Patricia Piccinini’s Skywale.

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Creating a fair amount of interest and heaps of flack over the last few days Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale.Skywhale hot air balloon flies near Mt Arapilies, Western Victoria, Australia. Commissioned as a flying art work part of the Camberra Centenary celebrations, Skywhale is the work of renown Australian artisit, Patrica Piccinini. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)

Here at excitations we love hot air balloons. Over the years many of  our most interesting adventures have involved balloons. Special shapes, though are something we have had little to do with. When  asked if we would like to photograph the first Australian flight of  Patricia Piccinini’s latest and larges work we simple said YES.

The full story and more pictures from our adventure with the mamal of the skies can be seen here.

A couple of the pictures from the set have been published widely throughout Australia and internationally as part of a press pack. If you need editorial Skywhale pictures you can use the new simplified license pack over at PhotosAustralia to license and download 24/7.

 

Murrumbidgee River and Yanga National Park.

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If you’re traveling through Balranald in far Western NSW anytime. Make a point of checking out a couple of things while you’re there. Break your drive and stay alive. Australia is a big country and driving this big land requires you plan rest breaks.

Late afternoon light on the Murrumbidgee River near Balranald, NSW Australia (Ian Mckenzie/excitations-stock.com)

First place I would check out is the Murrumbidgee River. Especially if it is early morning or late evening. The river isn’t hard to find. Running right along the edge of town. If you’re coming into town from Sydney direction, or in other words travelling west, once you cross the bridge, the first turn to your left, past the caravan park and follow the Murrumbidgee as it runs past town. If you’re coming into town from the west. Pretty much any turn to your right once you’re in town, will take you to the river. Image  image above is from our royalty free medium format stock archive.

Old workers hut beside the Murrumbidgee River at Yanga Station. The building is only metres from the Murrumbidgee River. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)

The second place I woulod recommend visiting is the Yanga National Park, especially the woolshed area. Parks have only recently taken over the property and it is a state of poor repair. So many areas of the woolshed are off limits. However if you’re in anyway interested in our early history. Do yourself a mighty big favor and check out the Yanga Woolshed and surrounding out buildings. The building above, is one of many at the Yanga Woolshed location and like most of the others is only metres from the Murrumbidgee River. Stock photo of the hut at Yanga above is from the excitations stock archive. This emage is limited to rights managed editorial use only and can be licensed for that purpose simply by click the photo above.

 

Bunya Mountain NP

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Bunya Mountain National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Edge of dense rain forest in the Bunya Mountain National Park, Queensland. Home of the ancient Bunya Pine trees and second oldst of the national parks in Queensland. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)One of my favorite desitinations is Bunya Mountain National Park. Roughly 3 hours drive north west of Brisbane it is both a relaxing place to visit and full of great photographic potential. If you want to kick back and  do nothing, there are plenty of holiday rentals right next to the park. Camping is also available bookings through Queensland Parks Service website.

Gentle walking trails tack you deep into the rain forest. Constantly changing light and weather will ensure that you are never bored with this amazing forest. My favorite time to walk the park is during still misty mornings. When low level cloud envelopes the hill tops and penetrates into the depths of the under story. Breath takingly beautiful and you’re pretty much garanteed of solitude.

Parasitic tree roots encase host tree trunk, Bunya Mountain National Park, Queensland, Australia (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)The rain forest interior is full of natural scuptures, with massive tree trunks  encased within the roots of a multitude of climbing vegetation and of course other parasitic trees. As usual these and other rainforest stock images may be licensed by clicking on the photos above or through our archive www.excitations-stock.com 

Bellinger River

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Bellinger River near the small rural NSW town of Bellingen.

Bellinger River Valley, during Winter. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations-stock.com)

Bellinger River and the river valley, a very pretty part of NSW. Just down the road from the Dorrigo National Park, which is also a very interesting little park. Suited to people who like to experience the great outdoors, but may be hampered by some mobility issues. If you’re visiting Dorrigo take time to dine at the restaraunt near the visitors centre. Good meals and very pleasant environment.

Otherwise enjoy the drive along Waterfall Way and enjoy the scenery along the Bellinger River.

 

Epacris empressa, Common Heath Flower.

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Up close and personal with Epacris empressa

The common Heath Flower, like its common name suggests is everywhere man. Varying colours from near white to very dark pinks. the shrubby bush is unlikely to win any prizes for beauty. However when it hits full flowering, which can range over a fair amount of time, its beauty ranking changes dramatically. Epacris empressa, a delightful addition to the Australian bush.

Unusual close up angle of the flower of Common Heath Epacris impressa. Growing to a height of 2-3 metres, it is more often seen between .5 to 1 metre in height. Colouring varies between rose red and white. Flowers late Autumn to Spring across much of Southern South Eastern Australia and Tasmania. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)This image seems to be a favorite of the picture pinchers out there. I love the way they try to justify the infringement by claiming ignorance of copyright laws. Doesn’t matter, easy to catch and another lifes lesson learned.

We shot  horizontal images of Epacris empressa. I’m pretty sure at the time I felt  there were so many vertical stock images of Common Heath around that it was mostly a waste of time shooting more. We must have got something right as this image has bee popular with the Holistic Health faternity.

There are a couple more stock photos of Epacris empressa or Common Heath here

Added to archive, aerial photos Mildura

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A handful of Royalty Free aerial stock images of the Murray River and Mildura added to the archive today.

