YP Photographic Competition

I've re-edited and named the following pic from a previous post. Everyone I've showed it to (pre-edit) just loved it and told me I'd be crazy not to enter it in a competition. The YP Photographic Competition has just opened and is running until May. Its free to enter and each person can submit up to 5 entries, so I figure I had nothing to lose :) Bel & Tracy - you should enter something!!!

Across the Golden Sand

Something else I've been up to is working with photos from the 50s, and 60s. They're from my Pop's collection.

I'm not sure who the kids are, or what the deal is with Pop's hat, but there you go. This photo was originally about the size of a business card, and it would have been nicer to add a bit more shadow/depth around the kids faces so they're not so white, but whenever I tried to do that, Pop became darker so I chose not to do that.

This is from when the river flooded up near Berri. Pop was clever enough to strap his car to some 44 gallon drums and voila!

This photo was originally out of focus, so was a bit tricky to work with. Pop is moving a shed somewhere - that shed was moved all the way from the river to Mt Rat. A very well travelled shed!!

Mixed Bag

I couldn't not take a photo of this - this incredible dark cloud rolled through Mt Rat and it was such a contrast to the rest of the sky.

On location at Brentwood Cemetery. I actually like this shot, even though the entire flower wasn't captured, nor is it in the middle of the frame. Just something a little bit different.

I love old graves. Iron fences around them like this one, and the gorgeous white headstones with black writing. Call me crazy, but I think they're awesome.

One of the things I love about living where I do is the huge sky. It just goes forever and ever and ever and the sheer vastness is quite hard to capture in a photo I think. But this shot with the fantastic clouds made me feel like the sky was so big it was going to swallow me.

This was a gorgeous sunset - it was as if there were two because there was the actual sunset towards the right, and then this ball of pink sky over to the left. Incredible :)

Pretty :)

I took these back in September but forgot to share them :)

Old wheelbarrows can be very good pots for plants :)

I played a little game with this sunset. As you know, once the sun starts setting, its only a matter of a few minutes before its all over. With this one, I set my camera up on a 'tripod' (I don't have a proper one, so used a fence post) and took a shot every 30 seconds or so. Its pretty cool to look through them - a bit like a flip book. But I chose this shot because I feel like it gives a bit of a warm glow :)

Hillocks Drive

Yesterday I went to Hillocks Drive for the first time and the photos just don't do it justice. It was terrible weather, but the Drive is like Innes National Park without safety stuff everywhere. No fences, no warning signs, just pure open wilderness.

This is the end of the 'left' road - I don't think they've named this spot (couldn't find it on their map), but its very pretty :)

The rocks at Hillocks are just huge. Its impossible to convey their size unless you see it for yourself. The ocean was so wild, crashing into the rocks and reefs. I could have watched it for hours!

There are heaps of tidal rock pools - and I don't mean just little bucket size pools, some are so big that you could swim in them. There are little fish and a few crabs and all sorts in these incredible pools.

I took this shot from where we decided to try fishing. Lots of bites, but James only caught one rock cod (returned to a nearby rock pool ala Rex Hunt), but the waves were so fierce, crashing against this particular bit of rock. It was just amazing. Got a bit scary in the end actually with the tide rising (knowing that its very possible to drown while rock fishing).

The Glorious Bottom End

Possibly one of the most photographed things in Innes National Park is Ethel's Beach. There's not much left of the old girl these days, but the boiler from The Ferret is still pretty cool looking if you ask me.

I snuck James into a few photos when he wasn't looking. We were the only people that had visited Ethel that day, which proved to be quite nice because ours were the only footprints in the sand. Pity Mother Nature didn't put on a show with a bit more sunshine that cloud, but beggars can't be choosers :)

One of the perks to being married to a former Parks employee is the secrets - this is a natural spring that few people know about. I'm pretty sure more kangaroos than people know about this as obviously its a great water source for them. In fact we counted about 6 grazing quite close to this.

Browns Beach is stunning. As you can see, we had a bit of rain to deal with, but it was still a gorgeous day to appreciate some natural beauty.

Friendship

I love this photo - not just because I think its very pretty, but because it reminds me of my wonderful friends, Bel & Dinger - and isn't that what photos are supposed to do? Invoke a memory or a feeling and make you feel something (hopefully something nice, but there's obviously sad photos too). Anyway, back to this photo - I took this photo on my way to Bel & Dinger's house one night. James was at Moomba and a big storm had ripped through the Peninsula, taking my power with it. Minlaton still had power so I spent the day painting the second bedroom in our other house. I'd had two big work lights on me all day, was sweaty, gross, and exhausted. Bel & Dinger invited me round to their place (they still had power! Lucky buggers!) where I could have a shower and be treated to one of Bel's fabulous dinners. I stopped home first and found my power on, so showered at home, but my goodness, I appreciated that meal so much and it was so much better than the 2 minute noodles or vita weats that I had planned! That's a measure of friendship according to me - you know you have wonderful friends when they know you've been working hard all day and invite you around for dinner (even if they're just having toasties or something - which we didn't - Bel had cooked delicious steak! Num num num) - its cliche, but its truly the thought that counts :)

Cloudrific

I love taking photos of sunsets. I took some a few weeks ago of what I thought was going to turn out as a beautiful sunset. A beautiful clear afternoon, lots of gorgeous orange light from the sun. But the photos turned out really boring. Something I've learned, is that I prefer sunsets with clouds - the changing light makes some beautiful effects in the clouds and just makes it all a bit more spectacular :)

My Rainbow

I saw this photoshop technique in Digital SLR Photography magazine and I thought it was cute, but that it wasn't useful to me. Then I had an idea to take a photo of a landscape with a canola paddock in it, and I could try the technique and make the canola the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Not too shabby for a first try! Could have tweaked it a bit more, but I was impatient (typical me!).

My Dogs

I love Ginnie's face in this shot. Chasing Chopper is hardcore!

Instead of chasing the ball, Ginnie chases Chopper, and she rounds him up like a sheep to bring him back to us. This is her taking off!

Stuffed after a big play. Can't walk the rest of the way, need a lay down!

Bang! Mid air collision.

Here it comes...

Aww :)

I'm gonna get it!

Time for a swim in the dam.

Will you throw this for me? Please?

Anything to retrieve a rock.

I Told You Spring Was Coming!

Sometimes you see beautiful sights on the way home from work :)

Freesias are my favourite wildflowers

There is a massive carpet of freesias in this patch of scrub. The gorgeous smell is everywhere.

Loves me, loves me not...

Did I mention the carpet of freesias?

I like the dead & alive aspect of this picture - the trees are a bit dead looking, but the ground cover is vibrant and alive.

Blue clouds :)

A Hint of Spring

The flowers and trees are telling me that spring is on its way, but I'm yet to be convinced by the temperature! Here's some random photos :)

"Can we help you?" - this isn't a particularly brilliant photo, but I just love cows :)

How awesome are these clouds?

Lets go home

Nearly there

I know you're not supposed to look directly into the sun, but...

Huh?

I know this is out of focus, but I love the intensity in Chopper's face :) Fetching a ball is serious business.