Friday 17 February 2012

Wentworth Falls - Blue Mountains





Cascades


The Blue Mountains is region just outside of Sydney and approximately 2 hours away by train. My highschool friends and I travelled to Wentworth Falls for some bushwalking through various tracks in the area. This summer, the weather has been a bit temperamental - raining for weeks on end and having moderately warm temperatures for the rest. However, yesterday was a gorgeous sunny but relatively cool day which was perfect for bushwalking. We first started walking on the Charles Darwin Walk which was fairly easy path. It followed the Jamison creek and eventually we reached the top of Wentworth Falls. The look down was breathtaking and also scary as I am a little scared of heights. Despite the lovely weather, it had rained probably the night - if not day - before and hence the steps carved from rock were very wet and possibly slippery. walking down those incredibly steep stairs were a little scary, especially as you would be looking directly down at the trees hundreds of metres below.





Wentworth Falls

The view from the bottom of Wentworth Falls was breathtaking and the spray of water was very refreshing after the steep descent.

Valley of the Waters

This is probably my favourite shot from the entire day. For some reason, it reminds me a little of a scene from The Land Before Time

Blue Mountains - Wentworth Falls

Leura Water Skink

We then followed the National Pass and saw waterfalls such as Lodore Falls, Empress Falls and Sylvia Falls in the Valley of Waters. For our lunch break after a difficult climb, we took a break at one of the lookouts and there, I saw a Leura Water Skink.
Weeping Rock



Shadows

After our break, we took a shorcut back to Charles Darwin Walk and went to the Weeping Rock. There we took off our shoes and waded in the water for over 30 minutes. The day was relaxing and provided a much needed break from Sydney and the life back there.
Saturday 11 February 2012

35mm Film

For the past few months, I have had two rolls of 35mm film sitting on top of my bookshelf. Finally I brought myself down to the local store to develop them. I had used two different cameras, my trusty and yet bulky Minolta Dynax 300si (or α-101si as I have the Japanese version) and trialing the compact Olympus Trip 35mm.

Olympus Trip 35mm










Minolta Dynax 300si









Evident from the batch that I developed, the quality from my Minolta is far superior (as to be expected) however it is simply too bulky to bring out with me. The film that I used was relatively cheap; rather than purchasing on higher quality film from Ebay, I settled for the only brand sold at the supermarket. As I do not develop the photos myself, film photography is an expensive hobby. Yet in those first moments after receiving the package from the photo lab, the anticipation and excitement of 'discovering' those captures is an experience unlike any other.
Friday 10 February 2012

The End of Summer

Main Walkway


For the duration of the summer break, I have been interning at my university's law centre and they are now drawing to a close. Despite my incessant complaints, this experience has been worthwhile; it has opened my eyes to the alternative paths that a law degree may offer. After three months of exposure to such an environment, I believe that it has confirmed my belief that this path is probably not one that I would pursue. I suppose it is in my nature to be pragmatic and cynical - although that may have been exacerabated due to the degree that I am studying- hence my discovery.

With only 2 weeks until university semester starts again, the summer has definitely gone by too fast. However I plan on spending it out next week and to visit places that I still have remaining on my 'to-do' list for summer 2011-2012.



However, for the remainder of this week I shall be spending it in front of my laptop, rewatching season 1 of House and doodling in my empty diary. In the end, I decided not to purchase a Moleskine and I regret it to a degree. The diary's paper is too thin as the ink from my favourite type of pen bleeds through the pages.



Hakuna Matata

.. just knowing the difference