The View from Bushrangers Bay
The splendid view from Bushrangers Bay looking west just a few minutes before a drenching downpour.
Cape Schanck’s Pulpit Rock is on the horizon near the center of the image.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Cape Schanck – Splendour in the Surf
A long exposure image of the surf pounding away at Pulpit Rock, Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula.
This place is always a wonderful reminder to me of the power of the ocean. Visiting the rock shelves here is truly exhilarating.
Tea Tree Creek – Death of the 40D
It was one of those days that I’ll remember for a long time.
Whilst shooting on a rocky plateau at Tea Tree Creek beach at Flinders I carelessly let my guard down.
An unusually high rogue wave struck the face of the plateau and poured down upon me.
My workhorse camera, the Canon 40D, had experienced some salt water splash in the past but nothing like this.
Today was the day he ingested way too much salt water. He coughed and spluttered, ….and died.
Luckily my wide angle lens seems to have survived the ordeal with only some minor salt water spots inside the focal range window. The glass inside seems to be clear,…PHEW!
These images were thankfully retrieved from the camera’s memory card despite it’s convulsions.
A Stroll on Shelley beach – Portsea
A couple of images from a recent stroll on Shelley beach, Porstsea, Victoria.
It was one of those great days for photography. The clouds were very heavy causing a nice subdued light.
The threat of impending rain also meant I had the beach to myself, ……nice. 🙂
Queensferry – a contrast of tides
Following are a series of images from Queensferry, on Western Port Bay, demonstrating the area’s vast difference in appearance between high tide and low tide. The high tide images were taken using my 40D with heavy ND filtering.
The low tide images were captured a week earlier (as reference photos) using my phone camera and post processed using an Android app called Retro Camera.
Red Bricks 146
The Docking Station – Corinella
A high tide view of the docking station at Corinella. This is where the French Island barge docks to transfer vehicles and passengers to and from the mainland.
Below – Old Man of the Sea, an old mangrove tree just a stone’s throw away from the docking station.
Down the Tea Tree Creek Track – Flinders
The entrance to the track begins where Tea Tree Creek meets the Boneo Road.
The mowed walking path follows a gentle slope downhill alongside the creek gully and down towards the beach.
Upon arrival at the beach, visitors are welcomed by the presence of a rusty metal wheel nestled amongst the undergrowth.
East from here, the beach invites exploration for those willing to navigate across the black weather-worn rocks covering much of the beach.
The area also offers an impressive selection of rocky plateaus which are sometimes exposed and sometimes dramatically washed by the relentless surf.
When exploring along this stretch of beach it’s a good idea to avoid an embarrassing or even life threatening situation by knowing what the tide is doing. Keep an eye out for the occasional rogue wave determined to sweep you off the rocks.
There’s an amazing amount to see, explore, experience and photograph here.
I’ll definitely be returning soon. 😉
Playing in the Wind – Flinders, the Blowhole Track
A selection of images from the beach at the end of the Blowhole Track at Flinders on the lovely Mornington Peninsula.
On the day I was there the wind was so horrendously strong I had to push down hard on the tripod to stop it from vibrating and blurring all of the long exposure shots.
Pictured below – Flinders Beach, the Blowhole Track.
A very picturesque coastline battered by the relentless surf.
Exploring the Pointy End of Phillip Island
I’d been to this part of Phillip Island on previous occasions but I loved it so much I thought I’d revisit.
That’s one of the joys of photography, you can visit the same location on several occasions and come away with completely different images each time.
Pictured below – Old wooden remnants at Cat Bay, Phillip Island.
Pictured below – The beach at Right Point, Phillip Island, located between Cat Bay and the Nobbies. The violence of the ocean waves smoothed by the use of long exposure.
Sorrento to Queenscliff
The day started out well with brunch in Sorrento at the Buckley’s Chance restaurant with friends Christine and Caroline.
After being suitably fueled by brunch we strolled to the other end of town and boarded the Sorrento-Queenscliff Ferry for the short trip across the mouth of Port Phillip Bay to Queenscliff.
On arrival we departed the ferry to see what photographic treasures we could find along the beach.
Pictured below – Queenscliff Pier, shot in the early afternoon using an ND400 filter to extend the exposure time and soften the waves.
Pictured below – Evidence of Dredge, a pipeline from the offshore dredger snakes it way past heavy posts buried in the sand at the shoreline. The waves softened to a mist by the use of long exposure time.
