Mindil Sunset Market – Darwin

Mindi Sunset Market Darwin 2011 05 122 1024x682 Mindil Sunset Market Darwin

Running on a Thursday and Sunday evening the Mindil Sunset Market is a visitation highlight of Darwin. We decided to drop in on the midweek Thursday market and it was a great evening out. Make sure you take an empty stomach as I have never seen so many food vans in the same place before! From Tai food to kangaroo skewers and everything in between all the food looked amasing and you have plenty of time to make your choice and walk over the dunes to the beach to watch the sunset while you dine.

Mindi Sunset Market Darwin 2011 05 125 1024x682 Mindil Sunset Market Darwin

After the sun had set for the evening we went down into the market and looked at all the local wares that were on offer. The quality of the crafts were high and all the stalls were fantastic, there were tarot card readers and other entertainments as-well. A big thanks to Mick from Micks Whips who helped me achieve #164 on my bucket list “Learn to crack a bull whip” he put on a great display of skill promoting his stall with bull whip tricks.

As the evening got later live music from lots of artists kept the market in full swing and the atmosphere fantastic.

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South Australia’s Wine – Ballast Stone Estate – Cellar Door

Ballast Stone Cellar Door 2011 03 091 150x150 South Australias Wine Ballast Stone Estate Cellar Door

Being in South Australia and especially since we are currently staying up above McLaren Valley we thought we should embark on a few tastings.  With over 200 Cellar Doors in this region of South Australia, everywhere you go there are vineyards.  With the current crop about to be picked there is a big buzz in this region about wines at this time of year.

On our route around the Fleurieu Peninsular we came across the Ballast Stone cellar door in Goolwa.  Ballast Stone Estate’s is one of the largest owners of vineyards in McLaren Vale and Currency Creek. Having seen this vinery‘s wines exported back to the UK and with good views out to Hindmarsh Island and Sir Richard Peninsular we were excited to try some of their wines and find out more about the different tastes and types of wine.
As it was our first visit to a cellar door we were quite nervous, our knowledge of wine, just revolving around the few wine makers that we know the name, what we like, what we usually buy and not much else.  It was with nervous anticipation that we entered the cellar door.
Ballast Stone’s cellar door incorporates a cafe and several display stands. We browsed close to the wine tasting area looking at the wine bottles and showing an interest in the wines. Despite the presence of several staff at the tasting section none of them paid us much attention or felt inclined to engage us in anyway despite the fact there was only a couple of other people there.
Thoroughly discouraged by this we left got in our camper and left.  A frustrating start to our exploration of South Australian wines.  The next day we visited Tintara, Hardys wine’s cellar door and were welcomed and enjoyed chatting to their staff about our tastes in wine.

Ballast Stone Cellar Door 2011 03 092 South Australias Wine Ballast Stone Estate Cellar Door

 

South Australias Wine Ballast Stone Estate Cellar Door
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The Great Ocean Road – The Twelve Apostles

Great Ocean Road The Twelve Apostles 2011 02 256 300x200 The Great Ocean Road The Twelve Apostles

One of the highlights without a doubt of our drive along the Great Ocean Road has been our visit to the Twelve Apostles or should I say visits!  Having decided to stop the night in a caravan park with showers (much excitement!) in Princetown only 4km from the Twelve Apostles despite knowing we had the whole of the next day to enjoy the Twelve Apostles National Park, we couldn’t resist a sneaky premature peak! Having secured a pitch mid afternoon Emily and I headed down the road and pulled in at the Twelve Apostles car park and walked out to the cliffs and boardwalks that offer the best views of these magnificent stacks of limestone.

With the afternoon sun the Apostles were lit from behind, silhouetted and standing tall. The photographs that came out best were shot towards the east as the rock was detailed. I was eager to return in the morning when I could capture these awe-inspiring formations.
Before the morning there was evening though and we were treated to a beautiful sunset. Although we were late (due to the shower block and a new hair cut for me) we were in time to catch the Apostles as the sun set. I could have stayed there all night with the prospect of a starlit night but with the sun out of sight, the air grew cooler rapidly and my jumper wasn’t sufficient.
The next morning brimming with excitement I almost charged down the boardwalks to see the Apostles in what I knew would be the best light and they didn’t disappoint.  Seeing the Apostles at three markedly different times of day was an experience I shall never forget. I do apologise for the cliché though!

 

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Australia – The journey across!

Well for those of you who don’t know I have packed up my bags and along with my enduring partner Emily we have embarked on a new adventure.  The thomasjupe.com blog has moved to Australia! We will be travelling around Australia for the next year and I hope to keep this blog going although content updates will depend on wifi access so blog articles may be posted in clumps! 

 
The Journey
With a past history of some truly eventful journeys under our belts, Emily and I approached the idea of travelling all the way round the world with unease. Our history includes some of the worst possible hiccups from writing off my car in the french alps, forgetting my credit card in Paris North Station, Emily getting stuck on the tarmac of manchester airport for 10 hours before the flight being cancelled and so on!
 
This trip fortunately passed without so many calamities, of course there were a few set backs, being stuck for an extra 2 hours in Shanghai Airport with not a clue as to when they would open the flight or cancel it completely being my favourite and of course we must be the only people able to land at the start of summer in Melbourne with rain coming down! 
Of course in keeping with my “photography blog” genre I have my Canon 5D Mark 2 with me and over the course of the journey have documented small fragments of it using the impressive HD video recording capabilities. With over 10GB of raw video chilling out on my hard-drive waiting to be processed into a watchable movie, it may take a while but watch this space for my first venture into the DSLR HD video world. 
Australia The journey across!
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Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales – Opportunist Photography

Rossilli Bay Gower South Wales 2010 07 203 1024x682 Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist PhotographyEmily and I spent a weekend surfing down at Llangennith Bay.  One of the evenings we were down there the typical wet welsh weather abated so we grabbed our wellies and headed to the beach for a quick walk along the sands.  I was glad I grabbed my camera when the late sun and clouds from the days rain were creating a very atmospheric sky and the light was shining up from the wet sand. Abandoning romance I set up my tripod and started shooting.
Rossilli Bay Gower South Wales 2010 07 205 1024x682 Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist Photography
Post production-wise I ran my bracketed images through the software I have on Aperture creating a high quality HDR picture and enhanced the colours slightly. Needless to say I loved the end result so much they are on the wall on our lounge.
Rossilli Bay Gower South Wales 2010 07 204 1024x682 Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist Photography
As a post script the best lesson I learned from this shoot was to always clean your tripod straight after coming off the beach because when I should have been relaxing and shooting a sunset later that week I was cursing and attacking my tripod with pliers!

Rossilli Bay Gower South Wales 2010 07 182 300x100 Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist PhotographyRossilli Bay Gower South Wales 2010 07 181 300x100 Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist Photography

Photos From Rossilli Bay, Llangennith, Gower South Wales Opportunist Photography
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Taking a “cheep” shot! – Opportunist photography

Bird Table Feeding 2010 07 051 200x300 Taking a cheep shot! Opportunist photography

A young Blue Tit pops by to say hi!

One of the advantages of living in the middle of nowhere in the English Lakes is that we have plenty of wildlife chilling around.  I am no wildlife photographer but early this spring we had loads of young birds of the feathered variety on our bird table outside our lounge window. They didn’t seem to worried when I set up my camera on its tripod with the lens up against the glass to take their portraits. After snapping a few frames I played around with my flashgun with a mini diffuser on it and stole a few more shots.

Taking a cheep shot! Opportunist photography
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