Mark McLaren Photography

01/11/2024

I know we should never talk about work when we are enjoying social catch ups .. and this little social catch up is no different..

Of course there is a but…

So when I'm not pointing lens at landscapes .. running to and from storms.. scribbling away with a feather quill illuminated by flickering candlelight to share with you my musings..
..I am out doing things like this.

I wanted to share this one.. I know it may look like a shameless plug for Flying Fox Media.. and to get you to like and follow my business page to see what we do.. But it’s not that at all.

No .. my intentions are pure...

So what’s the post about Markie.. ?

Let me try to explain... (buckle Up)...

Very few things have made me stop and say “Holy Moly” ! Or words to that effect...or simply just to being in awe.. Sure you know I’ve dived with Great White Sharks… bungee jumped.. bla bla bla.. many things..

But this one had a different feel. This "Holy Moly" was really impressive

This is a part of Woodside’s Pluto Upgrade and it was unloaded from a massive ship, by military precision..

We filmed as this monster of beautiful engineering made its way up from the port through the ancient Pilbara landscape to find its new home at the gas plant.

The size of this was truly breathtaking and the quietness as it moved through the landscape with only few feet to spare.

Signs were taken down, barriers removed as it approached and then reinstated as it moved on . The only thing that couldnt be moved was the red pilbara rocks which formed a checkpoint.

ensuring all measurements were correct as it eased past.

You would never know it passed this way..

So just like this marvel of engineering.. we all have the ability to leave beautiful lasting impressions on those we meet .

Make sure you do that.

Have a collision free , impression leaving weekend beautiful people ;)

See what I did there :)

(Who parked the car there ?)

Have you seen my business page? ;)

FFlying Fox Media Creation

28/10/2024

The Poll results are in ...
...and as you can tell by the image there was a winner ..

Not that there needs to be .. or that there was a race to begin with.. No not at all !

Id like to congratulate all nominations for taking part and in our eyes .. they are all winners ... !

(see what i did there ?)

Anyhoo.. big round of applause for the unanimous winner and sole champion of the poll !
The One and only to receive a massive 28% of the votes ..

Step aside losing categories and bow before the new poll champ..

"STORMS"

(muffled applause and crying)

Thank you for taking part in the poll, Join me next week to find out Cheesecake, Carrot cake, Scones or apple pie ?

Until then heres a wee Storm pic :)

Mark McLaren Photography

25/10/2024

A little storm ... a little fire ... flat ocean ... and the beautiful little town and community of Dampier.

Have a lovely wekend.

17/10/2024

So i went to Hearsons Cove last night ..

The " supermoon"... yeah well ..

Ive seen many a moon .. ive also seen many things super..

Last nights moon maybe just one of those ..

But hold on Markie .. negative review on the moon?

No not quite .. although i didn't quite expect the moon to roll over the sand towards me ,start tapdancing whilst juggling a few planets ... i did hope it would be bigger and brighter. Nothing to extreme.

Now i think this may be the first time i have actually criticised the moon .. i think ever. and if i know the moon .. and i think i do .. it wont take offence to my slight critique of its stage time..

I do think however it may try to make amends on the next "supermoon"showing .

So i shall keep you posted ;)

Until then i thought this summed up the effort ..

Of course my ramblings are only a bit of fun .. its always enjoyable to see this event in such a nice location ..

If you are the family or know them , please tag them so i can send them the image:)

Have a "super weekend " beautiful people

16/10/2024

A huge moon tomorrow If you are in Karratha , ill be at Hearsons Cove watching the moon rise ..6:10pm it stars its rise ..
Come say hello .. Just ook for the Flying Fox Media Ute ..

This was the last one...

14/10/2024

Let there be light ...

Hearsons Cove being lit by a beautiful ray from above ..

11/10/2024

Have you been watching the Aurora Borealis? How beautiful have the images been from all over the world.. ! From Scotland all the way to the Gold coast in Australia..

I seen it once in beautiful Iceland and to be honest was one of the most magical things i have ever seen .. shimmering ribbons odf luminescent green , snaking across the sky.

I checked all the apps to see if the Pilbara was getting in on the action.
Some photographers managed to ge a beautiful red sky so i headed out just after sunset..

I set up the camera on Dampier beach , cranked up the timer on the camera and got this.

Its a bit blown out on the lights due to the long exposure .. but im claiming Australia Borealis in Dampier..

To be this far North in WA and get a hint of the beauty that the rest of the planet has been getting , gives a wee sense of inclusiveness ;)

Have yourself a light filled weekend :)

10/10/2024

Now ... Now before we start grabbing handfuls of rotten tomatoes and bits of Ye Old cabbage to throw at me ..

