One of my favourite places along along the Great Ocean Road during my recent three week long trip through Australia – Loch Ard George just minutes off the world famous Twelve Apostles, but less crowded.
Author: Florian Christoph
Mystical Apollo Bay
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One of my favourites from three weeks Down Under – right in front of my holiday home near Apollo Bay was this spectacular beach setting all sorts of intriguing stone formations free once the tide recedes.
This long exposure in black and white I feel conveys best the mystical atmosphere in the air on a lovely late afternoon where the night is slowly creeping in.
17mm, ISO 100, f/22, 20 sec – Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-50mm
Fly Bird Fly
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Adelaide Hills
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Now that I’m back in Europe and more specifically in the land of rain which at this point in time surprises with very little rain I will share some of my favourite images from my recent Australia trip over the next couple of days or so – those that haven’t found the day of light during the three weeks yet.
And I start off with the image above, taken in the wonderful Adelaide Hills. On a nice sunny day I enjoyed a hike in the Cleland Conservation Park. A beautiful, hilly park with plenty of trees with plenty of flush green leefs and a magnificent scenic over the big city all the way to the see.
The “G”
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The cherry on the cake at the end of my three weeks in Australia – to see with my own eyes the enormity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It’s the place of the AFL Grand Final when in traditionally held on the final Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October at the MCG when up to 100.000 fans flock through the gates.
The photograph is a panorama stitched together in Lightroom consisting of five vertical frames, taken at ISO 200, f/7.1 and 1/50 of a second.
Foggy Morning at Apollo Bay
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A foggy start to what is the last morning at the Great Ocean Road of Australia. Three weeks Down Under nearing their end, however for a last time I step up to the Marriner’s Lookout.
From up there the views are splendid – the little coves and beaches become visible as heavy morning fog slowly fades away under the rising sun.
Picture above: 50mm, ISO 100, f/11, 1/125s
Tale of Twelve Apostles
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Grotto, London Bridge, Gibsons Steps and Twelve Apostles – it’s the popular stretch along the Great Ocean Road in south-west Victoria with the great names and unique landmarks.
Breathtaking. The word that comes to mind wandering towards dramatic cliff edges staring on to massive stone formations which sit just off the shore while massive turquoise-blue waves crashing against their outside walls making a sound as loud, forceful and constant as if a Boing 747 is starting right beside you.
When I came down to this part of “Down Under” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I only knew the Twelve Apostles – they are the word famous landmark you have to see once in life. What I got was so much more.
Yes, the 12 Apostles are a breathtaking sight. The sun sets, the day fades away and these massive limestone stacks are illuminated in most beautiful yellow and orange hues – magic of our wonderful planet.
Not so magic: the masses of tourists flogging to the viewpoints with their selfie sticks pushing forward aggressively to get the snap for their trendy social media profile without looking once at what’s actually right in front of their eyes.
They are loud and brash. They give those few who want to appreciate the moment of pure natural beauty no room.
Nothing new. Popular tourist spots look like that wherever you go these days. Though while the masses destroy any atmosphere one could potentially grasp at the Apostles, the same tourists – and most come by bus ona day trip from Melbourne – ignoring all the other magnificent landmarks on the Great Ocean Road.
Those places mentioned at the beginning are solitary. The London Bridge or Arch are breathtaking in their very own right, however. I found them equally as impressive as the 12 Apostles. However with nobody around, just standing their soaking in the atmosphere – those special moments one remembers forever I truly believe.
What has to be said – and this is to the enormous credit of the Victorian Tourism Board – all these attractions are completely free. Including parking. Even at the Apostles. As it should be…. yet this is not a given thing in our modern world.
As for photography, the Great Ocean Road is a pot of gold. So many potential compositions one can explore. Of course time is the enemy for a photographer on a schedule. If I could only would visit these places again and then at different times.
Nonetheless I feel I made the most of the opportunity – both in termsof experiencing the rich beauty in the here and now while also getting memorable photographs which will remind me of this trip for days, weeks and years to come.
Loch Ard Gorge – 17mm, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/40 sec
Johanna Beach – 17mm, ISO 100, f/20, 1/25 sec
Twelve Apostles – 50mm, ISO 100, f/11, 1/200 sec
Top image: Twelve Apostles – 110mm, ISO 100, f/11, 1/13 sec
The Final Image
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Sometimes the things right in front of our nose are the ones that produces the goods, right? Certainly if it comes to photography. Sometimes you can drive all day long but it’s the final image taken on the own door step that awakes emotion.
Today I was heading out to explore sights and sounds along the Great Ocean Road here on the South-East coast of Australia where I arrived after a long day in the air and on the road yesterday where it all started in Sydney so early it was still dark and cold outside.
Good news this morning: no rain. Bad news: the sky’s as grey as it gets. Simply dull, without any texture, not letting any light through whatsoever. Sure, sometimes these conditions lend themselves to shoot atmospheric black and white – preferably long exposures with a bit of water in the scene.
That says I struggled to find any composition that exited me, that I felt passionate about. All looked dull & boring. An okay shot of the Cape Otway Lightstation was the best I could manage.
In the back of my mind I had it to be ‘home’ in Marengo/Apollo Bay for the potential sunset on the local beach, only 200 meters off my holiday home, which I neglected this morning.
The sun never really showed up, the grand show of a sunset certainly did not materialize. Nonetheless the beach of Marengo is interesting. Low tide was forming and set different rock formations free – some on land, some off the shore, as part of the Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary.
The night falling quickly, the light became ambient – that was the moment when it made “click” and I found numerous lovely compositions playing with slow shutter speeds.
In the end, the image above is my favourite. It was the final one I took before heading home, too. Funny how things work sometimes: 20mm, ISO 100, f/9, 10sec
The lights already went on in Apollo Bay, the night clouds pushing over the mountains bringing darkness, but a beautiful, subdued orange like back light still illuminates the rocks on front of me while the water is flowing in and out with the waves.
Good Bye Sydney….
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….let’s meet again, please! Six days flew by. Half of it drowned in torrential rain. Still, this city has captivated me, its beauty shines through the thickest and darkest clouds. There are so many photographs not taken yet, my head is full of ideas. I will be back.
Photographing Vivid Sydney
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Final day in Sydney – leaving the great city with a smile and some tears. Truth is I’d love to spend much more time here. I just got settled, have found my grove and the more I watch out the more exciting opportunities for photography I find.
But the schedule is relentless and the not less spectacular wonders of the 12 apostles are waiting in the wings.
Nonetheless, on this last evening Sydney presents itself from its most sensational side. Vivid Sydney, an open air lightning show, lights up all the big sights of city. There are also free concerts, internal food, theater and so on. It usually runs for three weeks during the Australian winter between May and June.
Of course from a photography perspective I was looking all week long forward to this. Given I had only this one night I had to shots in mind – two “money shots” – nothing too fancy, just something I can take home and look at in years to come and say: “wow, this was beautiful”.
A panorama from the Opera House side, spanning from Circular Key over the to the Harbour Bridge – I tested this on an earlier day during day time and I knew this was what I wanted once everything is lit up. The image above is the result.
A second image I had in my mind, was the classic one: the Opera House. Now, during my days in Sydney I’ve got numerous shots of the Opera House. I like them. But to get the chance to get a photograph during the night with the projections on it – not a once a lifetime opportunity as such, but if you live normally on the other side of the world then it becomes a rare opportunity.
From an earlier walk I knew there is a little grass land right beneath the Harbour Bridge from where you get a prime view of the Opera. Armed with Tripod and 70-200mm lens I set up and captured the moment:
Shoot It Now 