It's All About Light

New blog...

2010-12-20T10:42:00.001+11:00

Check out my new blog - http://throughthepinhole.blogspot.com/

Moving...

2010-06-01T08:00:00.003+10:00

I'm moving!

Both in the virtual world and the physical world...

My new web address is www.ridgwaystudio.com and my new physical address (from July) is in Mirboo North, South Gippsland, Victoria.

Marion & I have been lucky to buy an old bank that was built in 1906. This will be our home as well as the base for my photography endeavours. I plan to shoot weddings and portraits as well as pretty much anything else for income, landscapes, flora & fauna for personal enjoyment (and to populate the gallery).

There is room at the bank for a gallery and over time I plan to fill it with photography and art works. There may even be the opportunity to start small courses to get people on the right track with their cameras and gear. The local scenery is stunning so I'm sure that photo opportunities won't be in short supply.

Oh! And the best bit... The old bank has a vault! As soon as I work out how to get plumbing and ventilation in there it will become a darkroom... I can smell the chemicals now!!!

AMAZING!!!

2010-05-28T10:25:00.003+10:00

I was sitting at my computer thinking about the pinhole image from my last post. I was trying to decide how to show just how much and, strangely just how little detail was included in a pinhole image.

This image is a crop from the image below. I think that it is a beautiful, eerie image with just enough detail and looks awesome as a panorama on the wall.

Melbourne from Brighton Pier...

2010-05-15T14:25:00.003+10:00

Some time ago I went down to Brighton pier and took this image of the yacht club marina with Melbourne in the distance...

I love my pinhole camera and I'm getting better at using it. The 5x4 inch negatives are so full of detail and I'm amazed at what a box with a tiny hole in it can do.

I've printed this image up to A3+ size (329mm x 329mm) and it looks awesome.

The one thing I am yet to work out is how to avoid dust on the negative. This one came back with so many spots and squiggles that I'm not sure I would even think about printing it in the darkroom. With Photoshop it's easy, if a little time consuming to clean things up.

Click on the image for a larger view...

The next step...

2010-05-13T09:00:00.002+10:00

Wow! 2010 is turning out to be an awesome year so far...

Romance, engagement, wedding... Well, the wedding happened a couple of hours before the engagement party... :)

So we've now made an offer on an old bank building in a country town. We are waiting for all of the pieces to come together so I don't want to tempt fate but giving up all of the details yet. The plan is that Marion will work at a library nearby and that I can build up a photography business.

Being an old bank, the building (with residence attached) has a vault! Awesomeness!!! It is big enough to be turned into a darkroom (or cellar if that doesn't work) and I'm eagerly awaiting a chance to work out if there is a way to get plumbing into it.

So a tree change is on the way with chooks, a dog, bushland, Wilson's Prom nearby and an old (Ye Olde?) bank with a vault...

What a year! And it's not even halfway done yet...

On a related note; I finally managed to get to the third session of one of the basic darkroom courses at the Melbourne Camera Club on Monday night. I'm having visions of a photography business that has a component of traditional, hand printed, black & white imaging and maybe a gallery with local landscapes taken with my pinhole camera...

Hmmm? Bring on the rest of the year! :)

Wedding Bells...

2010-05-06T18:56:00.008+10:00

Marion & I organised an engagement party quite some time ago and somewhere along the line (fairly early on) we decided to visit the wedding registry first. This bit was kept as quiet as we could and we managed to get quite a few very surprised guests on the night! :)

So, it's official, Marion and I are married. We've spent a few days away and here are some of the photos...

The proof...

The "engagement party"...

Some scenic shots from the Tuki retreat where we stayed for a few days...

PS: There aren't any photos of us both together at the Tuki retreat. To explain is unnecessary, I think... :)

World Pinhole Day...

2010-04-22T11:31:00.002+10:00

It's almost here. World Pinhole Day... 25th of April...

A day to reduce technology to the barest minimum and to get out there and celebrate the original "camera obscura".

With all of the technology that goes in to cameras these days it's an amazing fact that we can still take images using a box with the tiniest of holes for a lens. The images from these simple devices are truly miraculous.

I have a need to get back to the basics that I feed with my pinhole camera. There are lots of options. You could build one from a matchbox or buy one ready made like I did. You can use 35mm film or large format film and there are even adaptors that replace the lens on your camera so that you could use your digital SLR.

The use of a pinhole camera is simple but you do have to understand the basics of composition and the working out of exposure times. Fortunately the basics are readily understood and after that it's all slow, contemplative art.

World pinhole day coincides with ANZAC day in Australia so I'm getting some ideas of what images I would like to get. I'll be posting the results in a few weeks - there's another difference to digital imaging, everything takes longer!

The ring...

2010-03-13T17:59:00.006+11:00

It's been a couple of weeks now since I gave Marion "the ring". Since then we've both been busy so when I got a chance today to borrow it from her I took some photos.

This is the ring: White gold, engraved on one side with a parti sapphire. The enormously satisfying thing about the sapphire is that it changes so much in different light. A parti sapphire is a naturally occurring two-tone stone that is normally a combination of blue and yellow. So this particular stone sometimes looks quite light, sometimes looks quite dark and always looks good!

PS: She loves it!

What are you looking at?

2010-03-04T12:50:00.002+11:00

This little guy seems to be asking...

I found him/her in the garden this morning...

Sometimes the planets line up...

2010-01-28T10:59:00.003+11:00

Last year I shot a function for a client. They had a 1920's themed night and a significant number of people got right into it...

At one stage I walked out of the function to the foyer and this gent was standing in exactly the right light. It was a "hair standing up on the back of your neck" moment and I just had to capture it. The combination of the right light, the right mood, the right gear and the right face just worked perfectly...

This has to be one of my favourite images from 2009... I'm going to get permission to use it in my advertising.

If you click on the image you'll get a larger view.

It's an amazing world...

2010-01-13T16:02:00.003+11:00

I just looked at my Clustrmaps page and found one little dot in the middle of Brazil, roughly in the middle of the Amazon... Isn't the world amazing...?

I wonder what they looked at? Did they just surf blogs to find mine? Did they have a reason to look?

I'm still amazed the a Google search for "weird/scary dog" has my blog entry listed at number 3 in the world!!!

I've got big plans for 2010. In no particular order yet I'm going to pull my finger out and get my photography business happening, I'm going to have a pinhole photography exhibition in a gallery, I'm going to make photography a full time occupation (as opposed to a full time dream)...

Now to plan it all out and start working...

Enjoy my photos as they pop up... Happy 2010...!

New Year Storms...

2010-01-03T21:51:00.007+11:00

I had some time away over the new year and on New Years Eve and again on the night of the first of January we had some storms in the evening. On new years eve we had lots of rain but the storms on the first didn't rain on us but were all around us and the buildup was spectacular. Other farms in the area must have had lots of rain! The cloud formations, the colours of the clouds and the speed at which everything changed was a wonder to behold...

I haven't adjusted colour in any of these images...

What a week...

2009-12-15T21:42:00.002+11:00

I have a new girlfriend...

She makes me feel like this...

Silver Weddings...

