Australian Wilderness | Kangaroo on Lake Cootharaba
Some photographic opportunities come along once in a lifetime, sometimes not even once. Many photographers, both amateur and professional can spend years chasing that one shot that makes all the hard work worth it. The ironic thing is, that one moment can usually come when it is least expected.
A chilly winter's night stay by the shores of Lake Cootharaba, just North of Noosa Heads, produced a typically beautiful sunrise across the lake. Brendan had been capturing the new day breaking and had almost exhausted all angles (and almost all his film stock) when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye...
Kangaroo on Lake Cootharaba - Photo code WL001 Purchase this photo
"This kangaroo came bounding along through the bush, close to the edge of the lake. It quickly dawned on me that if this 'roo wanted to go past me, he would have to enter the water. I grabbed my camera and instinctively lined up the impending shot. Although I only had seconds to prepare, I somehow managed to get the horizon straight and also 'frame' the image with the trees at either side. Another stroke of luck meant that I had just enough available light to set a shutter speed that would freeze the 'roo mid-hop. I was using a very old Pentax K1000 at the time. This camera has no motor wind facility, so I had to be patient and wait until the kangaroo was dead-centre in the frame before clicking. Just seeing this sight was awesome enough, but luckily for me I was able to capture this extraordinary moment on film".
-Brendan Waites.
This image has become a real talking point since it was released. It has also become one of Brendan's best selling images. It hangs on walls in countries all over the world including Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States just to name a few.