I recently had the pleasure of visiting Malaysia and here are the some of the images I captured along the way. First was Kuala Lumpur for two days (which was mostly spent shopping) and then nine days on Penang Island off the west coast of Malaysia. I would definitely recommend Malaysia as a holiday destination; with warm temperatures all year round, friendly people with amazing hospitality, many things for site seeing and shopping like you wouldn’t believe.
Just click on the thumbnail to enlarge each image and press the back button to return to the main page. Enjoy, and if you are interested in purchasing any of images for your wall at home, let me know via email.
I’m proud to announce I have recieved a Silver Award in the 2011 Better Photography Magazine, Photo of the Year Awards. Better Photography is one of my favourite Australian photography magazines and occasionally I’ll give the competitions a go, just to see how I go. Not a category winner, but I’m happy to get a score of over 80 which is better than I have done before.
The photo I entered is of the peak of Mt Cook amongst the Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand I took from a Helicopter ride up to 3800meters above sea level. This sight is the greatest I have ever seen and I was high enough to see both the east and west coasts of New Zealand at the same time. This stunning image is now one of the many fine art prints I offer for sale with a limit to 10 editions only. Be the first to get edition one with any of the prices listed below.
10 Editions
8×12” Metallic Print in Gallery Frame $110 12×16” Metallic Print in Gallery Frame $170 8×12” Craftwood Mount (Met. Paper) $110 20×30” Craftwood Mount (Met. Paper) $300 20×30” Metallic Print Only $160 16×24” i-Direct Acrylic Mount $400 20×30” i-Direct Acrylic Mount $470
Print Glossary
I-Direct Acrylic Mounts – A unique and ultra modern mount made from clear Archival Grade Acrylic with the image bonded to the back using a UV curing process. This makes the print impervious to condensation build up and mould attack. Colours are accurate and the detail is brilliant. The mounting method utilises a channel system and a spacer to give a floating appearance on the wall. The image is also completely borderless, so not to distract from it.
Craftwood (MDF) Mounting – A print is bonded to a 10mm Medium Density Fibreboard Panel with black edges and utilises the channel mount system. Not recommended for areas exposed to steam or any moisture. The Craftwood Mount is a well priced alternative to other mount types.
Metallic Paper Prints – This paper is the most striking paper type on the market, which is perfectly suited for landscape photographs. The image takes on an almost 3Dimensional quality with incredible detail and explosive colours. The finish is high gloss and it can be either framed in traditional frames, bonded to Craftwood or Foam Core.
If the print were to be exposed it is laminated in an archival grade lacquer for longevity.
Gallery Frame – This frame is what is known as a traditional black wooden frame with a white matt. This is so the frame is not distracting from the artwork. It comes with a basic rope for hanging.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Zoe and Ryan at ever beautiful Inglewood Estate in Kangaroo Ground, Victoria. The weather held out and didn’t rain on the parade fortunately, giving us the opportunity to shoot the formal part of the photography outside. It was only when everyone went inside for the party at the restaurant the heavens opened up a little. Lets say I got only a little wet when photographing the exterior of the venue. Enjoy some teaser photos until the full blog post in about five or six weeks. Stay tuned for the rest of Yael and Simon’s Autumn wedding in the coming days.
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the union between two amazing souls, Yael and Simon. The weather was perfect, the trees were full of colour and smiles were everywhere. Here is just a taste of some of the images taken on the day, stay tuned for a full blog post in a few weeks.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to work with the ever talented Robb Duncan of Pixxil Photography at the wedding of Steph and Steve in Sorrento Victoria. The day was perfect, the setting was perfect, overall it was a great day for the ceremony at Sorrento Park followed by a party fuelled reception at the Baths Restaurant which was a lot of fun. Working as a second shooter I was taking images a little different from when I work as the primary photographer, it gives a slightly different perspective and more candid images than the main photographer on the day, which gives you that extra something for your photobook or album. MV Photography offers the service of an additional hired professional photographer to any of the packages in the pricing guide.
On Saturday March 5th I had the privilege of photographing Nicole & Billy’s wedding on Phillip Island and the reception in San Remo at the exquisite SilverWater Resort. You may remember the first Engagement Session I have ever photographed with them in January. I couldn’t imagine a day with better weather, it was 19 degrees, very lightly clouded with a gentle sea breeze. The day went without a hitch, everything happened on time, there were no wardrobe malfunctions and we had a great afternoon of amazing locations for the photography. Congratulations to Nicole and Billy, Belinda and I wish you all the best for the future. Be sure to keep an eye on the blog and the Facebook page to see more images of this fantastic wedding.
