Eagles Nest – Bass Coast
Eagles Nest is a popular rock formation and beach located on Victoria’s Bass Coast. It’s about half way between Inverloch and Cape Paterson, and it’s well sign posted.
Pictured below, a couple of long exposure images from Eagles Nest on a bright afternoon with patchy cloud. Conditions on the day were very photographically challenging as the sun was diffused by cloud one moment, then it would pop out with all it’s brutal harshness the next moment. This would happen several times during each long exposure causing many of my shots to be blown out. Thankfully not all. 🙂
Technical stuff for both images – 150 sec f/18 iso50 using an ND500 and ND8 filter.


Balnarring Beach Groyne Sunrise
Another sunrise expedition to the groynes at Balnarring Beach on Western Port Bay. This time we visited the straight groynes on the beach near the general store.

The image above was shot just before the sun broke through the clouds on the horizon. It’s a 2 second exposure, slightly smoothing the surface details in the water.

Pictured above – A short exposure as the sun breaks through the clouds. I liked the way the reflected sun rays were glinting off the waves and the foreground sand.

Pictured above – As the sun rises higher in the sky, one of the groynes becomes beautifully side lit by the warming rays. This is a short exposure (1/20 sec f/18 iso100) shot with the camera way down low almost resting on the sand.

Pictured above – Friend Jason preparing for his next shot as the sky lights up.
Cowrie beach – Phillip Island
Cowrie beach sits alongside The Nobbies, a popular tourist attraction on Phillip Island. The beach is home to lots of penguins and other sea birds, and is a beautifully rugged piece of coastline.
Pictured below – The view from Cowrie beach looking towards The Nobbies.
Tech stuff – 5 seconds f/11 using an ND500 filter.

Pictured below – The rugged rocky coastline of Cowrie beach, looking away from The Nobbies.
Tech stuff – 2 seconds f/9 ISO100 using an ND500 filter.

….and finally for some Christmas fun. The great thing about long exposure photography is that you never quite know what you’ll catch. 🙂

A Balnarring Beach sunrise.
A couple of dawn shots from the zig-zag groyne at Balnarring Beach on Western Port Bay.

Tech stuff – 10 secs, f/8, iso 100, using a 10 stop and 4 stop soft grad ND filter.
For those who might be interested in photographing the groyne, it’s easily accessible. Park at the end of Seawind Rd, Balnarring Beach. It’s a short walk down to the beach then turn right. There are also a few straight groynes off to the left.

Tech stuff – 13 secs, f/8, 10 stopper and 4 stop soft grad.
Bore beach – San Remo
A wave explodes against rocks at Bore beach, San Remo. To access Bore beach park at the end of Potters Hill Rd and follow the stairs down onto the beach.
Tech stuff – 0.8 secs f/8 ND400 filter.

Rabbit Rock (Bunny Rock) – Montforts beach

Picture above – A long exposure image from Montforts beach, Blairgowrie, on the Mornington Peninsula. Montforts beach can be accessed from the carpark at the end of Spray Point Road, Blairgowrie. Take the path to the left.
Tech stuff – 10 secs f/13 using a 10 stop solid ND filter and a 4 stop soft grad.

Picture above – A long exposure shot of the Bunny Rock’s close companions at Montforts beach.
Tech stuff -30 secs f/11 using a 10 stop solid ND + 4 stop soft grad filter.
Tenby Point – Western Port Bay
A long exposure shot taken near sunset at Tenby Point on Western Port Bay.
Tech stuff – 123 secs at f/16 using a 10 stop solid ND and 4 stop grad ND filter.

Sunrise at Point King – Portsea
An early morning long exposure from Point King, Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 30 seconds at f/8 using an ND400 filter.

Montforts beach – Blairgowrie
A long exposure image from Montforts beach, Blairgowrie, on the Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 30 seconds at f/13 using an ND400 filter.

Through the Keyhole – Bridgewater Bay
A couple of long exposure images from Bridgewater Bay, Blairgowrie, on the Mornington Peninsula.
Picture below – a 20 second exposure at f/16 using a Hoya ND400 filter.

Picture below – A random visitor on the beach stands relatively still under the “bridge”offering some size perspective during a 13 second exposure .
Tech stuff – 13 secs f/9 ND400
Sunrise at Sullivan Bay – Sorrento
A long exposure sunrise image from Sullivan Bay, Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula. The iconic jetty has recently started to fall to bits. I suspect she wont be around much longer.
Tech stuff – 25 seconds f/18 ND400 filter.

Pulpit Rock – Cape Schanck
Pulpit Rock at Cape Schanck, on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 2.5 secs f/20, 4 stop soft grad – tonemapped image.

Tenby Point jetty remnants
Tenby Point is a coastal village sitting on the eastern side of Western Port Bay, about half way between Grantville and Corinella. The jetty remnants are best visited near high tide when water surrounds the base of the posts. When the tide recedes here it goes WAY out leaving the posts sitting in an unattractive bed of mud.
Tech stuff for the image below – 260 secs at f/13, ND400 + ND8 filters.

Tech stuff for the image below – 205 secs at f/14, ND400 + ND8 filters.

Bushrangers Bay – The Splash Zone
The “splash zone” at Bushrangers Bay, near Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 15 secs f/14 ISO100 with an ND400 filter

Shelley beach jetty
A long exposure shot from Shelley (Shelly) beach in Portsea.
Tech stuff – 180 secs f/18, 10 stop solid ND + 4 stop soft grad ND.

Warneet Sunset
Sometimes we don’t realize what we have until we view it through different eyes.
Warneet sunset 10-04-16
Tech stuff – 60 secs @ f/16, 10 stop solid ND + 4 stop soft grad.

