Tag: travel

2010 – 2019 My Favourite Images

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2010-2019 My Favourite Images from the Decade

 

The decade for starting a photography business, making new friends and lots of travel.  I hope you’ll enjoy my little journey down memory lane, these are some of my favourites.  Some you will have seen, others possibly not.  I’ve tried to limit the images to 2 per year but sometimes that was a little too hard.  

I look back and see a lot of variety but I still don’t know what my style is, perhaps someone can help me with that??

2010 – The Forth Bridge, Scotland.  Playing with light trails and long exposures at Blue Hour

 

2010 – Eilean Donan Castle, Lock Duich during Blue Hour

2011 – Experimenting with coloured lights and light painting.  Waroona

2011 – Playing with Macro in the backyard

2012 – One of the first times that I pre-visualised an image and then successfully made it happen.  Hampton Arms Bookstore, Greenough, Western Australia

2012 – The beginnings of my interest in minimalism. Maritime Museum, Fremantle.

2013 – A lone bicycle the morning after a Typhoon hit. Hoi An, Vietnam

2013 – Just a quick snap taken in the Ferguson Valley near Bunbury. These cows were so friendly, within a minute they were all coming up to me at the fence. So glad I got that first shot in.

2014 – Ah India, such an incredible place and rather heart stopping on the back of a motorcycle. Somewhere in Rajasthan.

Congelin Square

2014 – A minus 0 degree winters morning on a camping trip with the motorbike club. Congelin, Western Australia

 

2014 – More playing with coloured lights and light painting. Johnson Rd Yarloop

2015 – Female Scarlet Robin with breakfast, Barrabup Pool, Western Australia

2015 – A still autumn morning Kellands Ponds near Twizle, New Zealand

2015 – View of Coronet Peak on ‘fire’ in the late afternooon light. Taken from the balcony of our accommodation. Queenstown, New Zealand

2015 – Multiple exposures blended together.  Commercial Hotel, Meekatharra

2016 – KT The Cockatoo, this Female Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo photographed in my home studio

2016 – A sight I’ve always wanted to see. A multitude of African animals at a waterhole. Etosha National Park, Namibia

2016 – Love this sand dune.  Dune 44, Sossusvlei, Namibia

2017 – Sunset before the storm, Lake Ballard, Western Australia

2017 – A reminder of how small the world is these days. Brynja, reaching to her homeland, Iceland) and our Aussie mate Tom from down under. Eagle Rider Motorcycle Tour, Baja California Sur

2018 – My neighbour competing in the Best of the West Stockman Challenge, Packsaddle event. Dardanup

2018 – Fun with Silhouette at a Workshop in Fremantle

2018 – Spotted Pardalote in our front yard in Roelands. He/she stayed a couple of days, was possibly looking for a potential nesting site.

2019 – Our mascot ‘Jacks’, that we take along on our bike rides, meeting his own real life kangaroo which took a real shine to him. Donnelly River, Western Australia

2019 – Tidal Flats Tail. An aerial taken from a helicopter at low tide. Sandy Point Broome

2019 – Gimlet Trees. An in-camera Multiple exposure of Gimlet Trees against the bark of a Gimlet Tree. Near Norseman, Western Australia

The Bigger Island of Malta

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shows the type of coloured doors and balconies

Brightly coloured doors and balconies along with waterfront at Marsaxlokk

The Bigger Island of Malta

Thoughts before arrival

The bigger island of  Malta is only 80km south of Italy.  With it’s population of 475,000 people within an area of 246km², once again a lot of people within a small area when comparing to Western Australian standards.  This island is 27km long and 14.5km wide, once again not very big at all.  Public transport is not the best so I hear, the roads narrow, old and congested.  

This trip needs to be a Slow Travel trip (no promises but I’ll try!) and not expect to be able see everything as I’m sure that would just lead to lots of frustration on my part.

So, Malta has been inhabited since 5900BC so that 900 years earlier than Gozo.  A quick glance at the history of the island talks about inhabitants and rule by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantine, Aghlabids and Normans.  There are too many more to list here.  Perhaps by the end of the trip I’ll know more about these rulers and the battles won and lost.

