Photography – The Rusty Ruin Journal

Glass and reflections ~ thoughts on editing and photographic approach, with two examples

March 16, 2026March 17, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, Philosophy and Photography, PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, philosophy, photo editing, PhotographyLeave a comment

When I look at photos from over two decades ago, I see how my photographic knowledge has changed. Starting at the base of a mountain, one focusses on the first faltering few steps – they feel like everything and exclude all else. As one climbs further, the beautiful details of the landscape become a focus, and the feet simply move automatically, without thought. There’s always something to learn. One never reaches the ragged peak but remains intrigued by the mists shrouding it.

I like that the photo is reminiscent of a multiple exposure, The reflections of the glass add really interesting detail and texture to the red body of the old fire truck. When setting up for this photo, I was mindful of the placement of reflected background elements, and needed to position myself so the tree trunk didn’t cover either the door handle or the rather attractive insignia – two elements I really wanted to highlight.

Similarly, though it can’t be seen, there was an angled pole of misshapen proportions in the background I found distracting as I composed in the viewfinder. I stepped to the side to hide it behind the larger pole that runs through the NSW Fire Brigade symbol. These seemingly small decisions determine the final image and whether it remains a keeper or a delete.

What I really enjoy about this photo is the quality of the light – the softness of it and the way it enhances the mistiness of the glass. It would be all too easy to add extra contrast to give it punch. It would also be easy to darken the equipment during editing to decrease the soft filter effect of the thick glass. But I think it works well without this additional contrast punch.

Even before making a photo, I strive to visualise what I want the photo to look like after editing, if possible. Multiple small decisions are made even before the shutter button is pushed – it may begin when I am drawn emotionally and imaginatively to a scene, but the process continues through technical cosiderations of aperture and so on, and then into my photo editor of choice.

Zebra, Giraffe, and Meerkat ~ a tour of Altina Wildlife Park

March 15, 2026March 16, 2026Posted in Consumer Culture, Other Thoughts and Reflections, PhotographyTagged animals, culture, finepix, Photography, zooLeave a comment

Just down the highway from Darlington Point is Altina Wildlife Park. I admit that zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, private or public, present something of a dilemma for me. I am wholly in favour of conservation efforts when it comes to endangered animal species – though many such travesties are due to human activities. I understand there might be scientific and educational aspects too. Yet, I also can’t shake the feeling that there’s a commodification of animals happening.

Not only do zoos cage exotic animal species that are endangered in the wild, they also often display other species that face no threat of extinction at all. Is there a reason a common Cockatoo or Dingo might be caged other than to simply complete a menagerie for an audience? It might be argued that increased ticket sales support further efforts in conservation, of course. True, perhaps. I’m no expert in these things, other than to relate some vague feelings and thoughts that gnaw at the edges of mind.

Still, a tour of the large back pastures of the park did draw my attention to numerous amimals I’d not seen before – most notably the African Painted Dog and the long-legged Maned Wolf (a curious canid omnivore with a sensitive stomach and a delicate diet that walks in the same manner as a Giraffe – both right legs, then both left legs, and so on).

Despite the promise of the above words, I have no pictures of these exotic creatures, partly because I don’t like steel cage wire in my photos and also because I’d not packed the fastest camera in the world to acquire focus and record unpredictable animal movements. Yes, I could have switched the camera to a high-speed recording mode, but the heat of the day clearly melted my problem solving skills.

Instead, I give you a handsome Meerkat, and some closeups of a Zebra and a Giraffe – not overly exciting, I know:

Apparently, Zebras are considered one of the most dangerous animals by zookeepers. People tend to get fooled into a false sense of security, thinking they’re just friendly horses with stripes. They are, by all accounts, very skittish and don’t mind kicking anything that freaks them out to death, zookeepers included.

Giraffes, on the other hand, are quite gentle. We were taken to see both the Zebras and Giraffes and could hand feed them apple and carrot slices – the flighty Zebras only through the wire, of course. This was all part of a purchased package that permitted us exclusive up-close access to some of the animals. It was actually great to see them this way.

A Sunset Series ~ Darlington Point, NSW

March 13, 2026March 13, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, finepix, photo editing, Photography, sunset1 Comment

How often do we think that no photograph can ever record the majesty of a sunset? Rather than record an accurate scene, the best we can do is render an approximation that allows us to, perhaps, amplify certain attractive qualities during the editing process.

During this endeavour, liberal use of the tone curve – Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows – may provide the tonal characteristics that produce a pleasant enough photo that one might imagine themselves, just for a moment, watching the sun in real-time as it illuminates the sky.

As charcoal clouds largely obscured the sun, underexposing this photo at the moment of recording deepened the colours, revealed the delicate sun rays, and rendered a sky full of contrast and dynamic light. Though possible to adjust exposure settings during editing, having a final vision for the image in my mind – moody and dark – necessitated a faster shutter speed and, therefore, slight underexposure.

