In the corners

Cape Du Couedic Lighthouse - Kangaroo Island SA


Couldn't resist the classic lead in. The road glistened, just being soaked by the intermittent rain that was falling throughout the day. I was almost tempted to give the Nissan Micra hire car a little run through the corners but I might save that for this weekend at Bathurst.


Settings:
Camera     Nikon D3x
Lens         Carl Zeiss 50mm
Exposure  1/60
Aperture    13
Filters        0.9 Soft Grad
Frames      6

Silent Spring

On our drive back from Phillip Island we had to take a detour and got a little lost, we came across this town called Morwell thats big on power stations and mining. The place is full of towers which let off huge plumes of steam, as you can see in the distance, and actually create their own eco systems. I love the way the tree is leaning towards the power station in the background. I feel this is one of my best panoramic images, it was totally unplanned and found by accident and has such meaning, aside from being just a purely beautiful image in its own right. I've called it 'Silent Spring' as a nod to Rachel Carson's revolutionary book released in the 60s which is credited with launching the environmental movement.  

Welcome

I came kicking and screaming but I've finally been convinced to start a blog, in which I intend to rant about camera equipment, techniques and my travels capturing this amazing planet on film and disc. I'm putting up a bit of history to start with, my all time favourite images, with some interesting copy about them, which I hope you enjoy.
I look forward to sharing my passion with you.
T.

The Temple Of Dawn

Bangkok is a vibrant city full of unexpected sights, sounds, tastes and smells. Buddhist temples offer a quiet retreat and Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn is a stunning example. The central pagoda is about 80 meters tall and symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, center of the universe. The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prangs, dedicated to the wind god Phra Phai. These prangs are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which were used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China in the 18th Century. You can see them glistening and sparkling as they catch the final rays of the sunset in this image of the beautiful Buddhist temple calmly overlooking the busy Chao Phraya River.

River City

Kangaroo Point, a narrow tongue of land bordered on three sides by the Brisbane river is a great vantage point to capture the beautiful capital city of Queensland. The water and skyscrapers still possess the deep mid blue of evening light as a new day dawns and the tropical sun begins to warm a cloudless sky in preparation of a beautiful day.

The Brisbane river was an important fishing ground for the traditional landholders, the Turrbal Nation aboriginals and evaded discovery by the well known European explorers. In 1823 however, four ticket-of-leave convicts set sail from Sydney on a timber getting expedition. Heading south their boat was caught in a ferocious storm which swept them out to sea and blew them up the coast for 21 days. Exposed to the elements and disorientated, one man died but the others made it to land and began trekking north in search of Sydney whereupon they stumbled across the huge Brisbane river and subsequently became the first Europeans to discover it.

Eight months later John Oxley, Surveyor General of NSW sailed into Moreton Bay. His surprise is recorded in his diary entry:
"We rounded the point and observed a number of natives running along the beach towards the vessel, the foremost much lighter in colour than the rest. We were to the last degree astonished when he came abreast the vessel to hear him hail us in good English."


Only two of the shipwrecked men survived, the third had continued to travel north in search of Sydney and was never heard of again.

Little Brother

On the day this image was taken the weather was tricky and it had been a difficult morning with not much to show for our efforts. Then, on our journey home we happened to see these two mangrove trees sitting alone but together in the gentle waters near Woody Point. To us these trees perfectly symbolised the unique bond we share as brothers.

This is a rare image in my collection as most of the time I feel the image of nature itself is enough, but my background in graphic design prompted me to add one more element to this shot, the white bird, which to me symbolises new beginnings. It has since become one of my favourite images.

Dry Ice

In this disposable generation its hard to fathom the age of these magnificent rocks that form the headland of Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Over 22 million years ago a huge volcanic eruption spewed lava towards the Pacific which slowly cooled and contracted into unusual columns of rock. Most of the columns have collapsed into the sea, a remnant of one is all that remains here in this 6 frame panorama, but the massive boulders of basalt are now a fortress of defence for Burleigh Head National Park, protecting it from erosion by the sea. The matt black of the rocks are a wonderful contrast to the pale open sky and soft misty ocean which inspired the name of the image, Dry Ice.