V & C Impressions

Almost Grey Nomads caravaning around Australia

Author: Vincent

  • WordPress themes

    WordPress themes

    Since starting this of this website, I have been on a search for the perfect theme, with excellent functionality, especially when it comes to showing pictures.
    There are a lot of options out there, free ones (lite) and premium (commercial ).
    A lot of time can be spent searching and customizing WordPress themes. The problem that I am coming across constantly is that some themes don’t work correctly with all plugins. In fact, even plugins can conflict with other plugins.
    Photo gallery plugins are the worst culprits. The theme either has its own gallery implementation which invariably conflicts with the one you have already, or the gallery that comes with the theme doesn’t have the functionality that you want. Also getting your website to look like the demo is usually an exercise in futility, especially if going with the free (lite) version. Something will be missing from the configuration options (need the premium version), or they just don’t work.
    Of course, you don’t realize this until you are about 80% along in your website development, with only a few things to tick off the list, but that is when the fun begins. Plugins clash, theme functionality is missing. Searching the www for answers, get frustrated, change course.
    Here is an article about theme development from WPTavern. It basically says there is a lot of errors in theme development, and the review team can’t keep up. There is a new process getting under way so hopefully, these problem themes can be corrected before being set free.
    I think that if you are trying to set up a WordPress website, generally you have a few ways to go about it.

    • Get the theme and plugins from the same developer usually referred to as premium. quicker and easier.
    • Hire a developer.
    • Go free and learn to edit theme files. cheaper, slower.
    • Use another platform altogether.

    After saying the above statement, I still think WordPress and all it’s associated plugins/themes are awesome. Just be prepared for a learning curve, with a bit of perseverance, you can get a website you are proud of. Still, more work to go on here, that will happen over time.
    For those that are interested, this site is using –

  • Rear Synced Flash Photography

    Rear Synced Flash Photography

    So, what is this new-fangled photography technique?
    I’m not sure if it’s new, but it is the first time I have tried it out,  works pretty good if you can get the settings right. To set it up you just tell the flash to sync to the 2nd curtain. On the flash, this is indicated by the double arrow. Below is a brief overview of setting up the camera and flash.

    • Choose a location where the ambient light is behind the model
    • Expose for the ambient light
    • Aperture f2.8 – f4
    • Shutter speed 1/8
    • Adjust ISO to help balance the background exposure 1 -2 stops below correct exposure
    • Now introduce the flash and alter the power to suit
    • Lock focus on the model
    • When shooting, move the camera and take the shot

    As you can see the background is blurred, while the model is nice and sharp.

  • Camera Market 2017

    Camera Market 2017

    The camera market in 2016 shows a steady decline in mirrorless and DSLR sales. Looks like the smartphone camera is going to take over the world for the vast majority of the population, also some manufacturers may not be around by the start of the next decade.
    Read the full story or watch the video over at LensVid.com

  • Color Theory

    Color Theory

    Two articles I have come across this week concerning the use of color theory during post processing. Both articles are about what color combinations work well together, admittedly in landscape photography, the color of a scene you have taken a photo of should not be altered too much, but to make it more pleasing to the eye you have the ability to emphasize the colors that work well together.
    The more photos I look at online, the more I realize that some Photoshop work is needed to get that image to pop, it’s just finding out what to do and how. These two articles will help.

    Ted Gore

    Color. When it comes to landscape photography, color has the power to both take a good image to great, or take that same image, and absolutely ruin it. Sometimes it is a very thin line to balance on, but absolute ruin can be avoided with a little knowledge of color theory. ……..

    Ted Gore Landscape Imagery

    Dave Morrow

    Light is the single basic ingredient required to create photographs. Without light, pictures don’t exist.
    Digital photography is the process of transferring light energy, carried by photons, into digital information, which can be processed and displayed by computers and cameras in the form of digital images.
    Light also contains the ability to produce color. Color is produced by specific energies or frequencies of light, known as visible light.
    Understanding color theory and creating beautiful images requires a basic knowledge of color & light.
    This basic understanding is essential for mastering all other aspects of photography, including shooting & photo editing…….

