Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Green Lobby
At this time of year, with winter just a fortnight away, the light is softer, the shadows are longer and Melbourne’s gardeners are busy raking up leaves. I took these shots last weekend, when I noticed the sunlight striking one side of a street even while the other side was in shadow.
I waited about 45 minutes to take these shots, because I wanted the light to get a bit stronger so that the difference between the nearby green leaves on one side of the street and the bronzed leaves on the other side would be in sharper contrast.
Fortunately I had my long lens with me, so I was able to substitute my 18-125mm lens with my 70-300mm lens at my leisure. The trees in these shots are plane trees, which are very common around Melbourne and are the cause – at this time of year – of beautiful footpaths covered in a carpet of golden leaves.
Even though I’m over six foot, I needed a particular angle to take these shots, so I actually had to utilise something close by, standing on it to give myself an extra couple of feet in added height.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A Tribute To Autumn
This sequence was shot early on Thursday morning, as I walked across the pedestrian footbridge that connects Flinders Street Station to Southbank. The sun was still at a very shallow angle and because it was a cool morning, there was a bit of haze around.
Normally, I would not even have taken my camera out of the bag. But I had barely taken half a dozen steps across the bridge when I noticed that there was only a very gentle breeze, which is extremely unusual for Melbourne, especially around the water.
So I shot these four frames quickly, in less than 90 seconds. The object of the exercise was simply to show you that on a hazy day, a reflection is sometimes more intense and robust in colour quality than the original object itself. That, of course, is the opposite to normal weather conditions in clear light and a standard breeze, when a reflection can never match what is above the water.
Scroll back and take a look for yourself. In the first shot, the row of plane trees themselves are not quite as striking as their water-enhanced rendering. In each frame, the bottom area (or the reflection) is better quality than the top.
If you're wondering why the breeze played a part, here's the answer. The normal Melbourne breeze ruffles the surface of the water, leaving no discernible reflection at all on the Yarra River.
I was about to put the lens cap back on my camera when I noticed this red-clad jogger going past. Naturally, I had to take the shot - because I knew the two people in black (or dark blue) would not be visible on the water's surface, while the red jogger would stand out like a beacon.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Fall Collection
Three weeks ago, as Melbourne’s record-breaking hot, dry spell began, I noticed that the huge plane trees on our property were starting to shed their leaves, much earlier than normal.
Then we had that terrible run of consecutive days where the mercury hovered in the 115-degree zone, barely cooling down at night. The plane trees were quickly stripped of their leaves, more than semi-denuded not just in the suburbs but in the city centre as well.
I took these shots late on Friday evening, on a pathway in our garden. I keep an old pair of Nikes outdoors at all times and these are my gardening footwear. But as you can see from this shot, the swirling leaves, borne on the hot northerly winds that have fanned our bushfires, have swamped the Nikes.
This blue watering can is a miniature version of my huge watering can nearby. But despite my best efforts, this heatwave, the worst in my memory, has claimed more plants than I think I can save. (And at this point I should mention that none of these objects were moved for better photographic effect, because I simply shoot things where they are, in the existing light.)
It’s strange to think that we are in a hot zone ringed by bushfires, yet Queensland in the north is struggling with terrible flooding. Maybe some of their rain will find its way down here. Fingers crossed …..
Maybe one day this watering can will be filled with rainwater instead of leaves. Maybe I could find some success as a water diviner. Stick around while I try ...
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
Grass Roots Movement
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
Monday, October 15, 2007
Two's Company, Three's A Cloud
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Great Bare
Okay, just kidding. We don’t really have upside-down trees. But a couple of weeks ago I caught sight of this pale winter dusk and a bare plane tree, reflected in this car bonnet (or hood, depending on where you live). The photograph below is taken in exactly the same spot, in the Australian autumn a few months ago, while the tree still had about half its leaves. Interesting difference between the two shots, don’t you think?
Friday, May 25, 2007
Take A Bough
Yet another perfect late-autumn afternoon in Melbourne. A top temperature of 20 Celsius today - much warmer than normal. I took this shot on Waverley Road, to combine the striking autumn foliage with the crisp blue sky.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Haze Tack
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Colour Schemer
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Show Me The Monet
Monday, March 05, 2007
On Cloud Nine
At dusk yesterday, I suddenly looked outside and saw streaks of pink across the sky. I grabbed my camera and rushed out, thinking I would get in the car and drive to a nearby hilltop vantage point. Quick mathematical calculation. Three minutes' driving time. Hmmm. Sky palette changing rapidly. Hmmm. Not good. So I abandoned the plan to drive. Instead, I stood on the street and shot rapidly as the colours ebbed and flowed. I took these frames about fifteen metres from my front door, taking care to utilise a roofline and a couple of trees to get some stark silhouettes into the spectacular sky. Not bad for the first week of autumn. And of course, regular readers of this blog would know that I do not manipulate my images in any way, electronically or otherwise. What you see here is what I shoot. In this case, God provided the artwork. I just lined up the lens and captured the scene.