Tag:sunrise

Soaring High: Canowindra, Canola and Ballooning Magic

Nestled in the rolling hills of New South Wales, Canowindra is a charming town that offers a delightful mix of history, culture, and natural beauty. Canowindra is an excellent destination at any time of year, but visiting during the canola season (typically between August and September) provides a particularly magical experience. The landscape transforms into a sea of vibrant yellow, creating a stunning backdrop for exploring this quaint town. This guide will take you through the highlights of travelling to Canowindra during canola season, from the golden fields to the town’s historical and cultural attractions.

The Golden Fields of Canowindra

During canola season, one of the most breathtaking aspects of visiting Canowindra is the vast fields of blooming canola. The bright yellow flowers create a striking contrast against the green countryside and clear blue skies, making it a photographer’s paradise.

Canowindra Cargo Road
Canowindra Cargo Road
Best Spots for Viewing Canola Fields

To fully appreciate the beauty of the canola fields, take a scenic drive along the country roads surrounding Canowindra. Some of the best spots for viewing and photographing the fields include:

  • Belubula Way: This scenic route offers panoramic countryside views and expansive canola fields. The rolling hills covered in bright yellow blooms create a picturesque scene that’s perfect for photography.
  • Gaskill Street: While mainly known for its historical buildings, the outskirts of Gaskill Street lead to beautiful rural landscapes with canola fields in full bloom.
  • Cargo Road: A popular route for wine enthusiasts, Cargo Road also passes through stunning canola fields. Combining a wine tour with canola viewing makes for a delightful day trip.
Canowindra Cargo Road
Canowindra Cargo Road
Photography Tips

To capture the best photos of the canola fields, consider the following tips:

  • Golden Hour: The soft, warm light during sunrise and sunset enhances the yellow hues of the canola flowers, creating stunning images.
  • Drones: If you have a drone, use it to capture aerial shots of the canola fields. The bird’s-eye view provides a unique perspective of the landscape.
  • Foreground Interest: To add depth and interest to your photos, include fences, old barns, or trees in the foreground.
  • Weather: Check the weather forecast before heading out. A clear, sunny day will make the canola fields look their best, while cloudy skies can add drama to your shots.
Historical and Cultural Attractions

While the canola fields are a highlight, Canowindra is rich in history and culture and offers plenty of attractions to explore.

Ballooning Over Canowindra

Canowindra is renowned as the “Ballooning Capital of Australia,” and experiencing a hot air balloon flight over the canola fields is an unforgettable adventure. The sight of the golden fields from above, stretching as far as the eye can see, is truly breathtaking. We took a sunrise flight with Balloon Joy Flights during our visit. Balloon flights provide a unique perspective of the landscape. Flights typically occur at sunrise or sunset, when the winds are calm, and the light is perfect for viewing the canola fields. Booking your flight in advance is recommended, as canola season is a popular time for ballooning in Canowindra.

canowindra canola
Ballooning over Canowindra
What to Expect

A typical balloon flight lasts about an hour, but the entire experience, including setting up and packing away the balloon, can take three to four hours. Participants usually meet before dawn, and after a safety briefing, they watch as the balloon is inflated. Once airborne, you’ll drift gently over the countryside, with the pilot pointing out landmarks and sharing interesting facts about the area. Upon landing, a traditional champagne breakfast rounded off our experience in style.

Local Wineries and Dining

Canowindra is in a burgeoning wine region known for its boutique wineries and exceptional local produce. During canola season, the vineyards are surrounded by yellow blooms, creating a stunning setting for wine tasting and dining.

Wineries to Visit
  • Rosnay Organic Wines: This family-owned vineyard produces organic wines, olives, and figs. The cellar door offers tastings and tours.
  • Windowrie Estate: Known for its award-winning wines, Windowrie Estate provides a charming cellar-door experience. The picturesque vineyard makes it a great place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine.
  • Wallington Wines: Specializing in handcrafted wines, Wallington Wines offers personalized tastings in a beautiful rural setting. The vineyard’s focus on quality and sustainability is evident in every sip.
canowindra canola
Dining in Canowindra

Canowindra’s culinary scene is a delightful reflection of its agricultural bounty. Many of the town’s restaurants and cafes emphasize fresh, locally sourced ingredients in their menus.

  • Finns Store: Located in a beautifully restored heritage building, Finns Store offers contemporary Australian cuisine, focusing on seasonal ingredients. It’s a perfect spot for a leisurely lunch or dinner.
  • Taste Canowindra: Combining a restaurant, wine bar, and art gallery, Taste Canowindra provides a unique dining experience. Enjoy gourmet dishes paired with local wines while surrounded by works of art.
  • The Old Vic Inn: This historic pub offers a cosy atmosphere and a menu featuring hearty, classic dishes made with local produce. It’s an excellent place for a casual meal and a drink.
Exploring the Outdoors

Beyond the canola fields, Canowindra offers plenty of outdoor activities and exploration opportunities.

Bushwalking and Wildlife

The Canowindra Nature Reserve is a popular spot for bushwalking, with trails that wind through woodlands, along riverbanks, and up gentle hills. The reserve has various wildlife, including kangaroos, echidnas, and numerous bird species. It’s a great place to immerse yourself in nature and enjoy the tranquillity of the countryside.

Fishing and Boating

The nearby Lachlan River provides opportunities for fishing and boating. Anglers can try to catch Murray cod, golden perch, and other freshwater species. The river’s peaceful surroundings make it an excellent place for a relaxing day on the water.

Accommodation Options

Canowindra offers a range of accommodation options to suit different preferences and budgets, from charming bed and breakfasts to self-contained cottages and historic inns.

Canowindra's main Street, 5.30 am
Canowindra’s Main Street, 5.30 am
Bed and Breakfasts

For a cosy and personalized experience, consider staying at one of Canowindra’s bed and breakfasts. Some popular choices include:

  • The Old Vic Inn: We stayed here and found it fabulous. This historic inn offers comfortable rooms, a friendly atmosphere, and a central location. Guests can enjoy a hearty breakfast and explore the town’s attractions on foot.
  • Gaskill Street Cottage: A charming, self-contained cottage in the heart of Canowindra. The cottage offers all the comforts of home and a peaceful garden setting.
  • Montrose House is a beautifully restored heritage home offering elegant rooms and a warm welcome. It is known for its exceptional hospitality and delicious breakfasts.
Old Vic Inn 5.30 am - heading to our balloon flight
Old Vic Inn 5.30 am – heading to our balloon flight
Farm Stays

For a unique and immersive experience, consider staying at a farm stay. These accommodations allow you to experience rural life and enjoy the tranquillity of the countryside.

  • Rosnay Organic Wines: In addition to its vineyard, Rosnay offers farm stay accommodation in a cosy, self-contained cottage. Guests can enjoy farm tours, wine tastings, and peaceful surroundings.
  • Eddy’s of Canowindra is a working farm offering comfortable accommodations and a chance to experience farm life. Guests can participate in farm activities and explore the beautiful property.
Practical Information
Best Time to Visit

Canola season, typically from August to September, is the best time to visit Canowindra to see the fields in full bloom. The weather is mild, and the countryside is most beautiful during these months.

canowindra canola Sunrise balloon flight
Sunrise balloon flight
Getting There

Canowindra is approximately 300 kilometres west of Sydney, making it a manageable drive for a weekend getaway. The town is also accessible by public transport, with train and bus services connecting it to major cities and regional centres.

