Essences of Photography: 2009

Snowy Morning

This is another one of my beautiful early morning shots from my time in Lake Wanaka. I used to walk this way to work every day, quite the treat.

Sultry Skies

I don't think I'll ever tire of taking shots of sky as it always provides so many opportunities for great photos. These beautiful cloud formations made this late afternoon shot pretty special.

This majestic looking river is the Daintree. Found nestled in World Heritage Rainforest in Far North Queensland. Home to vast array of fauna and flora, salt water crocodiles (salties), snakes, mud crabs and many varieties of estuarine fish.

Beach Flowers

This shot was taken on my favourite walking beach about 10 minutes from my house. It's hard to believe that it's not staged, but this is exactly how I found these flowers.

Dusty Sunset

Just recently there was a large dust storm which descended on Sydney and then gradually worked it's way up the East coast, eventually reaching us. This strange phenomena was caused by winds whipping up the dust from the outback and blowing it towards coastal areas. Sydney suffered quite badly, it was cloaked in a thick, dark orange dust for days. We came off slightly more lightly but even so the pic above shows a very dusty sunset, we were shrouded like this for about 5 days. Quite bizzare!

Splash of yellow

This is a small flower on one of the palms in our garden. The sun just caught the tips of the flower making it quite a pretty shot.

Australian Bush

The Australian bush at sunset is such a captivating place. I love the way the sun burns the eucalyptus trees and the termite mounds orange as the searing heat of the day slowly starts to subside. It really is quite beautiful. This pic was taken up on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland.

Mangroves

Mangroves is the name given to a group of plants that can survive in salt water. This group of plants can be found in the intertidal zone which is the area between the land and the sea. Mangroves filter out pollutants improving the quality of water and the soil and they are also vital to protecting shorelines from erosion.

Mangroves are an important habitat for birds, mammals, crustaceans and fish. If you visit mangroves at dusk you can hear loud pop, popping noises. This is the all the mangrove crabs coming up out of the mud to start their evening foraging for food. It's quite something.

Crab Sand

I come across this quite a lot while I'm walking on the beach. Little holes surrounded by little globules of sand and it looks really cool. The little creature responsible for causing these pretty patterns is a Sand Bubbler (it even has a cool name!). It's a tiny crab who burrows in the sand and these little balls are a result of it's burrowing and feeding activities.

Fungi - Part 2

See! told you I liked fungi. The top pic was taken here in Queensland and the one at the bottom is from New Zealand.

Rocks

I was once asked by my partner to go and take some pictures of rocks at a quarry he worked at, for a website he was building. Now, I didn't exactly jump for joy at this proposition..I mean rocks, hardly exciting are they?
Well I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the quarry a fantastic place for taking photos (see the section on cars), but I actually had some great results when photographing rocks!

Fungi

Now, some people might wonder why? Well, I can't really explain, maybe it's the shapes, the colours or the unusual places that they pop up. But the fact is; I do have a thing for fungus. It fascinates me and every opportunity I get to snap some, I do.

Thirsty

Not such a great quality photo as it was taken with a very old camera. But a great pic nevertheless, that just had to be posted! We came across these thirsty Pelicans on our travels up the West Coast of Australia. Who said animals were dumb?

Golden Leaves

The stunning colours that Autumn in Wanaka produces are evident in these photos taken around the lake. The tree above is quite famous in Wanaka and appears in many books and on many postcards. When the levels in the lake are high, the tree appears to grow out of the water.

This beautiful pathway of golden leaves is the entrance to Wanaka Station Park. Beyond this are secluded lake front gardens which are abundant in reds, oranges & browns in the Autumn months.

These poplar trees, line the edge of Lake Wanaka and provide a beautiful backdrop to the Lake in Autumn. Equally beautiful during the summer months when they are fresh and green.

Sundown

Apparently New Zealand isn't the only place which can lay claim to amazing cloud formations. I took this photo from my garden a couple of evenings ago just as the sun was going down.

Aoraki Mount Cook

It has to be a relatively clear day for anyone to be lucky enough to see the peak of Mount Cook. It is the highest mountain in New Zealand which is reflected by the Maori name for it; Aoraki or Cloud Piercer.
It is seen here from the shores of Lake Pukaki, a stunning alpine lake whose turquoise colour is created by "rock flour"; rock which has been ground to fine dust by the glacial waters. These particles suspended in the water and combined with sunlight give the lake it's unique colour. Quite simply breathtaking.

