waves and wind

Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @200mm, 1/1600 sec, f/4, ISO200

While holidaying in Kalbarri recently (about 6 hours north of Perth), I took the opportunity to photograph the waves and surfers at Jake's Point one afternoon. The weather had been sunny and fine most of the week, but one afternoon we had wild, wet and windy weather. That makes for some great waves, which in turn makes for some great surfing action.

Jake's Point in Kalbarri is a left-handed break that allows spectators to be very close to the surfing action. With a 200mm lens on a crop body, I was able to capture the action, and spent an hour or two in light drizzle watching the surfers.

Hutt Lagoon aka the pink lake

Yallabatharra, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO100

A number of years ago, while travelling in the state of Victoria, we visited a pink lake, and were sorely disappointed to find it didn't have any pink colour at all.
While travelling to Kalbarri a couple of weeks ago for a holiday, we stopped at Hutt Lagoon, which is near Port Gregory, to have a look at another pink lake. This time we were not disappointed - the colour was amazing to look at.

The colour is due to a caroteinoid-producing algae called dunaliella salina, which exists in salty water, and produces beta-carotene. A BASF processing plant on the other side of the lake harvests the beta-carotene, which is used in cosmetics and in dietary supplements, as it is a food-colouring agent and a source of vitamin A.

If you are ever in the area, it is worthwhile having a look - although the colour does vary seasonally, and is dependent on the sun lighting.