The Low Blow

When storms are approaching, most sensible people take cover, however, some less stable individuals grab their camera's and head out into the maelstrom.

Living in Newcastle we are fairly lucky with the weather,  we have a fairly temperate climate with hot summers and mild winters, all in all it is a pretty nice place to live, no cyclones, no hurricanes, no tornadoes, no ice storms, we don't even get snow!


This isn't to say that Newcastle isn't totally immune from extreme weather events and recently  we had our brush with our most unpredictable climatic visitor ... the East Coast Low (ECL). Now ECL's seem to feature on the Australian east coast around the start winter when warmer waters in the Tasman Sea (prior to this years event the sea surface temperature was around 21°) form eddy's off the coast and mix with a cold front moving through southern Australia. Although an ECL can form any time of the year, in my opinion, they seem to occur between April and late June.(more info on ECL's  can be found at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology )  

Our latest ECL occurred on the 5 - 6 June, when a low deepened off Victoria and then moved up Australian east coast bringing with it 7 mtr swell, wind speeds of 94 kp/h and 20 mm of rain. In terms of severity this storm was only a minor weather event and quickly blew itself out over two days. Which kind of makes  this latest ECL a baby when compared to the 2007 'Pasha' Storm, where Newcastle had a 14 mtr swell, wind speeds of 124 kp/h, over 200 mm of rain and caused the grounding of the 76,000 tonne bulk carrier the Pasha Bulker, or the 1974 'Sygna' Storm which had wind speeds of 165kp/h recorded at Nobbys Head! 


Since I was holidays, I like a lot of other hardy fools, braved the howling wind and driving rain to head down to Newcastle to capture what was unfolding along the coastline.


Although the conditions were nowhere near the intensity of the '07 'Pasha' storm, the conditions were spectacular, especially around the southern breakwall to Newcastle Harbour, where waves continually pounded over the walkway, quite a sight. Another rare event that was occurring  were surfers were taking advantage of perfect sets that were entering the harbour on the lee side of the breakwall and were making the most of this unique opportunity! Unfortunately  even getting as close as you could to the pounding surf the camera could not capture the awesome beauty of 7 metre white crested waves that were being continually pushed up the coastline by the intense low pressure system.


So next time you are on the Australian east coast and you hear about an East Coast Low forming in the Tasman Sea, grab the camera, clear the memory card, charge the batteries, prepare the wet weather gear and head out Although you will be cold and wet, to get this close to nature at its unpredictable fury, is truly an unforgettable event.  

      
A word of warning though, if you are silly enough to venture out in these conditions be very mindful of the extremely hazardous conditions that you are exposed to, especially near the coast       

Mammals, Mustangs & Markets - A brief trip to Port

One of the advantages of being a 24/7 shift worker is how you can manipulate the system to suit your weekend activities. The other weekend was a prime example of using the system to my advantage, I finished work at 7am Friday and didn't have to be back at work 9.30pm Monday, virtually a long weekend! The lack of sleep and the longer term impacts of constant night shifts will be something for my doctors and my psychologists to deal with in the future .... I had 3 days off in beautiful Port Macquarie!


Unfortunately, one thing that I wasn't able to manipulate was the weather, with an intense low pressure system bringing gales force winds of up to 90kp/h and keeping maximum daytime temperatures down to a chilly 18° along the coast (the low even bought snow to the Central West!).


Now the reason I was in Port, my wife was required  to attend the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia (www,cmca.com.au) 25th National Rally for work and I decided to tag along for the weekend. The rally itself was a huge event, with over 1,000 vehicles, of all shapes, sizes, combinations & condition, from the very new $500k rigs, down to the home built backyard jobs. However, the weather was windy and cold, so while we made a full day of it, I left my camera tucked away.


On the Sunday the weather cleared to an almost perfect Spring day and after losing Saturday, I was not going to let this opportunity pass by, so when we went out I made sure the battery in the the Canon 400D was fully charged.


Our first stop was the Ford Mustang 'Show & Shine' at Settlement Point, where every type of those iconic Pony cars from 60's, were on display, with their heavy use of chrome and V8 engines, it was a petrol heads paradise.   


