The do-it-yourself Uluru Tour - Day Two (Afternoon)

I dragged my sick and sorry ass off the bed to catch the early afternoon bus, only to inform the driver I was going back to bed and would catch a later bus. That made it too late to do the base walk but I was more than impressed with the short walk it explored. Uluru is stunning and I felt an immediate connection with it. Like an old friend welcoming you with a big hug. 

Out of respect for the traditional owners I had no intention of climbing it. There has been a lot of work put in place to provide walks and information around the base and they've done a really good job. It's clearly signposted where the sacred sites are that are not to be photographed. 

Once again, the vivid colours really had an impact. Wow! And I was surprised to see so much lush greenery. And the wildflowers, well, I was just tickled pink. I'm also a bit of a sucker for the late afternoon light shining through grasses. My first up close and personal encounter with the rock was very rewarding. (It helped that the cold and flu tabs were kicking in too) 

Back on the bus to see the sunset now. The bus drivers throughout the day have all been lovely, however a little bit ironic in the afternoon to have a young  Indian bus driver sharing the history of the rock. 

The do-it-yourself Uluru Tour - Day Two (Morning)

Up at 5am. Walk around like a Zombie (combo of not a morning person + a cold). Discover tea for a gold coin donation at reception. Yay! Off to Kata-Tjuta (formerly known as The Olgas) this morning.

I've pre-booked the Hop on - Hop off bus. It was bit hard to find out about it but after layers of clicking on the website it turned up and looked like it gave a bit more flexibility than the AAT Kings tours. Turns out it wasn't as flexible as I would have liked. Photography is all about being in the right place for the light but the bus drivers have different priorities. Like getting away from the Sunrise Viewing platform quickly so you get to the Kata-Tjuta car park early enough to beat the queue for the loo. As it was, they were all on the bus waiting for me because the sun was in just the right spot and couldn't walk past it. I grabbed a couple super quick shots and then had to leave. 

There are two walks you can do at Kata-Tjuta. A long one and a short one. I was going to settle for the short one because I felt like death warmed up, but at the last minute chose to suck it up and do the 3 hour walk. Aptly named Valley of the Winds. 

I expected this to be the highlight of my trip, having been told more than once that Kata-Tjuta was even better than Uluru. I think my experience was unduly influenced by being sick as a dog with only Paracetemol to get me through. It is definitely an amazing place, but I didn't have the spiritual connection to the environment that I feel would be possible. I was just too sick to connect with anything other than a packet of tissues. The wind was howling, it was cold, and the track was rough. Apart from that, it was great. The colours were absolutely jaw dropping. Rich reds, vivid greens and bold blues like I've never seen before. I felt the pressure to keep moving so I'd make it back in time for the bus pickup. I'd assumed a drop off/pick up bus would mean you could just get on the next one, but it didn't work that way. Without the time pressure I think I would have enjoyed it much more, could have gone at a slower pace and stop and rested more often. And stopped and taken more photos! Or taken more time to take better photos? 

Did I mention the size? Phenomenal. (Look how tiny the people are in the above photo). And the gorges and valleys were delightful. There were enough wildflowers to buoy my spirits but the time constraints and being sick and my dodgy old knees meant I missed ample photo opportunities. 

Made it back to the bus with time to spare. In to town for cold and flu tabs, a jumper, and brekky/lunch. And then a sleep, with the plan to get back on the bus to Uluru in the early afternoon to do the base walk. 

The do-it-yourself Uluru Tour: Day One

Despite Damascus offering at the last minute to accompany me on my Uluru adventure, I set off on a solo jaunt. I did try to get a travel buddy to share some expenses but the timing just didn't work out. 

It took quite a bit of research to organise this holiday. Far more than I would have expected. I was initially planning to fly from Brisbane but there are no direct flights from Bris to Yulara, which is the town just outside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. I could have flown to Alice Springs but then there's still the matter of getting to Yulara (about a 5 hour drive!) and then back again. Jetstar had cheap flights direct from Melbourne so I planned my stay around the best prices. Fly in on Thurs, out on Tue. 

After an aborted flight (all strapped in, ready for take off), we had to swap planes. Finally arrive at Yulara, step out the door of the plane and Look Look Look. There it is! The Big Red Rock!

Travelling for Dopey Dora's. (Notes taken on the trip)

I didn't realise NT was a different time zone. Duh. 30 mins behind. ( *This was in August. Don't know about daylight savings)
Also, it's not as hot as I thought it would be. I expected the nights and mornings to be cold but not all bloody day. ( *I had to buy a jumper as I didn't have enough warm clothes).

There's a courtesy bus from the Airport that stops at all Accomm.  If I had someone to splits costs I would have hired a car, but it seemed a bit pricey just for one person for that length of time so I started off with buses. Uluru Resort and AAT Kings buses pretty much have everything stitched up to offer tightly packaged deals. There's not much in the middle range of accommodation, with Camp Grounds and Backpackers at one end and straight to bloody expensive at the other. I chose a 4 bed mixed dorm at the Outback Pioneer Lodge. I wasn't quite bold enough to go for the 20 bed female dorm. Besides, you never know who you might meet in a mixed room! (*Note: No one interesting)

First impressions of the Outback Pioneer Lodge were pretty good with a beaut range of flowers to tempt me to get the camera out. 

Notes for Dopey Dora's.

Print out all bookings.Pack various size zip lock bags. 

