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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 07-14-2009, 04:46 AM  
Thematic Post Your shot Across Australia
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 185
Views: 25,191
Healesville, Victoria


Near Healesville, Victoria
(Long Gully, seen from Tarrawarra)


Anglesea, Victoria
Forum: General Talk 02-22-2009, 04:37 AM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
Exactly what we have in our area, though the bark load on the stringybark is moderate to high, so we have a bit more risk in that component of the total load. The Chum Creek fire has brought home to me the importance of reducing surface load, and especially the elevated load. The neighbours who lost their places were surrounded by dense, extreme elevated fuel. The fire crowned and burnt trees to sticks in those locations, but not ours. I really am learning a lot since the fires here!

The assessment of fuel loads needs to be taught to everyone living in the urban interfaces too. Its simple to understand, and easy to implement a plan. It's just hard to fly blind or (worse) ignorant.
Forum: General Talk 02-21-2009, 12:48 AM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
Conversely, my neighbour here had removed trees to a similar extent, but had failed to deal with the fine fuels around the house. No more house there, sadly. The stored energy in fine fuels is extraordinary. CSIRO reports following Canberra fires had amazing figures about the energy in fine dry fuels. Other sources concur - wood with no water content (dead) can yeild up to 6930 Btu/pound. Thats roughly 4000 kilowatthours per ton. Trees, when alive, are mostly water, by weight, and that figure drops to around 2000 Btu/pound for live trees. ( The Amount of Energy in Wood )
Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups 02-19-2009, 05:19 AM  
Melbournian Trip to Bush town post fire 19th Feb 2009
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 2
Views: 2,855
There was a guy up here on his "regular" bike ride on Sunday - he'd ridden from Richmond, and had been a bit put out that the roads were closed the week before. Funny, I was talking to him because he'd stopped on the side of the road to answer his phone, and parked with his high pressure tyre on a still-red-hot bit of wood...POP! Talk about ooblivious...
Forum: General Talk 02-13-2009, 02:52 AM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
The DSE site on saturday afternoon has so clogged with traffic as to be inaccessible for us. So many people were "watching" the fires on the web that the info couldn't get to us. But, when all was said and done, the DSE site was 30-60 minutes behind reality. The Urgent Threat message for Chum Creek was posted at 7.20. The full front of the fire hit us at 6.12. By then the power and phone lines were well and truly burnt any way.

Additonal:
For those of us who live in the bush, the thought of relying on the internet for bushfire info is just fiction. First to go is power, then phone, and most likely the mobile signal. I saw the power transformer on our street short out simply from the density of the smoke. The bushfire information line had a 25 minute hold time, and then all they had was the DSE and CFA web pages. The 774ABC coverage is fed from the same media centre. This was well before the fire.

When the time comes, I now know that all you have is instinct and experience.
Forum: General Talk 02-12-2009, 09:16 PM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
Thanks Dale, your info is spot on. Type and density of vegetation is critical, as is the presence of fine fuels. We had a month long fire prep this year to remove all fine fuels off the ground. There is no possible ladder from the ground into the canopy, except the tree trunks themselves.

In terms of the fire conditions, I gained years of experience in 4 hours. I cannot believe I trusted the radio reports over my gut instinct that the smoke I could see was NOT Kilmore, but my neighbours. Now I know. But, I was nonetheless outside patrolling in the heat of the day, as it felt "wrong", though I did have the camera in hand, and the patrol was less intense than it should have been. But, there you are. I was outside, and saw the embers landing.

Mike
(Redfish)
Forum: General Talk 02-12-2009, 04:26 AM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
Cheers. I suspect some may want to discuss the equipment used in some of those images too... yes, I have a Canon as well as my beloved K10D... ;-)
Forum: General Talk 02-12-2009, 03:53 AM  
Heat and Bushfires in Australia.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 97
Views: 16,476
MobileMe Gallery
MobileMe Gallery

I don't know if this rambling will help put a picture together for you, but here goes.

