After recently moving away from the Canon 5D Mark II to a Sony A7RII, I was itching to get out and make the most of my new purchase by giving the low light performance a play with some astro photography.
Milky way over The Pinnacles, Western Australia
Milky way photography is something that has evaded me over the years due to the Canon struggling in low light conditions (to put it politely). With the purchase of the A7RII, it was now finally time that I could get out there and shoot in low light conditions without having an image of nasty noise!
But there was one slight problem… I knew nothing about the milky way and spent too much time admiring other people’s photos to take a step back and learn about how to photograph it myself!
Things to consider when planning a milky way shoot
For the purpose of this post, I’m not going to go into great depths on how to use PhotoPills to plan a Milky Way shoot as I think other people have covered this in much better detail than I can. This tutorial by the PhotoPills team is a great starter.
There’s also some other great tools out there for planning a milky way shoot such as Stellarium and Sun Surveyor. Like anything, it comes down to personal preference and finding something that works best for you. For me, photo pills is easy to use which is good for a simpleton like me 😉
Sky tracking mounts are becoming a popular way to reduce the noise in milky way shots. A popular mount is the SkyWatcher mount which rotates to offset the movement of the night sky which in turn allows you to capture longer exposures at a smaller aperture. By doing so this allows you to photograph at a lower ISO which in turn means less noise.
This post will look to cover some of the questions I had as I was learning more about Astro photography. Sometimes it was simple things like
What is the milky way season?
How do I find a dark sky?
When is the best time to photograph the milky way?
Can you photograph the milky way while the moon is up?
How do I check the cloud forecast to ensure clear skies?
What’s the best camera settings for photographing the milky way?
Let’s get started.
When is the best time to photograph the milky way?
Northern or Southern Hemisphere?
Depending on where you are in the world, the milky way is only visible at certain parts of the year. Sure, you might be able to see some parts of the milky way but galactic centre and other parts may be out of view.
The reason that the milky way is only visible at certain parts of the year is largely due to the curvature and movement of the earth. This means for those in the northern hemisphere, your best viewing times of the milky way is between the months of November to February. For those in the southern hemisphere, is between February to October.
This is what people are referring to when they refer to the milky way season starting or finishing.
Is the milky way visible straight after sunset?
Can I just take photos once blue hour ends? Well sort of but not quite.
Watching the milky way rise in Lancelin, Western Australia
Like the moon and sun, the milky way begins rising in the late evening and then starts setting in the early morning. The best time to photograph the milky way and all its galactic core glory is once it has fully risen. Depending on the time of the year, this can sometimes be at crazy hours of 3 am in the morning or more comfortable times at 10:30 pm in the evening.
The reason why we wait for the milky raise to fully rise is due to the milky way being huge (100,000 light years in fact! Thanks Google…). If you try photograph the Milky Way while it is still rising, you may find some of the milky way will be cut off and sitting below the horizon. With this in mind, you can still get out there and photograph the Milky Way as its rising but you may find some of it is hidden behind the horizon until it finishes rising.
Why should I care about what phase the moon is in?
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and thought how bright the stars looked compared to other times? This often comes down to two factors… Light pollution and the moon phase.
The first factor that can influence the visibility of the night sky is based on how far you are away from light pollution when looking at the sky. Generally you will find the best skies are found in locations far away from nearby cities. This is due to the amount of light pollution which a city generates which in turn reduces your where you are far away from the light pollution generated.
The second factor which influences how dark the sky will be also comes down to which particular phase the moon is in.
Generally the most optimal time to photograph the milky way is when the moon is in the ‘new moon’ phase. During this time, the moon emits little to no light and increases your chances of seeing the milky way in all its glory. But to go one step further, I’d also recommend planning your shoot when the moon has either risen or set to increase your visibility of the milkyway. Using an app like PhotoPills will give you all this information. Alternatively, websites such as Moon Giant provide a calendar view of the calendar for a particular day of the month.
Finding a location with dark skies
Light pollution over Melbourne, Australia
Depending on where you live, one of the challenges you will have when it comes to photographing the Milky Way is finding a location that isn’t filled with light pollution from a nearby city or town.
Luckily there are tools out there to help with understanding what the level of light pollution is at a specific location. One of my favourites is Dark Site Finder which provides an overlay over Google Maps rating the light pollution in the area from Dark to Bright.
Please note that the data used for Dark Site Finder is 10~ years old so the accuracy for some locations will vary.
But what about photographing a Milky Way under a light polluted sky? One of my favourites is this stunning photo captured of the Sydney Opera House during White Night in 2017 shows that it is more than possible to get a photograph of the Milky Way under a light polluted sky.
How do I check the cloud forecast for the night?
What it looks like when there’s a little bit of cloud. You can only imagine what it’s like when there’s more…
Living in inner-city Melbourne where the urban sprawl of the the city feels like it never ends, I need to venture far if I want to find nice dark skies mentioned in the previous section. As I’m sometimes driving 1-2 hours to get to a location with dark skies, I want to ensure that the location is clear and I’m not wasting my time.
Luckily there’s some great tools out there to assist with knowing what the cloud coverage is like at a specific location. Here in Australia, one of my favourite tools is Cloud Free Night. Using the below screenshot as an example, Cloud Free Night gives me a 3 day cloud forecast for the low, mid and high cloud coverage with also the forecast fog cover. When you only have a limited amount of time to photograph the milky way, cloud forecast tools are a great way to validate that your potentially long road trip and stumbling around in the dark isn’t going to be a waste of time.
Tools like Cloud Free Night are super handy for looking at what the low, mid and high level clouds are doing over 24-48 hours
For those not in Australia there’s also Clear Dark Sky which provides similar cloud forecasts.
Why do I have to wait until the time PhotoPills recommends?
Screenshot from Photo Pills showing me the best time to photograph the milky way at Dog Rocks, Victoria as seen below
PhotoPills (and other tools) recommend a window of time to photographing the galactic core of the Milky Way. As the moon is a light source (and quite a strong one depending on where it’s at in its cycle), this brightens the sky to the point where it makes capturing the galactic core of the milky way difficult. The window of time recommended by PhotoPills is essentially when the moon has finished setting and the sky will be at its darkest. This window of time becomes the optimal time to photographing the galactic core.
Using the screenshot to the right as an example, I’m able to drop a pin to place where I will be taking a photo from which then allows me to see where the milky way will be rising from (the grey line) and where it will setting (the black line). Photo Pills is also recommending the best time of this month to photograph the milky way which is indicated by the full bars at the top of the screenshot.
Being able to see where the milky way will rise and set is super handy especially when you have a composition in mind (like a tree in this case) but are unsure where the milky way will be sitting in the sky. By using an app like Photo Pills, I’m able to cycle through the various times of the year until I find a time when the milky way is sitting in a position that works well for my composition.
I used Photo Pills to plan a recent trip to Dog Rocks, Victoria. The tool allowed me to plan exactly when the milky way would be sitting above the tree (as shown in the previous thumbnail).
Can you photograph the milky way when the moon is still setting?
Definitely!
The milky way rising above moonlit dunes in Western Australia
In fact, I actually prefer photographing while the moon is still up as you have the moon acting as a light source helping illuminate your foreground.
If you are planning to shoot while the moon is still setting, I’d recommend getting out while the moon is around 0-50% of its cycle. Any more and it becomes too bright. The milky way purists will call out that you’re not getting the milky way in all its glory but the trade off is worth it if you ask me.
What are the best camera settings for photographing the milky way?
Use a camera with good low light performance – Photographing in dark conditions means you will need to take your photos with a high ISO (generally 3200-4000 but this can vary). With older cameras especially, the noise at this ISO range can be on the higher side compared to new cameras which have much lower noise when photographing at a high ISO.
Use a sturdy tripod – Shooting in low light conditions where your exposure will be around the 20 second mark, it helps to have a sturdy tripod to support your camera.
Use a fast lens – Ideally shoot with a lens around f1.4 to f4 depending on your budget. Anything higher (f4+) may make it difficult to capture the dynamic range of the milky way.
Use a mid-range ISO (3200) – Anything lower and you may have trouble capturing the milky way and anything higher may introduce too much noise depending on your camera body.
Compose with the live view – One of the challenges of photographing the milky way is trying to focus your camera. My favourite trick is to put the camera into live view and focus on to the brightest star. If that fails another option is to focus your lens to infinity.
Find a shutter speed that captures enough light without introducing blur – One trick that’s handy for shooting the milky way is knowing the 500 rule which helps with calculating the longest exposure (in seconds) before the stars begin to turn into star trails. Using this technique, you divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. As an example if you’re shooting with a 20mm lens (500/20), this would result in a shutter speed of 25 seconds.
Questions?
If you have any questions or require any clarification about the points made in this blog post, please don’t hesitate to reach out via the contact page.
While planning for a road trip from Melbourne to Perth last November, one big part of the planning was making sure I had the right equipment with me for the trip. One thing that I wanted to get right was the style of bag I took on the trip. As I was flying back to Melbourne once we reached Perth, I needed something that would be able to carry all my gear but at the same time, I wanted something lightweight for days where I knew we would walking a decent distance to get to a location and didn’t want to lug all my gear (including laptop) to the spot.
So what did I end up doing for my roadtrip from Melbourne to Perth? Like any photographer, I procrastinated madly over camera bags for a month leading up to the trip and wanted to share based on my research, what the best backpack, sling, shoulder and roller bags are available on the market.
Let’s be honest, as photographers we’re a nit picky bunch and we all have our own requirements when it comes to look and feel to the sizing, style and material. This means there isn’t one bag on the market which is the best camera bag for everyone as not one bag will suit everyones requirements but there sure are a lot of different options on the market.
What to Consider When Buying a Photography Bag
When I was researching what camera bag I wanted for my trip, there were a few things that I took into account when looking at bags. Some of these are obvious but hopefully help you with your own research:
Style of bag: Camera bags like a lot of other gadget bags come in varying styles from full hard-on cases, sling bags, waist bags to backpacks. The style of the bag ultimately comes down to how you are going to use the bag and where you are going to with the bag, for example, lugging a roller bag through outback Australia would be impractical but does a sling bag provide enough room for all your gear?
Size of bag: The size of the bag also like the style is dependent on choice, size of gear and where you plan on heading to with the bag. There are smaller camera bags like the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00J8V1INU’ text=’Lowepro Passport Sling III Bag’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 830c9934-185f-11e7-8800-2fa24aa2a298′] which work perfect for those trips down to the beach where you know you only need your camera, one lens and some filters but what about bigger trips where you need a longer zoom and another lens or two where bags like the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00173FOQY’ text=’Think Tank Airport Security V2.0′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 94deabd6-185f-11e7-8de4-1fff5154f21f’] comes to mind.
Comfort: Buying a camera bag that’s comfortable should be a priority especially if you’ll be having it with you for long hours either on a bush walk (or hiking for my American friends) or if you’re shooting with it attached to your body.
Budget: Not everyone has hundreds of dollars to spend on camera bags especially when they’re starting out and have just shelled out a fair bit of coin on getting a camera and lens setup. There are very decent camera bags which won’t cost you an arm and/or a leg but serve you well. Amazon owned camera bags – [amazon_textlink asin=’B002VPE1WK’ text=’Amazon Basics’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 3672a754-1860-11e7-91bf-49520dc3cf9e’] come to mind. But then for those that do have the budget, there are some great bags in the mid to higher end like the [amazon_textlink asin=’B008OQUX22′ text=’Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 516a7e9d-1860-11e7-93af-b70b20a42e4c’]which come with additional features and quality over the cheaper bags.
Protection/Material of bag: Another important thing to look out for when buying camera bags is what type of material is used to make the bag? This is important because of weather elements and locations where you’ll be having the bag(s) accompany you to. Obviously a hard shell case like the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00NV6JTBG’ text=’Lowepro Hardside 300′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 7349262e-1860-11e7-aa03-ad11cfe0c128′]is great when you’re travelling on a plane to fully protect your gear if it’s thrown around but this is quite large and cumbersome to lug around when you’re not travelling on a plane. This is where larger bags such as the [amazon_textlink asin=’B002DW99H8′ text=’Case Logic SLRC-206′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 9dc66014-1860-11e7-8de0-c98569614713′]which generally have some form of waterproof material is ideal for those shorter trips where the key concern is protecting your gear from water.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s go down to what camera bags are worth mentioning across the four main categories of camera bags on the market: backpack, sling bags, shoulder bags and rolling cases. Obviously there’s other styles of bags that are missing here like a waist bag or camera holster but these weren’t a style I was interested in for my trip which isn’t to say they aren’t good, they simply just didn’t fit into my criteria of what I was after for my trip. You’ll also notice that there’s quite the emphasis on backpacks and slingbags as these were more what I was looking for.
What did I buy?
I ended up settling on the [amazon_textlink asin=’B008OQUX22′ text=’Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 516a7e9d-1860-11e7-93af-b70b20a42e4c’] as it was able to fit all the gear I was taking (Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40, Canon 24-70, filters and a Macbook). All in all, it’s a great bag and met my requirements of something able to carry all my gear comfortably as I was stumbling around remote parts of Australia. If I was to nitpick with the bag, my only criticism would be the big ‘Lowepro’ branding on the bag which is a bit of a dead giveaway you’re carrying a camera bag. But other than that minor criticism, it’s a fantastic bag and will serve the majority of readers well for their next adventure.
Very budget friendly coming in at [amazon_link asins=’B002VPE1WK’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 645947c5-1ccf-11e7-b6a0-b5fc56a40f8b’]
Roomy setup capable of holding a DSLR with 2-3 lenses
Made by Amazon
Measurements include 11.5 x 7.2 x 15.6 inches.
Weighs just about 1.3kg or 2.9 pounds
One of the best backpacks I came across in my research was this very budget friendly SLR/DSLR camera backpack produced by Amazon. I know what you’re thinking… A bag by Amazon?! Branding aside for a moment, it comes with some serious bang for buck and at the price point of [amazon_link asins=’B002VPE1WK’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 8f8a8f9c-1ccf-11e7-9d18-df6ea7f4ef0b’] makes it worth considering.
The backpack is compact and has a very impressive looking main compartment which has adjustable sub-chambers allowing you to adjust the compartments to store 1-2 bodies (impressive) and 2-3 lenses. How much you can fit will ultimately come down to the size of your setup (i.e. a larger zoom like the 70-200mm takes twice the space as a 17-40mm ultra wide angle lens).
Dimensions of the backpack measures 11.5 x 7.2 x 15.6 inches with a weight of 1.3kg (2.9 pounds), and the entire backpack is made of durable black polyester (nylon).
