Rodney Campbell's Blog

We were leaving Dales Campground today to head around to the western end of Karijini National Park and the Karijini ECO Retreat

The Anthill

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 53 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 80

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Once settled in there I went for a walk to nearby Joffre Gorge which is right within the ECO Retreat area

Once at the bottom I headed left to shoot up the gorge where you can see these fabulous weathered layered gorge walls. Like thousands upon thousands of thin layers of coloured rock

Joffre

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 26.5 mm, 1 sec at f/11, ISO 64

In the other direction the brighter red cracked rocks fill the gorge area heading towards the waterfall

Red on Green

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 24 mm, 1.6 sec at f/8, ISO 64

When I was down the bottom photographing I met this nice young German couple

We got to talking and we had a shared keen interest in photographing the Joffre gorge under the milky way

Checking PhotoPills we worked out that tonight was going to be pretty ideal to have the vertical expanse of the milky way lined up with the gorge itself

We could setup in the bottom of the gorge near Joffre falls and look up at the sky with the tall 100m high gorge walls on either side of us. For a short while the milky way would line up with the narrow crack of the gorge. We had a short window of opportunity straight after astronomical twilight (an hour to 90 minutes after sunset) to shoot

So we made a plan to meet back here around 6:30PM (after sunset and in the dark :)) to shoot the milky way from just after 7PM

Red and Green

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14 mm, 2 sec at f/13, ISO 64

I drove away from Kalamina Gorge after sunset. Before heading back to the caravan I made a side trip to Fortescue Falls

I had this plan to shoot from the bottom of one of the gorges with the milky way streaking through the sky above

Unfortunately the milky way didn’t line up with the gorge or the falls as I had initially hoped. It was more diagonally across the gorge rather than lined up with the gorge

Shooting at the Circular Pool end of Dales Gorge *may* have been better but stuffed if I was going to go down that cliff in the dark to get there 🙂

The Falling Milk

NIKON Z 7 + 14.0 mm f/2.4 @ 14 mm, 15 sec at f/2.4, ISO 6400 x 4 Frames

I tried a handful of different compositions and light painting efforts here. This last composition just before leaving was probably the best of them

Before long and the sun had set and twilight had come

I could shoot over this carved land with lovely pastel twilight colours in the sky before it got too dark to shoot

Carved Land

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/30 sec at f/2.8, ISO 120

Looking away from the sun over Kalamina Gorge as it snakes off into the distance

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

A 180˚ view with a 21 frame stitched panorama

Kalamina Twilight

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/30 sec at f/2.8, ISO 120 x 21 Frames

Water and time have carved out a spectacular region here in Karajini national park

If you ever get the chance to come (it is a very very long way to a very out of the way place) – definitely add it to your list

and then all too soon it was dark and time to go…

Once I’d climbed out of the gorge and got back to the car I could put out the drone for an aerial view of the area at sunset

Ghosts of Kalamina

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/60 sec at f/4, ISO 100

This shot looking down across the gorge away from me (and the setting sun)

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

This one looking back from the other side with the sun setting on the right

You can see the road coming into the gorge and the carpark loop. Plus that lone car there with me standing next to it 🙂

Kalamina Gorge

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/30 sec at f/4, ISO 160

Finally a 21 frame 180˚ panoramic view from roughly the same spot

Kalamina Sunset

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/50 sec at f/4, ISO 100 x 21 Frames

Once back near the entrance to the gorge I quickly headed past to take a look at Kalamina Falls

Kalamina Gem

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 43 mm, 5 sec at f/16, ISO 64

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

It’s just a two minute walk to get here and in this light it was gorgeous

I wish I had more time but sunset was rapidly approaching so I just had to squeeze out a few good compositions and leave 🙁

Drawn to Kalamina

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24 mm, 1 sec at f/8, ISO 64

Kalamina really is a lovely spot. Really worth the visit if you can brave the relatively rough roads

Setting Gold

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 36 mm, 1/2 sec at f/9, ISO 64