Southern Coast Meetup

A first outing with the Not Only Black And White Meetup Group titled " Southern Exposure - day trip with pools". The aim was to visit the coastal pools between Coalcliff and Port Kembla.  I'm not an admirer of built pools, always preferring the natural rock variety. However the Meetup was an opportunity to connect with like minded people and I preceived it as a challenge to be able to capture a creative image so it was a great learning opportunity.  As the meeting time was 9 a.m I decided to have an earlier start and dropped in at Bald Hill where I spent some time photographing the paragliders.  

The group's first stop was Coalcliff.

 The time was later than optimum, the light was brighter than optimum and the pool was full of club sprinters so it was difficult to capture a satisfactory shot. 

The pebbled shore and rock formations provided other opportunities to experiment with compositions and light shards shimmered on the surface of the ocean and shore, always elusive to capture digitally.

 

Wombarra is always a rewarding location as there are large boulders, rock shelves, and the wave flow can be exciting on a large swell day. Tide was mid height and some interesting reflections were created in the many small rock pools on the shelves.  

The tall order for the group remained unfulfilled as there was much of interest to occupy us at each location and of course there was the distraction of a delicious lunch at the "The Black Duck Restaurant",  hosted within the Scarborough/Wombarra Bowling Club. Certainly an inauspicious looking location but we were impressed by the flavour and size of each item on the menu and the service was efficient and friendly.

Next stop was Austinmer where the pool looked like a bomb site as they are doing some sort of renovations to the swimming pools, so observing families amusing themselves in the natural rock pools was the name of the game.

Due to a small misadventure three of us detoured to Gloucester Boulevarde where we discovered a great little natural rock pool. Unfortunately we were called away to meet up with the rest of the group at Flinders St. to observe the smoke streaming out of the enormous funnels at the Steel Works so that exciting little location will have to wait for another day.

Mount Wilson Sleeps

Never say never. Yet another trip to Mount Wilson in an attempt to drain every last drop of beauty from the Autumn season. First of all Carolyn put my rainbow umbrella to good use.

Colour At Mt. Wilson

A fourth visit to Mt. Wilson this year and each time there is something of beauty to impress. The colour has left the main avenues but there are still intense colours to be found along the side streets and in all the gardens. The red and white mushroom (Amanita muscaria) which grow almost exclusively beneath pine trees are still dotted through the pine needles along the roadsides and in the private gardens. 

We discovered a new location in Breenhold Gardens which is perhaps the most impressive of any location I've seen in all the years I've visited. Two contrasting stone pathways meander from the wisteria arbour down towards the lower level. Named the Acer and Laburnum steps they are created of slate stones and festooned with a myriad of tiny maple shaped leaves. The sunlight radiates through the rich golden and orange branches creating a shimmering dappled light which illuminates the carpeted steps and ornate bench. 

 The Laburnum Steps

The Acer Steps 

The Autumn colours lend themselves beautifully to Impressionist interpretations

Fitzroy Falls Delivers

Sydney has been hit by heavy rains again but we didnt let it ruin our plans for a photo excursion. Travelling via Audley Weir where the foliage had been pretty much flattened we decided to head to Mittagong on the hunt for colour once again. First we had a brief stopover at Wattamolla where the Falls were flowing but unfortunately it was high tide so access to the shore was blocked spoiling the classic composition. 

The colour at Mittagong and then Sutton Forest was scattered throughout the region and we were lucky enough to sight a peaceful leaf strewn driveway after taking a slight detour. 

Driving on the less travelled feeder roads always produces some unexpected treasures. 

On the trip towards home we stopped by Fitzroy Falls. The previous time I visited this location, the view of the falls had been obscured by foliage, but this appears to have been removed. The rangers have done a wonderful job of maintaining this area and it is invigorating to be surrounded by our beautiful native trees and plants. The initial view from the first viewing platform was unfortunately hindered by the information plaque. 

Access to the next viewing platform was down a series of steps but provided an uninterrupted view of the entire Falls. We only had time to grab a reconn shot of the Falls before the rain drove us back towards the car.

To Exeter And Back

Memories of the beautiful colour last year in Exeter had me hoping to catch the last of the Autumn colour. Although a reasonably long drive, many interesting locations can be visited en route: Moss Vale, Mittagong, Bowral, Berrima and Sutton Forest to name a few. Sutton Forest has some magnificent horse studs and the driveways are usually gravel and lined with trees. Unfortunately the poplars were well past their best, but the drive was still worthwhile.
Whenever I'm 'out and about' I always receive an unexpected bonus. The bonus today was some young lambs frolicking after their mums. Unfortunately sheep seem to be easily spooked and ewes and lambs ran off before I could grab an interesting shot of a tiny young lamb.

