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by **Mr Darcy** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:55 pm

As part of the Global Sunrise shoot mooted in this this thread, I propose a Blue Mountains shoot.

Location:
Sublime Point 270 degree views - Kedumba Walls... Mt Solitary... 3Sisters...
Limited Space here. Probably best if inly half a dozen or so turn up. So far, we are OK. Pam will pull out at need. She doesn't like being up that early anyway :wink:

Time: 05:15. I had this at 05:30, but after getting up a 06:00 this morning, I am worried the light will be too far gone.
Does any one have a definitive answer for how long before sunrise to get the best light?

Some ideas for Post Meet Moot:
1. Any of the cafes at the bottom of Katoomba St.
3. Any of several eateries in Leura
4. Any of several eateries in Wentworth Falls (Schwarz's is popular for cake & coffee)
5. Picnic at Wentworth Falls Lake. (Brrr! but quite photogenic)
6. Your call...

Expressions of interest happily received here

So far takers are
Mr Darcy
PJS
Colin_12
Andrew
aim4x

With possibles:
BigGerry

by **aim54x** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:12 pm

day/date dependent, but i would love to be there, however I will have to sort out some accommodation and transport if I am to be up there for sunrise!

Keep me posted

by **aim54x** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:15 pm

whoops, should have read the other thread before posting! I am still interested in a mountains sunrise though. But I may have to head out for a beach sunrise instead.

by **colin_12** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:26 pm

I want to be there.
I like Sublime point as it has fewer tourists and free parking if we take our time.

by **Mr Darcy** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:53 pm

colin_12 wrote:I want to be there.
I like Sublime point as it has fewer tourists and free parking if we take our time.

I like Sublime Point too, but not if we get many more. I will get crowded quickly.

I don't think tourists will be an issue at 6:00 in the morning, even at Echo Point. I was up there a couple of weeks ago playing Geocaching, It was 7:30, & if I fired an RPG, I would only have hit a garbage truck.

by **colin_12** on Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:03 pm

I agree with the space being on the small side but the three sisters will be well lit from that point as opposed to in shadow from Echo point.

by **Mr Darcy** on Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:09 am

Now that daylight saving is almost upon us, it is time to revive this thread.
Sometime early in the month will suit best as the pain of getting out of bed will be reduced.
I have many Sunday commitments this month so a Saturday shoot will probably be better for me.
Sunday 4th is still clear though, but not much notice.

So
Venue: Sublime Point
Date: TBA but sooner rather than later
Time: approx 45 minutes before sunrise.

by **ATJ** on Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:31 am

I'm interested.

According to http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/astro/sunrisenset, Sunrise at Sublime Point on 4 October is 05:29 AEST which makes it 06:29 AEDT.

And here are some other times (AEDT) for comparison

04/10/2009: 06:29
11/10/2009: 06:20
18/10/2009: 06:11
25/10/2009: 06:03
01/11/2009: 05:55

by **aim54x** on Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:08 am

I want to come but I dont think it will be possible....

by **surenj** on Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:34 am

Wish I could, but no chance.

by **colin_12** on Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:38 pm

I am out for the first two but should be sweet for the rest. :up:

by **Mr Darcy** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:48 am

I am out for the 11th and 25th, so with Colin's dates, I'll set it for the 18th
Venue: Sublime Point
Date: 18 Oct
Time: 05:30 (Aargh! am I really suggesting this? At least it should be warmer than the last time I was up there at sunrise)
Meet at the turning circle that doubles as a carpark. It is about 5 min walk from there down to the point

Cameron, There's a train leaving Central at 00:18 that should get you there in PLENTY of time :lol:

by **surenj** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:47 pm

I dying to see some great HDR from this shoot... Sunday 0530 would be quite tough for City dwellers. How long is the travel time? 3.5 hours?? So start driving at 2am!!!! :bowdown:

by **aim54x** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:35 pm

Mr Darcy wrote:I am out for the 11th and 25th, so with Colin's dates, I'll set it for the 18th
Venue: Sublime Point
Date: 18 Oct
Time: 05:30 (Aargh! am I really suggesting this? At least it should be warmer than the last time I was up there at sunrise)
Meet at the turning circle that doubles as a carpark. It is about 5 min walk from there down to the point

Cameron, There's a train leaving Central at 00:18 that should get you there in PLENTY of time

Well...if you were willing to put me up for the night then i would be happy to head over after work (getting up there 22.21 -Katoomba) then leave in the morning to make it back out to the city for the Sydney Camera Market (on the 18th at the Ultimo community centre).

surenj wrote:I dying to see some great HDR from this shoot... Sunday 0530 would be quite tough for City dwellers. How long is the travel time? 3.5 hours?? So start driving at 2am!!!!

