Mount Buffalo Part 1

Low cloud and flat light

I was on the road and, if all went well, would be on the Mount Buffalo plateau for sunset. In hand was a permit for two nights camping at Lake Catani (the last available weekend for the summer) and a list of potential sites to visit across the weekend.

The Mount Buffalo massif comprises steep granite escarpments topped by dissected plateaux covered in weathered boulders and tors. It is a superb location for landscape photography, with a lot of features within an easy walk from the main road, and some more remote areas that allow walk-in camping.

One of my target destinations was The Cathedral, an impressive rock formation jutting out of the plateau. The Cathedral is one of those much-photographed formations and I have seen images from a variety of angles in a range of conditions. I didn’t have any particular composition in mind – I know better than to have any preconceived ideas about what I might see – but I was aware that I was probably putting too much emphasis on getting a good image from this location.

By the time I reached the campground, low cloud was covering the plateau. I quickly set up camp and headed to The Cathedral. Even though there was unlikely to be any kind of light, and the rain was getting heavier, I walked up the track for about 25 minutes to scout around and search for potential compositions.

For a good hour or so I walked as the rock formation disappeared and reappeared in the swirling fog and increasing gloom. Not even taking my camera out of its bag, I had a couple of ideas and would have to hope that tomorrow brings some better conditions.

Saturday

I woke up at 5am to more fog and rain. Knowing exactly what The Cathedral would be like, I decided to head in the opposite direction to Crystal Brook Falls and the surrounding forest which I knew contained some beautiful old trees. As I left the campground, I captured Lake Catani in the pre-sunrise gloom (2 sec at f9, iso 100 at 51mm on Sony 24-105 f4).

Lake Catani pre-dawn

I then drove on to a carpark near the falls and had breakfast in the car while I waited for more light to arrive.

With the light increasing I walked the few hundred metres to Crystal Brook Falls. These are one of several falls along the northern face of the plateau which fall some 200 metres to the valley below. The experience of being at the cliff edge and staring into fog filled nothingness is special, although does not necessarily make for compelling photographs. I played around with some compositions but the light seemed too flat for anything special. Still practice is practice and I tried various compositions and some more intimate scenes.

Although the cloud was not looking like letting up, it was over an hour since sunrise and the light was brightening. I decided to walk along the various walking tracks that span the cliff tops. The thick fog allowed some opportunities for some more nice forest scenes. The first is the path to the Pulpit Rock lookout (0.4 sec at f9, iso 200 at 18mm on Sony 16-35mm f4). The second is a eucalypt with such character that it demanded to be photographed (0.4 sec at f7.1, iso 500 at 16mm on Sony 16-35mm f4). As you can see by the exposure detail, it was dark even an hour after sunrise. Fortunately, there was also no wind.

Path to Pulpit Rock lookout

As I completed the loop, I decided to head to a more central location where the cloud may thin out more quickly. It was now over 2 hours since sunrise and the weather felt very closed in. I drove to the start of the Monolith walk and took some time exploring.

I found this interesting snow gum and then turned my attention to the Monolith itself. With plenty of fog, I explored some compositions that relied on shape and texture. I quite like the black and white photo although there is no sense of scale – the top boulder is a good 15+ metres high (note I removed a metal guard rail on the right side of the base)

The Monolith

By 11am I headed back to The Cathedral, even though the low cloud persisted. Perhaps it would clear and I would be perfectly placed at that critical moment. Trekking up the track, familiarity was shortening the walk and I was able to test some compositions.

I decided this was the best composition but I could only hope that the light would improve at some point during the weekend. I then walked up further up the trail to the summit of The Hump to scout out some compositions for another day.

Some flat and boring light

I was halfway through my trip and had captured at best some decent foggy tree portraits. Not bad, but not what I was looking for. Despite the frustrations with the light (and my description above), I had enjoyed spending the morning exploring some beautiful country – and I knew that on another weekend of blue skies, I would be wishing for some clouds. But like farmers, landscape photographers are never fully happy with the weather.

I decided to stop for lunch at the base of the Cathedral and reassess my plans. There were signs that the cloud would lift, perhaps I would still enjoy some views and some more directional light.

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I will describe the second half of my trip to Mount Buffalo in Part 2. Will I get some light? Or will I end up with some memorable experiences, but nothing on the memory card? Stay tuned.