Visualising the final look of a photo and adjusting exposure accordingly is like scribbling in a notebook of ideas that informs the editing process many months later – oh, the clouds are moody and dark, I’ll go with that look! In this way, ideas for editing begin before pressing the shutter button.

Retaining the moody clouds through a careful decrease in Darks and Shadows, and increasing White Point and Light to amplify the sun’s aura produces an approximation of the golden illumination I witnessed at the time.

Here, I wanted to focus on the orange yellow, and pinkish hues that defined this section of sky. Less contrast produces a more harmonious rendering – my feeling at the time of recording.

As the sun moved below the horizon, the clouds absorbed night’s early shadow and languid bands of amber, magenta, and vermillion brushed the edges.

Slow warm nights in Mount Isa

March 5, 2026March 7, 2026Posted in PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, Nikon, Nikon Z5, Photography7 Comments

Slow smoke pours from towering stacks into the still air, day and night. Minerals are pulled from the ancient desert ground and form the heart of industry in Mount Isa. I think everyone smokes, drinks, and wears a vest in this place. It must be a tough life out here.

Everything seems caked in sweat and dust. The soil is red and orange, and lazy heat hangs in the air. Abandoned mines are something of a tourist attraction here. Of course, I’m attracted to those ruined places.

I take the opportunity to walk around the motel late at night. Likely, most people are sleeping or watching TV drowsily. What strikes me are the warm colours and the long walkways. I imagine the owners wouldn’t be too interested in using the photos for marketing purposes!

A friend of mine tells me he likes the orange and yellow lights. They make him feel comfortable. I agree – they’re nicer than the new clean white lights. They’re atmospheric. They go well with the heavy air and the smokestacks.

*The chair at the end of the walkway – Nikon Z5 and Nikkor 40mm lens*

The leisurely glow of sunlight on walls ~ a short series in black and white

February 25, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, Nikon, photo editing, Photography, street photography1 Comment

A set of photos in colour. Now in black and white. I almost always use colour in my photos, but there’s also something intriguing about the removal of colour. Black and white reduces the picture to the most minimal of tonal qualities – light and shadow – the eye drawn to delicate gradations. I sometimes think that black and white photography can be overly contrived, entangled as it is with classic street photography and delusions of stepping into the shoes of Henri Cartier-Bresson and others.

I admit that I probably don’t explore black and white in an editing context as much as I should. Or at least, as much as would contribute to a photograph that pleases me.

*The sharp corner intruding rather rudely – Nikon Z5 and Nikkor Z 40mm*

*From the outside: a whirl of bordered shadow*s

The leisurely glow of sunlight on walls ~ a short series in colour

February 24, 2026February 25, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, Miksang, Photography, sunset1 Comment

Entering the cabin, patches of slow late sunlight catch my eye – lambent and leisurely.

Gentle at the edges, brushing over the lightly textured wall.

The hard angles of a cheap painting cast in soft shadow before the sun sets in deep yellow.

One sunset and two photos for the opacarophile ~ looking for something different

February 17, 2026February 18, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, PhotographyTagged finepix, Photography, sunset11 Comments

There’s nothing better than slow moving light that turns everything gold and warm, especially in small coastal towns where the rough sea meets rocky beaches. The regular opacarophile might love every sunset, but I fear that not every sunset is so easily framed as to be visually interesting. Maybe I’ve just seen too many sunsets? Maybe too much time spent looking through the viewfinder pondering settings turns the mind to a need to make every photo a winner? I suspect the latter is closer to the truth and is another story worth exploring.

*Sunset glow below – Fujifilm Finepix S200 EXR*

Another sunset and another horizon. How to make this one something different? How to avoid the same bright sun and carefully placed horizon line composition?

I filled the frame with the orange glow of the sun just as that bright sphere dipped out of sight. The Finepix S200 EXR is an old camera and is quite soft at the long end, but who needs sharpness for the photo above? It’s all about the colour field and the deep orange glow. Underexposing by two-thirds of a stop deepened the colours. Everything is smeared to a sunset abstraction to fill the frame.

Minutes later, I caught a line of rough dark clouds marking the transition from golden hour to blue hour:

*Suspended between orange and blue – Finepix S200EXR*

A restaurant no more ~ two images

February 11, 2026Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, PhotographyTagged finepix, Lightroom, photo editing, PhotographyLeave a comment

Sometimes, even on the sunniest day in a busy tourist town, you find an abandoned corner filled with dust and old newspapers yellowing at the edges. Once a licensed restaurant, the empty windows were of immediate interest and led to a hastening of my pace. I switched on the old Finepix camera and thought about initial settings and composition.

