Mother Nature's Son

I thought it would be worth sharing a bit about a landscape shoot I did a couple of days ago. I’ve always been a fan of astrophotography but due to COVID restrictions hadn’t been out too much for this season. This time of year is great for astrophotography. The Milky Way rises just after sunset so you don’t have to sit up all night to get the best shots. Even better is that the Milky Way sets to the South meaning that there are opportunities to shoot it in that perfect arc across the sky.

Seeing a favourable weather forecast I booked myself a campsite and headed up to Putty Beach on the Central Coast. Unfortunately, a huge band of cloud rolled through which meant that I wasn’t going to be able to see the milky way rising. The clouds did lend themselves however, to a dramatic sky and a fleeting but glorious sunset.

I took pictures at a few locations around Wagstaffe, Killcare, and Hardy’s Bay.

Boat tied up at Wagstaffe Jetty with dramatic clouds

Boat tied up at Wagstaffe Jetty with dramatic clouds

B&W image of the Jetty at Hardys Bay with dramatic clouds

B&W image of the Jetty at Hardys Bay with dramatic clouds

Hardys Bay jetty taken from the mudflat with tide out

Hardys Bay jetty taken from the mudflat with tide out

It looked for a moment that there would not be much of a sunset but there was a small gap in the clouds at the horizon and so for a couple of glorious moments the sky was turned several shades of orange.

Glorious Colour Burst at Hardy’s Bay for Sunset.

Glorious Colour Burst at Hardy’s Bay for Sunset.

For the stars an alarm was set for 3.30am, I ventured round to the end of the Putty beach to shoot the milky way to the south. Unfortunately the other main thing south of Killcare is Sydney and so there was some unavoidable light pollution on the horizon. But I think it was worth it.

From Putty Beach The Milky Way sets over Killcare with Sydney lights on the horizon

From Putty Beach The Milky Way sets over Killcare with Sydney lights on the horizon

I was awake now so headed up the Bouddi Coastal Track to get some shots of the sunrise (not much of one I’m afraid due to the clear skies, you cant have it all), the tessellated pavement and I was lucky enough to see a number of whales swimming by.

Sunrise over Maitland Bay on the Bouddi Coastal Track

Sunrise over Maitland Bay on the Bouddi Coastal Track

look closely, theres a couple of humpbacked whales on their journey north

look closely, theres a couple of humpbacked whales on their journey north

The tessellated pavement at Bouddi Coastal Walk on a winters morning

The tessellated pavement at Bouddi Coastal Walk on a winters morning


Farm Life

With a yearning to escape the rat race of Sydney for the weekend, Truc, Alfie and I ventured to the Capertee Valley last week for a magnificent Farmstay weekend.

Yarraglen Homestead Bill Sandy.jpg

Yarraglen Homestead is a fully sustainable farm that is situated just outside of Glen Alice, about a 3 hour drive from Sydney. Its less than a hour from Mudgee, Rylstone and Lithgow.

The fresh air, the isolation, the beautiful views of the Capertee Valley and curious animals made it a perfect getaway. The owners Sandy and Bill live up in the main house which they have been building for the past few years. We rented their cottage, a delightful self-sufficient accomodation with a large fully fenced yard that Alfie could roam freely in and chat to the neighbouring cows, goats, and chickens. 

Caper tee Valley old truck.jpg
Yarraglen Homestead old truck.jpg

Bill has a wide and varied collection of old vehicles on the farm which made for some great photos at all times of the day and night.

It certainly wasn't easy leaving the cosy fireplace in the cottage to photograph the stars but when I saw that old truck I just had to give it a  go.

Old Dodge truck with milky way.jpg

The animals on the farm were more than happy to pose for photographs and some were even friendlier than that an, Alfie made friends with a  baby goat that Sandy named 'Saturday' after the day on which he was born a few weeks earlier.

Sunrise is a favourite time of the day for me although I admit it's hard to get out of bed at times, especially on a chilly morning. To be honest this particular sunrise was not the most spectacular but walking across the fields with my four legged friend by my side made this one that I will remember for a long time.

Man, dog, sunrise

Man, dog, sunrise

Alfie

Alfie

It was a such a beautiful place to relax and rejuvenate and I'm sure that we will go back there one day soon. The kids will love it and I'm sure Alfie is keen to play with Saturday again.

You can check out the Yarragelen Homestead website here. Their homemade breads, jams, milk and fresh produce were all fantastic too and Sandy even does cookery classes.

All images here are available to purchase as limited edition fine art prints - please get in touch for more details.


 

And while you're here if you are interested in receiving scintillating exclusive content, special offers and much more then please subscribe to our newsletter.