Superjumbo

This is the magnificent Airbus A380. It was taken from some distance in low light so not the best clarity, but it still shows how impressive this aircraft is.

For Sale

For Sale: a boat, a car and a...WHAT??

I was driving through Pimpama on the Gold Coast when I passed the Broken Spoke Saloon. I always thought it was just a bar where the locals met for a drink, but apparently they sell anything, including a hearse themed station wagon.

Inner Beauty

It's what's on the inside that counts, right? I bet this warthog has a really nice personality...

While implementing a new IT system in the Kruger National Park Shops we stayed in the staff village. I went for an early morning walk before work and came across this warthog who eyed me closely before trotting off into the bushes. I think only a mother can love a face like that! :)

Storms In Africa

I saw this stunning cloud formation as I was driving to the Kruger National Park a few years ago. Beautiful, isn't it? It makes me think of the lovely song Enya sings, Storms in Africa.

Good Times

I unwittingly walked in on these two today. They didn't seem to mind so I took a picture. Yea baby! :)

Diesel And Steam

I thought it was high time that I show some of my father's art again. These two paintings illustrate the diverse style and subject matter that he masters so well. Shown below is a Transnet diesel loco travelling towards Johannesburg with Pretoria in the distant background.

I have fond memories of exploring the loco sheds with my dad in the Bulowayo station in Zimbabwe. This painting shows some of the steam locos that were still in use for shunting in the yard.

Frank And George

"Hey Frank"

"Hey George"

"So what's for lunch?"

"Sun-baked Impala leg with a sprinkle of blow flies and some worm larvae on the side"

"Nice..."

Frank (the one on the left) is a Lappet-faced vulture and his pal, George, is an African white-backed vulture. I photographed them while in the Kruger National Park for work, installing new IT systems in the Parks Shops.

Berries And Droplets

After a rather dry summer the heavens have opened. It's been raining non stop for a few days now. I captured this image of some wild berries outside in our garden yesterday when the rain paused briefly.

Perfect Balance

These raindrops balanced perfectly on the little leaves. Nature is simply awesome.

Protected

I went for a walk in the neighbourhood to take pictures of flowers in the rain and took my two younger kiddies with me...

Life-giving Wood

I just love the contrasts and textures in this picture, and the fact that the deaf timber planks became the life-giving habitat for countless other organisms.

Capturing The Moment - Part two

The same picture as the previous post, with me having some fun with layer masks, blurring and colours.

Capturing The Moment

My son started to show an interest in photography when I got my Nikon, so I bought him a little second hand Pentax digital camera on Ebay that he had made very good use of so far! :)

After The Rains

I went to the supermarket to do some shopping after it had rained, and noticed these beautiful flowers still carrying some droplets on their brightly coloured petals. As with the previous post, these were also taken with my little Kodak before I got the Nikon, hence the chromatic aberration on some of the close up shots. Nice though in spite of that.

Nature's Lens

Not a Nikon or a Canon lens, but a simple raindrop. These lenses have a real sharp focus on beauty. This is an old picture that I took with my little Kodak SLR-wannabie camera

The White-banded Plane

From what I can see this is the White-banded Plane butterfly, also known as the Phaedyma Shepherdi from the Phaedyma genus, belonging to the Nymphalidae family that is part of the Lepidoptera order under Insecta class found in the Arthropoda Phylum (what ever that may be) which ultimately belongs to the Animalia kingdom! Sheesh! Let's just say it's a very beautiful butterfly and leave it at that!

Thomas And Friends

Seen here are a number of locomotives used by VLine, the regional rail service of Victoria.

Unfolding Life

I have always loved ferns, and loved to see how they develop and roll open. Nature is simply amazing.

Delicate Beauty

Isn't it strange that while we are looking for beautiful places and beautiful things in nature, it is usually right in front of us, but is often missed and frequently overlooked. Pause for a moment, look down and focus on one small, seeming insignificant flower. Look closely, and discover delicate beauty, free to anyone who will appreciate it.

Lunch... Is Served

As I walked along the path in the O'Brien and Proud Families Park I saw dozens of these "beautiful" Golden Orb spiders. This one was feasting on a recently caught dragonfly. Very interesting to watch, at a comfortable distance, that is.

The Wandering Monarch

This is a male Wanderer butterfly, known as the Monarch butterfly in North America. It is part of the Nymphalidae family, Danainae subfamily. It is interesting that the male Nymphalidae butterflies' forelegs are reduced, so there are only four legs visible. They are also sometimes seen flying in warm sunlight with sweaty, overweight photographers running after them trying to get a good shot while mumbling to themselves. This one finally stopped a few minutes, unfortunately not in the sunlight but a nice picture none the less. 