Blue Pools

The one thing that I've always said about NZ is that there is a "WOW" round every corner. Well, there really is! This is the magnificent Blue Pools near Haast on the West Coast of the South Island. Just a short walk from the road through some native bush and you are met with this stunning sight. The crystal clear waters of the Makarora River are really quite something!

Clouds

Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud. This the name given to New Zealand by it's first settlers, the Maoris. No-one is exactly sure how the name came about but Aotea translates as Long and Roa as Cloud and it is thought that this is what the first Maoris to settle on the land saw when they arrived, a long cloud covering the land.
This I can relate to, after living in NZ for 7 years I witnessed some of the most amazing cloud formations that I have ever seen. It's not hard to understand why the first settlers would name the country after a cloud.

Beach Shacks

This shot is taken in a place that will always be special to me. I spent my childhood holidays here and have lots of great memories. This beach is in Southwold on the East coast of the UK, it truly is a beautiful part of the world. These beach shacks line the shore and are all painted in bright colours...quintessential British seaside!

Ripples

I've always loved beaches. The sand, the waves, the smells, the rockpools, the seaweed and most of all exploring for hours on end for shells. I just feel at peace on a beach. I don't remember where I took this photo, but it sums up for me the "Essence of" a beach.

Lone Sailor

A lone catamaran leaves Port Douglas for a day of exploring the Great Barrier Reef.

Frosty Mornings

Lake Wanaka always made a fantastic backdrop for frosty mornings during the winter. With the low cloud settling just above the lake and the early morning ducks taking a leisurely swim along the shoreline.

Watching the sun rise above the mountains on a morning such as this was always breathtaking.

Brown Tree Snake

There was much excitement in our household the other night when we found this gorgeous fellow hunting on our pool fence. It is a juvenile Brown Tree Snake, also known as a Night Tiger.

Cane Toads

Being a resident of Far North Queensland, it would be quite odd if I didn't have at least one photo of a Cane Toad! Actually, I have many. In fact I find them to be quite fascinating creatures. Most people find them revolting, I think they are pretty handsome (in a warty toady kinda way!!!)
For those of you that don't know, the Cane Toad (Bufo marinus) was introduced to Far North Queensland in 1935 in a failed attempt to control cane beetles. The cane toad has rapidly spread throughout Australia and it is now considered to be a threat to the environment.

Cane toads have a large toxic gland situated behind their ear, this toxin is believed to have contributed to the deaths of many native animals who have attempted to eat them.

Pythons

While we are on the subject of reptiles, I should post some snake pics before my partner starts protesting (look away now mum!). This beautiful fellow is a Carpet Python.

Home Sweet Home

This wonderful piece of architecture is a spider nursery. Quite eye-catching, don't you think?

Autumn Gold

More fabulous autumn pics from Central Otago, NZ. The top pic was taken at Lake Hayes which is just on the outskirts of Queenstown. The one below is the Clutha River at Albert Town.

Abandoned

Another abandoned car I found whilst exploring my friends quarry.

Lake Wanaka

Early morning shot's of Lake Wanaka taken from by the wharf.

Stromatolites

Hamelin Pool is one of only two places in the world where living marine Stomatolites or "living fossils" can be found. This alone made this photo worthwhile. Hamelin Pool is located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area in WA, Australia.

Crown Range

These shots are taken on the drive from Queenstown to Wanaka, across the Crown Range. There are the most spectacular views on this drive. Alot of the scenery almost looks as if it has been painted on. A most beautiful part of the world!

Sunsets

This is one of my favourite photos. Not because it's fantastically taken, but because it really looks like, well, nothing. I mean, it looks like a few coloured lines on a page. But would you actually realise, unless you'd been told, that this is actually a sunset?

Cool hey? I took this shot through the window of the plane when I was flying to Australia from New Zealand and I love it!

Now this, is more recognisable as a sunset. This stunning view is from Russell in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. It is famous for it's spectacular sunsets.

Essences of Photography