Author: bobmcgee

Granite …

One way to be a better landscape photographer is to stand in front of a better landscape. Even greater improvement can be achieved by being there at the right time. I live in a relatively flat area, the Great Dividing Range can be seen from the front gate but it really is quite insignificant on the distant horizon.

A bit more than an hour’s drive away there are some more dramatic outcrops. One of my favourites is in Kooyoora State Park which I wrote about recently. I gave it another try the other evening …

 

Night Shift …

The old plough had been sitting in one corner of the farm for so long that the wheels had sunk into the ground. The two hardest parts to getting this shot were moving the plough to this position and getting out of bed at 3am.

The bright object to the left of the Milky Way is Jupiter. Saturn is also visible but much less obvious. It’s lower in the sky just to the right of the Milky Way. The brightest object out to the right is a double star named Peacock which is 3328.13 light years away. I know this only because of Stellarium which is a wonderful bit of free software well worth checking out.

The Milky Way …

YouTube is a remarkable resource. As well as how to poach eggs in the microwave I have learnt from and been inspired by some excellent photographers. One of the things that I’ve noticed is that all the good English landscape photographers have north country accents. One of the best bits of advice in landscape photography is stand in front of a better landscape and the north of England is blessed in that regard. Once you’re hooked it’s not an insuperable effort to go further afield.

Richard Tatti is a local not a pom, he lives not far from me and he also plays to his strength. Not landscapes but nightscapes. He is well worth checking out <HERE> or find him on YouTube or Instagram.

In many places light pollution makes the stars hard to see. I live 15km from the nearest town which in any case is not very large. Just walking out my door at night is all it takes if the sky is clear. You can see the glow of Maryborough in the lower right corners of both today’s photos.

The Milky Way season is upon us. The galactic core is not visible in the middle of the Australian summer but we can now find it in the east in the early morning. As the season progresses it will move through the south becoming higher and visible for more of the night before shifting to the west and becoming an after sunset phenomenon.

So here’s my favourite tree again …

You can now check me out on instagram click <HERE>

Macro Madness …

Ballarat’s Begonia Festival is in full swing. I went along yesterday with my macro lens for the opportunity to photograph an enormous collection of virtually unblemished flowers.

Walking back to the car around Lake Wendouree a Black Swan presented itself for a photo. The only lens I had with me was the 100mm macro lens. You use what you’ve got so here is the first photo I’ve taken of a live free bird with a macro lens!

The Fergie …

The tractor is a 1953 UK built Massey Ferguson TO30 and it’s parked just a few yards from my back door. It was a clear sky last night and there was a smallish window between the Milky Way making its appearance and moon rise. I set up the camera, worked out my lighting and went to bed with the alarm set for 2.45 am.

I think it was worth it …

The bright “star” tucked in the left side of the Milky Way is the planet Jupiter.

Well, that would be nasty …

Image may contain: sky
 

fortunately not my photo! It was sent to me because of my interest in birds and drones. I dropped the image into Google and tracked it down to a facebook page.

Note the jess on the bird’s leg, so a captive bird. Possibly a member of the Dutch Police’s flying squad. Have a look at this pbs.org

A Black Kite did have a close look at my drone one day. Not wanting either to be damaged I was quick to fly it out of the way.

The Classics …

Let’s start early morning …

The Twelve Apostles

I didn’t even attempt a sunset – the crowd scared me off. Early morning is a better option. Not so many people are prepared to get up before dawn and some of those that do prefer the east facing lookout to watch the sun come up. I was happy with long exposure blue hour shots looking west.

Loch Ard Gorge is not so packed. There’s plenty of room and several lookouts so to some extent you can pick the spot that best utilises the sun’s position that day.

Loch Ard Gorge

Once the sun had gone I went to an east facing lookout for another image …

Loch Ard Gorge

The previous evening I was on the beach at Gibson Steps for sunset. I certainly wasn’t alone but the crowd was limited to those fit enough to climb back up the cliff!

Gibson Steps

Great Ocean Road west …

This February has been an extremely busy month. I really needed a couple of days to relax so it was off to the western end of the Great Ocean Road to take a few photos of the iconic scenery. I visited the eastern end back in January and blogged about it from January 20 and following days.

This time it was under canvas at Princetown a spot that looks like this during the day …

and like this (sometimes) at night …

It is very handy for getting to the Twelve Apostles and nearby attractions and I will share the photos …