Sunset

After a great weekend photographing Autumn Colours in the Blue Mountains, Amanda and I were returning home, hoping to stop at a beach on the Central Coast for sunset on the way. (That was the plan at least!) We encountered heavy traffic transiting through North Western Sydney, and ended up stopping for an early dinner.

As we got onto the freeway, the sun was already on its last legs. I was resigned to not getting to shoot this particular sunset, which looked like it would be pretty amazing, lighting up several cloud banks and starting to go pink.

We were frantically trying to think of places close by that we could stop to shoot, when it hit me that we were coming up to the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Hawkesbury River. We turned off the freeway, headed onto the Old Pacific Highway and I made a frantic dash to the waters edge with the camera to setup the gear.

It was now that I discovered (of course) that I must have left my shutter remote actuator somewhere in Mt Wilson in the Mountains... Thankfully my camera has a time set mode that I frantically programmed to try and get the last of the colours being displayed.

I only just managed to pull it all together for this beautiful shot, featuring Spectacle Island as it sits on the Hawkesbury River, with the last of that amazing sunset lighting up the cloud bank behind, in this, one of the most easily and often seen (but least thought about) landscapes in the Hunter Region of NSW.

All that remains, a row of pylons emerging from the calm evening waters of Shoal Bay. This sunset was one that was beautiful in all directions, however the access to each different vantage spot was made extremely difficult as it was on a breakwall filled with large, slippery boulders. To change from one vantage to another was a painful, difficult experience.  

The main decision I had to make for this image during the composition process was the height that I wanted the pylons to appear, whether I wanted them above the horizon or not. I ended up choosing a composition that showed the pylons against the backdrop of the smooth waters of Shoal Bay.

This is a unique location, sheltered under Mt Tomaree, that has become a favourite picnic spot for my family and I.

Story coming soon!

What can I say about this image? It was a difficult one for me both physically taking it, and mentally editing it to get it's true potential out. The location is the Pinnacles, on Phillip Island, VIC.

The hike was pretty intense, a few hard km, rushed to try and make it before sunset. As you can see, we made it! The climb down past the "No access" sign was... Sketchy... and we had a few pant wetting moments on the way down. You can see the climb down in this photo, it's the grass on the far right. Looks a lot steeper in person!

The sunset looked pretty poor, we were getting frustrated that after the long climb we would be left without a great image.

Thankfully as I was setting up the panorama gear, Amanda told me to look up at the clouds. A hint of pink was starting to show through. I hurriedly finished setting up, and started to fire off shots for a panorama I had in my head. The light show we got was just amazing and really popped the colours of the cliffs around us in this epic location. I had seen other photographers images of this place, but I don't think any of them got as lucky as I did with the beautiful colours and clouds.

Stitching the image together was a whole other challenge! My quick setup and some poor execution on my part gave me days of headache getting this image stitched. It required some serious manual stitching work and almost did my head in! I've been sitting on this trying to get it right for weeks now!

The climb back up the cliff in the dark and the 4km hike back to the car was painful, but I was buoyed by the fact that I had captured an amazing scene.

This iconic Newcastle Landmark, the Nobbys Lighthouse, juts out in the Newcastle Harbour on this glorious sunset evening. We decided to have an afternoon splash at the beach before the cooler weather begins and of course whenever we head out for the afternoon the camera comes too.

My wife and I both haven’t been to this part of Stockton before, and it is always great to explore new places and get great photos at the same time. The sunset gave us a pastel rainbow style sky and the Harbour was quite calm, without many ships coming or going.

Story coming soon!

Whilst heading out for our anniversary dinner, my wife and I saw this gorgeous landscape laid out before us as we drove past. Pokolbin, Hunter Valley is a magical suburb containing so many beautiful small wineries.

This property sits on a low hill, and I made the most of the flowing vines leading to the house on the hill, as the last of the evening sun disappeared well below the horizon.

