NBAPhotography

NBAPhotography Specialists in Landscapes and Motor Sports across Tasmania To contact me please phone : 0438 217 427

Well it has been a while. Life has been happening. Finally dusted the camera off yesterday afternoon. The weather has al...
13/01/2025

Well it has been a while. Life has been happening. Finally dusted the camera off yesterday afternoon. The weather has always enchanted me. The Storm fronts were to enticing not to take some images of it coming in. Would have been a banging storm if it had hit us. But either way the clouds certainly put on a awesome show.
Enjoy :)

13/10/2024

Well the last few nights of Auroras has been pretty epic. The big banger was incredible to see with the naked eye.
I had the camera set up out in the back yard doing some time lapse photography.
Here is 1540 images complied into a time lapse video. Each image was 1.6 seconds long with an ISO of 12800. taken with Canon 6D Mark II, 16-35mm F2.8. Edited in Photoshop.
Enjoy :)

A chill weekend camping was on the cards. The weather appeared to be ok, albeit some consistent 20-30km winds.While anot...
11/08/2024

A chill weekend camping was on the cards. The weather appeared to be ok, albeit some consistent 20-30km winds.
While another group were headed into the mountains we were headed to the North Eastern tip of Tassie. Car camping in winter is just more comfortable I guess?
We had a few stops along the way, first of which was Mount Paris Dam. All the hype and my first time there too. Totally didn't rate it from the hype.. I mean it is cool but I dunno if it is that worthy..
We continued along the road to come out near Weldborough. We headed back to Gladstone but via Harridge Falls. A short but slippery descent. Slippery did take over sadly. A rolled ankle part way down ensued.. Lucky for my partners new boots. Without them would have made for a tricky retrieval.
We still descended to see the falls. The track was well littered with loose leaf litter and was very damp so the going was slow.
We got the bottom of the falls which had some ok flow. A brief moment and we headed back up. It wasn't camera worthy this time.
It was more evident the rolled ankle was going to be an issue so we opted to call for a chill afternoon and possibly weekend. On our way now to Derby for some lunch. I rest my arm on my leg and find something soft, wet and cold on my arm.. Well... Hello. It was a leach hahaha I told my partner to watch it while I find somewhere to pull over. It felt like eternity but eventually found somewhere to pull over to remove the beast. While at it I found another latched on to me shin. The heeby jeebies followed until we were in Derby.
It was time for lunch and pizza was on the menu thank you to The Hub Derby.
On we went to pick up some fire wood from Gladstone before heading to our destination Mount William National Park. Stumpy's Camp 3 was the pick and the winner. We paid our camp fees and made our way. There was no one else at the camp site. We explored expansively to find the best spot out of the wind and with a fire pot. After a few rotations we decided and setup camp. Bennett's wallabies own this place.
The afternoon was made nicely by a short trip to the beach for short walk. A few shells and some cuttlefish later and it was time to relax. The fire was started and dinner was shortly followed.
The best part of camping is early nights to sleep.
Spring must be about as the birds were aloud in the morning. Camping is great for an early night but ever more so for an early morning. Tea and coffee's were made before packing up. Once we were packed up it was time for a final beach walk. We only picked up one new cuttlefish. But as we walked back a Wedge Tailed Eagle swooped in, we followed to see if we could find this elusive massive eagle. No luck sadly.
It was time to venture back. Opting for non walks we drove to Petal Point and 4WD track, followed by Little Musselroe Bay. We the started the journey back to reality.
Reality is such a hard place when you have been out in the 'Wild'
Why is reality so hard?
Enjoy :)

Many many years and I had always wanted to visit Bruny Island. It just never happened or prioritised. I figure it would ...
07/07/2024

