A little improvisation needed to steady the camera on this one, a fence post and a stick to help keep things in place.

I built my first car from a rolling shell with parts I salvaged from a wreck of the same model and many parts I tracked down at the local wreckers. Since then I have not been able to own a vehicle without modifying some part of it to make it look, and drive better than it did when I took ownership of it.

Over the last 4-5 years I have owned a number of Subaru’s, which lend themselves to being modified very easily and cheaply. In my quest for parts and knowledge I came across a couple of Australia-wide, groups who also share a passion for everything Subaru related, the RS Liberty Club, and OzFoz (Everything Subaru Forester, related).

For those who are unaware, the RS Liberty was the big brother to the, turbo-charged Impreza WRX we all know. The RS was more about being well equipped and refined, while still offering breath-taking performance (at the time) from it’s turbo-charged, 2 Litre engine as well great handling and safety in all conditions, from Subaru’s famous All Wheel Drive System (AWD).

From being a part of both these communities, I have met a lot of great people, gained a great amount of knowledge and have other like-minded enthusiasts that enjoy taking their pride-and-joy for a long drive to explore this great country of ours. The passion for these cars brings together a number of different people from different parts of the sate and country, from 16-60 years old, to just enjoy a drive in the country.

I’d like to share some of my own photo’s from a number of our touring events that have been held over the past few years.

I was pointed in the direction of the Strobist Blog, which you can also link to from the blog links over there–>>>
The author is David Hobby, a photographer for The Baltimore Sun Newspaper in the U.S. so the majority of the information is in reference to actual photo-shoots he has done for his day-job, and also some other “assignments” he has been commissioned to do.

Here is a small extract from the site to explain what it’s about,

This website is about one thing: Learning how to use off-camera flash with your dSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next ten levels.

Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about how to more effectively use your small speedlights. There are more than 1,000 articles about lighting. Over two million photographers from around the world have learned small-flash lighting techniques from this site. We’re thinking you can, too.

Given the need for the flash to be moved around, away from the camera, I have had to purchase some Wireless Flash Triggers. There is a vast amount of these on the market, ranging from $30, Chinese-made versions, right up to the top-of-the-line, $300 Pocket Wizards.
To begin with I have simply invested in some of the relatively cheaper units, and am currently awaiting their arrival. From reading a number of reviews, the quality and functionality of the cheap units has become much better over the last year or so, and for a lot of users, are quite adequate. The professional photographers will still use the expensive Pocket Wizards for their bullet-proof reliability and extra functionality.

Have a read of the blog, begin with the “Lighting 101″ tutorials for an insight into how photographers achieve the results you see every day in newspapers, magazine, advertisements, etc.

Also I’ll add some of my own work once I take delivery of the units and get some shots under my belt.

It’s a professional quality lens in the Canon line-up as designated by the “L” in it’s description and on the lens itself by the distinctive red band around the lens itself.

This type of lens is well suited for a lot of sports photography due to it’s ability to zoom up quite close to the action. However, sports that are played on a large ground (such as AFL Football) an even longer lens is frequently used. I also plan on using it for my surfing photography.

It is also regarded as a great portrait lens too. Either for tight, head and shoulder type portraits or any length portraits outdoors or where you have the space to work a little further away from your subject.

Here’s a few shots from the weekend when I attended a close friends “puppy-warming” party. (don’t work with children or animals….)

The text is provided by Greens Senator Bob Brown, Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick and Dr Pete Hay, while the stunning imagery is provided by twenty, talented Australian wilderness photographers.

While I won’t go into my thoughts on the whole logging/ forestry issue, I do prefer to concentrate on the photographs for what they mean to me, which is some simply brilliant work. So if either landscape and wilderness photography, or the political issuses concerning Tasmanias forests take your fancy, I strongly suggest you have a read or browse of a great publication.

The “Endangered Tasmania” Blog can be found HERE

You may have noticed the slight change of colour theme also, I’m still working on the title graphics and some other little tweaks over the next few weeks as I have time, so it’s a little basic at the moment.

If you’re new to my site, feel free to have a look around and leave a comment or two, I love the feedback and discussion.

While the surf itself was nothing to write home about particularly, by all reports it was genuinely fun.  While I’m not producing outstanding images as those seen by another local surf photographer, Stuart Gibson, here’s a small collection of my images from the day.
This also highlighted my need for a longer telephoto lens…

All the shots were taken at Port Arthurs, Remarkable Caves, quite a sight in themselves, and one of the Tasman Peninsulas many sight-seeing attractions.

The view from the rocks, just a small walk down the embankment, through the undergrowth from the main car-park and lookout.

Also note Cape Raoul in the distance, which was used as target practice by the British Navy in WWII.

One of the boys, Ty Hibberd

And the other, Robert Boost

This glass and steel plaque was designed, constructed and installed by a group of the local surfers and crew. In memory of one of our friends, Eli Horsman, who passed well before his time a few years ago. This was a favourite spot of his to surf, so this seemed a fitting location for a small memorial.

I need say no more….

The most important addition being a new Canon EOS 40D dSLR body.  This is the bigger brother to my previous body, the 400D.  While i won’t bore you with technical specifications, they can all be found HERE, including a detailed revie, there are a number of differences which make is simply easier to use and can help produce better images.

Here’s a short list of relavent differences.

The 40D has a newer generation image processor which is capable of capturing more image detail, colour and range of tones compared to the 400D.  It can also do it all at a faster speed.

It is a physically larger and heavier unit than the 400D, which aids in stability when using long lenses and flashes, as well as being more comfortable to hold on to and operate.

It has more “steps” is some of it’s main settings, which allows you to make finer adjustments to the image controls, for cleaner and crisper images.

It’s image capturing sensor has some minor differences which allow it to produce sharper images with less “digital noise”.

And finally, it has more controls available via the dedicated buttons on both the top and rear panels. While this may seem a little daunting to someone not used to using a digital SLR, it makes adjusting the settings a much more intuitive and speedy process. Rather than having to dig through menus to find the control you need, it’s right there at your finger-tips. This time saving can be the difference between capturing that special or exciting moment, that you would have otherwise missed while searching through the maze of menu’s available on modern digital cameras.

Hopefully over the coming year I will be doing more and more work on progressing my skills and techniques and actually beginning to do some “real” photography work, outside of taking photo’s for my own enjoyment.

My other major purchase, I have just collected today. It’s a “Standard” Zoom Lens, the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 it’s main purpose it to be a very versatile lens, that can be used for a variety of different types of photography.

It it wide enough to be used as a lens for taking landscapes, it’s mid-range is suited to taking group portraits at indoor or outdoor functions or parties, and with the zoom fully extended to 50mm, it’s a great lens for classic 3/4 length portraiture.  The actual optics of this lens are of very high quality, and it has the ability to be able to be used in a host of low-light situations (indoors with no flash, for example).

I’m yet to take any real test-shots, but i’ll add some to another post once i’ve had a chance to get out and shoot with it.

Hopefully it meets my expectations.

And by the end of the night, it was all too much for some….

Oh, and there’s always one……

It is designed as a showcase for both established photogrpahers and also up-and-coming photographers to show off a small collection of their best work.  There is a great mix of different styles from sweeping landscapes, architecture through to intimate portraits.

So to have a look at some great local photography, head on down this week.  Entry is via gold coin donation.

For more information on the Hobart Photography Society, check out their website www.hobartphoto.org.au