Sleeping Bombo

Joined the Not Only Black And White Meetup group for yet another trip to Bombo Quarry.  We hadnt anticipated an exciting day as the swell was low, the sky was a cloudless blue and the time was too late to catch the good light. However it's always enjoyable to get together with this welcoming and amenable group.
The impressive size of the quarry is difficult to establish without some scale reference so the  following image smattered with Meetup members should serve to illustrate this for those who haven't been lucky enough to visit the quarry.

As the swell was not particularly exciting I spent most of my time photographing the view from the quarry. I love the golden grasses which dot the quarry landscape.

 Due to the absence of large waves people had the opportunity to approach the window between the twin pillars. This is generally impossible, particularly when the waves are high because they frequently crash right over the top of the pillars with great force and cascade down the western face like small waterfalls.

One exception was the small swell hitting against the eastern walls of the basalt columns 

 There were still many reflection pools even though the rainfall had not been particularly heavy.

 

Only thing to mar the day was a rogue wave which dumped on Ruth and appears to have put her Canon 6D out of action for the time being. Bombo has much beauty but as with any coastal formation, is witness to the unpredictablility of Nature. Even on this relatively calm day there was the occasional freak wave which endeavoured to catch the unaware. The secret is to sit high enough to be able to gain an effective composition while at the same time ensuring you have adequate rock cover as protection, if not from the waves, at least from being dragged into the swirling waters below.

Bombo never disappoints, irrespective of conditions, and while the rockpools were generally shallow and filled with less than inviting water, many beautiful reflections were still evident. It very much depends on the angle of the camera and proof that reality can be transformed by a single shutter click.

It's always an opportunity to play around with processing when skies are uncooperative so sometimes the vagaries of weather can have a positive effect.

Following the walk down to Bombo the group moved on to Kiama for lunch where some of us amused ourselves shooting the local seagulls. I could spend hours watching these little creatures derogatively described by some bird haters as 'flying rats'. I find their antics amusing and after all, they hav eas much right to eke out an existence from their surroundings as the humans who share their planet.

Unfortunately my depleted energy levels after hours of rock hopping prevented me from joining the group on the walk along a long stretch of beach towards Rangoon Island at Minamurra.

Foggy Morning At Yarramundi

My decision to head out towards Yarramundi Reserve in spite of no fog being forecast by the BOM proved to be one of the best I've made in recent times. So frequently I've become excited driving through patches of fog only to have it disappear within seconds. I had no expectations today and decided to do a reconn trip to the Richmond Lowlands with the intention of returning another day when conditions were more encouraging. A friend had provided very specific directions so it was easy to find and easy to access which is always a pleasant change. Fog appeared the moment I hit the Lowlands and even then I refused to be optimistic because too often I'd been disappointed. I was tempted to head towards the Paulownia Plantation to secure that 'trees in the fog' shot I've so longed for,  but decided it was more important to grab some shots before the fog dissipated. 

I commenced at the bridge and followed an established path.

 The walk through the Reserve was easy and revealed some interesting natural formations. The only area which concerned me was a small section adjoining two areas of the river as I was unaware as to the effect the tides would have on access and I didnt want to return from my walk only to find I had to wade through cold water.

I'm always pleased to encounter birdlife on my travels so after leaving the Yarramundi Reserve I spent some time watching a pelican and a lone black swan swimming leisurely by.

 

 

I decided to investigate the location of a windmill I'd seen in the Focus group while I was so close and was watched closely by a plump Willy Wagtail. These fast moving little birds appear to be distributed across a wide area from coastal to inland locations and are always difficult to capture cleanly.

Mittagong With The Girls

Finally ........ my multiple trips to the Maltings at Mittagong paid off. Two situations which had challenged me in the past were finally resolved.. Firstly, travelling via the Wilton route I'd previously been taunted by the view from the tiny bridge which crossed the cataract river. The reflections had always been enticing and today was no different. The windy narrow road allows only one opportunity to pull over on a haripin bend approaching the bridge. My many previous trips had familiarised me with every single metre of that approach so, in the absence of another vehicle on our tail, which has been my previous experience,  I was able to direct Ruth to pull over in the one tiny space available. I was thrilled to finally be able to take a shot from that little bridge I'd so admired.

This was the third week in a row I'd visited the Maltings and my enthusiasm hadn't waned. Although my pessimistice nature prevented me from climbing to the heights reached by Ruth I've made a resolution with myself to return with ladder in tow. I'm determined to get to the upper levels and as I see it a traditional ladder is the only way to do it safely. 

Now for the second challenge. I'd struggled to deal with the changing light conditions in the Maltings on each and every visit experimenting with different settings and different cameras. Akin to photographing from inside a railway tunnel towards the light, the exterior light bursts through the window spaces and holes in the roof, battling with the dark moss covered walls, graffiti patches and burnt or stained timbers. I'd not considered using flash before but prompted at Ruth's suggestion, this solved the problem. The internal flash set to its lowest setting did the trick as I exposed for the scene outside the window. At last !!!!

Ruth, Keiko and I spent hours exploring every nook and cranny and had some fun experimenting with in camera double exposures. Can't wait to do more of these. Credit to Ruthie for this shot of me which miraculously, I quite like.

 We finished the tour with a refreshing shandy in the Lion Rampant Hotel at Mittagong followed by a yummy kebab from the illustrious Kebab House. A most fruitful day on all fronts. :-)

Welcome To The World

Having been a while since we'd been on a sunrise shoot we decided to fill in some time waiting for the opening of the local wildlife park by making a quick trip to Audley. It was so peaceful with just the local kookaburras and ducks to keep us company and the muted light of an understated sunrise produced some magical reflections on the river's surface.

