Rodney Campbell's Blog

Just after the end of the Sydney Bronte to Bondi Photowalk sponsored by Samsung and Google Australia, Hosted by Colby Brown and Michael Sutton a number of us headed down to the beach to try our luck with some sunset and twilight imagery.

There were still quite a number of people on the beach and in the surf even on sunset. There wasn’t much of note in the west and we weren’t going to have enough time to make it up around the northern end of the beach so I just setup on the wet sand for some reflective shots looking north east away from the sunset.

Note: These images (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger – so click any of the images below to see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer.

Ten minutes before sunset and we’ve got some wicked reflections of light coming back from the windows of buildings in the distance and the clouds in the sky

Fire Dancer

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 20 mm, 1/4 sec at f/11, ISO 100

Right on sunset and a lone surfer looks out to sea – thankfully he’s stayed still for my 1 second exposure…

Sunset Surf

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 20 mm, 1 sec at f/11, ISO 100

We got some nice pastels in the sky during twilight

Bondi Moon

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 24 mm, 3 sec at f/11, ISO 100

… and in the end the beach was empty, the photographers gone, as the last traces of light dwindled away…

This was the last shot of the day – taken looking south along the beach about 20 minutes after sunset, a 20 second exposure @ f//11 at ISO 100 and 19mm

Days End

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 19 mm, 20.00 sec at f/11, ISO 100

and then it was off to join Colby, Michael and some other friends for a well deserved dinner in Bondi

During the Sydney Bronte to Bondi Photowalk sponsored by Samsung and Google Australia, Hosted by Colby Brown and Michael Sutton we had a quality rainbow manifest off the coast whilst we were on the Bondi headland where Sculptures by the Sea lives. I changed lenses from my new Sigma 35/1.4 to the Sigma 85/1.4 and added the CPL to help bring out the rainbow.

Note: These images (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger – so click any of the images below to see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer.

A newly married couple was on the headland to get some shots done by their photographer (not realising they’d be snapped by hundreds of photowalkers :)). When they got around to the tip of the headland for some more shots I figured I’d use them and the rainbow to good effect (their photographer wasn’t using the rainbow so I figured I would) – I’m really happy how this one turned out (and yes I know I ended up cutting things very very fine with the feet – I would have preferred a touch more breathing room but ce la vie…)

The Kiss

NIKON D600 + 85.0 mm f/1.4 @ 85 mm, 1/640 sec at f/4, ISO 100

Love’s First Flight

NIKON D600 + 85.0 mm f/1.4 @ 85 mm, 1/800 sec at f/4, ISO 100

Then Stephen Godfrey and I set about crafting some Samsung ad’s using one of their sponsored gifts from the event…

Technicolour …

NIKON D600 + 85.0 mm f/1.4 @ 85 mm, 1/200 sec at f/6.3, ISO 125

Pot of Gold

NIKON D600 + 85.0 mm f/1.4 @ 85 mm, 1/100 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

Well we were barely past the start of the Sydney Bronte to Bondi Photowalk sponsored by Samsung and Google Australia, Hosted by Colby Brown and Michael Sutton when I was already getting out the BigStopper 🙂

Note: These images (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger – so click any of the images below to see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer.

On the northern end of the beach there were some nice rocks and a large storm water outflow which I could go inside and shoot out of for this long exposure using the 16-35/4 @ 20mm with the Heliopan CPL, Lee 0.9GND and BigStopper – 84 sec @ f/11 and ISO 100

Bronte Dreams

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 20 mm, 84.00 sec at f/11, ISO 100

and a vertical composition from on top of the outflow – 120 sec @ f/11 and ISO 100

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 26 mm, 120 sec at f/11, ISO 100

I attended the Sydney Bronte to Bondi Photowalk sponsored by Samsung and Google Australia, Hosted by Colby Brown and Michael Sutton.

390+ avid photographers attended the event which was a new world record for a photowalk – here are some images from the start with my new Sigma 15mm fish.

In the Beginning there were Many Photographers

NIKON D600 + 15.0 mm f/2.8 @ 15 mm, 1/30 sec at f/8, ISO 220

NIKON D600 + 15.0 mm f/2.8 @ 15 mm, 1/320 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Bondi2013

NIKON D600 + 15.0 mm f/2.8 @ 15 mm, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Headed to Turimetta to join the FOCUS crew for another dawn seascape shoot. I’d never shot at this location before (South Turimetta beach) and I decided to head out there early so I could try some pre dawn light painting along the coast.

I arrived at the ungodly hour of 4:30AM (almost two and a half hours before sunrise) so it was extremely dark along the coast with minimal light pollution. Luckily I had my new uber torch (a small 860 lumen hand torch – which I’ll review soon) which allowed me to check out the coastline looking for some likely light painting candidates.

The sea was really rough with ferocious waves constantly battering the coast and constant wet spray in the air.

I found these two very nice looking rocks with shallow water at their base and setup for a few hours of light painting.

Note: These images (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger – so click any of the images below to see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer.

This first is at 4:45AM and was to be a test shot – 4 minute exposure at f/5.6 and ISO 400 with the 16-35 at 19mm. I lit the two stones from the left with my smaller zoomable single AA LED torch for about two minutes of the exposure

Amber Neoliths

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 19 mm, 241.00 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

The second is at 5:15AM and by this time quite a bit of the cloud had cleared revealing the sky and stars. A 6 minute exposure at f/7.1 and ISO 400 at 18mm. Similar lighting for the stones as above however I also use the monster torch to light the water canyon on the left and a touch on the water on the ground and finally a bit of blue EL wire to add the meteor landing (and this is where I got very wet when some waves came in whilst I was doing the EL work and drenched me up to my knees :))

Meteor Storm

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 18 mm, 360.00 sec at f/7.1, ISO 400

Finally at 5:55AM and we’re starting twilight so we have a lot more colour in the sky. Another 6 minute exposure at f/9 and ISO 200 this time

Two to See in the Day

NIKON D600 + 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 @ 18 mm, 360.00 sec at f/9, ISO 200