Many many years and I had always wanted to visit Bruny Island. It just never happened or prioritised. I figure it would be there till I can. Well the time had come :)
It would be a cruisy 3 day trip with some sight seeing and hiking ( of course ) The weather on the Island was so much better than what we had been having here in Launceston. It was chilly, but for the most part warm enough while hiking.
The first tourist stop was The Neck lookout or also known as Truganini's lookout. The carpark was absolutely packed and tourists were everywhere. Looking up at the 300 steps to the top of the lookout reminded me of photos I have seen of people ascending Mount Everest. We opted to wander the boardwalk to check out the Rookery in hope the masses would go away. Well... the masses did not.. So up the stairs we went. Shouldering all the ignorant foreigners blocking the path on the way up getting their elusive selfies and video's. Quite sad that people can be this ignorant. It isn't hard to be polite and allow room for others.... Rant over. Happy to depart from there. Next stop would be to check out the Air BnB. We arrived and opened up the front door. WOW!
We had the best view overlooking the water at Adventure Bay from basically anywhere in the cabin. It was very neat and tidy and the underfloor heating made the polished concrete floor nice to walk on with socks. We started unpacking and I prepped the fire ready to light. Out the back had some nice looking areas to sit and chill out in the afternoon sun and to admire the view on top of the cliff we were on. Found ourselves a little goat track leading towards the cliff. I kept on going down the goat track to see where it would lead and maybe a good photo opportunity. It certainly was a cliff but the tree cover hindered any possible good photo.
Drained from the long drive from Launceston we opted to just vedge out. Checking out some of the books and watching the wildlife. There was an abundance of birds. Lots of Wrens, Honey Eaters. I had setup my 400mm lens with Monopod as I really wanted to get a good shot of the White Bellied Sea Eagle. That moment happened but bad lighting hindered a good shot. It was pretty epic to see one perched in a nearby tree.
Day 2 had a nice wake up with a lovely sunrise and we didn't even need to move in bed to see it. We got prepped and setup for the days adventure. Our destination was to be Cape Queen Elizabeth with a small side trip to Mars Bluff Arch. It was a 14km in and out trip. I was donned in my questionable boots that gave me a Haglund's Deformity ( Hoping new custom orthotics had fixed the issue ) A couple of steeper sections but for the most part a reasonably flat walk. Once on the beach we walked around the first part of the head land and found Mars Bluff Arch. It was really awesome. After a few photos, I decided I would ascent it lol ( you may take mountains from me but certainly not adventuring )
A beach walk to the other side then up along the ridge to end up at Cape Queen Elizabeth. At the summit cairn I found a TAS ROCKS, took photos of it's location and posted it to their page. I opted to take it with me and hide it somewhere else on the Island.
Wandering around the summit I found a little pad that lead to a nice cliff with a view of the Hounds Tooth. Our walk back was not as steep which was nice, it was good to see a Spotted Quoll run off ahead of us near the track. I did note some bones on our way and made mention it would be a Devil or Quoll. Proof is there now.
The rest of the afternoon was going to be a drive around most of the Southern part of the Island. We ended up at the Bruny Island Lighthouse. The had picked up blowing from the South West and you could feel it cut you in half so we didn't stay long. It was late in the day so we returned back to The Lookout Cabin for some must earnt dinner. I had the fire prepped before we left and feeling sore it was nice to be comfy and warm.
Day 3 was here and sadly departure day but not after another adventure. With a late check out we were off just before 11am. Down the road into Adventure Bay then up the un-maintained Coolangatta Road. Near the highest point on the road we stopped at the sign posted marker for Mount Mangana. Nearly the highest on the Island at 571m asl. Since most of the elevation is done by driving it is a short walk of 4kms. The old Trig marker was laid over away from what can presumed it's old location. A small pad was located which takes you to the views of the South West. WOW we could see the snow capped high peaks in the South West, from Le Perouse and Victoria Cross, Adamsons Peak, Hartz Peak and Mount Bobs. My wide angle photo doesn't do it justice but certainly a wicked view none the less. Our next stop was to depart Bruny and make the journey back home.
700km's of driving and many km's of walking to end a 3 day trek on Bruny Island. 10/10.
Enjoy :)

Sunday night saw a surprise Astro night. The weather had changed so much it was now going to be clear all night :) Bonus...
11/06/2024

Sunday night saw a surprise Astro night. The weather had changed so much it was now going to be clear all night :) Bonus!! Thankfully someone prompted me to actually check. Next was to choose a new subject, that's the hard part. While letting the darkness appear better I had found a section of sky while getting some calibration done. I had not tried this area since I got my new camera months ago. It was on a whim on what I would get in post processing but the images I was seeing had some nice colour. I hit the go button and let it run.
Here is an image of RCW 131 showing NGC 6357 The War and Peace Nebula.
It consists of 57 x 300 second exposures.
Equipment:
GSO 8" F4 Newtonian Telescope
Skywatcher EQ-6R Mount
Baader MPCC
ZWO Asi 294 MC Pro Camera
Arduino Ascom Focuser Pro2 DIY Auto Focuser
QHY 5L II Off Axis Guide Camera
Orion Thin Off Axis Guider
Hand Made Dew Heaters / Power Boxes and Adapters
Acquisition:
N.I.N.A
Sharpcap
Stellarium
PhD 2
ASCOM
Editing:
PixInsight Pleiades Astro
RC Astro
I hope you enjoy and clear skies 🙂

