Master Your Camera in Blackburn, Victoria, Australia | Photographer

Master Your Camera

Locality: Blackburn, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 435 377 065

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26.01.2022 Summer is a great time for insect photography and this year the warm humid weather has brought them out in great numbers and varieties that I haven't seen for ages. i have spent the last 6 weeks monitoring the life on a Silver wattle bush - firstly to document the life cycle of the imperial blue butterfly and then I found all these other creatures that are associated with them. I found Horned Leaf hoppers, CoccidBbugs, Tyrant Ants, Camponotus Ants and more. A Naturalists' paradise! Here are a few photos from there.

25.01.2022 Do you like Roses? I am one of the guest speakers at the Rose Society Show this weekend at the Mount Waverly Community Centre. I am talking on Photographing Roses at 2.45 pm Saturday. Come and hear my talk and see the Roses. Check this link for details. http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/events

25.01.2022 I always love taking animal photos - even at the sanctuaries. The key is to have patience & wait for the animal to do something interesting. While you are waiting, get all your exposures and focus right and do some test shots. Then you will be ready when the animal reacts to something or moves into position.

25.01.2022 Here are the Butterfly photos that didn't end up going with the blurb below!

23.01.2022 The other really nice thing about rain days is the raindrops on leaves and the fact that it makes all the colours look richer. To capture the raindrops you need to get your camera angle right so the light shines on the drops. To get your rich colours, be careful not to make the exposure too light - slightly darker is better. Select a simple background for single specimens too. You can also get some amusing shots like the face of my dog in a hail storm! If you are interested in learning more about seeing and learning how to use light to make your photos look better, I am running a trip called 'Seeing Light' on Sat 27th May. For more info go to www.masteryourcamera.com.au and go to the page on Day Trips

23.01.2022 The Melbourne Orchid Spectacular Show 2 weeks ago was great. Many people visited my stand and were interested in learning photography or just liked looking at the photos. I won 1st prize in the photography competition that the organizers (OSCOV) ran. I was thrilled. The photo of the single orchid was photographed with lighting from LED lights - one from the left & one from behind. The black background shows the orchid up well.

23.01.2022 Hi Everyone, One of the dilemmas people have is which lens to use. Also, what is a wide angled lens or a telephoto lens. I wrote an article for my newsletter in Tech Tips and it is now on my web site with a variety of photos and explanations. Below are a few of the photos. Here is the link to the page. https://www.masteryourcamera.com.au/tech-tips.html

23.01.2022 We have been having some classes on location and capturing some wonderful images. My students are learning heaps as they apply the techniques with guidance. Last week we observed light changing, alternatively highlighting objects and then rendering them obscure. Tomorrow we will be photographing Sea Scapes. It will be low tide this time, with rock pools and more to challenge our techniques. The following week is the zoo!

22.01.2022 I was thrilled to find a butterfly event happening in my local park in Blackburn. The Imperial Blue Butterfly caterpillars and pupae are attended and protected by ants. The first butterflies to hatch are the males and these then stand guard over the pupae, waiting for the females to hatch so they can mate. You often see the tree surrounded by flying butterflies and ones sitting and waiting. I was pleased to be able to take a series of photos of this happening. There are stil...l some caterpillars yet to mature, so I will have a good chance of getting more photos. Getting photos of the males with their wings open takes a lot of patience and a good sunny day. If you are interested in learning how to take photos like these, check out the classes in Master Your Camera - especially the Macro Workshop that will be scheduled soon (you can put your name down on the 'I am Interested List'). See more

21.01.2022 Well, the Photography Expo is almost upon us. I have been working hard to print some amazing photographs for you all to see. Some of my students have put photos in too and they are awesome!! So come along next Sunday 31st August to Blackburn Lake Visitors Centre from 10 - 4pm to see great photos and free lectures/demos etc. Bring your camera too. http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/events

21.01.2022 What a wonderful series of trips we have had. The seascapes at Pearse's beaches was absolute magic. Even at low tide, the sea was wild with waves crashing on the platforms of seaweed and blow holes as well. At the end of the day the low sun turned the water to liquid silver. Today we had a discussion day and reviewed our photos. Great for learning.

