Keeping Tri-X in the fridge since 1984
Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live and work in, with sky-high property prices. The population is expanding, mostly to the West, and hence, so to is the attention of property developers. Parramatta is a suburb in the western sprawl, and the city council have announced a $1.6 billion investment in new buildings – offices, apartments and retail. And so, Parramatta starts its transformation.
Taken with my new Fujifilm X-Pro2 and 35mm f2 lens.
An uncharacteristic drop in temperature and overnight rain transformed the endless vista of the mountains into an intimate landscape with pockets of life rising up from the valley floor.
We’ve had a welcome break for a week, and visited friends in Tasmania. We did some touring of the national parks around Cradle Mountain, and made our way to Liffey Falls, where we went for a hike through the rain forest. It’s a beautiful place, with lots of shade beneath the trees, and the ground is easy going.
The Liffey Falls themselves are a series of falls, and the track takes you down them, with great lookouts along the way. At the bottom the trees overhang the edges, creating patterns of light that dance on the water.
I took this with my Fuji Film X-E1 and 14mm lens, along with a B+W 10 stop filter, on a tripod, to get the long exposure. The light weight of the Fuji Film gear, along with a carbon fibre tripod makes a big difference in the “carryability” of my setup – especially welcome on the upward climb!
Silhouette’s are a favourite subject of mine. I like the strong lines and how well black and white suits them (although, ironically, this is a colour one). This was taken on a street photography night out with the Meetup photography group I am a member of. There’s more photos here.
Australia Day stirs mixed feelings in me. Most Australians are incredibly lucky, with democratic freedoms and an economy that makes them amongst the best off in the world. However, the wealth and opportunities are not there for indigenous Australians, and Australia Day doesn’t give this hidden Australia much to celebrate.
Australia is changing though. It is steadily becoming more multi-cultural, and most younger people are comfortable with this, embracing the mix of European and Asian cultures that surround us. I work in education, and my employer is intent on taking positive steps to make sure all of Australia is part of what we do.
I choose to take a positive outlook on what Australia Day can be – a mark in time that lets us assess where Australia has been and the progress we are making.
The Blue Mountains Winter Magic Festival is held each year around the winter solstice, and is a community event that brings artists, musicians, drummers, dancers and the wider community together.
The sense of fun amongst people who were gathering for the parade was fantastic, with singers, drummers and a samba group all creating as much noise as possible. The effort people had put into their costumes was tremendous, and I was particularly struck by the drum corp, who managed to keep in character and drum out the beat for everyone to march to.
