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Another photo taken at the late sunset stage, this time from the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. There are many granite outcrops scattered throughout this part of the world. They look especially great at sunrise or sunset with deeper red tones working their magic. In spring there are usually many wildflowers blooming about, and they also add to this unique landscape. I took this photo almost exactly a year ago when we travelled for the wildflower season and discovered many new places in out "local backyard" along the way.
It was a real eye opener for us. I was aware of a couple of major rocks, such as the Wave Rock, but I was not aware that there are a lot more of them around. Every twenty to thirty kilometres there was a big granite rock rising out of the ground. They had many shapes and sizes and each of them was unique in their own way. This particular one is called Billyacatting Hill and there is a walk trail leading all the way over the top. These outcrops are not very tall, ranging between around 250 to 400 metres in height. I ventured out to the top for sunset and took this photo almost all the way back near the carpark at the base of of the hill.
I noticed this location earlier and already took some daytime photo there. As I was walking back towards the car, I looked around again, saw hints of remaining colour in the sky and how it interacted with the landscape, and I thought "why not". I had my camera still attached to the tripod and it was ready to be quickly set up to take a few photos before darkness came. I took some short exposures based on available light but they did not really convince me too much. Foreground was quite dark, and the clouds did not seem to have too much colour or substance to them.
After giving it some more thought, I decided to try a longer exposure. It was a bit of a uncertain move because the light was fading quickly and I had to account for that when working out the settings. I knew I could not go for a very long one as the wind was coming in strong gusts and branches were moving, but I was hoping that slightly longer shutter speed would soak up a bit more the colour and it would enhance the landscape further. I remember waiting for the result to come up on the back screen and praying that I got the exposure somewhere close to what I was hoping for. When the image appeared, I was really glad that I decided to experiment. I was able to see colour in the sky and in the landscape. I did not blow out any highlights and shadows were also manageable. I used a graduated filter for the sky which allowed me to obtain good detail across the entire frame. There was still reasonable light reflecting off the clouds and that also worked in my favour.
When composing the image I wanted a good open view towards the granite rocks sitting at the top and I wanted foreground elements to subtly point towards it. I moved around to have the different branches pointing in the right direction, and for the line of rocks in the foreground to also lead inwards into the scene. The layers of wildflowers and also the shrubs a little further in also followed the same pattern and aligned nicely for me. I mentioned the wind effect a little earlier. Luckily it was not too strong in the foreground and I do not mind a touch of motion just near the sky as it corresponds well to the movement of the clouds. It also adds that feeling of wind to the scenery and it is just as I remember it from that evening.
One day, if we ever get a four wheel drive vehicle, I would love to explore this area again. While it is possible to move around in a standard car, I am sure that there are many hidden gems accessible only with a proper vehicle. For now, I am very glad we were able to catch a glimpse of this amazing landscape and that I can now share it with you.
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This image has been featured in 1 Remix collection.