# Murramarang National Park



## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

Canberra is about 1.5 hours from the coast and like most Canberran’s I love nothing more than to head down to the beach on a long weekend during the summer. When you hit Batemans Bay, you either go north or south depending on your favourite location. We always go a little bit north to the Murramarang National Park where there are some great places to camp close to the beach. It has some great wild coastal scenery and you can find plenty of places where there are hardly any people. There are numerous beaches all along the coast, many you can have to yourself. Here are a few photos I have taken of the area.

David

The first few are from the Pretty Beach area. This place lives up to its name as it is one of the prettiest beaches I have seen.





















Here are some of the animals you can see in the park. The first couple are of the goanna which can get pretty big (more than 2 metres). You need to keep your food locked away during the day as they will walk through the campsite devouring anything they can find.









The wild kangaroos have got so tame you can walk up and pat them. Here is my daughter patting a young kangaroo at Pebbly Beach.


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

The Red-necked Wallaby tends to be found more in forests while Kangaroos prefer grasslands. Wallabies are generally much shyer creatures but this one wasn’t that scared of us.





The Brush-tail possums are pretty tame as well and love running round your feet at night looking for food. You have to make sure you lock up your tent as they will be in as quick as a flash looking for food. Possums are almost considered pests in this country but how couldn’t you love them.





Emily Miller Beach





Some more photos from the North Head area where we generally camp.





Here you can get a feel for the wild coastal scenery of the area.


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)




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## Marc (Jun 11, 2011)

Ok I'm very impressed by the photo's you are sharing here. A lot of them are so good that if they would have been my own some of them would addorn the walls of the living room. I really love how you captured the waves in time, some pictures have a very spooky feel to them.

Could you please tell us what kit you used to take these pictures, if you used a tripod. Did you do a lot of processing on the photo's with Photoshop or a similar piece of software?

I also enjoyed watching the wildlife shots and you have a nice daughter.

Thanks for sharing!


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

Marc said:


> Ok I'm very impressed by the photo's you are sharing here. A lot of them are so good that if they would have been my own some of them would addorn the walls of the living room. I really love how you captured the waves in time, some pictures have a very spooky feel to them.
> 
> Could you please tell us what kit you used to take these pictures, if you used a tripod. Did you do a lot of processing on the photo's with Photoshop or a similar piece of software?
> 
> ...



Thanks Marc

I pretty much always use a tripod as some of these exposures are as long 30 seconds. The animal shots and the daytime photos were handheld though. My camera is a Nikon D200 which was a great camera at its release although is starting to get a bit old. I'm expecting the Nikon D400 to be released shortly so I think I will bypass the D300 and upgrade then. The lens I used for most of these landscapes is the wide-angled Sigma 10-20 mm which is an excellent lens, especially given the price. 

For most of these sunrise/sunset photos I use graduated neutral density filters (often a 2 stop and 3 stop combined). These filters are used where you have a lot of contrast in your scene - so you have a bright coloured sky but a dark shaded foreground. Without the graduated filters you would find that the foreground would be very dark or the sky would be way over exposed. A lot of people feel that graduated filters are a bit redundant these days as you can do the same thing in Photoshop but I find I can never get it to look as good on the computer. If anyone wants a more throrough explanation of graduated filters, let me know.

Yes, I always use Photoshop but not intensely so. Just mainly to polish up the photos - crop, add contrast, clean up, sharpen etc. The point of the graduated filters is to get the exposure as close to perfect as you can so you don't need to do a lot of work in PS. Sometimes there maybe a problem with the photo that needs a bit of salvaging in PS, but not often. One thing I need to work on is my PS skills.

Happy to answers any more questions if you have them.

David


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## John Boy (Jun 11, 2011)

The best pictures I've seen! I feel better now.... 

That is so impressive. Thanks for showing.


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## quietaustralian (Jun 11, 2011)

Absolutely stunning photos. 

Mick


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## Marc (Jun 11, 2011)

A more thorough explanation would be greatly apreciated. Might consider making another topic for it though. 

I've heard of nd filters before and seen them in various forums. Some of them are screw on filters but others are square or rectangular pieces of glass that are mounted in a special adapter.


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

Marc said:


> A more thorough explanation would be greatly apreciated. Might consider making another topic for it though.
> 
> I've heard of nd filters before and seen them in various forums. Some of them are screw on filters but others are square or rectangular pieces of glass that are mounted in a special adapter.



OK. Might take me a day or so but I will post something comprehensive. 

David


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## Hera (Jun 11, 2011)

Wonderful photos. I think its some of the best you've posted here. You daughter is still the most adorable child. Thanks for posting.


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## Wendelin (Jun 11, 2011)

*Most impressive Pictures!!*
Thank you for posting!


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## Rick (Jun 11, 2011)

:clap::clap::clap::clap:

Are you a professional photographer David!?

