Competition Results

Each year I enter the International Loupe Awards and last year was no different!

I entered 5 photos in two categories, 3 in the nature section and 2 in the sport section. I received 4 bronze awards.

I have attached the results pages for the awards. I have also attached the 3 nature photos. The two baseball photos I entered can be seen in my blog dated the 11/12/11.

                          

Welcome 2012!!

Welcome back to the Smoking Camera Blog for 2012!

I hope you are as well rested as I am. The first thing I want to blog about this year is Outdoor active/waterproof cameras. These cameras are a great way to take interesting photos, the best part about them is that you can get great shots without having to worry about damaging your camera.

I currently use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 which is a great camera and has all the bells and whistles. This little camera can go place my Canon 5D can't.

Below is a photo of my fathers dog, Buckley, catching a ball in the ocean in Queensland. By using the Lumix I can be in the water photographing the dog looking back at the beach, instead of being on the beach looking into the water.

White Tigers - the final post for 2011

This is my last post for 2011...however I'll be back on Monday the 23rd of January 2012. I thought I'd finish the year with my white tiger photos. About 12 months ago I went to the Singapore Zoo. If you ever get the opportunity to visit the Singapore Zoo, do so, it's one of the worlds great Zoos. I had a great day. There's so much to do and see. 

Anyway have a great break and I'll blog you in the new year!!

SD Padres v NY Mets Major League Baseball

I'm a bit of a baseball fan and when I was recently in the USA on holidays, I took the opportunity to attend several...okay a lot of Major League Baseball games. One of my favorite MLB stadiums to watch baseball, is the home of the San Diego Padres - PETCO park in San Diego. Here are some of the MLB photos I took while at the Padres games.

These photos are from San Diego Padres and New York Mets. If you are in the USA and looking for MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL tickets or concert tickets, I use a great ticket website called stubhub. I'll be uploading more baseball photos to my website in the near future...

New Camera and a visit to Terrigal, NSW

As of two weeks ago I have upgraded from my Canon 50D to a brand spanking new Canon 5D Mk2! The Canon 5D MK2 handles great so far, although I'm still coming to terms with the buttons in different places and the HD video abilities. I haven't really tested it for long periods in the field yet but so far it appears like a good investment.

I headed to Terrigal on the NSW coast for a birthday party and took this picture while out exploring.  This was the first field test for the new Canon 5D camera. This is a panoramic photo of 'The Skillon' and the ocean.

Below is a photo of Norahhead lighthouse, which is just out of Terrigal. The light house overlooks a beach which is great for photography! The beach had rocky edges with the waves crashing over them. I took some photos but I haven't processed them yet, however as soon as I do they'll be on my website.

I hadn't been to Terrigal before but it certainly a very sunny and relaxing part of NSW.

Zoo Visits

Zoo's are a great place to take the camera. I'm a regular visitor to the Melbourne Zoo, I'm also a 'Friend of the Zoo' member, which allows me unlimited access. This is also a great way to support the zoo. I've been to many Zoo's around the world, San Diego, Melbourne, Taronga (Sydney), Tokyo, Singapore and Australia Zoo, to name a few. I'm posting a few photos that I really like. They were all taken at Melbourne Zoo except the Gorilla and her baby which was taken at Tokyo Zoo. To view more of my Zoo Animal photos click on any of the photo's below.

 

Digital Photography & Design Magazine

Digital Photography & Design magazine ran a photo competition in the June/July edition of the magazine with the theme of black & white.

 

I entered the competition with a photo I took in Japan. I was very excited when I brought the magazine and saw my photo had made it into a select group that were published. The photo is of Osaka Castle (Osaka, Japan). I shot this in using the Monochrome setting. I was using my Canon EOS 50D, using a Canon 10-22mm lens, which is my favorite lens.  I made some minor adjustments in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS4.