Taken as the very last light of the day leaves the sky, this image reflects the serenity of one of the worlds most precious regions, Kakadu National Park.

The looming cliffs contrast with the extraordinarily green foliage as the vegetation here thrives even in the middle of the Dry Season.

Getting in here is a 4WD only trek, but well worth it if you can ever get here to have a look.

The National Park manages saltwater crocodiles here to make it safe to swim, you can see their boat in the foreground, and if you have eagle eyes you can spot the huge Salty croc trap on the banks of the river.

Deep in the restoration area of the famous Stockton Sand Dunes, this tree has survived alone on its Dune.

4WD access only gets you so far, before the no driving restoration area. I reached the edge about 20 minutes before sunset and commenced my hike in to this lone tree that we spotted from the beach. It was a hard slog through the sand, and I only just managed to get to the dune in time as the sky lit up in an amazing display.

Sometimes you just get lucky and this night was one of those. I tried several different compositions, and struggled with the strong wind blowing the tree branches around, preventing a sharp shot. I hope you enjoy this simple, pastel representation of the Stockton Sand Dunes near Newcastle, Australia.

I was driving during sunset and looking eagerly for a place with some height to capture the beauty of the regions farmland, and the river that makes it possible, when I encountered this modern bridge across the Hunter River, named Irrawang Bridge. The large reeds and trees reflecting in the still waters, and the shallow riverbanks lining this majestic river bring the countryside to your home. 

Glenrock Reserve had been on my list for a while so after leaving Charlestown, Amanda and I spotted a massive storm heading straight for us from further inland.

We quickly decided to head to a spot we had heard about but not been to yet, Glenrock Lookout. We arrived just in time to see the leading edge of the storm, and ran out to the lookout with our equipment. I scouted a few compositions but wasn’t blown away by any of the images I got.

The rain started to hit heavily, so it was a wet jog back to the car to sit it out.

As we were in the car, I started to see an amazing glow behind me, as sunset started to hit the rear of the storm overhead.  The worst of the rain was past, so I jumped back out and absolutely sprinted back to the lookout, headed to one of the compositions I had previously scouted and setup. The light lasted like this only long enough for me to capture the 3 images for this panoramic sequence. The shots before and afterward completely missed the rainbows.

This image reinforces to me the mantra of, Right place at the right time!

Greg and Tarnya visited our Gallery in January as they had been looking to replace a canvas piece they had with something new and modern.

They always wanted a beautiful image of Lake Macquarie, but Greg also really liked the idea of bringing the outside in, by having a shot of their view from their balcony on their wall inside.

We discussed our commission service and Greg and Tarnya welcomed us into their home to capture the shot for them.

This amazing evening occurred on our second visit and attempt, after the weather not playing the part on our first visit.

The added bonus of a commission piece is you can be standing with us while we capture the image and they were.  Greg and Tarnya were both amazed with the light show that Mother Nature was providing. They said "we have never seen this here before, the sun rays are amazing". Upon delivery and unveiling of their 80" Acrylic Face-mount print, they told us they still hadn't seen anything like that night since and that the print was "PERFECT!".

We loved getting to know and working with Greg and Tarnya and cannot wait to see the image once it is hung on the wall. 

The Cliffs of Casuarina Coastal Reserve, get kissed by the last rays of the setting sun. Swell action gives the water in front of me an ethereal pattern.

I had one eye out for crocodiles and one on the scene in front of me, my tripod was sinking with every wave and the sunset was fading fast. It was an intense time trying to stay calm and composed while having so much go on around me, that I couldn't control, affecting my shot.

This image was a lucky capture that I shot while leading a photography workshop. I spent my afternoon teaching others how I go about my photography captures and after helping and setting the participants up with their compositions I decided it was my turn to have some fun. So while jumping between participants and my own camera I spent a few minutes on this one.

I love the contrast of day and night, whist showing life in Newcastle city, reflected in the Canoe Pool at Newcastle Baths.