My latest short escape from the city was to the laid-back coastal town of South West Rocks on the New South Wales mid-north coast – about half way between Sydney and Brisbane.
The highlight for me was time spent on the beaches of an early morning and late afternoon. Thick cloud clung lazily to the eastern horizon each morning – not the best of conditions for photography. But, appreciating the opportunity to be in this beautiful place, I was ready and waiting to capture any brief moment of bright colour in the morning sky.
On a mostly grey morning I was rewarded with the following image “Trial Bay Sunrise”, captured from South West Rocks with the amazing geological features of Monument Point in the foreground. The colourful light lasted only for a minute or two, and in this case the old adage “f/8 and be there” was proven to be sound!
[Image specs for “Trial Bay Sunrise” (above): Sony DSLR-A850, Zeiss 16-35mm @ 20mm, ISO 100, 4 secs at f/8. Lee Filters GND’s]
As a seascape photographer I enjoyed the north-facing aspect of the bay and beaches, offering great opportunities to shoot over water in the magic light of both sunrise and sunset, and good shelter from wind and spray.
The coastal views from the centre of town are superb. To the west is the long, wild stretch of ‘Back Beach’, the mouth of the Macleay River, and the imposing outline of Mt Yarrahapinni. To the east is ‘Front Beach’ and the wide expanse of Trial Bay, with the curved hills behind Arakoon in the distance. At the centre of all this is the small picturesque beach at Horseshoe Bay.
(Above: Early mornings on the beach were a highlight … looking east over Saltwater Creek and ‘Front Beach’)
Despite the proximity to the town centre, there are plenty of angles to shoot without having compositions spoiled by buildings or other man-made structures.
Staying right in the centre of town afforded me the luxury of being just a few hundred metres from the beautiful views on offer. Sunrise photography was top of my agenda, so I was grateful each morning for nature’s raucous alarm clock, a dawn chorus of hundreds of rainbow lorikeets. With a bleary-eyed gaze skywards and positive assessment of the conditions I was able to be on the beach within minutes.
Once sunrise is done and dusted and the light becomes too harsh there are plenty of restorative coffee and breakfast options handy to the beach.
In these beautiful surroundings it was ever so easy to slip into the casual lifestyle for a few days, and I’m sure I’ll be back again before too long!
(Above: Late afternoon on ‘Front Beach’, South West Rocks)
(Above: A swirling surge of emerald meets the granite of Point Briner, South West Rocks)
(Above: A calming late afternoon seascape – South West Rocks)
(Above: Reflections in a still rockpool at Monument Point, South West Rocks)
