An afternoon at the Newcastle Breakwater with the Fujifilm X100F

Sunday, March 10, 2024 and the temperature soared above thirty degrees celsius in Newcastle, north of Sydney and the Central Coast in New South Wales, Australia.

My wife and I decided to jump in the car and head north for a visit to the Newcastle foreshore and also some lunch.

To be honest, on the journey we weren’t sure exactly where we would walk once we arrived in the area, however as we approached Nobbys Beach I realised that despite being here many times over the years, we have never ventured into the area where the lighthouse and breakwater were situated, at the very northern end of Nobbys Beach.

Nobbys Beach is Newcastle’s highest profile beach and a favourite swimming spot for both locals and visitors alike. It is also very well regarded by surfers.

As well as a public recreation area where you can barbecue or purchase fish and chips, there is also a pathway which leads to the Newcastle Breakwater after you pass beneath the iconic Nobbys lighthouse.

From the breakwater there are fantastic views looking back toward the lighthouse and beach, the dog friendly cove on the western side of the breakwater, active fishing boats and to our surprise on the day, a pod of beautiful dolphins.

There were many people that decided to take a look along the breakwater, also a handful on bicycles, and one keen fisherman.

The heat was pretty intense, and the decision not to bring along headwear with more protection than a trucker hat, and no sunscreen proved to be a huge mistake.

Despite the heat there was the odd respite with a nice ocean breeze which was welcomed, albeit too brief.

For shooting, today I chose to take along only the Fujifilm X100F, mainly to minimise the gear I would need to hold. There were the odd compositions here and there where I would have preferred to have a longer lens, however I also like the way that a 35mm lens allows scenes to breathe when you’re not in a street environment.

When you have a 35mm lens and you’re in an open landscape like this you have no choice other than to incorporate a lot into the scene, and then try and direct the viewer’s eye toward a point, or points of interest.

You have to pay attention though. For example, you cannot shoot out toward the ocean if there are no definitive points of interest, that’s where the viewer can become lost and disorientated.

I always try to create pathways for the eye to follow, to identify points within a scene where at times they are obvious, and other times they are a surprise to the viewer.

So there you go, a very warm day at Newcastle Breakwater with the Fujifilm X100F.

I hope that you enjoyed reading the blog, and I also hope that you enjoy the images.

Roger Brooks.

Motorcycle Diaries: Part 1

Often when I’m riding my motorcycle with my wife I find myself thinking that I should bring along one of my cameras to document the day, and maybe even begin to create blogs showcasing aspects of the day’s adventure… enter my first motorcycle blog.

Now, of course I could always document the day with the help of images taken with my iPhone, however when you’re a photographer and there’s a Fuijifilm X100F in the stable, well, you get the idea.

On this warmish Sunday we left our house on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia and headed for Broke which is a beautiful little town situated in the wine region known as the Hunter Valley.

There are a few routes that you can take to arrive at Broke from our house, and usually we would ride through to Wollombi and then onto Broke, however on this day we took the long way around and went through Cessnock, then Lovedale and then down Broke Road.

This part of New South Wales is full of fantastic bike roads with rolling hills, mountains, wineries and plenty of livestock to gaze at. There is also an abundance of great places to eat making for a very enjoyable day out.

We have stopped and eaten at many places in this region, however today we decided to head for a cafe called Magoony’s Coffee House, which was originally a service station.

As you leave Cessnock and head toward Broke you bypass Lovedale and then turn left onto Broke Road and into the town of Pokolbin.

Pokolbin houses many of the famous Australian wine makers and on weekends the carparks are full of visitors. You will always be able to enjoy great wines and a great feed in this area, and that includes a few dessert cafes.

After you pass the wine makers the speed limit increases and the road becomes a little windy in places, which gets the heart racing when you’re on a bike. Eventually Broke Road becomes Cessnock Road and before you know it you’ve reached the bottom and have arrived at Broke.

We parked the bikes outside the Magoony’s Coffee house and immediately felt a sense of calm. There were plenty of visitors there, yet the quietness of the landscape was overwhelming.

We enjoyed a traditional meat pie and coffee and took in the surroundings… no rush, just recharge the batteries.

Broke in New South Wales is within three hours of our house, making for a practical riding distance. We often ride plenty of kilometres, however when you get the chance to enjoy a beautiful experience like this and not too far from home, well that is pretty special.

On the way back we decided to stop in at the Wollombi Tavern for a beer, and today my choice was a schooner of Tooheys Old… bloody beautiful.

It is a special day whenever I get to combine two of my favourite past times, photography and motorbike riding.

