Shelly Beach

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
1s f/16.0  iso100

Several weeks later I returned for sunset with clouds in the sky, only to discover my new favourite foreground rocks had been engulfed by sand from some recent big surf. I spent the afternoon  looking for close ups of the many interesting rock patterns on the walls of the headland. For the record somebody had cloned out the graffiti for real and the natural beauty had been restored.

Rock Abstract

 Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
4s f/11.0  iso100

Mt Ninderry is my local iconic focal point and a good location for a last-minute photo shoot. On the way home from a family afternoon the clouds caught my eye. So I went straight back out – although the sky didn’t live up to expectations I got a shot I was pleased with.

Mt Ninderry

 Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
0.6s f/16.0  iso100

My wife and I recently spent a Saturday morning climbing Mt Cooroy in the north of the Sunshine Coast. Having viewed it many times it was great to reach the summit. The trip was designed for exploration rather than photography but in the shaded forest of the mountain I found a close up of a tree trunk that caught my eye. The aim was to take a series of shots to focus stack the final image but my 24-105L lens failed giving me an error message – I took 3 shots before the lens gave up completely still needing a couple more to cover the whole range of focus. I’ve included the image here – but as you will notice it is soft in certain areas. The lens has now been couriered off to Canon. Keep you posted.

Bark Detail

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
6s f/16.0 at 90.0mm  iso100

During July I visited Mapleton State forest and explored an area of it I’ve not visited before. It is home to one of the lesser known local waterfalls of the forest, Gheerulla Falls. They are in a scenic corner of the forest that would be even more impressive after a rainfall. We are nearing the end of a very dry ‘dry season’ therefore only a trickle of water was flowing over the rock face. I photographed the falls from numerous vantage points for later review as I will be back to photograph these falls in the future.

Gheerulla Falls

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
13s f/22 iso100

Further downstream I discovered an enchanting scene with an old twisted Tallowwood tree growing out of a dry creek bed. With its gnarled character it stood out against the backdrop of the surrounding forest making it a great subject to photograph.

Gnarled Gumtree

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
6s f/11.0 iso100

The following week I returned to the same part of the forest to complete a 22km walk to really get a feel for this forest. A bright sunny winters day was perfect for walking but not for photography. I photographed Gheerulla Falls again fine tuning compositions before starting the long walk. There was whole range of very different scenes along the way which I look forward to capturing with more time and less harsh conditions and next time I will lighten my load as 10.5kg was too much of a burden.

A couple of weeks ago I photographed an early morning view of Baroon Pocket Dam from the top of the Blackall Range. A thick layer of fog was lying on the water making it as wintery a scene as you will find in south east Queensland.

Baroon Pocket Dam

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
1s f/16.0 at 60.0mm iso100

SALT’s  winter edition (a quality lifestyle – tourism magazine) has been out for several weeks now and has one of my images for its double spread front cover. The magazine usually uses well known Australian Landscape photographers Peter Lik, Christian Fletcher and Nick Rains – so it was satisfying to see my work presented in the same way.

The magazine is circulated throughout The Sunshine Coast and parts of Brisbane. It can be viewed online at www.saltmagazine.com.au - click  ‘online mag’ to read the publication.

I have been out with the camera a couple of times over the last week – it feels good to be back in the great outdoors – so there will be something new very shortly.

For how I visualized the final image it meant getting wet – no problem – I get wet most times that I photograph the coast. I also needed to get low to emphasize the size of the waves on the horizon before they broke – this required some courage (or stupidity) as the surf was extremely erratic with remarkable force in its surge and my camera was only inches away from the surface. This image doesn’t show the highest surf – in some of the exposures I took it completely engulfed the ledge. I found a solid position for each of the tripods legs – they were placed in a small crack or crevice – this meant I could hold pressure down on the tripod without fear of the legs slipping. Otherwise the sea would’ve certainly pushed my gear over. Most times when I have my tripod in the surf it’s enough to keep my hands around the camera during exposures – ready to catch my gear if needed. On this occasion a more hands on approach was needed – literally.