After we had poked around the displays we decided to continue our early morning walk around to the marina and as it happened there were some quite good deals on whale watch tours, $25 per person! Now I've seen the whales, but it has always been from land, now this was the perfect opportunity to face these huge mammals of the sea on their own turf , so to speak!

It is really a spectacular sight to see these wonderful creatures up so close and luckily I had the Canon with the 300mm lens to take advantage of their frolics.


After watching the whales play, it was time to head home and so instead of heading out to the Pacific Hwy to race back home, we chose the more leisurely coast road that winds it way from Port Macquarie to Laurieton, taking in beautiful hideaway spots such us Bonny Hills, Lake Cathie and North Haven. We were even lucky enough to have lunch at the monthly Laurieton markets and wander around the stalls of local produce and  bric-à-brac on display. 


Sometimes it's best not to have a plan, only to 'Laugh More, Live Longer' the motto used by  CMCA members and travel around our beautiful country and take advantage of the quieter coastal retreats ....plus you can always drive to some better weather!  
     

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When heavenly shades of night are falling

Ok, I know the title of this post is a clichéd rip off of that famous Platters song "Twilight Time", but it is the best way to describe the view of sunset on Lake Macquarie yesterday.

One of the best things about my job is that I'm always presented with different photographic opportunities every day. Not only are the locations and seasons varied, but also are the times of day that I'm out and about, including that most sort after photographic time, the 'Golden Hour' (the hour before and after sunrise/sunset).


This week I happened to be around the western shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie, from around 4pm - 5pm, so remembering some of the stunning sunsets from previous years, I made sure that my Sanyo S1275 was packed and fully charged to take advantage of any photographic opportunity that may present itself. Because time wasn't on my side (I was actually working), as I drove around on Monday and Tuesday I made mental notes on what locations would be suitable to quickly capture this wonderful painted landscape. My reconnaissance was done with almost military precision and execution, I call it guerrilla style photography, because as with a military style operation, you only have a few seconds to capture the shot. So you .. plan, stop, shoot and then evacuate.

Another factor in my favour this week is that it is winter and so that means that the air is very still, clean and crisp. In July/August the winds in Newcastle come predominately from the WSW, which pushes the moisture laden humid air out to sea, leaving the atmosphere almost pristine and allowing the even light to enhance the vivid sunsets without distortions of  humidity, which can be the curse of summer coastal photography.


So if you are ever on the western side of Lake Macquarie in winter, make sure you take your camera, upload into your iPod, 'Twilight Time - The Platters' and marvel at the stunning vista that is presented as the day slowly fades into night ... 

♫♫ Heavenly shades of night are falling

It's twilight time

Out of the mist your voice is calling

It's twilight time

When purple colored curtains

Mark the end of the day

I hear you my dear at twilight time ♪

♫♫ Deepening shadows gather splendor

As day is done

Fingers of night will soon surrender

The setting sun

I count the moments darling

Till you're here with me

Together at last at twilight time ♪

       

Storm On The Water

The 8th June 2007, will live long in the memory of Novacastrians, because that was the day the Pasha Bulker became grounded on Nobbys Beach in one of the worst storms to hit the region . That storm, which claimed the lives of 10 people, over a 36 hour period inundated the area with over 400 mm of rain, with recorded wind gusts of over 120kp/h and caused the worst  flooding in the area since 1971.   

So we are getting pretty used to the odd bit of temperamental weather that can be thrown our way.

The past week, while nowhere near the scale of the 2007 storm, the stormy weather has provided the keen photographer some wonderful photographic landscapes to capture.

This is a view of Nobbys Beach just as a huge rainstorm was about to hit Newcastle. The intrepid surfers were still out on the waves and the  Surf Lifesavers were still out practising in the rough, choppy swell. I don't whether they are brave, or mad ... perhaps a bit of both!  

Even with the storm clouds brewing to the west, the coal ships aren't disrupted. Although the weather looked frightening, there was surprisingly little wind and as result no swell. During extreme weather Newcastle Harbour will usually only shut when the swell makes it difficult to navigate through the channel, which isn't often.

