Photography day hiking vs multiday photography backpacking

Going for a walk with your camera is a simple pleasure. If the weather is fair then heading out into the countryside is generally a no brainer if you like taking pictures. If like me you like a bit of comfort on your day hikes your kit may include tea making equipment but the key element beforehand is trying to decide on what camera kit you will carry. Gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) generally means we all have lots of stuff. If you don’t have lots yet I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Day hiking generally just means leaving out the odd item or four.

After a few single day hikes a multi-day hike may seems the obvious next step

For me this was a quite natural progression. I’ve now done a few backpacking adventures and in Aug 2022 it was past time for me to get out and about again. But it’s been a while and wheras some people used the pandemic as an opportunity to get fit I had the opposite experience working from home sat in the corner of the living room tapping at my computer. Still I thought I had a handle on what was needed from me and early this year I made the first steps in the park with my trainers on. The aim was to walk the Cumbria Way a route the traverses the Lake District , south to north. I did some research and looked for advice on backpacker websites detailing how to go about it.

This seems sensible but take a small step back before following the advice of seasoned backpackers when planning a multi day photo adventure. For a start the general aim of backpackers is to complete the hike. Ok yes I do want to complete it but I’m a photographer that happens to hike. For me the pursuit of pictures is at least equal to the desire to complete the walk. Hikers can (and do) cover in excess of 20 miles per day. Day in, day out. They camp wild. Eat dehydrated foods Commend themselves on all manner of small sacrifices all aimed at keeping the pack light and the mileage high.

They do not find a spot and decide to wait for the light. They do not go off piste on a side trip to catch a great view. They do not carry a pack heavier than 12 kg.

Consequently if using their advice as a yardstick they set some unrealistic goals when planning your photo adventure. I would also point out that lots of the sites feature the very latest high tech light kit (and that’s great). But whilst all my kit is old and beat up it is still serviceable. My tent , my backpack and my camera. I could invest in the latest and greatest, and there is great appeal in new kit but it goes against the grain as part of the joy of this exercise is it’s economy. And as my old Canon can still take great shots buying a camera just for the hike is a mite excessive no matter how much fun that might be.

So for the record my camera kit for the 120 km hike was a Canon 5D mk III , 2 x prime lens (50mm and 18mm) carbon fibre tripod, 4 x batteries , numerous SD cards a camera bag and 2 x filter 10 stop ND and a circular polariser . It weighed 6 kg.

My backpacking kit - tent / clothes inc waterproof, cooking equipment , sleeping bag, toiletries , first aid kit etc weighed 12 kg .

Useful fact - 1 litre of water weighs 1 kg .

On the start line of my hike my backpack and photography kit combined weighed 24kg.

In the weeks leading up to the adventure I had done several hikes of upto 14 miles wearing my hiking boots with a backpack weighing upto 15kg . I did the hike but I did not breeze it even though the route is mainly low level and apparently easy terrain.

A camera backpacking trip is very different from a day hike, physical training really helped me get through the experience, however with better planning for this trip in the Lake District I could have used bag forwarding services for my backpack. Which would have reduced the load considerably. But predetermines your days. Of course if you go crazy into a complete wilderness then the only valid option is to train for it or employ a sherpa. Photography backpacking is hard work but equally very rewarding. Add in a few hills a heatwave or a downpour and it gets silly hard quite quick.

digitizing panoramic negatives at home

When it comes to analogue film photography there are two costs I’m willing to bear - buying film stock (which is fairly unavoidable) & developing (which CAN be done at home but really unless you happen to be an alchemist that limits you to black and white).

A short while after taking the plunge to go analogue the costs for scanning negatives began to grate on me. The unhappy reality is that panoramic film is an unusual format and as my analogue usage is quite modest investing in a scanner felt a bit overkill, so I bore the cost of scanning for quite a while.

But earlier this year the subject came up again and I was determined to solve the issue of ‘scanning at home. I did a spot of research and the internet came up with the following solutions

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1 A flat bed scanner 2 A drum scanner 3 A slide scanner 4 A digital camera with a copy table

Each of the methods has pros and cons, and they provide differing qualities at different price points. Some quite expensive. For better or worse I chose to adopt a method of scanning by using a digital camera. I already have a lot of digital camera equipment (body, lenses, tripod etc) so I was halfway there, (or so I thought).

Another reason I did this as I wanted a system flexible to cope with both my frame sizes ( xpan , and medium format film) which are quite different from each other. But my overarching idea was to get as much resolution out of my ‘scan’ as possible. This is because I have a habit of printing my work quite large (often several feet across).

The principle of scanning by digital camera is to hold your developed film level between a light source and the camera so that it’s backlit, and then take a photo, (or in my case a series of photos).The set up that I have created is not pretty, takes me ten minutes to put together, but it tidies away into a small box, which was also a consideration as we live in a small apartment.

These are not the easiest pictures to read however I hope you get the idea. (btw the extension tube shown is used to convert a 50mm prime lens into a macro lens

The heart of this contraption is a pair of focussing racks. Joined together these allow precise focussing by moving the camera in Z, and precise camera positioning in X. (where X is side to side and Z is forward and backward) . Adding a small slider and and L plate allow vertical mounting of the dlsr. Vertical mounting is desirable for me as it allows me to maximise resolution, an important consideration.

The negative is held in a magnetic film holder, which in turn slots into another homemade holder made of grey card. A small piece of opalescent acrylic diffuses the light source, avoiding moire patterns that maybe made by the ipad lightsource. The arrangement seen below is completed by the addition of a few bits from a film holder that i bought, but which proved unusable for my purpose in it’s original form.

As I said at the beginning there are commercial copy stands, mostly they were quite large and expensive. And all the ones I saw work on a vertical alignment with the camera pointed at the ground or a table. As I didn’t fancy scrabbling around on the floor to do my ‘scanning’ I opted to make a horizontal version instead. My version is very ‘Heath Robinson’ using it is ‘fiddly’ and on the whole it’s a far less robust solution than other’s I’ve seen. But for the moment it does work quite well and I’m going to have fun finally digitising some of my 'negative’ archive (which is the roll of film shown in the first picture. BTW storing negatives is yet another minefield …. more about that another day)

So what are the results like? The answer is so far so good. The image below is one I took a couple of years ago with an xpan. I didn’t have it scanned at the time. I think the quality of the scan detail captured is excellent and to a degree proves the method. So my next hurdle is learning how to best process the negatives into positive images. But it may just prove easier to use transparency film and avoid a convoluted workflow.

The image is posted at 2k (whereas the actual scan is 9k)

(…. to be continued).

Spring Art Show 2019

In May I participated in the Landmark Centre Spring Arts Fair. It was my first public show of photography. The show lasted a full weekend, and it seemed I was talking to people for the entire time.

In the event you were one of the people who dropped by my stand it was great to meet you. Most of my show images are posted below (just click on an image thumbnail to enlarge it) They can also be found on the appropriate page of my site. (Mostly England!)

Getting my images printed was only a small part of my preparations and it’s fair to say putting on the show was a steep learning curve for me.

My prints for the show were ‘chromaluxe’ printed onto aluminium. I had previously done some test prints using this process last year and so this was not the first time I created prints on aluminium. In fact several of the print I showed were my ‘test’ prints.

For some people this will be an unfamiliar material but there was several reasons I chose to print on Aluminium

The surface is very flat and dimensionally stable which I think shows my high definition images to best effect.

Like many modern printing methods the surfaces are anticipated to be colour fast for at least 100 years.

The surface claims to be ‘scratch’ resistant. (Although i have not put this to the test!)

The completed prints are light weight and can be easily hung. There is a frame on the rear of the picture permits a floating appearance when hung.

As the surface is dimensionally stable it needs no further support and so there is no need for framing. (Although like any other print media it can be framed).

Which then raises the question of how to hang images at the show. There was a recommended system, having worked out a ‘hanging’ plan I invested in supplies and fixings. I also created a postcard sized promotional hand out for the show, I had some business cards and duplicate book for any purchase orders.

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And lastly to carry my prints safely to and from the show I created some boxes lined with polystyrene. Which saved a lot of wrapping and unwrapping when putting up and taking down the show.

Most of my show images are posted below 

Field Notes - Surviving Callum

featuring  Frenchman Jim (navigator / team nutritionalist) / Fireman Sam ( safety officer) / Bailey ( morale officer )  and Julia (the help)

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Introduction

Hurricane Callum swept across Wales on Saturday 13th Oct 2018. It featured winds of 100kph and caused the worst flooding seen in Wales for 30 years.  This was the auspicious day that James, David, Bailey the (cockerpoo) and I chose to go walking in Pembrokeshire.   

Planning

This was to be our 'reunion' walk. We had all (except Bailey) gone camping in South Australia in 2017 then  taken the unusual choice of marching across Mount Remarkable National Park in quite a daunting heat without adequate water. We survived that adventure and vowed to be more organised in the future.  The trip plans were set for the dates that James was back in England from Canada. He was here for the marriage of a friend. Initial ideas were quite grand .. featuring camping in Lake District (possibly the wettest corner of England). But after a firm discussion about weather we settled on long weekend in Wales on the picturesque Pembrokeshire coast. An area of outstanding natural beauty so all the literature promised us. On the internet St David's Head walk offered good walking combined with the opportunity to grab a wonderful view with our cameras. James did the honours finding an airbnb cottage close to the best walking. David booked a day off work in the middle of a 'busy busy' project in anticipation of a much needed break. and I secured a car for the weekend, and after some banter I offered to do the catering. Simply James was coming a great distance from Leeds ( a cultural wasteland in the North) with Bailey, David was promising to smuggle 'Yorkshire Gold' teabags across the Thames across the breadth of the London Underground system.  Consequently it just seemed a good idea to prepare food in advance. I volunteered to prepare the makings of a 'roast' dinner. And my partner Kate offered to cook a Lasagne, possibly to ensure we didn't actually starve.....Payment for this came in the form of a bottle of "Ned' a guilty pleasure from our New Zealand days.

Friday

The logistics were simple but subject to the whims of public transport. On the day of travel to Wales Dave had to divert his preferred route to Teddington, however he was still a very prompt arrival. We immediately hit my local shop (M&S foodhall) for lunch and travel supplies. Meanwhile Frenchman Jim had begun the long journey south on the train. We were to meet in the city of Oxford an hour and a half north west from leafy Teddington.  The car made things very easy for Dave and I and we were waiting at the train station when a text from James saying he'd got off a couple of stops early  gave us a bit of time to see the sights.  As it might be Fireman Daves only Oxford stopover (a place I know quite well) I chose to send him into the wonderful Pitt Rivers / Natural History Museum. Which I think may have been a highlight of our trip for him.


Bailey and handler ... (James) arrived shortly after and we immediately began the 'tea' banter that formed a large part of our daily dialogue at Rising Sun Pictures. Happily Dave's threat to smuggle tea in his 'pants' was merely that. A threat. 

The borrowed car may have been slightly too small for our party and all it's baggage. But good humour prevailed and James didn't mention his legs being doubled up under his chin. Still with our team leader (Bailey) in charge things started to go right, a quick pitt stop for a comfort break (beside a sleepy Oxford canal)  and then we were on the road West. We had adequate supplies of the usual necessary's. Coffee, pastries and chocolate. Bailey survived on a meagre ration of water, that I found  reminiscent of our trials in Aligator Gorge.

I drove, David navigated and control of the stereo was given to James. ... almost immediately the familiar theme by which we had 'saved' Dave from the car park in Aligator Gorge filled the car. To be honest I was much surprised we didn't hear that again all weekend.  The team worked as it should although Dave was slightly miffed not to have the correct adaptor to connect his own phone to the stereo. A previous brush with 'coders' thrash metal music has suggested we got off lightly. Still Dave is not one to leave a problem alone and he solved that issue for our return trip ..... 

We crossed into Wales over the Severn Bridge and Dave immediately understood the cultural difference to England when we encouraged him to try articulating a few place names. It seemed the only easy translation was 'Greggs' (the bakers) which came out suspiciously like 'Costa' the coffee chain. 

I was soon to learn that 'Greggs' is a staple of David's UK diet and interestingly James took a holiday from his strict diet of chickens to indulge in pastry treats with an enthusiasm that bordered on the unhealthy.

