Robert's Ramblings

I once heard an old Polynesian proverb, 'the Gods do not take from a man's life the time spent fishing'.

The cynic in me suggests it might have been invented by ancient island chiefs to curb laziness and promote survival of island clans through promoting ongoing fishing and the provision of food. I wonder if the proverb might have a spark of truth in our modern stress filed lives though.

I am not a fisherman but I am around them quite often and one thing I notice is that when fishers are fishing, nothing else matters. Work, finances, the car needing repairs or the home needing maintenance all seem to fade at least for a while and if there is a group of friends there almost always laughter and playfulness. It does not even seem to matter if they go home empty handed. It is about the shining, not the fish.

I know for a fact this fisherman went home with an empty catch but while he was there he was happy and maybe he will live a little longer for it.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 491, Empty Catch' 1/80s f/11 ISO125 15mm

Time for something new, at least different from my last set of images.

They say that to be a really great photographer you can't be a generalist. You need to find a niche and then become the best you can in a very specialized area. There is probably some truth in that but I'd argue that does not make a really great photographer , just a really great 'insert niche here' photographer.

For now I am still working out what I like and am more than happy being a generalist. That said I find my self time and time and time again, being drawn back to the beach.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 490, Back To The Beach' 1.6s f/14 ISO320 17mm

The very first keyboard I ever owned was a Korg.

To this day the first place my eyes go when surveying a stage are the keyboards and especially the brand labels on the back.

So this image is a bit of a fan-boy shot for Korg but hopefully I have captured a bit of stage action to go with it.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 489, King Korg' 1/40s f/2.8 ISO1600 15mm

I love watching a great musician practice their craft, in this image that musician is Chino Yuson. It really connects the musician and the music.

It was not always this way for me. Why bother going to a live show when I can enjoy the perfectly produced version. For years I could not relate to my friends and their love of live music. Things are very different for me now

I'd like to say that one day I had some epiphany, some magical experience that changed how I felt about live music but I can't. For me it crept up on me gradually. The product of years of being taken to gigs, concerts, band practice sessions and just watching amazing musicians practice their craft.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 488, Practicing His Craft' 1/40s f/2.8 ISO1600 200mm

A long exposure gives Liquified Grooves the 'liquified' look.

This special technique hopes to create a glimpse into what some might be seeing by this time of the night .


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 487, Liquified Grooves' 5s f/8.0 ISO50 15mm

Getting this kind of shot is fraught with danger, especially on a tight stage.

Being both on the stage and at the perfect kicking height means being careful not to upset any of the musicians. It was a case of get in carefully but quickly, get the shot and get out again.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 486, Sam Brooke - Liquified Grooves' 1/50s f/2.8 ISO1600 15mm

At 'The Soul Box' on Hindley Street. Liquified Grooves funked the night away.

Lead singer Elizabeth Rallis cranks it out while rapper Adam Remfry gets ready to join in.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 485, Liz Fronts Liquified Grooves' 1/40s f/2.8 ISO1600 140mm

The Adelaide University Footbridge has a fascinating history but that's not for this post.

Last night while out for a simple stroll I showed Jennifer the infamous bridge and considered how beautiful it looked with the lamps and railing and the River Torrens it spans. unfortunately I did not have a tripod with me so this is about as good as it gets with a hand held 200mm shot in the dark.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 484, Evening Stroll' 1/10s f/2.8 ISO200 200mm

Did anyone see the moon this morning?

At 5:30am this morning I headed out to capture the full moon partial lunar eclipse. What I saw was the lower right corner (does the moon have corners?) being darkened red as the earth completely blocked the sunlight from that part of the lunar face. And then before I got the camera ready the clouds set in! I figured that as I had just seen the eclipse through a gap in the clouds anther gap not be far away and all I needed to do was wait.

And wait, ... and wait, ... and wait. While waiting I tried to capture some images of the amazing back-lit clouds but the were moving too fast and the light was so low. I knew that should a gap come at all it would be very brief and I had to be ready so I manually pre-focussed on a bright star in the already lightening pre-dawn twilight and waited.

After 45 minutes a small gap in the clouds emerged and I grabbed my shot. 20 seconds was all I got and then it was gone as the predawn light flooding in heralding the sunrise to follow.

In this image you can just make out the orange glow of the penumbral shadow over the bottom right quarter of the moon.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 483, Penumbral Shadow' 1/20s f/7.1 ISO200 400mm

Not another sunset!

Well not just any sunset. This is the fist time I have seen the sun setting behind a curtain of rain. I actually think the rain curtain goes two layers deep with rain falling underneath the low cloud on the horizon as well.

I won't make any promises about no more sunsets. One every 24 hours seems just about right.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 482, Solar Shower' 1/2000s f/22 ISO50 400mm

We have been blessed with a few amazing late afternoons at the beach this week.

Tonight was a gentle calm evening with people out enjoying the golden hues of the sunset. Here a couple stroll back from the end of the Henley Beach Jetty, unaware of being photographed by the photographer who is unaware of being photographed.

But who's photographing me?