2009-11-22T14:22:00.010+11:00

I went out to my friends farm this weekend to help them celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary...

It was an interesting weekend weather wise with warmth, humidity, fog & rain...

Before the party I took some photos of cows...

Then the fog set in...

Then the party kicked off and a good night was had by all. Congratulations on your 25th wedding anniversary Warren & Vicki...

On the way home this morning I stopped on the side of the road to take some photos through the fog... It's certainly a beautiful part of the world...

Balmy sunset...

2009-11-02T21:46:00.004+11:00

I've just merged two images together into a panorama of tonights sunset over Port Phillip bay in Melbourne.

I cannot believe that the image worked so well given that it was taken with my iPhone!!! It is a little grainy as the resolution on the iPhone isn't very high but I like it... If you click on the image you get to see a larger version...

I also took some more pinhole images but you will have to wait for those...

Unbelievable...

2009-10-30T16:29:00.005+11:00

I have finally picked up my 5 x 4 inch negatives from the lab... I used my new pinhole camera and managed to get the exposures somewhat near close to correct...

I am amazed at the quality of the images considering that they were taken with what is effectively a box painted black inside with the tiniest of pinholes in the front... No lenses, no viewfinders, no menus, no batteries... Woo Hoo!

I think I might enjoy more "slow photography"...

The camera comes in three sections and each has a focal length roughly equivalent to 25mm in 35mm film... So when you add them together you start at 25mm, then 50mm, then 75mm focal lengths. There is a pinhole and a zone plate for each focal length and I forgot to change it for the photo below of the seed pods... I think this is why it isn't as sharp as it could be... Just for reference the focal length for this one was 75mm the aperture was f216 and the exposure time was 96 minutes!!! The various seed pods look amazing and I've yet to take an image of them that does them justice...

The second image is of a flowering plant that I'm sure someone will know the name of and was the first image I took with the camera... It is about a 90 second exposure so you there is some movement int the flower heads but I like the look of this image too...

I don't use my scanner very often and I've just remembered why! It's the most user unfriendly piece of software I have ever used. The scanner itself is great and does a very good job but trying to work out how to select the image to be scanned and then working out how to actually scan it requires opening the instruction manual every single time!!!

Love Melbourne...

2009-10-27T21:06:00.005+11:00

I had to take my camera to work today to shoot some images for an organisational chart... I got to work at 6am and the Yarra river and the view to Melbourne was just perfect... It was one of those brilliant, still mornings and the sun had just risen... I snapped a couple of quick images across the river on my way in...

The first one didn't focus and I think it just works as an abstract... The "in focus" image of the same shot is boring...

In the hi res image of the second shot you can see the clock on Flinders St clock tower (yellow building in the bottom left of the image) and it's definitely 6am...

Walking around Southbank...

2009-10-25T15:29:00.009+11:00

I went for a walk today around Southbank in Melbourne. I had with me my D700 and 24mm PC lens. This lens allows Perspective Correction which simply means that verticals are vertical when doing architectural shots... The lens also allows for some interesting depth of field fun and I will try to make some images that demonstrate this soon...

I went to see a Da Vinci exhibiton that has been put together by a friend and if you are in Melbourne between now and the end of January 2010 go and have a look... Da Vinci was an amazing observer of just about everything and this exhibition shows his examination of the human body and his attempts at making robots based on those observations. These images are from around Southbank...

Eureka Tower - the tallest building in Melbourne. Check out the bees...

Crown Tower Hotel across the Sandridge Bridge...

Pedestrian Bridge near the Melbourne Entertainment Centre (don't know the name of it as it's not on my map...)...

An anchor near the ship Polly Woodside...

Pinhole photography...

2009-10-16T18:13:00.002+11:00

Yes... I haven't done much with my blog lately... Sorry to all you avid readers out there...

I recently bought a pinhole camera. It's a Zero Image 45 Deluxe and is a lovely piece of craftsmanship. The 45 means that it uses 4" x 5" sheets of film which are the smallest of the "large format" film sizes... Each frame segment of the camera adds to the focal length and it roughly equates to 25mm, 50mm and 75mm focal lengths in 35mm film terms. The pinhole apertures are tiny and therefore you need exceptionally long exposure times to make things happen. The aperture for each focal length is slightly different and therefore there's some maths to do once you take a meter reading of the scene. The aperture for 75mm is f216!

Today I took a photo in my kitchen and the exposure time given the tiny aperture was 96 minutes... This was partly due to the aperture but also due to the film. The longer film is exposed to light the less receptive it is to taking in more light... Google "reciprocity failure" for and explanation better than I can give.

The next part of the learning curve comes with handling, loading and processing sheet film... All of this was a natural part of photography 40 years ago when press photographers used large format cameras routinely. I took the five unprocessed sheets to the lab today and have to wait for a week to get them back!!! Talk about delayed gratification!

Next will be scanning the negatives and working out the best way to do that. As soon as I have all of that worked out I will post some images (both good and bad).I am really looking forward to playing around with the long exposures to see what creative things can happen.

There are some awesome pinhole images out there if you Google the term.

Native parrots...

2009-08-13T16:39:00.006+10:00

I went for a drive today to the Sherbrooke Forest near Melbourne.

I actually went to see if I could get some good photos of the tall gum trees in the area but I chose the wrong time of day for that.

The parrots in the area are very friendly although the woman who stuck her finger in the air got it bitten because the parrots thought she had food for them...

I can't believe how good a couple of these images are. The small images here don't do them justice...

Cockatoo... The males and females look the same...

King Parrot - Male

King Parrot - Female

Kookaburra

More flowers...

2009-08-07T09:18:00.002+10:00

These are the same flowers I used the other day but they have changed since then. The centres have opened up and look almost fluffy.

Just experimenting with depth of field and composition.

Colour perception test...

2009-08-06T22:21:00.004+10:00

How well do you see colour?

I found a test that will accurately tell you how "well" you see colour...

According to the test 1:255 women and 1:12 men have some form of visual colour deficiency.

The lower score you get the better the results. I have a really good quality Eizo monitor that was calibrated a couple of months ago (if I was producing images for clients I would calibrate it fortnightly) and I scored 3. I will calibrate my monitor and try again one day soon.

Try it out... Here...

Where does my head go...?

2009-08-04T20:32:00.004+10:00

I was sitting at work the other day, thinking... Fairly profound thoughts really.

I remembered a time when I was in high school all those years ago and one of my friends very excitedly pointed out that it was 12:34 on the 5th of the 6th of 1978 (12345678 - if you didn't pick it up). There has got to be a name for this type of thing and it doesn't happen that often.

Then I realised (a couple of days early instead of a couple of days late)... On the 7th of August 2009 at 5:06 am the sequence will be 05:06 07/08/09...

I was probably thinking this as I was trying to work out another date for my first photo tutorial class. Of all the people I sent out the message to for last weekend only one could make it. He then had to cancel because of work commitments... Sigh, it will happen one day I'm sure...

Orange...

2009-07-28T12:10:00.004+10:00

I have a 24 hour flower shop near my home. Lucky me...

I love taking photos of flowers. They are fascinating and have the most intricate details.

They are also pretty colourful.

