A hinterland creekbank – Noble Falls, Western Australia.

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Varied textures along a hinterland creekbank – just east of the Darling Scarp at Noble Falls, near Perth – including granite, grasstree, and gumtree.

Hotham Ridge Organic Winery – Wandering, Western Australia

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently had the pleasure of 36 hours at the lovely Hotham Ridge Winery at Wandering, Western Australia as I conducted a photo-shoot for the owners. At only a little beyond 1.5 hours from downtown Perth, this organic/biodynamic winery is a wonderful and proximal location to spend time relaxing with fine wine, delicious food, and gorgeous rammed-earth cottages that are refreshingly clean and quiet. The bistro utilizes a wood-fired oven to produce meals, from which I enjoyed what may well be the most delicious pizza I can recall – the “Classico.”

The following images are all taken at the winery – I hope you enjoy them, and if you are planning a visit to the Perth area I suggest you may want to consider spending time at Hotham Ridge Winery, even if only for a bite to eat and a sampling of their award winning wines.

Overlooking the Chardonnay, with a beautiful crop for this vintage.

1_Hotham Ridge Winery 2AM-003359-003361 panorama

Three-image stitch.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Looking back at the cottages, homestead, bistro, and winery.

The Dutch influenced homestead, and the two cottages – “Billie” and “Nina” – as seen from the bistro.

Here is “Billie’s” porch.

These old oak barrels, settled among a garden of ponds, flowing water, and birds-a-plenty, greet visitors on pathway to the cellar door and bistro.

The Magpie tapestry – illustrating the basis of the Hotham Ridge label.

5_Hotham-Ridge-Winery-2AM-003498 - 5D Mark III

The vintner’s vintages.

Vines, very soon to be relieved of their sweet bounty.

Dawn breaks over the Chardonnay. HDR image.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

A red bicycle appearance among the vines.

This red bicycle makes an appearance in several of these images as the owners of the winery wanted the bicycle included in some of the scenes – I like it.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

As this is an organic winery (certified), there is no herbicide or pesticide usage thus these young vines are competing with the remnants of the spring’s grass.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Mmmm, I see another award winning red in the making…

Table grapes drape and shade an outside table at the bistro.

The bountiful flora surrounding the Bistro entrance from the parking lot.

This short board-walk to the bistro is edged by a luscious pond and wetlands.

“The Wide World” as seen from the bistro garden area.

Ever closer, some of the outdoor bistro dining tables are revealed.

You have arrived at the bistro entrance

Times of yore; traps, sickles, and shears adorn the bistro wall.

Some of the available seating in the bistro – bench and table section.

Delightfully fresh wholemeal spelt sour-dough bread, fresh out of the wood-fired oven.

27_Hotham Ridge Winery 2AM-003550 - 5D Mark III

Awaiting oven’s readiness for my soon to be savoured “Classico” pizza!

28_Hotham-Ridge-Winery-2AM-003476-5D-Mark-III

To wrap up this express tour, I present a variety of visual vagaries 🙂

30_Hotham Ridge Winery 2AM-003591 - 5D Mark-III

Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) in full bloom.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

A eucalyptus gumnut – species yet to be confirmed.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis).
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Highly aromatic flower of the caper plant.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Motorbike Frog (Litoria moorei).
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Bulrush; Cattails; Cumbungi; Wonga; Reed-mace; raupo; (Typha)
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Wild oats ablaze in dusk’s amazing light.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Curling bark.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Lichen on granite (primarily).
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Wine vines swishing in silhouette before a highlight of wild oats.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes. All rights reserved.

Thanks for taking a look at my images.
Ciao for now.

A few quick photo shoots in Halifax and surrounds – Nova Scotia, Canada.

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently undertook an express visit with my wife to visit friends who were staying in Halifax for a period. I only managed to get out and photograph on a few occasions but was enamored of the area. Magnificent vistas, abundant maritime history, so ripe with scenery and scenes; I would have thoroughly enjoyed more time exploring and photographing. Nevertheless, here is a sampling of images from the very few times I was able to go walkabout. I hope you enjoy!

