A Very Australian Highway

 

There's something just so Australian about hot tarmac under a cloudless sky. Ever since director George Miller made an artistic statement out of roads over forty years ago, the temptation has always been to get down on the white line when traffic is sparse and capture images like this. I shot this one on November 23^rd, 2020, on the last leg of a country drive from Palmer to Mount Pleasant. This is in the northern grain lands—there were huge harvesters working not far from our stopping point. This picture evokes the vastness of Australia, and is just as it came from the camera. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

Cold Stone, Warm Light

England is a land whose history presses close, and reminders of past eras are everywhere. This traditional stained glass window is part of the frontage of the Gothic church on Skinner Street, in Whitby, North Yorks, which I photographed late one evening around the 5^th — 7^th of November, 2010. The warm light makes the stonework glow, this west-facing wall catching the last rays of the afternoon sun, and I remember walking those streets, camera in hand, before going down to the harbour to capture the town lights after dark. This was the last time I was in Whitby, and I can hardly credit that almost thirteen years have gone by! The high-telephoto image has not been processed or enhanced in any way. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.

A Not-So Hidden Gem

 

This image evokes thoughts of deep forest, of a gorge in pretty inaccessible bush land, or a national park perhaps; but a main road is actually less than thirty metres away, to the left. This is the Sturt River where it flows through Coromandel Valley, parallel with the main street, and constitutes the Coro Linear Park. There is usually water in this stretch, all year round, and the valley stays remarkably green even at the height of summer. This photograph was taken on January 21^st, 2020, during a walk on the park trail before coffee and going on to Belair National Park. No retouching or fine tuning, this is just as it came off the camera. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.