Pictured below, an unusual long exposure action shot of the ferry departing the Queenscliff beach on one of it’s many return journeys to Sorrento.
Pictured below – Caroline and Chris explore the beach with a ship load of onlookers viewing from the top deck of the ferry.
Sorrento Back Beach
Shortly before xmas I took the opportunity to snap some images just before the summer “silly season” struck Sorrento.
I’m certain that one day the Sorrento/Portsea area of the Mornington Peninsula will become so heavy with tourists that it’ll snap off and fall into the sea.
Until that day I’ll continue to enjoy it as much as I can.
Pictured below – A couple of long exposure images from south-east of the main beach.
Pictured below – Bay of Islands – Sorrento
Located a short walk from the car park at the end of Diamond Bay Road.
The Dragon’s Head at Number Sixteen
The Dragon’s Head rock at the Number Sixteen beach, Rye, has been a photographic target that I’ve been looking forward to shooting for quite some time. The last time I visited here I’d arrived a bit too late in the tidal cycle to safely explore the rocky plateau that surrounds the Dragon’s Head.
Today’s visit was executed with military precision. I arrived on the beach precisely at low tide, waded out to the Dragon’s Head through ankle deep water and excitedly set up my tripod. The ocean waves were crashing and rolling across the rocky plateau then cascading beautifully over the edge very close to the Dragon’s Head.
Being a big fan of long exposure images you can imagine my disappointment as I fumbled around in my camera bag trying to find my ND filters to fit the wide angle lens. They were no where to be found. I had left the filters behind at home, … they were attached to another lens. It was one of those forehead slapping moments.
In the absence of any suitably sized ND filters I decided to make the unique shape of the rock fill the frame in the image above rather than featuring the flow of water.
The next image below was taken from quite a distance back from the Dragon’s head using a 70-200mm lens. Fortunately I had a suitably sized ND filter for this particular lens so it was possible to soften the look of the flowing water. Unfortunately using the long lens meant that I wasn’t able to get the composition that I was looking for.
Lesson learned – double check the gear before leaving home, never assume!
Tenby Point Revisited
There’s something quite magical about Tenby Point. It’s one of those areas I feel compelled to visit from time to time.
A great surprise this visit was to find the road is now surfaced with asphalt. I’m going to miss all the corrugations and pot holes that once adorned the old dirt track leading to the beach.
The Mists of Kilcunda
On an unseasonally warm winter’s day last weekend, I took advantage of the fine weather to reintroduce myself back to our fine ocean coastline.
Upon arrival at Kilcunda, located on Victoria’s Bass Coast, the sea was remarkably calm and there was a thick haunting mist in the air. A wonderful sight indeed. 🙂
Technical stuff – The image was taken mid afternoon using an ND400 filter to lengthen the exposure time and thus soften the appearance of the sea.
Cyclical Rendezvous – water motion at Rye beach
Pictured below, a long exposure image capturing the remnants of spent waves returning to the relentless ocean at Rye beach, Victoria, Australia.
Number Sixteen beach – reprocessed
A couple of images from the previous excursion to Number Sixteen beach, reprocessed in black and white, ……and with a little more drama added.
A long exposure from Rye back beach, Victoria, Australia.
Rye Back beach.
Swimming at the Sixteen – Rye Beach
After a recent photographic excursion to Koonya beach two weeks ago, I swore not to return my feet to the icy waters of the ocean until the warmer weather arrived.
Alas, the lure of the salty seas proved to be too much for me.
This week’s excursion was a low tide expedition to Number Sixteen beach at Rye on the Mornington Peninsula.
Unfortunately I arrived just a little bit too late in the tidal cycle to safely photograph my intended target. Rather than risk my life on the rocky shelves I decided to play around on the beach photographing easier targets, …..and only got wet up to the knees. 😉
A long exposure image from Rye beach.
This rock is one of the main features of the Number Sixteen beach. It dramatically changes it’s perceived shape depending on the direction from which you photograph it.
Water rushes back from the beach to join the pounding surf.
Water swirls around the foreground rocks as it enters the beach.
The landmark rock from a different perspective.
The Chill of Winter – Koonya Beach
Winter has suddenly struck with a vengeance in Melbourne and it’s surrounding areas.
The reduced temperature of the Bass Strait water combined with chilling winter winds now makes wide-angle shooting amongst the crashing surf fairly unbearable.
On my most recent trip to Koonya beach, the chill of the winter water running across my lower legs caused my teeth to ache, ….well almost. 😉
Wild winter conditions at Koonya beach, Blairgowrie.
