Personal and Technical Information


Geoff Murray

Email: geoff (at) geoffmurray (dot) com
 

 

I am a wilderness and landscape photographer based in Australia.


I have been making images for the last 35 years,
initially with a Nikon F90 with 24mm,28-70mm and 70-210mm lenses, all Nikkors.
Over the last 3 years I have been using a Mamiya 7 with 43mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses.
This is a fine camera ideally suited to wilderness photography through its light weight, low bulk and superb lenses.
I use Fuji Velvia film almost exclusively as nothing else seems to come close to capturing nature at its most beautiful.
"Update"  - I have just bought a Horseman 6x9 view camera which is a joy to use. This is now my camera of choice
for my medium format images ( I am still getting used to looking at an upside down, back to front image!! ) 
14 Sept 01. I received 4 new lenses for this camera today, a 65mm Schneider Super Angulon, a 100mm Schneider Apo Symmar,
a 150mm Schneider Apo Symmar and a 300mm Nikkor M series. Can't wait to get out to try these out! 
I use a Manfrotto 190 tripod with a Manfrotto 168 ballhead and measure light with a Sekonic L608 lightmeter.
All of my equipment is carried in a Lowepro AW Orion camera pack.Earlier scans for this website
were done on an Agfa T1200 Duoscan for medium format and a Canon FS2710 for 35mm,
I am now using a Nikon 9000ED medium format scanner.
Tasmania is a magnificent place to photograph. The light is superb, the scenery beautiful and I feel privileged
to be able to share some of my images with you. 

UPDATE: September 2006.
 I have now bought another Mamiya 7 II with 43mm, 80mm and 150 mm lenses for use in
aerial work, wildlife and anything else that requires portability and speed of use. These are wonderful cameras
that produce rich, sharp images of the highest quality.


Moving on….the new camera is a Nikon D7000. Digital is finally coming of age and producing high quality images. These are exciting times :-) 

UPDATE #2: December 2015

A huge jump up to a Nikon D810. What a camera! Ultra high resolution and a photographer’s camera through and through. I am teaming this up with  a Samyang 14mm f2.8, Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Milvus, Sigma ART 35 mm f1.4, Sigma ART 50 mm f1.4, and Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro Planar lenses. 

The camera is supported by a Gitzo GT2540 carbon fibre tripod and Arca Swiss P1 ballhead with a RRS quick release.

Step forward to 2021…
I am now using a Nikon mirrorless camera, a Z7ii with 20mm, 24-70 (f4), 14-30, 85, 105 Macro and 24-200 lenses all fitted with Nikon Arcrest Protection filters. This camera and these lenses are just spectacular. Not only are they superbly sharp, but they have a quality that can only be described as incredibly lifelike, looking at an image from these lenses is like looking through a window.

I was using a Gitzo 1545T tripod, lighter and slightly shorter than the 2540 but just as well made. This tripod was teamed up with a Kirk Mini leveller and an Acratech Panoramic Head. This setup, for me, for my landscape photography, was the best I had tried yet. Much, much better than a ballhead. Then I lost the tripod…..

I replaced the tripod/head combo with an LS284CEX tripod from Leofoto with a Leofoto VH30R 2 way head to give effectively the same functionality as the Gitzo/Acratech setup. The Leofoto gear is beautifully made, functions as well as the more expensive gear and provides greater capability with a very modest weight gain (400gms). Recommended.

 

Bushwalking and Seakayaking in Tasmania

 

Tasmania is an awe inspiring place to bushwalk, from isolated wild coastal scenery to rugged, recently glaciated mountains.

To safely walk these places you need experience and good equipment. Some of the gear I use and recommend is listed below.

 

 Mont Epoch, Dragonfly, Krypton and Moondance FN I and II tents

Mont XT1000 Spindrift sleeping bag 

Mont Helium 450 sleeping bag

Mont Zero Superlight 1000 fill down sleeping bag

Mont Icicle Down jacket

Mont Neon Down Hoodie

Mont Guide Hoodie Primaloft

Exped Synmat HL Winter LW

Mont Backcountry bushwalking pack

Mont Odyssey jacket

Mont Austral rain-pants

Mont microfibre fleece clothing

Mont Powerstretch Pro thermal clothing

Scarpa SL Trail boots

MSR Windburner stove

MSR Denali Evo Ascent snowshoes

PLB1 Ocean Signal PLB

Iridium 9555 satellite phone

DeLorme Inreach SE satellite messenger

Garmin 62S handheld GPS

Garmin Fenix 5x watch

Werner paddles

Immersion Research drysuit

Reed Chillcheater clothing

Snapdragon spraydecks

Reed spraydecks

Rockpool Kayaks

Seakayaking UK Kayaks

Garmin VIRB action camera

Petzl  Actik Core headlamp

Gath Gedi helmet

Helinox Chair Zero

Nikon AW1 waterproof camera


© Geoff Murray 2023