Rodney Campbell's Blog

We’d decided to walk the Escarpment Trail early in the morning as it was going to be much cooler and more pleasant than later in the day

Dad and I arrived back from photographing sunrise before 8AM so there was still time for a quick breakfast. It was still cloudy and cool so we all headed out to join the escarpment trail

The Escarpment Trail (a Class 4, 3.4km return) starts at either Drapers Gorge car park or Temple Gorge campground. The trail leads into a narrow gorge that ascends to the top of the range for spectacular views

Escarpment Trail

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24 mm, 1/40 sec at f/8, 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.

Finding Form

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70 mm, 1/80 sec at f/8, ISO 180

The colour and patterns of the rocks here is quite varied. Most of the cliffs are variations on orange, but scattered across the surface (down towards the bottom of the valleys) are very dark ironstones

Thunderegg

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70 mm, 1/80 sec at f/8, ISO 900

These look like thunder eggs or smashed eggs and make me think of meteors. When smashed open they have many many layers of very hard rock and are often hollow inside. They have this dark metallic sheen to them, some with coloured patches through them. I found them quite hard to photograph

Weathered

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70 mm, 1/80 sec at f/5.6, ISO 72

Rest

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 56 mm, 1/60 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200

A few more images at Sunrise View in the Kennedy Range from both camera’s after sunrise

Looking down at the ground here is quite beautiful. I’m only sorry I didn’t take more images pointing down rather than horizontally

Loop

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

This panorama from much lower and looking more upwards – you can see us standing on the sunrise viewing area in the middle

With the sun now fully up but still low to the horizon all the exposed rock gets this lovely but insanely bright and saturated orange glow

Back @ The View

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/640 sec at f/4, ISO 100 x 21 Frames

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.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24 mm, 1/25 sec at f/8, ISO 64

Sunrise Orange

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 64

Warmth

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 62 mm, 1/60 sec at f/8, ISO 140

Alas by the time I’d flown the drone all the way back, landed, changed battery and flown back up again nearly ten minutes had passed

The best light and the beautifully coloured clouds had gone; the sun had now risen and it was daylight

As they say… Missed It by that much

Sunrise Cliffs

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/160 sec at f/4, ISO 100 x 21 Frames

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.

Still with direct sunlight on the cliffs behind us it was so insanely bright and orange

Down on the View

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/30 sec at f/4, ISO 100

The view down on the sunrise viewing area below. That’s us there checking ourselves out 🙂

Of course as luck would have it…

• The sun is about to rise in the next five or so minutes
• We’re starting to get some amazing colour in the clouds (which we could see above and to the left of us down along the range)
• The light and colour on the rocks, cliffs and landscape is gorgeous
• and NOW my drone battery is about to expire

Time for one quick 180˚ pano and then I have to fly back, land and change battery, before heading back out again. Alas I fear I’m going to miss the best light…

Grasping Kennedy

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

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 still a bit before sunrise so the landscape is still fairly dark to the naked eye

Still even these downward facing shots with slower shutter and higher ISO (400) with the drone are amazing

Tangerine Dream

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/15 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

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.

Sure at ground level it make look sparse and somewhat desert like, but when viewed from up here it’s beautiful

Shades of Red

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/20 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

The view down on the sunrise viewing area where we are (at top of frame)

DJI Mavic 2 Pro L1D-20c + 28.0 mm f/2.8 @ 10.26 mm, 1/30 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400