Darren Stones

By Darren Stones

Tasmanian photographer Anne O’Connor is highly regarded in Australian photographic circles for her photography skills and voluntary contributions to the Australian Photographic Society in which she’s been a member since 1996.

At the society’s annual convention – APSCON – held in Launceston during September 2008, Anne was awarded the FAPS and AFIAP photographic honours. Anne is delighted to have achieved her honours, and particularly more so due to not having to travel overseas to achieve it – she did so by photographing Australia.

Anne became a member of RedBubble in November 2008 and settled in seamlessly. Her contributions to the Australian Travel Photography and Writing group are high quality and have been well received by the RedBubble community. Anne’s shown a keenness to participate in the travel group’s activities, and it’s not surprising given that travel photography is one of her passions.

Anne O’Connor, 61, resides in South Launceston, Tasmania and was a social worker by profession. As time and finances permit, she travels to distant locations in Australia with husband Bill.

Recently, I had the pleasure to interview Anne, and it was interesting to learn not just of her antics, but how she is prepared to bare all in pursuit of her photography.

D.S. – Welcome to the Australian Travel Photography and Writing group, Anne. Having browsed through your portfolio of work at RedBubble, I took particular note of your Camel train panorama photograph. What was your motivation for making it? And, was it a photograph you planned, or one that just happened as part of your travels?

Camel train panorama by Anne O’Connor

A.O’C. – Camel train panorama is one of many photographs I took of the camels whilst visiting Broome in Western Australia. My husband Bill and I flew into Broome from Perth on our way to Darwin with the intention of capturing on Fuji Velvia film the camels at Cable Beach.

We only had two nights there, but they were well spent. For the camel shots we needed a low tide, as well as a red sunset. There were a number of different camel trains, and for a time I observed what they did and how they travelled up and down the beach.

The camels are led on their walks away from the main beach area before sunset, usually from the dunes, and then they return along the water’s edge. Initially, my photographs were taken with the water in front of me and the camels between me and the ocean. This created stunning silhouettes with the setting sun behind them.

I remembered seeing photos of the camels silhouetted in the sand, so I changed direction and positioned myself between the water and them. I ran ahead of them and then waited until they moved back towards me along the wet sand.

At one point, I was accosted by one of the camel train operators and he sternly told me that the camels were copyrighted, and that he owned the copyright. I ignored him as he wasn’t the only camel train operator on the beach. I wasn’t the only one taking photos, however I believe my keenness made me stand out from others. I then focused on other camel trains instead.

D.S. – Which photograph currently submitted to the art section of the RedBubble Australian Travel Photography and Writing group do you wish you had taken?

Get in line! by Paul Grinzi

A.O’C. – To me, Paul Grinzi’s image represents Australia, because our nation was built on the sheep’s back. The photograph has an ageless feel to it as an icon-type picture, and that’s important to me.

I believe the image is priceless because it could have been taken in the 1800s or the present. It represents our country and our heritage that we should all be proud of. If I had a choice to take one photo that would represent Australia, this would be it. I wish Paul’s Get in line! photograph was mine.

D.S. – From your RedBubble portfolio, which is your favourite Australian travel photograph?

Splash by Anne O’Connor

A.O’C. – Splash is a photograph that brings back memories of a trip I did with Bill and my daughter. We drove along the coast from Exmouth to Perth and it was a combination trip – catching up with her and taking opportunities for photos.

Splash was taken at Monkey Mia in Western Australia. I planned the trip to suit the photographs I wanted to take and Monkey Mia was on my list.

I wanted to visit Monkey Mia to take dolphin photographs, but my better photographs were of pelicans. I was informed that I needed to arrive at Monkey Mia by the first feeding time at 7.30am because more dolphins come in then and they may or may not feed them at later times. That suited me photographically, so we were up at the crack of dawn and travelled from Denham to Monkey Mia.

There were strict rules in getting close to the dolphins. Everyone had to stand in line and wait until the dolphins came in close. Some children were selected to feed them and they were allowed out in front. I managed one or two shots, but found it impossible to get anything worthwhile.

I noticed some half-asleep pelicans on the sand earlier, so began creeping towards them. I took a photo, and then took a few steps. I continued to do this for some time. I also sat on the sand near them and one of the pelicans decided to make for the water, and of course I followed it into the water – slowly.

I was up to the top of my legs in the water and just waiting, hoping the pelican would do something. Suddenly it did a big stretch and then a gigantic splash. The photos were on slide film at the time, so I had to wait to see what I had, but I was sure I had got the “photo of the day” amongst them. I was right. The movement and splashes were recorded perfectly and I got an image that I had not ever imagined.

D.S. – When undertaking a photographic journey in Australia, what is your preferred type of accommodation? And when travelling, do you like travelling alone, with someone, within a group?

A.O’C. – I prefer to travel with someone into strange places away from civilisation, but that person has to live with my photography. Bill is great, as he loves to drive, and he understands my idiosyncrasies with needing to be somewhere at the right time. He’s happy to drive and sit in the car with a newspaper and wait the hours it takes.

Ruth Timperon and I go away a lot together within Tasmania. We’re like-minded and we never get in each others way. Interestingly, we may go to the same place, but our photos are never identical. We have a different eye and that makes for a good photographic companionship. We generally stay in units near the places we want to photograph.

Two nights at one place is good as it allows time to look, and two opportunities to get the right light. Having another person with you can also be safer in some instances, and it’s enjoyable to share the photographic experience.

I also go away on my own around Tasmania. I’m happy with my own company and during these times I stay in rented units. In an ideal photographic world, I need a driver with patience, somewhere comfortable to sleep, and a toilet. The right light, plenty of tucker, water to drink, and a stream or beach nearby. No mozzies or flies, people far enough away that you have trouble seeing them, no generators or noise, other than the bush and birds.

