Amateur photographer Mark Hodges captures an amazing view to remind people of the beauty of our town

Mr Hodges explained his process and said that he was often inspired by the 'great outdoors, landscapes and light'.

"While I've sold a few pictures here and there through commercial photo sites, I just enjoy sharing images of the natural scenic wonders that my viewfinder sees," he said.

Mr Hodges said that photographic communities like Flickr and Redbubble have been valuable for publishing his work, and many of his past works have featured in a variety of online resources.

"Some highlights have been having a photo that was chosen as one of 500 for a display at Coyocan Mexico [Communidad Fotoguia.org], one photo chosen for a British movie thriller, and a first place open section win at Lithgows Ironfest way back in 2010," he said.

"Visual storytelling is such a powerful tool, and I think one good image is worth more than a thousand words."

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Mr Hodges became interested in photography from around 12 years of age.

"My very first real camera was an old film type Kodak Retinette, which accompanied me on many teenage outdoor adventures, from rock climbing to bushwalking, caving and XC skiing," he said.

"My first SLR camera was a Canon, a brand I've stuck with over the years although I've had a few Fuji Finepix cameras in the early, poor quality digital camera days."

Currently Mr Hodges alternates between a Canon 7D MkII DSLR and the utilitarian iPhone which he said could surprisingly take some reasonable pics, with a bit of editing help from Lightroom.

As for the photograph above, Mr Hodges said he 'couldn't resist immortalising the view'.

"Id visited the area only a week or two before and knew that while the light was right it would make a great landscape capture," he said.

"The vivid contrast of the purple Paterson's Curse and the yellow Fireweed, I think, just demanded to be looked at."

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Mr Hodges said there were quite a few spots along Marsden Swamp Rd where the landscape unfolds, and depending on the time of day and weather, it looks gorgeous.

"The farmers would likely despair about the Pattersons curse that seems to be prolific in spots, its a noxious weed, but its undeniably pretty," he said.

"They are so lucky to be custodians of the land."

Mr Hodges said he doesn't get too serious about the preparation for the photographs he takes.

"Obviously its good to remember a tripod for low light and a few filters and different lenses for the DSLR," he said.

"Having any sort of camera with you at all times means there's less chance of missing opportunistic shots, but its all about being in the right place, at the right time, in the right light.

"Sometimes, you just have to work with what you've got, there's always the post photo editing!"

Mr Hodges said that he liked that his landscape image could attract a bit of interest.

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"Hopefully reminding people that despite all that 2020 has dished out, we live a beautiful world," he said.

"After the severe drought conditions and the horrendous fires last year, seeing this scene for the first time gave me a refreshed sense of hope, with new spring growth and luxurious pastures demonstrating an enduring resilience in the face of tremendous challenge.

"I'm humbled by the fact that people have looked, I hope they see the same sense of wonder as me."