Local Tips
  • Respect the Fields: While the canola fields are beautiful, they are also working farms. Be respectful of private property and stick to designated viewing areas.
  • Dress Appropriately: The weather can be cool in the early morning and evening, so bring layers and comfortable walking shoes.
  • Bring a Camera: The vibrant canola fields and picturesque landscapes provide plenty of photo opportunities.
canowindra canola

Visiting Canowindra during canola season is a truly magical experience. The golden fields, the town’s rich history, vibrant culture, and welcoming community create a perfect destination for a memorable getaway. Whether exploring the scenic countryside, floating above the landscape in a hot air balloon, or savouring the flavours of local wines and cuisine, Canowindra offers a unique and enchanting travel experience. So pack your bags, set out on a golden journey, and discover the beauty and charm of Canowindra in canola season.

nueswantstein castle, Bavaria, Germany

A Guide to the Magic of Travel Photography

Travel photography is all about capturing the essence of people. The landscapes, cultures, and experiences that one encounters while exploring different parts of the world. It is a visual diary, a record of one’s travels. It aims to transport viewers to unfamiliar destinations, evoking a sense of place. It’s also like a time capsule, preserving memories from a trip that can be cherished and enjoyed for years to come.

travel photography three sisters, blue mountains
Three sisters, Blue Mountains, NSW
What is Travel Photography?

While travel photography is its own genre, it also encompasses food, landscape, portrait and street photography. In addition, every travel destination has its distinct characteristics, such as its culture, history, people, landscapes, and stories.

This entails capturing the beauty of the natural environment, exquisite architecture, local customs, and lively street scenes. It also includes people’s interactions within their cultural settings. Moreover, the photographer endeavours to capture the destination’s essence and create images that inspire viewers to explore and experience the world. Thus revealing its unique features through visual storytelling.

Cape de coudec lighthouse, Kangaroo Island, SA travel photography
Cape Du Couedic  Lighthouse, Kangaroo Island SA
One Example

Picture yourself taking a road trip on the renowned Great Ocean Road in Australia. While driving along the rugged Victoria coastline, you come across the breathtaking Twelve Apostles. A striking formation of limestone stacks towering above the Southern Ocean. You position your camera on a cliff’s edge and capture the dreamy golden sunlight enveloping the apostles in a warm glow during the golden hour.

The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria travel photography
The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria

By carefully composing the scene, one can emphasize the striking contrast between the vivid blue ocean, the rugged rocks, and the dramatic sky overhead. You also effectively capture the crashing waves against the apostles, creating a dynamic and powerful image. One depicting nature’s raw beauty and immense power.

Your photograph captures a defining landmark of Australia’s coastline, showcasing the natural wonders of the Great Ocean Road. It invites viewers to immerse themselves in the breathtaking scenery, inspiring them to explore the country’s diverse landscapes. In addition, the image serves as a reminder of the vastness and awe-inspiring sights that Australia has to offer.

Gog and Magog in the morning mist, Great Ocean Road travel photography
Gog and Magog in the morning mist, Great Ocean Road
What Gear?

When taking photos while travelling, it’s crucial to balance having the right equipment while ensuring that your gear is lightweight and easy to carry. Here are some essential equipment suggestions for travel photography.

  1. Camera: When selecting a camera, it’s important to consider your specific needs and preferences. You have several options to choose from, including compact point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLRs. Consider factors like image quality, size, weight, and versatility to make the best decision.
  2. Lenses: When packing for your trip, aim to bring a variety of lenses that can cover different focal lengths. A wide-angle lens, typically around 16-35mm, is ideal for capturing landscapes and architecture. On the other hand, a zoom lens like the 24-70mm or 70-200mm offers versatility for various types of shots.
  3. Tripod: For steady shots, long exposures, and self-portraits, a lightweight and sturdy tripod is essential. It’s important to find one that is compact and easily fits into your travel bag for convenience. (Carbon fibre tripods are the lightest).
Street scene, Paris
Equipment is not just the camera.
  1. Extra Batteries and Memory Cards: Ensure you have spare batteries and sufficient memory cards. Nothing is worse than running out of power or storage space while on the go. It’s always better to have more than you think you’ll need.
  2. Camera Bag: Investing in a durable and comfortable camera bag is essential for protecting and organizing your gear. It’s important to choose one with padded compartments and convenient accessibility.
  3. Filters: When taking photos, it’s worth bringing along some useful filters like neutral density (ND) filters to manage the light and polarising filters to minimize glare and intensify colours.
  4. Cleaning Kit: It’s a good idea to have a compact cleaning kit. Look for one with a lens cloth, blower, and cleaning solution. This will keep your equipment in good condition and achieve dust-free pictures.
  5. Remote Shutter Release: When taking long exposures or self-portraits, a remote shutter release or cable release can come in handy to minimize camera shake.
  6. Portable External Hard Drive: It is important to regularly back up your images to avoid losing valuable data and to free up space on your memory card. You can use a portable external hard drive or cloud storage.
  7. Travel Adapter and Charger: When planning to travel abroad, it is advisable to bring a travel adapter and charger compatible with the destination country’s electrical outlets. This will ensure you can charge your devices and stay connected while travelling.
The northern lights Tromso, Norway travel photography
The northern lights, Tromso, Norway
Tips to get you started
  1. Plan and Research: Before you travel, research your destination to understand its culture, landmarks, and points of interest. This will help you identify unique and photogenic locations.
  2. Pack Light and Smart: Travel photography often involves a lot of walking, so it’s essential to pack light. Carry only the necessary camera gear and accessories. Consider a versatile lens that covers a wide range of focal lengths.
  3.  Capture the Local Culture: Focus on capturing the essence of the destination by photographing local people, their daily lives, traditions, and customs. Be respectful and seek permission when photographing individuals.
  4. Seek Unique Perspectives: Look for different angles and perspectives and experiment with low angles, high angles, and different compositions to add interest to your shots.
  5. Golden Hour and Blue Hour: Take advantage of the beautiful lighting during the golden hour (shortly after sunrise or before sunset) and the blue hour (before sunrise or after sunset). The soft, warm, and diffused light during these times can enhance your photos.
  6. Tell a Story: Look for scenes that tell a story or evoke emotions. Include elements that provide context and create a sense of place.
  7. Pay Attention to Details: Details can often make for compelling photographs. Capture close-up shots of interesting textures, patterns, architecture, or local cuisine to add depth and variety to your travel album.
  8. Be Mindful of Composition: Use the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing techniques to create visually pleasing compositions. Consider the foreground, middle ground, and background to add depth and balance to your images.
  9. Experiment with Long Exposures: If you have a tripod, try long exposure photography to capture motion blur of waterfalls, flowing rivers, or bustling city streets.
  10.  Practice Patience and Observation: Take the time to observe your surroundings, anticipate moments, and wait for the perfect shot. Patience can often lead to capturing unique and memorable images.
travel photography Stonehenge, Salisbury UK
Stonehenge, Salisbury UK
Locations not gear

Explore the world! Visiting breathtaking destinations will yield better photographic opportunities than investing in pricey equipment. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of your phone camera either – it can capture stunning shots.

The Wanaka Tree, NZ during blue hour
The Wanaka Tree, NZ, during blue hour

Travel photography can transport viewers to different corners of the globe, fueling a desire to see these awe-inspiring landscapes in person. This is the essence of travel photography: to inspire adventure, ignite wanderlust and encourage appreciation for the beauty of the world’s natural and cultural wonders.

