Robert's Ramblings

Perhaps I won't even talk about this image as the title should tell all.

Actually I hunched down low and walked high up on the stones under Glenelg's King Street Bridge and well away from harms way.

Still, wet feet never really did anyone any harm, did they?


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 911, Wet Feet' 30s f/11 ISO100 15mm

Every time I see an ice trail in the sky I marvel at that little grey dot 8,000m above me.

I ponder the possible stories of the hundreds of souls above me. I wonder where are they going and from where have they come. I reminisce the journeys I have made and look forward to the ones I am planning.

Afterwards I'm left humbled by our achievements, grateful for our technologies and excited for our future.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 910, Oh The Wonder' 1/8000s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

With the current rebuilding of the Patawalonga lock walkway we have a new, but temporary, view of Holdfast Shores so hence the inspiration for creating this image.

An image like this one is not easy to come by. The long exposure requires that the conditions be very calm or else the boats would be a blurry mess. I guess I got lucky.

The second difficulty in creating this image is dynamic range. The range of lighting from light to dark is normally too extreme for a single image so multiple exposures were needed. Again, those boats needed to stay very still for a long time!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 909, Holdfast Shores' 30s f/7.1 ISO320 15mm

I watched this gentleman for some time as he carefully sawed his way around the kangaroo's neck and down to his feet.

Oddly enough my very first question to him had nothing to do with his art but on the legality of defacing coins. His eagerly offered response was that where there was no intent to defraud then there was nothing wrong with creating art from coins. This was not the story I had believed to be true so I decided to check for myself.

After reading the Crimes (Currency) Act 1981 as amended, I came to the following conclusions.

Any coin deemed 'current' and legal for tender in Australia is covered by this act. Making jewelry from, being in possession of or selling such jewelry could lead to a $5000 fine and/or a two year jail term for each offence! Fortunately for our local artist the Australian penny is no longer current and in this case perfectly lawful.

That being said I may possibly have, though I can't really be sure, seen a piece or two made from current coins. Good thing I can't remember his name either!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 908, Penny Artist' 1/80s f/4 ISO100 200mm

The Pat, as it is affectionately known has proudly sported it's new cycling multi-colour bridge for a couple years now.

Over an hour you can watch it change from green to blue to purple to red to ... Actually I am not sure how many colours it has as I have never sat and watched long enough to see them all.

Just for fun during this long exposure I zoomed in to get a better look!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 907, The Patawalonga' 15s f/6.3 ISO100 102mm

Old sockets don't die easily.

Lying here on the ground this eclectic mix of rusted tools seems almost at home in the burnt orange of winter leaf-fall.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 906, Old Sockets' 1/1000s f/4.5 ISO100 200mm

Oh how our gadgets have changed.

Forty years ago this Australian made television would have taken pride of place in someones home or office.

Being a small portable device it most likely would have been a personal source of escape to game shows, movies, sitcoms or sports sports.

Now the last and only show this television will ever play are the passers-by as their deep image image reflects in the glassy screen.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 905, AWA Deep Image' 1/640s f/4 ISO100 200mm

I was oh so close to using the word 'mirror' in my title.

These two cruisers are really quite different but the combination of apparent and real reflections gives the impression of sameness well before the differences become apparent.

In the same way real twins often seem identical until you take the time to notice.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 904, Twins' 4s f/7.1 ISO320 15mm

These little jugs looked so cool in the 'bad light'.

Something about the highlights, the gold, the colourful hand painted motifs made me capture that coolness forever.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 903, Jugs' 1/4000s f/4 ISO100 200mm

As I stared into the strange geometry of the SAHMRI building I was taken back to an equally wondrous building I remembered from earlier times.

A single building as large as a city and so wondrous to behold it held the native locals in superstitious awe. That building, or more correctly, that citadel was created by the inhabitants of the planet Exxillon, was declared the 700th wonder of the universe and ultimately it brought about their demise.

At this point only a true and seasoned Whovian would have a clue what I am talking. If you are just a little curious it will not take you too long to discover this story of The Dr, the Exxillons and the Daleks.

Let's hope the SAHMRI building does not lead us to a similar fate.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 902, Exxilon City, The 700th Wonder' 5s f/11 ISO400 15m

A spanner in the works is generally considered a bad thing.

Lots of spanners makes it all the more interesting.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 901, Spanners In The Works' 1/1250s f/4.5 ISO100 200m

With a full moon directly overhead and peeking through scattered cloud, Adelaide was covered with one of the the most surreal nighttime illumination I have even seen.

As the clouds were lit from both below and above they glowed like phosphorescent cotton wool while the western park-lands bathed in the monochrome of moonlight formed a mottled cacophony dark textures.

The evening lights of the Adelaide skyline are gorgeous enough. This evening was simply awesome.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 900, Supermooned Adelaide' 4s f/6.3 ISO100 200m

They're not quite the glass slippers Cinderella donned for The Ball,

more fitting one of her sisters that day.

With their polka dot spots and those garish red roses,

they're still kind of cute in a way.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 899, The Sister's Shoes' 1/800 f/2.8 ISO100 200m

With a big tide and no safe beach left to come in on a ghost of a surfer calls it a day.

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 898, Ghost of a Surfer' 3.2s f/16 ISO100 15mm

The stunning SAHMRI building on North Terrace is a photographic draw-card that keeps me coming back. In this case its backside has my complete attention


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 897, One Heck of a Backside' 2.5s f/11 ISO400 15mm

I really think that gold is fast becoming my favorite colour.

