Entries by Robert

This amazing mess of red and crimson is destined for greatness, albeit an ephemeral greatness.

The purple black texted surface is a floating raft of grape skins and seeds.

The stream of red fluid is the juice of the shiraz fruit crushed a few days before.

What is actually taking place here is this fermenting vat of grape juice, skins and seeds is receiving its twice daily stirring.

The juice (gradually becoming wine) is drawn from below the raft of skins ('the must') and pumped back into the vat. The winemaker's job here is to work the flow over the entire surface to help infuse the tannins, the colour and the complex flavors of the skins and seeds back into the fermenting juice.

The stirring will go on for 7 to 10 days while the yeast works its 'grape juice into wine' magic. Every day the juice sits fermenting the winemaker will taste the wine and make adjustments to the process. At the end the entire vat, the juice and the must and the fallen gum tree leaves will be basket pressed and then barreled for the next part of this wine's amazing journey.

If this years vintage is good enough, and the twinkle in the winemakers's eyes suggests it is, this fermenting red and crimson mess will become Rockford's 2017 Basket Press Shiraz.

I am already looking forward to enjoying a bottle of this wine in perhaps 10 years from now (if I can wait that long).


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Filling Rockford's Basket', 1/400s f/14 ISO2500 14mm

For two days we searched the Golden Triangle, central Victoria, for just a little of that elusive colour.

That intoxicating lust the old timers must have felt was almost palpable here in a region which has given millions over the last 150 years.

Alas despite all our brazen confidence only Mark found the tiniest piece of gold barely larger than the echidna's face on our five cent coin.

It's more than enough however to make sure we come back and try again!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Echidna and the Gold', 20s f/16 ISO320 100mm+8mm Ext

Of all the little details that go into preparing for graduation day, the hair, the gown, the tam, ...

it would seem that shoes really do maketh the grad!

So proud of my beautiful wife on her doctoral graduation and of course of her choice of shoes for this special occasion!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Shoes Maketh The Grad', 1/20s f/4.5 ISO800 145mm

Where do you find a bustling fisherman's wharf market with not a fish to be found?

I am sure if you looked hard enough, if you trawled long enough, if you ferreted through each and every eclectic stall you just might find an ornamental brass Murray Cod or a blown glass Mulloway.
If you are looking for fresh fish here you will be disappointed.

If on the other hand you just want to mosey from stall to stall and explore then the Fisherman's Wharf Market at Port Adelaide might just be the market for you.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'No Fish in This Fisherman's Market', 0.3s f/8 ISO160 14mm

Does a sunset have to have the sun in it? Surely if the sun has set then it will not be visible. Perhaps the more traditional images of setting suns should be called sun settings.

I have come to love that time well after the sun has set below the horizon but still lighting up the sky with it's golden fire. This is my kind of sunset.

Today we were fortunate enough to be in one of the Barossa Valley's most beautiful locations, the Steingarten Vineyard, when the sun and clouds and timing all converged to this spectacular mural of gold and blue and grey.

This is my kind of sunset.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'My Kind of Sunset', 1/25s f/8 ISO160 14mm

It was a cold, wet and miserable quarter past six and I was about to leave for work. One last glance to check I had everything then on a whim I grabbed my camera despite thinking it would not get used.

The as I passed by the old Goldsborough Mort woolen stores in Port Adelaide this happened!

With no time to spare and nowhere to park I drove up onto the footpath, grabbed my camera and captured this beautiful double rainbow over these wonderful old heritage listed buildings.

What a lovely reminder just how interesting a place 'The Port' is, how I should grab my camera a little more often and leave just a little bit earlier, ... because something extraordinary might just happen on the way.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Goldsborough Morning', 1/60s f/5.6 ISO160 15mm

Even in the stormy evening light the Grange Kiosk appears warm and cosy.

As much as I would have liked to have had dinner here tonight we made do with a couple of drinks at the Grange Hotel before heading home for a wholesome kitchen cooked meal.

Our Indian summer seems to be finally over now and places like the Grange Kiosk will need to keep their warm and cosy atmospheres to bring us back in the coming months.

Unless of course it's just for a photograph.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Grange Kiosk', 1/6s f/7.1 ISO160 14mm

We should never have had to remember ...


