My first morning before dawn at Yulara.
What a magic and beautiful time of the day.
The photo does not do this scene justice, but if you can imagine the darkest inky night, with vibrant colours across the horizon which defy description and almost hurt the eyes- and floating in the sky a new moon, and the morning star.
It was perfect.
I celebrated my birthday by travelling to Yulara ..... met some wonderful people from all around the world, and captured some beautiful images of these very sacred places.
Standing near Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and watching the sun rise behind Uluru.... no words
I had booked a photography workshop at St Kilda starting at 6am….. and set the alarm for 3.30 for the big drive into the city…… the dawn was spectacular. The clouds and pylons aligned and the sun lit up the St Kilda pier cafe at exactly the same time….
After a very wet and cold winter, it was nice to see Trentham Falls in full flow.
The person in the bottom right hand corner gives scale to the waterfall.
This little fellow was giving me the beady eye whilst I set up for this photo, but waited patiently.
A hand held moment, in a darkened reptile house at the Melbourne Zoo.
I was at the Melbourne zoo taking a range of photos of endangered species for a story in a magazine.
I visited the tiger exhibit three times during the day to be rewarded late in the afternoon with a relaxed cat who was happy to be visible and stayed still long enough for me to take a series of photos.
This made the front page of the magazine.
Don’t be alarmed - this is not an imprisoned orang-utan - she was swinging around her enclosure quite happily and was moving very quickly,,,
I was over the moon with this image at the end of the day.
Not sure if it’s their colours or all the lovely stripes and lines which appeals - I just love the way they look!
A mandrill contemplating its twiggy snack. The colours and texture of face and fur are in contrast to the rocky backdrop.
Walking through the Melbourne Zoo on a grey overcast drizzly day in early Spring 2016.
A parrot stretched out its wings showing flashes of brilliant colour in the otherwise grey day.
Exquisite rock formations created over millions of years
We travelled to Little Desert National Park and bush camped on the Wimmera River for a few days. The days were long and warm, the pesky kookaburra’s kept swooping in to steal food, the wallabies grazed each evening at dusk, as did a clutch of 8 emu young with a single adult emu…… a never ending parade of Australian creatures in a beautiful and largely unspoiled part of Australia.
Hand held with macro lens... not an easy shot! Dragon flies are not known for staying still for long...
The adult emu kept a watchful eye on the chicks, however armed with a tripod and long lens, they soon relaxed and ignored us... which made for some fabulous shots.
In researching for the magazine article I discovered there are over 100 species of animals critically endangered or on the watch or threatened list.
A very shameful statistic that gave me pause for thought.
This photo didn’t make the cut - but my initial thought was to show what 100 white crosses looks like.
Still at Horseshoe Bend on the Wimmera River…. This little goanna was only a few metres long, but quickly scrambled up the big gum tree and then slowly backed down, tongue flicking in and out sensing our presence.
We stood quietly, taking photos and waiting until he composed himself at the base of the tree…… then regally turned looked over his his shoulder at us, before wandering over the edge of the water course and into the reeds.
Our little camp at Horseshoe Bend….. a beautiful and very natural spot, I’d go back in a heartbeat!
It’s hard to beat a camp fire, the sound of the bush at night and of course a canopy of stars overhead.
S. was inclined to have a sleep in, but I had glimpses of what was going to be a beautiful dawn and crept out of the tent.
There wasn’t a lot of time to find the right location, but the silhouettes of the dead trees were compelling against the deep blue sky and red and gold clouds, so I quickly set up the tripod and marvelled as the sunrise revealed itself
Dawn tour of the Katherine Gorge.
Treasures found after monsoons
Low tide finds differ vastly across Australia. A never ending source of beauty
The low cliffs along East Point are soft and of luminous colours. They almost look interstellar
Only one word “Luminous”
A helicopter ride over Uluru and Kata Tjuta seemed like a perfect way to celebrate my birthday....
It was overcast - but the clouds brought out the moody blues of the landscape.
We visited a sacred water hole at Uluru and witnessed art which is thousands of years old.
The power of these images really made me feel that I and my problems were insignificant. Smaller than a dust mote when confronted by the history of the Anangu people.
This group of rocks (23 in all) are bigger than Uluru and is sacred to the Anangu men. The place of their business.
The rocks do not seem to dominate like Uluru, but have greater power and meaning than the more well known Uluru - which is sacred to the Anangu women.
A shady lagoon on a hot day - one of the many walks in The Grampians….
There is something ubiquitously Australian about a row of roadside mail boxes....
Sitting quietly, watching to make sure I got no closer….