Australian seascape and landscape photography

skyscape

Blind Bight Boat Ramp and Jetty

A couple of sunset shots from Blind Bight foreshore.

The image below shows the edge of the boat ramp in the foreground with the distant land and sky lit by the sun setting behind me.

Tech stuff – 1.3 sec, f/20, ISO 50, 4 stop soft grad ND filter.

This image is available to purchase as a print here.

jim worrall, Blind Bight foreshore, western port bay, sunset, seascape, boat ramp

Pictured below – Looking out to sea alongside the Blind Bight jetty / pontoon as sunset approaches.

Tech stuff – 1 sec, f/20, ISO 50 with 4 stop soft grad ND filter.

This image is available to purchase as a print here.

Jim Worrall, Blind Bight, western port bay, pontoon, sunset, seascape


Sunset at Safety Beach

Some long exposure sunset shots from Safety Beach jetty on the Mornington Peninsula.

Jim Worrall, Mornington Peninsula, Safety Beach, jetty, pier, sunset

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

Jim Worrall, Safety Beach, Mornington Peninsula, sunset, jetty, pier, beach

The image above is available to purchase as a print in many forms and sizes here.

Jim Worrall, Mornington Peninsula, Safety Beach, jetty, pier, beach

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

Jim Worrall, Mornington Peninsula, Safety Beach, jetty, pier, sunset

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

 


Loy Yang Power Station

A long exposure image of the Loy Yang power station in the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland.

Latrobe Valley, Gippsland, Jim Worrall, long exposure, black and white, power station

Tech details – 30 secs, f/18, ISO50 using an ND400 filter.

This image is available to purchase as a print in various sizes and forms here at Redbubble.


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.

Jim Worrall, western port bay, sunset, long exposure, ND filters


Corinella Sunset

Corinella Sunset - Jim Worrall - Western Port Bay - Australia

Sunset at Corinella. Taken near the French island ferry docking point.


Exploring the light at Right Point, Phillip Island

Saturday’s excursion to Phillip Island turned out to be very rewarding from a photographer’s perspective.
In the late afternoon I stopped at a place called Right Point, which seems to be a very popular destination for surfers. As I peered over the edge of the cliff towards the beach I instantly fell in love with this spot.

Below me were the remains of an old jetty being pounded by the violent surf.
With the sun starting to drop towards the horizon what more could a photographer ask for?

I grabbed my tripod and camera bag and dashed down to the beach like an excited child. The images were already forming in my mind before I had even reached the sand, ……..oh what a feeling !! 🙂

Below – Drawn to the Ocean
Drawn to the Ocean - Jim Worrall - Right Point - Phillip Island - jetty

Below – The Penguin Pool
The Penguin Pool - Jim Worrall - Right Point - Phillip Island - jetty

As the sun dropped even closer to the horizon a good situation became even better when suddenly Crepuscular rays broke through a gap in the clouds.
Crepuscular rays, also known as “God rays” or “God beams” are explained here.

Below – Running to the Light
Running to the Light - Jim Worrall - Right Point - Phillip Island - jetty

Below – Sky Burst
Sky Burst - Jim Worrall - Right Point - Phillip Island - jetty

Below – Agaze
Agaze - Jim Worrall - Right Point - Phillip Island


The Window of Opportunity – Grantville Beach.

Amongst the photographic gems that Grantville beach makes available to photographers is a set of 3 rows of short pylons.
No doubt these pylons are the remains of an old jetty but they differentiate themselves from other such sites in a couple of interesting ways. Firstly, it’s unusual to see 3 rows of pylons like this. Most old jetties leave behind only two rows of pylons.
Secondly the pylons are extremely short here, with most of them extending from the muddy base by only a few short inches.

The short stature of these pylons provides photographers with an interesting challenge. At high tide the pylons are invisible as they’re completely submerged by water, and at low tide they’re an awful looking series of posts sitting in mud.
The challenge for the photographer is to arrive at the site during a narrow window of opportunity whilst the tidal transition ideally has all of the pylons surrounded by water around their bases and yet not enough water to make them shorten or disappear below the surface.

