The HH piccies thread

[Geoff]

Thanks Geoff, for sharing. Especially with all of us that have to deal with fuc*in hellish cold winters with snow up to our arses!!

 

When you go to these places do you find any problems communicating with the locals? And do you do car rentals, bikes, taxis or just walk a lot?

 

Ever think about here... http://www.vacationsadult.com/Hedonism_II_Index.htm Wish I could talk my wife into it.

Haha... that link is blocked by my work filter. Is it something sexy? Nah, never any problems communicating with locals. They speak English, and very well everywhere in the South Pacific. Obviously not everyone, but the people you meet on holidays certainly do.

 

As for moving around, we're happy to walk most places and especially on small islands like Mana in Fiji, but a lot of people do hire bikes/cars in the Cook Islands, or Samoa etc. It is a great way to see the place in all it's glory. There was a splendid bus service which did hourly trips of the island in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, which was excellent

 

And Highvoltage, sorry, I was wrong on Vanuatu. They do actually have their own currency. But I have heard it still is quite expensive there once you land. Even accomodation is far more expensive than most others in the south pacific.

[highvoltage]

And Highvoltage, sorry, I was wrong on Vanuatu. They do actually have their own currency. But I have heard it still is quite expensive there once you land. Even accomodation is far more expensive than most others in the south pacific.

 

ok thanks - and thanks for the other info. I've made a note of it in case I ever get there before I turn 60

[Geoff]

And Highvoltage, sorry, I was wrong on Vanuatu. They do actually have their own currency. But I have heard it still is quite expensive there once you land. Even accomodation is far more expensive than most others in the south pacific.

 

ok thanks - and thanks for the other info. I've made a note of it in case I ever get there before I turn 60

Yeah, I hear ya. I thought I'd finally struck gold with this fantastic new site I found, with great deals to all the South Pacific, from Australia. It blows my mind that airfares to Vanuatu, to Santo and Tanna Islands (the 2 I want to go to) are about au$319 return!!! Amazing. Unfortunately, in both cases, the accomodation on each island is actually really really expensive. As far as I understand it, you could have a 2 week long holiday in Port Vila, if you were that way inclined, for a very reasonable total price. But I need to see the volcanos on Tanna and apparently the reefs on Santo are stunning.

[Swazi]

At the end of the day, there's some beautiful places on earth I would love to go (especially Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, as well as The Maldives)

 

You left out South Africa, my friend ! Really worth visiting ! Besides beaches and ocean there is a lot more to see there.

[Geoff]

At the end of the day, there's some beautiful places on earth I would love to go (especially Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, as well as The Maldives)

 

You left out South Africa, my friend ! Really worth visiting ! Besides beaches and ocean there is a lot more to see there.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong mate. There's a few inland destinations around the world I would love to see, but the cost of these kind of trips are HUGE and I hope to do it in my lifetime, hopefully when I come into some money later in life? Hopefully...

 

But yeah, honestly Africa is the top of that list. I'd love to go there, New Zealand, a lot of Europe, the US... basically the only places I have no real interest in are places like the Middle East (although even then, I'd like to see Egypt), the majority of Asia (though I enjoyed Thailand and would like to see Malaysia and Vietnam)... oh, who knows mate? If I had the money, I tell you now that all I'd do is just travel the world.

[Geoff]

King-sized bluebottle attacking Australian shores:

 

 

A log:

 

 

And me trying something a little different while I was in the city for the Candy Harlots gig over the weekend:

 

Boat and the Opera House:

 

 

Harbour Bridge:

 

 

A Sydney city scene:

 

[Widda]

 

 

 

 

 

 

random halloween pix

[Geoff]

A few snaps on the way home from my brother's places up the coast last weekend:

 

 

 

 

[SUICIDE]

Camp Crystal Lake? Looks like Friday 13th place.

[Geoff]

Camp Crystal Lake? Looks like Friday 13th place.

Smiths Lake this time. Geoff Voohrees is the life taker around them parts.

[SUICIDE]

LoL. Cool fotos.

[Rockposer]

1st snow of the winter.

 

[Geoff]

A few recent pics:

 

Akuna Bay:

 

Caught up with Matt last weekend:

 

Caught up with Jesus on the weekend... he descended:

 

Lobster Beach:

 

 

Finally saw an echidna out in the wild too... though I curse that twig:

 

Tip of the world - Box Head overlooking Lion Island:

[Geoff]

And the pugs:

 

 

(Goddamn he's handsome!!!)

[Geoff]

Took loads of snaps on my recent trip up the coast but still sorting them out. A few from the first couple of days when sunshine was a rare commodity:

 

 

 

 

 

Met up with Matt in Crescent Head:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt checking the surf for me while I cooked him breakfast:

[Faron]

Great pics as always Geoff

[Rockposer]

Great pics as always Geoff

 

+100%

[Widda]

Beautiful !

[Geoff]

Thanks doods, got a lot this time on my roadtrip. It was a little overcast for a few days which meant some stunning and very colourful mornings and evenings.

[metaltrekman]

Great pics Geoff!! Do the kangaroos come right up to people? Or are they shy and run when you get close? And do alligators ever come close to the city? Or are they way out?

[Geoff]

Great pics Geoff!! Do the kangaroos come right up to people? Or are they shy and run when you get close? And do alligators ever come close to the city? Or are they way out?

