Sunday, March 10, 2024 and the temperature soared above thirty degrees celsius in Newcastle, north of Sydney and the Central Coast in New South Wales, Australia.
My wife and I decided to jump in the car and head north for a visit to the Newcastle foreshore and also some lunch.
To be honest, on the journey we weren’t sure exactly where we would walk once we arrived in the area, however as we approached Nobbys Beach I realised that despite being here many times over the years, we have never ventured into the area where the lighthouse and breakwater were situated, at the very northern end of Nobbys Beach.
Nobbys Beach is Newcastle’s highest profile beach and a favourite swimming spot for both locals and visitors alike. It is also very well regarded by surfers.
As well as a public recreation area where you can barbecue or purchase fish and chips, there is also a pathway which leads to the Newcastle Breakwater after you pass beneath the iconic Nobbys lighthouse.
From the breakwater there are fantastic views looking back toward the lighthouse and beach, the dog friendly cove on the western side of the breakwater, active fishing boats and to our surprise on the day, a pod of beautiful dolphins.
There were many people that decided to take a look along the breakwater, also a handful on bicycles, and one keen fisherman.
The heat was pretty intense, and the decision not to bring along headwear with more protection than a trucker hat, and no sunscreen proved to be a huge mistake.
Despite the heat there was the odd respite with a nice ocean breeze which was welcomed, albeit too brief.
For shooting, today I chose to take along only the Fujifilm X100F, mainly to minimise the gear I would need to hold. There were the odd compositions here and there where I would have preferred to have a longer lens, however I also like the way that a 35mm lens allows scenes to breathe when you’re not in a street environment.
When you have a 35mm lens and you’re in an open landscape like this you have no choice other than to incorporate a lot into the scene, and then try and direct the viewer’s eye toward a point, or points of interest.
You have to pay attention though. For example, you cannot shoot out toward the ocean if there are no definitive points of interest, that’s where the viewer can become lost and disorientated.
I always try to create pathways for the eye to follow, to identify points within a scene where at times they are obvious, and other times they are a surprise to the viewer.
So there you go, a very warm day at Newcastle Breakwater with the Fujifilm X100F.
I hope that you enjoyed reading the blog, and I also hope that you enjoy the images.
Roger Brooks.
