Mythical places

A lot of photos these days look as though they belong in a mythical wonderland. You look at them knowing that that's really not how they look in reality - such as photos of star trails, HDR images of sunsets with glorious amounts of colour in the foreground and background and you think, no way. But in a way it's great to have these digital images of mythical places that resemble reality. Yes, I called them digital images rather than photos - while there is heaps you can do with HDR and I'm sure they are photos, a lot of them just have an unreal quality about them. I hope I don't reach that stage where touching up is a touch overdone.

Anyway, there are certain things that take me back to my childhood games of mythical places and one of these are huge tree trunks in green forests, with big roots and screaming calmness and fun all at the same time. I thought you could not get any such places in the Pilbara. Turns out when looking the right way, you can!

I fell in love with these roots over the rocks at our campsite! Canon EOS 50D, f/7.1, 1/250 shutter, ISO 500, 20mm.

This tree is my favourite. Behind my position here is dry riverbed, spinafex hills and red rocks. But here is one slice of oasis, complete with tree tunk and an attractive root system! Enough to inspire some kind of magic. A pity this scene doesn't surround you - you have to be looking one particular way! EOS 50D, f/7.1, 1/250 shutter, ISO 500, 18mm