If you have a good number of photography accessories you’d like to have with you on a trip, there are several pouches to accommodate them. Zippered pockets and compartments are strategically placed both on the inside and outside of the backpack. I find these little pouches really handy for longer trips where you need to stash away some food to nibble on or carrying
The bag comes with normal features that you’d expect with a backpack including secure straps around the shoulder region, waist, chest area and several handles for an easy and convenient carry.
The backpack is very adjustable with straps able to hang loosely or made to cling tightly. This is particularly useful if you are carrying a lightweight travel tripod as it allows you to strap the tripod to the bag (provided it’s small enough). The AmazonBasics backpack is also heavily padded for a comfortable wear and also serves a strong shield incase of accidental drop, so your equipment is safe from a fall.
Design wise, I won’t lie, the AmazonBasics backpack isn’t going to win any awards for its design. The design is simple and quite dull. Its simple look however doesn’t affect its functionality as a lot of positive feedback from satisfied users of this budget backpack speaks volumes of its strength and usability, making it great bang for buck.
[amazon box=”B002VPE1WK” description_items=”0″]
AmazonBasics Large Backpack
Quick look
Roomy backpack with several compartments capable of holding a DSLR camera’s, 2-3 lenses and a few small accessories
Budget friendly and cost efficient
Weighs 860 grams or 1.9 pounds
Has a tablet compartment
Measurements include; 5 x7.9 x11.8 inches
Another camera bag worth mentioning and checking out is the large AmazonBasics DSLR photography bag. Just like the previously mentioned backpack, this is also a made by Amazon.
The bag is roomy and can hold just about everything you need from your DSLR camera to lenses, tablets and laptops. Once again, the design of this bag comes with a modular interior with removable areas which allows you to adjust the bag to suit your equipment which ensures a secure and snug fit.
Compartments are a thing to consider in photography/camera bags. Where this bag excels over the previous bag is with the additional compartments it comes with including a tablet compartment that’s padded for added safety. I personally like this comes with padding for the tablet as it reduces the need to store the tablet in its own carry case (which only adds more bulk).
The bag is lightweight and comes in around the 860 grams (1.9 pounds) range which makes it easy to carry. Talking about the carriage, there is a shoulder strap which is very heavily padded and also adjustable so you don’t feel discomfort while wearing the bag even with all your photography equipment loaded in the bag.
So far, there are several thousands of satisfied users on retailing giant Amazon, with a good many praising the bag. I would like to think that as an Amazon branded bag, Amazon listens to the reviews and have adjusted it over time to be the bag it is today. For the price, I don’t think you can go wrong. Some serious bang for buck.
[amazon box=”B00CF5OGP8″ description_items=”0″]
Neewer Pro Camera Case
Quick Look
Good, cheap price coming in at [amazon_link asins=’B01M5FQXFU’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 1788c02b-1cd1-11e7-9b8e-6ffe7463af50′]
Waterproof and shockproof
Comes with a tripod holder
Capable of holding a DSLR camera with 2-3 lenses
Measures 12.2 x 5.5 x 14.6 inches
Weighs 700 grams or 1.6 pounds
Okay let’s move away from Amazon’s offerings, the Neewer Pro camera case is made of a durable waterproof polyester/nylon material. Has a comfortably wide interior storage space and has dimensions measuring 12.2 x 5.5 x 14.6 inches and weighs 700grams. It’s also very well padded to ensure a comfortable carry and also serve as protection in terms of accidental dropping of the case.
Like the other reviewed camera bags, this Neewer Pro camera case can hold quite a bit of gear including a DSLR camera, 2-3 mid sized lenses and accessories. The inside of the Neewer Pro camera case has a bright red color making it easy to quickly find what you’re looking for.
There are dividers added to the camera case which are padded and removable allowing you to adjust the bag to suit your needs. Total portions you can separate using the divider(s) is 6 which can come in handy when you want to customise the bag to suit your requirements.
Outside the backpack, there is a tripod/monopod foot holder with straps and buckles to hold your camera stands and tripods/monopods without taking up internal space. Whilst also coming with waterproof material gives this another tick for me.
Weighing less than 750 grams (1.6 pounds) and can priced very reasonably under 50 bucks, you’re not only purchase a convenient carry-on bag but also one that’s resistant against the elements and gives the more expensive variants a run for their money.
[amazon box=”B01M5FQXFU” description_items=”0″]
Case Logic SLRC-206 Camera and 15.4-Inch Laptop Backpack
Quick Look
Has 25 years warranty
Made of sturdy nylon material
Weighs 1.2kg or 2.7 pounds
Measuring in at 9.7 x 13.6 x 18.1 inches
Has a waterproof EVA base that withstands weather elements and lets it stand upright
Capable of carrying a DSLR, 2-3 lenses and accessories and a laptop up to 17″.
Strap to carry tripod
The Case logic SLRC-206 camera backpack is one which is more than capable for those off the beaten track adventures. One of the selling attributes of this bag is its dimensions (18.1 x 13.6 x 9.7 inches) which make it one heck of a large bag to accommodate most photography setups and even large screen laptops of up to 17 inches. I’m not sure who is rocking laptops this big in 2017 with retina displays and the like but each to their own!
You can’t talk about a heavy duty backpack without mentioning the material it’s made of. This case logic SLRC-206 camera bag exterior is made of sturdy heavy-gauge nylon while the base is made of a molded EVA material that’s water-resistant. It’s worth noting that it does lack a waterproof rain cover which means it’s not 100% waterproof but the material itself does provide some safe guard against water.
Another selling point for this bag was the side straps to carry your tripod. I find this really useful for those longer walks where you may need to scale down a hill and need both hands (rather than one holding the tripod).
Straps securely placed in the shoulder region employ an innovative strap management system which sees that excess and hanging straps are kept out of the way. The straps are also very adjustable to any fit or comfort level.
As regards to the compartment/housing areas, there’s a lot of space in this backpack which you would come to expect with a bag of this size but one thing in particular that I liked about the bag were the storage areas which securely holds your camera. The camera compartment has a neoprene hammock suspension system which lifts the camera just above the case’s bottom thus keeping it safe in case of impact.
As like most bag that can hold a camera and laptop setup, the backpack has a camera compartment as well as a laptop compartment. Both are well protected with foam to prevent damage to your expensive equipment.
Like many other camera bags, this Case logic SLRC-206 camera backpack has a main compartment that’s fully customizable with padded, dividers which are felt covered. The dividers are attached to the backpack walls using hook and loop strips so you can make a custom housing area for any and every of your photography equipment from lenses to filters. All in all, this leaves you with enough space to carry a DSLR, 2-3 lenses, accessories and a laptop. Once again it really comes down to the size of your lenses to how many you’ll be able to store. If you’re carrying a 70-200mm zoom lens then this is obviously going to take a fair chunk of space.
All in all, this is a great bag for the price and would suit someone looking for a bag which will them to cover everything from their camera equipment to laptop for those weekends or longer away.
[amazon box=”B002DW99H8″ description_items=”0″]
Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L AW Bag
Quick Look
Lowepro is an industry leader when it comes to photography bags
Holds a DSLR with 2-3 lenses and accessories
Comes with a top loading compartment
Ready for the rain with an all weather cover
Measures in at 19.88 x 9.25 x 11.4 inches
Weighs 1 kg (2.2 pounds)
Lowepro is a highly respected and trusted manufacturer in the industry, having been an innovative leader for years. In fact, my first camera bag was a Lowepro! This is a cheaper option but is still made from top quality material.
One thing I really liked about the Lowepro was the direction they took with the design. The bag is much more of a casual, informal design and is lightweight and comfortable to wear. With the design direction Lowepro have taken with this bag, you’re bound to be comfortable in harsh conditions. Speaking of harsh conditions, the Lowepro Photo Hatchback comes with an all weather cover which you can pull out and cover over your bag if the weather decides to turn nasty. I’ve used these for previous Lowepro bags in the wet and they’ve been a godsend!
The raincoat left this bag being my favourite!
With multi-functional compartments, you can store plenty of camera equipment, as well as your tablet and any other essentials. With a body-side opening, you can access your gear quickly and easily. This is perfect for those moments when you spot a great photo opportunity and want to quickly access your camera.
The great thing about this backpack, is that you can remove the camera box to turn it into a fully functional daypack. This is quick and simple to do, with the convenient grab handles attached. Your camera will remain protected inside the padded camera box and you are free to place other items in the backpack.
For me, this is a great bag for people who carry lightweight setups but need something that is both comfortable and capable of holding its own in harsh conditions. I don’t think you can go wrong with the Lowepro Photo Hatchback. My only criticism with this bag is the Lowepro branding on the bag which gives away the fact you’re carrying a camera bag but it’s not a deal breaker.
[amazon box=”B008OQUX22″ description_items=”0″]
Manfrotto MB NX-BP-VGY Backpack
Quick Look
Holds a DSLR with 2-3 lenses and accessories
Interior sleeve is able to hold a laptop of up to 15”
Casual design without looking too much like a camera bag
Side tripod attachment makes those long walks more comfortable
Measures in at 12.2 x 6.7 x 18.1 inches
Weighs 950 grams (2.1 pounds)
This is a very simple, classic design from Manfrotto, a brand renowned for its tripods who also knows how to make a good camera bag it seems. Like all bags, it features a removable padded compartment for your camera equipment, which is located in the lower part of the backpack. Equipped with the Manfrotto’s ‘Monforte Protection System’ (sounds a bit exotic no?), you can ensure your DSLR camera will remain safe at all times, along with your additional lenses and other small camera accessories. The idea behind the Monforte Protection System is to ensure your equipment remains in place even if your bag is tossed around or suddenly dropped
The 15.6” laptop compartment is a great addition and the zippered pockets allow you to keep smaller personal items, such as your wallet and keys, organised and safe. One of the best features of this bag, is the dedicated net pocket for a tripod or alternatively, you can use the external hanging solution. I prefer the net pocket for more compact size tripods but the hanging solution works well for your regularly sized tripods which are a bit too big for the net.
This lightweight storage bag is also waterproof which means it is perfect for landscape photographers who aren’t afraid to get out and take a chance with stormy clouds in the hope of a cracking sunset. All in all while this bag isn’t about to win any awards for its design, its use of good quality materials and smart features about it which left me rating it quite highly.
[amazon box=”B015RA4L52″ description_items=”0″]
Abonnyc Large DSLR Camera Backpack
Quick Look
Durable construction which comes with anti shock technology to protect your gear
Water resistant
Capable of carrying a DSLR, 3-4 lenses, accessories and a laptop)
Comes with side tripod strap
Separate compartment to carry your laptop
Measures in at 18.4 x 11.8 x 5.7 inches
Weighs 1.6 kg (3.6 pounds)
The Abonnyc Large DSLR Camera bag was a bit of a surprise pack for me being a relative unknown name in the camera bag industry. The bag comes more than capable of holding a lot of camera gear (you’re easily looking at a camera body, 3-4 lenses, accessories, tripod and a laptop). Based on its ability to carry a lot of gear, the Abonnyc Large DSLR Camera bag is best for the people who love photography and like to carry their entire kit with them all the time.
Like most camera bags, the bag comes with interchangeable velcro compartments which makes adjusting the bag to suit your camera setup easy. Additionally, Abonnyc employs anti-shock technology to protect the contents of your bag against any falls or drops. This is great especially when you’re lugging around a heavy bag full of all your photography kit.
For me at the price ([amazon_link asins=’B00YS1OP2G’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ a31fb53e-1cd7-11e7-8e85-4fe645f9d77f’]) and the ability to hold a lot of gear makes this a bag worth considering. It is worth noting though that for a bag that comes this cheap, you do have to make some compromises in material (reviews note that the material feels a bit less sturdier than your more expensive bags) and the bag does not come with a waterproof cover like the Lowepro bags. If you are carrying a lot of camera equipment ($$) then what’s a few extra hundred? Spend the bit extra and get something that has a waterproof cover and better quality materials.
[amazon box=”B00YS1OP2G” description_items=”0″]
Evecase Camera Backpack
Quick Look
Different design isn’t going to appeal to everyone but I love it
Capable of holding DSLR, 3-4 lenses and accessories
Zipper Laptop compartment in the bag
Interior is easily adjustable to suit your photography setup
The bag is waterproof*
Measures in at 18 x 13 x 6.3 inches
Weighs 1.5 kg (3.4 pounds)
The Evecase Camera backpack is one of those camera bags that upon first look you’re wondering whether it’s actually a camera bag as it its such a step away from your traditional camera bag design.
For a bag with a great design you would expect it to come with a high price. No not with the Evecase. Priced at a competitive [amazon_link asins=’B00NAQANTO’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ b890c14c-1cd7-11e7-9074-df54abe0a5d5′], the Evecase combines good design with the ability to hold a reasonable amount of equipment (camera body, 2-3 lenses, flash and accessories) plus a laptop and tablet.
One thing that really jumped out at me with the Evecase and makes it slightly different to your regular photography backpack was the way your equipment and accessories is compartmentalised compared to other bags. Rather than needing to open up the whole bag to access your equipment, the Evecase splits the compartments up with a large pocket at the front with four at the bottom which allows you to store your camera to be stored in the main area and your filters and other bits being stored in another. I find this really useful as a seascape photographer where sometimes I just want to quickly put my filters away so having a seperate sections for filters is a huge plus! Additionally, the laptop sits in its own compartment away from the camera and filter compartments ensuring that its safe and secure.
The Evecase backpack is a great backpack for someone looking for something different to your regular camera bag design. I’ve got nothing against camera bags but let’s be honest, you stick out like a sore thumb when you’re carrying a camera bag. Sometimes I’ll shoot cityscapes with more discrete bags to avoid unwanted attention which makes the Evecase all the more appealing. For me, coming in at [amazon_link asins=’B00NAQANTO’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ d22db5ad-15c9-11e7-9fe1-4fc5817adcb5′], being waterproof and holding lots of equipment makes the Evecase Camera Backpack a great bag and well worth the purchase.
[amazon box=”B00NAQANTO” description_items=”0″]
Vivitar Camera Backpack
Quick Look
Enough space for a camera body, 2-3 lenses and accessories
Very cheap – [amazon_link asins=’B01G62CSP0′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ e06192cc-15c9-11e7-97db-ef76e45e61e2′]
Able to carry a tripod
Space for smaller accessories
Not waterproof
Measures in at 16 x 11 x 6 inches
Weighs 450 grams (1 pound)
It’s really great to see some camera bag brands entering the market with designs that challenge the traditional designs without breaking the bank like this one from Vivitar. Coming with a simple design and priced at[amazon_link asins=’B01G62CSP0′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ e06192cc-15c9-11e7-97db-ef76e45e61e2′], the Vivitar camera backpack is capable of holding your DSLR with 2-3 lenses and accessories.