This is the first image I captured – I love the posture, gait, and apparent enthusiasm of the youngster; the dog’s tail; and the fact that the father had a bright red sweater on (excellent for ‘pop’ of people out in nature).

Halifax 2AM-000802
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f4.5 for 1/800 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A chicane of sorts …

Halifax 2AM-000834
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/2000 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Although we witnessed some glorious fall color, it was the same old situation of “you should have seen it last week!” 🙂
the next two images include a birch tree – the bark and patterning thereof fascinated me.

Halifax 2AM-000851
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f8 for 1/800 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Halifax 2AM-000860
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f8 for 1/400 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Definitely much color still available around the area, even if the leaves had fallen.

Halifax 2AM-000887
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f4.5 for 1/1600 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Early in our visit our hosts took me out for a brief but wonderful excursion to Herring Cove. Although very overcast and gloomy, the light was lovely for scenes that didn’t include much, if any, sky. After this mini-hike it was time for lunch so we stopped in at “Now We’re Cookin’!” where I had the superb gastronomic pleasure of a dozen perfectly fried and ultra-delicious “Digby Clams.”

Here are a series of images from the Herring Cove Provincial Park Reserve from that visit:

I call this image “The Admiral” – hopefully you can deduce why 🙂 I captured one of our hosts overlooking a temporarily tranquil Atlantic Ocean – it was a fleeting opportunity to get the shot, so I did not have time to adjust the camera settings, hence the very slow shutter speed for a hand held shot. Thankfully I managed to be stable enough for a sharp image.

“The Admiral” – Herring Cove 2AM-000977
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/13 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Early into the gorgeous walk I found this scene and liked the various elements so much – hence this image to capture it 🙂

Herring Cove 2AM-000976
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/13 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Loved these rosehip berries!

Herring Cove 2AM-000982
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f4 for 1/100 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Herring Cove 2AM-001009
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/15 second at ISO 1000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Same general scene, different interpretation. My photographic mentor drummed into me to shoot and shoot and shoot a scene from numerous angles/interpretations, with a strict caveat that each composition/interpretation must be appealing to me, not just shooting a bunch and ‘hoping’ one of them will be ‘good’.

Herring Cove 2AM-001011
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/15 second at ISO 1000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A portion of the walking trail.

Herring Cove 2AM-001027
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/20 second at ISO 1000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

More of the meandering walking trail and a very typical scene of this splendid coast.

Herring Cove 2AM-001025
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/30 second at ISO 1000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

’twas a very blustery gloomy day and the smart one here (that would be me 🙂 ) decides to take a multi-hour exploratory walk around the Halifax waterfront to take in some of the history of this place. When I say it was blustery, it was really blowing! There is a bit of a tale from my home country that goes something like this: “Tie a brick onto a long piece of line and hang it so that it is free to swing. If the brick/string is vertical, there isn’t enough wind to go sailing; If the brick/string are horizontal, then perhaps there is a little too much wind for a sail; Anywhere in between = just right for a sail.” Well, the brick would have been darn near horizontal whilst I wandered around that particular day 😉
This block and blue line appealed to me as they hung and swung, suspended above the dark cold water. Hope you enjoy it too.

“Block and Blue” – Halifax 2AM-000914
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f8 for 1/160 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

I find the marine flora and fauna of cold water habitats fascinating, and Nova Scotia in early winter did not disappoint me.This image, and the mussel image following it, were taken on a bucking and rolling floating dock that was doing its non-level best to ensure that either I fell in the cold cold water, or dropped the camera into said water, or fail to get a sharp image of the subjects that were interesting me. I am very thankful that the 5D Mark III handles high ISO noise so bloody well!

Halifax 2AM-000931
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f8 for 1/40 second at ISO 3200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Halifax 2AM-000937
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f8 for 1/30 second at ISO 5000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Some scenes need capturing, despite the quality (or lack thereof) of available light; I thought this public art installation the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk to be such a scene. This public art installation is a collaboration between Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg. One of the lampposts (at rear in this image) is peeing in the ocean. The other two are on their way home after drinking too much – the closest has stumbled and fallen, the other is bending over to check if all is okay with the fallen one.