20.01.2022 These photos were taken on our very successful trip to the Shipwreck Coast

18.01.2022 Wow! what a great class we had for the first of the Level 2 Back to Basics. Our lesson was on Texture and Form and we visited the beautiful and historic Kew Cemetary. Keen students learnt the tricks and techniques on how to reveal the texture and shape of beautiful statues, headstones and crypts.

18.01.2022 We have had some wonderful Workshops and Day trips so far this month. How to Photograph your Dog was a great success with two wonderful models to photograph. Check out the photos and if you want to learn how to photograph your dog or cat there are some more classes coming up. Check out the web site www.MasterYourCamera.com.au

17.01.2022 Recently we had a hail storm while I was walking at the park. The first warning was the black ominous clouds, then the light faded and looked eerie, finally down it came. The dogs looked miserable and the river looked amazing as the hail hit the water. Then soon after, the sun was out and everything looked fresh and alive. The exposures were all over the place. First, very low during the storm, then bright with the sun out. You had to be very diligent to make sure the shutter... speed didn't get too low which would then allow camera shake. However, having a low shutter speed can show up movement like the rain and hail streaking down onto the creek and also to show the water flowing over the rapids. You would need to keep very still so that the rest of the image didn't have camera shake! This weather gives wonderful photo opportunities. Dramatic pre-storm lighting, wonderful skies and rain drops glistening in the sun afterwards.

14.01.2022 Hi Everyone Are you interested in orchids and photographing orchids? There is a huge show on this weekend including Friday. There will be a huge range of species, many you have probably never seen and they are perfect for taking photos of them. Also there is a photography competition and an art competition as well - of orchids of course. Come and see the photos and put your vote in for the people's choice I will have a stand there for Master Your Camera so come and see me.... OSCOV Melbourne Orchid Spectacular Friday 24th Aug - Sunday 26th Aug 9am - 4pm $10 entry Boxhall Pavilion, KCC Park (State Dog Centre) 655 Western Port Highway Skye, 3977 I hope to see you there Cheers, Wendy See more

13.01.2022 This weekend treat yourself to a visual feast of Orchids at the Melbourne Orchid Spectacular at the KCC Park, 655 Westernport Highway, Skye VIC 3977. Take some great photos of the gorgeous flowers and then come and see me at the Master Your Camera Stand right next to the Photography Competition Display. See photo of my stand below.

13.01.2022 Today my students were learning the fine details of Focus. We had wonderful subjects to practice on - raindrops on flowers.

11.01.2022 The magic of Black & White never ceases to inspire me. Lately I have been shooting with some superb Rokkor lenses (old lenses from film camera days). The quality is astounding. I haven't seen such detail - especially in the highlights - for ages.

11.01.2022 I found some fascinating creatures walking along the forest floor in Blackburn. They were 1 - 2cm long and looked like woolly caterpillars. They turned out to be larvae of the Honeybrown Beetle and they eat the surface of dead gum leaves, leaving the beautiful leaf skeletons behind I photographed them in my studio using window light, with a 100mm Macro lens set at f8 or f11. I also used ISO 800 - 1000 to get a shutter speed high enough to avoid movement - even though I was on a tripod. When the larvae started walking I put the ISO up to 6400 so I could have a shutterspeed high enough to stop movement - in this case 1/100 sec. The window light with the dark background really shows up the golden hairs.

11.01.2022 Black & White photography opens your eyes to a whole new world. Last Sunday morning I shot some great images of frost. I shot in Raw and JPeg and set my camera to B&W. That way I could see in B&W, the JPegs were in B&W but the Raw is recorded in colour. It is interesting to view both photos and decide which medium is better for each particular image. I was also trialing a 35mm Minolta lens from film days. It is a superb quality lens and now that my camera has live view, it makes it quicker & easier to use these wonderful old lenses. I used an aperture of f8 to f16 depending on the angle of the image. I used an ISO of 100 or 200 and a tripod to gain precision of focus.

