Wednesday, November 14, 2007

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.

49 comments:

Gerald (Ackworth born) said...

a very nice capture - i.m sure the reality was even more spectacular

Pijush said...

Awesome simply awesome shot David.

mrsnesbitt said...

How dramatic! Good that you had your camera with you. I am finding I miss great moments so I now take my camera everywhere I go.

Ananda Niyogi said...

Amazing, to say the least! Loved the wonderful textures in the clouds with the pencils of light filtering through...

Just curious to know what made you shift to Pentax, after you had used Canon(I am a Nikon-ian, btw). When you moved to digital, was there any specific reason why you picked up the Pentax?

david mcmahon said...

Hi Ackworth Born,

Thank you very much, sir. I was just standing there with my mouth open - then I realised if I didn;t get the camera, it would all be gone and the clouds would have shifted in a few seconds.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Pijush,

Lucky shot. I was just there at the right time and in the right place - and I had my camera right there beside me.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Denise,

It was very dramatic because it was all gone so quickly after the clouds shifted and the sun came back through.

It's not the sort of scene you can describe to someone who wasn't there - so I was lucky I had my camera a few feet away.

Great to hear you carry your camera everywhere.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Ananda,

I couldn't believe what a beautiful scene it was - and latr, I couldn't believe how quickly it had vanished completely.

In answer to your question, I tested the Pentax a year ago, really liked it and decided to buy it.

Why? Because a few days earlier I had made up my mind to update my blog every day. Being a journalist and a layout/design person, I know how important visual stimulation is for any reader - so I gifured a digital camera woould really assist me if I was going to be serious about blogging.

Hence the Pentax .... but I still have the Canon with me.

Cheers

David

Anonymous said...

Wow! David,
I love mother nature she is simply amazing,what a great shot!
What type of trees are those David? i have never seen branches like those before.
Thanks for stopping by and for your lovely comment.
kristina x

Anonymous said...

Hey over there,
i'm back again lol .....morris garage you say...hmmm i wasn't aware of that fact David thanks for sharing.
Its not very glamorous though is it David lol ?
Kristina x

Mike said...

It's a stunning photo David, as dramatic as it gets.

Melissa said...

Just beautiful David. I bet the real view was absolutely gorgeous. I like the look of the trees in the photo.

david mcmahon said...

Hi Kristina,

I wish I could tell you what trees they were - but I wouldn't have a clue.

And as we were just there on holiday, I have no way of checking.

Maybe they were a pine variety - but even with the upturned branches, I have no idea.

Do keep in touch

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Mike,

Thank you. It was all the more dramatic because the clouds swept in suddenly and the, just as swiftly, they had dispersed!.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Melissa,

We're so blessed by the sights Mother Nature bestows on us.

I wonder if your Dad would know what tress they were.....

Cheers

David

lime said...

every aspect of this adds to the drama. wonderful shot.

Lee said...

Awesome photo, David! This type of image is one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing it.

Peace! Hope! & Joy!

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Wow! Fabulous picture. Thanks for the camera info. Tough choice between Canon and Pentax. Ummm, I think I would pick Nikon :)

I am really not sure about the trees, perhaps some sort of Araucaria.

Have a nice Wednesday and rest of the week, David.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely STUNNING, David!! I love all of your photographs.

david mcmahon said...

Hi Lime,

Thank you so much. It was a great blessing to be able to see something as dramatic as that.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Lee,

Thank you for your very kind words.

Peace love and joy to you and all who are important to you and your life.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

G'day Chris,

It's interesting to see how many bloggers use Nikon. They're certainly the dominant camera, it seems.

Thanks for your pointer about the trees, too.

Cheers

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Secret Agent Mama,

In response to praise like that, all I can say, very humbly, is a sincere ``Thank You''.

Cheers

David

hpy said...

A very beautiful picture of light. And that moment is not easy to catch, it usually speeds away in a very few minutes, or sometimes seconds.

david mcmahon said...

Hi HPY,

You're so right with that observation. I just had time for two shots and the clouds had moved and the sun was visible again.

How swiftly Nature shields her greatest beauties ....

Thanks for visiting

Cheers

David

somepinkflowers said...

ooowowowo!

truly amazing photo.

:-)

don't you just love it
when you are in the right place
with your camera
and you get to capture the moment!

dot said...

Amazing shot! I'm curious about the type of trees also.

WalksFarWoman said...

Wow David! Pictures like these are just priceless. How honoured you were to be in the right place at the right time to be a part of it. The trees are certainly usual and worthy of further investigation. That photo is surely deemed to be a calendar print.

i beati said...

stellar shot

kml said...

The rays are gorgeous!

RUTH said...

What a beautiful photo. Keep smiling :o)

Rambler said...

I Like the range in the color in the picture.. real nice one

thanks for stopping by earlier
actually I have more to wordpress.
http://virtualrambling.wordpress.com

smilnsigh said...

Very, very beautiful. And yes, I noticed that bit of sky.

Also, nice to hear you did nothing to this photo. {One of my pet peeves, "Photo-shopping" photos... I know, I'm in a minority. But that never stopped me. -smile-}

Mari-Nanci

Anonymous said...

This is so gorgeous.

NorthBayPhoto said...

Fantastic shot!

Misty DawnS said...

Oh my gosh David, I just about choked on my coffee when I saw this photo! I took a photo very, very similar to this! This is gorgeous.

Jeni said...

Your selections of your pics posted here daily just keep getting better and better! I think, hard put as I would be to select a favorite, I would have to label this one as the one I have found the absolutely most striking. Just awesome, really, really awesome!

Anonymous said...

Wow.

WOW.

WOW WOW WOW!

Perhaps one of the single-most beautiful photographs I have ever seen.

Wow.

Corey~living and loving said...

WOW! I am always waiting for a perfect moment like that.

reason 2568 to always keep you camera with you. :)

have a great day David!

Nessa said...

That's an amazing picture.

Sam Fox said...

Stunning shot, David, thanks for sharing that with us, I have one for you which I will post next blog - however today I have posted a new blog on ..... well, refilling.

Oswegan said...

Very nicely done sir.

Looks like its all been said, So I'll just say, "I agree."

~Oswegan

Pete M said...

Cracking bleed through of the sun

imac said...

The power of nature captured by David Mcmahon.

John said...

Stunning shot, David. I LOVE this!

Anonymous said...

Now thats a weather shot. And I love the "fingers of God" poking through the clouds like that, very hard to capture but worth it when you do.

FHB said...

Beautiful! Too cool.

~**Dawn**~ said...

David! What a cool photo!! This is the kind of thing you could frame & hang on your wall!

Anonymous said...

That photo is spectacular! Absolutely gorgeous!