No Risk, No Reward
Most of my favourite images taken to date have been of places that I’d never been to before. I guess it’s one of the reasons why I love photography – it has driven me to discover and explore more of “my own backyard” so to speak.
The Pinnacles, Phillip Island, Victoria (Fujifilm X-T4: f/8, 4 secs, ISO 160, 10mm, Kase circular polariser and ND64 (6 stop) filter).
Of course, when planning for unfamiliar locations, it makes sense to research, research, research! How do I get there – driving’s usually the easy part, but how do I actually access the location? What are the popular compositions, and do I want to capture something similar or different? Which direction will the sun be rising and setting from? What will the weather be like? These were some of my questions when I was preparing for my first visit to The Pinnacles at Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island (Victoria). But there’s only so much you can learn by Googling – the rest you’ll just have to find out for yourself! In this case, I had little idea that the compositions I wanted meant that I had to take a path that definitely had me thinking twice about the risks involved!
I knew that The Pinnacles at sunset can offer some amazing photos, as the sun sets on the ocean horizon directly behind the sea stacks forming The Pinnacles. I knew that you can take photos from The Pinnacles Lookout, or to the right of the Lookout you can take a path down to the base for some more close-up shots. I also knew I had to do some location scouting during the day to figure out my timing and compositions ahead of my return in the evening for sunset shots. What I didn’t know was that I’d be feasted on by a swarm of sand flies as I made my way along Woolamai Surf Beach (and their bites are seriously big and bruising – I still have welts on my legs and arms as I’m writing this blog several days later)! I didn’t know that the trail is very exposed and there is nowhere to hide from the sizzling midday sun, which seemed so much closer given the high elevation of the trail. Thanks weatherman, I thought it was meant to be cloudy and overcast, but I ended up red raw like a tomato (or a lobster, as my dad would say). I also didn’t know (and probably this surprised me the most) that the path down the bluff to The Pinnacles is a steep and narrow one which is covered in grainy dirt and deep cracks. I was sure that standing from the top, it looked like the incline was close to vertical!
Having taken a few small steps to test the slope, I knew there was no way I could go down any further. My Nike runners were useless on the dry, grainy dirt - it gave me as much grip as a pair of skates on an ice rink. There wasn’t much around that could break a fall, and the granite rocks awaiting at the bottom would definitely not provide any cushioning. As I assessed my options, I couldn’t help but wonder if there were valid reasons why there was a large sign erected at the Lookout with words along the lines of “Do Not Go Beyond This Point” and various other warnings. “Have people actually died here?”, I wondered. Heck, if I don’t try, I’m not going to get the chance to take some interesting and potentially amazing shots. For all my efforts, I’d have no more than boring views from the Lookout.
And that was that. My mind was made up: I was coming back at sunset with my trusty Hoka hiking shoes on (thanks hubby) and I was going to get to the base, because the challenge was part of my photography adventure. I’d take my time, using the deep cracks and ridges as footholds and I’d slide on my butt all the way down if I had to. And that’s exactly what I did – not the sliding on my butt part – but everything else!
That evening, the weather had started to turn – thick low-level clouds were rolling in and the wind had picked up quite a notch. But that wasn’t going to deter me. Leaving Cris at the Lookout (poor fella ended up catching a really bad cold waiting for me in the chill and wind), I made my way down to the base. I’m so glad I made that decision, because the experience and views at the bottom of the bluff were just spectacular. I was surrounded by sweeping cliffs with deep lines and ridges (likely carved by millions of years of water and wind) and granite rocks all the way to where the land met the sea (some rocks seemed to glow a richer red as the sun dipped lower). Naturally, I was in awe. The star of the show was of course The Pinnacles – sea stacks of various formations rising from the ocean, scarred by the same deep lines and ridges as the surrounding cliffs. I certainly could not have appreciated such incredible detail from the vantage point of the Lookout high above. I definitely could not have taken some of the photos that I did – some of my best and most memorable to date.
The only path to the base of the bluff was a very steep, dry and sandy one. Without good grip underfoot, I think I could have easily taken a bit of a tumble all the way down.
The Pinnacles, from the Lookout during my afternoon location scouting.
The way up wasn’t as tricky as the way down, but it was still fairly steep regardless!
It was great to see lots of wildlife out having a feed at dusk, including these wallabies and we even spotted an echidna.