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 481, Captured On The Boardwalk' 1/5s f/11 ISO640 70mm

And in the heavens chaos reigned.

Black storm clouds filled the darkening sky as a last gasp of yellow light from a smothered sun escapes through a fissure in maelstrom.

The rain would soon follow.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 480, Maelstrom' 0.5s f/11 ISO50 15mm

What a blustery day full of changing weather.

I had planned to head down to the beach for some end of day images but the sight of people rolling along the footpath with umbrellas turned to shreds nearly put me off. Ok, perhaps a little exaggeration here but certainly not inviting. The came a moment when a glimpse of blue sky and golden yellow light appeared in west so taking a chance I jumped into the car and headed down there.

I never did get to see the sun as it all closed in again and started to rain. At least it was dry under the jetty and I did not have to go home empty handed.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 479, High Key Henley Jetty' 5s f/11 ISO50 15mm

It seems almost bizarre to me the dimensions of these hand-straps on our local buses.

Surely the hand-strap has only to be large enough in its opening to place a large hand through. These on the other hand (pun unintended) could easily fit the fist of a mountain troll. I shudder at the thought of what they could otherwise be used for instead; especially the way they sway back and forth on an empty bus.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 478, Well Hung Bus' 1/640s f/3.5 ISO800 125mm

The Undulate Volute, Amoria undulata is a regular sight on any night dive at Rapid Bay.

They are strikingly beautiful and move quite swiftly over the sand hunting other molluscs. Volutes in general have gorgeous shell and body markings but what I really love about this one is how well they are matched. At a glance it is difficult to tell where the shell ends and the extended body begins.

I like photographing sand dwelling creatures such as this volute as the un-sensitive sandy bottom make it easier to get down really low.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 477, Amoria undulata’ 1/100s f/8.0 ISO320 100mm

Tonight we were just about to settle in for a home movie night.

The carafe was filled, the wine poured, and the room glowed with the colours of the screen. As I sat there I watched the light shift and dance as it reflected from the carafe and wine glasses. At that moment I decided the movie could wait and I had to capture and share the vision right in front of me.

My first capture was a big disappointment. Up on my monitor in all its glory I saw fingerprints, smudges of lipstick and the dust that I never noticed in the darkened room. There was never any question of retouching, it had to go. So I set it all up again, cleaned the carafe, glasses and table and poured fresh wine. Here is the result which I wont let go to my head.


Oh, if any one else now has the UB40 song stuck in their head please let me know!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 476, Red Red Wine' 30s f/7.1 ISO100 100mm

Nearly a year ago I met the amazing marine scientist Ashley Miskelly on a dive trip to the outer parts of the Great Barrier Reef. He changed forever my perspective of the word 'urchin'.

By the end of that trip he had us all ignoring the stunning corals, the beautiful tropical reef fish and the magnificent oceanic pelagics and instead grovelling in the sandy bottom and broken coral debris for sea urchins.
If Ashley had been on this dive back here at Rapid Bay he'd have named this species, described its habitat, its mating habits, its life-cycle and distribution all before we had walked back to our cars. Not only that but he'd have done it in such a captivating way that would leave you wondering what treasure we had just witnessed.

Sadly I can't be sure which species this is (it could be Amblypneustes pallidus, I know I've been told) so I will just have to let the image speak for itself. Oh, and bonus points to anyone who spots a pair of little red eyes in there!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 475, Mister Urchin' 1/100s f/8.0 ISO100 100mm

I love the way water sparkles.

Capturing an image of sparkling water full of dazzling specular highlights is not as simple as pointing the camera at it! This will almost never capture the feel because, well a captured image does no sparkle!
So to make that sparkle look good I needed a model and this cormorant was more than happy to oblige as the late sun dazzled the choppy water.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 474, Cormorant Silhouette' 1/5000s f/4.0 ISO160 200mm

There is an old cemetery up Mount Crawford way.

I had driven past it many times without actually seeing it. Funny how often we do not see things we have looked at over and over again. I'd even seen cars parked there. Even wondered why they were parked there and still not seen it.
I wonder if there is something about old cemeteries that want to be forgotten, want to blend back into the land, want to vanish leaving no trace.

I'm sure the loved ones of souls departed and remembered here will not forget, at least not for a generation or to. Eventually though we all will have forgotten.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 473, Forgotten' 3.2s f/10 ISO100 15mm

One of the great things about writing to my images is learning about the things I capture.

Maybe I have seen this species of bird before but I certainly could not have been sure let alone describe it. Now I can say with reasonable confidence, it is a White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae which literally translates to 'Egret of New Holland'. Apparently they are quite common around waterways throughout all of Australia and I am sure I will notice them from now on.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 472, White-faced Heron' 1/640s f/4.0 ISO320 200mm

Have I captured too many sunsets?