YAD

YAD - Yet Another Dragonfly. I love these little creatures, the wild colours, a great design and their agility is great to watch and rather challenging to photograph. Sometimes they sit still long enough to get a picture, like this one today. I need to find out what species it is, but it is bed time first, I'll do that tomorrow...
Update: I tried to identify this dragonfly but was not very successful, any ideas anyone?

The Beauty Of Moss

So often one thinks that you need to go far away to exotic locations to see the beauty of Nature, but you simply have to open your eyes and see the beauty that surrounds us every day. This is a close-up shot of moss growing on a tree that I saw alongside the path the the Coombabah Lakes Conservation Area on the Gold Coast, backlit by the morning sun.

One crab... two crabs... HUNDREDS!!

This is the Furry-clawed Crab, one of literally hundreds that I saw today. I went for a walk in the Coombabah Lake Nature Reserve not far from where I live on the Gold Coast. A large area is muddy mangrove swamps where these colourful crabs thrive. At first I only saw one crab as it scurried into a hole in the mud, but after sitting very still for about 7 or 8 minutes all the crabs started coming out of their holes, hundreds of them! I snapped a few pictures and as I got up to leave they all disappeared again within about a second, scurrying back into their hiding places. As you can see, the colours on these little creatures are simply amazing.

I'm late! I'm Late! I'm Late!

This is the White-faced Heron, one of the beautiful birds found on the Gold Coast. This fellow was very timid, and made me use the full 300mm of my zoom lens.

Perched...

...and ready for lunch. I saw these two cute pelicans while I was in Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales North Coast.

Scrimshaw

This is the Scrimshaw vessel basking in the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. It was moored in the Brisbane River alongside the mangrove trees next to the Queensland University of Technology, and I stood on the opposite side of the river at Southbank. I just love the atmosphere that the golden rays give this picture.

The White Pier

I took this picture one night in Sydney...

Darting Lorikeet

I've posted pictures of the Rainbow Lorikeet before, here and here, but this little bird is so beautiful I'm sure nobody will object if I post another picture. This one was feeding in the trees in our garden, catching the last rays of the late afternoon sun.

Night Eucalyptus

I went for a long walk in Sydney one evening and walked past this beautiful Eucalyptus tree that reflected the orange light coming from the street lights and the opposite building. I tried to identify it but with so many varieties of these trees I couldn't be 100% sure, I think it may be the Scribbly Gum.

The Door

This is the Victoria Barracks located on St Kilda Road in Melbourne. It is a lovely building dating back to 1872. It housed a number of Army units and during the Second World War was used by the Australian War Cabinet.

Rusty Shed

The Dragon

This is one of the many Eastern Water Dragons that live here. I saw this one in the City Botanic Gardens in Brisbane. I just love these critters, so intelligent and full of character.

Purple Heart

I have no idea what flower this is, but I do know that it is stunning!

When I have my macro lens I'll get better shots, but this will do for now :)

Dusky Moorhen

This Dusky Moorhen posed briefly in the sunlight so that I could take this picture.

Vibrant Chinatown

This is a picture I took in Chinatown in Sydney just before entering my hotel room.

Golden Dragonfly

As I was about to leave the Gold Coast Botanical Gardens, I thought I'd try to get another shot of a dragonfly. I stood around for a few minutes and was rewarded with this shot of a dragonfly basking in the last rays of sunshine. I haven't been able to identify it yet, but thought I'd post it in the mean time.

(Best viewed on a big screen, click the image to enlarge)

The Quiet Before The Storm

I got this shot about 30 minutes before the theme park opened. The roller coasters were quiet at this time, but soon the air would be filled with a storm of screams and laughter, provided the other storm didn't spoil the day.

The DNA of FUN

This is the Buzzsaw, a relatively new roller coaster attraction that opened in Dreamworld on 17 September 2011. I haven't gone on it yet, but will be going soon.

Hiding

This colourful crab was camouflaged well on the rock. From where I stood I wasn't sure what it was, so took a shot at full 300mm zoom and after cropping it further a colourful crap appeared.

Happiness Sparkles

This is Nadia, celebrating the new year while waiting for the fireworks show to begin...

When it's hot...

...you play fetch in the pool!

This is Koda, our Kelpie that we adopted a few years ago. His life is all about playing, and even better is it can happen in the water.

Hairy Scary Visitor

I saw this little critter sitting on the pool fence on my way for a swim. Had to grab the camera first to take some pictures. This fellow had an impressive jump, but not as impressive as my jump when I had him zoomed in and about to take a picture and he decided that he had enough of me! :)

Spherical Reflections - Part Two

I posted a picture of this interesting ball before, here are a few more taken on the same evening.

I think all people experience the simple joy of interesting art and colourful lights, but children have a way of freely showing what adults hide behind their inhibitions. Simply having fun and enjoying something cool! :)