The Vivitar camera backpack is a great bag at a reasonable cost but with that said, you do get what you pay for. With the nylon fabric material, this isn’t quite waterproof and lacks a waterproof bag to pull over the bag similar to the Lowepro bags. For some people, this won’t be a deal breaker but for me it’s reassuring knowing your bag is protected from the elements especially when out shooting a waterfall in wet conditions. Another criticism that I noted across reviews for the bag was the compartments lack quality and don’t support equipment as well as they should. I think this would be more of an issue if you’re lugging heavier lenses like the Canon 70-200 2.8 at 1.4kg but would be less of an issue with lighter lenses like the Canon 17-40 at 475g.
Like all things in life, you get what you pay for and some of the issues I’ve noted here may not be deal breakers for everyone. This would suit people looking for a bag that is good for short trips and you’re not expecting any rain.
[amazon box=”B01G62CSP0″ description_items=”0″]
Burton F-Stop Backpack
Quick Look
Made for comfort in mind on those longer trips with a load balance waist harness
Holds a DSLR camera, 2-3 lenses, accessories and a tripod
No waterproofing
Measures in at 25.5 x 12 x 7.5
Weighs at 2.3 kg (5.1 pounds)
The Burton F-Stop backpack is a bag that has been designed for those longer trips in mind with Burton placing an emphasis on comfort. With the bag coming with waist and upper chest support straps, this ensures you’re comfortable for those longer adventures.
The bag is capable of holding a DSLR camera, 2-3 lenses, accessories and a tripod. Like most camera bags, the bag comes with adjustable internal compartments which can be adjusted to suit your camera setup.
One thing that Burton missed with the F-Stop backpack is the lack of waterproofing. For a bag which is obviously geared towards longer journeys, why would you compromise on waterproofing? For when you’re walking a few hours to a photo location, having something to waterproof your equipment is crucial and I’m really surprised Burton didn’t opt to include waterproofing. People have said you can use Scotchgaurd or Nikwax to waterproof the bag but it’ not quite the same as waterproofing provided by the manufacturer.
Would I recommend this bag? Look probably not… At the price point of Pricehere, the bag is up there with the bigger players like the Lowepro where you can get something similar with more features. That’s not to say it’s a bad bag as the design looks great and you may be happy to compromise on the lack of waterproofing but others may not.
[amazon box=”B00AZHAKSK” description_items=”0″]
Chrome Niko Pack
Quick Look
Different to your regular camera bag with a great looking design
The bag is able to withstand all conditions with its water resistance
Fits a 15” Macbook Pro
Configurable velcro dividers which easily adjust to suit your camera setup
Straps to carry your tripod
Capable of holding a camera body, 3-4 lenses and accessories
Measures in at 8 x 11 x 17.5 inches
Weighs 1.3 kg (3 pounds)
The Chrome Niko backpack is one of those bags that suits everyone whether it be trekking a few hours into a waterfall or taking cityscape shots around crowded areas. This comes thanks to the sleek design of the bag. With the Chrome Niko, you won’t look out of place and will have a bag that is both comfortable and able to carry a large bulk of your camera equipment.
The Chrome Niko backback like all backbacks comes with interchangeable velcro separators which can be configured to suit your camera setup. The bag is capable of holding a large camera body (like the Canon 5D Mark III) and 3-4 lenses. Based on reviews, there’s quite a lot of people out there lugging a Canon 70-200, Canon 24-105, Canon 16-35 and a 50mm all while also carrying a tripod and laptop. That’s a lot of gear and makes this bag a strong contender for anyone doing some serious travelling.
With the ability to hold such a large load, the backpack provides comfortable support to ensure you don’t feel like you’re carrying a large rock around with the weight being evenly distributed across the bag and your camera being properly supported in case you were to fall.
Overall, the Chrome Niko backpack is an impressive choice for photographers because of its design and quality features. While it may be on the higher end of the price range, the bag does come with its perks including waterproofing, ability to hold a large amount of gear (including your laptop) and tripod mounts. . So all in all, it’s a great bag for people looking to have all their gear at hand for their next big trip.
[amazon box=”B00AZHCCHC” description_items=”0″]
Incase Pro Pack
Quick Look
Comes with a secondary quick access zipper which makes getting equipment quickly a breeze
Holds a large amount of camera equipment (DSLR body, 3-4 lenses and accessories)
Able to hold a 15” Macbook Pro and tablet
Side mount to carry your tripod
Not waterproof
Measures in at 20 x 12 x 9 inches
Weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 pounds)
If you are an active photographer with a decent amount of kit, the Incase DSLR Pro Pack is the bag for you. Incase have created a bag which not only looks good from the outside but also comes packed with a smart interior design with enough space for keeping a large camera setup including a DSLR camera, 3-4 lenses, tablet, laptop and your tripod.
The bag comes with interchangeable velcro dividers which make it a breeze to adjust to suit your camera setup. The velcro dividers have been developed to also ensure a snug fit which gives you that additional peace of mind that your camera equipment is well supported. The bag also comes with a secondary compartment for filters and other items which is a great feature to have when you’re out shooting and don’t necessarily want to open your whole camera.
Like some other bags in this lower price point, you do unfortunately get what you pay for. While the bag comes with a great exterior design, it is not waterproof which is a shame for the landscape photographers who are likely to come across rain on their journeys. For others though, this may be less of a concern.
Overall at the price point of [amazon_link asins=’B008HFIWGO’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 85eca4c2-1ceb-11e7-bfee-11e807321979′]this is a great bag. For this price, you’re getting a bag that is capable of holding a large amount of kit and is also comfortable for those longer journeys. For some people the lack of waterproofing won’t be an issue but for others it may. It’s just my opinion but if you’re storing a decent amount of kit including a laptop in a bag, spend the bit extra and get something that’s waterproof so you never have to worry.
[amazon box=”B008HFIWGO” description_items=”0″]
Langly Alpha Pro
Quick Look
Holds a decent amount of kit (DSLR camera, 3-4 lenses and accessories)
Great looking design
Bag isn’t completely waterproof
Measures in at 18 x 14.5 x 8 inches
Weighs 2.1 kg (4.8 pounds)
While stock levels for this bag were low when I last checked thanks to this bag being a Kickstarter inception, the Langly Alpha Pro is still a bag worth mentioning thanks to its well thought out interior and exterior design.
Some people might find the design of the bag a bit unique (or even hipster?) but don’t let that put you off, with the design of the bag, you’re getting something that is perfect for the weekend away that is able to withstand all the elements with its tough leather, stylish design and rust-proof brass hardware.
The bag has been designed with three compartments, one upper, one mid and a bottom tripod compartment. Both the top and mid compartments have been designed with padded compartments which can be readily adjusted to suit the requirements of your camera setup.
The compartment design is actually really neat with with the mid compartment having enough room to fit your DSLR camera and around 3-4 lenses. The top compartment is also large and accommodates a laptop and your additional photography accessories whether that be filters or a camera flash. While this all sounds great, most reviews generally suggest not to fill the camera to full capacity as it can become difficult to get things from the mid compartment if the top compartment becomes full and top heavy. This can be easily avoided when packing your kit by ensuring you don’t overload the top part of the bag.
Langly have designed this bag using water resistant waxeed canas which whilst not completely waterproof, provides you with adequate coverage if you were to get stuck in the rain.
All in all, this is a great backpack and I’d highly recommend it based on how much equipment that can be stored in the bag. For me the lack of complete waterproofing isn’t a deal breaker as the bag is still more than capable of withstanding some rain or a wave drenching it if you’re caught off guard. Based on the design and the functionality, I think this is a good purchase and would recommend!
Designed for more compact setups (think a mirrorless setup with a few lenses and accessories) but is capable of holding a DSLR camera with a lens or two
Comfortable fit makes this ideal for those trips where you just want to quickly grab your bag with a simple setup and get out shooting
Bag fit is adjustable to suit different body types
This much smaller and cheaper design is great for anyone who doesn’t want the standard backpack look and is after something more lightweight and compact while still being able to cart around a decent amount of camera and accessories. It fits a compact DSLR, an extra lens or flash, a tablet, your smartphone and any small personal items you wish to carry with you. The removable camera insert is impact-resistant, making it ideal if you are travelling or needing to hop across rocks which may introduce sudden movement to your camera equipment.
One thing I like about the Lowepro Passport Sling III is that the tablet is held in a tablet specific pocket, featuring floating-foam construction which makes it able to withstand any sudden shakes or movements. This reduces the need to have your tablet in a separate carry case which is a plus. You’re probably reading this and wondering why am I even bothering referring to the tablet holder if this is a bag for photographers? Good question. I don’t normally carry one with me but will often bring one for star trails where I’m not sleeping and sitting near my camera.
The bag is comfortable to wear, with an adjustable shoulder strap featuring a cam lock buckle and a removable shoulder pad. It is a more discreet option than the Hatchback bag as reviewed earlier in the post and holds much more than you would think which makes it good for all occasions whether that be lightweight trips or stocking it up completely.
The interior zip mesh pocket ensures that smaller items are kept safe and secure within the bag, without getting lost or slipping out when you are on the move. The exterior pockets can store a water bottle or anything else that you may need to reach for in a flash.
I really like this bag as I find it perfect for those trips where you don’t necessarily need all your equipment but need something that’s comfortable and able to protect it as you hop around rocks by the sea where carrying a bulky square camera backpack may otherwise slow you down.
[amazon box=”B00J8V1INU” description_items=”0″]
Altura Photo Camera Sling Backpack
Quick Look
Easy to rotate which works well for when you’re on the go and want to quickly pull out your camera
Secure fit for your camera with padded adjustable dividers ensuring your camera doesn’t move around when travelling
Not the biggest bag but not the smallest either with it being able to carry a DSLR camera, 2-3 lenses, flash and accessories
For people looking for a bag which is lightweight, cheap and allows them to get quick access to their equipment then the Altura Sling backpack is the bag for you. Priced at[amazon_link asins=’B00PV0IEDY’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 013aff1e-15ca-11e7-875e-6fe7c889ee7e’], this bag is great value for money.
The bag is designed for photographers who want their equipment in a rush. Thanks for the quick rotation system, the bag allows you to quickly rotate your bag and get your gear out in a flash.
As this is a sling bag, it’s not going to win any awards for camera storage however with that said, it does pretty well being able to hold a DSLR camera, 2-3 lenses (depending on size), some accessories and a mount for a tripod (not bad for a sling bag!). The bag comes with adjustable velcro compartments which allows you to adjust the bag to suit your setup. It’s worth noting that some reviews have highlighted that the dividers are a bit flimsy and could be firmer to more securely hold your camera.
Coming in at[amazon_link asins=’B00PV0IEDY’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 013aff1e-15ca-11e7-875e-6fe7c889ee7e’], the bag provides some serious bang for buck. Having a sling bag that is able to hold a DSLR, 2-3 lenses while including a mount for a tripod makes this great for all types of adventures. It’s worth noting that various reviews questioned the durability of the material used. If you’re looking for a bag for casual light trips then this is a good purchase for the money. If you’re looking for something that is able to withstand longer trips and securely hold your bag then perhaps this bag isn’t for you.
[amazon box=”B00PV0IEDY” description_items=”0″]
24/7 Traffic
Quick Look
Camera compartment is fully padded even if it does appear a bit lightweight
Able to carry a small camera (think mirrorless with 2-3 lenses and an iPad)
All weather coverage
Weighs 1kg (2.2 pounds)
Has a top load compartment for personal items
With a name like the ’24/7 Traffic’ you know you’re in for a surprise or two. The 24/7 Traffic… Okay. How about I just call it the Traffic from here on in as it’s a bit tacky sounding… The Traffic is a funky looking bag which comes with some interesting features that makes it worth considering.
The interior to the bag has been designed with flexible partitions that is interchangeable to suit the layout of your camera setup. Reviews on the partitions are positive with most people confirming that the partitions provide a secure fit for your camera equipment.
The Traffic is meant to sling across the shoulder. It has a shoulder strap that is thickly padded just at the correct spot where it should rest naturally on your shoulder. You can carry it on either your right or left shoulder so both shoulders can share the weight.
The exterior of the bag while making a bold statement with the orange colour also is quite functional and comes with a rain cover which for me, was a huge plus and one of the big reasons why I opted to review it in this roundup.
If the out there design for this bag doesn’t phase you and you’re looking for something that’s both comfortable and convenient for your next photography trip then definitely consider the 24/7 Traffic bag. For me, the ability to hold a DSLR, 2-3 lenses and an iPad/12″ Macbook while coming with a rain cover to protect your gear if the weather turns sour makes this a nice little bag.
[amazon box=”B018JORKKG” description_items=”0″]
Case Logic DSS-101
Quick Look
Has a compact monopod or tripod side attachment with adjustable strap
Able to fit a camera body and 2-3 lenses
Dedicated compartment for your iPad or tablet
Weighs 700 grams (1.54 pounds)
Has top zipper and internal pocket zipper
The Case Logic DSS-101 is a great lightweight bag for your next adventure. With enough room to carry a DSLR, 1-2 lenses, tablet and some accessories, this is perfect for those trips where you’re rushing out the door and want something lightweight to pick your camera up in a rush.
The rain coat for the Case Logic left me giving it a big thumbs up!
As this is a sling bag, unfortunately you do have to make some compromise on how much camera equipment you plan to carry in the bag. Generally most people are able to carry a DSLR and 2-3 lenses but it really comes down to what lenses you are looking to carry. If we’re talking more smaller zooms like the 18-55 and a prime like the 50mm, you’re fine. It’s bigger lenses like a 70-200mm where you may come into some grief trying to fit it into the bag. This may or may not be an issue for some but is worth noting. Personally speaking, if you are looking at carrying a diverse range of lenses then perhaps a sling bag isn’t quite the right choice for you.
Whether in use or neatly stored, you can rest assured that the Case Logic DSS-101 Luminosity CSC/DSLR Sling will protect your camera and all accessories from any elements thanks to its rain coat which fits properly over the bag. This is a big plus for me as not all bags reviewed in this article came with a rain coat (sorry I can’t resist and should refer to this as rain coer).
Additionally another thing that makes this bag a winner is its tripod side attachment that comes with adjustable hypalon strap preventing it from sliding. You have not seen magnificence until you settle your eyes on this one.
For me, this bag is the real winner out of all the sling bags mentioned, it’s both comfortable and comes packed with some great features including the raincoat, holds a tripod to the side and fits a reasonable amount of gear.