“Drunken Street Lights” – Halifax 2AM-000946
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f8 for 1/30 second at ISO 5000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Boardwalk boards (and nails)

Halifax 2AM-000958
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f4 for 1/100 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Whilst she isn’t particularly old, this yacht is reminiscent of a time apparently long gone, when vessels actually had lovely lines! Plus, what’s not to like about bowsprits, jib-booms, bowlines, and vertically seamed sails with stitched lines along the leech?

Halifax 2AM-000968
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f16 for 1/125 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A new day, and, well, there were some trees still shedding their colorful leaves, and a stunningly sky, so why not?

Halifax 2AM-001342
Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f8 for 1/3200 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Halifax 2AM-001400
Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f8 for 1/2500 second at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Dusk was rapidly descending on a bloody chilly day when I happened upon this lovely little yawl at rest on its mooring in a secluded and tranquil inlet.

Halifax 2AM-001083
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/10 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes “hard to figure out at first” is intriguing – to me at least 🙂

Halifax 2AM-001084
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/10 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A revisit to Herring Cove because the light was “cleaner.”

Herring Cove 2AM-001036
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/15 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A little ‘overflow’ creek from Powers Pond to the Atlantic Ocean (via Herring Cove).

Herring Cove 2AM-001043
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/10 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

To me these next two images typify coastal fishing hamlets.

Herring Cove 2AM-001038
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/20 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

To my eye, when strolling around town, this image was very appealing. Initial concerns about it being “too busy” rapidly dissipated – likely due to the location of the colored elements, the reflections, and the leading line of the dock. Perhaps I am mistaken?

Herring Cove 2AM-001108
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f16 for 1/250 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Speaking of reflections… here are two more from the walking trail at Herring Cove Provincial Park Reserve.

Herring Cove 2AM-001115
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f16 for 1/60 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A stunning blue sky, granite, and grass.

Herring Cove 2AM-001062
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/25 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

My final image from Herring Cove showing one side of the entrance to Herring Cove; the great blue yonder is the fabled ornery Atlantic.

Herring Cove 2AM-001066
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/30 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

On the coldest day of the winter thus far (it having snowed the first snow of the season the previous night), we ventured on a quick trip down to Peggy’s Cove – a gorgeous sunset, some ice in the rocky depressions of the granite headland, and it was blowing stink, and we were right on the edge of the Atlantic. Not blowing quite strong enough for there to be whitecaps in the toilet, but darn near!
The following images were all captured within roughly one hour, and again, I present 4 images with the lighthouse in it, each sufficiently appealing to me.

There were some strange light behavior happenings last evening during dusk at Peggy’s Cove – one with my lens glare (this image), the other some neat atmospherics (the next image).

Peggy’s Cove 2AM-001471
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f16 for 1/200 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The three of us who were there together all were mesmerized by the vertical shaft of light – normally I expect to see crepuscular rays, but this instance had only the vertical element. As it was developing I was scampering around trying to find any element for foreground interest. “Beam me up” or perhaps a “batman-like beam.” 😉

Peggy’s Cove 2AM-001488
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1.6 seconds at ISO 100.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Peggy’s Cove 2AM-001474
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/25 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Peggy’s Cove 2AM-001485
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f22 for 1/8 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

And to wrap up this visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia – Canada, here is a light-painting of the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove – the primary purpose of the quick evening trip to Peggy’s Cove. I hope you enjoy this light-painting image – is was certainly the most difficult to make: my wife and our host said I looked a bit like a mountain goat running around over the rocks and boulders in the dark whilst painting the scene with my trusty Q-beam II Million power flashlight.

A light-painting – Peggy’s Cove 2AM-001515
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f5.6 for 30 seconds at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

A few hours in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

On the first day that the National Parks were reopened to the citizens who own them, I drove to the Smoky Mountains to have a few hours in Cades Cove – a truly remarkable location, and a visit I highly recommend.

