retrospective | Alex Wise Photography

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Alex Wise

2014 Retrospective

Hard to believe another year has quickly flown past. I know I wrote this last year with my previous 2013 retrospective but like the previous year it doesn’t feel that long ago I was writing my previous retrospective.

This year was a bit different for me where instead of taking solo outings I spent more time taking multi-day trips to rural Victoria, Port Campbell near the 12 Apostles and the Tasmanian East Coast. It was nice just to escape everything for a few days and spend time dedicating a few days to photography and exploring. Something I enjoy more and more is just getting out there and exploring with photography almost coming secondary sometimes. Amidst all of this, I had the opportunity to meet and shoot with some great photographers along the way.

Posts from 2014

Here are some posts from throughout 2014:

This year I kicked things off with a swim and seascape shoot at Portsea, Victoria. It was the perfect combination and a great way to spend a 40 degree day
Not long after this shoot at Portsea, I was fortunate to get a ripper sunset at Shelley Beach not far from Portsea
The launch of an ongoing before and after series where I share the original and post processed image and explain how the photograph was taken and processed
The Year of the Copy Cats – A slightly controversial post I put together earlier in the year after seeing a flood of photos taken of the exact same composition at the same location. Over and over
Two Photoshop portraits How to Create a Double Exposure in Photoshop and another on How to Add a 3D Effect to Your Photography Portraits
Exploring country Victoria with a trip to Mansfield, Victoria. As a result of this trip, I had an exciting feature on 500px on self portraits
I finally made my way to the 12 Apostles for a weekend down the Great Ocean Road
What Are Neutral Density Filters and How to Use Them
A quick weekend shooting Dark Mofo and other parts of Tasmania
Getting out of my comfort zone with a morning trip for daytime shots at Cape Woolamai, Victoria
Photographing an iconic piece of artwork along the Eastlink Highway with the Eastlink Hotel
Secret Falls had been on my list of locations to shoot for a while. Over winter I finally got there and was amazed of how beautiful this little hidden gem was

Photographs from 2014

My favourite photographs taken over 2014 around Victoria, Tasmania and Sri Lanka

Thanks for viewing and I hope you had an enjoyable 2014. Looking forward to sharing more photos over 2015.

– Alex

Posted on December 21, 2013January 11, 2014 by Alex Wise

2013 Retrospective

It’s hard to believe that another year has already flown past. I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that I was putting together a similar post for my 2012 Retrospective.

2013 was an interesting start to the year with me being stuck down the Tasman Peninsular as the bush fires tore havoc through the area. Fortunately for us we were in a safe location but were trapped down there for a week. The most frustrating part was knowing my camera was back home in Hobart so I wasn’t able to get any photos of the stunning sunsets during the week I was down there. The first photo in this 2013 retrospective was from the day I finally got back to Hobart and taken from the Eastern Shore looking towards a hazy Mt. Wellington on sunset.

This year was a quiet year for me landscape photography wise but I mixed things up by picking myself up a Fujifilm X100 that rides in my bike bag and generally carried around wherever I go. It’s a great little camera and most of the photos are featured towards the end of this post. For anyone that only ever lugs around a DSLR I’d strongly recommend picking yourself up a little capable camera like the Fujifilm X100. It’s great having something with you that’s portable but doesn’t come with the high price tag that your DSLR has.

Like previous years I’ve put together a couple of articles on long exposure photography with one being around long exposure ideas and another on how to create yourself a 10 stop neutral density filter for under $10. I’m hoping to launch some more articles over 2014.

In case you’re interested, past retrospectives from 2010, 2011 and 2012 can be seen by clicking the links from each year.

I hope you had a great 2013 and looking forward to sharing more photos with you over 2014.

Thanks for your continued support,

– Alex

Posted on December 18, 2011January 11, 2014 by Alex Wise — 25 Comments

2011 Retrospective

I can’t believe the year is almost over. It has been a busy but fun year. Here are a collection of photographs I’ve taken over the year. Hope you enjoy.

Hobart

Earlier in the year (note – 3am on New Years Day) I thought it would be a great idea to apply for a job in Melbourne and move away from Hobart for a bit. I applied for a job later that day without actually thinking I’d get an interview but soon found out they wanted to hire me and I had 10 days to move over. Find somewhere to live, move all my belongings over, no biggy? It was a rush and a mad fortnight of trying to spend time with everyone before I went. These images are all captured during this time.

Star trails – New years day

It was the first time I’d been to Mona Foma since it started a few years ago. Friends and I made an effort to get along to as much as possible which was a blast. I’m disappointed I’ll be missing it next year especially with word Girl Talk is playing.