I can live without the shower, but I first need my comfort stop. After that, peeing in the bush is fine. I have got past being able to balance for more than a pee!

Pipers river with storm clouds by Anne O’Connor

D.S. – Which location are you considering for your next Australian photographic trip?

A.O’C. – There are lots of places I want to experience with my photographic eye before I die. I want to travel on the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide, because I’ll have achieved crossing Australia by train from East to West and from North to South.

The Ghan is more special because of the history of the train and the many years we lived in Darwin; however it’s something that will happen one day when the opportunity comes along.

In Tasmania there are many places that I have not been to. Corinna and the Pieman River are first on the list to visit on my next few days of exploring.

D.S. – When travelling on longer photographic trips how do your store and care for your digital images?

A.O’C. – Storage is something I have investigated for a while. The information I sourced was through various online photographic forums or through reading various reviews online or in magazines. I did my homework prior to outlaying any money for equipment. When I found a name of something, I’d Google it, and then look at the specifications, etc. before making choices and spending money.

My decisions were based on the ease of use, capacity to do what I wanted the devices to do, technical data, size and weight, and the input or reviews from other photographers. My philosophy has always been if you take things, you need to be able to carry them yourself – so light and small is best.

Initially I took my laptop computer everywhere – especially in the Ford Bronco on long trips. I used to backup my images onto the laptop as we travelled.

I eyed off the Epson portable storage devices when they came onto the market, and have purchased an Epson P-5000 with an 80 gigabyte hard drive. I’ve found the Epson to be everything I wanted, and I recommend it to any person considering one. It has the ability to provide a slide show of images and a screen that is large enough to show people what photographs have been taken on the spot. It has software within it to transfer files to a computer, and the battery lasts quite a long time. It charges fairly quickly and is a great external drive.

I have a variety of memory cards and find that more often than not, what I have is enough for a day or more of photographing. I always take RAW images and I never revert back to JPEG – even for happy snaps. In the past, I have forgotten to switch back to RAW after the happy snaps and have been very cross with myself for forgetting.

Bridestowe lavender by Anne O’Connor

D.S. – What’s the funniest or most interesting moment you can recall whilst taking photographs on an Australian photographic journey?

A.O’C. – Some time ago, Bill and I drove from Cairns to Cooktown to visit Gisella, a friend of mine, who I’d met at an APSCON in Queensland. She and I went on a pre-convention tour to Fraser Island, and we got to know each other well.

When we were in Cairns, Bill and I made the decision to drive up to Cooktown to see Gisella and stay for a few days. Whilst there, Gisella took us on a fairly long hike up into an area with a waterfall at the end of it. I cannot remember exactly where the place was, but it was quite a strenuous climb with lots of rocks to scramble over. At one point, Bill took the tripod and camera bag so I could clamber over things to get to the end point. Once there, I took back the tripod and camera and began looking for the right angle with my concentration purely on what was in front of me.

It was not an easy place to get the image I wanted and there were lots of rocks and things to move around. Eventually I got myself into some weird position against a rock and half way up a small tree. My eye was stuck to the viewfinder and I was looking at the waterfall as I was trying to fit it within the frame. Suddenly, I experienced a very sharp bite that was excruciatingly painful. I grabbed at the sore spot on my torso to try and get rid of whatever was causing my pain. Before I could blink, I was being bitten all over my body and in some places that I can’t say here.

By now I was yelping and slapping myself. My camera and tripod were soon forgotten as I searched for what was causing my agony. My clothes were flying in all directions, and Bill and Gisella came over to see why I was stripping my clothes off.

In manoeuvring for the perfect shot, I managed to back up against a green ants nest and I became covered in the little darlings. Of course they were only trying to defend their home from a human invader, but I didn’t see it that way.

I sure did some weird and wonderful manoeuvres, with Bill helping to pick the ants off me in spots only he could reach, whilst I stood almost naked as a jay bird.

Gisella was trying hard not to laugh, and Bill was probably holding it in, too. Before I got dressed again, I had to check my clothes and pick off the ants. I never did get the shot I wanted. I only saw green ants that day and I still had a long hike back home.

Gisella and Bill later said they wished they had had a movie camera. It’s something that I remember and have a chuckle over now and again – especially when I see a green ant. I would have liked someone to have had a movie camera to document me doing contortions in the nude and to prove that it really did happen.

I have since seen a close-up photo of a green ant in battle formation at the Mindil Street Markets in Darwin. I had to buy a copy so as to remind me of my experience. Green ants make wonderful subjects photographically, but I don’t recommend becoming their enemy.

D.S. – Anne, what two pieces of advice can you offer photographers who are about to undertake a travel photography trip in Australia?

A.O’C. – I suggest researching before leaving home. Find out about the area before going and use the internet as a place to start. Check the tides, and the sun path – a compass is good to have. Check sunrise and sunset times, and the moon phase. I generally ask questions within a photographic forum, because there are photographers who have visited these places and know what to look for.

If you go with a tour group, try and get a photographic one. Otherwise, you will be sitting down to dinner in a hotel, just when you want to go out and shoot photos, or you will be having breakfast and loading up in the mornings when you don’t want to. Think of photography first, food second and sleep third. Make sure you have food available in case everything is shut when you come back to your accommodation. This can happen in small towns and even in larger ones.

D.S. – Anne, it’s been a pleasure to interview you.

A.O’C. – Thank you for wanting to know more about me as a photographer.

© Darren Stones 2009
Published 11/1/2008