GORM TEPERWatch Tales by Light!
Posted on June 1, 2017
I have just finished watching Tales by Light. I must say it was really cool, and very inspirational. There are few films on photography, and even less worth watching. Tales by Light was done by Netflix and Canon Australia. It follows renowned photographers around the world as they chase the shot of their dreams. Its very travel and adventure related, and that makes it very interesting for me. If you like travel photography, culture, adventure and nature, this is a must! The episodes are around 20-25mins each, but are quite feature packed. Watch the trailer below.
It is obviously sponsored heavily by Canon, and there isn’t another camera brand in sight throughout the series. It does not ruin the series, and should be something for Canon fanboys to watch late at night. What I really like about it is the international feel, and the focus on inspiration and the fundamentals of how photography makes us feel. I’m glad there is little gear talk by some “experts” because they usually makes me sick. These photographers are just practicing their craft, and are all very talented and inspirational.
I would highly recommend the series to all photographers. Its not only eye candy, and beautifully made, it was very thought provoking for me, and struck at the roots of what I love about travel and photography. This series is about what photography is, and not what consumerism has made it.
Find out more about the series here! Tales by Light
Season two is coming!
Reflecting on Travel
Posted on May 24, 2017
Hi all! I decided to make a fun photo and use it as a new featured photo in my travel albums landing page. I thought it would be cool if it was a pile of old maps and travel stuff…
My travel junk… or is it memories?
To be honest, I could have done a better job technically, and used some flashes and stuff, its a bit unevenly lit.. but anyway. I have a heap of travel books, maps and old stuff lying around which I got from my many travels. It turned out to be more about reflection on travel experiences than anything else! You can click on the image to make it larger. Some of the stuff in there includes:
- My collection of travel books… I currently have 40+ Lonely Planet books. I just ordered another one, ‘Great Britain’. Although my favorite which I use for inspiration is Lonely Planet’s ‘The Travel Book’, its super cool and has a couple of pages for every country in the world. Lonely Planet
- Some Polish money which I got from a friend while on university exchange in Norway… Never actually been to Poland yet. Although I’m told I’m going this summer :s.
- A gangster style roll of Vietnamese money. We have been there so many times, and always have lots of notes left over. Due to inflation the roll is worth about 4 bucks… and not worth stealing.
- Some iron-on patches. About 10 years ago I thought it would be cool to have patches from all the places I visited all over my bag.. never happened, and now I don’t like the idea.. Anyone want some patches?
- The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek flyer. This is from Cambodia, where we visited the sights of Pol Pot’s regime. Very chilling, and worth a visit. Thousands of people were murdered here with primitive tools, include women, children and babies. See here for more information. We also went to s21, the school that was converted to an execution processing center. See here for more information.
- Some boarding passes for an Etihad flight. Not a huge fan of Etihad, but its who we used to relocate to Germany from Australia just over a year ago now.
- A trail map of ‘Mueller Hut Route’ in New Zealand. Many years ago, my friend and I hiked up to the Mueller Hut, in the Mt Cook region of New Zealand. We camped on the snow at around 2000m. Interestingly, 30mins from the hut lies Mt Oliver. This was the first peak that Sir Edmund Hillery ever climbed. He would later be the first to scale Mt. Everest in 1953. See here for more info.
- Fraser island map. Fraser Islands has world heritage listing and is one of the biggest sand islands in the world. Located just off the coast of Harvey Bay in Australia, its a magnet for holiday makers, and 4WD enthusiasts. Its great for camping and the interior lakes are crystal clear and incredible for swimming. Info
- Da Lat city map. Da Lat is one of my favorite places in Vietnam. This mountainous village is nice and cool, and has great markets. Its famous for its flowers and fruits, and there are also a number of waterfalls to see in the region. Best way to see it is by renting a motorbike. Info
- Japan rail card. No visit to Japan is complete without experiencing the bullet trains. The train system in Japan is among the best in the world. Its quite expensive, but get a JR rail pass when you visit to have access to anywhere in the country. Info
- My trusty GPS. This is an older one now, but you can still load all kinds of maps to it. Great for exploring. I bought this tax free on board M/S Norröna while in international waters, headed for Iceland. Info
- Faroe Islands bus schedule. Public transport is pretty efficient in Denmark. Even on its extreme territories, there is good public transport. The Faroe Islands has a population of just 25,000 people, and yet taking the bus was a good way of getting around. Info
So whats next?
Well I certainly plan to continue my travels long into the future! There are so many places still to see and experience! This summer I plan to get some short trips in around central Europe. We also plan to visit the UK this summer for a couple of weeks. I really want to see Scotland. In autumn, I have no idea… but I know we are hosting Christmas this year in Bavaria.. Something about a visit to Vietnam in February for Tet, lets see what happens. Here is my ultimate bucket list for the next 3-5 years!
- A visit to Greenland – min 4 weeks
- A visit to Iceland – minimum 2 weeks
- A visit to Borneo – min 2 weeks
- Take the Trans-Siberian railway to Beijing
- A visit to the Pacific Islands – min. 4 weeks
- A visit to Burma – 2-3 weeks
- Visit the Falkland Islands and South Georgia
- Visit North Africa, including Tunisia and Morocco.
- A visit to St. Petersburg
- A visit to Croatia and Greece.
- A visit to Costa Rica
- A visit to Patagonia.
Looks like I’ll be busy! Happy shooting and hope you enjoyed my memories!