Here are a couple of samples of my efforts this morning...

It's time...

2009-07-26T14:06:00.002+10:00

It's time to stop talking and start doing...

It's time to bite the bullet...

It's time to put up or shut up...

My photography tutorials start next weekend...

I was speaking to (yet another) person about photography (yet again) the other day and he said that he would be interested to learn more about how to take better photos...

This probably makes hundreds of people that would be interested in my course that I have already spoken to. I know there is lots of interest in learning photography given the prolific websites out there that all try to help.

The problem, as I see it, is that every course I have ever seen seems to assume that you already know something about how to use a camera. Based on recent experience in a course I was a student in this may not be the case. Most books on "The Basics" are still way more advanced than a beginner needs and contain so much more information than is necessary to get started.

The other thing I found is that to learn by doing is far more effective than perusing a plethora of books and websites, gaining knowledge without experience and becoming confused by esoteric concepts and mathematics.

Given that anyone can pick up a fully automatic camera and take a photo is there a need for this type of education? Emphatic YES to that question...

Honestly, what is a camera? It's a light tight box with a hole in it and a way to collect the light from that hole.

There are only three settings that are important...

All the rest is fluff (very expensive fluff) and can be really effective in image making but unless you understand those three basic, fundamental settings nothing else matters.

So, I'm getting together a small group, going out for a coffee and some instruction in the basics and then taking them for a walk to try out what they have learned.

If you are interested, live in Melbourne and have a SLR camera (digital or film) maybe I'll see you on one of my courses soon?

Amazing...

2009-07-12T16:25:00.004+10:00

I went to the park today for a walk and decided that I should take my camera. I'm glad I did as there was lots to see and plenty of photographic potential...

While I was wandering around I spotted a couple of trees with the most amazing branches. Everywhere you looked in these trees the branches were convoluted and twisted together. It seemed to be the way these particular trees grew as they looked very healthy (and large). The photo is of a single branch that has just about done enough to qualify as a yoga master...

There were also a few places that Rosella's were nesting so I'll be back there to see what I can manage over the next couple of weeks...

Self portrait...

2009-06-14T12:37:00.003+10:00

Did you know that when you look at a mirror the distance that you need to focus to see your image is twice the distance from you to the mirror? If you focus on the mirror itself this is what happens.

This was taken using an old mirror in my bedroom. The reflective film on the back of the glass has broken down causing the blotchy effect.

Cornucopia...

2009-06-13T09:22:00.004+10:00

It's winter at last. The cold weather has set in and the comfort food has been added to the shopping list. Mind you, there isn't really a requirement for winter to set in to enjoys these "fruits"...

My fascination with colour continues; I watched a show about it a few nights ago and may even buy the DVD series. The show explained a lot about how we perceive colour from the purely mathematical physics of it through to the psychological/subjective interpretations of it. There was one interesting experiment that was done to demonstrate the difference: The subject was to look at a 3D shape as colours were applied to it with a projector. They were to say yes or no when the colour was what they thought the colour of a banana should be. They rejected more than half of the options. When the shape was changed to that of a banana they accepted that all of the colours could be the colour of a banana.

Years ago my dad built a cover over the BBQ. He found some old, green, corrugated sheeting that allowed light through and put it over the top. What this did was change the colour of uncooked meat from red to a purple/magenta (just not "right") and cooked meat to a grey colour. Nobody, and I mean nobody could eat that lovely, cooked BBQ meat under the green light... It just wasn't right!

Unicycle hockey...

2009-05-31T17:27:00.005+10:00

I went out today to see what I could see... I found a unicycle group that were warming up and playing hockey. I admit to having looked up what was on so I didn't just "find" these guys & girls... I read about a guy who is to ride his unicycle from Perth to Sydney and it piqued my interest. I also see a guy riding a very large wheeled unicycle past my work in the mornings. I must admit to always having wanted to give it a try...

The people at the Melbourne Museum last Sunday meet on the last Sunday of every month to play unicycle hockey it looked very cool and lots of fun for all ages. I heard someone say once that the reason people go to the Grand Prix is to see either the world champion or the crashes. I'm not sure if there were any world champions there that day but I didn't see any real crashes so that inspired my confidence. In the second photo you can see a young boy, he mixed it up with the big guys with no apparent fear.

I may just have to give it a try one day!

Concentrate...

2009-05-29T12:15:00.003+10:00

I've just had an AAARRRGGGHHH/GRRRR moment...

I have been up since 5:30 this morning to go and shoot some images for a client. It was a magnificent morning and the sunrise was brilliant...

I shot the images, came home, started processing the images and all was going well.

What the client wants is a collage of images of the buildings that they design and build. I have made up a template of sorts and spend a bit of time processing the images then creating the collage for each building. All of this is fine and I pretty much just get into the zone and go through the process.

I normally work with layers within Photoshop so that if an image needs to be changed I can just delete the layer and replace it rather than doing the whole thing again. The last layer I create is a text layer with a copyright notice.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about that's ok. Just think that the copyright notice is written on a clear layer over the top of the images and it can then be removed when I want to send the image to the lab for printing. Works perfectly........ When you concentrate...

The next step is to create a small version (megabyte wise) by flattening all of the layers and resizing the image for the web. I then send that copy to the client for approval and the original, full size version is ready for printing or fixing as necessary.

The problem arises if you don't concentrate and close the flattened file as is and tell Photoshop to save changes as it closes the file... That's the AAARRRGGGHHH/GRRRR moment right there... As soon as I did it I realised that if I would have to redo two of the collages because once the file is flattened and saved you can't get rid of the copyright notice!

Just so that you know the correct way... Before you save your images as a flattened file go back one step in the history to an unflattened file and save the image as a TIFF or PSD file.

It's a good idea to learn from mistakes. Very wise people learn from the mistakes others make...

Photography, walking, tutorial...

2009-05-13T16:12:00.004+10:00

I'm trying to come up with a "snappy" name for the photography tutorial I am planning to run in the next few weeks. I'm open to suggestions...

All About Light is a bit of a mouthful... Someone in the USA has already used Photo Walk Pro... Hmmm? I'll need to keep my thinking cap on for a little longer...

Anyway: This is the news.

I did a course at work last week and one of the tasks we had to perform was to state what we wanted to achieve from the course. I thought long and hard and finally concluded that to tell the truth was the best option (there were senior management people in the course with me). So I declared that what I wanted to achieve from the course was to focus (no pun intended) on being a succesful, creative and sought after professional photographer.

Part of that ambition is to teach people the basic principles of photography and to do it during a walking tour of a photogenic part of Melbourne (or wherever I happen to be)... Maybe a coffee and a chat first followed by a walk around shooting everything in sight with your camera. All the time aiming to master, or at least improve, your understanding of using your camera to capture your creative vision. I've been thinking of doing this for quite some time but the course last week crystalized it all and made me put a date on the first course.

So if you are around Melbourne on the 13th of June and you would like to improve your skills with your camera drop me a line.

Gang Gang Cockatoo...