    Dave Morrow Photography

  • Moreton Island

    It’s Australia day (Jan 26), the time when most Australians take some time off from work, and head to the beach, fire up the BBQ, or just sit back and relax with the family having a few quite ones. My wife and I decided to join our friends on Moreton Island.
    Queensland has a number of islands off the coast which are easy to get to, some of them have bridges so you can drive to them, others like Moreton Island have no bridges, and no roads, so it is a 4WD only island only accessible by ferry.

    Heading out to Moreton Island
    Heading out to Moreton Island

    The ferry doesn’t berth at a pier on Moreton Island, instead, it just stops at the beach, in the sand. As I said 4WD only.
    Moreton Island beach
    Moreton Island beach

    The beach above is actually classified as a road. Police patrol up and down it on the quad bikes. Someone actually said the were breathalyzed.
    Moreton Island shipwrecks.
    Moreton Island shipwrecks.

    These pictures were taken towards the end of the day, there was a lot more people about earlier. Plenty of fish and thing to see, but watch out for the current, it will take you down the beach quickly.
    Moreton Island - heading back to Brisbane
    Moreton Island – heading back to Brisbane

    It was a great day, and certainly a place I would come back to.

  • HMAS Gayundah at Woody Point

    HMAS Gayundah at Woody Point

    On Sunday morning it was decided to go and do a shoot of the Gayundah shipwreck at Woody Point. We were after low tide and hopefully a nice sunrise.
    Low tide was good, sunrise, unfortunately, was not anything spectacular due to the heavy clouds. We made the best of what we had.
    I have been here before about a year ago, the first thing I noticed was the top of the bow was now broken, tilting backward. Just goes to show rust never sleeps.
    I think looking back that the heavily overcast morning set a somber mood for the pictures, which I think is fitting considering the way the ship is slowly disappearing into the environment.
    I’m not sure how far the stern goes down into the sand, but the whole thing is balancing on that point. I don’t think that will last too much longer.
    The crabs, though have made this ship home.
     

  • New Website Design

    After about a week, I think I have got his website molded into something I am pleased with. It has been a steep learning curve.
     I have been playing around with WordPress websites for years, all the while never being satisfied with the way they look, always something needing to be changed. I suppose it is that never-ending search, a bit like photography, for the perfect website/photograph which doesn’t exist.
    What one person thinks is great another thinks it’s so so.
    So, do I think this website is perfect, of course not. The gallery needs some more work, on the front page and the Gallery page, plus I also need to get more pictures up. There are a few miscellaneous items need fixing up as well, that will happen in due course.
    For those that are interested, here are some details about this website-

  • Sunflowers at Allora

    Sunflowers at Allora

    On new years eve, a group of us decided to drive about 2 hours out of Brisbane to photograph Sunflowers on a farm. It was very hot and humid, a test of character to be out in these temperatures taking pictures. It was worth the effort.
    A good day out despite the challenging conditions.

    Willowvale Sunflowers from Above
    Willowvale Sunflowers from Above

    This was taken after my climb up onto a silo.
     
    Willowvale Sunflowers
    Willowvale Sunflowers

    One of my first goes at using a reverse grad Nisi ND filter.

  • Editorial Shoot

    Editorial Shoot

    Last week I attended a Photoshoot session run by SandmanPhotography, with the aim of shooting a sequence of photo’s that link together to tell a story.
    I think I got partially there with this selection, but as some of the photos didn’t come out as I anticipated there are gaps in my short picture story.
    Tayla from Mystique models is a fantastic model, being very patient with the group.

    Tayla from Mystiquemodels
    Tayla from Mystiquemodels

    Tayla from Mystiquemodels
    Tayla from Mystiquemodels

    Tayla from Mystiquemodels
    Tayla from Mystiquemodels

    Tayla from Mystiquemodels
    Tayla from Mystiquemodels

    Tayla from Mystiquemodels
    Tayla from Mystiquemodels

  • Dancer Photo Shoot

    Dancer Photo Shoot

    Matt from Sandman Photography was leading our photo group from Brisbane Model & Portrait Workshops.
    Below are some of my favorite pics from that session, of the amazing @beccamurray247. The poise and grace that she was able to demonstrate is truly exceptional.

    Dancer
    Dancer

    Dancer

    Dancer
    Dancer