugs, only cups. I don’t know what that’s all about!
With bellies full we waddled across the road and began our exploration of the gallery. We firstly enjoyed viewing the gallery’s impressive collection of large paintings before entering the area hosting the photography exhibition.
To be honest I was initially struck by how small and unimpressive many of the photographic prints were. Gradually as I explored the exhibition further I grew to appreciate the collection as I discovered some of the more moving and impressive images. In summary I would say the exhibition is worthwhile for those interested in the photographic process and journalistic photography.
The American Dreams exhibition ends at the Bendigo Art Gallery on the 10th July 2011.
My image of the inside of Bendigo’s Sacred Heart Cathedral.
After leaving the gallery we went to explore the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Hospitals and churches both rank very highly on my list of least favorite places to visit however this cathedral is really quite a photographic gem.
I shot these images on my LX3 using it’s “dynamic black and white mode” and hope to return there soon with my DSLR and a longer lens to catch some more details.
I love the gargoyles jutting out of the corners of the tower here.
The Chill of Winter – Koonya Beach
Winter has suddenly struck with a vengeance in Melbourne and it’s surrounding areas.
The reduced temperature of the Bass Strait water combined with chilling winter winds now makes wide-angle shooting amongst the crashing surf fairly unbearable.
On my most recent trip to Koonya beach, the chill of the winter water running across my lower legs caused my teeth to ache, ….well almost. 😉
Wild winter conditions at Koonya beach, Blairgowrie.
Until the weather warms up a little I’ll be using the mid-range zoom in an effort to keep my feet drier and warmer.
No more long exposures standing in the surf, …..bbrrrrrrr !!
Snapshots from Tooradin
Tooradin is right at the top of my list when it comes to escaping for a little bit of quiet time. Located just a few minutes down the road from my home, Tooradin’s features include a serene creek that runs through the town and winds it’s way down to a great foreshore area where it joins with Westernport Bay.
The foreshore area usually has lots of parking spaces available and serves as a fine place to devour whatever delicacy you’ve chosen from the local bakery, fish and chip, or pizza shop.
Alternatively you can bring along your own boring food and make use of the BBQs.
Pictured below – The view looking down the channel towards Westernport Bay at low tide.
During low tide, large expanses of mud are exposed along both sides of the channel.
You can stroll along the elevated edge of the channel and watch as thousands of tiny crabs, disturbed by your presence, dive for cover into their tiny holes in the mud.
Pictured below – The view looking up the channel towards the main road.
Back to the serious topic of food for a moment, I highly recommend the Tooradin bakery with it’s fine selection of meat pies. They also have more sweet cake/bun/doughnut thingies than you could poke a stick at, …..and the coffee isn’t too bad there either.
The bakery is also conveniently located next to the fine Ice Cream shop, offering heaps of different flavours for those craving even more sugar. 😉
Fish n’chips must be big business in Tooradin because this tiny town has no less than two fish n chip shops.
On one side of the main road is the Tooradin Original Fish & Chip Shop and across the road is the Boardwalk Chippery. The Boardwalk shop boasts the use of “healthy rice bran oil”. The rice bran oil must be an acquired taste, …I’ve tried it but I haven’t yet acquired that particular taste,….but each to their own.
Pictured below – Down the channel a short distance, remnants of the old jetty pictured at high tide, complete with “god rays” shooting through the clouds signaling the end of a beautiful day.
Below – The same jetty remnants pictured at low tide, complete with an amazing number of mud dwelling crabs and their mud holes. 🙂
For the curious photographers who might be reading this post, the camera I used was a Panasonic Lumix LX3 in “dynamic B&W” mode with some minor corrections later in Photoshop.
If you’re interested in using any of these images or would like to purchase a high quality print then please contact me at – jim.worrall@gmail.com
What a Difference the Tide Makes.
A couple of images from the Flinders foreshore showing what a huge difference the tide can make.
Both images feature the same structure albeit from slightly different angles.
Below – Flinders Hombres – high tide at the jetty remnants.
Below – liN – the same jetty remnants at low tide.
The Advantage of Repeat Visits
A wonderful thing about seascape photography is that you can return to the same location numerous times and always manage to come away with an image different from those captured during previous visits.
The coastline is always a very dynamic place and there are many variables that have an effect on the images you capture.
There are the obvious variables related to the amount and quality of light – the time of day, the time of year (season), the cloud cover, mist or even pollutants in the air, etc.
On top of all that, the sea level and subsequent water flow constantly changes due to the tides and the size of waves also changes from one moment to the next. Of course there’s also changes on the coast due to shifting sands and also erosion of more solid structures in the long term. New objects of interest are either being deposited on the beach or swept away with each tidal change.