I think from memory it is roughly 2hrs drive...are you considering it?

by **biggerry** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:10 pm

Date: 18 Oct
Time: 05:30 (Aargh! am I really suggesting this? At least it should be warmer than the last time I was up there at sunrise)
Meet at the turning circle that doubles as a carpark. It is about 5 min walk from there down to the point

ya know what, if there is not something happening in sydney town I might be all for this, its only a couple of hours drive, especially given that you hillbilly lads always make the effort to get to the city, the least I can do is make the effort to head up there. I would probably consider driving up the night before though, will advise closer to the date.

by **aim54x** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:20 pm

biggerry wrote:
Date: 18 Oct
Time: 05:30 (Aargh! am I really suggesting this? At least it should be warmer than the last time I was up there at sunrise)
Meet at the turning circle that doubles as a carpark. It is about 5 min walk from there down to the point

ya know what, if there is not something happening in sydney town I might be all for this, its only a couple of hours drive, especially given that you hillbilly lads always make the effort to get to the city, the least I can do is make the effort to head up there. I would probably consider driving up the night before though, will advise closer to the date.

If you are heading up that way...can I get a lift?

by **biggerry** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:31 pm

If you are heading up that way...can I get a lift?

should be no problem, will advise closer to date...

by **Mr Darcy** on Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:56 pm

surenj wrote: Sunday 0530 would be quite tough for City dwellers. How long is the travel time? 3.5 hours?? So start driving at 2am!!!!

Suren,
This was originally posited as part of the great Sunrise shoot which included a City beach location as well. I am not sure what happened to the rest of the meet. I am just organising the BM part.
We regularly go to the Art Gallery on Sunday mornings (Why I am not free on the 11th and 25th) This takes us a little over an hour, though we allow 1.5 hours to allow for unforseen problems such as last weekend when the Bike ride was on. We leave at 09:00 to get there by 10:30. Sublime Point is maybe 10 minutes further on. But also remember early Sunday is as good a time for traffic as you'll get in Sydney, so you should be able to better this time.

Cameron,
We would be happy to put you up, but we don't have a spare room at the moment. I have a nasty (according to Pam :roll:

) habit of taking over any spare space in the house with a pile of wood. This includes the "spare" rooms, the hallway, workshop (err... lounge room) and even my computer room, I am sure we can manage a mattress on the floor though. We live at Wentworth Falls which is a couple of stops before Katoomba (22:11 as opposed to 22:22)

BigGerry,
There was to be a city sunrise shoot at one of the beaches too. I am not sure what happened to it. If it goes forward then that will probably be a better option for you. Of course the same offer to stay goes for you too, but with the same warnings as well. If we get too many takers, it will have to be tents in the yard. We can supply several tents. We have three at last count. All two person hiking models Also several hiking mattresses (Thermarest)

by **surenj** on Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:13 am

aim54x wrote:I think from memory it is roughly 2hrs drive...are you considering it?

Grrr... I want to...but I don't think I could. That would be a very busy time for me. I will confirm closer to the time.

Mr Darcy wrote:it will have to be tents in the yard

Damn this will be awesome. [As long as there won't be any visits from any warmth loving serpents]. Imagine the light painting shots we can do with the tents........ :twisted:

by **aim54x** on Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:40 am

Mr Darcy wrote:Cameron,
We would be happy to put you up, but we don't have a spare room at the moment. I have a nasty (according to Pam ) habit of taking over any spare space in the house with a pile of wood. This includes the "spare" rooms, the hallway, workshop (err... lounge room) and even my computer room, I am sure we can manage a mattress on the floor though. We live at Wentworth Falls which is a couple of stops before Katoomba (22:11 as opposed to 22:22)

BigGerry,
There was to be a city sunrise shoot at one of the beaches too. I am not sure what happened to it. If it goes forward then that will probably be a better option for you. Of course the same offer to stay goes for you too, but with the same warnings as well. If we get too many takers, it will have to be tents in the yard. We can supply several tents. We have three at last count. All two person hiking models Also several hiking mattresses (Thermarest)

Well depending on what happens over the next week or so I may take up one of these offers.

