Araluen Botanical Park visit with Gem Camera Club

Well it’s been a while since my last post, all my spare time the last couple of weeks has been in training for today’s City to Surf. I went into the day quite worried (it’s been about 10 years since my last long distance run) with how under prepared I was, not knowing what was ahead of me as it was my first time. All said and done when i got to the end my only disappointment was that I still had energy left, and should/could have pushed myself alot harder. Now a tense wait to see if I cracked the 1hr time for the 12 kms. Not a great time but as I had only been able to train a few times a week at distances of 6km I will be happy if that time was reached. With proper training next year, starting closer to the front of the group (to avoid being held up by the 1000′s of people who should have been in the slower groups) and knowledge of the course I hope to smash the time I did today.

Now to the camera stuff. I’m part of a camera club and have been for about 2 years now. It is a great tool to improve, learn and push yourself further with your photography. I’m a member of the Gem Camera Club which is based in Kalamunda. It is quite a small club with 20 or so members, but is full of great photographers. It really is priceless for a youngster like me to be around the members who have been shooting photos for much longer then I have been around.

We occasionally have a fun day out as a club, and one of these days is a Photo Rally. We go to the set location, and are given a list of subjects. We then have a 1 shot limit for each subject. This really makes you stop and really think about everything going on. You need to check composition thouroughly, make sure the right parts of the image is in focus, most importantly watch your exposure-which is often changing constantly throughout the set up. I shoot using manual setting, and fell victim to this changing light. I had the exposure right, then a young child ran right through the shot. I waited for him to exit the frame, then took the shot. During that time a cloud had came over and left me with a underexposed image silly silly me.

For this rally we went to Araluen which is located in Roleystone. It is spectacular most of the year but in Spring it really comes alive. Countless wildflowers are found through the native bushland but it is the stunning Tulips that Araluen is known for. With many varieties of Tulips and a few small streams it really is a beautiful location.

These are 2 compositions of a small waterfall found while walking up the gully. After the rally I returned here as I quite liked what was on offer. With the vertical composition I really liked the water sparkling and leading up to the falls. I took another shot with a longer exposure but I liked the composition with sharper water.

With the 2nd image I wanted to capture more of the log. I loved the water
running underneath it, and even though it was in shade it still managed to show some texture and detail. Ferns and greenery always get me going with water shots so I wanted to get a bit more of that too. In looking back I wish I had pinned down the clump of grasses in the foreground though! Especially the big fat thing….

Anyway I hope you enjoy. I do have a Tulip shot coming but I couldn’t be bothered retaking any after the rally was done. Bad I know but we’d had a big night the night before, I was happy to just be there haha. So that’s why there isn’t a Tulip shot in this post. I have to wait for this image to come back.

Thanks p.s, sorry for so much writing…guess i’m making up for not having a post for a while

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The Pilbara, and magical Karijini National Park

If anyone has been to the Pilbara and Karijini National Park, I trust you walked away breathless. The Pilbara is such a barron land, full of the most amazing colours you will see. The red dust is unbelievable, the spinifex lovely shades ranging from green to gold, the white gums standing out create a stunning site. The main reason for me heading to the Pilbara was to explore Karijini. I was not disappointed, and will return for sure.

Located 1400km North of Perth, in between Tom Price and Newman Karijini is often referred to as the “Heart of the Pilbara”. There are a range of Gorge walks ranging in different degrees of difficulty. All Gorges are reasonably easy till they get to the Grade 6 sections, where a guide is highly recomended due to them requiring some climbing/abseiling equipment.

This image was taken from The Karijini Eco Retreat where I was camping. It gives a good indication as to the colours that can be found there. I was having my breakfast when I saw the colours start coming out as the sun got close to breaking the horizon. Quickly grabbing the camera and tripod I ran to this location not even 50m away. It really is a typical Pilbara Sunrise.

Thanks

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Ningaloo Reef

I thought i’d throw a few more images taken while snorkeling at Quobba Blowholes(Carnarvon) Coral bay and Exmouth Cape. All area’s found along the magnificent Ningaloo reef. Once again they’re not the most amazing shot’s, but they still give a bit of an idea on what can be found in the area.

Thanks

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Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef

Due to being lesser known then the Great Barrier Reef. The Ningaloo Reef, found about 1000km North of Perth Western Australia is quite a rewarding reef destination in Australia. It has been Western Australia’s secret for many years but in the last decade has burst onto the worlds scene. Stretching from Carnarvon to Exmouth, stunning coral reefs are found at times 10m from shore. Within these, a huge diversity of marine life and coral can be found.

With water depths of 3-4m close to shore, even inexperienced snorkelers can enjoy the amazing area. And then you can swim with the magnificent Whale Sharks, Manta Rays or Dugongs. Something I do hope to experience. In my days at Coral bay and Exmouth, I spent very little time photographing. With waters sitting at a beautiful 27 deg, there was only one place to be.

On one day I was up at Vlamingh Lighthouse hoping for a nice sunset. It didn’t eventuate but I did manage a shot of the lighthouse itself with some nice soft light. Pretty much my only shot of the area as my beach scenes were nothing more then disasters! The white sand was blinding, and I couldn’t see anything to tell if I had the shot in focus or exposed as I would like. It is something that I will be much better prepared for next time!

Before I set off, I purchased a small Olympus MJU790 which is waterproof to 3m. Boy I was glad to have had that. While photographing while snorkeling is not a easy task, I ended up with quite a few holiday snaps. One of which that was a complete fluke (it turned out half decent :p) was the shot of the Turtle. I ended up swimming with 3 of these stunning creatures off Coral Bay. Not very good, but a shot worth sharing with you anyways.

While up there I saw the most amazing photo of a turtle as it took a gasp of air on the surface. There were waves around and a very nice wave splash across 1 corner of the shot. If anyone has swum with the Turtles you would know how hard this would have been! They only have their head above the water for about a second. And with the waves chopping around like that, it’s amazing to get such a sharp shot. Just thinking about it makes me feel ashamed to be showing mine….

Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks

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Kalbarri Gorges

Continuing further along the coast my next stop was Kalbarri. Situated 590km North of Perth, Kalbarri is a popular holiday location nestled at the mouth of the spectacular Murchison River. There are many photo opportunities to be had along the coast or inland in the amazing gorges. I was lucky to be in Kalbarri when there was a fair bit of water flowing in the gorges, I have seen many photos with not much water and it is just not quite the same.

These shot’s are taken in Z bend gorge. One of the 2 most popular and well known gorges found in the area. I loved the rock formations and colours. Late in the afternoon the red really stands out, providing me with an amazing scene to photograph. Kalbarri is definitely somewhere I hope to get back to soon

Thanks

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The Pinnacles

In April this year I finally headed North. I had never really been seriously North of Perth, despite quite a few years of trying. The first night I stayed at Cervantes which is nestled on the coast about 250km North of Perth. Cervantes is mostly known for the fabulous and mysterious Pinnacles. They are a group of Limestone Formations that are really quite fascinating. You can see these formations in various stages of development, some seem to be in the very early stages with trees still atop the formation. Others are ancient and crumbling from erosion.

On this morning there was some storms off the coast and created a very atmospheric experience. There were many breaks in the clouds which made for the perfect spotlight on the scenes. I found the orange sand with the dark clouds to be very beautiful.

Thanks

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