Farewell to Sydney

It was with mixed feelings that I attended my last Sydney shoot accompanied by a dear kindred spirit. Ruth and I always have such fun together and I was keen to show her a foggy lagoon in the Richmond Lowlands. In spite of this plan being thwarted it was a wonderful way to say farewell photographically speaking to some of my favourite haunts, laughing our way through the day and simply being thankful for the solace provided by the unbeatable combination of easy friendship and Mother Nature.

Travelling along the freeway we were treated to an unexpected magnificent sunrise. We were lucky enough to find somewhere to pull over and take a phone shot.

 Perhaps this was Mother Nature's apology in advance for her failure to provide me with the foggy morning I'd so desired.

The Richmond lowlands are renowned for their wonderful foggy dawns and Yarramundi Lagoon provides a great opportunity to walk on a strip on land right in the middle of the Nepean River with many comps possible. The reality was nothing like the expectation. Flood waters appeared to have washed away the old jetty (photographed on a previous trip)
 and access to the landmass was blocked by swirling waters. In spite of the absence of fog, the lagoon yielded some wonderful reflection shots, so our quest was not completely fruitless.

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.

Garie Beach - Crab Haven

Another early start and although the forecast had been for cloudless skies we elected to use the morning as a reconn trip to Garie Beach.

I'd not been there for a few years and was pleasantly surprised to see some of the moss covered boulders which would act as great leading lines.  The rocks were literally crawling with crabs but access was easy.

 The temptation with relatively cloudless skies is to import one and create a composite image. I still think clouds make the difference to an image but I can appreciate why this practice enrages purists.

Once the golden light of the rising sun hit the rocks the scene was reminiscent of the famed El Dorado.

  Once we left Garie, we headed for breakfast at Audley Weir. So many photographs have been taken of the boathouse reflections, but there is only a small window of opportunity before the light becomes too harsh.

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.

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.

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.

Solander Sunrise

It was off to Cape Solander this Saturday with the Focus Seascapers, in search of a super sunrise. Although the rain threatened, and the colour was not intense, it was a beautiful morning to be out and about. I arrived later than the group so was glad I was familiar with the location as I was easily able to make my way to a couple of familiar rock formations. I was quite chuffed with my first image taken in the pitch dark. It made such a difference to be out of the wind and rain and on familiar territory for once. 

The first formation looks down upon the lower rock shelf which is a draw card for some of the boys who like to get close to the flow.

My little Powershot didnt do a stellar job as it just doesn't have the strength to deal with low light situations.

I love this second face that I've photographed many times over. Conveniently, it has a great little ledge where it's comfy to remain seated and plenty of room for a tripod or two. 

 It also provides a great vantage point for looking down at the waves crashing below.

As the sun rose, it cast that most beautiful golden glow across the rocks and the bonus gift for the day was a rainbow which appeared above the furthermost rock projection.

And Starring....................

I don't like being the subject of photographs, however recently I haven't minded being used as scale in landscape or seascape shots. Two of my photo buddies recently stalked me at Cape Solander where we were chasing sunrises. Including a human as scale is a great way to provide the viewer with some idea of the size and magnificence of  the rock formations.

Dave's image does a great job of showcasing the beautiful textures and colours of the rocks

Carolyn's colourful interpretation looking in the opposite direction

High Tide At Yena

 

 image: our shadows reflected on the sandstone rocks just as the last of the light welcomed the new morning

Carolyn and I ventured down to Yena this morning in an endeavour to catch the elusive sunrise which always appears on work days but rarely during my holidays. It was another early start and I was prepared to be disappointed and wake to a cloudy sky, but the weather was perfect, just a touch of an Autumn breeze to disturb the still air. The waves were high and loud and from first light we were thrilled with the colour on the water and rocks. It is an arresting sight looking back towards the city of Sydney, the juxtaposition of Nature's water and craggy rocks against the Man's modern skyscrapers. There are many places to explore with a seemingly endless number of compositions possible. The natural colours are so spectacular that there is really no need to process the images other than a crop or resize.

image: the city can be seen above the breaking waves in the distance

 I'm no longer one for deep red sunrises, preferring the less saturated colour combinations. We spent more than two hours photographing the location as the light lasted for an extended period and bathed the rocks in the most beautiful golden light. It is my favourite time of the morning and there were so many interesting subjects and compositions: a tiny tug guiding in the large tanker;  seagulls cavorting in the rockpools filled to the brim with clean rainwater;  waterfalls cascading down the rockshelves in between waves;  golden light shining on the windows of the city skyscrapers giving it the appearance of a golden city; a spectacular cloudy sky and natural vegetation reflected in the clean and clear rockpools: fluffy white and pink clouds floating in a rich blue sky; the iridescent sheen created on the rocks by receding waves; and of course those magnificent rock formations with the morning light sculpting large stone faces on the hillsides.