I can’t decide if I’m happy with this photo or not…maybe if I had gotten a bit lower to the ground, closer to the rocks perhaps? It was my first night out with the 550D where I properly tried long exposures, thankfully there was a break in the rain that allowed me to get out and about with it. I’ve discovered how much I need a remote release for my camera though, can’t use bulb mode without it! I’ll add it to the evergrowing shopping list.
Who else is sick of this rain?! Not looking like it’s going to change much for Christmas Day unfortunately, but when I took this pic the Maroochy River was SO high.
Taken today while going for a walk after visiting the chiro. This was my first time trying a HDR from a single raw file on my new Canon 550D, and I think I still have loads of room for improvement, however you can’t get a great picture without learning the technique first!
This was served up at my work christmas party, and while it looked amazing I don’t eat seafood so I didn’t have any. I must recommend the Spice Bar at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast for meals though, their food was incredible, particularly the duck.
Tuesday night some friends and I decided to go around and visit the Christmas Lights on the southern end of the Sunshine Coast, particularly Bokarina/Currimundi area. As a kid I have fond memories of parking the car and walking around several blocks of Bokarina, with each house putting on a spectacular display. Alas, it turns out they don’t do that anymore and it’s almost rare to see the most basic of lights in Bokarina. Pretty devastating.
After we looked at the non-lights at Bokarina, my friends and I headed out to view a few of the houses on the list published in the Sunshine Coast Daily (republished on my blog for those who might have difficulty locating it in the paper).
I have to try and put on my nice voice here, and say that I truly appreciate the effort that people have put into putting up Christmas lights, but given these were entered into a competition we felt a little let down. It took about three or four houses before we found that we were compelled to actually park the car and get out to take a look.
I guess I can base this all on my memories as a child; running into the front yard of the houses, looking at all the figurines and numerous Santas all over the place; it really made it feel like Christmas. Now it’s more or less that people just decorate their front yards with the lights making pretty shapes, or using the sets you can buy straight out of the shop. Where’s the creativity in that? I mentioned earlier that I have fond memories of the houses around Bokarina, but if you’ve been a local on the Sunshine Coast for a few years you might remember the house in Buderim that had dedicated almost their entire property to Christmas lights. Their display was incredible, and I think they won the award a few years running. They had waterfalls and fairies and Santas, and you truly went on a journey in their front yard. They also raised money at the same time for the Wildlife Warriors, a very worth cause.
I’m also going to put in a note here: yes, I’m aware that running Christmas lights are expensive, and yes, I know that we’re in the midst of a period where money is tight. My problem isn’t that there’s not enough lights, my problem is that it feels like there’s no creativity and originality behind it all. You don’t have to be constantly running LED lights to put on a great show. Set up a Santa village or something?
So my hot tips if you’re looking to go out Christmas light looking on the Sunshine Coast is that there has been three standout properties so far:
I’ll keep you posted on any more that I find, as I’m going to be going Christmas Light looking with Mum again very shortly…hoping to find another few gems!