Since this is a travel and photography blog I thought I’d highlight a few of my favourite 2011 photos rather than write about the year. Visit my Flickr profile to see more photos.

My Xmas/New Year Tasmanian family road trip holiday covered Hobart, Freycinet, Bicheno, Bay of Fires and Cradle Mountain.

Wombats in the Wild – Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.

2011 was a very busy period for work so I only had limited opportunities for random photo walks exploring my local area.

During the year I travelled for photography/journalism work to New Zealand’s South Island, the remote North West Kimberley region of Western Australia, Osaka and Tokyo Japan, the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, Darwin, Northern Territory, Bali, Indonesia and Canberra to report on President Obama’s trip as well as my visit to the NASA Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.

My interest in street art and street photography increased throughout 2011.

Outpost Project – Street Art Exhibition Cockatoo Island, Sydney

Although I don’t drink I found myself in pubs many times this year for pub trivia competitions and other social events.

Other Favourite Photos

It’s been unseasonably cool and rainy for Sydney summertime this December.

Since this is a travel and photography blog I thought I’d highlight a few of my favourite 2010 photos rather than write about the year. Visit my Flickr profile to see more photos

2010 started with a bang! I had the job of taking Sydney New Years Fireworks Photos for Sydney Harbour YHA.

It’s important to take the time to relax and enjoy simple pleasures like watching a busker create giant rainbow coloured soap bubbles in Hyde Park.

I was invited by Tourism New Zealand & Canon to a Whirlwind Week Exploring New Zealand South Island via Dunedin with Jules Lund from Getaway who was hosting a series of short photo-tourism videos for them.

The Vivid Sydney lightshow provided lots of creative photo opportunities

Testing lots of new digital cameras for review purposes gave me the chance to walk around different parts of Sydney taking random Street Photos

Moving to Sydney’s Inner West meant I had new places to walk around and explore

I had many press passes to conferences including Media 140 Ozpolitics. The big difference this year was the large number of conference attendees who spent as much time looking at laptops, smartphones and iPads chatting with each other about the speaker on stage as actually looking at the speaker!

I didn’t go for any long holidays but short trips to Canberra for Floriade and Port Stephens were fun.

“Taking The Road Less Travelled” photo book by Neerav Bhatt

Since this is a travel and photography blog I thought I’d highlight a few of my favourite 2010 photos rather than write about the year. Visit my Flickr profile to see more photos

People ask me why I like to go on holidays to remote places traveling by myself, I guess they like crowds and the hustle and bustle of city life. I may wander through life with a diverse range of work and personal interests but I never feel lost.

All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter is a poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy novel trilogy The Lord of the Rings and is an integral part of the plot.

The line “Not all those who wander are lost” refers to the Rangers of Middle Earth. Suspiciously viewed as wanderers or vagabonds by some, they roam the remote lands protecting the race of men from evil forces.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

Although Canberra is only 3 hours drive from Sydney, until last weekend I hadn’t visited for 15 years which is a shame because I’d completely forgotten about “Floriade” – Canberra’s annual flower festival (the biggest in Australia) which offers lots of opportunities to take great photos of spring flowers

Held annually during September/October in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park, Floriade is Canberra’s biggest annual tourist drawcard, attracting photographers, gardeners and flower lovers from around Australia and overseas.

For a few years there was an entry charge but admission to Floriade has been free for a number of years as the ACT government must have realised how much money Floriade tourists bring to the tiny cash strapped Territory.

Floriade Photography Tips

Photographers are advised to wait until the 2nd or 3rd weekend before visiting Floriade because that will give more time for the flowers to bloom.

The best times of day for shooting photos are early morning and late afternoon as the flowers are lit from the side. At midday the sun is right overhead and strongest so it would be difficult to take good photos. Also partly cloudy weather will allow you to take a wider variety of photos at different light levels.

If you have a Digital SLR camera it would be advisable to take a macro and mid-range lense as this will increase your opportunities to take creative photos.

If you have a compact camera try and think outside the box, take photos from ground level, side on, closeup etc rather than just held out in front of your body while you’re standing up straight.

Selection of My Best Floriade Photos

The following videos and photos are highlights from a whirlwind week long photo/video shoot of New Zealand’s lower South Island via Dunedin I was recently invited to join by Tourism New Zealand and Canon Australia.

Great Fun During Wairaurahiri Jetboat Trip photo credit: Jules Lund

Photos – New Zealand, Southern South Island Highlights (view Gallery)

Video – New Zealand, Southern South Island Highlights

Tourism NZ has released 5 video webisodes from the New Zealand lower South Island “Jules Lund” video/photoshoot I was invited to join during March in my role as a photographer/blogger/travel writer.

View Playlist of all 5 episodes on Youtube

DISCLAIMER: I am not being paid for this trip and have sole control over what I write and say about it. As usual I will be completely honest about whether I feel a particular location/experience is good quality and value for money.

All expenses for this trip were covered by Tourism New Zealand and regional subsidiaries. Camera gear was loaned by Canon (except for my own personally owned Canon S90 camera). Some clothing was sponsored by Goretex

The Sydney Harbour YHA rooftop balcony provided me with the best vantage point I’ve had for Sydney’s New Years Eve Fireworks shows at 9pm and Midnight including a panoramic view of Circular Quay, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge

A handful of my photos are displayed below, along with a bigger slideshow selection of some of the better fireworks photos. Read my Tips To Take Best Fireworks Photos: Location, Camera Equipment and Settings if you want to improve your photos.

The photos were taken by me with a Canon 500D digital SLR using a 15-85 EFS USM lense kept steady by a Velbon Sherpa 750R tripod.

Photo Slideshow – Sydney Fireworks Midnight New Years Eve 2009

Disclosure: The camera and tripod were on media loan to me so I could review them. YHA Sydney Harbour gave me accommodation for the night of NYE in exchange for being able to use my photos in their marketing materials.