2009-04-30T16:57:00.002+10:00

I went for a walk in the sunshine today and saw a small group of Gang Gang Cockatoos eating the flowers in a large gum tree. They were way up at the top of the tree and I watched them for a short while and kept walking. About 20 metres away, in another tree, there was a pair of rainbow lorikeets sitting outside a hole in the trunk. As I watched one of the pair went into the hole and didn't come out...

So, now that I know where their nest is I will try to get some shots as things progress.

The Gang Gangs were kind enough to wait for me to go home and get my camera. The lorikeets were taking the opportunity for some sun and were not to be seen when I got back.

These guys were probably 10 - 20 metres above the ground and seemed to have the "hide behind a branch or leaf and look the other way" skills honed to perfection.

This is the only sharp image (and even then it's not that sharp) I managed of the male.

Introducing Sarah & Leigh...

2009-04-29T11:02:00.003+10:00

Last weekend I shot a wedding for the friendliest couple ever. Congratulations Sarah & Leigh.

Sarah & Leigh were a pleasure to work with and they picked the most amazing venue to hold their wedding. Kilmany Park Mansion near Sale in Victoria is an old farm homestead in only the loosest of terms. It was built in the 1800's and is still a working farm. Today, however, the mansion is a B&B with lovely gardens, serenity and just the right amount of space to hold an intimate wedding for up to a couple of hundred guests...

The manager told me of a couple of weddings where people had arrived by helicopter!

The main building is huge and old and quite dark inside with wood panelling everywhere. This provided me with some lighting challenges and I'm still working my way through the images.

The photo was taken in the gardens as the sun set and the weather threatened. At one stage a turned and saw a guest totally rim lit by sunlight and we rushed over to take advantage...

This is the result...

Frangipani...

2009-04-20T13:45:00.002+10:00

The frangipani is still trying to flower. I think it may be getting a little cold for the poor thing now. There are still a number of buds and the flowers smell divine.

A short walk from home...

2009-04-16T11:54:00.007+10:00

I live in Richmond, Victoria, Australia and it has an interesting history.

Richmond used to be quite an industrial area and this shows in the old buildings in the area. Not to mention the small terrace "workers" houses that are now trendy and very close to the city (read: expensive). There are also numerous pubs (to cater for all of the "workers") and one of them was frequented by a notorious gangster from the early 1900's, Squizzy Taylor. I just can't remember which one...

I have been meaning to take some photos around home for quite a while and went for a short walk this morning and these are a couple of the results...

This building has been coverted into residential units but they kept the old frontage...

And not far from there is a large painted sign letting people know that their orders for wood, coal and coke from T. W. Blundy will be attended to next to the hotel...

The last one a shot of the autumn colours I found on the way...

Project Saxophone...

2009-04-15T14:33:00.006+10:00

There are numerous shiny things out there in the world. One of the challenges of photography is photographing them. Whole books have been written on the "science" of lighting and when you get it right things just look magnificent.

I have a saxophone and I've been meaning to learn to play it since I bought it just on 12 months ago. Last night I had my first real lesson and I had a great time. I hit some really dodgy notes but I can see that, with a little practice, I could really get into it...

I spoke to the owner of the business David Temby (and the designer of his own range of very nice instruments) about how to go about photographing instruments that are not only shiny but also have so many reflective surfaces. So today I borrowed some gear to see what I could come up with. It will require a bit more practice but these are just a couple of images.

There are faults in these images that are more to do with composition and lighting but I think that as a project to photograph very shiny things it has turned out ok...

Aarrgghh! I need help...

2009-04-14T10:30:00.004+10:00

I woke up this morning and went for a walk. I came home, did the morning things (shower, dressed & breakfast) then got my camera stuff out and laid out some pencils...

Took some photos, cleaned them up and posted them here... Maybe a pencil company will snap up my photos for their marketing... Maybe I need to speak to a stock agency???

I need to take photos of something else! So I'm out today seeking out items of interest. Seeking out those interesting things that people either don't or can't see...

Stay tuned...

I can't help it... I'm addicted...

2009-04-13T08:41:00.003+10:00

One of my earliest memories of primary school was of a new kid (I still remember his name) sitting next to me and breaking all of the leads off his coloured pencils and poking them into his ear. I have absolutely not a single clue as to why he did this but there you go...

There is just something about the colour, the smell, the "potential" of pencils that gets me going... So to speak...

I really do need to get out more...!

Lotus images...

2009-04-11T13:25:00.005+10:00

I saw some lotus pods at the florist last week and went back today to get some because they look absolutely fascinating. There were a couple of different sizes and the smaller ones had a full compliment of seeds.

When I went back they also had flowers so I'm hoping that over the next couple of days they will open and I can get more images...

Walk around Melbourne...

2009-04-05T15:21:00.006+10:00

I went into the city this morning with my camera. The plan was to see what I could find that was of interest to photograph with my 50mm lens.

On the technical side the 50mm lens on my D200 camera gives a cropped view similar to a 75mm lens would on a full frame sensor or 35mm film. The lens has a largest aperture of f1.4 but I didn't really play much with depth of field today...

One of the really cool things about Melbourne is the variety of architecture (look up once in a while) and the array of interesting alleys and laneways.

There are some very gifted graffiti artists out there and some that aren't so talented...

And there are some things that make you go "Hmmm???"

If only we had scratch & smell...

2009-04-04T19:01:00.002+11:00

The frangipani out the back is flowering. The poor plant has had a bit of difficulty this year what with the three hottest days in a row on record. Being moved to make way for works on the building and so on.

There are quite a few flower buds yet to open so hopefully I'll get more (and better) images.

The things you see...

2009-04-01T19:56:00.002+11:00

I was walking home tonight and saw this...

There are coat hanger aerials and there are works of miniature art... All of these items were a couple of inches high and knitted from wool...

Magic & Mystery...

2009-03-21T11:25:00.006+11:00

What is it about the miniature world that fascinates me? Is it the patterns? Is it the colour? Is it the mystery of seeing something that most people don't even notice? Is it the chance that there may actually be fairies out there waiting to be discovered?

I was asked once, when discussing "professional" photography, what I liked taking photos of. My answer was (and I would still say it today) "taking photos of things that people either can't or don't see". Maybe there is a professional path in this area, maybe there isn't but I am certainly drawn to it for some reason. So for the next little while I am going to put the expensive macro gear that I have purchased along the way to use. I am going to explore the world of miniature.

These images of a pine cone are just the beginning. Can you see the fairies?

Avalon Airshow 2009

2009-03-14T21:22:00.005+11:00

Today was the day! In eager anticipation last night I got all of my gear ready and nervously watched the weather report. Up early this morning and car packed. Off to my friends place and then on to the airshow. The weather report wasn't looking good and as we left Altona the clouds were getting blacker and blacker as we got closer...

It started raining before we got there and continued to rain, heavily, until well after we had squelched our way from the carpark to the exhibition area. The area was packed, not just busy but packed to the eyeballs with people who were sitting in the walkways, sitting in the displays, walking around trying to maintain some semblance of calm. The message went out that the show was about to start and people gradually moved out into the rain to have a look. My feet were wet, my bag was wet, my clothes were wet and my camera stayed dry (you can read into this that I didn't get it out) and the show started. It was so muddy that I really didn't want to put my camera bag down to get the camera out. Eventually I worked it out and managed a few reasonable photos - but not a lot. This one was the sharpest I got of the military jets, I'm pretty sure it was an F16 but I will be happy to be corrected? Unfortunately in the process of panning I managed to get the tail right at the edge of the image... Oh well, let's put that down to "needs more practice"...

