Thedraperyfalls
New Member
Hello fellows,
My girlfriend and I took a little sojourn to Melbourne recently to escape the heat and hustle.
We were on a very tight budget, I worked for most of the holidays to fund for the trip.
But as with almost everything in life, it's what you make of it that matters.
As such - we didn't follow any tour, we stayed in a backpackers' inn and basically walked everywhere.
And when it was too far to go on foot, we took the public transport.
We didn't patronise any fancy restaurant, but instead dined at the small local eateries.
And it all turned out very well, as we were able to really soak in the atmosphere and meet the locals.
We were traipsing through the city and the nearby regions with just a map in hand and a camera around our necks.
When we couldn't find our way, there was always a friendly passer-by to help us along.
The folks there are truly warm and welcoming, all of which culminated in a very enjoyable visit.
Now onto the technical details:
As my Hexar RF was out of commission for the trip, Raytoei very kindly loaned me his lovely M4P/35'Cron combo.
As mentioned, this was my first time with a Leica body and lens and boy, were they sweet.
Sometimes I read dissenting views about how the Leica is an outdated design and whatnot.
And that other cameras can do the same thing for half the price.
And when you've never handled one extensively before - I guess you can be swayed by such articles.
But after 9 full days and 10 rolls with one, I'm convinced that Leica is doing something really right.
It just felt so reassuring and smooth, at the risk of sounding like a fanboy - there was something magical.
I knew that it was not going to fail me and I just concentrated on getting the shot.
Placebo? Maybe, but it worked for me.
I admit the bottom-loading was a pain for the first 2 rolls, but after you get the hang of it it's really quite a negligible inconvenience.
For the colour, I used Ektachrome and Portra 160VC.
For B&W, Neopan 400 developed in HC110.
In hindsight, not bring faster film was a mistake, as the bloody sun sets by 5.30pm.
For most of the night shots, I just set them to f/2, 1/15 or 1/30 and just went with it.
As I didn't have a light-meter, I used the sunny 16 rule and just worked backwards from there.
I was afraid that the results would be disastrous, but I'm glad that the shots came out fine.
Here are some of my favourite shots, I've excluded the more touristy ones.
But if you're interested, I've them posted on Facebook, or alternatively, my Flickr.
Thank you for viewing!
_____________
A shot of the magnificent Twelve Apostles to set the scene with.
Typical Aussie weekend activity - bringing your kids up a mountain.
Shipwreck Coast, Great Ocean Road
Love
This fellow's thinking of having a chocolate bar.
My girlfriend and I took a little sojourn to Melbourne recently to escape the heat and hustle.
We were on a very tight budget, I worked for most of the holidays to fund for the trip.
But as with almost everything in life, it's what you make of it that matters.
As such - we didn't follow any tour, we stayed in a backpackers' inn and basically walked everywhere.
And when it was too far to go on foot, we took the public transport.
We didn't patronise any fancy restaurant, but instead dined at the small local eateries.
And it all turned out very well, as we were able to really soak in the atmosphere and meet the locals.
We were traipsing through the city and the nearby regions with just a map in hand and a camera around our necks.
When we couldn't find our way, there was always a friendly passer-by to help us along.
The folks there are truly warm and welcoming, all of which culminated in a very enjoyable visit.
Now onto the technical details:
As my Hexar RF was out of commission for the trip, Raytoei very kindly loaned me his lovely M4P/35'Cron combo.
As mentioned, this was my first time with a Leica body and lens and boy, were they sweet.
Sometimes I read dissenting views about how the Leica is an outdated design and whatnot.
And that other cameras can do the same thing for half the price.
And when you've never handled one extensively before - I guess you can be swayed by such articles.
But after 9 full days and 10 rolls with one, I'm convinced that Leica is doing something really right.
It just felt so reassuring and smooth, at the risk of sounding like a fanboy - there was something magical.
I knew that it was not going to fail me and I just concentrated on getting the shot.
Placebo? Maybe, but it worked for me.
I admit the bottom-loading was a pain for the first 2 rolls, but after you get the hang of it it's really quite a negligible inconvenience.
For the colour, I used Ektachrome and Portra 160VC.
For B&W, Neopan 400 developed in HC110.
In hindsight, not bring faster film was a mistake, as the bloody sun sets by 5.30pm.
For most of the night shots, I just set them to f/2, 1/15 or 1/30 and just went with it.
As I didn't have a light-meter, I used the sunny 16 rule and just worked backwards from there.
I was afraid that the results would be disastrous, but I'm glad that the shots came out fine.
Here are some of my favourite shots, I've excluded the more touristy ones.
But if you're interested, I've them posted on Facebook, or alternatively, my Flickr.
Thank you for viewing!
_____________
A shot of the magnificent Twelve Apostles to set the scene with.
Typical Aussie weekend activity - bringing your kids up a mountain.
Shipwreck Coast, Great Ocean Road
Love
This fellow's thinking of having a chocolate bar.
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