Church of Panagia Paraportiani is an iconic 15th Century church located in the heart of Mykonos, Greece. Photographed at twilight, the painted paving stone found throughout the island lead the eye into the frame and up to the church.

Comments are welcome as always.

Photographed at sunrise from above the Old Man of Storr on Scotland's Isle of Skye. An early morning hour long hike in the dark was well rewarded with an amazing sunrise. This photo shows the sunlight pouring over distant mountains on mainland Scotland. The islands of Rona and Raasay in the foreground surrounded by the Sound of Raasay.

Hi Guys,

finally I am able to post something. I'm travelling without a laptop so getting software to view my RAW files has been some what challenging. Oh well hopefully it's all sorted now.

This is a quick process of a shot taken on a trip to the Lakes District, England. I'm hoping the colours are ok as I'm not working in a colour managed environment but rather going between my iPhone and the Internet cafe to check my images. The Lakes was amazing, I'll write about the area and my trip there (including video) when I get home and process all my shots.

I'm currently in Ios, Greece and will be heading off to Santorini tomorrow. I can't wait, it seems to be very photogenic. I'll post a couple more photos soon now that my technical issues are sorted.

Cheers
Lee

Lee's August Newsletter

Hi guys, here is a final update before I hit the road travelling Europe.

European Trip
From Wednesday 4th August I will be overseas travelling in Europe for 3 months. For this reason I have disabled the shopping cart on my website rather than risk selling substandard or unsigned prints. I'll be blogging as I go, posting new images and some video all going well. Keep an eye on my Facebook page or blog my latest posts.

Coming soon....photography from England, Scotland, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria & Spain

Photography Course - new dates
Photography courses will resume on my return. I've got three dates booked in just now and will add more if required. The summer course should fill up quick so don't delay.

Saturday 27th November 2010 - Manly NSW
Saturday 4th December 2010 - Sydney NSW
Saturday 18th December 2010 - Manly NSW

New Images

To keep up to date with all my new images subscribe to the RSS feed of the latest images section.

Nugget Point, Otago, New Zealand

I took this one a while back but never got around to processing and posting it. Photographed on route to Nugget Point Lighthouse I remembered a very important rule of photography, don't forget to look behind you. This is often forgotten as photographers become absorbed in what's infront of them when the light can sometimes be much better behind.

Garigal National Park, Syndey, Australia

Photographed on one of Sydney's coldest mornings for years, Garigal National Park below Roseville Bridge was hovering just about freezing. An early morning mist often gathers in this valley before burning off as the sun rises in the sky.

Blue Mountains National Park including Valley of the Waters and the Grand Canyon

I recently visited Blue Mountains National Park photographing a sunrise from the lookout at Katoomba, the Grand Canyon (image at top of this email) and Valley of the Waters. Click here to view the entire collection from this trip.

Thanks guys, until next time.

Lee

A surprising place to find serenity and beauty, located under Roseville Bridge, Sydney. I've been waiting to check this place out for some time now as you often find an early morning mist when it is cold. This day was no exception, it was one of Sydneys coldest morings in a long time measuring 1ºC.

BLUE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Click here to view the post with large images

Blue Mountains National Park, only a two hour drive from Sydney, even less if you set off at 3.30am like Tim Wrate, a fellow landscape photographer and I did last month. The early start got us in prime position (Echo Point) for the sunrise over the 'Three Sisters' a famous well photographed landmark in the area. After an hour of icy winds the sun had come up and the golden hour was over. The strong cross wind introduced a lot of camera shake ruining some of the panoramic shots, such is life with photography. This one I really like, a simple composition with the morning sun caressing the peak of hill crowned by castle ruins.

After sunrise and the golden hour it was time to head into the woods. A short drive North of Katoomba brings you to the Grand Canyon, a leafy walking track that takes you down into the canyon. After a long steep walk you reach an interesting set of rock steps, a favourite with photographers, making the hard slog a worth while journey. Two massive trees frame the stairs on either side leading the eye into the frame. What a perfect place for a large panorama photograph.

After a hard climb back out of the canyon we drove onto Wentworth Falls and the impressive Valley of the Waters. The walk takes you down past a series of cascading waterfalls and should not be missed on any visit to Sydney. A hard climb back but definitely worth it. This was my third trip here and I'm sure to go back.

I've sat on these photos for a couple months now and thought it about time to share them with you. Photographed down at Manly beach on a glorious evening, I just wish I been more organised to go out and take some landscapes, not to worry it's all good practice.

For the photographers, these photos are a great example of how telephoto lenses compact distance. Shot at 200mm the surfers are about 1km from the headland although looking at the photos you would never tell.

Nugget Point on the Otago Coast, South Island, New Zealand offers great views out towards the popular lighthouse as well as back up the coastline. Photographed here as the sun sets behind the hills, rain clouds move along the coastline and soon up to the headland.

Hi guys, here's a quick round up of what I've been up to in the last couple months, and what I have coming up.

Photography Course - new dates

I have locked in two course dates for this month, book now to get my fantastic introductory rate which will expire after these course dates! The two dates are the last until later in the year so don't delay. I've had some really positive feedback from past participants, they managed to shoot great photographs on the day, learnt how to use their cameras in manual mode (scary!) and even had time for some fun. For those of you that don't already know, the course includes a booklet with all my tips and tricks, a CD with Photoshop and processing video tutorials and most importantly you get to spend 6 magical hours with me taking photos, asking questions and learning my techniques.

