The Crack Of Dawn

Ah yes...the Sunrise shoot.... The definition of hate by some photographers, the passion of some photographers, the love of some people , the "not again" feeling for parents who have to drive underage photographers.

I , myself, am 17 , and I love sunrises. Up until recently , I had never tried them , and had heard MANY photographers in seminars, speeches, classes and in conversation talk about "The Golden Minute" and the best time for photos is early morning or late afternoon. "Yeah, right, old fashioned cliche" I thought. However, i started to see , my day time exposures, and such weren't as crash hot as some other photographers pictures. So , I gave the sunrise shots a fair shake of the sauce bottle (Thank you Kevin 07) and LOVE them.

Well, I am writing this to explain what the sunrise shoots mean to me , and I am sure to many others, And hopefully not make it boring.

It's the wake ups- the iPhone screaming in your ear  and then checking the time to see "4:10AM" on the screen and thinking "Do I really wanna go?". OF course I do. Then it is the stumble out of bed, and looking for the shirt with "Syncrahnize Photography" on it, your jeans and some shoes, then walking out to find your whole household where you should be- ASLEEP!

Then it is the "Sneaky Door" as I call it, which is where you cringe and shut the door gently.

It is walking out to the noble chariot then, and your blurry eyes rummage through the keys trying to find the right one, and while your busy , your trip off the gutter , and almost fall onto the car...So you have now found the car, you unlock it with the central locking like some sort of supersonic shutter which seams louder than an AC/DC concert at 4:30. You through the tripod and the camera in the back and as you shut the door you take a breathe. Here we go. You get in and the air is tremendously close, you wonder if you accidently went into the butcher across the street's freezer. Everything you touch is cold, the seat belt doubles as an Esky, the steering wheel seems to have exerted all the warmth from last night's drive, the Black Ice Magic Tree is just working over time with aroma, and evidence of yesterday/ last night's drive is present.

Now, My mum , as some of you would of done on your first sunrise, sees the very first light of day and says "you are gunna miss the sunrise" So you hurry and rush to the beach where, suprise, there is no battered Hyundai Excels or Holden Commodores from 1995 displaying a Red P, of course not, it is far to early.
So you grab ya gear, you wander down to the beach where a person scares you so much you could jump there with a friendly "Mornin'"

You navigate your way over rocky terrain and when you get to a suitable place you feel like Bear Grylls after all the navigation in the dark.
You set your tripod up , and camera (of course), and you wait. It seems like the sun dislikes photographers , it shows the tip of itself then seems like in 2 shutters, its fully exposed in the sky.

On my first sunrise, after the sun showed up , i didn't, I packed up went home , and when I got home turned around and said "THIS is the light I want". I now know it is only about 10-15 mins of that golden light but you do have to wait until the sun is at least 1/4 in the sky. Otherwise you don't get the awesome light.




So you shivver and shake (enough to take 8 photos when you wanted one).

So, when IS it time to go ?
Well It is time to go when everyone shows up for their morning walks, when everyone comes out of their beach front houses for a coffee, and most of all , when the sun is well risen , say about 7:30

Why do a sunrise shot?
Why NOT ! I know it sounds dreadful for you to get up at 4 AM but I promise if you try it, and put some creativity into it, it will be well worth it. Another thing I have found, is , if you start your day off with an outing at sunrise, you tend to be in a better mood for the rest of the day.

What NOT to do :
Leave your camera out of focus ! I did this this morning, and I know at least 2 other people who have done it. Also don't cancel if it is cloudy or raining, they are sometimes the best times ! :)
Don't take your Dad climbing over rocks at Flagstaff Point either, Otherwise your sunrise will be served with a nice warm cup of complaining- "Why do you photographers need to take mt Everest for a shot?"

Well it has been a simple , short entry from me , But I WILL be back :)

Take care guys,
Brok (Syncrahnize Photography)

Sydney:

It's a place I visited , and still do , almost every week. It's the car trip up the mountain, the traffic jams, my favorite drive on my L's . But I am not talking about the outskirts or outter suburbs... No I am talking about the the City :)

Why does the city fascinate me as a Photographer?
 Well it is the sheer reality in which is too obvious that we over look. If most of us think of Sydney City, we think of taxis, loud busses, impatient people, tourists, business men, the green and blue blurs that depart Central Station every 5 minutes....But it is something more obvious. We think of it as the Mecca for all things tourism, all things big, all things globally recognised....Or are they? Because there is something more obvious even the daily commuters miss. When we go to the city , we get the bus , or we walk, or monorail, or tram our way around....Yet we miss the obvious.

