Melbourne APUG get-together!

Kevin Caulfield · Mar 18, 2012

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it. I thought this may happen. I now have three other commitments on the day, one from 9.30 to 10.30 am, one from 11 am to 1 pm, and then one from 5 pm until about 9 pm.

I hope you all have a great day and capture some great light.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 19, 2012

LJH said:
First weather forecast:

Mostly Sunny, 18 degrees.

Not the worst, not the best

See here.

"Mostly sunny" is what I have shot in as ideal conditions a few times now. If it rains, bring it on. That rainforest positively sparkles after rain.

raoul · Mar 19, 2012

I just got my grubby little hands on a spanking new Tachihara 4x5... Will be bringing that along for sure!

Colin D · Mar 19, 2012

Barring a catastrophe I am a certainty now for getting to Noojee. Looking forward to meeting the group and getting familiar with my Technika III.

munz6869 · Mar 19, 2012

Currently...

Joachim_I
Poisson Du Jour
w9cae
SMBooth
wotalegend
LJH
SteveR (tentative)
Raoul (with Tachihara)
Andrew K
Paul Ewins?
Mick Fagan
Mick8585 (tentatively)
Mal
Colin D (with Technika III)
Kosta
Bluedog
Athiril
Briand
me and Christine! (with more cameras than strictly necessary, including Harman Titan...)

for
Sunday 25th March - 10am at Toorongo Falls Reserve, 12km outside Noojee, off the Baw Baw Road.

Marc!

SMBooth · Mar 20, 2012

I have a spare seat if anybody is game to ride with me, leaving Moonee Ponds at 7.30ish or can pick up on way if you live out east on the Kew, Ringwood Lilydale route.

LJH · Mar 20, 2012

SMBooth said:
I have a spare seat if anybody is game to ride with me, leaving Moonee Ponds at 7.30ish or can pick up on way if you live out east on the Kew, Ringwood Lilydale route.

One or two spare with me as well. Vermont/Knox City/FTGully/Upwey area.

Joachim_I · Mar 20, 2012

Colin D said:
Looking forward to meeting the group and getting familiar with my Technika III.

Might bring my Technika as well for a change.

fdisilvestro · Mar 21, 2012

Hello, I just moved to Melbourne and found out about this get-together. I'll be glad to join the group if it is Ok.

munz6869 · Mar 21, 2012

You are most welcome!! The more the merrier....

Currently...

Joachim_I (with Technika)
Poisson Du Jour
w9cae
SMBooth
wotalegend
LJH
SteveR (tentative)
Raoul (with Tachihara)
Andrew K
Paul Ewins?
Mick Fagan
Mick8585 (tentatively)
Mal
Colin D (with Technika III)
Kosta
Bluedog
Athiril
Briand
fdisilvestro
me and Christine! (with more cameras than strictly necessary, including Harman Titan...)

for
This Sunday 25th March - 10am at Toorongo Falls Reserve, 12km outside Noojee, off the Baw Baw Road.

Marc!

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 21, 2012

munz6869 said:
me and Christine! (with more cameras than strictly necessary, including Harman Titan...)

[...]
Marc!

I need to have a look at that little gem. Just finished a pea and thimble trick with finances with nobody noticing, snix!

w9cae · Mar 21, 2012

Thanx for the directions if there is a change in my plans I will let Shane know. Will be leaving from Glen Waverley

fdisilvestro · Mar 21, 2012

munz6869 said:
You are most welcome!! The more the merrier....

This Sunday 25th March - 10am at Toorongo Falls Reserve, 12km outside Noojee, off the Baw Baw Road.

Marc!

Thanks, I'll be there.