Sydney Australia.

48 Hours in Sydney: A Quick Guide to the Must-See Attractions

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is a world-renowned city. It’s known for its stunning harbour, beautiful beaches, and vibrant cultural scene. Every year, millions of visitors flock to this Australian gem to experience its charm. However, deciding how to spend your time could be overwhelming, with many things to see and do, especially if you have a tight schedule.

Sydney harbour and opera house

We had only 48 hours to explore the city during our recent trip to Sydney. Despite the time constraint, we still saw some must-see attractions. These included the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the world-class Taronga Zoo. It was a whirlwind tour, but we enjoyed every moment of it.

Getting around – Avoid the Car!

Try to avoid driving around inner Sydney. A new report commissioned by Australia’s motoring clubs has revealed Sydney is the nation’s most congested city. Melbourne wasn’t far behind, while Canberra came in third place. Additionally, the older parts of the city, particularly in the central business district, have narrower roads due to how they were designed and built many years ago. When Sydney was first developed, the focus was on creating a grid pattern of streets that could accommodate horse-drawn carriages and carts.

sydney underground railway

Additionally, as Sydney has grown and developed, it faced challenges expanding its road network due to limited available space. The city’s geography, sandwiched between the harbour and surrounding hills, made it difficult to build new roads without impacting the environment or disrupting established communities. As a result, many of the streets in Sydney have remained narrow, particularly in the city’s older areas. Car parking can be expensive with limited options, and traffic is heavy. The best option is public transport, taxis or rideshare.

Sydney has an excellent public transport system of buses, trains and ferries. However, even that is struggling to meet passenger demand. However, it remains the best way to get around. The Opal card is a rechargeable smart card used on all public transport.

QVB

The QVB (Queen Victoria Building) is a historic building in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. It was built in the late 19th century as a marketplace and shopping arcade. Since then, it has become one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Designed by architect George McRae, it features a stunning Romanesque Revival style with intricate sandstone and granite facades, ornate arches, and a central dome with a striking stained-glass skylight. The interior of the building is equally impressive, with soaring ceilings, marble floors, and beautifully crafted balustrades.

qvb sydney

However, like many other beautiful old buildings, as progress was made, its future became uncertain. In the 1950s, it was in danger of being demolished due to neglect and the city’s changing needs. Thankfully, a group of concerned citizens, including architects, heritage enthusiasts, and community leaders, banded together to save the QVB from demolition. After years of advocacy and lobbying, the QVB was finally granted heritage protection in the 1980s. It underwent a significant restoration and refurbishment project that took several years to complete and returned the building to its former glory.

qvb sydney

Today, the QVB is home to over 180 retailers, including high-end fashion boutiques, gourmet food shops, and specialty stores. Visitors can also enjoy a range of dining options, from casual cafes to upscale restaurants.

Angel Place

Angel Place is a small laneway located between George Street and Pitt Street in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. The laneway is famous for its unique and thought-provoking art installation called “Forgotten Songs.”

angel place
Angel Place

Forgotten Songs is an outdoor artwork that features 180 birdcages hanging high above the laneway. Each birdcage plays the sound of a different bird that once inhabited the area before the arrival of European settlers. The installation is a tribute to the fifty lost bird species and their songs that once filled the skies over Sydney but were lost to development. As night falls, the daytime bird songs change to the nocturnal birds. Michael Thomas Hill created the artwork, which was installed in 2009 as part of the City of Sydney’s Laneways Public Art Program. It has since become a popular destination for locals and tourists, providing a peaceful and reflective space amid the busy city.

angel place
Angel Place birdcages

Angel Place is also home to several restaurants, cafes, and small shops. It’s a great place to stop and relax while exploring the city. The laneway’s cobblestone pavement, brick walls, and historic buildings add charm and character. This creates a unique and memorable experience for visitors.

Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is a world-renowned zoological park located in Sydney, Australia. The zoo was founded in 1916 and is situated in a stunning harbourside location, providing visitors with breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.

taronga zoo sydney
Giraffes against the Harbour Bridge backdrop

The zoo is home to over 4,000 animals from 350 different species, including Australian native wildlife and exotic animals worldwide. Highlights include the Great Southern Oceans exhibit, where visitors can see Australian Sea Lions, Penguins and fur seals, and the Wild Asia exhibit, featuring tigers, otters, and gibbons.

koala
Koala

Taronga Zoo is not just a place to observe animals but also a hub for conservation and education. The zoo works closely with many organisations to protect and preserve endangered species and their habitats. Visitors can learn about these efforts through interactive exhibits and talks from expert staff.

chimpanzees
Chimpanzees

Taronga Zoo offers a range of experiences for visitors, including behind-the-scenes tours, animal encounters, and wildlife shows. The zoo also has various cafes and restaurants, providing ample opportunities to relax and enjoy stunning views.

Hissou Tepanyaki

Hissou is a Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. The restaurant is known for its delicious teppanyaki-style cuisine, prepared by skilled chefs right in front of guests at their own cooking stations.

At Hissou Tepanyaki, guests can choose from fresh seafood, meats, and vegetables, which are then expertly grilled and seasoned to perfection. The teppanyaki-style cooking allows guests to witness the artistry of the chefs as they prepare their meals, creating a fun and interactive dining experience.

hissou teppanyaki sydney

In addition to its teppanyaki offerings, Hissou Tepanyaki also features a sushi bar, where guests can enjoy a variety of fresh and creative sushi rolls, sashimi, and nigiri. The restaurant’s sleek and modern interior and vibrant and energetic atmosphere make it the perfect spot for a night out with friends, a special occasion, or a romantic dinner for two.

hissou teppanyaki
The Palace Tea Rooms

A charming and elegant tea room located in the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in the heart of Sydney. The tearoom features ornate decor and beautiful stained-glass windows. They offer a variety of teas and a selection of pastries, cakes, and sandwiches.

palace tearooms qvb bldg

In addition, the Palace Tea Rooms also serves a variety of breakfast and lunch options. These include a range of classic British and Australian dishes. The tea room’s elegant and sophisticated atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for a special occasion, a catch-up with friends, or a romantic afternoon tea for two.

palace tearooms
Narooma - a little slice of paradise

Narooma NSW, a Little Slice of Heaven

Narooma NSW is a little slice of heaven on the NSW far south coast. With pristine blue waterways, it’s a popular destination for photographers, fishermen or families who want to chill out or surf spectacular beaches. Unfortunately, our schedule only allowed for two days. So sadly, we didn’t get to see and do all we wanted; how I would have loved to stay longer.

Narooma Beach sunrise
Sunrise on Narooma Beach
History

Narooma takes its name from the Aboriginal language meaning “clear blue waters”, and with the intense blues and greens of the area’s waters, it’s not hard to see why. After discovering gold in nearby Central Tilba, the town sprung up in 1883. A school was added in 1886, and the post office followed in 1889. The oyster industry was established in 1900. The Narooma Oyster Festival is held in May each year – celebrating the heart of Rock Oyster country.

narooma a little slice of heaven
Wagonga Head and Inlet, Narooma by Visit NSW
Getting There

From Sydney, it’s a pleasant 350km drive to Narooma, following the coast along the Princes Highway. The route is 220km via the Kings and Princes Highways from Canberra or 684kms from Melbourne via the Princes Hwy. While the journey from Melbourne is longer, you get to drive through Lakes Entrance, Eden, and Bermagui. All are great seaside towns and deserving of an overnight visit.

camel rock at nearby bermagui
Camel Rock at nearby Bermagui
Attractions and Landmarks

While we were there for the photography, Narooma had plenty to keep everyone happy.