All images are Copyright © Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
If you wish to purchase prints please visit my website http://andrew-mcinnes.artistwebsites.com/ or send an Email to me.

I feel so very fortunate to see a family of American Black Bears up close and personal – sort of.

Peek-a-boo 🙂

American Black Bear_2AM-000210
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/400 second at ISO 800 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mama bear ascends. Such amazing claws/claw strength!

American Black Bear_2AM-000214
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/400 second at ISO 800 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Unlike the assorted yahoo’s who observed the scene with me, I did not approach and stand under the tree!

American Black Bear_2AM-000371
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f5.6 for 1/125 second at ISO 1000 (handheld).
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The fog was very thick when I first arrived. This scene/habitat is very similar to that where I observed the bears.

Cades Cove_2AM-000546
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 1/5 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Morning light flashes the prairie through the fog.

Cades Cove_2AM-000553
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 1/8 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

This is not a monochrome/black-and-white treatment. Rather, the fog and rain and mist altered the light to what you see here.

Great Smoky Mountains_2AM-000528
Canon 7D with Canon 100-400MM f/4.5-5.6L lens. f22 for 1/13 second at ISO 500.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

The lovely winding road that leads to Cades Cove follows a stream for a good portion, and this lone tunnel is always intriguing to me. I stopped to take this image on my way out – the fall leaves are beginning to turn on a show right now!

Great Smoky Mountains_2AM-000079
Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 24-105MM f/4L lens. f22 for 6 seconds at ISO 800.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All Rights Reserved.

These images are a mere sampling of the wondrous place that is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For more of my images of the park, swing over to some of my earlier/archived posts:

https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/a-bloody-cold-shoot-in-the-mountains/
https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/serenity-in-the-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/

Cheers,

Andrew

Malaysia (3 of 3) – Scenes from a ship on the South China Sea.

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

This is the third, and final, post covering my recent trip to Malaysia. As it was not a photography or vacation trip, I took one camera with one lens – no tripod, flash, etc. Consequently, all of these images are handheld or rested on objects, and all are taken essentially as ‘snapshots’ throughout the day/night and with whatever light was available, not targeted light. All images were captured with Canon 7D and Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. Taking images with a slow shutter speed on a moving ship is certainly challenging 🙂

South China Sea 2AM-116929
Clouds and some of the unidentified islands (to me at least) of the South China Sea, photographed through the plane’s window somewhere between Kuala Lumpur (on the Malaysian peninsular) and Labuan Island (just off Malaysian Borneo).

South China Sea 2AM-117331
A glorious dusk on the South China Sea off Borneo. This image includes some of the fender chains at the bow.

South China Sea 2AM-117315
More from the bow of the ship – a spectacular sunset.

South China Sea 2AM-117353
Ripples on a calm, golden sea.

South China Sea 2AM-117354
Gold and steel.

South China Sea 2AM 117300-117310
A ten image panorama.

So long Malaysia, you are lovely and diverse, as are your people.

Malaysia (2 of 3) – Labuan and surrounds.

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

This is the second of three posts covering my recent trip to Malaysia. As it was not a photography or vacation trip, I took one camera with one lens – no tripod, flash, etc. Consequently, the great majority of these images are handheld, and all are taken essentially as ‘snapshots’ throughout the day/night and with whatever light was available, not targeted light. All images were captured with Canon 7D and Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens.

Labuan is one of three Federal Territories of Malaysia and is an island off Malaysian Borneo. This photo-blog will include some scenes from Labuan and some from nearby islands (island = Pulau).

Tiara Labuan Hotel 2AM-116933
The Tiara Labuan Hotel, where I stayed for the first few days on Labuan.

Water Village – Labuan 2AM-116956
This is one of the “water villages” on Labuan Island, Malaysia. At high tide the water comes within about one foot of the floors of these homes. The people in this village were lovely, friendly, and apparently content with their lot in life – perhaps those of us with so-called ‘first-world problems’ could learn some lessons from these fine folks. This scene reminded me of areas in Papua New Guinea, where I was raised.

Water Village – Labuan 2AM-116959
A closer look at part of a water village.

