#00203, Garden in the Sky

David Houlder and I were camped in Hidden Valley and had spent the day on top of nearby Mt Sturgess.

Towards the end of the day we were returning along the western edge of the mountain when we both simultaneously spotted this scene. This small cleft in the rocks was filled with low bushes and opened to a cliff face which fell several hundred feet to the valley below.

There was a beautiful soft light caused by the low sunlight being diffused by a haze. We both set our cameras up (with completely different viewpoints and lenses) and waited. Normally I like a little wind movement in foliage but on this occasion there was a lot of detail in the scene that I felt should be preserved. I could not tolerate any blurring so waited for a lull in the wind.

I've learnt over the years that wind is usually cyclic, if you stand and wait you will notice that there is nearly always brief pauses in the breeze. Just be patient and at the start of the next still period, hit the cable release.

Sturgiss Mountain, Budawang NP, NSW

Technical: Tachihara 5x4 field camera, 210mm, 1s, f45
Keywords: garden sky hidden valley sturgess towards western mountain rocks bushes cliff sunlight haze cameras foliage breeze cable sturgiss budawang national park nsw pan large black white landscape mountains flora trees