Get Ready to Taste the Capricorn Coast

The Taste Capricorn Coast Food Trail was a project that I loved working on. The shoot itself spanned a number of weeks and had me visiting local farmers, producers and retailers all over the Capricorn Coast.

The project was part of the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery initiative and was created through the partnership of Capricorn Enterprise and Livingstone Shire Council.

The food trail is tourism focused and encourages visitors and local residents to tour, explore, and stay longer in the region. It also shines a light on the amazing local produce that we have right here in Central Queensland.

We captured images of everything from the produce itself, to the farmers that grow it, the retailers that sell it and the beautiful destination that it all resides in.

Be sure to check out the amazing website designed by Conway Creative and the fantastic content written by Brooke Tucker (Nutrition with Brooke).

tastecapricorncoast.com.au

Below I have included some of my favourite images from the project.

Queensland National Parks Image Collection

With my next series I thought I'd focus on some of my favourite Queensland National Parks. We have some stunning natural beauty here in the sunshine state and I know I'll be definitely getting back out there amongst it as soon as we are given the 'all clear'!

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Lamington National Park

This image was captured in Lamington National Park back in 2015 whilst on a road trip with my good friend Jeremy Rasnic. I actually have this particular shot hanging in my home printed on a massive 60x40" canvas.

Nikon D800 | ISO 100 | f/14 | 14mm | 4 sec

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Minerva Hills National Park

Minerva Hills National Park is the next location in this new series. I shot this back in 2016 during a 6 month caravanning trip. I feel that the park is a little underrated, as it is certainly not as well known as some of the other National Parks in Queensland's Central Highlands. It boasts spectacular views of the surrounding area and provides some great locations for photography.

It is also home to the famous Virgin Rock. On one section of Mount Zamia, there is a naturally formed likeness to the Virgin Mary and Child however in recent years the image is harder to see.

Olympus E-M5 Mark II | ISO 200 | f/3.5 | 62mm | 1/640th sec

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Blackdown Tableland National Park

Blackdown Tableland is an iconic national park situated off the Capricorn Highway just a few hours west of Rockhampton. It's one of my favourite locations to shoot with it being so close to home. It is a massive sandstone plateau that rises abruptly out of the flat plains surrounding it. In amongst it’s rugged cliffs you will find deep gorges and plunging waterfalls with pristine swimming holes to cool off in like the one in this image.

Sony A7rII | ISO 200 | f/4 | 70mm | 1/1250th sec

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Springbrook National Park

This shot was captured along the hike to Twin Falls in Springbrook National Park. This area of the Gold Coast hinterland boasts some of Queensland's best rainforest walks with a number of photo-worthy waterfalls.

The hike itself is relatively short (4kms), however it can take longer than expected as you will find yourself constantly stopping to admire the beautiful surroundings.

Sony A7rII | ISO 100 | f/11 | 16mm | 20 seconds

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Carnarvon Gorge National Park

The final national park in this series is an old favourite that I have been saving until last. I have visited Carnarvon Gorge National Park more than any other and it still sits at the top of my list for shooting locations in Queensland.

The hikes here are so rewarding. Everywhere you go there is something to photograph or native animals to study as they go about their business.

At Carnarvon Gorge you can easily forget about the outside world. This outback oasis allows you to disconnect from life's distractions and bask in the sweet serenity of its towering sandstone cliffs.

Nikon D800 | ISO 100 | f/11 | 20mm | 2.5 seconds

Keep Your Clients Engaged with 360° VR Tours

Its great to see businesses taking advantage of new technologies and in our current situation it seems we need all the help we can get. 

In this instance, CJ Homes Central Queensland are using a Virtual Tour I created for them to provide potential customers with an online walkthrough of one of their builds.

Whilst clients can't physically walk through the house due to social distancing, this VR Tour provides the next best thing.

If you think your business could benefit from having a Virtual Tour created, please contact me for more information.

Our tours can be viewed from a variety of devices including VR headsets, desktop computer or mobile.

Click the image below to view the CJ Homes tour.

Online Photography Editing Workshops

If you love photography and would like to know more about editing your photos in Lightroom and Photoshop, this may be of interest to you.

With so many of us self-isolating and spending more and more time at home, now is the perfect time to learn some cool techniques and short cuts for taking our images to the next level.

I am now taking bookings for online editing workshops. I will be running these either via Zoom, Skype or Google Hangouts. In these sessions I will be sharing my screen and going through the various editing techniques that I use for my images.

I will be offering 1 hour sessions for $50 (normally $65) during this period of social distancing. I am flexible with the time allocation though to allow for any technical difficulties that may arise with the connection.

The sessions will be catered to all skill levels.

If you are interested in making a booking or have any questions, please shoot me a message or click below to book your session.

Wildlife/Nature Image Collection

So about two weeks ago I decided to start posting images to my various social media channels in a collection or series rather than just random photographs. Each collection is made up of 5 images and will relate someway in subject, location or style.

This was the first of those collections. I very rarely post my wildlife images so I thought this might be a good one to start with. 

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I photographed this little guy while we were travelling around the Eyre Peninsula in 2016. It was a very difficult shot to get as these Welcome Swallows are incredibly fast and don't sit still for very long. 

Nikon D800 | ISO 250 | f/6.3 | 600mm | 1/400th sec

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The second image in this series is from Tasmania in Narawntapu National Park. I photographed this cute pademelon while hiking through the park one afternoon. 

Despite the large number of them throughout the park, they are very timid and don't like you getting too close. 

To ensure that I didn't seem so imposing, I kept my distance and got right down on the ground at his level. Fortunately I already had my 600mm lens attached to the camera, so getting up close from a distance was no problem at all.

Nikon D800 | ISO 1250 | f/8 | 500mm | 1/400th sec

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This image is definitely one of my favourite wildlife shots. It was captured while walking around Adelaide Zoo in 2016. It kind of feels like cheating when you are photographing animals at a zoo as opposed to in the wild, but it's a great way to practice your technique. 

Nikon D800 | ISO 1000 | f/8 | 600mm | 1/250th sec

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This shot was taken near the wetlands that are adjacent to the Rockhampton Airport. The colour of the water surrounding the heron was quite dull and I found that by boosting my overall exposure, it gave the image an ethereal look. 

Nikon D800 | ISO 640 | f/8 | 600mm | 1/400th sec

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My final image in this wildlife series is a pretty common subject, especially here in Queensland. Rainbow Lorikeets are curious birds that aren't too shy around humans, especially when it comes to food. Despite the fact that they are so common, they are one of most beautifully coloured birds around.

I love this shot because of the light and the way the shallow depth of field gives the image a really painterly effect.

This image was taken at the Gardens Tearooms. Anyone local to Rockhampton will know how many of these birds frequent that location and how cheeky they can be when asking you to share your lunch :)

Sony A7rII | ISO 2000 | f/2.8 | 70mm | 1/400th sec