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Capturing Light – Part 1

This week I started another photography short course, an extension to the course I took this time last year.

To get us all thinking about photography, the first week concentrated on light and how to capture it. When you think about it, photography is just about capturing light as it reflects off various subjects. It’s how we capture that light that makes things interesting, and in an age where everyone seems so snap-happy, making ‘interesting’ images getting more difficult to do. Well, I guess we can only try.

As an exercise, we went a few doors down to the Paddington Reservoir to look around, and eventually snap a few photos. Last year I had a go at a few shots there myself, but this time around the light conditions were very different. It was midday and very bright. That made for some interesting shadows.

Paddington Reservoir

Paddington Reservoir

Paddington Reservoir

But what I liked the most was how the bright light reflected off surfaces, like water.

Paddington Reservoir

Paddington Reservoir

Happy New Year

Well, that was a really long blog break! It’s three weeks into 2015 and I hope you have been enjoying these very warm days. We’ve been on the Central Coast post-Christmas, but frankly I haven’t taken out my camera a whole lot. The only photos I have for you are these from a brief visit to the village of Patonga.

Patonga

The Hawkesbury was a good place to be if you were a fisherman as there was a really warm current for a week or so after New Year’s Day.

Patonga

Although Umina Beach was packed, there weren’t too many people swimming here. Probably a good thing since we heard through the grapevine that someone caught a bull shark just off the wharf!

Patonga

I’ll be starting a photography course next week, so there will hopefully be more photos to post in the near future.

Spring Seaside Getaway – Part 4

It was a brilliant day, and the combination of sky, sand and water made the whole scene brilliantly bright.

Manyana Beach

Even though there was a sizeable lake, the flow from the lake to the sea was a mere trickle. Like much of New South Wales, it’s obviously been some time since it’s rained.

Manyana Beach

There were only a few beach-goers, but the number of caravan parks in the area told us that this place must be packed in the summer holidays. Personally, I infinitely prefer visiting out of season.

Manyana Beach

Spring Seaside Getaway – Part 3

We walked to the other end of Manyana Beach to Green Island. This view is from the top of the hill.

Manyana Beach

But back on sea-level – the island is connected to the mainland via a sandbar. It’s popular with those who live and holiday at Cunjurong Point, on this end of the beach.

Manyana Beach

Inland is Lake Conjola and Berringer Lake, both holiday and fishing meccas, but out of school holidays it was very serene.

Manyana Beach

On the other side is the wild beach of Conjola, and bush beyond, with the very distinctive Pigeon House Mountain in the distance.

Manyana Beach

Spring Seaside Getaway – Part 2

Farther along the beach there were some rock platforms.

Manyana Beach

The pools were clear, but since the tides here are strong, I didn’t see any notable creatures in them.

Manyana Beach

What we did find though were fossils from the time when this platform was at the bottom of the sea. There were leaves,

Manyana Beach

And a stem from a crinoid,

Manyana Beach

As well as shells and corals.

Manyana Beach

Goes to show that life in these parts go way back.

Manyana Beach