Can carry a DSLR with lens attached as well as 2 or 3 lenses, Flash
Has a compartment for laptop of up to 15 inches
Padded back and harness
Versatile bag, can be used as a daypack
The Vanguard Havana Camera bag comes in quite a unique design and one of the things I like about it, also comes in various sizes which makes it available for everyone from those with large collections of gear to those with smaller collections. There’s several reasons to love this backpack from the simple, clean look to added features like a total coverage rain cover. It’s not your standard Lowepro bag and that’s what I love about it.
Of course comfort is something to consider when opting for a shoulder bag and the Vanguard Havana has got that figured out. It has a harness and back that’s well padded to ensure even and utmost distribution of weight and of course comfort. I find occasionally with shoulder bags if you load them with too much equipment they can feel really bottom heavy (almost as if you’re carting a rock around). With the compartments of the Vanguard Havana, this helps with the weight distribution of the bag without it feeling like a rock on your shoulder.
There’s also a quick-grip top handle for ease of carriage if you’d like to drag it along in your hands instead of have it hanging over your shoulder.
The bag has well padded dividers and camera insert which fits and secures your equipment well. I find this is critical for a shoulder bag which as opposed to a backpack, sometimes your gear is more prone to moving around due to the way your equipment sits when in transit. The Vanguard Havana is rated well for its ability to hold and secure your equipment when there may be sudden movement.
The Vanguard Havana is a traveler’s bag at heart and allows you to not only store your gear but also makes room for you to also pack your laptop. This is a plus and makes it ideal for those weekends away when you’re likely to go out shooting and want to edit your shots when you get back to where you’re staying.
Dimensions of the Vanguard Havana DSLR camera bag are measured as 18.9 x 9.5 x 12 inches, while the weight is 2.7 pounds which makes it decent enough to take on long hikes and shooting expeditions. Obviously this can vary slightly depending on what option you decide to take.
The Vanguard Havana DSLR camera bag won’t appeal to everyone due to its design but with that said, it makes up for it with it’s functionality of waterproofing and internal housing which ensures your equipment is well secured and ready for any conditions.
[amazon box=”B01K7JITGA” description_items=”0″]
Canon SLR Gadget Bag
Quick Look
Measures 14 x 8 x 8 inches
Weighs 1kg (2.3 pounds)
Has detachable padded shoulder strap
Comes with tripod straps for easy attachment and carry
Large pockets and dividers
Budget friendly
Did you know Canon makes camera bags? Neither until I started researching. Skeptically I decided to read further and was actually pleasantly surprised. While the bag isn’t going to give Lowepro a run for its money, it definitely has some good features plus who wouldn’t want a Canon bag to match their Canon kit? 😉
This bag isn’t going to win any awards when it comes to design and reeks of designs that were coming out 20 years ago for SLR cameras (pre the digital era) but at the same time, the bag does serve a purpose (which isn’t to look daggy) but be a convenient shoulder bag for carrying around a small amount of gear.
The bag is made of a sturdy, nylon material which is water repellant and rugged enough to withstand a bit of rain. Without a rain cover like some of the other bags reviewed here, I wouldn’t suggest this as a bag for all conditions as the water repellant is just enough to withstand some light rain.
With dimensions listed as 14 x 8 x 8 inches, this provides a nice amount of space for your camera body, lens and some accessories. One downside noted for this bag is that the compartments aren’t as customisable as other bags mentioned here. This isn’t great as it means that you are restricted to the compartments that the bag comes with and can’t secure them to better hold your gear. For me, this is a big negative for the bag as you want something which you can securely hold your lens and not have to worry about it rocking around.
The bag can either be carried on the side via the shoulder strap which is detachable or held on the hand via its carriage handle, your preference. If you plan to carry your tripod on your trip, then the straps included would come in very handy to attach to your tripod.
[amazon box=”B0002Y5WZM” description_items=”0″]
Incase Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag
Quick Look
Great looking design
Not 100% waterproof but does come with water repellent coating
Designed to store more smaller setups (think mirrorless setups)
Compartments in the bag can’t be adjusted like other bags
This delightful little bag is great quality and stands somewhere in the middle price-wise. The bag is low profile, ensuring it won’t stand out to potential thieves, and is made from heavy-duty canvas. It also has a water repellent coating, to keep your equipment safe from water damage. With an ergonomic, padded across-the-body shoulder strap, it is comfortable to wear and the one-handed adjustment slack pull and large side release buckle give you quick access to the contents.
This stylish offering has a faux-fur lining, so your equipment won’t get scratched due to hard materials. The protective flap with a magnetic closure adds a real convenience to the product and the variety of storage pockets give you flexible and broad storage solutions. It is a reasonably small bag and is ideal for compact cameras such as the Fuji X Pro 1 or Sony Alpha range. The real benefit of this bag lies in the tightening strap, which allows you to use both hands when shooting your photographs.
The downside for this bag is that the compartments within the bag can’t be adjusted nor can it hold larger setups like a proper DSLR camera. This is disappointing as it’s a great looking bag. As the bag can’t hold my equipment, it ruled it out of selection pretty quickly unfortunately. A shame as it’s a great looking bag!
[amazon box=”B004DQB13C” description_items=”0″]
Tenba Cooper 13 Slim Camera Bag
Quick Look
Has a removable and reversible weather wrap rain cover
Capable of holding a mirrorless camera with 3-5 lenses or a DSLR with 2-3 lenses
Able to carry a laptop or tablet up to 13″
On the pricier end of the scale when compared to other sling bags – [amazon_link asins=’B016PU2100′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’alexwisephot-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ 7a9264d4-15ce-11e7-8090-2fc83baa7a62′]
Exterior is made of peach wax cotton canvas which works well in wet conditions and you forget to pull the rain coat on
No tripod strap (but would have looked a bit awkward/clunky with one)
Interior is silicone coated
Weighs 1.1 kg (2.6 pounds)
The Tenba Cooper Slim camera bag is the perfect camera bag for someone liking style with great construction and attention to detail. To begin with, its stylish exterior is made of peach wax cotton canvas (which has 20% polyester reinforcement) with two times water repellent PU coating which makes it near waterproof.
Internally the great construction and attention to details continues with the interior coming silicone coated and water repellent which provides maximum protection to your camera and accessories. This is quite a step up from other bags which generally use a form of material as a divider.
The Tenba Cooper bag is well sized for your next adventure. For those with a mirrorless setup, you’re able to hold 3-5 lenses but for those with a DSLR setup you’re more looking at 2-3 lenses depending on the size. Additionally the bag comes with a seperate compartment to securely house your laptop or tablet up to 13″.
Though not adjustable, the removable hand strap is a good size length and the shoulder strap allows you to carry the case across the chest and thus giving you two different options when carrying it (as a hand carry or over the shoulder). Even when carrying a heavy load, the bottom of the bag will never give up as both the shoulder and hand strap run down the side the bag providing equal support to the bag.
If you are looking for style and service, this is the option to go for. My only gripes with this bag is that the rain coat isn’t permanently attached to the bag like other bags. This means you can accidentally leave it at home if you’re not careful. For the price is this bag worth it? Yes as you’re getting a good looking bag that’s made from some great materials that are bound to last the test of all conditions.
This is a Pelican Hardigg product, so what do you expect? Rugged military case is what you should expect. If you are comfortable dragging a ton, then you will love this ‘bomb proof’ case.
The case is made of HPX Polymer which is a very sturdy resin that is able to resist impacts from just about any activity, whether it be being submerged or dropped from above, the Pelican will hold its own even in the harshest conditions. With the foam inserts of the bag, this allows you to customise the bag to suit your camera setup. Being able to configure the bag to your setup is great as it will ensure in the event of dropping the bag, you know your equipment will be protected and safe thanks to the snug fit which the foam inserts provide.
The case is also watertight, so you are protected from the elements. There are also five press and pull latches alongside three double layered chambers which gives your valuables a safer housing area.
The bag comes with in-line wheels (a plus over the Lowepro reviewed in the next) which is useful when you’re lugging a heavy bag like this around. Additionally the bag also allows you to secure it in transit with two padlock ready hasps ready.
Let’s be honest – due to the weight alone, the Pelican Storm IM2950 isn’t a case that everyone will be rushing out to buy. For those looking for something that is durable and will withstand all elements (think kayaking down rivers for a week) then this is the bag for you. I know a few people that use the bag kayaking trips and from all accounts, it’s amazing especially when a bit of weather gets in the boat. For someone like myself though, I don’t mean the ruggedness which the bag provides so looked for something more slim.
[amazon box=”B0018LJSLM” description_items=”0″]
Lowepro Hardside 300 Hard Shell Case
Quick Look
Fits everything from a DSLR, 4-6 lenses, flashes, accessories and your laptop and tablet
Has waterproof and dustproof rating of IP67
Exterior is made of ABS polymer
Weighs 3.4kg (7.7 pounds)
Has tuck-away backpack straps
Standardized size to meet airline carry on requirements
The interior of video/photo insert are adjustable and padded
No wheels is disappointing considering the weight
If you are looking for a good hard camera bag that will hold your camera and all your accessories in one case while being able to double up as a backpack (this is huge!), then Lowepro Hardside 300 Hard Shell Case has brought your search to an end. You can be sure that your equipment is going to be well protected as its exterior shell is made of ABS polymer specially designed for extreme impact resistance..
Being such a large bag, the bag can be easily adjustable and suited to your camera setup whether that be multiple lenses, camera bodies or accessories – this bag has you covered.
Whatever the weather Lowepro Hardside 300 Hard Shell Case is the case to go for as it will protect your camera and accessories from water and dust. This is owed to the fact that it is waterproof and dustproof. Perfect for those big adventures where you want to ensure your equipment is going to be safe. The bag has been designed with travel in mind with the dimensions conforming to meet airline carry-on requirements (obviously depending on your airline a bit).
One thing I really liked about the bag was the fact you don’t always have to carry it on your hand. Thanks to its tuck-away backpack straps you can easily put it on your back and be on the go. Sure, it’s going to likely weigh a ton when you’re bag is fully packed but it’s a nice feature which is new in the hard case industry.
This is a great option for anyone looking to pick up a hard shell camera bag that is both durable and able to carry a lot of kit. I really love the fact that it comes with straps but I feel the bag falls slightly short by not having wheels. Anyone using this bag is going to be carrying around some similar weight. With the bag weighing 3.4kg on its own, you will easily hit the 10kg+ mark once you load in a camera body (850g), lenses (1-3kg depending on the lens) and a laptop. For some, wheels may be a hindrance and get in the way but I would have preferred them as it would have made it almost the perfect case for those extreme conditions trips.
[amazon box=”B00NV6JTBG” description_items=”0″]
Conclusion
Before we finish though, let’s look to close out with my favourite bags from the various categories reviewed:
If you’ve made it this far – thanks for reading and hopefully this article has been useful for you. If you found this article useful, you might enjoy my other posts which are mostly geared towards landscape photography:
As far as photography purchases go, long exposure filters are one of my best purchases that I use often to get the results in my photos. My buying guide to long exposure filters provides an overview to what long exposure (neutral density) filters are, how they are best applied and what’s on the market
Looking to get into long exposure but stuck for ideas? My long exposure photography ideas post is a great way to get the creative juices flowing
Have you ever wanted to photograph waterfalls but wasn’t sure where to start? My guide to waterfall photography is a good kick start
Neutral density filters are a great way to get creative and explore long exposure photography. With most manipulation to a photograph happening during post processing, it’s a refreshing change being able to get creative in camera with the various effects of long exposure photography. The purpose of this article is to give you an overview of long exposure filters, how they work and what’s best based on your budget.
Personally I recommend the NiSi long exposure kit paired with the NiSi’s circular polariser for anyone looking for the perfect long exposure filter kit. Whilst a bit on the pricey side, you are getting high quality filters that won’t affect your image quality which can be an issue with colour cast issues which comes with other brands like Cokin or Hitech.
What is Long Exposure Photography?
An example of where a neutral density filter was used to slow down a moving object while keeping surrounding objects sharp
Before we start talking about the pros and cons of different neutral density filters, let’s get back to the basics for a moment. Long exposure photography or slow shutter photography, is where your camera uses a slower shutter speed to blur moving objects in your shot while keeping other parts of your image sharp and in focus.
Let’s look at this with a real world example of a long exposure image from Flinders Street Station. By using a slower shutter speed, I’ve been able to blur the passing traffic while the rest of the frame is sharp and in focus. This is just one of the various styles of long exposures you can capture. My long exposure photography ideas has many more styles for you to explore from waterfalls to dark starry night skies, long exposures can be used at any time during the day with or without filters.
What is a Neutral Density Filter?
Circular or Rectangle?
Example of a rectangle neutral density filter setup
If you asked me this question 2-3 years ago when the Lee Big Stopper and NiSi rectangular circular polariser didn’t exist, I would have suggested stacking a mix of both circular 10 stop neutral density filter like the B+W 110 10 stopper and a rectangle graduated neutral density filter like the Cokin Z-Pro .9 filter on top of one another.
It was a painful process where you would screw your strong B+W 10 stop filter on first, then screw the filter holder adapter, mount the filter holder on top of this and then finally, slide your graduated filter through the filter holder. Fortunately things have come a long way with neutral density filters and circular polariser filters coming in rectangle form which leads to left stuffing around.
The reason I personally prefer going rectangle is that it makes changing filters a breeze and your process isn’t slowed having to screw/unscrew filters to setup for a shot (not so much when your fingers are frozen!). Instead you’re able to just slide your filters in or out of the filter holder and you’re away (literally a 2-3 second job). Much better. But the old way still works with that said 🙂
Example of a circular neutral density filter
Quick and Easy to Change
But this isn’t just about me being a princess and feeling the cold, having the ability to quickly change and remove filters is great when shooting with the more stronger neutral density filters (like the 15 stop Lee Big Stopper).
Due to the filter being so dark, you’re unable to look through the viewfinder and compose your image when the filter is attached. This leads you having to take off the filter to compose and focus your photo and then re-attach. There’s been many times when I’ve accidentally left the autofocus on after screwing my B+W 10 stop and Cokin graduated neutral density filters on and then lost my focus as the camera can’t find a focus point (due to the strength of the filter). This can be especially frustrating when using a rectangle graduated neutral density filter on top of a circular screw filter as you not only have to remove the circular screw filter but also the lens screw adapter and rectangle filter holder. Instead if you were using just a rectangular system, there’s no unscrewing to recompose your image but just sliding your filters in or out. Much more convenient if you ask me!
