Bike ride, Melbourne

One of these days I'll hook a camera on the bicycle and try to youtube the ride to the city. It's pretty, interesting, scenic. Half the fun in going into the city with a camera is getting there on a bicycle. The ride takes me roughly 1.5hours vs half an hour in the car. Felt like a good opportunity to unwind and burn some chocolate energy. Especially on a perfectly still blue-sky 22 degree day in Autumn.

I try to get something different each time I take the camera out. I still see perfect moments and forget (or am not ready) to click the shutter. If you neglect this 'art' you definitely slow down. Even if you're not artistic and I don't think I really am but I try. And it's good to walk and breath the air either way.

I usually take two cameras. One, an inconspicuous compact fixed 35mm focal length which usually takes most of the shots. The other a compact with a zoom lens just in case. Only used the zoom lens to compress the buttons on the concrete block (see lower down). Anyhow, here are some of my favs from today. Enjoy!

Such a good looking Tram, they should expect to have their pictures taken!

Spectacular new artwork on the old Nylex Silos.

This guy has incredibly strong fingers, hand, arm. He could do one-handed push up to his finger tips and then rotate his body. The word "Incredible" comes to mind.

They seem to like it (the pic they took)

Melbourne is now littered with huge concrete blocks intended to deter crazy people in vehicles running down pedestrians. Most blocks have been decorated by the creatively inspired. Some more inspired than others. This must be one of the more intricate ones, adorned with colourful buttons!

Everyone in Melbourne should have an umbrella cause you never know when... 

The Princes Bridge Hotel. Generally less photographed than it should be. Because we all focus on Flinders Street Station (just opposite - and in the background here). I still haven't a perfect shot at this place. Will keep trying.

So now I can repair my bike if it breaks down. In theory. Suspect all I'd be able to do is pump a tyre. But it's better than nothing and it's free!

Iphone pano from underneath the highway. No edits. Not perfect. But you get the idea. They are huge!

Supafish. Floating restaurant and recent addition to Southbank. It appears to be very popular, both with diners and photographers taken by the clever fish-like-skeletal structure. As you can see the leaves have begun to fall. It's Autumn!

Photographing POWERFUL OWLS (and other birds)

It can be difficult to be motivated to pick up a camera and go out looking for pics. Street, no, don't feel creative. Landscape, no, what landscape. Seascape, no, too far in the car. Birds, no won't find anything. Whatever, excuses come easily. Sometimes it feels like it isn't warm enough to step out. How can it already be Autumn?!

But at least it's Good Friday so I could grab a much needed sleep in. Then I hauled the big lens into Dandenong Valley Wetlands. Hoping to find a Raptor hunting. Walked 3km slowly but after an hour I had seen nothing except two Magpies and a handful of Fairy-wrens. Returned home and lazed around some more feeling... no motivation.

Gave it a break for few hours... then thought maybe I could find the Powerful Owls. There are supposed to be at least one family of three at the moment. This explore was worth it. First a delightful Silvereye singing its heart out. Delighted because it had found such delicious berries. I wondered where the others were. Maybe that was why it kept calling. There had been others near by but a family had wandered through a minute earlier and they had all moved away. I think this one I photographed had become separated, left behind. I'm sure it caught up.

Then I found two of the three Owls. Turns out the one Owl has a taste for feathers. Red Wattlebird, I think. Previously I've seen them with left-over Ringtail Possum. But not a bird!

Oh, well, I guess Owls have to live too; and there are always plenty of Red Wattlebirds around; and very few Powerful Owls. It is an absolute blessing to be able to spot and photograph these magnificent huge Owls. They are classified as endangered in Victoria. If you read this far I hope you enjoy!

It tastes so good!

Hey everyone, the berries are delicious!

Hey where are you guys?

Powerful Owl, holding on to left-over Red Wattlebird!

Taking a look at my lens. Look at those huge talons!

Gorgeous eyes that see in the dark!

Returning to London Bridge

They say you should go back. And practice makes perfect. I don't know about perfection. But I'd like to think I get better... and it's fun. Once again I was alone on this beach. That's a surreal feeling. It's such an extraordinary place. And a mesmerising place to be alone. Tonight my favourite shots were taken a few minutes before and a few minutes after sunset. It's officially Autumn. The leaves are beginning to fall in my street. But it was warm enough on the beach. Even the water lapping around my feet was... lovely. Anyone want to dust off a camera and join me next time?

