An Evening at Spray Point, Blairgowrie.

The following images were taken on an evening excursion to Spray Point / Montforts beach, Blairgowrie.
I’m never really sure where one beach ends and the other begins.

Tidal Trickle (below) was taken just prior to the sun dropping below the horizon giving some nice pinks in the sky.

Friends and Fatalities (below) is a long exposure shot taken just after the sun had dropped below the horizon.
The extended exposure time makes the moving water take on a misty appearance and blurs the clouds whilst the foreground rocks remain in focus.

The Unpredicted (below) is a long exposure shot showing water flowing off the rock plateaus after sunset.
Despite the deceptively calm appearance of the image this is really a potentially treacherous area with unexpectedly large waves occasionally sweeping across the plateaus.

Swanning around Westernport Bay

Here are some more images taken at various places around Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia.
It’s always a lot of fun shooting around here at low tide. The beaches feature a fine grain sticky mud that slowly tries to draw you beneath the surface. With each step that you take you risk losing your footwear.

Taking long exposures is certainly interesting as the tripod gradually sinks into the silt.
This is just the sort of place where you should take emergency pants in case you unexpectedly sit down in the mud.

The following image was taken at Crib Point beach.

A Walk on the Edge

This image Barnacle Build was shot at Balnarring beach.

The following image The Threat of Punishment was taken at Grantville beach. All of the ground in this shot is mud.

A Black and White Journey to Grantville Beach

The following two images were taken at Grantville which is located on the eastern side of Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia.
Low tide at the Grantville beach exposes a huge expanse of fine silty mud dotted with clusters of mangrove trees. On the day I was there the sky was filled with bright swirling clouds so I incorporated them into the photos as an added point of interest. Originally I envisioned capturing the scenes with a featureless blue sky but nature has a way of changing plans.

I’m been told by several people that the first photo below contains a face in the clouds, and ever since it’s been pointed out to me I see it every time I view the image.
There’s a word for this, ….and the word is pareidolia.

The Life of Brine

Battlers Three

Out on the rock shelves

The following three images were taken on an excursion to the rock shelves of Montforts beach, in Blairgowrie.
It’s an interesting place to be during the transition from high to low tide, as the water on the expansive rocky plateaus cascades over the sides on it’s return to the ocean.
Whilst here it’s important to be aware of which way the tide is going and also keep an eye out for occasional large rogue waves that sweep across the shelves. Prepare to get wetter than you expected here.

Montfort’s Cascades

Slide

Montforts Beach

The image below was taken at the neighboring Sorrento beach.
It’s a long exposure taken after sunset giving the oceans surface a deceptively calm and smooth appearance.

Blue Monolith

Light and Time at my Ocean Beach

A selection of images taken from two excursions to Sorrento beach.

Return to Primal is a long exposure taken after sunset. The true motion of the waves disguised by the slow shutter speed.

High Tide Sphinx is a slow(ish) exposure taken at high tide as the sun was setting behind the Sphinx rock formation at Sorrento beach, Australia.

Life in the Good Pond is a slow(ish) exposure taken at sunset. A polarizing filter was used to take the reflection off the surface of the rock pool allowing the scene below the surface to become visible. The blurring on the water was caused by the wind rippling the surface.

I Peek Around the Corner is another image from Sorrento where a polarizing filter was used to remove the unwanted reflection of the sky from the surface of the water enabling us to see the wonder below. In the distance on the horizon the Sphinx rock formation is visible.

Around the Sorrento Sphinx

These images were taken while visiting the Sphinx rock formation at Sorrento beach.
It was quite a windy day causing a lot of ripples on the surface of the rock pools so I used a long exposure (several seconds) to smooth them out and make the ripples disappear.

Behind the Sphinx – Sorrento

Sorrento Afternoon

Moods of the Mornington Peninsula

As part of my list of things-to-do for 2010 I’ve just published my first photo-book using the BookSmart software at Blurb.com The whole process was pretty simple and painless, and I’d recommend it to anyone who feels compelled to self publish.

I’ve named my new book “Moods of the Mornington Peninsula”. It’s a photo-book containing a selection of my favorite seascape images taken along the ocean coastline of the Mornington Peninsula.

You can preview or purchase the book by clicking here.

December Hues – a Sorrento sunset

An image taken just after the sun had dropped below the horizon.
I had an ND8 and polarizing filter stacked on the front of the lens to to extend the shutter time and blur the waves giving a soft appearance to the water.

December Hues

South Gippsland hills

Images taken from a recent excursion to South Gippsland.

The Symphony of Harvest

An image taken near Mt Best.
Distinctive trails on the ground show the path of harvesters on the grass. The foreground tree is shaped into submission by the prevailing winds.
The hay bale in the foreground is highlighted by the sun shining through scattered cloud.

I Looked Up High

Image taken near Dollar, Victoria, Australia.

Promoting young photography talent

I stumbled across the work of this young photographer Thea Petrass and was impressed by the quality of her work.
She has some wonderful rural portraits in her Redbubble portfolio.

You can visit her page here