Entries by Robert

This image taken from the lookout over Conor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula typifies the extraordinary beauty of Ireland.

I've been coming to Ireland now for the past fifteen years thanks in part to my beautiful Irish girl Jennifer, the engaging warmth of the Irish people and to the breathtaking beauty of the land.

So it was with a little trepidation that we sought to show off this amazing country to our dearest Australian friends; wanting them to fall in love with the land, the language and the people as I had.

For nearly three weeks we traveled the Wild Atlantic Way together, following Ireland's western coastline from Kinsale in the south up into the northern wilds of Donegal.

For nearly three weeks together we experienced sunny days, amazing skies and gorgeous landscapes.

We were welcomed into people's homes with true Irish hospitality. We enjoyed wonderful nights out with fantastic food, live music and the 'craic' as only the locals know how to enjoy.

I think we succeed in our mission. Welcome to Ireland.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Welcome to Ireland', 1/800s f/8 ISO100 14mm

It's not the best image being limited to my seat and hand holding my camera but the final parade of the Edinburgh Tattoo on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle seems like a fitting image to farewell this amazing city.

One last hurrah before leaving Edinburgh and Scotland.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'One Last Hurrah', 1/30s f/4 ISO1600 24mm

Just a short walk from the castle in Edinburgh is a little cafe on a busy road which tourists from all over the world want to visit.

It's not the coffee, it's not the ambiance nor is it the the service which has launched this little cafe from obscurity to fame but its notoriety as the birthplace of the Harry Potter stories.

From the front of 'The Elephant House', this cafe does not seem like much with a few windows looking back out onto a bustling Edinburgh main road. What is not so obvious at first is that the entry off of George IV Bridge is actually the third floor.

Go inside however and look out from the rear windows and it's a different story. From its third story vantage the cafe has the most wonderful views across Candlemaker Row into Greyfriars Kirkyard and the old town of Edinburgh beyond. With such wonderful views like these it is not surprising how J.K. Rowling became inspired to write those first stories of Harry Potter and the rest is now history.

So yes we found our elephant outside the room.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Elephant Outside The Room', 1/200s f/4.5 ISO100 145mm

There was a great sense of expectation as we entered the hallowed vault in Edinburgh's Scotch Whisky Experience.

There, bathed in the glowing gold of its own making were 3384 unique bottles of Scotland's most renowned export, scotch whisky.

This collection was once the 35 year passion of Brazilian collector, Claive Vidiz. Purchased by global liquor giant Diageo for an undisclosed sum, this collection is now permanently on loan for public viewing here in Edinburgh.

The scotch whisky success story is quite a tale and well worth spending some time to learn if you are curious. I tip my imaginary hat to an industry where the story goes that the Irish brought whiskey making to the Scottish and they never got the joke!

Yes, I slipped that 'e' into whiskey on purpose. It's my little tribute to the unsung origins of whiskey in Scotland.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Scottish Gold', 1/40s f/5.6 ISO640 105mm

Throughout the streets of Edinburgh performers gain notoriety through their talent, their persistence and recognition. But not 'The Phantom'.

Nobody knows who he is or where he's from. Is his name Johnny and is that fiddle made of gold?
I suspect no on both counts as he's not wearing a check shirt and that violin actually sounded like a real wooden violin!

So in my musings he will remain the Phantom of the Orchestra until proved otherwise.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Phantom of the Orchestra', 1/640s f/3.2 ISO320 170mm

Scott Monument is an imposing and somewhat unusual structure part of the Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. The hecklers deride its appearance as an object pulled from the top of some European cathedral and plonked on the ground. Others simply marvel at its simple design but intricate detail. The monument itself was commissioned in 1838 to celebrate the life and achievements of Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland's most celebrated authors and poets.

The architect who won the competition for the monument's design, George Meikle Kemp, was self taught and used a pseudonym for fear his lack of qualifications would discount his entry. His design however was filled with the characters from Scott's work in addition to the usual gothic effigies and was chosen as the popular choice.

It would have been nice to simply say 'beam me up Scotty' but instead we climbed to the very top, all 287 steps up a series of progressively narrowing stone staircases to around 60m. The last section was so narrow you had to step sideways just to fit. Our effort was rewarded with stunning views of the old town and Castle Rock to the South and a panoramic vista of the Edinburgh heading out in every other direction.

Next time we visit maybe Scotty just might ...