As my purpose for this trip was marine related, i.e. working offshore on vessels, there are several images of boats and dry-dock…

Labuan 2AM-117376
A storm and rainbow over a large assemblage of seismic vessels in Labuan Harbor.

Labuan 2AM-117371
Pre-strorm light illuminates a portion of Labuan’s commercial district.

Fishing Boat – Labuan 2AM-117064
A few local trawler vessels preparing for departure. I loved the character of the hulls of these boats.

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117092
Scaffolding surrounds a ship that is dry-docked (photographed at night).

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117154
A worker inside a dry-docked barge uses an oxy acetylene torch to cut out great plates of compromised steel that are part of the hull of this barge.

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117173
Spectacular showers of molten steel sparks – a result of three oxy acetylene torches.

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117166
Sparks rain down onto the great plates of steel as other plates are being cut out.

Water taxis were abundant and necessary for those, like me, who work on vessels.

Water Taxi – Labuan 2AM-117059
At rest – the bows of several taxis.

Labuan has an active bazaar which was both bustling and fascinating. All manner of goods and services are available including electronic repairs, jewelry, food, tailors, fashion, cobblers, etc.

Cobbler – Labuan 2AM-117069
This shoe repairman was amazingly efficient with his workmanship, and a very pleasant fellow.

Cobbler – Labuan 2AM-117074
Some of this cobbler’s tools of the trade – all manually applied instruments.

Bazaar – Labuan 2AM-117080
A vendor watches a shopper stroll through a portion of the bazaar.

Arrrg! Almost without exception, whatever body of water I may be on, this is what I see, to varying extents (and this is only the visible stuff – I cannot imagine how much chemical contaminants are present). These images, though from Malaysian waters, are not endemic to this place.

Marine Trash – Labuan 2AM-117055
Quite the assortment!

Marine Trash – Labuan 2AM-117056
Trash piled up between two small barges.

As there were several days of downtime awaiting the arrival of the vessel which was the vehicle for my work, several of us – Australian, German, French, American – hired a local boat owner to take us to a few off the nearby islands. These places, though offshore, are not exempt from marine pollution.

Palau Rusukan Kecil - Malaysia 2AM-117011_7D

Pulau Rusukan Kecil – Malaysia 2AM-117011
More marine trash – an aesthetics killer.

More scenics from Pulau Rusukan Kecil, this time sans trash. A thoroughly delightful and complex group of little islands, all very proximal to each other.

Palau Rusukan Kecil - Malaysia 2AM-116996_7D

Pulau Rusukan Kecil – Malaysia 2AM-116996

Palau Rusukan Kecil - Malaysia 2AM-117014_7D

Pulau Rusukan Kecil – Malaysia 2AM-117014
A lovely sense of isolation on this island’s beaches.

Palau Rusukan Kecil - Malaysia 2AM-117027_7D

Pulau Rusukan Kecil – Malaysia 2AM-117027
Tropical paradise.

This next island is designated as a marine park – a “no-take, no damage” island and surrounding waters.

Pulau Kuraman – Malaysia 2AM-116984
The red vessel is the one we adventured with. A lovely place for a swim/snorkel.

The following four images are from Pulau Daat, an island with a village populated by Philippine fishermen and their families. The colors were so vivid – almost startling – so much so that I was keenly wanting to explore and visit with the residents.

Pulau Daat – Malaysia 2AM-117049
The approaching view.

Pulau Daat – Malaysia 2AM-117038
A sampling of the colorful little fishing boats. The fishermen take these little, and highly unstable, motorized vessels offshore to fish – you might notice the outriggers that they troll their lines/lures off.

Pulau Daat – Malaysia 2AM-117040
Home to a fishing family – how about the color!

Pulau Daat – Malaysia 2AM-117044
I was fortunate to spend time visiting with some of the folks whereby verbal communication was challenging due to language barriers. One thing I already knew from my various travels was reinforced though… a smile goes a million miles in human interactions. What started as a chat with the four men (photo-front), soon became a delightful visit with over 2 dozen folks, most of which were children – once they “got their courage up.”