I hope that you have enjoyed my first motorcycle blog, and I hope that you enjoy the images below.

Roger Brooks.

An evening in Melbourne with my Fujifilm X-H2

February 6, 2024 and I have just completed day one of a four day business trip in Melbourne.

Being summer I knew that by taking one of my cameras on this trip it would mean that I would have at least one chance to go out into the late afternoon/evening after the day’s work and walk around the city to see what pictures I could see, so I left my Docklands motel and headed in.

It was a very pleasant day in Melbourne… not too hot, not too cold.

I made my way around the water and up over the train line toward Spencer Street, before turning right into Spencer and then heading toward Flinders Street.

The streets were full of people who were just finishing their work day and heading for public transport, some into grocery stores etc, some already dining.

For street photography Melbourne rarely disappoints. There is always movement here, always something to see and shoot, you just have to be on watch all the time and you’ll find it.

Once you reach Flinders Street you now have more trains and trams coming into the scene, along with pedestrians either travelling beneath the train line toward South Melbourne, or heading back up Spencer Street to catch a train from Southern Cross Station which is majestic.

I began walking along Flinders Street toward Flinders Street Station, the late afternoon/evening sun now low in the sky and providing a beautiful glow across the urban landscape.

I love scenes like those where you can find beautiful pockets of golden light sprinkled through the city and contrasting against the shadows.

Once I reached the station I turned left onto Swanston Street and began making my way up through the maze of people, eventually threading my way to Bourke Street and beyond, then back toward Chinatown.

Even as the clock moved toward 8 and 9pm the streets didn’t seem to slow down, and this was a Tuesday night.

People interspersing with trams, bicycles and cars, the lights of Chinatown, the many Asian restaurants filled with diners… Melbourne has a soul.

I stopped in at Beast City which is a burger chain, with Melbourne’s one on the corner of Swanston and Little Bourke Streets and enjoyed one of the finest chicken burgers I’ve ever had, and the chips, bloody awesome too!

While I was eating I was noticing through the window that the people walking by and the cars moving along Little Bourke Street were partially blocked by the neon burger sign in the window, and I instantly thought that it might make for some great long exposure shots, introducing blur and saturated colour to the images… I’m happy with the way that they turned out.

I am beginning to force myself to experiment more whilst being out with a camera in the street, gotta mix it up more.

Well, it was getting late and I had three more full days of work in front of me so I headed back toward Docklands. On my way back I happened upon some more interesting scenes to shoot, including road workers incorporating tram movement and the beautiful magenta and blue glow around the Bolte Bridge which I captured by using a 40 second exposure with the camera sitting on my gorilla pod… glad I brought the pod with me to Melbourne.

Thank you for reading the blog, and I hope that you enjoy the images.

Roger Brooks.

Down by the Hawkesbury River for lunch with the Fujifilm X100f

It is Boxing Day in New South Wales, Australia, and on the Central Coast a large storm cell has blown in and thwarted any consideration for my wife and I to ride our motorbikes today.

Despite the bad weather we decided that we needed to escape the house and get some fresh air, therefore we jumped into the car to head off somewhere, anywhere, with no particular destination in mind.

Thankfully, I decided to take a camera just in case we had an opportunity to take some interesting photographs, particularly with the storm activity present.

Not long into the drive the rain began and became very hard, and although that can often provide great photographic opportunities, it wasn’t conducive to getting out of the car to take them, and especially given that my camera of choice on this day was my Fujifilm X100f which is not weather sealed.

We saw that toward the west the sky looked relatively clear, despite the easterly direction looking grey and forboding, so we decided to drive toward the west.

As we headed down the M1 motorway we quickly noticed a lot of holiday traffic heading north in the opposite direction, and we quickly decided that we did not want to be part of that on the way back by traveling too much further, so it was decided that we would pull into Brooklyn by the Hawkesbury River for some lunch, and hopefully photographs.

The weather was the complete opposite of what we saw on the way down. Here it was clear and warm, and a perfect day for a short stroll, fish and chips for lunch and to take some photographs.

It had been a while since I used my Fujifilm X100f, and I have to say that it was quite liberating. On this day I used my wrist strap, again something that I haven’t used for some time, and it really did feel like I was able to shoot faster with this setup.

My wife and I walked along part of the marina to see the various fishing vessels, which is right alongside the train line and Hawkesbury River Station.

This train line provides a magnificent journey from the Central Coast to Berowra, and then eventually down into Sydney. It can be a long one if you’re stopping at each stop, however it is well worth it. I recommend looking for the fast service through there.