The boys are making sure Billy looks sharp
The girls and mum come see the bride Nicole.
Shoes are on, ready to get married
Billy's mum takes in the moment her son and Nicole get announced as husband and wife
Billy's father had this immensely proud look on his face all day
The Best Man Nathan seems to think he'd be better off a Bridesmaid
An awesome looking crew. I'm saving more bridal party photos for later
I couldn't resist. It would make a great photobook opening spread
Photos under the bridge over to Phillip Island
Just a few of the great locations we shot at during the afternoon
I had the opportunity recently to second shoot for well known Victorian Wedding Photographer Robb Duncan of Pixxil Photography down in Sorrento. The couple could not have asked for a better day, as the weather was fantastic and enjoyed by all the guests at this relaxed garden wedding in Sorrento Park. Hopefully soon we’ll see some more images of this fantastic wedding which was a pleasure to shoot.
Also coming soon is a ‘How To’ article on a recent Engagement Photo Shoot I did recently, which will show how I tackled some portraits with Off Camera Flash on location.
I am very excited to introduce my new DVD Folio and 11×11″ Buckram Finish Debossed Photobook to my range of products for Wedding, Engagement and Portrait Clients. These products have been carefully chosen to represent my business and provide an excellent level of quality to the buyer. The DVD Folio comes as standard with the Digital Deluxe and Deluxe with Print Credit Packages and the book can be purchased separately at anytime. Duplicate DVDs in a custom folio will cost $75 and the book is $370 for a 40side 11×11″ book with a matching slip case and the new premium Lustre paper. The book comes as standard in black, but many other colours and materials are available upon request. Have a look at all the images for a closer look.
Contemporary Design
Classy Looks
Hand Applied Film Pattern Ribbon
DVD Folio Gift Box
No ties or ribbons to get tangled up!
Leather Finish Folio in protective wrap
Duplicate DVD in a folio is $50 with any other purchase
Your photo inside for that personal touch along with an Archival Grade Disc
Matching Slipcase on Photobook
De-Bossed Image on Buckram or Leather Finish (Black Buckram shown)
Names and Wedding date on inside cover (80sides shown)
Strong Press Quality Binding
All layouts are custom and not 'Auto Fill Page' layouts to better tell the story
Simple, classic layouts with timeless white or sometimes black backgrounds
Top quality and exclusive Lustre Photo Paper for great image sharpness and contrast
Full bleed layouts dotted throughout
Attention previous wedding clients! Get this 11×11″ book with matching slipcase and 40 sides for an introductory price of $300. Valid until the 14th of February 2011. Extra sides (pages/layouts) are $15each. Just email me with “Photobook Special” in the subject line to marcel@mvphotography.com.au for details on how to arrange your purchase.
I spent last Sunday evening with the awesome Nicole and Billy to photograph their engagement session in St Kilda (where Billy proposed) before their wedding in March this year. We were blessed with, just ok weather, not pouring rain like it has been lately and in other parts of the country (especially Queensland), albeit it was a little windy. What I was happy with though, was the cloudy sky to give me a nice soft light and we then finished off the night with one of the best sunsets I have seen for over two years. This was actually my first E-session ever, so I was very thrilled to do it and we all had a great time.
Stay tuned for the full session in the coming weeks, including a great series of flash lit shots that I’m especially proud of. I would like to thank Nicole and Billy for their time and for being a great couple to direct for shots and also a massive thank you to my assistant (I couldn’t have done this without him), Travis who lugged my lighting case around the busy streets of St Kilda and got me the bits I needed for the shot swiftly and without a complaint. Thanks mate!
The subject matter isn’t the most exciting for some, but for some Strobist enthusiasts (people who love to photograph stuff with off camera flash to a point where it is nerdy) this stuff is great! The setup for this was relatively simple and can be achieved with manual flash or ETTL, wired or wireless. I used a combination of wireless manual flash and ETTL flash that was connected to a 10m (30ft) cord and controlled from the camera body. The purpose of the job was to photograph a car radio installation kit in a new Holden Captiva (aka Chevy) and steering wheel audio control interface kit. The images will be used in an industry brochure that is designed to announce the product’s introduction.
