Monthly Archives: December 2011

A Lucky Find

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Looking for a good sunset shot to end the year, I came across this photo and another which had somehow been overlooked among the many Lake Eyre pictures taken in recent times.

I had posted a photo from the same series about 18 months ago, but this one is far better technically and to me, is more appealing because of the light falling on the shore in the foreground.

Tomorrow a new year and a couple of big projects to photograph over the next few months.

The Sentimental Bloke wishes you all the very best for 2012.

Posted in Lake Eyre | 1 Comment

Living Desert

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Just one of millions of wonderful patterns that make up South Australians vast living deserts.

To all the people who follow the “Sentimental Bloke” from time to time, a peaceful and happy Christmas.

And wherever you are in Australia or the 50 other countries around the world, all the very best for the coming New Year.

Posted in Aerial Art, Outback South Australia | Tagged | 3 Comments

Flash Flood

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

It’s easy to tell, judging but the height of the embankment, that the waters dumped in this downpour are but a drop in the ocean.

The Brachina Overflow once more with the western wall of Wilpena Pound in the background.

Posted in Lake Torrens Area, Wilpena Pound | Tagged | Leave a comment

Flash Flood

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

A different perspective on the the flash flood that occurred a couple of days ago.

The Brachina Overflow flowing strongly.

It’s surprising just how much water can be dropped by a passing thunderstorm, gathered on all the slopes of the nearby ranges and sent hurling down towards Lake Torrens on the western plain.

I’m told most of this water did not make it to the lake….that it spread out and covered a wide area of grazing country.

In just a few hours the creek was just a trickle.

Posted in Lake Torrens Area | Tagged | Leave a comment

On the Road

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

There are probably ten big creeks along this road but yesterday afternoon just two were flooded.

A not unfamiliar occurrence around the Flinders Ranges and the Outback which can catch out the unwary traveller or camper foolish enough to camp in a creek bed.

The actual downpour can be many kilometres away in the mountains, but a flash flood will have millions of gallons of water heading down from the mountains to nearby Lake Torrens.

It is all over though in a couple of hours.
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Posted in On the Road | Tagged | 1 Comment

Down the Line

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

This is an interesting rock formation or should I say a ridge of hills.

It is an exposed section of ancient seabed where sedimentary layers from eroding mountains have laid down layers of silt that have turned to rock.

The layers can bee seen quite clearly and it’s a common occurrence in the Flinders Ranges.

This ridge is on the edge of the Wilochra Plain, south of Hawker and it’s near the ruins of an old town called Simmonston.

Shot at f8. 1/200th sec, ISO 100

Posted in Flinders Ranges | 2 Comments

Golden Ridges

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Crawling out of bed long before sun up with only a half-formed idea for a sunrise photograph isn’t a good recipe for success.

But sometimes you get a way with it.

This morning wasn’t a spectacular sunrise but it did light up the ridges of the seemingly endless mountains of the northern Flinders Ranges.

There might be more spectacular places in the world, but few are as old as this country.

Posted in Arkaroola, Flinders Ranges | Leave a comment

Moralana Moon

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Tomorrow night is the full Moon (December 11) and full moons are a great opportunity for a good landscape.

It is usually best to start working out where the best place is for the photograph a couple of days before the event.

The moon moves further north or south depending on the time of year, so a great location last month might not be the best this month.

I like shooting the night before the full moon. There’s still light from the setting sun to illuminate the scene when the moon is climbing into the sky.

This is the south-west corner of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges.

It is also good insurance to shoot the night before. The next night there was cloud cover and no moon visible at all.

f22, exposure 1.6 second. ISO 100

Posted in Flinders Ranges, Photography Tips, Wilpena Pound | Leave a comment

Old Masters

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

Reading about great painters can be advantageous to photographers.

The great Australian painter Hans Heysen went out every day from his home in the Adelaide Hills to paint gum trees….sometimes the same trees day after day.

It made him a master of capturing light falling on trees…which is why I am often on the lookout for similar situations.

This is not a masterpiece but the light falling on the rocks in the foreground and of course the light on the trees and foliage attracted me.

The overcast sky is an added bonus but attention to composition in such situations is essential

My standard camera setting apply. f22 @ 1/20th sec, ISO 100.

Posted in Photography Tips | 1 Comment

Force of Nature

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Peter MacDonald

You have to wonder how a tree like this could survive when outback creeks are in full flow.

When nature turns on the waterworks this would be a raging torrent fed by all the mountains nearby.

These river red gums are hundreds of years old, but the one with the hollowed out water catcher facing the oncoming water, would be battling even stronger forces than the rest.

Yet despite its enormous deformity, it has stood the test of time.

The photograph is showing about half the width of the Parachilna Creek, south of Parachilna as it begins to run across the plains to Lake Torrens.

Posted in Flinders Ranges, Flora | 1 Comment