Robert's Ramblings

Autumn is a very special time of the year for many who appreciate the colours of 'the fall'.

I'd always wondered why they called it that when most of our trees are evergreen and not really with the program.

Still there are a few places around where the leaves turn through colours such as yellow, orange, red and crimson.
Where they fall to the earth to create a coloured three dimensional carpet perfect for little children to bury themselves under or for photographers to add an extra dimension of 'romantic' into their themed portrait images.

So if you are into 'the fall', enjoy it while it lasts because
...
winter is coming.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 863, Totally Autumn' 1/8000 f/2.8 ISO640 100mm

Tucked away down a side street off Jetty Road in Glenelg is yet another extraordinary piece of street art by the Toy Solders Crew.

I can't be absolutely certain of the individual artist's identities but the names 'Fredrock' and 'Benzo' keep popping up.

I have seen examples of their work all over Adelaide but this piece with its undercurrents of a dark version of 'The Little Mermaid' would have to be my favorite.

For those in the know it reminds me how important it is to always be blowing bubbles.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 862, Toy Solder Crew' 1/160 f/16 ISO320 29mm

Red, red sky
Goes to my lens
Makes me forget that I
Can't shoot to long

Red, red sky
It's up to you
All I can do, I've done
I 've shown up to you
Yes, I have shown up to you

I'd have thought
That with time
The ocean view
Would leave my head
I was wrong
And I find
Just one thing brings me back

Red, red sky
Stay 'till the twilight goes
Don't let me miss your show
It's filling with art
My blue, blue heart.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 861, Red Red Sky' 1/13 f/16 ISO320 15mm

There's a story here on this hidden wall in suburban Adelaide.

Who is the man with briefcase and folder and who are the two figures in the window watching him leave? Or is he leaving?

Is the woman begging or perhaps offering something, and to whom?

Are there learned men walking the halls of some hallowed place oblivious to the personal stories all around them.

There seem to be many stories here though I have been told none of them.

For now I will imagine my own.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 860, Untold Story' 1/100 f/7.1 ISO160 33mm

There are two places in the world I am drawn to. In some sense they are complete opposites but really they are all just aspects of our amazing planet.

One is, obviously enough, the ocean. The other, and sadly I have not spent enough time in them , the mountains.

Many times I peer out to the clouds on the horizon and image tall beautiful capped mountainous or fiery volcanic lava flows.

This time a pelican all alone against the sunset is as gorgeous as it gets.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 859, All Alone' 1/8000 f/4 ISO100 200mm

Farewell Tin Tin. You were an amazing friend to us nearly 16 years until you slipped away from us in your sleep today.

This image of Jennifer and Tin Tin was taken only four days ago. It was his last day on the beach sniffing rotting seaweed, other dogs backsides and shying from the huge Henley Beach surf.

We are so lucky you lived so many years strong, healthy, often ditsy, always food obsessed and never quite grown up.

Thank you Tin Tin for your gorgeous nature, your beautiful temperament and for being our family's best friend.


em>Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 858, Farewell Tin Tin' 1/500 f/8 ISO320 120mm

With autumn nearly over and winter on its way our beach is starting to take on a disheveled windswept look.

Clumpy, patchy, pools of water where the ocean has scoured the sand and piles of seaweed heaped here and there.

No longer the postcard place of summer but still as beautiful as the seasons change.

Winter is coming ...


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 857, Winter Is Coming' 1/320 f/8 ISO320 200mm

The autumn tones are indeed beautiful but while meandering through the garden I found I became more enthralled with shapes rather than colours.

Among the crimson leaves of the liquid amber tree were a few pods still hanging on from summer.

This spiky pod now well shriveled will fall off eventually but for now I am glad to capture its profile against the autumn sun.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 856, Liquid Amber' 1/8000 f/25 ISO320 100mm

I love how we have held on to the romance of tall sailing ships. A symbol so ancient in the travel of humanity for every reason imaginable.

No longer needed for exploration of uncharted lands or even escape from humanitarian tragedies, sailing ships today really belong to the world of maritime romantics, sailing enthusiasts and big boys toys.

South Australia's own sail training ship, the 'One And All' has been used teach sailing, to host youth training and mentoring programs as well as public recreational cruising.