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Lest We Forget', 1/25s f/2.8 ISO320 165mm

The sun and its golden glow had long since disappeared beyond the western horizon. You could be forgiven for thinking the sunset was over.

Looking high up into the eastern sky however the golden orange light of a west bound sun still clung to the clouds.

There amidst that orange glow a waning gibbous moon shone incongruous in an evening sky.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Lunar Sunset', 1/800s f/5 ISO320 200mm

Yesterday I was treated to an amazing concert performed by a group I have only recently discovered, Snarky Puppy.

If you are a fan of modern jazz music you probably already know of Snarky Puppy and their music. For me however their performance in the Melbourne Recital Centre was a real eye (ear) opener.

Here lead guitarist Mark Lettieri epitomizes the sense of fun and brilliant musicianship exuded by all nine members of the band. I have never seen a band on stage loving what they are doing and having an absolutely ball about it they way Snarky Puppy did.

I'm still not a convert to jazz but Snarky Puppy have peaked my interest for more.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Mark Lettieri, Snarky Puppy', 1/200s f/2.8 ISO2500 120mm

My experiences diving with Southern Eagle Rays (Myliobatis australis) have all been fleeting affairs.

Timid and never lingering they always seem to glide into view and the off into the distance with no real opportunity to get a feel for their beautiful form and grace. This ray under Rapid Bay jetty last weekend was not different.

It came from behind, swooping past my right shoulder, swam across my vision from right to left then swam out into the sea grass beds. I tried to follow but there did no seem any point as it almost disappeared into the gloom.

Then I noticed a sweeping dark shape head back under the jetty again and head back towards me.

I got one chance for an image as the eagle ray swam straight towards me, suddenly realised I was in its path and then shoot off again into the distance.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Lone Eagle', 1/125s f/14 ISO320 15mm

Summer might be over but the Rapid Bay afternoon sun still has enough sting to burn quite badly.

Out of the water there is not much shelter from the sun unless you know of places like this secret little grotto on the western side of the old jetty.

There's another one down the beach at the eastern end which heads so far into the hillside that both sight and sound are completely lost to the daylight world.

Exploring treasures like this reminds me that childhood adventures never actually need to come to an end.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Sheltered Treasure', 1/800s f/10 ISO100 15mm

During the climax of one of Adele's most beloved songes the arena burst into a ticker tape shower. Little snippets of paper with hand written messages flittered into the crowd, into the stands and out into the parklands beyond the stadium.

"hello", "Twas your song through every open door" and "... to stand in your arms without falling to your feet" were just some of those notes.

Even out here in the parklands, As her hand written notes fluttered to the ground, fans sought just a little of her to take home their very own message from Adele.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Message From Adele', 1/15s f/2.8 ISO2500 100mm

I really like the moon when it's not a full circle. The shadows on the horizon are often quite stunning in highlighting the lunar mountains and creating a real three dimensional presence.

A few days before last night's full moon I decided to revisit the technical challenge of a half reasonable moon shot with an inexpensive camera.

The idea is quite simple. Take fifty or more identical images of the moon in in quick succession, like a sports photographer machine gunning for the perfect moment. The difference is that here there is no perfect moment.

Every image will be a tiny bit different as the atmosphere seethes and twists and curls craters and mountains like a bubbling cauldron or like a distant car shimmering indistinctly on a hot open road.

Combine all those images in just the right way and it is possible put those craters and mountain and lunar features back into their true locations.

Does the process make this image truth or creation? Now there's a question ... for another time.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Waxing Gibbous', 1/60s f/22 ISO100 600mm

I love living with a Western horizon hemmed by sea.

There is something very special about the sun setting over the ocean. There is a completeness to the day.

To watch as the sun moves on to be replaced by the twilight and then the starlight is to have the day's wrinkles smoothed over by the softness of the darkening sky.
It feels right to linger, to ponder and then retire for the evening with another beautiful day complete.

Every night another delight in the western sky.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Western Delight', 1/1250s f/7.1 ISO100 165mm

A rush of water fills the basket then stops, silent for a moment. The gaps seems to last forever.

Then it starts again, the pressure building, the hot water teasing out the oils with their precious flavors.

Next a little trickle, chance deciding which side will appear first before becoming a wriggling pair of golden brown tails.

