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May 2020
03 May 2020
May see's us still in a holding pattern as far as travel is concerned, but at least now the restrictions on going out have been relaxed a little, and that means the camera can have a workout of sorts.
Human and vehicular traffic have certainly increased and it is noticeable how many people are out and about now. Hopefully things will continue to improve to the point where the regional travel ban is lifted and we can travel further than Perth. Look out down South, we have our eyes on you again.
Last night there was a promising sunset forming, so it was the perfect chance to attempt some to get the motivation for some photography going again. A short drive to Shoalwater was on the cards and the idea was to get the drone into the air to test an idea out, and to get some beach photography done as well. So, here are the results.
Even the seagulls stopped for a look.
A close up showed the beautiful colours reflecting in the texture of the water.
And the view from above was quite nice as well.
04 May 2020
With the report of exceptionally strong wind we awoke this morning and prepared the van accordingly. Looking out the window it was grey skies and white menacing clouds over the coast. Of course there would have been some good photo's to be had but...
A drive later on found me at Point Peron where, with a large rain squall heading my way, I managed to get a few wave action shots for something different. Retreating hastily to the car as the rain hit there was nothing else to do but head back to check and process some photos, and to catch up on some other photography vloggers offerings.
A small reef just offshore provided some small wave action.
Another 30 feet higher and wider would have been nice, but the shutter speed was right, and the green colour of the water came out okay.
18 May 2020
The sound of freedom is ringing out across parts of Western Australia today as the 13 regional lock down zones have been reduced to 4, and travel is somewhat allowed. And that means that we are also looking at heading back out onto the road again.
The past few weeks have been interesting, and somewhat enjoyable as we have camped up in our eldest daughters driveway. And, although we mostly stayed put, some local photography has also been possible, and enjoyable. Here's a few more shots from that time.
Seal Island (right) and rocks just off Shoalwater as the last of the suns glow illuminates the sky.
The sky sure turned on a show.
A long exposure shot to capture the waves and the last of the sun for the day.
The video (vlog) of this sunset and the taking of these shots can be found on my youtube channel by clicking here.
Apart from the local beaches, there was also Lake Walyungup, a huge salt lake just East of Warnbro. Playground to land yachts, popular with walkers and dogs, family photo shoots amongst the grasses the large lake also has some interesting photographic opportunities, and so it was also a good place to point the camera.
A smokey Sunset over Lake Walyungup.
Portrait version of the smokey sunset shot.
An arty shot of the mud cracks and small plants.
Interesting red plants and a bright sky.
Interesting grasses on the lake.
Close up shot of the sun across the lake as it drops.
The video (vlog) of the taking of these shots can be found on my youtube channel on Saturday 23 May 2020 at 3pm (WA time).
So while the travelling public gets out and about this week we are going to let the mayhem of the freedom tasters pass before we venture back out onto the road next week.
28 May 2029
Almost the end of another month and almost time to travel. We were going to get going this week, but with cyclonic wind and driving rain hitting the West Australian Coast we decided to stay put for a little longer.
The wild weather was a bit bitter sweet as it forced us to stay put, but it also allowed some adventurous photography, adventurous because normally I wouldn't have the camera or drone out in it, but, I just had to try and capture some of the magnificent stormy weather views. And, I even managed to get out for some astro photography!
The faintish Milky Way over Shoalwater at 4.30am was nice to capture before the weather came in for a few days.
The beach access was closed off so my long lens was used in cyclonic wind to capture this scene as small rays of light made pierced the sky.
Point Peron was also lashed by strong winds as sunset faded behind clouds on the horizon.
It was an interesting process getting shots in strong wind, holding the tripod to stop it blowing over, using a fast shutter speed to minimise the shake and blur all the while being watched (and no doubt laughed at) by the people sheltering in their cars while I was outside getting hammered by the wind. But I got the shots and, I learnt a few things as well.
Some days later we noticed some fabulous looking clouds forming over the coast and so a short 15 minute drive down to the boat ramp at Long Point was in order. With no interesting compositions to get it was time to test the drone and see how, not only it flew in the conditions, but my skills as a pilot.
Looking South from 400' as the weather rolled in, the clouds formed and the sandy spots of ocean floor were illuminated by the sun.
More fabulous clouds and weather but this time from just 30' above the beach.
Looking North over Safety Bay, Kwinanna and onto Perth from 400' as a shaft of light hits the ocean.
The drone handled the strong winds quite well,but getting it back in the headwind was quite a feat as there was no forward movement at all, so I descended to a lower altitude and managed to get it to move towards me at a slow speed. Lower to the meant there were some trees and bushes that slowed the wind enough for me to bring the drone back to the carpark and to land safely. Of course the normal 30 minute flight time was drastically reduced to 15 minutes because of the wind.
And so with luck, we will be on the road for the start of the new month.
Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.
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