Australia Day 2014, I slid back the curtains from the hotel windows. What a disaster! Murky shades of grey dominated the scenery. There was no blue harbour with sunlight glinting cheerfully, no azure sky with puffy white clouds floating gently to the horizon. No bright colours dancing across the landscape, only steely grey water. A dismal, dismal day presented itself.
My shoulders sagged and I took a deep breath. There was absolutely nothing I could do to alter the weather. It looked like all that preparation and expense would come to nothing. My photographic attempt would be throttled before it even started. I didn't see Sydney Harbour on a grey day at all exciting. There was also a chance wet weather could ruin my camera gear. I sat on the edge of the bed trying to pull myself together. Would I bother at all?
Thinking deeply I remembered an article in one of the camera magazines I had read recently where it said that clouds could sometimes act like a diffuser and soften the light and lead to more saturated colours. Was it worth a try? I could challenge myself to make something extraordinary from adverse circumstances or I could just go for the ferry ride and leave it at that.
I decided to 'give it a go' and make the best of the conditions I had been dished up. The transparent shower cap found in most hotel rooms was now part of my basic kit. In an emergency you can place it over the body of your camera and still have the lens poking through. This way you can keep taking photos and protect your gear in light rain. This does not work in very heavy rain though.
My camera kit was a Nikon D300S and a Nikkor 18 - 200mm lens. I selected this lens because I wanted to be able to take both a wide-angle shot and also have the ability to get in closer if I needed to. On days like today though I would have to keep a sharp eye on the front of my lens to make sure that no raindrops landed there.
We made our way to the ferry terminal at Circular Quay and arrived early. This gave me a chance to try out some of my camera settings with the available light. I lined up the Sydney Harbour Bridge using the end of the ferry wharf as a frame. By doing this I managed to cut out most of the uninteresting grey sky.
When I checked out the image I was surprised at how effective the almost monotone was. It was certainly 'different' from my usual photo. My spirits began to lift as I began to see interesting possibilities starting to emerge. All I had to do was open my mind and not make arbitrary judgements about the photos I was about to take.
After standing in line for what seemed like ages we boarded the commercial ferry. The challenge was then to find a place to get the best vantage point. I checked out the seating in the stern (back) and decided against staying there. Although it was partially undercover the view of what was going on was obstructed. I made my way to the bow (front) and decided to stay there because you could move around.
Before the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the ANZAC Bridge were built Sydney residents relied heavily on ferries to carry them from one side of the harbour to the other. Now on special occasions the Classic or 'old' ferries take part in special celebrations. One of these is the Classic Ferry Race on Australia Day.
The Classic Ferries, colourfully decorated by their sponsors, stood out against the grey background. This made some interesting photographs, especially when I changed the format to panorama and cut out a fair slice of the grey sky.
The commercial ferry captain was a skilled navigator and managed to position our ferry so his passengers had a wonderful view of the race as we followed the racing ferries. I was very pleased with the photo opportunities that were available.
We had to disembark and catch another ferry for the Tall Ships race. There were so many people in the queue that they had to provide a second ferry. This was to our benefit as there were not as many people on the second ferry and we were able to move around more freely.
Once again we had a very skilled captain who managed to position us in prime positions. I was even able to capture the cannon smoke form the starting cannon on board the HMAS Bark Endeavour replica as she was under sail. This was a window to the past.
A great contrast was the HMS Bark Endeavour replica and PNO liner in the same photograph. It is what I see as a 'Then and Now' shot underlying the historical context of each vessel. As I compared the two I was given an insight into what it would mean to travel on the original HMS Bark Endeavour.
As part of the finishing celebrations the Fire Tugs sprayed water from their fire hoses. This created a veil of water through which you could see the Sydney Opera House. This was an interesting perspective.
The graceful Tall Ships, including the James Craig, paraded down the harbour. By cutting in tightly I could cut out a fair piece of the grey sky and the billowing sails filled the frame. The late afternoon light enhanced the photos.
After reviewing the photos at the end of the day I was so pleased I had risen to the challenge of making the best of unfavourable light and capturing some unusual photos.
Part of the excitement of photography is working with the conditions available. To get the best results in your photographs you need to have a sound knowledge of how your camera can manipulate the light available. An idea of the possible results is also very helpful. Taking up the challenge of adverse conditions has produced some great images for me.
If you would like to see some of the photos I took on Australia Day on Sydney Harbour in 2014 then follow them on the Pinterest Page Even Easier Digital Photos
If you would like to learn how to use your digital camera, smart phone, compact camera or SLR to capture great images in both challenging and normal conditions then follow Even Easier Photos blog. www.eveneasierdigitalphotos.com/blog
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