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Nature Photography with Sarah
In Australia, we have a tradition of fine wilderness photography, a natural response to our unique landscapes. Like many others, I have been particularly inspired by the work of the Tasmanian wilderness photographer Peter Dombrovskis. However, it was only when Andrew and I began producing nature albums, that I started focusing seriously on my own photography. Being thrown in at the deep end, I had little choice but to learn through my own experience. In the past I have used a Nikon F3 camera, with 24, 28, 50 and 500mm lenses, and professional colour transparency (slide) film - most often a low speed film such as Fuji Velvia (50 ISO) or Fuji Provia (100 ISO), as these give the greatest colour saturation and clarity. Recently however I have gone digital - and now use a Canon 40D with 16-35mm, 28-135mm zoom lenses for landscape, and a 300mm lens with 1.4x teleconverter for birds and wildlife. This removes the need for carrying and protecting film, particularly in hot tropical climates. Our field trips to Sulawesi, Thailand, Nepal and India were a good test for this equipment, and I've never had problems. All digital images are stored on either Vistascan 30Gb or Jobo 120Gb storage drives. I often use long exposure times - many of the photos here were taken with 2-8 second exposures. This requires the use of a sturdy tripod at all times, but allows me to shut the lense down to achieve the greatest depth of field, or photograph the often beautiful effects of subtle natural light.
Both Andrew and I feel very privileged in
the work that we do, and I hope that the images presented here convey
some of the fragile beauty and wonder of our natural world." |
"My love for Australia's natural environments
is something that I have had ever since I was very young. Camping and
travelling are things that I have always enjoyed with my family, and
for Andrew and I, spending time in the bush with each other and friends
has always been a part of our life together.
I love the perspective one gains when you look at the bush through a
lens - the way one can accentuate a particular feature of a landscape,
or focus upon a detail that would otherwise be quite ordinary. This often
leads to a consideration of what to leave out of an image, as being as
important as what to include.