Until the weather warms up a little I’ll be using the mid-range zoom in an effort to keep my feet drier and warmer.
No more long exposures standing in the surf, …..bbrrrrrrr !!
Snapshots from Tooradin
Tooradin is right at the top of my list when it comes to escaping for a little bit of quiet time. Located just a few minutes down the road from my home, Tooradin’s features include a serene creek that runs through the town and winds it’s way down to a great foreshore area where it joins with Westernport Bay.
The foreshore area usually has lots of parking spaces available and serves as a fine place to devour whatever delicacy you’ve chosen from the local bakery, fish and chip, or pizza shop.
Alternatively you can bring along your own boring food and make use of the BBQs.
Pictured below – The view looking down the channel towards Westernport Bay at low tide.
During low tide, large expanses of mud are exposed along both sides of the channel.
You can stroll along the elevated edge of the channel and watch as thousands of tiny crabs, disturbed by your presence, dive for cover into their tiny holes in the mud.
Pictured below – The view looking up the channel towards the main road.
Back to the serious topic of food for a moment, I highly recommend the Tooradin bakery with it’s fine selection of meat pies. They also have more sweet cake/bun/doughnut thingies than you could poke a stick at, …..and the coffee isn’t too bad there either.
The bakery is also conveniently located next to the fine Ice Cream shop, offering heaps of different flavours for those craving even more sugar. 😉
Fish n’chips must be big business in Tooradin because this tiny town has no less than two fish n chip shops.
On one side of the main road is the Tooradin Original Fish & Chip Shop and across the road is the Boardwalk Chippery. The Boardwalk shop boasts the use of “healthy rice bran oil”. The rice bran oil must be an acquired taste, …I’ve tried it but I haven’t yet acquired that particular taste,….but each to their own.
Pictured below – Down the channel a short distance, remnants of the old jetty pictured at high tide, complete with “god rays” shooting through the clouds signaling the end of a beautiful day.
Below – The same jetty remnants pictured at low tide, complete with an amazing number of mud dwelling crabs and their mud holes. 🙂
For the curious photographers who might be reading this post, the camera I used was a Panasonic Lumix LX3 in “dynamic B&W” mode with some minor corrections later in Photoshop.
If you’re interested in using any of these images or would like to purchase a high quality print then please contact me at – jim.worrall@gmail.com
What a Difference the Tide Makes.
A couple of images from the Flinders foreshore showing what a huge difference the tide can make.
Both images feature the same structure albeit from slightly different angles.
Below – Flinders Hombres – high tide at the jetty remnants.
Below – liN – the same jetty remnants at low tide.
The Mentone Groyne
The Mentone groyne is located on Mentone beach just south of the Mentone pub. In the past this groyne has been incorrectly referred to as the “Old Mentone jetty” by myself and others. There’s off road parking close to the groyne but unfortunately the local council here tries to screw you over with a three dollar per hour parking fee.
All of the following images were taken using an ND400 filter to extend the exposure time and smooth out the waves on the water.
Below – Running West – Mentone Groyne
On the afternoon I visited the groyne it was almost high tide so these photos are only showing the very top bits of the structure above the water. Next time I visit I’ll be making sure I arrive during a low tide when the structure appears more like a series of small arches. I think that would be worth getting wet feet for. 🙂
Below – Charging into the Night.
Below – an overview of the groyne.
On the walk back to the carpark, some kind of territorial dispute erupted amongst these seagulls on a small rocky island just offshore. The image below doesn’t properly convey the ensuing ruckus but it was quite impressive to watch a little bit of nature’s drama playing out in front of me.
Below – Lord of the Gulls – ruckus on the rock.
Magic of the Phillip Island coastline.
Following on from previous posts I thought I’d share with you just a few more images from the Phillip Island coastline. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface down there, …….there’s just so much beauty to explore and discover.
Pictured below – The Roost – old jetty remnants that serve as a safe roost for the local birds at Cat Bay.
Pictured below – Evidence of Life – a soft misty view of some wonderful wave action off Cowrie beach.
Pictured below – The Long Swim Home – another view from Cowrie beach looking towards the Nobbies in the background.
Pictured below – Pyramid Rock, taken in strong windy and wet conditions from a vantage point ahead of the lookout area.
In Lieu of Rapture
I’m dedicating this image to the recent passing of Rapture Day, May 2011.
Never has such a silly idea generated so much noise in the media and on social networks.
Pictured below – In Lieu of Rapture.
