The end of Autmn

The last day of May brought a cold rainy day.  I hate taking my camera out in the rain but  I needed to get out so I toddled off to the local picnic area's to find something, hopefully a little mushroom or two.  I found just the thing, took the shot and then the rain came.

May Evaluations

This month the Photo Society ran an evaluation with a difference (well at least for the club).

The night was run as a "National".  Three judges marked each photo out of 5 having seen the images for 5 seconds (plus a bit).  I entered 3 images to cover 3 separate sections.

The way I understood it

1 = missed the brief completely
2 = didn't fit the category
3 = good photo but nothing special
4 = good photo with some impact
5 = wow

Add all 3 scores together and bask in the glory...

Unfortunately for me I got two 9's and a 10, so no basking only more hard yards with camera in tow.

first 9.

Second 9

And a 10 with the help of my mate hiding in the Christmas tree...

Off to take some pictures....

Flower Power

Just to finish off a good wander around the Valley I wandered around the garden to see what was blooming.

Being 2 weeks from winter it's amazing how many blooms there are where right next to them are trees with golden leaves, almost bare.

The bokeh on the protea image provides some extra depth to the background

The imperfect daisy gives character - how many perfect flowers are there...?

Chasing Balloons

After the sunrise it's time to scour the horizon, looking for the hot air balloons floating over the mist filled valleys between Yarra Glen, Coldstream and Healesville.  From my vantage point I can usually see them rise above the horizon and float gently towards me.

Getting into a good vantage point, sun on the balloon, sun behind the balloon, something in the foreground.  All things I look for as I chase the balloons.  I send a few pictures in and keep a few for myself and for sharing here.

All of these taken on the same day as the glorious sunrise posted earlier.

Shepherds revisited

There was something not quite right with yesterdays image, I looked at it on another computer and although I hadn't done much with it, it wasn't "natural".  Very pink and very intense but not over worked in Lightroom.

Taking a minute just to look at the image I noted that the clouds were also very pink, very pink indeed and whilst this could have been a reflection it was a bit too much.

Clouds are supposed to be white/grey so back into Lightroom and a bit of white balancing on the cloud.  A much better representation of the scene.

Shepherds Warning

Or is it sailors warning?  Stunning sunrise this morning this is a panorama of 6 images, The low cloud meant that this was only around for a few minutes.  Worth the early starts to get images like this.  It was so dark that the autofocus was not getting anywhere near and to be honest a close look at this, it's a bit soft.  It may not be perfect but I couldn't leave it off the blog.

There are more images from this morning but I think this one needs to stand alone, click on image to view a slightly larger version.

The Colour Keeps Coming

Mother nature at her finest, puts colour in everything obviously using all of her green up in spring and summer only has reds and golds to use until she runs out in winter.

I just love getting the light behind these leaves it highlights the structure and texture.

When there's food on the floor there's always someone there to clean up.

Some mornings are worth the early start and this last sight of the moon with the beginnings of the sunrise, in amongst the vineyards was certainly worth it.

Clear Days, Cold Days

Up bright and early as it was forecast clear and perfect ballooning weather so off the Coldstream to find me a balloon or two.

The problem with balloons is they don't take off from the same spot and they don't always fly in the same direction.  It took me a while to spot them and the chase was on...

... not many close shots this time

The autumn colour is incredible.

And so are some of the plants at home, tried a little "studio shot on this specimen,  Although the black back drop highlights the flowers I think the effect is too harsh.

Autumn Sun

Photography, for me, fits around my normal life and occasionally I see a shot which I need to try to capture but there's no time to stop the car.  Earlier this week I saw such an image and hoped that the weather/conditions were favourable at the weekend and I'd be able to capture some of the elements.

Saturday morning came and there was a bit of cloud about, but there were some small patches of blue, maybe I'd get something.  Quick breakfast and a cup of tea in a traveller had me getting into the car at 6.30.  There was already a little colour to the sky and I thought I may have taken a little to long to get out.  Would I miss the shot?

No, but it wasn't quite as I pictured, the light wasn't as direct due to the clouds.

The ice reference in the title if the first image is because (for those that may not know) the structure in it is referred to as an "igloo" and there are many of these in this area.

Within minutes the golden hues had expanded to pinks and blues

The sunlight on these leaves made them glow

And in a paddock was this forgotten beauty