Worlds Apart winner shares his story

In our February 2010 issue, we unveiled Trevor Payne as the winner of our huge Worlds Apart competition, which challenged our readers to send in their images involving three themes: landscapes, wildlife and environmental portrait.

Trevor’s inspiring image of Priest Cove in Cornwall bagged him a brilliant Nikon D5000 outfit and after being judged as the best of our three winning entries, he scooped additional Nikon kit, including a 70-300mm zoom. Best of all, he won a trip of a lifetime for two to capture the beauty of Australia’s Northern Territory. This is Trevor’s account of his travels down-under.

“With the airspace over Britain closed due to the Icelandic ash cloud, it looked at first as if we may not get away for our prize holiday to Australia. Fortunately, ours was the first Perth-bound flight to leave after the airports re-opened, so we were relieved to be on our way. Once we arrived at our base in Uluru, we had a day to recover from the long flight and get prepared for our photo adventure.
“We headed first to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the photography here was challenging as my visit had coincided with the first rain in the area for nine years, so the skies were full of clouds. However, I managed to overcome these problems by opting to shoot images that I could later merge into a high-contrast HDR.
“The photography around Uluru was great fun, but my day with professional photographer Steve Strike was unforgettable. We set off before dawn on what would be a 15-hour photo trip, taking pictures around Alice Springs and the West MacDonnell Ranges. From there, we arrived at the Alice Springs Desert Park and Steve gave me some excellent advice on how to improve my detail shots by using my Nikon’s high-ISO capabilities.
“Our next stop was Standley Chasm, and once again, Steve offered me lots of expert advice as I was shooting the stone cliffs in contrasty light. Steve assured me I would be able to recover plenty of detail from my Raw files and he was absolutely right.

“Later, we moved on to Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen, where I tried my hand at a panoramic looking over the Finke River, before arriving back at Alice Springs, where Steve gave me a private tour of his gallery.
It was a magnificent day during which I really enjoyed listening to Steve recount his life as a professional, as well as taking on-board his no-nonsense approach to various techniques.
“I feel in the time I had that I only scratched the surface of the area and envy Steve having such fantastic locations on his doorstep to explore. Nevertheless it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed, will never forget and recommend all photographers try to visit.

“Of course, I managed to capture my special moments with the Nikon D5000 kit that I won. What struck me about this outfit was just how portable it was. I knew straight away that this would make it an ideal travel kit. The addition of the Vibration Reduction (VR) to the 18-55mm and 70-300mm zooms was a bonus and this proved fantastic in use throughout the trip. I left it on at all times except when a tripod was used. When zoomed in with the 70-300mm lens it really came into its own and seemed to lock the subject in place. The VR on that lens in particular was better that any similar system of camera shake I’ve tried with other cameras. In fact the 70-300mm proved so sharp that I never want to part with it as it’s simply fantastic – I love it! Steve Strike encouraged me to handhold more images and put my faith in the VR and the noise-handling capabilities of the Nikon and he was right. The D5000 helped me capture images that I will treasure forever.”

Special thanks...
Digital SLR Photography would like to thank all the sponsors who made the Worlds Apart competition possible.
We extend our gratitude to Bridge & Wickers and Tourism NT: Australia’s Outback, for organising an amazing trip and for the wonderful hospitality given to Trevor Payne. We also thank Nikon for providing D5000 outfits to each of our monthly winners.

For travel expertise to Australia, visit: www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk/nt Special offer - Accommodation only - flights will be additional. Price per person, based on 2 sharing, for this 5 night outback self-drive adventure is £808. Price includes 6 days 4WD car hire, 2 nights in Ayers Rock at the Desert Gardens hotel, 2 nights in Kings Canyon at the Kings Canyon Resort and 1 night in Alice Springs at the Crowne plaza.  All accommodation in Room Only. Valid for travel 1 Nov until 30 Nov 2010
For more details on Australia’s Northern Territory, visit: www.australiasoutback.com

For further information on Nikon, visit: www.nikon.co.uk