So where am I heading with this rant?
In a nutshell I would say don’t be afraid to revisit the same coastal locations over and over again. Instead of looking at the grand picture, stop for a moment and have a look at the small things that are new and interesting. Try to incorporate these small items into your image as a major part of the foreground and “hey presto” you have a new image.
End of rant. 🙂
The Mentone Groyne
The Mentone groyne is located on Mentone beach just south of the Mentone pub. In the past this groyne has been incorrectly referred to as the “Old Mentone jetty” by myself and others. There’s off road parking close to the groyne but unfortunately the local council here tries to screw you over with a three dollar per hour parking fee.
All of the following images were taken using an ND400 filter to extend the exposure time and smooth out the waves on the water.
Below – Running West – Mentone Groyne
On the afternoon I visited the groyne it was almost high tide so these photos are only showing the very top bits of the structure above the water. Next time I visit I’ll be making sure I arrive during a low tide when the structure appears more like a series of small arches. I think that would be worth getting wet feet for. 🙂
Below – Charging into the Night.
Below – an overview of the groyne.
On the walk back to the carpark, some kind of territorial dispute erupted amongst these seagulls on a small rocky island just offshore. The image below doesn’t properly convey the ensuing ruckus but it was quite impressive to watch a little bit of nature’s drama playing out in front of me.
Below – Lord of the Gulls – ruckus on the rock.
Magic of the Phillip Island coastline.
Following on from previous posts I thought I’d share with you just a few more images from the Phillip Island coastline. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface down there, …….there’s just so much beauty to explore and discover.
Pictured below – The Roost – old jetty remnants that serve as a safe roost for the local birds at Cat Bay.
Pictured below – Evidence of Life – a soft misty view of some wonderful wave action off Cowrie beach.
Pictured below – The Long Swim Home – another view from Cowrie beach looking towards the Nobbies in the background.
Pictured below – Pyramid Rock, taken in strong windy and wet conditions from a vantage point ahead of the lookout area.
In Lieu of Rapture
I’m dedicating this image to the recent passing of Rapture Day, May 2011.
Never has such a silly idea generated so much noise in the media and on social networks.
Pictured below – In Lieu of Rapture.
The image was captured at Cat Bay on Phillip Island.
A Trip to the Pointy End – Phillip Island
Over the weekend I did a quick reconnaissance trip down to the pointy end of Phillip Island.
The images below were taken on a stretch of unsealed road named “The Boulevard” which runs along the south coast of Summerlands and ends at the Nobbies. The Boulevard is a grand name indeed for what amounts to a narrow dirt track, however the coastal views can be quite impressive from here.
Pictured below – The view from The Boulevard looking west towards the Nobbies.
Unfortunately for those of us who like to immerse ourselves in these kinds of coastal environments there is no beach access permitted. We’re reminded of this fact by strategically placed signs warning of penalties for such breaches.
Pictured below – The view from The Boulevard looking east.
Pictured below – a zoomed in view of the coastline. It looks like a fine place for a photographer to play.
When finished with the south coast I made the short trip over to the north coast to visit Cowrie beach. I’ve been here once before but I had some unresolved images in my head that I wanted to try to capture here. Most of the northern coast is photographer friendly, allowing one to get as close to the water as one dares.
Pictured below – Bull in a China Shop, one of the less sedate Phillip Island waves attacking from left of frame.
Pictured below – A long exposure image using an ND400 filter, The Course of the Penguin, one of the many corridors used by the penguins of Phillip Island.
After finishing at Cowrie beach I left the island and crossed the bridge over to San Remo on the mainland. As I was crossing the bridge I noticed some amusing looking stairs below, surrounded entirely by the water of a high tide. It appeared to be a stairway going from nowhere to nowhere.
Pictured below – From Nowhere to Nowhere, San Remo.
The day concluded with a delicious meal of fish n’ chips from the Fisherman’s Cooperative, …..what bliss!
The bollard, the boat, the buoy and the beginning of a rainbow.
Saturday’s excursion was down towards the pointy end of the Mornington Peninsula.
After a hearty lunch of fish ‘n chips on Dromana beach, it was off to Sorrento for a cappuccino and also check out the surf conditions on the ocean side.
On arrival at the back-beach the surf was violent and unruly, fueled by a ferocious onshore wind.
I’ve tried to capture long exposure images under these conditions a couple of times before and come away from the experience with disappointing results. A howling wind always manages to soften my long exposure images regardless of tripod technique.
