Entries by Robert

Noticing a run of salmon cruising through the upper realm of the pylon forest of Rapid Bay Jetty I gently rose into their midst.

This stunning school cruised through and around me before disappearing into the open water gloom. A little patience paid off and they came back through again for a second run.

Then I noticed the impostor, the masked bandit amid the crowd. Of all places, here under the waves I could hear that childhood Sesame Street song, ‘One of These Things’.

To be fair that solitary kingfish swam like the salmon, was shaped like the salmon and probably believed itself to be a salmon. Who am I to judge if a kingfish chooses to be identified as a salmon.

Just another amazing experience under Rapid Bay Jetty.


#Rapidbay #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #pylons #salmon #kingfish #wideangle

At first I thought I had come across a couple of dropped cuff links on the ocean floor. Then I thought, what an amazing pair of earrings.

I am still not sure what they are and why there are two of them anchored to their sea bed like lovers betrothed for life. I hope they get along well together!

If I were to guess they look like some species of anemone and perhaps this is some dormant time between feeding or other activities.

Regardless, what amazing inspiration for some designer to create an awesome set of cuff links or a stunning set of earrings.


#edithburgh #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #benthic #anemone #critters #macro

The very first time I dived Rapid Bay Jetty, more than thirty years ago now, I was blown away by the schools of pelagic fish that swim through the pylons.

Thirty years ago they were probably yellowfin whiting, today they are definitely yellowfin whiting.

What I did not see all those years ago was the school of salmon you see in the upper reaches of the pylon forest. They were a first for me on this dive. Perhaps the salmon have accompanied many of my dives, perhaps I just never looked up!

Today on this dive the yellowtail whiting and friends simply made my day! Thank you.


#rapidbay #jetty #scuba #diving #southaustralia #yellowtail #whiting #pylons

Perhaps it’s unfair on the rest of the jetties that dot our coastline but I’d say that Rapid Bay is one of the best jetty dives for scuba divers in South Australia and probably in all Australia.

If you are into small critters, they are everywhere for divers to observe and photograph. If you are into larger pelagics then schools of whiting, salmon and kingfish coursing through the outermost forrest of deep pylons will take your breath away (hazardous for most divers).

From time to time the really big guys will come through just for a look. Regularly seen by the fisher’s on the jetty, rarely by divers (better that way).

I’d be remiss of course if I did not mention that Rapid Bay is home to leafy seadragons and a significant attraction. That being said even If you don’t find one, the incredible diversity of life here never disappoints.

Andy and I dived here yesterday and as expected we were not disappointed!

#rapidbay #jetty #aerial #sunset #scuba #diving #southaustralia #divesites

I can’t begin to describe how much joy I feel whenever I encounter a leafy seadragon on a dive. This was especially true last weekend as I had not seen any leafies at Edithburgh for quite some time.

In the last 30 years I have seen the rise of the leafy seadragon from curious local critter to the South Australian icon it is today. We now have yearly leafy namesake festivals, giant murals in Adelaide Airport and other important public centres, and magazine articles about leafies appear regularly in local and international publications.

A small industry in leafy seadragon tours has emerged and divers from all over the world come to South Australia just to see leafy seadragons in the wild and take away their own personal images and memories.

In a sense South Australia has become the ‘Leafy State’, and if this greater awareness helps protect and nurture these incredible and beautiful creatures, I’m on board with that.

I love living and diving in the Leafy State!

#Edithburgh #scuba #diving #leafyseadragon #leafy #seadragon #Phycoduruseques #critters #SouthAustralia #marine #leafystate

I photographed Miros here in the idyllic Sultana Bay of Edithburgh two years ago. At the time it looked a little run down but still quite serviceable.

Two years later she does not seemed to have moved. Moreover the amount of guano cementing the base of the jib suggests that Miro’s current seafowl residents have be here for quite some time.

It seems that Miros has new residents and they seem happy to stay.


#birdlife #cormorant #seagulls #aerial #boats #edithburgh #miros #ocean #sailing #saltanabay #sea #yacht

The beautiful fan worm Sabellastarte australiensis looks all the world like a miniature palm tree in an exquisite coral and ascidian garden.

