Get comfortable at Cosy Corner and take your time

Travel Photography - Advice and Tips

By Darren Stones

When photographing the landscape, it's worth spending time in a specific location and working the various angles of that landscape at different times of the day. I recommend to closely analyse a small area and investigate the numerous photographic opportunities that an area can provide.

In this article I would like to highlight Cosy Corner at Torquay in Victoria as a place for landscape photographers to practice their craft. Torquay is a great seaside town for a short break and about one-and-a-half hours from Melbourne.

Being patient
Many hobby photographers have a tendency to rush their landscape photography and want to cover large areas during a short time. I believe it's worth investing time and being patient so you can maximise your chances of covering a small area in a more thorough manner. Even just sitting for 15 minutes can give us time to relax and prepare for an hour of quality photography.

Sunrise at Cosy Corner, Torquay, Victoria

See what is happening
When visiting Cosy Corner, I like to park at the car park at Point Danger because access is easy and you can see the weather changing, especially approaching showers and squalls, which can make for interesting images. When I park the car, I always get out and survey what is happening. I look at what the weather is doing, what people are doing and just let the area wash over me. I never get out of the car straight away with the camera and start snapping away in the hope that a good image will magically find its way onto my memory card.

Sunrise at Cosy Corner, Torquay, Victoria

Sunrise at Cosy Corner, Torquay, Victoria

Use a tripod
A tripod slows down our image making process and I believe that is a key aspect to creating better images. When using a tripod, we can better compose our images and begin to better see what it is we are actually viewing. Rushing around with a camera and just snapping away is not the best way to make a series of quality landscape images. Time ... give yourself time to connect with a location and allow yourself to feel what is actually happening around you.

Passing shower during the afternoon at Cosy Corner, Torquay, Victoria

Passing shower during the afternoon at Cosy Corner, Torquay, Victoria

Lighting and weather
Cosy Corner at Zeally Bay, Torquay in Victoria is a good example of a place where you can return to the same location during a short stay and photograph a variety of subjects and activities within a small area. Different lighting conditions can make a big difference to the scenery around here, and as photographers, this is to our advantage. Changeable weather conditions are great because you can create a series of images where the cloud formations look completely different.

Windsurfing on Zeally Bay during late afternoon sunlight before sunset.
Photographed from Cosy Corner at Torquay, Victoria

Windsurfing on Zeally Bay during late afternoon sunlight before sunset.
Photographed from Cosy Corner at Torquay, Victoria

Summary
Take your time and use the weather conditions to your advantage. Return to the same location and work the angles during different lighting conditions. The rewards will be worthwhile.

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