The boldness of kangaroos varies where you go. In that pic these guys were out on this remote almost 90 degree headland by the ocean, just relaxing and they were not used to people at all. Couldn't really get close at all without them hopping away.

 

Other ones hang around campsites and people feed them and they're far less frightened. Generally they hop away when people come close, but some are quite tame. Still love kangaroos no matter how many times I see them.

 

Haha... not many alligators around here I don't think and very, very few crocodiles around Sydney. They're mostly up in the Northern Territory where it's still quite undeveloped. Also up in Upper North Queensland and the nothern part of Western Australia. I don't know how close they get to the cities in those regions, but I don't imagine it'd be too close. There's a lot of more remote places you wouldn't go swimming up in those parts, though.

[Geoff]

Got some more awesome pics in Vanuatu, but this one is one of my faves yet (and resulted in a drenched me afterwards - haha!):

 

[Faust]

Hey Geoff !!

I respond your question here, it might help (maybe) other people...

 

The question :

 

Basically, my simple question is - when you take photos at sunset/sunrise, how do you get full light into the foreground whilst still maintaining the colours in the sky? I can only seem to get one or the other properly.

 

Basically, what happens is one of two things:

 

1. I either get a perfect pic of the sky/colours but the foreground is mostly black / too dark.

 

2. Or, I focus on the foreground, or slow down the shutter speed to get a nice clear photo of the foreground, but then the sky turns out too bright and it loses all the colours.

 

I see so many photos of a bright, clear foreground as well as a deeply colourful sky. How do you get the balance of both?

 

Well... I will try to help you the best I can with my broken English

 

This kind of situation appears regulary when you take a picture where the scene present at the same time very bright light and low light in a huge contrast difference. A high light (i.e. the sunset) and a very low light (i.e. the forground). The sensor of your camera is confused by this high light difference.

Most of the landscape photographer use a special technique called "Digital blending" or HDR (for High Dynamic Range).

Hiere is a site which explain it in a better english than mine :

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/digital-blending.shtml

 

The main principle is simple : take 3 different pictures on different exposure time or aperture (one normal, one underexposed and one overexposed), then, make them blending in order to get back the details in your foreground.

You need :

1/ a tripod (essential)

2/ photoshop and a minimum knowledge of the program

3/ a camera with the Bracketing option (if you don't have this option you have to take 3 different exposure pictures manually)

 

This technique is used in most of the big landscape pictures, even the super shot like National Geographic etc... If you want, you can also take more than 3 exposures (7,8 etc) and mixed them, the result will be even more spectacular.

 

Hope it helps my friend

[Nick C]

Nice pics bud....but I swear by this formula

 

PUGS + BUNS = YUM

 

A bun being a bread roll (not someones arse) or whatever the godforsaken lands outside of the U.K. call them.

[Geoff]

Hey Geoff !!

I respond your question here, it might help (maybe) other people...

 

The question :

 

Basically, my simple question is - when you take photos at sunset/sunrise, how do you get full light into the foreground whilst still maintaining the colours in the sky? I can only seem to get one or the other properly.

 

Basically, what happens is one of two things:

 

1. I either get a perfect pic of the sky/colours but the foreground is mostly black / too dark.

 

2. Or, I focus on the foreground, or slow down the shutter speed to get a nice clear photo of the foreground, but then the sky turns out too bright and it loses all the colours.

 

I see so many photos of a bright, clear foreground as well as a deeply colourful sky. How do you get the balance of both?

 

Well... I will try to help you the best I can with my broken English

 

This kind of situation appears regulary when you take a picture where the scene present at the same time very bright light and low light in a huge contrast difference. A high light (i.e. the sunset) and a very low light (i.e. the forground). The sensor of your camera is confused by this high light difference.

Most of the landscape photographer use a special technique called "Digital blending" or HDR (for High Dynamic Range).

Hiere is a site which explain it in a better english than mine :

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/digital-blending.shtml

 

The main principle is simple : take 3 different pictures on different exposure time or aperture (one normal, one underexposed and one overexposed), then, make them blending in order to get back the details in your foreground.

You need :

1/ a tripod (essential)

2/ photoshop and a minimum knowledge of the program

3/ a camera with the Bracketing option (if you don't have this option you have to take 3 different exposure pictures manually)

 

This technique is used in most of the big landscape pictures, even the super shot like National Geographic etc... If you want, you can also take more than 3 exposures (7,8 etc) and mixed them, the result will be even more spectacular.

 

Hope it helps my friend

AHA! I thank you so much, Chris! You have no idea how much you have set my mind at ease. I would never have guessed that's what people did.

 

I would look at all these perfect photos of a light foreground and perfect skies and I just couldn't figure out how they did it. With my minimal photo knowledge I just assumed that it was a one step process and everyone knew something I didn't.

 

Thanks so much for the explanation and the link, mate. I finally understand now how it's done. I have to admit, I don't have photoshop, nor do I know how to use it (obviously), but I will definitely have to check it out now. I'm going to look at getting this very day. I also rarely (pretty much never) use a tripod for my shots either (too impatient, move around too much), so I'll have to take that out on the road with me more too. I'm very keen to give this a go and check out the results.

 

Oh, and your english is fine. If that made perfect sense to me, then anyone can understand it.

 

Thanks again for the explanation, Chris, hugely appreciated!