Galleries
Dog Day Afternoon
This photo of our British Bulldog Shelby, gives a great perspective of life under and above the water. Shelby loves fishing, and usually kisses the fish before we let it go. She is also quite adventurous onboard the boat, and has even done a little tubing. Shelby reminds us to be brave when taking a photo of the sea.
I have owned boats for about 12 years. First, with a 3m dinghy, then a 4.5m Allycraft bowrider, then a Bayliner 185 bowrider. We always hope to be on the water a couple of times a month. In 2017, we purchased this Bayliner Element e16. We were after something that was easier to maintain and was still comfortable. We often spend our time on the water wakeboarding, tubing and fishing, so we find this model is a great all-rounder for skiing and fishing.
I grew up in Brisbane, and the Gold Coast was always a holiday destination. So now that I have my own family, we have decided to live here, where most people dream of holidaying. We love going to Wave Break Island for fishing, swimming and relaxation. The freedom the Broadwater offers is a privilege few people get to experience firsthand. For a photographer, this environment offers much diversity. You can capture the Surfers skyline in the background in one photo, and moments later another view, which seems that you’re all alone on a tropical island.
Photography is a creative outlet to challenge and improve your skills as an artist. Being able to capture an image and making it unique is a great feeling.
About the camera:
I used a Knekt dome port on the GoPro Hero 5 with Knekt pole trigger to take this shot. The challenge of taking this photo was to judge the timing of the wave motion to capture the water at the right position. It is only achievable because of the waterproof technology.
GoPro cameras are great for this type of genre. They’re compact, reasonably priced and easy to use. I don’t recommend cheap alternatives if you are serious about taking good photos as they often don’t live up to the hype. There’s nothing worse than experiencing a great moment, then realising the equipment had let you down.
When using more sophisticated types of cameras such as DSLR’s or Action Cameras, you have the flexibility of adjusting the settings manually – shutter speed, ISO, aperture, etc. This enables you to achieve different results while shooting the same subject.
I shoot my images in RAW format, so post-processing is necessary. I use Adobe Lightroom to remove water spots, correct and enhance colours and contrast, crop, straighten, and reduce noise. When shooting in RAW format, the files are quite big (+20MB), so make sure to have a fast memory card that helps read the files quicker, especially when you’re shooting in continuous mode.
When using a waterproof camera with a protective cover, it is a good idea to have a floatation device attached to it. Use a polarising filter to reduce the glare from the water, like the way polarised sunglasses work. You must have the right equipment to have the best opportunity to capture what you have planned. Without it, you will most likely struggle and walk away disappointed. It’s like fishing – you don’t go marlin fishing with a lightweight estuary rod.
About the photographer: Daniel predominately captures landscapes, cityscapes and astro (nightscapes). His business also involves selling online photography equipment such as tripods, filters and other accessories, so he is up to speed with all the latest gadgets that can be used to capture the moment. danielbrauerphotography.com