Looking back….A huge winters storm

Looking back….A huge winters storm

Winter is here in South Australia and I am waiting once again for the stormy conditions that reguarly hit our coastline in and around Yorke Peninsula.

Whilst I wait, I look back at some of the times that proved worthwhile as a photographer and spectator of lifes grand occasions!!

The 29th day of September 2016, proved to be quite the day to remember. Not before and not to this day have I witnessed winds and sea spray so violent.
The bottom end of Yorke Peninsula has two beaches which are exposed to the open ocean and regularly get huge waves washing in. Ethel’s Beach and West Cape beach. On this particular day the skies darkened and the winds roared into these two beaches making the waves quite exceptional.

At that time we lived in Adelaide and I decided to rent a cottage and drive 4 hours to these beaches.
I was determined to get some shots, however in such weather conditions this proved extremely difficult. The rain just smashed against myself and my camera and I got soaked, and I mean SOAKED, drenched, saturated, in one second. So I devised a few methods to try and get some photos. I would cover my camera in plastic bags and myself in a rain proof coat. Whenever the rain seemed to have a slower spasm I would dash out grab about three photos and dash back into my car. Walking to any of my favourite locations proved impossible.
Beautiful, violent, magnificent and so brutal and powerful. Sea spray and mist towering up into the sky, winds stronger than black holes in the sky, and clouds dropping buckets of water on silly human photographers who thought they could outrun the earthly elements.
Due to these haphazard conditions all the photos look a bit hazy as focusing on an object certainly was not a priority.
What an experience, all the power and phones went down, the roads were closed, so I had to stay in my accommodation a couple of extra nights until things were restored.

Approaching storm Ethels beach
Storm rolls in Ethels Beach

The two images above are of the storm rolling in, no rain as yet just a strong, howling wind.

Rainbow and windy conditions
Very stormy weather

Above…I travelled around the hill to Pondalowie Bay. If you look closely there is a tern flying above the waves. It seemed that some birds enjoyed the weather and flew against the winds.

Cliffs South Australian coastline

Above…looking out from Pondalowie.

South Australian coastline

Above…In the bottom right hand corner the normally sandy path is flooded with a torrent of rushing water.

Coastline
Green sea water
Beautiful rock formation

Above…looking towards the ocean, the mist would have been twenty times higher than myself. This shot is taken from the car as I was unable to get out.

Wild waves
Wild weather
Wild weather

The weather over winter can be quite amazing. The waves that roll in are wild and the wind seems to add to the tumultuous conditions.

Some great tips for achieving that soft light blue colour

Some great tips for achieving that soft light blue colour

Cloud on a bee beach

 

Colour lightens our life and adds such a beautiful dimension to all we see.

How clever is our God to come up with a concept like colour. Through our eyes we absorb the beauty of creation in an array of colours. Each sunset, each green grassy slope, each red harsh desert, the ocean, greens to deep blues… one certainly could write pages of descriptions, endless and timeless.

We need light to see these colours, darkness cannot comprehend or display any colour at all.

 

One of the most tranquil and calming colours apparently is light blue.

Soft and gentle, cool and clear. From snowy mountains captured in the South Island of New Zealand to brilliant coastal sights captured in South Australia.

Light blue is good for your health and your soul. As we view this soft colour endorphines are released and we are calmed and soothed. Being a cool colour it also has a cleansing and refreshing effect on us.

Tips to get that soft light blue colour.

*Editing your photos becomes a must, as the blue of the sky or the ocean is quite a vivid blue and very often is not that soft gentle shade we want. I generally desaturate my images and try and tone down the brightness of the blue. I often raise the exposure a little as well.

* You may try adding a haze of white over your blue sky to soften it. I use photoshop for this.

* Snowy scenes are often perfect for that light blue shade. The sky in the early morning around the mountains can look quite spectacular. Once again try the desaturation slider if the blue is too intense.

* Try photgraphing on a cloudy day and try different settings. Experimentation is a great way to perfect your art.

* In South Australia there are some magnificent salt lakes that are that exact soft light blue shade. So if you are fortunate enough to live near some salt lakes, try your hand at photographing those.

* Dial the shutter speed down a bit so your images are a fraction lighter. Take a look and make the necessary changes.

Good luck and have fun.

 

Gallery

Yacht sailing by
sand dunes
Moon
Yachts at sea cliff
Snow in the cool of the evening
Misty mountains at dawn
Snowy mountains NZ
Frozen grass
girl in desert sands
Sand dunes
Blue wave
Alone on a hill
Spponbills flying

How I overcame a lifelong habit of rushing

How I overcame a lifelong habit of rushing

I do tend to like this idea of slow living.

For I often find I am in a rush. I have this anxious feeling of rushing through all my daily tasks, to bring them to completion asap.
This anxious, rushing, feeling, I can trace back to my childhood. You see from the age of seven, I have had to deal with migraine headaches. Very debilitating and painful.