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Beam Me Up Scotty', 1/80s f/8.0 ISO100 17mm

"I've found a place I'd like you to see; It's a surprise but I think you will find it very interesting." So I put my trust in Andy and allowed him to lead us back towards the castle.

Suddenly amidst the busy architecture of the Edinburgh old town an alley led from the street up to what I first thought was a large walled garden. As stone made way to green grass and lush trees I realised Andy has led us into a large graveyard, Greyfriars Kirkyard. With a grin he said, "see I knew you'd like it!"

The graves here were very old dating back to the 1500s. I've read that Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of the most haunted grave sites in all of Scotland with many documented cases of people becoming hysterical, inexplicably bruised and bloodied by some unseen assailant and many cases of people simply fainting.

I can't say I found this place peaceful but I did find it interesting both for its history and its visual intensity.

Although I captured many disturbing effigies on old graves this simple scene caught my eye. A little bit of new life atop the stone lid of an old tomb.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Life on Death', 1/4000s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

What makes a street photograph interesting?

A snapshot moment of ordinary life;

An unusual interaction between people or things;

People out of context;

Or perhaps just an image that draws you in with questions and wonder.

I really have no idea but but in this moment I just loved the look on that little girl's face as the military police officer strode by on some mission.

Edinburgh Fringe, 2017


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Man On A Mission', 1/400s f/4.5 ISO320 200mm

Two years ago I would never have imagined I'd be here in Edinburgh attending what is claimed to be 'The greatest show on Earth'. A year ago I started entertaining the idea of visiting Scotland but the reason has nothing to do with liking military band performances.

Around two years ago two of my very best friends Kate and Gavin started learning to play the highland pipes. At that time the idea of playing at an international event could not have been further from their thoughts. Soon into their new found passion the chance to play in the 2017 Edinburgh Military Tattoo was presented as a possibility to the both of them if they were committed enough, worked hard enough and become good enough in time.

Fast forward to the end of August 2017 and here were are in the stands overlooking the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade where our friends Kate and Gavin and Elise are performing below. Who would have thought!

The music was exemplary, the setting grand and the weather perfect but being here has not converted me to the supposed delights of performing bands and international dance troupes. Still I would not have missed it for all the whisky in Scotland (hmmm well just maybe).

And yes Kate and Gavin and Elise are all there in sight if you just know where to look.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Tattoo You Too', 1/60s f/5.0 ISO1600 70mm

I have tried and tried and tried to identify this Australia guy in Edinburgh. I have found images of him busking in various cities but no one has put a name to this busker's face.

He was good, really good but surely he must have been thinking he's at a piano the way he's hitting those keys.

Now, days later later going through my images I am lamenting the fact that I did not make that little bit of extra effort to find out his name.

Oh well, until I know any different I'll just have to call him 'The Busker' and remember to ask the next time I see him in the streets of, well; ... next time.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Busker', 1/1250s f/2.8 ISO320 105mm

If I had a drone and was brazen enough to use it in the streets of Edinburgh then I might have been able to capture an image like this. What I would have missed out on was the shear pleasure of this amazing castle vista, not on a device screen but with my very own eyes.

Scotts Monument however provided the perfect place to take in this unobstructed view of Edinburgh Castle with nothing more than a little hard work and 267 vertical steps. At 62 meters above the pavement I could not have asked for a more perfect platform.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Edinburgh Castle', 1/500s f/8 ISO100 70mm

There we were strolling down Marshall Street, Edinburgh in search of Elephants when without warning this object of desire pulled up beside us in traffic.

I immediately dropped to my knees. Not in supplication but to get a better angle of this green machine from Britain's most exotic (really the only) supercar manufacturer, McLaren.

Perhaps the streets of Edinburgh are crawling with 570Ss, 'The affordable McLaren'. Starting at around a quarter of a million Australian dollars I am sure they are a popular choice for the narrow streets and heavy traffic.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, the 570S is a beautiful creation giving those Italian machines solid competition in both style and engineering.

This is only ever the third McLaren I have personally seen in the wild anywhere in the world and this time I was just lucky to have been holding my camera while looking for Elephants on Marshall Street.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Envy', 1/500s f/4.5 ISO100 700mm

No, not the band but the city from which the Harry Potter stories emerged, Edinburgh.

This guy was on a falconer's arm in the streets as they thronged with festival goers. You can tell by the small pupils that this owl might prefer to be in bed at this time of the day. Still it seems relaxed enough.

