Point Danger, a photo from New South Wales, East

Photographer's Note

Point Danger is a headland forming the border between Queensland and New South Wales, marking the most southerly point of the Gold Coast. Onboard the Endeavour in May 1770, Captain (actually lieutenant) James Cook named this headland and also nearby volcanic peak to mark the position of a dangerous shoal offshore calling them Point Danger and Mt. Warning.

On top of this headland is a boundary sign marking the state border, a lighthouse and a James Cook memorial. Each year 8,000 Humpback Whales pass this point on their northerly migration to warm Queensland waters. It is wonderful to see the population increasing by about 12% every year! I have seen about 10 whales from this vantage last time I visited, but today it was not the right season (only seen in April to November, I will return to take some photos next time). It is also the location of a volunteer marine rescue base.

On this occasion the weather was overcast and the available lighting did not illuminate the water in the usual aqua way, so I decided to settle on the B&W. This jogger was running past the base of the rocks, before climbing to the top for some stretches and continuing on his way.

Please have a look at the map feature to the left to better appreciate the location!

Thanks for visiting

MLINES, danielswalsh, ribeiroantonio, Dyerco, kiwi_explorer, claire526, InasiaJones, Floydian, ls7902, chpp, ChrisJ, JPlumb, jusninasirun, Wanda1, scobert, skippy007, BennyV, robertosalguero, siolaw, daddo, kiks has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

MLINES (12516) 2008-02-03 16:53

Hi Matt. A powerful natural image softened by the presence of the solitary figure. I had heard the name but not seen this area before. Interesting notes. TFS. Murray
PS May also be good to see the colour version as a WS or another photo contribution.

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2008-02-03 17:43

Knowing myself the place I have to say that this is a real photo. The B&W conversion was a good option as the colour version looks a bit washed out. The wide version is too a very nice picture with all those surfers in water. Well done.
Antonio

danielswalsh (13597) 2008-02-03 17:47

Hi Matthew;

The composition is good, but I have to wonder about how the actual image was created. It seems as though the person and the rocks were cut out and placed over the seascape.

There seems to be some halo effect in front of the persons knee, as well as in some other places.

There doesnt seem to be any DOF at all. Like each was taken seperately.

The man seems to be photographed side on, yet the water looks to be photographed from higher elevation.

Lastly, considering the distance of the person from the waves, they look to be strangely large. The overall scale seems to be off...
Was this cut and pasted?

The overall presentation is 'ok', mainly thanks to the composition. It just comes across as a bit too 'doctored' for my personal liking.

Appologies if I'm wrong...
Regards,
- Dan

As discussed with matt; you can see the workshop- and that I was mistaken. Quite an interesting lesson in perspective and optical illusions!

Seiei (460) 2008-02-03 18:05

Hi Matthew

Nice composition in this picture. Interessting catch, whit the waves and the man who look on the right

Well done

Dyerco (10185) 2008-02-03 18:08

Hi Matthew
The jogger is very well placed and I must say it looks like a dangerous place to jog. Very nicely done.
Phil

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-02-03 19:29

Hi Matthew,
Aptly titled ... a lot of interesting dynamics here. First of all the big surf portrays the wild fluid motion of nature. The climber also suggest movement by his body position leaning forward. Good choice of BW ... the simplicity of colors does not distract the viewer from what you are trying to portray at the same time highlights the rugged form of the rock and the texture of the waves. Excellent work! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

BrianGraney (1740) 2008-02-03 20:02

Super composition and sense of movement here, and this is the best of the photos for me.

I'm just not sure of the framing - think I would prefer it if the border was on all sides, although I can see that you would have to reduce the size of the photo to accommodate this.
Cheers
Brian

Ann75 (0) 2008-02-03 21:19

Hi Matt,

Wonderful capture with the jogger on top of those rocks...boy he must have some courage. I love the black & white as it works really well for this photo! Great work, Matt!

Greetings,
Ann

claire526 (1267) 2008-02-03 21:29

Hi Matt,
Very soothing image. Good timing, I like the exact position of the man. Great composition yet 50/50 on the framing. I like the subtle horizontal lines that gives harmony to this image. Even the man, though upright seems to be bending to be in harmony.
Regards,
Claire

totoamoto (1107) 2008-02-03 22:21

Salut
Drôle de lieu pour faire sa gym..Après il s'est baigné.. dans les vagues ?
Cyril

jjcordier (79299) 2008-02-03 22:24

Matthew
Jolie composition noir et blanc et belle illustration du titre.
Amicalement
JJ

InasiaJones (31566) 2008-02-03 23:45

Hi Matt,

This looks like an advertising shot, for Kellog's cereals or another "healthy" product... You know, the kind of landscape that makes you dreaming of exercising every morning to the sound of the waves... The only problem is that the ocean is 850 km from my home... :-P)

Great shot Matt, with a perfect sense of freedom and great outdoor. I like the fact that your subject is moving himself in the same way as the waves. Good balance between the foreground and the ocean, showing its grandeur, in comparison to the man. A clever visual stress.

