The Temple Of Baal Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Temple of Baal is one of the 100 discovered caves in the Jenolan Caves network. The caves are each different in their own way, although all have been carbon-dated to being around 300 million to 430 million years old. They have been known to the traditional inhabitants of the land, the Gundungurra people, for tens of thousands of years and called Binomil or "Dark Places". The caves are made of limstone, with many vaults reaching 50 metres in height. They are characterised by fantastic stalachtites, stalachmites and hemitites. The crystal in these caves is both ancient and extremely beautiful. The rock formations you see to the left and centre are hemitites in the Temple of Baal and are named Gabriel's Wing and The Angel's Wing.

Jenolan Caves are about 3 hours west of Sydney over the Great Dividing Range.

A note to photographers: tripods are not allowed although you are free to take as many photos as you like. Due to the damage that the light does to the rock formations, the lights are only turned on gradually and for a short time. In darkness you cannot even see your hand inches from your face. The music playing whilst you are walking in these enormous vaults is truly haunting. As a Sydney-sider I would recommend these caves be visited by both tourists and locals alike. It is an experience you will never forget.

This image is not as sharp as I'd like even using ISO 3200 and f/5.

UPDATE: THANKS TO VERY SOUND ADVICE FROM MACONDO, THE WHITE BALANCE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO "SHADE" AND THE RESULT IS POSTED IN MY WORKSHOP.

burraburra, lousat, Dashab, CLODO, cd70, phwall, trekks, snunney, PixelTerror, Sistercosmo, Clementi, vasilpro, Longroute, AiresSantos, Kielia, subhendu_bagchi, paololg, gervaso, avene trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

alftrek (2889) 2009-10-31 23:51

Hello Lisa,
The Jenolan Caves is one of the favourite place I visited in NSW way back in 1985. I only have a vague impression of this place now. I hope the stalactites and stalamites have grown considerably longer after all these years. Despite the constraints, you have done an impressive shot with good clarity in details and minimal noise at ISO3200. The silhouette of people at the bottom left tells me that you are not alone in the caves this time;))

Enjoy the Sunday

Alfred

burraburra (875) 2009-11-01 0:14

Afternoon Lisa,
Nice shot within the caves. Yes, I agree with Alfred - "impressive shot, good clarity". I note you make mention of the traditional owners (which the Burra Burra clan were part of) :) Have a nice week - I have been indisposed (Boys Light Up). I have some TE catch up to do :))
Cheers,
Graham.

macondo (13211) 2009-11-01 0:37

Hi Lisa.
At 1/8 you aren't going to get super-sharpness, especially as the aperture won't give great DOF. But it's pretty good for the high ISO. I like the bold way you placed the silhouetted figures way down in the corner. I wonder what white balance you had set for this one. Sometimes in this type of shot it's worth doing a manual setting, not the AWB; it could give you more realistic colour. Not that I'm saying it's the wrong colour, because I don't know, but I found the AWB often gives the wrong hue depending on the type of lamplight. But on the whole it's impressive just how clear and sharp and noise-free this is. Good note too!
Regards,
Andrew

[2] +

hardyuno (2527) 2009-11-01 1:03

Ciao Lisa,
despite the fact that you have taken it without a tripod it is sharp enough. I like the atmosphere and the small silhouettes in this cave. Thanks for sharing and for the interesting note.
Have a good week
Hartmut

Dashab (1125) 2009-11-01 1:21

Hi Lisa,
This is a spectacular place and you did extremely well at capturing it without a tripod. You have an extremely steady hand with such a heavy camera!
Thanks for your note on Friday, I am doing better-thanks to your picture:-)
Have a nice day, Dasha

CLODO (4495) 2009-11-01 1:31

Congratulations Lisa for this stunning shot realized in harsh conditions. It's really different from the ones posted on TE because it has been done under the earth surface.
Cheers
CLODO

cd70 (757) 2009-11-01 1:50

Hello Lisa,
Très impressionant et surtout pas évident la photo dans les grottes ! Ce cadrage large offre une belle vision de l'environnement, les stalactites sont très détaillés. J'aime beaucoup le placement et l'ombre des gens en arrière plan, ça renforce le côté mystérieux du lieu. C'est splendide !
Bon dimanche,
Cyrille.

phwall (5693) 2009-11-01 1:52

Hi Lisa,
Boy, the 5D can sure crunch the numbers when it comes to noise in the high ISO's, it's a good looking image.
Good composition too, great balance throughout.
Interesting what Andrew said about the AWB, I'll remember that bit of advice. For me, the shot could look a little warmer with no problems.
Meet any old friends down there, flying one's that is.
Gotta luv ya.
Pete

lousat (15848) 2009-11-01 1:53

Hi Lisa,if isn't easy isn't for you! You're one the most brave photographers of TE,this was another most difficult situaton to take,but no problems for you...very excellent work like your last night's pics,impossible to make better! Very nice composition and perspective,the game of lights and shadows is wonderful! Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

ifege (1923) 2009-11-01 1:57

Another steady hand job Lisa? It is difficult to get good shots in caves like Jenolan but you succeeded. You can celebrate with a Sunday evening drop of something good as well.
cheers
Ian

snunney (35256) 2009-11-01 2:16

Hello Lisa,
A very spooky image, just right for Halloween! The silhouettes of the other visitors are well placed and add much to the mood. Sharpness is acceptable for the circumstances. Enjoy what remains of your weekend.

