In and Out of Ballarat

Some fantastic conditions on Monday kept me very busy.
Once again there was a forecast for fog and this time it was spot on. I was intent on heading out of Ballarat, however I did a pass by of Lake Wendouree when I realised the almost full setting moon might give me a nice image..which it certainly did!
Then as I was heading west out of Ballarat I found myself buried in the really thick fog. I was confident if I headed north of the freeway up to the hills around the wind farm, the elevation would get me up above the fog. The pre-dawn colour was spectacular, and whether you like them or not, the wind towers create quite an impact.
One last stop at Lake Learmonth on the way home was the end to a great morning.

6.5/3-14.40

Ballarat Icons

A couple of local Ballarat icons on Sunday with the yachts at Lake Wendouree on Sunday morning, where the sky finally came to the party of what looked like being a very dull sunrise. And the masts of the yachts seem to be a favourite spot for the birds as well.
Then later in the day the view down Sturt Street just before sunset when the Town Hall Tower was basking in the late sunshine.

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Learmonth Layers

The forecast fog for Saturday morning was limited to an area around Learmonth...it always amazes me how localised it can be. You can be driving along in perfectly clear conditions and all of a sudden you come across a bank of low lying fog that totally transforms the landscape.
The last 2 images here are actually on Lake Learmonth. In this part of the lake the water has receded and left some nice areas of reeds creating some great layering.

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Misty Morn at the Mountain

I went searching for some forecast fog on Friday morning and had to settle for a bit of mist out at Mt Warrenheip. Nothing too exciting, though it does give me a chance to post a couple of images from that fantastic sunset last Tuesday morning in Ballarat at the end of the rowing course at Lake Wendouree.

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Strzelecki National Park

On Tuesday afternoon I flew down to Flinders Island and returned around lunchtime on Thursday. On my recent trip down there back in March (I'm still getting to those pictures!) I never got the opportunity to visit Strzelecki National Park so when I found a cheap airfare available until the end of April I thought I'd race down there for a couple of nights. And boy, am I glad I did!
The main feature of the park is the mountain range that dominates the southern end of the island, and on Wednesday I made the big climb right to the top. The 750m (2480 feet) climb was a lot tougher than I was expecting, however the rewards were amazing.
There is another section of the park that borders the coastline around the Trousers Point area that highlights the fantastic coloured granite rocks that this part of the world is known for.
So whilst I get myself back in order here's a couple of images. The first taken on my first night, was only a very short walk from the campground when a very late show of sunset colour adds even more colour to the rocky scene.
The second image, taken on Thursday morning, shows the main two peaks shrouded in the almost constant cloudy conditions this view is known for...I was on top of the peak on the left and the view were some of the best I've seen. I think these mountain views work really well in black and white.

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Monday and Tuesday

Some nice conditions on Monday morning out west of Ballarat, and a pretty nice sunrise this morning at Lake Wendouree......

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Just Enough.....

On Sunday there was a forecast of some early patchy fog which I was able to find around Lal Lal Reservoir and back on the road on the way into Lal Lal, the township. Plenty of birds around too, always adding that nice little touch to an image. The last one here shows a burst of foggy sunlight shining through the crook of a tree.

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Eagle Rock

I was heading home this morning after a great early morning shoot around Lal Lal Reservoir and whilst driving up the Lal Lal - Yendon Road something quite large flew past into the trees. I turned around and found this guy sitting in the trees. I had to wait quite a while until he decided to move...you can just see his foot has left the branch as he launches himself, though you may be forgiven in thinking he was about to do the "Eagle Rock"!

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A Tale of Two Lakes

After Fridays visit to Lake Burrumbeet, on Saturday I visited 2 more local lakes. For sunrise I was out at Lake Learmonth where some some intense colour was reflected into the calm lakes surface.
For sunset I made a quick visit to Lake Wendouree here in Ballarat where we were treated to a very nice show with some great clouds.

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Same View Four Times

Though there were no clouds on Friday morning there was still some very nice colour at Lake Burrumbeet. The smoke from recent burn-offs in the district has created some intense colour and this series shows basically the same viewpoint from before dawn until the sun has broken the horizon.

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Which State?

I've just got back from a few days up on the NSW-Victoria Border near Thredbo where I was helping a friend with some art history research photography. I managed to find some nice images for myself in a part of the world I have never been to before.
The first 2 images are views of the Murray River that I didn't realise was the Murray til I was told......Not sure what state I'm standing in the second image too as I'm right on the border!
The next 2 images were taken from the balcony of our apartment in Thredbo looking across to the west, the moon setting at night followed by some nice colour in the morning.
My favourite (so far) is the view looking up the strangely named Leather Barrel Creek, followed by our farewell morning when some great misty conditions gave me this view looking into the NSW highlands.
And of course the obligatory kangaroo image!

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Mondayitis

A brief bit of colour on Monday morning added some warmth to this scene at the Old Ballarat Cemetery. Would have been prefect for last Friday..the 13th!

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Some Autumn Colour

Yesterday was the middle of autumn so I went looking for some colour. This local fence always fires up at this time of the year and the grey and wet conditions really make the colours pop. The next 2 images here shows what happens when you put the camera on a slow shutter speed and try waving the camera around as you take the picture and the last is when you zoom at the time you press the shutter.

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Big Sky Ballarat

There was some good rain on Saturday, the best we've had for a long time. After some very heavy rain around lunchtime a huge mass of clouds passed through and over Lake Wendouree. I'm not sure if I prefer the colour or the black and white?

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