AustralianLight - Landscape Photography AustralianLight - Landscape Photography

AustralianLight - Landscape Photography is my new site with my good mate Bernie. If you have found my blog posts useful over the years, then how about giving us a hand to promote AustralianLight.

We are doing everything we can to get our australian landscape photography out there and guess what..... it's bloody hard work!! So please visit the gallery and if you like what see, share it with your friends.

Thanks, we really do appreciate your help. - Russell

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Various Items For Sale

I have various photographic items for sale......

Manfrotto 357 Sliding Plate Adapter $50 VGC
See: Here

Olympus OM Series Geared Macro Rail $100 VGC

Leave comment below if interested in purchase or if you have questions.

Cheers

Russell


Saturday 27 March 2010

Watch those muscles and the tripod screw!

Bugga! Just a little too much oomph and I stripped the tripod socket on my cam. :(

You know the problem.... you set your cam up on the tripod and position it just right. Then just as you are about to take the photo you notice that you have a droopy one. The darn thing is slowly but surely looking down towards the floor.

Not a problem.... just crank up the tension on the tripod screw just a little bit more and she'll be right. Right?

Ummm... yeah, herein lies a problem, as 1/4 inch threads are only so strong and the threads can be easily stripped. If not stripped straight away, every over-tension is weakening that thread until one day, without effort, ziinnggggg! (or is wiiizzzzz a better onomatopoeic word for something spinning around?)

So what can be done about it.... how can I help stop others from suffering the pain of this $260 repair? (Oh! and that was with my 30% CPS discount too! ....OUCH!!!)

* Well first try eating a few less wheatbix each morning (I am actually a Vita-Brits man myself).
* How about a few less reps at the gym and reduce the size of those massive guns. (I have a body builder mate who calls his "Pain" and "Suffering"..... mine I call "Sleepy" and "Not Today")
* Get a tripod head that uses the largest camera plate that suits your camera. (The larger the plate, the more friction between cam and plate and the less chance of drooping.)
* Ask a little girl to put the camera plate on. (OK, not always practical and approaching a little girl with a camera.... well you know.)
* Use the lens' tripod mount if available. (It will be better balanced)
* Add a tripod collar to heavier lenses if possible. (Not possible with most lenses but is for some)
* Use a custom plate that is moulded to the camera. (Prob the best idea yet! See link below for a sample)
* Weld the camera plate to the body. (Prob the worst idea yet, but I thought it only fair to offer both extremes)
* Only buy IS/VR lenses and shoot at stupidly high ISO while hand holding and deal with noise later. (Hmm.. I think I would rather weld)
* Hand hold at normal shutter speeds and then call your blurry images "art". (Yep.. still welding)

So the moral to this story is...

Don't crank on the camera plate screw! If your body rotates, look for a better solution. (Seriously though, avoid the welding. I will not be held responsible for any damage if you do that) Cranking on that screw may not strip it today, but it may have an accumulative effect so that it strips tomorrow. :(

Cheers

Rusty

Camera plate: https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/index.php/tripods/quick-release-plates/photo-clam-pc-d3-up-quick-release-plate.html


Sunday 31 January 2010

Is the average Aussie a bogan dipshit?

Why is it when out taking photos, it is common for cars to drive past with the occupants yelling and screaming, while the driver blows the horn?

Is the average Aussie a bogan dipshit?

Do they think that every camera is a video and that they are spoiling the shot with the noise? .....and if this is the case, then why feel the need to bugger something up for someone?

Again.... Is the average Aussie a bogan dipshit?

Ok, so if this happened now and then you could pass it off as "just a bunch of wankers". But this happens time and time again, almost every time I photograph in fact.

I would like to think that we are not a bunch of Bogan dipshits, but sometimes, rightly or wrongly, I can't help but feel embarrassed for us as a nation. :(

Perhaps it's a generational thing and time will take care of the situation, but "Grubs breed grubs" and this scares the bijeebers out of me. :(

Rusty


Thursday 21 January 2010

I'm The World's Slackest Blogger!

Yep! I must be. Just looking back over the past 3 years and I hardly lifted a finger in '08/09. :-(

Could it be that I have nothing to say? No, I don't think that is it. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am not short of a word and have an opinion on everything.

So I guess I am just lazy. Yeah.... that sounds about right. Perhaps I should make a 2010 resolution to make more of an effort? Nah.... that sounds like too much effort. lol

Well I guess I will see how 2010 goes, perhaps it will be a blogging good year for me? ......At least with this post you know that I am still around and that is something. ;-)

Cheers

Rusty