Canon 40D, Tiffen 0.9 ND filter and Tiffen Circular Polarizer @ Sandy Beach NSW

So to mark the even I have created a Facebook Fan Page that I plan to use as a way of connecting with you guys the readers. I want it to be a place for you to ask questions and upload your own images for comments. Join the Fan Page here.

I want to share with you a few statistics for the year.

• The most popular post is my video tutorial on Seamless White Backdrops with 914 unique visitors.
• Over 222 unique visitors per week.
• Visitors from 119 countries with the largest numbers of visitors from America.
• 3% of viewers have been using mobile devices which is great. 100% of the site is mobile device friendly.

2011 is shaping up to be another huge year with the Landscape 52 Project and the sale of framed prints latter this year.

Thanks for your support

Canon 40D @17mm, f13, 1/15sec with a Tiffen 0.6 Hard Grad plate filter.

Basically the aim of the project is to take at least 1 landscape image per week for 52 weeks. Each week on a Tuesday I will upload the image from the previous week and accompanying it will be a landscape photography tip related to the image. Some of key components I hope to cover over the year will be:

• How to use filters
• What to look for when composing your landscape shot
• Tips of Post Processing
• Researching your location
• Tools of the trade
• How to use your camera in manual mode

Video is going to play a large part in the project as I plan on recording some of my post processing to give you an insight into my workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop. Other videos will explain how I have researched the location and I will then take you on location to see how I compose and shoot the final image.

I’m also very happy to announce that we have a new sponsor for the project with PhotoVideo.com.au coming on board for 2011.  If you are after some quality filters check out Greg’s Tiffen range and whilst your there he has a great range of tripods and accessories at very attractive prices.

Once again if you have any questions you want answered about landscape photography just shoot me a message via the contact page and I will do my best to answer them.

In 2009 I completed 4.5 of my 7 goals. This year I have 8 goals to complete.

Complete 365 Photo Project
I have put off starting a 365 photo project for some time now. I don’t know what came over me in early December but I decided come January 1st 2010 I would begin on a journey that should teach me plenty and drive me crazy all year long. Its not going to be a shot of some random thing , happy snap style. I want it to be creative or clever image that I would be proud to display. Some days that wont be so easy. Check back here on the blog for my weekly 365 updates.

Blog More
Last year I set a target of blogging twice a week and I failed in that. So this year I will set it at once a week and see how we go. I heave learnt a lot in the last year of blogging and have worked a few things out as far as the style of my blogs post.

Start Foto Fundamentals
I have so many friends that want to know how to take better photos and make the most of their cameras. Some think you need a great camera to take the shots I do. All it takes is knowing a little about the fundamentals of photography like the Rule of Thirds, what AV and TV mode should be used for and what the hell ISO is all about. So once every 2 week or so there will be a post dealing with one of these fundamentals. I hope it helps the average person take better looking photos and help them understand how to use thier camera to its full extent.

Take More Landscapes
For Christmas I got a Canon 10-20mm f3.5 wide angle lens. I have already begun to take some landscapes and HDR’s with it and its such a great lens. This year Anna and I plan to do more general bush walks and coastal weekends away. We are also heading to Europe latter this year so I really want to hone my landscape skills.

Learn Adobe Lightroom
I have learnt so much about Photoshop over the past year and this year whilst still learning photoshop I also want to see how good I can get at Adobe Lightroom. It could improve my work-flow hugely.

Understand Gelling Strobes

I currently have zero knowledge about gelling a strobe. I soon will have in my hot little hand the book Light: Science and Magic by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver & Paul Fuqua. Its a lighting bible from what I hear.

Explore Top 20
I got to #27 on explore last year with my Water bomb explosion shot. This year I want to crack the top 20. Yes explore is still a dodgy system but lets see what happens.

Have Fun!
This is probably the most important of all the goals. Photography shouldn’t be a chore or a inconvenient, it should be a joy and passion. Anyone can take a photo but only someone that lives and loves a photo opportunity can correctly capture the moment.

Well I have been doing some research into this style of photography for the last year or so and I finally got myself organised to give it a go here in Brisbane before I head back to the Mid North Coast of NSW next weekend where there will be a nice black night thanks to the new moon. The perfect conditions for star trails.

The photo was taken at the Oxley Creek Common, a combination of Grasslands, Creek vine forest, hoop pine forest and freshwater wetlands and only 11km from Brisbane’s CBD. Its a great resource and when it comes to dark nights this is the best spot I have come across yet.

Camera was setup on my tripod only 2 feet above the ground and in portrait so that I could include as many of the brighter stars as possible. Brisbane’s light pollution doesn’t make for a great amount of stars just above the horizon. Camera was set to manual, f10, ISO500 and 30sec exposure. Using my remote shutter button I locked it in to take another 30sec photo right after the last one finished exposing.  After an hour I had 111 photos. Using a program called Startrails v1.1 I merged all the exposures together.

I cant wait till next weekend so I can try a star trail on the great beaches near Woolgoolga. Way better moon phase and the lack of light pollution will be great.

I’d like to thank Dan from liquidinplastic for his great star trail tutorial. Without his clear instructions I doubt I could have gotten such a good shot on my first attempt.

Goal setting is something many athletes incorporate into their training and its a great way to guage your progress or Journey as the case may be. So here are my goals in no particular order.

Take more Photos
This past year has been hectic to say the least. We moved to Brisbane and still have alot to learn about the place and there never seams to be enough time in a weekend. This year I want to get out and shoot more. Well not necessarily go out side and shoot byt shoot in general. I’ll try still life, landscapes, action, and everything i can expose myself too.

Blog at least twice a week
This blog was designed to keep me honest to my goals. I have learnt so much from other peoples blogs all over the world. They are a way of learning more and pushing the boundaries. So the plan is to blog at least twice a week. I’ll outline in my next blog what i plan to blog about, so stay tuned.

Flickr Explore top 100
I have had one photo make it to Explore and it was positioned 400+. I didn’t actually think much of the photo. It was taken with a very basic point and shoot in fairly bad lighting conditions. I think the fact that its well composed and funny is why 3700+ people have viewed it.

This year however I want at least one of my images to make the Flickr Explore Top 100. I know Flickr’s Explore Algorithm is dodgy as hell but we will see how we go.

Write Tutorials for other users
I have learnt so much from other peoples blogs and tutorials that I want to contribute back to the photographic world. Like Chase Jarvis says we should all share our experiences and the we should no longer hold the old attitude of not giving away trade secrets. If anyone has a question please do ask it.

Get Photographic Accreditation for W-League 2009-10
I have a keen interest in sports and Football is my game of choice. So after a very successful year for the Australia W-League I would next season like to shoot the Journey of the Qld Roar women or Gold Coast United women. I want to use this experience to spring board my Youth League and A-League accreditation prospects.

Develop my Photoshop Skills
Photoshop is one of those software packeages that you can’t learn enough about.I have been teaching myself for a good 10+ years. I have allot of work to do but hey that’s what goals are for. Masking is a technique I want to master by years end.

Have Fun!
This is probably the most important of all the goals. Photography shouldn’t be a chore or a inconveniance it should be a joy and passion. Anyone can take a photo but only someone that lives and loves a photo opertunity can correctly capture the moment.