News & Adventures

Lake Moogerah panorama photograph.

This was taken on the 01/01/2013 at Lake Moogerah just west of Brisbane CBD. This was the first time I ventured out this way and was a little lost with my location. The flies were killing me on a particular route I went, so I back tracked and went towards the entrance. The sun was probably 10 minutes away from setting so I made a quick decision and ventured down to the banks whilst dodging cow pooh. Three shot pano – This is a three shot pano, each individual image was taken one after the other. The three shots are edited in lightroom and then exported as a jpeg file. From there all three shots are open in photoshop cs6 and then automated photomerge will produce the blend for you. It doesn’t stop there though, if you’re a perfectionist like myself, you will want to go over the whole image and make sure there are nice clean lines (although photoshop does a great job). Camera equipment used Canon 5DmkIII – ISO 50 – F16 – 30second exposure on each image. Canon 17-40mm @35mm Lee filter holder kit with 2 filters on there, (can’t remember exact filters but I think it was a Daryl Benson 4 stop reverse ND and maybe a 0.6 ND grad soft.) Canvas giclee, metallic prints and also framed metallic prints are for sale. Head on over to my store www.jonwrightphoto.com and click store.   I also sell downloadable wallpapers for your desktop computers. Wallpapers are $3.00 each and I have many different varieties. Surf wallpapers, landscape photography wallpaper and ocean art wallpaper. Any more questions shoot them through to me on Facebook, twitter or contact myself through email. jon@jonwrighphoto.com

Capture magazines - Australia’s top emerging photographers 2013

  If you have been fortunate enough to get your hands on a copy of the most recent issue of Capture magazine, you would’ve noticed one of my photos (exit wave) is on the cover of the lift out. Australia’s Top emerging photographers is a competition run by the guys and gals at Capture mag. I first got wind of this magazine a little over a year ago now, when a fellow photographer (Trent Mitchell) had won the overall award. So I marked it down in my diary to stay alert and enter in the following year. The competition is based on a body of work of 6 images, they also look into your website, a description of who you are and what you do. This is all taken into consideration when the judges select the finalist. I entered into the landscape category, the portrait category and also the sport category. Luckily enough I was able to take out second place in the sports photographer section. One of the comments the judges said “One thing I have to say to up and coming sport photographers is to go out of their comfort zone and shoot more than one sport” I sat and thought about it for a while and totally agree with them. Maybe it’s not directed at me personally but I certainly believe I should be shooting more than just surfing and bodybuilding. Looking forward to showing you guys a completely different side to my sport photography in the next 6 months.  The winners are:   Overall winner - Ben Mcrae Documentary/photojournalism - Winner - David Maurice Smith, Runner up - Ed Giles Advertising - Winner - Stuart MIller, Runner up - Rachel Brown Portrait - Winner - Ryan Fitzgerald, Runner up - Ben McRae Editorial/Fashion - Winner - Alexandrena Parker, Runner up - Phillip Papadis Student- Winner - Jana Mare', Runner up - Bryan Sun Sport - Winner - Jaimi Chisholm, Runner up - Jon Wright Landscape - Winner - Ben McRae, Runner up - Jerome Berbigier

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Currumbin Alley Sunset – Jon Wright photo

  Dark and gloomy morning filled with shades of grey, clouds resembling smoke from a bushfire or a chimney on a cold winters night. The sun began to shine through and light was seen for miles, the perfect combination of elements for the seasonal photographer. Time passed and people’s lives slowly withered away one step at a time, one push of a “like” button and one tweet to an unknown fan. What are you here for? The Easter weekend crowd filled the car parks from far and wide like the Easter bunny fills the hare he wishes to mate with. Pests, crowding the shores of the Gold coast and it would seem impossible to compose a photograph without a rabbit popping up in the scene. Kids running, parents screaming, where is the isolation on the Gold coast? Getaway said it was…………….. This was supposed to be a get away, but the only term to use this is whilst the sunsets before my eyes. Within 10 minutes my Currumbin Sunset will disappear and so will the crowds. Hope The reflections in the alley mimic that of most photographers, each trying to capture a unique view, capture that shot that will make people stop and stare. From top, to the bottom, as photographers we are all chasing that magic photo. Suddenly, the crowds separated as if Moses himself was standing in front of me, separating the crowds that would other wise ruin a photo. Horizon This is what we have been waiting for. That special moment, that time to shine through the crowds and onto the land where we mark our territory. The horizon in the distance, we can see the light, oh so close but will we ever reach the edge? This is it, peace in a world over populated with technology, I sit, staring through my viewfinder and realise what I am witnessing……………………………………….

Jarrod Sanderson – House of Supplements - Sponsorship success

  Today I found out one of my clients has successfully gained a sponsorship deal with the House of Supplements & King Sport Industries Team. This is now the second athlete that I have taken photos for that has gone on to use the photos to secure sponsorship deals. The sportraits I offer are of the highest quality and are proven to help with getting prospective sponsors attention. What is a sportrait? It’s a play on words that mixes together portrait photography and action photography. A sportrait is a photo of you “the client” doing what they love doing “your chosen sport”. So if you’re an enthusiastic athlete or someone who loves their sport and is wanting some top quality photography, then make sure you contact me. I have a team that will work on tailoring a concept that will give you that extra punch. I use high quality equipment and personal to make sure we get the photo you are wanting.   One of Jarrod’s photos he used to get their attention.   Make sure you head on over to the house of supplements and once again well done Jarrod, keep up the hard work and dedication.