As the day wore on the weather did improve, it was even sunny when we left.

I've not been to an airshow with military jets before and they certainly are very, very impressive... One of the last displays I saw was the FA-18 Hornet doing a fast run at full thrust. He (why "he"? I don't know?) was going about 800 knots (that's about 900mph or 1440kmh) down the runway and then did a ninety degree turn within about 100 metres. I cannot describe it in any other way than it looked like he did a powerslide and then took off... 36000 pounds of thrust allows you to do some amazing stuff.

The B1 bomber was sheer awesomeness (I may have made that word up?) and shook up your innards every time it went past...

Airshow...

2009-03-08T09:26:00.003+11:00

Next weekend there is an airshow at Avalon near Melbourne. I'm looking forward to it as I've been to smaller airshows but haven't been to one with the modern military jets.

This morning I heard the rainbow lorikeets in the trees outside and I thought that it might be a perfect opportunity to try my hand with my 70-200 and 2X teleconverter. This gives an effective focal length on a DX sensor of 600mm which should be heaps for the airshow.

So I mucked around a little and then the birds took off, panning with them I just left my finger on the button and took a series of photos. Some were sharper than others and this was the best one. I still have work to do to get good at this but one thing I did learn and it's critical - Keep Both Eyes Open When Panning!

It's the only way to relocate the moving object if it moves out of the viewfinder.

Quotes...

2009-03-07T08:41:00.001+11:00

“If a day goes by without me doing something related to photography, it’s thought I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.”

Richard Avedon

“Be who you is, cuz if you ain’t who you is, then you is who you ain’t.”

I don't know the author of this one but it's too true...

Don't ask me why... I'm just not sure...

2009-03-01T14:22:00.005+11:00

I don't know why pencils fascinate me? Maybe it's the colour, maybe it's the shape, maybe it's the potential art that is stored within? Whatever the reason I could spend hours finding ways to photograph them... Maybe I will explore this further sometime?

First Solo Wedding...

2009-02-28T10:49:00.002+11:00

I'm off in about 10 minutes to shoot my first wedding as the solo photographer...

It's taken many years of collecting gear (cameras, lenses etc), getting comfortable shooting all manner of things, learning some of the do's and dont's about weddings and getting a huge dose of *wake up* from my ex-wife. All of this had conspired to create in me the desire to get out there and do something different with life.

I have been around photography all of my life and know quite a few professional photographers some of whom are very successful. Coming from a technical background I never thought that I could do what they do. Over the last little while I have met some photographers who made me think - if they can do it why not me?

So, I'm off... I just hope I don't forget anything...

Photos to follow...

Now, where did I put my keys?

Album cover design...

2009-02-27T21:21:00.003+11:00

Jacinta over at One Little Acorn set a task... This is the result... I could have cheated and come up with a much better band name and song title and even a better image but it is just for laughs...

The task was to:

1. Go to "wikipedia" Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2. Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3. Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5. TAG the friends you want to join in (or do what I did and leave it up to whoever wants to join in).

Gestalt... No I didn't sneeze...

2009-02-22T19:47:00.004+11:00

Gestalt, in english, relates to form and shape. The meaning it has been given in my course relates to how much or, more correctly, how little of a "thing" you need to be able to see so as to be able to determine what that thing is.

This photo is an example. It should be relatively easy to determine what the "thing" is but can you work out which part of the thing you are looking at?

This one is lots easier...

And this one should be no problems whatsoever...

If you went down to the zoo today...

2009-02-22T15:38:00.005+11:00

These are just some of the things you may have seen through the bushes...?

An elephants trunk...

An elephants wrinkly butt...

A giraffe...

And maybe you would have even glimpsed a monkey...

That time of year...

2009-02-13T20:40:00.003+11:00

Unfortunately one of the side issues of living in the lucky country is the horrible things that happen that make us think we are lucky when they aren't happening.

Victoria, Australia, February the 7th 2009 saw record temperatures of 47 degrees Celcius in Melbourne and along with very low humidity and strong winds (and with the help of at least one arsonist) we had the worst fires ever recorded in Australia. It's taken nearly a week but the winds have turned a little and we are now getting the smoke in Melbourne. The fires have destroyed 1800+ homes, left 7000+ people homeless and although the authorities haven't mentioned death tolls for a few days the last count stood at 180+. The expectation is that the number may double. Whole towns have been burned to the ground!

There are numerous horrific stories and just as many stories of heroic deeds done.

The photo is taken across the road from my workplace and would be a lovely, glowing sunset if the truth wasn't known.

The fires are still burning.

My web gallery...

2009-01-30T14:50:00.003+11:00

Please check out my web gallery. I have spent some time setting it up and if you would like to give me some feedback on the design I would appreciate it...

I plan to use it to display wedding images for clients (I can make galleries private) so that they can select images for their album design... As well, of course to show some of my personal work...

The "Around Melbourne" gallery has lots of fireworks images from a couple of years ago when I took my blog header photo...

Enjoy...

An Obituary for Common Sense...

2009-01-28T09:16:00.002+11:00

Apparently this was in the London Times...

Interesting and sadly rather true.

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

Common Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as some churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and his wife Trust, Discretion his daughter and his sons Responsibility and Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

If you still remember him, remind people to read this.

I don't get it???

2009-01-24T12:54:00.003+11:00

I have a blog post with the title "Funnies... Weird/Scary dog..." and it would seem that there are a significant number of people in the world who Google that term...

I don't get it?

If you look at the FeedJit Live Traffic Feed on the bottom right of my blog it lists the location of the last ten people to look at my blog and what it was that they looked at... The majority of the time there are at least four out of ten that reference the Weird/Scary dog post. Today I looked and there were six out of ten! Why is this term so popular? Why do people search for it? Why do they find me when they search for it?

So I went and did the search myself and guess what!?! My blog is at the top of the Google search list for this term... But here's another puzzle, if you search for weird dog or scary dog my post doesn't rate a mention... Go figure???

At least (and at last) I have reached the pinnacle of something in my lifetime! I must sign off now I'm laughing so hard I may need to call an ambulance!

Keep your old photos...

2009-01-18T11:08:00.006+11:00

Never throw out your old photos...

You will get better at picking out what works and what doesn't. You will get better at processing them, cropping them and presenting them...

You will enjoy them all the more for the memories they provide... These photos were taken on the same night as the header photo on my blog.

How hard can it be?

2009-01-16T14:45:00.002+11:00

I have finally got around to getting an album design program in preparation for the multitudes of weddings that will come my way if I sit in the office for long enough...

So, in preparation and with much anticipation I installed the program, registered it and started to work out a plan...

Firstly I dragged a file from a previous wedding onto the desktop. Then I worked out how to convert the files from RAW to JPG and now I'm waiting, waiting, waiting while Photoshop does its thing with the files... I've done a couple of loads of washing and may still have time to go to the shop and get a coffee before the process completes...

