Roving-Eye Gallery update and newsletter #18 for June 2022
 

 

Hello to everyone and thank you to the new subscribers.. welcome aboard!

 

With the latest update just uploaded head to What's New - June 2022 | Roving-Eye.com and you can scroll back month by month for an easy catch up for previous months too!

 

It certainly has been a busy month getting the rising full moon, whale season kicking off strongly and some very playful Corellas also filling the viewfinder all helping to boost the image count to 76 new images hitting the gallery this month!

 

While I don’t track image count as being a particular benchmark for anything it’s interesting to see how much it can fluctuate due to combinations of weather or simply a great wildlife encounter which can run up a dozen or so worthwhile images at a time.. compared to a singular landscape or seascape typically needing much more time and effort just for that one image.. the only constant being the “being there” on the spot to get whatever it is that appeals!

 

Whale migration season has definitely kicked off here in Port Macquarie and I’ve already got some really cool drone videos of Humpback mums and recently born calves playing and swimming past .. go check out the Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexMcNaught/videos

 

Speaking of drones I’ve got my hands on a very hard to get brand new model normally used by such as Emergency Services because of it’s amazing and powerful abilities and thankfully with my CASA licence finalised just recently it allows me to fly this higher weight category normally off limits to retail buyers and I’ve put it to immediate good use in several ways.

 

Firstly with the enhanced flight time and strong wind handling I’ve been able to get some extended whale videos even after a long flight out to sea to find them, secondly I now have a powerful zoom lens to supplement the standard wide angle for a whole new compositional angle and lastly, as part of my ongoing volunteer capacity, I’ve already been able to help National Parks and ORRCA with an entangled whale situation with clear, detailed and extended video to brief their rescue teams.. wins all around for everyone!

 

The drone has other awesome features which I will phase in and discuss in coming months as I deploy it for all the things I have in mind!

 

I also have a new role as casual deckhand on the local whale watching boats after being tapped on the shoulder by them to join their crew and it gives me another whole slab of opportunity for whale photos when the boat is established on the ocean on tour and the boat and passenger duties are light.

 

I already have an excellent new round of images in the portfolio from that new role and I have also been able to phase in capturing 360 degree video and learning new skills in the editing and reframing aspect to produce a final watchable video.

 

A recent trip involved a whale “mugging” the boat where it hung around watching US and interacting and while I was busy topside capturing that there is a whole world of underwater possibilities and I have since upgraded my gear to include a dive case, long reach pole and secure tether so any next time it happens I can dunk my camera underwater down the side of the boat and clear of the hull get an uninterrupted 360 degree view from THAT angle too!

 

In the meantime, and as of this writing, I’m about to dash down to the coldest part of the state at the coldest time of the year courtesy of my desire to include snow photos in the portfolio each year regardless but I’ve also been invited to join a small select group of jet ski adventurers pushing up into the Snowies on the Upper Murray River with recent increases in ski-able water depth supporting it making the decision to jump right in and join both together into a logistical no-brainer!

 

No doubt there will be a whole round of interesting things to say about a trip of that type in the next newsletter and needless to say I might just have a few cameras of various types along for the ride to make sure I don’t miss much!

 

Take care and thank you for reading this far and sharing the journey!