Tunnel Vision

It's always exciting when serendipitiously a new location rears its head. Patience has never been one of my virtues so when I read a blog post which featured yet another tunnel at Helensburgh, I was keen to venture down the coast immediately to investigate. Approaching the tunnel I had no misgivings as access was clear and it was a short walk from houses.

From reading the blog post I knew the tunnel was extensive but had no intention of exploring  the depths by myself. Call me paranoid or a pessimist, I'm happy to accept either, but I don't intend to take risks for a photograph and with no mobile reception and no one knowing where I had gone, I was keen to simply locate the tunnel and do a cursory examination. 

Once past the initial gates there was yet another entrance but the floor was very uneven and the feeble light from a  headtorch with draining batteries was unable to display enough of my surroundings to make exploration viable.

I ventured only as far as one more entrance and then it was back to the open air and daylight.

The view from inside the tunnel looking back towards the entrance

Heading South

What commenced as a simple planned trip to Wattamolla lagoon to photograph a waterfall, developed into a full schedule with many unexpected photo opportunities. Carolyn and I began at Wattamolla lagoon where the recent heavy rains had generated some volume in the waterfalls. Unfortunately, compositions were limited as access to the beach was not possible due to the tide. There were many small flows at the top of the cliff face.

Sky colour was predictably less than impressive and it was only a short descent to get a decent view of the larger falls.

The vantage point form the top of the Falls is quite impressive. I would like to see the same view with some great cloud cover in the golden light of a decent dawn.

Rain interrupted our time at Watamolla so we decided on the spur of the moment to not allow it to spoil our day and headed further South towards Wombarra where the waves were reasonably impressive. The cloud cover diluted the strength of the sun's rays and a beautiful silvery light was cast on the water's surface with the mountains enveloped by layers of sea spray.

 As we walked south along the rockshelf the sun gained strength and fluffy white clouds battled with the blue in an effort to dominate the sky.

The cliff face at Wombarra is patched with warning signs and there was evidence of a recent rockslide, but we needed to stay close to the face as the tide was coming in quickly which made the rock shelf more precarious than usual.

The bluebottle plague we'd witnessed at Potter Point was repeated again so we had time to experiment further with compositions although once again the poor creatures were matted together and beyond their best.  The sun shining through the transparent air sacs created a luminescent glow transforming the bluebottles into surf jewels littering the sand as though someone has scattered the contents of Poseidon's treasure chest across the shore.

A number of Sooty Oyster-catchers were frolicking amongst the seaweed hoping to score a delicious treat but spooked when we attempted to move closer.

After a short stop for lunch at Austinmere, I decided to showcase National Falls to Carolyn as I'd found it a confusing location to say the least and wanted her opinion. The Falls are easy to miss. The turn off from McKells Avenue is hidden when approaching from the South and has limited signage. The view of the Falls from the top is marred by a metal fence and obscured by renegade bushes. It's necessary to walk down the road for a few steps before the access to the base of the Upper falls is evident. Following the steps down takes you to a dead end behind yet another fence, and even denser foliage so it was necessary to climb over a section to secure some passable shots.

Even so, it was challenging to negotiate the wayward branches and slippery rocks in order to capture any sort of decent image.

We made a short detour alongside the stairs which led back to the top and discovered a cave which led to a vantage point behind the falls.

Unfortunately the dirt path was narrow and muddy so we elected to not risk limb and life in order to capture an impressive shot. We were able to negotiate a slide down a slope using tree roots as anchors which led us to the base of the falls.

The rain had been stalking us all day but never heavy enough to foil our chances of a shot. Next stop was Kelly's Falls which is yet another location marred by the obligatory metal fence and obscuring foliage.

I'd seen shots of these Falls taken from below but could see no way of  accessing a safe vantage point. The stepping stones which led across the top of the Falls to a walking path were beneath the water and neither of us wanted to risk ending up on our derrieres in the stream, so we decided to try for one last location before heading home.

The old Helensburg Railway Station is a much photographed location and generally after heavy rainfall the tracks are partially submerged and  a waterfall cascades down beside it. On this occasion it resembled a canal with the track and pathways on either sides completely concealed. Compositions were limited as there was no room to manoeuvre on either side.

All in all a most eventful day

Potter Reflections

After waking to what looked like a promising sky, and to maximise the value of a day off work, I made the effort and headed towards Potter Point. Carolyn's post of a bluebottle ( Portugese man of War) inundation the previous day, reinvigorated my desire to capture a crisp image of the suns rays shining through a  bluebottle sac. A previous attempt had been less than satisfactory so for once I left home with a definite agenda. 

