Sunday 15 March 2015

Brooklyn & Mooney Mooney - The Hawkesbury River


Out again exploring on another Photo Safari.  The destination this time was just south of Newcastle on the M1 Motorway.  The Motorway takes you south to the Central Coast and eventually Sydney but there is a great stop off along the way.

About an hour south is where the Hawkesbury River flows into the Tasman Sea at Barrenjoey Head and Broken Bay.  The River is approximately 120 kms long from its' beginnings just north of Penrith at the confluence of the Nepean River.

Just before the mouth of the river, it widens substantially, forming small bays, fjord-like inlets and also has small islands.  Some of the communities are very remote and some can only be reached by boat. The Brooklyn Ferry Service runs regular trips between Dangar Island, Little Wobby and, Brooklyn on the mainland.  The final section of the river also hosts the last remaining River Postal Service in Australia.

The original name of the river was Deerubbun as named by the two aboriginal tribes the Wannungine and Darkinung that lived along the river.  It was renamed in June 1789 by Governor Phillip after Charles Jenkinson, the 1st Earl of Liverpool who was titled Baron Hawkesbury.

The Hawkesbury River is navigable from Windsor, west of Sydney, to the sea at Broken Bay and, the river is affected by the tides as far inland as Windsor.  The river estuary supports a very large commercial coastal fishing, prawns and, oyster farm industry.  Because of this and, given the remoteness of some of the communities, the river estuary is alive with boating activity from fishing, water taxis, ferry services and, of course, many private boats.  Some of the small communities are so tranquil and the scenery wonderful; all built amongst the bush so as to blend into the surroundings.  I can see only one problem with this bush wonderland; in summertime during the bushfire season the residents must be living on the edge, given that in some of the communities there is only one road in and out or that there are no roads and the only way out is by boat.

It was our intention to cover a lot of area for this safari but, the offerings around Mooney Mooney and Brooklyn were great and that is as far as we got for the day!  That's ok though, it leaves plenty of other safari opportunities!


The photos on this post are for sale, contact me if you are interested.

All photos on this blog and also on my corresponding Google+ account are Copyright © Life with Jordy Photography   All Rights Reserved and may not be used without permission.


Boathouse & Wharf - Dangar Island, Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.

Brooklyn Rail Bridge - Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.

Cristobel of Broken Bay - Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia

Taxi! - Dangar Island, NSW, Australia.

The River to himself - Snake Island on Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.
Dangar Island Boat House - Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.
Mooney Mooney Bridge - Old Pacific Highway -Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.

The Bus - Brooklyn Ferry Service - Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia.

Saturday 7 March 2015

Adventures in Film - Kodak Ektar 100


A friend of mine asked if I would be able to take some photos of her family.  Now, I am not a pro photographer (I don't make a living from my photography) but I am very passionate about my photography and take it as seriously as a pro would!

Of course, for the majority of the photos I planned to use a digital platform; quicker, easier and, a quick chimp every now and then can save a lot of problems on the spot rather than finding out after after the shoot is over.

I also wanted to take some film along; film has a timeless and 'honest' look about it and I am fairly proud of the fact that I can still use a fully manual camera with film whereas some of the modern day photographers making money from their business have never even held a film in their hand!

I decided to use my Minolta Dynax 40 loaded with Kodak Ektar 100.  Kodak do not recommend the Ektar 100 as a 'portrait' film (they advise that the Portra is better) but, I have seen some great portraits from their Ektar 100 and it has a lovely colour!

It has been difficult to make a date for their shoot; I am a shift worker in my real job and coordinating my time and theirs has been devilish to say the least.  On top of that, the first session we organised was rained out and so was the second.  Working on a date for the third now...... cross your fingers!

Anyway, I had this Kodak Ektar 100 sitting in my Minolta..... tempting me....... teasing me....... begging me.......

We had some friends visit for dinner on a Friday night a few weeks ago.  After they left and Kim and I came back inside after waving them off, we noted that Glenn had left his phone, iPod and hat behind.  Long story short we made arrangements for a half way run on the Saturday to pick them up.  That is when I devised a very cunning plan...... we could meet at Honeysuckle on Port Hunter to hand over said forgotten items and go for a photo walk!  Glenn likes his photography as well so he did not need any further persuasion!

Surprise, surprise!  I just happen to have a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 ready to go.... YES!  A photo walk with film!  I'll just get another cuppla rolls for my friends shoot.

We met up and it started to rain (I was aghast - what has Mother Nature got against me lately?)  Well, how to get around that?  Sit down with a coffee and have some lunch.  In that time the rain had soon cleared to drops here and there and the people started to come out again.

The Honeysuckle Foreshore on Port Hunter at Newcastle is a great spot!  Boardwalk cafes and bars, lovely wide paths for pushbikes and pedestrians, dog friendly; a great place to relax on a weekend afternoon.



The photos on this post are NOT for sale or licensing.

All photos on this Blog and also on my corresponding Google + account are Copyright © Life with Jordy Photography All Rights Reserved and may not be used without permission.












Catching up.

 Well it has been a couple of months since I posted a Blog article.   I don't have any Project or roll of film in particular to share wi...