Trying to identify the species has been a dilemma for me. It looks like a great horned owl but if it is it's a long way from its native America's to the streets of Edinburgh. It could also be a northern long eared owl, a potential local, in which case it must be holding its feathers flat. I'm all ears it someone wants to help me out here.

Regardless of the species this beautiful bird could just as easily be right out of a Harry Potter movie, in the wilds of the Scottish countryside or as it is here in Owl City.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Owl City', 1/500s f/2.8 ISO320 200mm

The French playwright Molière wrote 'Tartuffe' in 1664. Now more than 350 years later this young troupe of performers on the streets of Edinburgh were hawking their performance of Molière's famous play as part of the Edinburgh Festival.

At first I just saw a young group of performers in costume full of the vitality of the festival. Then I discovered the play and then the man who wrote it, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière.

The more I read about Molière the more I became fascinated with the man's life and his pursuit of his passion for theater at the expense of a comfortable high society Parisian life.

I now wish I'd gone to see these young artists perform Tartuffe at the festival (the biggest scandal of Molière's life's work) .

Still I am happy they walked past in the rain, stopped for a photo and introduced me to an extraordinary part of French history.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Tartuffe', 1/500s f/3.5 ISO320 70mm

Driving home one foggy evening recently I was amazed how all around me the steam and smoke rising from the myriad of factories in and around Port Adelaide seemed to just fill a low horizontal plane across the sky.

It was as if someone had placed a gigantic piece of glass over it all and the steam and smoke and fog were all trapped just above the highest chimneys. Try as I did I just could not capture that eerie feel with with a telephoto lens.

I picked out the highest stacks and tried to find a vantage to frame a shot from but now I was way too close to do that original feeling any justice.

Oh well I might as well just press the shutter anyway and take home a little something from that night, the Torrens Island power station, South Australia's biggest power point.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Power Point', 1/40s f/2.8 ISO1000 70mm

Entropy is a term commonly used in the physical sciences to describe how when order is created, the cost is paid for by more disorder elsewhere and how 'things' tend to higher states of chaos or disorder as time progresses.

When this Holden Ute was created, a lot of entropy (chaos) was created elsewhere. This is the cost the physical laws of our universe impose on the creation of order. In this case the work done transforming raw materials from the ground into a shiny new motor vehicle came at a price other than that imposed on the unfortunate owner.

I stumbled on this scene last Thursday night while driving home from work. Fortunately no one was badly hurt despite the driver managing to shear off a traffic-signals switch-box before coming to rest against this lamppost.

Perhaps this was just a case of entropy pay-back? More likely though a completely different set of physical laws were involved!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Entropy Payback', 1/20s f/2.8 ISO3200 140mm

... BATMAN!

Cosplay ( aka costume play ) is a big part of AVCon. Costume play is considered a performance art where costume and interactions closely represent a specific character.

Rather than being a stage performer, cosplayers interact with each other in a social ways and here in Adelaide there is a vibrant cosplay subculture with themes from manga, anime, comics, cartoons and video games.

AVCon is just one of the many events Adelaide cosplayers get to strut their theme!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Na na na na Na na na na', 1/20s f/2.8 ISO2000 200mm

I wonder if Martin Haese, the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, is a closet gamer or perhaps an anime fan in denial!

Well I'll leave you to speculate but his enthusiasm opening AVCon 2017 was unmistakable.

It's great to know the Adelaide City Council supports events like AVCon and Martin's presence Friday let us all know his heart is right there in it!

Gamer; anime fan or neither he is certainly a supporter of youth culture (young and old alike).


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Lord Mayor', 1/80s f/4.0 ISO1250 200mm

On AVCon's opening night the performers danced us the story of 'Ayvee and Switch'.

In this scene Ayvee, performed by Alice Willamsen, spins a gift of silk cloth for her rescuer Switch.

Ayvee, in the form of a beautiful magical crane had been caught in a trap set by the people of Switch's village.

Despite the famine and hardship the village had endured Switch was so filled with compassion he chose to release the crane rather than bring it back to his village.

In her gratitude Ayvee spins fine silk cloth from her feathers which the villagers then sell to buy the food they need.

It was a delightful story and wonderful prelude to AVCon 2017.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Ayvee', 1/500s f/2.8 ISO2000 200mm

The opening night of AVCon at the Adelaide Convention Center was a spectacle I'd been waiting for several months now and finally it arrived.