Cheers!

André

Elaine_Blath (8471) 2008-02-03 23:50

Hi Matthew,

great capture and well managed BW shot, good job!

Take care, Ivana

aadilj (18102) 2008-02-03 23:57

Thats a magificant solus that you have crafted in b/w with such aplomb ad finesse. good composition indeed.

Floydian (30970) 2008-02-04 0:37

Hi Matthew,
An impressive shot in a very good converted b&w. It's the man and the waves what gives this image something extra, but more HOW the man is standing there, if he is going to jump anytime...great shot.
Regards, Henk

vincz (19113) 2008-02-04 0:49

Excellent shot. i like very much the position of the man and the dark rocks in front the agitated sea. We have a great feeling of immensity of th sea. i like it.

ls7902 (7380) 2008-02-04 0:59

Greetings Matt,
I like that you caught the jogger right at the top of the rock & negotiating a jump down. Great impression of movement & enhanced by the direction & strength of the strong waves behind him. Good B&W. The white border gives the wrong impression of a burned out sky but only for a brief moment.

Best Regards,
Latiff.

chpp (4283) 2008-02-04 8:02

Hi Matt
really a very decisive moment. Very well capture and good timing. I think the B&W wasa good choise to show the water better.
Very nice shot
Cheers
chris

Cormac (26565) 2008-02-04 8:25

This is a very striking image Matthew! The lone figure standing up on the rocks, almost silhoetted against the sea, really gets out attention, and makes it easy for us to place ourselves in the scene. The positioning of the wave is good too, helping to balance the photo. Well done!

cherryripe (21033) 2008-02-04 8:58

Hi Matt
Another excellent B&W shot. I'm not normally a fan of B&W landscapes but here it works really well as there are strong contrasts and silhouettes. Nice tight framing on the sea too to draw the eye to the man.
Regards
Nikki

denisn72 (8314) 2008-02-04 17:00

Hello matthew
Is he going to dive? I hope not. The ocean seems fierce with those waves. The ocean, the rock and the man. That's simple and I like it. Good B&W. well done
Best regards
Denis!

JPlumb (3159) 2008-02-04 17:06

Hi Matt, kind of a statuesque look to this one. Kind of like "The Thinker", but in jogging apparel. I played a bit with the colour version you put up as a workshop (this is why I don't post originals I guess). In any case I will now go along with your decision to post the black and white, though I think I liked your crop in that one better, with more rock, making the man seem a little smaller than in this one. That line around the rock and body of the man I thought at first might be from over sharpening (or sharpening without a post mask) but it is in the original as well so must have something to do with the stronger back lighting from the water.

Thanks, John

ElAprendiz (30) 2008-02-04 18:06

Hello Mat:

There could retire my dear friend, without comment on this picture.

The scene is impressive, risky, full of very dynamic, and the pattern in black and white, paint them over drama.

The position of the subject within the composition is excellent when compared with the wave that comes in parallel, almost artistic. Congratulations, my friend.

John

alftrek (3270) 2008-02-04 18:40

Hi Matt,

This is wonderfully captured. The eyes are led immediately to the man posing on the rock, seemingly ready to jump off. A very simple composition but i think it conveys a very clear theme: Danger!

Well done. TFS. and Thanks for your comments too

Cheers
alfred

batalay (41261) 2008-02-04 20:00

Hello Matthew,

I like the composition in this image, and the b&w format works very nicely. Sometimes colors can detract from the subject, and in this minimalist image, it works well just like this.

Warm regards, Matthew.

Bulent

jusninasirun (17529) 2008-02-04 20:44

Hello Matthew,

I like the note and read it with interest especially about the whales. It is interesting that the number increases to about 12% every year which is very good. I never knew that James Cook is not a Captain. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous shot and very useful notes.

