Lady Musgrave Photo

Photographer’s Note

Recently a friend asked me to help him take his boat ( a 40 ft power boat) from Sydney up to Port Douglas in far North Queensland. It’s a hell of a trip, close to 1500 nautical miles or 2700 Kilometres. I was away for almost a month.

We had a great time, I was on board as navigator. I’ve made this trip many times over the years, but for my friend it was the first time he’d made the voyage, it was great fun taking my friend and his son to lots of out of the way places along the way. The weather for the first part of the trip (up the New South Wales coast and Southern Queensland) was just awful, very overcast skies and rain. However, the inclement weather was made tolerable by the huge numbers of Hump back whales we saw on route. There would have been well over a hundred of these magnificent animals travelling south with their new born calf’s swimming beside them. They were having a whale (sorry about the pun) of a time launching themselves out of the water and crashing back into the sea. It was glorious to see these great creatures in their natural habitat without the fear of the dreaded Japanese whaling boats stalking them for the kill.

Fortunately, the wind was behind us but the rough seas and rain made any chance of taking photographs impossible.

This shot is of the lagoon at Lady Musgrave Reef, (from Sydney it’s about 700 nautical miles) we arrived there the night before in quite a stiff wind, again with overcast skies and rain. The entrance to the lagoon is very very tight and there are scattered coral heads all over the lagoon so anchoring up needs one’s full attention.
Imagine our surprise when we woke at dawn the following morning to find this panorama, the wind had completely dropped and the cloud had given way to a beautiful morning with fluffy white clouds sitting on the horizon.

Lady Musgrave is the most southerly of the true coral lagoons at the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef. The average depth of the lagoon is about 10 meters.

It is one of the most beautiful places anyone could hope to visit, the sand cay at the Southern end of the lagoon is covered by low thick lush bush, it is a favourite nesting place for all manner of sea birds and turtles.

It is difficult to show the true beauty of this place in a single photograph, but I offer this one up as the best of what I had, I hope you enjoy the view.

jimkil, snunney, Kielia, jusninasirun, Gerrit, Paulinna, Clementi, daddo, adores, alftrek, Nelu_Goia, MLINES, westozman, skippy007, macondo, eversmile, jlbrthnn, trekks, BelCan75, kevinos, cfreire, kschanna, mortijo, ellelloo, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jimkil (528) 2009-10-12 2:56

Love the atmosphere in this Peter, and the solitude of the boats. Super blue tones and awesome cloud formations in the bg. The weather looks great over your way, and that island looks like a peaceful place to relax.
Super Job
Regards
Jim

snunney (34610) 2009-10-12 2:59

Hello Peter,
A lovely tropical scene captured under a good ambient light. The boat is nicely placed in the frame and in relation to the little island. Superb colours and sharpness.

Kielia (8387) 2009-10-12 3:48

Hi Peter,
long time no see - but you had a proper reason for staying away. And the result was worth all your efforts! The Great Barrier Reef is a spectacular place and you managed to capture this lagoon in an incredibly peaceful atmosphere and a fantastic light. The blue of the sea and the sky is amazing!
I also enjoyed reading your marvelous note! My compliments!
Warm regards
Harriet

jusninasirun (10150) 2009-10-12 3:58

Yes Peter. It is beautiful and the shot depicts the notes very well. You are lucky to navigate your way and able to register very nice shot of the place.

Thanks for sharing and best regards,
Jusni

jimmj63 (779) 2009-10-12 4:55

fantastic blue and fantastic calm, this is an image from heaven

ciao, giacomo

francio64 (10798) 2009-10-12 6:00

Ciao amico Peter,
un gran bel blu reso dal cielo e dal mare.
Bello il riflesso delle nuvole nell'acqua perchè arricchiscono la composizione.
L'inserimento delle barche, movimenta la scena, mentre la piccola isola, dà dinamicità.
Una bella vista del grande Oceano!

Un caro saluto!
Francesco

Gerrit (35593) 2009-10-12 6:37

Hi Peter,
Good to hear/see something from you again.
fantastic photo.The light and colours are fantastic. The composition is excellent. What a sky and beautiful place.
regards, gerrit

pajaran (2900) 2009-10-12 9:37

Dobro vece sa balkana iz Srbije.
Lep dozivljaj ...
Dobra kompozicija, dobre boje i trenutak snimka.
Svidja mi se reflex u vodi oblaka.
Sve najbolje i uspeh u daljem radu, zeli vam Paja.

