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 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.
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
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.
If there’s one form of photography guaranteed to stir up strong opinions, it’s street photography. Why? Let’s start by understanding what is considered to be street photography.
Wikipedia describes it as
a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings.
Street photography uses the techniques of straight photography in that it shows a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society. Street photography often tends to be ironic and can be distanced from its subject matter, and often concentrates on a single human moment, caught at a decisive or poignant moment. On the other hand, much street photography takes the opposite approach and provides a very literal and extremely personal rendering of the subject matter, giving the audience a more visceral experience of walks of life they might only be passingly familiar with. In the 20th century, street photographers have provided an exemplary and detailed record of street culture in Europe and North America, and elsewhere to a somewhat lesser extent.
Deep In Conversation
So what does this mean for me? Above all, I see my street photographs as documentary in nature. I am an observer, capturing individual moments which show context and I aim to tell a story – the interaction between people and their environment and each other.
There is a “style” of street photography that attempts to interact with people on the street by shocking them (such as leaping out in front of them and firing a flash) and provoking a reaction that would not exist without the photographer. This doesn’t appeal to me one iota. Not only do I think it shows a lack of respect to others (how would you feel if someone did this to you?), but the photographer changes from an observer to a participant, essentially rearranging the scene to suit them.
Similarly, asking people if you can photograph them before-hand alters the whole dynamic of the scene. Once people become conscious that they are being photographed, their behaviour changes, and you are no longer capturing a “true” or “real” situation.
Rich Pickings
So I observe, and capture those moments of interaction.
Audience
I have joined a street photography group on Meetup, as I’ve always been interested in capturing moments of life, and now that I live in (well, nearby now) Sydney, I found myself inspired when walking the streets. It’s such a vibrant city, with lives that flow and intertwine in front of my eyes every time I step out onto the pavement.
The organiser (Nathan) did a great job. With 38 people turning up, we split into groups with a more experienced lead, and headed out for a couple of hours of “shutter therapy“.
Real Kodak Pictures
A lot of bottle
Textual focus
P.S. I am experimenting with WordPress HiDPI support, so if anyone with a wondrous Apple MacBook Pro Retina display is reading this, I hope you are getting the full, high resolution versions!
We’re still settling in to our new house. The creak of the floorboards, the sound of the birds up here in the Blue Mountains, all the little things you discover as you get to know a place.
This morning I woke up early, and while my family were still sleeping I got to sit with a coffee and watch the light change as the sun rose.
I’d never heard of Yum Cha before we arrived in Sydney. It has now become a firm family favourite on a Sunday, combined with a trip to visit a museum or exhibition.
Ladies push trollies of dim sum around the restaurant, and as you pick delicious sounding dishes (fluffy, doughy buns filled with char sui pork and rice noodle parcels containing scallops and spring onion are our favourite) they stamp your card with their ID, ensuring they get paid for their service. A large pot of green tea washes it all down.
And as any parent with impatient children will appreciate, you are tucking in within seconds of taking your seat.
Mike Baker | Photography 