New Melbourne Zoo Photography Workshop - Monday 3 March 2014

New Melbourne Zoo Photography Workshop - Monday 3 March 2014 Hi, If you find yourself in Melbourne on the 3rd March, I'd love you to join me for my inaugural Melbourne Zoo Experience. Join me as I guide you along on a day of fantastic wildlife photography providing you with settings and advice to ensure you maximise your opportunities to 'nail the shot'. Our first stop will be the gorgeous and ever playful Meerkats. These little guys and girls will keep you entertained and allow many opportunities to grab some great shots. I will be on hand throughout to talk to you one-on-one, and make sure you are utilising your camera to its potential. We'll then make our way to the Mandrill enclosure to photograph these imposing characters. Along the way you'll have the opportunity to photograph Gorillas and Lemurs. Amazing. On our way to the Elephants we'll stop off at the Tiger compound and then take a wander through the butterfly house for a change of pace and lenses. We will photograph many more species during the course of the day. Lions, Servals, Zebras and Leopards to name but a few. We won't, however be racing from one display to the next to try and photograph every single creature at the Zoo. We will take our time and I will show you how to photograph the animals that we do choose correctly. We will discuss optimum settings and look at depth of field, composition, lighting and many other features. We'll finish our day at the fantastic new Baboon enclosure. This recently completed state of the art facility will give you uninterrupted access to photograph these amazing creatures. This workshop is limited to 8 participants to maximise your learning opportunities so please get in quickly to avoid missing out. For more details please check out the Trekabout website -> here. or call Mark on 0459 221678 to reserve your spot. Please note that my Melbourne Post Processing Bootcamp is running the two days prior on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March. If you wish to attend both workshops please call me for a special combined rate. Details on the Melbourne Post Processing Bootcamp are -> here. Happy shooting. Cheers, Mark

Eastern Sierras - Los Angeles - Death Valley - Alabama Hills - Mono Lake - Yosemite - San Francisco - Big Sur - October 2014

Eastern Sierras - Los Angeles - Death Valley - Alabama Hills - Mono Lake - Yosemite - San Francisco - Big Sur - October 2014 Hi , I told you 2014 was going to be jam packed full of photographic goodness and it gives me great pleasure to announce another amazing adventure. Join Michael and I from the 2 October to the 16 October as we take you in the footsteps of Ansel Adams to photograph the magnificent Eastern Sierras. We'll both be on hand to offer tuition, tips and advice along the way. Composition, exposure, DOF, ISO and many other camera settings will be discussed so that you will be able to make the most of the incredible scenery and wildlife opportunities. We'll take you to Death Valley, the lowest point in the U.S. with extraordinary colours, beautiful rock formations, dramatic cliffs, spectacular badlands vistas, high rugged peaks, soft textured sand dunes and contrasting salt flats. You'll visit Mammoth Mountain and the river valley surrounds including several beautiful mountain lakes and dramatic canyons contrasting with the vibrant, spectacular fall (Autumn) colours. We'll visit the quaint cafe on the mountain near Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the United States (outside Alaska) and photograph the surrounding Alabama Hills, a scenic treasure and magnet for landscape photographers. Mono Lake, formed 760,000 years ago and home to millions of migrating birds, Mono Lake is a unique sight to see and photograph, producing different hues and colors at sunrise and sunset. You'll be captivated by this amazing place. You'll see Bodie, the largest preserved (un-restored) ghost town of the west, dating back to 1877. For those interested in the old west, it is fascinating wandering around the deserted, dusty streets with a wide-angle lens and soaking in the spirit of this historic wild-west town. You'll have the opportunity to take flight over the mountains and lakes on an optional helicopter ride. Simply stunning! We will cross Tioga Pass, the highest pass in California and without doubt the most spectacular with waterfalls, rivers, wildflowers, towering mountains and wildlife. We have allowed a full day to photograph the highlights of Tioga Pass, which ends in our highlight destination, Yosemite National Park and the place Ansel Adams spent 68 years of his life photographing. Ansel Adams Bio Yosemite is a simply unforgettable experience – you experience nature at its finest. We will spend four days photographing the glacier carved valleys and mountains from many different angles - sunrise and sunset and at night under the full moon! This trip has been planned to take in the beauty of the fall colours , just when the first snows of winter are arriving. Next we're off to San Francisco where we spend two days to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge, the redwood trees and the wild windswept coastal scenery. The more adventurous will have the opportunity to take a helicopter flight which actually flies under the Golden Gate Bridge. Departing San Francisco we head south and take in the Big Sur. Fabulous coastal scenery with an abundance of wildlife and sea-birds will make this a fitting finale to our grand adventure. We will be staying in comfortable accommodation including mountain cabins and travelling in our own private bus with ample time factored in to upload photos and learn from the review sessions with your professional photographer guides, Mark and Michael. The cost for this incredible 15 day experience is USD $6760.00 single occupancy starting and finishing in Los Angeles, California. A $500.00 deposit will secure your position today. More details are on the Trekabout website -> here or call Mark on 0459 221678 for more information. We hope you can join us. Cheers, Mark