From somewhere around my teenage years, I felt I had to rush to get everything completed in case I got sick with a migraine and had to spend hours in bed with a massive headache. This became a very deeply entrenched habit. More especially in the years I was raising children, you see everything had to be perfect and in order in case anything went wrong.
But as I got older, I have had to retrain my brain and remind myself, why the panic? Tomorrow is another day with a new beginning and a little mess is not going to hurt. If I need to rest then I must rest!
SLOW DOWN, and focus on the fact that this is only temporary, soon the events that I am drowning in at the present moment will not last. 

A wonderful side note, as I grew older those terrible migraines lost alot of their severity. I no longer vomit for hours and the headache is quite mild. You see, life can change. 

Just how do you slow down?

*Gather less stuff. We take nothing into this world and we take nothing out when we leave.
*Read the bible and pray. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
*Begin the day with peaceful, positive thoughts. Your self talk will set you in the right direction if it is life giving and positive.
*Retrain your mind to stop and enjoy.
*Be grateful and make an effort to thank God for all the good things in life.

Thank God for the beautiful sights and sounds…..

 

Below are some images that have brought peace to my heart and soul.

A yacht moored for the night swaying in the breezy evening air.
The pink galahs singing in the trees.
Sipping coffee in a garden.
Children singing in the background,
The  laughs of children climbing the sand dunes.
A moonlit night.
A person bathing in the salty seawater.
Children swimming till dusk.
A blue and white wave crashing on the shoreline……
A pink bedroom to relax in.
A pink sunset
A trip on a boat out to sea.
A sea lion relaxing in the cool waters.

Those are truly the things that will make us slow down a little and become enchanted with the daily simplicity’s of life.

A sunset of soft orange and a yacht
Galahs in the evening light
Coffee and magazine
Waiting for the surf to come up
Wedge island
Walking over sand dunes
Two fishing boats in the moonlight
Children and mother walking
Beautiful beach at sunset
Yacht parked for the night
Children swimming in the twilight
Out at sea, blue towel
pink galahs flying
Sea lion relaxing at sea

 

 

Progress on the beach house

Progress on the beach house

Progress has been slow over the winter. Heaps of rain so the water tanks are over flowing. However we have been able to work on the inside as most of the outside is finished.

I have made a tiny garden of local plants. All the same type of grasses for a unified, coherent kind of effect. The ground is very sandy and it is certainly best to chose local plants as not much grows in this area.

We still have plenty to do, but at least we can sleep in the beach house and not in a caravan any longer.

I chose wood for the walls due to its warm feel and the natural vibe it adds to any home.

I’ve made a path out the front from some old left over slate and put white rocks along the front. These limestone rocks are everywhere here. I dont think I’ve seen one beach shack without these limestone rocks.

It is such a lovely place so peaceful and relaxing. Nature at its finest.

 

holiday house
picture of two women
wooden walls
Bathroom
bedroom in holiday home
Empty room

I will do another update when I can. Growth of plants is slow and keeping bugs away is a constant chore. But what a joy. Goodbye caravan, hello permanent beach house!!

 

The beach house, a dream coming true.

The beach house, a dream coming true.

In the last few years we have found ourselves on an endless quest in search of a place to live, a place that belongs to our heart and gives us peace, happiness and quiet. We believe we may have found this perfect spot, a place beside the ocean, a place with memories a place that is quiet……

The love one has for the ocean is beyond all boundaries and can often be traced back to childhood. Long days spent lying on sunny sands and cool nights awaiting sleep while listening to the sound of the crashing waves on worn grey pebbles.The fisherman is indeed married to the sea and the surfer has inexplicable longings to master the relentless, whitecapped wave. The ocean never leaves or forsakes its lovers, it permeates deep into their soul, where water meets water. And the sky meets the horizon, and the sandy land is impressionable upon its inhabitants.

Our family have been holidaying in Yorke Peninsula for over thirty years. On the very first visit, in Casurina camping ground, we encountered a rustic, rugged, and dramatic environment, which tested our bodies and camping abilities to the extreme.Things have not changed much from that time. The huge waves, the rugged surfer, the strange but friendly emus, the orange kangaroos, the enormous cliffs, the lonely uninhabited islands, the shipwrecked coastline, the sultry fisherman, all of this has made for a holiday destination which captivates the heart of the adventurer, the explorer, the sun soaker, the swimmer, the surfer and any other who enjoys the saturating experiences of nature.
All and everything in its finality that we have learnt, is that whilst we are packing to drive back to our homes, our hearts are full and yet silently empty. We cannot speak, words would destroy the beauty of our holiday experiences, and any sound is a sign that we are departing this strange but very magnificent place.
The one point of hope is that we will return, for now/today we have made a claim to a small portion of sandy land and our dream is to build a tiny holiday home to bring all those old memories back to life again!

Gallery