Robert's Ramblings

I am driving through Myponga every other day now and passing through so much gorgeous scenery.

Most of the time my camera is still entombed in its underwater housing but this time I did my best to dry off the housing and retrieve it on route.

There are so many wonderful views of the Myponga Reservoir and I will start to explore them but for starters I've just pulled over on the side of the road just out of Myponga and captured the view from there.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 670, Myponga Reservoir', 1/30s f11 ISO100 15mm

Something scary for Halloween!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 671, Boo' 1/1250s f/2.8 ISO1600 200mm

Unlike a bulldozer the nudibranch (sea slug) Ceratosoma brevicaudatum eats its way through its path rather than pushes it.

This little guy would have to be one of the most common nudibranchs seen be divers along our southern coastline. A regular on both Edithburgh and Rapid Bay jetties, Ceratosoma brevicaudatum is both large at 5-10cm in length and colourful making it easily spotted by divers not skilled in finding its smaller cousins.

This nudibranch at Rapid Bay Jetty today looks to be feeding on a pink/purple sponge making a striking contrast with it own colours!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 669, Sponge Dozer', 1/40s f11 ISO320 100mm+20mmEXT

Out the front is a for sale sign. The fences are torn down in places. Dirt and rubble have been piled high where a driveway once had been.

Standing inside the remains of this farm building and watching the sunset had me wondering just how long ago the sun had set on this forgotten place.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 668, Forgotten Sunset', 1/25s f11 ISO640 21mm

Over the last few weeks I have been following the progress of a brooding Tasseled Anglerfish (Rhycherus filamentosus) with a clutch of eggs.

The father is still in his place guarding the clutch and in the last couple of days has started fanning the eggs with his tail. Here four little eggs have become detached from the mass and fallen to the bottom but still very close and probably safe where they are.

On inspection of other eggs I see very small yolks still visible but as they are almost gone hatching should be in a day or two.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 667, New Life', 1/80s f14 ISO320 100mm

Sometimes you do not even need a tripod and simply resting the camera on the ground will suffice.

Having a camera at ground level does however have its risks. I had to pluck the camera to safety a moment after I captured this image as that wave washed over the foreground pebbles. Better they get salted than my camera.

Yet again another image of Rapid Bay but one from a vantage I have never tried before.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 666, Salty Pebbles', 1/160s f22 ISO100 17mm

It's easy to imagine that above those stilts of legs there is some alien spacecraft just touched down in a primal sea.

Any moment now an under-hull hatch will open and other-worldly visitors will descend to explore their new discovery.

Thanks Jennifer for your imagination. Up until then it was just a jetty!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 665, The Jetty Has Landed', 2s f/16 ISO100 15mm

There is definitely a dark side creeping in to my work.

There was an awesome sunset tonight. A wonderful mix of sun and cloud and sun and cloud as the sun sank through shutters of dark and gold. When the sun was well gone the clouds lit up with oranges and reds. The the last burning
embers int the sky contrasting the greens and purples in the sand and in the sea.

Tonight we got at least fifty shades of awesome.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 664, Fifty Shades of Awesome', 2s f/18 ISO100 15mm

Candid photography is both more interesting and easier from unusual places.

Here looking down I saw this man framed within a gridded network of tiles. My perspective made the grid the defining subject. The man, well an interesting foreground subject.

Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 663, The Grid', 1/160s f/4.0 ISO640 182mm

Today was one of the windier ones with powerful northerlies ahead of a westerly front.

Late today I thought I'd try some long exposure shots of windy Henley Beach. The strategy was simple.

1. Guess the aiming of the camera and all the required camera settings with the lens cap on.
2. Quickly remove the lens cap and capture a single long exposure.
3. Face the camera away from the wind and clean the salt spray off the lens.
4. Repeat.

With the driving wind and long time exposure it was almost impossible to keep the camera still on its tripod. Of all I think this one came out the best.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 662, Dark Wind', 15s f/9 ISO100 40mm

I was recently reading an article on photographing clouds as backdrops for compositing. I do not do composites from different times and places so I only half paid it any attention.

For me if I am going to photograph clouds it is because I see something extraordinary. Fortunately, and with the recent weather we have been having, this happens regularly.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 661, Cloud Soaring', 1/500s f/10 ISO320 75mm

I had thought that they had banned 'jetty jumping' down at the bay.