Rule of thirds - Landscape photography

  A Simple photography tip.   One of the most important things in photography is finding an appropriate subject to take a photo of. Without it, there really is no point in pressing that button. We need to find some sort of interest within the scene, whether it’s a landscape photo, portrait, documentary or action sports photograph, we need something to pop and get our attention.   The rule of thirds is probably the most basic of photography rules you will hear of. When I first picked up a camera I had no idea about what composition was. I was happily clicking away, like many people do, not paying attention to straight horizons or landmarks and where they were position in my frame. With a little knowledge and understanding you can easily improve any of your photographs. This is something everyone will be able to benefit from, especially with all the rave around social media such as instagram and facebook.   If you look at the majority of my photos you will notice the main focal point is either to the left or right. It’s very rarely in the centre. Below you will see an image taken at Rainbow bay on the Gold Coast. Fortunately for me the weather in Queensland has been washing up all kinds of debris on the oceans doorstep. I drove past this location and quickly doubled back. Set up my tripod and started to find a good composition. You will notice the branch is on the axis of the two adjoining lines. “But Jon, there are no lines”? Well let me make it a little easier for you. Scroll down a little further and I have drawn the lines on there for you. You will notice there are 3 sections to the photo, both horizontally and vertically. IE the rule of thirds. The idea behind this is to try and place key focal points at the intersections of those lines, or nearby or in.     For Horizons we try and place them either at the top third or bottom third (may vary depending on the interest in your foreground or sky). If your sky lacks interest and colour, then have a look at your foreground. Does it contain a lot of texture? Now don’t get me wrong, rules are meant to be broken. You don’t have to take all photos like this, your scene may be better shot on centre, but it all depends on what will help the viewer draw their attention into a key element of the photo.   So the next time you are taking a photo with your smart phone, try and practice this technique. You will instantly notice a difference. In fact, if you’re on instagram or twitter. #jonwrightphoto @jonwrightphoto and I will check them out.

A dogs day, animal portraits by Jon Wright photography

So if you are one of my fantastic Facebook followers you would’ve noticed some cute little furry friends appearing on your news feed. This has been something I’ve wanted to complete for a very long time. As a kid I absolutely loved dogs, however I wasn’t allowed my own dog but was lucky enough to live next door to a Rhodesian ridgeback called “Indy”. Let me run through some shots with you. Here we have the adorable little pug, her name is “Charlie”. So here is how I created this shot.   Equipment   1 x Paul C Buff Einstein with Pink gel 1 x Paul C Buff Einstein with reflector 1 x Paul C Buff with 22 inch white beauty dish Canon 5DmkIII and Canon 100mm 2.8 lens. Dragon images white paper background   The diagram below shows the positioning of my lights (distance my vary) You will see I have the main light, high and left of the camera. This is placed in a beauty dish and fairly close to the subject and pointing on a downwards angle. This helps control spill. I also have this lights modelling light on high to help with the pupils of our subject. The light on the right has a reflector/snoot on it to control spill onto the white background. It also acts as a fill light into the left hand side of my subject.   The light on the left is gelled pink and pointed towards the white background. Black backgrounds These two are owned by my house mates and are a funny couple. To photography on the black background I had to change my lighting setup compared to the white background. Instead of pointing the lights to the backdrop, I’ve moved them to face the subject. These are acting as highlights or hair lights on my subjects. The idea of this is to ensure our subjects don’t fade away into the dark. I have plenty more photos to share so make sure you head over to my Facebook page and get involved in the conversations. Also if you or a friend have some animals you would love photographed, please contact me at jon@jonwrightphoto.comfor pricing.

Byron Bay surf photography

  As a surf photographer this past week has certainly been a relief in the visual aspects of the ocean and weather. Australia day weekend was wet and windy. Onshore winds and large seas erupted on the entire east coast and only a few breaks down in Sydney were firing. Sitting in my office looking at all the photos others posted on social media, I looked out side and tried to remember the last time I saw a descent wave. Saturday 02/02/2013 Duranbah beach After a long week of working 14 hour days I managed to head down to Duranbah beach. There were waves but it wasn’t the best conditions. None the less I got the camera out and snapped a few shots before going in for a swim. Shot with my canon 7D, Canon 100-400mm. Sunday 03/02/2013 Byron Bay I was uncertain if the trip further south would be worth my time or not, however I went down with some mates and found some fun little peaks and good winds. Here are a couple from the beach at Byron bay.  

Under the bridge

I’ve wanted to get out in the great outdoors with my pro lights for quite some time. Finally the rain held off and my roommate was able to spend a bit of time with me taking some photos.     Jarrod loves his bodybuilding and fitness; if he isn’t training he is cooking! (Usually egg whites) Unfortunately nothing like masterchef. We originally planned for this to be in a completely different location but his gf’s keys got stolen from a nearby location (JERKS). We headed north and I instantly thought this location could be really cool but was a little worried about the sun in the sky. I shot this at f10 to try and keep the buildings in focus and to also help reduce the brightness of the sky.   I used 2x Paul C.Buff Einstein strobes for this shot, one to the camera left high and into a beauty dish, and one bare and to the right of the model. The Einstein’s triggered with my pocket wizards plus two’s and also the pocket wizard mini. The best thing about these things is they will always fire and will never fail on you. I originally had cheap ebay triggers and it really made me look like an amateur when dealing with the models. Having the reliability of the pocket wizards made it a lot easier to engage with the model.   If you’re into fitness and are looking for some photos to show of your lean physique then shoot me an email and we can organise something.