Luke O’Brien Photography

Winter is a great time for landscape photography in Tasmania. The sun is quite low in the sky for most of the day meaning that the light is much softer at this time of year. Another advantage is that sunrise is very late in midwinter, with the sun rising after 7:00 am for quite a number of weeks. I took advantage of this late start a couple of weeks ago with a visit to the Friendly Beaches at Freycinet National Park. The Friendly Beaches is quite popular with photographers as it faces east, making it great for pre-dawn skies and long exposure seascapes.

This morning was very clear, and the pre-dawn light lasted for a long time. My general rule of thumb for sunrise photos is to be in location one hour before sunrise, and this morning I didn’t have to wait long before the horizon was tinged with colour. I took the shot below just after the sun came up, but while the overall scene was still dark enough to allow a shutter speed slow enough to smooth out the ocean surface just a little. I even had a couple of curious gulls keep me company on this shoot – they were there for most of the time I was actually, and upon reviewing the photos from the morning it was interesting to see how much they hopped around on the rocks out there.

Sunrise over the Friendly Beaches, Tasmania

The Friendly Beaches is a lot more accessible than most of the National Parks that make up the Tasmanian wilderness, so one problem I often come across in areas like this is footprints in the sand. In winter there are far fewer visitors, so even though this area is easy to get to, photography trips at this time of year will still reward you with images of isolation and peace. The clear calm conditions of this morning were in fact a stark contrast to the dark and stormy afternoon of my previous visit a year or so ago – Friendly Beaches.

My photo gallery in Melville St now has some new images on the main wall, which we added before our winter break. We will also be adding some more new images in mid August, and I have a feeling this one might be on the big wall before long. Photography is all about capturing moments, and landscape photography also offers the potential to capture colour, movement, and time. My intention with my photography and the gallery is to share my enthusiasm for Tasmania’s natural beauty with everyone who is interested. Please feel free to drop in or to browse the portfolio pages on this site.

Welcome to Part 5 of my best Tassie Photography locations. I have to admit being somewhat torn here, not being able to decide whether one of Cradle Mt/Dove Lake or the Lake St Clair area should get a stand alone gong or not… Since they are part of the same national park (don’t worry that it takes 5 or 6 days to walk from one to the other!) I have decided to list them both together.

The Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park is without a doubt the most visited park in Tasmania, and the image of Cradle Mt sitting serenely above Dove Lake (with or without a boatshed!) is arguably the most photographed scene in Tasmania. Without a doubt, Cradle Mt reflecting in  a mirror like Dove Lake with a nice sky, or perhaps a bit of mist in the scene is a pic every photographer and his/her tripod is after. In this case, getting into location is obviously not the challenge (as you need only wander a few minutes from Tasmania’s most scenic car park) rather it is being there when the conditions are exactly right that makes the perfect shot of Cradle so hard to obtain.

Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake, by Starlight

When weather conditions aren’t favourable for epic mountain/landscape shots the rainforest beckons. You can walk around Weindorfers forest (Cradle) or Pine Valley (Lake St Clair) amongst magnificent pine and pandani rainforest; or the waterfalls of Waterfall Valley and near the park entrance at Cradle. Lake St Clair isn’t known for waterfalls, but the rainforest at Watersmeet ( junction of Hugel & Cuvier Rivers) is very picturesque when the clouds are in.

Highlights:

Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake

Weindorfers Forest (Cradle)

Mt Rufus (Lake St Clair)

Summer Scoparia on Mt Rufus

Pine Valley (Lake St Clair)

Rainforest, Pine Valley

Echo Point (Lake St Clair)

Lake St Clair at Echo Point

Part 4 of my guide to Tasmania’s best is the Bay of Fires region in the north east.

This is one area of Tasmania that has been getting a lot of attention internationally lately. Consistently voted one of the worlds best/must see/hidden treasure and so on by international travel experts, the area includes Mt William National Park in the north and stretches south past Eddystone Point, The Gardens and Binalong Bay near St Helens.

Sunrise at The Gardens, Bay of Fires

The attraction of the area is pristine white sandy beaches fringed by azure seas and orange-red lichen covered rocks right along the coast. It is great for traditional landscape photography, or for getting up close and studying the patterns in the brightly coloured lichen. As it is located on the east coast, sunrise shots are stunning, but you can also be rewarded at dusk with nice pink skies when the weather is clear. The area is easilly accessed by road, and you can chose short walks or follow the coast for as long as you like. The added bonus is that weather conditions up there should be relatively nice – even when it is cold and miserable in Hobart, the north east is often a nice getaway.

Highlights:

Mt William National Park – perhaps Tassie’s most understated National Park, the beaches are remote and beautiful, with a sprinkling of offshore rocks, and very long white sandy beaches. You could probably have a bit of space to yourself too.

Eddystone Point and Picnic Rocks- great rocky coastline around here. The rocks are right on the  edge of the water and are a great subject for long exposure and crashing waves.

Picnic Rocks, Bay of Fires

Binalong Bay – a very popular part of the region. Sealed roads, accommodation and food. Beautiful beaches and orange rocky foreshores abound, as do visitors. You could always try St Helens Point or Peron dunes for something potentially a little less crowded, although don’t visit after the dune buggies have been through!

Bay of Fires - Beautiful