Little Wattlebird with Chicks

I was walking the dog this morning and as I headed back to the house I spotted some movement in the tree just outside the front door. 
A Little Wattlebird. 
Hadn't seen one of this around here so I was happy that my native tree plantings were bringing new visitors and then I heard it. 
Little, tiny chirps directly above me.   Mum was here to feed her chicks so I was heading off to grab the camera and a big ladder. 
Gotta love Mother Nature. Cheers, Mark 

If you enjoy bird photography check out our 5 Day Mountain Experience coming up in February, We do quite a few bird sessions including birds in flight. Great fun and lots of learning opportunities 

Here is the -> LINK

Free online sell, buy and swap your photography gear

Hi , Many of you would remember that in my err, less than regular, newsletters I had a section where you could advertise your photography gear. It was a free service but it all became way too much with lots of people wanting to sell lots of gear. I still get many requests now so, after having a chat with Michael, I've decided to create a brand new avenue for your to sell your gear, look for new stuff or simply find information on something you are considering purchasing. Check out our new Facebook Group, Trekabout's Photography Swap Meet by clicking on the image below and hop on board. Share with your friends and get the group growing. The more members the better the opportunities that your special lens that you have yearned for will pop up at the right price. The more the merrier. Oh, and of course it is free. Cheers, Mark

Click here to join

Adobe Photoshop CC New Features

Adobe are constantly improving their products and, of course, for photographers the most relevant Adobe products are Photoshop Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC.

The latest changes to Photoshop CC are very clever and for those that use the particular features, a great time saver.

Here is a link to the latest Adobe video outlining the new features. Of particular interest are the Shake Reduction, Perspective Warp,  and improvements to text and Smart Sharpening.

Check out the video below.

My next Post Processing Bootcamps in Brisbane and Melbourne are coming soon:

Brisbane 22 - 23 February 2014

Melbourne 1 -2 March 2014

Perspective Warp:

From this

To this

Just crop or fill in the blank area and your done.

Melbourne Post Processing and Workflow Bootcamps - Lightroom and Photoshop - New dates released

