Robert's Ramblings

Of all the big names in synths I think I am fondest of Roland.

Aside from the fact that the first bit of electronic music gear I ever purchased was a Roland (MPU-401), the name reminds me of a musician rather than an untamed beast or a noisy motorcycle.

It is all about personal opinions after all.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 803, X8' 1/60s f/2.8 ISO1000 140mm

These two heads were heading for being a black and white study.

I could not help myself though, I just love colour!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 802, Two Heads' 1/160s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

Impressive at first but I am sure it would become tiresome if you actually lived here.

This is the entrance to an apartment block I encountered while wandering around 'The Rocks' in Sydney.

I guess the marble theme is in keeping with the location but then it really should have been granite.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 801, Marble Mayhem' 1s f/18 ISO160 15mm

There was a dark shape moving silently under the the surface of the calm water.

Suddenly a turtle popped it's little head up to say hello!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 800, Peek-A-Boo' 1/800s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

There's a way of capturing movement somewhere between the fuzziness of a motion blurred shot and the ghostly surrealism of misty streaks.

The forms are real enough to have presence, to be certain they were real but indistinct and disconnected in the same way as perceived in a fleeting glimpse.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 799 A Fleeting Glimpse' 1s f/18 ISO100 15mm

I'm sure Noa Weiss has done this move enough times to be be sure her husband Uri will catch her.

Still I am sure there is always a little bit of apprehension ...

I got to see Noa and Uri of Cirque No Problem as they put on their show in the Adelaide Airport Plaza as part of the Fringe Festival.

This was a complete surprise and proved yet again that you never now when you will need your camera!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 798 Look Uri, No Hands!' 1/1250s f/11 ISO640 15mm

Normally considered to be one of the most majestic of the flightless birds, this Indian Peafowl is looking rather comical.

With head feathers cocked ungainly to one side and no tail feathers on display this peacock is clearly not trying to attract a mate on this occasion.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 797, Blue Indian' 1/400s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

It's really only a waxing gibbous moon but it looks as if it could be full.

Far away in the Riverland the stars are bright and the sky clear, a real treat from the subdued stars in the city sky.

The odd little grouping at the water's edge in the distance is a distant campsite with it's own little universe of stars.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 796 Moon River' 6s f/8 ISO6400 15mm

It's easy to stare into a burning campfire. The almost hypnotic dance of light in the embers and flame flares into the night are always mesmerizing.

Despite it's appeal as a subject I am usually disappointed with images I capture as never really capturing that feeling.

Perhaps I never will but I'll never stop trying.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 795, Embers' 1/320 f/2.8 ISO1000 190mm

Nearly everyone who has experienced looking down on city lights from some high vantage has taken a photograph and then been disappointed how the final image never really captured the moment.

This view of Adelaide's twinkling lights however is full of the moment, a wonderful evening with family at Windy Point.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 794, Cityscape' 10s f/7.1 ISO1600 40mm

The logo emblazened on the side of this Italjet Torpedo 150 says it all; 'I'm fast!'.

Take a step back though and perspective reveals that 'fast' is relative. Scooters really don't go all that fast.

Still if I was going to cruise on one, the Torpedo would at least be a comfortable ride.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 793, Torpedo' 1/1000s f/16 ISO640 40mm

It seems appropriate to go from an empty bottle of Penfold's Grange to the unpicked fruit on the vine and these plump ripe Shiraz berries will soon make their way into one or more 'Cradle of Hills' wines for their 2014 vintage.

We met Paul and Tracy Smith on the first crushing day of their 2014 vintage. A small group of us started early in the morning and despite some difficult picking around stressed vines we had picked enough by lunch to crush the first batch. By the time we had bucketed the last of the Shiraz into the crusher we we ready for lunch.

Tracy put on an awesome spread with local McLaren Vale produce, their best wines from last year's vintage and plenty of beer for those not inclined to the vine.

Thank you Paul and Tracy for inviting us to be part of your 2014 vintage.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 792, Deep Purple' 1/200s f/16 ISO640 40mm

The termites tried their hardest.

They reduced the cardboard carton to a pulpy mess.

They etched patterns in the label as they sought in vain the treasured prize within.

Alas, despite the damage, this wine remained unblemished and was as awesome as the winemaker planned it to be.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 791, 1990 Grange' 1/60s f/2.8 Stack ISO200 100mm

Tulips are a beautiful flower but this beauty revealed is all in the detail.

Peering into the center of a single flower reveals a structure usually only paid attention to in text books and often only in the form of a monochrome line drawing with hard to remember names such as stigma and stamen.

Attention to detail is not only important but beautiful too.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 790, Attention To Detail' 2s f/8 Stack ISO400 100mm

There are more Old Wives (Enoplosus armatus) here than in the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Empire.