This image was shot last night .. and is the first and last bolt i seen.
Incidentally the first lightning of the season !

But before all this ... I was in bed, tucked in for the night.. Wearing my long Scottish night gown, complete with long hat with pom pom.. Reading a book ...and then alarm went off.

LIGHTNING ! LIGHTNING !

Before i knew where i was i found myself on the beach setting up, as the little system whizzed past .

My camera clicked. ..

Then nothing .. That was it ..

I stood there looking like i just had missed the last bus home .

After a while my tears stopped and i got back in the car.. It was then i noticed that my night cap was still on ;)

Of course i jest .. both my night cap and night gown were on ...
🤣

04/10/2024

"Any minute now" ....

You have a task ...

Those first words has a special meaning ..

All you have to do is click on the link which by the power of tech will transport you to a beautiful song that i shall do an injustice by describing why you should click on the link ..

You know through my thousands of previous posts my intentions are pure . So click away..

The song that you will hear has a special place in my heart and wonderful memories attached. .. I say wonderful .. i mean really wonderful ;)

The image that i have taken is of a lone jetty and the song .. you will soon realise the significance of the image ..

So if you are over drinking age .... and drink .. pour a beverage of your choice ..

Get comfy ....

Take a sip...

Look into the image ...

repeat ...

Then click on the link ....

https://youtu.be/PT7EpBjHXFk?si=KcCs0YfTyGeheEhb

Enjoy..

Take more sips ... and repeat ..

Have yourself a wonderful weekend beautiful people :)

02/10/2024

"Last rays of the day"

Sunset on the Hearson Cove road.

Erin Keogh my model for the day enjoying the last image of a long day in the Pilbara sun .

Remember budding models .. don't copy Erin by sitting on the road .. We had many lookouts :)..

I say many .. 2 ..

27/09/2024

The storm season has started here in the Pilbara...

Get ready for more of this :)

If you have ever wondered what its like to be close to lightning in a Pilbara storm.. This was a beautiful storm that was so charged you could feel the energ...

25/09/2024

The old and the new..

Before i start ... i have posted my Friday post now.. I know too early.. But im going into the scrub... Offline so i wanted to make sure it was posted for you . I could have scheduled it .. but nope..So ...Start again ...
....The Old and the New

I shot this in Scotland in a cold wet and average day. Not unlike the last post in Iceland where a small thing caught my attention and i was lying taking the shot. Much to the bewilderment of everyone around.. (not that there was a mass of people you understand.. maybe 5 )

Everyone... except an old fella who was a bit worse for wear.
Polite enough, Just leaning against the pier .

He told me what he seen .. and it was the same as what i had too...

An old sailing ship ... tired worn and well travelled.. and by her condition well loved and cared for..

The brand new piece of rope... Not been anywhere.. Still in the factory stiff shape. just all shiny and ready for the journey ahead...

So Markie....what rabbit hole have you lured us into now ..?

None... honestly ... not even ...just be mindful of whatever stage you are at on your own journey, you appreciate the older or newer addition to the gig... ;)

Have a drift free weekend beautiful people.

20/09/2024

ICELAND..
What a place... I was just talking to someone about my visit there recently and it brought back awesome memories..
So i thought i would share one..

Ice sculptures on a beach..
Large chunks of ice from the glacier break off and drift out and eventually rest here . They then get worn away till they become small and very beautiful little ice sculptures..

Now this little chunk of ice probably felt sorry for me as i lay on the bed of smooth black rocks to take this pic. My fingers had already passed by the numb stage a few minutes before as i tried to press on a button that i could not feel..

It was a balmy -22 with a wind chill factor between -100 and - 1000 .. well at least that what it felt like ..
My ears were a beautiful bright red colour to match my nose , and i was shivering out of control.

CLICK!

This was the result of all that hardship , flights .. driving, etc etc..

Would i go back ... 100%

I cant begin to tell you how appreciative i was of my little heated steering wheel and heated seat.

So from me to you .. have yourself a frost free weekend beautiful people ;)

Icelandair
Arora Iceland

17/09/2024

I covered the Cossack Art Awards this year and at the very end i asked the Artist in Residence Katie Barron if we could get some images before she left.

The sun was setting as Katie walked across the rocks to get ready for the image. I liked this particular one as it seemed to be a moment of reflection of the past few months.

Cossack Art Awards

11/09/2024

When you go outbush in the Pilbara, the view can literally make you say.."man thats nice" and that is exactly what i said ..
Did you ? ;)

06/09/2024

Hello Friday my old friend ..

