Outback Australia

[stevec]

Hi,

Can anyone give me some good tips re photographing around Uluru and Alice Springs in outback Australia?  I am planning a trip there in August 2006.  Nick?

Must see places?

Steve

[Ray]

Hi,

Can anyone give me some good tips re photographing around Uluru and Alice Springs in outback Australia?  I am planning a trip there in August 2006.  Nick?

Must see places?

Steve
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Seems there are not many Australians reading this forum. The last time I visited Uluru and Alice Springs was 30 years ago so I don't think I can offer any useful tips on that location. As regards 'must see' places in northern Australia, I'd recommend the Daintree and Atherton Tablelands, north Queensland; Lawn Hill National Park north of Mt Isa; Uluru; Katherine Gorge; Kakadu.

A boat trip at dawn on the Daintree river can offer some great photographic opportunities, but the crocodiles seem more plentiful and active in Darwin.

The weather in August should be warm to cool in the northern parts. This would be the most comfortable time of the year for visitors. Hope this is of some help. Have a great trip   .

[jule]

Hi,

Can anyone give me some good tips re photographing around Uluru and Alice Springs in outback Australia?  I am planning a trip there in August 2006.  Nick?

Must see places?

Steve
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I'm an Aussie girl, have not visited Uluru, but have travelled a bit around this wonderful country. Nick Rains would be far more experienced to comment than I, but I can however perhaps make a few simple suggestions for Uluru and surrounds;
- be respectful of the land and any signage about where to trek or go off the beaten track.
- consider whether you want to take photographs to remember your journey or photographs that portray such a well known area a little differently. You'll need to really put on your creative pants to portray Uluru in a way that hasn't been done before.
-Don't go with an organised tour group - unless it is a group of photographers. You will feel frustrated at not being able to  'do your own thing'.***but it is not advisable to just go off on your own. The outback is very unforgiving with its' climatic extremes. See if you can hire a guide or a local for a week to show you around.
-August is a wonderful time to travel the outback. Usually warm clear days, crisp cool nights.
-strong warm light during the day, and heat, usually means best photographic opportunities early morning or later in the afternoons. - but most photography is done during these times, so perhaps exploring the time of the day which is not usually the 'norm', may provide images which are a little different than the 'norm'. You could work with harsh light and shadows in a more abstract way perhaps.
-dry winds and sandy dirt is a nightmare for cameras and lenses, so be careful when changing lenses and ensure a well sealed camera bag. Keep zippers zipped on any treks.

Must see places???..where will you be going? Can you manage a trip to the Kimberlies?... just awesome.
What sort of photography are you interested in? There is so much of this country - you'd need more than a lifetime to cover all of it. Are you interested in the geography in the remote desert?... outback rural farming, eucalypt forests, rainforests, coastline, islands, cities, small rural towns???
How much time do you have? How are you travelling?

-one other tip. Although you will be primarily using your visual senses because you will be photographing, don't forget about your sense of smell and sense of hearing. The country has so much to offer, and I find it a far more powerful experience to be aware of the smells and sounds of the environs.

Julie

[Graham Welland]

I've been to Uluru/Olgas a few times and these two locations definitely fall into the categories of dawn/dusk for best photography. The good news is that the 'classic' shots are all available from close by the limited & strictly policed parking locations. If you pull off the trail anywhere else you'll soon have the park workers to deal with.

You'll find that you need to be on the road early for dawn shots on the NE or 'back side' of Uluru which is the 'other' view of the monolith to the typical postcard shots you typically see. There is only one place where you can legally park to shoot the sunrise and it fills with tourists & coaches pretty quickly so be there early and set yourself up ahead of the crowds. You'll think you're there all alone in the dark when suddenly a herd will arrive.

If you have overcast weather then the walk around Uluru provides access to lots of interesting shapes and textures of the rock. There's a pool on the NE side and if you've had rain the rock takes on some interesting colours. The colours and textures close up to rock itself are very different to what you expect from a distance.

For the classic sunset views you have a few more options and I've found that the view from the coach park location (up on top of a ropped off dune area) worked well. There's another parking location closer to the rock that is much smaller but equally effective if you get there ahead of time. The sunset transitions through many shades of red/brown over a reasnably long period of time. If you want the classic Uluru between the trees view then you are going to have to trek quite a way away from the legal parking spots. You may want to check about permits if you do this.

I was lucky on my first visit to arrive after a recent rainfall and the desert floor was covered in purple flowers. That was a once-off for me and it's normally pretty arid. There are lots of detail opportunities if you wander around a bit - not just the monolith from a distance.

