Interesting Pete
I'd love to get my hands on a large format camera and all associated goodies for a week or so to play with.... especially for my up-coming trip to Kununurra (far north Western Australia) followed by a trip to Tasmania in the next couple of weeks! I'm really looking forward to it, and should be able to capture the Australian landscape at two very different extremes.
I've never been far north in Western Australia, and while I grew up in Tasmania this will be the first time I've had my DSLR there
Has anyone here got any experience using Canon's TS-E lenses? I'm fascinated by these tilt/shift lenses for 35mm cameras - as they allow the same kind of movements that are normally only possible with a view camera to correct perspective distortion and change the angle of the focal plane for amazing control over DOF. But at AU$2400 each, I'm not in a big hurry to go out and buy one to experiment with.
Also, have any of you guys seen Peter Dombrovski's work?
He was a very well known large format Tasmanian landscape photographer (he died not that long ago)... and while his work was stunning, it has spawned hundreds of Dombrovski wannabe's... so unfortunately a lot of his images are becoming cliche and diluted by a million lesser attempts to capture the same shot in the same way. Also the fact that probably half the postcards that get sent from Tasmania feature one of his photos doesn't do anything to prevent them becoming cliche.
But I must admit that I grew up in awe of his shots, and he opened my eyes to landscape photography. There are a lot of beautiful scenes to shoot in Tassie (and a number of them get shot over and over by every tourist or hiker), but his are *always* instantly recognisable and have a unique and wonderful quality about them. I think there is also some of his influence in my own work in terms of a richness of contrast and colour I often try to pull out of a photo.
If you aren't familiar with Dombrovski, but want to see some similar work... check out Geoff Murray (
http://www.geoffmurray.com).
Many of the scenes Murray photographs are beautiful, but IMHO he isn't in the same league as Dombrovski. I think Murray tends to take the easy touristy way options with his shots and the stuff he shoots deserves to be on postcards (and they are).. Dombrovski's stuff is wasted on postcards though - it should be hanging on gallery walls and appreciated properly, not glanced at then thrown away.
But anyone who is prepared to lug a large format camera on a 10-day hike through the Western Arthur Ranges in Tasmanian weather deserves some credit, coz their ain't no roads that go through there! The only other way in is by chopper.