Bondi by Night. 60mm f/4.0 1/5s ISO800
Bondi by Night.
60mm f/4.0 1/5s ISO800

I was up at 5am today for a flight to Sydney and spent the afternoon seeing customers at Westmead Children’s Hospital. It’s now almost midnight and I need to go to bed!

After work today, my head was cloudy and I felt like I needed to decompress. The plan was to have dinner with friends at Bondi Beach, so I jumped in the car and drove through an hour of Sydney traffic to Maroubra Beach (where my friends live). I took 45 minutes out for myself, just me and my camera. I wandered in the sunshine taking pictures of the surfers and swimmers at play. It was just the ticket. I had been feeling very melancholy, even a little teary, but the sun, breeze and beachy air sorted me out.

I met my friends and we headed to Bondi Beach for a sneaky cocktail and a scrumptious Italian dinner. After dinner, we walked down to Bondi Beach and went for a stroll. The light was fading fast but I managed to get a couple of shots that I am happy with and I even had a play with out-of-focus shots, I’ve posted the black and white version below.

Maroubra Panorama. 60mm f/16 1/160s ISO200
Maroubra at Play. 60mm f/22 1/160s ISO500
Fun at Maroubra. 60mm f/22 1/100s ISO200
Splash. 60mm f/22 1/160s ISO500
Maroubra Surf. 60mm f/22 1/160s ISO500
Fun in the Sun. 60mm f/8.0 1/800s ISO200
Surf’s Kinda Up. 60mm f/22 1/160s ISO200
Bondi Solitude. 60mm f/2.8 1/10s ISO500
Bondi Mystery. 60mm f/2.8 1/10s ISO800

So, you can see in the earlier shots at Maroubra, there is more available light, so I can use a small aperture (f/22) which means more of the scene should be in focus. I can also use a shorter shutter speed (1/100s) which means there shouldn’t be blur. These were taken at about 5:30pm.

The shots at Bondi were taken at 8:30pm and the sun had set. The shutter speeds are very slow (1/10s) and the aperture is wide open to allow a lot more light in to hit the sensor (f/2.8).

All photos were taken hand-held, I haven’t gotten to the stage of bringing a tripod with me yet! So, they aren’t as sharp as I’d like, but I thought they show the differences in some of the settings.

Check out the other rehab posts at the Photo101 Rehab Clinic. Instructions for joining in are also located at the same link.

x desleyjane

Posted by:desleyjane

photographer, blogger, planner, scientist, dog lover, frequent flyer, daughter, sister, BFF, human

21 replies on “Beachy Views (Rehab5)”

  1. Taking pictures at the beach are always great to decompress yourself after a hectic day. I understand exactly what you mean. I happened to me a lot when I was working as a Comptroller for a Texaco company in Panama. The days are endless of with all kinds of “to-do-now” activities.

    We have many beaches in Panama, since we are a narrow isthmus in Middle America. In fact we are so narrow, that the Panama Canal is only 80 miles wide.

    Why were you sad and with misty eyes?

    I enjoyed your shots of the ocean. Reminded me of my own country.

    Take Care,

    Omar.-

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    1. Yes, the to-do list is always there! Panama sounds like an intriguing place – I have so many places on my “other” to-do list!!
      Yesterday I was misty-eyed and I wasn’t sure why. But I think there have been some hard times personally this year and I was reminded of them yesterday. It crept up on me. But I’m back to normal now, well as normal as is proper for me LOL.

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    2. Hi Justine – I replied to your comment quickly at work today, sorry it was short. I have two friends who live at this beach, just one street up from the water. They are on the 4th floor as well so great views from their balcony. I love being on the balcony early in the morning with the sun streaming in and the sound of the waves crashing. Just divine. A great place to relax and regroup! X

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  3. These are stunning views and you captured them very well. I wish I could be there. The Bondi mystery turned out to be an unfocused beauty. I trust the views and company of a good fired has brought you to a more serene and balanced mood, as that is what your photos give us. Hugs from Amsterdam. xx

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    1. Thank you my love. Yes, much better today – serene is a good word! I think I was being overly dramatic yesterday and maybe a little sensitive.
      Thank you for your kind words, it is really a stunning place – my friends have picked a brilliant place to live. I never considered living in Sydney before, but this makes it much more attractive 😀

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      1. Most welcome – glad to hear you fell better. Sometines we too – not only photos – need a dramatic tone to find a softer and serene place.
        When I visited Sydney, to cure jetlag i did a 1,5-2 hrs boat tour around it and loved what I saw. You should consider! 😉

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        1. Great idea, it’s beautiful. We are having our work Christmas party Friday night so staying another night. I will be spending Saturday with my friends, eating and shopping and drinking coffee and walking on the beach – I can’t wait!

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            1. Oooo lenses. I have prime lenses, I don’t use my kit zooms although the 14-42mm was quite nice. My 17mm prime has f/1.8 and my 60mm prime (which is also a macro) has f/2.8. I heard a sneaku rumour that I’m getting my coveted 45mm f/1.8 from Santa ☺️

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      1. Great! I would really love to get out and do more this month but I’ve got another project on the go. If I finish early, then I just might have time to get on the rehab project. Otherwise, I’ll enjoy from the sidelines for now. 🙂

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