Paradise on the central coast - Somersby Falls

It's amazing how you can live in one place for over 20 years and not realise that a piece of paradise is located merely an hour away. 

Somersby falls is located on the Central Coast, NSW. You can find it on google maps (Somersby Falls Picnic Ground). Somersby falls is made up of a top and bottom falls, which are located quite close to the picnic area. Both are easily accessible. For the more adventurous individual, from the bottom falls you can follow the river bed a little further downstream (5-10 min). There you will find a magnificent secret waterfall which you can actually walk behind. This place is seriously breathtaking!

When i visited Somersby Falls earlier this year (check out my previous blog post) I managed to capture a variety of shots. I was pretty stoked with what I managed to capture, but I knew there was still plenty more to discover.

On the 1st October, 2012, Kane, James and myself decided to make the trip. This time around we pretty much exclusively focused on the secret lower falls.

In this photo you can see a side on view of the falls. Notice the cave behind the falls, that's where all the magic happens.

Side on view of the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

Front on view of the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

This shot was taken from behind the waterfalls. Just magical. It was a little tricky to capture because it was so dark inside the cave. I decided to use a flash to get some light onto the roof of the cave. I then dialed back the exposure Lightroom to make it look more natural.

Behind the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

And just to put it in to perspective, here is shot of the boys in action. I feel this shot gives a good indication of the size of the falls.

Kane and James snapping away. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

So there you have it, Somersby Falls, in all its glory. Needless to say, I will be back to this spot. I think it will be particularly good to target this place after a good week of rain to see if the volume and flow of the falls changes much. 

Who wants to join me?

Cheers

Elroy

Newcastle Ocean Baths and Canoe Pool

There's nothing worse than waking up at 4am for a sunrise and driving to a location to see a thick band of grey cloud smack bang on the horizon...ok maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my drift. It can be a little disheartening to arrive with such great expectation and then to be disappointed by what nature has thrown up for the day.

Over the past few years since I started taking photography seriously as a hobby, I have come to appreciate that it's times like these that demand the creativity of photographer to make the best of a situation. Instead of saying "oh well the sunrise is a bit disapointing...lets go home and catch up on sleep", I now find myself saying "oh well the the sunrise is a bit disappointing, what else can i capture to make the best of the situation".

The following image is not exactly a breath-taking image. There are flaws in the colouration, foreground detail and harsh blown out highlights (probably among many other flaws). But nonetheless, it has grown on me. I think sometimes I am too critical of my own work. Anyway here I am, throwing it out to the web. What are your impressions of this image?

Newcastle Canoe Pool, NSW

And of course, I must acknowledge/feature my partner in photography crime Kane, basking in the morning glow.

The morning glow at Newcastle Ocean Baths, NSW

So to conclude - when nature just won't play nice on the day, think about what you can capture, rather than what you can't.

Cheers
Roy