Now for the process: With no clear direction for the shots needed, I decided to shoot first and ask questions later and the client was more than happy with the results that I showed them on the back of the camera as I shot the job. The middle shot was photographed first using my Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens set to manual focus, 50mm focal length and f8 for good depth of field. Ideally this sort of work is photographed with a medium format camera and a tilt shift lens in a studio but I don’t have $50k worth of gear at my disposal. The tilt shift lens would have been used to match the product plane with focal plane of the camera to maintain perfect sharpness. I still got it to an acceptable level due to the size it will be printed at. I first determined a base exposure of 1/250th of a second at f8, ISO 100 to knock out the ambient light from the skylights in the warehouse where the car was located. With no ambient light to worry about, I built up the light bit by bit until I got good coverage and balance. First I setup one Canon 580EX-II speedlight on a stand and firing into a soft box to soften the light with an additional Stofen diffuser on the flash head. Here a battery pack and am ETTL cord can be seen.
The 60cm soft box on a stand through driver's window
I fired a few test frames to get the lighting right by using a few different positions through the windows and checked the results on the LCD of the camera. I was getting heavy shadows cast by the steering wheel over the focal point of the photograph, the radio fitting kit. I had to fill the shadows somehow, but I still wanted good contrast and blacks to suit the style of brochure that it was going to be in. First thing was to try bouncing the light back into the shadows, but I didn’t have a reflector with me. It wouldn’t have been any use because it would be too big to fit in the car anyway. I scoured the warehouse to find something white and I found an empty white cardboard box which was perfect. I first tried a small section but it didn’t do what I needed to do, so I had to result in using another flash to get more kick. So I rigged up another Canon 580EX-II flash on a table stand, a Stofen diffuser and a radio trigger to pop the flash during the shutter sequence. This I bounced into a larger sheet of cardboard with the flash mounted on the centre console to create a larger source of light to make it softer. I then experimented with power levels until I got the right balance of light and shadow. You can see here the flash is flagged with a piece of foam (a very commonly used piece of equipment in my bag) to prevent lens flare.
The high tech reflector
I took the photographs on a tripod to slow down the process in getting a good composition and to maintain maximum sharpness in the final file. I also used a suedo HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique on the wide shot of the dash as the shutter speed was too fast to record the lighting on the dash, so the only way to soak it into the shot I turned the flashes off and shot at 1/40th of a second to register the low light output of the dash lights. The two shots were combined in Photoshop and I merely combined the layers and used a mask to paint in the lights. I also used that frame to add more depth to the photograph as the top of the dash was totally black and it needed some life. All photos had to be prepared to a printable standard in post production, so the images had to look flawless. In order to keep my retouching time to a minimum I cleaned the car in the front top to bottom with a good quality cleaner and a towel. Once that was done, I used the air gun in the workshop to blow off any dust on the product to make my job of cloning out the dust specs much easier. I used some layer blending techniques to brighten and darken certain areas to highlight the product better. The image on the navigation was superimposed on the system as it never looks good if you try it in camera. I added a slight gradient of white over it to resemble the glare from the light source.
Well I hope someone got something out of this article as it was a lot of fun to shoot. Feel free to leave any comments or questions.
'Spotlight' A shaft of sunlight breaks the forest canopy
Just a quick post before I head to bed, this is shot I took at the Pancake Rocks, New Zealand of a shaft of light breaking the forest canopy to light this tree stump. I kept telling myself when I walked around New Zealand taking photos, that I should sometimes look beyond the major attraction and sometimes look down or go off the normal path taken by tourists. This tree stump caught my eye walking back to car as there just only this spot of light coming through the trees while the rest of area was fairly dark from the surrounding forest. While Belinda patiently waited on the path I went all terrain to get closer to the subject. I love the fact you can see the few strands of spider web caught by the sun.
How I got this shot is totally different to what the camera’s exposure meter would have set if I was on any of the auto modes. I set the camera to spot metering mode to get a reading off the sunlit side of the stump. This totally rendered the background and shadows completely black, so it frames the fine details that caught my eye to start with. It began with a vision in my head what the image would look like before I even took it. The aperture I selected was f3.2 on my Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens to get a shallow depth of field, but not totally wide open as most lenses are not at it’s sharpest then. The resulting shutter speed was 1/200th of second which is more than adequate to hand hold.
