The Melbourne Photo Travel Guide iPhone App is a photographer’s guide to Melbourne that fits in your pocket. Visit the Facebook Fan Page - become a Fan and keep up to date with more features and future updates or follow me on Twitter.
Android users should keep a look out for an Android version coming soon.
]]>
]]>
This month's desktop wallpaper download 'Tin Shed' was taken in Cromwell on New Zealand's South Island and proved to be a rather popular 'outback' inspired Christmas card last year with its red and green complimentary colours.
Click to download 1280x800 file or 2560x1600 file.
This image is © 2010 Andrew Brown and is offered free to be downloaded and used for the stated purpose only.
Congratulations to Bern Bradbury - the winner of the Yarra River by Night poster print giveaway .
Bern's name was randomly selected from the hat using www.random.org. The poster is currently being printed and will be shipped to you shortly.
Thanks to everyone for supporting Andrew Brown Photography and the Melbourne Photo Travel Guide. Join our mailing list for updates on what’s happening with Andrew Brown Photography and the iPhone app or become a fan of the apps facebook page.
]]>
To celebrate the introduction of our monthly newsletter we are giving away a poster print of Yarra River by Night. To be in the running, simply join the mailing list before the 6th of March 2011. -->
The names of all recipients of this newsletter along with the fans of the Melbourne Photo Travel Guide facebook page will be entered into a spreadsheet and the winner will be selected using Random.org.
So there's a hint for you - if you're a facebook user visit the Mebourne Photo Travel Guide facebook page and hit the 'like' button before 6th March 2011 and you'll automatically have a second chance in the giveaway.
The poster is 590mm x 221mm and is printed on durable 180GSM matte stock. The poster will be printed and shipped anywhere in the world directly from my RedBubble gallery site
]]>
This months wallpaper image was taken at CERES - Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies. CERES is built on a decommissioned municipal tip that was once a landfill and wasteland but today CERES is a thriving, award winning, not-for-profit, environment and education centre located by the Merri Creek in East Brunswick, Melbourne.
Click to download 1280x800 file or 2560x1600 file.
This image is © 2010 Andrew Brown and is offered free to be downloaded and used for the stated purpose only.
Kicking off 2011, it is my plan to upload a new wallpaper image each month which can be downloaded free.
This image was taken on the road between Arthur’s Pass and Christchurch in New Zealand during a recent road trip around the south island. The roads at that time of the year were very quiet and we had hardly seen another car all trip, until of course when I wanted to take this shot. Every time the road ahead almost cleared, another car came up from behind. I eventually got the shot but if you look closely you'll see there is still a car, way off in the distance.
Click to download 1280x800 file or 2560x1600 file.
This image is © 2010 Andrew Brown and is offered free to be downloaded and used for the stated purpose only.
For those that don’t know the BlackRapid products, these camera straps (or slings) sit over the shoulder and across the body allowing the camera to hang at your hip. When the moment takes you, the camera is raised to your eye - the connector gliding along the strap, and once you have captured the image the camera is lowered back to the hip. BlackRapid sells a range of products including straps specifically designed for women and setups that allow you to carry two cameras - one at each hip.
In the end I settled on the RS-5
The order was placed on-line and the arrived here in Australia a little over a week later. The first thing I noticed on arrival was the packaging. A fancy mesh drawstring bag which I’ll have to find a use for, as I can’t see that I'll need to pack the strap back into it. The second thing I noticed was the quality of materials and construction.
Using the Strap
The supplied fastener is screwed into the tripod socket of either the camera or lens. The carabiner style connector is then hooked onto the fastener and the screw lock is tightened ensuring the fastener and connector won’t part company.
The BlackRapid site has a bunch of videos providing advice and tips and having checked out a couple of these I was able to get myself setup, adjusted and ready to go in no time.
Over several days walking around the city using the RS-5, the improved comfort was immediately noticeable however an unexpected benefit was a sense of security felt when working my way through the Christmas shopping crowds - the strap securely in place with one hand resting on the camera at the hip.
Initially when lifting the camera to the eye I found the shoulder strap sliding back, however the tip is to keep tension on the strap as you raise the camera. (This tip was picked up from one of those videos I mentioned earlier).
The RS-5’s built in storage has room for my iPhone, spare memory cards and some business cards with room to spare. The RS-5 uses magnets rather than velcro on the closures (providing silent opening) and the BlackRapid website confirms that the neodymium magnets won’t affect your phone or storage cards. The only issue encountered was on a recent trip on public transport - while leaning against the safety railings the magnets took a liking to the metal rails.
Recommendation
The strap provides comfort and security and with the built in storage I can see that on most future photo walks there’ll be no need to take along a camera bag.
I highly recommend the BlackRapid RS-5 strap.
The Black Rapid RS-5 Camera Strap
This is not a sponsored review. This blog does run some adverts and uses affiliate links (to Amazon) on occasions.
I spent a little time recently researching sales data (made available by www.appfigures.com) and was surprised to discover that Melbourne Photo Travel Guide has been sold in iTunes stores around the globe and on most continents since it's release in August this year.
As the map shows, the app has been sold in the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom and of course Australia. Currently the App is in the Top 100 iPad Travel Apps in Australia, China and Argentina and Top 300 in Brazil.
The response to the app and the feedback received has been fantastic. A big thankyou to all those that have made contact using the comments section directly from within the app or have taken the time to email me.
The current version of the app v1.1 includes native support for iPad users and provides full screen images. A single purchase allows you to install the app onto both your iPhone and iPad. The advantage of this is that you can plan your next photo trip to Melbourne on the iPad at home while having the app on the iPhone and handy when you hit the streets.
Work is currently underway on a new batch of entries along with more great images of Melbourne in preparation for the next update.
The Melbourne Photo Travel Guide iPhone App is a photographer’s guide to Melbourne that fits in your pocket. Visit the Facebook Fan Page - become a Fan and keep up to date with more features and future updates or follow me on Twitter
]]>
An icon of St Kilda beach and the surrounding area is the historic St Kilda Pier Kiosk. Originally known as Parer's Pavilion, the kiosk was built in 1904. Following a fire that destroyed the original kiosk in September 2003, the current kiosk was rebuilt using the original plans and with the help of features such as the iron lacework that survived the fire, an accurate reconstruction re-opened in March 2006.
The foreshore provides vantage points from either side of the pier down towards the kiosk. Walking down the pier, you’ll find a couple of shelters, which offer some great opportunities to frame your shots in interesting ways. At the end of the pier is the kiosk, which is lit until after closing time.
Hints & tips - Take a tripod for low light photography and multiple exposure (HDR) shooting. Sun hat and sunscreen is a must.
This is an excerpt from Melbourne Photo Travel Guide iPhone App - This mobile app is a photographer’s guide to Melbourne that fits in your pocket. Visit the Facebook Fan Page - become a Fan and keep up to date with more features and future updates or follow me on Twitter
]]>