With this in mind I resigned myself to exploring the calmer more docile side of Sorrento, the bay side. The view from the beach here was quite nice with small boats bobbing and wobbling around in the water. I took a few shots of the little boats but couldn’t find anything particularly satisfying so I moved my attention to the huge bollards near the pier.
Pictured below – Bollard.
Above – In this image the huge concrete bollard remains motionless whilst surrounded by the blurred movement of waves on the water. It’s nearby neighbors, the boat and the buoy wobble and rock in compliance with the waves. I used a high key effect to eliminate some distracting elements from the background. Both ND400 and ND8 neutral density filters were attached to the lens to achieve the desired long exposure under fairly bright conditions.
Pictured below – The Sorrento Bollards.
Above – The massive bollards are used to assist with holding the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry in place at the pier during the exchange of passengers and cars.
After shooting the bollards, mother nature tried to grow me a rainbow. The left and right ends of the rainbow were developing nicely and gradually growing skywards then suddenly fizzled into nothingness.
Pictured below – the left end of the incomplete rainbow.
Pictured below – the right end of the incomplete rainbow.
HMVS Cerberus shipwreck at Half Moon Bay
After a delicious lunch at the Ricketts Point teahouse, Chris from Ambientcapture and I drove to Half Moon Bay where the wreck of the HMVS Cerberus rests semi-submerged some distance offshore.
The HMVS Cerberus was launched in 1868 and is the only remaining breastwork monitor class warship left in the world. You can find more details about the ship’s rich history at it’s Wikipedia page here, or it’s dedicated website here.
My idea from a photographic perspective was to capture the Cerberus using long exposure techniques to blur the motion of the water and clouds, and yet keep the wreck in sharp focus.
I had to wrestle with this one in post processing due to the extreme brightness of the background but I think I finally found a unique vision of the wreck.
Pictured below – HMVS Cerberus is available as a print in various sizes and formats here.
Pictured below – a long exposure view from the Half Moon Bay pier looking north along the coastline. The little blurry bit at the lower center of the image is a buoy bobbing around in the waves.
Pictured below – a more distant long exposure view of the HMVS Cerberus.
Pictured below – the structure behind the Cerberus wreck.
I have no idea what it is, but it’s very popular with the birds.
Downtime – a relaxing afternoon at Warneet
I have mixed feelings about the changes being made to the coastal village of Warneet.
Many of the grand old pine trees along the beachfront have been cut down and it appears that the main dirt roads are being surfaced. Progress, …..I guess.
Pictured below – Downtime – An iconic landmark (watermark) at Warneet coastal reserve.
Pictured below – some of the locals.
Plateau – Sorrento back beach
Below – Plateau – A long exposure image from the Sorrento back beach.
An intriguing place to visit at low tide.
The Sleeping Sphinx – Sorrento
An image from the Sphinx rock formation after an enjoyable day of playing in the surf.
The Vagabond Tide – ND400 long exposure
Following is a series of images taken at the Sorrento back beach, Victoria, Australia, using an ND400 filter during bright afternoon light conditions.
Pictured below – Dorsal.
Below – The Vagabond Tide.
Below – The Rinse Cycle.
A King Tide at Grantville
My initial plan was to stop at Grantville, visit the bakery for a mandatory steak pie and cappuccino, then take a long stroll along the beach.
The consumption of the pie and cappuccino went nicely to plan. On arrival at the beach all that had changed.
Where’s the beach gone? ………….
I had apparently arrived at the peak of a king tide. There was no sand to be seen anywhere, much less walk along.
Pictured below – looking out towards the jetty the fishermen appeared to be almost walking on water. It was unusual to see the water lapping across the platform on the lower section of the jetty.
Luckily there aren’t many jumping sharks in Westernport Bay!
Pictured below – A few images from along the beach, north of the jetty, taken with a Lumix LX3 camera.
It’s amazing how salt tolerant these trees can be.
Where’s my sandy beach gone?
Due to the king tide, navigating the coast required walking through low lying vegetation, and it didn’t feel right. 😦
I should check my tide charts more often.
If you’re interested in buying any of these images as prints then please contact me at – jim.worrall@gmail.com
The Flinders Pier Excursion.
Images from a recent trip to Flinders with friends Christine Wilson and Caroline Gorka.
The objective for the afternoon was to capture some images of the old wooden pier before it’s replaced by the concrete monster that’s currently being constructed right next to it.
As usual I became distracted.
Below – “IiN” some ghostly remains from further along the beach.
Below – “Flinders Point” just around the corner from the calm harbor area there’s a lot more ocean wave activity.