Sea Fever

Canon EOS 5D Mark II,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
0.6s f/16.0 iso50

I know next to nothing about poetry but while I was surrounded by the saltwater, immersed in its power, the poem ‘Sea Fever’ by John Masefield entered my head. The poem is my favourite – other than Spike Milligans poems I wouldn’t know many more. I love how it evokes feelings in a way that you can almost smell and hear the sea. The title of the image was resolved there and then – before the image had even left the camera.

Now this is a little cheesy – but as I’ve shared with you how the title came to be, I can’t really mention a poem and not share it. I will never do this again – I promise.

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again,

to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship

and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song

and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face

and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again,

for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call

that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day

with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume,

and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again

to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way

where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn

from a laughing fellow rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream

when the long trick’s over.

- John Masefield

My family joined me on this visit. While I was having the time of my life up to my waist in rushing surf my two young children – supervised by my wife – were also having the time of their lives running around up to their waists in sea-foam. This shot is the same ledge photographed a little later and from an angle I’m more used to.

Pt Arkwright Dusk

Canon EOS 5D Mark II,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
8s f/16.0 iso100

After climbing down into the bay I took a minute to absorb the view and let my senses become attuned to the nuances of the scene. This ended rather quickly with the emergence of a rainbow. I swiftly got my camera out of the backpack and set up. The TS-E 24mm lens was on the camera so I went with that – I soon realised that it wasn’t wide enough to include any foreground from the position I was in. I felt I hadn’t got enough time to start hunting around for a great composition, so from where I stood I took two shifted vertical shots to stitch together later. I then quickly went for my 17-40L to allow for alternative framing options but the rainbow was only a fleeting show and disappeared. At least I got a decent capture but if I’d had more time I would have framed it differently.

Noosa NP Rainbow

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
1/13s f/16.0 iso100 - 2 shots stitched

I find Granite Bay overwhelming with its variety of subject matter – the interest for me is in the rocks where they change from red at the eastern end of the bay to large grey granite to the western end – with plenty of variance in size and form throughout. Like most new locations – there is the need to keep visiting to get the most out of them – I’m finding this true here more than most places. Granite Bay is becoming a challenge.

The weather was changeable all day – so very promising. It had rained before getting to the bay leaving the rocks wet and extremely slippery. I carefully found a composition I liked – after tinkering by moving slightly this way then that, I was ready to take a shot. Suddenly the rain came down with some force, no problem, out came the umbrella and the waiting game started. Cheap umbrellas don’t handle gusting wind real well – you get what you pay for with most things and while this one has served me pretty well it is now a mangled mess. The rain gave up after a while and I got on with the business of making some photographs.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
0.8s f/11.0 iso50

In my last post I whinged about having a clear blue sky – this time I had great conditions but I don’t feel like I made the most of them. These shots have started to capture this intriguing part of Noosa National Park but I will be visiting again to improve on them.

Granite Cobbles

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II

5s f/11.0 iso100

I’m including this last shot taken on the way into the park – not actually at Granite Bay. I found the intertwined roots of this impressive Red Stringybark fascinating – I also liked the contrast between the red hues of the tree and the background of green foliage.

Red Stringybark

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
4s f/16.0 at 24.0mm iso100

I’ve visited here many times and still don’t have a good photo of the bay. Admittedly most of the times have been in the middle of the day and not on a photo shoot. But I have visited at sunset on a few occasions (last time was a month ago) and still a shot I’m happy with eludes me. I visited again on Good Friday afternoon – the tourists were out in force and why wouldn’t they be, it really is a beautiful National Park. There were clear skies when I left home but the predicted afternoon storm clouds never materialised – the curse of Granite Bay struck again.

I took a few shots of the bay and tried to work with the clear blue sky – I just wasn’t happy with any of them. Sure they were OK but they were missing that vital element. Sometimes a landscape photograph can look fine without clouds if there is something interesting to fill the frame, a tree or a sea stack for example – as interesting a location as this is there isn’t much in that respect. A minimalist shot can also work. But in this instance I was using a strong foreground of intriguing rocks where there was a need for something to balance it.

