The Australian Vista

'Tis the longest day here in Australia and I wanted to post something taken about this time of year, so here’s a wide view of the Australian landscape as the festive season approaches. This is the top of Mount Alma, South Australia, looking south, on December 13^th, 2019. The day started out quite overcast but cleared out to that hard, brassy sky that so characterises an Australian summer. The hard blue sky over the yellow grass, harsh light and gum trees—no matter where I am in the world, these things will always mean summer Down Under. (At that altitude, there's plenty of green  persisting!) A simple line-up, the composition framed by the trees is the essential aesthetic. Photographic technique is a no-brainer, just point and shoot. Minimal adjustment in IrfanView, some gamma-correction, brightness reduced slightly and a boatload of colour added. Leagoo M9 phone cam shot. Image by Mike.

The Wide Sky

 

A favourite photo stop is the top of Mt. Alma, South Australia. A hill, of course, as all our “mountains” are, and the road leads over the summit. But that view! In fair weather or foul, the breadth of sky is amazing, and the farms below are spread out like a toy landscape. To the south you can catch the Southern Ocean between folds of the hills, and it’s always quiet up there—birds and the bleat of sheep, wind in the grass... I took this shot on December 13^th, 2019, after an excellent early Christmas lunch at Inman Valley Country Kitchen, and you can see the country is already getting into summer mode—quite a contrast to this summer gone by in which green persisted locally until February! This wide-angle shows the breadth of the Australian landscape rather to perfection. This is a phone pic, and no enhancements were done at all. Leagoo M9. Image by Mike.

Long View

This is the view from the top of Mt Alma, South Australia, looking southwest toward an amazing Southern Ocean skyscape. I’ve been over that road many times, and one can never keep going without stopping to photograph the view. From farm lakes that make patches of sky in the landscape, to the rolling countryside and ever-changing cloudscape, it’s one of the best vantages around. Look south-east, you see to Lake Alexandrina, look west there are dark forests... I took this frame on July 1^st, 2018, on a family expedition around the southern vales--the country is wearing its winter green, such a change from the parched summer yellows. The image was enhanced a little, with increase in contrast and colour, decrease in gamma value and a little sharpening. I chose not to square up the skyline, as the angle of the road makes it a bit vertiginous at the best of times. Just a snap, but what a view! Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.