Once into Wales James and I dropped in the occasional 'Daffid' instead of 'David'. And it has to be said Dave wasn't at all impressed. Owing to it's association with a famously camp character  in the series Little Britain. We desisted our Welsh themed teasing with great difficulty. David gamely continued to voice Welsh place names with improbable accuracy, but then neither James or I could have done any better. There are just too my consonants grouped together in ways of fiendish deviousness that defeat the tongues of invading foreigners.

The journey West took 5 hours and enroute we were advised that our proposed destination was suffering from power cuts ... perhaps we should have packed the tents after all. Still after a refuel and brief detour to find milk we arrived at the Granary with power and ready for our arrival. Good choice, it was a  3 Bed cottage with walls at least a foot thick, which suggested to me James had known about the hurricane danger in advance.

Lasagne and chips were on the table piping hot within half an hour and despite our strict diet of carbohydrates on the journey we polished off the lot without a problem. But I'd brought four slices and the cooker could only cope with 3. So one slice was destined to return to Teddington. 

James and I indulged in bottles of 'hodor' (hoegaarden wheat beer).  And whilst David is teetotal he was just as keen as we were to demolish the 'timtams' and 'celebration' box of chocolates. James bemoaned a lack of cheese to 'complete' the meal. Whereas I felt distinctly overfull. 

Before we tucked in for the night we consulted the weather report which was far from encouraging. It wasn't going to be an early start. Which was good for me, as I had spent the best part of 8 hours driving and done a quick stint in the kitchen cooking. 

Bailey prowled the grounds before we turned in and James followed him around the garden using his phone as a torch. I was interested to ask James about his latest camera gizmo ... filter holder with ND filters ... sadly the glass filter had not survived the journey to Wales .. ...

Saturday 

When I woke it was blowing a 'hooley' (very windy). Still James and I are English and a plan is a plan. We were committed despite the weather. David was kind enough not to voice what he was so obviously thinking. Snacking and wet weather preparations were extensive. A 'spare' roast chicken ensured we all had sandwiches. although both James and David smothered theirs with HP sauce which I thought might have been inspired by a 'Greggs' recipe.

Bailey was first ready and dressed for the weather ahead of the rest of the party. Eventually we hit the road about half past nine. The wind was vicious, but the rain was absent. Dave navigated us through the mess of Welsh backroads to the head of the St David's Walk at Whitesands. And we got there a bit after 10am. The Thrifty welsh parking attendant charged us four pounds for parking, still we had the pick of the whole carpark. 

Much rustling and camera prep preceded our actual walk. Baileys tail was an accurate indicator of team morale. (due south)  The white sands of the beach were absent, but white horses topped every wave and the safety flag was so straight and rigid it might have been carved from a surfboard.

James made a critical comment for me when he said that the sea was going to be a problem to photograph, especially for a panorama. I listened and realised he'd made a very perceptive observation. So I determined then to look for compositions which excluded the sea. An odd decision given we were on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by it (the sea that is).

David and James had their camera's out and to hand covered by some distinctly homemade weather protection made from plastic bags and camera tape. I took a couple of snaps then stowed my kit inside my rucksack. I didn't intend to document our trip, I wanted my kit dry for 'the shot' of the day. Whatever that was. 

We took a bare two steps onto the trail when the rain arrived horizontally with a force like 'stair rods'. James led the way with Bailey who was immediately using James as shelter from the wind and walking behind his legs. James who has legendary long legs was hamstrung by the action and consequently walked at a snails pace. In the end it proved easier if we (David and I) had Bailey's lead then used James as a frontrunner (carrot). Bailey was happy to chase James into even the deepest thicket of gorse and heather. 

Five minutes into our hike David tapped me on the shoulder to ask if I'd noticed my weatherproof rucksack cover heading out to sea on a stiff breeze. I had not.  Damn ! my kit was now protected by a nicely absorbent rucksack. Planning fail for me. I noted his own waterproof cover was permanently attached by a string to his bag. Good choice I thought.

We passed a smaller headland which could be reached by a walkway but declined to take the detour as the waves were lapping over the steps. Then followed the undulating terrain to the most westerly tip of Wales. St David's Head.

Near the headland Bailey, James and David marched on and I lingered among the lichen covered rocks. This was wonderful terrain, and my precious kit came out to play. I took three compositions over the course of half an hour. During which time David (Safety officer) was trying to find the actual trail and James and Bailey disappeared from my view behind a craggy rock.

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Twenty miles south Milford Haven was recording wind speeds in excess of 100kph (the most severe recorded in Wales that day) I think we must have endured something very similar at St David's head.

 My first two panos' were  done with the wind behind me. My body protecting my kit from the driving rain. My third and predictably my favourite composition was into the wind and the rain splotted the lens completely and thoroughly . I had a lens wipe ... tried again with the same blotchy result. Tried again but gave up when particularly vigorous gust of wind rocked me on my heels. ...It must have been an impressive gust as i was kneeling at the time. I inadvertently used the hand with my dry lens wipe into a puddle behind me. 

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I loved this spot and was seeing lots of photographic opportunities. However our safety officer was calling time on our interlude and pointing out the path ahead.  James, Bailey and I finally took heed and we became unified in our desire to find the quickest route back to the carpark.

We were not going to retrace our route. As it was a circular route so we anticipated the continuing ahead would be just as quick. In the end it seemed we hadn't regained the correct trail. I could see the route on the hillside ahead so I made an executive decision and took off into the heather along a sheep trail. It wasn't exactly a straight path but it did the job and fifteen minutes later our party were walking along a trail wide enough for a landrover car. If we had doubts on the route they were dispelled when we passed a marker that proclaimed the start of the 'St David's Head Trail'.

It is difficult to say who was most pleased to get in out of the rain. I'm guessing we were equally glad although Bailey seemed more dispirited then I felt. Our kit went into the car boot and we sat in the car steaming up the windows as we ate our lunch.  We all had a silent meditation with our grub. Watching the two 'mad' surfers paddle among the choppy waters Whitesands.

David was particularly peckish and was keen to get fish and chips as well.  OK Sometimes nothing will do but chips and given the beach cafe was open chips is what Dave got.  I was keen for a hot drink and so was James. So leaving one person with Bailey ... we took turns in going in to make our orders. With a hot cuppa we debated the options.  I was keen to see some more of the coast and eventually we headed off to find another noted spot on the Pembrokeshire coast ... Caerfai Beach. Heck of a spot, and particularly good for flotsam as there were several canoes washed up under the concrete walkway. 

Dampness had risen up my shoes and seeped down the back of my neck. I suspect the same was true for us all. Only two of us ventured down to the beach. The boiling mess of water wasn't my thing so I had a go a snapping the glistening wet rocks. I was perched low between two slippery rocks  taking a snap when my rear foot slipped conclusively downwards and I crashed down with a distinct thump on my bum. A seagull squealed with laughter as it wheeled away on the wind.  But neither of the guys were there to notice or photograph my mishap. And happily my camera didn't suffer any misadventure. Still it was a big ouch, thankfully my current addiction to lasagne gave me adequate protection!

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Back in the car spirits were low and I think Dave was slightly regretting the chips, for lack of a better plan we headed back to town and the 'i' point. ('i' for Information).  The information available was extensive as were the tourist merchandise .. teatowels and fudge abounded. Given the huge population of sheep I'm surprised there were no gift bottles of mint sauce ... ....  I did my usual 'image research' looking for local points of interest on postcards. Simply put 'The Marloes' had my immediate interest, and being a persuasive person as well as having the only set of car keys we were soon on the road south heading there.  St David's Head to the Marloes looks a short road trip. In actuality we had an extensive tour of some prime sheep country, one stone walled country lane after another.  Everything looking decidedly damp and grim in the hurricane weather. 

Our spirits lifted as the air con dried us out. Quite randomly we passed a large group of surfers congregating on the side of the road half dressed in wet suits. I couldn't work out if they were just arriving or leaving.  The Marloes carpark held one car. At four pm on a horrid day we chanced the parking fine. Bailey was less inclined to go walking than before, however James was quite persuasive .. picking him up and plonking him on all fours. I left my camera rucksack in the car boot. I was tired and unlikely to want to photograph anything. Carrying the sodden bag up a steep hill seemed unnecessary.  (A choice I was to regret an hour later) . As I made the car safe James and Dave had found a seal pup happily lying in the middle of the road quite close to the shingle beach. Meanwhile I was reading the signage and realised I'd heard of this place some time ago. Simply it's the nearest point to 'Scomer Island' home to one the very few breeding colonies of puffins in the UK. A bird that is very definitely photogenic and one I'd very much like to photograph. After an interlude of seal portraiture we negotiated the gate and made for the headland topped by a squat lookout building. Ten minutes up the hill we were confronted by some cattle. Cows and dogs aren't friends. Bailey's safety was of prime concern so we headed off into the heather and gorse along a muddy path in the hope of bypassing the grazing, disinterested beasts. In due course we found ourselves high above a rugged coastline. Dave and James began to document the location with hi res photos. Once they'd exhausted the possibilities we headed to the squat building again. This time the cattle didn't block our progress. The building turned out to be a coastal lookout building. Vacant at our visit with firmly locked doors. It had a fine view in every direction. Particularly out to Scomer Island. Damn, no camera.  I immediately high tailed it back to the car to get my kit. James and David were unconcerned. The rain was holding off and they were enjoying the view too. In short with a bit of extra puff I lugged my kit up the hill and took a snap. I felt the conditions were grim and too blustery to do any long exposure fancy stuff. But I took the view on offer. Mostly as I thought it was the best view of the day

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The phrase 'roast dinner' wafted almost tangibly in the air. We were more than ready to head back to a warm cottage and our just reward for our hardships.  Bailey led the way, almost leaping into back of the car. An impressive feat for our portly morale officer. The drive back to the cottage was along the same stone walled lanes that we'd come along, interestingly a huge industrial complex was very visible. I swear I never saw that on the way out. Turns out that it's an oil refinery for Murco. Quite why it's placed in an area of outstanding natural beauty is one on of those mysteries of the UK planning offices. 

Our navigator did a good job and the sight of the Granary Cottage cheered us all. Steaming hot showers were the first and regaining some feeling back in my toes was a painful pleasure..  James found a giant clothes airer in a cupboard and we set out our  kit to dry. I also emptied my photo bag and set that aside to dry, I assume everyone else did the same.

As I cooked James researched possible points of interest  for our return journey. And Caerphilly Castle was a unanimous choice. 

Our evening meal of roast dinner wasn't long arriving. We'd had the presence of mind to bring 'pre cooked' roast veg and a chicken. Just add gravy and a head of broccoli. Along with a good bottle of white it all disappeared so quickly we might have only imagined the food had been on our plates. Our safety officer did a fine job ensuring no glasses were ever empty. A memorable day was rounded off by a prodigious box of chocolates, gift of Kate.  Once again the team had survived another extreme environment this time Wales in a hurricane

Sunday

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We were packed washed and on the road by 10am ... damn we needed that energy yesterday! Reports of widespread flooding were on the radio and the internet and as we drove past Milford Haven we saw a river that had burst its' banks. Quite soon we were looking for a branch of 'Costa' ... (Welsh for Greggs) . An lucked out with a Starbucks.. .... Coffee .... and porridge for James.  Davids persistence with his new phone paid dividends and we were able to listen to 'H2G2TG' original radio play. 


Wales is much bigger in daylight and Caerphilly was a long time on the road. A 'Costa' roadside sign was like a call to church and we pulled in .... (obviously to give Bailey a much needed rest break) Meanwhile David and James stocked up on the good stuff. Something for now, and a snack for later I was advised. ...

Caerphilly Castle is Wales largest Castle. As  Google maps directed us the landscape was devoid of any evidence ... Where had they put it? Then we rounded a corner and were taken aback by the huge chunk of stone. It had a colour that would do credit to Castle Black in GoT. Whether this was by fire or just staining by industry was not clear.  Built in 1271 and overlooked by a statue of it's most famous son, Tommy Cooper (the comedian). With parking ticket for 2 hours the team gathered it's camera tools and headed off for an extensive photo foray.  There were plenty of things of interest to point a camera at.  Still if they could clean up some of the goose shit I"m sure it would make it nicer for everyone.  