Francisco

Joachim_I · Mar 21, 2012

I was looking at some pictures of the Toorongo falls in the internet. For those of you who visited the falls in the past: am I right to assume that one needs a pretty strong wide angle to capture the falls in their entirety? The area around the falls looks like dense forest. I am still considering what equipment to pack.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 21, 2012

Hi Joachim, the typical view of the Toorongo River rapids is from the small footbridge over the river (which is going to look very crowded!). You'd benefit from a 17mm (in 35mm) to get the entire V-shaped sweep left-to-right with the attractive rainforest species on the left and mixed forest on the right and those lovely cascades rushing toward the camera. I have got away with a 24mm with selective framing. The opposite view (below and behind the footbridge) is a rough conglomerate of boulders and rushing, tumbling water which has never really been attractive to me others might differ. Toorongo Falls along the walking track can be shot with any lens you choose: they are rocky and glistening, quite tall and multi-tiered, typically three to four falls side-by-side after good rains and very attractive (there are so many very bad and poorly considered shots of these falls on the web, which is strange: they are not that hard to photograph: I favour an elevated view, rather than ground level). Amphitheatre Falls is nowt but a small gusher, but it too is lovely in its own right. Bring what you can from wide to ultra-wide++. The rainforest is a closed ecosystem so you have to be picky with what to photograph; it's very dense in many places. Streamside shots and small rivulets and anabranches are worth poking around for.

Joachim_I · Mar 21, 2012

Thanks a lot, Gary, this is very helpful!

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 21, 2012

OK. I'm off to Melbourne now to get some Vaudeville Velvia to stoke Pentaximus and Brutus for Sunday. See you at A River Somewhere.

LJH · Mar 21, 2012

Joachim_I said:
I was looking at some pictures of the Toorongo falls in the internet. For those of you who visited the falls in the past: am I right to assume that one needs a pretty strong wide angle to capture the falls in their entirety? The area around the falls looks like dense forest. I am still considering what equipment to pack.

DON'T FORGET A TRIPOD!!!

For me, the allure is not the Falls; it is the river.

As Gary mentioned, the footbridge is the first point of call. Looking upstream gives you the widest vista of the river for the whole area. However, if you turn around, you'll see a good set of falls over some large rocks. It's a bit of a scrabble to get down to the water here, but it can be done with some care.

Further up the river, you'll find little "pockets" of falls. These are really good for taking vignettes.

The smaller drop Falls, Amphitheatre Falls, can kinda be shot from their base. However, the best view I found was on the other side of the river. But here's the catch: you need to cross the metal stabilising brace to get there. This involved crawling across it with a full pack on board, perhaps 5-6m above the rocks. A bit scary, but worth it.

Anyway, I still have room to take one or two people. I'm picking up Colin and his semi-tamed Technika III from Bunnings in Vermont around 8:30. Let me know if you want a lift.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 21, 2012

Interesting take on Amphitheatre Falls, but I have no idea what is being referred to as "...cross the metal stabilising brace to get there." What is that and where? I do favour, on this trip, getting different, unique viewpoints rather than the stock everyman shots that have populated the web. But I don't think there is much choice at the footbridge, unless you go under it and in the water (!)...

Joachim_I · Mar 21, 2012

LJH said:
DON'T FORGET A TRIPOD!!!

Haha, no worries, apart from film, that's the only part I never questioned to take with me.
Thanks a lot for your description of the area!

LJH · Mar 21, 2012

Poisson Du Jour said:
Interesting take on Amphitheatre Falls, but I have no idea what is being referred to as "...cross the metal stabilising brace to get there." What is that and where?

There's this metal bridge-thingy that goes across the chasm from the viewing platform to the other side of the river. I'm not sure whether it's a stabiliser or a power/water/phone conduit.

This is the best image that I could find to give you a bit of an idea of the structure's design:

It's made from galvanised steel tubing and is as slick as shit when wet!

SMBooth · Mar 21, 2012

Hmm... we may need a video to film the action/falling in river shots...

Colin D · Mar 21, 2012

Ok, camera gear is settled for me, but after reading the recent posts I'm wondering what is appropriate to wear, are we going to end up drenched, soggy, damp or dry?

SMBooth · Mar 21, 2012

Jeans, Runner, Boots You shouldn't be getting wet unless you stand in the river.. Been known to happen though.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 22, 2012

Expect it to be cool and a bit damp on this occasion. Better than it being dry and lifeless with bright sun. Remember if it rains, you get wet. If you fall into the Toorongo, you will get very wet indeed. Dress as a bushwalker normally would.

Melbourne APUG get-together!

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