Oh yes, nearly forgot! Here is where I used the photo! Travel Photography
Great Ocean Road
Posted on March 8, 2017
Hello guys! Finally got a chance to process a few images from the Great Ocean Road in Australia. This famous coast road takes you through incredible beaches, sleepy villages and wild headlands. Well worth a trip, but be prepared for a long drive. There are a few cool light houses along the way, we stopped at one and saw the perfectly preserved light keepers cottage. Hope you enjoy!
Some 240km of nice roads, the Great Ocean Road is a heritage listed stretch in south eastern Victoria. The area is good for swimming, hiking, visiting villages, sight seeing and of course photography. On this occasion, I did not have the opportunity to use landscape filters, to create long exposure images.. The problems of going with family! :P. However, if you are into landscape photography, this is probably one of the best places in Australia in my opinion.
Brighton Beach Australia
Posted on March 5, 2017
Its another cold, sleety Sunday morning in Bavaria. Winter is slowly coming to an end, and its about time, I’ve had enough of 2 degrees and sleet. Starting to look forward to summer, or at least Spring. Actually, I found some un-processed photos from Australia with sun and surf which might have brought about the negativity! So here are a few photos from Brighton Beach in Victoria to help get everyone into the mood for summer!
Brighton Beach VIC, 5D Mark III, 12mm 2.8 Fisheye
Brighton Beach is close to Melbourne, and is famous for its many colourful little beach shacks. There are better beaches in the world, but perhaps none so colourful! I used the Breakthrough X4 polariser, 24mm 1.4 Art and Samyang 12mm 2.8 Fish-eye here. Hope you enjoy!!
Anzac Day 2015 in Melbourne
Posted on April 26, 2015
At dawn yesterday, the 25th of April 2015, it was exactly 100 years ago, that the allies made the assault up the cliffs at Gallipoli. Anzac Day is remembered by Australia and New Zealand every year, as the first significant battle the two nations endured major losses in.
Ultimately, the campaign at Gallipoli was a military disaster, failing to knock out the Ottoman Empire from World War I. The troops suffered fierce resistance for 8 months, and finally were evacuated.
This year’s ceremony was nearly a wash out. It rained all day, my camera was drenched. It was a real disadvantage to be shooting with prime lenses, as I was reluctant to change lenses in the pouring rain.
Still, I managed to get a few shots from the morning. I used my new 24mm 1.4 Art lens, as I was keen to try it out. Hope you enjoy;
Wilsons Promontory Hiking Trip
Posted on April 12, 2015
Hey Guys!!
Over the Easter break my partner and I went hiking in the famous Wilsons Promontory in Victoria. We went for 4 days, camping along the way. The map below details the route we took.
Wilsons Promontory Hiking route. 4 days.
Of course, I had to bring my DSLR and photograph the beautiful landscapes. But when carrying your home with you on your back though, this isn’t so easy. You really have to limit the gear you take on hikes. We had about 35km to cover, and taking all my photography equipment wasn’t an option.
Weather conditions can also be unpredictable, and you must ensure you take steps to protect your camera equipment. For this trip I wanted to keep it simple. I took along the following gear;
- Canon 5D Mark III body with grip and L-bracket.
- Canon 16-35mm 2.8L II lens
- Hoya UV filter (helps with weather sealing on the 16-35L lens)
- B+W Kasemann MRC CPL filter
- Lee 100mm filter holder
- Lee Little Stopper (6 stop ND filter)
- Lee Big Stopper (10 stop ND filter)
- Lee 0.9 Pro stop 3 stop ND filter
- Lee ND graduated filters
- Remote for 5D Mark III
- Slik Pro 713 CF II Carbon Fiber Tripod
- Giottos MH1301 Ballhead
Here are some tips for managing your photography gear on a hiking trip;
- Take only gear that you really need. Make sure you don’t forget anything!
- Make sure you have a way of protecting them from the weather, I used a dry sack which could fit my camera with lens attached.
- Bring a polarizing filter! CPLs help to deepen skys, saturate colour and remove unwanted reflections.
- Bring a lightweight, but sturdy tripod
- Make sure your batteries will last the distance, keep them warm in cold climates.
- Take time to take photos, plan breaks around the best light for photography.
Here are some results from the trip!! All taken with 5D Mark III and 16-35mm 2.8L II lens
Australia album now up!
Posted on March 1, 2015
Hey everyone! I have created an album from Australia. I hope to make albums from all the places I’ve traveled, but this one is special. Australia is home to me, and I’ve lived here 15 years so far. Below are some tasters. Be sure to checkout the album here:
Australia
Lunar New Year in Melbourne
Posted on February 22, 2015
Its Lunar New Year and its the year of the Goat!
There have been celebrations across the city of Melbourne. Today we went to China town, to get amongst the action! It seemed like there was loin dancing on every corner, it turns out that restaurants arrange to get the lion dance in front of their place for good fortune. the sound of the firecrackers was deafening! I used a 50mm 1.4 lens for most of the images here.
Took the opportunity to take some portraits today as well. Vanessa is wearing an Ao Dai, Vietnamese traditional dress.
Hope you enjoy!
Bradmill
Posted on February 11, 2015
Some images from the spooky abandoned Bradmill. The old factory is in Melbourne’s inner city, and the property is set to be sold for $120m AUD, but negotiations seem to have stalled… Good place for photography in the meantime!
A visit to the Grampians
Posted on January 29, 2015
So it was Australia day and we decided to go camping at the Grampians. It was a good chance to do some landscape photography!
Below is a few images taken from the day.
GORM TEPER 