Save paradise from becoming a parking lot (if you live in Queensland)

September 2, 2020

Save Isobel Jordan Reserve. Or, save a piece of paradise from becoming a parking lot for the Air Museum. It takes 2 minutes to lend your support to protect this little pocket of amazing habitat (Queenslanders only) down near the Caloundra Airport. Please click the link and sign the petition. It ends on the 5 Sept so hop to it. They really need your help. Here's a few flora photos I snapped yesterday morning at this little treasure trove of natural goodness. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/petition-details?id=3374

Favourite Photo from 2017

December 28, 2017

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain.

To be honest, I find it bloody near impossible to choose a favourite photo from a whole year. My Lightroom catalogue on my laptop alone has over 10000 photos from 2017.
But this one stands out to me. This is my photography buddy Bryce. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to Melbourne in 2010 and it's because of him I started teaching at RMIT. He and I are pretty much interchangeable in what we teach. He's one of my best friends and this year, he nearly died. The specialists informed us he had about two weeks to live and they were looking at palliative care.
This photo was taken in Qld a couple months AFTER that phone call.

Moral of the story? Get a second opinion.

And don't take life for granted.

And sometimes it's ok to have a crooked horizon line.

Below is another favourite. A Smart-Phone shot of me dancing with Bryce on Christmas day. Best present ever.

So maybe a favourite photo isn't about the best technical or creative or clever photo. It's about the memory, the moment, the story, the person.

Double Delight - Timeless Photographs of Twins

September 11, 2017

Two weeks old. Jacob and Harper. Perfect little models who slept through their whole session and didn't poop once. Amazing!

Alicia gave me free reign when it came to photographing her little bubs. I'm not a fan of fancy props and poses and gimmicky ideas. I prefer classic, simple and uncluttered. Images that are all about the baby and not the accessories. Images that are timeless.

Sarah and Rupert at the beach

August 19, 2017

It's been almost 7 years since Rupert the cheeky Dacshund went to live with his new Mum, Sarah, and I started commuting back and forth to Melbourne. It was a bold and somewhat rash decision but one of the better ones I've made in my time. Melbourne has been good to me. The Coast will always be 'home'. When I get stressed at the complexities of living between two places, I remind myself how bloody lucky I am to have the best of both worlds.
I went to visit Rupert and Sarah last week and we went for a walk on their local beach (Yaroomba, I think it is). I'm absolutely certain that Rupert got the best deal in the world when Sarah adopted him. He is so well loved and looked after.
Sarah not only took on Rupert but she kept Wild Honey Photography running while I got up to speed with teaching photography. She's a great portrait and event photographer. You can find her at Your Life Photography.
I'd seen Sarah's great sunset shots and put an order in for a similarly spectacular sunset for my visit. And then I got lost and nearly missed it. The light was fading fast (up the ISO on the Fuji X-T2) but we got a couple of quick snaps with Rupert before heading back to Sarah's place for a Thai Green Curry and a bottle of red.
Blogging is a good way to remember that amongst all the shit that goes on in the world, there are good things that life offers up. Beautiful beaches, sunsets, good friends, cute puppies, yummy food and red, red, wine.

While I was walking (on the Sunshine Coast)

August 18, 2017

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS.

I went for a walk around the Moffat Beach Headland yesterday afternoon. I popped in to share a wine with a friend at Shelley Beach and then walked back in the dark.
I walk home from work in Melbourne in the dark too.

"Be Careful" people say.

"Remember what happened to Jill Meagher" they say.

I wonder what the statistics are for people getting raped and murdered at night time, as opposed to in the day time or in their own homes. I figure I'm much more likely, statistically, to die or get injured in a car accident. But nobody frowns at you disapprovingly when you say you're going for a drive.

Anyway, it was an absolutely beautiful night. And I was just grateful to be alive and to live in such an amazing place. I feel doubly lucky to also live in Melbourne, which just landed the "most liveable city in the world' for about the 7th time in a row.

I took a few happy snaps along the way. I was a little bit too early and then a little bit too late for the best light (that was the wine drinking time, which is surely a reasonable alternative to taking photos).

I spotted this guy watering his peas and as I walked past I thought it would make a great photo with the old house in the background. My confidence and outgoingness waxes and wanes, and as somewhat of an introvert, I usually keep walking, and then berate myself for my cowardice. (PS. No problem approaching strangers if I'm getting paid to photograph, but when it's just for me...).
But then I thought of my friend in Melbourne who is so sick going through cancer treatment, and I figured I had nothing to lose by asking. So I backtracked, said g'day and asked if I could take a photo. Simple as that. I then had a lovely chat in the afternoon sun talking about old houses, (multi)million dollar views and growing vegies. His daughter came out and got the obligatory squirt with the hose and for a moment life seemed quite simple.
One day this house will be gone and apartments put in its place and I will be so glad I stopped to take this photo. Thanks for being a good sport Travis.