Actually a harem is not the group of women but a sacred place reserved for them to reside protected from the perils of the outside world.

In some ways the 'T' of Rapid Bay Jetty jetty is just like the Imperial Harem. It offers the group protection from the open water predators and has it's own sacred feel.

I'm looking forward to revisiting this harem again soon.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 789, The Harem' 1/100s f/8 ISO320 15mm

The mystery of the Fantom has been solved!

The protagonist revealed is Mark Borgas of local band 'Silver Hair'


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 788, Fantom Keys' 1/60s f/2.8 ISO1000 140mm

We went to see 'The Darker', an Adelaide Fringe Festival play written and directed by playwright and poet Martin Christmas. David Daradan's performance in this one-hour show was honest, intimate and confronting.

David and Martin, you have set the bar high for the rest of the festival.

'The Darker' explores what it means to be 'a man' - the parts we are proud of, the parts we are embarrassed about, the parts we are afraid of and the parts we are ashamed of. David kept us captivated for the entire performance. Time stood still as David deftly and convincingly delivered Martin's insightful message.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 787, The Darker Side of David Daradan' 1/400s f/2.8 ISO1000 125mm

Suddenly their disbelief was gone and they found they really could fly after all.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 786, They Found They Could Fly' 1/400s f/2.8 ISO1000 125mm

The grape stained hands of a winemaker puts vintage aside for a little while to marry his beloved.

Congratulations Irina and Dudley, may it be a wonderful, long and fruitful union.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 785, Irina and Dudley' 1/400s f/3.2 ISO100 200mm

At a glance this could be a small shrub inside a glasshouse or behind some fence like grid.

The shrub in fact is 15 meters tall and the grid a high-rise office building.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 784, Framed Perspective' 1/1600 f/2.8 ISO160 115mm

Of all the times I have visited this big brash party town called Sydney I have not yet got to the centre of of it all.

To this day, Centrepoint, or Sydney Tower has eluded me. For one reason or another I have never made it to the top to experience what I am told are amazing panoramic views over Sydney, its harbour and the Blue Moutains in the distance.

Oh well, next time.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 783, Un-Centred' 1/500 f/13 ISO320 70mm

As much as I love natural landscapes I adore man made ones as well.

As solid as an urban landscape may seem however, time will eventually bring it down.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 782, What Goes Up' 1/320s f/22 ISO320 200mm

I loved the palatial feel of the DeNdY cinema so much that it deserved a snapshot.

Pity there was nothing on worth seeing making this definitely the better show!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 781, DeNdY' 2.5s f/14 ISO100 15mm

Ash Gale hitting his stride on the Victoria Square stage as part of the Adelaide Fringe festivities.

We never never expected to find ourselves at the Adelaide Royal Croquet Club around midnight kicking back to the rock anthem sound of Ash and his band.

Wonderful things happen when you find yourself in the city with no agenda other than to have a great time.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 780, Ash Gale' 1/200s f/2.8 ISO1600 155mm

Like a dreamy walk through an ethereal forest there is something surreal in this place where made made becomes something almost natural.

This forest of jetty pylons is as alien to this world as flying fish would in ours but somehow is all seems juts as it should be.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 779, Ethereal Forest' 1/100s f/5.6 ISO320 15mm

Not as scary as it looks, looking down from the cliffs that skirt the ocean between Second Valley and Rapid Bay.

This hidden and beautiful part of our local coastline has an almost 'secret garden' feel.

To get there is not all that hard. A willingness to scramble up and around 45 degree rocky cliff faces is all you need to find secret coves with sandy beaches that you can have all to you self.

Just make sure you don't look down, ... oops too late.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 778, Precipice' 1/160s f/16 ISO160 15mm

Like a stretched canvas shade this gossamer thin canopy twisted like a geometric saddle and glistened in the afternoon sun.

On closer inspection the source of this web's stickiness was revealed in the tiny tiny droplets of arachnid superglue on each delicate thread.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 777, Sticky Canopy' 6s f/16 ISO160 100mm

This could easily be an aerial shot of of some far north dried up salt lake if it were not for the almost black tones.

In fact this this abstract creation is the result of storm-water runoff onto the sand at Henley Beach revealing and mixing the dark colours from the rotting seaweed below.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 776, Seaweed Abstract' 1/80s f/5.6 ISO1250 70mm

Now that the date palms are flowering we have a never ending stream of noisy guests eager for a meal.

The colourful Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus is the biggest culprit.

A single bird on its own is fine and quietly gets on with dinner. Two or more and it all disintegrates into a squabbling raucous!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 775, Noisy Guest' 1/800s f/8 ISO640 400mm

Like a precious gemstone wrapped in cotton wool, a waning gibbous moon descends into the clouds.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Day 774, Moonstone' 1/800s f/8 ISO160 400mm