Tag: Dampier Archipelago

The Untold Story: Murujuga Reflections

Photography

Photos tell a story, but only what the photographer has chosen to show. Oftentimes, the story behind the photo is just as interesting. In The Untold Story series, I reveal what goes into the creation of some of my best shots, and beyond.

IMG_0187 - Cropped
Dolphin Island, Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia

The Story

Murujuga Reflections is my most popular photo to date. It was taken during a sea kayaking expedition in the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. We’d pulled ashore on Dolphin Island to explore. On the island was a grave site, a remnant from the days when pearlers mined the sea for her treasures. The photo above shows a small freshwater pool that was a water source for the pearlers.

In our explorations, we followed a barely trickling stream full of mud-skippers inland. The flow of water gradually increased till we came to a stand of trees, the foliage framing the scene beyond. And what a beautiful, serene place it was. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was THE place. It’d be the photo I’ve been dreaming of taking. We pushed past the leaves and stepped into the pool, sending ripples across the flat water. Curious water-boatmen came to investigate me as  I was sitting in the water with my camera held just above the surface, waiting for the ripples to calm.

We later returned to our kayaks, only to realise that we were stranded on the island for the night. The tide had gone out, leaving nothing but rocks stretching 50m between our kayaks and the water edge.

The Technical Stuff

Camera: Canon Powershot G10 (which got wet during my expedition)
Focal Length: 6.1mm
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/8
Shutter Speed: 1/100

Post-Processing

The original shot. This part of WA is well known for its striking contrasts between its red rock and clear blue skies. Saturation levels were raised to bring out the vivid colours in real life.

In Aperture:

  • Straightened and cropped
  • Contrast – 0.05
  • Definition – 0.2
  • Saturation – 1.25
  • Curves – RGB

In Photoshop:

  • Masks to manually blend 3 exposures, to darken the sky and bring out detail in the shadows
  • Sharpening by High Pass filter

Beyond

I’m excited to say that this photo won a competition at my local camera store, and was printed 20 x 30 and displayed in the front store window. A smaller framed version is also hanging in-store.