So to plan B – Shoot details and omit the sky altogether.

Paperbark Spirit

Canon EOS 5D Mark II,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
4s f/16.0 iso100

I’ve walked past this tree many times and while I’ve noticed it before I’d not recognized its potential. It’s not easy to see compositions in a forest scene but if you look hard enough they are there – I obviously wasn’t looking hard enough on the past occasions or I was looking for something else (note to self – try and be more aware). While looking for strong compositions in the forest a keen eye and diligence are needed. I got down low and angled the lens towards the tree canopy to exaggerate the tree’s wonderful limbs. Tourists were passing every few seconds as this was right next to the path – I was the opposite side, far enough back to include enough upper reaches of the tree, so this meant timing the shot between the passing traffic.

Abstract shots within nature are something I especially enjoy taking – I’m not quite sure why I don’t dedicate more time to it. I find it particularly challenging and that’s when photography is at its most enjoyable. I’m not sure how well this works – I think a shot like this is to a personal taste but I like it.

Between the Lines

Canon EOS 5D Mark II,Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
1s f/11.0 iso100

I will keep persevering with Granite Bay. Another visit is on the agenda (maybe even this week). Keep coming back for an update and hopefully I might have a shot to share that I’m happy with.

Sea Serpent

While processing the ‘Sea Serpent’ shot I decided to convert the shipwreck panoramic from my last post to Black & White. I’m pleased with the result as the conversion adds drama to the scene and is particularly effective with the subject matter.

Skeleton Wreck

The SS Dicky was an iron steamboat which the area was named after. It ran aground during heavy seas in 1893 and was then re-floated, but again, heavy seas turned the ship about and back onto the sand where it remains to this day. In early days beachgoers used the wreck as changing rooms. Dicky Beach is the only recreational beach in the world to be named after a shipwreck.

SS Dicky

After deciding on this location, I was surprised to realise that it had been four years since I last photographed the wreck. Last time I came here was one of my best sunrise shoots – I got several good images including one of my best sellers. I’m kept busy photographing the rest of what the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

In the past I’ve steered clear of coastal panoramics with the problems of stitching water movement. But since owning a tilt and shift lens I’ve been experimenting with great results. I’m finding that the ease and speed at which I can use this lens, I am able to make many exposures and can easily find two similar frames to stitch together. Though possible with any lens, the tilt/shift lens doesn’t have the distortion issues that a wide angle lens has when stitching an image. It is also quick to set up. Put camera on tripod, level the camera then shift the lens from left to right, easy! Long exposures are the key as blurred water movement makes an ideal area in the image to seamlessly blend the two frames together. I enjoy coastal panoramics but with my digital equipment this is the only way to achieve the results other than cropping which would obviously lose a lot of pixels and quality in a large print.

The morning of this shoot the cloudscape consisted of one wall of cloud on the eastern horizon. The rest of the sky was clear. The other four photographers and myself were rewarded when the sun found a gap a couple of minutes after sunrise and radiated some warm light onto the clouds. The above panoramic was made when the colours were at their optimum. In my last post I spoke about Tony Kuyper’s latest Photoshop action, I used the action here on this image and it did a great job of bringing out the detail in the wreck.

When the other photographers had gone, I carried on shooting a few more frames with my 10 stop b+w ND filter. I made this photo 35 minutes after sunrise with the filter allowing me to use a shutter speed of 1 minute. I didn’t find the colours pleasing in this image but I thought it lent itself well to black and white.

Dicky Wreck

Here’s an example. An image I’m not too excited about but it seemed like a good candidate to try the action out.

Hells Gates

Rollover image to see my adjustments using the action.

Click image to see a larger version of adjusted image.

I used a screenshot of my Photoshop workspace to show the action in the layer palette. You can see this better by clicking the above image.

This size presentation only indicates what the action is capable of. If this post has stirred an interest then take a look at Tony’s examples and a more in-depth explanation here.

Also check out Tony’s full collection of wonderful actions here, they are very reasonably priced. You’ll be glad you did.