Nicholas

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @60mm, 1/20 sec, f/4, ISO1600

While on a sunset shoot back in December, as the sun was dropping towards the horizon, I made the most of the golden light, and took some portraits of my youngest son, Nicholas, posing in the old WWII Observation Post.

I love the soft light that characterises the golden hour, and wish I could use it more often for portraits. As the only light in the observation post was coming through the gap in the wall (on the left in both these photo), so both are shot with the ISO raised to 1600. The Canon 50D's high ISO performance means that the level of noise at ISO1600 is perfectly acceptable.

Nicholas

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @50mm, 1/50 sec, f/4, ISO1600

sparkler love

King Point, Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 11 sec, f/8, ISO100

A long exposure captures my oldest daughter writing the word "love" using a sparkler.
We were out in a remote location, after shooting the sunset and doing some steel wool spinning, and the kids wanted to have some fun with sparklers.

Observation Post silhouette

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @24mm, 3.2 sec, f/8, ISO100

On Christmas Eve, I headed out to Point Peron with a friend and my two boys, to shoot the sunset. Rather than shoot the sunset from the beach or rocks (as we have done several times previously - see here and here), we decided to climb the hill to the old Observation Post from WWII.

The Observation Post provided an interesting silhouette in front of the sunset colours in the sky.

sunset, as seen from inside the Observation Post

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @24mm, 1/50 sec, f/6.3, ISO400

As it got darker, we experimented with some light painting. The photo below shows my attempt at using a torch to light-paint some of the graffiti on the right hand side of the building.

graffiti on the Observation Post

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @22mm, 25 sec, f/9, ISO100

The photo below is from a little earlier in the evening. A random stranger was on top of the Observation Post, and provided an interesting silhouette as the sun got closer to the horizon.

silhouetted stranger on the Observation Post

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 24-105mm f/4L IS @24mm, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO200

getting the camera rig into the air

Sandpatch, Albany, Western Australia
GoPro HD Hero2 (suspended from a kite)

While holidaying in Albany recently, I tried out my new 9' Levitation Delta kite at the Sandpatch, near the Albany Wind Farm. Not surprisingly, the winds were pretty good for kiting (that's exactly why there is a wind farm there), and I got my GoPro camera airborne for some aerial photos.

I am definitely enjoying the Delta kite. Although it doesn't pack down as small as the FlowForm 16' that I have been using for the last few years, the Delta provides a much steeper line angle, flies in a wider range of wind, doesn't require as much wind, and is easier to launch and retrieve.

Albany Wind Farm

Sandpatch, Albany, Western Australia
GoPro HD Hero2 (suspended from a kite)