Epic Ben, Epic Weekend

[ad_1]Epic Ben, Epic Weekend Using Athabasca filters to capture Ben of Benjamin Eriksson Photography getting the shot during our Megaphotography Weekend. Taken with a Fujifilm XT3, 14mm f/2.8 and Athabasca NDX filter.

Fujifilm X Series AU

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That's a wrap!

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That's a wrap! MegaPhotography Weekend #5 has finished. Benjamin Eriksson Photography and I will be announcing details for #6 SOON!

Here's a quick vid of me doing the Shimoda and Temba Bag shuffle after our 5:30am sunset shoot this morning.[fb_vid id="289365885063232"]That’s a wrap for Mega Photography Weekend No. 5! Dale from Photo Rangers was in a spin, after we finished our sunrise workshop down at Cadillac Canyon. Photos from the weekend to come!

I’d like to thank all our participants for joining us, we loved sharing our knowledge with you. Thanks to The Sheltered Glamping Co. for our awesome accommodation, Samyang Optics Australia, MeFoto Australia and Athabasca Filters Australia our gear sponsors for the weekend.

Tenba Bags Australia & Shimoda Bags Australia

Cheers, Ben [ad_2]
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MEGA Photography Weekend 5 starting now!Photo Rangers and I were live over on In

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MEGA Photography Weekend 5 starting now![fb_vid id="365223260939558"]Photo Rangers and I were live over on Instagram a few minutes ago at The Sheltered Glamping Co. Where our workshop attendees will be staying tonight.

Thanks to our workshop sponsors! MeFoto Australia Samyang Optics Australia PROtog aka Athabasca Filters Australia [ad_2]
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MEGA Weekend

[ad_1]MEGA Weekend I'm looking forward to meeting everyone on our Megaphotography Weekend with @benjamineriksson.photography . If the conditions are right we'll head to our little secret long exposure spot - Panhandle Flats.

See you all in a few hours! Cheers ------------------------------------------- Photo Rangers Adventure Based Workshops every Saturday. Check Facebook or Website for schedule of events. ---------------------------------- #photorangers #ecophotography #phillipisland #gippsland #melbourne #fujifilmx_au #ig_australia #seeaustralia #igersmelbourne #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbournetouristguide #visitgippsland #wandervictoria #existinnature #loves_united_australia #discoveraustralia #fujixaus #basscoastbusiness #mefototripods #mefotoaustralia #yourhappyspace #phillipislandnp #photographyworkshop #visitbasscoast #shimodaadventures —————————————————————

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A Ripper Night

[ad_1]A Ripper Night It was a ripper down at the Canyon for our Slow Exposure and Astro Workshop last night. The clouds hung around just long enough to give us a spectacular sunset then clear for the astro session.

We'll repeat this workshop on 2 Feb. If you want to come along let us know.

All photos were taken with a Fujifilm XT3 and 14mm f/2.8

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Social Media & the Environmental Consequences

[ad_1]Social Media & the Environmental Consequences Earlier this year I wrote about how social media has 'complelled' photographers to seek iconic shots often resulting in negative environmental consequences all over the globe and even on Phillip Island.

Cecilia has wrote a short piece about this impact below. If you are a photographer, I encourage you to read it.

Protecting shearwaters: the impact of “instagrammability”.

It is a special time on Phillip Island …. special because of shearwater chick season.

Short-tailed shearwaters are petrels. They are migratory birds that travel between Australia and the Bearing Strait near Alaska. It takes 4 weeks to make the journey, a distance of 15,000 kms each way. Millions of shearwaters are currently on the Island and the birds are either sitting on eggs or taking care of their newborn chicks. Thus, all burrows are occupied.

It is a special time but also a sad one. Many of these burrows will be crushed and the eggs destroyed, or birds and chicks killed, because walkers along the Phillip Island coastline, from Cape Woolamai to Summerlands, do not stay on the path.

And when I say walkers, I mean mostly photographers.