I'm not really a big anime fan or gaming enthusiast. In fact I felt just a little bit fraudulent waiting in the long snaking queue surrounded by excited individuals and groups decked out in their amazing character costumes.

Still, the waiting was worth it for a front row seat and the privileged of seeing our daughter perform on stage heralding in AVCon 2017 with the story of Ayvee and Switch


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Heralding AVcon', 1/40s f/2.8 ISO2000 200mm

It's almost a play on words but I don't really think it works. Regardless, these mushrooms can be found on the side of the Adelaide Convention Center about half way up the building on the north western corner.

I had just arrived for the opening celebrations of AVCON, the Adelaide Anime and Gaming Convention 2017. It was a few minutes before sunset, almost every photographers 'dream time' and there they were, ten meters above me basking in that golden glow.

I nearly let that moment pass by but something drew may camera out of the bag for those fleeting moments before bright turned to pastel, turned to pale and and then grey.

If you ever visit the Adelaide Convention Center, look up and admire those unconventional mushrooms.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Unconventional Mushrooms', 1/250s f/3.5 ISO100 200m

... adieu and thank you.

Photo: Robert Rath, '... adieu and thank you'

This weekend just past was one of the saddest days for our family,
the end of a generation,
the end of an era.

Mum, you were one who kept us all connected, you supported our life projects,
and you made it your business to make sure we all made the little things important.

You leave behind demanding boots to fill for all of us.

We love you, I love you, may you now rest in peace.

Patricia, 1932-2017

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Patricia, 1932-2017'

A sliver of yellow algae wrests in the broken shells of a gritty Henley Beach.

With winter now here our beaches will be scored of their summer sand revealing the shellgrit below.

The carpet of broken shells makes for interesting images but it not so kind on bare feet.

I don't mind at all when it makes for sunsets like this.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Golden Algae', 1/3.2s f/20 ISO640 14mm

Every Autumn I get to admire the amazing colours of the liquid amber tree my mother's garden.

I don't remember the colours changing from green, to yellow, to orange.

At least I got to see them these last days of autumn before winter's chilly winds sweep them away.

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Last Days of Autumn', 1/3200s f/14 ISO640 100mm

Pick a funky graffiti adorned laneway in the heart of Melbourne.

Fill it with music, wine and food.

Watch the party unfold!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Hosier Lane', 1/800s f/2.8 ISO100 200mm

It's as if a rolling wave has come in from the ocean, traveled over the sand and grass and stopped just short of Henley Square.

Somewhere in it's travels this wave transitioned from water to wood, solidifying like a standing wave on a base guitar string.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Water to Wood', 1s f/5.6 ISO800 15mm

As the yet another gorgeous Henley Beach evening begins with a beautiful setting sun, up and down the beach I see people with phones in hand and cameras on tripods. It's good to see people enjoying moments like these.

As soon as that sun dipped below the horizon most put their phones away and turned their backs on the the changing sky of twilight. Only one or two stalwarts took the time to watch the visual feast that was sunset's encore.

Just just like waiting for the credits of a movie to end you never what surprises are in store. After the sun has gone show is never over.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'After the Sun has Gone', 1/4s f/5.6 ISO640 14mm

When the street music of the Adelaide Fringe have faded to barely remembered echos you don't have to go to far to get back into that festival feel.

We took a whirlwind weekend to visit Melbourne in the midst of the Comedy Festival and the street music was alive and jam'n.

I never got his name nor lingered long but this exponent of Saxuality, playing in his very own personal space, made this space and this saxual moment special.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'A Saxual Moment', 1/2000s f/2.8 ISO320 140mm

When I see an amazing setting sun sky unfolding in the western sky I immediately think of the our beautiful coastline and the ocean beyond.

How fortunate we were today to be elsewhere this evening!

Following a beautiful day with my family we spontaneously decided to visit Penfolds Magill Estate nestled in the Adelaide foothills for some cheese, wine and a view of the Adelaide plains below.

This was my first visit to what might be called the shrine of 'Grange Hermitage', Australia most famous wine. It was quite something seeing on display a full collection of Grange from its first clandestine 1951 vintage though to 2012.

Then as we were about to leave the sky lit up a fiery yellow and orange as the sun dipped into the vineyard.

How fortunate were we to be somewhere else this evening?


Photo: Robert Rath, 'A Penfolds Sunset', 1/500s f/5 ISO160 200mm