"La Mouette au Soleil" - New photo on @500px gallery

Today I posted a photo taken a few weeks back, on the same morning I tool the photos for the OMOE 2014 (One Minute On Earth - check the www.kujaja.com website if you haven't yet).

It was taken one my way back from the shooting session, going back to the car park from the St Kilda Pier. I saw this seagull looping around, then landing on one post, obviously enjoying a rest as well as the warm rays of the rising sun:

The link to the 500px gallery is below:
http://500px.com/photo/76325917/la-mouette-au-soleil-by-gilles-royer

What I liked in this shot is the beautiful warm light (arriving from the right hand side, where the sun has just come above the horizon), highlighting the details in the feathers. You can even see through the nostril on the beak if you look closely! 

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for your visit!

"Morning in Docklands" photo posted on @500px

Another photo from the series "Morning in..."

Winter is cold down here, and quite wet, but this is also a great time of year to get out early and catch the first lights, whilst the air is very clear and crisp. I went last weekend around Docklands (check the other post from the Bolte Bridge: http://australianlightseeker.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/new-post-on-500px-gallery-morning-at.html), and made my way along the river towards the city. 

By the time I arrived in Docklands, the sun was up, which gave me a beautiful warm light. I took this shot of the marina near Webb Bridge, and opted for a long exposure (6 seconds) to enhance that calm mood, and get the smooth effect you can see on the water:

I've also posted it on my 500px gallery, at the following link: http://500px.com/photo/76077427/morning-in-docklands-by-gilles-royer

Thanks for your visit!

New Post on @500px gallery - "Morning at the Bolte"

Inspired by the One Minute On Earth 2014 challenge a couple of weeks ago (please check kujaja.com for more information on OMOE 2014, and here or here for photos taken during that photo shoot), I decided to wake up early again today, and head towards Docklands, to get a view at the City from the West and at the Bolte Bridge (below).

This time of year (it's winter here in Melbourne) is great, as first lights are not too early, and the mornings are very crisp (which also means very cold, but those things I do to get a photo!), which lends itself very well to this type of landscape photography.

So here is the shot I posted on my 500px gallery (http://500px.com/photo/75673433/morning-by-the-bolte-by-gilles-royer) - I decided to go for a B&W edit, to enhance the mood and highlight the lights on the bridge.

Below is the actual original shot in colour

This is obviously a long exposure shot (5s). I also tried to use a new ND filter (+4), but the images above are shot without it, as I'm not yet 100% of the result. But I have a variable ND filter in the post, due any days now, so I'll give that one a try and keep you posted.

Let me know which version of the image above you prefer, and thanks for your visit

New post @500px - The Seagull and The Light

Following my shooting last weekend for One Minute On Earth project (see the great www.kujaja.com website), when I went early morning on the St Kilda Pier, I've now posted this shot of a  seagull (you can also see it in my 500px gallery: http://500px.com/photo/75113065):

This was taken about 7.50am, so 15mins or so after the sunrise, when the rays of the sun strike the water almost horizontally.

I was trying to take shots of the seagulls in full flight (quite tricky to get a sharp image, VR stabilisation or not on the lens!), and only got a few good ones. This one was shot against the water, with the sun light coming from beneath the body of the seagull, making the feather glow with a warm orange light

I also really enjoy the effect of the light on the water, which was very still that morning.

Hope you also  like it, and thanks for your visit!

My entry for One Minute On Earth 2014

If you haven't heard of it (and I hadn't before this year!) please go and check the www.kujaja.com website. It is a group of photographers who are running photo competitions, but also books for dedicated charities. One of their key book is the "One Minute On Earth" (OMOE) where photographers from all over the world all take a shot at the same time - this year it was at 9pm UTC on Saturday 21st June.

I decided to enter, because the photographers running it are so passionate, and it is such a great cause. For the Eastern coast of Australia, it meant it was Sunday 22nd June at 7am that I'd have to click, which is a great time to capture the first lights before the sun rises.

After a bit of to and fro, I decided to go for a shot in an iconic location, being the view of the Melbourne CBD, from the St Kilda Pier.

I put my alarm clock early enough, to have time to wake up, drive there, and set up before 7am (the photo must be taken between 7am and 7.01am). But... alarm went off, I snoozed, and I went back to sleep, only to look again at the clock to see 6.20am!!! I can tell you I've never been ready so fast, and the drive, luckily, was quick at that time of the morning (lucky - no cops either, I might have sped a tiny bit!!!), and I parked at 6.50am, with only 10 mins to walk the length of the pier, set up the tripod, and do a few tests shot. 

But apart from that, I must say it was weather perfect conditions for such a shot - although very cold (not to self - bring gloves next time!) - the air was very crisp, which made for a very sharp shot. Also, no rain, no wind, and at 7 am, the first lights are about to arrive (official first lights were at 7.10am, with sunrise at 7.35am).

Anyway, here's my entry for this year's OMOE 2014 photo book:
http://www.kujaja.com/en/photo/29362

Also, please have a look at all the entries posted on that website (http://www.kujaja.com/en/photobooks/photos/one-minute-on-earth-2014), the level of quality is really great, and the initiative is really fantastic - imaging a virtual community of photographers, all clicking at the same time around the world, unified for a common cause. Great work Gido and Francisco for organising it!

I also stayed a bit later than 7am, waiting for the sunrise, and posted one on my 500px gallery:
http://500px.com/photo/75013109

The Story Behind... Blue Hour at Cowes Jetty

Back from my holiday in Phillip Island, I posted this new photo in my 500px gallery (http://500px.com/photo/65154481), titled "Blue Hour at Cowes Jetty"

Blue Hour at Cowes Jetty (c) Gilles Royer 2014 - Nikon D200 / AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm / 24mm / 3sec / f/3.8

Phillip Island is situated east of Port Phillip Bay, and is famous worldwide for hosting the Moto GP in February. But as I discovered this week, it is a beautiful spot, only 1.5 hour or so from Melbourne, and full of stunning landscapes and outdoor activities. 

On Wednesday morning, I got up early to have a go at the sunrise. Staying in Cowes, on the North side of the island (and being the main town thereof), I decided to go close, to the jetty. I took a few shots, from the beach on the western side of the jetty, then moved to this side (east) as I thought the long jetty would block most of the sun as it rises behind it. I therefore settled at the start of the jetty, and waited for the sun to point its nose over the horizon. This one was taken in the blue hour before the actual sunrise.

I had my tripod, and screwed on a polarising filter in front of the lens, and set it for a long exposure - 3 seconds - at ISO 100, to get maximum details, and get that smooth effect over the water. The light on the bottom left-hand side of the shot, on the stones, comes from the street lamp over, and helped me bring the textures of those beautiful bluestones.

Quite a few people were also walking on the jetty, so you can see some silhouettes there. That's the perfect time for fishing, not just taking photos!

Unfortunately, the sky was quite cloudy above the horizon, so I didn't get (looking towards the east - or to the right of the photo) a good sunrise. When the sun pierced through the clouds, it was already high above the horizon, and to bright to take directly. 

Hope you enjoy it. When I have a bit more time, I'll post more photos of the Phillip Island trip, as well as my (not happy) story re my jammed lens...

Thanks again for your visit!