BFOP 2025 - Charlie and brendan’s BIG BAD BUS TRIP

WELCOME ABOARD and WELCOME TO BFOP!
Thanks for joining us - we’re going to have a great time, but first…

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please remember to bring food and a water bottle with you. We will not be able to buy food anywhere. We will have some snacks on board, however these will only be basic. We will not be getting back to Bright until 9pm when food buying options will be limited. Please plan ahead.

YOUR HOSTS FOR THE DAY: Charlie Brown is not only a local to these here parts, he also runs a successful photographic gallery in Mount Beauty - Mountainside - and has been a stalwart of BFOP since its inception.

Brendan Waites has been in the photographic industry since 1994 and runs many a workshop from his Camera Shop in Ocean Grove, Vic - Ocean Grove Camera & Photo - and is one half (the better half) of The Down South Photo Show podcast. Available on all your favourite podcast providers and YOUTUBE!

Together Charlie and Brendan will take you on an Epic journey to some beautiful landscape photography opportunities, including Mount Beauty, Bogong Village, Rocky Valley and Fainter Creeks, Harrietville and the piece de resistance, Mount Hotham approaching Sunset for possibly the best view in Victoria. We’ll have a lot of laughs along the way as we roll through this wonderful area.

Our driver, Dale is also local to the area and we are sure will answer any questions you have about the region. Dale’s bus is a ripper. It’s very comfy and Dale loves to keep it neat and tidy as I’m sure you all will too.

The boring stuff:
YOUR SAFETY is paramount. Please listen carefully to Charlie and Brendan at each location as we will give you the low down on the location and a time you MUST be back on the bus. We will be close to water often, so please use caution and don’t drown. That would be a bummer.
Also (we have to say this, they told us to) please respect this magficicent environment we will be in. DO NOT DISTURB the local wildlife or flora just to get a better photo. If you are seen doing this, Charlie will throw rocks at you and make you listen to his music.

Below we have listed the main locations we will be visiting and what will be happening there. This website will stay up for ages, so feel free to bookmark it and come back whenever you miss us.

LOCATION 1

THE PONDAGE AT MOUNT BEAUTY

Learning to see.

TAKE AWAYS - WIDE ANGLE OR Telephoto? - using a polarising filter - experimenting with aperture

New phototography locations can be overwhelming. Especially locations that offer up a multitude of possibilities. I like to stop. I mean completely stop. Stand still and take it all in. I like to slowly move my eyes across a scene, piece by piece. Photography should be about story telling. Engaging the viewer and making them stop and stare. Where is the story here?
We have a lot to consider:

- What Mode should you use? Well thats always open for debate. There’s no wrong answer here, hell if you want to shoot Auto go for it, just keep it to yourself on the bus… Primarly, I (Brendan) like to shoot between APERTURE PRIORITY and MANUAL modes. However, believe it or not, I have been known to fall back to good old PROGRAM MODE occassionally if the light is just a bit whaky and chaotic.

- Reflections. Look for mirror images. Horizontal symetry can be visually stunning.

- Clouds. Be mindful of not “blowing the highlights” on the white clouds above. A little exposure compensation here can go along way. As can a polarising filter to correct contrast.

- Distant horizons. The mountain surrounds can offer up some amazing backdrops, but can also be utilized as the star of the show.

- Foreground interest. Flowers, reeds, grasses can all be used to fill in a dull foreground.

Try experementing with longer focal lengths here. Cut out the distractions and cut a chunk out of the landscape to focus on.

LOCATION 2 and 3

LAKE GUY AND THE FAINTER AND ROCKY CREEKS AT BOGONG VILLAGE

take aways - slow and fast shutter speeds - nd filters and polarisers - tripod use

Reflections for the Win on Lake Guy.

A very different lake this time which will present it’s own challenges. A more “closed in” environment here will give you cause to pause as you try and build a composition. In our favour here are trees that can creat natural “Frames” and add a stack of blurry foregrounds to create wonderful depth. A burred foreground element gives the effect of an even sharper main subject or background. Again, don’t forget to twist that polariser and see what it can do for contrast, reflection enhancement and colour.

Your Camera is a Time Machine at Rocky and Fainter Creeks.

Lets look into fast flowing water. Rapids over rocks can help you to paint with light in the most engaging way. There’s nothing more enjoyable than exploring the infinate compositions a fast flowing river can throw up. Try “anchoring” your scene to a boulder or a tree in the creek and have the white water paint around them. As we are here in the middle of the day, a Nuetral Density (ND) filter is almost essential as is your tripod as we look to extend our exposure times to 3 or 4 seconds or even more.

Conversly, wht not try your hand at some high speed photography to really snap freeze that water? 1/2000th of a second and above should do the trick. Try boosting your ISO a little to help you attain a faster shutter speed.

LOCATION 4

MOUNT HOTHAM TOWARDS MOUNT BUFFALO APPROCHING SUNSET

take aways - hand held until late - big big zoom on big big landscapes - esposing for the light we see

Oh The Layers!

This is where a sound understanding of exposure really comes to the fore. I always like to expose for the light that you want to make the hero of your shot. Hopefully here we get some layers made up by the rolling hills and mountains that extend across the valleys towards beautiful Mount Buffalo. Staying handheld here will, in my opinion, give you the best opportunity to move fast and capture the compositions that are boulstered by the evening light.
Using Aperture Priority here and hovering at the higher end - f8 - f11 - f15 will bring the entire landscape into sharp focus and deliver the depth of field you’ll crave. However, be aware of “blown” highlights from that bright sun! As mentioned earlier, A bit of Spot Metering can rerally help you to expose for the hero light here.
A “rangy” zoom is good here too if you have one. Think 24-105, 70 to 200 or 100-400 to zoom in on ridglines that will suddenly appear out of nowhere as the light changes by the minute.

Don’t be afraid to experiement with higher ISO ranges here to keep that shutter about 1/6oth of a second - which for me is the limit of hand-held photography.

We hope you have a great day with us. We love doing what we do and love sharing it with you guys even more.
Please share your images with us (if you want). You can do this by tagging us on facebook - Brendan is @Ocean Grove Camera and Photo - Charlie is @Charlie Brown
or Instagram - Brendan is @camera_andphoto - Charlie is @mountainside_cb

Brendan runs loads of tours and workshops. Find all that info HERE

Please, don’t be a stranger. Hit us up and tell us you were on the bus with us. We’d love to see your shot and of course hear the feedback.

And don’t forget to check out The Down South Photo Show Podcast on Youtube or where ever you find your podcasts.
Until then, go shoot some more stuff, enjoy the rest of BFOP and by all means let’s have a beer! - Brendan & Charlie.