Two rowers were the first sign of a wakening human world.

 After the early morning start at  Audley, Carolyn and I eagerly hurried towards Symbio Wildlife Park hopeful of photographing the new addition to the koala population.

We had seen a delightful video announcing the arrival of a new Joey but unfortunately were unable to see anything more than a tired little face peering from mum's pouch, in spite of spending a few hours riveted to the koala enclosure.

As if the first mum and bub video wasn't cute enough. Check out this video of our baby koala joey's first cuddle with Mum. It's adorable! :)

Lying Low At Richmond

Had been planning a country drive with Mark Nolan from the Sutherland Shire Amateur Photographers Society and after a number of cancellations finally made it to the Richmond Lowlands. We were hoping for some fog which never eventuated but the location is a great spot for tree lined driveways, fence rails and ponds and of course it's close to one of my favourite spots, the Paulownia Plantation.

The Autumn colour was still clinging determinedly to many of the trees scattered throughout the properties and we spent a considerable time trying to photograph the geese and other waterbirds at Pugh's Lagoon. 

The Paulownia Plantation was inaccessible so we had to placate ourselves with taking some token shots from the highway and the side streets. I'd not seen the golden tinges on the tops of the trees before and the small white flowers dotting the surrounding grasses added a delicate touch to the scene. 

Another thing I love about this plantation is it's chameleon quality. Its moods and appearance differ with each changing hour and season. From the highway the dappled light spread a lacework pattern across the trunks.

The plantation is like a living battalion, trees lined in formations and the gnarled age spots resembling eyes peering from the gloom.

Only two trees had fallen and lay amidst their compatriots like wounded soldiers.

Southern Coast Meetup

A first outing with the Not Only Black And White Meetup Group titled " Southern Exposure - day trip with pools". The aim was to visit the coastal pools between Coalcliff and Port Kembla.  I'm not an admirer of built pools, always preferring the natural rock variety. However the Meetup was an opportunity to connect with like minded people and I preceived it as a challenge to be able to capture a creative image so it was a great learning opportunity.  As the meeting time was 9 a.m I decided to have an earlier start and dropped in at Bald Hill where I spent some time photographing the paragliders.  

The group's first stop was Coalcliff.

 The time was later than optimum, the light was brighter than optimum and the pool was full of club sprinters so it was difficult to capture a satisfactory shot. 

The pebbled shore and rock formations provided other opportunities to experiment with compositions and light shards shimmered on the surface of the ocean and shore, always elusive to capture digitally.

 

Wombarra is always a rewarding location as there are large boulders, rock shelves, and the wave flow can be exciting on a large swell day. Tide was mid height and some interesting reflections were created in the many small rock pools on the shelves.  

The tall order for the group remained unfulfilled as there was much of interest to occupy us at each location and of course there was the distraction of a delicious lunch at the "The Black Duck Restaurant",  hosted within the Scarborough/Wombarra Bowling Club. Certainly an inauspicious looking location but we were impressed by the flavour and size of each item on the menu and the service was efficient and friendly.

Next stop was Austinmer where the pool looked like a bomb site as they are doing some sort of renovations to the swimming pools, so observing families amusing themselves in the natural rock pools was the name of the game.

Due to a small misadventure three of us detoured to Gloucester Boulevarde where we discovered a great little natural rock pool. Unfortunately we were called away to meet up with the rest of the group at Flinders St. to observe the smoke streaming out of the enormous funnels at the Steel Works so that exciting little location will have to wait for another day.

Mount Wilson Sleeps

Never say never. Yet another trip to Mount Wilson in an attempt to drain every last drop of beauty from the Autumn season. First of all Carolyn put my rainbow umbrella to good use.

Colour At Mt. Wilson

A fourth visit to Mt. Wilson this year and each time there is something of beauty to impress. The colour has left the main avenues but there are still intense colours to be found along the side streets and in all the gardens. The red and white mushroom (Amanita muscaria) which grow almost exclusively beneath pine trees are still dotted through the pine needles along the roadsides and in the private gardens. 

We discovered a new location in Breenhold Gardens which is perhaps the most impressive of any location I've seen in all the years I've visited. Two contrasting stone pathways meander from the wisteria arbour down towards the lower level. Named the Acer and Laburnum steps they are created of slate stones and festooned with a myriad of tiny maple shaped leaves. The sunlight radiates through the rich golden and orange branches creating a shimmering dappled light which illuminates the carpeted steps and ornate bench. 

 The Laburnum Steps

The Acer Steps 

The Autumn colours lend themselves beautifully to Impressionist interpretations

Fitzroy Falls Delivers

Sydney has been hit by heavy rains again but we didnt let it ruin our plans for a photo excursion. Travelling via Audley Weir where the foliage had been pretty much flattened we decided to head to Mittagong on the hunt for colour once again. First we had a brief stopover at Wattamolla where the Falls were flowing but unfortunately it was high tide so access to the shore was blocked spoiling the classic composition. 

The colour at Mittagong and then Sutton Forest was scattered throughout the region and we were lucky enough to sight a peaceful leaf strewn driveway after taking a slight detour. 

Driving on the less travelled feeder roads always produces some unexpected treasures. 

On the trip towards home we stopped by Fitzroy Falls. The previous time I visited this location, the view of the falls had been obscured by foliage, but this appears to have been removed. The rangers have done a wonderful job of maintaining this area and it is invigorating to be surrounded by our beautiful native trees and plants. The initial view from the first viewing platform was unfortunately hindered by the information plaque. 

Access to the next viewing platform was down a series of steps but provided an uninterrupted view of the entire Falls. We only had time to grab a reconn shot of the Falls before the rain drove us back towards the car.