Five minutes after sunset. So calm. 16mm 6s F8 ISO64 & a 6-Stop ND64 Filter

Sunset at 19:57 21mm 0.5s F16 ISO 64

The light! 19:48 22mm 1/15th F11 ISO64

The sea is a savage! 19:36 21mm 0.5s F18 ISO64

Keyhole Rock, Blairgowrie : It's wild here

Yes it's a little wild. Even at low tide. People climb up the rocks and leap into a perfectly sheltered natural rock pool while photogeeks try to time their clicks to catch fleeting moments when waves and light coincide sweetly. Hopefully.

One gets one's feet wet and one tries not to get one's camera gear splashed. But at least for the humans, the water was wonderfully warm this evening. Enjoy!

(Oh, for the record, I met one other photographer here this evening. His name was Mark. From Mornington. Mark if you read this whenever, leave a comment. Who knows, we'll find ourselves photographing the same sunset again one day.)

Cliff jumpers linger to enjoy the sunset

Sunset as a wave surges over the rocky shelf

And the day begins to fade

20:15 Just a couple of minutes after sunset.

Insane sunset at London Bridge, Portsea

Everyone says everything is insane these days. What's insane is that nobody else was out to photograph this evening. It felt surreal being the only person on such an isolated beach. It's an amazing place. But not insane. Some have suggested that it could be dangerous here because there are signs nearby warning of "Unexploded bombs!". However, I doubt it. Although I was alone tonight there remained many footprints on the beach and none ended abruptly. But I digress.

The sunset was beautiful. The sky wasn't super dramatic. But it was still a blessing to be close to the raging ocean clicking away on the shutter as the sun sank beneath the waves. Here are a few clicks.

A ten second shot at 20:08 (7 minutes to sunset)

A 0.8s shot at 19:50 (25 minutes before sunset)

Sunset (1/3s)

Through the looking glass (3s exposure at 19:47. Cropped, no other edits).

The Sky, Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary

When I left work it was obvious something was going on above. I kept looking up as I made the one hour drive home. I grabbed a very quick bite to eat. Then the camera and went down to Ricketts. Ricketts seemed like an ideal choice given the lack of time (it's only 35 minutes from home) and because there are often pools of standing water. Pools can reflect the sky. As it turned out there was far less pooled water than on previous visits. That limited choices. But I'm happy anyway with the composition and thrilled with how the sky came alive a few minutes after sunset. I don't know how many of these we'll get in a lifetime. But this would be one of the better ones for me. What a blessing to be out on a beach / marine sanctuary on a perfect 22 degree evening. And not alone. At least six gorgeous Pelicans and three beautiful Black Swans were out enjoying the show. I wished I could fly to and fro like the Swans. 

Six Pelicans in heaven ( shot with the iPhone - no edits )

A wider view ( handheld iPhone pano - no edits )

A three minute exposure at sunset ( with an ND64 filter and a graduated ND8 filter )

Exploring the Mornington Peninsula

I won't bore you with extensive details. But to really explore the Mornington Peninsula would take many days, weeks, even months. I went down to Portsea and photographed an interesting jetty at Shelley Beach. Then I skipped to the 'Ocean' side and made my way to "London Bridge" where several spectacular rock formations can be found and explored. Preferably at low tide. I shot it at 0.4m.

Next I visited Bridgewater Bay, at Blairgowrie (Ocean Beach) to try to photograph the "Keyhole" rock. Unless one descends the cliff face near the subject (not advisable) this location is best approached at or near low tide. Walk down the steps to the beach, then turn left and cross the rocky shelf. Take strong water capable shoes. Depending on conditions and how close you wish to get, this could be a very challenging location to photograph well. One must watch the sea. So preset almost everything (on the camera) and then quickly approach the target (well there would be many options but my target was quite near to the incoming waves), position tripod down, level camera asap, and get a handful of shots. Then grab the gear and retreat. Tide was nearer to 0.5m and really would have been better a little lower. I feel like I didn't totally nail the focus in my favourite shot. In fact I made more mistakes than I would if I'd been there before. So I'll be back soon.