Camping out would be fun...have to go find my sleeping bag though...god knows where that has gotten to

by **Mr Darcy** on Fri Oct 02, 2009 12:08 pm

surenj wrote: [As long as there won't be any visits from any warmth loving serpents]

You mean like this little cutie we found sunning itself in the backyard last week?

Nah. Not a chance! :twisted:

by **surenj** on Fri Oct 02, 2009 12:48 pm

Mr Darcy wrote:Nah. Not a chance!

I would rather sleep in the car in that case! :shock:

by **Mr Darcy** on Fri Oct 02, 2009 2:20 pm

surenj wrote:
Mr Darcy wrote:Nah. Not a chance!

I would rather sleep in the car in that case!

A typical, but not very rational viewpoint.
Ask yourself two questions.
How many people died from snakes in Australia in 2008? (Hint you can use your fingers to count them using decimal notation i.e. < 10^^1)
How many people died from cars in Australia in 2008 (Hint You can still use your fingers to count them, but you need to switch to Binary to do so i.e. < 2^^10)

by **Mr Darcy** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:53 pm

I have changed the time to 05:15 as I am worried about missing the light if we are too late. THis is a full hour before official sunrise, so I HOPE this will be allow that magic time to set up in some light & still get the glorious pre-dawn colour to the sky The weather WILL be perfect of course :?:

by **aim54x** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:12 pm

Well I really hope that I can make it....D300 is away but the S5 Pro will has proven itself as a dawn camera before.

If Gerry and Surenj are game I am considering taking a night train up there after work on Saturday...or tag along for a ride. The tricky part is to carry both gear and a sleeping bag to work (in Macarthur), I feel like I will be treking with a bit of luggage...I really should get a new sleeping bag (something smaller).

by **surenj** on Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:35 pm

Sorry boys,

I can't make it to this one. [not because of the snakes!] :mrgreen:

I am sure you will have a good one. Fingers crossed for the weather.

by **Mr Darcy** on Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:11 pm

BOM doesn't give out weather forecasts for Katoomba more than four days out, but Elders do. I have found them to be reasonably accurate in the past.
They are predicting "Mostly Sunny. Min 3 Max 14" for Sunday.

Also moonrise is just before Sunrise, so there is a chance of superfine crescent moon shots as well.
According to my GPSr, Sunrise = 06:14. Moonrise = 05:42 at Sublime Point. This disagrees with ATJ's time for sunrise, but only by a few minutes. I suspect ATJ's source used Sydney as a reference. We are about 4 minutes West of there.

by **ATJ** on Mon Oct 12, 2009 5:00 pm

Mr Darcy wrote:I suspect ATJ's source used Sydney as a reference. We are about 4 minutes West of there.

Nope. It was for Sublime point.

Go to http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/astro/sunrisenset... for Place Name type in Sublime Point and NSW. I then chose "Sublime Point Lookout"

Sunrise & Sunset Results

SUBLIME POINT LOOKOUT Lat=-34°17'00" Long=+150°55'00"
TIMES OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET
(for ideal horizon & meteorological conditions)
Time zone: +10.00 hours
18/10/2009 Rise 0511 Set 1812

Computed using National Mapping Division's sunrisenset program, version 2.2

And then added an hour for daylight saving.

Perhaps you have to account for the non "ideal horizon" conditions: mountains.

by **ATJ** on Mon Oct 12, 2009 5:03 pm

Ah.. perhaps I chose the wrong "Sublime Point Lookout". I didn't check the coordinates on a map.

