Canal Rocks At Dawn

Canal Rocks At Dawn

On the morning of 27 June, 2015, a large swell was predicted to hit the south west coastline of Western Australia, so I packed my camera gear into my car and headed south the night before, arriving just after midnight.

For some reason, I thought getting a few hours sleep in my car in the carpark at Injidup Rocks would be a good idea. I mean, I knew it would be cold, but man, was it cold!

There was a bitterly cold wind blowing off the hills behind me and even in the darkness, I could hear the larger than average swell as it crashed into the rocks below the carpark. I didn’t really sleep very well, so as morning approached, I headed down the narrow path to find a safe spot to set up. There is something about the ocean at night that invokes a deep, primal fear. It is unpredictable at the best of times, but in the dark, there is a whole other level of respect that needs to be given. So I set up and waited for the first glimmer of morning light.

The two images below were taken whilst it was still quite dark, so a long exposure was needed, resulting in some interesting blurring of the waves.

 Mg 3725
Relentless Export

The following image is looking north toward Canal Rocks (from a lower perspective) and gives you some perspective of the size of the swell.

Breakers 2

As it got light, I turned the camera south toward Injidup Beach. The surf was really cranking and the amount of salt spray made keeping the lens clean an issue.

Spraybow
The Green Room Export
The Barrels Export 2

After a couple of hours shooting, I packed up my gear and headed further south to one of the popular surfing spots to see what was going on. It was already crowded by 9am so I found a spot and watched the surfers as they did their thing.

 Mg 4270

Canal Rocks At Dawn

$150.00
Various print options are available directly from my RebBubble store. Price depends on size and print options selected.
SKU: RED-VAR-0-657
Category:
Tags:
Golden Dreams

Golden Dreams

As a younger man, I spent a fair bit of time working in the sheep industry, both in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia and on pastoral leases in outback WA. Taken just north of the Stirling Ranges, this image speaks to me about the hopes and dreams of so many who set out to forge a new life in the vast expanse of inland Western Australia.

Sheep farming in the Great Southern dates back to the early 19th century when European settlers introduced livestock to the area. The mild climate and fertile soils provided ideal conditions for grazing. Initially, sheep were brought for their meat, but it soon became evident that the quality of wool produced here was exceptional.

By the mid-19th century, wool became a primary export from the region. The introduction of breeds like Merino further enhanced the industry, producing fine wool sought after in European markets. This period saw the rise of large sheep properties, many of which remain operational today. The Katanning Sheep Saleyards, located in Katanning, Western Australia, are renowned as the largest undercover sheep saleyards in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you would like to know more about the sheep and wool industry in Western Australia, why not plan a visit to the Wagin Woolarama, an annual agricultural field day and community event held in Wagin, Western Australia. It is one of the largest agricultural shows in the state and is renowned for celebrating rural industries, particularly focusing on wool and livestock. Whilst you are there, you can check out The Giant Ram (a 9m high and 13m long merino ram).

Flying Ants

Flying Ants

I would love to be able to say that this photo was the result of careful planning, research, and patient dedication. But in truth, it was nothing but a combination of being in the right place at the right time and a whole lot of luck. 

Just before sunset on the afternoon of the 23rd Jan 2016, after an epic day chasing thunderstorms around the wheat belt region of Western Australia, I pulled over on the side of the road somewhere east of Corrigin to photograph a rainbow that had formed. Even to this day, it remains one of the most magnificent rainbows I have ever seen.

I was so mesmerized by what I was looking at, that I didn’t even think to move my car out of the way as I took photo after photo. At some point, I turned around to see how long I had until the sun would set. That’s when I saw the flying ants-millions of them-streaming out of the ground, out of fallen trees, out of the base of decades-old fence posts. The air was filled with them and they glittered like fireflies in the golden rays of days last light. I quickly turned the tripod around and fired off several shots.


This last image is the original, which I really liked, but in the post-process stage, I fell in love with the black and white version that you see at the top. 

It wasn’t until the next day, whilst processing all the images I had taken, that I noticed I had also captured an iconic feature found all over the country in Australia, a school bus shelter. Farm kids would use these shelters on wet days whilst waiting to be picked up by the school bus. I remember going to my friend’s farm for the weekend on several occasions, and after getting off the bus, we would fetch his pushbike out of a shelter just like this one and double-dink up the long driveway to his house.

Right after I took these photos, I moved down the road a couple of kilometers to see if I could catch the last of the rainbow before it vanished. That’s when I took what is one of my all-time favorite photos ever.

You can learn more about this image here.