Post Processing and Workflow Bootcamp - Lightroom and Photoshop

MELBOURNE - New date released for 1-2 March 2014 Hi, I am pleased to announce  new dates for my Melbourne Post Processing Bootcamp. The Melbourne **workshop will be held over the weekend of 1st and 2nd March 2014 at Oakley South Pacific - Head Office in St Kilda. Like the Brisbane workshop numbers are limited to 10 people to ensure maximum learning opportunities. This workshop is designed for the beginner to fast track entry into the world of Lightroom and Photoshop, but still caters for the more experienced user wanting to hone their skills and learn new tips and tricks. Some comments from past participants: Chris Holland wrote: This was such a useful weekend... I'm still in mental overload, but excited about putting into practice so many of the ideas that I absorbed. Thanks to Mark and the rest of the group for making it all so worthwhile. There wasn't one unanswered question!! Anne Reid wrote: Was a great weekend, yes it was a great venue. Easy parking, close to shops and beach for the lunch time breather. Must mention the great teacher and the surprises we all received with some of the things we learnt. Heather Streatfield wrote: Am feeling especially inspired after my photography Bootcamp this weekend. Alarm set for 3.45am, it's time to drag this butt out of bed for a summer sunrise! Here is a rundown of what to expect over the weekend. Phototrek - 8:30am Saturday We will all be photographing together in the surrounding area and this shoot will provide most of the imagery for the weekend's processing tuition. You will be working from scratch on images from your own camera, far preferable than working on supplied images which may have totally different characteristics than your own. Morning Tea Session 1 This session covers the basics of Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw and de-mystifying the connections of both with Photoshop. Mark will show you how best to transfer your images to your computer and some convenient protocols for folder naming and storage. We will also look at the benefits of utilising Lightroom 4 and 5 for this process. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 1 Session 2 This session will cover image adjustment and enhancement in Camera Raw / LR4 - 5 and look at a number of techniques to speed up the post-processing workflow. We will look at the various adjustment modules and tools which will become the backbone of your image processing. Session 3 - 8:30am Sunday We will start to get into some of the new user friendly aspects of Photoshop and really begin to make a difference to our RAW files to produce images with that "Wow" factor. We'll look at the best way to set up your tool panels and optimise your workspace to suit your style and needs. You will explore the different tools available in Photoshop and how and when to use them. 10:30am Morning Tea Session 4 To help speed up the workflow process we will begin to incorporate plug-ins, presets, actions and scripts. As well as providing you with many ready to use presets, Mark will guide you through the process of creating your own actions to speed up processes that you find yourself doing more often. You'll learn how to create stunning, unique and interesting backgrounds for your "studio" portraits and much more. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 4 Session 5 By this session you will have a new understanding of presets, actions, scripts, plug-ins, batch processing, curves, layers, masks, resolution, filters and many more terms.This session will put your new found knowledge and skills to work and consolidate what you have learned into a smooth and efficient workflow. We will also look at the basics of some of the hot topics of digital photography such as HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama stitching and more. You will be provided wit actions, scripts and various plugins for use during the workshop. If you have any special or problem files you wish to work on please bring them along (time permitting). All the details can be found on the website  here -> Melbourne Price: $396.00 Hope you can make it along. Cheers, Mark Questions? Please give me a call on 0459 221678 or shoot me an email.

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year Everyone, I hope 2014 brings you every happiness. I thought I'd give you a kick start to the year with a quick rundown on some tech tools I found handy in 2013 and maybe you'll find them useful too. I've also put together a photo essay of my 2013 (with a little inspiration from my daughter Jess, she did one first :-)) I hope you enjoy it, but first here are my seven favourite apps for 2013. Just click on the images to go to the app. If you are using an Android device, many of these apps are also available to you. The eGuide to Australian Birds is essential if you love photographing birds. I don't profess to be a bird expert by any stretch but I do like to know what I have photographed and this app is brilliant. Works on iPhone and iPad and worth every cent. Snapseed by Google (previously NIK) is my goto app for processing images on my phone or iPad. Has all that you need to enhance your basic images and make them a little bit special. It'll break the bank too at $0.00!!! Just get it. If you are new to photography or struggling with the concept of Depth of Field (DOF) then this app is for you. I still use it to demonstrate to workshop participants just how aperture, f-stops and DOF all come together. Well worth the 99 cents :-) If you are heading off for a shoot, landscape, birds, wildlife, portrait or any outdoor subject, then it pays to know what the weather is doing. This app automatically provides the weather for your location giving you sunrise and sunset and also access to tide tables and radar. Great if you are trying to capture those amazing storm front images. Another very handy tool for the landscape photographer The Photographer's Ephemeris or TPE. You can download a free version for your laptop or desktop computer but the mobile app is far more useful. TPE shows you exactly where the sun and moon will rise and set on a satellite map and even allows for geographic interference (sunrise down in a valley will be much later than at the top of the ridge). Great for planning ahead. 500PX is the place to go for inspiration or just to enjoy some amazing photography. Make sure you 'Follow' me once you log on :-))) Good old iBooks comes with your Apple device but one use you may have overlooked is the ability to view and store your PDFs. Especially useful for your camera, flash and lens manuals (yes lenses come with manuals and some really need it too!) I personally find it invaluable for this purpose so that when running a workshop I have most popular camera model's manuals on hand. Oh, and its great for reading ebooks too :-) So there you go. Seven very handy apps for any photographer and now here is my 2013 Photo Essay. Have a fantastic 2014!! Cheers, Mark