Thirty seconds later it's all over, the puck spent and the machine silent. Only the rich coffee aroma remains as a reminder of the moment passed.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Espresso', 30s f/16 ISO100 100mm

Come outside and checkout this cloud my work colleague gestured. How fortunate I just happened to have my camera and could steal a few minutes away from my desk.

Once outside, above us billowed the most amazing cumulus cloud structure expanding above the North Eastern skyline.

The detailed textures in the clouds were amazing but without a frame of reference or context I new the drama would be lost in a photograph.

And then VH-YNH flew into my frame.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'VH-YNH', 1/1000s f/8 ISO100 200mm

An expression I have not heard in years, 'nightfall' came to mind this evening and got me wondering, just when does 'night fall'?

It is easy to describe moments along the way.

The moment the sun dips below the horizon.
The emergence of the very first stars.
The moment a feature on the horizon is lost in the darkness.
When all the night-sky's stars become visible.

All these moments are grey transitions until you realize you are left gazing into starry night's sky.

So when does night fall? All I can be sure of it that it just does!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Nightfall', 1/60s f/11 ISO160 13mm

My good friend Simon likes coffee. I just did not realize how much he likes his coffee until last weekend when we visited him and his wife Emma in Canberra.

"Would you like a coffee?" he offered as we were welcomed in. What a great way to kick off the afternoon I thought as he led us to his little barista grotto.

There before me was a sight that just might make coffee lovers think they have died and gone to heaven.

The fully manual machine equipped with a myriad of gauges, controls and readouts was spotless and gleaming.

The calibrated grinder took pride of place along side.

Neatly laid out were tampers, handles and filter baskets for perfect extraction along with a diverse set of barista accessories.

The best equipment in the world does not count for much if you can't get the best from it. The proof would be in this pouring.

All my apprehension was swept away with my first sip of the wonderfully aromatic short black I was given.

Thank you Simon for this culinary gift. Without a doubt this was the best shot of coffee I have ever had.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Simon's Gift', 1/60s f/2.8 ISO1000 200mm

Even with the camera sitting on the back seat, after nearly 700Km behind the wheel it seemed like a monumental effort to just pull over and capture this beautiful scene unfolding over the Western New South Wales country toen of Balranald.

Once the decision to pull over had been made all that fatigue slipped away, the circulation returned and we enjoyed the sunset with renenewd admiration.

What better way to take a travelling break on a long Australian road trip.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Goodnight Balranald', 1/3200s f/32 ISO160 75mm

A love apple for Valentines day?

We can thank the South American Aztecs for these red beauties but you really might not like to delve deeper into the story or myth behind the 'love apple'. I dare you to do your own Googling!

Suffice to say, this gorgeous red fruit originally had nothing going for it on the romance front.

Now though there are rumors of aphrodisiac qualities.
There are associations mandrake, with deadly nightshade and sexual rituals.
And perhaps unsurprisingly it was the French who gave them the name 'pommes d'amour'.

So forget the red Valentines' Day roses at $$$ per stem. Love apples abound in every grocery store, are far more practical and just maybe that aphrodisiac rumor is true after all.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Love Apple', 1/30s f/10 ISO800 100mm

Perhaps it's not the energetic performance of Lachy Doley giving this device an internal meltdown at 'The Gov' last Friday night.

Perhaps its owner had just pulled his device from an overheated shirt pocket.

Perhaps he'd just done a fast charge from a battery brick.

Nope, I'm pretty sure it's Lachy's hot performance!


Photo: Robert Rath, 'When You're Hot, You're Hot', 1/400s f/3.2 ISO1600 200mm

There's a little restaurant on the waterfront in Neiafu on the island of Vava'u called Mango.

Instead of by car, patrons here all arrived in little dinghies. Already the landing in front of the restaurant was filling up with the little inflatable boats bobbing up and down in the gentle waters of Koko Bay.

We sat here and watched while drinking from freshly cut coconuts as the sun set in the west and another one arrived.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Mango Arrival', 1/1200s f/2.2 ISO40 4.8mm

Walking past this shop window front just off Hindley Street I was immediately reminded of the Broadway Musical 'Kinky Boots' which is currently playing in Melbourne.