Sunrise & Sunset Results

SUBLIME POINT LOOKOUT Lat=-33°43'00" Long=+150°20'00"
TIMES OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET
(for ideal horizon & meteorological conditions)
Time zone: +10.00 hours
18/10/2009 Rise 0514 Set 1814

Computed using National Mapping Division's sunrisenset program, version 2

by **Mr Darcy** on Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:39 pm

ATJ wrote:Ah.. perhaps I chose the wrong "Sublime Point Lookout". I didn't check the coordinates on a map.

Sunrise & Sunset Results

SUBLIME POINT LOOKOUT Lat=-33°43'00" Long=+150°20'00"
TIMES OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET
(for ideal horizon & meteorological conditions)
Time zone: +10.00 hours
18/10/2009 Rise 0514 Set 1814

Computed using National Mapping Division's sunrisenset program, version 2

Yep. That would be it. I make the location of the lookout itself to be Lat=-33°44.235' Long=+150°20.316' WGS84 based on sticking a pin in a map at the "right" spot, then computing the location. I will check the actual Lat/Lon on Sunday.

On checking the other Sublime Point Lookout, I find it's about 70Km NE, up near St Albans (Wisemans Ferry), You really need to watch geographical names. There are two Beauty Points (One in Mosman, the other near Nowra) in NSW & from memory, about half a dozen Mount Pleasants. ( it was a long time ago I got tripped by that one.) There are even two Wagga Waggas in Australia, though you have to go to WA to find the other one.

by **Mr Darcy** on Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:35 pm

Have updated attendees in the top post, but
Mr Darcy
PJS
ATJ
Colin 12
Aim54x
maybe biggerry

Forecast is looking good 5-16 Mostly fine 75% humidity at 09:00 so there should be some clouds about, but not fully overcast.

Breakfast is just a little dodgy. Most of the eateries I've checked don't open until after 08:00. The only exception so far is the Pie Shop (06:00) They are great but for breakfast??? I'll try ringing a few more tomorrow.

by **aim54x** on Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:02 am

Mr Darcy wrote:Have updated attendees in the top post, but
Mr Darcy
PJS
ATJ
Colin 12
Aim54x
maybe biggerry

Forecast is looking good 5-16 Mostly fine 75% humidity at 09:00 so there should be some clouds about, but not fully overcast.

Breakfast is just a little dodgy. Most of the eateries I've checked don't open until after 08:00. The only exception so far is the Pie Shop (06:00) They are great but for breakfast??? I'll try ringing a few more tomorrow.

Pies for breakfast....hmmmmm

Also, Gerry has indicated that he is most likely not going to make it up there.

by **colin_12** on Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:25 pm

Hello Greg,
My attendance will be dependant upon how far afield I end up tomorrow.
Have had a great time in WA,
Regards Colin

by **Mr Darcy** on Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:10 pm

FInal weather forecast:

BOM wrote:Katoomba : Mostly fine. Min: 5 Max: 16

Colin, I hope you make it.
If there are any late takers, if we are not at the carpark, walk down the track - there is only one. We will be obvious.

by **Mr Darcy** on Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:09 pm

This qualified as a mini meet. Only four participants: AIM54x, ATJ, Mr Darcy & PJS.
Sadly, the clouds did not cooperate. We worked on a BYOC basis & got far too many.
I have still to check my photos, but suspect there will be a few keepers, but not as many as I had hoped. Still, it was great watching the light change form moment to moment, and listening to the progressive dawn chorus. From the solitary owl when we arrived, through the Bellbirds to the raucous call of the cockies.
Company was great, and we all had no problems finding that perfect location.
And the Breakfast Pies were brilliant.

by **ATJ** on Sun Oct 18, 2009 2:23 pm

Thanks for organising the day, Greg. It's a pity you couldn't have also organised some sunlight.

by **surenj** on Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:39 pm

Forgetting the scenery, I wish I was there for the breakfast pies! nothing like a solid breakfast to start you off.

by **aim54x** on Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:52 pm

surenj wrote:Forgetting the scenery, I wish I was there for the breakfast pies! nothing like a solid breakfast to start you off.

Pies were after braving the cold....great morning to watch the sunrise though!

by **colin_12** on Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:23 pm

Sorry not to have made it this morning.
I ended up near Newcastle last night.
I did manage to find and photograph an orchid I had not seen before though so a good day on the road.
Bummer about the weather.
Those breakfast pies are pretty good. :up: