Red Sunset

I went out to shoot the strange red sunset caused by the smoke from a bushfire yesterday. 

Bushman Panoramic Head

I oreded a panoramic head from Bushman Panoramic, and sadly I had to sent it back soon after I opened a box.

First, their "Manfrotto compatible" quick release plate wasn't compatible at alll with the Manfrotto quick release. The plate of Bushman Panoramic had a wider feet, which was preventing itself to fit onto my Manfrotto tripod as well as another tripod fitted with Mafrotto RC2 quick release.  

Second issue was that it (the model called,Gobi) had a questionable rotator. I adjusted the unit on a level using its spirit level (I also used a digital level on my camera). Then I started rotating the pano head 360 degree only to see a spirit level moving all over the place like a headless chicken.

The actual unit was beautifully machined in general, and I really wished if I didn't need to return it (I got a money back in the end, but I had to still wear the cost of shipping, which was rather disappointing).

Trip to Stirling Range

I had a photo trip to the Stirling Range last week.

I arrived at a caravan park around 6:00 PM. I quickly set up my tent and went out to take photos of the Bluff Knoll as the sun was going down.

Next morning, I drove to Albany to see their wind power turbines. 

I have been thinking that it will be interesting to bring a group of Japanese students along with ours to Albany on a camp trip when they are visiting our school in July. 

It is a long road ahead for Japan to clean up a big mess at the Fukushima nuclear power station, and  I think it will be a good experience for the students to visit the wind power station here. It might give them something to think about possibilities of alternative energy sources for Japan's future.

On the way back to the Bluff Knoll, I stopped at the Porongurup Range to go up on a hill to do some bush walking.

I wake up at 4:30AM next morning to go up on the Bluff Knoll, but I gave it up as it was too windy and too dangerous to walk on the ridge, I thought. 

I was looking at the mountain from the car park, and my car was shaking left and right violently in the wind. I got out of the car to see what it was like, and I wasn't able to stand straight let alone holding my camera steady.

So I left the Bluff Knoll, and went up the Mount Trio instead before jumping back on the car to drive home.