Paul Petch » Photography

2010 Western States 100 photos

Paul — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:12:19 +0000

I stumbled on a sweet set of photos from Reflections Photography Studios of the recent Western States 100 via Facebook and just had to share them. WOW. These photos are inspirational!

“4PM on Sunday – I am in the Starbucks in Auburn -just edited some WSER images and FTP to Runners World – I have pretty much been awake since Friday – chasing runners around for two days – it was a great race – very exciting – photographically, it was very successful – I have over 2000 images to edit – here are a few – please let me know what you think – going to find a cool place to sleep now.”

Luis.

Old Photographs

Paul — Mon, 24 May 2010 03:57:10 +0000

A good friend (also called Paul) from my days at St. Edmund Secondary back in Dover England, uploaded some scanned images ranging from aged 11- 21. It’s mental looking back at these…totally mental! I must admit that when Facebook first hit the net that I was a bit “meh”…but I’m in touch with all of my old school mates and Uni friends too…so I like it. One day I’ll visit and catchup with them all for old times sake….

Toycamera Analogcolor

Paul — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:40:09 +0000

The retro Toycamera Analogcolor application (now say that 20 times I dare you!) is one heck of a sweet little toy for both mac and PC. With a click of a button it takes us all back to when cameras were analog and not so pixel perfect! With some cool presets and manual control too, it’s really easy to use and I’m quite addicted to turning some “average” digital images into fabulous old school ones (sorry about the amount posted here – but remember to use the ARROW KEYS :/). It even has a Polaroid output option that just looks awesome!

Check out some of these photos and do yourself a favor by downloading this gem and have a play. Can you then please post a link to your photos for us to check out? My Flickr collection is here.

Of course there is a video too. And thanks to Matt for the heads up!

landscapes by gato-gato-gato

Paul — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:03:50 +0000

gato-gato-gato‘s landscape images on Flickr are just fantastic! I particularly love the mountain views and perspective that the cloud formations bring. Well worth a visit……

Body Surfing…

Paul — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:43:18 +0000

What a sweet little collection of images this Aussie website has! I’ve never really been keen on surfing or the ocean since being scared shitless by the movie Jaws…but people can change right? Body surfing is free, simple and by the looks of it…..a heap of fun! If we ever get above 35degs this summer, I’ll be off to Sumner for a go. But maybe with a boogie board though!

Check out more photos at www.bodysurf.com.au. Awesome images….

Brett Walker

Paul — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:13:45 +0000

I’ve just stumbled this guys work and its bloody breath taking. I’m all for black and white, saturated colours as well as a bit of photoshop tinkering- but these images take it to the next level don’t they? Check out his popular his Flickr collection here. Wow… just wow.

My new toy- Panasonic Lumix LX3

Paul — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:36:43 +0000

Time for a change

After close to 5 years my trusty Olympus Mju is literally falling apart in my hands and with a start up time at about 20 seconds and questionable picture quality- a replacement was needed. Aside from the wear and tear (and the front slider coming off during each use) the Olympus had fared well with a lot of neglect and had seen more adventures than any other camera that I’ve owned. Seeing as it has lasted relatively well I checked out the current and equivalent Olympus Mju camera (Mju Tough 6010) aimed at a robust “outdoor” lifestyle. Heading off to the local electrical store and handling the Mju, quickly highlighted that this camera was basically the same 5yr old unit with a different exterior! It took terrible images that blurred when the subject was moving (um….like always) or when the lighting conditions were not “perfect” (so indoor photography was basically a no go). As for the flash, it just swamps everything and images look washed out. Basically, it looks more robust but is crap.

When I had a look at the other brands that offered similar features to that of the Mju Tough, I found the same thing…..and in particular the sports “mode” lacked balls. So it was back to the drawing board. Thankfully, with a little bit more research I was happy to find that there were quite a few compacts on the market boasting features that were exactly what I wanted….and more in that they offer features usually exclusive to fully fledged SLR’s.