I guess I'll be learning all about swell size soon as it also impacts how one can / cannot shoot at sea-level locations. 

Cliff Jumping at Keyhole Rock, Blairgowrie

The edge of the world, Portsea

London Bridge, Portsea

London Bridge, Portsea

Square-shaped Jetty, Shelley Beach, Portsea

Mordialloc harbour views

Work remains busy and the air outside oppressively warm for days. Lethargy seeps in by the ends so it gets hard to be motivated for an evening shoot. But the sky looked interesting this evening. So I took the camera and tripod to Mordialloc creek and had a go. It (the sky) didn't happen. But I took a few shots anyway and waited to catch a train crossing the bridge over the creek as it left the local station. Not an amazing evening. But there's just something about being near the water in the evening. It's impossible to photograph the refreshing sea air / breeze that beats being inside a hot house on a warm summer night!

A boat motors toward the rail bridge as a train leaves Mordialloc station.

A small boat passing by The Bridge Hotel, Mordialloc

Small boats, tied up for the night

Lunar Eclipse 31 January - 1 February

I bet many people were late for work today. I struggled to wake up after dreaming half the night of flying in a spaceship to the moon which proves that the full moon can make one mad. Especially when it's blood red. And it was. Better than I've ever seen. On a clear sky night. I should have gone to a special location to shoot this 'once in a 35 years' experience. But the need to be at work today won out. So many pics were captured from my backyard. And I quit around 12:45.

Total Eclipse, 12:33 AM (Melbourne)

Over half way, 11:33PM 31Jan2018

Just getting started, 10:44PM 31 Jan 2018

Great Ocean Road 21-22 January

"The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford." (Wikipedia).

Two days are not enough to scratch the surface of an adventure along this aptly-named road. But we did what we could stopping first to admire the spectacular views and lighthouse at Aireys Inlet and to enjoy a coffee before stop-go-stop-go-tripping our way along the gorgeous coastal route to Apollo Bay. Apart from many road-side pauses we also took a rest break at Lorne and to admire that wonderful Pier.

One shouldn't under-estimate the hours needed to do justice to this trip. We had to skip through Apollo Bay before heading inland. We paused for breath-taking views at Castle-Cove Lookout where Sue (my Cousin) and I competed for best pano-shot of the road sweeping down to the lovely green valley we'd just ascended from. I think Sue won.

Then from the lookout at Castle Cove to Lavers Hill and then seemed to be even more road-work restrictions than before between LH and our first key photo priority, The Gibson Steps and those two marvellous old offshore limestone stacks.

(We were side-tracked for 30 minutes by my obsession with birds to shoot a flock of gorgeous Royal Spoonbills chilling out on a lovely calm lake at Princetown. Princetown has a neat cafe and that proved an ideal time for our second coffee) and an experiment with iPhone time-lapsing that had passing motorists bemused as I'd stuck the iPhone on a tripod in the (very quiet) road beside the cafe.

Then to the Gibson Steps. They are brilliantly built into the cliff face. Amazing. Must do. After walking the beach and cheating incoming waves beneath the Gibson Steps we skipped the "12" Apostles, checked in our bags at "The Great Western" in Port Campbell, before returning later to the "12" for the sunset that wasn't. Even though the Apostles are worth a visit in any weather we (and a few dozen other Sunday evening observers) probably felt slightly cheated by the stubborn clouds that wouldn't let through the sun.

I returned at Dawn to find what looked, at first, the same overcast conditions. The sun first rose into the clouds. But then, suddenly, a gap was found, and so streamed through the glorious rays I'd hoped to capture. So many pics were then taken by me and a handful of other early wakers that our camera batteries and memory cards surely suffered. Extremely bright sunlight in one part of an image where much of the rest lies in shadows is challenging. Add to that the constant movement of the waves and... well you inevitably keep shooting hoping to get one with just the right wave-timing and, wow, the sun-rays kept falling in slightly different areas, lighting up clouds of sea-spray above the distant cliffs. What a morning. I'm still working through images, but I've shared at least one here.