I'm sick.
Ugh.
A cold. 
This is not good.
Trying to be positive. Failing

I had woken that morning feeling a bit off but put it down to not enough sleep in the lead up to getting away. On the plane I was a bit worried I might be getting sick. By the time I checked in there was no more denying it. I had the bloody flu.  (OK, maybe it was just a cold, I don't know the difference, but I was sick and getting sicker). There was an issue with the cleaning and my room wasn't ready.  I confusion over which bus was the courtesy bus that would get me into town (to buy some cold & flu tabs!) so I wasted a couple of hours around the grounds of the Lodge, finally got my room key, had a debate with an older guy over who got which bed, he wasn't convinced that I was right so off we went to the front counter before he finally admitted defeat. Too late to catch the bus in to the town centre by then as I had the Field of Lights Tour booked. So I dosed up on Panadol and off I went. 

There are three options to see the Field of LIghts. It's on until March 2018. The $39 pass gets you there after sunset and into the installation. You can't use a tripod in amongst the lights but in the $85 option you watch the sunset from a higher platform (with Champers and Canapes) and you can use a tripod there. There is another Option for dining but I wasn't interested in that. As far as I could tell, you had to catch the bus (AAT Kings, of course) and couldn't just drive yourself out there to have a look. I could be wrong though. 

I hadn't found my photography groove at all at the sunset platform. My head was foggy and I was aching and there were people everywhere (I'm making excuses for the shabby photos). The lights were impressive though and I've included one pretty ordinary (and very noisy) shot just to say I was there. 

The guide did say we could use a tripod as a monopod down amongst the lights. There are walking tracks right through the installation and it covered a bigger area than I expected. So it was impressive and I enjoyed it and I'm glad I got to see it. However, it did seem a bit contrived to simply get more money out of the tourists (there's not much else to do at night so it's a clever idea) and by the end of the trip I decided the Fields of Wildflowers were far more impressive. And they were free! 

Where do you learn photography?

Following on from my tip on Fundamentals of Photography - Technical - Light- Composition.

How do you learn these things in the real world? Sure, there's a gazillion books and youtube videos. You could even read your camera manual (heaven forbid!). But you can't ask questions or get help or feedback from those methods. Following are some suggestions and ideas I have. If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear about them in the comments. 

• Look for Camera Clubs in your area. If you don't like the first one, try another one. Some are better than others. Or some just suit some people better than other people. Shop around and try them out. 
• Meet up groups for Photography. Join one or start your own. 
• Local TAFE colleges usually offer short courses. I teach photography at RMIT (Melbourne)
• The local camera stores often run short courses. Here's a link to Ted's Learning Centre

One day workshops are ok once you know what you're doing, but when you're starting out, I really recommend doing something that goes for several days or weeks. You need the opportunity to practice what you've done. To get feedback. And to build on each skill. Most people who do a one day workshop on "How to understand your camera' really don't understand enough at the end of the day, and they forget most of it anyway. 

• Check out the Canon Collective Workshops. They really look like they've done their homework and are offering some great opportunities. Nikon have their own version. Google your camera brand and see what they offer. 
• There are a multitude of Travel Tours on offer where you go on a trip and learn along the way. Find one with an interest or area that suits you. The prices can be a bit up there so shop around to find what you want. (And check mine out, of course!)

You never stop learning with Photography. Enjoy the journey. 

#1 Photography Tip

All photography, every image, comes down to three parts.

Technical - Light - Composition. 

1. TECHNICAL: Understand your camera, how it works, and what it can and can't do.

2. LIGHT: Look for the light (and shadow) and know how to use it. 

3. COMPOSITION: Decide what goes in and what stays out of your image, and where you put things in the frame. (An understanding of Design Elements will help improve your composition.) 

It doesn't matter what you like to photograph, those three things are the foundations you need to build on your photography skills. You can pick up hints and tips from books or blogs, but if you can get with other photographers who will share ideas and give feedback, then you'll really see a big jump in understanding.

I teach photography at RMIT in Melbourne and I run Photography Tours that provide great opportunities to practice what you learn. Keep an eye out for an upcoming post where I share some more ideas and resources for learning to take better photos.. 

And because you can't have a blog post without an image, here's a couple of favourites from the desert in Morocco.

Happy Birthday to Me, from my daughter.

Aka, luckiest mum in the world. I have two very special kids. Rebekah wrote this (on Facebook) for my Birthday. 

This is my Mum.

Sometimes she forgets who she is. Sometimes she feels a bit lost in the world.

I know who she is. 
Joey knows too.

Now that we're full proper grown ups, we're going to tell you a bit about our mum.

If you've met her I think you will agree that she certainly is a mum, but she is so much more as well.

This person is the strongest person in the whole world.

She has lifted and carried Joey and I through all sorts of challenges we couldn't make it through on our own.

From autism, epilepsy, anxiety and depression - she never tried to "fix" us.

She alone guided us, she was patient with us, she was supportive, kind, and she believed in us.

She recognized the challenges that we could overcome on our own and encouraged us. She empowered us. She would pick us up, dust us off, and wait at least an hour before deciding if we needed to go to hospital or not (I could be dramatic at times. But the broken leg was legit.)

She is calm in a crisis. She has extinguished multiple, literal fires.

In this photo we were in the Sahara desert. She is an adventurer but
she is a also a home body, a home owner, a home maker and home builder.

She is a teacher, an artist, an intellectual. She is passionate and incredible. She is inspired and inspiring.

There is no one else like her.

We exist in awe of her. Even when she feels flawed and flat and frail (as all sensitive people do sometimes), she has achieved more than you could imagine.

We love her endlessly. Unwaveringly. We could flood the Sahara with our love until it was an overflowing ocean.
We could fill the MCG a million times over with it and still have more left over.

If she ever doubts herself, we never will.

Happy birthday Mum.
(Sorry we can be little shits sometimes)