Just a tiny part of the greater landscape under Edithburgh Jetty.


#diving #featherduster #macro #ocean #edithburgh #edithburghjetty #sabellastarteaustraliensis #scuba #sea #southaustralia #underwater #worm

When you play the game ‘what critter is that?’ long enough you eventually start talking Latin. It’s not by choice but most critters that live on the ocean floor are only known by Latin names.

This little guy, Tylodina corticalis, is a primitive notaspid (more Latin) or more commonly a ‘side gilled slug’ (finally some English!).

Languages aside, I was caught unprepared when Andy found this beautiful yellow critter bearing its tiny excuse for a half shell, Ninja Turtle style. I was set up with my wide angle lens and tiny critters were not on my image agenda.

This style of image is called close focus wide angle and unlike common macro images provides great environmental context with the critter just millimetres away from my lens.

Perfect for putting Latin in it’s place or in English, a half shelled side gilled Ninja slug under Edithburgh Jetty.


#Edithburgh #jetty #tylodinacorticalis #mollusc #critters #southaustralia #scuba #diving

We’ve just returned home from a weekend away in the small coastal town of ‘Edithburgh’ on South Australia’s ‘York Peninsula’ and we enjoyed every moment there.

Edithburgh is one of my ‘happy places’. In once place you can find a slow paced idyllic country town, one the best jetties for benthic marine life in Australia and a gateway to some of South Australia’s most incredible off-shore diving.

There is some big water out from here when the seas are rough but those welcoming outstretched arms of stone will be there waiting when back from a day out on or under the water.

Today we dived two of my all time favourite South Australian locations. Worth every inch of the twenty five nautical mile round trip.

Images and locations to follow in the coming days.


#Edithburgh #breakwater #boatramp #shelter #aerial #southaustralia

Today I was lucky enough to photograph this beautiful chunk of specimen gold in quartz.

Here with my watch placed on top for scale is 2.6 kilograms of gold in a 4.6 kilogram nugget specimen. A lucky strike indeed for a very lucky amateur prospector who found this gorgeous rock last month in central Victoria.

Thank you Darren and Leanne for bringing ‘Lucky Strike’ into the office today.

#luckystrike #gold #specimen #nugget #minelab #equinox800 #victoria, #yema #watch

Out there, to the west, silhouette by a shrouded sunset, four ships make their way south.

I have no idea what cargo they carry, the souls on board or the nations they herald from.

Life at sea is not as hard as it once was and a little part of me anchored to dry land wishes it were somewhere out on that horizon.


#semaphore #horizon #ships #aerial #sunset #goldenhour #southaustralia #ocean #seascape #silhouette

When it comes to creating a moody image you just can’t beat that time of the evening known as the ‘Golden Hour’. I should add that there’s Golden Hour in the morning as well that most often goes unnoticed.

As those last rays of sunlight are bent through out atmosphere they are stripped of violet, indigo, and blue and cast this beautiful golden hue on the world, creating a mood unlike any other time of the day.

It’s just after 7pm in the evening, the sun is setting on the Semaphore Palais and the world is bathed in gold.


#semaphore #palaishotel #semaphorepalais #aerial #sunset #goldenhour #southastraila #urbanlife

Crabs might not be the most exciting of critters unless you are a foody, a marine biologist or a scuba diver.

Most crabs are really quite cool and collected critters that just go about their business picking their way through aquatic carrion oblivious to everything going on around them. This makes them ideal subjects to just watch, observe and ponder.

Perhaps not exciting but certainly cool and I’ll always take the time to capture these critters.


#decoratorcrab #dof #thebarge #glenelg #nightdive #critters

It’s 8 kilometres off-shore and 60 feet below waves reflecting a midnight sky. Sleepy critters hang in the watery darkness tolerant to the terrestrial visitor in their midst.

I am on my own down here and my strobes have just failed, … again. It is a recurring problem I’ve not gotten to the bottom of yet (sorry for the pun). Still all is not lost.

By firing up my backup torch and stopping down to f/1.4 I am still able to capture this Southern Flathead resting on the deck.