What happens when you crush a Shearwater burrow? You trap the birds inside because the entrance collapses. They suffocate to death. You crush the eggs and the hatchlings. These birds fly 15,000 kms to breed and nest here … and they die because the desire to get that perfect “instagrammable” shot for a photographer is too tempting.

Instagram has a lot to answer for its contribution to the destruction of the environment. The platform's capacity to promulgate millions of images from “instagrammable” locations causes much destruction. See for yourself. Just google “places ruined by Instagram”.

Despite many photographers being environmental advocates, the desire for ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ overrides their affiliation with nature. Take the Pinnacles, for example, in Cape Woolamai. Many photogs seek that long exposure sunset shot or an astro shot from the bottom of the rock formations. The location is beautiful and makes for a spectacular image capturing the majesty of nature.

But to get down there, many walk down the hillside … where there are hundreds of shearwater burrows hidden within the lush expanse of the New Zealand spinach hugging the cliff face. The cliff face appears inviting because of its undulating topography. It seemingly suggests there are solid footholds on the way down. But those undulations are burrows. They are there for birds, not for human feet.

There is an old penguin track that takes you to the bottom - the remnant of a penguin colony long gone from the impact of human activity. But to get to the track you have to walk off the path. There is signage there saying not to go further … because there are burrows there too, amidst additional dangers.

For those of you taking photographers out there, please do not encourage them to go down to the bottom. If you absolutely must ‘get that shot’, walk from the beach at low tide and during a small swell when the sea is not so angry.

And most importantly, don’t encourage photographers to share those shots on Instagram. If these shots are so special, why not print them out, frame them and hang them on your wall rather than share them on social media where there are thousands of other shots just like yours?

Because when these shots are shared on Instagram, others will come by the thousands, and these thousands won’t know how to get to the bottom. These thousands will crush the burrows to get to the bottom just to capture that perfect “instagrammable” shot … for the sake of “likes” and more followers.

I, too, have been guilty of this. I have walked off the path, down that old penguin track to get that shot. But no more. I won’t do it. The flora and fauna on Phillip Island contribute to the ecosystem beneficially. We humans do not. I do not.

William Butler Yates wrote a poem called ‘He wishes for the cloths of heaven’. It goes like this:

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,  Enwrought with golden and silver light,  The blue and the dim and the dark cloths  Of night and light and the half-light,  I would spread the cloths under your feet:  But I, being poor, have only my dreams;  I have spread my dreams under your feet;  Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

This is a love poem, but I think it also captures the voice of nature, asking humans to take care, to tread softly and not shatter the dreamscape that mother nature has given us to treasure.

So please tread softly … because Instagram likes and follows are cheap. That’s why the platform allows you to buy them for a few dollars. “Instagrammable” shots are easily duplicated; they are neither unique nor original. Moreover, they are ephemeral, lasting as long as a scroll down the page. Nature can’t be duplicated and edited. She won’t be here for ever.

If nature disappears, so do you. [ad_2]
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Cadillac Canyon Adventure

[ad_1]Cadillac Canyon Adventure Last call for anyone who wants to join us on the Slow Exposure and Astro Workshop Saturday evening at Cadillac Canyon. Details are under 'Events' on the facebook page and website. let me know ASAP if you want to come along. Cheers dale

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PR2019week2

[ad_1]PR2019week2 I found some interesting things out in the sand dunes of Cape Woolamai yesterday. Fujifilm XT3, 100-400mm

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Some of This, Some of That

[ad_1]Some of This, Some of That This Saturday night we'll be shooting long exposures AND Astro Photography at Cadillac Canyon. If you want to join us on this workshop, let me know ASAP. See details under Events on the Facebook P a he or Website.

