Tag Archives: beach

Last day of summer Down Under

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I can’t believe it’s already the last day of summer and right on cue the weather’s gone south here in Sydney. Or rather it’s come from the south — a cool, wet change to usher in autumn. Here’s a few shots from my summer wanderings.

I did a road trip up to the northern NSW coast this summer. Scott's Head was one of my favourite places.

I did a road trip up to the north NSW coast and Scott’s Head was one of my favourite spots. They’ve got it good up there, although it’s taken a pounding from the weather recently.

Myall Lake tranquility

Myall Lake tranquility

I took this one afternoon on the first sunny day after the big storms earlier in February. Late afternoon sun at Manly Beach is magical.

I took this shot in Manly one afternoon when the sun finally came out after days of rain. You can’t beat late afternoon sun and a low tide for a lazy beach stroll.

Making tracks

I wonder how many times I've walked this stretch of sand?

I wonder how many times I’ve walked this stretch of sand?

Waiting for the sun

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It’s the spring equinox today (according the Australian Bureau of Meteorology), which means that day and night are equal duration. Technically it’s when the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun. I think! Anyway, we had a beautiful sunrise at Manly at around 5:43 this morning.

Spring equinox sunrise at Manly

Happy Days!

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Kite surfer getting plenty of air at Manly

Kite surfer getting plenty of air at Manly

What an awesome way to have fun! When the nor’easter blows like this it’s no good for surfing, but out come the kite surfers. Even without the jumping, this must be an amazing feeling — ripping along with a canopy full of wind. Years ago I used to enjoy windsurfing. I loved pulling the sail in tight, leaning back on my harness and feeling the board rise up and plane across the water. Kite surfing must be that feeling x 10. I had so much fun photographing these kite surfers, a couple of them were flying along close to the shore — I guess to make maximum use of the fairly small waves — which gave me a perfect chance to tap into my ‘inner sports-photographer’. (Now that’s what I’d like to be when I grow up)

Sculpture by the Sea

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Sometimes I do wander it bit further from home. Every year at Bondi Beach they run a free exhibition called Sculpture by the Sea where artworks are placed on the sand and the rocks along a coastal path across several beaches. It makes a great summer’s evening walk and it’s always worth the trip over to Bondi.

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Angry Sky

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A visitor from the south: a big storm front rolls in over Manly Beach

My absolute favourite subject matter for photography is clouds — so here’s a warning in advance: you’ll see lots of clouds on this blog. This particular beauty rolled in with a ‘southerly buster’. The southerly usually signals a cool change and is common in Sydney in the summer, particularly after days of stable, sunny weather. A cool front gets pushed up from the south, bringing unstable, gusty weather. Big grey clouds roll in and the temperature drops rapidly. They usually come in the late afternoon and you can almost set your watch by it. All of a sudden our back windows start rattling — ah, that’ll be the southerly buster. Some Sydney weather nerds (myself included) often tweet when the southerly hits – you could map it’s progress from south to north across the city.

Big and beautiful: Is it just me, or do storm clouds make great photos?

Hello World!

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This is my first ever blog… so let’s just see how it goes. I live very close to the ocean on a headland in Sydney, Australia. I’m inspired by what I see from here — the rolling ocean for as far as the eye can see, gorgeous sunrises, sometimes big swells rolling in, occasional storms and dramatic cloud formations, pods of dolphins, migrating whales. It’s a very special place and I consider myself lucky to be able to see, smell, hear and feel the ocean every day. I’m not a ‘serious photographer’ but there’s plenty of great subject matter around me so hopefully I can capture some of it. So, this is a photo blog inspired by the ocean, in other words: stuff I see without walking too far from home. All the photos and video are taken by me — the aim is to get better at photography. Any tips are most welcome! This blog is also an exercise in commitment. Do I have it in me to find the time and inspiration to post regularly?