News
Keep in touch with information on newly released prints and news relating to Michael Willis Photography.
Subscribe To My Latest Images on pbase.com
22nd February 2010.
A new print, 'Sun Rays Over The Stirling Range', has been added to the Limited Edition gallery. This image was taken from the lower slopes of Bluff Knoll on a magical night in the Stirling Range National Park. The huge storm clouds that dwarfed the mountains were impressive enough, but when sun began to shine and backlit the falling rain I realised I was witnessing something quite special. The sun bathed the surrounding bushland in a glorious warm glow as shafts of light shone down onto the distant mountains. The scene was complete when crepuscular rays streamed down through the ever increasing gaps in the clouds. |
 Sun Rays Over The Stirling Range |
Keep up to date with all the latest news about Michael Willis Photography by following me on Twitter. |
30th December 2009.
A new print, entitled 'Marmion Beach Storm at Dusk' has been added to the Limited Edition gallery. A 25 second exposure captured the smooth flow of of the sea while lightning filled the skies over Hillary's Boat Harbour. |
 Marmion Beach Storm at Dusk |
I'm pleased to announce that my 'Esperance Tanker Jetty' photograph is being used to promote the Esperance Summer Sounds music festival. |
 My 'Esperance Tanker Jetty' photograph on the Esperance Summer Sounds Festival poster. |
10th November 2009.
Regular visitors may have noticed some changes to the website over the past few days. Open and Limited Edition Prints have been combined into the same gallery to make viewing my entire portfolio easier, while links to my pbase galleries appear at the bottom of the portfolio page. Due to frequent requests, I've increased the size and quality of of the images throughout the website to better encapsulate the detail captured in my photographs. |
My photograph of Skiddaw taken from the summit of Walla Crag features on the front cover of August's edition of Country Walking magazine. |
 The front cover of August's Country Walking magazine. |
25th July 2009.
A new print, titled 'Mid Winter Storm' has been added to the Limited Edition gallery. I'd had this location in mind for a while, but as a decent sunset always seemed to coincide with low tide I knew I'd be in for a frustrating, if not futile, wait for the waves to spill into the limestone gullies. However, by mid-winter, strong winds had whipped the sea into six metre swells, and despite another evening low tide I took a chance and headed down to the coast. Through the pouring rain, I saw huge waves force their way over the rocky coastal shelf, tantalisingly close to the limestone gully I'd had my eye on. But as the wind howled in from the ocean it pelted me with a horizontal deluge of rain and sea spray insuring my camera remained firmly tucked away. The sun dropped below the horizon and just as I felt like giving up, the wind was suddenly on my side and chased the rain clouds away. After setting up, I waited for the gully to fill with water and exposed the shot for four seconds to ensure the swirling froth outlined all the edges of the channel before it flowed back to sea. I was fortunate that the clouds were not only aligned in pleasing way but had burst open, causing a curtain of rain to be silhouetted against the remnants of sunset as it poured down over the ocean. |
 Mid Winter Storm |
24th July 2009.
A couple of my favourite images have been published in magazines in recent weeks. ‘Herdsman Lake Lightning Storm’ features on the front cover of August's edition of Australian Photography, while over in Switzerland, my 'North Yorkshire Moors' photograph of heather glowing in the late evening sun was used as a double page spread in Schweizer Familie magazine. |
 ‘Herdsman Lake Lightning Storm’ on the front cover of the August 2009 issue of Australian Photography magazine. |
 'North Yorkshire Moors' featured in Schweizer Familie magazine. |
8th June 2009.
New prints of Marmion Beach at sunset have been added to the Limited Edition gallery. While walking along the coastal path above Trigg Beach, I noticed the fluffy cumulus clouds over Hillary's Boat Harbour beginning to grow and change shape. With thunderstorms forecast and a knowledge that there would be low tides, I headed for Marmion Beach and found the usually submerged limestone rocks exposed and glowing in the afternoon sun. Using a wide angle lens, I placed the camera on the tripod directly above the gully and captured the movement of the water as it made its way back to sea. I was initially drawn to how the dramatic clouds echoed the gently swirling waves flowing though the rocky gullies, but I soon realised that the feel of the two elements evoked an entirely different response. I was intrigued by the dichotomous relationship between the turbulent skies and the calm flow of the sea and concentrated my compositions on this contrast. I took a series of images from last light until after sunset, recording the brooding menace of the newly formed cumulonimbus cloud as it began to dominate the horizon. As the light fell and exposure times increased the smooth flow of water further resembled the ominous storm clouds overhead, while simultaneously polarising the mood of these two essential components of the image. By the time the storm front began to approach, I was walking back down the beach in the dark, happy to have witnessed a magnificent sunset and with a series of images that evoke different responses from different senses. |
 Perth Coastline Storm at Sunset |
 Marmion Beach Storm at Sunset |
 Marmion Sunset Print |
 Storm over Hillary's Boat Harbour |