Riding Horses at Rainbow Beach
When we first started to plan our road trip up north I was going to skip this location. I’m glad I didn’t as we ended up capturing some beautiful images and had an absolute ball riding horses along the beach and in the water with the team from Rainbow horse riding tours. I’ve never been one to even think about horse riding as I’ve seen how big they are and I was a little scared. However I’m so glad we ended up going and it was really fun. I would certainly do it again and give it another go.
Carlo Sand Blow at Sunrise
Carlo sand blow is the other reason we stopped here, after seeing some beautiful images I thought I just had to be there to give it ago. Unfortunately the weather was too good (I know who would’ve thought it could be too good!) There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the vision I had for this location was a long exposure with the clouds moving above. Alas it wasn’t to be but I did manage to grab some nice textures in the sand.
Two of those sand texture shots are now available as prints: Golden Ripples and Lone Sentinel.
Chasing the Perfect Shot
I also decided I should grab a selfie of me exploring the terrain. It was one of the best sunrise shoots I’ve had to date simply because there wasn’t another sole in sight and I had the dunes all to myself. I had to carefully map out how I was going to shoot the location as I didn’t want my footsteps interrupting my shot s like a telemarketer at dinner time.
What Gear Do I Use?
Canon 5DmkII
Canon 17-40MM
An assortment of lee filters
This sexy blue bag from the guys at Fstop bags (20 year warranty on zips) which is awesome if you ask me!
Manfrotto 190B tripod (heavy as and will be upgrading to something a little less of a brick)
Canon 24-70 F2.8
Lots and lots of other stuff but they are some key components to my kit for landscapes. Ask me a question in the below comments and I'm always willing to help up and coming photographs anywhere from beginners to advanced.
Rainbow Beach in the Afternoon
By the afternoon the sand looks completely different, not to mention all the foot prints from the tourist visiting this amazing location. We decided to sit back and watch the paragliders glide high in the air. Nothing better than sitting back and relaxing in the cool breeze.
That afternoon is where Free Flight came from, one paraglider working the updraft above the dunes.
Rainbow Beach to Double Island Point (DI)
Shop the prints from this trip
Five images from these few days at Rainbow Beach and the Carlo Sand Blow are now available as prints, each one as a framed print, canvas, acrylic face mount or print only, all made here in Australia.
- Coloured Sands, the panorama from the top of the sand blow, deep blue water against the coloured cliffs.
- Dune Window, a white dune falling away to the bay, framed by coastal scrub.
- Free Flight, the afternoon paraglider high above the coast.
- Lone Sentinel, gold light, rippled sand and a lone weathered trunk.
- Golden Ripples, the sand textures I came away with instead of the long exposure.
See them all together in the Rainbow Beach print collection.