11.01.2022 Due to the fact that Facebook has chosen to involve software that will allow the theft of my personal and professional information, I do declare the following: On this date September 1st, 2014 In response to the new Facebook guidelines and under articles L.111, 112 and 113 of the code of intellectual property, I declare that my rights are attached to all my personal data, drawings, paintings, photos, texts etc... published on my profile. For commercial use of the foregoing my... written consent is required at all times. Those reading this text can copy it and paste it on their Facebook wall. This will allow them to place themselves under the protection of copyright. By this release, I tell Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, broadcast, or to take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The actions mentioned above apply equally to employees, students, agents and/or other staff under the direction of Facebook. The contents of my profile includes private information. The violation of my privacy is punished by the law (UCC 1 1-308 - 308 1 -103 and the Rome Statute). Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are invited to post a notice of this kind, or if you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you have not published this statement at least once, you will tacitly allow the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile update..... See more

10.01.2022 Hi Everyone, Summer is beetle season (when it is not raining and cloudy) I see and hear beetles zooming through the air looking for partners, nectar or places to lay eggs. The beautiful orange and black cowboy beetle is the one buzzing about now. Capture it, put it on a log or rock and take some great photos! Not long ago the common one was the beautiful iridescent Golden Stag Beetle.

10.01.2022 I had a rare view last night of a male Garden Orb Weaving Spider visiting the web of a female. It is an event fraught with danger for the male. If he doesn't take his time approaching the female, he becomes dinner! He hung around the edge for ages, twirling and twanging the threads before approaching. I photographed them using a 60 LED torch that I held to light the spider and at times to highlight the web. I have also had success putting a light behind the web too. The camer...a, with a 105mm macro lens was mounted on a tripod. I focused it manually as it was too dark for the auto focus to work. It was hard work trying to focus on a twirling spider while hand holding the light and being eaten alive by mosquitoes! But the shots made it worth the pain! The female is the big fat one eating a moth. You can see the remnants of the down in the web on the left. Read more ... http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/text-tips See more

09.01.2022 Rain creates a dilemma for photographers. Do you go out and get cold and wet and possibly risk your camera getting wet or do you miss some great opportunities! In the Grampians recently, I captured some very moody images of the imposing rock faces in mist and rain. Note, check the lens for raindrops or you could end up with some unwanted round spots on your images

09.01.2022 How is this photo for a face shot?

09.01.2022 It is Butterfly time again! I love the hot days of Summer ( not the 40+ ones though!) as beetles & butterflies and other wonderful insects emerge. Here are photos of the Imperial Blue butterfly mating frenzy!

08.01.2022 The Melbourne Orchid Spectacular Show 2 weeks ago was great. Many people visited my stand and were interested in learning photography or just liked looking at the photos. I won 1st prize in the photography competition that the organizers (OSCOV) ran. I was thrilled. The photo of the single orchid was photographed with lighting from LED lights - one from the left & one from behind. The black background shows the orchid up well.

07.01.2022 Hi Everyone, One of the dilemmas people have is which lens to use. Also, what is a wide angled lens or a telephoto lens. I wrote an article for my newsletter in Tech Tips and it is now on my web site with a variety of photos and explanations. Below are a few of the photos. Here is the link to the page. https://www.masteryourcamera.com.au/tech-tips.html

06.01.2022 One of the recent Day Trips we went on was to The State Rose Garden followed by Werribee Mansion. More great photos were taken by all who attended

05.01.2022 This year we passed the 100 mark of students who have or still are doing my classes. Time to celebrate - by adding a new course - Level 3. Go to my web site www.MasterYourCamera.com.au and see the details

04.01.2022 Warm weather brings out wonderful insects like this Golden Stag Beetle. After photographing it in many ordinary views like from above and the side, I moved it onto a different plant on got this new angle. It is definitely one of my favourite beetle shots

04.01.2022 I also shot this old tree fern log with frost on it. It looks like some weird alien creature or something from the microscopic world!

