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.

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.