prehistoric

This is one part of the cross-promontory walk taken in Wilson's Prom. The 19-km-return hiking starts from Mt Oberon carpark in the West to Sealers Cove on the East coast, involving moderate climbing. As we approached Sealers Cove from the West, the slopes suddenly gave way to a long level path, defined by neatly-laid wooden steps. It wound among tall trees, a couple of little ponds & this spot of intrigue before eventually hitting the coastline.

There was no direct sunlight; the strong sun-rays of the noon were contained by the trees about us. The resulting illumination of the foliage was exotic--there was a feel of green to it, but mixed with a touch of yellow. As opposed to the lighting from above along the earlier stretch of the hike, the light here was amiably diffused yet still very bright, permeating among the multitude of leaves without casting distinct shadows.

The trees were not unlike what we had seen earlier but here they stood more densely, conveying the mood of confinement without the visible sky. Fallen leaves covered the ground. Here & there, there were remnants of fallen trunks, half-standing trees & little plants. Truly there was hardly anything out of ordinary at this spot. Yet as the saying goes, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. The putting together of these simple things, for me, became a scene of some time immemorial where different looking creatures walked, as imagined by artists.

As much as the scene was fascinating, I found myself being unable to replicate the essence of it in a picture. The few shots I took initially didn't look so bad in themselves, but all lacked the mood of antiquity that I felt in the whole. So I decided to include more by creating a whole with parts--3 shorts stitched into a panoramic. Better, yet still it wouldn't quite do, but the 10 minutes I had given myself at this spot was up, as we were following a tight schedule.

Location: Wilson's Promontory, Victoria, Australia
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/10s
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 18mm (3 photos)
Filter: N/A
Flash: No
Tripod: No