Traffic Control Point

[Mick Fagan]

Point Lonsdale NP, Gunnamatta Beach entrance

An old toll booth which was a constant for a busy national park before entrance to all Victorian NP's became free; camping still costs though.

Shen Hao HZX45-IIA
Fujinon 65mm f/5.6
FP4+ D76 1:1
Centre Graduated Filter
f/16 at 1/15th

[Maris]

Mick, what a brilliantly bleak picture! The smooth blank sky made possible by the centre-filter on the 65mm suggests it's not a fine sunny day to go to the beach. The angularity of the little building is heightened by the close camera position again made possible by that 65mm lens. And I like the white painted speed bump lurking in the background as a symbol of petty authority.

I wonder what it would be like to work half a shift in that building. Here in Noosa there used to be a sentry box at the entrance to the National Park so a ranger could turn back people attempting to bring in alcohol and dogs. A few hours in the sentry box was considered a thoroughly skull numbing exercise.

[Mick Fagan]

Maris, it was a terrible day to be at the beach, however, it was apparently a perfect day to see whales as the weather was basically a constant light misty drizzle, the type you get when you are enveloped by foggy clouds. Couple that with a swell of about 1.5 - 2m and whale watching conditions were perfect; I didn't see a single whale!

Meanwhile my real interest for visiting this area was to do something photographically, hence my interest in this small historical building. I decided on the 65mm so I could include the speed hump, otherwise it would be more bland than it is.

You are right about the 65mm allowing me to get the angularity I needed, longer focal lengths would have progressively flattened it.

The only downside to the centre graduated filter, is that I cannot use other filters as I don't have any to fit onto the quite large external threaded ring. Possibly a single deep orange filter may find itself in my camera bag one day.