For more information and to book a course please visit here. 

Manly, Sydney - Saturday 10th July 2010
City, Sydney - Saturday 17th July 2010

Photography Awards
I've entered in a couple photography competitions of late working towards official accreditation from the AIPP (Australian Institute of Profession Photography). Of the competitions I entered I won four awards, a Silver at the National AIPP Landscape Photographer of the Year for which I get published in their yearly book, a Silver at the NSW equivalent both for my photo of Flinders Street Station and two bronze awards at this year's Epson International Photography Pano Awards for my images of Picnic Rocks, Tasmania and Lake Pedder, Tasmania.

New images
To keep up to date with all my new images subscribe to the RSS feed of the latest images section.

Shelly Beach & Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, Sydney

A glorious morning down at Cabbage Tree Bay produced several stunning images, two of which are massive panorama's that would look great in any home. Click the image below to view more new photos from the area.

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

The early morning sun lights up the sails of the Opera House, Sydney.

Balls Head, Sydney, Australia

A beautiful, yet subtle sunset gives warmth to the tall buildings of Sydney's CBD.

Glebe Tram Sheds, Sydney, Australia

What an incredible place, click the image below to read more about the tram sheds and for several more images taken from the day.

European Trip

Armed with my new Canon 5D Mark II at the start of next month I will be leaving for a 3 month trip around Europe. I plan to visit the Greek Islands, South and North Italy, Croatia, Austria, Spain and the UK. If anyone has any photo location tips I would love to hear from you. One I'm really looking forward to is the Isle of Skye in my native Scotland. Keep an eye on my blog for updates and maybe even some videos :)

Light Painting Tutorial

For the photographers out there I've posted a capture article and post processing video to show what exactly was involved in creating my star trails image. Photographed at North Head, Manly this photo is made up of several components, painting with a variety of light sources to create a truly unique effect. The star trails is the result of a whopping 30 minute exposure.


That's it for now, I'll be posting new images from the Blue Mountains in the coming weeks, if I don't email you before I leave keep an eye on my blog for updates.

Thanks guys, take care.

Lee

What an amazing place! The old tram shed in Glebe Sydney have been unused for the last 60 years only to be visited by photographers, the occasional camera crew, party-goers, graffiti artists (yes I do mean artists, there is some exceptional work on display), and the unfortunate people that call it home.

Getting in can be hard, if the front doors aren't open there is a small window around the back you need to climb through with the help of some milk crates. Ahhhh, nothing like a spot of trespassing to motivate photo taking. The sheds are split into two halls, the main hall houses several stripped down and graffiti covered trams and an old bus. The place is littered with empty spray paint cans, old barrels, tires, broken glass, shoes, and other interesting rubbish. Unfortunately it won't be there for much longer as it is likely to be turned into the next block of bland apartments.

Urban Landscapes - Glebe Tram Sheds, Sydney

Urban Panorama

Selfy - Sorry this one isn't for sale :)

For information on how to get there and what to expect please view the Glebe Tram Shed photographers guide.

Another shot from the weekend of the Parkour guys running around Glebe Tram Station, Sydney. Urban landscapes to follow.

Spent most of today at the old tram station in Glebe. Urban landscapes and panoramas to follow but for now I thought I would share this one with you. It's amazing who you bump into when sneaking around old derelict buildings. These guys, 'Team 9Lives' from the Parkour club based in Fairfield are immense, check them out here.

I've won another Silver award for my image of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne but this time in the Australia wide AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photographers) Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010, not just in the NSW sector. This gives me another point towards accreditation and more importantly I get published in the yearly AIPP book.

That's all the awards for now, back to updates on new photos for the coming months.

Silver Award - Exceeds standard of Professional Practice with high levels of imagination, craft or skill.

I'm please to announce I've won another Bronze Award at this years Epson International Photography awards for my panorama of Lake Pedder, in Southwest National Park, Tasmania. The judges didn't hand out any Golds, and only a few Silvers so a Bronze is a great achievement. Do you think they want us to try harder?

I'm pleased to announce that I have won a bronze award for my Picnic Rocks, Tasmania panorama at this years Epson International Photography awards. I have entered two other pano's but they have yet to be judged, lets hope they do as well.

Balls Head Reserve, Sydney and the surrounding area offers stunning views from the North shore back towards Sydney's CBD, the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. It's a place I've visited on several occasions, this time to capture the sun setting to the West, reflecting off the glass towers of the CBD and giving warmth to the clouds.

Hello Guys, this one is for the photographers that follow my blog. I've written a step by step guide on capturing the star trails image I posted a couple weeks back AND recorded a video on the post processing in Photoshop. Click the image to browse to the tutorial.

Comments always welcome :)

The world famous, instantly recognisable Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney Australia. Sunrise, one of the few moments where it can be enjoyed in solitude photographed here earlier in the year.

I felt that my panoramic images where a bit lost with my current setup so I have recently added a large image preview for all my images available by clicking on the large image in the purchase page. This gives you a bit more of an idea of the detail available in my prints.

The walkway from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach is somewhere I visit often as do many locals with good reason, it's beautiful. I'm a great fan of Cabbage Tree Bay and often find myself drawn to there in an effort to build up my local portfolio. After all the recent rain this morning was one of few that was clear enough to photograph but still had enough cloud to keep it interesting.

Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, Sydney

Shelly Beach, Manly, Sydney - Panorama

Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly, Sydney - Panorama