Our second time visiting Tassie, but our first time going 'overseas' with our daughter. For our honeymoon trip six years ago, we covered the east coast and the middle section of the island between Launceston and Hobart. This time, we spent more time in the north and the west. I've come back with some photos I'm really proud of, particularly from the Cradle Mountain region. I've consolidated the better photos into my Portfolio (see the "Tasmania" gallery in particular). Below, I've included a larger collection of photos that show some of the places we went. I also include some that give a sense of the artistic process.
(1) We started at a charming farm cottage in Exeter, about 40 minutes out of Launceston (Hazelcreek Cottages). (2) The cottage overlooked a dam - such a gorgeous spot! This scene is a bit busy for my liking but I liked the reflection of the tree.
Here's another angle on the dam. A simple ultra-wide shot with a CPL on the edge of the water to manage the glare.
(1) Here's a local resident of the dam! He and his friend would come up to the cottage every afternoon for a feast of cut grapes. (2) Hazelcreek farmstead grows - you guessed it - hazelnuts. This is from their orchard out the front.
(1) Moore's Head winery was worth a stop. The clouds starting rolling in just as the sun was setting. (2) This row of trees along the winery's driveway caught the afternoon light beautifully. I'm really happy with this one. Shot at 35mm (56mm FF) to get the right compression.
Off to the north-west of Tassie, landing in the remote town of Stanley. Here's their famous landmark - "The Nut." Shot at 21mm (34mm FF). This vantage point is the best I found, up on Highfield Lookout.
(1) Old ruins near the hill from which I shot "The Nut." Likely from the early 19th Century when convicts began to settle in the area. (2) Cows on the hill at sunrise. I like the leading lines down along the road here.
(1) Cool rock formation underneath Highland Lookout. I prefer the horizontal to the vertical (following picture), though both have their pro's and con's. This is another ultra-wide to catch the water at the bottom left. (2) A vertical orientation showing more of the strange rocks.
(1) We stayed at the gorgeous "Poet's Corner." Dave and Geraldine are the perfect hosts - attentive without imposing, and wonderfully kind to our six-month old. We greatly enjoyed our chats with them over brekky and dinner. (2) The rooms were stunning. Dave and Geraldine have put so much work into the property, making it comfortable without losing its charm. (3) Poet's Corner sits under "The Nut" itself. We could *just* see our accommodation from above when we climbed to the top of the hill!
(1) Cruising the Gordon River, which unbeknownst to us Millennials, carries quite a reputation in Australian politics. There wasn't much for me to do photographically since the weather was so poor. But it was a fun day of learning the history and enjoying the scenery - at least, what we could see of it through the mist! (2) Some trees along the side of the Gordon River. I wonder if anyone has ever photographed these ones in particular? It was awfully remote. I liked the symmetry of the canopy as it peaks in the middle above the tall, bright tree in the centre. (3) A passageway in the river. Look at how still the water is.
(1) We disembarked to the former penal colony of Sarah Island for a walk. Along the way I saw this tunnel flanked by mossy trees. I've added a very slight Orton glow to bring out the ethereal nature of the scene. (2) Here I am lining up the shot, with Zoe's help of course.
(1) Back on land, we took a short hike to Hogarth Falls just outside of Strahan. Unfortunately I couldn't keep the water drops off my lens to accommodate the long exposure. I decided just to lean into it and make it part of the scene! Perhaps it adds a bit of softness to the waterfall itself? Irrespective, I like the combination of textures in this frame: the rushing waterfalls, the wildness of the sticks and branches in the middle, and the smoothness of the water at the bottom of the frame. (2) On our last afternoon in Strahan, we drove past an isolated bay with absolutely still water. I didn't have the right lens to isolate the light in the sky (needed 100mm+), but still got a sense of things in this frame.
(1) We spent five days at Cradle Mountain, only two of which had good shooting conditions. The sky didn't pop, but the water was still and I got some good golden light on the top of the hills and of course Cradle Mountain itself. I met another photographer at this spot pictured. He said the lake is rarely this still, so I'm thankful to have had good conditions given our time constraints. To get this shot I had to stand with a foot each on two rocks jutting out of the water, tripod legs perched next to each foot. One of my shoes got pretty wet; at 6:30am in sub-zero temperatures, that was decidedly unpleasant! (2) Here's the same scene hours later... crazy to see how much changes.
(1) The famous boathouse at Cradle Mountain. By the time I got here, the sunlight had crept pretty far down the hill on the right. I like the contrast with the shadows where the boathouse is. (2) Again, look at the change!
I'm really happy with this capture. The frost on the bushes in the foreground, the symmetry of the reflection, the layered depth of the hills on each side - it just came together. This was at 18mm (29mm FF). The only real improvement I'd want is in the sky, but I can't control that.
(1) Here's Cradle Mountain from across the lake. The wind had picked up by now so it's not a perfect scene, but I love the light over the mountain. (2) The similar shot above with the frost along the bushes is definitely stronger than this one. Just to show what the time of day can do for an image!
(1) It took me days to work out where this scene was - the oft-shot "photographer's rocks." I didn't have perfect conditions, and two other photographers where already there when I turned up. I couldn't frame things up until the sun was well in the sky. Here's how it looked at about 7am... (2) ...and then here's how it looked minutes later. When the sun popped over one of the hills behind me, it lit up the rocks with golden light. This is at 10mm (16mm FF) at 8 seconds.
(1) We hiked with our six month year old strapped to my wife's front for about 3 and a half hours between Dove Lake and Crater Lake. We almost missed the bus back up! I don't mind this shot across Lake Lilla, but could've gotten a stronger one from the side perspective if we had more time. (2) Here's a vertical composition of the previous. The path down is cool.
(1) A picturesque rest stop along our hiking root. The composition is a bit messy, but how could I not try to capture such a still lake? (2) Our funny little one!
(1) This is a close crop of a waterfall towards the top of the National Park. It was hard to capture, since the best framing was from a metal bridge that would rumble every time a car drove past! (2) Just some nice light on the hills on one of our walks.
(1) Plenty of wombats in Cradle Mountain! One of the tourists on the path was literally zooming their overseas relatives to show them. (2) A simple one, but the uncluttered background serves the scene well. Love that I got him staring right at us.
(1) Not a clean composition, but I liked the colour and light. (2) Simple waterfall from a hike through the Pencil Pines.
A King Billy Pine with magnificent separation from the other trees. I love this one.
(1) Here's the sunrise as we drove to the airport on our final morning - classic! Of course I was driving so my wife quickly shot this. Imagine if we got conditions like this in Cradle Mountain? (2) Just look at the mist! Imagine!
And that's a wrap. We all left a little tired (some more than others!), but with plenty of good memories - and in my case, with plenty of new captures to share with you.