Over 3 nights and luckily had some good succession with the weather. Albeit some really foggy mornings. Finally starting...
10/06/2024

Over 3 nights and luckily had some good succession with the weather. Albeit some really foggy mornings. Finally starting to get some more colour come through after some changes in some camera settings ( and editing )
Here is an image of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83.
It consists of 150 x 300 second exposures.
Equipment:
GSO 8" F4 Newtonian Telescope
Skywatcher EQ-6R Mount
Baader MPCC
ZWO Asi 294 MC Pro Camera
Arduino Ascom Focuser Pro2 DIY Auto Focuser
QHY 5L II Off Axis Guide Camera
Orion Thin Off Axis Guider
Hand Made Dew Heaters / Power Boxes and Adapters
Acquisition:
N.I.N.A
Sharpcap
Stellarium
PhD 2
ASCOM
Editing:
PixInsight Pleiades Astro
RC Astro
I hope you enjoy and clear skies 🙂

Last week saw some good clear overnight skies which was nice to fire the telescope back up.Here is an image of the Fight...
11/05/2024

Last week saw some good clear overnight skies which was nice to fire the telescope back up.
Here is an image of the Fighting Dragons of Ara NGC 6188.
It consists of 43 x 600 second exposures.
Equipment:
GSO 8" F4 Newtonian Telescope
Skywatcher EQ-6R Mount
Baader MPCC
ZWO Asi 294 MC Pro Camera
Arduino Ascom Focuser Pro2 DIY Auto Focuser
QHY 5L II Off Axis Guide Camera
Orion Thin Off Axis Guider
Hand Made Dew Heaters / Power Boxes and Adapters
Acquisition:
N.I.N.A
Sharpcap
Stellarium
PhD 2
ASCOM
Editing:
PixInsight Pleiades Astro
RC Astro
I hope you enjoy and clear skies 🙂

Friday night saw the Scope in action, did some fine tuning. Still have a little bit of work left to do for the next sess...
28/04/2024

Friday night saw the Scope in action, did some fine tuning. Still have a little bit of work left to do for the next session.
Here is an image of the Eta Carina Nebula NGC 3372.
It consists of 45 x 300 second exposures.
Equipment:
GSO 8" F4 Newtonian Telescope
Skywatcher EQ-6R Mount
Baader MPCC
ZWO Asi 294 MC Pro Camera
Arduino Ascom Focuser Pro2 DIY Auto Focuser
QHY 5L II Off Axis Guide Camera
Orion Thin Off Axis Guider
Hand Made Dew Heaters / Power Boxes and Adapters
Acquisition:
N.I.N.A
Sharpcap
Stellarium
PhD 2
ASCOM
Editing:
PixInsight Pleiades Astro
RC Astro
I hope you enjoy and clear skies 🙂

It was D'Day. Short and sweet. I revived 'ol faithful' from the floor. 750km's old just sitting there enjoying retiremen...
14/04/2024