  • Cycle or stroll along the Mill Bay Boardwalk and spot the stingrays, dolphins or seals
  • Hit a few balls at the Narooma Golf Club and the famous Hogans Hole.
  • A stroll along the surf beach will take you to Glasshouse Rocks
  • At Bar Beach, you can enjoy a swim or snorkel in its sheltered waters where NZ and Australian fur seals also enjoy a sunbake
  • Forsters Bay is perfect for kayaking around the oyster farms on the western side of town
  • Bermagui – Camel Rock and Horse Head rock – only 30 mins away
  • Montague Island. It boasts a historic lighthouse and nature reserve. If only we could have gone there. Because there is no bridge, you have to take a ferry – and none were running that day due to a heavy swell, so we missed out. Tours are available from Montague Island Tours or Narooma Charters
australia rock, narooma
Australia Rock, Narooma
Accommodation

We stayed at the Narooma Golfers Lodge, which was very good. While not golfers, we picked it for its views, price and the easy walk to the Golf Club Bistro. They offer clean and comfortable one and two-bedroom apartments at very reasonable prices. Airbnb also has loads of accommodation options in the area, and there are plenty of hotels and motels.

Montague Island, Narooma, Image courtesy of NSW Parks

How To Create A HDR Panorama

Panorama’s and HDR’s are my two big loves of photography. Yes, I know; we have all seen poorly done HDR (High Digital Resolution) where they almost hurt your eyes. But done right – an HDR is a fabulous image that encompasses highlights and shadows without the clarity slider running amok. I usually call them bracketed shots now when talking to people, as HDR got such a bad name at the height of its use. However, I always do bracketed shots for sunset and sunrise – and when I wanted to create a panorama of sunrise on the Walls of China at Mungo National Park recently – I made the HDR pano below. While the process may be a tad lengthy, it’s easy to do.

Shooting the Image
  1. Place your camera on a tripod in a vertical orientation and ensure that the tripod and the camera are level.
  2. Most modern DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras have built-in hdr settings where they automatically take 3, 5 or 7 shots (your choosing). If your camera doesn’t do this, you will need to change the exposure manually each time. Starting at the left of your image, take three shots. Shot #1 is correctly exposed, #2 is one stop underexposed, and #3 is one stop overexposed
  3. Move your camera to the right, allowing a 30% overlap with the first lot of images. Take another three shots as you did in step 2
  4. Repeat step 3 until you have taken all the images required, left to right, to create your panorama. In the above image, I had six vertical image sets (3 to each set, so a total of 18 images)
Editing your shot

The first step in my editing was to turn each set of three images into an HDR. To do this, I opened up each set, one set at a time, in Photomatix (click the link to download the free trial). You can do an HDR in LR or Photoshop, but I find that too basic and much prefer Photomatix. There is also Aurora, which I have, but again I find Photomatix superior. It works as a plug-in to LR but not PS, so I use it as a standalone, then save the HDR images before reopening them again to create the panorama.

photomatix interface How To Create A HDR Panorama
Open Photomatix
step one Create A HDR Panorama
Drag in your first set of three images and click on merge options
step two How To Create A HDR Panorama
Choose your options and click merge to HDR

The preset option allows you to choose between handheld or tripod. I didn’t tick options to remove ghosts as I was on a tripod. You would need to do this if your images were handheld. I also tick the reduce noise on underexposed images only.

apply filters How To Create A HDR Panorama
First combined hdr image.

The next screen opens up and shows your first completed HDR. The dust spots on the lens you can see here I removed later in PS. I don’t do much here, apart from applying a filter you see in the thumbnails to the right. I chose Balanced. If you tweak, remember to use the same tweaks on each image of your panorama. Click Finish, and it will apply your filter settings.

How To Create A HDR Panorama
Final Image

Now, click on ‘save final image’, then close it, and repeat the above with all the remaining sets of bracketed shots in your panorama.

Creating the Panorama

I first tried PS to create the panorama, but again it was too basic. It didn’t come out straight and didn’t give me the control I wanted. So I opened up the ICE (Image Composite Editor) by Microsoft. It’s a free standalone program that works MUCH better than Photoshop. If you have a MAC and are looking for a free one, you could try Hugin Panorama Stitcher

create a panorama
ICE interface

Open up ICE and click on ‘new panorama from images’. From here, it’s a simple 1 to 4 step process.

How To Create A HDR Panorama
Individual HDR images read to merge.

With your individual images open and ready, click on 2STITCH

From here, all I needed to do was

stitch pano
ICE is working its magic
How To Create A HDR Panorama
Pano Stitched

If you find your pano has a slight bow in it – place your cursor over the centre point, and you can drag the centre up or down a fraction to level it out. Then, when you are happy with it, click Next.

crop and export
Completed Stitching
Crop

In the crop section, you can choose ‘Auto Crop’, and it will crop to within the confines of the image, excluding all the black edges, or ‘no crop’, where it saves it just as it is. I chose this option as I didn’t want to lose any sky. From here, click ‘next’ or 4Export. It will take you to the same screen.

save image Create A HDR Panorama
Finished and ready to save

Once your pano is completed, save by clicking on ‘export to disk’ and save to your desired location. To finish off – open in your favourite editing program, e.g. LR or PS, crop to your desired size and save. There is no need to keep your ICE project. I opened mine in Photoshop, cropped in at the sides and bottom – and used content-aware to fill in the sky before tidying up my dust spots. (they were on the lens, not the sensor). I removed the photographer to the right with the spot healing brush, brought the vibrance up to warm the sand a fraction, then sharpened the dunes a tad.

open in photoshop

And that’s it! You’re done. I hope you found this helpful and you find ICE useful. I would love to see the HDR panorama you create.

desolute land

Mungo – Outback Road Trip Day 4

Last night, at Mungo, some of our group had stayed up to shoot Astro. So instead, we (my travel buddy sister and I) had gone off to bed knowing we had an early start the next day. Two of our group, however, were up till all hours, and Maddie still got up for sunrise the following day. Ahh, to be young again, LOL.

Milky Way over old Mungo Wool Shed
Milky Way over Old Wool Shed by Maddie Townsend
Mungo NP with milky way
Astro, taken at the back of the lodge by Niki Rogalski

The alarm went off at 5.30 am, and amid much groaning and complaining, we were up and out of bed. Knowing how little motivation we would have at this hour of the morning, we had set our clothes out the night before. We had filled the kettle and readied two coffee cups, plus our go cups. With the kettle boiling, we dressed in a gazillion layers of clothing to cope with the cold. We then downed our first cuppa and donned our puffy coats, beanies and gloves. Once ready, we then headed out into the pitch darkness with the camera and tripod, clutching our go cup of steaming coffee and using a torch to light our way to the bus.

arriving at great walls of china in the dark
Dawn over the Walls of China
sunrise

Our group was heading back to the Walls of China for a sunrise. Mungo Lodge doesn’t usually run sunrise tours, but they had agreed to put one together for us at our request. So thirteen of us piled back on the bus, with two cars following, for the drive out to the walls in the dark. We waited for the sun to come up over the lunette, using the spots we had picked out the night before. Because of the fact we were out in the absolute middle of nowhere, surrounded by a silent landscape untouched for thousands of years, it was an almost spiritual experience.

