Machines

Machines of all kinds, particularly vehicles, make excellent subjects. Often they have intricate little works that fascinate in magnification and their clean lines and high contrast make them look sharp. In addition they are often very colourful, thanks to today's high density pigments.

Machines have been the tools we have used to make the world what it is today. To ignore them is to ignore ourselves.

THUMBNAIL (click to view 1200px image)	PARAMETERS	COMMENTS
	Canon A610 17mm (83mm) f/4 1/640 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Old Citroen" (Portland, 2006) This unusual, little, old Citroen just had to be photographed. Nothing special, just stand back on the light side and take a 50% profile.
	Canon A610 13mm (60mm) f/4 1/640 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Wheat Truck" (Portland, 2006) This was an obvious shot: the grain truck left in the siding. The smooth blue sky and the stony grey-brown of the ballast contrast with the green and gold machine. I tried lightening the shadows under the truck but that didn't improve the image so I left it. Using the A610 with straight-line subjects, I always zoomed in a little to avoid the barrel distortion if possible.
	Canon A610 22mm (104mm) f/4 1/640 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Green Locomotive" (Portland, 2006) Probably my best train shot. I was photographing something else when I heard it approach. Fortunately I had time to prepare for the shot and I used the continuous shooting mode to get all the shots from when it entered the frame until it was past. It was then a simple matter to select the best. It is wonderful how this camera can refocus each frame in continuous mode.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/800 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Mercedes" (Portland, 2006) I was on the lookout for attractive cars to photograph and this one seemed to fit the bill.
	Canon A610 11mm (52mm) f/4 1/250 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"XR6" (Portland, 2006) Late afternoon on a summer's day and there it was: a gleaming, attractive, blue car. Just what I need for this web page. I could have taken it from the light side but the background was less appropriate.
	Canon A610 11mm (52mm) f/4 1/500 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Blue Locomotive" (Portland, 2006) On a dull day the blue of this large locomotive really stood out and I knew I had to photograph it. I walked up the track and zoomed in a little to avoid the barrel distortion you get in wide angle mode. It would have been better had the blue loco been at the front, but you can only take what's there.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/1250 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"VLine Bus" (Warrnambool, 2006) A clean bus at a station on a sunny day was an obvious shot and it was just a matter of taking it. I stood back, zoomed in a little, got the right profile and snap! I tried "lighten shadows" but it didn't suit this picture. Like all tools one has to use one's judgement on when it's needed. Only the artist's eye can tell you whether something is an improvement or not.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/800 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"VLine Train" (Warrnambool, 2006) Trains are always a favourite with shutter bugs and I was waiting for this one as it came into the station. I used the continuous shooting mode, and selected this one as the best. Unfortunately the sun was at right angles to the train so the front was not as clear as I had hoped and I had to use "lighten shadows" to bring it up. You can't reposition the sun, nor the train in a situation like this, so you just have to take the best shot you can.
	Canon A610 15mm (72mm) f/4 1/1000 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Soil Compaction" (Portland, 2006) As always, industrial machinery makes a great subject. The contrasting colours of the two machines make the picture pleasing to the eye.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/250 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Cable Tram" (Portland, 2006) I was walking along the track when the tram came past. I pulled out the camera, zoomed in and managed to get this shot before it had got too far away. As always with an overcast sky in the frame you need to "lighten shadows" to bring up the foreground.
	Canon A610 10mm (46mm) f/3.2 1/60 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Underneath the Wirtgen" (Portland, 2006) I took a number of shots of this road construction machine, but it was this unusual shot from underneath that had the most dramatic power. The A610's flip out and twist screen was useful here, (as it so often is), enabling me to frame the low shot without having to lie down and get dirty.
	Canon A610 7mm (35mm) f/4 1/250 sec ISO Auto P Mode	"Grey Fergie" (Mt Eccles, 2006) The old grey Ferguson tractor is an absolute classic, and at one stage almost every farm in the country must have had one. It was just a matter of ensuring the machine was well placed in the frame, at a 50% profile and pressing the shutter.
	Canon 400D Tamron 70-300 70mm (112mm) f/5.6 1/1500 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Truck at the Crossing" (Portland, 2008) After I adjusted the 400D body to stop the Tamron lens front focusing I got some decent shots. This shot shows the power of the truck by juxtaposing it against the human sized crossing and against the houses in the background.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 24mm (36mm) f/5.6 1/320 sec ISO 400 A Mode	"Ute with Wooden Tray" (Portland, 2008) Got this shot while testing the D60. An attractive shiny new Australian Ute. The brown of the ute body goes with the natural timber of the tray. I like the mags too.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 30mm (45mm) f/8 1/320 sec ISO 100 A Mode	"Wind Turbine" (Cape Bridgewater, 2008) I took quite a few shots of the Cape Bridgewater windfarm above The Blowholes and I reckon this is the best of them. It gives a good idea of the great size of the turbines and the white of the tower and blades is perfect against the blue sky.
	Nikon D60 Nikon 70-300 VR 116mm (174mm) f/11 1/160 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Portland Rail Yards" (Portland, 2008) I wanted the rail yards to look busy and purposeful, and I think this shot achieves that, it's all about framing. Ironically these yards are anything but at present, and are mainly used for storage. This is thanks to the bumbling, corrupt, multi-layered, multi-headed government we have. We can't even standardise our rail network. What a joke!
	Nikon D60 Nikon 18-55 VR 42mm (63mm) f/11 1/400 sec ISO 200 A Mode	"Wind Farm Substation" (Cape Nelson, 2009) If you like small to medium electrical installation shots then this is for you! Sadly, despite all the talk from the pollies about windfarms powering whole cities and making a difference, the truth is that they are a very small player compared to coal. If you compare this installation with the much larger one at the Portland Aluminium Smelter you will see what I mean.