Silvio1953 (42495) 2009-11-01 2:59

Ciao Lisa, luce difficile e ISO alte, inevitabile il rumore e un po' di micromosso, ma te la sei cavata molto bene visto le difficili condizione di luce, si va dal buio completo alla luce diretta dei riflettori, sei stata molto brava a limitare le zone sovraesposte, ottimo POV e bella vista della caverna, brava, buona Domenica, ciao Silvio

JT50 (977) 2009-11-01 3:25

Hi Lisa,
Very well composed.
Sharp image despite the
lack of tripod. You sure
have a steady hand. Fine
light effects.
Have a nice week.
Janak

francio64 (11523) 2009-11-01 5:54

Bel posto Lisa,
è lontano da Sydney? Anche se lo fosse ne è valsa la pena fare tanta strada.
Il gioco di luci calde è bellissimo. Adoro questi posti.
Il taglio verticale è molto bello e le sagome umane in silhouette, danno molta dinamicità alla scena.
Forse avresti dovuto dare poco più di sharp!

Complimenti!
Ciccio

PixelTerror (86604) 2009-11-01 13:52

G'day Lisa
I know the problem, nearly always forbidden to take a tripod and be lucky you could take a photo at all, also forbidden in many places... the solution: Canon 1D MkIV, 100000 ISO, the camera to make darkness luminous ;-)
You have reached the limits of your camera here, still we get the impressive dimension of this place
have a nice day JY

Sistercosmo (2645) 2009-11-01 14:51

Hi Lisa,

for sure, it's an amazing image - well captured and with lots of detail. Great shot, wonderful for me being able to go there temporarily.....

Have a good week and thanks, my dear

Clementi (44805) 2009-11-01 14:55

Ciao Lisa,
condizioni estreme di scatto, ma tu non hai avuto problemi,hai catturato una bellissima immagine, gli uomini in ombra aiutano a creare una particolare atmosfera.
ottimo lavoro
Giorgio

vasilpro (9194) 2009-11-01 23:57

Hello Lisa,
Very nice composition with very well light management, interesting cave, very good vertical presentation, useful notes.
Kind regards, Vasilis.

mozzy27 (357) 2009-11-02 0:56

Hello Lisa
how are you, nicely composed shot and silhouette of the people in the bottom corner. Its always difficult to get light right in caves but congratulation you've done well and the sharpness is fine. I've always wanted to visit the Jenolin Caves and the Gem & Mineral Museum in Bathurst.
Cheers Peter
PS. Your notes are also interesting and Andrews hints are also useful. Thanks

AiresSantos (42686) 2009-11-02 7:35

Ciao Lisa
Fine picture of this Cave
Great composition, fine details and light management
The people give us the scale
Well seen and done
Have a nice week
Aires

vjmite (1547) 2009-11-02 17:37

Hi Lisa,

You've done well considering the conditions. I prefer the colour of your original photo - it looks more realistic to me. The high ISO leads to noise in the image (just as in film cameras - funny how digital cameras seem to replicate every shortcoming of film cameras). So you have to use the lowest ISO you can get away with, which means the longest exposure time you can manage. It helps if you can find a place to rest the camera on, and if your camera has anti-shake mechanism.

Some clarifications: the limestone that the caves are dissolved out of is 430 million years old, but the caves are 300 million years old. The limestone was deposited in the sea, then over the next 130 million years it was buried by more rocks, folded and cut by faults, then uplifted and exposed as land, and only then did the caves form. The caves have not been carbon-dated (that only works for things that are less than about 50 000 years old), but were dated by K-Ar dating. Jenolan caves are the oldest known caves in the world by a long shot, probably 200 million years older than any other dated caves. I think the words you are looking for are stalactites, stalagmites and helictites.

Sorry to be so pedantic, but I'm a geologist so these things are important to me.

Vince

diomed (4443) 2009-11-03 8:27

Ciao Lisa,
bella foto di interni con ottima gestione della luce e interessanti silhouettes. Eccellente contrasto e grande definizione.
Un caro saluto
Antonio

Kielia (8629) 2009-11-03 10:43

Hi Lisa,
no guts, no glory! I agree to Luciano concerning the braveness! This is really a spectacular place and very well captured under these difficult conditions. The inclusion of the people is very useful. I also enjoyed reading your notes and all the other comments. A great contribution to this site in it’s best spirit!
Warm regards
Harriet

subhendu_bagchi (3400) 2009-11-03 11:25

Hi Lisa,
what a shot taken by you without tripod. Nice to see the interior of cave with the silhouetted people. The workshop image is even better. Nice depth and clarity. The naturally formed stone sticks are fantastic. Great sharp shot with equally great note. Very well done.
Congrats.
Subhendu

paololg (14027) 2009-11-03 14:04

Ciao cara Lisa,
fotografare dentro le grotte è molto difficile, ma tu hai fatto una foto bellissima, con una piacevole tonalità sepia. Mi piacciono molto le silhouettes delle persone e gli stupendi giochi di luci e ombre. Molto suggestiva, bravissima!
Ciao, una caro abbraccio!
Paolo

gervaso (5566) 2009-11-03 14:31

Hello, Lisa!

The lighting is great, and I like the inclusion of the people in silhouette at the entrance of the cave! The details are really beautiful and shown with good sharpness! Very good job! Well done!

avene (11080) 2009-11-04 8:23

hi Lisa,
I'm not going into technical details, everything has been said already, I think the shot is as good as it could possibly be in the circumstances.
right now I'm following a series of lectures about prehistory and human evolution, so considering that humans separated from chimpanzees may be 6 million years ago, 300 million years is impossibly long time, for me this fact makes the photo especially fascinating. good idea to include silhouettes of people in the lower left corner, it provides both a scense of scale and a feeling how alien the caves seem. great shot.

best,
Kristine

mauro61 (16066) 2009-11-15 11:03

ciao Lisa,
scatto molto particolare e bello all'interno delle grotte con una buona luce e con le sagome delle persone a dare vita all'immagine.
Anche senza treppiede hai fatto un ottimo lavoro, brava
un abbraccio
maurizio