Clementi (43659) 2009-10-12 14:02

Ciao Peter,
after everything that bad weather I believe it that you have been amazed from this beautiful sea. interesting your diary of trip, and I hope to see soon other photos, even some whale.
Giorgio

ifege (1715) 2009-10-12 14:47

I thought there should be a good photo or 2 from your "cruise" up to Port Douglas Peter - this one doesn't disappoint - perfect colour and composition, a good capture of the clouds and an enticing little island.
cheers
Ian

daddo (11279) 2009-10-12 16:39

Hi Peter. Heavenly shot in more ways than one. I love these sorts of scenes where the sky and water meet and play with the reflections. The light is magical and so are the delicate blues. Pity you couldn't photograph the wales- a group shot of several dozens would have been impressive. regards. Klaudio.

adores (15463) 2009-10-12 16:50

Hi Peter!
This is really simple and beautiful!The little boats are really well placed and the blue colour here is simply great, especially with those little clouds in background.

alftrek (2771) 2009-10-12 17:34

Hello Peter,

Its good to see you back after your long break.

What a pleasant surprise to be greeted with a view like this on a cold wintry(still) morning in Melbourne. A minimalist composition - an island plus a couple of boats, but it is extremely effective to convey what you described. I can imagine to be there and feel overwhelmed by the pleasant blue sky and water painted with glowing clouds.

BTW, 2700km is almost halfway to Borneo on a straight line route. Perhaps, you should consider Bill's suggestion to sail to his door step:))

bracasha75 (21960) 2009-10-13 0:56

Hello Peter
I cane only dream about so one trip...
I have try to imagine how it was there but that is only posible when you make a life expirinace like this one.
So Beautiful and unreachable for me
TF being there
Bratislav

delpeoples (5810) 2009-10-13 2:49

About time we see a post from you Wallsy. Good one! The differing tones of blue and their clarity are just the dog's proverbials. I like the minimalism of the image, the boat on the left really so attractive to the eye. Nice work, and thanks for taking time out between drinks to give us this photo :P Lisa

rodgerg (23717) 2009-10-13 3:09

Hello Peter,

A very nice large image full of athmospher, of serenity. I like the very well balanced composition with the boat isoled on the left and the island and the another boats on the right. Very good managment of light too which give superb blue color in the sea and in the sky and beautiful reflections. a very good and very nice photowork.
Best regards,
Roger

Nelu_Goia (2720) 2009-10-13 10:43

Peter, this is awesome!
As a thumbnail, as a larger version,whatever; one heck of a photo and I bet is not the only one in your recent collection.
I like everything about the photo but the way the sky is diving into the lake is incredible, surreal.
Great one Peter and I hope there is many more to come in this series.
Now you can relax:)
Cheers:)
Nelu

Waylim (10741) 2009-10-13 12:47

Hi Peter,
Such a refreshing image of this light turquoise blue water. Love this open wide view of the area. the water so peaceful and calm, the open space give us a great sence of tranquility. Simple and minimalist composition. The reflections of the clouds in the water is quite fantastic. Such a beautiful place, I can only wish to be there.
Way

TravelerNL (2951) 2009-10-13 14:10

Hi Peter,
Very nice one!
A sea as flat as can be, a very attractive compo with boat and island and the low scattered clouds.
Even the blue teints seem to mirror at the horizon.
Well done!
Have a nice day,
Harko

MLINES (10856) 2009-10-13 15:53

Hi Peter, A superbimage with beaut blue tones, always good to see this style of photograph. Only complaint is that i wasn't there with you! Well composed with the boat and the island sort of visually balanced like an imaginary see-saw. One of the best. TFS. Murray.

westozman (2869) 2009-10-13 17:30

Yeah - life can be so tough at times! This shot exemplifies the Aussie expression "True Blue" perfectly, wish I could've been there too! Thanks for sharing this gem, my salty mate!
Best wishes,
Jeff

foozi (4689) 2009-10-13 19:35

Hi Peter,
such a lovely and subtle presentation of the sky and the sea. The puffy clouds are very dramatic and captivating. i like the riplles of the blue waves.
The position of the boats are well calculated.
Excellent composition.
Well presented shot.

Regards,
Foozi

skippy007 (6963) 2009-10-13 21:00

Ciao Pietro, come stai? I've been waiting for you to show us some of the shots from your trip up north, this one is a real gem, nice atmosphere, enhanced by the colour & light. It is always difficult to capture what the eye can see in a single shot, without seeing it for myself I would say you have done a fair job with this one shot. Nice one.
Thanks & take care
Santo

burraburra (831) 2009-10-14 2:47

Hi Pete,
Mint Slice - Very Nice. Love the merging of the sea with the sky and the cloud reflections which add so much to the infusion. Great bluescape. Fantastic note. You made me feel I was there with you all.
Welcome back buddy.
Cheers,
Graham.