  • A reverse sunrise looking the other way
  • Walls of China sunrise
  • isolated beauty
  • looking across the walls
  • morning glow
  • sunrise love

Before we finished the shoot, I decided to do an HDR pano. So I set my camera for auto bracketing, taking one correctly exposed, another one stop underexposed, and lastly, one stop overexposed. As usual, I then took a pano overlapping each shot by 30% and then edited it once I was home.

sunrise at Mungo NP walls of china
Finished HDR Panorama

With sunrise in the bag, we returned to the bus to return to Mungo Lodge and breakfast. Then, after breakfast, we popped over to visit the emus. Mungo Lodge raised the three chicks with NPWS permission after the parents were killed.

curious emu at mungo
Curious Emu

From there, we drove out to make the self-drive trail. But, unfortunately, the road was closed after recent heavy rains where part of it washed away. So our first stop was the old woolshed, a remnant of the pastoral heritage of Mungo.

pastoral heritage

In 1860, Gol Gol station took up 200,000 hectares, covering much of the Willandra Lakes. By 1869, Gol Gol had built the shed as its main shearing base. Chinese labourers constructed a drop log shearing shed out of termite-resistant White Cypress Pine logs using a drop log construction. Vast flocks of sheep used to roam this remote region. The shed was a hive of activity during the shearing season, with 18 men hand-shearing 50,000 sheep in 30 bays.

From the woolshed, we headed towards the parking area of the Walls of China, then followed the road to the right to continue on the self-drive tour. We came across a small waterhole on our way to Red Top Lookout.

Driving to Red Top Lookout (we put the camera up through the sunroof), It really is a wide brown land.
Red top lookout
  • At Red Top, Looking back towards the lodge
  • Red Top Lookout
  • The lunette at Red Top Lookout
  • Red Top Lookout

We had reached the locked gate now. However, the road loop was closed due to recent heavy rains washing away the road. So, turning back the way we came, we made a right at the Visitor Centre and headed for the other end of the loop and Zanci Homestead.

Mungo History

By the turn of the century, the massive stations had become unviable because of drought, rabbits, and overuse of grazing, causing widespread erosion. The 1920s saw the subdivision of many of the old runs. In addition, smaller soldier settler blocks were created for veterans returning from WWI. Consequently, in 1921, Gol Gol was broken up into five blocks, with Mungo and Zanci being 16,000 each. Albert and Venda Barnes bought the Mungo block in 1934 from the current owners, Ewan and Angus Cameron. In 1921, Joseph Vigar and his son Roy took over Zanci. Three other blocks were created to the north and south. As a result, the Mungo woolshed was reduced to four machine shearers, and a section of it was removed and rebuilt at Zanci station in 1922.

The Barnes sold Mungo to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 1978 after being on the land for 44 years. As a result, Mungo National Park was created in 1979 and added to the World Heritage List in 1989. Since then, Zanci and four other stations have also sold back to NPWS.

Zanci homestead
zanci homestead chimney at mungo np
Still Standing
  • shearing shed
  • zanci shearing shed
  • zanci cellar - maybe a coolroom?
  • Zanci station from the shearing shed
  • zanci station

Given the fact it was nearing lunchtime. So, we headed back to Mungo Lodge. After a delicious lunch (there is no other kind at Mungo Lodge), we all enjoyed some downtime in the afternoon before heading out again for our last sunset.

days end
Carole and I had elected to shoot sunset by the old woolshed. And didn’t the sky turn it on for us!
sunset at mungo
Fire in the sky

As darkness fell, we again turned back to Mungo Lodge for dinner and drinks with the gang. It was our last night at Mungo before we all went our separate ways in the morning.

mungo map
Bear in mind that Big Blue Lake is bone-dry
Next week – Mungo to Home via a few more water tanks and silos

Lake Mungo Sunset

Outback Road Trip – Sea Lake

Day three of our trip was time for the big run from Sea Lake to Mungo. We started in foggy Sea Lake and ended our day with sunset in Mungo, NP.

The previous evening

Last night, most of our group met our guide, Julie Pringle, at the visitor centre. We sorted out the gumboots for hire (the lake was supposed to be muddy) and headed off convoy style to Lake Tyrell. The plan was to shoot the lake at sunset. Which meant the plan went to hell in a handbasket very quickly. There was almost total cloud cover, barely any water in the lake— and no colour in the sky. So I didn’t even get the camera out of the bag. Fortunately, a couple of our group members had more optimism than me and shared their images, as seen below. Thank you, Julie Powell and Pio Marceline. By now, grumpy and disappointed, the sister and I had given up and retreated to the bar of the Royal Hotel, followed by a delicious dinner and off to bed.

The next morning

Having had no luck with sunset last night, we thought we would try our hand for some early morning shots of the lake before breakfast. But, unfortunately, I opened the door to our motel room, and it was pea soup fog out. So we went back to bed.

Sea Lake - the sunrise was a bust too
Sea Lake – the sunrise was a bust too.

An hour later, we braved the fog, deciding to venture out to Lake Tyrell. Our thinking was a shot of the new Tyrell sign in fog would be nice. The closer we got to the lake, the thicker it got, and after a few U-turns, we gave up trying to find the road in. Hungry and defeated, we returned to Sea Lake for breakfast at the Bottom Cafe. We had to make do with sitting outside again, as the new dining room isn’t finished yet. However, the owners were lovely, brought out a patio heater, and set it up to warm us while eating. We both had the delicious brekky wraps, and the coffee was excellent and hot 🙂

Farewell Sea Lake
Farewell Sea Lake

With breakfast over and the fog starting to thin, we headed out of Sea Lake towards Mildura via Robinvale. At Robinvale, we called into an old homestead. Unfortunately, that was also a bust, nothing to see, but by now, we were 3 for 3 (sunset, sunrise, homestead), and hopefully, with our jinx behind us, we would have photographic luck hereon.

Mildura
Mildura - Blue skies and sunshine
Mildura – Blue skies and sunshine

As the morning wore on, and the further north we went, the fog cleared, and we had blue skies and sunshine as we drove to Mildura, arriving around lunchtime. We met up with our group at “Bobby and Me”, a cafe alongside the river, for lunch. It’s a ‘diner-type cafe in a shipping container, but they have tables and chairs on the lawn, and the service was good. We had the New York hot dogs and coffee. Delicious.

Bobby and Me, Mildura

After fueling up all cars, (there is no fuel at Mungo), we headed to Wentworth and called in at the visitor information centre for last-minute info on roads. Our planned route would take us up Wentworth Road for 88kms before turning off onto Top Hut Road for the last 55kms. Top Hut is a dry weather road only, and while it’s dirt, it’s certainly in much better condition than Arumpo Road. Although due to being told, there is a rollover weekly on Arumpo Road, we had no intention of going that way. Also to be considered is it’s around 80 kms of dirt road compared to 55 kms on Top Hut.

Driving to Mungo Lodge via Top Hut Road
Mildura to Wentworth

In convoy style, our group headed off from Wentworth. We made good time as we had sealed roads before turning onto Top Hut Road. From here, it was dirt all the way to Mungo Lodge. While the road was soft, sandy in parts and corrugated, it wasn’t too bad, and thankfully, we arrived in time for our sunset tour to the walls of china. The entire area is part of the Willandra Lakes, a UNESCO World Heritage region since 1981. However, there has been no water in the lake for around 15,000 years. What is left behind is a surreal landscape not unlike what you would imagine the surface of the moon to be.

