Photography

Ford Capri in decay

/ Mike / 9 Comments

When I was growing up, there were two cars every boy wanted to have as a poster on their wall. One was unobtainable (the Lamborghini Countach), but the other was not only attainable (assuming you were old enough to own a driving license and have a job), but it was far cooler. It was driven by The Professionals and The Sweeney. Tough lawmen that got the villain, the girl and a pint in the boozer, and chased bad guys in Jags down alleyways and around wasteland populated by an unfeasible number of stacked cardboard boxes, that always ended up flying through the air.

As if this wasn’t enough to dream of, I actually ended up driving a Mk II Capri 2.3 V6 in gold with a vinyl roof in my early 20’s. It may not have been the fastest or best handling car in the world, but when I looked down that distinctive bonnet and turned the key, I couldn’t help but think I was a bit of a “geezer”.

So, imagine my delight, when on a holiday in Northumberland years later, I discovered this when out on a walk. If only cars could tell tales, I’m sure this one would have had plenty to say.






Happy Hardcore

/ Mike / 1 Comment

On Saturdays the teens from the suburbs gravitate towards the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. They gather in groups to practice parkour, crumping and dance to happy hardcore. The happy hardcore crew are the biggest. They move slowly, deliberately, then in unison they burst into a frantic, energetic dance, all flailing limbs and dayglo colours.

Gum Tree Bark

/ Mike / 2 Comments

I couldn’t resist adding some movement and a slow shutter to create this abstract of a gum tree.

Govett’s Leap

/ Mike / 3 Comments

Named after the one of the original European surveyors, Govett, and the Scottish for waterfall (leap), this is the incredible view you get from Govett’s Lookout. Click on the image to see a bigger version.

The scale of the Australian landscape takes my breath away. I used to find the Scottish mountains “big”, in comparison to England, where I spent most of my life. The Highlands seem so small when you look out onto a vista like this.

The Blue Mountains get their name from the blue haze you see in the distance. This is caused by the eucalyptus oils evaporating from the forest and scattering the ultaviolet wavelength of the sun.

Seven Mile Beach

/ Mike / 7 Comments

South of Gerringong is a nature reserve called Seven Mile Beach. It won’t surprise you that it’s a beach that’s seven miles long.

What did surprise, and delight me, was that there was only one other person there, and they were walking away.

I was able to walk along freshly washed sand, with no sound other than the waves.

Photokina – Beauty and the Beasts

/ Mike / 2 Comments

Photokina is a photography trade show like no other. Held every two years in Cologne, Germany, it is the world’s biggest photography fair. Many manufacturers use the fair to announce new products, and it’s easy to lose sight of the interesting ones amongst the flood of press releases.

There were two announcements that stood out for me. I have been re-evaluating my photography for the last year or so, and while I was once a die-hard landscape photographer, lugging around a DSLR and heavy lenses and tripod on a weekend, age and refreshed perspective have led me away from this way of working, and I now favour smaller, lighter equipment. First, I bought a FujiFilm X100, a delightfully small and light fixed lens camera, with an analogue sensibility. I’ve had more enjoyment with this little wonder that slips into a jacket pocket than I ever did with a rucksack full of “pro” gear. That’s why I have got so excited about FujiFilm’s mirrorless interchangeable lens system. The X-Pro1 has been out for several months, but Fuji have announced the X-E1, a less expensive version, with a high quality electronic viewfinder, that takes the same X-mount lenses. Fuji have delivered some high quality prime lenses for this new system, along with a new zoom. Combined with the great user experience and Fuji colours I’ve enjoyed with the X100, it has me seriously contemplating giving up my Canon DSLR.

At the other end of the spectrum, Hasselblad (or, perhaps more accurately the investment company that now owns them), have decided that the way to make money is by re-badging Sony cameras, and covering them in bling. Apparently aimed at the ever-expanding Russian and Chinese markets, where a camera with the ‘H’ badge is seen as a status symbol, you will soon be able to buy these monstrosities at many times the cost of the underlying Sony’s.

If you are interested in more Photokina coverage, I recommend Luminous Landscape.

Cherry Blossom in Spring

/ Mike / 4 Comments

I’m still thrown by the seasons and the southern hemisphere!

It’s now September, which means Spring is here. The cherry trees in the Blue Mountains are bursting forth with their blossoms, and the air is filled with the scent of the trees.

Cherry Blossom

Sea of Hands

/ Mike / 2 Comments

Every year a public art work known as the Sea of Hands is created on one of the lawns at the University of Sydney. The hands show support by people for Indigenous Native Title Rights and Reconciliation. The Sea of Hands is made from the colours of the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian flags (black, blue, green, red, white and yellow), and each bears the name of the person who planted it.