Sunset at the Metung tree remnants
During a recent trip to Gippsland I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and experience an awesome sunset on the shoreline at Metung.
It was one of those rare occasions where the colour seemed to stay in the sky for ages. It was truly a magical evening. 🙂
The image above is available to purchase as a print here.
Pictured below, one of the iconic tree remnants on the Metung shoreline, side lit by the setting sun.
The image above is available to purchase as a print here.
Pictured below, …Metung’s equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster, …..or perhaps it’s simply a tree remnant? 🙂
Pictured below, a “behind the scenes shot” caught with my phone camera as the sky lit up.
Pictured below, a “behind the scenes shot” taken as the sky started to fill with colour. Photo courtesy of Mustang Sally.
Old Sea Wall – Queensferry
A long exposure image from the beach at Queensferry, Western Port Bay.
Tenby Point – The Jetty and the Mangroves
We had arrived just in time. The high tide was starting to recede giving us easy access to the beach yet there was still enough water covering the base of the jetty posts.
If you arrive at this destination at the wrong time you’ll find sticks in mud.
Below – Two images of the Tenby Point jetty remnants.
Pictured below – On the way back to the car park the water had receded enough to reveal the tangled root system on this Tenby Point icon.
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.
A Photographic Trip to Tenby Point.
Tenby Point is a coastal village located on the shores of Westernport Bay, just a few kilometers east of Corinella, Victoria, Australia.
On this particular photography excursion conditions weren’t ideal. The sun was harsh and high in the sky, and there were no clouds around. Due to these harsh light conditions I chose to make a series of high key images whilst the tide was favorable.
Below – The Counsel of Many
It’s important to know what the tides are doing here from a photographer’s prespective.
I think it’s best here to avoid visiting at low tide unless you’d like images of sticks or trees sitting in mud.
The black and white images in this post were taken with both an ND400 and an ND8 filter attached to the end of the lens to achieve long exposure times in bright sunny conditions. The goal behind using such heavy filtering is to achieve long exposure times in order to blur as much detail as possible from the sky and water.
The result is a more minimalistic image.
Below – Sweet Survivor
Below – The Path to Yesterday
Eventually all good things come to those who wait. The afternoon dominated by harsh white light gave way to a pearler of a sunset when some clouds moved across the sky at just the right moment. I drove home from Tenby Point wearing a satisfied grin. 🙂
Below – Sunset at Tenby Point
Down amongst the Mangroves, Westernport Bay.
You certainly have to admire the hardiness of the Mangrove tree.
It thrives in poor quality soil in tidal areas, and twice a day has it’s roots submerged in salty sea water. Under storm conditions the Mangrove is battered by both wind and waves yet it still manages to hold firmly.
The Mangrove tree is also an interesting subject from a photographer’s perspective. At high tide with the roots submerged it’s fairly easy to photographically isolate the subject from it’s surroundings by using a long exposure time to smooth any waves around it’s base and blur any clouds in the sky.
Below – TimeKeeper
Below – The Risen
Below – Approaching the Forest
At low tide the Mangrove tree has it’s roots exposed creating potentially a new subject of interest for the photographer. The long roots are often intertwined with each other giving the impression of writhing serpents (perhaps that’s just my imagination running wild).
Below – The Serpent Tree
Below – Wild n’ Woolly a long exposure with the roots exposed and the leaves thrashing around in the wind.
Below – On Borrowed Time the same tree as above but at high tide.
Exploring Cement Creek
It seems to me that Cement Creek was dealt an injustice when it was first named.
Despite it’s odd name, it really is quite an attractive location and a fine example of lush Victorian forest.
Cement Creek in located at the foot of Mount Donna Buang, near the intersection of Donna Buang Rd and Acheron Way.
On this excursion we gained access to the creek by walking along raised platforms which got us most of the way, then we jumped the handrail into the forest to get to the flowing water. At this location you need to be prepared to get muddy and wet, so it’s advisable to keep a change of clothes in the boot of your car.
The main hazard here is the slippery moss covered rocks. A minor hazard is the hungry leeches.
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.
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.
A Black and White Journey to Grantville Beach
The following two images were taken at Grantville which is located on the eastern side of Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia.
Low tide at the Grantville beach exposes a huge expanse of fine silty mud dotted with clusters of mangrove trees. On the day I was there the sky was filled with bright swirling clouds so I incorporated them into the photos as an added point of interest. Originally I envisioned capturing the scenes with a featureless blue sky but nature has a way of changing plans. 🙂
I’m been told by several people that the first photo below contains a face in the clouds, and ever since it’s been pointed out to me I see it every time I view the image.
There’s a word for this, ….and the word is pareidolia.
South Gippsland hills
Images taken from a recent excursion to South Gippsland.
The Symphony of Harvest
An image taken near Mt Best.
Distinctive trails on the ground show the path of harvesters on the grass. The foreground tree is shaped into submission by the prevailing winds.
The hay bale in the foreground is highlighted by the sun shining through scattered cloud.
I Looked Up High
Image taken near Dollar, Victoria, Australia.
Agnes – the rolling hills
This image was taken near Agnes, in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
In the cooler wetter months the hills are a lush green colour then they start to brown off over summer.
The Edge
Gum trees growing precariously close to a cliff edge in western Victoria, Australia.
I was attracted to this scene by the trees silhouetted against the bright cloudy sky and of course the dead limbs in the foreground.
Through the Fingal Forest
These images were taken on a recent excursion to Fingal beach, near Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia.
The long track from the carpark to the beach is lined with twisted and gnarled trees creating an interesting viewing experience.
Visitors to the beach also experience the joy of navigating the hundreds of “awkwardly spaced” steps along the path. It’s not so bad going down to the beach but the return uphill journey is certainly a good test of your general fitness. Of course the ideal solution is to take along a strong, sturdy friend who can carry you back up the hill.
The images below were all taken using the Lumix LX3 camera.
After traversing the Fingal forest I managed to take this image.
Sounds of the Undine
A black and white rendition of a recent shot of the lake at Bonnie Doon, Victoria, Australia.
Morning in the Forest of Ferns
Early morning in the forest of ferns.
As the sun rises higher in the sky, beams of sunlight break through the forest canopy spotlighting details in the foliage.
Glint
Voice of the Ondine – Bonnie Doon
Yet another image from the lovely Bonnie Doon area in Victoria, Australia, this time showing some actual water covering some of the lake bed.
“Changes” – an autumn fog landscape
“Changes” was taken on a foggy autumn morning on farmland in Cranbourne, Australia.
The lush green grass is such a contrast to the dry barren earth found on this spot during summer.
This image is available to purchase as a print here.
Autumn in the Valley
The late afternoon sun makes this lush Jindivick valley come to life.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
The Australiana Tree, SkyHigh.
The Australiana Tree is at SkyHigh on top of Mt Dandenong in Victoria.
The tree was apparently killed by a lightning strike several years ago then later sculpted by artist Leigh Conkie.
The two close up images of the carved tree were shot at night using the Lumix LX3 hand held at 1/30 and 1/20th of a second both at f2.8, ISO400. The tree was side lit by a large yellow spotlight.
Heaven in Her Arms.
Title – Heaven in Her Arms.
A black and white landscape, shot at Sorrento ocean beach.
This photo is available to view larger or purchase as a print here.