The paddock you see from out of our lounge windows (to the south) is burnt. Looking about 45 degrees to the right (south west) towards the road out that window is where the front came over from Mount Rael and dropped on the paddock with all its fury. The embers ahead of it burnt the grass in a flash, which is the fire we held off first. The grass was gone in the 4 or 5 minutes it took for the full front to arrive, and the fuel had already gone. So, we were lucky enough to have a burnt firebreak right there. The big trees in the paddock were burning, throwing embers into our place. It hung at the road for what seemed like an age, then the wind turned just a fraction, pushing it across the front of us (west), through our road north, and towards Toolangi. The fire also spotted down into the valley on chum creek road, then with that same wind change, burnt up behind us to the back or our property, leaping up over our neighbours house and spotting into our yard down there. But, it never caught in the tree tops. It spotted and spotted, but never caught. We leapt on the spots with the fire hose, a bucket, and a wet nappy. Claire and I coordinated our efforts over the walkie talkie radios Dad had bought for us only a week earlier.

What saved us? I don't know for sure. Practically speaking, though we live in the trees, we maintain a break between us and the bulk of the forest with the paddocks around us and the road. The bush around us is Red Stringy Bark and Eucalyptus Radiata, which has fine bark that burns in a flash, and then cools off, unlike the mountain ash in Kinglake. Mostly, its that the wind shifted , just a little, and took the fire away from us. Away from us, and dumped on our neighbours.

We did not recognise the signs of a fire close by. We were still hearing on the ABC that the smoke was from Kilmore. I was taking photos of the sky when I should have been starting the pump. I look back on this with a degree of shame.

The fire pump and sprinkler system failed at first - the coupling to the sprinklers snapped in the heat. Our fire plan was not completely committed to memory or drilled, so I got some things in the wrong order. I should have started the generator first, to get the house and garden pump running, then started the fire pump. In an instant, though, I recalled my plan if the sprinklers failed, and connected the firehose direct to the pump, bypassing the broken fitting. With that, Claire wet the house, doused the neighbour's tractor, and put out the larger grass fires. We had no sprinkler system, but the hose was enough. I ran madly around the yard, spotting out embers with a wet nappy and a bucket of water. When the neighbours house looked to threaten ours from a fire near the back verandah, I put it out with the hose he had dropped as he fled.

When it all passed, we checked the neighbours we thought were lost, to find their houses smouldering, but intact, and their cars gone. We began right then the vigilance you hear the CFA asking for now. Constant walking, checking, looking to the wind, the smoke, desperate for information. We called family and friends, talked to our children, whom we had sent to Dad's for the day. (We have always planned to send them away on extreme days.)
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 02-06-2009, 04:57 PM  
A question for Australians about buying Lightroom
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 12
Views: 2,359
One of the reasons I went to Aperture instead of lightroom at 2.0. Adobe has always treated non-US customers with contempt in relation to pricing.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-04-2009, 09:20 PM  
How's Sigma's quality control lately?
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 11
Views: 3,562
I have both the 12-24 on a full frame camera and the 10-20 on the K10D. Both are excellent lenses, and flare is reasonably well controlled considering the front element. I find there is more flare from the UV filter than the lens itself (on the 10-20 only). The 12-24 will not take a front filter due to the shape of the protruding front element.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 02-04-2009, 01:41 AM  
Color Calibration Frustration
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 17
Views: 5,511
Agreed. Colourspace is AdobeRGB, with its wide gamut, great for photoshop or the lab. Otherwise, it should be sRGB for use anywhere else. Epson tend to prefer AdobeRGB as an input and output space, I've noticed over the years.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-26-2009, 12:40 AM  
Photo-editing: Better on an iMac or external LCD
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 8
Views: 5,822
I reckon you'll get it pretty close, with proper calibration. True, the iMac 20" glossy screen is no masterpiece of photo lab equipment, but properly calibrated you should have a reasonable match without huge colour shifts. Its the finer tweaks to the "in-between" tones which may be harder to discern on a contrasty monitor.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-25-2009, 03:16 PM  
Photo-editing: Better on an iMac or external LCD
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 8
Views: 5,822
A calibration device will help. The imac will probably have the superior dynamic range, but I wouldn't bother with an additional screen. Then you'll have three different pictures and be none the wiser. Calibrate what you have first.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-22-2009, 06:45 PM  
cranky customer...
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 21
Views: 4,379
Something I do when I shoot for a customer who wants the files right away is to set the camera to record both a Raw and a JPEG for each image. Then I burn a CD with the JPEGs for them on the spot and take the PEF or DNG Raw files home for further processing should it be needed.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-22-2009, 05:23 AM  
cranky customer...
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 21
Views: 4,379
If the mac is reasonably up to date, the PEF will preview just fine in the finder or using the Preview app. Even better, iPhoto should open it right up into its library. No RAW processing options, but it'll open right up.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-11-2009, 06:14 PM  
Photoshop question - How to level line of horizon
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 6
Views: 2,766
In CS3, I use the Ruler tool (it hides with the eye dropper) to draw a line along the horizon. Then select Image-> Rotate Canvas -> Arbitrary. The exact value for rotation will be pre-entered in the field. Hit OK. Job done.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 12-05-2008, 01:48 AM  
Autofocus? Why is it so slow?
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 42
Views: 7,995
I used a Canon 50D with 85mm f1.2 today. Possibly the slowest thing I've ever used. However, I also used it with a 200mm f2.8 - possibly the fastest. The lens can make a big difference.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 12-02-2008, 05:07 AM  
Want to instantly see photos on laptop after I take it.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 26
Views: 9,768
Sure.

