coastal Archives - Page 6 of 20

October 31, 2018December 11, 2018

water flows

When I have been doing the evening poodlewalks with Maleko I’ve sometimes included sitting quietly on a rock to watch the sea water flowing amongst the coastal granite. Maleko either sits with me, or he looks for any golf balls buried amongst the rocks in the littoral zone.

Occasionally, I try and make a still photograph of a particular moment of the rapid movement of the waves surging amongst the rocks:

The reason that I don’t bother to photograph the water, is that it is usually difficult to make the composition, and to get the lighting right. The sea water moves so very quickly through and over the granite rocks–too quickly for me to compose the picture whilst ensuring that my feet don’t become wet from a rogue wave. Continue reading “water flows”

October 19, 2018October 31, 2018

at Petrel-Cove

Many of the coastal morning poodlewalks with Kayla incorporate the return walk along the coastal rocks to the car park via Petrel-Cove. Incorporating Petrel Cove is more frequent in the early spring, due to my allergy to the rye grass growing along the side of the coastal path. It irritates my eyes and causes sneezing fits.

Occasionally there is a photographer on the beach or a surfer but more often than not, the only other person in Petrel Cove at that time of the morning is the odd fishing man:

Often it seem as if the fishing men standing on the edge of the sea with their lines are meditating in nature, and are not overly concerned if they don’t catch any fish. I can understand that as I often just sit on the rocks and watch the action of the waves. Continue reading “at Petrel-Cove”

October 8, 2018October 10, 2018

sea-mist

The sea-mist doesn’t happen that often along the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It happens maybe about once or twice a year, and it can be quite localised.

The sea mist briefly appeared early one morning late last week on the coast:

When I saw it I hoped the it was thick enough for me to photograph some of the granite rocks amongst the seamiest, as had happened on a previous occasion. Continue reading “sea-mist”

September 21, 2018September 22, 2018

seaweed, quartz + granite

Prior to my solo Balranald photo trip for the Mallee Routes project the morning poodlewalks with Kayla had started to shift from exclusively walking amongst the seaweed and granite rocks the foreshore below the Heritage Trail to walking along the back country roads.

One reason for the change in emphasis is that sun is too bright early in the morning for photography, so the coastal walks with now take place with Maleko in the later afternoon. This is when the coastal rocks are in open shadow and the contrast is softer:

However, it is hit and miss with finding the seaweed, bird wings, dead birds or fish for the open air studio. For a while it has only been the odd bit of ephemeral seaweed lying amongst the granite rocks that I can use to construct a still life. Continue reading “seaweed, quartz + granite”

August 27, 2018August 30, 2018

Spring has arrived

The noticeably warmer days during this last week in August suggest that spring is arriving. The sun now rises before 6.45am and it sets just before 6pm. It is also warmer and have started going on the early morning and late afternoon poodlewalks without a coat. I am also now able to enjoy breakfast on the balcony in the early morning sun. I am sure that the wet weather weather will soon return.

Surprisingly, my poodlewalk photography during the cusp of spring/winter in 2018, when the light becomes special, is becoming darker:

The reason is not just the low light capabilities of the Sony digital camera. I spend a lot of time being in the coastal space of the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, but as I am isolated in Adelaide with this kind of photography, I have been searching to find what other artists representing coastal Australia in their work have been doing. I notice that some work in the dark mode with their explorations of impending storm clouds towering over the land or the wild stormy seas.

The dark mode appeals, and I have started looking at group exhibitions to find a visual affinity with the ways that some artists have approached representing the ocean, waves, rocks and sky. Continue reading “Spring has arrived”

July 29, 2018July 29, 2018

King-tides

The recent king-tides along the coast of the southern Fleurieu Peninsula made it difficult for us to walk amongst the coastal rocks both in the early morning and the late afternoon on many occasions. We stayed on the clifftop heritage trail and looked down on the wild seas crashing over the rocks we would usually walk amongst.

Kayla and I were able to venture to walk along the littoral zone one morning between my return from photographing in Melbourne for the SALA exhibition and before I left to go on the photocamp at Balranald for the Mallee Routes project.

It was one of those infrequent lovely winter mornings— cloud, sunshine and very little wind–that allowed time for wander around, look at how things had changed due to the king tides and to do some photography. Continue reading “King-tides”

July 4, 2018July 29, 2018

winter’s wild-seas

I spent the last few days taking advantage of the sunny mornings before I left for Alpana Station near Blinman, to go on a 13 day camel trek in the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia with Suzanne and some of her Heysen Trail friends.

This fine weather did not last for long. The weather turned story, and I ended up exploring the wild-seas amongst the coastal granite rocks between Petrel Cove and Kings Beach. Continue reading “winter’s wild-seas”

May 18, 2018May 21, 2018

foam

The severe storm that swept across South Australia in early May, produced lots of sea foam amongst the granite rocks along the coast. These wintery conditions, which started as I was returning on the ferry from my brief holiday at American River, forced me to postpone, and then cut short, my photo-camp at Lake Boga for the Mallee Routes project.

I had to wait for the severity of the storm to ease before we were able to walk amongst the coastal rocks. It was wet, the south westerly wind was gale like, and the waves were huge as they rolled into the shore.

I was able to spend a few days on our morning and afternoon poodlewalks with Kayla and Maleko photographing the ephemeral foam amongst the granite rocks. It seems to come with winter. Continue reading “foam”

May 10, 2018August 17, 2018

At American River

Suzanne, the 2 standard poodles and I, spent several days at American River on Kangaroo Island with Suzanne’s sister, (Barbara Heath) and her husband (Malcolm Enright) who had flown down from Brisbane.

The days on the island were gentle, balmy late autumn ones. A storm hit the island just as I was leaving on the late Sealink ferry on Wednesday evening.

On Saturday I arrived on the island on Saturday on the 10am ferry from Cape Jervis with the poodles to open up the cottage. That early morning arrival gave me time to go exploring American River with the poodles. I started with places that I was familiar with from previous trips. The last trip with friends was 4 years ago in 2014, whilst the last photo trip was in 2013. Continue reading “At American River”

April 26, 2018April 26, 2018

A foggy photowalk

We had a foggy photowalk when Heather Petty stayed with us at Encounter Bay over the weekend. She arrived late Friday afternoon and returned to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon. Encounter Bay provides a relaxing time away from her work and daily routines in Adelaide. It’s time out so, to speak.

We went on a couple of photowalks together with the poodles along the coast over the weekend. She joined us on the Friday afternoon, as we slowly made our way along the granite rocks towards Deps Beach from Kings Beach Rd, where I had parked the Forester.

It was an enjoyable photowalk as there was little wind, the temperature was pleasant and the autumn light was soft:

The Sunday morning walk was notable for its dense, foggy conditions, which are rather unusual on the coast of the southern Fleurieu Peninsula. The fog is quite different to the more normal misty, autumn mornings.

The tide was also very low that morning, and so we were able to venture amongst the rocks that would usually be inaccessible because of the waves sweeping across the rocks. Kayla did her standing guard thing whilst we photographed. Continue reading “A foggy photowalk”