As regards climbing the rock etc - don't bother. You aren't allowed to photograph from the top anyways.

For the Olgas there are a few options including the dunes/sunrise view site and another sunset viewing location near the valley of the winds. For the sunrise view there is a decent platform to get a view over the dunes, although if I recall correctly it has an open grated surface so not ideal for tripods. If you can find a nearby dune you'll get a more interesting view anyways. Afer sunrise the walk around the rocks is interesting but it gets pretty hot.

One thing to consider is that the Aboriginal tribes have some pretty strict rules about what you can and cannot photograph. There are certain sacred locations around Uluru in particular where photography is banned.

I picked up a pretty decent photography guide book for Uluru/Kata Tjuta called 'Photographing Uluru' by Allan Fox. It had the locations for the best views marked out, examples of the shots and was pretty helpful in suggesting where to be and when. It was a local book but you might be able to order a copy.

Other hints:
- Polariser -pretty obvious really ... but also for keeping out the dust.
- grads - there's a big contrast range between the rock/sky. If you're digital and not a grad shooter then bracket & blend.
- dust - there's a lot of it. If you set up somewhere on the un-metalled roads you'll have red dust everywhere if someone drives by.

I've found that much of the really interesting photography across Australia is with the rural envirnonment vs. classic sights. Beaten up vehicles, weathered individuals, broken down houses & buildings, vast open scenery interrupted by fences/dirt roads, roadkill etc.

p.s. Uluru/Kata Tjuta is only good for a couple of days unless you're hankering after that special shot.

[Ray]

I've found that much of the really interesting photography across Australia is with the rural envirnonment vs. classic sights. Beaten up vehicles, weathered individuals, broken down houses & buildings, vast open scenery interrupted by fences/dirt roads, roadkill etc.
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Yeah! That's true! Sometimes I think I'd just like to drive around Australia by myself; stop wherever I want for as long as I want and photograph everything that captures my eye. Maybe I'll do it some day.

[Andrew Teakle]

Hi Steve,

Sorry I'm about a month late in replying to your posting about photographing in outback Australia. I've been hiding under a rock putting the finishing touches on our travel website for Australia.

You're going to love central Australia at that time of year. As other people have mentioned, it will still be quite warm during the day and cool at night, and the flies can be maddening. If you can tolerate these, however, you'll find gazillions of photographic opportunities.

Basic items to note (please forgive me if they're painfully obvious): wear hat and sunscreen, insect repellant and long sleeve shirts during the day as the sun can be merciless. Take plenty of water with you whenever you leave your vehicle. Fly nets (fits over your hat) look ridiculous but can help keep your sanity in the face of such an onslaught.

Gwelland's (Graham's???) recommendations are spot on. Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) are magnificant and the jewel in the crown, but don't overlook Watarrka (King's Canyon) National Park, Chambers Pillar, Rainbow Valley, or (one of our favourites) Devil's Marbles (about 5 hrs north of Alice Springs) if you have the time.

If you're interested, check out www.tesseratravel.com for some images and info about the outback, as well as the rest of our gorgeous country.

BTW, the site has just been posted, so we'd really welcome feedback before we start spreading the word too far.

Have a wonderful trip.

Kind regards,

Andrew

[Ray]

If you're interested, check out www.tesseratravel.com for some images and info about the outback, as well as the rest of our gorgeous country.

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You've got some lovely, evocative nature shots on your site, Andrew. Makes me feel quite envious   .

[Andrew Teakle]

You've got some lovely, evocative nature shots on your site, Andrew. Makes me feel quite envious   .
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Thanks Ray,

Do I gather from some of your earlier posts that you're in Australia too? If so, it's all out there. One of the best things is that it can be relatively inexpensive to travel around. For the majority you don't need a 4WD (although to get to the remote outback locations this is obviously a necessity) and in many areas you can bush camp for free. In the past we have rented out our house for 3 months or so (e.g. someone needing a place to stay while they build their own place nearby) and this has pretty much paid for the travel expenses. We don't eat out much, go on expensive tours or stay in hotels frequently, so can keep the costs down to $300-$400/week including fuel, vehicle servicing, food... about what we get in rent (BTW that's about US$250-US$300/week or about GBP4-5/week ...#*!%#^exchange rate). I guess having a job that will allow a 3 or 4 month absence helps.

Anyway, thanks again for your kind comments.

Andrew