Regards,
Jusni

Wanda1 (15142) 2008-02-04 21:01

Hi Matthew,
I love this! it shows mans fragility and smallness in comparison to nature. The black rocks and man in his black outfit stand against the white waters. It does look very dangerous. A well composed and well seen shot.
Regards
Wanda

scobert (5355) 2008-02-04 21:34

Hello Matthew,
I am glad that you included your map. I always get Queensland and New South Wales mixed up. This is excellent composition. The jogger stretching his calves and achilles tendon makes him look like he is facing a strong headwind and it gives him a dramatic pose. The well-defined shape of the rocks and the patterns of the waves are a delight to view. The very dark rocks contrasted with the very light grey water in the backfround works very well! It looks like the photo is only comprised of four of Ansel Adams B&W zones, and this makes for a very interesting and unusual photograph. This is an excellent and dramatic photograph!
Stan

Angshu (56760) 2008-02-04 23:34

An excellent picture Matthew...the man in the backdrop of the raw power of nature. The subject is also moving in the same direction as the waves. This is the kind of picture where B&W fits like a T....with the duotones help us to concentrate on the compo. rather than get distracted with the colours. It was interesting going through the thread between Daniel & you & your WS picture posted as a result. A fine work indeed Matthew.
Regards
Angshu

ChrisJ (172436) 2008-02-05 0:29

Hi Matthew

A superb b&w image, with excellent graphism of the dark, fg rock, against the lighter bg. The solitary human figure on an incline, adds a lot to this shot. Good sharpness, & tfs!

skippy007 (12510) 2008-02-05 1:31

Hi Matt,
Excellent shot,very well captured and good timing.
Regards
Santo

BennyV (34780) 2008-02-05 5:11

Hello Matthew,
This powerful picture makes a great upload. Your note is much appreciated too! Great work.
Benny

robertosalguero (292) 2008-02-05 22:39

It is so nice to live so close to the beach and hear the sound of the waves breaking against the rocks. Now of course that sound is too unfamiliar to me...Excellent shot with the black and white version being more interesting. I really like the way you captured the mood of the moment and place. The view is excellent and the lonely figure tell me that even in the wildest of places there is a sign of life. Thanks Matt.

Roberto

siolaw (38294) 2008-02-06 10:31

Hi Matthew,
I like this compo with the jogger's silhouette seemingly surfing on the rocks! Good high POV to obtain that angle with nice wavy BG. I like the shape and placement of the rocks too.
Greetings
LAurent

crckt (7222) 2008-02-06 18:59

Hi Mattew,
Fantastic shot! The POV draws me the most. B/W was an excellent choice here. Love the shades of grey. Well composed.
Regards,
Shaeri

daddo (28748) 2008-02-07 14:39

Hi Matthew.Powerful juxtapositioning of man and the immense power and timelessness of nature.At first I thought it was some nutter trying to play Russian roulette with the crashing waves (as you know quite a number of fishermen have been swept to the sea by the unforeseen large wave.) And then you tell me it's a jogger,another sort of nutter-at least this one is not running during peak hour traffic in order to inhale the maximum amount of harmful gases and chemicals.I do like his dynamic pose matched by the dynamism of the waves. Great composition. Regards. Klaudio.

jaywalker (16105) 2008-02-09 9:42

Hi Matthew, I don't know if he is brave or stupid, I would not be there, you have captured the scene very well, the crashing waves in the background &, the man giving great scale as he looks over, all make a dramatic shot, kind regards Wilson.

smarcell (19965) 2008-02-11 6:09

I think this is a very strong composition. The B&W choice gives it even more power. I like the contrast between the two parts, the rock and the sea, the waves and the guy, maybe attempting a jump. If you happen to take a picture like this with the tail of a whale in the sea, you can go straight to National Geographic !
Good luck ! Stefano

Signal-Womb (13048) 2008-02-12 11:05

Nice one Matthew, love the sence of anticipation before the jump. The stark contrast between the rock and sea creates depth, very good composition. Regards Steve..

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2008-02-13 23:05

Hi Matthew.

Great, great picture! Excellent contrast of the man and the sea behind him.

Well done!

kiks (12805) 2008-03-24 15:23

Hi Matthew, looking at your WS i understand even better how good you choose your POV and crop the image to get some feeling of danger. Very well done and right choice for B&W. Thank you also for the usefull note.
Have a nice day
KIks

Juzo (2151) 2010-06-30 9:28

Hi Matt,
I like the way this is composed, and the movement and timing to capture the lone figure gives perspective to the size and power of our great coastlines here. The B&W is an interesting choice, and one I like even more than colour here, as it makes this image stand out from the multitude of colour shots - with the added shapes and contrasts only B&W can provide.
Regards
Justin