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.

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.

Yena Sunrise

It's been a while since I posted but I have been out and about. We joined the Focus group for a shoot in the National Park. Carolyn and I elected to go to Yena while the others climbed down the cliff face at Solander to make use of access at  low tide. I'd hoped to try out my Firecrest ND Filter but feel I'd be best to do this when I'm not limited by time constraints.

I love the way Yena offers easy access to the rock shelves and it was interesting to see the comps which opened up at low tide. The sunrise was vibrant but not long lasting, but the way the colour from the rising sun lights up the rock pools is mesmerising. I only wish I could have moved to a better position but it is dangerous to not have respect for rogue waves at Yena and it was the best I could do on the day.

As we were shooting three dolphins swam past but I only managed to capture one in frame. The sky also changed remarkably in the time we were there. Grey clouds replaced the deep pink.

My Canon Powershot comes in handy as a second camera for zooming in on details like this tiny crab hiding in the crevasses between the rocks.

Paulownia Sunrise

Returning to the Paulownia Plantation at Richmond had been on my agenda for some time. As luck would have it, the Focus Group arranged a sunrise shoot. Hoping to perhaps score a foggy morning 30 of us eagerly arrived to encounter a temp of 0 degrees but alas, no fog. We all became so engrossed in what we were doing that I failed to even be aware of the sun colouring the sky until it had completely risen. Slowly shards of golden light filtered amongst the rows of tall majestic trees, arms reaching for the anticipated warmth. 

It is generally my habit to anthropomorphise my surroundings, and today the guardians of the forest made themselves visible. 

Copious photo opportunities were evident but time as always was the intruder and the opportunity to photograph so many small details which caught my eye was sabotaged:  dew glistening on the abandoned spiders webs;  frost encrusted dandelions at all stages of growth;  spiky seed pods; fallen crinkled leaves lying inert as testimony to the fact that Autumn had not long ago passed; Paulownia seedlings struggling to compete with their taller brothers and sisters and of course those thousands of gnarled eyes on each and every trunk.

One of the advantages of this location is its sheer size. Endless compositions are evident and it becomes so difficult to select the best method of showcasing the Plantation's dimensions, beauty and intricacies.

Hopefully another opportunity will present itself and I will be able to return again to the plantation.

The Beauty Of Bombo

Visited Bombo for a sunrise shoot with some of the Focus crew on election day. It's interesting to see the different perspectives on the same location. Sean walked to the other end of the quarry. This is a quick upload just so I'd have something to show for the visit. Still so many to go through but I've decided from now on I'll just upload one image as a record of the location and worry about finding a favourite later.

Although the sunrise wasn't particularly impressive, Bombo itself always is. I could spend days down there and although I didn't manage to make it to my targeted location, I was pretty satisfied with the shots I captured. Next on the bucket list is a visit during a big swell and high tide. I've visited so many times now I'm pretty familiar with the safe and accessible anchor points.
The light did intensify somewhat as the sun rose and luckily I was able to use the cloud formations as a foil in the absence of filters. The two options at Bombo are rocks or water action as I see it and depending on where you stand, there are countless opportunities for POVs.

Bombo is such a dark, brooding location and is perfectly suited to dark, broody processing in my opinion.  Loved playing around with different options. Some of the shots had less than interesting skies so I thought adding some textures may help to camouflage the problem.

At Last - A Decent Sunrise

I've been trying for so long to have the energy to make it to a sunrise shoot with the Focus Group. It seems every time I attend one of them the clouds are a no show and every time I decide I'm not going to bother waking at 4.00 a.m I miss out on a doozy. So I recently decided I'd attend every one and I'd eventually be rewarded with something other than a single bright golden orb.
I didn't have much time to set up and I wasn't keen on negotiating the rocks in the dark, even with my head torch. The guys all clambered over the rocks in an endeavour to find their preferred location for a good comp but I was quite happy where I could capture some wave action and a few rocks. Unfortunately I was unable to alter the comp to have a better sky/foreground ratio as the tripod was on a small uneven rock shelf so I had to be happy with what I got.

The base of Sea Cliff bridge is accessible from Coalcliffe at low tide and there are lots of opportunities for reflection shots. Definitely would take a while to milk this location. I was playing around with some processing techniques and the image reminds me of the tonal variations in the work of El Greco which I've always loved. The sky resembles an HDR nightmare but I think I'll definitely revisit the technique.

A sample of El Greco's work below