Shelley Beach from above

Shelley Beach Lookout, West Cape Howe National Park, Western Australia
GoPro HD Hero2 (suspended from a kite)

Earlier this month, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking two of my cousins from Holland around the south west of Western Australia. While staying in Albany for a few days, we drove out to Shelley Beach, located about 30km west of Albany.

The lookout high above Shelley Beach is apparently a favourite spot for hang gliders, as there is almost always plenty of wind there. The large wooden platform that I'm standing on is a launch ramp for the hang gliders.

The lookout is located high above the beach, and after launching my kite, I managed to get some photos of us standing at the lookout, with Shelley Beach far below us.
Here is a selection of photos from this KAP session at the lookout.

The Ares is a new wireless flash trigger from Phottix. It was announced in late September 2012 at Photokina, and is available for purchase from 25 October 2012.

The Ares is designed as a no-frills flash trigger that is easy to use, and provides reliable triggering, at an affordable price.

The Phottix Ares is due for release in October 2012, and will replace several of the older Phottix flash triggers, including the Tetra, Aster, and the original Strato.



Features

The Phottix Ares Flash Trigger has the following features:

• Triggers hot shoe flashes and studio lights
• Rotating transmitter can be used in up or down position
• Reliable digitally-encoded signals
• Cold shoe and 1/4" threaded insert on receiver
• Includes PC sync cable and batteries

Specifications

Frequency	2.4 GHz
Range	200 metres +
Channels	8 channels and Fire-All function
Batteries	2 x AA in transmitter and in receiver 5V DC socket for external power supply on receivers
Max sync speed	1/250 seconds (1)
Antenna	built-in internal PCB antenna
Transmitting Power	> 6dBm
Receiver Ports:	3.5mm sync port, hot shoe output
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C
Working Humidity	35% to 95% RH

kangaroo paw detail

Beeliar, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/60 sec, f/9, ISO250

Taken while exploring The Spectacles Wetlands in the Beeliar Regional Park, I used the fantastic Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM macro lens to capture the details of this native kangaroo paw.

The 100mm macro lens is one of my favourite lenses, as it allows me to capture the details of nature, such as this kangaroo paw. The 100mm macro lens also works wonderfully as a portrait lens.

Treasury Gardens walkway

Melbourne, Victoria
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @24mm, 1/50 sec, f/8, ISO200

I like walking. When I am somewhere other than home, either on holidays, or for work, I always try to make a point of walking somewhere every day. Walking gives me some time to relax and unwind, and has its own physical benefits. Most of us, including myself, can do with some more physical activity, and walking is a low impact form of exercise that I enjoy more than other strenuous forms of exercise.

When I am at home, I try to go for a walk with my wife every evening. Not only does it provide the benefits mentioned above, but it also gives us some time to catch up on each other's day, and to chat without the kids being in earshot.
As our kids get older, they are going to bed later, and we have found that gives us less time together in the evenings. Our evening walks make up for that.

Another benefit of walking in other locations is that it allows me to see many places and things that I would otherwise miss. Places and things that can be worth photographing.

Early last year I spent a couple of weeks in Melbourne for work. (I couldn't even remember why I was in Melbourne until I looked it up - it was to conduct a training course for colleagues.) When I have a weekend elsewhere, I try to spend some time walking and exploring with my camera.

The photo above is one location that I found when walking from my hotel to the CBD - the Treasury Gardens, located on the south-east side of the CBD.
I would have missed this location if I had taken a train, tram, bus or taxi into the CBD.

The next time you are visiting another city, take the time to walk around, and enjoy the local sights.

This is one of the photos from the recent A Print A Day project I did over a four-week period last month. I am intending to post all the photos from the project in the near future.

This galah was photographed at the Albany Bird Park and Marron Farm in December last year, when we spent a couple of weeks on holidays in Albany.

galah

Albany Bird Park and Marron Farm
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @70mm, 1/80 sec, f/5, ISO400