macondo (13071) 2009-10-14 4:22

Hi Peter and welcome back to TE after your trip.
Small boats and island in a large expanse, but it works wonderfully because of the nearness of the one boat and the absolutely superb sea-sky combination - they seem to merge. The blue tones of the water are incredible, and the clouds' reflection, too. The island seems almost to be floating in the air. Very nicely done in that panoramic crop.
Regards,
Andrew

eversmile (5997) 2009-10-14 5:17

Hi Peter

That's very pure. The colors are appealing, but, above all, the reflections that create a confusion between the sky and the sea are awesome. The clarity is exceptionnal but I guess that the show is also under the surface! Unfortunately there is probably no chance I could witness this marvel soon but I am glad to read your report of the trip and discover at least one picture from it. Congratulations.
Regards
Marine

I think it would also work in square format. I have tried a WS but I have no possibility to post it today or even tomorrow, as I have been too active with WS recently and have several others to propose... but I'll propose it as soon as I can. I would like your opinion on it.

[workshop] [compare] +

hay_kes (28562) 2009-10-14 23:21

Hi dear Peter
What an amazing panorama vith excellent reflection and minimalism.TFS.
Cheers,

hAyAti

jlbrthnn (37601) 2009-10-15 2:59

Hello Peter,
Your note is a captivating account and written very well. The image is superb. I like the spectacular effect of the dissolve of the sea in
sky. The reflection under the few boats harmoniously distributed, and the colors, are very pleasant. The format of the image is appropriate perfectly. It is an excellent work. congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

BelCan75 (2416) 2009-10-15 20:07

Hello Peter,

Wonderful shot and so serene. I love the calm water which reflects the clouds and I also love the blue colour. Great shot!

Greetings,
Ann

kevinos (6927) 2009-10-17 3:40

Hi peter, I noticed that you were away for a while -me too- but so many people have left that I was not surprised. It is nice to see you back again. This one has a wonderful fairyland-like quality, with that perfect reflection floating the scene in that lovely blue. Its simplicity only enhances its strength.The dash of slightly warm colour in the shoreline acts to stress the purity of those cool blues. It makes a great picture to come back with. Incidentally, I love the coast from Port Douglas to Sydney and envy you your leisurely trip. regards Kevin

cfreire (11647) 2009-10-17 16:02

Hi Peter,
I don't have any words to talk about this splendid shot! Superb composition with wonderful reflections, colors and contrasts. Well done! Congratulations for this good job. Regards, Consuelo

pattabe (415) 2009-10-18 1:26

Hi Peter,
This ia a amazing picture, fantastic color, The composition is excellent. great job, well done
all the best,
Regards Freddy

kschanna (2634) 2009-10-18 3:50

Hello Peter,

You have rightly said that this is one of the most beautiful places anyone could hope to visit. I went to the Great Barrier Reef at Green Island only over a week ago. Though there wasn't much opportunity to get off the beaten track (or channel) still I loved it, the reef and the many sand cays are truly one of nature's marvel. This show shows the cay's place quite well. I would be interested in seeing a close up of it.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

Nicou (44491) 2009-10-18 6:20

Hello,

quelle douceur, des tons merveilleus, un ciel de re^ve qui se reféète, toute belle iamge.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

batalay (20810) 2009-10-18 7:24

Hello Peter,

Complemented by a fabulous note, at the same time personal and pedagogical, you've given us a genuinely beautiful panoramic photo. I spent a week once on my brother-in-law's 40-ft power boat (on the Turquoise Coast of Turkey), I could identify with your experience. I look forward to seeing your other recorded memories from this down under sojourn.

Warm regards,

Bulent

mortijo (12118) 2009-10-19 3:50

An excellent shot. Everything looks so peaceful. Outstanding colors.
Regards
John

ellelloo (4733) 2009-10-19 22:04

Hello Peter,
This view is breathtakingly beautiful! You have caught the amazing light, the gorgeous blue and the serene atmosphere in a wonderful way. A good balanced composition. The clouds and their reflections are enchanting. Thanks for the good and interesting note. It sure must have been a memorable boat trip.
Best regards,
Lasse

mafegan (4115) 2009-10-21 18:57

Hello Peter
Looks like paradise on earth. So simple and so blue - magical. What an amazing trip. Tfs, Marlene

gunbud (27763) 2009-10-27 18:29

Hi Pete,
Magnificent sky and tranquil clouds seen reflecting on this slightly riffling sea.
Love how the the boats and small green island fill the frame out so nicely.
Sounds like you had quite the adventure on these vast southern seas.
Regards, Tom

crhieatt (5143) 2009-11-06 16:16

Peter,

I like the "vast" minimalism in this photo. The calm after the storm.

I'm still alive! Just been distracted by other stuff!

Cheers
Colin

diomed (3815) 2009-11-18 2:19

Hi Peter,
there are colors and soft blue tones in this picture that make a really fairy atmosphere.
not difference between sky and sea. Fantastic!
Nice Day
Antonio