After posting the last photograph of the ruins at Black Rock I thought it would be a good idea to look for photographs I have made that illustrate the heat of summer in the Flinders Ranges and Outback.

It is generally very hot, many businesses close at least for part of the hottest months, visitors stay away and locals who are used to the heat, tailor their lives accordingly.

Usually the early morning or late afternoon is the time for photography, but using the harsh light of the middle of the day can illustrate the heat of summer.

Like here, where there is a hint of a mirage along the base of Bayley Range on Beltana station in the northern Flinders Ranges that helps tell the story.

I used an aperture of f5.6 to get a sharp foreground and a soft focus on the ranges behind. The shutter speed was 1/125 sec, ISO 100.

Heading home from Adelaide yesterday and it was a typical summer day…washed out colours across the land, the chance of a thunderstorm in the air, hot and dusty.

Passing through a little one horse town called Black Rock, one of the old ruins there fitted in real well with the rest of the scene.

Black Rock is between Peterborough and Orooroo in South Australia’s mid north. The old pub is the main feature lovingly restored and maintained as a gallery and tea rooms by local artist Bud Stephenson.

The ruins here are a bit far gone for a restoration but the raised dust near the wind mill added a bit of a pointer to how the day was heading.

With apologies to Snoopy……

Wilpena Pound, central Flinders Ranges with Rawnsley Bluff and Bonney pound the main features in the background.

From the small and insignificant branches of the previous image to the big picture where water channels are making their own distinctive marks on the desert floor.

Having spent quite a bit of time exploring what to many is a featureless land in the far north of South Australia I have been regularly amazed by the diversity of features that can be found by flying over the top.

This has been amply illustrated in previous posts where the colours and patterns of the Great Victoria Desert have provided a natural and beautiful art form.

This photograph was taken a number of kilometres (somewhere between 30 and 50) from the western shores of Lake Eyre from about 300 metres high.

The great thing about standing around waiting on the light to work its magic on on some big landscape is that quite often there will be something small or insignificant that’s going to make an interesting picture too

With plenty of time to play around with, you can get up to all sorts of mischief.

Over exposing the branches of a nearby acacia bush was one way of making something a little interesting out of what would otherwise be nothing at all.

This was shot on an old Canon D20 at f10, 1/250th sec, ISO 200, focal length 70mm

There’s a famous quote pertaining to photography that goes something like this:
“If you want to take good photographs, stand in front of something interesting.”

I can’t remember who actually said it, but it has always stuck in my mind because it is very true.

Consequently whenever there’s a storm brewing there is always the chance for an interesting photograph.

Here a dust storm is brewing.

The time is not long after dawn in the far north of South Australia, the temperature is already above the mid thirties and the wind is rising.

I am hoping this image captures the birth of a summer dust storm where soon visibility will down to a few metres and sand will be penetrating everything.

I think the photo was hand-held and taken at f22, 1/125th of a second ISO 200.

Experience says that summer is the best time to be photographing in the Flinders Ranges and and Outback.

The colour are supposed to be brighter, more vivid.

All you have to be able to do is put up with a bit of heat, a few flies and a couple of other small inconveniences…..easy!

This photograph, taken from Depot Springs station in the northern Flinders Ranges, looking down across Maynards Well to the central ranges in the far distance puts paid to that argument.

I think there’s 6 or 7 ranges of hills in the picture.

What it is not indicating is that the temperature was around 13 degrees Celcius and there was a 40-45 kilometre an hour wind blowing. It blew right through you and it seemed even colder.

A tripod was no help, so the picture was taken leaning on the side of the car and trying to shoot between the gusts. The technical details tell it all.

f8 at 1/320 sec, ISO 200 hand held. Not a recommended technique, but the colours are nice.

The rolling hills of Worumba Station in the central Flinders Ranges and a change from the dust storms, lighting and thunders of recent times.

Almost at the top of Mt Plantagenet…one of the higher peaks of the Flinders Ranges and one that commands 360 degree views.

Well worth the effort of making the climb.

f22, 1/5th sec, ISO 100.