------------------------------------------- Photo Rangers Adventure Based Workshops every Saturday. Check Facebook or Website for schedule of events. ---------------------------------- #photorangers #ecophotography #phillipisland #gippsland #melbourne #fujifilmx_au #ig_australia #seeaustralia #igersmelbourne #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbournetouristguide #visitgippsland #wandervictoria #existinnature #loves_united_australia #discoveraustralia #fujixaus #basscoastbusiness #mefototripods #mefotoaustralia #yourhappyspace #phillipislandnp #photographyworkshop #visitbasscoast #shimodaadventures —————————————————————

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Some of This, Some of That

[ad_1]Some of This, Some of That This Saturday night we'll be shooting long exposures AND Astro Photography at Cadillac Canyon. If you want to join us on this workshop, let me know ASAP. See details under Events on this page.

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Adventure Weekend with Us

[ad_1]Adventure Weekend with Us I've just spent some time with Benjamin Eriksson Photography preparing for our upcoming MegaPhotography Weekend #5. We'll be offering 2 big workshops during the weekend using Athabasca Camera Filters.

Ben and I put the Athabasca Filters through the paces at 11 am at Cadillac Canyon with amazing results - see the shots below.

The MegaPhotography Weekend will include: * Sports photography - surf * Long exposure sunset - Athabasca filters * BBQ Dinner included - BYO drinks * Model fairy lights * Model astro/star trails open tent * Long exposure sunrise - Rhyll - Athabasca filters * Editing Workshop - putting it all together

We still have a couple of spots available, if you are interested, contact Ben or I asap.

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Photo Rangers updated their cover photo.

[ad_1]Photo Rangers updated their cover photo.

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MyVolunteerPage - Application Form - Phillip Island Nature Park Volunteers

[ad_1]Volunteers Needed We are looking for volunteers on the 12th of January to help clean every beach on Phillip Island at the one time. Photo Rangers is supporting the Phillip Island Nature Park’s clean beaches initiative along with Plastic Free Phillip Island, Boomerang Bags and Paley for the Oceans. In the morning we will be cleaning the beaches (including beaches that are very rarely accessed) and then in the afternoon we will sort through what we find. The event aims to raise community and visitor awareness about the impacts of marine debris and how to help our wildlife.

There will be information on how to reduce your plastics on the day from Plastic Free Phillip Island, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Boomerang Bags and Paley for the Oceans. Volunteers that help for the whole day will be provided with a free vegetarian lunch.

If you are interested in helping with us, sign up here: https://app.betterimpact.com/Application?OrganizationGuid=3a9a5571-86e9-4248-8cee-fec8ffbd3808&ApplicationFormNumber=3

If you are already on the PI Nature Park volunteer list, you can sign up to their preferred beach here: https://app.betterimpact.com/Login/Volunteer

This is a great opportunity to access beaches that are closed to the general public such as Point Grant at the Nobbies, and Storm Bay at Pyramid Rock. All volunteers are required to sign photographic permission forms as part of their sign up, so you would be more than welcome to bring camera gear with you.

We hope to see you there!

Phillip Island Nature Parks Plastic Free Phillip Island & San Remo Boomerang Bags Phillip Island & San Remo Parley for the Oceans

MyVolunteerPage - Application Form - Phillip Island Nature Park Volunteers

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Not In the Mood

[ad_1]Not In the Mood Sometimes Mother Nature is just not in the mood for pretty photos. But that's ok, I think she looks good even when she's angry. ------------------------------------------- Photo Rangers Adventure Based Workshops every Saturday. Check Facebook or Website for schedule of events. ---------------------------------- #photorangers #ecophotography #gippsland #melbourne #fujifilmx_au #ig_australia #seeaustralia #igersmelbourne #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbournetouristguide #visitgippsland #wandervictoria #existinnature #loves_united_australia #discoveraustralia #fujixaus #basscoastbusiness #mefototripods #mefotoaustralia #yourhappyspace #phillipislandnp #photographyworkshop #visitbasscoast #shimodaadventures —————————————————————