The River Murray winds past the small rural city of Mildura in the South East of Australia. The Murray forms the state border between NSW and Victoria. Also providing water for the city's population and farming. (Ian Mckenzie)

Showing the intrinsic relationship between the small regional city of Mildura and the Murray River. As the city of Mildura hugs the banks of Australia’s largest  river. Mildura dveloped as an irrigation district with a river port. Much of its history and it could be argued its continued existance relies heavily on the continued good health and viability of the River Murray and tributaries.

Additional aerial stock images of the Mildura area may be viewed and licensed here.

Low level aerial stock photo Wentworth NSW

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Aerial stock photo of Tuckers Creek and small outback town of Wentworth.

The small outback NSW township of Wentorth is best Know for being located on the junction of Australia’s two biggest rivers. The Murray and Daring Rivers, whose confluence occurs right on the towns boundary. What a lot of people don’t realize is that a third lesser known watercourse also terminates at Wentworth.

Aerial photo of Wentworth, with Darling River in Forground, and the junction of Tucker's Creek and Fotherby Park also clearly visible. Daling water is clearly milky in colour while Tucker's Creek which flows from the Murray River is darker. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations-stock.com)

Tuckers Creek, flows from the Murray River upstream of the confluence and meanders across the semi arid landscape of the Wentworth area before quietly slipping into the Darling river, opposite Wentworth  Wharf. A haven for waterbirds, away from river traffic and human interference, as well as providing both essential drinking water and feeding ground for other bird life of the semi arid region.

 

RF or Rights Managed?

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Many visitors to excitations stock archive are only looking for RF as cheaply as they can get it. Just a few days ago I had a guy who had been through the archive and found an image he wanted to use. He needed it for a small newsletter publication and had priced it automatically on site. Then he contacted me and asked if we could negotiate a better deal. The systems asking price of $15 dollars was way to high for the image. He usually only pays $1 for all rights.

I suggested that he might be better off dealing with his usual supplier. It seems however he’d already been down that track. They didn’t have any pictures of the subject he wanted. He then tells me he has spent the best part of a day searching through a number of collections of stock photos to no avail. I really don’t know how much this guys time is worth per hour. But I’m going out on a limb here to suggest that its probably much more than 15 miserable dollars. He is prepared to spend a full day of his time looking for a picture, then when he finds it. He doesn’t want to spend $15.

Then again stock photography and its buyers are an interesting mob. I still often shake my head in disbelief, when a buyer insist that they need an RF image. When all they need the image for is a once off…. never again to be used job. Often it is cheaper to license a once off use as a RM license rather than RF. Much cheaper.

As always the buyer must have an understanding of how the image is to be used. It is the end user who must determine if for instance an image clearly depicting a well known logo can be used in the context that they intend. Law suites are expensive. If you infringe another individual’s  or companies  interlectual property, expect to be held accountable.

Royalty Free stock imagery is great as long as you intend to use the image more than once over a number of years. And of course don’t mind that you may be sharing that image with your direct competitor. Check that the RF image you are licensing has the relevant model and property releases available as well. Not every photographer or online image resource centre fully understands the concept of privacy laws or interlectual property laws. Which by the way vary from place to place.Andrew Clegg, shearer, musician, song writer, and juggler gives an impromtu performance on the dry salt bed of Lake Eyre, oin outback South Australia. (Ian Mckenzie/excitations stock)

The image above is an Rights Managed, editorial use only image of Andrew Clegg, entertainer, juggler and shearer. Photographed on the edges of Lake Eyre South in South Australia.

Wild weather, East coast USA.

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You’d have to be in a coma or living on a deserted island if you haven’t heard about the massive storm front impacting the East Coast of America today. there have been lot of news stories running all day about the event.

Sadly that’s all it is. We sometimes get excited about the biggest ever, or never before seen. Reality however, is that there are many, many storms around our planet every year. Some way worse than others. Some impact areas with few if any people. Just every so often one impacts a highly populated region, and we  all become interested.

Today our media delivered a blow by blow description as events took place. flooding of low lying area’s and carparks, underground rail tunnels closed and full of water. Cranes, bent and twisted on high rise buildings. The list goes on and on. Something as mundane as a phone/camera photo of a city street flooded due to heavy rain became news. Even a bunch of poor hapless soldiers whose duty it is to guard the grave of  unknown soldiers became news.

What struck me most was the description of images in headlines online. Dramatic, amazing, incredible, startling and the list goes on. Seems no superlative was too big for the images coming out of the states today.

Sadly, most where at best interesting, some good and a few excellent. Mostly they were just pictures of a storm passing by. If it wasn’t for the location, we would hardly have bothered to look twice.

Yes it was sad that people lost their lives, their property, pets and income sources. Some who perished would have been  just plain unlucky. Wrong place wrong time. Others would have met their demise due to poor decision making on their behalf. Early victims of Sandy. Mostly from poor countries to the south of the mighty USA, hardly rate a mention. Although I understand 65 died in those area’s. Sorry you poor bastards, you’re not news worthy.

Then of course there are the unbelievable stories. A Tall Ship from another time sails right into the path of the bloody storm. I can’t wait to hear why somebody thought that would be a good idea.

Anyway enough rambling. some of my favorite pics from the day, edited by Alan Taylor from the In Focus Blog over at the Atlantic can be seen hear. As usual Alan has a keen eye for an interesting picture.