Lone Point

LOCATION:  Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia

DATE:  April 2017

LIMITED EDITION PRINT:  Just 40 prints available World-Wide.

THE STORY:

Hutt Lagoon is one of the few permanent pink lakes in Australia. Located near Geraldton, north of Perth, Hutt Lagoon is a naturally occurring coastal lake. The salt lakes take on a pink colour from the presence of algae which grows in the salt water from which BASF harvests natural beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a naturally occurring red pigment found in fruits and vegetables, including carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

At Hutt Lagoon, the naturally occurring algae occurs in the open-air seawater lagoons which, when exposed to sunlight, produces carotenoids, predominantly beta-carotene, to protect itself. The food and beverage industry is increasingly using natural beta-carotene as a healthy alternative to artificial food dyes.

From the air, the pink lake looks surreal. I spent hours researching the lagoon. I wanted to know the best time of year to photograph it, the best time of day and where I could charter a plane to photograph this from the air.

Eventually I found all this information and organised a special trip from Melbourne to photograph Hutt Lagoon. As we took off from Geraldton and flew north up the coastline, I was hoping that all my research had been correct.

Finally we reached the lagoon. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The rich, vibrant pink hues from the lake took my breath away. Whilst I transfixed, I had to remind myself that I was there to photograph! But I could have easily admired this landscape without taking a single image!