Newcastle and the Hunter

Sometimes you just have to try and try (and try!) again. This is how I felt recently attempting to take this iconic Newcastle scene, but it really was worth it.

After a full on day in my Gallery, I was pumped to stop talking about my artworks with people and get out and capture one!

This was my 4th attempt to get a nice Redhead sunset, each previous attempt foiled by nature, people or my own forgetfulness (Apparently I need a tripod to shoot).

I had really high hopes for this evening, there was a strong wind, and interesting cloud formation. I had hoped to get a nice vertical panorama with beautiful lit up clouds overhead.

As sometimes happens though, nature has its own intentions, and I just have to roll with it. This soft cloud glow was the best of the night, as the sun sank into a dense cloud bank before it really had a chance to bring much colour to the clouds.

I used the opportunity to get some muted sand and water colours, brought together by these incredible rock formations and the surf lifesaving tower. The quick moving clouds created a nice soft sky for the tower to stand against.

One summer evening we decided to join friends for a picnic at Warner's Bay. They told us it's usually lovely there for sunset, music, cheese and crackers. But this particular evening there was a storm approaching after a rainy day so the music was cancelled. We convened with our friends and decided to risk the weather and enjoy a night off from working. Ha, who am I kidding, I'm always working when we are out and about at sunset.

We were all sitting there and then all of a sudden we looked at each other and said 'I think the sunset might actually do something interesting'. I left Amanda, Aria and our friends, Erica and Ash and ran to the car to get my gear.

As I set myself up, this young couple perched themselves on the end of the pier, enjoying the moment, each other's company and their love for each other. The sun continued to set and give off these amazing sun rays and light up the sky. The lake was silent, calm and elegant, it matched the mood of this young couple perfectly.

The storm was still getting closer, so not long after this shot we packed up to head home before we got wet. Such a contrast to what was miserable rainy day.

 Captured while staying at Belmont Pines Holiday Park in Belmont, NSW (Lake Macquarie area) over summer, this stunning sunset shows what the Lake Macquarie area is known for, fishing on calm waters. I was just managed to capture this artwork before the rain begun, but Amanda missed out as she was too slow walking with the dogs and Aria to meet me, it doesn't look like the rain was coming, but it goes to show how the weather can change so quickly. 

 Captured while staying at Belmont Pines Holiday Park in the Lake Macquarie area over summer, this stunning sunset looking towards Belmont 16s over Belmont Bay is a calming idyllic artwork that the area depicts. I was spoilt for choice with the caravan park surrounded by water that I left it up to the clouds to decide which direction I'd be shooting this evening. 

 Newcastle Baths, my favourite photo spot in Newcastle, NSW. I love it so much because there are such a variety of things and seascapes in a small area, with 3 different sides, so no matter which way clouds are lighting up at sunset or sunrise you can get something beautiful.

These fisherman were standing right in the way of my composition, I loved the leading line of the water channel drawing the viewers eye into the image. I quickly thought about the final image I wanted and decided to take advantage of the fishermen to really set the scene, an iconic Australian past time in a beautiful setting.

All that remains, a row of pylons emerging from the calm evening waters of Shoal Bay. This sunset was one that was beautiful in all directions, however the access to each different vantage spot was made extremely difficult as it was on a breakwall filled with large, slippery boulders. To change from one vantage to another was a painful, difficult experience.  

The main decision I had to make for this image during the composition process was the height that I wanted the pylons to appear, whether I wanted them above the horizon or not. I ended up choosing a composition that showed the pylons against the backdrop of the smooth waters of Shoal Bay.

This is a unique location, sheltered under Mt Tomaree, that has become a favourite picnic spot for my family and I.

This iconic Newcastle Landmark, the Nobbys Lighthouse, juts out in the Newcastle Harbour on this glorious sunset evening. We decided to have an afternoon splash at the beach before the cooler weather begins and of course whenever we head out for the afternoon the camera comes too.

My wife and I both haven’t been to this part of Stockton before, and it is always great to explore new places and get great photos at the same time. The sunset gave us a pastel rainbow style sky and the Harbour was quite calm, without many ships coming or going.

This Port Stephens sunset image captures the relaxing atmosphere of the peninsula perfectly.

I have never seen the waters of Tilligerry Creek, Port Stephens as calm as at Sunset on this winter’s afternoon. Sailboats and Houseboats alike sit moored at this calm inlet, as the sun sets away from them, leaving the simplicity of the vessels and their reflections to imprint my camera sensor.

The peach and apricot colours of this image are offset by the white of the skies edge and the pink blush starting to come through the glow.

Relax with this strikingly simple image decorating your lounge room, office or bedroom, and think about these peaceful vessels at sunset.

It was a breezy winters afternoon when my family and I headed down to the Bogey Hole, Newcastle, intent on capturing its unique beauty for a fine art photograph. Neither Amanda or I had been here before, so it was an exciting new venture for us.

As we predicted, there was some interesting cloud cover, and we were hoping they would hang around in the right place and produce one of the elements for making a great sunset. I risked slipping over when climbing some wet mossy rocks, to test various different compositions, until I settled on the one I liked and could use for my creative piece I had in mind.

After the majority of the sunset had been, I quickly returned to the main platform which is just above the level of the water and grabbed this vertical shot. This was the second creation I imagined which shows the layers of both sky and water, as the last of the sun lit up the band of clouds.

We imagine this art piece being featured at the end of an entrance way or hallway, due to the simple, clean composition and lively summer feel.

An early winter morning on the way to the Gallery saw me attempting to make my way to the beaches for what promised to be a beautiful sunrise.

Glenrock Reserve had been on my list for a while so after leaving Charlestown, Amanda and I spotted a massive storm heading straight for us from further inland.

We quickly decided to head to a spot we had heard about but not been to yet, Glenrock Lookout. We arrived just in time to see the leading edge of the storm, and ran out to the lookout with our equipment. I scouted a few compositions but wasn’t blown away by any of the images I got.

The rain started to hit heavily, so it was a wet jog back to the car to sit it out.

As we were in the car, I started to see an amazing glow behind me, as sunset started to hit the rear of the storm overhead.  The worst of the rain was past, so I jumped back out and absolutely sprinted back to the lookout, headed to one of the compositions I had previously scouted and setup. The light lasted like this only long enough for me to capture the 3 images for this panoramic sequence. The shots before and afterward completely missed the rainbows.

This image reinforces to me the mantra of, Right place at the right time!