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!
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 !!
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.
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.
Plateau – Sorrento back beach
Below – Plateau – A long exposure image from the Sorrento back beach.
An intriguing place to visit at low tide.
The Sleeping Sphinx – Sorrento
An image from the Sphinx rock formation after an enjoyable day of playing in the surf.
The Vagabond Tide – ND400 long exposure
Following is a series of images taken at the Sorrento back beach, Victoria, Australia, using an ND400 filter during bright afternoon light conditions.
Pictured below – Dorsal.
Below – The Vagabond Tide.
Below – The Rinse Cycle.
By the Seaside – Tooradin and Corinella
Following are some images from the shores of Westernport Bay.
Pictured below – The Journey Home, seagulls at the Tooradin foreshore take off en masse as the day gives way to night.
Below – Corinella Sunset, a series of “God beams” appear from behind a cloud as the sun sets at Corinella pier. These “God beams” are also known as crepuscular rays and are explained at Wikipedia here.
Below – The Living Jetty.
At Corinella a jetty platform disappears below the surface during a king tide.
The local sea birds take advantage of the exposed posts by using them as a safe roost.
Below – The best position for overseeing the activities at the Corinella jetty area.
An Afternoon at Cowrie Beach, Phillip Island.
Cowrie Beach is located just a few hundred meters north-east of the popular tourist destination “The Nobbies” on Phillip Island, Australia. The beach sits just inside the entrance to Westernport Bay and is subjected to rough surf originating from Bass Strait.
The thinly vegetated sandy portions of the beach are home to Fairy penguins and some other more endangered species so there are signs present advising which areas to avoid.
The main attraction here from my perspective is at the water’s edge. The beach is blessed by the presence of dark basalt rock formations continuously pounded by waves.
Below – The Nobbies – an image from Cowrie beach with The Nobbies in the background.
Below – Down the Winding Path – a long exposure looking out to sea from Cowrie Beach.
Below – Awaiting the Devil – a frightening part of the beach where unexpected waves suddenly inundate the dark basalt platforms. There’s a warning sign on the beach reminding fishermen and other visitors how easy it is to be swept off these rocks.
Below – The Ordeal – How the Phillip Island penguins manage to survive the violent Bass Strait surf combined with rocky beaches escapes me.
Below – Through the Vapour
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
Below – The Penguin Pool
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
Below – Sky Burst
Below – Agaze
An Afternoon at Sorrento
A selection of images from the photographically rich area along Sorrento back beach.
Below – “Her Outstretched Arms”
The sun has dropped close to the horizon giving a warm hue to the sky and rocky plateaus. The vigorous surf is tamed by the camera’s long exposure time.
Below – “Sphinx”
In the foreground the violent surf swirls under and around a rocky platform whilst in the background the iconic Sorrento Sphinx rock formation stares out to sea.
Below – “The Call of White Water”
Low tide at St Paul’s beach Sorrento as the surf crashes over the rocky plateaus filling one of the many natural pools.
Below – Water continually cascades off the edge of the platforms as waves push across them.
Below – A memorial on the cliff tops at Jubilee Point, Sorrento.
A sobering reminder of how dangerous this area can be.
The Flinders Pier Excursion.
Images from a recent trip to Flinders with friends Christine Wilson and Caroline Gorka.
The objective for the afternoon was to capture some images of the old wooden pier before it’s replaced by the concrete monster that’s currently being constructed right next to it.
As usual I became distracted.
Below – “IiN” some ghostly remains from further along the beach.
Below – “Flinders Point” just around the corner from the calm harbor area there’s a lot more ocean wave activity.
There were waves crashing all over the place here but the long exposure makes it look deceptively calm.
Below – “Flinders Back-Beach” near the blow hole area. Stop giggling, that’s what it’s called !!
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.
Below – “Blunderbuss” is a wider view of the same area taken at low tide with some more drama taking place in the clouds.
Below – “Exploring the Meme” is the boat ramp and single post at Jam Jerrup.
Exploring Beachport, South Australia.
I visited the town of Beachport just prior to the summer “silly season”. This provided me the with the opportunity to explore the area without the usual crowds of holiday makers cluttering up the splendid beaches.
The town sits on the end of a small cape with one side facing towards the open ocean and the other side facing more towards the mainland providing a relatively safe harbour area and calmer beaches.
Below – Thar She Blows – a storm approaches Beachport from the ocean.
Below – Beachport Pier – located on the calmer east side of the cape, is apparently the second longest pier in Australia. You need a cut lunch and a sherpa to trek from one end of the pier to the other. 🙂
Below – The Pool of Siloam at Beachport contains water which is claimed to be seven times saltier than seawater which makes floating really easy. The pool is fed by underground springs.