It was D'Day. Short and sweet. I revived 'ol faithful' from the floor. 750km's old just sitting there enjoying retirement.
This was the last try before hiking would turn to nothing in my life.. Maybe it was fate? Maybe it was desperation? What if it was all real though? Is it perhaps that 'ol faithful' wanted to hit up the trails again? I have been at my whits end and haven't shown it to others but I have been hurting massively.
Well, I am not sure what it was but hey I am not complaining.
I AM BACK!!!!!
Very early days and with winter looming, not the best of times to do so. But I am happy to have hiked with a decent size day bag and come away Haglund's pain free. Let's not say how the rest of the body feels though hahahaha
The mission was to visit the Chasm's. My favourite place in Meander.
I did forget that short and steep walk up the road, but once hitting the turn off to Chasm or Mother Cummings it became a lot more real and proper. I have visited this area quite a number of times. It was actually my first hike solo to help my mental health a number of years ago.
Well not a lot has changed up there, but it always seems to have some new views. Sadly it is very dry up there so if we get some rain it would not be a good place to be as the tree fall will be horrendous.
Such a nice trail and so well padded that I could nearly walk it with no markers at all. A couple of false leads to take you roaming off track for 5m but jeez, that is no different to other trails. It is a matter of noticing and retracing.
There wasn't a lot of flow up there but it always has some flow. It made accessing some areas better than normal.
The forest was laden with moss's, we followed along the track. A rock skip and tree root trip here and there later and the first falls were found.
Mindfulness is what it is. Such an amazing wonder to see. My brain has been screaming at me for years to get back to the basics and hit up the waterfalls. It is unbelievable how much mindfulness can help you. It has saved me many of times.
Enjoying the sight and photographing it as usual, it was time to press on to the next. As again though, rinse and repeat. I remembered a place above the second fall to visit which was always worth a look. The lack of flow didn't give it justice but still impressive to see what water flow can do to rock. Also turns out that there is a tree crossing there a bit further up LOL
Onto the next, the most impressive but so elusive to see. Even with low flow you would have to wade in over a metre deep to get a super close up view. But it would make a awesome summer place to have a dip.
Happy with the trip, legs burning, heart rate flaming we decided to journey back.
I guess when you think about it, if you don't have mindfulness we all just become life's robots? Some just plain and simply need to be robots but others have the lust to explore and take in the free mindfulness that is here.
It isn't about the trip or the journey. It is about the mindfulness that keeps you wanting more of it!
Enjoy and if you don't know what mindfulness is please google it. It may just help change your life as it has done to mine.

It was about time I was let out of the cage. But a long back story 5 months ago was due to an injury on the second day o...
06/04/2024

It was about time I was let out of the cage. But a long back story 5 months ago was due to an injury on the second day of a 6 to 7 day return hike.
I in fact have Haglund's Deformity. But was assured that in a few months I might be all good. To be honest I hadn't had the time to actually go hiking before testing out some Orthotic upgrades that may help.
Welllllllll.... After a few around home testing walks all seemed ok. Next was to test gaining an incline ( where the pain comes in ) So off I go random weekend up the Zig Zag Track on the Cataract Gorge.. All seemed ok.
The next venture was an actual walk and with a day pack.
Well today was the day, There is only so much time you can have at home before going further stir crazy... Albeit I did have some car racing meetings in between and other work.
I had banked on not summiting mountains and taking it a little bit easier and hitting up waterfalls. It is something I have been wanting to get back into for a couple of years. The 'Mindfulness' of it is amazing. I needed to win back my love for hiking in general, without the need for some terribly s**t mountains that are written in the book...
It was agreed that Bastion Cascades would be the next chapter upon somewhat my request. I needed a short walk in to test 'Ol mate' Haglund's with a hiking bag.
The walk started not bad with a bit if a ni**le on my right heel. But seemed to go after a while ( still yet to be explained )
I thought it would be a quick jaunt in but it did seem to take ages. Not helping we were going in the opposite direction as sort of normal? Either way we got to the main cascade / fall and it was I sight to see. Mindfulness was complete

Last night saw the Scope in action, some fine tuning was required before hitting the go button. Finally have things sort...
18/02/2024

Last night saw the Scope in action, some fine tuning was required before hitting the go button. Finally have things sorted and am ready for another session tonight :)
Here is an image of the Eta Carina Nebula NGC 3372.
It consists of 40 x 300 second exposures.

Equipment:
GSO 8" F4 Newtonian Telescope
Skywatcher EQ-6R Mount
Baader MPCC
ZWO Asi 294 MC Pro Camera
Arduino Ascom Focuser Pro2 DIY Auto Focuser
QHY 5L II Off Axis Guide Camera
Orion Thin Off Axis Guider
Hand Made Dew Heaters / Power Boxes and Adapters
Acquisition:
Sequence Generator Pro
Sharpcap
Stellarium
PhD 2
ASCOM
Editing:
PixInsight Pleiades Astro
RC Astro

I hope you enjoy and clear skies 🙂

A closer look at Tassie's Alpine Flora. Mother nature does restore but in alpine areas it takes a very long time. Plenty...
11/02/2024

A closer look at Tassie's Alpine Flora. Mother nature does restore but in alpine areas it takes a very long time. Plenty of evidence from the fires 2016.

Address

Launceston, TAS
7250

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when NBAPhotography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share

Category