Shelley beach and Point King – ND group excursion
Last weekend we had our ND group excursion for beginners. It was a great turnout with lots of enthusiastic people attending. We started shooting at Bridgewater Bay in Sorrento in very difficult conditions with the wind blowing a continuous mist of fine rain onto our lenses. I was both surprised and delighted that so many people stayed and had the patience to put up with these conditions, …..such a dedicated bunch. 🙂 Many thanks to Jason Cincotta and Michael Stringer for assisting with so many ND newcomers.
Later we moved onto the front beaches at Point King, Sorrento, followed by Shelley beach, Portsea , both providing us with much more friendly shooting conditions.
Pictured below – Point King jetty. Tech stuff – 132 secs f/18.

Pictured below – Shelley beach, Portsea. Tech stuff – 60 secs f/18.

Pictured below – Shelley beach, Portsea. Tech stuff – 136 sec f/18. 10 stop ND + 4 stop soft grad.

Pictured below – Most of the crew from the group excursion, Bridgewater Bay.

Balnarring Beach Groyne – revisited
For those unfamiliar with groynes, a groyne is a low wall or timber barrier built out into the sea from a beach to prevent erosion.
On a previous visit to photograph this groyne the tide was unexpectedly low and yielded images that weren’t quite what we were looking for. This time I made sure to arrive at peak high tide and waited for the tide to recede and reveal just enough of the groyne to catch these images.
A local resident told me that the zig-zagging planks aren’t always visible and that they’re sometimes completely covered by sand with only the posts exposed.
For those who might be interested in photographing the groyne, it’s easily accessible. Park at the end of Seawind Rd, Balnarring Beach. It’s a short walk down to the beach then turn right.
Tech stuff – 25 secs @ f/9 using a 10 stop solid + 4 stop soft ND grad + polarizer.

Tech stuff for the image below – 13 secs f/9, NiSi 10 stop solid + 4 stop soft grad + polarizer.

Jubilee Point – Sorrento
A long exposure shot from the base of Jubilee Point at Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 4 secs at f/16 using an ND400 filter.

Tenby Point – Western Port Bay
A couple of long exposure photos from the beautifully serene beach at Tenby Point on Western Port Bay
Pictured above – The iconic tree “Ol’ Woody” and his mate, …… blowing in the wind at Tenby Point. Tech stuff – 30 secs f/20 ND400.

Pictured above – Erosion prevention (I’m guessing), at Tenby Point.
Tech stuff – 30 secs f/10 ND400.
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Sullivan Bay – Sorrento
A daytime long exposure photo from Sullivan Bay, Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula.
Tech stuff – 66 secs f/13 using ND400 + ND8 filters.

Jetty at Sullivan Bay, Sorrento.
Balnarring beach groyne
Ahh, ….the serenity. Some daytime long exposure shots from one of the groynes at Balnarring beach on Western Port Bay.

Above image – 0.8 secs f/16.

Above image – 65 secs f/16 ND400+ND8.

Above image – 55 secs f/16.
The Blue Hour – Bridgewater Bay, Blairgowrie
Pictured below, a pre-dawn long exposure shot from Bridgewater Bay in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula.
Bridgewater Bay is accessible via a short walk from the carpark at the southern end of St Johns Wood Rd. Beach access is via a set of stairs. The best time to visit is at or near low tide when the rock platforms are exposed. Navigating the beach at high tide is problematic.
Tech stuff – 30 secs @ f/11
Pictured below, me shooting the bridge rock formation. Photo courtesy of friend Jason.

Home Sweet Hell
Images from an abandoned house taken during an excursion to the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia.

The image above is available to purchase as a print here.



The optical jewels at Sorrento.
My recent visit to the ocean beach at Portsea sparked a craving for more of the same photographic material.
This time I visited the ocean beach further along the coastline at Sorrento. The first visit to the beach was a spur of the moment decision. When I arrived there the sun was hovering just above the horizon, I had no time to explore the beach and it was a high tide. I took a few shots of the sun fading into the horizon and a few long exposure shots of waves swirling around the rocks.
Here’s a couple of the high tide shots –
The next visit to Sorrento beach was a bit better planned and I actually remembered to check the tide charts before leaving. On arrival the rock pools were at their low tide best, the sun was high enough in the sky to give me time to explore some of the rocky features yet low enough to give the area a nice warm glow.
Here’s some of the shots from the low tide visit –
Shhhhhh, ….you can hear the forest breathing – Sherbrooke Forest
Sherbrooke forest is a protected area of bushland located in mountains on the outskirts of Melbourne. It’s an area of fairly thick bush with a series of meandering walking tracks for visitors to enjoy.

The best way to explore the forest tracks is ideally alone, …. and as quietly as possible. Many of the forest’s resident animals are nocturnal but there’s still lots to see and hear during the day if you just stay still and quiet for long enough. You can forget about seeing anything much at all if you travel the tracks in a chatty group because the animals will freeze and wait for the noise to pass.

When I visited Sherbrooke forest it was a stinking hot day. . The pedestrian traffic along the track was fairly light, probably due to the heat, and this allowed me to stop several times along the track, undisturbed.
In this forest the animals are not tame but are somewhat conditioned to the presence of human visitors. If you stay still and silent for a couple of minutes, the animals seem to relax and carry on with their usual business. You start to hear the rustle of dried leaves as the animals move around on the forest floor and if you continue to stay quiet you can sometimes catch a glimpse of one of the wild residents.

On the day I visited Sherbrooke forest I was able to catch glimpses of wild kangaroos or wallabies and also a wandering echidna. I must admit though, that when I stepped off the track to photograph something of interest, I was very aware that this is also “snake country” and so I was careful to check where my feet were landing.