The Willandra Lakes Region is an extensive area that contains a system of ancient lakes formed over the last two million years, most of which are fringed by a crescent shaped dune or lunette. Aborigines lived on the shores of the lakes for at least 50,000 years, and the remains of a 40,000 year old female found in the dunes of Lake Mungo are believed to be the oldest ritual cremation site in the world.

enviroment.gov.au
Walls of China

The Walls of China are open to public access. However, unless supervised, you must remain on the boardwalk. We opted for a guide as we wanted to get up on the lunette and shoot the sunset. The guide supervised us as our group of sixteen scattered across the dunes, looking for the perfect composition, setting up our tripods, and shooting the sunset. Not a great sunset, but still a lovely way to end the day before we all piled back in the bus and returned to the lodge for dinner.

The Mungo Lodge Tour Bus - better than driving those roads in the dark!
The Mungo Lodge Tour Bus – better than driving those roads in the dark!
sunset at mungo
Sunset over the lunette, Lake Mungo
a vast land
A wide brown land – watching the dust trails of cars was endless fun 🙂
A vast land
A vast land
Our route day three
next week – our second day at mungo – We get a fabulous sunrise and visit the old homestead

Autumn Photography – Capturing the Colour

Autumn Photography in Australia is dramatically different for Australian photographers to those living in the northern hemisphere. While photographers in the Northern Hemisphere have Aspens, Japanese Maple, Poplars, Cottonwoods, Ash, Oaks, and Dogwoods at their back door – we have Eucalypt trees. Green/grey all year round. For an Australian photographer, hunting for autumn colour involves a lot more than stepping out into the nearest forest. It requires research to find ‘English’ gardens and often, a good drive in the car. Pre-covid, when air travel was still possible, it could also include a flight to another state or even timing your overseas holiday for autumn.

arrowtown nz
Arrowtown, NZ
Autumn Locations in Victoria

However, within Victoria, we are lucky to have several fantastic gardens of deciduous trees that create a riot of colour in autumn. Except for Tieve Tara and Cloudehill, all are free to enter.

  • Alfred Nicholas Gardens, Mount Dandenong
  • George Tindale Memorial Garden
  • Cloudehill, Dandenong Ranges
  • RJ Hamer Arboretum
  • Bright and Wandilgong
  • Tieve Tara, Mount Macedon
  • Honour Avenue, Mount Macedon
  • Maroondah Reservoir Park
  • Glenlyon, 20 minutes from Daylesford
  • Valley of Liquidambers, Heathcote
When is the best time to shoot?

In Victoria, the leaves usually don’t turn till mid-April. We need 2-3 cold nights before they start to turn en masse. Time of day-wise, hands down, the best shooting time is during golden hour. The hour before sunrise or sunset will have warmer light, enhancing all the leaves’ reds, yellows, and orange. If it’s overcast with no light coming through, you will need to be a bit more creative with the editing process.

fallen leaves
Carpet of leaves – late april, Bright, Victorian High Country
Lenses

While I mainly shoot autumn in a focal range of 24-70mm – pack the macro when you head out – while a macro of leaves is on the cards, it’s not just leaves that may attract your attention. Tramping through trees at Mount Macedon we came across an exoskeleton of a cicada.

cicada
Settings

I like to keep my ISO low – most of the time, I am shooting around ISO 200 – and never above 400. I find it easier to avoid noise in images to start with – rather than fix it in post. To bring the leaves out and have them pop against a blurred background, I usually shoot between F1.4 to F2.8 – only going up to F9 and above if I am shooting a pano. Shutter speed will always depend on available light – but if it’s going to be longer than I can hold, I pop the camera on the tripod.

Backlighting

Photographing the branches and leaves, backlit by the sun, will bring out the detail/veins on the leaves. Go for a Fstop of higher than F16 to get a sunburst.

backlit leaves
Backlit leaves, late afternoon, Warburton, Vic
sunburst through trees
Sunburst through trees, Tieve Tara, Mid afternoon
Use a circular polariser

A circular polariser is an essential addition to your kit for autumn. It will pump up the colour and contrast of the leaves and the blue sky. A bonus is it will remove the shine off the leaves or ground if it’s been wet. If you decide to shoot leaves floating in water – it will also remove the glare off the water.

Orton Effect

The Orton effect is one I sparingly use – but when I do, it’s for autumn landscapes. Basically, it’s a glow added to your images in post-production. Photographer Michael Orton created it, and he used it in his film photography, layering two images on top of each other. One in focus, one brighter, slightly out of focus. When combined, this created an image that was both sharp yet blurry. While it shouldn’t be used on everything – it can make your autumn shots pop.

I have created a free action for you to download if you would like to try it. It will work on both mac and pc – download, unzip and add to photoshop. It is a zipped file, and you will need to unzip it. If you don’t have an unzip program I suggest using Winrar its easy, safe and free. When you have run the action – adjust the opacity of the layer to your liking.

Mount Wilson, Blue Mountains, mid morning with Orton Effect – before and after
White Balance

While most of us shoot with auto WB, with autumn shots, it’s better to use a slightly warmer WB – around 6000 kelvin. If you don’t want to or don’t remember to change your WB before you shoot – you can adjust it in LR or Photoshop during your editing process. Move the temperature slider to a higher kelvin number. The left (blue) will make your image cooler – to the right (yellow) will warm the image. Be careful not to overdo it – if you shoot jpeg, it’s just a tiny amount – if you shoot raw, I have used anywhere up to 7000 kelvin depending on the image.

white balance

Below is a shot of the Laburnum Steps at Breenhold Gardens, Mount Wilson. RAW, and straight out of the camera, it leaves a lot to be desired. I warmed the WB to 7000k and increased the vibrance +50 and saturation +25

Breenhold Gardens, Mt Wilson, mid morning, before and after a WB adjustment
Look for Subject Seperation
le page homestead
Le Page Homestead, Plenty Gorge, early morning

When you are in among the trees, look to separate your subject from the background. Early morning fog or mist is great for this – otherwise, try a low F stop – around F4 or lower to keep your main subject sharp – but a bit of blur to the background.

Contrast is good

Colour is good… great even – but look for contrasting colours to make the leaves stand out. A green shrub in a sea of yellow and orange or dark tree trunks in among the riot of leaves

bavarian forests
Dark tree trunks, Bavaria

Autumn is a great time to be out with a camera. It’s actually my favourite season. The days are a bit shorter – so sunrise and sunset are at a bit more civilised time, and autumn is known to turn on some amazing sunsets. The weather is still pleasant but not as hot, and we haven’t hit the cold of winter or the rain and wind of spring yet. Add natures glorious colours, and what’s not to love?

Travel Photography – Time to Plan for 2021

Travelling (within Australia) hasn’t been possible for months and may not be for some time yet. Due to border closures, overseas travel is off the agenda for the next couple of years. It’s enough to make you sell your camera. Except no one would buy it because it’s lockdown, and they can’t take photos either. It’s impossible to do travel photography when restrictions to movement are implemented to halt the spread of Covid-19, which means I can’t go further than 5km from my front door.

The Great Pandemic

I love history and find it fascinating. I like to read about it and watch documentaries. However, I do not enjoy being part of it. We are living through the ‘Great Pandemic of 2020/21’ and, in the future, will probably feature in a school curriculum.

