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.
Victoria
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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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.
Shoot It Now 