Leo Meier
To date Leo Meier has photographed 36 books, many of which necessitated epic journeys into some of the world’s most remote regions. Now the renowned Australian photographer heads north from Sydney to Mungo Bush in the Myall Lakes NP, and sets out to capture the essence of the Australian Bush with his LUMIX GH1.
The following is Leo’s account of his journey into the bush along with some stunning landscapes. To view more photos from Leo we encourage you to see his wonderful online gallery as part of Lumix Life: Focus on Australia.
A storm was brewing on the horizon and shooting into the bright sunlight and the dark wooded areas at the same time presented a real challenge in capturing this enormous dynamic range. In situations when even the best and most expensive imaging sensors can?t cope with the dynamic range (brightness difference) of a scene, a HDR merge (high dynamic range) of several differently exposed frames (bracketing) can be performed with image editing software in post production. As the leaden sky cleared to a dazzlingly bright afternoon sun, I scouted for a subject that would allow me to test how the LUMIX GH1 would perform with such a task.
Shot with a LUMIX GH1
Above is a stitch composed of 18 pictures and shows around 230º. This shot was hand-held and a real-world test of how the camera would deal with super contrasting light. The 2m print file shows amazing detail in both highlight and shadow areas. A very impressive camera indeed!
I would mention that of course for situations like this, shooting RAW is a must. For professional work I always shoot RAW. Full marks to Panasonic for providing this critically important facility with the LUMIX GH1.
As the light began to fade it briefly erupted in a show of colour, as it often does on cloudy days. For the shot below I mounted the GH1 on a tripod and used a 14-140mm lens at 14mm.
Shot with a LUMIX GH1: F14, ISO100
Leo’s Photography Tips & Tricks
Shooting into the light
Shooting into the light is difficult to do, but when it works, the results are often spectacular. Give it a try – your LUMIX will take care of the technical side of things. In very extreme situations, you have to set the exposure compensation dial to give more exposure, perhaps +1 or even more. The following is one I took as example of the magic that can be captured when using the light in this manner.
Shot with a LUMIX GH1: 14-140mm, f4-5.8, ASPH MEGA O.I.S LUMIX G Vario HD at 25mm, f11 100 ISO, hand-held.
Be there – hang around
Don’t assume that the light has gone and the show is over just because the sun has set. Often the day’s best light and mood is yet to come. Keep your camera set up, hang around, enjoy the peace.
What matters most then, is not of a technical nature. A quality camera, technical skills and artistic sensitivity are important, but by themselves they are no guarantee for great pictures. You have to be passionate. But above all that, what is really most important is to just be there!
Lumix Life: Focus on Australia
Lumix Life: Focus on Australia is Panasonic’s latest project for Australian LUMIX photographers, giving them the opportunity to submit their images capturing the heart and soul of Australia in a rich online gallery. Professional photographers from around the nations, including Leo Meier, are also actively contributing their own shots in what will culminate in a professionally published book combining photos from both experts and selected public entries. The book will be available in stores throughout the country will all proceeds going to charity.
See the Lumix Life website for more details, along with monthly prizes and video tutorials from the likes of iconic Australian photographer Ken Duncan.
Leo, your photographic eye and its practical application is excellent.
I think your photographs are stunning, I like the way you have used the light.