Stormy Winter Weather

Winter Lava in the Sky

Eating the Light

Storm clouds roll in from the west, eating up the sun and sky...

Super Bright Dandelion

Ok , yes, just a spoonful or 2 of Photoshopping going here - to really bring out the sunshine in the dandelion. 

Beginning the Spring Serenade

Katoomba Noir

Katoomba's Main Street on a misty Friday night in winter. 

Moody

How moody is this pic??!

It's hard to believe, but these were the actual colours of the day. This photo hasn't even been photoshopped into black and white. 

I think it's pretty atmospheric!! It's the epitome of my this month's theme of 'light and shadows'. 

Moonrise Over Pink

Pretty nice, isn't it?

Pulse of the Grasses

The shadows of the grass in the late arvo sun. 

It reminds me of one of those medical monitors/print outs filled with incomprehensible jagged spikes and troughs, which - depending on what movie you're watching - is either perfectly normal or very bad. 

I'm whimsically reading these shadows as the lawn's pulse. A healthy one. 

Intersection in the Sky (Meeting Point)

I'll meet you where the tree tops touch the sky - at the end of the clouds, where the deepest blue floats above. 

Dancing Shadows

This was a photo taken by accident - ie, trying to click one thing but having the phone slip at the crucial moment and clicking some interesting shadows instead...

Sunrise Commute (in Winter)

Pretty amazing colours for a pic that's completely un-photoshopped. 

The icy cold of the 7am start doesn't really come through the photo, unfortunately. Nor the bitter wind. Take my word for it though - both were present. Bitterly present!! 

I can only remember one or two of the Gestalt principles as they apply to composing photos. I have a feeling this photo might (accidentally) meet one of them... But feel free to (nicely) correct me if I'm wrong! 

Dandelion Fluff in Late Sunshine

A halo in the late afternoon sun...

I've always been a big fan of those photo compositions which do intense, beautiful close-ups of, say, a flower - while blurring the background in subtle harmony. 

This pic is part of a long series I took of this particular dandelion. And I'm rather proud to say that many of them have that  'blurred background' effect that I like. 

Wall in Noir

The most prosaic of settings can be made moody and atmospheric with a trusty black & white filter. 

River at Dusk

This photo was taken on a train as it headed up to the Blue Mountains. 

The Nepean River in Penrith, Sydney, Australia, just on dusk. 

I did several quick clicks with the smartphone, and had to do some justice to the image with Photoshop. 

The bridge railings blurred themselves almost completely out of the picture - fortunately. I've also cropped the rail lines in the foreground. 

The smears and scratches on the train windows are still there, but hopefully not too noticeable. 

And yes, I have added a heavy 'vibrant' filter to get some colour into the image - both to replicate the reality, and to emphasise the serene, river-settles-to-sleep ambiance - which was what caught my eye about the scene in the first place. 

Gold Dots Against Unsmiling Grey

Spring-like Bloom in Shade and Sun

I spotted this bush - still mostly denuded of foliage - while moving between buildings at work. 

I stopped to get a closer look, and sure enough, there were all these tiny pink flowers awoken to the world. Including this little gem!

Night Lights

A prosaic suburban intersection made much more vibrant and interesting, thanks to the night, headlights and reflections!

The bright coloured lights are inside the café, but are reflected onto the outside scene to add the extra fiesta feeling. 

And what night scene isn't improved by a fiesta feeling??

The Tree Reaching to the Sky

Trees are just spectacular creations, that's all. 

Smiling Moon Above

I like the gradually darkening sky.

The photo's been cropped a tiny bit, but otherwise un-photoshopped. I couldn't bring myself to alter or enhance these gorgeous dusky colours.