Abandoned
One of the abandoned small churches in rural New South Wales, Australia.
One of the abandoned small churches in rural New South Wales, Australia.
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SONY DSC-W630
Aperture 80/10 ISO 80 Shutter 10/1000 Focal Length 450/100 
New South Wales, AU
Jun, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Demondrille is a small location, near the twin towns of Harden-Murrumburrah, on the South West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia. Just off the Burley Griffin Way, with a friend to visit a little location called Stockinbingal, she suggested this small diversion. Don't you love some of our place names? Such old localities are scattered all over NSW, which makes it a challenge to explore and find them.Time
We'd stopped for lunch at Harden, so this would have been soon after mid-day. We had a long way to go, so couldn't stay around for hours...Lighting
Natural light, bright but with a slightly hazy overcast and a few random clouds. Given the conditions and time restriction, it was a matter of finding the best angle to show details of the church.Equipment
At the time, all I had with me was my constant companion, a Sony DSC W 630. A pocket sized 16 megapixel camera, with a Carl Zeiss lens. Nothing fancy, but it's a surprisingly capable "Point and Shoot" device. You only need to know where to point it, and it does all the hard work. EXIF: 1/100 sec @ f 8, ISO 80, auto WB, Pattern metering.Inspiration
There are many abandoned churches and buildings in rural areas of the country. There is a certain sadness about them, seeing them in that condition, trying to imagine them when first built, servicing the community, being a centre of social interaction. The old broken fence seemed to accentuate the feeling of abandonment, even if the yard surrounding the church looked as if it had not long been mowed. This is all part of our pioneering history, which interests me.Editing
Post processing was done using 2 programs: Corel PaintShop Pro X9 to convert to B&W and adjust the tones and contrast. PS Elements 10 to give the picture a very slight "Poster Edges" effect, to accentuate the lines of timbers of the church and the details of the fence. Quite often both are used, as they have different editing features.In my camera bag
My other camera at the time was a Nikon D80 with an 18-200 mm f3.5-5.6 VR lens, with a UV protective filter, which I found very versatile. More than enough for an enthusiastic amateur. There is an SB 600 flash unit for it, which I confess to very rarely using. The D80 has since been retired, with a D7000 in its place, but I still use the same lens, plus a Sigma 17-70 mm f 2.8 now and then. There's a tripod available, but I must also confess to rarely using it, taking advantage of VR technology and knowing how to hold a camera properly, from film days.Feedback
Exploring the older rural areas, far away from major cities, is always exciting. Each locality has its unique landscapes, old buildings with their history to be discovered. It's not always possible to shoot under ideal conditions and wait for the Golden Hour, morning or night. To do that, you'd have to have unlimited time, perhaps something like a camper van or a 4WD with camping gear. Do prior research on locations of some interest to you, rather than run around at random, hoping to find something - although you can sometimes come across fascinating places off the beaten track, where you least expect them. Of course, plan ahead as far as possible, have your "serious" camera gear with you, but never forget to have a little Point and shoot as well, to quickly capture a fleeting moment, where you can't 'set up properly' in time.