There were waves crashing all over the place here but the long exposure makes it look deceptively calm.
Below – “Flinders Back-Beach” near the blow hole area. Stop giggling, that’s what it’s called !!
ND400 Long Exposures at Safety Beach (Bracketing and tonemapping long exposures)
Following is a series of bracketed and tone-mapped long exposure images from Safety Beach, Victoria, Australia.
All were shot in the late afternoon using ND400 and ND8 filters combined to achieve the desired long exposure times.
Below – “Safety Beach Jetty”
Here’s how I do my bracketed images – Many of my waterscapes are long exposure tonemapped images generated from 3 exposures at 0,-2 and +2 EV. In order to achieve these 3 exposures I set my camera to aperture priority mode, enable auto bracketing and set the ISO as low as it will go. I then tinker with the aperture value, iso value and either add or remove ND filters in order to force the camera to achieve a shutter speed of 8 seconds for the first exposure (0 EV). Now when the shutter button is activated the camera gives me 3 exposures at 8 seconds, 2 seconds and 30 seconds (which corresponds to approximately 0,-2 and +2 EV)
When these 3 exposures are blended together (tonemapped) in an HDR program the resulting image contains the misty silky effects from the 8 and 30 second exposures and also contains some details from the slower 2 second exposure. When shooting REALLY fast moving water I usually aim for a faster initial exposure time of say 4 seconds. The camera then gives me 3 bracketed exposures at 4 seconds, 1 second and 16 seconds (0,-2 and +2 EV)
The aim is to catch some detail in the fastest exposure but also benefit from the misty effect of the longer exposures.
UPDATE – Oct 2012 – If you’re looking for an introductory guide on how to use the ND400 have a look at my other blog post here.
Below – “Seep” a stormwater drain at Safety Beach.
Yes, a drain can look beautiful. 🙂
Below – “Jettison” another stormwater drain at Safety Beach.
The Window of Opportunity – Grantville Beach.
Amongst the photographic gems that Grantville beach makes available to photographers is a set of 3 rows of short pylons.
No doubt these pylons are the remains of an old jetty but they differentiate themselves from other such sites in a couple of interesting ways. Firstly, it’s unusual to see 3 rows of pylons like this. Most old jetties leave behind only two rows of pylons.
Secondly the pylons are extremely short here, with most of them extending from the muddy base by only a few short inches.
The short stature of these pylons provides photographers with an interesting challenge. At high tide the pylons are invisible as they’re completely submerged by water, and at low tide they’re an awful looking series of posts sitting in mud.
The challenge for the photographer is to arrive at the site during a narrow window of opportunity whilst the tidal transition ideally has all of the pylons surrounded by water around their bases and yet not enough water to make them shorten or disappear below the surface.
Below – “Runway to the Afterlife”
On my first visit to the site I was extremely lucky and caught the tide at just the right height. I wasn’t aware of how elusive these pylons could be until subsequent visits, hoping to catch the pylons in a different light, I haven’t been fortunate enough to arrive at the right time. 😦
Below – “Mortality” an image taken near the pylons on a different evening. The dark brooding sky sets the mood of the image. In the foreground lays a dead jellyfish, stranded by the outgoing tide.
Below – “Deep Creek Reflections“, also near the pylons Deep Creek enters the Westernport Bay.
Trolling around under bridges and piers
On excursions where I’m near a bridge or pier, my inner troll has a tendency to take control and drag me under.
Sometimes the results are quite pleasing. Strangely enough I often find the underside to be more photographically pleasing than the top side.
Below – “Gateway” the underside of the San Remo bridge.
Below – “San Remo Bridge” the gateway to Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
Below – “Dromana Downunder” the underside of Dromana pier. No trolls under here!
Contrasts – Views from Jam Jerrup
Contrasting views from the beach at Jam Jerrup, Victoria, Australia.
It’s interesting to see how different a location can appear under different light and tidal conditions. This is exactly the reason why I like to return to the same places many times.
Below – “Aspirations” is a minimalistic long exposure image taken at high tide.
Below – “Blunderbuss” is a wider view of the same area taken at low tide with some more drama taking place in the clouds.
Below – “Exploring the Meme” is the boat ramp and single post at Jam Jerrup.
Art of the Orb – the beauty of nature.
One doesn’t usually associate the word “spider” with art. In my case I seem to be blessed by the presence of a very artsy Orb-weaver spider.
Each evening during summer the spider constructs an elaborate web between the house and a large tree in the backyard.
In an effort to capture the frantic web building activity I took my LX3 out into the backyard to see what I could catch.