Somehow I don't think that is possible as every single one of them is unique. In some ways the really good ones are like putting a bet on a race. If the sky is clear the odds against are really low with almost certainty that you will see the sun setting on the horizon. But like a low paying bet it might not have been worth the trouble. On the other hand if the sky is thick and heavy with cloud the odds are now stacked against you with a good chance the sun will never show. But now the odds are high and if that sun just happens to appear in that narrow gap that just opened up on the horizon, the pay off is wonderful.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 471, Going Down' 1/500s f/5.6 ISO320 400mm

Tom Ward would have to be one of the most amazing classical guitarists I have ever had the pleasure to listen to live.

Creating low light street images is a real challenge. Take a street performer who is constantly moving and the idea of a crisp sharp image is almost all but non existent. There come a point where I just have to let go and let movement blur work towards giving life to the image rather than be a detraction of an imagined but impossible sharp capture.

If you are interested, Tom has his own You tube channel and this is a little glimpse into his amazing talent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BudOnxI7NxM


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 470, Tom Ward' 1/8s f/2.8 ISO1600 200mm

I love exploring tunnels.

I have always been fascinated by tunnels. It does not matter if they are man made concrete stormwater drains, underwater limestone swim-throughs, overhanging leafy streets or scrubby tracks through the bush. A tunnel to me has a comforting feeling of safe passage about it with the delightful anticipation of a discovery to be made on the other side. Thinking back over this project I have photographed quite a number of different tunnels without even realising it.

Oh, and there is always light at the end of them.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 469, Bush Tunnel' 1/80s f/8.0 ISO320 15mm

There are quite a few pubs around Adelaide with rather strange animal names.

Names which include dogs and ducks, bears and bulls, rats and parrots as well as foxes, lions and slugs! Yes, we even have a pub called The Slug 'N' Lettuce. It kind of makes you wonder what all those publicans have been drinking!

Oh and after a bit of research I discovers they serve people as well!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 468, Dog & Duck' 1/200s f/11 ISO160 15mm

Or is that going down?

How appropriate given the ups and downs and hopefully back ups of a day full of server issues!


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 467, Going Up' 1/4s f/9.0 ISO160 15mm

In this moment the low sun has brought this spider's web into backlit relief but its owner is nowhere to be seen.

I did not have very much time to capture this image. A few moments earlier the background was too bright giving little overall contrast, a few moments later the sun was gone.

Perhaps if I had planned this I could have been prepared with a spray bottle so I could have covered this web with tiny water droplets for added interest but then what would the spider think of that!

I am just happy I saw it and caught it as this trap was briefly exposed. (pardon the pun please)


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 466, The Trap Exposed' 1/320s f/2.8 ISO320 200mm

Morialta Conservation Park is beautiful reminder of what the untouched Adelaide Hills would have been like before Western settlement.

The park is also a popular place for observing koalas and on this occasion we spotted two koalas in the trees. Some others said they had counted nine in the hour or so they had been walking.

Near the end of our walk a man stopped to rest nearby. I asked him how his walk had been and he lamented that neither him or his wife had seen a single koala. With that I smiled and asked him to look up, pointed out a koala up high in the gum tree we we standing under and made his day.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 465, Morialta Cutie' 1/125s f/4.0 ISO320 200mm

A while back I happened by chance across the historic Mt Lofty train station while running some errands in the Adelaide Hills. On that occasion being the middle of the day the light was not very good so I made a note to come back.

Today I found myself again driving through the Adelaide Hills past this very same spot coming on to evening. Actually I new I would so the camera was packed just for the opportunity.

What I liked about this station was how old world it seemed and how well maintained it was. I discovered that it is hired out as a weekend family getaway, a far cry from its original role.

I'm experimenting a little with different techniques for capturing wide dynamic range. I must admit I do like a good radioactively overcooked HDR image but can only stomach just so much before wanting normally tone images to recover from visual intergestion. In this image I am trying to present the feel of a strongly tone mapped HDR image while being gentle on the eyes and keeping true to the colour.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 464, Mt Lofty Station' 1/5s f/7.1 ISO125 15mm

For all those out there who like to make things, who like to pull thinks apart, who like to put things back together into new an innovative ways. At least in Adelaide, today this was the place to be.

There is a quiet revolution taking place in the hobbyist and cottage industry world. The yarn, the string, glue and other stuff are being replaced by extruded plastics, copper wire, solder and both new and salvaged electronics.

There are robots and tesla coils, holga's on first person drones, holographics and laser projectors and all of it being brought into existence by enthusiastic makers intrigued and motivated to make their own really cool stuff.

What will you 'make' today?


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 463, Adelaide Maker Faire' 1/5s f/7.1 ISO125 15mm

While out this evening I decided to investigate one of the loudest screeching carry on of birds I have ever heard.

Through all the trees, out on the high school oval and in the twilight sky above there were corellas everywhere! This massive flock of long-billed corellas, Cacatua tenuirostris, or simply 'white parrots' seem to be working their way around the Adelaide suburbs picking different neighborhoods to terrorize with their squawking and carry on.

I took many shots of them in the twilight this evening and though I'm generally not a big fun of blurred photographs this one seems to capture the craziness of it all the best.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Day 462, Corella Cacophony' 1/30s f/2.8 ISO1600 165mm