After Melbourne it will be Sydney and as usual Adelaide misses out.

The musical, inspired by true events, tells the story of Charlie Price who having inherited an ailing shoe factory from his father, forms an unlikely business partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola. Together they produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the family business.

I've not seen the show myself but good friends of ours made a special trip to Melbourne recently just for the show and they thoroughly loved it.

This image is for them.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Kinky Boots', 1/50s f/4 ISO640 50mm

It begins looking out over a eucalyptus tree line falling away from the the summit of Mount Lofty, the highest place in the region.

Soon the detailed structure of leaves, branches and trunks transitions to a rolling velvety green of the Adelaide foothills.

Beyond the foothills lie the Adelaide plains, home to over a million South Australians and beyond the plains the ocean glitters in the late afternoon.

Finally this beautiful view ends in yet another gorgeous Adelaide sunset. Aren't we so lucky.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'A View to a View to a View to a View', 1/250s f/7.1 ISO160 15mm

Looking down at the reflections in Henley Square's subtle water feature I have often wondered what a gorgeous sunset would look like seen in this civic mirror.

A half hinted promise of yet another gorgeous Henley Beach sunset faded to a few pastel hues as the sun retreated and twilight took hold.

It's not the colour I had come down here for but beautiful all the same.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'Looking Over the Square', 2s f/16 ISO320 14mm

I'd never heard of Lachy Doley before seeing him play live on Friday night at 'The Gov' so I really did not know what to expect.

What I experienced was the most extraordinary mix of manic Hammond Organ keyboard virtuosity, passionate singing, ostentatious showmanship and humility.

I found myself thoroughly entertained! Thanks Lachy.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Lachy Doley' 1/250 f/3.5 ISO1600 200mm

If you know what these little glass bottles are you could be;

a) a musician,
b) a radio frequency engineer, or
c) have been around for quite a long time.

These three little glass tubes are part of the audio amplifier of Lachy Doley's on stage Hammond Organ and many contemporary musicians will attest are at the heart of the instrument's rich warm tones.

Fifty years ago nearly all our electronic equipment from televisions to radios used them. Today they are almost part of legend.

Just for an amusing contrast a modern flagship mobile phone has the silicon transistor equivalent of one billion of these little glass tubes miniaturised in its tiny form factor.

Glass vacuum tubes are still made and used today despite our micro-sized transistor marvels and as long as we have musicians, audiophiles and radio frequency engineers they will remain part of the electronics landscape.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘The Heart of Hammond' 1/80s f/2.8 ISO500 200mm

It had been drab and overcast all day long but in the late afternoon there were a few tell-tale signs that a trip to the beach for sunset might just be worth my while.

When I arrived at 'my local', Henley Beach, there were a few people with cameras ready to witness the sun just peeking out from below the clouds. Five minutes later it was gone again, the sunset obscured by the clouds on the horizon. I noticed more than one photographer pack up and leave.

I waited a while, quietly confident the show was far from over. Ten minutes later it began.

The dark orange glow on the horizon began to lighten and creep upwards. Little ripples in the cloud base took on spidery orange tinges like a textured wall dusted with orange chalk.

A few minutes later the textured cloud base was completely filled with yellows, oranges and reds while the last snippets of the blue sky beyond sneaked through the gaps.

Then I noticed the sea, now transformed into an ocean of volcanic lava washing back and forth leaving the sand a blaze as it retreated from every wave.

Conversations stopped . Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy's transformed from phone to camera. People up and down the beach, surprised by the spectacle, were eager to capture a little of it to take home, to Tweet or to Facebook post.

Inevitably the colours began to fade. The volcanic sea cooled to a dark blue grey and the world became drab again. Only a filigree of deep red tracings remained in the clouds above as a legacy to the volcanic sea.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Volcanic Sea' 0.4s f/11 ISO140 14mm

What to do with green tomatoes?

We could fry them or roast them. I've read they make great chutney or even go with eggs benedict.
I might add them to a lentil stew or create a sweet and savory jam with a difference.

Or perhaps we'll just let them ripen into bright juicy red globes and enjoy in a fresh summer salad.


Photo: Robert Rath, ‘Green Tomatoes' 1/125s f/7.1 ISO800 100mm