1. Set up Remote assistant to save files to a particular folder (The job folder is good practice)
2. Open Bridge, and browse to that folder. It'll be empty, if its new.
3. Start shooting frames. They'll pop up in Bridge. (I use CS4, but have also done it since Remote assistant was released for Mac with Bridge CS3.).

Hope that helps.
Forum: Sold Items 11-30-2008, 04:25 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax F35-70 / Kenko 2X macro Converter / M42 bellows (AUS-W/W)
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 8
Views: 3,087
Payment Sent for Bellows
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 11-29-2008, 07:06 PM  
Want to instantly see photos on laptop after I take it.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 26
Views: 9,768
I do this all the time with Pentax Remote Assistant and Adobe Bridge. Bridge pops up the files as I take them, in native res, not low res NTSC or PAL, like the TV signal gives. I use a 4 metre USB lead to avoid signal degradation.
Forum: Sold Items 11-29-2008, 03:00 AM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax F35-70 / Kenko 2X macro Converter / M42 bellows (AUS-W/W)
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 8
Views: 3,087
Pm sent for bellows
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 11-23-2008, 09:08 PM  
Mac Users: Aperture or PhotoLab3?
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 19
Views: 5,232
I recently migrated a 20,000 image library from Lightroom to Aperture 2. The speed difference is enormous. I did this after using LR 1 to 1.4, then testing 2 to see whether speed had improved. It had not, so I migrated. I must say I'm happier with the Aperture IQ, and prefer the Aperture interface now that I know it better. Sure was a hell of a migration though - all of a wet weekend indoors.
(FWIW, Macbook Pro 2.4, 4GB Ram)
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 11-09-2008, 08:27 PM  
Australian Pentax suppliers (new and used)
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 88
Views: 31,076
FWIW, Kirks Cameras in Ringwood has a proportional display of Pentax gear to Canon and Nikon. Its not equal, but it's proportional to the range of the respective companies. They have a good selection of DA and DA* glass from Pentax and also glass from 3rd parties in Pentax mount. They carry some S/H stuff, when it comes in, and there are at least 2 guys there who really know their Pentax line-up. I have seen one of these guys twice say "how about a Pentax?" to a customer, and make the sale. They really are old-school, "tool for the job" guys.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 10-30-2008, 12:07 AM  
Australian Pentax suppliers (new and used)
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 88
Views: 31,076
3 dealers in Melbourne's outer east
Kirks Cameras, Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood (At least one of the store guys is a Pentax owner and user)
Croydon Camera House, Main St, Croydon
and Ted's Cameras, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
Forum: General Talk 09-30-2008, 10:38 PM  
Web Site Design.
Posted By Redfish
Replies: 6
Views: 2,655
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