Black To The Future

Q Is For Queensland

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

No, it's not a black-and-white photograph! But do let me tell you the story ...

Two years ago we were up north in Queensland for a week's holiday. We rented an apartment at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast and when I say it was beachside, I mean it was beachside! All we had to do was go down to the lobby, cross the street and we were on the beach. The ad slogan for Queensland is: ``Beautiful one day, perfect the next'' and we were there before the weather got too hot, so it really was perfect.

One morning, we were just about to head downstairs when I noticed it had clouded over. I went out to the balcony to see if there was any chance of rain - and saw this amazing sight. The clouds had come rolling in and while the sun had been blocked out, its rays were actually shining through like some fake theatre backdrop.

I quickly reached for my camera and shot two frames, one vertical and one horizontal. This was back before I got my Pentax K100D, and the scene was shot on film with one of my favourite cameras, a Canon EOS 3000. The really interesting aspects of this shot are:

a) You can actually see a patch of lilac sky on the right and no, I haven't modified this image in any way;
b) Look on the horizon and you'll see a strip of silvery light across the surface of the water;
c) Because we were on the sixth floor, I was actually on the same level as a row of trees - so their silhouette of the upturned branches actually gives the image an added element of realism.