A Sunset to Remember

After the spectacular sunrise on Saturday morning (which I still have to go through more of the images to post) I was quite content with the weekends work, so the sunset out at Lake Burrumbeet on Sunday was a real bonus. I knew on the way out, when I made a u-turn at Windermere to go back and get the first image here, that things were looking very promising. Once I got to the Lake I worked out where I wanted to be, and then watched another incredible display unfold in front of me. And I think this is one of my all time favourite pelican images. There were packs of pelicans out there, though they were all off to the right of where the sun was setting. However, as they usually do, the pelicans decided to move on usually just on sunset, and this time they flew back into the frame just where I wanted them. You've gotta move quick when this is all happening, and its been great lately to have the 2 camera bodies that enables me to keep my big zoom lens always ready. 
Once the sun had set the colour really started to fire up, and this location turned out perfect....its a good example of getting to know your locations and adjusting for the changing angles of the sunset throughout the year.
Walking back to the car, once again very content with the nights work, I couldn't resist one last look up the side of this tree.

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An Hour of Magic at Mt Buninyong

On Friday night the forecast for Saturday morning was for fog, so I decided I'd get up early and make the trip down to Mt Buninyong. I've had an image in my mind for a number of years to capture at Mt Buninyong. About 5 years ago on one very early morning trip I was way north of Ballarat and I caught this view of Mt Buninyong in the distance with the top of the mountain sticking up above a carpet of fog, and had made a mental note to one day capture that scene whilst standing atop of the lookout tower on top of Mt Buninyong.
So I left home at 5am and I knew by the time I got out past Warrenheip that it was looking very promising. I have been driving down to Mt Buninyong a number of times in the past when you are driving through some very thick fog, only to find out by the time you get to the mountain that its totally fogged in....this time I had a feeling it was going to be different, and when I started the ascent up the mountain I knew it was going to be something special. I've checked my camera data since I got home and my first image was at 5.27am, and the last one was at 6.27am. I've seen some very special sights in all my travels both at home and in the USA...and this has got to be in the top one or two. It was a magical sight, and experience, standing there watching the constantly changing scene in front of me. This group is just a small start...these are all taken on one camera....I also had another camera going with my big zoom that captured some amazing images as well...those are still to come.
PS...can you tell how excited I was!!
PPS....did I mention how cold it was by the time I left!

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One of Many in Alaska

Another image from our recent Alaska trip, this time from Kenai Fjords National Park. We spent a full day doing the Harding Icefield Trail, and we came across numerous un-named small creeks such as this, all in amazingly spectacular settings. I didn't have my tripod with me on this day, so I was pretty happy with the hand held half second exposure in this one!

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The Visitor

I ended the week on Friday at Lake Wendouree. Luckily a few clouds built up by sunset to add some interest to the sky, and just as I arrived a pelican flew in, most likely from Lake Burrumbeet. I caught him just before he turned for his glide in, and then he hung around just north of View Point making the occasional lunge under the surface that he then gulped down...I think he made a pretty good meal of it! And then the moon above View Point caught my eye as I was heading back to the car.....
I've got a feeling Saturday morning is going to be something VERY special!!

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The Curtain

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I had a plan to get back down to Moorabool Falls as I had a particular  image in mind that I wanted to capture. On my many visits here I've often though it would be nice to get in really close to the side of the falls, in fact even behind them as there appears to be a bit of a ledge that might make that possible. So on Thursday that was the plan. The first image here, that I actually took as I was leaving (and had survived my precarious scrambling!) shows the overall lay of the land. The second image is as I was getting in close right alongside the falls. Then hopping down a 6 foot ledge I gingerly made my way around to the falls and in behind the left hand side to capture some unique viewpoints. As you can see the water flow is still very good, in fact its almost the perfect volume for these images....any heavier and it would be almost impossible to get this close, especially without a raincoat!).
Mmmmm...this has got me thinking...what's next?!

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Getting Sidetracked

On Wednesday afternoon I had a plan to head down to Moorabool Falls for a particular image I have in mind, mindful of the fact the water there may run dry at anytime. However, as I left home the rain started to fall and by the time I got over to the base of Mt Warrenheip I was being bathed in breaks of sunlight that were forming rainbows, so I chased the first one here til I found a nice location. Very soon after that the clouds moved in and I decided to head over to Mt Buninyong, where I caught the second image here. Heading back to town I decided one last swing by Mt Warrenheip might be worthwhile, and the back road I took lead me straight to this great pyrethrum field....and just playing around a bit with the last one here. 
Maybe I'll make it to Moorabool Falls for that shot I have in mind on Thursday....?