After breakfast we checked out making our way to Loch Ard Gorge. Wave conditions there were so ferocious one would well appreciate why only two young adults (Tom and Eva) survived that tragic ship wreck. Leave yourself at least 4 to 5 hours to see all of Loch Ard Gorge; we rushed through in about 1.5 and then returned to Port Campbell for a much needed mid-morning coffee before proceeding to the lookout above PC; then to "The Arch"; then to "London Bridge" and lastly, "The Grotto". All of these are unmissable. As would be The Bay of Islands and Bay of Martyrs (just beyond the scenic sleepy Peterborough). But we had to miss BOI and BOM due to time constraints. We cheated and returned to Melbourne in 3.5hours (instead of 5.5 hours) by taking the inland route home. Ok i've written far too much (as much as a diary for myself), so time for some pics in no particular order. More may be added in due course. Some may end up in the "Gallery" also.

Dawn at the Twelve Apostles (looking East toward the Gibson Steps)

Aireys Inlet Lighthouse and a misty moody Sky

Early Monday Morning, Twelve Apostles ( those that still stand )

On the beach, at Loch Ard Gorge

An argument at the dinner table!

A swim at Lorne Pier (not one of us !)

Misty Ocean looking East from Castle Cove lookout

Royal Spoonbills (4) Ibis (3) and many others at Princetown

A walk in the mist, Gibson Steps

Misty almost raining at Gog and Magog? Love this place in any weather!

Sunday evening, almost dark (7 minutes before the sunset that wasn't) .. still love the atmosphere!

Ocean chewing at The Arch

The Pounding! (at The Arch)

An Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard (parking area at The Arch) (thanks Sue!)

Images from London Bridge and The Grotto may be added later. It's getting late for now.

Thanks so much to Susan, Haydn, Debbie for choosing to trip down this awesome section of Australian coast with me. I hope we can do it again one day. I'll be back!

SUNSET AT MORDIALLOC

We've been blessed with a few beautiful sunsets recently. So at the last minute I decided to have a go at getting one in a new location. Not necessarily a good idea. 

It takes 27 minutes to drive from my house to Mordialloc Pier. That's what Apple Maps said. But then I needed to track further along the bay to locate an ideal vantage point to capture the sun setting behind the Pier. Once I'd found said spot I had about 2 minutes to whip the camera from the bag and land it on the tripod. The first shot was my favourite because of how the water/waves 'fell'. But it's hard to choose. Anyone who's tried photographing water knows every shot is different and unique and you may need to take quite a few to get one that feels just right. Ideal shutter speeds range from, maybe, 1/5 to 2/3 of a second. So here are 3 shots taken within seconds of each other around 20:41pm just as the sun reached the horizon. And one or two taken a little later.

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 28mm F16 1/5s ISO64

Seagull makes a cross (top left), Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier 35mm F16 1/8s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 35mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Sunset behind Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 0.4s ISO64

Gulls swimming at Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1/6s ISO64

Dreams begin, Mordialloc Pier, 24mm F16 1.6s ISO64 GND3Stops

Darkness falls, Mordialloc, 17mm F9 2.5s ISO64

Exploring Flinders Blowhole

I've been on holiday for two weeks. But this, second, week was destroyed by a nasty infection that would have ended me if not for the discovery of antibiotics on Friday 28 September 1928. That must have been a very good Friday with so many millions of lives saved.

Friday 5 January 2018 was a beautiful sunny 27c day with hardly any wind and the first day I felt strong enough to head to the beach and explore. Well, to be precise, Flinders Blowhole, at which there is a small sandy beach, but, mostly rocks, some spectacular boulders, and some pretty rock pools.

Here, then, are some of the photographs. Taken in the middle of the day. Not the ideal time of day for photography. But, whatever, here they are.

Waiting for the right wave

Never turn your back on a monster..

The view is worth it

Reflections in a super tranquil rock pool

Those waves

From crazy to calm

That tree

That rock has such interesting layers

Flaming sky

I loved these colours. And there's a fisherman down there!