Though I have admired her and photographed her many times I have never been on board. A situation I hope to remedy.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 855, Come One Come All Come One And All' 1/400s f/5.6 ISO400 200mm

Another day comes to an end and our 'Sol' hovers on a watery horizon.

It might be 'so long' for now but as sure as as anything can be, we will see you in the morning.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 854, So Long Sol' 1/4000s f/16 ISO100 200mm

At first I thought it was unnatural. I Imagined stone shapes cast in some exotic mix of concrete, sand and and gravel.

On closer inspection it appeared to indeed be real granite. I left with this image and a puzzle.

Later I learned that this new Adelaide Airport water feature is actually a complex sculpture made up of over six hundred individually carved granite pieces designed by artist Mark Stoner (what a great name) .

So real as that granite may very well be, its still all a little unnatural.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 853, Unnatural Watercourse' 10s f/22 ISO320 21mm

This recent addition to Port Adelaide's waterscape is actually a pair of bridges, one rail and one road.

The two are unusual not only for being single leaf drawbridges but also for the history of how they came to have their current names, the Mary MacKillop and Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridges respectively.

Both were originally called the 'Prexy Bridges', short for Port River Expressway. Next the road bridge was changed to the 'Power Bridge' to honour the local football club while giving the new name of the rail bridge over to a public competition. The public never got their say and the rail bridge was named by the government after Saint Mary MacKillop instead.

Meanwhile the public were never really happy about the road bridge being called after a football club and with the agreement of the Port Adelaide Football Club, the road bridge was finally named after local WW2 hero Tom Derrick.

Call the two what you will, they're still bridges and do what bridges do best!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 852, A Bridge By Any Other Name' 15s f/5.6 ISO100 17mm

Pan is normally associated with green fields, mountains, wild places and the shepherd of flocks.

The grey indistinct void, the ethereal light and the strange indistinct background artifacts somehow seem out of place.

I am sure though Pan's melody would beguile no matter where he was.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 851, Pan's Melody' 1/4000 f/3.2 ISO100 200mm

So white, so clean, so empty.

This concrete helix provides access to the various parking levels at the Adelaide Airport terminal.

I like the fact that vertical traversal has been separated from the congested maneuvering of car parking space. Not that there is any mayhem this time of the morning.

For now at least its just clean, white and empty; the way a car park should be.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 850, Concrete Helix' 13s f/22 ISO320 17mm

Colour, colour, colour. I think that's why I liked this so much. That and those big bug eyes!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 849, Bug Eyed' 1/6400s f/3.2 ISO100 200mm

Just because you have control does no mean you are in control.

What does it mean to be 'in control' anyway?


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 848, In Control' 1/50s f/2.8 ISO3200 200mm

What an odd name for a watch I thought; 'Pebble'.

I find it curious how with the advent of phones and computers providing time keeping more and more people are wearing watches less and less.
You can almost spot a technophobe now by the fact they are still wearing a wristwatch.

Things are however changing and the once humble wristwatch may indeed be making a comeback under the headline of 'wearables'.

Watch this space (pun unintended)!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 847, Pebble'. 5s f/8 ISO100 100mm

They were selling jars of stuff.

Hundreds of them all filled with some off-white coloured cream.

I did not ask what was in them. I did not read the labels, in fact I did not even notice if they had any.

I simply loved the repeating pattern and the reflections in the glass lids.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 846, Glass Jars'. 1/1600s f/8 ISO100 200mm

I first photographed this bridge when it opened in 2012 and have traversed it many times since.

I've crossed it meeting people from abroad or delivering friends and family embarking on or resuming their own journeys.

I've crossed it as a single man and returned with my bride.

I've admired its design of glass and concrete and steel. I will however always lament the one thing missing from this beautiful structure; ... colour.

To me this will always be a grey, grey walk.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Days 845, The Grey Walk'. 5s f/22 ISO320 17mm

Here's a place I have seen many times but never actually been to, the Birkenhead Tavern.

Seen here from across the Port River it looks alive and buzzing and perhaps even warrants a visit for a a meal or even drink or two.

I must say I am a sucker for anything waterfront so that alone is enough or a draw. Throw in some live music and we will be there!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 844, The Birkenhead Tavern', 1/5s f2.8 ISO320 200mm

I often hear wine punters discuss vertical tasting events.