Before you tell me to upgrade the computer - I already have 4Gb of RAM, a high speed scratch disk and I've played with the memory available to Photoshop...

And this is before I have even opened the album design program... At least I am working out the post production steps that are required to do this accurately (and as quickly as possible) in the future...

I can't wait to see the end result - I'm off to get a coffee!

Oh what a beautiful morning #2...

2009-01-06T18:05:00.002+11:00

This morning the river was like glass and there seemed to be no wind at all...

Oh what a beautiful morning...

2009-01-05T10:04:00.003+11:00

As I walked to work from the train station this morning I noticed a single hot air balloon between the buildings in the city. As I crossed the river and looked back towards the city there was a squadron of balloons floating gently into the sunrise...

The photo was taken with my mobile phone...

Note to self, next time I look for a mobile phone find one with a better camera...

Things I would like to achieve in 2009 (AKA) New Year Resolutions...

2008-12-31T10:12:00.000+11:00

Well it's that time again. Time to make a list of things that you would really really like to do for the year. Things that would make a difference to your life and break the "groundhog day" cycle. If I could remember where I put last years list I could have a look at it to see whether I was an achiever or a failure in the class of 2008...

This year I have a short but challenging list...

1. Complete a fitness program (Body For Life) and maintain that fitness for the rest of the year... When I do that I will be fit, healthy, slim/athletic for the rest of my life.

2. Establish my photography business and make a decent second income working around my current job.

3. Find someone to share it all with...

I'm sure that I will lose this list too... That's why I made it short.

Each of the items will require focus, dedication and commitment, sacrifices, stress and (some) loss of sleep. But the rewards will be worth it...

Happy New Year to one and all, may it be prosperous and rewarding...

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-24T21:05:00.002+11:00

Merry Christmas one and all...

As I sit watching Ewan McGregor ride from the top of Africa to the bottom in "Long Way Down". It reminds me that there is so much more out there than I am achieving at the moment.

This year has been yet another that I could have done better than I have...

What can I do about that?

Well, for a start there are some New Year resolutions that I could make...

1. Stop procrastinating
2. Make some goals
3. Develop a plan to reach those goals
4. Develop an action plan to make those goals achievable
5. Start working on meeting the objectives of the plan
6. Stop procrastinating
7. Plan how to stop procrastinating
8. Work out how to stay above zero
9. Stay above zero for 12 months
10. Procrastinate less

See you in 2009!

Check this out...

2008-12-14T21:11:00.002+11:00

Check this out. That's all, nothing I say will make it better...

http://www.myspace.com/gurrumul

Thanks to Luhlahh...

If you go down to the pond today...

2008-12-14T14:37:00.003+11:00

Well, for a start, there's water in it! We had a fair bit of rain yesterday, the most for a very long time. It's still dry as a whole but today there is mud about!

I have a pond near the front door with a resident goldfish. Recently the pond plants were replenished and today when I walked out I saw this little fella sunning himself...

A quick city walk...

2008-12-01T13:37:00.005+11:00

I went for a walk around the Queen Victoria Market this morning. The market isn't open on Monday but now that I have the times it is open I will try to get back there then.

I noticed a couple of things to photograph, the first image is a picture of someone else's image. The artist photographer was mentioned in the local paper last week and for the life of me I cannot find the article or the photographer but I will keep searching. The second image is the right way up! One of the buildings had a structure over the footpath that has a mirror finish the girls were just out the front having a chat when I looked up.

Planning a photography course...

2008-11-30T08:01:00.005+11:00

Hi everyone, I need some help. What would you have liked to know when you got your first SLR camera?

I'm seriously considering starting a business teaching the basics of photography to people who are moving in to an SLR camera, digital or film, for the first time. There is so much to learn and I've found in the course that I'm doing that if you can get the basics bedded down then working on the creative side is so much easier.

The problem is that anyone can take a good photo once. The new wizz bang, super duper, gigapixel camera does all of the work and the photographer really has no idea what just happened. The first step, I believe, is to go back to the basics, understand what happened and be able to repeat the process when that type of situation arises again. The follow on step is to be creative with the "rules" and make up some of your own rules to develop your individual style.

So I would like some help. I need to know what you wish you knew when you first got your camera. What fundamental thing about your camera would have made it easier to use it creatively? I want to go back to the basics of ISO/ASA, shutterspeed, aperture and work up from there.

Thanks in advance for any constructive input...

How many words do we really need?

2008-11-18T08:40:00.005+11:00

Some time ago (nearly a year ago) I wrote a blog entry regarding short stories here. Nobody took me up on the challenge to write the shortest story that included religion, sex and mystery... So I've decided to complete the circle myself and give you the full version.

Just to fill you in if you haven't followed the link. The assignment in a short story course was to write a story that includes religion, sex and mystery with as few words as possible. The winning entry went something like this... (I have shortened it even further from the version I first saw).

"God! I'm pregnant! How?"

Melbourne weather...

2008-11-14T10:21:00.005+11:00

There is a perpetual myth that when you come to Melbourne you should be prepared for four seasons in one day. Yesterday it was hot at around 33 deg Celcius and towards the evening clouds started to build up. As I left work I looked around (if you've never tried it look up for a bit of a change there are some amazing things to see) and saw some awesome clouds. Unfortunately I only had my phone camera and the poor thing didn't cope very well with the contrast.

These are some of the images I took and are only a poor rendition of the colour and drama.

This morning I woke to a storm with lots of lightning, thunder and some very welcome rain.

More studio fun...

2008-11-08T22:27:00.003+11:00

We had a "family & friends" night at the school studio a while ago and Gabriel and his new wife Maria volunteered to be the guinea pigs. We had free reign as far as what we wanted to do and a good time was had by all. By the end of the year the studio looks a little tired, the white paint is scuffed and the plaster in places is a little cracked.

I worked my butt off! By the time the studio session was finished I had almost completely run out of steam...

I had to work on the images a bit due to the background and I experimented with extracting the subject and placing him on a completely "fake" background. I think it works and I know he likes the pose...

Fun on the farm...

2008-11-04T21:50:00.003+11:00

A close friend has a farm not too far from Melbourne. I grew up in the country and don't seem to be able to get out there enough these days.

Warren and Vicki are currently raising some calves and they are pretty cute at present (the calves are, Warren and Vicki might not think it appropriate for me to call them cute!?!).

I took some photos and this is just one of the ones I like. The calves are very curious at this age and will walk right up for a pat and a scratch...

Take a bunch of flowers...

2008-11-02T12:18:00.002+11:00

and a macro lens. Add a little aperture, light and be very, very still...

I love photographing flowers. I'm not sure why it's just something I've always liked doing. So I'm thinking that I really should do something with that and make an effort to get better at it.

I admit it...

2008-10-25T12:42:00.004+11:00

I went along to help a friend from my course shoot her first wedding. Jodi was asked by her friend if she would be interested very early on in the course and her friend knew that she wouldn't be very experienced. Jodi was very nervous but she did a great job and I wish I had at least some of her creativity.