The Lure Of The Red Mushroom

Was drawn back to Mt. Wilson to try yet again to capture the beauty of the red mushrooms with white spots. I was also hoping that there may have been some deeper colour in what was left of the leaves after the recent deluge which hit parts of NSW.  These large red mushrooms have intrigued me since being introduced to them in childhood fictional tales such as "Noddy and Big Ears".  Perhaps their greatest fascination stems from having lived in an imaginary world fuelled by  bedtime stories read by my mum, where these mushrooms sheltered wee folk.

  Wikipedia describes the mushrooms:

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, associating with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Although classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare.

  This year the mushrooms could even be seen along the roadside and beneath the trees in Cathedral Reserve.

We knew however to return to Breenhold Private Gardens . 

 I felt I would have guaranteed success for my hunt beneath the gigantic chestnut tree in Breenhold and I wasn't disappointed. The tree is located in a sheltered corner near the front fence.

 Sadly all of the chestnuts had fallen and deteriorated and the colour had passed its peak but it is still indeed a magnificent tree and I doubt any photo could do it justice.

Turimetta At Last

Many people have written about the beauty of Turimetta as a photographic location so I made my way down there with a friend in order to see what all the fuss was about. The major disadvantage is the distance from home, more apparent on the return journey when traffic is heavy. The beach was a a lot smaller than I'd expected however there were some great rock shelves which created impressive kickup from the incoming waves. As with all coastal locations the perspective changes greatly dependent on tide and from a higher vantage point I was able to clearly see a channel between the selves which would create a great leading line given the right conditions. The clouds were not well positioned this morning and it was difficult to establish a stable location for my tripod so long exposures with my new 16 stop filter weren't possible. Many of the images lent themseleves to some mirroring.

 

Searching For Signs Of Autumn

It's always difficult to gauge the best time for a visit to Mt. Wilson in the Blue Mountains. Too early and all is green, too late and all is on the ground. Mt. Wilson is one of the most scenic locations during the Autumn, however being about a 2 hour drive from home, not the sort of place suitable for regular trips. Our first trip was a little too early this year. Although there were pockets of colour, strangely enough many leaves had already fallen and lay brown on the ground. The large chestnut tree in Breenhold Gardens had already shed many of its chestnuts and they lay rotting on the ground beneath. 

We were however rewarded for out trip when we discovered the large red mushrooms with white spots. I'd located these the previous year after following directions from the Breenhold gardener and had not been pleased with the shots I captured, so we were lucky to have another opportunity.

Some enormous samples littered the ground beneath both the pine avenue and the chestnut tree which kept us occupied for a long period.

We visited the Cathedral Of Ferns but were unable to walk very far as it was very muddy underfoot.

Sydney Icons Walk

The Sydney Photo Fun Meetup group linked up at Milson's Point for the Sydney Icons Walk.  The Opera House, perhaps the most well recognised icon, looks resplendent in the Golden Hour. This shot was taken from the ferry on the way to Milsons Point wharf.

The weather was perfect for the task but unfortunately there was a large barge with a particularly unattractive cargo which seemed to always be in the foreground irrespective of location.

Luna Park is always a difficult subject because there is so much foreground and background clutter. I guess the challenge is what makes it more exciting. 

And perhaps most obvious of all and one of the most over photographed of Sydney's icons,  the over arching Sydney Harbour Bridge

Choose A Colour

This weekend I joined the Sydney Street Photographers' Meetup Group in the city. The challenge was to select a colour from a hat and then walk from Hyde Park towards Circular Quay snapping shots along the route which were predominantly the chosen colour. I drew brown which wasn't particularly inspiring but nevertheless it provided a focus for the day's shoot and was something I'd not participated in previously. 

Up until just recently I've not been a fan of portrait shots but I find myself becoming increasingly drawn to candid shots, particularly of children. The challenge is to capture them making eye contact and standing relatively still.

St. Mary's Cathedral was yet another opportunity for some iconic subjects. It is always intriguing to observe the architectural contrast between the old and new.

The three hours allocated for the task passed quickly indeed, mainly because I allowed myself to be continually distracted by the amazing Moreton Bay fig trees dotted through our city. Walking past the gigantic fig trees just outside Hyde Park Barracks I was delighted to see some demonic faces hidden in the trunk's folds. Faces in the trees are always a highpoint of a city walk.

 

Possibly the most exciting facet of the walk was observing the hundreds of fallen crinkled golden leaves which herald the pending arrival of Autumn, my very favourite Season.