The enchantment for capturing an endless collection of sunrises has somewhat lost its attraction. Blurred skies and slow water have become so much a part of seascape photography that I'm after something different to maintain my enthusiasm. Fiddling with ND Filters and carting around tripods has never held much attraction . My preferred time is the golden hour just after sunrise when a heavenly intense glow anoints the rocks and surface of the water - shooting the effect created by the sun's rays rather than the sun itself. The colour is frequently so intense that it looks as though the saturation has been contrived.

Potter Point's seclusion is its advantage with respect to peace and its only disadvantage if one is cautious, with respect to personal safety. Although surfers and fishermen are usually the only ones to share the early mornings, secluded places unfortunately attract those who use it for vandalism or illegal activities. The torching of a car on this occasion has made me rethink the sense of travelling down a one way dirt track with 19 speed humps, unaccompanied in future.

Cloud cover was extensive and rather than seeking out the bluebottles I became distracted by the endless reflections, a byproduct of the recent heavy rainfalls.

Returning with Carolyn on a quiet Sunday enabled us to try a variety of strategies for photographing them effectively and also created some interest in the life cycle of these mesmerising creatures.I located some of the most ethereal of images at a National Geographic site.

image courtesy of © Ocean Care Solutions

Many of the creatures appeared to be immature versions without tentacles of any sort. The secret to reproduction shall have to go unanswered for the moment as I've spent far too much time researching without a definitive answer, easily understood without possessing a Science degree. The best I could do was discovering they grow from individual cells by asexual division of those cells and produce individual three types of animals that live in the one colony.

 It was amazing to see the variety of bluebottle shapes and sizes and I could have easily spent hours there  photographing them.

 

I did try one experiment with a bluebottle in a wineglass but alas the curved surface wrought havoc with reflections and distortions.  Carolyn took a quick snap which makes it look like I'm about to sample a bluebottle cocktail.

image courtesy of Carolyn Davis
... 

Solander Sunrise

Cape Solander is an imposing location, but never more so than when the swell is high or cloud cover is substantial.  

Woken by the first glimmer of light this morning, the sky looked as though it could develop into a beauty so I dressed quickly and dashed out the door. I simply drove without having settled on the best location and ended up at Cape Solander after a brief stop at Wanda Beach. The cloud cover increased and although the promising red glow dissipated, we were rewarded for our early rise by the most glorious golden glow which spread slowly across the rockfaces and shelves. 

As luck would have it Carolyn had decided to venture to the same spot. Clarity was challenged by substantial salt spray rising from the waves but it was another magical morning lightwise and always invigorating to be refuelled by Nature's power which makes dwarves of us all.
It always brings a smile to my face to see the pom pom on Carolyn's beanie.

Havoc At The Entrance

Megan and I drove to the Central Coast to visit a few favourite locations. The sun began to rise as we left Sylvania so we stopped off for a quick shoot at Tom Ugly's bridge. What commenced as a glimmer of red erupted into the most magnificent array of warm colours which spread over the entire sky illuminating a pair of pelicans and numerous seagulls cavorting on the sand. We were disadvantaged composition wise by having no foreground interest but it was nevertheless an auspicious beginning to what was to be a miraculous day both weather wise and with respect to photographic opportunities. 

Our next stop was at Long Jetty where we were entranced by a large white egret who displayed no fear of the cameras and happily posed atop the jetty railing for a protracted period of time.

We moved on to have some breakfast just the other side of the bridge at The Entrance and were almost lucky enough to get close to some black swans who were unfortunately spooked by a loud fast motor boat. 

Not to be discouraged we were able to get pretty close to another pair of egrets, a heron and some cormorants.

Tracking down the entrance to Hargraves Beach was top of the list for the day as I'd seen some shots of the rock formations and was keen to have a try myself. Although the light was not perfect, the sky was riddled with large white clouds which always represents a bonus in my opinion. 

On the way back towards the Entrance we stopped off at Norah Heads lighthouse and spent some time tracking down some tiny black and yellow birds which darted in and out of the bushes. I believe they're called New Holland honeyeaters.

 The tide was low and impressive waves non existent so we headed for the Entrance where I wanted Megan to experience the feeding of the pelicans. With a delicious ice cream smoothie in hand we whiled away the hour observing the antics of these magnificent birds while we waited for the official feeding time to commence.

Many of the pelicans have been affectionately named by the volunteers,  and each of them has a distinct personality.

The last stop for the day on the return journey was at Terrigal where I conducted a reconnaisance of the landmark known as The Skillion. Quite an impressive location but definitely sturdy shoes and a wide angle lens are a necessity, and if negotiating in the early morning hours, a headlight.

 Unfortunately, I'm not happy with any of my Skillion images, but this is the best of the bad ones I captured in a rushed endeavour to beat the impending sunset.