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Tuesday's Travels

I was out on Tuesday evening wandering around the Dunnstown/Yendon area looking for subjects that would make the best use of the bright sunshine which was turning more yellow as it sunk towards the horizon. A couple of spots caught my eye....fist just near the base of Mt warrenheip, and then a bit further down the road towards Yendon, this lone tree often catches my eye when I drive past.

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Stormy Start to the Week

On Monday morning there were a few rumbles of thunder around 7.15am so I headed out for a look up at Lake Wendouree. No real lightning to see though there were some fantastic skies that were moving through quite quickly. We did get some pretty rain throughout the day which will be a great help to keep things looking fresh and vibrant for a while.

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Lake Burrumbeet Bounty

Here's a few more from the great evening out at Lake Burrumbeet last Friday. It really was a spectacular evening with so much to capture.

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Two Finales

The finale for the Rosanna Camera Club's weekend was the sunrise at Lake Wendouree, which saw us all lined up around 5.45am. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise and then some fantastic sundays that went on for quite a long time, giving everyone the opportunity to get some great images to take home. 
Later in the day it turned quite grey and I was happy with the whole weekend...and then just right on sunset the sun snuck under the clouds to put on a very colourful end to the weekend. 
If you would like to see a few more images from the weekend, please visit my Facebook page......https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1305790170

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A Big Day Out

On Saturday the members from the visiting Rosanna Camera Club and I covered a lot of territory. Starting on the top of Mt Bunyong around 5.45am and then ending on the shores of Lake Wendouree around 8.15pm. This is the start and the end,  though I have a lot more to show from our travels throughout an awesome day.

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Lake Burrumbeet Beauty

Just a quick image before I hit the road again with the Rosanna Camera Club crew...this is from Friday nights shoot we had out at Lake Burrumbeet when we had some of the calmest conditions I have ever seen. Some beautiful light was creating some great reflections and then the bird flew in to cap it off!

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Moorabool Falls

On Thursday afternoon I made a trip down to Moorabool Falls to check on its current flow. I have a group coming up this weekend from Rosanna Camera Club so I wanted to see if it was worth a visit. It started to rain around 5pm so this was the first time in a while that I've been out in the rain which added a nice saturation to the scene and really brings out those colours in the greens. Flow is actually better than last week thanks to the good rain we had last weekend. I risked life and limb to get the first one here and then spent some time upstream amongst the rocky cascades that line the river. So the verdict is - definitely worth a visit!

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Guarding His Charges

On Wednesday evening I headed out to Lake Burrumbeet with some nice clouds around. On the way out through Windermere I caught a sight of the first image here and realising it was worth a stop I had to double back to catch this guy guarding his flock. Alpacas like this are now a common sight amongst the flocks of sheep, to me they always have a comical look about them.
Once I got to Lake Burrumbeet a lone pelican did a glide by in some lovely late light and then a very nice sunset brought the day to an end. I've said it many times in the past - you can't go wrong on a visit to Lake Burrumbeet!

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Back to Arizona

I found this image whilst looking for something else from this trip....its from our trip to the USA in Feb/March 2013 when we visited the iconic Horseshoe Bend near page in Arizona, this one more focused on some of the great bushes that were scattered around. A dark, damp day that highlighted the red rock.

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Creeks and Trees

On Tuesday I made a trip out to Lawrence to have a look to see how Birch's Creek is flowing. This spot just upstream from Wheeler's Bridge has some nice rocky areas and with some good flow after the weekends rain I found a couple of spots that really caught my eye. And when I was walking back to the car this lone tree, that I have photographed a few times in the past, was catching the last sunlight - well worth another stop!

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Burrumbeet Black and White

I've been looking on this image for a few days and working on a black and white version...this one I think works pretty well. Yes?.....No?

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At Least The Trains Are Running!

After the good rain over the weekend, on Monday I thought a trip down to Borumbeeta Falls, which is located between Gordon and Ballan, would be worthwhile. However there was only one small trickle over the edge, luckily the 6.16 train to Melbourne came flying past and gave me one nice image to make the trip worthwhile. Looks like I'll be waiting for next winter before things get going again here.

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