Despite the fact that this actually means tasting the same wine from a series of successive vintages I find it amusing to imagine it simply being the normal state of a glass of wine held in the hand.

So what would a horizontal tasting event be like? I'll let you imagine that one for yourselves.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 843, Horizontal Tasting', 1/15s f11 ISO100 100mm Lighting 2 x Inon LE720

Many times it's not enough to 'see' an image and capture it.

'Well seen' is an expression often used when the composition of an apparently ordinary scene brings it to life but this idea really only applies to lenses and apertures close to our own vision.
There is a different kind of seeing that you know will only be possible after the fact. Images with shallow depth of field, extreme perspective, flares or bokeh simply don't exist in our human vision.

Who would guess that this pretty pattern of coloured transparent dots between two bollards is actually the Adelaide Bright Cement works.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 842, Between Bollards', 0.3s f2.8 ISO320 200mm

Henley Beach jetty has many moods. In fact they are as varied as ours.

Often they are not so obvious, as subtle nuances of the changing tides and weather. This is especially so on our many mild days.

Bring in the clouds and the wind and the rain and put the sun to bed and the mood is not so subtle any more.

I'm sure it's brooding over something, ... again!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 841, Brooding', 10s f14 ISO160 15mm

We have a lot to thank popular culture for the way it changes our thinking in the most bizarre ways.

Here I am looking at a fountain that just isn't doing its thing with any sense of enthusiasm. Half measures I thought!

The moment that thought entered my head I was thinking of Walter White from Breaking Bad when he stated "no half measures'.

Well that line of thinking leads to either very good or very bad depending on the measures you take.

Now to find the control valve and show them what that fountain should look like!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 840, Half Measures', 1/8000s f4 ISO320 70mm

The day began dreary and rainy and I had virtually consigned myself to a day in the office. Soon after lunch however the clouds started becoming patchy and my hopes were raised.

By 3:30 in the afternoon the clouds with sparse and the sun began to dim.

By 4:00 there was a noticeable change in the way the light felt, like someone had taken the edge away.

By 4:30 the light all around was soft and gentle. Not like the soft yellow glow of the golden hour but something else full of day colour but quite surreal.

From there is started getting brighter again leaving a full yellow orb to set on the horizon.

Today's eclipse was the last solar eclipse (partial or otherwise) here in Adelaide for the next 14 years so I'm glad the clouds parted and I captured this image.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 839, The Dark Shadow', 1/2000s f11 ISO100 400mm UberND

Having a little fun with boats and ropes and pulleys and clouds and the last light of the day...


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 838, Rigged Silhouette', 1/3200s f2.8 ISO400 200mm

This image is unashamedly inspired by recent black and white work of local Adelaide photographer Tony Kearney (please checkout his work).

This time there was no studio or planned props (pun unintended). No control over the light or positioning of the subject. No imagined runway to land on.

I just looked and happened to notice this little plane safely landed at the Brighton Sunday Market.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 837, Safely Landed', 1/2500s f3.2 ISO100 200mm

With an ocean so golden in the dying hours it is easy to imagine being on a planet like Mustafar where volcanic lava flows instead of water.

The birds however look out of place, too calm, too gentle and I am brought back to the Earth's oceans again.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 836, Lava Birds', 1/200s f11 ISO1000 400mm

I have always been fascinated by Port Adelaide's Birkenhead Bridge.

The idea that a bridge can decide to not be a bridge anymore, open up to let tall ships through and then transform back into a bridge again seemed to me to be a marvel of engineering.

To be fair I was only a child at the time and up until that realisation a bridge was a bridge, was a bridge, was a bridge!

My experience of a transforming bridge must seem so naive in this day of mechanical transformers such as Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee.

To me however, Port Adelaide's Birkenhead Bridge will always be the original transformer!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 835, Birkenhead Bridge', 1/8000s f16 ISO100 130mm

Who is this mysterious merwoman who adorns 'The One And All' as her figurehead?

I have search high and low for her name but alas I am left none the wiser.

In all the texts I have found she is simply referred to as 'the figurehead'.

I even found one reference to the artist who carved her, Ainsley Pine, however a search for more information on Ainsley was even more obscure leading me nowhere.

So who is this mysterious merwoman who adorns 'The One And All' as her figurehead?


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 834, Mystery Merwoman', 1/640s f2.8 ISO400 200mm