Seriously this is publishable, art hanging on the wall quality material.


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## paphioboy (Jun 11, 2011)

WOW. That is some stunning scenery...  Just awesome... I'm so gonna use them for my desktop wallpaper.. Hope you don't mind..


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## Ernie (Jun 11, 2011)

WOW WOW WOW! National Geographic quality photos there!!! Looks like paradise.


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## goldenrose (Jun 11, 2011)

Ernie said:


> WOW WOW WOW! National Geographic quality photos there!!! Looks like paradise.


FOR SURE!!! :drool::drool::drool:
If I lived that close to areas like that, I'd be there at every opportunity! 
Congrats! Your daughter will have special childhood memories to have & hold & share with her kids!


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## Lanmark (Jun 11, 2011)

Wonderful! You live in a very special part of the world to be nearby such beauty.


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## Heather (Jun 11, 2011)

We have some very talented folks on this forum and you're certainly one of them! What gorgeous sunsets! Thank you so much for sharing that beauty with us!


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## Marc (Jun 11, 2011)

emydura said:


> OK. Might take me a day or so but I will post something comprehensive.
> 
> David



That would be greatly apreciated! :clap:


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## JeanLux (Jun 11, 2011)

Bravo!!!!! I am interested too about the use of the filters!!! Jean

(You know that I appreciate your long time exposures with water a LOT )


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## GuRu (Jun 11, 2011)

Great and stunning images David - especially that ones which were taken with long exposure at sunrise or sunset time. 
They are a kind of mystic - gorgeous!!


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## jjkOC (Jun 11, 2011)

Definitely agree with Ernie, I would love to see your photos get published! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing ocean scenery through your artistic eye!


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## Kevin (Jun 11, 2011)

Stunning photos! I love the ones with the long shutter speeds!:drool::clap: I need to get some of those graduated filters. So, how many pics do you usually take before you get ones like this that you want to post? That is, if you want to say.oke:


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

Hera said:


> Wonderful photos. I think its some of the best you've posted here. You daughter is still the most adorable child. Thanks for posting.



Thanks. She certainly doesn't get her looks from me. LOL. She is 2 years older now but no less cute (says a biased father).



Rick said:


> :clap::clap::clap::clap:
> 
> Are you a professional photographer David!?
> 
> Seriously this is publishable, art hanging on the wall quality material.



Thanks Rick. That is the ultimate compliment. I have never sold a photo in my life. I just do if for fun. 



paphioboy said:


> WOW. That is some stunning scenery...  Just awesome... I'm so gonna use them for my desktop wallpaper.. Hope you don't mind..



Go for it.



Kevin said:


> Stunning photos! I love the ones with the long shutter speeds!:drool::clap: I need to get some of those graduated filters. So, how many pics do you usually take before you get ones like this that you want to post? That is, if you want to say.oke:



Thanks Kevin. There are quite a lot of photos that don't make it. You tend to experiment a lot of with compositions and light to get the best ones. I will muck around a bit. A lot of photos I take are of slight variations of the same thing. You just keep the one that works best. Also when you have moving objects, such as water, you may need to take a few to get the timing of the waves perfect - such as the first one (which is my favourite). I'm not experienced enough to just walk up and nail it first time every time. But then I was reading a book by professional landscape photographers and one of them said he would keep only 10% of what he shoots. So even the professional photographers only have a small rate of "keepers". I guess you are looking for standout photos. If I went into a shoot and only came away with either of the first or last two photos I'd be happy as they are pretty nice photos where it all came together. I really should print those ones.

David


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## Kevin (Jun 11, 2011)

I know what you mean. I just do it for fun too, but I've never got the quality you have - yet. I was just looking at a magazine of photos of our national parks, and the photos were a lot like yours - absolutely stunning! You really should think about submitting them to contests, or selling them. Keep it up!


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## Ernie (Jun 11, 2011)

Shoot, I keep like 0.01% of what I shoot.  

Getting some shots like these is on my bucket list.


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## Kevin (Jun 11, 2011)

emydura said:


> Canberra is about 1.5 hours from the coast and like most Canberran’s I love nothing more than to head down to the beach on a long weekend during the summer. When you hit Batemans Bay, you either go north or south depending on your favourite location. We always go a little bit north to the Murramarang National Park where there are some great places to camp close to the beach. It has some great wild coastal scenery and you can find plenty of places where there are hardly any people. There are numerous beaches all along the coast, many you can have to yourself. Here are a few photos I have taken of the area.
> 
> David



Are there any orchids in that area that you saw?


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

Kevin said:


> Are there any orchids in that area that you saw?



There are a few. Right where we camp you can see some Cymbidium suave. We never seem to be there when they are in flower though. There would also be some Dendrobium speciosum although I can't say I have seen them there. They are right up and down the coast although I just can't remember seeing them. I'm sure if you look hard enough you would find some. You would also find some species of Sarcochilus as well as quite a few terrestrial orchids. Most of these things flower in spring and we don't tend to go to the coast at this time as the water doesn't get warm until after Christmas.

