Sunset at the end of Summer - Sky Watch Friday

Sunset at the End of Summer
Sky Watch Friday

Today is the last day of Summer here in Australia. This sunset is saying "Goodbye" to the Summer, and welcoming the start of Autumn. We've had a very cold Summer this year - only three days got above 30 degrees Celsius - so I'm curious to see what Autumn and Winter turn out to be! Here's wishing you all a great start to the new season, whether you're in Australia entering Autumn, or in America entering Spring.

Update: Apparently the U.S. doesn't enter Spring until the 21st. This'll be an early welcome for some of you!

This photo taken with the Kodak C330 digital camera.

Sea Shell on the Beach Sand

Sea shell in sand

Shell in Sand at the Beach

I was browsing through some of my old photos the other day, and found this beautiful shot of a Sea Shell. I took this at Moonee Beach, near Coffs Harbour, NSW some years ago. This photo really reminds me of the "early morning at the beach" experience, with the seaweed and waves just visible in the background. I can almost feel the gentle grit of the cool sand underfoot (or actually under-nose, as I was lying down on the sand when I took this photo!)

Do you have any memories of the beach that you would like to share? Post a comment with your memories of your favourite beach holiday.

Original Post: She Sells Sea Shells.... [Sea Shell in the Sand at the Beach]

Dramatic Sunset in Australian Bush - Sky Watch Friday

Dramatic Sunset in the Australian Bush (Outback)
Sky Watch Friday

You probably haven't noticed, but there's something different about today's Sky Watch Friday Sunset. This post has been published automatically by blogger. Last week blogger got a new feature enabling you to schedule posts to be published automatically at a later date, and so I am taking advantage of this new functionality today. This Friday, I haven't actually got on the computer at all. I prepared the sunset photo and post on Thursday, and it has been automatically published for you today. Now, I know this is old stuff for you Wordpress users, but for anyone using Blogger, this is a very handy new tool. Has anyone else used it yet?

This sunset is very "dramatic" - the multi-layered clouds and irregular tint give the photo a tense composition. I took this photo at the same time as this other sunset, but you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at the photos. In one minute, which is the time difference between the two photos, the clouds changed position completely. That's one of the great aspects of a sunset - you'll never get bored watching one!

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

E for Excellent Blog Award

Angie from photosforthefunofit.blogspot.com just awarded me the "E for Excellent" blog award. This is a new award to me, and I am very honoured to receive it. Angie, although humbly classifying herself as an amateur, posts some really excellent photos over on her blog, and I suggest that you check it out whenever you have time. Thanks, Angie!

Update: I am passing on this award to Anna, from My Only Photo. Anna maintains a top quality photo blog with lot's of great nature photos.

Brilliant Red Sunrise - Sky Watch Friday

Brilliant Red Sunrise - Sky Watch Friday

For my second Sky Watch Friday, I'm posting a sunrise. This is one of the most popular landscapes for photographers and painters alike, but this does not seem to detract from the impressiveness of the scene in every new photo I see. Somehow each sunrise has a unique "flavour" to it which gives it a renewed meaning each time it is interpreted by a different artist.

One of the unique aspects of this sunrise is the silhouette formed by the gum trees in the foreground. This is a typical Australian scene, and anyone who's lived in the country for long gets to know and love this early morning symbol.

This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

Bearded Dragon Lizard from Australia

Australian Bearded Dragon Lizard

Bearded Dragons have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies, with adults reaching approximately 18 to 24 inches head-to-tail. When threatened, the lizards will expand a spiny pouch under their jaw and turn it black, as well as inhale air and puff up to make them appear larger. The pouch resembles a beard, lending the animal their name.

Bearded Dragons have a distinctive series of spines radiating horizontally from the head to the tail. Their color ranges from light tan to dark brown, depending on their native soil, often with highlights of black, brilliant red, or gold, and can change somewhat depending upon their internal condition. Bearded Dragons can occupy a large range of habitats from the desert to dry forests and scrublands.

All species are from Australia, but they have been exported worldwide and bred successfully in captivity. In the wild, the various species are widely distributed throughout different regions of Australia. Bearded Dragons live about 10-15 years with proper care in captivity, though some can live up to 20 years old.

Bearded Dragons are known to be very docile and trusting, yet at the same time, outgoing and curious lizards. Their behaviour includes body language such as head bobbing and leg waving. It is not recommended to try and arouse this behaviour, however, as it is territorial in nature.

Information source: Wikipedia
This photo taken with the Fujifilm S9600 digital camera.

The Glory of the Heavens - Clouds and Tree - Sky Watch Friday

Clouds and a Tree in Shadow - Sky Watch Friday

I got this shot purely by chance one day. I was outside with the camera getting some nature photos, when I happened to glance up and see this stunning cloud formation aligned perfectly with the top of a gum tree. Had I gone a few steps further in any direction, this scene wouldn't have been as exceptional, as the tree needed to be in just the right position relative to the clouds for this shot to work. As it turned out, I was able to quickly snap this picture.

The composition of this shot is almost the inverse of Rembrandt's famous style, where he uses small areas of bright light to draw attention to important areas of the painting. In this photo, the large dark area occupied by the tree draws your attention, and then you notice the bright white cloud in the opposite corner. Then a trailing wisp of cloud brings your attention back in circle to the right, where the dark tree is.

Another interesting aspect of this photo is the many different layers that appear in the one picture. At least four are distinctly visible - the tree, the dark layer of cloud, the light layer of cloud, and the blue-grey sky. All of these elements again combine to create the "clockwise rotation" of the eye when looking at this picture.

This photo taken with the Fujfilm S9600 digital camera.

Queen Mary Falls Waterfall - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday
At the foot of a Waterfall - Queen Mary Falls, Australia

This photo taken with the Kodak C330 digital camera.