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'Costa' was on James mind as we left the town. But the moment passed and we were back on the motorway and soon leaving the tongue twisting Welsh road signs for plain old english.  More episodes of 'H2G2TG', but as sole driver I was tiring. At my request the radio play was superseded by more lively entertainment .. the word Whitesnake ....comes to mind for some reason. Leaving the main road East at a turning clearly directing us to Oxford I successfully put us on the road to Cheltenham. Errrr sorry guys ... Navigator get us out of here ... The 'dumdum' running google maps was directing us to do an about face. But seeing the main A40 to `oxford was a short cross country detour   I made another 'executive decision'. This found us doing 15 mph along a country lane to the village of Cowley rather than a steady 70mph along the motorway.  The 'Glorious Twelfth' (start of the shooting season in England) A hundred or pheasants lined the lane. I was amazed, I've never seen such a number outside of the 'runs' that they're reared in. The guys declined to take any photos on the basis my detour meant we might never reach our destination. The Cotswolds were putting on some Autumn colour. I enjoyed detour, although from the look on their faces James and David were worried I was taking them to a 'local shop, for local people.'

At Oxford train station our team leader and navigator left the party to take the train North to Leeds. I dropped the safety officer off at Shepherd's Green tube station. His text to say he was home arrived just as I reached my own doorstep.  The navigators text arrived at 10.11pm to say he'd arrived in Leeds. I later learned the train they caught was full to overflowing and they had to stand all the way, a journey of several hours.

The Power of Three, Touring vs Hiking

When hiking I make snap decisions on composition then run the gamut of options trying to make that work.  However I have recently done some road trips (NZ and Tasmania )  I did not appreciate that a different approach was desirable. In hiking I am always with people and my photographic 'problem' can really slow everyone down. So simply I try to limit this issue by making snap decisions. Experience has taught me I would benefit from a more careful choice of composition, and believe me I do try.

A recent photography trip to Tasmania has established a new pattern when I'm touring by car/camper. If its good, take 3 compositions. Choose one. One virtue of this is that if it's a wonderful location it may become a series.  Such as this location - that I called 'The Boneyard'. A chance spot on the road. And in my hiking mindset it would have been easy to grab one image and go.

Now with 3  pleasing images I like I'm a little miffed not to have exploited the opportunity more. But these 3 pictures comprise a series, a tryptic if you please. 

Another point in the favour of taking 3 is that it can be a save. At another location later that same trip my first 'snap' choice made an odd alignment between a foreground stump and a background hill. As soon as I processed it I groaned. Why didn't I see that?  It is the first image in the series below. Fail! 

Still happily all was not lost. I had a pair of other options. Save! In the end I selected the second option.

So this is a change in my creative behaviour when touring.  However it's only one to do on a dedicated photo trip. If you were just on holiday or going somewhere it would make an intolerable delay for any companion. 

Field Notes - Alligator Gorge

Three and half hours north of Adelaide tucked just off the main route North is a moderately sized national park. Less well known than rivals Wilpena and Kangaroo Island, but boasting a wealth of flora and fauna.

Alligator Gorge

The geological jewel of the park is Alligator Gorge named for a local sheep herder (Ali). Rather then any wildlife , besides no ‘gators in Aus as far as I know, just crocs.  Owing to the distance (and just because it’s a fun thing to do) we chose to make this trip a drive & camp affair. With a photo foray in the park. On this trip with me were James and Dave both good friends and both keen photographers who I work with. James tries to persuade everyone he’s from Yorkshire but we all know he’s really from Canada.

I did the honours by driving and we made good time,  we stopped off at Lochiel to explore a gleeming salt flat This really was quite something  different, and different good. I’m not sure I how well I communicated that enthusiasm to the others. Although I did drag them deep onto the salt to get the view.

Bumbunga Lake - sometimes pink lake, sometimes salt flat

Anyway Nicols provided an awesome pie stop and recaffeination location. We got to the park in plenty of time. Found our camp site / pitched tents then scooted off in the car to get wood for a campfire. We found a good supply further north at a gas station. Having secured our home comforts for the trip we decided on ‘reconnaissance’. And so headed into the park with our camera kit.

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From the outset James was in pursuit of a ‘kookaburra’ shot. Particularly as he’d had previous opportunities but hadn't yet bagged a good shot of one. However the park was alive with their sounds.

The walk to the lookout was memorable for the gradual emergence of the wildlife from the shade, wallabys’ and kangeroos. Most definitely human wary,  not the tame varieties we encountered in other places. The calls of the laughing kookaburra were ever present but we spotted a diverse selection of other animals. Large ‘lace monitors’ were patrolling the campground. Emu, yellow footed rock wallaby , red kangaroo, Galah and rosellas in profusion. The forest floor seemed home to an infinite number of ants. Some red, black small or black HUGE. The ones that really had my attention were the Bull Ants. So numerous in places it was like a black carpet. They were particularly attracted to me as I walked. With a habit of hopping aboard my shoes and heading for flesh to wreak their particular havoc on. (..... more on Ants later).

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That evening the stars sparkled with icy clarity we had a high spirited evening, all the more memorable as James and I watched David earn his title. ‘Fireman Sam’. (I shan't explain, simply you had to be there. Needless to say it is well merited) We followed our BBQ with some astrophotography. 

Seems a good moment to share a word about my companions. Fireman Sam is an inveterate camera collector with a foot in both the digital and analogue formats, and James is long legged ‘Noveau Canadian' who worryingly supports Leeds United FC and has a penchant for chasing flashy birds (of the feathered kind) with his bridge camera.

I think we all slept soundly. Including the kookaburra, who must have been tired from a prolonged photoshoot with James. 

It was only one night camping so before we began the hike we packed camp and reparked our car at the trail head. As usual my backpack felt heavy, but I have walked with much larger rucksacks so didn't worry too much. We set off as a trio along a shaded woodland path retracing our walk the previous day.

Planning and research are often hallmarks of my best treks. Notably absent on this occasion as we made a gung-ho choice to march across the entire park to reach Alligator Gorge. Now there is simply no excuse for our decision and it could have gone quite horridly wrong.

We were misinformed by the signage – that suggested water was available on the route we were planning. There was no definitive distance on the signage – substituted with suggested timings. As conditions and peoples abilities vary this seems to verge on useless information.

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Wildlife was noticeable even though were a noisy group on the trail.  Intentionally so on my part as it’s my habit to attach my plastic mug to the outside of the rucksack. Partly this saves space (important) it also give ready access at all times (also important) and additionally the rattle gives lots of warning to any wildlife, uber important if in bear country! ( Must have worked, I didn't see any Koalas ... ) Still barely five minutes after leaving the car park  our cameras were trained on a large lace monitor keen to get out of our way, which it did by climbing up a tree. 

Our route became  less woody and shaded. I got the first views of the weathered orange sandstone cliffs that are a feature in many places of the park. I was interested in these formations so lingered a while, meanwhile James and Fireman Sam were very soon way ahead. Not to worry this is a usual pattern, particularly with James who can cover ground at a walking pace that has me jogging. I accept he’s just faster and let him get on with it.

The further we entered the park, the less wildlife I saw. I"m happy to blame my rattling mug, but that’s not the whole story, by wildlife I mean the big beasties Emu etc. Actually the forest floor was seething with ants. Australia has plenty of lethal wildlife, very few people would add ants to that illustrious list. I would. In particular one species colloquially known as ‘Bull Ants’. Now Australia has a wealth of species including – hopper Ant , Heart Bottom Ant, Big-Headed Ant, Muscleman Patch Ant Meat Ant Southern Plug Sugar Ant, Brown Bearded Sugar And and Green-head Ant. The inch ant (Myrmecia pyriformis)– or bigM*****F*******s (as I call them) are a member of the Bull ant species. Unknown to me at the time these ants have a fearsome reputation, an extract of online description of these beastie reads as follows

They attack intruders of any size that come too close to their nest. Bull ants also have well-developed vision and will follow or even chase an intruder a good distance from the nest. Usually the sight of large aggressive ants streaming out of the nest is enough to prompt a hasty retreat. If not, the ants deliver painful stings by gripping the intruder with their mandibles (jaws), curling their abdomen to reveal the sting and injecting the victim with venom. Often multiple stings are delivered.

To which I say. YES they do, I found this out first hand. As you walk most ants move away from footfalls. Not your friendly inch ant who runs towards the foot and grabs a lift. Now ok they’re isolated pockets of insects I hear you say well there seemed to be nests all along the route we took. More worryingly these little blighters cause at least six death each year! 

 So on a viciously hot windless day in the National Park, short of water and wary of known wildlife hazards it was the ants that caused me the most grief. Biting /stinging me from the top of my socks all the way up to and inside my shorts. The phrase ‘ants in your pants’ was never truer. A little twist to this tale was that neither of my two fellow hikers were troubled in the same way. In the end I jogged through areas of high density ants, whilst they looked on in bemusement. And a month later the tracks of the inch ants havoc were still clearly visible on my arms and legs. Next time I go to this park it will be armed with a flame thrower……..Anyway enough on ants.

I marched through a well trodden hard packed dry path. Sometimes it was rocky such as the dried up water courses. The path traced a route through dense scrub rising to 30 ft tall. A uniform grey green carpet across the landscape.

Birds were notably absent, although I did chance to see a huge red kangaroo lazing in some shade. At length I reached a picnic spot, at least that’s what I think it was. A combined table and bench affair shaded by an angled roof. The gutter from the lichen encrusted roof fed directly into a large plastic tank. I rapped the tank with my knuckles to gauge the water level, a booming echo … Oh dear! Well not so bad I’d had the presence of mind to completely fill my 3 litre water sack. Even so I’d made good inroads into the first litre and I wasn’t even half way. The map showed another tap further on, close to the gorge.

If i’d been relying on this water source things would have swiftly gone pear shaped for me. The next stretch of the walk was an undulating grind along a dirt track road. I took care to avoid the dense patches of inch ants. Still, one or two hopped aboard and made their presence felt. I caught sight of a distinctive figure. Fireman Sam was waiting for me ahead. Apparently James had marched off and he’d been left in the wake as well. His supply of water was far less than my own so I hoped the tap ahead wasn’t a cruel joke. At length the road arrived at a patch of tarmac car park, alongside which was a verdant expanse of grass. Outhouses / picnic tables and a coin operated BBQ. Phew! we’d made it back to civilization.

Sam and I stopped to enjoy lunch. I brewed tea and we both did serious damage to sandwiches. It’s safe to say the walk was stretching us both. But spirits were high, we were both curious to know where James had got to. He’d hoofed it up the road, well lets just say he’s gifted with longer legs. I wasn’t concerned for his absence. James would turn up at an appropriate point. Probably with an SD card full of interesting images. Water was on our minds before we headed up the road after him. The water at the picnic ground came from a tap. But had an odd look. Dirty brown when it was bottled. For safety I decided to only drink it (if needed) only after a good boiling.

The gorge carpark was a further one km up the road, if we’d been ‘canny’ we could have entered the gorge via the exit path. But we didn’t think to check that detail. Instead we followed the tarmac road to the high viewpoint above the gorge. It wasn’t ideal viewing. Diffuse flat lighting. A bit of directional light with shadows.

We visited both the viewpoints, and being weary of trying to catch up James I bellowed out his name across the gorge. His voice came back similarly loud, … “where are you?”  We played a comic routine, and we worked it out. 

I was in a poor frame of mind to take snaps. I gave it a whirl anyway. Hey I carried the camera all that way least I could was use it for a couple of panorama. We met James at the foot of a staircase to the gorge floor. He seemed chipper and unphased by the hike. He’d already explored the gorge and by the sounds of it done with photography for the day.  By contrast Fireman Sam was making noises that suggested he’d had enough. I didn’t listen very carefully it was a conversation between the two of them. In fact they both wandered off and I lost the thread of the conversation.

The gorge was quite fascinating, but so chock full of vegetation I saw very little opportunity for my trademark panorama. The other two were out of sight but I could hear their voices. I was in no hurry, this was what I’d come to see. I clambered up to viewpoint on the side wall and explored the weathered geology. I avoided the numerous fallen trees, as I’d heard that snakes like those spots too. True or not I steered clear of them. I felt the gorge had potential. I didn’t get a ‘definitive’ image to take away with me. But then that rarely happens the first time I go somewhere.