At this aperture and behind a domed port not much is in focus except for that beautiful jewelled eye at the centre of the frame.


#Flathead #fish #dof #thebarge #glenelg #eye #jewel #nightdive

The Adelaide Fringe is over but the songs from Celtic Sounds still linger in my head.

Angela and Casey’s ‘Black is the Colour’ remains a daily ear-worm that often finds me softly
humming to myself in my day job.

And that’s absolutely fine by me.


#adlfringe2023 #performingarts #singing #song #dance #performance #violin #cetlticsounds #gluttony

Well the Adelaide Fringe has come to the end and what an amazing time we all had. Hundreds of performers shared their art with us and now all that remain are images and memories.

Watching this graffiti artist at work was like being at one of those Fringe shows. His art offered from nowhere, performed in the moment, and like the Fringe, soon gone. All that remains now is a clean brick wall, images and memories.


#arts #graffiti #paint #ironlak #adelaide #ephemeral

How hard can it be? Just play with the sliders until the performance sounds great. Easy, right?

Over the last month and a dozen shows I’ve developed a deep respect for the guy or girl driving the sound desk. Faced with changing shows every day and often several different shows in a single day the sound person has to deal with diverse instrumentation, vocal setups including microphones on stands and headset microphones and often difficult venue acoustics.

Complicate things further with fold-back placement and moving performers with unpredictable feedback risks and that sound engineer is not just technical resource but an active performer in the show.

Despite our strong visually oriented perception of performance it is sound that critically underpins a show. Bad sound distracts and makes us more critical of everything, amazing sound makes us forgiving of even the ugliest performance hiccups.

Dialling in the sound is hard and every sound girl or guy sitting behind those sliders is as much a performer as the artists on the stage and deserve all the credit they hardly ever get!


#performingarts #soundengineering #adlfringe2023 #gluttony #celticsounds #yamaha #yamahaql5 #mixingdesk

I am so proud to be part of ‘Celtic Sounds: Reimaginings’ Adelaide Fringe show this year.

Again, if you are a local and have not yet seen this show then please consider supporting us and coming along so see while you have a chance.


#Celticsounds #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #performingarts

Charmaine Jones and her GOSPO Collective are putting on this amazing show titled ‘Whitney’ at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, a tribute to Whitney Houston and a showcase of the incredible talent of the GOSPO performers.

We experienced the show last night and were blown away by one of the slickest and polished show of the Fringe.

Charmaine to her credit has choreographed and produced an extraordinary showcase of the talent of the GOSPO performers. I only wish there had been a little more Charmaine on here own bringing back the Whitney we all loved and miss.


#Whitneyhouston #CharmaineJones #GOSPOCollective #gospo #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #performingarts

Newry Gals

These young performers from the Newry Studio of Irish Dancing make a spectacular addition to the already wonderful performance of Celtic Sounds: Reimaginings at this year’s (2023) Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Not only do I leave after a performance singing in my head but dancing well into the evening and next day too!


#newrystudio #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #irishdancing #celticsounds #performingarts

‘The Choir of Man’ is a great show. The performers are talented, have amazing voices, stage presence and thoroughly entertained their enthusiastic audience.

Yes I enjoyed the show and of course it’s about men but I really missed the feminine balance. At times I found it just a little too ‘blokey’.

I soon got over my ‘blokey’ thing, let my feminine side fill in the gaps and settled back to enjoy the show for what it was, ‘The Choir of Man’.


#choirofman #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #thejungle #beer #pub #performingarts #blokes

Life on the Fringe

The western parklands are teaming with life; even more so during the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Fruit bats in the sunset sky and possums in the dark of night share Gluttony and the Garden of Earthly Delights with a different kind of wildlife.

Happily they all habitat this space amid the music, the noise, the frivolity and the craic that is the Adelaide Fringe.


#possum #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #animals #wildlife

Tucked away in an out of the way corner of Gluttony is a little door into a the curious world of charismatic creatures, pretentious portents and enchanting entities.

I did not see her at first, this exotic mermaid reclining atop a vintage chaise longue. When I did she emerged fully formed in my mind the way a leafy seadragon emerges from its camouflage of weed and algae.