So there we were getting ready for the whole thing to get started and Jodi told me that she had bought along some "bubbles". I really must learn to be more creative and open to new ideas. I can't believe (now) that I said something along the lines of "why did you bother?"

I admit it, I'm stupid..! Sometimes...

Jodi offered the bubbles to the bridal party after the ceremony and; well see for yourself......

PS: Don't forget to check out the video clip a couple of posts below...

Who are you?

2008-10-24T12:12:00.003+11:00

One of the facinating things about blogging is that you don't know who is "watching" you. So you get a map that shows dots to tell you that someone from somewhere has had a look. This still doesn't tell you who is watching you. So you rely on people to comment but even then you might visit without commenting.

I have found a new widget and added it to the right. It is a "followers" list, what it allows is for people to let me know they are interested in watching my blog. So, if you would like to let me know that you "follow" my blog then add your name to the list. For those of you who are shy you can make yourself anonymous but where's the fun in that?

PS: By adding this post I have bumped an awesome post. Please check out the video clip in the post below...

The best six minutes you will spend today...

2008-10-24T11:00:00.005+11:00

I saw this on another blog and I have been meaning to watch it for some time. I finally got around to it. It is a very simple reminder that there is power in words but you need to choose the way you use them.

Watch this, you won't regret it.

Lucky me...

2008-10-22T09:43:00.004+11:00

Working where I work I sometimes get the priviledge of access to areas that most people won't get access to. This last few days I asked nicely and was granted access to the roof of the building. Unfortunately I wasn't prepared and could only take my phone camera but the good news is, now that I know how I can ask nicely and get access for photo opportunities again.

The first photo is of the city of Melbourne from the roof.

The second photo is of the fire escape stairwell which, having never been at the top of one of these stairwells, was very surreal. Every time you move the entire stairwell seems to change shape. Trying to get the floor (40 storeys below) in the centre of the image was interesting and a little spooky...

Dating update...

2008-10-22T08:17:00.002+11:00

I have hidden my online dating "profile"... For all of those statistical data collection junkies out there (you know you are) I had 77 contacts for the month of which I contacted half as many as contacted me.

A lot of the contacts were rejected for whatever reason (in both directions) and I have met with a few people now some of whom I will probably never see again and some who I have already arranged to meet again.

There are a couple of people who I am yet to catch up with. So for now it's time to just "get to know people". There are four on the list, all of them are interesting and have a wonderful story to tell.

Maybe this will work, maybe it won't but at the very least I have met some interesting people and maybe widened my circle of friends. At the very best I will find someone to spend the next chapter of life with. You know, the chapter where we ride off into the sunset hand in hand...

I have a new website... Woo Hoo!

2008-10-16T12:15:00.003+11:00

I have finally "bitten the bullet" and set up a website.

It is possible to set up individual galleries for clients and then make them private (client login only) so that the clients can pick and choose the images they like and either order them or buy them directly.

I have some samples and a wedding shoot from last weekend up and so far there have been nothing but positive comments. Yay!

For all of the photographers who may look at the wedding photos - I was second shooter and the images have just been resized with no adjustments!

www.portraitpro.com.au - enjoy...

Memorial Cross

2008-10-11T09:08:00.004+11:00

There is a memorial cross on Mt Macedon, north of Melbourne. I went there with some friends a couple of weeks ago for an impromptu picnic. It was lovely when the sun was out but a little cold in the shade.

One of the kids took his mum's camera and came up with a shot of the cross with the sun behind it, well done Sebastian. He is a pretty creative fella and I hope he keeps taking photos.

This is my version. I haven't changed the perspective at all from the original but I did try to bring out some detail in the clouds.

Dating at 40+...

2008-10-06T15:10:00.004+11:00

Well, it's that time again... Time to get out there and find someone to share the next chapter with. So I've put up my profile on an internet dating site... Internet dating!?!?!?

Not that long ago internet dating was just a seedy sort of fringe area where you could go to meet some very interesting characters. Nowdays however it is becoming the norm. I certainly find that I have no interest going to a pub or nightclub and shouting a conversation with women in the hope that they don't actually have a huge, apelike, boyfriend buying them a drink...

The interesting characters are still there, and I guess they always will be, but there are some truly genuine people there as well (me, for example).

I have tried this site before and only met a couple of people from a few contacts... This time I have chosen a good photo (the one on my blog profile) and worked on thoughtful profile. Within the first week I had 37 contacts! OMG! What do I do with this avalanche of women who all seem to want to get to know little old me? So I hid my photo! A few coffees and a picnic later I have met some lovely ladies and even with my photo hidden I am still getting "kisses" (for those who have never considered how internet dating is done, you either send a kiss or receive one to make contact, this bit is for free. If you are interested that's when you send an email and make contact)...

I'm off for a coffee tonight! Wish me luck...

Walkies...

2008-09-16T09:13:00.003+10:00

The park near home is a "lead free" zone for dogs. Owners can let the puppies off for a romp. There are often dogs of every shape and size running around and getting to know each other.

This morning I went over to see if I could see the cockatoos that I mentioned earlier and they were a no show yet again. I turned around and saw these guys running around and play fighting over a palm frond of all things. They were very funny and this is the only shot I got that worked...

The smaller dog eventually won and proudly carried the prize off into the distance.

Construction Zone 2...

2008-09-14T07:35:00.003+10:00

I went back out this morning but cockatoos are smart birds and when it's windy and raining smart birds stay in their nest...

On the way I passed the construction zone from yesterday and one of the machinery items had been left behind. I took some product shots and this little truck is now sitting on my desk.

If you know anyone who had a BBQ at the park in Richmond last night, I have their truck...

Construction Zone...

2008-09-13T18:20:00.005+10:00

I went down to the park this afternoon to see if I could get some images of the cockatoos that are nesting in one of the old gum trees. No luck but I will keep trying.

On the way back I passed a construction zone. The machinery was all lined up ready for the next shift...

Cinta...

2008-09-08T09:24:00.005+10:00

Cinta agreed to a portrait session at the school studio yesterday. These are just a few of my favourites.

It was a bit of a learning curve for both of us and I think we came out of it with some good images.

Worlds Greatest Walk...

2008-09-08T07:49:00.002+10:00

Some years ago my father had a heart transplant... You never plan for these things they just happen. The biggest problem with any sort of transplant is that someone has to donate their body, or parts of it, and the people around them have to know their wishes.

Unfortunately people die on the waiting list because people haven't talked about donating their organs with their family and friends.

My father was fortunate to have the help of a gifted surgeon and was able to survive for 40 days on an artificial heart. At the time 40 days was the record (the record was broken by the next person who needed it) and unbelievably his health actually improved while he was attached.

One of the people I now work with has had a transplant and his wife has also had a transplant. Please check out this website for an idea that may just save someones life...

http://www.worldsbiggestwalk.org/

Oh, and discuss organ donation with everyone you love, it may just be the most important thing you do today...

Panorama attempt...

2008-08-30T08:44:00.003+10:00

I am going to do more of these to learn the intricacies of stitching panoramas.The program seems to have compressed the middle image and stretched the end ones...

Either way this is Melbourne at dawn today...

Still haven't got this the way I want it...

