February 2013

New images this month

The wet weather I complained about in my last newsletter continued right through February here in south-east Queensland. Caloundra recorded 21 wet days for the month, and the tally for March so far is 5 wet days out of 5. It seems at the moment that if it isn’t raining, it either just has been, or is just about to.

The mornings I ventured out with my camera were all wet, but they also produced interesting light with plenty of photographic potential. The more I revisit my favourite spots along the Sunshine Coast, the more I realise how different they can be from day to day. It’s easy to think that after you’ve visited and photographed a location a couple of times, the photographic options will begin to dry up. But with seascape photography, the natural cycles of changing tides, swell and weather conditions create new options every time you visit. Worthwhile images can appear in your viewfinder where there were no obvious ones before.

The locations I visited over February were all places I’ve photographed before, but they all offered something new and different to previous visits. So here is a quick run down of my month with the camera.

Toorbul

This quiet little town on the shore of Pumicestone Passage is only 15 minutes drive from home so it's a place I've been to many times. My favourite area of sandy foreshore is only small but it once again delivered some interesting images. I arrived before sunrise on a low tide to a fresh array of patterns in the sand - the only blemishes were the thousands of little crab diggings, the occasional trail of a worm or shellfish, and the footprints of shore-birds out for a breakfast snack. The highlight of the morning was a brief but colourful display of crepuscular rays radiating through the heavy clouds

17mm, f11, 2 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f13, 3.2 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f16, 1.6 seconds, ISO100

Moffat Beach

I always enjoy a good reflection and a flat beach like Moffat Beach is a good place to find one. You just have to wait for a wave to recede so it leaves a wet, mirrored-surface on the sand. It also pays to keep an eye on the changing cloud formations so the reflection will create an interesting shape.

17mm, f11, 1/13th second, ISO100

Shelly Beach

A couple of very wet mornings at Shelly Beach produced some of my favourite images for the month. I was lucky enough to get some breaks in the rain so I could frame and capture these images without having to fumble with an umbrella and plastic bag. There were also enough breaks in the cloud bank out to sea to allow some sunrise colour to shine through and contrast with the surrounding greyness.

20mm, f13, 0.3 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f11, 1 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f11, 2 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f11, 4 seconds, ISO100

17mm, f11, 2 seconds, ISO100

Noosa National Park

Earlier in the month I continued my quest to visit and photograph some of the many beautiful spots along the coast of Noosa National Park. This area requires a little more effort on my part - it's over an hour drive from home and then there are steep sections of walking track to negotiate - not dangerous at all, but a good test for your leg muscles. The track takes you to some great vantage points overlooking the rocky headlands and bays, and side-tracks lead you down to the water. I'm getting to know it better each time I go but there is still plenty of exploring to be done....and of course plenty more images to be captured.

17mm, f11, 1/10th second, ISO200