The Orb-weaver was lit from some distance away by one of the house security lights.
I set the LX3 to an aperture of f/2.0 @ISO800 due to the dim conditions and caught the following beautiful movements as the spider hurriedly moved around.
For those who might be curious and want to try this I shot these images in aperture priority mode. The camera selected a corresponding shutter speed of 1.3 seconds to suit my particular lighting conditions. The camera was also in “Dynamic B&W” mode.
In the final two images there is a bit less movement by the spider and you can start to see the shape of the spider.
The Water is Back – Meningie
Following are a few images from Meningie, on the banks of Lake Albert in South Australia taken in December last year (2010).
I was told by the Bev at the Lake Albert Motel that the lake has only recently recovered from the drought. Apparently for some time there wasn’t water anywhere near the jetty pictured below.
Below – Traces – Meningie, South Australia, Lake Albert.
Below – Rise and Fall – Meningie, South Australia, Lake Albert.
I have no idea what those posts are doing out there in the water.
(Update – 31-01-11 Bev at the Lake Albert Motel has informed me that the posts in the water are there to provide a roost for the local pelicans. That makes sense.)
Below – Aspects of Abundance Meningie, South Australia, Lake Albert.
Pelican roosting posts.
Below – Meningie Some wonderful action going on in the clouds here.
Below – Unbreakable – The second most sturdy piece of outdoor furniture I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting on.
Hunting the white water – Pinnacles, Phillip Island
Following are some images from The Pinnacles rock formation at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island. We were hoping for some nice big waves but unfortunately the conditions conspired against us that day.
The images were created using HDR techniques to capture the full dynamic range of this very contrasty environment, i.e. 3 bracketed exposures at 0,-2 and +2 EV. I had an ND400 neutral density filter on the front of the lens to allow longer exposure times and give some sense of movement to the water and clouds.
Below – “Chasing Dinosaurs”
Below – “Waiting for the Swirl of White”
Below – “Sea Level”
Below – “Lost in the Moment”
Below – “The Risky Swim”
The Digital Photographer and the print.
I suspect I’m just like many other digital photographers. Over a period of time I’ve created several hundred images that I would self indulgently call my “keepers”.
These beauties sit on my laptop with two backup copies of each file stored on two external USB drives, ….one of those drives stored off-site in case of disaster.
I also place many of my images online and make them available for people who might be interested in buying a print or two.
Now despite being surrounded and obsessed with photographic imagery I very seldom print for myself. After all, the images were all there on the computer if I wanted to have a look at them. When I did get some printing done for myself it was often in the form of a cheesy calendar or poster.
With this in mind one of my new year’s resolutions was to do more printing for “ME” and present the prints in the most flattering way, ….and that way being matted and framed.
So today I went to the trouble of buying some frames and had some large prints made. One at a time I attached each print to the matt then carefully placed them in their frame. After securing the back I would turn each frame over to view the finished result.
OH, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was like the images really came to life within the frames. I was experiencing something emotional from viewing these images that I hadn’t felt before, ….and I was completely sober!. That does it, it’s frames all the way from now on!
The Multiple Portrait – photography fun.
An interesting way to create a fun portrait is to place the subject in the same frame several times creating a “multiple portrait”. Viewers are often intrigued and amused by the resulting image.
I had the pleasure of creating a couple of multiple portraits over the weekend for some neighbours.
Pictured below – A multiple portrait of Chris, the proud owner of a new bike.
So how did I create this image I hear you ask?
The camera was mounted on a tripod to hold the camera completely still. This is important because the aim is to take several shots with no apparent movement of the background. This simplifies the editing process later.
The camera was set to manual mode and the shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings adjusted to give me a good exposure. It’s best to use manual mode because it locks in the exposure. If you use any other mode then there is a good chance that the camera will slightly adjust the exposure from one shot to the next as the subject is repositioned within the frame. This fluctuating exposure level between shots causes the apparent brightness of the background to change making the editing process more difficult later.
So in a nutshell, with all of the above considered, I took four shots with Chris relocating himself within the frame between each shot. Now for the editing ……….
Pictured below – Sarah the proud car owner.
When it comes to the editing I’m definitely no photoshop guru. There are different ways to achieve the desired result involving the use of layers and smoke ‘n mirrors, but this is what I do.
I simply open all four images in photoshop. I use the first image as the base image then simply use the lasso tool to roughly select and copy the subject from images 2,3 and 4 and paste them into the base image one at a time.
I always include some of the background within each lasso because this makes aligning the subject into the image very easy.
……and here’s a couple I prepared earlier, self portraits.
Photography by Jim Worrall 