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Redwood Giants

[ad_1]Redwood Giants A little more Redwood magic from the Redwood Forest in Warburton, Vic. Photo taken with a FUJIFILM XT3 and 10-24mm f/4 Lens. #warburtonredwoodforest #redwoods ------------------------------------------- Photo Rangers Adventure Based Workshops every Saturday. Check Facebook or Website for schedule of events. ---------------------------------- #photorangers #ecophotography #melbourne #fujifilmx_au #ig_australia #seeaustralia #igersmelbourne #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbournetouristguide #visitgippsland #wandervictoria #existinnature #loves_united_australia #discoveraustralia #fujixaus #basscoastbusiness #mefototripods #mefotoaustralia #yourhappyspace #phillipislandnp #photographyworkshop #visitbasscoast #shimodaadventures —————————————————————

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Land of the Giants

[ad_1]Land of the Giants Today the family went to the land of the giants, giant California Redwoods or Sequoia trees that were planted as part of a research project near Warburton, Vic in 1927.

Today these trees are massive and amazingly beautiful. The lighting under the canopy was pretty tricky and most of my images didn't come out very nice but here are a few.

I did find evidence of giant dinosaur nests and have a photo so you can see. We didn't spot any running around but maintained our vigilance - you don't want to be caught unawares by a pack of Velociraptors!

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Mega Photography Weekend 5 - $420

[ad_1]MegaPhotography Weekend #5 Benjamin Eriksson Photography and Photo Rangers weekend workshop is almost here and we have a couple of vacancies remaining. During the weekend we will cover:

Sports photography - surf Long exposure sunset - Athabasca filters BBQ Dinner included - BYO drinks Model fairy lights Model astro/star trails open tent Long exposure sunrise - Rhyll - Athabasca filters Editing Workshop - putting it all together

19-20th Jan 2019 Phillip Island

Included... 7 awesome photography workshops including shooting with a local surfer and professional model Brooke of Brooke Morgan Modelling. Learning and using Athabasca ND filters and NDX variable filter. Glamping tent shared accommodation at The Sheltered Glamping Co. BBQ Dinner on Saturday evening.

Supported by MeFoto Australia and Samyang Optics Australia

Questions? Pop me a message or call on 0466539921

To book: https://www.trybooking.com/ZGSA

Mega Photography Weekend 5 - $420

7 Massive Workshops designed to help you find your CREATIVE MOJO 1. Surf Sports Photography - Local surfer will surf for the cameras 2. Sunset Long Exposure with Athabasca ND Filters 3. BBQ Dinner (BYO drinks) - Event Photography 4. Professional Model - night with fairy lights 5. Professional Model.... [ad_2]
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NYE Wildlife Expedition

[ad_1]NYE Wildlife Expedition This NYE I went with Amanda, Ian and Bec in search of Phillip Island Wallabies. We walked the entire Cape Woolamai Track - a little under 9k trip.

It was a great way to end 2018. Here are a few of the shots from last night.

Celie and I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. We look forward to the exciting adventures and learning opportunities in 2019. Take care and be safe!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[ad_1]HAPPY NEW YEAR! Happy New Year to you and your family. I invite you all to come along with us in our Photo Rangers Community Group on Facebook this year. We'll have monthly challenges led by great photographers each month as well as a free community mentoring program. Should be a fun and exciting year!

All the best to you and your family. Take care and stay safe! Dale & Cecilia ------------------------------------------- Photo Rangers Adventure Based Workshops every Saturday. Check Facebook or Website for schedule of events. ---------------------------------- #photorangers #ecophotography #phillipisland #gippsland #melbourne #fujifilmx_au #ig_australia #seeaustralia #igersmelbourne #visitvictoria #visitmelbourne #melbournetouristguide #visitgippsland #wandervictoria #existinnature #loves_united_australia #discoveraustralia #fujixaus #basscoastbusiness #mefototripods #mefotoaustralia #yourhappyspace #phillipislandnp #photographyworkshop #visitbasscoast #shimodaadventures —————————————————————

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