Pink Days At Solander

Blood red sunrises and sunsets aren't really my 'thing' because they appear unnatural but I love the mixture of colours Mother Nature cleverly produces - the blues, golds and pale pinks. There were no grand expectations for this morning's shoot with some fellow snappers but the sky really was visually enchanting and seemed to linger for a substantial time, continually changing hues.

Carolyn and I followed the track along the coast from Solander towards Cape Bailey in search of the hawk we'd seen there on previous occasions. Our search was fruitless but the scenery was awe inspiring as usual.

Shoots are fairly casual affairs with the Focus group. Lots of expertise interspersed with lots of humour and lots of Smartphone consultation.

Wollongong Botanical Gardens

Joined two friends for a trip to the Wollongong Botanical Gardens. Although we arrived when there was some heat in the sun there were plenty of shady nooks to find relief. 

 

We were rewarded with some moorhen chicks frolicking amongst the water lilies and some pretty reflections. Moorhens have the most enormous feet, just perfect for their environment.

The much publicized Japanese bridge,  renowned for wedding photos. I'm guessing many a bride has fallen in this location.

 The water dragons love to compete with the ducks for scraps and take refuge amongst the water lilies.

Stopping off in Wollongong for lunch I yet again tried to capture a shot of the gnarled old trees near the foreshore. This was the first time it was not being used as a climbing gym by the local children, but I doubt that I've done it justice even though it is a better attempt than all previous occasions.

We then left the vicinity of the lighthouse and enjoyed experimenting with various compositions centred on a new sculpture which had come highly recommended, finally following the scenic coast drive back towards Sydney which is always far preferable to the highway.

 Nerine Martini created the Migration Project in 2014 to commemorate the contribution migrants have made to the city of Wollongong. It consists of one tall structure which features a boat and ladders reaching upwards in hope and three steel plates which represent components of the migrants' lifestyles.

Pearl Beach

Pearl Beach was the destination for the Focus Group's sunrise shoot today. Generally not able to attend shoots on Saturdays, today I was lucky enough to have a day off . Although we were not gifted with a spectacular sunrise due to the dense cloud cover, it is always cathartic to spend time near the ocean in the early hours of the morning before the bulk of humanity has risen. Warned that the rockshelf is notoriously slippery due to the existence of black rocks, I elected to shoot from the beach while the others headed off around the headland. 

 The beach was possibly the poorest vantage point for compositions as there were few exposed rocks and large batches of seaweed were scattered along the shoreline. 

 ( with seaweed)

( seaweed free )  :-)

Finding some interesting leading lines was a tad challenging from the beach but I was happier in my location rather than risking a fall on the rockshelf.

There was a beautiful light mist clinging to the horizon but unfortunately this didnt translate well to the digital capture.  

Part of the beauty of early morning strolls along the beach is finding odd little creatures festooning the sand. Photographing sea snail egg sacs always seems to present a challenge for me and I've not yet been able to capture exactly what I want but it is fun to keep trying. The trick is to photograph them near the water line so they're free of sand, yet quickly before the waves grab them and they disappear from sight.

Pools, other than natural rock pools, are not really favourite subjects of mine but they do frequently have some pretty reflections. 

After leaving Pearl Beach we headed towards Avoca Beach where we spent just enough time to grab a few shots of the unusual rock formations.

The Modern And The Ancient

We visited the city today to see two locations. Firstly we stopped off at the new Frank Gehry designed "Dr Chau Chak Wing building at Sydney's University of Technology". The building is named after an Australian-Chinese benefactor who has donated £13.9 million to UTS which is blatantly obvious as his name is displayed in gigantic lettering on two facades. The structure is to provide teaching, research and office accommodation for the UTS Business School.  Detractors have likened it to a crumpled paper bag but I found it to be otherwise, a pleasant relief from the crisp vertical lines of Sydney's skyscrapers.

After detouring via Paddy's Markets and Darling Harbour, we headed towards Dawes Point where ninety warriors modelled on China's terracotta army were to be lit up  as part of Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival. As was to be expected, the crowds were horrendous and it was impossible to choose a composition. All we could do was press the shutter and hope.