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31 May 2018

In Elvas


Early on the last morning of a 2 day stay in Elvas, the UNESCO World Heritage walled town close to the Spanish border in eastern Portugal, I decided to go for a walk around the city wall. The man in the tourist office had told me that you could walk right around the city on the walls. However I found there are a few of points where the footpath does not exist. I got about halfway and turned back as time was running out. I had not seen any photo opportunities on the walk but as I came close to the hotel I saw these three. I have no idea what they were doing there . It was very quiet as it was early Sunday morning.

29 May 2018

Not Peter Rabbit



Just back from a great three weeks driving in Portugal starting in Lisbon and then south to Sagres and the most south westerly tip of Europe and along the Algarve and up the centre to Evora and Elvas and back to Lisbon.
Empty autoroutes, beautiful old towns, great food and wine and friendly people. What more could you ask? Well, it was a disappointment photographically. In 2016 I came back with a nice portfolio of photos. No such luck this year. The light was often not right. Many days started overcast and although the cloud burnt off mid morning I missed the golden hour at sunrise. Other days it stayed lightly overcast all day.
I don't really do tourist shots-castles, whitewashed farmhouses with terracotta roofs, cute flower boxes, green bicycles, red fishing boats etc and Portugal is full of cliche shots many of which have already been taken and are sold on postcards. Not taking them really narrows your photo opportunities although I did manage a few cliche shots of my own along the way.
My preferred subject is people and I managed some good people shots in 2016 but this year I found that people were more reluctant to let me photograph them. Perhaps too many camera phones had been thrust in their faces or maybe they found the largish Leica Q more intimidating than the small X1 I used much of the time previously.
One day I did strike lucky was on my early morning walk in the strange old mining town of Minas de Santo Domingos, east of Mertola.
The town is very poor and apparently almost solely inhabited by elderly relatives of the miners-the mine closed in 1965. I came across this man by the road skinning a rabbit which he had caught in a snare. He was tackling his task with enthusiasm although he was only using a pocket knife.




19 May 2018

Ancient art


These photos are from a location seen by very few people. An Aboriginal rock art "gallery" very recently discovered deep in the Kimberley. Found by an amazing chance in a very remote location . The top photo is what the location looks like and under the overhangs and in the caves there is the art-ochre drawings of kangaroos,turtles, people and fish. Much of the location is yet to be explored so there is more to be discovered.





12 May 2018

The Berkeley River


The spectacular Berkeley River. A deep gorge for the first 20kms inland from the sea with waterfalls every few kms and not a sign of anything man made. Crocodiles,sea eagles and rock wallabies but no people or garbage. Truly wonderful.





7 May 2018

King Georges Falls


One of the iconic sights of the Kimberley are the spectacular King Georges Falls. The water at the foot of the falls is so deep that quite large cruise ships can come right up to the falls. I saw them from a different angle. The helicopter landed on a ledge right at the top of the falls.Another 3 metres and it would have toppled over the edge. It was not a location for vertigo sufferers.




That's the helicopter pilot right on the edge. Rather him than me.

2 May 2018

Dropping in for a dip


You could reach this waterhole north of the Berkeley River in the Kimberley by foot from the Berkeley River Lodge but it would be a helluva long hike though through very difficult country. The best way is just to drop in by helicopter-landing in the lower part of the waterhole.You have to be careful on the slippery rocks as you climb out of the chopper.
Soaking in the waterhole itself-below-was something else. The water was warm and soft and small fish came and nibbled at my feet and back-a rather odd sensation. Apparently from about half way across the waterhole there is a big very deep hole which a freshwater crocodile has been known to inhabit. Freshwater crocs are not aggressive unlike their saltwater cousins but in any case on the day we dropped in there was no sign of it.
I slipped on the rocks climbing out and fell heavily but came away with just a grazed knee. I was lucky. Otherwise it might have been a helicopter medivac.