The marina, train line and station, plus the abandoned wharf made for a lovely walk and some interesting photographs.

Oh, and the fish and chips for lunch was sensational.

If you’re a photographer and you’re stuck for motivation, or you’re simply searching for something interesting to do and shoot, with little fuss, I can highly recommend short excursions such as this one.

Thank you for reading the blog, it is very much appreciated.

Hope you enjoy the images.

Saturday arvo in Darling Harbour and Barangaroo

I have walked the streets of the Sydney CBD many times with a camera, however seldom have I wandered west down to the Darling Harbour and Barangaroo precincts, and this beautiful spring day in Sydney was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

After a ninety minute drive down from the Central Coast my wife and I settled into a carpark and were shortly onto the Pyrmont Bridge and into the Darling Harbour precinct.

The Pyrmont Bridge is a heritage listed swing bridge spanning across Cockle Bay, and was opened in 1902. The bridge initially carried motor vehicle traffic, however since 1981 it only carries pedestrians and bicycles.

During mid to late afternoon on the bridge there tends to be less people, however well below on the wharves it is the complete opposite, particularly during spring and summer when a real party atmosphere is evident.

At this time of year the bars and restaurants are pumping, and most of the large passenger vessels are full of people itching to get out onto the stunning Sydney Harbour and let their hair down.

We wandered back and forth along the wharves, studying people as they went about their business. Whilst there were many families out and about, the area was dominated by party goers in their best outfits, and almost always with an alcoholic beverage in hand, raucous laughter and smiles all round.

The Darling Harbour precinct itself was once not only an iconic food and beverage destination, but also a shopping Mecca with a large shopping precinct on the western side. This shopping centre was demolished in recent years and a brand new one is currently under construction, which will once again bring more people into the precinct.

The low sun made for some spectacularly bright glow, which can be both a positive and negative for photographers, depending upon your shooting style and editing techniques. For me, I enjoy using fast shutter speeds in environments such as these, and the option to balance light and shadow with deep contrast in many images. There are of course many times where softer light is the preferred option for photographers, although you tend to have to work harder for contrast on those days.

I will say that I am really enjoying my new hybrid setup with the Fujifilm X-H2.

The ability to quickly switch from stills to video with the one device is a game changer for me, and the main reason why I switched from my Fujifilm X100f, not withstanding the fact that the X100f does not do 4K anyway, which is my preferred resolution for video.

Stay tuned for an episode on my YouTube channel about my camera choices… and on that subject, please feel free to check out my episodes via the YouTube link on this website.

Thank you for reading the blog, and I hope that you enjoy the images.

Roger Brooks.

An early evening in Melbourne

During spring in November of 2023 I travelled down to Melbourne from New South Wales for a three day business trip.

I anticipated that there might be a window of opportunity one afternoon/evening to wander around the city and shoot, therefore I decided to bring along one of my Fujifilm cameras just in case, I chose the X-H2.

The late afternoon that I arrived in the city was on the back of a very warm Melbourne day, and the low setting sun added a warm, yet beautiful glow to the streetscapes.

All too often we move around in busy places completely oblivious to how we appear to others, which makes for fascinating footage and images because you are capturing people in their regular environments and in completely candid circumstances.

For me, I love the hustle and bustle of a very busy large city such as Melbourne. People, trams, cars, motorbikes and trains all moving back and forth in controlled chaos, all susceptible to the seemingly elusive photographer who can become immersed in scenes, creating a visual journal if you will.

If you are brazen enough and fully immersed you will inevitably earn the ire of some people, however I tend to focus elsewhere if I identify that and move on quickly, after all, I’m not breaking the law.

I must say that for the most part people tend to be too busy to worry about whether their photo is being taken, hopefully that is a sign that they readily acknowledge that they themselves take thousands of photos with their phones, and often in public places where there are usually strangers in the shot anyway.

I walked around parts of the city for three hours, focusing on some key areas which are known to be very busy and ones that can provide many great visual opportunities. You see, I lived in Melbourne between November of 2010 and April of 2017 and became very familiar with the city streets, in fact I still very much miss this beautiful and fascinating city.

By the time I made my way back around to Flinders Street Station I was spent, especially after working all day, time to head back to my accommodation and take a look through the images and footage.

Thank you, Melbourne for another fascinating insight into the daily lives of your inhabitants, I’ve missed it greatly.

I hope you enjoy the images, and please feel free to check out the short film that I made from the walk in the YouTube section on this website.

Thank you.

Roger Brooks.