After some more research & counting the pennies, I narrowed my search down to two cameras, the Olympus EP-2 Pen and the Panasonic Lumix lx3. Both cameras look stunning with their retro charm and offer exactly what I wanted (and more), but the Olympus costs twice as much as the Lumix LX3 which sealed the deal for me at the end of the day. So that was that :)

Features

Unlike a standard compact camera, the Lumix LX3 enables you to control the aperture and exposure, just like a digital SLR and the picture quality is far superior due to the higher quality/larger lens which is a staggering 24mm. Panasonic sums the LX3 up with these features:

Large Aperture F2.0, 24mm Wide Angle LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON Lens.
10.1 Mega Pixel High Sensitivity CCD for Unprecedented Image Quality.
3.0 Inch Intelligent LCD with 460,000-Dot Resolution.
Intelligent Auto Technology including AF Tracking, Face Detection, Scene Detection.
HD Motion-Picture Recording (1280 x 720p @ 24 fps).
RAW/RAW+/JPEG format compatible.

First thoughts

The highlights so far are:

1. It has a true 16:9 aspect ratio and I love it.
2. I adore the LX3′s ability to take great shots at low light – something that the Olympus always struggled to do.
3. The interface is really simple to use with a large bright LCD screen- so much so that Any can actually understand it!
4. It has a sturdy “old school” metal body and feels like a “real camera”.
5. It takes rapid images in a burst mode- one after another- like a SLR.
6. The sports mode and anti shake feature is amazing- at last I can capture moving objects!
7. The wide 24mm lens is nothing short of stunning and the death it captures just takes my breath away.
8. It has awesome HD 720p format video- which is visually rich.
9. The Macro photography is spot on…..with such a great perspective.
10. I’m going to learn alot about photography with this beauty :)

I’ve only just scratched the surface of what the LX3 can offer- but one thing is for sure- it is pretty much perfect for what I currently want – and I can surely grow into the more advanced offerings :) This video pretty much sums up the LX3.

As for the video quality, well- check these out.

Escalator from Saodesign on Vimeo.

Sea Monster Attack from Luis Vieira on Vimeo.

The Mystery of Flowers from Brian Harris on Vimeo.

As a bonus the LX3 has some really sweet accessories that include lens protectors, fish eye lens, mixed filters, retro leather cases and even an external optical viewfinder which helps the 007 vibe even more :) As you can see this pocket camera is simply stunning and packed full of manual features if required. I pretty much carry a camera with me everywhere I go and while the LX3 is more bulkier to carry than other compacts, the picture quality and control I have over the settings make up for it. The LX3 is an awesome camera and a recommended purchase that has already turned into a true love affair.

This camera is simply stunning!

2009 Kepler Challenge Photographs

Paul — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:23:33 +0000

I set a challenge to run a 60KM Ultra Trail within 6 months and against all the odds- from lack of experience, injuries and getting very sick in the week leading upto the event……I pulled it off in 9.35! Wow what a day!

Amy & I have just got back from Te Anau Fiordland after 9+ hrs in the car, so I’ll write up my experiences during the week.

Meanwhile I want to share the weekend through some photographs. Will I be back in 2010 to do better? Hell yeah!

Anne Keller Photography

Paul — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:53:53 +0000

A bit of mountain biking, friends and the outdoors captured so nicely by Anne Keller. I absolutely love this girls work and the website is pretty well designed too. Very nice work that inspires me to get back into my outdoor photography for 2010.

The Canberra Champs through the eyes of Wild Wassa

Paul — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:41:46 +0000

There are a heap of videos and images floating around the intertoobs at the moment that attempt to capture the circus that is the Canberra Champs downunder. But nothing comes close to capturing the spirit, passion and buzz as well as Warrens images here on this thread on MTBR.

Warren has alot of cycling related images on MTBR too- so I recommend that you check out some of his other work…..it’s ace.

Brilliant stuff & well done Peaty….you are the MAN!! (Here is a tip for viewing the images- use your arrow keys :) )