The image was captured at Cat Bay on Phillip Island.
A Trip to the Pointy End – Phillip Island
Over the weekend I did a quick reconnaissance trip down to the pointy end of Phillip Island.
The images below were taken on a stretch of unsealed road named “The Boulevard” which runs along the south coast of Summerlands and ends at the Nobbies. The Boulevard is a grand name indeed for what amounts to a narrow dirt track, however the coastal views can be quite impressive from here.
Pictured below – The view from The Boulevard looking west towards the Nobbies.
Unfortunately for those of us who like to immerse ourselves in these kinds of coastal environments there is no beach access permitted. We’re reminded of this fact by strategically placed signs warning of penalties for such breaches.
Pictured below – The view from The Boulevard looking east.
Pictured below – a zoomed in view of the coastline. It looks like a fine place for a photographer to play.
When finished with the south coast I made the short trip over to the north coast to visit Cowrie beach. I’ve been here once before but I had some unresolved images in my head that I wanted to try to capture here. Most of the northern coast is photographer friendly, allowing one to get as close to the water as one dares.
Pictured below – Bull in a China Shop, one of the less sedate Phillip Island waves attacking from left of frame.
Pictured below – A long exposure image using an ND400 filter, The Course of the Penguin, one of the many corridors used by the penguins of Phillip Island.
After finishing at Cowrie beach I left the island and crossed the bridge over to San Remo on the mainland. As I was crossing the bridge I noticed some amusing looking stairs below, surrounded entirely by the water of a high tide. It appeared to be a stairway going from nowhere to nowhere.
Pictured below – From Nowhere to Nowhere, San Remo.
The day concluded with a delicious meal of fish n’ chips from the Fisherman’s Cooperative, …..what bliss!
The bollard, the boat, the buoy and the beginning of a rainbow.
Saturday’s excursion was down towards the pointy end of the Mornington Peninsula.
After a hearty lunch of fish ‘n chips on Dromana beach, it was off to Sorrento for a cappuccino and also check out the surf conditions on the ocean side.
On arrival at the back-beach the surf was violent and unruly, fueled by a ferocious onshore wind.
I’ve tried to capture long exposure images under these conditions a couple of times before and come away from the experience with disappointing results. A howling wind always manages to soften my long exposure images regardless of tripod technique.
With this in mind I resigned myself to exploring the calmer more docile side of Sorrento, the bay side. The view from the beach here was quite nice with small boats bobbing and wobbling around in the water. I took a few shots of the little boats but couldn’t find anything particularly satisfying so I moved my attention to the huge bollards near the pier.
Pictured below – Bollard.
Above – In this image the huge concrete bollard remains motionless whilst surrounded by the blurred movement of waves on the water. It’s nearby neighbors, the boat and the buoy wobble and rock in compliance with the waves. I used a high key effect to eliminate some distracting elements from the background. Both ND400 and ND8 neutral density filters were attached to the lens to achieve the desired long exposure under fairly bright conditions.
Pictured below – The Sorrento Bollards.
Above – The massive bollards are used to assist with holding the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry in place at the pier during the exchange of passengers and cars.
After shooting the bollards, mother nature tried to grow me a rainbow. The left and right ends of the rainbow were developing nicely and gradually growing skywards then suddenly fizzled into nothingness.
Pictured below – the left end of the incomplete rainbow.
Pictured below – the right end of the incomplete rainbow.
Daytime experiments with the ND400 filter.
The following long exposures were taken during daylight hours using an ND400 and ND8 filter stacked together on the front of my Sigma 10-20mm lens. The combination of these two filters attenuates so much light that peering into the viewfinder reveals an inky blackness even during bright daylight conditions.
It’s therefore necessary to compose the image BEFORE screwing the filters onto the lens. It’s also necessary to adjust the focus manually since the auto-focus system has no chance of working under such conditions.
*** (Update October 2012) The introduction of “live view” to many DSLR cameras means that is’s no longer necessary to compose and pre-focus with the dark filters off the lens. I shoot all the time now using live view to peer through the combined darkness of an ND400 and ND8. The filters now stay on the lens which means there is a lot less fiddling around. If you’re looking for a guide to show you how to use an ND400 have a look at my recent blog post here.***
I found that if I set the ISO as low as possible, and set the aperture very small (i.e. a high number), then it was possible to obtain a shutter duration of about 3 minutes. Such long exposures during daytime create some interesting images. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with the ND400.
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 –
Photography by Jim Worrall 