This photo-blog shows some of the unique calcium carbonate structures we saw on our brief but wonderful 10 days of exploring parts of Western Australia. Hope you find it interesting and “pretty”.
All images Copyright © Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
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First, here are a few images of limestone pillars known as the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, near Cervantes, Western Australia. These spires exist up to 3.5m tall (11.5 feet). We were forunate to experience these fascinating structures in conjunction with a simple yet glorious sunset.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111015
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f8 for 1/250 second at ISO 250.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111018
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f8 for 1/160 second at ISO 250.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Here is one for scaling purposes – the model is actually 1/2 of 2AM (the missus), “getting down amongst ’em.”
The Pinnacles 2AM-111023
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f8 for 1/125 second at ISO 250.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111050
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f5.6 for 1/15 second at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111062
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f5.6 for 1.3 seconds at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-29302
Canon 30D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f7.1 for 1/20 secondd at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111069
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 3.2 seconds at ISO 100.
A little light-painting on this one.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The Pinnacles 2AM-111083
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 3.2 seconds at ISO 100.
Southern stars and a full light-painting job on this one.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
The next series shows Thrombolites at Lake Clifton, Western Australia – the largest reef of living thrombolites in the southern hemisphere. Thrombolitic structures have an internal clotted structure (as opposed to those that have a laminated organisation, which are stromatolitic – next series of images) and are formed through precipitation of calcium carbonate within the microenvironment by microbes as a result of photosynthetic and metabolic activity (source: Hilary Wheater, “Thrombolites of Lake Clifton.” 2010).
Thrombolites – Lake Clifton 2AM-110904
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/50 second at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Thrombolites – Lake Clifton 2AM-110899
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/60 second at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Thrombolites – Lake Clifton 2AM-110898
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/13 second at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Lastly, this series shows Stromatolites (living), the world’s oldest organisms, at Hamlin Pool in Shark Bay, Western Australia – a hyper-saline environment. Similar to thrombolites, these rock-like structures are layered accretionary structures formed in shallow water by the trapping, binding and cementation of sedimentary grains by biofilms of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae). Stromatolites provide some of the most ancient records of life on Earth. Shark Bay’s stromatolites are only 2,000 to 3,000 years old, but they are similar to life forms found on Earth up to 3.5 billion years ago. Until about 500 million years ago, stromatolites were the only macroscopic evidence of life on the planet. (sources: Wikipedia; Sharkbay.org)
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111117
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/40 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111123
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/15 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111132
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/10 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
These next three are more about the magnificent sunset and silky smooth waters – an absolutely immaculate evening!
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111143
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f11 for 1/125 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111187
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f5.6 for 0.6 second at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
Stromatolites – Hamlin Pool 2AM-111193
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4 lens. f5.6 for 1.3 seconds at ISO 100.
© Andrew and Allison McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
More photo’s from Western Australia to follow, including Emu Creek Station, Kalbarri National Park, and Karinjini National Park.
Comments welcomed.
Bye for now.
Andrew McInnes Photography 
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