What is the obvious you ask ? Well here it is.

I , personally, find it amazing that we can have busy streets, a near miss between a taxi and some bloke's flashy BMW every 3 minutes ,people bowling over others for that last can of Mother Energy drink , yet walk about 12 steps, andhave peace, serenity , calmness.
Now , let's face it, if we want a place to go ready a quiet book , none of our light bulbs ding to the tune of Hyde Park, but let me ask....Why Not ?

Yes it is smack bang in the middle of a busy street, even has one running through it. Yes , daily commuters walk through it...But, is there a method to their madness?

I recently have become addicted to Sydney , after getting up at 4AM to go and spend the day in the rush hour , to get photos of the city for my overseas friends....And althought I always new I loved the rush of a city, something has got me really hooked lately, and now, I can't stay away.

Why? There is so much over-looked in the city by those who walk the dashed white stripes that join the cold concrete tiled pavements.....The quiteness of the city.

ARE YOU CRAZY? you are probably asking ....No , I'm not

See , Hyde Park is the example I will use , is so much out of the norm for the city , yet if you look up , you find yourself staring up at some poor guy , stuck in an over air conditioned block , bashing his photocopier.
But, yet, it isn't the city.

Bright green grass, contrasts the pavement, benches provide a great  place to stop and do a visual panorama with your eyes and take in the view. If you listen closely, you hear the underpaid cabbies screaming, the loud busses and their engines running off a single drop of oil, yet it isn't.
The park is such an escape. I find myself drifting to Hyde Park every time I go , like some sort of jet on Auto-Pilot, I always have to go. It is just so peaceful, so calm.

It might be the characters I meet there. The people who are left homeless and have stories to tell on how  they once had a home , and a successful job , and even a family ,and are just wanting someone to provide an open ear. Or is it the elderly people that go to feed the birds that flock there for their own escape?  Or is it the Italian and Chinese guy who play chess from 7am-8pm everyday, even though they bicker at each other and fight and squabble and throw each other's chess pieces? Is it the council workers who are lucky enough to have that office , yet, still lean on the truck in their Hi-Vis , complaining about how hard their job is , and having their own argument on the best football team?

It may be the features of the park. Even thought he chess players seem to be a permanant fixture, I mean the real fixtures. Like the golden fountains which spray the clear H20 down a series of man-made cascades providing one of the peaceful sounds of the park.Is it the gardens of which those Football loving council workers maintain? Is it the old , rustic paths , is it the dominating trees which , when walking through them to the grand fountain, make you feel like you are going into Narnia or something?

I think it is all of those things that come together to just create magic in the heart of the city. A Great Escape. A holiday in your lunch break.

I ask you , if you have time on your next journey to Sydney to stop , and stand there in any given spot, and just breathe in (try not to get too much diesel fumes) , and smell the smells of the city, watch everyone/everything rush past you and feel the city flow through you......Knowing that you can , if from Wollongong, take the 2 hr train home and enter a completely different type of oasis.

Thanks for reading ,
Take care. Brok (Syncrahnize Photography)

The Stages Behind A Photo :

Well , as any of you who have ever pressed a shutter button , you will know that there is a thought process involved behind it . For some it is press a button and go , for others it is a very complex thing. Here I will describe to you my Procedure.

Before You Leave Home :
So , If you are planning a trip out of your local area, or even if you aren't a helpful idea is to jump on a site like Google or Yahoo and search for photogenic places in the area you are planning on travel , or talk another photographer you know who may be from that area, or browse some of their photos.

Of course there is the question of gear you need. Every photo will require it's own set of gear you will need. For me , I do a lot of long exposures at day and at night, so I need a fully charged battery , an ND filter (if it is day time) and the right lenses.

The Journey :
This just means , along your trip there, keep an eye out for other great photo places which YOU may think are neat and the website or photographer did not mention.

