A Day at Melbourne Zoo

After a long while, I finally managed to not only get out, but also managed to get some photos on here ….some of these have been basically processed in Lightroom, and some of them are ‘as is’ – nevertheless, they are photos that I personally like – hope you enjoy looking at these special animals.

This is Mali (Jasmine) – Female, born 16 January 2010

and this is Ongard (Bold) – Male, born 10 September 2010

One of the mums

I loved this claw….

….belonging to this chap

This snake was very active

Whereas this one wasn’t quite a boistrous..

This beautiful Serval was a joy

and this lion had just finished his dinner …one of four brothers who live together

last, but not least – a Zebra…in black and white !

Reflections

I’ve not been shooting much recently,  the usual colds and flu of winter time…however got out yesterday and came back with a few reflections which I’ve had a play with – somewhat abstract but hope they work ??:

 

 

 

A wild day on Phillip Island

Phillip Island is a wild place ..wild weather, with fluctuations which can catch you by surprise and a place of wild beauty. Philip Island is attached to the mainland of Victoria, Australia by a sweeping bridge which initially takes you into the holiday resort of San Remo. Quickly going through there, you come to the roads which – in my opinion – lead you to the more interesting parts of the island…rough coastline, little bays and expanses of dunes, cliffs and moorland. Living within all of this is one of the reasons that Philip Island has become so popular – Little Penguins. There is also a Fur Seal population and also sharks abound (the sharks like the seals)

With an unseasonally cold autumn being experienced big jumpers and beanies were the order of the day. My friend and I decided to first go to Cat Bay – the sun popped out – right in line to where we wanted to shoot, though we did manage to save some photos due to the lovely sheen on the water:

Next was Cowrie Beach where we spent the majority of our time …clambering over slippery rocks, getting splashed by waves, feet soaked by a rogue wave and buffeted by the cold wind – as a good friend has often said on these excursions …”you know you live”

However, weather like this is a blessing for you get the full range of contrast and mood:

As the afternoon wore on, the mood changed ..mellowed and the sea became softer:

Walking home across the cliffs, the sun came out again and the wind freshened – allowing my to take a long exposure of the clouds:

With a hungry tummy, salt matted hair, wet feet and a filthy camera (!) I went home thinking ‘I’ve lived’

Ripponlea Estate

Well, it’s been a while ..what with a broken computer and a hectic time at work, I have been sorely lacking on the WordPress front – anyway, the other day I finally got out with my partner, Carl – who by the way does a very nice blog about coffee, cafes and chess http://gorkachc.blogspot.com/

We decided to go to an old family Estate 5 minutes away from where we live … We have been here over 6 years and never been there…how many times does that happen with tourist attractions on your doorstep ?!

Ripponlea is the largest family estate in Australia; built in 1868, it was first owned by the Sargood family ..clothing and drapery merchants who made their fortune in the Goldrush era.

It remained a family home until 1972 when it was passed into the care of the National Trust following the death of it’s last owner Mrs Louisa Jones – I found this wonderful old wedding photo of her and her husband Timothy …hope they don’t mind !

While we did not go in the house itself, we did take a peek into the stables, kitchens and cellar

As well as the stately home, the estate also has some wonderful gardens

So frustrating !!

Blogging…or rather not being able to when you have lots share !
I have been so busy with work recently…then finally got a day when I could go out. I found a lake with mirror like water, surrounded by white barked eucalyptus trees…perfect for abstract photos.
So off I trotted, with camera and tripod in hand, and took a heap of photos I was desperate to process once I got home.
Turned on the PC..good start…then noticed the monitor was black…nothing, nowt, zilch !

Anyway, will do what I can to remedy this..even if it means a nice shiny new monitor….then just have to find some time to do the processing !

Textures in my world

A little while ago, I did a short tutorial on using textures and thought I would add a few more photos I have added a texture to.

Much as I love simple shots, with little or no real editing, I do sometimes enjoy playing around with Photoshop.

Work for sale can be seen here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the Polly Woodside

Today went I along with a couple of friends went to visit the Polly Woodside – a Tall Ship built and launched in Belfast, Ireland 1885.

After no less than 17 round the world trips she eventually resided in Melbourne where she is a now a protected museum ship.

I was particularly entranced by the rooms and articles I found inside – and so this post shares some of the things I found.

I shoot with a Pentax K200D, and I used a 50mm Prime lens, generally set at f1.4 or f1.8.

Captains Bed

Captains washstand

Notepad

Sea Tale

Another Deck

Pastimes were important !

Wash time ..think that soap and brush would be a bit rough !

The silverware

All sailors need to learn to tie knots

Most important for a round the world voyger

Sailors bunk

The 26th

Pelican Parade

Pelicans are odd birds…almost prehistoric looking, with those enormous beaks (the largest in the avian world) that have been seen with birds and even small dogs in them !

They can live for 20+ years and can be found around the world. These, not surprisingly, are Australian Pelicans

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican. (or belly can)
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week,
But I’m damned if I see how the helican. (or hell he can)

I went to Ricketts Point today near my home in Melbourne ..a suburban beach which is home to a large number of terns, gulls, cormorants, albatross and a gang of pelicans

I loved how these guys were all cleaning themselves at the same time.

This one appeared too comfy to be bothered getting up..

This youngster thought the whole world is worth a laugh!

In more contemplative mood.

Vintage pen

Today I thought about a beautiful pen which was passed to me after my Dad passed away over two years ago…since then it has been sat in a drawer…not used because I was scared I would damage or lose it…this pen had probably got used to being hidden away…for it has been sitting in my Dads wardrobe – at least since he had retired, and as I don’t remember him writing with it..probably some time before that. I have cleaned it, filled it, and written with it.

It’s a Onoto 6235…made in the late 1940’s by De la Rue (Onoto) London

Made of black resin, with a sage green pearlised inlay..gold banding and a 14k gold nib which writes like a dream.

It won’t stay hidden in the dark any longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Lensbaby

It Lensbaby’s 7th birthday in a couple of days

Not so long ago I bought a Lensbaby,  and have since had lots of fun! I bought a basic Lensbaby Muse with a plastic optic which comes with aperture rings (though I do tend to stick with the f4 ring which I personally like) The bendy lens – which also comes in the  ‘lockable’ Composer and Control Freak and the static Scout; and single and double glass optics – can be tricky when you first use it, as the only way to focus is to pull, push and tilt the lens to get focus and effect.

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