Photography: January 2025
01/01/25
I need to relax more when it comes to photography, especially when shooting with family. Yesterday, I spent the day in Tamworth with my first camera—the original Canon 200D and its kit lens. I was expecting the worst, treating it the same way you would a disposable camera. And yeah, the exposure is off in almost every photo, but I captured the moments that mattered. So, does it really matter?
It’s all too easy to get lost in the weeds. I don’t know if there’s really a lesson to be learned here, but it’s something to think about as we head into 2025.
11/01/25
My first day out shooting for myself was after an afternoon of rain, the lighting was super moody and I felt like I hadn’t had the chance to go out and shoot in a while. No specific goals in mind, just whatever caught my eye. It was also a chance to start experimenting with color photography again after close to a year of shooting almost exclusively in black and white.
16/01/25
The next little adventure was a short trip up the road to explore the abandoned train carriages that can be seen from Armidales Industrial Estate. I was joined by Evelyn from Peacock Photography for this little excursion and I think it was some of the most fun I have personally had out shooting in quite a while. Abandoned places and items have sort of become a theme already this year, most of the locations since have been a little easier to access however. That said, the trains are fascinating, particularly in how nature is slowly reclaiming them, im sure this won’t be my last visit to this location.
19/01/25
I also managed to get to the markets this month, normally one of my favorite things to shoot. I don’t know what was happening this time around though because I really didn’t get much that I really like. Maybe it was the lighting or the general quiet vibes of the markets early in the year, but I can’t say I came away feeling particularly inspired. Oh well, maybe this month.
21/01/25
Speaking of uninspiring shoots, I managed to capture a few shots while Armidale Regional Council had a table tennis set up in the mall on my walk home from a meeting, Conditions were harsh and I am not much of a sportsman so I don’t know what does and doesn’t look good when it comes to sports action photos, but it was kinda neat capturing the mayor playing a round against one of the states regional champs. It was a very cool initiative and it was great seeing the tables being used during peoples lunch breaks, I hope it makes a comeback next year.
26/01/25
Wrapping up the month was another adventure with Evelyn from Peacock Photography. This time it was out to a reserve neither of us new existed where a car had been dumped and burned, again, that abandoned theme coming through. On this trip we found a few other abandoned places worth revisiting, like an abandoned dentistry and as can be seen in some of the later photos, a collapsed barn.
We also took some test shots for my black and white nude project I am wanting to dedicate some free time this year too (thank you kindly Evelyn for volunteering). Unfortunately the vintage 35mm lens I was using didn’t mount properly which lead to a lot of missed focused shots, they didn’t affect the car so much but they did have a negative impact on the art nudes. Still, thats what test shots are for, I will have to track down another brand of mount and see if I have any luck.
Once we were happy with what we explored of the reserve (a location we will definitely be returning too) we made our way to Dangars Lagoon outside of Uralla, we had heard hundreds of Pelicans had landed there on their journey west to breed but they had all moved on by the time we had arrived, and sadly, my 300mm wasn’t quite up to the task of capturing the swans in the distance. Still, it was a nice way to end the afternoon.