I won't get into the pros and cons of government protecting us from ourselves but I will say some rules just need to be broken. There is something so playful and so representing of summer about jetty jumping. Just watching people meander up and down a jetty says nothing about the seasons or even if they are enjoying themselves, but the moment you see people leaping into the water you can be sure summer is coming.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 660, Summer Harbinger', 1/6400s f/4.0 ISO320 200mm

When going on a photo walk there is always a sense of discovering the unexpected.

Generally there is plenty of time to observe, visualize and then capture each image but there are also the unexpected surprises when suddenly a moment is there and gone.

This chance image of a young child climbing a set of stairs was just such a surprise. I noticed, framed, got one shot and then the moment was gone


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 659, Stairway To Heaven', 1/200s f/2.8 ISO640 88mm

I can't say for sure why this scene caught my eye. The serious sign, the opaque glass, the tantalising glimpse of secrets beyond, the simple lines all combine in a fascinating way.

Those familiar with international travel in Adelaide airport may have even noticed this too. I can say however I felt like I was intruding taking this image and expected to he hauled away without notice. Fortunately that did not happen.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 658, Serious Stuff', 1/200s f/4.0 ISO640 120mm

I never tire of these beautiful, mystical creatures.

With my recent increased level of diving Rapid Bay I have become familiar with a pair of Leafy Seadragons, one with eggs and I assume the other its female partner. Conditions for photography over the last few weeks have been really bad with surgy, turbid water but at least I can extract a few decent images by getting as close as possible with macro photography.

This dragon is my most recent find and her portrait just beautiful.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 657, Mystical Portrait', 1/50s f/9.0 ISO320 100mm

The first time I crawled through the fence to take some images here I found the owner of the property back at my car ready to give me a deserved dressing down for trespassing.

At first I got defensive and tried to justify myself and then allowed myself to imagine what I would be like if I discovered a photographer wandering around my property. I apologised, introduced myself and briefly discussed the issue before asking John if I could take some more images. From there he began to describe all of the beautiful parts of his large property including the times of day the light was best.

Now that I know where John lives it will be simple to drop in and ask next time I am in that area. What do you do though when driving hours through country side and have not seen any sign of a house and you spy an inviting derelict building just asking to be photographed. How would you ever know even who to ask permission to enter a property even if you wanted to. Would you simply accept that jumping the fence for that one or two frames before the light was gone is just something you must be disciplined about and not do?

I have no real answer here but I can say if you can get permission it feels good and there may be benefits and photographic opportunities that would not have come any other way.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 656, Trespasser', 8s f/11 ISO160 15mm

I used to hate blurred photos but isn't that how you would see the world if you were short sighted?

Well yes but no actually. When a myopic person sees a blurred landscape there is no real distinction where one object becomes the next. Our brains try and put the image together in a way that makes sense but it is a fluid and changeable perception. When a myopic lens captures a blurred image there is a well defined pattern around objects. When we look at this image we see clean sharp edges around point light sources and blurred transitions elsewhere. If composed well this image has enough sharp and soft elements to anchor our focus and be perceived as a pleasing.

Well that was the intention! Your thoughts?


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 655, Myopia', 1/500s f/2.8 ISO800 85mm

The beautiful fan worm Sabellastarte australiensis is both gorgeous to watch as well as fun to play with.

That peacock-like fan is actually the feeding tentacles of a non descript looking worm that lives in a mud tube. If you have not already spooked it you get the chance to photograph it. If the camera strobes have not spooked it you get the chance to touch it. When you do touch it, ... in the briefest blink of an eye it all disappears back into the mud tube where the rest of the worm remains safe from predators.

If you are patient enough to wait for the fan to re-emerge you get to do it all again.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 654, No Ordinary Worm', 1/50s f/11 ISO320 100mm

Over the last few weeks I have been following the progress of a brooding Tasseled Anglerfish (Rhycherus filamentosus) with a clutch of eggs. During this time I became concerned that they did not look healthy and now I am pretty sure none will be viable.

During my dives however I was fortunate to find another brooding parent and these eggs looked great with large healthy yolks.

This image show the progress of the new clutch and the embryonic anglerfish with clearly defined eyes, body and fins. About a week to go I'd say!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 653, Babies, Babies, Babies', 1/50s f/11 ISO320 100mm

This image is unashamedly something akin to a scene from 'the animated 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity is a long way from Paris and maybe some might call the HDR rendering a blasphemy but I really wanted to try something different. With its almost animated look it feels much more 'European' than 'South Australian'. I intentionally kept the colours muted with attention to the blues, greys and the soft texture in the sky.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 652, Nativity Bell Tower', 5s f/7.1 ISO800 115mm

The historic Port Adelaide Lighthouse has an amazing history,

Prefabricated in England, installed in 1869 at the entrance to the Port River. Moved several times and served until 1985 on South Neptune Island overlooking the seals and the great whites.

