#whitekitephotography

by Kylie Jackson

There is nothing quite like pulling into the driveway at the end of the week knowing that this coming weekend you are getting out of the burbs and into nature. The car is packed up with everything you do and don’t need and the hiking boots are the last item in, a note to yourself that the main essential item has been sighted.

Only just over an hour from where we live in East Brisbane Australia is a very well known National park. One I fell in love with over 20 years ago. Every trip I see or witness something new. A female Satin Bower-bird being courted by a glossy satin-feathered male or a Red-necked Pademelon feeding with her young joey; an ever watchful eye on her clumsy hopping junior.

After a couple of hours hiking into Lamington National Park from the Binna Burra entrance you will come across the Coomera Gorge, the focus of this blog. Declared a national park in 1915 this beautiful gorge is located on the McPherson range which includes the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world. The tracks to this beautiful area were the product of relief work during the late 1930′s when work was hard to find. The going from what I read was extremely tough.

Coomera Falls is a segmented falls system that drops a mild 64 metres in the gorge below. It is not the falls power but it picturesque and stunning natural backdrop that make it such a sensational view.

This is the first time I have photographed this from the air and I do believe that this has offered such a greater and deeper view of this gorge and its flora.

Pack some hiking gear into your car and get out this weekend. Smell the forest and breathe the air and I promise you that you will return home a richer person.

Kylie.

Hellnar Church 

by Kylie Jackson

www.whitekitephotography.com.au

Hellnar Church is located on a hill top overlooking an ancient fishing village located on the westernmost point of Iceland’s  Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Whales breached in the waters below and birds nested in the caves that protected them from the harsh west winds. 

Dynjandi

:    by Kylie Jackson

Dynjandi (also known as Fjallfoss) is the largest waterfall located in the Westfjords region, Iceland. It falls almost 100 metres from the fjord above. The name  Dynjandi is Icelandic for thunderous, the name obviously  given for the sound this waterfall makes as it crashes down segmented falls into Dynjandisvogur bay below.

By Kylie Jackson

It happened like this! We never heard any of our friends or family talk about Iceland. We have never picked up a holiday book or visited a travel agent. We were just sitting around at home one weekend throwing holiday destinations around. Yellowstone National Park, Bora Bora & Tasmania were given some quality attention and even though they are all amazing prospects, we were missing something. Then, as though someone whispered it into our ears, Iceland was mentioned and we instantly knew that we had selected our destination.

The 23 day motor-home trip was full. The sun rose at 5:00am and set at 9:30pm which meant that being a photographer, I worked those times to achieve that magic hour of light resulting in one hell of an exhausting trip.

My kit for the trip included:

Manfrotto Tripod & Manfrotto X-PRO 3-Way Head

Sony A99 SLT

16-35 Sony Zeiss T* Lens

70-400mm Sony SSM II G Series Lens

24-70mm Sony Vario-Tessar T* F4

50mm Sony Macro

Standard Flash

Intervalometer

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Drone

GoPro4 (for Silfra Fissure Dive)

A plethora of ND & Polarizing Filters

Normally I would never take this much gear but we had easy transport and I carefully chose the appropriate kit each time we ventured out on day hikes.

The trip was just phenomenal. I did not quite get the amount of sunrises and sunsets as I wanted simply because it was cloudy quite often. (Normal weather in Iceland). The hiking was sensational with private trips right up onto the Hornstrandir where we saw Arctic Fox cubs crawl out of their den to say hello. Here we were closer to Greenland than to the capital of Iceland. The weather was testing with big winds threatening the stability of our old motor-home. Not all the secondary roads are sealed so the going was slow but we didn't care. We were living the dream.

We saw the Aurora Borealis three times and most of the things we wanted to achieve we achieved. The food was sensational and the people really friendly.

Iceland left a big mark on our lives and was the best travel experience to date which is a big call being that we love Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Every turn left us breathless. The photos, as carefully taken as they were, just do not do this country justice.

By Kylie Jackson

Venue:  Coffee on Oleander  >  Events : Gallery : Coffee When: 7:00pm Location: 4 Oleander Street REDCLIFFE  QLD  4020 Dates: 20th May 2016

Sunrise over the magnificent Moreton Bay, thick heavy rain falling into the canopy of Lamington National Park and the graceful flight of an Osprey over the Tangalooma Wrecks. These are the scenes that we have all grown to love and admire living in the great south-east. ‘Light Travels’ is a compilation of ten years of landscape and nature photography by local photographer Kylie Jackson. The collection of photographic works will incorporate images from the Redcliffe Peninsula however you will also be invited to enjoy photography from Canada, Asia and South Island New Zealand.