Through the narrows James and Sam were metaphorically kicking stones. A little bored by the hold up. Sod that I thought I’m not walking hours through the bush to spend a scant 5 minutes at the destination. It transpired I really had lost the thread of their conversation Sam was done in. He would walk no further. Er …? James had agreed we would make a swift return journey, then drive to the gorge carpark. To be candid I thought this was a joke, right up to the point Sam took off his backpack.

Anyway a new plan was forged and I took the time to finish off the water in my rucksack. Then refill with the distinctly dodgy looking stuff from the picnic ground tap. I wouldn’t be sipping this. We would stop and boil it up.

Meanwhile a couple of logistical issues had come up. Sam was worried about his mobile phone battery in case it ran out before we returned. We needed to agree a definitive collection spot. I pointed out it would be hours before we’d be back. It’ had taken us the best part of 4 hours to walk here (when fresh) likely to take a tad longer now we were tired. Then we had to drive a good distance once we’d made it to the car. Sam would turn off his phone, save the battery then turn it back on near our return time. We would meet in the gorge car park. I was against the idea of splitting up but Sam was adamant he would walk no further. The carpark was civilization of a kind and apparently there was a vacation lodge not very far away if he got bored or worried.

So without further ado James and I packed away our cameras and set off at a brisk pace. Sam  went off to find some shade. Km after km James and I kept at it, it was a long dull hike on a route we’d only just done. I mis-remembered, big chunks of very similar landscape seemingly edited out of my short term memory. I did remember to jog around the mass of bigM*****F*****ing bull ants. James and I covered the ground much faster than before. We stopped twice to brew up reviving tea, and yes we did use the dodgy water. Well boiled.

When the road eventually petered out we returned into single file in the bush proper. We fret about Sam and began to fixate on the 2 beers that we’d left in the car. They were on our mind as we counted off the km markers. Towards the end we spotted a few wallaby’s and kangaroos. Thankfully the car was where we left it. And mercifully I had the keys!!! That warm beer from the car boot was damn fantastic. We both had broad grins on our faces. Elated. Now to rescue Sam.

Sam had sent us a text with his map coordinates. (Very organised) well done ..but save your battery!! Anyway as the crow flies it may only have been 16 / 18 /20 km back to Sam. But the road from the campsite to the gorge carpark was a good 50kms mostly on backroads. The sun had set by the time we neared the pick up spot. Pure darkness (no homes along here) so we opened up the windows cranked up the stereo with an appropriate rescue tune (orchestral theme from the film 'The Mission' piped from James iphone) We swung into the carpark with the car hazard lights flashing and  stereo at full tilt.    I think Sam was happy to see us ... We might have disturbed his sleep. In any event  he was there and no worse for the wear for his long wait. 

It was a long drive home, we rehydrated on very long drinks from a petrol station.  Sam and James were delivered to their respective doorsteps and when I got home I found I still had some of the 'dodgy water. That's it in the glass. Oh and the other pic is the kit I carry to boil and  brew up. (James please note PG) 

 

Epilogue

A few days later I was talking about our trip to another colleague. He’d heard about it from Sam. Apparently Sam spent hours just waiting for us ……  ! Factually correct. Oh, and I did return to Bumbunga Salt lake a few weeks later. This is the snap I took 

 

 

 

Field Notes - Petrel Beach via kings Beach and Newland Head to Waitpinga Cliffs (.. and back)

This hike started at Petrel Beach, then follows the coastline casually dropping and rising to shimmering sandy beaches framed with sharp rocks and grassy tussocks. In truth it reminds me very much of parts I know of New Zealand. The views were enticing. Particularly on a sunny day. My regular reader (hello!) may recall the coastline along from Island Bay from the Miramar Peninsula. 

The driving force for the trip was my workmate James, who is keen to see beyond Adelaide now that work has settled down to a more regular set of hours. In fact owing to some immoderate work hours we've had to get our photographic fix around Adelaide. Which to my surprise (and pleasure) has yielded more interesting images than I first imagined it might.

The trail is a tiny part of the 1200 km Heysen trail (named after Hans Heysen a German born landscape painter who is famed for his views of Australia). The walk starts like many others with an information board that yielded a daunting amount of information on ecology, wildlife, and shipwrecks. However the bit of info we really wanted to know was about the danger of snakes. No info, no worries? Oh well there were plenty of other people on the track. We set off weighed down by the usual toys. For me this includes some kit for landscape and some kit for wildlife. Similarly James has adopted a two camera approach. Wildlife doesn’t hang about so it’s best to have something ready to bash away with, rather than scrabbling at the controls to reconfigure a camera you just used for a panorama. James has a bridge camera and a dlsr, I have a pair of dlsrs. His kit is lighter by far, of which I am envious.

The route dipped down to the sandy shoreline and on a whim we stayed sea level and scrambled among the rocks. I’m sure on the right day there are some wonderful seascapes to be had in just this spot. But my ‘compositional’ sense wasn’t on form so I had a bash a one or two shots without any expectations. I was very interested in the fractured lines of strata,  but never found an angle to catch the the crashing cobalt waves and the geology in my field of view. Never mind. As we progressed there were shoreline outcrops of quartz gleaming white between shiny black teeth. I enjoyed a spot of shell hunting in the myriad of nooks and corners, the terrain was maze like.

The coastal route from Petrel Beach towards Kings Beach

At length the route petered out and as the tide blocked our progress we made our own route, and scrambled up a grassy bank to the main path. The odd seabird wheeled and screamed on the horizon, a cooling breeze into our faces. A glorious day to be be outdoors exploring. We continued on the proper path mindful of reptiles and birds. Like most of SA the walk has a population of brown snakes. We knew they were there but saw nothing. Our worries aside we had our eyes to the sky looking for ‘white bellied sea-eagle. (or snow bellied as I mis-remembered for the entire hike). Irritatingly all the birds stayed outside the reach of our longest lens. A short while after we regained the proper path it dipped down to sea level at Kings Beach. A lovely stretch of sand in an idyllic location.

Near to the coast there a small island. Which I believe is a wildlife reserve. It's ideally placed in the prevailing current to funnel the incoming tide into a narrow channel. The wave height even on 'calm' day is truly impressive. And the white horses gallop by 'overhead' accompanied by a sound of growling thunder.

Kings Beach

James wandered off in search of wildlife, wheras I chose to keep to the shoreline in an attempt to capture the drama of the seascape. I settled at a spot where I was looking up to the waves. It wasn't my best composition but I loved the location so I determined to come back with a ‘panoramic’ film camera at a later date. (The benefit to with a film panoramic camera is that it takes the complete view in one shot). 

I rejoined James who’d been having a close encounter with rough back lizards (more of them later). The trail began to gently rise. The undulating farmland making way for true cliffs. Quite quickly we were high above the turbulent water/ the hills were alive with interest . Wildflowers populated the grass and numerous shrubs had a touch of colour. The grass gave way to low scrub. Bushes and groves of native woodland. Birds flitted around and inside the canopy of the scrub. More often heard than seen. The usual suspects tweeted tunelessly around us. New Holland Honey Eater, Rosella, Lorikeets, Crows etc. Despite our vigil of the sky we didn’t glimpse the mythical ‘snow bellied sea-eagle’ that I persisted calling it. The patchy scrub became continuous woodland. Someone with influence clearly understood the desire to see the view and gaps had been cut out to catch the scenery. We found ourselves high over the water on top of the Warapinga Cliffs.

We found an enviable spot to brew up. A bench with a view back along the entire route we’d just followed. We saw a bird of prey soar on a a thermal then head out to sea. Far to distant for me to ID. The view was impressive, but in my minds eye I was seeing a stormy day a large ship in peril on the rocks.  That blessed information board was giving me funny ideas I think. Still tea and sandwiches revived us.

We retraced our path, concentrating on the surrounding wildlife. Several times James came to attention. At one point Scarlet Rosella flashed brightly past, settling just outside his ideal FOV. As he took aim at them a bird of prey hovered almost directly above his head, 30 ft up. Bird of prey but not the eagle we were in search of.

The walk back went faster, for starters it was downhill and we chose not to linger at the scenic viewpoints. In some ways our most memorable animal encounter was with the shingle back lizards earlier in the day. James was leading a downhill stretch of the trail, alert for the presence of a brown snake. We knew it was around as a bare footed Australian walker had advised us he'd just seen one 'back away's along the trail’. James volunteered to go first, partly being gallant, partly because he wanted a photo of a snake to send to a work colleague who was making noises about moving to Australia. The quest for a 'frightening. snake picture had been going since shortly after he arrived.  Up till now there’d been no indications that we were in close proximity, but now we were in high alert. Anyhow on this section of the trail from the corner of his eye he noticed a lurking shape beside the trail. From my point of view he took a sharp sidewise lurch mid step whilst doing a comedic double take.  Fortunately it was not a lethal viper but rather a stumpy tailed shingle back lizard, basking in a spot of sun. Mercifully harmless although it may have shortened James life expectancy by a good few milliseconds.

 

Close to the car park at Petrel Beach we spied another bird of prey landing in the cliffs. We got good sight of it as it landed and we chased it down to the sand. We needn’t have rushed. Unhurriedly it groomed its plumage and scanned the scenery. I suspect we both managed to take photo’s from every conceivable angle. I certainly had at least 40 whilst it was perched then it took off and hovered overhead on a thermal before doing a quick circuit and lunging for something in the surf. James and I congratulated ourselves on such good fortune at the end of the day. We’d nailed the ‘snow bellied sea-eagle’ … only to find out later it happened to be a peregrine falcon.

It was a long walk, we celebrated with a white beer or two in blessed ignorance that we hadn't seen the 'snow' bellied sea-eagle. A grand walk and one I’d happily do again.

Dwelling in the Digital Darkroom - An investment in post processing

The  University bridge over the Torrens river is an appealing location currently blighted by a safety barrier, which surrounds a maintenance work in progress. I regularly use the pathway and some form of barrier / safety equipment has been here since I arrived in Adelaide (Oct2016).

Whatever the reasons it seems remiss of those in charge to leave this beauty spot in a state of disrepair.  It's one of the 'definitive' images of Adelaide and lots of people take photos here (including wedding snaps) so the lasting impression people currently take home with them is a little marred by the issue apparent in the photo below. 

For whatever reason this repair has been neglected for a long time. I arrived in spring and now its June. The season has definitely shifted into Autumn, and I'm fully anticipating the leaves on many of these trees to drop quite soon. So I've been running out of time to get a 'clean' version of this view.

Part of my urgency is this view would fit nicely into a series of images I've been making of Adelaide, all of those are leafy and green. Getting a view when the trees are bare would be an issue.   So I decided to take the photo now and have a go at  'fixing it in post'.

To be fair I am good with image editing softwares.  I have used lots of 2D compositing packages including photoshop,  gimp, pixelmator, shake and nuke.  Still there were no guarantees as it was a significant and central area of image to rebuild.  But past experience gave me the confidence to expect a good result.

 Confidence is important as I knew this was going to take me some time to complete.  Though to be fair as the hours of my Saturday ticked by i did begin to rue my decision.  In fact at one point it began to seem such a large task I went back up to the bridge to see if they'd made any progress with repairs.  But that was a vain hope. So I returned to my workstation and eventually finished the job late in the evening.

The result is quite pleasing. It is a far larger fix than I usually care to do, as it took most of a precious Saturday to complete. Time when I would rather have been out taking more photos. If it had been about a single isolated image it's unlikely I would have invested so much time. But the desire to get another picture for my series of pictures was strong,  and so the extra effort seemed worthwhile.

Should the barriers come down anytime soon I shall go back because I have the sneaking idea there's a better picture to be found.  Mind you I won't hold my breath waiting for the repair to be done. Since I took this image more red tape, cones and fences have arrived. This time on the other side of the river. 

UPDATE 5 Jun 2018.. So one year on and the barriers are still present!!

UPDATE 5 Jun 2018.. So one year on and the barriers are still present!!