*The old restaurant #1 ~ Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR*

I like the way the sunlight illuminates key parts of the image and creates borders and frames: the white textured walls, the plank of timber, the blue wall, the papers stacked on a table, and a ceiling joist. Curious how this photo would look in a black and white conversion, I adjusted settings in Lightroom:

Light and shadow tell much of the black and white photo story. I always start with those foundations. The contrast here is bumped a little more, the sunlight spilling gently over timbers and walls is pushed, and the shadows are pulled down to create depth and mystery. The plank of wood resting on the crate becomes more of a focal point and draws the eye further into the dust and darkness of the rooms beyond.

Nifty fifty and the Nikon D50 ~ a casual photo-walk

February 10, 2026February 10, 2026Posted in Gear Talk, PhotographyTagged Contemplative Photography, Nikon, Nikon D50, Photography, Vintage digital3 Comments

The Nikon D50 appeals to me because it sits somewhere between the small Nikon D40 and the prosumer Nikon D70/D70s. With a plastic body that’s closer in style to 1990s Nikon film SLRs like the F65, it seems a world away from Nikon’s current black, sleek, industrial-feel mirrorless cameras and Z-mount lenses. The silver-bodied D50 I have may be technologically long in the tooth, but the 6.1 megapixel sensor still packs an imaging punch when used with careful intent.

*Looking at you – Nikon D50 and Nikkor 50mm AF-D 1.8 lens*

The Nikkor 50mm 1.8 AF-D is one of my favourite lenses, and I can use it on the D50 because the body includes a screw-drive motor. Not only is the lens light and small, but the glass happens to be sharp and practically distortion-free. On the D50, it’s a perfect match, squeezing everything from the 6.1 megapixel CCD sensor. Even at base 200 ISO, the D50 is very quiet when it comes to digital noise.

*Against the blue window, green foliage spills over warm terracotta – Nikon D50*

This is the sort of camera and lens combination that invites contemplative photography at sunset on an overly warm eve. Old buildings, weathered window frames, and glowing reflections put me in mind to simply wander and open my eyes to vast possibility. Something about the terracotta on blue, framed by red brick, drew my imagination – ordinary, understated, usually unnoticed, and quiet.

*The face between the yellow bars – Nikon D50*

Getting close to the yellow bars and setting the aperture to F4.5 allowed me to sufficiently blur them, communicate depth and dimensionality, and still maintain excellent sharpness in the peeling paint and the smiling figure – the subject of the photo.

The Nikon D50 fills an old DSLR usage gap for me – small and light enough to pack with another camera for the day; the ability to use AF-D lenses like the aforementioned Nikkor 50mm 1.8 due to the included screw-drive focus motor; and a top-plate LCD that communicates the most common camera settings at a glance.

Manual Mode or Die! ~ the race to prove oneself

February 3, 2026February 4, 2026Posted in Philosophy and Photography, PhotographyTagged culture, Photography, psychology6 Comments

If you hang around in online photography forums, especially where beginners flock, you’ll come across people proclaiming that the best and only way to really learn photography is to set the camera dial to Manual Mode and endure the suffering until it makes sense. I think this is one of the worst pieces of advice that anyone can give to a beginning photographer!

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Manual mode is bad or inferior. Of course it’s not. Some beginners might even learn well by pushing through the disappointment of fumbling with sweaty command dials whilst missing photographic opportunities. It’s just one way of learning, and everyone learns differently.

*Through the busted window I see – Nikon D200*

In fact, I heartily recommend Manual mode and night photography to any beginner who wants to learn all about the role of light in photography and how it can be controlled through shutter speed. What I object to is the stubborn declaration by some photographers that Manual mode is the Holy Grail and will enlighten even the most confused beginner. Let me tell you, setting that dial to M is more likely going to frustrate an eager beginner and turn them sour.

Learning about the exposure triangle – how Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO interact to control light – is essential in the journey, but it’s not a mad race to the finish line. Rather than stopping stubbornly at M and staying there, set the camera to Aperture or Shutter Priority mode and take the gentler path. There’s no shame in using any of these modes. Set it to Auto or Program mode, even, and concentrate on developing the eye and the imagination and living in the moment. There’s NO rule that states a photographer must use Manual mode all the time, every time. Cameras are tools that provide options and we use the best tool for the job to produce a result.

Photography is about more than gear. It’s about more than the money you spend. It’s about more than how sharp a lens is or how proficient you are at reading a light meter – and lets face it, insecure ego-driven types who are stuck in M are likely still glued to their camera’s inbuilt light meter anyway – even old film professionals use a light meter as a starting point.

The truth is that lots of mediocre photographs are made in all camera modes. There are people obsessed with sharpness and eradicating all digital noise, but forget that an interesting composition is key. There are also people justifying the thousands spent on gear, hoping their next pro camera body purchase will make them a better photographer. Let me tell you something: if you make mediocre photos on a 16 megapixel camera, that 45 megapixel camera on the shop shelf isn’t going to suddenly make you better. Getting better is not just about becoming technically comfortable. It’s also about learning to see the world differently.