Greater Control
Another issue with circular screw on filters is controlling the location of the GND transition. As the transition isn’t as pronounced it can sometimes be difficult to get the GND exactly how you want it especially in low light conditions like sunrise or sunset. For this reason, I much prefer using rectangle filters where the graduation is more pronounced and can be easier to slot into place regardless of light conditions.
What Strength Level?
For this image I used a graduated neutral density filter to darken the sky
Neutral density filters come in all levels of strengths from blocking out 1 stop of light all the way up to blocking out 15 stops with the Lee Big Stopper. Deciding on what strength neutral density filter to use depends on your scene in terms of light conditions and what you are trying to achieve.
If you are simply looking to balance the sunset sky against the land then the strength of your neutral density filter will depend on the light conditions at the time. If you’re shooting at the start of the sunset when there is still strong light, this is when you would look to apply a stronger strength neutral density filter. Towards the end of the sunset is when you would look to pull out a weaker strength neutral density filter as the light starts to fade.
From personal experience – I’ll generally use my 10 stop filter for the first 15-30 minutes of the sunset but will put it away as the light starts to fade. I find as the light rapidly fades the filter really struggles to capture enough light and you’re left having to increase your ISO to accomodate the low light conditions which introduces unwanted noise. At this point I’ll either use a 6 stop neutral density filter or just shoot wide (F22~) at the lowest ISO possible (ISO 50) to get the slow long exposure times I’m after.
Using a 10 stop neutral density filter allowed me to capture this 5 minute exposure during the day
If you are looking to get creative with your photography and capture long exposures during the day (we’re talking exposure times of a few minutes) then this is when you will pull out the stronger 10+ stop neutral density filters like the Lee Big Stopper or NiSi 10 stopper.
By using these filters which block out a significant amount of light, you won’t be able to see through the viewfinder when the filter is applied due to the strength of the filter which can make composing a bit tricky.
What is a Graduated Neutral Density Filter?
How soft, hard and reverse graduated neutral density filters are best applied.
The difference between a graduated neutral density filter and a solid neutral density filter is that part of the filter will be neutral density (dark) and then transition into transparent (clear). The transition from dark to clear comes in different variations including soft edge, hard edge and reverse graduated neutral density filters which I briefly describe below:
The top part of the filter is 100% neutral density and gradually lowers in strength to 0%.
This is my preferred type of filter and is best applied where your horizon level is uneven and you may have objects appearing above the horizon level. Generally if there are objects above the horizon which become darkened by the soft GND, you can generally dodge (brighten) this back in Lightroom/Photoshop to bring back the detail.
Pros: Great for scenes where you have objects sitting above the horizon as you can position the filter at 90° to avoid the object on the horizon
Cons: The gradual transition can be soft so occasionally you will need to stack multiple soft edge filters to get your desired effect
The top half of the filter is neutral density and does not gradually transition to clear like the soft edge graduated neutral density filter. Hard edge graduated neutral density filters are best used in seascape photography when balancing the exposure from the sky to the land.
An example of how not to use GND filters. Notice how the filter has darkened the cliff? A big no no!
For best results, I only use hard edge graduated neutral density filters when there isn’t any objects on the horizon (i.e. surrounding cliffs). The reason being is that any objects on or above the horizon will darken which will lead to a loss in dynamic range to your final shot which can be difficult to recover in Lightroom/Photoshop.
Pros: Works great when there are only clouds above the horizon to darken the clouds nicely
Cons: The sharp transition from dark to clear makes these limited to scenes where there are no objects (i.e. cliffs) above your horizon
The reverse level graduated neutral density filter goes from clear at the top, to dark in the middle and then to clear again.
Think of a reverse level graduated neutral density filter as the ideal filter for when the sun is just about to pop on the horizon. These aren’t as common as other graduated neutral density filters but can be handy when trying to capture the sunburst effect as the sun dips below the horizon.
Pros: Best used for sunset or sunrise photography when the sun is sitting on the horizon
Cons: Only effective when there is a sun bursting on the horizon so they become quite a specialised filter for the price
Are Neutral Density Filters Still Relevant as Technology Advances?
Most definitely!
There are some effects like day time long exposures or shooting directly into the sun on sunset which is only made possible by using neutral density filters like the Lee Big Stopper or NiSi graduated neutral density filter kit. Sure, you can imitate some of these effects in Photoshop with lots of image stacking but it’s not quite the same as capturing the image in camera.
As technology has advanced I must admit that I’ve found myself using my graduated neutral density filters less as camera sensors have become more forgiving and post processing techniques have evolved with exposure stacking. Not only are sensors coming with higher megapixels but also with greater highlight and shadow recovery which means that you can sometimes get by without needing to use graduated neutral density filters.
A before and after with the easy to use Graduated Filter in Lightroom
Quite often I’ll apply the same effect in post using Lightroom’s graduated neutral density filter. Sure, this won’t work for every situation (i.e. when you’re shooting directly into harsh sunlight) however for other situations where you’re simply looking to emphasize the colour of a sunset sky, Lightroom’s graduated neutral density tool works great allowing you to decrease the brightness of the sky as you would with a normal graduated neutral density filter.
Can the a digital workflow fully replace physical neutral density filters? I’ll leave that to another post but in my opinion, no, not at the moment anyway.
Choosing Neutral Density Filters
Which Filter is Best for You?
Using a graduated neutral density filter allowed me to properly capture the light bursting on the horizon
Anyone who is serious about landscape photography needs a graduated neutral density filter and at least one strong neutral density filter in their bag. There’s a couple of reasons to why I recommend this:
Flexibility in quickly changing light conditions – Having a strong neutral density filter in your kit allows you to continue taking long exposures in the later stage of a sunrise or early stage of a sunset. I’m not sure about you but there’s been many a times when I’ve photographed a sunrise and stuffed around in the dark for too long and only found a good spot to photograph as the light started to become stronger. At this point of the sunrise, it becomes harder to take a long exposure due to the amount of light hitting your camera meter. By having a strong neutral density filter available, I’m able to put this on my camera and still obtain the effect I’m after like the nice blurry movement of waves crashing against a rock
Balancing harsh light in a scene – We’ve all been there, the sun is beginning to set and you want to capture an image just before the sun dips below the horizon to capture that burst of the suns last light. Unfortunately your camera has other ideas and will struggle to expose the image. This is where a graduated neutral density filter comes in handy and helps you balance the exposure of the harsh sunlight against the land
Creativity – We can’t all be blessed with great light against jaw dropping locations so sometimes it takes a bit more to get that shot. In these situations sometimes I’ll experiment with a strong neutral density filter to capture a long exposure to add a bit extra to the image, whether that be the blur of passing clouds or the movement of the water.
Neutral Density Filter Buying Guide
Showing the difference a strong neutral density filter like the Lee Big Stopper can do to your scene with this long exposure image
So taking these reasons to why I love neutral density filters, here are some of my favourite neutral density filters available at the time of writing. Unfortunately neutral density filters don’t come cheap but I’ve tried to make all attempts to include a range in different price brackets.
Like most things in life, it pays to spend and get the best you can afford as this will ensure superior image quality.With the midrange and budget price brackets, the filters aren’t perfect and can introduce colour cast to your image (a purple tinge) when using multiple filters at a time. Part of the reason the high end filters are more expensive is that because they don’t have any colour cast issues like the cheaper filters.
My recommendation for people looking at the different price brackets and unsure – If you’ve used neutral density filters before and know they will form an essential part of your kit, just buy properly the first time. If you’re sitting on the fence and haven’t used them before, start off with the more affordable range first to see if you get a taste for them before splashing the cash.
High End
NiSi and Lee are the producers of the best filters in the high end market. For many years, Lee had a firm grip on the market but in recent years, NiSi have started to make a presence with their filters which are slightly more affordable than the Lee range and offer just as good, if not better, quality than the Lee filters. Plus I’m a sucker for Australian based products.
Yes I agreeit is a lot of money to spend on filters but with this setup you will be fully equipped to photograph long exposures during the day, waterfall photography and for sunrise or sunset photography. The perfect kit for a landscape photographer.
For those that don’t want to break the bank on the premium end of the market or aren’t sure whether neutral density filters are for them, I’d recommend a mix of filters from a strong long exposure like the B+W 110 10 stop neutral density filter (great for capturing daytime long exposures), a Hoya circular polariser for assisting with reducing the glare and getting a longer exposure time for photographing waterfalls and lastly, a set of Cokin Z-Pro graduated neutral density filters.
Contrary to what others say, the Cokin Z-Pro filters are actually good bang for buck provided you know the constraints of the filters. As an example, if you stack all three graduated filters at once, you will get some harsh purple colour cast coming through the filters meaning an unwanted purple colour at the top half of the frame which you may or may not want. I’m assuming you may not want… Although I may have cheated a few times and used the colour cast to my advantage for dull sunsets…
Some of my favourite long exposure photographs are of water (I love the sea if you can’t already tell by expanding the image to the right) but there are plenty more options whether it be long exposures of traffic at night or capturing the movement of clouds at a location over the period of 5-10 minutes (creates a cool effect!).
[box style=”rounded”]Looking for ideas to plan your next shoot? Give my long exposure photography ideas post a read for some ideas and inspiration[/box]
Most of the images in the right image were made possible by having neutral density filters which allowed me to take 5~ minute long exposures during the day. They allowed me to turn an otherwise dull scene into something different and unique from the effect of a long exposure (like the pylons beneath the jetty).
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I hope this buying guide for long exposure filters has been useful and answered some questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via my contact form if you have any questions as I’d be more than happy to help where I can.
After putting together a list of my favourite Tasmania photography locations back in 2009, I thought after 5 years of living in Victoria it was time to start developing a list of great photography locations in Victoria. This list provides you with 56 locations around Victoria to photograph and is constantly being updated as I get out and explore more.
This list of photography locations is by no means definitive and something I’ll be building on over time. I feel like I’m barely scratching the surface which is what I love about Victoria. As I write this, there’s a few locations I’m kicking myself for not photographing but has given me a good spur of motivation to get out more.
For the moment though, these are some of my favourite Victorian photography locations which may be of interest to tourists coming to Victoria or locals looking to explore their backyard. Hopefully there’s a surprise or two for you! I’ve tried to mix of Melbourne night photography locations and seascape and waterfall photography locations following.
Feel free to leave your favourite photography locations in Melbourne or further abroad in Victoria that may be missing in the comments. Would love to add them to the list 🙂
Melbourne CBD & Inner City Locations
One thing that Melbourne does best (sorry Sydney we have you here but you beat us with your coastline) is its great city. Its no coincidence that Melbourne has been named the world’s most liveable city twice in a row largely due to a diverse offering of international sport, food, coffee and art. It really does live up to the hype with its awesome cityscapes.
For anyone travelling to Melbourne and looking to somewhere to photograph, Flinders St Station is the first location that comes to mind. Conveniently located on the corner of a busy road, Flinders St Station is an ideal spot for night photography to capture long exposure photographs with the traffic of trams and cars passing by.
The best time to photograph Flinders Street Station is around sunset and into blue hour as this gives you two nice options to photograph with the light shining up Flinders Street lighting up Finders Street Station a beautiful yellow/orange before the sun disappears behind the buildings. As the light fades and the blue hour light comes out, this gives you some nice options to capture the blur of the car and tram traffic passing Flinders Street Station from different angles.
Stepping into Melbourne’s China Town is quite like stepping into parts of Asia when walking down lane ways. While it’s obviously a great place for yum cha and dumplings, it’s also an interesting part of the city for photographers looking to photograph some grungy lane ways and practice their street photography skills with the restaurants and lane ways making good backdrops.
Batman Ave Overpass
LocationBatman Avenue makes a great spot for long exposures looking back towards the city
I’m always a little amused by Melbourne being called Batmania in tribute to it’s founder, John Batman before being soon named to what we know it as today – Melbourne.
This overpass is named in tribute to John Batman and is one of my favourite overpasses to photograph in Melbourne.
The Batman Avenue overpass is located above the City Link entrance to Flinders and Exhibition St in Melbourne. This makes it an ideal spot to capture the constant flow of traffic entering and exiting the city. The overpass itself is quiet and has some light foot and bike traffic but nothing to worry about.
During AFL season, foot traffic increases as people use the overpass to cross to the MCG. Once again, nothing to worry about but just something to be conscious about if planning to shoot here when they’re expecting a 80,000+ crowd at the MCG on a Saturday night.
Docklands is conveniently located just near Etihad Stadium and is accessible via tram or a short walk from the inner city. Victoria Harbour is a nice location to photograph on sunset/blue hour as the water is generally calm which makes for nice reflections. My favourite location to photograph in Victoria Harbour are the pylons with the little white hats which come up great with a long exposure.
If pylons with funny little white hats aren’t your thing, there’s plenty of modern architecture in the area to photograph. With the constant flow of cars and trams, you’re bound to get a nice long exposure with traffic passing by in the foreground with one of the more interesting buildings in the backdrop.
After Flinders Street Station, this angle of Melbourne would have to be up there with one of the most popular and there’s no guesses to why. Best photographed on sunrise to capture the golden hour light hitting the city skyline, the slight elevation from the view allows you to avoid the busy crowds of Southbank.
Located only a short walk from Flinders Street Station, the Morell Street Bridge is a pedestrian crossing between the Botanical Gardens and MCG. The bridge provides a nice view up the Yarra River with the city buildings making a nice backdrop.
There’s also more bridges further down the Yarra River but I find the view of the Melbourne skyline doesn’t quite compare to the Morell Street Bridge view.
The Yarra River is a great Melbourne night photography location which presents many options for photographers. The best time to visit the Yarra River is on sunset with a walk from the Crown Casino to Birrarung Marr. You’re bound to get some nice reflections of the towering buildings as you make your way up the river.
The Birrarung Marr pedestrian bridge is a great spot to take up-close photographs of the Melbourne skyline. The old wooden bridge has plenty of character and works as a great leading line to direct your viewers eyes to the city of Melbourne. My favourite time to photograph the Birrarung Marr Bridge is just before sunset so you can capture the golden hour light hitting the bridge.
Once you’ve finished photographing the Birrarung Marr Bridge, keep walking to the Batman Ave overpass for some traffic long exposures or down to the Yarra River for some reflections of the Melbourne skyline. Both locations are conveniently located only 5~ minutes walk from the bridge and look great on sunset or into the blue hour.
The Webb Bridge is located along Southbank and makes a great spot to add to your list of places to stop and photo as you wander through the Melbourne CBD. The Webb Bridge provides a few different angles to photograph it from whether it be from outside the bridge (as captured above) or inside the bridge capturing the detail of the ‘webb’. A great spot to shoot at night time when the Yarra River is calm and the lights of the Webb Bridge turn on.