2008-08-30T07:59:00.002+10:00

About 6:30am this morning I was set up and ready to take some shots of the city skyline. The sky lightened and the clouds became pink. This is close to what I saw but I need more practice with photoshop to get it 100%...

Around Melbourne...

2008-08-26T08:39:00.002+10:00

I went out yesterday and took some photos around Melbourne. These are just a few of the architechtural shots...

I plan to go out today and take some images in the Dandenong ranges. Hopefully I'll find something interesting...

Product shots...

2008-08-23T13:46:00.002+10:00

The theory was that we were going to do some product shots in the studio. In practice we just mucked around with a bag of lollies. Some of the shots turned out all right but I really must say that there has to be an easier way to stop lollies in the air than the way we were trying to do it... There may be some lollies left in the studio, it's amazing how far they can bounce for soft sweets!

Before & After...

2008-08-10T11:09:00.003+10:00

Another image of Brooke... I have included the original and my reworked version...

Passion...

2008-08-09T09:32:00.003+10:00

When I was 13 I attended a careers day at the local hospital. I saw an ambulance and spoke to the officers and decided that I was going to be an ambulance officer. No problems, study what was needed to be studied and wait until I was 21 (you need a full drivers licence).

And that's what I did, studied biology, physical education and maths etc, joined the army as a medic when I was 17, worked as a nurse until I was 21, applied to the ambulance service and was accepted at 21.

Over the years things change and progress and now I am passionate about photography. All of my money is spent on photography, books, gear, film (yes, it still exists), monitors, printers, scanners and the single most expensive thing so far - the course... And, yes, it is keeping me broke at present. The hope is that the effort will bring the rewards.

I was speaking to one of my staff a while ago. She is currently studying paramedical science at uni and seems to me to be doing it quite slowly. There is an opportunity for students to apply for a job and receive more "on the job" training to compliment the uni course but she hasn't applied...

My question to her was "if this is what you really want to do why aren't you doing it?"

Her answer made me think about "passion" and what it means. She told me that to be an ambulance paramedic was her passion but that she didn't want to rush into it. She didn't want to take it to the next level (intensive care paramedic) and that she was in no hurry to start working as a paramedic.

I don't get it. My idea of passion is that it has an intensity of desire that means that anything that doesn't drive you towards it is ignored and neglected. The speed that you run towards your "passion" is as fast as you can possibly go and you only occasionally stop for breath.

What is passion? Passion is what drives you forward towards your dreams. It surprises me that there is a slow option...

"Why am I here?"

2008-08-09T08:39:00.005+10:00

Bear with me on this one;

Last week at school we were getting the studio set up for the session. One of the girls in the course was disappointed to find out that her brand new (Nikon D80) camera didn't have a sync plug for the flash cable. "No problems" said I... We'll just set your cameras' internal flash to trigger the slave on the studio flash, if we turn down the power on your flash to minimum then the light won't affect the image it will just trigger the flash...

Yet another disappointment was in store, the camera flash couldn't be adjusted. So off I went to my bag of gear and pulled out an external flash, set it to manual, reduced the power and sure enough it worked. My comment to the girls (and the instructor) was "why am I here (learning this stuff that I can already do)?" The girls said that I was here to teach them stuff (but I'm a student and I paid to learn stuff not to teach stuff).

The instructor looked at me and asked me a question; "You know what they call people with too much "stuff" don't you?", I wasn't sure so he told me; "a geek!" Well I thought about this for a second and my response was to ask him "which problem that we have had here tonight was I not able to fix?" I'm still waiting for an answer...

Now I'll be the first to admit that I have been known to be a smart arse but this wasn't my intention at all.

What I learned from this is that I am well qualified to be a studio assistant but I'm not yet there with the photography and that is a problem that I'm working on... And that's why I'm there...

Funnies... Weird/Scary dog...

2008-08-05T20:37:00.003+10:00

For all you arachnophobes out there...

I found this today after someone pointed me to the website www.faildogs.com where they have a range of sometimes quite funny (and sometimes downright weird) photos of dogs failing to make the grade in various ways.

Just to prove there are others...

2008-07-30T23:30:00.002+10:00

This is one of the Jodi's from my course. Just to prove that there are others!

Another image of Brooke...

2008-07-30T22:39:00.002+10:00

It may seem that I am taking lots of photos of Brooke...

There are only four people on the course Brooke, Jodi #1, Jodi #2 and myself.

Jodi #1 and Jodi #2 have missed a couple of sessions so tonight Brooke and I got to ham it up a little... I was seen tonight with a rubber glove on my head! There is a possibility that I will show some of those images when we share them...

See, Hear, Speak no evil...

2008-07-28T22:45:00.004+10:00

Doesn't always work but I do try...

Thanks to Brooke for the images. They were taken on the same night as hers (below). I tried to get the colours to match exactly but ended up with Black & White. It looks better anyway.

Studio...

2008-07-28T13:04:00.005+10:00

We have had a couple of sessions in the studio at school. Working out the intricacies of studio lighting. I especially liked the bit about what you do to set the lights of if you forgot the cable and don't have a radio trigger...

This is Brooke, one of the students on the same course...

Another version...

2008-07-28T11:11:00.003+10:00

It was suggested at my course last week that I think about one of the images from Montsalvatto make the wheel stand out a little. This is one attempt and an exercise in selection of and masking out the areas that I want to adjust without affecting the areas I wanted to stand out. This is fairly exacting and (for me) relatively slow work.

At present I think this image looks better on screen than it does when I print it so I'll go back to the drawing board...

Black & White & Sepia tones...

2008-07-23T14:59:00.003+10:00

I went off to Montsalvat today to see what all of the fuss was about. Montsalvat was built by an artist and became an artists colony. The buildings are all of different designs and there are still resident artists on site... It's definitely worth a visit...

The 12 acres site has many very beautiful nooks and crannies to use as photographic backdrops and most are of enough interest to be picturesque on their own...

Just don't tell them you are a photographer or even a photography student. I asked if I could take photos and they wanted to charge me $20 per half hour when admission is $10 for as long as you like...

These photos were taken outside the main "complex"...

Fun with Pencils...

2008-07-20T19:52:00.008+10:00

Cinta found a new box of coloured pencils that she had to have. There never can be enough pencils! (Or paper!)...

Before she used them to draw or colour or make a dolls house (there could be enough) I decided to take some photos of them.

A very enjoyable afternoon was had arranging colours and shapes... And I didn't even draw anything with them!

These are some of my favourites.

Too many to choose from... #2

2008-06-30T20:06:00.004+10:00

My instructor liked this one better and I think I do too, however it didn't really fit the brief of taking an image of bridges & stairs.

It could possibly fit another of the briefs, to take an image of "fragments"...

I like the 2:1 panoramic format (the image was cropped to 6 x 12 which is a film format that I am interested in) so I will be taking more images with this in mind...

Assignment...

2008-06-29T16:41:00.004+10:00

I have an assignment to do and today Cinta and I went for a walk and took a couple of images around Federation Square.

One that I fiddled with in Photoshop came out alright I think and because it has text in it I decided to use a square format...

What do you think?

PS: The assignment was to take an image of stairs...