Field notes - Adelaide Arcade

For the past month I've been concentrating on creating a set of images of Adelaide.  Why now?  Mostly  because  I can  leave work in time to get a 'blue hour' picture. Which is the hour after sunset (and the hour before sunrise).  Sunset is about 6pm right now, so I get to see the city with it's  'glad rags' on. Office blocks, street lights and shops all putting on a light show. And if it's raining I can try my hand at indoor photography. In fact when I moved to Adelaide one of the first places I wanted to  photograph was indoors. That place was the Adelaide Arcade.

With it's well preserved period detail the Adelaide Arcade is definitely one of Adelaide's most visited and photographed places. I will not suggest it's a difficult place to photograph.  But as a panoramic specialist the Arcade represented a bit of challenge. My preference is 3 to 1 aspect ratio and if anything the Arcade really suits a 1 to 3 vertical pano. Even so I was game to give it a go.  

Once I've settled on creating a project I  try to give myself the best chances of seeing what's there by going walkabout at different times.  If I don't get the image with my carry camera then the key for me is to do some thinking, particularly before I lug any heavy equipment around.   None of it is rocket science, but simply taking the time to do some research and some thinking beforehand goes a long way to making my preferred images. 

The sort of things I consider  are when is it busy or quiet? when can I get in?  If daylight do I want long shadows, from which direction and where does the sun need to be?  when do they turn the lights on/off?  

As it happens I frequently go through the arcade as it's a route I use at lunchtimes to get to Rundle Mall. So I get many chances to take pictures of it.

 

 

 

 My first pano inside the arcade was just before ANZAC day. (A remembrance day for Australian and New Zealand armed services)  So the arcade was appropriately dressed with flags and poppies. I had the carry camera with me so I was able to grab the chance for the snap. That said the two point perspective didn't quite resolve correctly.  Well it was hand held. I decided I'd try to get the arcade in the classic single point perspective, not so easy as the Arcade is quite narrow compared to newer 'malls'. 

Over the course of a couple visits with all my dlsr toys (Digital Single Lens Reflex) I didn't get the image I wanted.  My first attempt was in the evening after work. The pano worked well but I thought it would be improved if the skylights were another lightsource in the image. So I went back, this time first thing in the morning choosing a lower angle to get a view of the skylights.  However I was too close to the walls of the arcade and the resulting panorama (not shown) suffered from immense distortion. But it works well in a square format. It's the middle image below. 

At which point the arcade became decked out to promote Mothers Day so I waited for a month until the decorations were taken down. By this time I'd chosen a couple of other viewpoints.  Standing at the far end of the arcade works and shows the off the  details of both the floor and the skylight,  but the far end was almost out of sight.  I really wanted a more balanced composition. Luckily there are bridges along the length of the mall. Using one as my viewpoint I could get most the elements I wanted into one image.  

Interior photography is a testing discipline, and I'm lucky to have had regular access to the Arcade to practise in. I can't say this is my final image, as I'm now tempted by another composition. Still I shall have to wait as there is another set of decorations in there at the moment.  Meanwhile I've discovered Adelaide has a wealth of well preserved period interiors to visit and they like the Arcade seem quite tolerant of photographers. For which I am thankful.

Field notes - The Road to Granite Island

A new moon is an event marked in my photographic diary. As the nights around any new moon can be particularly good nights for Astrophotography.  If the skies happen to be clear  they will be without moonlight.  So the astro peeps often head off to 'dark sky' areas, (or just places without light pollution)

South Australia has 'enjoyed' some fine weather this summer, clear cobalt skies and hot winds that send the temperatures up near 40C. (ok and a shade higher now and then) A fair weekend in Feb saw me heading out on a road trip to find a dark sky.  'Astro' is an interest I share with a colleague from work. David was also keen to have another go at the Milky way. Although to be fair we're both aware the best views of the galactic centre aren't till July. Still practise makes perfect, and half of the battle with astro seems to be finding 'good' and interesting places to take photos from.

Our tentative destination was Victor Harbour, on the South Australia coastline an hour south of Adelaide. It promised to be a dark sky area and the chances were good there might be a few things to see on the way.

The first point of interest on the trip was on the opposite side of the road, we passed a large troop of Kangaroos lazing in the shadows. The tunnel of trees opened to a wide expanse of water.  

On a whim I turned down a side road. I find there's a distinct pleasure in just going down a road to see what's there. There was no sight of the water till the road took an abrupt series of turns. We'd climbed high above the lake, I caught sight of an irregular island just offshore. The road led downhill became a single file and crossed the top of a dam.  The island was tantalisingly close but there was nowhere to stop. Of course we did stop, but not till we got to the scenic viewpoint on the other bank.   We explored the minor summit finding quite a lot to interest us. The view to the water was angled to display the small dam to it's best advantage. Sadly the island that had caught my eye was an inconsequential detail of the vista. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In truth I preferred the view behind us. It was less grand, but the light was in it's favour. The tall wisps of grass gold in the late sun.

Further along the road we crested another rise to find ourselves facing north towards the floods plains that led to Adelaide. We pulled off the road onto the verge. It was a quite impressive view, sadly the lighting didn't do it justice.  Out came the cameras. Clickity click click click. I made a mental note of the spot. Perhaps I'll be back for a timelapse of cloud racing across the hills.

We carried on and as it happened the road made a complete circuit of the Lake, we sped past the same troop of Kangaroos, still lazing in the shadows.  Not far past the lake the road swept downhill through a tunnel of gumtrees. The sun was low casting shadows along the cultivated valley to our left.  Happily stopping to catch the view was a lot easier as there were several layby's cut into the crash barrier. I nipped into the pasture to catch the view.  It was only a brief stop but the quality of light suggested I'd captured a good snap.

The road passed through Normanville, a row of Norfolk pines led to a viewpoint , the carpark thirty feet above an unnamed beach. Sunset was underway, we made the short hike to the sand.  Low clouds were ideal for the last pictures of the day, but didn't bode well for astrophotography. My method of stitched panorama definitely isn't a good choice for seascapes but one composition came out quite well. The last rays of light played over the clouds for half an hour, sadly never quite hitting the electric vibrancy that seems a feature of the best sunsets. Still not a half bad location. Definitely ripe for a return visit.

As it happened the clouds did close in over us and whilst we were somewhat resigned to a poor show of the stars we pressed onwards to Victor Harbour with the in car music veering quite alarmingly towards the 'death metal' genre currently inhabiting David's phone.  When we arrived it was to find the town dark and mostly closed for business, which didn't help our search for a bite to eat. The poverty of options made us grateful victims of the golden arches of McD. Reliable comfort food, pretty much ideal for an evening stargazing. Luckily the breeze that had brought in the clouds had seen them off too. We had a clear sky and enough camera toys between us to make small motion picture.

Granite Island is a couple of hundred metres offshore serviced by permanent wooden boardwalk. During the day a horse drawn coach runs a regular service across the water. Happily the boardwalk also has street lighting so we could just saunter across disturbing the roosting seabirds as we went.  Granite island is apparently home to a colony of penguins. Unusual for an Australian native it's quite shy and hard to spot. Needless to say in the dead of night we didn't see any. However the stars were quite bright and so we weren't overly disappointed.

Our night shoot lasted the best part of an hour. The arch of the milky way stretching over heads and back towards the light pollution of the town. I identified a view featuring a wooden staircase leading up to a small lighthouse as being of most interest to me. I tried all sorts of settings and angles, but came up short. My shot was foiled by the lights from Victor harbour, if there's a technique to pull off that lighting scenario I haven't learned it yet. Oh well definitely a shot for an SA powercut! This night shot didn't work out. The next new moon is marked in my diary, my fingers are crossed for a clear sky on that date.   No guesses where I might be heading if it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field notes - The Abandoned Homestead, near Burra.

Having landed in a new location it's my habit to look out for notable views in the area. It gives me a direction and a purpose I may otherwise lack. Just going for a 'road trip' or hike rarely generates the views that appeal to me.  (Noted exception being Tower Hill on my Great Coast Road trip. That was a true chance find).

The Abandoned Homestead. Burra

My standard picture resources are postcards and the internet. On this occasion I learned about the abandoned homestead just outside of Burra from the internet.  Whilst it seems an unexceptional location to me an internet poll found it was one of Australia's most enduring and popular landscape views. The photo that made it famous was shot by Ken Duncan and his image is quite different to the one I'm showing. (So don't judge by my effort). His  was used on the album cover of a record by 'Midnight Oil'. Since when it has inspired a long list of well known photographers to make a pilgrimage to Burra.  A browse of local professional photographers showcased images in every possible variation of light and style.  Black and white, colour, hdr infrared , square , panoramic etc . But just because the view is done to death is no reason not to add to that body of work.  Simply if I happen to be in Rome or Paris, I'm damn well photographing the Colloseum and the  Eiffel Tower. 

Another factor in the choice was that Burra was far enough away from Adelaide to be a 'Dark Sky area'. The current heatwave came with cloudless cobalt skies and I counted on getting a fine view of the heavens. 

As this was to be a road trip opposed to a hike. I felt no need pack light. Just about all my photographic toys were coming with me.  A pano kit- well no surprise there. A wildlife kit (just in case) and my Astrophotography kit - because that was the plan.

Happily the rental car had two of the features I've found essential in South Australia. Air conditioning and an Aux input to the stereo. Air con for obvious reasons and the Aux input because well I'm a bit fussy about whom I share my time with. As  Burra is 2.5 hours north of Adelaide,  5 hours of local radio doesn't bear thinking about.­­

My journeys in Australia don't get interesting until I leave the dual carriageways and the expressways. Thereafter I start to see things of note around me.  I drove down tree lined roads the sunshine diffused by the tall leafy canopy.  Gum trees mostly. Very attractive to my eyes. Add the odd flock or two of birds. (Gallah's mostly) and I might happily have stopped right there. But I was on a mission. 

I'd left town quite late, partly to arrive in Burra near the golden hour and which would put me in good shape for Astrophotography.  I did stop a couple of times. Once driving alongside a vinyard I was tempted to try an IR landscape. I liked the composition but just a bit too windy for a longer exposure shot ( I don't have an IR conversion camera, I've been experimenting with IR filters, generally an r72)

Then again later as I crested a hill and saw one those rickety windmills that the Aussie farmers use to lift up bore water from the underground water table. 

That done I continued onto Burra.  The town was grander than it's nearest neighbours,  it's a heritage mining town with a profitable past in Copper mining.  Ok so I stopped for a couple of snaps there too. The town had an understandably sleepy feel owing to the scorching afternoon heat, the garage was still open so I took the opportunity to fill the petrol tank.

The Abandoned Homestead was a few miles out of town on the road north. Quite easy to spot sitting in splendid isolation in a huge paddock. I pulled into a dirt track access road.  Now the 'definitive' Ken Duncan' image is obviously taken from a vantage point inside the paddock.

I noted there were sheep in the paddock and a large sign discouraging trespassers. Hmm I could hop over in minute.  Actually I found a resonable angle without needing to go over the fence.  It could have been better. But I could also get permission another day. This wasn't an urgent one time only opportunity.

The homestead was flanked on the right by the remains of an outbuilding and a dense thicket. Neither were attractive additions to the scene so I left these  out of the frame.

Having tried that shot, I eyed the dirt track which headed over the hill. Worth a looksee.  It turned out to be quite fine view up there. Definitely worth another snap. The dirt track really wasn't the right place to take a shiny new rental car.

Back on the metalled road I retraced my steps through Burra on the hunt for a spot for a night shot.  Back near where I'd taken a shot of the windmill earlier I found another windmill isolated in an empty paddock. When I saw it I could see it had potential for me to get any angle I wanted. That suggested I could compose the starfield to best effect. (Of course you might wonder why I was happy to go in this field when I was shy earlier. Two reasons. Firstly there was no livestock or crop in the field. Secondly the gate was open I could walk straight in, so no need to hop over a fence)

I wasn't really prepared for what happened a little while later. The road to Burra was very quiet in daytime, at night it was positively dead. So when a car came along backlighting the windmill it was a complete surprise. The first shot was completely ruined. But i saw the potential. A quarter of an hour later a car came from the other direction. This time i saw something much more interesting. So I stood there in the empty paddock waiting for traffic to light up the countryside.  When I finally left it was well gone midnight and only a handful of cars had come along. My pick was a bulb exposure where a lorry was speeding along the road towards a car. I was quite pleased. Prints well too.