Below – Back on the rougher ocean side Post Office Rock at Beachport provides some nice wave action.
I lost a pair of runners and socks here to an unexpected wave.
Hunting the white water – Pinnacles, Phillip Island
Following are some images from The Pinnacles rock formation at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island. We were hoping for some nice big waves but unfortunately the conditions conspired against us that day.
The images were created using HDR techniques to capture the full dynamic range of this very contrasty environment, i.e. 3 bracketed exposures at 0,-2 and +2 EV. I had an ND400 neutral density filter on the front of the lens to allow longer exposure times and give some sense of movement to the water and clouds.
Below – “Chasing Dinosaurs”
Below – “Waiting for the Swirl of White”
Below – “Sea Level”
Below – “Lost in the Moment”
Below – “The Risky Swim”
Exploring Cape Schanck
Cape Schanck is located at the southern tip of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
The beaches here offer a feast of opportunities for photographers. At the tip of the cape sits Pulpit Rock, a huge monolith standing proud amongst tidal rocky platforms.
At low tide the rocky platforms are exposed allowing fairly easy access to a large number of rock pools. These pools are home to a variety of sea creatures including small fish, crustaceans and octopuses. Depending on the time of year the pools can contain various forms of brightly coloured seaweed, providing wonderful hiding places for the rock pool residents. This is a great place to dunk your waterproof compact camera if you’re lucky enough to own one. Unfortunately I don’t own one (yet).
Below – Pebbles at the Pulpit
The beach leading out to Pulpit Rock is covered by rounded rocks that roll around and pound into each other with each wave creating an interesting sound that’s quite difficult to describe.
Below – Cape Schanck Lighthouse overlooking the west side of the cape.
Below – Cape Schanck East. The eastern side of the cape provides a rocky beach where there are lots of opportunities for the photographer who enjoys capturing waves crashing over and around rocks. I took quite a few long exposures here.
Below – The Schanck. The white surf and dark rocks contrast each other nicely and provide excellent material for making great black and white images.
Fluid in Motion – Flinders
One of my favorite spots for photogenic wave action along the Mornington Peninsula is Flinders.
West of the township the rugged coastline features extensive cliffs with access to the rocky beaches in only a few places.
The deliciously dark rocks here provide a wonderful contrast to the bright white surf as waves from Bass Strait relentlessly pound the beach.
On this occasion I visited the beach during the early afternoon so conditions were extremely bright and contrasty.
I used an ND400 filter, sometimes in combination with an additional ND8 filter, to darken the scene and enable the use of slow shutter speeds to blur the moving water.
It’s always fun and games being close to the edge in places like this. Despite keeping one eye on the camera and the other eye on incoming waves I was caught by surprise on a couple of occasions during the afternoon and drenched by rogue waves exploding on the rocks.
This is really quite an extraordinary spot from a photographer’s perspective. Not so special for the grand seascape but more for the myriad of recesses where the surf dynamically interacts with the rocks.
Construction at Powlett River
The construction of the controversial desalination plant near the mouth of the Powlett River has yielded a temporary point of interest for photographers.
A large platform has been placed offshore to assist with the construction of the required underwater pipeline.
Although not the most beautiful structure in the world, it acts as a nice point of interest for an otherwise potentially boring background.
I’m in no way a supporter of this project but I decided to take advantage of the platform while it’s there and took a series of images from the spot where the Powlett River meets the ocean.
The idea behind the images was to use the lines created by running water and rock edges to draw the viewer into the scene towards the platform in the background. The images were taken in bright mid afternoon light using strong ND filtering to enable the exposures to be long enough to blur the water.
Below – Platform One
Below – Platform Two
Below – Platform Three
Below – Mouth of the Powlett – Looking north-west across the mouth to the sand dunes, the waves crashing onto the rocks in the foreground just appear as mist due to the long exposure time.
Below – a couple of experimental panoramic shots of the river and dunes.
To the tip of Cape Liptrap
Cape Liptrap is located on Victoria’s south east coastline overlooking Bass Strait.
On the high ground just back from the pointy end of the cape sits the Cape Liptrap lighthouse.
Below – “Warrior of the Dark” available as a print here.
Below – “Night’s Witness” is available as a print here.
If you enjoy real excitement, and don’t mind a bit of exercise, it’s worthwhile to jump the fence at the lighthouse and walk/slide your way out to the pointed cliff.
Peering over the edge of the cliff you’re greeted by an amazing rockscape being pounded by the violent waves of Bass Strait. The scene is captivating but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a real fear of heights.
Below “Vertigo – Over the Edge” available as a print here.
Below – a friend perched on the edge of the cliff enjoying the scenery and of course taking some shots.