Travel Photography - Time to Plan for 2021
O’Hallorons Lookout FNQ
A small silver lining

On Facebook and Instagram, along with many others, I have been sharing previous travel photography as “armchair travels”. One silver lining of armchair travel is, inspired by the locations others are sharing; I am now compiling a list of places to see – for when we can all start moving again.

Photography and travel planning are all we can do now, and I happily spent hours researching destinations and planning itineraries. Costing is something that can’t be done yet as we have no idea what hotels and airlines etc., will charge once they re-open for business. But whilst we can’t travel, we can plan, research, learn, and be ready for when restrictions are lifted, and we can finally head off on a trip.

Broken Hill NSW
Living Desert, Broken Hill, NSW
Location vs Gear

Many people who are into photography subscribe to the theory that they need a better camera or lens to get a great shot. And it’s partly true. But travelling to new destinations or locations is more important than gear. There is no point in having a whizz-bang $5000 camera if you then can’t afford to stray far from home once you have bought it. You may live in a fabulous spot – but you can only photograph the Wanaka Tree so many times.

Planning is everything

Plan your trips. Learn about where you are going and when is the best time to go. Even if it’s a “family” holiday, you can still do travel photography on your trip without spoiling it for them. It’s your holiday too.

  1. Research areas, read books, and google the locations. Get as much info as you can before you pick a location. The family will have fun on just about any beach, but if it’s just a stretch of boring white sand, will you?
  2. Seasons matter! If somewhere is awesome in autumn for the trees or fantastic in spring for the waterfalls, you are shortchanging yourself being there in summer. Match your destination to the season you are travelling.
  3. Plan your road trip stopovers around scenic locations. Ok, you have to sleep somewhere on a road trip, but if one hour further down the road or one hour closer has a fabulous sunrise or sunset spot, that’s the place to lay your head.
  4. Take the road less travelled. A secondary highway going through small towns is much more interesting and scenic than mile after mile of main highways. A case in point is the painted silos and water tanks popping up all across Australia. You’ll find them in the towns, not the highway.
  5. Slow down and look around as you go through the small towns. Small towns often have quirky old buildings.
  6. Pick your accommodation handy to scenic spots. If doing a sunrise or sunset, you are far better off being close to your location rather than looking at a one-hour drive in the dark or getting up at extra stupid o’clock to be there for sunrise
  7. Try for a balcony or patio when booking your accommodation. I have gotten some of my best bird shots in the early morning, just sitting on my veranda in my ‘jammies’. It helps to travel with a bag of wild bird seed 😉
  8. Talk to the locals and ask for location suggestions But be mindful that they aren’t necessarily photographers. What is a pretty spot to them for a sunrise doesn’t mean it’s ‘worth a shot’. Scout out the location before you want to shoot it. While we found a great spot in Nagambie thanks to a local’s suggestion, we totally failed with a “great sunrise spot”, as suggested by the manager at Mungo Lodge. It was a great spot to see the sunrise, but a terrible location, with no foreground interest, regarding photographing it.
  9. Return to locations at least once. You may have got a nice pic – but next time, you may get an even better one, going back in a different season, or if the conditions are just right
  10. The early bird gets the worm. The light is soft at sunrise and sunset, but there are fewer people around at sunrise, and you stand a better chance of having the place to yourself. At iconic locations – where even at sunrise there will be a row of tripods and keen photographers, make a thermos of coffee and get there a good hour before sunrise. Find your perfect spot, set up your tripod and camera, and enjoy your coffee while everyone else arrives late and rushes to set up. (again, this is where scouting out the day before helps)
Travel Photography - Time to Plan for 2021
Morning visitor, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat Qld.
Safety Matters

Early morning starts, and travelling to places for ‘that shot’ is part and parcel of the landscape or travel photographer’s life. But you need to consider your safety and avoid risk where possible. For example, you can’t take that great photo from a coffin or hospital bed.

  1. Your car needs to be reliable. Don’t do 4WD roads in a 2WD car. And if you are doing 4wd roads, travel in a convoy. Nothing is worse than breaking down in the middle of nowhere, especially if you are alone. Which leads to #2
  2. Don’t go to unsafe or risky areas alone. Early morning shots of the city with empty streets are fabulous. Not if you come across an aggressive or drug-impaired person. No judgment on them, but from experience, it’s scary. Luckily we were in a group. Find a fellow photographer to go out with or join a group.
  3. Stay on designated paths and behind the fence. I know there is a great shot to be had by climbing the barrier. But it’s there for a reason. Too many times have I seen on the news where photographers climbed the barrier for a shot, and it ended up a rescue or body retrieval
  4. Dress for where you are going. Flip Flops are not recommended footwear for scrub or bush. Snakes, insects, and rocks all love exposed feet. Long sleeves, sunglasses, sunscreen and a sunhat for summer. Warm clothes, and even better yet, tactical gear that’s windproof, splash-proof, and a down coat with a minimum 650 loft for winter. Like they say in Norway, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”
  5. Buy a rain jacket. Keep a rain jacket in your camera bag. They roll up small and are handy for the unexpected shower, sitting on when the ground is wet, or putting your bag on.
  6. Always carry water.
  7. Invest in two-way radios If you and your travel buddy are likely to be going off the beaten path with no phone reception. It helps to keep in touch if you are out of sight of each other. If travelling in a convoy, keep one in each car.
  8. Put your phone in a ziplock bag. If you are walking with it in your pocket, it could make all the difference if it falls out on a muddy trail
  9. Keep spare shoes in the car. It’s no fun driving for hours in wet shoes and socks. Or bare freezing feet. I stopped for some shots once, and my shoes were sodden by the time I got back to the car. Luckily, I had a spare pair in my luggage because we were off for the weekend. Lesson learned.
quarantine bay nsw
Sunrise at Quarantine Bay, Eden NSW
Camera Bag essentials

I always have a small ’emergency’ kit in my camera bag, which comes in handy on more than one occasion. They take up very little room – but make all the difference if you need them and are an hour’s walk from the car. You’ll thank yourself for packing them in your camera bag.

  • Small tubes of sunscreen and insect repellant
  • Painkillers
  • Torch and/or headlamp (check that it’s working and carry spare batteries)
  • Mosquito/fly net for your hat
  • A few bandaids and a small container of antiseptic
  • A small bag of salt is also handy to have if you are going into a damp or rainforest area known for leeches and you don’t have a smoker in your group. Your insect repellant will also work if it’s DEET.
  • Allen key for your tripod if it takes one
  • Chocolate or protein bar. Breakfast biscuits are good, too, to fill you up if hunger strikes.
Travel Photography - Time to Plan for 2021
Flying out of Tromso, Norway
This, too, shall pass

Stay positive. Lockdown won’t last forever. And hopefully, before too much longer, we will be back on the road. Meanwhile, take a landscape course, watch YouTube tutorials, start planning where you will go, and work out what you want to shoot while there.

In the meantime.. stay safe.

Grain Silos and Misty Sunrises

I love sunrises and grain silos. With Covid-19 restrictions slowly lifting across Victoria, we were finally able to head up the highway for a weekend in the country and chase both loves.

Nagambie

Our destination was Nagambie, a pretty little town on Nagambie Lake just an hour from Melbourne. The lake was created in 1891 with the damming of the Goulburn River and is a popular spot for fishing, sailing, canoeing, water skiing, and swimming. Unfortunately, we missed most of the autumn colour as the trees were almost bare by mid-June. Some colour clung tenaciously to the branches, but they were the exception to the primarily bare limbed trees.

Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos autumn trees at nagambie

The weather did play nice for our time there, with cold nights, misty, crisp mornings, and sunshine during the day. However, while the sun was out, it was still winter clothing weather with not much warmth in the sun.

sunrise and silo's morning frost
Sunrise on the Lakes

We were blessed with a beautiful sunrise on our second morning with thick fog on the way to our chosen spot, and as the sun rose, the mist cleared but hung low over the lakes. We stayed around shooting till the sun was up, and driven by cold, numb hands, we headed back to the warmth of the car and then breakfasted back at our cottage.

Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos
morning fog across the nagambie lake Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos
Colbinabbin Silo’s

We were due back home today, so after loading the car, we struck out towards the new silos at Colbinabbin painted by Tim Bowtell. There are six silos in a row at Colbinabbin – painted over eight weeks in March-April 2020 by Tim Bowtell.

Colbinabbin silo
The Colbinabbin Silo’s

The grain silos at Colbinabbin depict five scenes from the early 1900s to the 1980s and the railway that connected Rushworth to Colbinabbin. The railway was built in 1913 to enable the transportation of livestock and produce to Melbourne. The German settlers also depicted on the silos established farms to the west of Colbinabbin and built a post office, school, and community hall to serve their families.

colbinabbin silo by tim bowtell
The train silo
detail of silo Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos
Detail of train driver
morning sunrise and grain silos at colbinabbin Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos
The station and picnic silos
station detail of silo
Detail of station silo
Misty Sunrises and Grain Silos old cfa truck on silo
The CFA silo
CFA truck on silo at colbinabbin
Old CFA truck
Tim Bowtell

As well as the Colbinabbin silos, Tims work can be seen on numerous walls around Benalla and the silo’s at St James, the Fish Trees at Winton Wetlands and the Winton rest stop.

The Western District

A few weeks ago, we headed off to Mortlake in the western district, for a weekend away.  Its only 235kms from Melbourne on the Hamilton Highway.  We headed off Friday morning, stopping in Geelong before continuing our journey, looking for dry stone walls that are plentiful in the area.  This is because the site has around 80 or so extinct volcanos in the region, creating a considerable amount of paddock stones.

Dry Stone Walls

We drove to Pomboneit-Foxhow Road in Pomborneit North and found a quiet road wholly lined with stone walls which the western district is known for. There had been a lot of rain in the area the days before, and the ground was saturated.  And so was I when I got back to the car. Bad idea to wander around in Ugg boots. I ended up changing into my waterproof hikers when I got back to the car. I know, I should have had them on to start with.

Dry Stone Walls

Arriving in Mortlake, we headed to our accommodation, settled in, and then went out for dinner at Macs Hotel.  Small pub, but great food and good service.  After dinner, we went back to the accom, grabbed our gear, added another ten layers (it was freezing) and set up at the old Mill for some light painting and to shoot the milky way.

Light Painting At The Mill
The old Mill

The cold eventually drove us back indoors, and we were all in bed reasonably early. We planned to be up at 5 am to go for a sunrise shot at Dunkeld.  If we thought it was cold that night, it was freeeeezing the next morning. The windscreen was iced over and took ages to clear. We were on our way but about 15 mins behind schedule with an hour drive in front of us.  Pitch black roads and countryside, eyes on alert for suicidal kangaroos. We made it to Dunkeld just in the nick of time.  Our goal was to shoot the morning light at the Dunkeld Arboretum with Mt Abrupt in the background.  Sunrise was pretty ordinary, and we were all freezing with the ground frozen over. But no one left until they all had the shots they wanted 🙂

The rest of the weekend passed without anything noteworthy. Clouds rolled in that night, so no Astro. It was also too cold for light painting outside, so we did a little inside with LEDs before falling into warm beds for a good night’s sleep.

Phillip Island & San Remo

Our plan was Phillip Island & San Remo and for the weekend. Phillip Island is only around 2 hours from home, and while we had been there before, it had been a few years. So we decided to head back this easter break.  We started our photography plans with a drive along The Blvd.  You can walk it, but we decided to drive it. This was because there is only one place you can stop along the way with a small lookout. Parking is not allowed on the verges. It’s supposed to be one way as it’s too narrow for cars to pass each other on many parts of the road. Not that it stopped some young idiots in a convertible coming from the opposite direction.  You access it by driving to the Nobbies visitor centre. From there, you take the road off to the left as you approach the carpark.

coastline

There are some fabulous views along the way. We spotted a hovering Kestral that I tried to get a shot off. However, he was too far offshore and dived before I could get a picture every time.  The only time he came close was so close that I couldn’t get a shot, either. Because the long lens wouldn’t focus – he was TOO close!

Phillip island coastline

We booked a lovely house in San Remo for our stay as our main photographic goal was to shoot Cadillac Canyon – and the house was only 5 mins drive from there.  Cadillac Canyon is accessed from Potters Hill Road.. from the carpark at the end, it’s a short walk to the start of the stairs down to the beach, 138 steps in total but nice wide, solid wooden steps with lots of landings along the way — they need a seat at the halfway point! 😉

panhandle flats
Panhandle Flats

Once you are on the beach, Panhandle Flats is off to the left. To the right, at the other end of the beach, is Cadillac Canyon.  We first went down there looking for a sunset, and while the light was excellent, the sunset wasn’t happening.  The tide also made getting out onto Panhandle a no-go. So we decided to come back again in the morning.

early start

The weekend daylight saving had finished in Victoria, so sunrise moved from 7.09 am to 6.09 am. We were up at 5 am – coffee and out the door arriving at the beach in the dark.  Even though it was still dark, a car was already in the carpark before us. It turned out to be a surf fisherman.  It had been a full moon the night before. So torches weren’t needed with the moonlighting our way down the steps and across the beach to Panhandle Flats.  Tide was also with us. At 6.22 am, we could get out on the flats and set up with the low tide.

Phillip Island & San Remo
panhandle flats

The colours in the sky didn’t look that promising. But just before sunrise, the sky popped a glorious red for a few minutes. We got our shots quickly because it was very short-lived.

Phillip Island & San Remo
panhandle flats

Once the sun was up, we moved across to Cadillac Canyon. Apart from two surf fishermen, we had the beach totally to ourselves. 

Phillip Island & San Remo
Cadillac Canyon
Pelicans

By now, it was just after 8 am, and we were starving. So we headed back to the house for breakfast and a rest before heading into San Remo to watch the pelican feeding at the pier.  The feeding is free, though they have a collection tin for donations. Feeding takes place every day at midday outside the fishing co-op.

Phillip Island & San Remo
coming in for lunch

The birds are not worried about the humans. We were roped off from the feeding area (not sure for whose protection, lol). One late pelican arrival just barged into the throng of people, pushing his way through the spectators to get to the feeding area.

Phillip Island & San Remo
Pelican
Pyramid Rock

Later that afternoon, we headed to Pyramid Rock on Phillip Island. It would be a good sunset spot – and is on our list for next time.  The walk to Pyramid from the carpark is an easy 800m return. It has only a slight elevation; even with tired legs from the morning’s stairs, we cruised it in.

Phillip Island & San Remo
Pyramid Rock
Phillip Island & San Remo
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We had a fabulous weekend at Phillip Island & San Remo and hope to go back again in the summer months.

© Bevlea Ross