A series of nasty thunderstorms brewed up around 4pm and continued hitting Newcastle until 10pm. The storm photographed here was taken looking west across Queens Wharf towards the Islington/Carrington area and graphically shows how hard the rain fell for those few brief moments.  

Prior to the storm cells that moved across the city in the afternoon, for a brief period the clouds concentrated the sunlight and gave Newcastle such a wonderful warm glow. This picture is looking east, back across Queens Wharf, along the The Foreshore, to the iconic Observation Tower

Although I would never classify myself as a 'stormchaser', with these series of shots, taken with the Sanyo S1275 camera, I was able to stand at the edge of some powerful weather fronts and take some wonderful photos without putting myself or my equipment at risk. 

Finding gold on the Gold Coast

Looking for gold on the Gold Coast is not a real hard task, especially if you use the Golden Hour Calculator. The calculator which is freely available online at http://www.golden-hour.com/ or as a downloadable iPhone application from iTunes, is a great resource in determining the best photographic times, especially sunrise and sunset from any worldwide location. The Golden Hour, or sometimes better known as the Magic Hour, is the first or last hour of daylight, where you can get out and take some wonderful photographs, as the light is arguably at its best.


Now whilst holidaying on the Gold Coast I thought I'd take advantage of the Golden Hour and see what gold I could find during the glorious sunrises and the wonderful sunsets that can be found in this part of Australia. So being based at North Burleigh, it gave me the opportunity to access some of the best coastal photographic locations on the Gold Coast, from beach, to cityscape, to ocean and to bushland settings, a true smorgasbord of backdrops to chose from..

So armed with both my camera's, the Sanyo S1275 and the Canon 400D I headed out to capture that glorious golden moment.

For the morning shoot I grabbed the Canon 400D and went up onto the rocky headland at North Burleigh to capture to the first rays of dawn creeping across the Surfers Paradise cityscape. This is a great place to photograph from because you have the advantage of sweeping views south to Coolangatta and north to along the crescent shape beaches north to Southport. Although not a classic spectacular sunrise, I was lucky enough to capture a morning with enough broken cloud to scatter the morning rays.

For the afternoon shots, I was lucky enough to be at Burleigh Heads and walking around the Burleigh Heads National Park armed with my go anywhere friend, the Sanyo S1275. Although the Sanyo has some restrictions, especially with the lens choice and zoom quality, it is still a handy bit of equipment. Afternoons on Burleigh Beach are special, there is always something happening on the beach, in the surf, or with people just making use of  the National Park and the walkways. I was lucky enough to be in the area just at the right time, with the late afternoon sun capturing the essence of a perfect day on the Gold Coast.

So if  you planning to holiday on Australia's premier holiday destination around Surfers Paradise, make sure you pack your camera, check out the Golden Hour website and you too will find gold on the Gold Coast.

Lunch Breaks

I haven't been out with my Canon 400D for a while due to work & family commitments, however, I've still been taking pictures using my Nokia mobile phone with its 2 mega pixel camera. This little camera isn't ideal, but if that's all you have, well like I said in a previous post, sometimes you just have to work with the tools you 'got'.

Lately I've been photographing where I have my lunch & being a truck driver, those places can be many & varied. Depending on what duty I'm on, I can be down on the coast at Swansea, enjoying the vistas presented in the Cessnock vineyards, sitting by the lake at Warners Bay, lazing under a jacaranda tree at Walka, taking in the buzz at Maitland Mall, or even as I did yesterday, having my lunch in the dry dusty conditions in drought savaged Tamworth. I'm very appreciative of the opportunities I have at work of being able to get outside & have my lunch in some of NSW's best scenic locations & not stuck in an office eating a stale vegemite sandwich!

Just like the song -

Oh, give me land, lots of land under sunny skies,

Don't fence me in

Let me drive through the wide open country that I love,

Don't fence me in.

Yes I did play around with the lyrics to suit, but the song does suit my mood when I sit in a nice shady spot with my picnic lunch, a good book & of course, my camera.

Bon Appetite