Shooting in Queenstown

Saturday afternoon I found myself suffering from itchy feet. I’d cleaned the house, taken the dog down to Somerset Beach for an hour and washed the car. There was nothing left for me to do at home and I was bored. So I packed an overnight bag, my camera bag and a doggy bag for Gypsy, my little Aussie Terrier, and headed for my father’s place in Queenstown, a quiet little town on Tasmania’s west coast.

Winding through the forests and mountains that make up the terrain between Somerset and Queenstown, I realised that my recent move to Tasmania had put me landscape photography nirvana. Every bend in the road revealed a new mountain or lake or river or waterfall.

And I do mean every bend. To get this snap shot of a waterfall all I had to do was pull over and wind down my window! A drive down the west coast of Tasmania reveals a cornucopia of photographic opportunities. The undulating, mountainous terrain around Lake Plimsoll puts a perfect landscape image on every point of the compass. Just about everywhere there is a river or lake or stream. Am I repeating myself? Sorry, it’s just that Tasmania’s landscape is so exciting!

Needless to say, I have a lot of shoots to plan.

On arriving in Queenstown I organised an after-hours visit to the Q-West Gallery. Run by members of Queenstown burgeoning artistic community, Q-West Gallery plays host to a wealth of art and artistic styles from the classical to the avant-garde. It was difficult to organise the after-hours access to take photos but my skill and charm got me through the door (‘Hey, Dad!’ ‘What?’ ‘Can I come take some photos at your gallery?’ ‘Yeah, okay.’). And it was well worth the effort. The place is fantastic!

And I don’t just mean the art, but the whole visual aesthetic. Everywhere I looked was an interesting angle or framing opportunity. The image to the right, for example; in the foreground is a fascinating abstract piece, all lines and angles. As I bent to examine that piece I saw very much what you see now and I had to record it. Out comes the tripod, on goes the camera and I shoot away. Now, as I sit and write this post, I look at the image in question and I see reframing opportunities. What if I were to get lower and frame it in landscape instead of portrait, could I give the impression of the Rising Sun cresting the horizon beyond the linear-ness (bad word!) of the industrial? How would I light that? If you have thoughts on lighting that I’d love to hear (read) them!

 

And there were other images that presented themselves. This of a bust framed by, well, a frame just presented itself to me. And all I had to do was sit my butt on the floor and press the button.

 And below the image of the bust is a study in contrast. Against a background of colour and vitality of a living, moving scene we find a construct representing (to my eye at least) the stark angularity of industrialism. And again, all we had to do was sit on the floor and take the photo.

So why am I telling you all this? Am I promoting my father’s gallery? A little, yeah. I mean, there is some fantastic art on display and the artists are happy to discuss their work with visitors so why not? A quick search on Facebook will bring up the gallery’s page if you want to know more.

 But my main reason for sharing my weekend with you is to share that of which my weekend reminded me. There are opportunities everywhere, you just need to keep your eyes open for them and be ready when they arrive. 

So photography is a bit like life, really. Hmmm...

I am not finished with Q-West Gallery, my visit over the weekend was just recon. I am heading back to do a more in-depth exploration of the gallery and the artists who work and exhibit there. At the end of that exploration the plan is to have a photo story up on my portfolio site and a photo book for presentation to the gallery.

I will put the best images from my reconnaissance mission up on my portfolio site on a new page entitled ‘Latest’. That is where I will put my latest good work from each day or week or whenever I get something I like. If I get something great, that goes in the portfolio.

So, share with me. What are you doing at the moment? Where has your photography, or life in general, taken you? What have you seen that has inspired you? How would you light my Rising Sun idea? Leave a comment and share your togging life!