It started with iPhoto. I exhausted the editing options really quickly. So I upgraded to….

….. Aperture 1 because I wanted to maintain and stay with the ‘Apple’ interphase. Later, I upgraded to….

….. Aperture 2, naturally. All this while, I have been reasonably happy with Aperture 2 but not entirely satisfied. By now (end of 2008), I was taking photography more seriously, which saw the purchase of Nikon D700, prime lenses, tripods, filter and the works. While trolling the numerous online resources available for an alternative to Aperture 2, I eventually decided to jump the boat and….

….. Photo Mechanic, Capture NX2 and Color Efex Pro 3.0. It was a GREAT workflow.
Photo Mechanic is so simple to use as an image management platform.
Capture NX2 worked really really well with Nikon’s RAW file -NEF.
Color Efex Pro 3.0 was hours and hours of fun.
It was a GREAT workflow……… until I went retro and decided to shoot film again (end of 2009). With film, I just needed to digitalise the image, sort, manage and do some basic curve adjustments and mild sharpening for online publishing. This workflow was getting too long winded and laborious. Scan, import, rename, export, file format conversion, import, export………….. I needed something more efficient. So…..

….. Aperture 3 is only AUD 99 (App Store). Will try this over the next few months.

Well… sometimes, I don’t just sit. I actually get up and complicate my life……..

Here is my first Aperture 3 export.

How are you spending yours?

Wishing you every joy and happiness throughout the festive season!!

Nature, on the other hand, is in glorious abundance all around.
Used to do quite a bit of landscape photography when I had my Nikon D700. Problem was, the filters, tripod lugging and also the ‘Golden’ hours eventually got the better of me. Photography became too slow. Heavy too.

Nowadays, I just walk and click.
Not saying that this is a better way – just the kind of photography I prefer.

3 Cape Barren Goose on Maria Island.
The overall colour of the picture is  very ‘pastel-like’ which I find is fairly characteristic of Tasmanian landscapes.

The Cape Barren Goose (cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large goose resident in southern Australia.

These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique. The tail and flight feathers are blackish and the legs are pink with black feet. The short, decurved black bill and green cere gives it a very peculiar expression.

Once considered a threatened species, the Cape Barren Goose was introduced to Maria Island in 1968 to start a safety population.
Now they roam freely around the island.

Puddle ducks, Romaine Reserve, Burnie.

A great park for a slow Sunday morning stroll.
There is a walking track that winds around a dam on Romaine creek. Domestic and wild fowls abound.

For this shot, I used Tri-X pushed to ISO1600 and souped in Rodinal. Great tonal range with much less grain than expected.

5 more days……………… soon.

See you then and wish me luck.