Below – “Runway to the Afterlife
Runway to the Afterlife - Jim Worrall - Grantville - jetty pylons
On my first visit to the site I was extremely lucky and caught the tide at just the right height. I wasn’t aware of how elusive these pylons could be until subsequent visits, hoping to catch the pylons in a different light, I haven’t been fortunate enough to arrive at the right time. 😦

Below – “Mortality” an image taken near the pylons on a different evening. The dark brooding sky sets the mood of the image. In the foreground lays a dead jellyfish, stranded by the outgoing tide.
Mortality - Jim Worrall - Grantville - jellyfish

Below – “Deep Creek Reflections“, also near the pylons Deep Creek enters the Westernport Bay.
Deep Creek Reflections - Jim Worrall - Grantville - Westernport Bay


Contrasts – Views from Jam Jerrup

Contrasting views from the beach at Jam Jerrup, Victoria, Australia.
It’s interesting to see how different a location can appear under different light and tidal conditions. This is exactly the reason why I like to return to the same places many times.

Below – “Aspirations” is a minimalistic long exposure image taken at high tide.
Aspirations - Jam Jerrup - Jim Worrall - Westernport Bay - seascape - long exposure

Below – “Blunderbuss” is a wider view of the same area taken at low tide with some more drama taking place in the clouds.
Blunderbuss - Jam Jerrup - Jim Worrall - Australia - Westernport Bay

Below – “Exploring the Meme” is the boat ramp and single post at Jam Jerrup.
Exploring the Meme - Jam Jerrup - Jim Worrall - Westernport Bay - Australia


A Photo Exploration of Grantville beach.

I visited Grantville the day after Victoria had been hammered by unusually high rainfall.
Apparently the extreme rainfall was a side effect of cyclone Yasi’s passage across Queensland and into central Australia.
With the worst of the rain over, the day provided some beautiful photographic conditions with the sun filtered through an interesting arrangement of constantly changing storm clouds.

I love the beach down this way. Each time I visit here I discover something new.
Before I discovered photography I would never have guessed that I would find storm water drains interesting. 🙂

Below – “Purge” a storm water drain running into Westernport Bay.
Purge - Jim Worrall - Grantville - Westernport Bay - beach - drain - hdr - long exposure
For those who are interested in the technical details, the drain images are constructed using HDR tone mapping techniques. The long exposures were achieved using a combination of ND400 and ND8 filters on the end of the lens to smooth the waves on the water.

Below – “Running from the Idols” – another drain dumping water into Westernport Bay.
Running from the Idols - Jim Worrall -  Grantville - Westernport Bay - beach - long exposure - HDR

Below – A long exposure self portrait, standing at the end of the Grantville jetty.
Grantville Jetty - Jim Worrall - self portrait - Westernport Bay

Below – “Grantville Jetty” – a view from the jetty looking out towards the boat ramp marker posts.
Grantville Jetty - Jim Worrall - Westernport Bay - pier

Below – “After the Rains” – a long exposure image from Grantville beach as rain clouds exit. An old boat trailer sits semi-submerged in the foreground.
After the Rains - Jim Worrall - Grantville - beach - Westernport Bay - Australia - long exposure


The trip to Point Lonsdale

The following are a series of images taken at Point Lonsdale at high tide.
Initially we went there in the middle of the day to try out some “black glass” ND400 filters. The idea was to shoot some daytime long exposures of the low tide water interacting with the exposed rock shelves. Unfortunately I felt a bit disappointed by the results, not because of the ND400 filter but because I had trouble finding satisfying compositions.

Upon returning to Point Lonsdale at sunset the tide was high and there was a bit more foreground interest and some colour in the sky. I managed to find these images a bit more satisfying.

Hats and Coats

Emergency Pants

Sunset at Point Lonsdale


Swanning around Westernport Bay

Here are some more images taken at various places around Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia.
It’s always a lot of fun shooting around here at low tide. The beaches feature a fine grain sticky mud that slowly tries to draw you beneath the surface. With each step that you take you risk losing your footwear. 🙂

Taking long exposures is certainly interesting as the tripod gradually sinks into the silt.
This is just the sort of place where you should take emergency pants in case you unexpectedly sit down in the mud.

The following image was taken at Crib Point beach.

A Walk on the Edge

This image Barnacle Build was shot at Balnarring beach.

The following image The Threat of Punishment was taken at Grantville beach. All of the ground in this shot is mud.


Twilight Surfer – Sorrento

A surfer takes advantage of the last light of day at Sorrento to paddle out and catch one more wave.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.

twilight-surfer


Spellbound – a Blairgowrie sunset

spellbound

A sunset at Blairgowrie ocean beach, Australia.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.


Afterglow Sorrento

A sunset shot taken at Sorrento ocean beach, Australia.
This is one of my favorite areas to photograph when the tourist season has finished.

This image is available to purchase as a print here.

afterglow-sorrento


The Thought of True Angels

the-thought-of-true-angels

The Thought of True Angels