I've now been to Burra a couple of times. The second time being enroute to Wilpena Pound. The bare rolling hills appeal to me. No doubt I'll be up there again all too soon. Oh and final note the yellow light in bottom right, well that's light pollution from Adelaide. 250 km's south.

Field notes - 2 days in Wilpena Pound

Six hours north of Adelaide is a world away from the lush farmland and vineyards that characterise the area I live in.

On the road to Wilpena Pound

The Flinders and Heysen mountain ranges grow up sharply from the floodplains of SA, and they have been on my photographic radar for several months. I had wanted to venture up there for a Christmas trip, but temperatures in excess of 40 C suggested it would be better to wait for the cooler months. 

March has definitely been a cooler month in South Australia, and the Adelaide Cup public holiday meant a long weekend.  For me this was the ideal opportunity to finally head north to Wilpena Pound.

Wilpena is a huge crater shape formed by erosion on the edge of the Heysen range of mountains.  It's a national park I was particularly interested in investigating. So up I went in a campervan.  It's charms were immediately apparent as I saw Eagles , Kangaroo and Emu's before I'd even arrived. And the carpark was full of wildlife too.

The Saturday was very warm and walking wouldn't have been a good choice, so I took the advice of a park ranger and did a scenic drive along the Bunnyeroo Valley. I did think to ask if it was suitable for a long wheelbase camper, the ranger thought it would be fine if I took it easy through the dry riverbeds. Which should have told me something.

The gravel road into the mountains was certainly scenic. The midday sun may not have been the ideal light for photography. Didn't matter, I edged along very slowly stopping whenever the fancy took me. Sometimes it was a photo, sometimes it was just to let someone past. 

View from the scenic viewpoint - Bunnyeroo Valley

I was much taken with the view from the 'scenic viewpoint'.  Early on I saw a very large eagle on the ground and very near the end a falcon. Otherwise any wildlife that might be seen from the road had made itself scarce before I could spot it. Still I'd got very lucky by seeing so much wildlife on my journey into the park.  I had to be content with the views and the flora, which included lots of these fruits. (And no I didn't try one).

Brachina Gorge

The Bunnyeroo Valley road and the Brachina Gorge road are  32kms of twisty lumpy road and even though I had entirely the wrong vehicle I'm a fan. The final view of the Heysen Ranges was wonderful and well worth the effort getting there..

Heysen Ranges

If you go it's worth noting than you have a choice to go back the whole way on the same road or or take the 70km route back on metalled roads. I took the long way round, then spent a night in the Resort campground. To my immense joy there were hot showers waiting for me. 

The next day was predicted to be cooler. I planned an early start to head up the St Mary's Peak trail.  I didn't try for the 4am start the guide suggests. But I was on the move by 8am..  I got the weather report from the Information Officeat the head of the trail. Very warm apparently.  The duty person also asked me not to climb to the summit, as it was an important native dreaming site.  And a sacred spot.  It wasn't a ban, it was a request. I took the opportunity for a quick cup of coffee and I was on my way.

Setting off my backpack felt decidedly heavy for how little I was carrying. I had my camera, tripod and a couple of lens, plenty of sunscreen, 2 litres of fresh water, snacks and a sandwich for lunch. I also had a fleece. (It's always breezy on the top of mountains). I had thought to bring a burner to get a cuppa at the top, but forgot a pan to heat water in. Oh well next time!

The route was well marked,   blue triangles nailed to trees and boulders. Further along these switched to stakes with reflective markers.

The first few kms were literally a stroll through the woods. if you cared to look the webs of golden orb spiders were everywhere.  A very worn boot elegantly hanging from a branch indicated to me a minor tragedy. I hoped they'd  had a pair of thick socks with them.

Several pairs of walkers passed me.  One pair who had started much earlier were walking in the opposite direction, on the last section home. Big smiles on their faces. We exchanged pleasantries whilst scrambling over some rocks.

The trail edged uphill and I got a few glimpses of the Peak. The pine forest made way for bushes and scrub. The walking was interspersed with scrambling over rocks and a bit of easy climbing.  After a good bit of walk / climb /scrabbling i got to a ledge with a view and did my first pano of the day. The view was fine, but it was the same one I'd continue seeing to the top. Gaining altitude wasn't really changing my perspective a huge amount. 

Having bagged a pano I followed some voices uphill and met a group of 3 girls who had lost the path. And now, so had I.  In truth the path is well marked. But other people had confused the trail by going off piste then marking their false trails with cairns.  There then followed an interesting 20 mins where I joined the quest to find the 'true' path.  made more difficult as the cairns always seemed to indicate a likely route.  We would follow a 'path' only to get to a deadend. Hugely frustrating. Happily between the 4 of us we were able to retrace our steps to an 'official marker'. Then having regained the trail we spent the best part of an hour climbing to the Tanderra Saddle.  Which was where the park warden had asked me to stop.   It was a fair view - we had a view of the peak and the spine of the mountain range was spread out below us.

St Mary's Peak as seen from Tanderra Saddle. With Heysen ranges in the distance

The girls had mobile reception and decided to call home. I donned my fleece and set up another panorama.  When they joined me there was a discussion whether or not to continue up. Two were for it, one was against. I listened to their decision process, shared my grapes and wondered if I had enough water to share on. I'd already gone through more than half my own supply.  

They chose to call it a day.  The view was wonderful, and in my opinion going to the summit wasn't going to improve it significantly. Secondly they were just about out of water, and on the hot day they were at least two hours from base and they were all being chilled by the strong breeze.  I decided not to set a poor example and said I'd be heading down shortly.  Heading for the summit of the peak would have put them into needless peril. They live close by and could easily return another day to bag the peak. A small blemish for their first backcountry trek. 

The girls headed downhill  (I got an email a week later to say they made it safe). I followed them down not long after. It was hot, I'd had a fine walk, and it looked all set to cloud over.  Minutes after I started home a series of paired walkers passed me intend on bagging the summit.  I was interested to note how little they carried. One couple didn't even seem to have a water bottle between them.

The path downhill was so well marked I was amazed I'd lost it on the way up. Everything got a lot more pleasant when I was back under the shade of the tree line. Back to walking, rather than scrambling among the rock piles. More spiders webs. Even the odd bit of birdsong.  Near the head of the trail a large slow lizard heard me coming and moved out of sunny patch and under a log.  A mob of fluorescent green parrots noisily attacked a crop of seed pods on a shrub nearby. I got lucky snapping a pic and headed back to base happy with the day.  Which improved immeasurably with an ice cream followed by a hot shower.

Wilpena charmed me. The walk was fine, the views tremendous and some wonderful wildlife. Definitely going back if I get an opportunity. I may not have  'bagged'  St Mary's peak. But then the view from the Tandarra Saddle is mighty fine too. 

On the homeward trip sun broke through the low cloud cover  and my final view of the area was of 'God Rays' over the sheep hills.  As I stood at the edge of the road  I was briefly deafened by the road noise of a pickup as it passed me at high speed needlessly sounding a flat noted horn as it went. 

 

 

Field Notes - Great Ocean Road, South Australia

I'm currently living in Adelaide in South Australia.  I've been here since Oct 2016, and up to Christmas I hadn't done much exploring or photography.  So when the festive season came round I was very keen to get out and about and see what was around me.

The 12 Apostles

The 12 Apostles

My idea was to get beyond the city, but South Australia is  so vast I reckoned I only had time for one highlight which was going to be the highly rated Great Ocean Road.  The route was flexible, but I was particularly keen to stop off at the Twelve Apostles.  A place of migration for many photographers. 

Day one was not an early start I collected the camper about 10 am, but a couple of pit stops meant I hit the road nearer to 1pm on christmas eve. (Sorry didn't I mention that detail?) Anyway the sat nav got me to the correct road South and I watched the countryside roll by from the drivers seat of a brand new campervan.  It easily kept pace with the sparse traffic. Still I learned a lesson as a  point of potential interest zipped past on the other side of the road. It was a long stretch of duel carriageway and I travelled several miles before I might have turned around. I chose not to as I knew I would be travelling back along the same road in a few days. Still I did slow down and found a more easy going rythmn.

More miles rolled by just a bit  more slowly and the sat nav made a suggestion to turn right. Now I didn't exactly question this suggestion as rigorously as I might. I did stop look at the map and it was suggesting a more direct route to my proposed camp ground. However I really didn't consider my fuel situation. Or the implications of heading off into the outback would entail.  

It started pleasantly enough. The side road was lined with old gum trees making a leafy avenue of dappled sunshine. Definitely more wildlife, a couple of flocks of cockatoo's, although sadly the only kangeroo's I spotted were roadkill.

The sat nav's route went through small towns with English place names. I hadn't rented a camper before and I made the silly assumption the fuel tank was going to be a lot larger than a car.  I realised I'd made an error when I finally noticed the fuel gauge and did some joined up thinking. Driving along the back roads of South Australia the garages are well spread out. Additionally most shops /garages close at 5pm. Given it happened to be Christmas Eve that made petrol a scarce commodity. More angry with myself than the satnav I cursed wildly then nicknamed the sat nav it the 'dumdum'.

I looked for garages on my smartphone. Then followed a merry chase from one town to another. Closed closed closed. That said I didn't race around. I wasn't going to get to my intended campground so I hoarded my fuel and looked for somewhere to park up for the night. It may sound all too convenient but I crested a hill and saw a likely looking spot. It was a scenic lookout over a valley. The road was very quiet and I decided that baring a proper campground that would be the place to stop.

The next town was Coleraine, the map marked it in LARGE typeface and I optimistically thought that might indicate a larger town. This was apparently wrong, but I got lucky as the petrol station had been replaced by a 24hour self service pump with credit card payment. Saved.

Needless to say I didn't see a campground so I returned back to the spot I'd seen earlier. With the sun already setting I hurried to set up the camper for the evening. Blinds and curtains for the windscreen and windows. The bed was unfolded and supported on large rectangular bolsters. It had been a long day, tired I feasted on a smoked salmon sandwich.  

Day 2

Day two was where I felt my road trip really began. I woke early and it was noticeably cooler in the van. The previous evening the thick duvet had felt quite superfluous, wheras I started the second day choosing socks and a fleece.

I could hear the call of a kookaburra twanging somewhere nearby. Light seeped around the corners of the blackout curtains and panels. Pulling aside the door curtain for a peak of the outside. I was mildly disappointed to be sat inside a cloud, the amazing view of the previous evening utterly obliterated in a white out. Still all was not lost. The birdsong became a tuneful dawn chorus, Australian magpies joined the the kookaburra and the cheeps, tweets and chirps were all around me. Rosellas muscled their way in en masse and also joined in with tuneless squawks that displaced the more exotic melody I'd been enjoying. Nonetheless the colourful parrot like birds infested the nearest trees and proceeded to keep me company for the next half an hour. 

I brewed tea and enjoyed cereal with cold milk and fruit, the campervan experience felt a lot more civilised than my adventures with a tent.  I even had warm water to wash in.

Despite the apparent remoteness of the location a text buzzed noisily on my phone. It was a text from UK wishing me seasons best.   The sun began to burn off a layer of cloud and a cool breeze did it’s best to finish the job.  I was motivated to unpack the camera. The rosellas were still squawking nearby, so my first snap was of them. Shame the laughing Kookaburra were gone. I wasn't to see or hear another one of those for the entire trip.

View from Coleraine viewpoint Christmas Morning 2016

Of course I had a go at the panorama. Frustratingly my view was hindered by fences, bushes and a patch of nettles.  Still i had a go, and for a short moment as the cloud hung patchy and low I saw a moody brooding landscape.  A minute or two later the cloud was brushed aside and a harsh sun was beating down on the fields.  The change was very abrupt and rather like watching one a timelapse film of clouds on mountains.

I packed the camper. Finding new places for many of my important things.  I left my camera to hand  covered with a coat to protect from the sun and any prying eyes.        

With sunglasses fixed to the bridge of my nose I had a full tank of petrol and a cloudless sky. A far cry from my overcast Christmas in Vancouver the year before.

