Rock Guardians

Part of the joy of photography for me is the appearance of faces in the forests and cliff faces. I find it intriguing that many people don't see them, because to me they're easily discernible. I love to think of them as Nature's guardians of spiritual places and to imagine the secret life of trees.  Creating a slideshow of some of these guardians has long been on my agenda so at last I've compiled a short slideshow of some of the more persistent ones from the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. The quality is not what I would like but at least I've taken some action and I am relatively pleased with the sound track. 

Trip To Tabbagai

Walking out at Solander towards Tabbagai today there were many rock 'faces' to be seen. Michael Hankey saw faces the other day so I know I'm not the only one who sees faces everywhere I look. I call them the guardians and they can be found reaching out from most rocky outcrops. As the sun was rising I saw another one today who resembled a timeless creature but what intrigued me most of all was the shape alongside it which looked a lot like a hawk. Nothing special in itself, except for the fact I'd just been photographing a hawk. I love the way Mother Nature makes you think - synchronicity.

Although it's a hassle to carry two cameras on shoots I needed the wide angle to capture a specific rockpool I had in mind and I knew from experience that an opportunity which did not lend itself to wide angles would crop up some time during the shoot. Frequently these occasions allow no time for preparation or changing lenses so dealing with the double camera hassle is always worth it.
 The sky was less than perfect on the day so the reflection shot is a composite with a sky from another time.

Intent on the patterns created by the golden sun rays hitting the cliff face I almost missed seeing a young hawk nestled on the ledge. The hawk was to be Nature's gift for the day and although I didn't get the exact shot I desired I'm glad I have a digital memory of the experience. The white arrow not only indicates the hawk's camouflaged position on the rock ledge but serves to demonstrate how effectively the little Powershot SX50 can zoom over quite a distance to capture a subject.

These shots was taken with no tripod so I'm quite satisfied with the detail, particularly on the tiny eye.

 He appeared to sense that he was being observed and as soon as I pressed the shutter for this shot, he left his sandstone perch for a more private position.

Inhospitable Location

Kurnell is always a treasure trove of photographic opportunities, a good vantage point for observing the city skyline.

 My return to Kurnell on a personal quest was compromised by the unwanted attention of some persistent inhabitants. I think they were March flies and they carry quite a punch. Fortunately they are quite sluggish and easy to put out of action but not before they have inflicted a sharp sting.

The Council has done a commendable job of creating a memorial to not only the early days of colonisation, but to the acknowledgement of Aboriginal history. "The Meeting Place" , one of the memorials, has been erected on the site of an original Aboriginal meeting place and the signage does a commendable job of documenting the ongoing respect for Kurnell as an area of great historical significance for both indigenous and early European inhabitants.  Visitors can follow some walking trails and read  many interesting facts about the history of the region. A variety of beautiful trees dot the peninsula, amongst them my personal favourites, the majestic figs. 

 The memorials blend in tastefully with the environment.

The Moon Hunt

After many thwarted attempts I'm still going to endeavour to capture a full moon due in 6 days. I've been scouting for different locations which will provide some foreground interest. While Yena Gap is one of my favourite spots the shadows really overpower the foreground rocks at sunset while the rocks at Cape Solander seem to take on a ghostly hue and also provide some amazing formations. Solander is also more easily accessible in the failing light. Tonight I took some preparatory shots and although the high ISO caused lots of noise I'm quite liking the effect. This particular POV was one I discovered but after seeing Mike Hobbert's fantastic shot from the same vantage point I'll always think of it as 'Mike's Gap'.