A Wide Open Landscape

A simple landscape shot, but the panorama is spectacular. I got this frame in a shoot along Range Road West, up toward Mt. Terrible, in the Adelaide Hills, on the 11^th of October 2020, and the view was quite remarkable. This frame looks west over the McLaren Vale Wine Region toward the Gulf St Vincent, and the shadow in the foreground is from a stand of trees to the right (some cropping was done at the foot of the frame to exclude part of the shadow). High telephoto was used, and the brightness of the day really registers the details. From the perspective of almost five years on, I'm struck by how green the countryside is, that late in the year, though elevation preserves the growing season when the plains are already dry. It’s big country up there, and big skies, well away from the thrust of development (at least so far). Minor adjustments to contrast and sharpness in Irfanview; Fuji FinePix S5600. Image by Mike.

 

A Disconcerting Landscape

Why disconcerting? Well, first, for the sheer starkness of a dry, Australian summer—harvested fields or long-grazed-down paddocks under that merciless sky. But there’s the simple fact a cloud had drawn before the sun, so while the background is sunlit and the sky a fleece-strewn blue, the foreground is in shadow, and that lends a very strange feeling to the image. This pic was taken in the southern hills near Strathalbyn, South Australia, on December 30^th, 2018. I was airing out the camera on a new phone at the time and seeing how it handled various conditions. The cloud shadow intruded upon the moment and it was worth capturing for both its aesthetic oddness, and as a test of the phone’s chip. General tweaks in Irfanview. Leagoo M9. Image by Mike.

The Burning Blue

That’s Australia—a sky so blue you’d almost not believe it could be real, over a land so parched you grieve for life here. This is a coastal hilltop above the road south, turning inland past the HMAS Hobart memorial. The Hobart was a destroyer which served off Vietnam, and was sunk on November 5^th, 2005, to create an artificial reef in Yankalilla Bay, South Australia. A picnic spot looks out to sea above the beach, with information displays about the ship. I took this frame on New Year’s Eve, 2019, a date at which Australia is well into its hot/dry, though nowhere near halfway there, despite having passed midsummer’s day. I remember the contrast of the fleecy clouds against that hypnotic blue capturing my attention. And this frame excludes road, trees, anything man-made, leaving just the sky and the summit, to declutter the composition and place all emphasis on nature. A simple point and shoot, but the subject matter makes it interesting, as if you could fall into that sky and keep on going... Minor tweaks in Irfanview. Fuji FinePix S5600. Image by Mike.

Rolling Country

The opposite ends of the year are so different in Australia. This country would be grey-yellow in high summer—as it is now, at the end of April as I post this, for the simple reason that while the days are shorter and the temperatures cool, there has been no rain to trigger the greening. Fair’s fair, the last green didn’t vanish until; February this year, but the rains are taking their time... This photo was taken in August, 2020, and is a view of the farms off Robinson Rd. in the Adelaide Hills. The place is so lush and tranquil it could be the English countryside. Colour contrast and sharpness were given small adjustments. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. 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.

Vanishing Point: winter fog in the Adelaide Hills

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Eleven in the morning on the road in the Adelaide hills -- a winter's morning, saturatingly humid and a little chill ... fog. This shot was captured through the windscreen, somewhere between Belair and Crafers. Driving conditions were interesting, and the photography --? Pot luck. Point, shoot, sort 'em out later and send the junk straight to the bin. In conditions like this, there's always going to be a lot of rubbish, but when something "comes out right," no doubt by accident, such shots can be dramatic. This one is "atmospheric," somewhat creepy. I like it a lot. Photo by Mel, 2006.

Summer at Myponga

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A summer's day at Myponga Reservoir ... a very simple shot to capture, difficult to actually do anything with, because what the viewer doesn't realize is that the full frame is something of a disaster! There's a rubbish bin at bottom right and a dilapidated bench at bottom left. There's graffiti just out of the frame to the right, and the tree in the foreground is broken away, just out of the frame at the top! The public loo is just out of frame to the left ... all of which makes this image an exercise in cropping. Shooting at 5MP or more, you'll get a picture which is big enough to get in there and crop out the useful part, and discard the rest. A little enhancement of color and sharpness, and you're done! Photo by Mel, 2007.