04.01.2022 Hi Everyone, I have a Digital Beginners Class starting next Wednesday morning 6th August. This lesson covers all the buttons and features on the camera in the first lesson and then in the 2nd lesson I teach you how to get them into your computer, name them, make folders and more.... So if you have a digital camera and have no idea how to use it other than on auto, come and do these lessons. Those that have, learnt heaps and are now much more confident in using their cameras. http://masteryourcamera.com.au//photography-clas/beginners

03.01.2022 My new website is up and running now. It still needs more photos for the gallery but all the important info is in. Have a look and tell me what you think. www.MasterYourCamera.com.au

02.01.2022 I saw a very funny sight the other day when I was walking my dog down at the park. A Ringtail Possum was short of a nest hole and was trying to fit into a small hole that lorikeets usually nest in. so for several days he stuck his head in, but the back half was sticking out!! This day, two lorikeets were checking him out!

02.01.2022 I saw this weird looking flower at Werribbe Zoo the other week. It reminds me of characters in several movies - a Triffid, the carnivorous flower in Little Shop of Horrors and Serleena the Kylothian in Men in Black 2! It is actually a nearly spent flower of a Red Hot Poker or rather an Orange Hot Poker. On the other flowers, birds were drinking nectar. To read of techniques to photograph these speedy birds in Tech Tips in the Master Your Camera website. http://www.masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/tech-tips

01.01.2022 What a wonderful day for my Expo. Lots of people came through the doors all day. Many photography enthusiasts looked at and discussed the photos on display and my student's photos were much admired. Many people attended the demonstrations and were pleased with how much they learnt. Don't forget the Show Special - 15% off any course or workshop including Gift Vouchers. This is for 2 weeks only. Ends 14th September so book now. ph 0435 377 065 or go to my website. http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/events

01.01.2022 Cooler Mornings, Low Light Angles - what more could a photographer want that autumn is supplying. Early morning light produces some beautiful photos. You can deliberately get streaks of light in your photos by using flare when the sun hits the camera lens or you can avoid the flare and get rich colours as the sun backlights your subjects against shadows. For more info, see the article in Tech Tips in my website ... http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/tech-tips Here are some of the photos that inspired me.

07.12.2021 It is Butterfly time again! I love the hot days of Summer ( not the 40+ ones though!) as beetles & butterflies and other wonderful insects emerge. Here are photos of the Imperial Blue butterfly mating frenzy!

26.11.2021 One of the recent Day Trips we went on was to The State Rose Garden followed by Werribee Mansion. More great photos were taken by all who attended

17.11.2021 Warm weather brings out wonderful insects like this Golden Stag Beetle. After photographing it in many ordinary views like from above and the side, I moved it onto a different plant on got this new angle. It is definitely one of my favourite beetle shots

09.11.2021 I saw this weird looking flower at Werribbe Zoo the other week. It reminds me of characters in several movies - a Triffid, the carnivorous flower in Little Shop of Horrors and Serleena the Kylothian in Men in Black 2! It is actually a nearly spent flower of a Red Hot Poker or rather an Orange Hot Poker. On the other flowers, birds were drinking nectar. To read of techniques to photograph these speedy birds in Tech Tips in the Master Your Camera website. http://www.masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/tech-tips

03.11.2021 The other really nice thing about rain days is the raindrops on leaves and the fact that it makes all the colours look richer. To capture the raindrops you need to get your camera angle right so the light shines on the drops. To get your rich colours, be careful not to make the exposure too light - slightly darker is better. Select a simple background for single specimens too. You can also get some amusing shots like the face of my dog in a hail storm! If you are interested in learning more about seeing and learning how to use light to make your photos look better, I am running a trip called 'Seeing Light' on Sat 27th May. For more info go to www.masteryourcamera.com.au and go to the page on Day Trips

23.10.2021 Rain creates a dilemma for photographers. Do you go out and get cold and wet and possibly risk your camera getting wet or do you miss some great opportunities! In the Grampians recently, I captured some very moody images of the imposing rock faces in mist and rain. Note, check the lens for raindrops or you could end up with some unwanted round spots on your images

06.10.2021 Cooler Mornings, Low Light Angles - what more could a photographer want that autumn is supplying. Early morning light produces some beautiful photos. You can deliberately get streaks of light in your photos by using flare when the sun hits the camera lens or you can avoid the flare and get rich colours as the sun backlights your subjects against shadows. For more info, see the article in Tech Tips in my website ... http://masteryourcamera.com.au/index.php/tech-tips Here are some of the photos that inspired me.