Rocky towers
Rise from the sand,
Silent guardians
Of this ancient land
I took this at Redhead Beach a couple of weeks ago. The light was beautiful and I loved the contrast between the shadows and the orange rocks and the blue sky. The whole scene reminded me a little of the temples and tombs at Petra.
A purple and yellow sky
Dotted with clouds
Marks the end
Of a long day
This is from a couple of weeks ago, by the new Belmont Baths. I’m really enjoying exploring the baths and jetty, there are a lot of fantastic opportunities for photos, particularly now there are less people around.
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2019
Walking by the water
The sun on my back
A breeze on my face:
Peace
This shot is from a couple of weeks ago. I was actually walking in the opposite direction but noticed how beautiful the light was and swung around in time to capture this moment. It’s easy to forget to look behind you but sometimes that’s where the best shots are.
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2019
A bright golden sun
Sets over the distant hills
As day becomes night
The sun setting over the lake yesterday evening. It was a nice end to a long day.
Photo and haiku © CJ Levinson 2019
Golden reflections
Shimmer across the water
As day fades to night
I took this photo by the lake in Belmont a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful sunset and this seagull was kind enough to pose for me as well which really added to the photo.
Photo and haiku © CJ Levinson 2019
A bright streak
Flashes across the sky
Lighting up the night
And your eyes
We had an amazing, fairly sudden storm this evening. It had been overcast most of the day but the thunder and lightning still seemed to come without warning. Luckily I was nearly home when it started and so I grabbed my camera and tripod and hurried down to the lake to try to get some shots.
Lightning is tricky to photograph and it took some experimentation – you’d think you’d want to use a high shutter speed to freeze the strike but because lightning is so unpredictable, I find you actually have to go the opposite way and use a slow shutter speed to give yourself more time to capture a good strike. Working out exactly how long though is a bit of trial and error so it can be fiddly and if it’s a short burst, you might not get anything at all.
I really like how this one came out though. It was a 25 second exposure which is about the sweet spot I find, particularly at night. I’ve taken a few lightning shots before but since moving to Belmont I’ve always wanted to get a dramatic one over the lake. I guess that’s one thing I can check off the bucket list now. 😀
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2019
With today being the last day of 2018 I thought it’d be fun to post a collection of my favourite photos from the past year. I hope you enjoy them.
2018’s been an interesting year for my photography. I actually didn’t start taking many photos until about April but it’s been pretty much non-stop since.
Part of that’s been that I decided to do a calendar for the end of the year. I thought it would help inspire me to get out and shoot more, which it did. It ended up being a really fun project.
Along with my landscapes I started doing more portraits as well, particularly studio portraits which have been fun and have helped my understanding of flash. I’ll be doing more paid work in 2019 so it’s been good practice for that.
In general I think my photography has improved a lot this year. In particular I’ve refined my editing a lot and I’ve found myself focusing on combining long exposures with movement which has created some really interesting images.
I also won the Lake Macquarie Float Your Boat photo competition and my calendar sold much better than I expected it to – it actually sold out twice and it came together very well in the end.
I also switched to Sony from Olympus midyear which was a bit of a learning curve at first but has worked out really well in the end.
So all in all 2018’s been a pretty productive year. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2019 will bring. 🙂
Happy New Year! Hope it’s a good one for you.
The Obelisk
For one hundred and seventy years
I have stood high atop this hill
A lone sentry watching over
The ever-changing skyline below
This place changes constantly
The boundaries always shifting
As the water meets the city
And the city meets the bush
Yet through all the changes
Still I remain
Standing tall
Surveying the world below
I was built as a guide for the mariners
A beacon on the hill
Where the old windmill used to stand
In my heyday I was magnificent
A gleaming monument
Visible for miles along the coast
During storms and calm seas alike
I would point you towards
The port of Newcastle
With its promise of safe harbour,
A hot meal, a warm bed,
And work in its growing industries
But now I am older
And the world I knew has changed
I have lived through great wars
And seen times of depression and despair
I have seen the birth of Federation
And watched the rise and fall of kings
I have been burnt by lightning
Broken by earthquakes
Desecrated by vandals
Surrounded by weeds
Oh the stories I could tell
But no one wants to listen
And so after almost two centuries
Still I stand here
Atop this hill
Watching the world go by
And I find myself wondering,
Will I still be here in another century
Or will I have been replaced
By something new?
Something more like the buildings below
That have replaced the green trees
That were once my friends
But now are only memories from long ago
Poem and photo © CJ Levinson 2018
A fiery sunset
A beautiful end
To a day
I will not forget
Lovely sunset over the lake a couple of nights ago. When nature puts on a show as beautiful as this, there’s really not much more to do than point and shoot.
Photo and haiqua © CJ Levinson 2018