I input 'Lorne' as my destination on the dumdum. Looking at an overview of the route it chose an interesting route for me.  The SA map is fairly littered with place names familiar to me. The route plotted by the dum dum was going to take me through Harrow, Penshurst, Mortlake and Balmoral. Interesting for me as I've actually lived in 2 out of those 4 places, no not Balmoral.

Australia is big and the freeways and expressways feel like they've been drawn by rulers and are immensely dull. The backroads are more interesting but also populated by the same signs.

'Drowsy Drivers Die'  , 'Survive this Drive' ,  'Arrive alive'.   Admirably pithy sentiments.

My first stop of the day was barely half an hour on the road.

'The Waterfall'  was just a short way off the route. A large flock of cockatoos were in charge of the carpark area. Boisterous, noisy and not particularly concerned about me. Their flying was punctuated by acrobatic stunts and high speed gliding through trees.

 

The waterfall was an awesome location and definitely a site that might yield a dramatic photograph. I was in no hurry so I gave it a whirl. In fact I got all my camera toys out for a proper test.  I took the shot that was there, ideally I'd have liked something that might yield a sense of scale. From lower down, but I would have needed climbing ropes. I imagined a cliff diver poised to take the leap. But then again was this crocodile country?  I did look for a better angle but for the moment this was it.

Back in the carpark the cockatoos seemed to be having ball. I watched their antics a while. They didn't stay still for a moment. Not good candidates for a cage to my mind.

On the road I headed onwards to Lorne and the Great Ocean Road. The dumdum set the route The miles rolled by, I looked out for petrol or coffee in equal measure. I passed small towns and came across the curious SA pursuit of Hay Bale art. You'll have to take my word for this as I neglected to take any pictures of them but quite fun to see the myriad of christmas themed bales oh and a haybale mascarading as r2d2 ...

The rolling farmlands seemed flat and endless. Near Camperdown a group of misplaced hills punctuate the farmland I couldn't resist driving up to the scenic viewpoint. It's a wide open 360 panorama. Well worth a stop. It wasn't yet midday and the heat was quite stiffling. The lofty viewpoint offered a gentle breeze. Pleasant place even if there are signs saying ‘beware of the snakes ...’

 

A few miles from town I stopped for a tractor breaker yard. Shamefully closed on a Christmas day!! definitely a spot ripe for phototrip all it's own.

The dumdums route took a sharp turn right and  as I had a full tank of petrol humoured the machine, even if the main roadsigns were saying the Great Ocean Rd was straight on. The lesser trodden route offer more glimpses of the absent Australian Wildlife.  Another flock of Cockatoos and a group of Kangaroos (or Wallaby's) In the shade of a trees on the grounds of a Hari Krishnan farm. Wise beasts to hang out with the vegetarians. I wondered what the collective noun for a Kangaroo was 'a jump?' but google says it's either a mob or a troop.   

I'd seen barely another vehicle on the roads to Lorne,  I was enjoying the drive, barrelling along the backroads. One moment I was free as bird,  the next I was in Lorne inching along the waterfront in dense traffic. I have no doubt Lorne is a charming destination for most of the year. Just don't visit on Christmas Day.

My first impression of the Great Ocean Road wasn't overly positive. Two lanes of traffic going nowhere. And a petrol station overwhelmed by customers. The reason for the traffic was a long stretch of golden sand and the crystal clear waters of the south pacific.

The sun worshippers were out in force.  Had i seen a parking space I would have definitely gone for a paddle but the long waterfront was jam packed with convertibles and camper vans. As I couldn't park I turned off the ocean road and followed the signs for a  scenic lookout.

The viewpoint looked out over dense greenery to blue ocean. The landline edged by a golden strip of sand.  In the ordinary course of events a picture postcard view. Whilst the harsh midday sun was far from my ideal I took the view on offer. If I'm travelling along this way again I'll definitely  put more time aside for Lorne.

 

I left the town slowly behind a queue of other vehicles. Often abiding the request to let faster vehicles past. Only to see them a short while later heading back the other direction for the charms of the resort in festive mood.

The Great Ocean road offered many pull ins and layby's for me to stop and admire the view. High cliffs bordered the ocean on the right day an area of high landscape drama. Still it was a tremendous route to put a road along. All too soon the high cliffs gave way to scrub and beaches. And the next I highlight i wanted to visit were the GibsonSteps. Which were a good deal further along. happily the traffic began to move and as there was plenty of daylight Iwas confident to get there.

If you follow the the route on a map you'll see it occasionally ducks inland. Passing headlands and peninsulas. As it happen on one of the these inland stretches the road game me a long view across farmland into the sun. Picked out i the distance i could see a golden landscape depth sorted wiht high contrast details. Amazing but a shade too far from my roadside position.  A glimpse was really all I could get. Sadly no roads led in that direction for quite some way. Definitely a view worth chasing down. But today was not the day to persue the setting sun.

Sunset was underway when I reached the mild mayhem of the carpark.

The most out of place thing I saw on Christmas day was undoubtedly an oriental girl in a pristine white wedding Dress wandering around the Gibson Steps carpark. A vision weaving between all the campervans and cars. She had an entourage of a photographer, camera assistant and two stylists.

Family groups with selfie sticks and heavily laden photographers were all vying for the same view at the cliff edge.  

A mini bus sized group of people decided the best view was from the actual steps. They hugged their vantage points on the railings thereby forcing people to walk on the slippery steps behind them. And generally blocking the progress of anyone going up or down. Another oriental woman in a wedding dress (there really were 2 of them)  hitched up her hems and went down the steps in heels followed by her own entourage, similar to the previous group but with the addition of a flower bearer with a large bouquet. Her balance and poise was impeccable, I'd felt unsure of my footing in flat soled espadrilles.

People thronged on beach, everyones attention was towards the lone sandstone stack and the sun beginning to set behind it. Waves were crashing impressively on the shingle. One of the 'brides' was trying to negotiate the shingle in heels under the direction of her photographer.

A small forest of selfie sticks and an array of professional grade cameras were trained to the horizon. But the stunning sunset didn't happen. The sky was cloudless and the clear sky was never going to be the show everyone had anticipated. I was happy enough. The sky turned from prussian to indigo and the light left the sky.

I had my camera on a tripod and was vainly trying to pick my moments for an unobstructed view of the stack and the sun. I have a long standing frustration with crowds and finally gave up the idea when a nikon wielding photographer walked in front and set his own camera directly in front of my own camera set up. I was in no hurry so returned to watch the scene from the relative calm of the clifftop.  Behind me the carpark was in a jam. Late comers created a queue looking for parking, people were running to the cliff edge fences to catch the last light of the day.  The nikon guy from the beach appeared beside me on the viewpoint. Fired a series of high speed shots of the horizon. click click click click click click click

He gave my kit a conspicuous and a distainful look and left. (My kit is mostly canon brand).

I left the Gibson Steps feeling i'd missed an opportunity. This was  great landscape spot, but one to prepare for rather than blunder into. I was mindful of this as I returned to the Coast Road, turned left and within 5 minutes found myself in a traffic jam. Ahead a motorcycle policeman was directing traffic, it became apparent that this was the queue for the carpark at the 12 Apostles.

If the Gibson steps was busy this was another level. Given how little light was in the sky I decided to give it a miss and return early in the morning. Once I got free of the traffic I went looking for somewhere secluded to park up for the night. Another car park , for the lock and gorge attraction seemed ideal. It had several separate tarmacked areas I found one to myself.  Second day on the road the camper was easy to set up for the night. I was quite happy to raid the fridge for a cold food and drink. The glass of chilled cider went down particularly well. So I had another. After all it was Christmas Day.

This was definitely a dark sky area and it seemed no time at all before I was treated to a gloriously clear view of the southern cross. It's been a while since I saw the sky this clearly. But stood outside watching the heavens above. The milky way was absent but there was plenty of other interesting constellations, it occurred to me this was a view that would have thrilled my father, who'd always been an avid if passive stargazer.

Noise came from another carpark, I wandered down to see a group of Asian lads cooking up a storm in the carpark. Along with the food and the music several of them were standing concerned over one of the engine bay of a car. Which they appeared to be dismantling. They looked set for a very long evening.

Back in the camper the curtains blotted out the stars. My intention was a early start to be at the 12 apostles before any crowds like the day before set an early alarm,  and sleep came easily after such a long day on the road.

I needn't have bothered with the alarm, I woke super early on my own. Eager to head back to the 12 Apostles.  Overnight the clouds had rolled in. The morning skies were grey dull overcast , a thin drizzle was rain beginning to set in. A good reason to get on with it. Skipping breakfast I made it into the Visitor Centre carpark at a little after 7am. But I wasn't on my own, several cars and campers had got there before me (or stayed overnight?) .

I was keen to get to see the Crown Jewels of South Australia's geological treasures. Hopping out of the camper I was mobbed by a thick swarm of black flies. I was back inside in a trice. All the cars around me had their own swarms. Black dots on the paintwork. I clambered into the back and covered up as best I could. Waterproof jacket , scarf / Sunglasses and a pair of gloves. Not a very 'summery' ensemble!  I was pestered by my personal swarm as the flies buzzed just inches from my face. Still it was only a short walk to the viewpoints. Several signs indicated the presence of snakes I watched my footing carefully. Flies and snakes, a truly wonderful spot!

The pacific was in a tired mood, a gentle lethargic swell lapped at the rocks.  Giving the impression of a benign and quiet spot. A million tourist snaps give the lie to that. But this day the violence was already spent.

I set my camera, giving a periodic Australian salute as I swatted ineffectually at the flies. Flies settled on the lens of my shades and inadvertently I swatted my own glasses ten feet into the air and onto the tarmac. I was very lucky they didn't go over the edge. Happily they survived my abusive treatment without apparent damage for which I was immensely thankful.

I took my shot. Made a decent fist of trying all the most likely settings to make it an interesting image. But the conditions were dull and uninspiring. Oh well! I'd have to return another day!

I left the 12 apostles thinking I'd struck out again. Still I was truly happy to bequeath my swarm of flies to other visitors.

The campervan hit the road west before the Visitor Centre opened. Quite soon the drizzle turned to rain. I'd had the best of the morning.

The coast in this part of SA is constantly being assaulted and eroded by the ocean and there are several formations to stop at. I dutifully stopped at each of these viewing points in turn, finding myself sharing each of the scenic attractions with the same group of selfie stick wielding tourists. Inevitably we all got in each others way. At the 'grotto'  ( a fallen in cave which looks out to sea) We nudged past each other to get our mementos. After which I chose to stop awhile and have a brunch in the camper. This area was also plagued by flies , I boiled the kettle and from my protected enclosure I watched an impressive number of coming's and going's. Noting some very high end photographic equipment being toted around.

Revived, I hit the road in search of coffee. I kept to my 'sightseeing' pace. Which easily enabled other road users to zip past on the traffic free roads. The new landscapes  didn't catch my photographic eye enough to stop the camper so I still made good progress.

I refuelled with caffeine and gogo juice for the camper. Consulting the dumdum for my next destination it suggested the Great Ocean Road had finished some way back.  Even so regular signs still proclaimed I was on the Great Ocean Road but I suspected I seen the best of it, for me the drama had fizzled out somewhere in the drizzle.

I hadn't gone far and at this point could have made a return trip to the 12 apostles. But never gave it thought.  I headed West and stumbled on my favourite spot of the trip.  Tower Hill nature reserve.

In my mind Tower hill deserves to be marked as the dramatic full stop the Great Ocean Road. The truth is I almost drove straight past, an exposed rockface caught my eye and I turned around to get a better view. The roadside carpark gave me the best view I'd seen for the whole trip. Very unexpected as the the surrounding area held very little drama. Being undulating and mostly featureless.

Tower hill is of volcanic origin. The carpark was actually the rim of a huge water filled crater with a large irregular island at it's heart. Heavily forested the whole thing only needed a glass villa on the island to be the perfect Bond Villan's lair.

It was a tremendous view and I had a stab at the pano.. then hopped back in the van and drove though the parks main entrance and down the long curvy drive to the visitor centre. I may not have known the park was there but plenty of others did and the carpark was quite busy.

It turned out that Tower Hill had several walks to enjoy. The first one I did was the stroll to the summit of the island peak. I misjudge the humidity starting my stroll wearing a waterproof jacket, well it was still raining. The short walk whetted my appetite for more I noted numerous new birds flitting through the dense canopy and happily I managed to get a snap of a colourful blue plumed bird on a twig.