In 1986 the Lighthouse was moved to its current location here as a tourist icon and is now lit at night with gaudy colored lighting. This image was captured in saturated red and blue lighting but I felt that black and white was needed to properly respect its heritage.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 651, The Lighthouse', 4s f/7.1 ISO1000 15mm

There is something in the water down there at Rapid Bay. Everything seems to be pregnant!

Well this Leafy Seadragon is not exactly pregnant. In fact it's not even a girl but a male expressing its fatherly love.

The male Leafy Seadragon takes care of the eggs immediately after they are fertilized for the entire term until hatching. In fact, once the female lays her eggs she plays no further part in child rearing and is free to go off and do what female seadragons do.

By the look of his eggs and how clean they are I'd say these were freshly hatched. Very soon they will be covered in a green algae so they become less conspicuous. I am looking forward to watching their progress.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 650, Fatherly Love', 1/50s f/10 ISO320 40mm +2

Rapid Bay is finally starting to clear up again after a few weeks of northerly swell turning the water into milky white.

This dive was very late in the day and as much as I would have not thought there was an undersea equivalent to 'the golden hour'. Well now I know there is! The soft subdued light still had the quality of a sunlit day with all its specular highlights from the surface and below but the water itself did light up with the diffuse scattering normally associated with turbid water. Note to self, 'dive this time of day more often'.

A young spider crab checks me out as I swim past and I can almost guess what he is thinking.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 649, My Turf', 1/50s f/8 ISO320 40mm +2

At first it was the reflections in the window that caught my eye; the cafe across the street, the roadside bench, the exit sign.

Then I noticed the textures in the window itself; the misaligned frame, the scratches in the wood, the distorted panes of translucent glass, the dribbled stain of grime.

No longer was 'Exit' my subject.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 648, No Exit', 1/5s f/16 ISO400 200mm

This is my favorite time of the day when the colours in the western sky take on the most gorgeous and saturated hues of red, orange, blue, green and purple. In fact it is one huge rainbow wall.

What a perfect back-light for a twilight silhouette.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 647, Twilight Silhouette', 1/160s f/2.8 ISO800 145mm

I can easily imagine this place in a rural town with adjacent cemetery.

In reality it is on a very busy main road in Port Adelaide.

I am not really a big fan of this style but once I saw the grungy drama I got a little carried away. After that it became an exercise in restoring overall tonal sensibility and having some fun.

There's nothing sacred at all about what I have done with this image.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 646, Sacred Abode', 1.3s f/11 ISO100 15mm

Is it possible to make blur look interesting?

For various technical reasons a panning shot of passing cars with an FE lens was never going to produce the classic 'speed' look. For starters the radically changing geometry of the subjects through the panning sweep as absurd. Still it was worth some experimentation to see what could be done.

Even though nothing is actually sharp in this shot I like it. It feels strong as a composition. Hmm, now if only I'd started the pan a fraction of a second sooner!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 645, Cruising in Colour', 1/13s f/11 ISO100 15mm

This guy was sitting perched atop a structure of sponge and ascidian encrusted twisted jetty wreckage.

Like many of our wrasses the brownspotted wrasse (Notolabrus parilus) behaves around divers with a mix of curiosity and timidity. Not one to anthropomorphise our local critters I still can not help see the resemblance to human traits.

Anther bad visibility day at Rapid Bay Jetty and having a 100mm macro lens fitted made this image look all washed out. The monochrome rendering really brought it back to life.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 644, Brownspotted Wrasse', 1/160s f/10 ISO320 100mm

What's the most intimidating badass camera you have ever seen?

The bane of every suburban motorist is the speed camera lurking in out of the way 50km/h limit backstreets. Oddly enough most mobile phones these days have higher resolution cameras than these brutes. It's only 11 megapixels but seems to do the job well. I also got a good look inside and the optics sitting in front of its sensor would make most DSLR enthusiasts happy even it the resolution did not.

No speeding fines ensued this time around but I'll be keeping a watchful eye out around those backstreets in future.

Disclaimer: Yes I have edited the number plate to protect the innocent!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 643, BadAss Camera', 1/2s f/11 ISO100 15mm

When the doors are closed, locked, uninviting there is not need for a 'sorry we are closed' sign.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 642, Closed For Business', 1/250s f/6.3 ISO400 15mm