Its certainly up there with my other favorites such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

This night it's gold as the sun sets behind clouds behind the buildings on the Port River.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 896, On Golden Port' 1/4000 f/8 ISO400 200mm

Travelling will have to take a back seat for a while but there there is no shortage of wonderful images now we are home again.

Wintry Henley Beach is a far cry from the warm beaches of Bali but given the recent weather here I am very excited about capturing this cold and wet time of the year.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 895, Home Again Henley' 1.3s f/16 ISO100 15mm

I watched this fisherman for some time as he prepared his net on the sand. Checking meticulously that all the folds were as they should be I imagine he is already visualising the throw, how the folded form will expand to its maximum area before falling onto the surface of the water.

When he was satisfied in his preparations, his actions already imagined, I watched him wade out into the low surf and patiently wait.

After some time and without warning his net suddenly flicked forward and unfurled exactly as he visualized it would, exactly how it would have done thousands of times before.

I watched it expand and fall gracefully into the surface of the water, ... fish beware.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 894, Beware of the Fisherman' 1/60s f/2.8 ISO640 85mm

As the strange blue light light shone up from below the surface the bridge above was cast in an otherworldly glow.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 893, Overwhelmed With Blue' 1/20s f/2.8 ISO2500 88mm

As the soft filtered light shone down from above the clouds the ancient temple grounds began to glow the most amazing fluorescent green.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 892, Overtaken with Green' 1/125s f/2.8 ISO160 200mm

I often see couples long after sunset still standing at the waters edge lingering, watching, musing.

In this image, almost like a nudge at us grown up's seriousness, I love the way the young child is too playful to contemplate in stillness but so wanting to be like mum, or perhaps older sister.

Perhaps the young lady is imagining the joy of being like a child again.

I think it must be a universal truth that what ever we feel or see looking out to that watery horizon, hope is out there also.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 891, Hope Is Out There' 1/80s f/2.8 ISO640 200mm

Diversity is what makes life here interesting. I'm sure every one of these people were praying in their local temple or shrine only hours earlier!

Party on dudes (and dudettes)!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 890, Prayer To Party' 1/10s f/2.8 ISO2500 135mm

These three devout Balinese worshipers in prayer could just as easily be in any recent century except for one small little sign of modern technology.

I'm sure if you checked their pockets you'd find smart phones and Facebook as well, on silent of course.

Seriously though we were impressed with how important spiritual life is to the Balinese people and how intertwined the rituals and festivals are to their everyday lives.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 889, Hindu Prayers' 1/500s f/2.8 ISO800 200mm

I really have no idea if the baby is male or female, I just liked the title.

Actually the title is an interesting lead into the world of the long-tailed macaque monkey, Macaca fascicuiaris

The long-tailed macaques have a created a matriarchal society with 'the Mother' being its head.

Females macaques stay with the group their entire lives, their acceptance being automatic while they males leave as they reach maturity and wander until they find a new group where the females have the last world on their acceptance or rejection!

Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from the these residents of the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 888, Mother and Daughter' 1/500s f/2.8 ISO640 75mm

Of all the pools in Tirtha Empul there was one guarded by shoulder high walls and no obvious way to reach the water.

The colour of the water was a gorgeous turquoise fringed with green. Longs thin strands of dark green algae as fine as angle's hair held tenuously to the bottom as the bubbling water gushed from a rent in the centre of the pool.

Dark sand bubbled and broiled as the bottom shifted and moved with the flowing spring. No wonder this place was made sacred centuries ago, now off limits to mere mortals

At least the birds still have the freedom to swoop in on sacred wings and drink as they please.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 887, Sacred Wings' 1/1600s f/2.8 ISO3200 200mm

Although I have been drinking coffee all my life this is the first time I'd seen the fruit responsible for my addiction, Coffea arabica

To my surprise the coffee fruit tasted sweet, almost like dates . There was not much flesh though with the two beans halves inside taking up most of the volume.

I chewed through the raw beans but they tasted nothing like the coffee I have come to enjoy which really highlighted the role roasting has on coffee flavor.

I'm not sure I can say I got a caffeine hit from the raw fruit but I did experience a buzzy tingling effect in my mouth for some time after.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 886, Arabica Addiction' 1/200s f/2.8 ISO100 125mm

There are some very cool DJs out there and there are some DJs out there mixing some really cool sound.

This guy might not be a pioneer in his craft but he certainly knew how to make his Pioneer bend the sound the way he wanted it.

Yep, we like it, we liked it a lot!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 885, Bending The Sound Bali Style' 1/5s f/2.8 ISO3200 15mm

I wonder what secrets remained hidden from me at the top of the stairs?

I could have continued on and up. I had already explored some distance beyond the boundaries we had originally thought existed.

It was here I chose to go no further, to head back.

It's not that I wasn't up for the adventure, I was. It was simply that I had no one to share it with.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 884, Secrets' 1/13 f/2.8 ISO800 70mm

When I first saw the brightly lit logo of a popular Seminyak nightspot 'Cocoon' I was reminded of the 1985 movie of the same name.

As we kicked back with drinks and took in the atmosphere here I glanced over to the glowing blue swimming pool and wondered what was in there!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 883, Cocoon' 1/50s f/4.0 ISO160 200mm