Having done the shortest of the available walks I went back to the visitor centre, then chose to walk the 'Last Crater Walk'. One of the longer ones but still less than an hour. Ten minutes walking away from the carpark and it was much quieter . Far fewer visitors were venturing this direction. I saw many more of the Blue Feathered birds.  

The walk in the temperate forest was much needed antidote to my ceaseless driving of the past couple of days. In a pleasant hilltop glade I stood awhile to watch the birds flit around me. I really wasn't prepared to hear a deep gutteral grunt from a thicket very closeby. It sounded distinctly mamallian. Transfixed I watched as 2 large emu's walked out the bush right in front of me. Both were taller than I am with shaggy loose feathers. Both were oblivious to my presence more intent on pecking at the ground. It was an eerie and impressive moment for me. I had along lens on the camera. But I could easily have taken a 'close up' picture with a mobile phone.

The moment with the emu's lasted a bare minute or two. Then they chose to move on into the dense woodland.  Moments after they disappeared from view a family of Asian burst noisily into the glade. Clearly they viewed me standing quietly alone in the trees as an oddity. One woman asked me what I'd sen up here. She wasn't impressed by my answer, apparently they'd seen emu's down in the carpark. Fair enough, but it felt special to me.

I completed the crater walk loop and returned to the visitor centre. Keen for more I chose a short lakeside loop next. The walk started with a well kept boardwalk through reed beds. The boardwalk was home to an impressive number of skinks. The finger sized reptiles disappeared under the woodwork at an impressive pace.  Watching the skinks was the highlight of the short walk. 

I was glad to make it back to the camper. Three walks in the damp were enough for one day. A  map showed there were actually four scenic lookouts on the crater edge. Three more to try!  On my way out of the gate I came across an animal I hadn't seen in the park. An Echina.  It was negotiating the cattle grid by going underneath it. The spiky animal moved with purposeful poise. I saw it go into the cattle grid, then again as it squeezed out.  I took a snap from in the camper but had a 35mm lens on it so the pictures are really cropped. I watched till it took one step into the undergrowth and it was invisible. Apparently they are shy. I felt lucky to have seen it.

I visited each of the lookouts, then realised one was an excellent place to park up for the night. Positioning the camper so the so I could view the crater as darkness fell.

Day3

An early night meant I was up early. I pulled the cabin curtain aside a saw a wildlife photographer clambering out of the crater.  He gave me a cheery wave and set off counter clockwise.

Low clouds clung to the landscape. No improvement on the day before, rain looked imminent. Ten minutes later the photographer came back in chatty mood. Bill was looking out for birds of prey. He'd been watching a young peregrine falcon, that had taken flight and was now on the other side the crater. He showed me a few snaps. Some alarmingly good bird pix.I was a bit less impressed when I realised they weren't all recent. It seemed he kept some of his better portfolio shots permanently on the sd card in his camera. Possibly just to show people like me.

My route was northwards, there were still signs for the 'great ocean road.. The wide road really wasn't that scenic. Mostly I was looking for a mug of coffee. I trundled onwards heading towards Mount Gambier, and the 'blue lakes'. The dumdum suggested several 'outdoor' diversions along the way. As it had been raining quite steadily since the day began I hadn't actually stopped other than to get petrol and coffee. I was overdue a point of interest.

A prominent sign for the  Princess Margaret Caves came along at the right time, and it would be indoors out of the rain. The caves were predictably busy on the 'wet' holiday day. The wait to visit was about half an hour. The small visitor centre was choc a bloc with people.  In my wait I read all the material on the wall and indulged in a some people watching. One youth was engrossed in a new camera. presumably a Xmas present. He was intent on documenting his entire day. I just hope he had lots of memory cards for the camera.

The caves were what I'd hoped, an interesting diverstion. The guide gave us a safety talk and our party was split into two groups. The tour lasted abourt half an hour. I particularly liked the way they 'revealed' the caves to us by turning on the lights as we went.  I dont' recall many details of the caves. I wasn't really listening  I spent a happy time just looking at the varied shapes colours and textures. I gave a 'panorama' a go inside the caves and was pleasantly surprised the results.

We left the cave by the same route we entered, turning the lights off as we went. So the next group could be treated to the big reveal. Back in the visitor centre they had another full house of people ready to take the tour.

I'd driven to the caves from the west, but the dumdum bleeped to go a different route out. That road wasn't metalled. What the hell I wasn't in a hurry and I had plenty of petrol. In short I was soon edging slowly along the gravel road through the softwood plantations. I was happy to see my first wildlife of the day. As the wide verge was home to the occasional kangaroo. It redressed the balance from all the road kill I'd seen on the first day on the country roads. 

 

Mount Gambier wasn't very far and the signposting for the Blue lakes was prominent and regular. The charms of a water filled round lake were an instant miss for me. I don't know why but I'd anticipated more. I did the scenic viewpoint and stared at the blueness.  But the coffee in the visitor centre was my highlight. I read all the literature on offer. And completely failed to spot an attraction I might have appealled to me a lot more.  A sunken garden in a fallen cave.  If you happen to be in Mount Gambier area maybe worth hunting this other attraction out. 

My persistent friend the rain continued to ensure I was well hydrated on my journey north. On the streets of Mount Gambier I came across my first sign for Adelaide.

The dumdum showed a long stretch of wetlands that offered a impressive gap in civilization. That felt rare in this vast countryside. I 'd previously heard the wetlands were home to large flocks ofwading birds, and was home to a colony of pelicans. If you look online the Corong is very popular site for birders.

I took no chance on the petrol situation and topped up the petrol and headed north into the rain. Which merrily thrummed against the windscreen and the roof. An hour and a half later I was still on the road north and looking for somewhere to park up for the night. I tried the granite rocks car park. There were a couple of people ahead of me already parked up. But I was mobbed by an immense cloud of flies when I got out of the camper. Half an hour later a signpost indicated a 'pelican colony'. Which sounded good to me, I duly pulled in. The carpark next to wide expanse of ripple free water was empty and mercifully free of the flies. I drifted off to sleep to the thrum of rain on the roof.

Day 4

In the morning I woke very awake, to silence. The report on the morning radio said Adelaide been hit by a severe storm.

Out in the Corong I had good reason to rethink my campsite as the water I'd parked next to had burst it's banks. The camper was sat on a small island. Not a major concern as the water was only a few inches deep.

First order of the day was a short walk through the scrub and heather. Mindful of snakes I had my head down looking at the ground. No snakes but I did startle a pair of small kangaroos (or wallaby's). Who bound off at high speed. I carried on to the bird watching hide. It's main windows pointed directly as a small island offshore.  But you'd need a good optical aid to view any birds. The island was empty.

The overflowed lake posed no problem of the camper.  Phew! I agreed with the dumdum, turned left onto the main road and headed north. There was plenty more of the Corong to get through. I settled into the familiar pace. The occasional car whizzed past me.

My first stop of the day was Old Tailem Bend,  a genuine Australian 'olde worlde' theme town. The typeface was olde worlde too, so on my way in read the place name as SALLEM !

Sadly the attraction wasn't open owing to a pair of trees coming down in the storm the previous night. I settled for a cuppa and some snaps of the vintage lorries in the carpark.  It was still earlyish and Adelaide was only an hour away. I was loathe to head straight back so I took the advice of a lady in the Olde Tea Shoppe and headed for Victor Harbour.

An hour later with the dumdum's aid it seemed like I had found another world. The sun beating down on me with the blue ocean beside me.   The bluff at the far end of the beach looked like my kinda viewpoint so I off I went. Like another of the viewpoints on my trip the road seemed to go exactly where I wanted. The first carpark was oversubscribed so I headed onwards, rising the brow of the hill the view was one of the best of the trip. A rocky cove, with a sandy beach.  And happily there was room for the camper in the second carpark. A paddle in the ocean took my fancy, I joined a couple of family groups who were on the beach. The sand was already scorching on my bare feet, whilst the water was deliciously cold. All I needed now was an ice cream.  Petrel Beach would be my toptip fora vacation spot. The view wasn't half bad and quite peaceful.

Heading back up the steps down several cars pulled in. One of them broadcasting a drum and bass tune at a million decibels for the pleasure of everyone .........

A motley group of surfers. One by one they filled all the spaces in the second carpark, then started parking on the verges of the road. Not such a quiet spot after all. A colourful crowd the area was suddenly alive with activity. Body boards, sun screen, bikinis and dogs were everywhere, a side of Australia I hadn't seen since Lorne. In Lorne it overwhelmed me.  Wheras Petrel Beach felt like an invitation to join the party. I did hang out for a while enjoyed watching the surfers.    

I took a path up to an information board and found that the coastal path was a part of the Haysden Trail, just fora taster I wandered down it a while ... ok for a about an hour.  Which took me along cliffedges to a chain of 3 small secluded golden beaches. After all the rain and drizzle I found the picture postcard Australia the tourist industry relentlessly feeds us.

Back at the camper I typed "home James!" into the dumdum. Which unsurprisingly errorred.  No worries! there were plenty of roadsigns to follow.

Dwelling in the digital darkroom .......... photoshop Actions

In Pursuit of Excellence - 3

My process of developing photographic skills is ongoing, the skills I'm acquiring fall broadly fall into two categories. Production (which are all the processes involved in getting out there with a camera). And 'post production'  what happens after they're in the camera bag.  For me this is done in my computer. My reality is I'm a part time photographer and full time Digital Artist.  I spend far more hours in front of a monitor than is healthy and last thing I plan to do after 12 hours on the digital coalface is sit down and do a further 8 when I get home.  Time has become my most precious resource and so I'm always on the lookout for things that might speed up my workflow. Especially when it comes to post processing on my computer. Frustratingly I've found the most capable programmes have the slowest workflows.  I love photoshop but sometimes avoid processing my images in it, as I find it slow.

I use presets in a variety of other softwares and I’ve grown to appreciate them. I’m not limited to them, but it gets me in the ‘ballpark’ of where I want. One of the most powerful  workflow speedups in photoshop  are 'actions'.  Simply put‘actions’ are a recorded sequence of processes.   An example could be to adjust brightness, contrast and saturation to create a graded image. But actions in photoshop can be any of the complex adjustments within the toolset of photoshop.

Sadly photoshop doesn't come with lots of useful preset 'actions'. Which frankly seems remiss of them. However other people have noted the absence and made them commercially available. 

A set of actions which is of interest to me, is the set of landscape actions created by Sleeklens.  To be candid anything that speeds my workflow and reduce my time gazing at a monitor is worth a go, consequently I was keen to try these out when I got the chance.

Installing the actions was a doddle and then I hit a small hurdle. The descriptive names are good, but I really didn’t know what each of the actions would do unless I ran it. Given there are more than 50 in the landscape actions in their landscape set. A hit and hope approach could  be slower than my usual workflow. To just have the actions and their names felt insufficient to get an idea how they would influence an image. Obviously this problem diminishes as you use them. But it can be a bit daunting when faced with so many options.

A solution I’ve seen and used  before has been to create a reference crib sheet with previews on a default image. I couldn’t find one for these actions, so I created one. Or rather I created two which cover most of the presets which interest me. One crib sheet deals with the ‘7 sky’ oriented actions. So I chose to an image with a big sky, and a complex cloud structure.   (yes there are 9 images but 2 of them are identical RAW versions with no actions) My other crib sheet deals the 42 other landscape actions.(yes there are 44 in this composite, once again 2 are raw images). For this I simply walked out of the door and took a photo of the park in front of me. The reference sheet looks quite useful And with some solid starting points for image grading the chances are good that some of these actions will become a part of my regular workflow, which means I shall be working more regularly in photoshop.

update on the 7 Jan 2017

I had the opportunity to do some photography over the festive season, this is one I processed using sleeklens filter  "Morning Light".  Appropriate given it was taken early in the morning.

 

 'sleeklens' products are available at.

 https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-adventure-photoshop-actions/

 https://sleeklens.com/product/professional-photo-editing-service/ 

 https://sleeklens.com/product-category/photoshop-actions/

btw please feel free to download my high res crib sheets if you think them helpful