Winter Wanderings

A lovely morning on Tuesday with some great conditions around the Navigators area. A group of cows were happy to come over to say hello, and one of them had this cough that you would have sworn was human....! Some low lying mists created some great atmospherics....this winter is really turning on some great conditions and giving me plenty to work with, especially on my early morning travels around the district.

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In The Distance

An early Monday morning start saw me atop the road north of Mt Hollowback north west of Ballarat, waiting patiently for something interesting to happen for what looked like an unlikely sunrise. Fortunately there was some action at a far distance as the sun found some space through the low level clouds, a perfect reason to use the big zoom lens. 

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Barkstead to Ballarat

Two totally different images from Sundays travels. First up, this old chevy out at Barkstead in the morning makes a great sepia toned image. I haven't been to this spot for a few years and it was nice to see its still there. After sunset on the way home I caught some nice light at View Point at Lake Wendouree. I initially drove past this and then I thought I should go back...I'm glad I did because by the time I had turned around and parked the car, the light had got even better.

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Dark Green

Saturday was grey and overcast all day with no possibility of a late break of light. So I made a trip out to Birchs Creek at Smeaton, a location that is ideal for this sort of weather. I've been here many times before. Luckily this time it was a bit different as the low flow in the creek has allowed some great green algae to grow over the rocks, adding some nice colour to the otherwise mono tonal scene.

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Mt Buninyong

Friday morning initially was looking very grey and dull and cruising around I ended down around Mt Buninyong as the only thing that caught my eye was a bit of low lying cloud around the mount. Fortunately it started to break up a bit, firstly with some colour looking over to Black Hill near Gordon, and then the sun broke free to light up the side of the mountain with a nicely capped foggy summit.

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Cappuccino, Anyone?!

I came home with something totally new from Thursdays visit to Lake Burrumbeet, a location I have been to hundreds of times. I found this terrific section of frothy foam that had been sculptured into amazing  rope-like bands and the conditions helped me to make the most of it. You see a lot of foam at most water bodies at different times and usually it detracts from the the image...this time the opposite. Mmmmmmm.....I think I need a cappuccino!

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From the Lake to the Forest

On Wednesday morning I was up at Lake Wendouree here in Ballarat for sunrise....nothing too exciting colour wise, though this small island with plenty of birdlife offered a few nice opportunities. You can almost convince people you were somewhere far more exotic, such as Kakadu!
On the way home around the lake I could see across to the forest plantation out at Creswick and with some low lying clouds on the hilltops I made my way out there for some some fun in the fog. Its a new area for me to explore, so I'm sure I'll be going back again.

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Colour All Around

The colourful weather continues......On Tuesday evening the clouds were looking quite good, and heading west I found myself at Bo Peep, which is just near Lake Burrumbeet. A high vantage point afforded me some nice distant views and the sun managed to sneak through with some great light right on sunset, looking north to Mt Misery. Quite content with this series, I was given an added bonus on the way back home to Ballarat as I drove through Windermere South, where this lone tree was creating a great silhouette against the moody skies. The last one here is with a 30 second exposure to add some movement into the clouds, highlighting the strong winds we've had for a couple of days.

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The Shortest Day of the Year

Monday was the winter solstice and we got some great colour at both ends of the day. A bitterly cold morning at Lake Wendouree with some nice colour above the Fly Fishers Club, and then some deep, rich tones at the end of the day at View Point. I've also added in an image from Saturday evening, another View Point image that was likely to be forgotten about, though I thought it was worth sharing.
And now we start the long journey back to summer......!

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Minus 4!

Even though Sunday morning started with a freezing minus 4 degrees, as it was such a lovely calm morning it didn't feel too bad at all, in fact quiet the opposite. I ended up at a location that I have only been to once before - Lal Lal Reservoir. I was chasing a low lying band of fog that I had spotted from up at Mt Warrenheip, and I'm glad I chased it down as I was rewarded with some terrific images  from the foggy gully, well before sunrise, then the sun bursting through the fog, and then the viewpoint overlooking the reservoir as the fog started to clear. All up, another great morning.

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Saturdays New Crop

A cold morning on Saturday, with a chilling wind, was rewarded with some fantastic conditions out at the wind farm around Addington. A stop on the way out well before dawn at Burrumbeet gave me a nice image of the new potato crops, and then once the sun made its appearance I was treated to some spectacular light as it burnt its way through the fast moving mists.

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Foggy Start, Dramatic Finish

I had a great day on Friday, starting with a pre-dawn shoot in a foggy Sturt St near the Ballarat Town Hall. Returning from Clunes late in the afternoon I couldn't pass on these vibrant ghost gums at Glendonald with a dramatic sky behind. And to top it all off, a fantastic rainbow back in Ballarat that seemed a fitting farewell to a good friend of ours after her funeral earlier that day.

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Windmills and Beaches

Thursday didn't look too promising throughout the day, in fact it was very cold and windy on a late morning run around Victoria Park and Lake Wendouree. However, later in the day the clouds started to break up and by the time I was on my way out west to Lake Burrumbeet, some great conditions developed, firstly at this windmill at Windermere, and then a terrific burst of light at Lake Burrumbeet. A real bonus to what I thought was going to be a lack lustre end to the day.

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Misty Mount

I was out at Federation University at Mt Helen on Wednesday morning and I took the opportunity to pop out to Mt Buninyong around midday as there was some low lying mists shrouding the top that always offers some nice conditions. I found this spot that offered a nice curved horizon, and thought it looked nice with just the subtle colours of reality, and also worked well in black and white. These are a bit bigger than normal, so make sure you click on them for a larger look.

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Running On Empty

When I headed out on Tuesday afternoon, I was planning on staying pretty close to home. However, my intended location looked very grey and dull, whilst out to the north west there was a bit of brighter light on the horizon. I ended up way out behind Mt Bolton, trying to find a way to get up the mountain but with no luck. Being close to the wind farm I could see some nice low cloud amongst the towers and ended up just north of Mt Ercildoune where there was a fleeting burst of light across the hills. From there I headed for home, keen to get back as the petrol warning light had come on. Glancing out to the west I saw some fantastic skies building up west of Weatherboard, so a detour actually led me further from home. I found a great vantage point to capture the spectacular clouds  and finally started the trip home, nervously hoping I would get home and to the closest petrol station, not really too keen to spend time walking along the side of the road. All was fine, though I do wonder just how far you can get when that petrol warning light goes on - any one remember the Seinfeld episode?

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