David


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## cnycharles (Jun 11, 2011)

very nice! unfortunately safari didn't load some of the pictures; it often gets 'impatient' and shows them as no image if they don't load fast enough (I have dialup)


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

cnycharles said:


> very nice! unfortunately safari didn't load some of the pictures; it often gets 'impatient' and shows them as no image if they don't load fast enough (I have dialup)



Sorry about that Charles. I can see dial-up being a problem. Given the nature of the photographs it is difficult to post them at a lower resolution. I can post orchid photographs with a back background at very low resolutions (<100kb) and they still look fine but not these sort of complex landscape photos.

David


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## cnycharles (Jun 11, 2011)

not your fault! any other worthy web browser would attempt to load any large image, just safari wimps out in their quest to be the 'fastest' browser and puts up a 'missing image' icon if things are slow. if an image looks better at high-res, then that's how it should be posted!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 11, 2011)

Very stunning shots David. I agree that you do get better results with the filters over software and your results are impressive indeed. Question - I notice that your photos have a very long "panoramic" format - do you achieve this through cropping or merging exposures?


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## emydura (Jun 11, 2011)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Very stunning shots David. I agree that you do get better results with the filters over software and your results are impressive indeed. Question - I notice that your photos have a very long "panoramic" format - do you achieve this through cropping or merging exposures?



Thanks Tom. In terms of these photos it is due to cropping where I thought appropriate. I do stitch photos from time to time but not so in these photos.

David


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## Pete (Jun 11, 2011)

amazing pictures david, thanks for sharing


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## SlipperFan (Jun 11, 2011)

David, you really should get your photos published. They are reminiscent of Galen Rowell and a few other excellent nature photography photographers I've taught about over the years. I'm very impressed.


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## Hien (Jun 12, 2011)

Your photos really show how beautiful Australia is, and it is a paradise.


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## wojtek (Jun 12, 2011)

Some of the best photos I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of good photos !!!


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## biothanasis (Jun 12, 2011)

Iam left speechless!!! Extremely impressive photos!! :clap: congrats!!!

David, please, please tell us how you do it... :evil:


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## Clark (Jun 12, 2011)

A thread full of jaw-droppers!
David, you are a master behind the opened shutter.


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## emydura (Jun 12, 2011)

goldenrose said:


> FOR SURE!!! :drool::drool::drool:
> If I lived that close to areas like that, I'd be there at every opportunity!
> !



No firm plans yet as it is still a fair way off, but it is likely to be the area we retire to. Apart from the beauty it is a much nicer place to grow orchids. 



SlipperFan said:


> David, you really should get your photos published. They are reminiscent of Galen Rowell and a few other excellent nature photography photographers I've taught about over the years. I'm very impressed.



Thanks Dot. Much appreciated. Still building up the portfolio as they say. 



biothanasis said:


> Iam left speechless!!! Extremely impressive photos!! :clap: congrats!!!
> 
> David, please, please tell us how you do it... :evil:



I wouldn't know where to start. I actualy think seascapes are a great place for beginners to start as the compositions tend to be simple but breathtaking at the same time. They are not that difficult, especially when compared to say mountain scenery where it can be hard to capture the jaw dropping scenes in front of you. 

As requested I will do a thread on filters for landscapes which you should find of value. 

I've never been an artistic person myself. So none of it comes naturally. I worked on it a bit. I read a few landscape photography books to understand the framework of landscape photography. I look at photos of the top photographers and try and understand why they work so well.

If you wanted to take it serious, I would recommend reading these books to get an understanding of the basics - composition and light etc. The first one is by Tim Fitzharris and is considered a bit of a classic (lovely pictures as well). The 2nd is the thoughts of a bunch of professional landscape photographers. Both books are pretty cheap.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Natio...cape-Photography-Tim-Fitzharris/9781554071951

http://www.bookdepository.com/Digital-SLR-Expert-Landscapes-Tom-Mackie/9780715329405




Clark said:


> A thread full of jaw-droppers!
> David, you are a master behind the opened shutter.



Thanks Clark. 

David


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## W. Beetus (Jun 12, 2011)

My lord!!!!! The beach pictures are simply amazing! Superb shots.


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## NYEric (Jun 14, 2011)

Great photos; thanks for sharing. They remind me of old Yes album covers.


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## emydura (Jun 14, 2011)

NYEric said:


> Great photos; thanks for sharing. They remind me of old Yes album covers.



I can't say I expected that response but coming from you it is not that big a surprise. 

David


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 14, 2011)

NYEric said:


> Great photos; thanks for sharing. They remind me of old Yes album covers.



Eric, I always knew you were close to the edge...


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