If you haven’t picked up already, I’m a sucker for overpasses and interesting architecture. St Kilda Road is worth a wander if you’re staying in the area and looking for an overpass to photograph late at night. My favourite is the Bowen Crescent overpass which sits just off St Kilda Road. A nice overpass to shoot that always has a constant flow of traffic.
St Kilda Pier is a popular spot for tourists looking to enjoy St Kilda Beach and the local area penguins at dusk. Of a weekend the pier can be challenging to photograph with all the people especially during summer.
If you’re looking to avoid the people, I’d recommend photographing on sunrise or if you enjoy your sleep too much, do what I did for the above photo and use a neutral density filter to capture a long exposure and blur the movement of people out of your frame to create an empty scene. Works a treat!
Running in early March around Labour Day, Moomba is a summer festival located along Melbourne’s Yarra River. The festival is a great opportunity for fireworks photography with the event having nightly firework displays at 9:30. The Melbourne city is a great backdrop for the fireworks and makes it well worth a visit if you’re in Melbourne around this time of the year.
The crowds at Moomba can get hectic so if you can, plan ahead and arrive at your location in advance so you can get a good view of the fireworks before the crowds flock.
[box type=”info” size=”large” style=”rounded”]Travelling to Melbourne and need a lightweight tripod for the trip? I’ve reviewed 5 of the best travel tripods[/box]
Melbourne is home to a vast public transport system. The train stations are fun places to photograph long exposures of trains passing with the city as a backdrop. Some of my favourite stations include: Parliament Station (long escalators here are great), Hawksburn Station, Richmond Station and Jollimont Station.
It’s worth noting that Metro Trains have some rules around taking photos in train stations. Generally handheld photography is fine (provided you’re shooting from a safe distance) but you cannot use a tripod unless given a permit by Metro Trains. From my understanding, getting a permit for hobbyists is pretty straight forward. It’s more if you go down the path of getting a permit for commercial photography or video is where it becomes a bit more difficult.
The Shrine of Remembrance is Victoria’s war memorial and an iconic landmark in Australia. Conveniently located only a short tram ride from Flinders Street Station, the Shrine of Remembrance has a few different options for photographers with the old architecture, views back towards the city skyline and the eternal flame.
If you’re looking for somewhere to photograph after, keep walking towards Morrell Street Bridge for a photo looking back towards the city and then keep walking towards the AAMI Park overpass for a night shot of one of the world’s more unique sports stadiums. A nice way to kill a few hours in Melbourne.
A post about places to photograph in Melbourne wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Melbourne’s alleyways. Melbourne is renowned for its street art filled alleyways which can be found throughout the city and inner city suburbs. Some of my favourite laneways in Melbourne are Hosier Lane, ACDC Lane, Caledonian Lane and Union Lane just to name a few. You won’t struggle to find a good laneway with street art in Melbourne.
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (or AAMI Park as it’s commonly and commercially known), is one of the world’s more unique sports stadium and sits in Melbourne’s ‘sport and entertainment precinct’. The building is best photographed when there is a sports event on and the building is lit up and if you’re lucky, fireworks are being let off as a team kicks/scores a goal/try (depending on which sport is on..!)
My favourite spot to photograph AAMI Park just off the Main Yarra Trail near the Morell Street Bridge which gives you a nice angle of traffic entering the Citylink tunnel and the stadium in the background. Well worth a visit if you can time it around a sports event on that night.
Princess Pier located in Port Melbourne is a popular spot for long exposure photographers. The iconic pylons make a great composition for long exposure photographs. One thing I really like about the Princess Pier is that it works well for different weather conditions. On a sunny night, the light bursting on the horizon can create a great effect. If there’s a bit of cloud in the sky, a long exposure capturing the blur of the clouds passing above the pylon’s can also look great.
If you’re planning on photographing the popular Princess Pier location, I’d recommend finishing the night out with a quick photo of the Port Melbourne Pier. The lights on the pier work really well for a night time shot.
Located not far from Port Melbourne is the Ingliss St overpass. This is one of my hidden gems around Melbourne as it’s not as commonly shot as the Sturt St overpass (below) or Batman Avenue. Like all inner city overpasses, this has a constant hum of traffic and makes a great spot for long exposure photography or timelapse if you’re keen.
If you’ve followed my blog or Instagram, you’ve no doubt noticed that I have a small love affair with overpasses. It’s what makes Melbourne special. You can go to an inner city overpass late at night and there will always be a constant hum of traffic. Compared to my home of Hobart, you’d be waiting a few minutes just for a pass to drive through in the early hours of the night.
Located on Yarra Bend Road and overlooking the Eastern Freeway, this overpass gives you a curved view looking back towards the city. While not my favourite overpass in Melbourne (is there anything wrong with being an overpass snob?), it always has a steady stream of traffic flowing in and out of the city so is worth a visit if you’re in the area and eager to take some long exposure photographs.
As Melbourne is quite flat, this limits your options when trying to find elevated vantage points that look back towards the city. One of my favourite locations that isn’t obstructed by buildings is Ruckers Hill in Northcote. Ruckers Hill makes a great Melbourne night photography location with its Melbourne skyline view and passing trams which work great in a long exposure.
By the Sea
An ongoing list which I hope to update over time. For the moment though, below are a handfull of locations that I’ve photographed that don’t fit under some of the other groups (Mornington Peninsula, Great Ocean Road, etc).
Ricketts Point in Beaumaris is one of my favourite sea locations to shoot in Melbourne. The markers on the point make it one of the more reliable locations to shoot a sunset in Melbourne. Whether it be a sun burst on the horizon through the markers or just moody sunset clouds above, the location works well for most conditions and is worth a trip if you’re staying in Melbourne and can’t venture far.
Located 90 minutes from Melbourne, the ruins of an old jetty at Clifton Springs are a popular location for photographers looking for a good long exposure composition. The location is best photographed on a high tide when there is some water movement around the pylons. Clifton Springs is a great spot if you’re in the area but I wouldn’t go out of your way if your time in Victoria is limited.
Being close to Bells Beach, the home of Australia’s surfing world tour event, Jan Juc is a great location for both photographers and surfers looking for consistent swell. I’ve only photographed Jan Juc the once but would love to re-visit. Highlights for me are the consistent swell, surrounding cliffs and rock ledge on the point. Well worth a visit if you’re passing through and looking for somehwere to photograph on dusk (just like we did on a trip down The Great Ocean Road).
Mornington Peninsula
Moving from Hobart to inner city Melbourne, the one thing I quickly missed was being by the sea. Luckily the Mornington Peninsula isn’t far from Melbourne (1hr~) and has some diverse coastline to photograph with lots of jetties, interesting rock formations and plenty of swell.
The Peninsula is quite unique where you have Port Phillip Bay on one side which for the most part doesn’t get much in the way of swell but is still worth a visit for its jetties and little bays. On the other side you’re fully exposed to the raw ocean of the Bass Strait which always has some swell kicking about.
If you’re pressed for time, I’d recommend stopping by Cape Schanck, Rye Backbeach and the Sorrento jetties. I love London Bridge but it can be a bit hit or miss with the swell and limiting. On a low tide it’s great as you’re able to walk around the rocky outcrops which gives you more variety to photograph than just being limited to the London Bridge.
Travelling down the Eastlink to the Mornington Peninsula at night time, its hard to miss the hotel on the city-bound side of the road as you make your way down. I’ve written about the Eastlink Hotel and its origins in a previous post. A fun spot to shoot as you make your way back to Melbourne after sunset.
Flinders Blowhole has quickly become one of my favourite locations to photograph the sunrise on the Mornington Peninsula. This is largely due to the location giving you a great vantage point of where the sun rises from but also has some interesting compositions available to photograph.
At Flinders Blowhole you have a few interesting options to shoot. These include:
View from the main lookout at the top overlooking the bay
Rock shelf reflections
Walk left from the main rock beach around to the next little bay which has lots of little rock ledges and little rock beaches to photograph
This location is best photographed on sunrise.
Cairns Bay
LocationWatching the milky way rise above Cairns Bay
Located not far from the Flinders Blowhole, Cairns Bay is a 1km walk into an open view of the ocean and cobble and grey boulder beaches.
From experience, this location works best above from the lookout with a long lens. If shooting from the sea level, the rock face can be quite over powering and block out light from the sun setting.
Cairns Bay also makes a great spot to photograph the milky way rising above the ocean. Just be sure to plan it through an app such as Photo Pills to make sure it’s rising in the correct spot.
Point Leo is located on the Western Port Bay side of the Mornington Peninsula and features an old jetty that works great for sunrise and milky way photos.
Unfortunately the photo above doesn’t do the jetty justice due to being a side on photo but it’s well worth a visit!
Bridgewater Bay (Blairgowrie)
LocationBridgewater Bay also makes a great spot for milky way photography
Bridgewater Bay is one of the best seascape locations on the Mornington Peninsula. With the big rock formation to the end of the Bay, this provides plenty of different options depending on the tide levels.
If photographing on a high tide, you generally can’t get very close to the rock but this creates nice opportunities of the water rushing into the shore (like the above shot). If you’ve timed it for a low tide, you generally can get quite close to the rock and also get further around the headland to capture different angles of the rock. Obviously be careful with the swell as it can get quite big and unpredictable down here.
The location also makes for a great milky way location to capture the milky way rising above the rock formation.
Note that in summer Bridgewater Bay is a popular spot for swimmers especially people jumping off the rock.
Pirates Bay is a lesser known and photographed part of the Mornington Peninsula. The location is best suited for photographing down at sea level with the water hitting the little bay (as above) or from above at the cliff level when there’s a lot of surf like in the photo to the right,
Pirates Bay is best accessed from the Bridgewater Bay carpark. Walk to Bridgewater Bay along the cliff track. Rather than stop at Bridgewater Bay, continue walking and you will eventually end up at Pirates Bay.
This location is best suited for sunset photography.
London Bridge is located towards the end of the Mornington Peninsula and is known for its large rock formation. The London Bridge is best shot on a low tide when the rocky outcrops further up become accessible and opens up more options.
Sorrento and Portsea have some great little private jetties which work well for long exposure photography. As these are private jetties, you can’t walk on some of the jetties however they still give plenty of options if shooting from the beach with a side profile. One of my favourites is Shelley Beach which is featured above and is a discrete jetty not far from Portsea.
Sorrento backbeach is one of my favourite backbeaches to photograph along the Peninsula. Being a 1.5km~ drive from the Sorrento shopping precinct, we’ve often headed down in day light savings when the sun sets later, grabbed something for dinner and headed towards the beach lookout to watch the swell roll in.
There’s quite a few options at the beach to photograph including rockpools on low tide, stairs to enter the beach (as to the right) and an interesting rock formation on the point just near the carpark.
Cape Schanck is my favourite place to photograph on the Mornington Peninsula even if I do have a love hate relationship with the place! Sitting at the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, Cape Shanck sits between the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and the wild ocean of the Bass Strait. As far as seascape locations go, it doesn’t get much more raw than Cape Schanck on a windy afternoon with the swell of the Bass Strait thundering through.
Some of my highlights for Cape Schanck:
Cape Shanck Lighthouse – The lighthouse makes a great backdrop against the wild coastline of the area. Being located near the carpark, we’ve stopped a few times on our way back to the car after sunset and captured a moonlit photo of the lighthouse. With the strong beam of its lantern reaching a range of 26 nmi (48km) the beam creates some interesting opportunities after dark with a long exposure under the stars
Pulpit Rock – Eroded slowly over the years, Pulpt Rock is an iconic rock formation that stands tall and is uniquely separated from the mainland by a wild sea channel. While you can’t physically get onto Pulpit rock, you can get some great photos of the rock with the waves crashing around it. Every photographer needs at least one photograph of Pulpit rock in their portfolio!
Pebble beach – As you make your way down to Pulpit Rock and leave the board walk, you’re immediately greeted by the black boulders in pebble beach. As the water rushes across the stones they develop a vibrant shine which comes up well in photos
Rock pools – Having photographed Pulpit Rock many times, I was keen to explore the area further and find some unique compositions. Walking down towards Pulpit Rock, continue walking around the headland and you will come across stunning rock pools with beautiful blue hues. Just a word of warning, the rock pools are quite deep so don’t forget a head torch if you’re planning on shooting these on sunset and walking back in the dark. Not a place I’d be rushing back to the car from. Slow and steady!
This location is best photographed on sunset or sunrise during winter.
Located at the end or the most western point of the Mornington Peninsula, Point Nepean is a beautiful but challenging location for photographers due to the restricted beach access (due to unexploded mines, etc). You are generally limited to photographing at the road/cliff level which can still work OK for photographs depending on the conditions.
Access to Point Nepean is limited and does require a bit of walking to get to the fort area (as pictured above). The carpark is open between 10 AM – 5 PM during the day and is around a 2.5km walk (each way) from the carpark. If you’re visiting outside of these hours, you will need to park further outside of the national park and walk further (5km~) each way.
If you’re looking to capture an image of the milky way rising like the above photo, generally the best time to visit is between early to late April when the milky way rising lines up perfectly.
Rosebud Pier is a nice spot to photograph if you’re short on time and need to fire a frame off. I’ve photographed it a few times when I’ve been running late to photograph the sunset and needed to find somewhere to pull over and get a photo of the colour in the sky before it disappeared.
Rosebud Pier can be quite busy especially around summer so bear this in mind if you’re looking to photograph the pier without people in it. Although there’s always long exposures to hide the people like I talk about in my long exposure photography idea’s post!
Dragon’s Head is located at Number Sixteen Beach, Rye and is a popular location to photograph on sunrise. You may have to get your feet wet to get upclose like I did from my morning at Dragon’s Head but the results are well worth it.
This location is best photographed on sunrise during winter.
We’re incredibly lucky to how much variety the Mornington Peninsula has to photograph. Pearses Bay isn’t one of my favourite places to photograph but at the same time, I appreciate some of the various options available to photograph including:
Photographing from the cliff tops as the swell hits the cliffs
Capturing the many streams of water flowing to create waterfall like effects (as above)
Ignoring the fact that there is a nudist beach right around the corner 😉 Sunnyside Beach down Mount Eliza is a great spot for sunset photographs. Being on the bay side of the Peninsular, you’re not going to get much swell come through unfortunately but with that said, the lack of swell does mean you get some nice reflections like the above photo.
Situated on the bay side of the Mornington Peninsula, Ranelagh Beach is home to some of the many beach huts you will find when travelling down to the Peninsula.
The beach huts can be photographed from many angles including:
Looking between them (similar to the right)
Standing knee deep in water looking back towards them as above
Using a drone and photographing them from above
Unfortunately there isn’t much swell at Ranelagh Beach to play with different water effects of waves crashing, etc due to it being situated on the bay side of the Mornington Peninsula.
