Tagged: 2021
Photographing Fireworks with a Leica SL2
I have a relatively new camera and lens and set out last night to photograph the NYE fireworks in Sydney, from a distance. I have changed from the Canon DSLR system to a Leica mirrorless camera, the SL2. The approach is quite different. So for those as inexperienced as I am with the SL2 and fireworks, I provide the following notes for future reference. Please feel free to jump in and correct anything I’ve done wrong!
I used a newly purchased Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280 f/2.8-4 lens and prefer to give fireworks a 4-8 second exposure so it was all done on a tripod. The Peak Design carbon travel tripod was perfect for me as I lugged all this up the hill to the lawn in front of Sydney Uni. I set up the SL2 camera before leaving home, based mostly on the advice from more experienced Leica users in the Leica Forum.
So here we go then:
- switch to Manual Focus (my photos were all framed at about 170-200mm focal length and I believe I used the fine focus ring on the lens plus the little joystick on the back of the camera to lock my focal in before the fireworks started using a nearby building – I wasn’t too concerned because I was using f/8.0 aperture);
- set exposure mode to Manual and then roll the rear dial through the shutter time settings to ‘B’ (for Bulb);
- turn long exposure noise reduction off (or you cannot keep shooting);
- use mechanical (not electronic) shutter type; and
- switch off image stabilisation (because tripod), however I forgot to do this on the night as usual (doh!).
I also used a Leica cable release to control my exposure time manually without touching the camera. And below are a couple more examples from last night. More can be seen here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzwTBM
Swimming in Sydney during COVID Lockdowns Part 4: Birchgrove
Yes, although it seemed insane at first, when the 5km radius restriction was imposed in mid-August 2021 our best option for a swim proved to be Birchgrove, between the Balmain Sailing Club and Dawn Fraser Baths. The stories about the presence of bull sharks in the harbour had us hunting down research about them online and it seems as though they don’t really enjoy cold water, so with water temperature around 14 degrees Celsius at one stage and rarely getting to 17 C, we felt relatively safe.
It seems to be about 400m from the Sailing Club to Dawn Fraser Baths and we were happy to stay there. The regular distance allowed us to structure the sessions like our pool sets and everyone seemed content with that too. The water temperature proved shocking at first, but you do get used to it and once again, most of us had wetsuits. There was no cafe nearby, but lockdown rules prevented us congregating at cafes, so there was no point in having one anyway.
We usually swam three to four 800m loops, including some medleys, drills, build-ups, drafting practice in pairs (or threes), distance-per-stroke and some changing pace work.
One of our swimmer’s partner (Helen) loves to bake and she brought us BAKED GOODSTM on a couple of occasions, including the best frosted cinnamon scrolls I’ve ever had.
Apart from some razor sharp oyster shells on ladders and pylons the only hazard we encountered were jelly fish that seemed to stay about an arms length under the water. On a couple of days they were all over our course, but they proved pretty harmless. One swimmer did see a big scary stinger, but I didn’t. Maybe I am blessed with an ability to not notice things?
I missed the last two weeks of swimming due to my wetsuit being sent to Caringbah for repair. I could have driven or even walked down to Caringbah pick it up several days ago, but I wasn’t allowed to and it still has not arrived in the post.
By the last week of September we were led to believe that outdoor pools would reopen on the 27th, so hopefully this will be the last time I need to post about swimming during lockdowns. I live alone and my relations are all outside both my 5km and 10km radius during lockdown, so this was basically the only way I could regularly catch up with friends. Swimming is very important to me in a way that is hard to express, but I don’t much like swimming alone, so I am really grateful to a range of people who kept me company over these lockdown periods: Howard, Henry, Rob, Anita, Justine, Kirk, Axel, Carl, Paul Simon and Richard (hope I’ve not forgotten anyone else who swam with us at any of our locations).
Swimming in Sydney during COVID Lockdowns Part 3a: Clovelly 2021
In mid-July 2021, after the horro of the freezing waters at Murray Rose Pool, we moved our swimming to Clovelly. I had been hesitant to go there as I thought it would be too crowded. Usually, however, it was only croded early morning and around lunchtime. Most people seemed to just come down for a quick dip then warmed up on the concrete and left.
Conditions varied but we usually completed 50-60 minutes with most of us wearing wetsuits. When we started the water temperature was usually 17-18 degrees Celsius, but it was very cold in the shallows
Initially we stayed within the confines of the long bay at Clovelly, doing what was basically a triangular circuit of the swimmable area a number of times (see map below). I had been describing Malabar as “Big Clovelly” because they’re pretty similar in form. They’re both ideal locations for swim training and there’s the added benefit of varying conditions. We all found it very enjoyable.
After a while we started to notice a few swimmers coming into the bay from Tom Caddy Point which is to the far right of the image above. They looked to have swum around the car park on the headland, from Gordons Bay or perhaps even from Coogee to the south. Then we saw some people swimming around in front of the car park so that seeded the thought for us …
On some days it looked a bit rough to get out beyond the rock wall at Clovelly so we stayed put for a few more days. We did, however, eventually venture out towards Gordons Bay one day when conditions looked ideal.
To find out what happened when we did venture out, you’ll have to wait until my next post.
FromMelbin 