The Jetties of Portsea and Sorrento
Portsea and Sorrento are coastal villages located at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, south east of Melbourne. They both share a wild and woolly ocean beach to the south and the much calmer waters of Port Phillip Bay to the north. As a photography enthusiast I enjoy the contrast between the ocean and bay sides of the peninsula.
In winter and early spring you can stand on the ocean beach and not see another soul, a prospect I find very attractive. The only problem is that the wild and woolly conditions that keep the crowds away also make photography difficult. A photographer here has to contend with the difficulties of high winds and sea spray, not impossible I know but very annoying when combined with the low temperatures of winter.
For this reason I’ve found myself gravitating towards the calmer bayside beaches on my last couple of trips down that way.
Below – “34 Steps” which is available to purchase as a print here.
I’ve recently been trying to consciously simplify my images by attempting to exclude as many distracting elements as possible. Whilst shooting on the bayside beaches this has been fairly easy to achieve by using long exposures to reduce the detail in the water and sky. Another benefit of the long exposures is that birds and boats can move through the frame without even appearing in the finished exposure. I used a combination of an ND400 and an ND8 filter giving me about 12 stops of darkness to make the exposures up to 30 seconds long for these images.
Below – “The Danger of Diving”, Portsea beach, which is available to purchase as a print here.
Portsea and Sorrento bayside beaches feature a wonderful collection of public and private jetties.
Below – “Outbound”, Sorrento beach, which is available to purchase as a print here.
Despite being technically over exposed I like the drama this high key image presents.
I like the way the sea and the sky are almost one. A personal favorite.
Below – “Nature versus Nurture”, Portsea beach, which is available to purchase as a print here.
Below – “Boomerang”, Portsea beach, which is available to purchase as a print here.
Below – “Civilization meets the Sea”, Portsea beach, is available to purchase as a print here.
Below – “The Trappings of Wealth”, Sorrento beach, is available to purchase as a print here.
West – along the coast
Following is a short series of seascape images taken on a recent trip along the Victorian/South Australian coastline.
Below – The Great Ocean Road – just south of Lorne, Victoria, Australia.
Notice the skid marks on the road at the bend, …this road is a popular tourist route attracting visitors from all over the world.
Some of these visitors unfortunately forget that we drive on the left side of the road in Australia. This causes all sorts of drama.
Below – Along the Edge – A view of the incoming storm from the lookout at Glenaire, Victoria, Australia.
Below – Bay of Martyrs – A long exposure image from down on the beach at the Bay of Martyrs, on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. I was attracted by the unusual shapes that the ocean had managed to create with the foreground rocks here.
Below – Storm at Port Campbell Pier – a long exposure image made during a stormy morning at Port Campbell pier. This pier really has quite a hard life being continually hammered by waves from the open ocean.
Below – Johanna’s Morn – The morning sun starts to warm the sands of Johanna beach, Victoria, Australia.
Below – Her Deceptive Charm – A long exposure image from Cape Northumberland in South Australia.
The waves were really ripping into the rocks here, …….although the image looks deceptively calm due to the long exposure time.
Below – At Ocean’s Edge – On the beach at Cape Northumberland, South Australia.
Incorporating HDR tonemapping techniques with long exposures
The following images were experiments using HDR tone mapping techniques combined with the effects of long exposure times.
Each image was constructed from at least 3 separate exposures using in-camera auto exposure bracketing. In my case, being a Canon shooter, I used 3 exposures of -2,0 and +2 simply for convenience. I believe Nikon shooters have a bit more flexibility in this area.
The images were all taken during daylight hours so it was necessary to use some heavy ND filtering in order to increase the exposure times and achieve a nice misty look to the water. In my case I used an ND400 and an ND8 filter stacked together to achieve this.
With the camera set to aperture priority mode I adjusted the aperture and filter combination (sometimes removing the ND8) to achieve an exposure of 8 seconds. When the shutter button is depressed the camera would then give me 3 exposures at 8 seconds, 2 seconds and 30 seconds (which is close enough to 0,-2 and +2). My particular camera doesn’t let me expose for longer than 30 seconds unless I go to bulb mode and use a remote timer, so out of laziness I tend to limit many of my exposures to 30 seconds. 🙂
The exposures were then combined and tonemapped using HDR software and tweaked in Photoshop to achieve the end result.
Despite all of this sounding a bit technical it’s really quite simple and I encourage you to try it. The results are often very rewarding.
BELOW – Jurassic Afternoon – Sunlight and waves break through a slit in the prehistoric Pinnacles rock formation on Phillip Island.
BELOW – The Mist of St.Pauls – A long exposure at St. Pauls beach, Sorrento, Victoria, Australia.
BELOW – Prehistoria – An image from The Pinnacles, at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
BELOW – Swimming with Dinosaurs – Down amongst the prehistoric Pinnacles rock formations at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
Photography by Jim Worrall 