Facing the Port Phillip Bay side of the Mornington Peninsula, Mt Martha doesn’t get much in the way of swell.
Walking along the the small rocky beaches, you can’t help but think of the possibilities with water rushing over them. You’re best visiting Mt Martha when there”s some swell on the Bay which brings some of these rocky ledges to life.
Once upon a time, photographers flocked to Oliver’s Hill to capture the iconic jetty. It wasn’t unusual for a few photographers to be at the location on sunset photographing the jetty. I feel bad for leading you astray with a photo (the above) of the old jetty but hey! It’s nice to dream 😉
In 2016, this changed with the jetty being pulled down and replaced with a new jetty. Still worth a shot but not as great as it once was.
This location is best photographed on sunset.
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road needs no introduction. Known for its stunning coastline and inland waterfalls in the Otways, the area is truly the perfect playground for a landscape photographer. I feel like I’ve only touched the surface of the Great Ocean Road but hopefully the photos I do have make a good reference to what can be seen on the Great Ocean Road.
Marriners Falls is just a small drive from Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately the track for Marriners Falls is now closed due to trees falling over and making it dangerous. However I’m sure you’re able to find a track if you look hard…
If you are making the walk in, be sure to pack at least gum boots or if possible waders for this one as there’s a 3-4 river crossings to be had before you make the main waterfall. Be safe and watch for falling tree limbs on windy days.
Not to be confused with Steavenson Falls in Marysville, Stevenson Falls is located in Barramunga as you make your way down the Great Ocean Road via the in-land route. Often Stevenson Falls is over-shadowed by the more popular waterfalls such as Hopetoun and Beauchamp Falls but is well worth a stop with its 15 meter drop.
The waterfall is spectacular and has a few different compositions to photograph:
Side on from the tourist lookout located at the end of the walk into the waterfall
Front on to the waterfall (you might get your feet wet a little bit!)
From the other side of the river if you’re game enough to cross the river. Definitely do-able if you have gumboots or waders.
Hopetoun Falls is by far my favourite waterfall in Victoria. Located in the Great Otways National Park, Hopetoun Falls is a short trip from the coastal surrounds of the Great Ocean Road. Upon entering Hopetoun Falls, it has a similar impact to Russell Falls in Tasmania with its wow factor.
The waterfall is stunning and has plenty of angles and options for someone looking to get their own unique take.
If you’re in the area photographing Hopetoun Falls, I’d also recommend driving another 15 minutes and spending some time at Beauchamp Falls.
Surrounded by beautiful green foliage, Beauchamp Falls is quite confined compared to Hopetoun Falls which does limit you in your angles you can photograph from. With that said, you’re bound to get something nice from the angles you can photograph from.
[box type=”info” size=”large”]Keen to get your feet wet? Give my waterfall photography guide has some tips![/box]
Located just under 3 hours from Melbourne, Apollo Bay makes a good stop over town for those wanting to split their drive up from Melbourne. Apollo Bay Beach makes an ideal spot to stop, grab some food from one of the many nearby shops and enjoy a quick bite before taking photos. Apollo Bay has a few options to shoot including the lush beach and the rocky point further down the beach.
Wye River is the perfect town for those looking to avoid the crowds and have a stop over on their way down the Great Ocean Road. Located 35~km before Apollo Bay, the town of Wye River was devastated in the 2015 bushfires when 95 houses were burnt down. Even more reason to stop and get around the town!
The Wye River area is beautiful and gives plenty of options for you to photograph including the canal that runs off the main beach, a rocky point and jetty ruins. I’ve shot the area under differing weather conditions from overcast skies to star filled skies and have always managed to find something to photograph. Wye River is well worth the stop if you’re looking to add a stop over on your way down to the 12 Apostles.
Looking in the other direction at the 12 Apostles lookout
A post about photography locations in Victoria wouldn’t be right without a mention of the iconic 12 Apostles (or 8 if you’re counting!). The 12 Apostles needs no introduction and is one of the most popular photography locations in Victoria.
With the popularity of the 12 Apostles, my best advice would be to photograph it on sunrise to avoid the crowds. There’ll still be a few people about who you may have to share the same vantage point with but it’s much more tolerable than during the day or sunset when it’s busy with tourists.
The 12 Apostles can be quite limiting to photograph with access restricted to the viewing platform only with no beach access. This still gives you a couple of options which are best explored on a sunrise when you have more free reign and aren’t battling others for space.
[box type=”info” size=”large”]Travelling to Tasmania and looking for locations to photograph? I’ve developed a similar post ‘Photography locations in Tasmania‘[/box]
Gibson Steps marks the first major sightseeing stop as you venture down the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell. Arriving at Gibson Steps you have the option of photographing from the lookout or continue walking down the 86 step staircase which allows you to get up close and personal.
There’s something to be said about how special Gibson Steps is when you’re at sea level looking up. The sheer size of the two rock stacks (No joke, named Gog and Magog in case you’re wondering…) are awe inspiring up close. Better yet, the location is much more quieter than the 12 Apostles and you’re bound to find a nice secluded spot to take some photos on the beach whether it be at sunrise or sunset.
Just a further 3-5 minutes drive from the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge offers photographers another great variety of options for seascape photography. Whether it be the blowholes, tall limestone cliffs or offshore rock stacks, Loch Ard Gorge provides plenty of opportunities. Your best to use the open access to the cove (as photographed above) to your advantage and shoot Loch Ard Gorge at sea level. If this isn’t doing much for you, wander back up to the cliffs for views of the cove.
Located a further 25 minutes down the road from the 12 Apostles, The Bay of Martyrs offers spectacular views of the towering rock stacks located out to sea and surrounding limestone cliffs.
While perhaps not an opinion shared by all, the Bay of Martyrs is the highlight for me along the Great Ocean Road. I love how quiet The Bay of Martyrs is compared to other parts of the Great Ocean Road especially around sunset or sunrise where you can often find yourself the only one there.
As the area gets pumped with a lot of swell, the rock stacks and limestone cliffs look great at differing exposure speeds, whether that be a short burst to capture the aggression of the waves or a long exposure to capture the movement of a longer period.
You’re bound to get something unique and different in your Great Ocean Road trip compared to others who focus too heavily on popular locations like the 12 Apostles, Gibson Steps and Lochard Gorge.
Phillip Island
When I think of places in Victoria that I need to explore more of, Phillip Island quickly comes to mind. I’ve only touched the surface with the Pinnacles and Cat Bay but there are plenty more on offer with Phillip Island being home to some decent surf locations which always lend themselves to be decent locations for seascape photographers.
[box type=”info” size=”large” style=”rounded”]When photographing scenes like these where the light can be constantly changing, I’ll often use the Auto Exposure Bracketing tool to help me get the right exposure[/box]
When I think of some of the best coastal locations I’ve photographed, The Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai is a location which quickly come to mind. The Pinnacles are located at the end of Cape Woolamai (roughly a 4km~ walk from the carpark) and then an awkward descent from the lookout.
When planning your trip to The Pinnacles – be prepared!
The steep descent into The Pinnacles from the lookout is down a rough track with no steps. It’s not dangerous but please take your time.
Again, coming out in the dark can be interesting. If you’re not confident with your level of fitness then maybe skip The Pinnacles for another time. There’s some other great locations in the Phillip Island area and who knows – Maybe the walk down might be improved one day.
If you’re looking to make the walk down to the Pinnacles I’d recommend throwing a head torch in your bag (using a mobile phone as a light isn’t so fun), a warm jacket (it can get quite breezy down there) and a pair of walking shoes with good grip for walking over the wet rocks as the odd rock will move around.
Once you’re down at the sea level, there are a few options to photograph from including a nice wide shot of the cove, looking left to the Pinnacles of the other rock formations or my favourite, the sun setting above The Pinnacles.
Located close to the Western end of Phillip Island, Cat Bay is a popular spot for surfers with its reef and beach breaks. When a location is popular with surfers this is always a good indication that the location could also be good for photography. Sometimes I’ll trawl through surfing websites trying to find different surf locations in the hope that they may translate into a good seascape photography location.
Luckily Cat Bay is one of those surfing locations that also make a great spot for seascape photographs. The sand pylyons combined with some swell make for some interesting long exposures on sunset.
Just a word of warning as this is something which caught me off guard – The area closes around the last light (sunset) to make way for the penguins and other animals entering the area. I over extended my welcome when taking the above photograph and was promptly booted by a ranger with his mega phone and car horn. Don’t be like me and forget to read the signs. Follow the rules 🙂
Located at Bore Beach, San Remo, Cadillac Canyon is located at the end of the beach and provides photographers with unique compositions not commonly found at other locations in the area.
There’s a few different compositions to be had when shooting Cadillac Canyon including:
At the end of the beach looking through the rock channel as waves come through (as above)
At the end of the beach looking back towards the beach and making use of the different rocks available for your composition
Climbing up the hill for some ocean views from above
While not located on Phillip Island but on the way at least, Tenby Point is a popular spot for photographers with its beautiful mangrove trees and old jetty ruins in the area. The location works perfectly for long exposure photography to capture the still water and cloud passing overhead.
Facing west, Tenby Point is best suited as a sunset location but can work on sunrise provided you get enough colour in the sky.
Country Victoria / Other
Moving from Tasmania to Melbourne, country Victoria was not an area I initially gave much attention to but boy was I wrong. The area ended up becoming a surprise package for me and I’ve spent many hours getting out and exploring Victoria’s lush country scenes. From huts reminiscent of The Man From Snowy River to giant trees surrounded in fog, country Victoria is a vast place to photograph with much on offer.
It’s worth noting that the ski season starts in early June and finishes in early October so your access in some the major snow mountains and the surroundings will be limited during this time.
Queenscliff Pier was built in the late 1800’s and is one of Victoria’s most iconic piers. Luckily the pier also makes a great location for photographers due to the long sprawling nature of the pier.
There’s a few different ways you can shoot the pier including:
Looking down towards the end of the jetty (as per the right image)
Side on (as above) capturing the waves rushing through the pier onto the beach
I almost didn’t include Mansfield in this list as it’s more of a tourist town and not a photography location but then I remembered some of the photos I captured when spending in the area a few years ago now and couldn’t resist. Mansfield is ideally situated in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and is surrounded by some of Victoria’s most stunning mountains including Mount Buller.
What I love about Mansfield is that it’s so close to some great locations including the Howqua Valley as below, Craig’s Hut (made famous by The Man from Snowy River) and ridiculiously dark skies that are perfect for anyone chasing photographs of the milky way.
The Howqua Valley was an area that I came across by luck one foggy and overcast day when I drove to Mansfield only to find the ski season had started the week before and access to the mountains had closed.
Driving along the Howqua Valley, you’re surrounded by beautiful streams as far as the eye can see. We spent the better part of half a day taking it slow through the valley and photographing the streams which are surrounded by a stunning green foliage. A must visit for anyone who enjoys getting their feet wet and photographing water streams.
We ventured to Paradise Falls when spending a few days in Mansfield and were looking for somewhere off the beaten track to take some photos. Located in the King Valley, Paradise Falls doesn’t get a huge amount of water flowing down but the drop makes it worth a visit.
I’ve only been to Snobs Creek Falls just the once in unfavorable conditions (lots of harsh sunlight and shadows). The waterfall is quite spectacular with the viewing platform being fixed to the rock face allowing you to get up close with the large flow of water that makes its way down from Snobs Creek.
For me the highlight of Snobs Creek Falls was more the streams before the main waterfall which provide a nice opportunity to get your feet wet and capture some long exposures of the water as it travels down the mountain. We were unlucky the day with the weather not working in our favour but I’d love to get back one day and photograph the streams under the right light. Combine a nice overcast light with the vibrant rain forest surrounds and you would be able to kill a morning photographing around the area.
One of Victoria’s best waterfalls, Trentham Falls is one hour from Melbourne and conveniently located near the picturesque town of Daylesford.
Trentham Falls measures the longest single drop in Victoria coming in at 32 metres which makes it a great waterfall to photograph. The surrounding yellow and moss covered rocks that surround the waterfall add an interesting pop of colour to the scene.
This waterfall is best photographed in winter when there has been some rainfall however there can still be a trickle to be had during the warmer months in summer.
Feeding in from the Great Dividing Range (one of Victoria’s main mountain ranges) allows the Toorongo River to have a consistent amount flow of water year round.
It would be remiss of me not to include the Toorongo River in this Victoria photography location guide with the many different composition options available with this beautiful river.
The river forms part of the 2.2km loop walk which covers both Toorongo Falls and Ampitheatre Falls. At various parts of the loop there are great opportunities to stop and take a photo of the river. The above and photo to the right show the diverse opportunities available as you make your way to the main waterfalls.
Toorongo Falls has a drop of around 25-30 meters and is surrounded by beautiful green ferns and fallen logs which make this a beautiful waterfall to stop and photograph. Similar to other rivers and waterfalls in the area, Toorongo Falls has a decent flow of water year round thanks to the Great Dividing Range attracting rainfall.
The waterfall forms part of the Toorongo and Ampitheatre Falls walk loop.
Like the above River and Falls, Ampitheatre Falls forms part of the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk and is at the start or end of the loop depending on which way you start the walk.
The above photograph was captured from the Ampitheatre Falls viewing platform. Trying to get other angles of the falls can be quite restrictive due to the difficulty in getting down to the water level. With that said the viewing platform was good enough for me! 🙂
Yarra Ranges
The Yarra Ranges is host to some of Victoria’s most stunning waterfalls and the giant mountain ash tree which is one of the tallest tree species in the world.
One thing I love about the Yarra Ranges is that its also host to some great vineyards and restaurants which makes it an easy sell if travelling down here with someone that isn’t into photography like your husband or wife 😉 Some bribery with lunch on the way back has always helped my excuse to visit the area on an early Saturday morning 😉
Steavenson Falls is located in Marysville, Victoria, a town that made headlines with the devastating Black Saturday bushfires that ravaged the town in 2009 taking 45 lives with around 90% of the town’s buildings being demolished. Since 2009, the town has slowly developed itself back to what it once was – a booming tourist town with great pies! If you’re ever in the area on a cold wintery day and craving some warm food, the bakery is a must stop for a quick pie and coffee. Gets me hungry just writing about it 😉
I’ve only photographed Steavenson Falls the once, a year after the Black Saturday bushfires so much of the infrastructure was only just being re-built (i.e. viewing platform and tracks) so I’m sure a lot has changed since my visit way back in 2010!
