A cold wind blows
As I sit and watch
The sun set
And the seagulls swarm
I took this down by the lake in Belmont this afternoon. The light was beautiful as the sun started to go down but it was bitterly cold, particularly in the wind. It made for some nice choppy waves on the water though.
The seagulls were everywhere too. Unfortunately I didn’t have any chips for them but these two were kind enough to pose for me anyway. 😉
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2018
Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just trying to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy
But he was looking to the sky
~ Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton
I took this photo about a year ago during a day trip to Sydney. It’s of one of my favourite spots for street photography in the Sydney CBD, Central Street, a little avenue opposite the Event cinemas on George Street.
I’ve taken several photos there over the years, including this one which is one of my favourites. It’s a great little spot to go back to as the scene is always changing and there’s always something new and interesting to photograph.
I was quite happy with how this one turned out. It’s very simple but captures a slice of ordinary life that I find really interesting and I like the tones and textures as well.
The area looked very different the last time I was down as well with all the construction going on at the moment. I’ll have to get a couple of photos of that too.
Photo © CJ Levinson 2017
Seven worlds will collide
Whenever I’m by your side
Dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
~ Distant Sun, Crowded House
I took this a few weeks ago while walking by the lake in Belmont. It was a beautiful sunset and I loved the way the sky was lighting up just behind the hills. It came out quite well… I do love a nice silhouette! 🙂
Photo © CJ Levinson 2018
Tall grass
Sways gently in the breeze
As the sun sets
On another day
I took this a few days ago down by the lakefront in Belmont. The sky had just started to turn this beautiful orangey-yellow and there was a lovely cool breeze as well blowing through the trees and grass. I knew the sunset would make for a nice photo but I really wanted to try to capture the feel of the breeze and motion in the image too, so I thought I’d try to juxtapose the gently moving grass with the sunset. It took me a couple of shots to get it right but I really like this one… it’s simple but really gives the slight feel of motion which I was going for.
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2018
Standing on the moon
With nothing left to do
A lovely view of heaven
But I’d rather be with you
~ Standing on the Moon, The Grateful Dead
Beautiful moon tonight. I took this handheld and it came out quite well overall.
I love looking at the moon. Hopefully the weather will let us get a good look at the blood moon on Saturday morning.
Photo © CJ Levinson 2018
This is one of my favourite buildings in Newcastle, the Newcastle Customs House. It’s a beautiful masonry building designed by James Barnet, who as the New South Wales Colonial Architect also designed many of NSW’s most distinctive buildings, like the General Post Office in Sydney’s CBD.
I particularly love the tower; it’s 32 metres high and the clock, lantern and time ball are still intact, one of only three such examples in Australia. It must have been quite a sight in its heyday.
The building is heritage listed and known as the Customs House Hotel now and run as a popular restaurant and bar. You can still really feel the history though and they’ve done a great job of preserving the old while welcoming the new too.
I’ve tried taking photos of the building before but I’ve never been very happy with the results. It’s quite a tricky building to photograph, particularly at night. I’m happy with this one though. It feels bold and dramatic, which I think it needed to be to do the building justice.
I also like it in black and white. It feels a little more timeless and I think that suits the building too, in a different way.
Photos © CJ Levinson 2018
Sometimes I wish
I had wings
Like a pelican
And could fly away
I took this the other day at Eleebana. The dying light gave the scene a beautiful pink-orange hue and I managed to get this shot just as the pelican came into frame. It was a nice way to end the day.
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2018
Never have I seen
A tree or lake
That could not take
My breath away
Beautiful light on the Newcastle foreshore last Sunday afternoon. I was heading to the ocean baths to shoot the sunset and stopped quickly to shoot this scene on the way. The light was amazing… I was definitely lucky to be in the right place at the right time!
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2018
Last weekend was the second edition of Lake Macquarie’s Float Your Boat event. It was a lot of fun and seems to be getting bigger and better each year!
For the first night I went along with my photo group to Marmong Point Marina for the start of the event and then on to the Toronto foreshore to capture the boats in action, and then on the second night I caught them near where I live in Belmont.
The photos were challenging as shooting moving objects at night is quite difficult but they came out well overall. I think I learnt a lot from shooting the event last year and it really helped me this time. I’m very happy with them.
Both nights were a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to next year’s event. I hope you enjoy the photos!
Photos © CJ Levinson 2018