Blue Grotto a popular swimming place on the coast

Thoughts after arrival

Over the course of our 2 weeks in Malta we’ve managed to see quite a bit of the main island of Malta.  Considering the large number of people on such a small island there is quite a lot more land not built on.  This is mainly put aside for farming.  Lots of vegetable farms and there is livestock somewhere.  They are kept indoors in summer so the only living things seen generally are stray cats, lizards and lots of pigeons and a few ducks.  On the coast at Dingli I saw a couple of sea birds, possibly terns.

I’ve enjoyed visiting the coastal bays and villages and the capital Valletta.  A few of the tourist areas are havens for UK residents on holidays or expats.  I guess it’s a bit like us and our relationship with Bali, close and warm climate.

About to board the plane to come home now so will cut this short.  May add to this post a little later if time permits as lots more to say.

If you missed my last post on the Little Island of Gozo click this link to take you there now.

Gzira waterfront, the old and the new building right next to each other

 

showing the size difference of boats using the Grand Harbour of the boats using the Grand Harbour

A large cruise ship and a small boat sharing the Grand Harbour

 

City of Birgu on Dockyard Creek

 

close up of the detail on the front of a Luzzu

Front of a traditional Luzzu fishing boat at Marsaxlokk

 

Traditional Luzzu fishing boats on their moorings at Marlsaxlokk Harbour

Little Island of Gozo

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A stunning landmark

Ta Pinu Basilica, Gharb
This modern church was completed in 1931 but retains a sections of the original 19th century chapel.

The Little Island of Gozo

Thoughts before arrival

Located in the Maltese archipelago and in the Mediterranean Sea, Gozo is a part of Malta. I’m writing this part of this blog before leaving on our trip and I’m thinking “gee, we have 4 nights on this small island, is that too long a visit?”.  By the way, the island is 14km long and 7.25km wide.  I’m used to travelling 14km just to get to work each day.  However the population is approx 33,000 people!!!! That’s the same population as the City of Bunbury (where we now reside) but in about 1/4 of the area.  This will be interesting.  I also know that the little island of Gozo is known to be more rural and less developed than the main island of Malta.  Click here for more info on Gozo.

One more thing that’s really intrigues me is the fact that Gozo has been inhabited since 5000BC, yes that’s right 5000 years before Christ.  I’m not a history buff and have no idea how they work these things out but that’s a lot of history.

shows where i went for sunset photos

Sunset at Wied il Mielah

Thoughts after arrival

So, the little island of Gozo is really quite big when you try and get around on foot.  But between walking, a private tour for my photography and a day on the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus we have seen quite a bit of the island.  It’s been very hot, it is very hilly and rather noisy.   Church bells chime at least hourly day and night, I’ve noticed them at 10pm and also 3am.  I’m not sure if they go off between those times.  There’s lots of farming land on the island, veggie gardens, grape vines, fruit trees and bales of hay all over.  We haven’t seen any livestock though.  No cows, sheep, not even chickens. 

Colourful boat sheds

Locals enjoying the evening at the Inland Sea Dwejra

It’s our last day on the island and I have enjoyed it but time to move to another location.  What more can I say except stay tuned for my next post from Malta.

Shows the busy main street

Main street Victoria

shows the salt pans on the coast

Xwejni Salt Pans in Zebbug

show where the salt is stored

Limestone Caves become the salt storage sheds

New Zealand Photo Book Finally

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New Zealand's South Island

Well it’s been 16 months in the making but the New Zealand Photo Book is finally with the printers.  That printer being Blurb, the only company that I use these days, due to the fact that Lightroom has the built in book module which uses Blurb.  I’ve gone for the large format for the first time (13″ x 11″) and gee I hope my images look good.  To take a look at the book click on the book below.

If you’re interested in creating your own book with Blurb please click here to Start creating your Blurb book today >>



Autumn in the South

By Chris de Blank