The waterfall itself very picterusque for photographs with its five cascades and a clear drop of 21 (just a little under Trentham Falls at 32 metres). The waterfall is consistent all year around and always has a steady stream of water flowing. A must visit if you’re in the area on a wintery day and looking for somewhere to photograph under the grey skies.
Located 90 minutes from the Melbourne CBD, Rainforest Gallery is one of my favourite places to photograph waterfalls when there’s been plenty of rain in the area. The location provides plenty of different compositions as you make your way down the river path.
Rainforest Gallery is best photographed in either gumboots or fishing waders as this allows you to get nice and close to the action. The photos in these posts were both taken knee deep in water and only possible with some $40 waders from Anaconda or would have been a cold one otherwise..!
As you make your way into Marysville to photograph Steavenson Falls, why not throw in a quick detour and photograph Cora Lynn Falls while you’re in the area? To be honest I wouldn’t plan a day out of driving just to photograph Cora Lynn Falls but but it makes an ideal spot to add as part of your itinerary if travelling to Steavenson Falls.
The waterfall is shrouded by ferns and moss-covered trees so it’s not the most open waterfall you’ll come across in your travels. If you dig deep and walk along the front like the photo above, you can get quite a good front facing angle of the waterfall without the clutter.
Taggerty Falls forms part of the Beeches Rainforest Walk and is a beautiful river that runs for around 1 km. The river runs through some stunning rain forest and provides plenty of unique angles for anyone prepared to get their feet wet just mind the leeches.
The highlight for me is a pedestrian bridge (as above) that crosses the river which makes a great composition!
Located just over an hour from Melbourne, Warburton is a beautiful part of Victoria with its stunning California Redwoods (as pictured above) and streams that run down Cement Creek. A beautiful part of Victoria and well worth a visit.
When I think of the Yarra Valley, I think of Healsville and the drive towards the dense forests of the Black Spur towards Marysville. When you combine the giant trees blanketed in thick fog during winter, this makes Healesville a beautiful place to get your foggy photography fix.
One of my personal favourite photographs of me standing amidst the towering trees in a sea of fog (as above) was taken here. This was just one of the many spots you can find to photograph in the area.
View all these locations in Google Maps
To make life easier for you, I’ve gone ahead and dropped all these locations as pins into a map which you’re free to use. Putting the map together it quickly dawned on me that I’ve actually not shot much of Victoria at all when you look at it all on a map! So much still to see 🙂
How to stay in touch
This isn’t the end and I’ll be hoping to add more locations to this over time. I’d love to hear from you with your location suggestions so if you feel that there is something missing from here be sure to send it through as I’d love to add it to my list.
I hope this post was useful for you. Feel free to share this post on your website or social media 🙂
Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for updates to this post plus more landscape and long exposure photography articles.
For a while now I’ve been putting together small articles about long exposure photography with a how to on waterfall photography and another on daytime long exposures. It’s one thing to learn technique but what good is it if you’re struggling for ideas on what to take photos of? This guide should help you with some ideas for long exposure photography. Some styles touched on include:
Traffic and night long exposure photography – Using traffic to your advantage with the best angles and time to take this style of photography
Waterfall long exposure photography – What to look out for when taking waterfall photographs. Little secrets to make yours stand out from the rest
Star trail long exposure photography – Capture spirals of stars in the sky with these tips that will help your star trail photography
Sea long exposure photography – Takes a look at what things I look out for when taking seascape photographs and how to combine these various elements to create a great photograph
Bonus ideas that don’t fall into the above – Did you know you can use a long exposure to make a busy location like a busy pedestrian crossing appear a ghost town? This and other neat ideas are included in this section
This list of photo ideas isn’t a definitive list and only touches the surface of what’s possible through long exposures. I love that long exposures offer photographers the ability to transform a scene to how we normally view it. People are always pushing the envelope and finding ways to use long exposures like this beautiful series from Jakob Wagner entitled Urban Zoom that captures long exposures of cities. During the exposure he zooms the camera to create beautiful streaks. Although not necessarily new, it’s been executed perfectly and a neat little trick that shows the possibilities of long exposure photography. Don’t forget to check out another post that includes a free neutral density chart that’s a must for any photographers bag.
What You Will Need
Rather than go into great detail of the various equipment you will need for long exposures, I’ll try keep this short and a rough guide on what equipment I recommend. It is by no means the only equipment you can use (other brands are more than fine) it’s just based on the brands I personally use. A few things that I would personally recommend include:
Canon 5D Mark III – This thing is a work horse, handling noise perfectly and compliments the 17-40 nicely with its weather sealing
Canon 17-40 – An ultra wide angle lens suits long exposure photography perfectly especially with its weather sealing
Manfrotto tripod – Essential to having your camera remain still and avoid any shake during the long exposure
B+W 110 neutral density filter – A strong neutral density filter is great to have in your kit as this will allow you to take long exposures (2-5 minutes) during the day
Intervalometer – These remote controls are great as they allow you to manually dial in the exposure time you want, program it to take an exposure every X seconds (great for timelapse) and are generally just great for long exposure photography. There’s cheaper Asian brands on the market which I’d also recommend searching for if you’re on a budget
As I mentioned this is by no means the essential equipment for long exposure. Use whatever is available to you financially. I’ve seen people take some great stuff even with an iPhone so it goes to show that you don’t necessarily always need great gear but it does help 😉
Traffic and Night Long Exposures
One of my first long exposure night photos
Long exposure night photography is where my photography all started with this photo taken looking towards the Tasman Bridge in Tasmania. It’s what started it all for me and gave me the long exposure bug.
Some ideas and tips for capturing long exposures of traffic:
Look for a high vantage point that will allow you to look down on the passing traffic (see the first photo below as an example)
Timing is key. Try to base your timing around peak hour traffic to get a consistent flow of traffic at all times. There’s nothing worse than standing around in the dark waiting for cars to come by. Instead if you’re shooting at peak hour you’ll never have any issues with waiting for cars to come through
If you can’t get a high vantage point, try get close to the action. Sometimes I find setting the tripod on the corner of a busy intersection and zooming in a little will create a sense that your camera is only centimeters away from the action
Experiment with varying exposures from long exposures so the traffic creates red and white lines to shorter exposures where you can almost make out the detail of the passing cars. Melbourne is quite iconic for its yellow taxi’s and trams. In the two images in the bottom left hand corner below I wanted to capture the movement of these in a long exposure but to avoid blurring them out completely I opted for a shorter long exposure
Aim to take your traffic long exposure photographs around sunset, sunrise or blue hour. Your aim is to photograph the tail or front lights of passing cars and it’s only obvious that this will be more around time when light is limited and cars will need their lights on. The bonus of this is that your camera will be able to obtain a long exposure without the need for neutral density filters and you will get some beautiful colour in the sky. My first traffic long exposure photo taken above was taken late at night so the sky is lost and a dull black. If i was to of shot this on sunset or blue hour I would of had a lovely sky against the traffic streaks. It’s little things like this that can make a photo
When scouting locations suitable for long exposures of passing traffic I’ll try to base it around major entry/exit points of a city. For the top two photographs below, both are major entry and exit points to Melbourne. It was important that I timed the photos for peak hour to ensure there was a steady flow of traffic to capture
Traffic Long Exposures
Waterfall Long Exposures
A while ago I put together an article that touches on what settings to use for waterfall photography. The article looks at how to shoot long exposures in daylight for waterfalls, demonstrates the effect shutter speed can have for waterfall photography and other little tips. That aside let’s look at some ideas for waterfall long exposure photography:
It doesn’t have to be just about big waterfalls. Sometimes streams that come further down from the main waterfall can create great composition points for you photo. Take the second photo on the top row for example, the main waterfall is a lot further up stream but the two rocks created a nice composition point for my photo
Look for little swirls of foam or water coming off the waterfall or further down stream. When shooting waterfalls I’ll try to keep an eye out for little pockets of water doing interesting things. Try to study them for a few seconds and imagine how they will look if you were to use a 3-5 second long exposure. To give you an idea what I mean, check out the bottom two photos on the third row where little lines of spray were flowing down off the waterfall and created an interesting effect in the long exposure. This adds a nice touch to your composition and makes it stand out a bit more from the rest
Get side on to the waterfall. Most people will generally shoot a waterfall looking directly front on. Why not try something different and go to the side? Just be warned though your lens will quickly accumulate spray from the waterfall if you’re not careful. It’s a matter of quickly planting the tripod, looking through and lining things up, firing the shot and moving the camera out of the spray. Rinse and repeat until you get a shot you’re happy with
Long exposures are great but make sure it’s not too long. Photographing long exposures of waterfalls looks great with its blurred water but be mindful that over-doing the exposure time can introduce blur to other parts of the image where you may not want it. One example of this is the blur a long exposure can introduce to the foliage area of a photo. Instead of the foliage appearing sharp and crisp, it instead looks blurry and dull. Try to be mindful that 5 second and onward exposures is where this starts to become an issue
Waterfall Long Exposure Ideas
Star Trail Long Exposures
Admittedly star trail photography is something I’m still very much learning about but here’s some things that I’ve learnt from my experience of standing out in the cold for hours on end.
Get out of the city and head out for a drive somewhere that’s not near surrounding housing or industry. This will allow you to get a better view of the stars due to less ambient light from houses and industry.
Star trails are best photographed on a moonless evening or when the moon is not above the horizon. When the moon is at it’s peak, it creates too much light in the sky and lightens the stars.
Use a torch to focus on your composition element. For the shot below I shined a torch on the tree below, focused and then turned the camera into manual focus. Don’t fall victim to my common mistake of leaving the camera in auto focus and have the camera try to find focus again after I’ve preset the exposure. Alternatively you can set the camera into manual focus and set the focus to infinity. This technique works best with an ultra wide angle lens
Capture the stars spiraling in the sky as the earth naturally rotates. An example of this is the shot below which is achieved by using a long exposure (30 minutes) facing the northern direction (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere) that captured the stars moving and appearing as concentric rings. What’s that you ask? To break it down a little… As you set up the camera on the tripod facing northerly (pretending you’re in the northern hemisphere here for a moment) and you fire your long exposure, the camera captures the stars spiraling in a circle due to the earth rotating on a north-south axis. It’s a little confusing and I must confess something I’m still very much learning but don’t be put off. It’s not as daunting as it sounds
Bring a long a torch or head light for some light painting. Being out of the city and in a dark environment it might be hard to see composition so why not use your head torch to light up your composition midway through the exposure. I used this technique on the trees in the shot below to brighten them during the exposure
Seascape Long Exposures
Star Trails
Seascapes offer so much potential for photographers looking to capture long exposures as there’s so many changing elements which come alive with a long exposure. One of my first articles when starting this blog was about daytime long exposures. I love being by the sea and one of my favourite long exposure photos I’ve taken is this photo at Howden where the long exposure created a lovely blur on the clouds and captured the reflections perfectly. Some of my favourite ideas and tips for seascape long exposure photography include:
Depending on the location, clifftops make a great vantage point for long exposure photographs especially if there’s a wild sea with waves constantly crashing.
Not much water movement? Look up and take in the sky. Sometimes I’ll arrive at a scene and there won’t be much water movement but the clouds are a mix of overcast and fine which create a nice patchy cloud coverage. I find this type of coverage great as when there’s a bit of breeze about (which there normally is if shooting by the sea) they create a blur to add an extra element to your composition. Check out the two photos on the second row to give you an idea of what I mean. Both scenes had limited water movement but lots of patchy cloud to balance out the shot in the long exposure
Keep an eye out for things with that have aged over time. Some of my favourites include old jetties that are still in use and even better, ruins from jetties and other things that poke out of the water. They create a great composition element through the rough textures and leading lines they can sometimes create. Generally I’ll scout around coastal towns or areas popular for fishing as there’s bound to be some old jetties or boat launch ramps that were once used for fishing. Unfortunately these seem to be slowly getting pulled down over time so get in while you can
Lookouts make a great vantage point for your composition. Tourist lookouts offer a great view of a location making them a great spot to setup your camera for a long exposure. Try to be courteous of tourists and others coming to admire the view by not getting in other people’s way too much or setup elevated out of the way
Seascape photography ideas
Finding Beauty in the Unexpected
One thing I love about long exposure photography is that the possibilities are endless. We could go on all day about long exposure photography ideas but here’s a couple more of my favourite ideas not listed above:
Patchy skies create a great composition element. Wandering around Hobart a few years ago I snapped the second photo on the top row below. It’s not a great shot by any means but the clouds blurred from a long exposure against the old architecture of Hobart add a diffferent touch to your average photo
Dial your camera into a long exposure and stick your camera out the window to capture a sense of speed
Grab some sparklers or a torch and run around in front of the camera for some long exposure night photography. This style of light painting works best by grabbing a torch and placing some coloured cellophane or even coloured cd cases over the front of the torch. It’s a neat little trick but has nothing on the beautiful work of Denis Smith with his Ball of Light project. A must for anyone looking for light painting inspiration
Use a long exposure to exaggerate fog of a scene. I hate to admit this but the forth row photo beneath a bridge on a foggy morning there actually wasn’t that much fog as the photo leads you to believe. By using a long exposure I was able to capture the fog as it moved down the river which exaggerated the fog in the photo. Although be mindful that using a long exposure during foggy conditions can fog up your camera lens if you’re not careful. Try to check your lens often throughout the shoot to ensure you don’t get home with a card full of unusable images
Remove people from a busy scene with a long exposure. Living in a busy city (Melbourne, Australia) I’ll arrive at a scene to take sunset photos (like this one at St Kilda Pier) and it will be crowded with tourists. Rather than take a photo with people cluttered all through my photo I’ll set the camera up for a long exposure. It works perfectly and I’m able to take a photo of a scene with no people getting in my shot. Just be mindful that you need quite a long exposure for this effect to work well and also for people not to stand and stop too long in your frame. This post-apocalyptic photo series by Lucie & Simon captures major cities appear as ghost towns by using this effect
Playing around with other long exposure ideas
What’s your Favourite Long Exposure Subject?
As I said in the introduction to this post that the possibilities of taking long exposure photographs are endless. What do you enjoy taking photos of using long exposure that I’ve missed?
If you found this article useful I’d be super grateful if you shared it via your favourite social networks to others who might be also interested in the topic. Feel free to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for future posts like this. You might also be interested in a previous post called the magic cloth technique that is a very effective and easy DIY neutral density filter trick.
Have any questions or comments about the article? Feel free to drop an email as I’m always happy to help 🙂
After recently moving away from the Canon 5D Mark II to a Sony A7RII, I was itching to get out and make the most of my new purchase by giving the low light performance a play with some astro photography.
