Lighting Depth

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This is once again opportunistic photography: at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair in May, 2009, I snapped some close-ups of the armoured horsemen after their display. The jousting area was set up at the base of a steep hill, which created a shadowed background in the late afternoon, while the foreground remained sunlit, and here the backlighting does interesting things with both armour and the foliage closest the POV. This is a complicated lighting situation and taking advantage of it for striking composition makes the lighting the key element of this 'personalised hardware' shot. Sharpened only. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic, telephoto. Image by Mike.

It's All About Exopsure

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Brilliant sunshine and fast shutter speeds make for amazing results in the digital age: look at the mid-tone clarity on these figures in violent motion, the truthfulness of colour registration, and the frozen sharpness of edges. These are combatants on the field of honour at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair in May, 2009, photographed on the 'sport' setting to optimise results on a moving subject. The clear sunshine made possible extremely short exposure times, maximising the stop-action effect. The frame was enhanced slightly by the usual techniques. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic/sport. Image by Mike.

Stop-Action at the Gallop

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This is another shot from the Gumeracha Medieval Fair in May, 2009. I was shooting on the camera's 'sport' setting, which optimises exposure time as short as possible. Capturing a horse in full gallop, unblurred and with excellent tonal qualities, is a good result. Shooting into the sun quadrant would also have driven the shutter speed up, and the chip has compensated to render pleasing mid-tones in a situation which would have favoured hard contrast in the days of chemical photography. Sharpness and colour were tweaked slightly. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

Organic Tangles

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Even when shooting an event, there are photogenic marvels in the natural world that still claim the photographer's attention. I found this amazing tangle of tree limbs while at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair in early May, 2009, and was struck by the Fangorn-like quality, the riot of wild growth, that so amazingly complimented the ancient theme of the day, while also being an Australian native tree in juxtaposition with a European cultural stream. The frame was a no-brainer to take, just point, zoom and shoot. Sharpness and colour were adjusted slightly. Fuji FnePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

The Knight's Helm

This is foremost a study of reflections: the steel is polished, therefore the subject is 'skinned,' in CGI terms, with a mirror image of its surroundings, the sort of things an artist must be keenly aware of to ever realistically paint a shiny object. The helmet was standing on a straw bale in the ready area off the combat arena at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair at the beginning of May, 2009, and offered a perfect still subject in a dynamic environment. I framed and exposed without difficulty, kneeling by the bale, with the sun over my right shoulder, and I'm reflected above the helmet's left eye. Enhancements include sharpness, contrast and colour saturation. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

Chivalry in the Hills

This is another frame from the Medieval Fair at Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills in early May 2009, one of The King's Horses demonstrating ancient equestrian skills and the great Middle Ages sport of jousting. The field set aside for galloping at eachother with sharp objects was at the foot of a steep hill over which the sun was sinking in the afternoon, creating an amazing lighting situation as the viewing area was on the east side. Thus the dark background of hillside in shade, but full backlight on the subjects, resulting in various lensflare effects due both to shooting into the sun quadrant and reflections from polished metal. This frame is medium telephoto and automatic exposure, with the sport setting selected for fastest possible shutter speed. Sharpened and colour-enhanced only; Fuji FinePix S5600. Image by Mike.

Extreme Stop-Action

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I finally had a chance to try out the 'sport' mode on the camera, this being a shutter-priority system which optimises for the fastest possible shutter speed, stopping violent action such as on the sports field. I'm not a big sports watcher, so the Medieval Fair at Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills, in May 2009, was a perfect opportunity: a sunny day and violent action! Teams of armoured medieval warriors did battle for the audience in true 14th-century style, and I was quite surprised by how well the shutter priority system worked. The subjects were moving rapidly but are stopped as crystal-clear as the background. Obviously, as light levels fall the effectiveness of this system will be lost if exposure is to be maintained, so overcast days and other low-light situations do not lend themselves to this system (though you can compensate with rated filmspeed up to the 'virtual grain' threshold, and that's a matter of taste). Enhancements were 5% sharpening and a few points of extra colour saturation. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic exposure, telephoto, sport mode. Image by Mike.