To my surprise I found her engrossed in a story written more than 200 year ago about a Swiss family bound for Australia only to be marooned on an uninhabited tropical island.

Do mermaids read Wyss? Well this exotic beauty seems as engrossed in the story of us as was Disney’s Little Mermaid with her Prince Eric. I hope she finds happiness in this curious and whimsical place.


#Mermaid #clubcurious #adlfringe #fringe2023 #gluttony #swissfamilyrobinson #JohannDavidWyss

I’ve been privileged this Adelaide Fringe season 2023 to be part of this wonderful group of performers and their show ‘Celtic Sounds: Reimaginings’.

Their talent, commitment and hard work leading up to these shows has been inspiring to witness and rewarding to be involved.

If you are a local and have not yet seen this show then please consider supporting us and coming along so see while you have a chance.

I promise, the music will continue in your head long after the show is over.


#Adelaide #fringe #fringe2023 #celticsounds #gluttony #ireland #dance #irishdance #celtic #performingarts #singing

One of southern Australia's most exotic fishes is the South Blue Devil. Even though they are quite common on along the greater Adelaide coastline I still experience great delight when ever I come across one on a dive.

Firstly let me say they are the grumpiest looking fish I know! Juxtaposed with that scowling face is the most amazing iridescent blue and flowing body. Combined it creates a uniqueness uncommon in fishes of South Australia.

Grumpy, gorgeous, exotic and local. I am happy to dive with these guys any time.


#bluedevil #southernbluedevil #paraplesiopsmeleagris #thebarge #night #scuba #diving #underwaterphotography #portrait #glenelg #southaustralia #fish

I grew up to the music of ‘The Police’ and later loved Sting’s solo work. In all the intervening years I’d never seen a live performance of either. This week I was stung at last and finally got to see Gordon Sumner, AKA ‘Sting’, live here in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Wow! Despite being 70 years old Sting sang with the power and tone of a self half his age. For nearly 2 hours he rocked us with his 1957 Fender Precision bass guitar, wowed us with his musicianship and gave his all to make it a special night for us all.


#Sting #performingarts #adelaide #entertainmentcentre #concert #livemusic #music

Recently I took a little detour on my way home from the ‘day job’. There are a few places I like to go at Outer Harbor giving access to some beautiful seascapes and at times breathtaking bird life.

On this moody evening the wildlife had made itself scarce, probably moving east to the protection of Torrens Island under the threat of a coming storm. There was drama unfolding in the western sky and that’s where I was drawn.

The sun remains hidden behind the brooding clouds, but there is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in.


#Ocean #seascape #sunrays #storm #clouds #aerial #outerharbor #blackandwhite #sunset #leonardcohen

Fiery sheets of rain fall in the western horizon but none of it reaches the water below while the ocean is calm even as storm clouds loom overhead.

I loved the incongruity of this scene tonight as people played and swam in the warm shallows while small boats lingered out at sea.

What a beautiful night to be out.


#Grange #beach #ocean #sunset #goldenhour #twilight #southaustralia #rain #storm #clouds

Eleven years ago today I originally shared this image, titled ‘The End of Time’.

Back then I did not write or share the story behind the image. I could not. Today I will tell its story.

Growing up this was our family clock which stood proud on the kitchen mantelpiece, struck its gong once on the half hour and rang the full count of hours on the hour. Once a week my dad would wind both springs and adjust the time. I do not recall it ever stopping in his healthy years.

The sound of that clock’s chime is one of my fondest memories of home.

In dad’s last bed ridden days we would visit regularly and I often found the clock had stopped. This both saddened me and made me angry. I would always leave with the clock wound, the time set right, and give an admonished plea to someone to please keep it running.

On this evening, eleven years ago and a day, I captured this image of our family clock as an idea about how little time we had left with dad and that it would soon be over.

He died peacefully the next day, eleven years ago today.

I miss you dad.


#dad #clocks #death #time #mechanicalclocks #memory

There was something lovely about today. The people I work and play with seemed happier and the day had a beautiful lightness about it.

Add to that a gorgeous balmy evening with my girl and nothing could have been lovelier.


#Red #rose #abstract #love #beauty