This Adventure starts at Point Roadknight, located just before Anglesea at the very start of the Great Ocean Road. Its only a short drive from Melbourne (116 km) and would usually take me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there, so its a great location to get to if time is a factor, a quick sunset/sunrise shoot and you’re home in no time at all. Very easy location to access from the car park with a short stroll along the beach, the rock stacks seem to be sandstone, so they are very craggy and the jagged surface can graze you easily.
The area itself stretches out about 200 metres or so and the rock stacks have really unusual shapes and features about them. The water flow in and around this location can be very very dangerous so its probably best to arrive early to do some ground work as there are lots of pots holes in and around the rock shelf and if you have an incoming tide the pot holes will not be obvious with water flowing over them. l always recommened no matter where you are photographing, arriving early to navigate the area and become familiar with the terrain, that way you will be more aware of what you will be dealing with when the light is low and the tide is coming in, also try to time your shoot when the tide is outgoing, that way more of the surface will be exposed as the water recedes. Explore the location at low tide and see what awaits you, imagine what the area looks like with water motion.
With the right tidal conditions you might be able to push out on the rock shelf a little further which in turn opens up more compositional options, and hopefully make the most of some water motion coming in and around the area creating beautiful little waterfalls which you can utilise for foreground interest. Cascading water movement will always help create a more dramatic and visually pleasing image and be sure to use a slower shutter speed to help emphasise to motion. Low tide will generally produce little water movement so you can work more on compositions using rock pools with a calm water surface and reflections, mid tide at Point Roadknight will have water gushing in all around you, creating cascading waterfalls.
When running my Photography Workshops in Anglesea, l take my participants for a shoot at Point Roadknight, either sunrise or sunset depending on tidal conditions. Low tide is always best to start learning about seascape photography.
Fortunately l have avoided any nasty falls or accidents at Point Roadknight, but not so lucky for a participant on one of my workshops, well it was after the workshop had finished that we decided to go for another shoot at Point Roadknight, a participant was scouting around for a good composition when she accidentally stepped into a pot hole, falling over and dropping her camera into the water, it turns out that her camera stopped working, luckily her insurance covered her camera and a new one was provided.
All in all Point Roadknight is a great location for seascape photography, so long as you have your wits about you, once again play it smart and have someone tag along to watch your back. Be prepared to get your feet wet and possibly your camera gear as there will always be a rogue wave or two.
Another thing to mention, when you find yourself knee deep in water (like the participants in the image below) wait until the water recedes back and you can see whats around you, when the water is coming in and around you its nearly impossible to see the pot holes as they are filled with water, once the water recedes make your move back. Invest in a pair of waders to get in closer to the action.
Darren J.