Back to Labuan.

Pond Cleaning Man - Labuan 2AM-116954_7D

Pond Cleaning Man – Labuan 2AM-116954
A worker harvest plants from a freshwater pond at the WWII Memorial.

As my last location before I departed Malaysia was at a dock in Labuan, I’ll close this post with a few images from there.

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117392
Mid afternoon a storm began building and I was hopeful there might just be some amazing light as dusk approached. I was not disappointed by the storm or the color!

Labuan Shipyard 2AM-117395
Industrial imagination.

Hopefully you experienced some of the sights, sounds, and scents , if vicariously, through these images.

I sure appreciate you visiting.

Cheers,

Andrew

Same scene, different interpretation – Garner State Park, TX.

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

I recently traveled to the beautiful Garner State Park, Texas to photograph night shots which were to include light-painting.

This blog contains two images; though they were the exact same composition, and both taken after twilight, these are two very different images.

The first image is your “standard” light-painting and was taken after humanly visible light had vanished:

Garner State Park 2AM-115918
A single capture with light-painting.
Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f5.6 for 40 seconds at ISO 1600.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

The second image also includes light-painting, and the process of capturing this image was started about 10 minutes after the photo above. However, this second image is a “stacked” image – I took 61 photographs, the first of which was the light-painting on the trees and “Old Baldy” then a further 60 images were taken without any light-painting (the last image is a “blank” which helps reduce the digital noise). Total exposure time equates to a little over 40 minutes. Each image had the exact settings of the first photo posted (above) and I compiled them using software that is dedicated to stacking images.

Garner-State-Park-2AM-115920-115980_stackedImage2
61 image stack for a total exposure time of ~40 minutes.
Each frame/picture had the following settings:
Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f5.6 for 40 seconds at ISO 1600.
Copyright © Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

I could have (and should have) taken a single, 40 minute long-exposure image as this would also have a slightly different interpretation of the scene. That longer exposure would have had more digital noise but smoother star-trails.

So from the same scene and the same composition we can get multiple interpretations/photographs by using different photographic techniques.

Hope you enjoyed these images 🙂

I have previously posted blogs showing this location (Garner State Park, Texas) in Fall color:

https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/a-wet-and-colorful-weekend-near-utopia-tx/

https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/fall-rotation-thanksgiving-2011-garner-state-park-tx/

A very brief trip to the Texas panhandle – Palo Duro Canyon, Cadillac Ranch, and Wind Turbines.

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

The Texas panhandle is a fascinating region and I spend too little time there unfortunately. Recently I fit in a very quick trip to recharge. Here are a few images from that trip.

Prints of my images are available if you click on the Licensing/Purchasing images tab on this blog or click this link: https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/licensingpurchasing-images/

All images Copyright Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography.

Wind Turbine 2AM-114791
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f5.6 for 1/5 second at ISO 1600.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

Cadillac Ranch 2AM-114850
Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f22 for 1/2 second at ISO 400.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

Hoodoo at Capital Peak - Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114814_7D_blog

Hoodoo at Capital Peak – Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114814
Canon 7D with Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens. f11 for 1/800 second at ISO 200.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

Capital Peak - Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114896_7D_blog

Capital Peak - Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114897_7D_blog

Golden-fronted Woodpecker 2AM-30656_30D_blog

Golden-fronted Woodpecker 2AM-30656
Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens and Tamron 1.4x teleconverter. f5.6 for 1/320 second at ISO 1000.
© Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.

The Lighthouse - Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114886_7D_blog

Hoodoo at Capital Peak - Palo Duro Canyon 2AM-114844_7D_blog

That is the end of this little adventure. Thanks for visiting!

A little bit of Grand ‘ole Texas – a photo-tour.

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Andrew McInnes Photography

Recently we had two friends from overseas visit with us at our home in Texas. Unfortunately their time in this great state was very limited so we were unable to show them much of Texas. To compensate, we instead created a ‘photo-journey’ through some of the diversity and grandeur contained within this state.

From the Gulf of Mexico and coastal marshes, to the Hill Country and on through to the mountains of West Texas…

1_Kemp's ridley sea turtle_Andrew McInnes-2AM-28367_small

2_Dawn Fishing_Andrew McInnes-2AM-24908_small

3_Trawler_Andrew McInnes-2AM-109703_small

4_Green Heron_Andrew McInnes-2AM-7848_small

5_Great Egret Family_Andrew McInnes-2AM-7177_small

4_Caddo Lake State Park_Andrew McInnes-2AM-114548_small

8_Pied-billed Grebe_Andrew McInnes-2AM-13193_small

9_Bluebonnet Highway_Andrew McInnes-2AM-28665_small

10_Claret-cup Cactus_Andrew McInnes-2AM-28736_30D_small

11_Sabinal River_Andrew McInnes-2AM-106270_small

12_Poppies and fence_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110209_small

13_Wildflowers and Fence_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110506_small

14_Sunflower and Ladybird Beetle_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110488_small

15_Locust and Thistle_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110423_small

17_Garner State Park_Andrew McInnes-2AM-27737_small

18_Stockyards_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110286_small

19_Wild Oats_Andrew McInnes-2AM-110425_small

20_Coyote_Andrew McInnes-2AM-14844_small

21_Independence Creek_Andrew McInnes-2AM-106000_small

22_Salt Flat_Andrew McInnes-2AM-0010_small

23_Davis Mountains State Park_Andrew McInnes-2AM-114647_small

I hope you enjoyed this partial look at wondrous Texas. So much to experience, too little time.

Margaret River Region – Australia’s South West

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Andrew McInnes Photography

A region of diversity famous for its premium wines and stunning wineries, picturesque rural vistas, stunning forests, spectacular coast with both tranquil beaches and world-class surfing, plus fantastic views and proximity to the southward migration of humpback and other whales. Welcome to the Margaret River Region of Australia’s South West.

This is Canal Rocks under heavy swell.

A lovely “chute” with abundant epiphytes – an offshoot of the “canal”.

The view as you descend to Canal Rocks.

A lovely drive through a karri forest.

Boranup Karri Forest.

The now ruined Hamelin Bay Jetty was built in 1882 to service the local timber mills.

Proximal to the jetty ruins is a small public boat ramp.

This is the other portion of Hamelin Bay.

If you are lucky (and perhaps brave), you might be fortunate enough to have the local stingrays pay you a visit – as they did here to my lovely wife. Although massive, these are “gentle” creatures – the worst you may experience is them nom-nomming (chewing) on your toes 🙂

Smooth Stingray - Hamelin Bay 2AM-113560_7D

The “business end” of a massive ray (and another coming in from the back).

Smooth Stingray - Hamelin Bay 2AM-113530_7D_Facebook

Sugarloaf Rock, Cape Naturaliste.

Injidup Point, not far from the mouth of the Margaret River.

Injidup Point.

Dune and clouds at Moses Rocks.

Yallingup, a world famous surf-break which was quite that day, at dusk just before we nestled among the boulders to enjoy a quite beverage and hors d’oeuvres – magical.

A little color and softness among the colorful rocks at Yallingup.

Meelup Beach, a glorious place to take a dip.

Picnic table with a view – Meelup Beach.

Castle Rock, just around the point from Meelup Beach. Climbing the point nearby allows for unfettered views of Geographe Bay and the Indian Ocean.

Same feature, different view/feel.

A ketch at anchor in the tranquility afforded by Geographe Bay – viewed from “whale lookout” at Castle Rock.

This lovely tranquil beach with its clear and clean water also has portions dotted with boulders, some of which are partially submerged.

More rocks, first by daylight, then after dusk – with light added by flashlight.

Hues of blue – a light-painting.

Dusk at Castle Rock.

Ah, the primary image I originally went to Castle Rock for: A light painting with stars and meteorite.
I had to rock-hop in a mad dash once I set the self timer for the exposure in order to position myself such that the shadows/light source were creating the feel I wanted. Thankfully no falls or broken ankles!

Andrew McInnes Photography

Imagery © Andrew McInnes

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