NUMBER 16 BEACH - SUN 31ST JAN 2021

After a heavy cloud sunset the night before, with the low tide and sunset perfectly matched again, I decided to return back to the Dragon’s Head.

The attraction of low tide and sunset together at this spot, is the ability to capture the sea water as it returns from low tide, and specifically flowing over the cliff edge where the Dragon’s Head rock sits, and the chance of a beautiful backdrop of colour filled sunset sky.

It is no easy feat to travel this beach to the ideal photo point, where the angle of the rock shows it’s true Dragon shape. Your feet sink deep into this sand, with every step. You can’t even escape it’s sinking powers at the water’s edge, where you would usually escape to a firm surface. Then, you definitely need your shoes on, as you start walking on very jagged rocks of different shapes and sizes, molded by years of seas powerful waves. As you are getting closer towards the ocean, and the Dragon’s Head, something you can only do during low tide, you then find yourself walking on very slippery water filled seaweed, like small grapes, that covers and hides the rocky surface and it’s sometimes deep holes.. And, if you stay out there too long, you will soon find yourself walking back across this hazardous path towards land, in deep sea water as the tide quickly fills the whole area.

Add the strong blowing winds and salty sea spray, which you often get at most beaches, and it definitely makes for an exhilarating adventure where you put your expensive equipment, and your life, in the hands of luck or the God’s. Which ever faith you believe in most… Tonight I travelled this journey safely again, although only just, walking back in the near dark sky.

Tonight, I also had the pleasure of meeting and sharing time, stories, and pictures, with a lovely couple that had travelled many hundreds of kilometers to make it to this magic spot, and to tick it off their bucket list of Natural Victorian wonders.

RYE PIER - SAT 23RD JAN 2021

If you get one good picture a night, you can feel good.

If you stay sitting on the couch at home… you can only dream about what could have been. (Or, look at everyone else’s pictures)

Again, I would like to thank all my volunteer subjects on the pier tonight. Except the man whom walked in front of me with his bald head. Luckily for me I saw him coming, out of the corner of my eye, and I managed to capture the shot and have been able to crop it beautifully. I’ve included the original shot, and you can see the added benefit of post cropping a picture. You can also see my disappointment at missing out on the moon in this picture.

Photo Tips: There are many different types of lenses, and they all have different uses. (more on this to come later) Tonight’s pictures were taken using an 18-35mm lens. Opened right up, at 18mm, the width of the picture is so much wider than I get using my other lenses...

ANCHORED BOAT ON RYE BEACH - SUN 13TH DEC 2020

We had been to the beach to cool down, earlier that afternoon, and spied this boat sitting in shallow water. I checked the tides and sunset times, and they were a perfect match, so I just knew I had to return.

Tonight, I was taking pictures from 8:20pm till 9:23pm, and the light kept changing as the clock ticked, and with all the different angles I was shooting from as I moved around the boat. Another trick to good photography, is to move around your subject. Experiment with the different angles. Zoom in and out, get up high, and get down low. If you don’t like what you see, then just delete it.

When you buy camera equipment, there is a calculated risk associated with it’s use. Whether you are climbing over slippery rocks on a beach, or through the bush to a waterfall, there is always a danger associated with getting that perfect angled shot. The tripod is one piece of equipment that you buy to use. Mine goes in the sand, and like tonight, in the sea water, or wherever it is needed. The way I see it is, there is no use buying good equipment to get good photographs, but then keep it safe at home.