Robert’s Ramblings

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 71 – Tanunda Show Clowns’. 1/800 sec at 200mm f/2.8, ISO 200

Sometime we have no real feel for just how quickly our visual landscape moves; an issue that is quickly corrected when taking photographs.

Reflections on moving water are the translation of tiny movements into hugely magnified ones. 5mm of ripple can move a tall city building 50m sideways in an instant and this in turn means very fast movements for photography.

My first attempts at freezing this reflection of a city building on the Torrens River were disappointing. I soon realised just how fast the image needed to be taken. A wide aperture, high ISO and a 1/2000 second exposure is what this one took.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 70 – Reflections’. 1/2000 sec at 200mm f/2.8, ISO 1000

At first look there is nothing special about this image but the story behind why I took it is quite interesting.

The task was determine which combination made a better image. Either 1000mm using a 500mm F8.0 mirror lens in combination 2x converter or 400mm using a 200mm F2.8 prime in combination with the same 2x converter.

The results were quite interesting and will make good material for further investigation. The 1000mm combination certainly had the magnification but the resolving performance for fine detail was quite poor. Even when scaled down to the same image magnification of the 400mm combination the 400mm still had the edge in resolving some detail in low contrast regions. On the other hand there was a softness in the 1000mm image which was also appealing and made what fine detail was resolved look more natural.

Well I choose the 1000mm in the end but for small web content is was a line call on choice.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 69 – Full Moon’. 1/50 sec at 1000mm f/16, ISO 250

How strange to ponder the shadow cast not by the brilliant sun but the sombre moon.

Owen Broughton’s Sundial scupture has become the Adelaide Festival Centre Plaza Moondial but would it tell time through the night as by day? If you would like to read some more about this beautiful sundial please visit http://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/sights/sun-dial/.

I could do the research, study the maths, perform the calculations.

I’m so certain I could find the answer that I’ll leave it up to others and instead take some more photos.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 68 – Moondial’. 30 secs at 15mm f/13, ISO 2000

It was not the most pleasant of evenings by recent examples but we simply needed to get out of the house.

We are so lucky living near the ocean but far enough away to forget just how near. A 12 minute walk is all it took this evening with dog in tow to enjoy the sea air and the refreshing breeze. Perhaps the chill breeze had kept people away. Perhaps even the beach struggles to attract a crowd on a Tuesday night. I just don’t know.

In any case this evening presented a wonderful opportunity to capture the deserted beach back lit by the lights of Henley Square, the jetty and the Adelaide suburban lights beyond.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 67 – Deserted Beach’. 30 secs at 24mm f/14, ISO 200

When I look around the walls and ceiling of this beautiful Adelaide tearoom I can’t help but be taken back a century or more to times when this kind of grandeur was expected.

The lighting was actually darker than depicted in this image but I wanted to really show the detail in the columns , the cornices and the windows.

A gorgeous place for my birthday dinner. Thank you Jennifer for a lovely surprise.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 66 – Saldechin Tearooms’. 8 secs at 24mm f/11, ISO 200

What a beautiful day to find ourselves in the vineyards of Inkwell Wines and what a privilege for vigneron Dudley Brown to to part with some of his gorgeous Zinfandel fruit for our own wine making odyssey.

The catch, well we had to pick the fruit of course! So armed with tubs, buckets, secateurs and sunscreen, Andy, Gav, Jennifer and myself took to the vines like old hands and soon had picked enough for a decent batch.

After picking Dudley invited us to sample his latest offering, the 2010 Inkling (Shiraz Primitivo) and 2010 Infidel (Primitivo) and Irina showed us the new wines being made. Ok so now we have a standard to aspire to!

Now it you did not know already, Primitivo and Zinfandel are identical grape varieties. The Italians call it Primitivo while the Californians call it Zinfandel. In any case A ‘Zin’ by any other name is still a Zin! Oh, and just in case our wine does not make the same league as Dudley’s, we purchased a case of his spectacular wine to take home with us!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 65 – A Zin By Any Other Name Is Still A Zin’. 1/200 sec at 105mm f/4.0, ISO 200

There is something magical about freezing a moment in time and then taking the time to experience it.

As I sat today watching the swallows dive and drink from the river I though how amazing it would be to capture such a moment.

In the low light I struggled with aperture, shutter speed and depth of field. I needed high speed to freeze the movement but the large aperture and shallow depth of field made focusing almost impossible. After many attempts I decided I would need to come back and try another time when I had more patience.

In the meantime I can at least enjoy this one shot I got in focus as a swallow is coming into the frame.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 64 – One Tiny Moment. 1/1600 sec at 200mm f/2.8, ISO 400

I miss the old trams…


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 63 – Shiny New’. 1/50 sec at 24mm f/14.0, ISO 100

There is a wonderful skeleton of scaffolding, steel and concrete which has emerged on the Adelaide skyline at the western end of North Terrace. I say ‘wonderful’ not in any one sense but for many reasons.

First and foremost in the context of this image, it looks fascinating! I love the intricate construction of supporting structures surrounding an emerging new building. It reminds me of Mechano construction sets I played with as a child.

Next is what it means for Adelaide and South Australians. This new building will eventually be the new home for the inaugural SAHMRI. (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) and I just love what this means for the advancement of medical science and our commitment to it.

Lastly I have it on good authority that this will be one of Adelaide’s most amazing architecturally functional buildings ever created. I can’t wait to see it grow its skin! See http://www.sahmri.com/.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘366 Days of 2012, Day 62 – SAHMRI Skeleton’. 1/125 sec at 105mm f/8.0, ISO 250