May I share a memory that just floated into my head .. That cavernous cave like void..

When I was a young bloke …(yawning) .. back in the day … back in my day ..

When I was a young fella… I have a great memory of a Friday morning ..

I was apprentice carpenter and joiner working in Ruchill Hospital. A beautiful old empty hospital . Its tiled corridors and huge oak doors led into an array of old offices , wards and nurses quarters.
I was in one of these empty corridors removing flooring . My journeyman visited my area after chatting for a while ensuring I was lifting the right floor…asked me if I had heard of Simon and Garfunkel ?

I said no.. He then produced a tape.. of the afore mentioned artists and played it on the tape recorder in the vast empty hallway. He sat with me a while as we listened to a few songs. Then left , leaving me with the tape recorder playing.
As I carried on about my tasks .. each song came on in succession , and seemed to drift in and out of the empty rooms as if cleansing them ..
Then a song came on which made me sit down and rest against the old beautiful architrave of a doorway ..Little did I know that it wold become one of my favourite songs of all time ..

Which song ..?

“A bridge over troubled water” ..

Such a beautiful collection of words that had the power to create a beautiful feeling within..

So my Friday thought for you is simply this beautiful song ..

Sit back … Play it loud and smile ….

Have a bridge crossing weekend beautiful people :)

https://youtu.be/ULIjKYa4lyI?si=Zc_ooBGtLyOlIT9T

Simon & Garfunkel

05/09/2024

Remember that post about filming in Cossack ? Cossack Art Awards jut posted the video i shot for Flying Fox Media Creation, lets you see how busy the place was . A beautiful small town that came to life with the Art Awards .

30/08/2024

I filmed this in the historic Bond store for the Cossack Art Awards recently , in Cossack.
Gives you a taste of the Cossack Art Awards, Wine and Art .. what else do you need ;)

29/08/2024

Welcome to Friday ,

I have some good news …and some bad news…

However how you interpret the news is up too you … ;)

The News ..

There is no image this Friday ..

I know .. what’s going on ?

You’re a photographer right ?

That’s what you do?
So why no image I hear you ask?

Read on …

With the next few lines I want you to picture what I am sharing with you ..

It requires nothing more than your imagination.

……..Silence….....

A gentle breeze moves the tall grass we are sitting in. Its fresh aromatic scent reminds us of our childhood . Similar to cut grass.
A small bird flew around us chirping loudly announcing we are close to its home.

The sun is low on the horizon and its soft orange golden rays create a warm soft glow as we focus in on the little bird now perched on the large gum tree in front of us .

The little bird has settled and is now on its nest occasionally looking at us to make sure we aren’t a threat.

Te sun sinks lower and as the colours change to an orange hue a gentle peace descends upon the scene .

As you lay back in the tall grass a sense of warmth and stillness surrounds you as you watch the grass move gently in the breeze

Inhale deeply and slowly …

Have a imaginative weekend beautiful people

Send a message to learn more

23/08/2024

23/08/2024

I’ve been off grid filming for Flying Fox Media with a client up in the Kimberley’s North Western Australia . Out in the scrub filming and camping in some beautiful locations ! Normal service will resume soon !
Boy do I need a bath ! 😂

13/08/2024

The best thing about having a night at the islands here, is when you leave the lights on it adds to the view ;)
Happy hump day..

12/08/2024

Lets start the week off by telling each other what we did over the weekend ..
Ill go first ..

I headed up to the Historic Town site Cossack and was filming for https://flyingfoxmedia.com.au/ and the City of Karratha . It was the last day of the Cossack Art Awards.

The place was buzzing and full of families . It was the first time i have seen Cossack being enjoyed by so many people.
It gave me a real insight of what it may have sounded like back in its day ..

Apart from the ice cold slushy machines and kebab van which smelt fantastic !

I clicked and filmed away and bumped into so may faces i hadnt seen for a while and each one greeted me with a beautiful smile.

It was a lovely day.

I have attached a pic for you...

Ok .. Your turn......


Woodside Energy Rio Tinto

09/08/2024

Fridays are my favourite day ..

always loved a Friday ...

So today is no exception .. sitting here editing a clients video and images i took a break to have a coffee and remind myself why i love the PIlbara.

It didn't take long .. As you know i was out at the Islands and took some whale shots .. Then this little fella rocked up ..
Now its that time of the year for turtles and i think they were wrestling ....

So it wont be long before mumma turtles are dragging themselves up a long sandy beach .. Digging a huge hole.. Laying eggs.. Burying them and heading back into the ocean..

So with all that Have an awesome weekend beautiful people :)