Photographing the Werrimull Mini Silos
Werrimull Mini Silos, 5545 Millwea Rd, Werrimull, Vic 3496
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About Werrimull Mini Silos
These silos are painted by Jimmy Dvate and consist of two 'mini' silos. The silos are tiny compared to most grain silos, and instead of being bulk silos for a communities wheat, they appear to be the sort of silo that is found on a farm. Unlike the large silos though, these are painted all around, so they have several views / viewpoints. Also, unlike most large silos, you can drive up to and park around these silos.
The yellow budgerigar is iconic in Australia and large flocks can be seen at watering holes. The first Werrimull Mini Silo contains a great protrait of one.
Foreigners expect to see large numbers of kangaroos everywhere when they travel around Australia. In reality, kangaroos are generally seen around dawn and dusk. In the daytime, small family groups of emu are a common site though. The side - rear of the first Werrimull Mini Silo contains an image of an emu.
In this region, it is also common to see large flocks of Major Mitchell Cockatoos. While easily startled, they are typically seen walking around open areas feeding on seeds. The second side - rear of the first Werrimull Mini Silo contains an image of an Major Mitchell Cockatoo.
The first image on the second Werrimull Mini Silo is of a Mallee Ring Neck Parrot.
The second image on the second Werrimull Mini Silo is of a Echidna.
The third image on the second Werrimull Mini Silo is of a Little Eagle.
Viewpoints
Viewpoints
There are two silos, and as mentioned, you can walk around these to see various views. The bottom of the silos is perhaps 1.5m high, and the tops are around 8m. This means that any image from close to the silos are going to have some tombstoning. Moving away from the silos, and trees obstruct the image though.
How I photographed the Werrimull Mini Silos
What I took - what was in my kit
I took my LowePro Backpack loaded with Canon 5DSR body, Canon 24-70mm, handheld. I shot the various photos hand held, as the day was bright, and I could keep the shutter speed high enought to avoid blurring due to movement. I shot at ISO 100 to reduce the noise as much as possible, f7.1 to get as much depth of field as possible, without introducing diffraction; and using aperature priority, I let the camera set the shutter speed to get the exposure correct. The focal length varied from about 35mm - 50 mm depending on where I walked. The exposures from about 1/100 on the shady side of the silos, to 1/640 on the sunny side.
Techniques
Expose to the right
Exposing to the right means slightly over-exposing an image on purpose. The reason for this is simply that the sensor in your camera is not 'balanced' in the sense of recording as much data in the darker areas as in the lighter areas. It records more data in the brighter areas. By over exposing in camera, and the darkening in post processsing, more data can be recorded in the darker areas of the image.
Using low ISO
'ISO' used to refer to the light sensitivity of various films. ISO 50 film is very light insensitive, and requires comparitively long exposures. It does however (Fuji Velvia 50) have very little grain. Most film was 100-200 ISO. ISO 400 - 1000 films were 'fast' films used for low light or when high speed was necessary. They were generally more grainy (noisy) that ISO 100 films. In digital cameras, we can vary the ISO of the sensor by varying the gain used when reading the sensor. However, like film, the more gain we use, the more noise we introduce. My cameras go from ISO 100 - ISO 51,200. At the high end, they can almost photograph in the dark, but the image quality is low (noisy). At around ISO 100 - 300, there is very little noise, but more light is required.
Other things to look out for
If a photographer has traveled 4 hours from Melbourne to the 'Western District', then it would be a shame not to check out: Lascelles Silo, Albacutya Silo, Lake Tyrell, Lake Boga Silo, etc.
Location
Werrimull Mini Silos, 5545 Millwea Rd, Werrimull, Vic 3496
///growers.architecture.overkill (-34.38713858043212, 141.5941569122091)
Techniques used
Kit used
How to get there
How to get there
Werrimull is a small town in the north-west of Victoria. It is just to the south of Culleraine, and between Mildura / Red Hills and the South Australian border. i.e it is about 30kms from the Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales Border corner. The way most people will get to Werrimul is via car, and then it is likely to be a trip to the area - such as a trip along the Silo Art Trail. Werrimul is some 582km or 6.25 hours from Melbourne.
Best time to visit
Victoria is a fairly temperate climate, without severe winters. Werrimull is in a fairly dry area of the state, so just about any time of the year you will find the area dry and temperate. It can get cold in winter, and can get hot in summer.
Accessability
The silos are in a large, open park, which is at the side of the main road through Werrimull. It is wheel chair accessable and flat.
Where to stay
I am not aware of any hotel accomodation at Werrimull. We stayed at the Tranquil Waters Campground on Lake Culleraine. If you are RV'ing, Caravaning, or tenting, then I would recommend this location. It is a reasonably large lake, with many camp spots. It is not far from Mildura or Renmark though.