Fresh from the sand

Melbourne, the day before Christmas Eve

I collected a print from the Photo Shop in Port Melbourne. Left that in the car. But it felt like a good day for a walk. So the car stayed and I walked north, toward the city. It's only 4km. I knocked off 2km's on foot; then trammed it to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre (in Docklands). Then I photo-walked the city. All pics were taken with the one small 35mm-lensed camera over a handful of hours. I made my way up to Bourke Street Mall and lingered till nearly 9pm to try to photograph the (how many hundreds must there be) Christmas lanterns illuminated against the evening sky. It takes so long to get dark when you're in a hurry!

Melbourne conveniently showered us with summer evening rain providing some neat reflections too. Afterwards I took the tram back to Port Melbourne. Following instinct to know when to hop off as I've never taken that route before and now it was completely dark.

Stepping onto the platform I opened my maps app and the clever thing offered "Directions to your parked car" as first option. So I clicked that, finding it was parked only 300m away. I hadn't even told it where i'd parked. But it knew. How good is that!

A merry, blessed Christmas, everybody!

Everyone's getting in the last minute shopping.

Melbourne Town Hall, all wrapped up for Christmas.

Gingerbread Village!

Long line for the Gingerbread Village

The rapid art of making bicycles, Swanston Street

Bicycles (not yet complete) in a row

Girls and horses, horses and girls!

Priorities!

iphones and Ice creams, double trouble at Fed Square

What would we do without them?

Santa's Ferrari (maybe the reindeer are in the back)!

Some kind of street life. Christmas time must feel so hard for many.

For others it's a purfect world!

Catching a beautiful new multi-coloured tram

Why are they taking so long?!

Wouldn't be Melbourne if it didn't also rain on a sunny day!

Hundreds of lights!

Instant candid of this guy. Then I handed him $5 donation and he gave me a "free" fidget spinner and reindeer gear. Just one of so many great youngsters donating their time to a good cause. There is hope.

Brighton Beach - 18 November 2017

So I went back to Brighton Beach this evening because we'd enjoyed a repeat of the previous afternoon's thunderstorm. Except today's was borderline epic. And I had a hunch the evening sky would be too. So I returned to the beach, arriving about half an hour before sundown.

I was rewarded with a marvellous sky that kept transforming from tone to tone as the sun worked its way first out and then back behind various clouds before eventually setting beneath the horizon shortly after 8pm. But the magic continued. They always say you shouldn't give up on a sunset too soon. Just like you shouldn't be late for the sky.

"Schoolies" week officially began yesterday (Friday 17th) with the year 12 exams all finishing by now. It seems I'd chosen the best vantage point (just in front of a fence behind the bathing boxes) to enjoy the sunset and the colourful bathing boxes because a small group of youngsters gathered behind me. I hadn't even noticed them until one said "excuse me, would you like an ice cream .. we've got one or two too many!". I politely refused. Would feel like taking candy from... oh, well. Still their simple generosity surprised me and they were genuinely interested in seeing some of the pics of the sunset because they'd arrived (no doubt train) too late. One even asked what the square (graduated) filter was for and quickly understood when I told him it's to help balance the sky vs the darker land below. Wow, there's hope for the future after all!

Anyway, back to the pics. I was blessed to get some of the best beach pics I could have hoped for. I've put two in the "Beach" gallery. And i'll put an abstract and one of silhouetted photo-taking strangers enjoying the atmosphere without realising what great silhouetted subjects they were for my point-and-shoot.

Everyone enjoys an epic ending.

Brighton Beach - 17 November 2017

It stormed this afternoon and hailstones pelted down. After the rain the sun came out. And I decided to take a chance on an evening sky. I made my way to Brighton beach thinking of photographing the famous boxes set against a sunset sky.

It's hard to go wrong photographing Brighton beach. There are so many multicoloured boxes. Always people about having fun. Drones in the sky. Pro-photographers photographing clients. Ok, it gets a little busy, but it's still hard to come away without at least a couple of shots.

Here are one or a few from this evening.

Seaford Pier - 9 November 2017

I took the bike bicycle out after work. That's when I saw how the sky was building toward a marvellous evening.

As soon as I reached home I grabbed the camera bag and the car keys  and rushed to my nearest beach, Seaford Pier. 

My feet reached the sand about ten minutes before sunset. Just in time to enjoy an awesome display and capture some shots.