All man on my pink chair…

I started a little project called The Travelling Camera. I’ve been lazy with it this year but it’s a project where an Olympus OM-2n film camera sent with a list of things to photograph to friends. So far three people have done the project and just waiting on a fourth. If you’re interested in participating in it next year, be sure to contact me.

Before I left I was rather keen to tag along on a trip up to the Great Lakes with Sam Shelley. It’s an amazing place and somewhere I hope to explore more when I one day move back to Tasmania.

During the 10 days, I had to quickly find somewhere to live in Melbourne. I flew over to Melbourne for the day to look at four places, all of which offering me leases. It worked out well and I was able to pick the unit I wanted most.

But it was soon time to pack up and move away.

Leaving Devonport on the Spirit of Tasmania

Melbourne

Arriving into Melbourne at 6am and being greeted by 30 degree heat.

The first few months of moving over I was rather lazy and went into tourist mode.

AFL – Watching Carlton draw against Essendon. I ended up going to 7 games throughout the year which is odd as I don’t actually have a team.

Albert Park – Where I sometimes like to go running.

Drinking possibly a little too much coffees.

Discovering a new found love in ph?.

Working those star jumps…

Long exposure of traffic entering Exhibition Street (near work).

Throughout the year I had a play with some timelapse. I’m lazy and never got around to finishing the clip but here is a selection of clips captured throughout the Melbourne CBD.

Oh… And of course a yoyo clip (much to the amusement of the guys I work with who randomly came across my Youtube channel).

Shrine of Remembrance

Living reasonably close to the city, I sometimes like to run or walk home. Taken during winter as I was leaving work.

Another photo as I made my way home from work.

Back to Hobart Briefly…

I went back to Hobart for my birthday to catch up with friends and family. Having not been taking many photographs since moving to Melbourne, I was pretty keen to have some early mornings and shoot some sunrises.

Mt Wellington from the Hobart Eastern Shore.

Overcast sunrise at South Arm, Tasmania

Playing around with reflections at Eaglehawk Neck on sunrise

Back to Melbourne

When I got back to Melbourne I was asked to photograph our IT staff for the staff intranet and phone book. It was different but fun.

A friend – I like this one.

It took me a while to start leaving the city and taking photographs. I was lucky to meet some guys who shared the same interest as me so we made a few trips throughout the year. This series is from Marysville.

Playing around at Docklands on sunset

Cape Woolamai – I took a trip down to Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island with some friends who I also went to Marysville with. It was probably my favourite place I’ve taken photos all year.

Clouds passing above during a 13 minute exposure at Elwood Beach.

And finally, another trip back to Marysville on a cold and wet morning. Probably my second favourite set from this year and a nice set to close with.

I hope you enjoyed these photographs and thank you for all the support from people who have commented and emailed throughout the year.

– Alex

Click here to view my 2010 Retrospective.

Posted on January 1, 2011January 1, 2011 by Alex Wise — 10 Comments

2010 Retrospective

All year I’ve felt like I haven’t taken as many photographs as I’d like. Looking back now maybe it wasn’t as quiet as I first thought. Here are a selection of images from 2010.

The year started off with a trip up Mt. Wellington with Carl Ashley.

I planned to revisit an old jetty that I had shot in 2009 however it had unfortunately been pulled down.

Desperate for new seascape locations, I began exploring Kingston for photographs.

But it was soon back to my favourite location, Clifton Beach even if without my tripod.

Walking along Howrah Beach, I noticed the water coming off these rocks nicely and had to stop for a photo.

My obsession with long exposure photography grew during 2010. This is one from Tranmere, Tasmania

Busy with uni, my camera spent a lot of time in the cupboard over winter. On my way home from uni I noticed this scene so made a quick dash home to grab the camera.

With the deciduous beech coming into season mid year. I was keen to get up to the Tarn Shelf to take a photo of this beautiful scene. Constantly looking for new locations to take photos of, I tried Blackman’s Bay for a change.

With amazing clouds rolling in one afternoon, I made the decision to skip class in the hope of the clouds putting on a nice sunset. I was lucky even if I did get drenched.

Not long after, I made my way to Park Beach for sunset photos.

I love winter and its fog. This is captured underneath the Tasman Bridge on a chilly early morning.

Probably my favourite find and photo of the year. Constantly looking for new locations to take photos of, I made my way to O’Possum Bay but left a little disappointed.

Next on the list is a drive to Remarkable Caves which was amazing and wild.

With large swells in Hobart, this meant otherwise quiet locations had swell for a change.

My obsession with long exposures continued.

Always looking for new locations, I came across this lovely stream on a drive.

More playing around with long exposures. Even looking at this photo now I’m still unsure about it. The moving jetty creates an interesting effect but whether it works is another question.