At The Scene Of The Crime :
Here is the big one ! When you arrive consider the following :

1. The Mood : Sometimes it depends on your mood at the time, but you should consider what sort of mood you want in the photo. Is it a stormy mood ? is it a peaceful mood ? 
2. Your Angle:  Try some new angles, or even one never tried before. How are you going to make this object / subject looks it's greatest ? Find an angle that best suits the mood.
3. What settings on my camera am I going to use : Are you going to do an exposure? if so you will probably use the Shutter Priority function . Do you want a lot of aperture (blurred background) if so you may use the Macro or Aperture Priority mode. Consider other things like White Balance , colour settings (eg, Faithful , Monochrome , Landscape etc)
4. Take Multiple Photos  : take a few , or alot , of photos of the subject , as when you get home to edit or choose the one you will use you may find that if you have taken a few , none are your ideal shot . And when you grab them off the camera , Do what I do and use an "Archives" folder, whereby I sort my photos by , the camera they were taken on , then the month . This is great as you may find those "left over photos"  you can use for other projects or re-edit and play with later. Don't rush , the photo may take some time to get your ideal , and that is what makes Photography relaxing
   
   Also : THINK AHEAD - How are you going to edit this if any ?
   Check For Any Other Subjects Big Or Small

At Home :
At home you (if anything like me) are going to be excited to grab those pictures off your camera and have a good look through. The only photos I delete are those of the old shoes peeking in the frame , or what I call the Red Sun , or your thumb trying to get a self portrait.

Choose the ones you want , and if they need editing whack em into Photoshop .

Going Shopping:
I don't like to edit photos too much. I am all for minor editing , but am not for all the "posterising" and tools like that , unless I am going for a specific purpose
I like the minor adjustments, like Contrast, Brightness, Shadows, Hightlights, selective adjustments etc

Last But Not Least:
Have a look at the photo. Really step back and think that YOU have taken it , your moods and skills show in it . Every Photo has it's good and bad points, so just look at the positives.

ALSO : Take some lessons from it , see somethings you could have done better and use them for next time , but don't get too caught up , because for the time , you did the best you could

WELL Thanks for reading this (which I am not sure if anyone does) And I hope this has helped :)

Catch up with you Guys soon
Remember my Facebook Photography Page and Flickr
Thanks guys :)
Brok

My Photography Story

Well, where did it all start ?

Well , I guess you could say I have always been a photographer in some aspects . I have always looked at things differently growing up , which as a child puzzled me as to why others did not see the way I did, but I especially always looked at everything in a creative and positive way. As a child, I could always go into my own world and imagine things, and I find in photography it pays off.

So , no , I never thought of photography growing up , I wanted to be a Truck driver, a pilot , the usual kids dream of being a fireman didn't appeal to me.

However, in year 9 , i was in my IT class and i hear "your new module is photography" . As she ran through the slides on how to make photography intresting such as angles, macro etc , I thought , Hey I can actually do this. As a kid who struggled with grades this was a major yes ! I remember running home , and using my step dad's truck as a subject as trucks were an intrest at the time. I played with macro, angles , getting down on the ground to great a "big" effect , I still have these photos and are a nice reminder of how it started .
I took these photos to school knowing that the "nerds" would beat me again , so I put my photos in the slide show and handed it in. I shuffeled into the class room about 3 weeks later , she handed the results out. I clenched my fists , shut my eyes and got ready for a 40% or a 60% at best. Imagine my suprise when i seen "100% A"........I had to bottle the excitement which was later released in a few fast paced steps home , and showing mum !
I knew then Photography would be an option.

Photography sadly took a backseat, and I am scared to say , almost forgotten :(

I left school in 2010 at the end of year 11 hoping to be a diesel mechanic as school was too hard. When that all failed , i got bored at home ,and picked up the iPhone, downloaded some photography apps, and muched around. It got addictive.......QUICK !

I posted these on websites like Flickr and some on Facebook. I was put down by a few people who said it wasn't photography as it is just iPhone pictures. This really hit hard , photography was everything to me.
I spent a few weeks away from my photography being a sook. Then thought , hey you know what Photography is an art, and in art there is no right or wrong. This motto did , and still does, get me out there and taking photos

In Janurary I  got my first D-SLR , My Canon 550D . I had gone from a iPhone 4 , with 5MP , no focus , no zoom (without looking dodgy) , no white balance, to 18MP of goodness where the whole photo is at the end of your palms.
I find it so relaxing to just get out there, music in my ears sometimes and express who i am , ME , myself , and just look down that lens and in one picture your emotions will show , your mood, your story ........everything

The thing that still helps me are some of my photographer friends like Cameron, Dan Fortune  , Tim Lashbrook and others and of course Mum , who has always told me "forget what they think do what you love"

I now have a Facebook page , my own shirts (:D) , still updating Flickr ,and a network of absolutely awesome people who will always back me up no matter what , and they are what make it all happen

So THANK YOU to all those who like the Facebook page, those who join me on flickr, the family , the friends- You guys are awesome and your encouragement is much appreciated :D

Thanks guys , and thanks for reading this , it helps :)

Don't forget to check my Facebook and Flickr and also this Blog :)