"My passion for the natural world is expressed in my images. One of the most beautiful sights is the first light of day filtering through the mist of an ancient forest, the Albert's lyrebird makes me smile. For me, it is through the act of capturing an image that I find a quiet peace, delivered from the beauty of a natural landscape. So many of us spend our days in a noisy concrete world and I rely on hiking and photography to maintain a balance. That perfect light, the magic hues of morning, my heartbeat quickens and once again I am truly living."

I grew up exploring the headlands and waterways of Yuraygir National Park.  I was introduced to photography through my Father who was a passionate underwater photographer in the North Solitary Marine Park and Minnie Water area. It was here that at a young age I found my love for the natural world with particular focus on the many native bird species in the area. In my late teenage years I purchased my first Konica Minolta film camera, a decision that would have a profound impact on my future. From this moment I would spend my non-working hours in search of magic light in beautiful locations. I strongly believe that photographing the natural world often creates a connection with it, a need to obtain greater knowledge of our subjects and ultimately, respect for it.

In addition to my full time position for a local Redcliffe business, I went on to study photography. For almost eighteen years I have been a commercial photographer for the local Club shooting everything from NRL games to glasses of wine. I have images published in books in both Australia and America and my images hang on the walls of clients around the globe. My awards include those achieved at the Australian Professional Photography Awards in the landscape category.

‘Light Travels’ a photography exhibition by Kylie Jackson will be displaying at the Coffee on Oleander Gallery, REDCLIFFE

by Kylie Jackson

Drones have been taking to the sky now for quite a while and that familiar buzz of a passing UAV has become a way of life for more and more people. I must admit the silence of an early morning sunrise with only the sounds of birds to keep you company is still hard to beat. It is one of the joys of landscape photography.

However planet earth is spectacular. It never ceases to amaze me as it somehow manages to balance the ongoing struggles of life to its very core. From its raging seas, fragile insects, predators and prey, desert and rainforest. Seeing it from the sky just helps you to understand how insignificant we are on this powerful planet. It will never be tamed, just admired.

Shooting the regent bower-bird  

by Kylie Jackson 

Photographer - Kylie Jackson

We all have photographic subjects that are on our bucket list. Using the Secret Life of Walter Mitty as a popular example, in my earlier photography years the Regent Bower-bird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) was my ‘Snow Cat’.

This stunning berry and nut collecting beauty is spotted as a dart of gold in a backdrop of dense green. They make their home in the rainforests of South-East Queensland, Australia gathering up shapes of different sizes to decorate their bowers. As it is with most birds the males get all the colours and their bowers are not nests, they are amphitheaters for showing off; they are sex caves.

This image was taken on an old Minolta DSLR 12mp camera with an old Sigma 400mm lens about 10 years ago. Light in the rainforest is poor however with the right backdrop & lighting setups you can achieve some great results. Even with old equipment you can achieve great results so this is a post to prove you don’t need to spend lots of money to get great shots. Don’t rule out shooting birds in the rainforest if you follow these few tips:

A telephoto lens with a 300 mm minimum reach

If your lens has a standard speed ( f rating) of 4.5 or higher I recommend a mono pod for stabilizing your lens.

A twin flash mount set up is ideal however a quality single flash is fine if your subject has distance from its background. This removes the harsh shadow created from your on camera flash which hits your subject head on.  

Pre visualize your subject - Have your settings ready for birding if that is your purpose. 

A twin light system bounces around your subject and removes this shadowing issue. More expensive but optimal for rainforest birding.

A higher than normal ISO rating to compensate for the loss of light in the rainforest.

If you are burst shooting a quality fast writing SD card is a good investment. 

Spot Metering and land it right on the eye.

A simple rule - ‘Your shutter speed should be no less than the lens mm you are shooting at. Example - 300mm lens = a minimum shutter speed of 1/300s. This is an easy guide for beginners.

A shit load of patience but enjoy your trip! The rainforest is the lungs of the world and a special place to be.

These few little pointers are easy to remember so practice these next time you are in low light conditions and you will maximise your results in the field!

Have fun guys!