Photography field trip to Yass
I am currently studying a Certificate IV in Photography and Digital Imaging at the Canberra Institute of Technology. This semester, as part of the course we are undertaking field trips around Canberra and in this first trip we went to Yass in NSW. The aim of the trips, which occur roughly every two weeks, are to hypothetically contribute photos to a book promoting the region. We are trying to take interesting photographs that help show the character of the location. We can only submit eight images that must be from at least four of the ten categories that the teacher lists. This is not nature or wildlife photography but it is good practice at reacting to a location and trying to be creative within the bounds of the categories. It is also a challenge to only choose eight photographs to show off the character of a location. I thought that I would blog about the photos here. It helps me to record why I took the photographs and hopefully it will help promote some lovely regional towns. I have swapped around several images because I asked some people for permission to photograph them as part of this course assignment but I didn’t ask if I could put their photos up publicly. So I don’t want to cause any embarrassment to the wonderful people who very kindly helped me on the day. I hope that you like the photographs below.
Yass is about an hour’s drive west of Canberra, and indeed was once considered as a potential site for Australia’s capital. It was founded in the 1830s because it was where the road between Sydney and Melbourne crossed the Yass River. The Hume Highway once passed through the town but with the bypass opening in the mid-1990s the town resumed its peaceful existence.
On the day, I used a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM ‘pancake’ lens. I have a standard zoom, which I also carried with me, but I love the aesthetic of the 50mm and I also think it can be less intrusive when photographing people. If I am photographing portraits of people, I love using f/4.0 because it is very sharp on the eye but also gives enough depth to the image. I find that I like at least 1/100 for my shutter speed if not higher for hand holding. If the person might move I will increase that speed. I would prefer to keep my ISO as low as possible but when the light is bad, or I am indoors, that is often the only exposure variable that I can realistically change. I then have to hope the image is not too noisy or can I fix the noise in post-processing without damaging the crispness of the image.
Yass sign with the town in the background
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 1250, 50mm, f/11 and 1/100])
Driving from Canberra to Yass along the Yass Valley Way you pass this sign on the left side of the road. I researched the town ahead of the day and this was one of the sites that I wanted to try to photograph at. I arrived just after sunrise on a day that was becoming overcast. Fortunately the sky was still reasonably clear and a ray of sun was lighting just the town. There was also a bit of mist and the sky was just losing some of its red. I was happy with the shot and I think it was a good opening shot to help contextualise the photo collection.
Yass Court House
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 800, 50mm, f/11 and 1/125])
The sun came out just when I arrived at the Yass Court house presenting some lovely lighting. My 50mm lens meant that I couldn’t stand directly in front of the building and include the whole facade in my shot. I did take some pictures from the side to include the whole building but I liked this shot most. I think it is the site that most people will encounter when they walk towards the gate. I was pleased that the information sign was readable and the emblem above the door was also crisp. The building, which opened in 1880, was closed on the day that I visited, which was unfortunate, because I would have loved to have looked around inside.
The main street through Yass
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 100, 50mm, f/8.0 and 1/125])
The Yass Valley Way becomes Comur Street in Yass itself. This was a photograph at about 8AM so before the town really got going. The photo is looking to the north-west with the rise of the bridge over the Yass River just visible in the distance. The leafless winter trees and overcast sky make for a sombre mood but the cars show that there is life. You can just make out a couple of old-style lamp posts on the left of the shop. These were dotted throughout town adding to the historical character of Yass. I think that the shot is fine but it would have made a better ‘promotional’ shot when the leaves and the sun were present.
The up for lease Bank of New South Wales building
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 100, 50mm, f/7.1 and 1/160])
The Bank of New South Wales became Westpac in 1982 when it merged with another bank, and a photo I found online showed that this building had a Westpac sign above the door in 2014. The sign looked to be plastic so the possible four holes in the corners may indicate that the sign was simply attached over the old letters. The bank is now shut and there was a ‘For Lease’ sign to the right. Banks and other services are leaving these small regional towns meaning the people have to travel an hour to Canberra for some services. One local lady I spoke to was making that point to me. She also explained that because Canberra is in the ACT the government there is complaining about people from NSW accessing health services, despite the lack of higher medical services in town. This photo shows off the minimalist patterns and colour palette of the building. I like the symmetry of the shot although it could have been a bit brighter.
Steam locomotive 1307
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 100, 50mm, f/4.0 and 1/320])
Steam locomotive 1307 is part of the rolling stock that the Yass Railway Heritage Centre preserves in its collection. I am not really a train buff but if the museum wasn’t shut the day I was there, I would have happily climbed into the cabin, and I certainly would have gone for a ride if it was on offer. The locomotive looked to be beautifully preserved and a great tribute to the volunteers working on it. I was please with the shot crispiness of this shot, thank F/4.0. I also think the colours go well in the picture, with the red bumper gently breaking up the front of the train.
Yass River
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 500, 50mm, f/16 and 1/100])
A bit of searching around Google maps before I visited made me think that this would be a good place to take a photograph. On Google maps it is called Hatton’s Corner and has wonderful views. I didn’t have time to walk down to the Yass River but I have read reviews that said the walk is worth it. I should have taken out my tripod to photograph the area so that I could have put more thought into the composition. Because the sky was so bright, I was facing north towards the sun on an overcast day, I was trying to cut out the sky to reduce the highlights. I am not sure if I cut out too much sky and loss the balance.
Grave of Hamilton Hume
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 100, 50mm, f/4.0 and 1/400])
Hamilton Hume explored large areas of southern NSW and eventually settled in Yass. These days it might be hard to really appreciate the courage and endurance of these explorers, and some are even sources of ridicule. Yet, we live in an age of connectivity and air conditioning where we drive through cleared country in a matter of hours that would have taken weeks for people to walk through. While I was in Yass I took the opportunity to visit Hume’s grave, thinking it only right since I have driven the Hume Highway countless times. Having done a bit of hiking, normally with a GPS and travelling on National Parks trails, I had enormous respect for what these explorers achieved. I once again used F/4.0 for this shot although I also took shots with a smaller aperture as well to increase the depth of view. I preferred the F/4.0 look because it made the headstone very sharp while blurring the background.
Prem, who runs The Yass Cafe
Canon EOS R5 Mk II with a Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM [ISO 4000, 50mm, f/4.0 and 1/500])
If I caught his name correctly, the gentleman in this photograph is Prem. He is originally from Nepal but is building a life in Yass. He runs The Yass Cafe and is justifiably proud of the way that he is now part of the history of Yass. He said that some of the old time residents come in and reminisce with him about their younger days buying milk shakes in the building. He has left the walls as bare bricks to expose the history and it makes for a beautiful interior. He was such a lovely person with a genuine nature who was happy to chat. It made for a lovely memory of my day in Yass.
While I didn’t do any wildlife or nature photography on the day the challenge of responding to the scenes around me while trying to show the character of the location was a good exercise. It helped with my technical control of my camera and also challenged me to look at the creative process of photography. Wildlife photography can just be documenting what I see and it can also help tell a story. I think these course trips are a great way to develop the narrative power of photography. It was also a great excuse to get out to see another part of Australia that was only an hour away from home.
