Bondi Surf - Apr11

The surf conditions lately down at Bondi have been quite spectacular and wild. I normally pop down to the beach around once a week - almost always without my camera. After missing some potentially amazing shots, I went down one weekend recently armed with the 100-400mm telephoto lens. It was good to get the lens out as this one has been dormant for some time.

I love the way the perspective is flattened especially at the 400mm end!

Once again, click on each image to enlarge.

Christchurch Trip (Post Earthquake) - Mar11

Jenn and I were supposed to go over to Christchurch for my Dad's 70th birthday celebrations on 25th February this year. However on Tuesday 22nd February, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck, causing widespread damage across the city with almost 200 fatalities.

My parents were ok, although their property has sustained some damage - the subsequent aftershocks have caused them considerable distress but luckily at time of writing, most of their amenities are back.

We postponed the trip but went over late March instead. On a fine Saturday, my parents, Jenn and I drove across to Lyttelton (adjacent port town), plus visited the suburb of Sumner - both were hit quite hard. We also went to other spots around the city - the CBD has been badly affected and currently there is an army block off around the city so no-one unauthorised can go in.

Here is a sample of photos which gives just a small idea of how bad it was. Note: click on images to enlarge.

Below: Old building in Lyttelton



Below: An example of the various cracks and damage to the pavements and roads







Below: Completely buried car underneath rubble



Below: This property, in Sumner, was featured on the news a few times



Below: An RSA building in Sumner - a huge boulder flattened it



Below: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrement building - substantial damage to this and the dome will be removed. Note that this was the closest we could get to it due to it being co-ordined off

Wide Angled Scampi + Tooth Brushing - Feb11

I've often found that using a wide angled lens creates some amusing portraits. It is not for the faint-hearted though and can create extremely comical, and distorted faces.

I decided to play around with it the other day with Scampi. The first batch of images was taken one weekend morning with him at play (he loves the bubbles).

The second batch of shots was when we tried to clean his teeth with "chicken flavoured" toothpaste. Suffice to say, he wasn't a big fan...!

Click on each image to enlarge.

Trip to Melbourne - Jan11

Jenn and I spent a long weekend in Melbourne. We stayed with Chris (her brother) and he showed us all the key sights and the interesting back streets that make the city interesting in my opinion.

I love all the street art and quirky cafes and hidden areas. Here are a sample of shots from our trip.





Above two: vibrant street art near city centre





Above two: Queen Victoria Market

Below: More street art







Below four: St Kilda, including the pier











Above: View from observation tower of the city

HDR Shoot - Pyrmont - Jan11

I have always been interested in HDR photography as it compensates for the lack of dynamic range within modern digital cameras. I usually expose 3-5 shots for each image then blend them together using Photomatix. Sometimes the effect can look surreal, almost cartoon-like. However if done well it can look terrific!

I've decided this year to spend more time wandering around Sydney looking for these sort of opportunities - watch this space!





Above two shots: The abandoned Edwin Davey & Son's Flour Mill



Above: Looking into a rail tunnel, close to the flour mill

Scampi Chilling at Home - Oct10

Scampi has been acting like a true teenager lately - full of beans, but lazy in the morning; a never ending appetite, but stubborn when he wants to be.

So, time to get the camera out and capture his engaging personality! Enjoy.

Family Shoot - Sep10

We had friends over today and we did a family shoot for them using my studio lights set up in our second bedroom. Given it can take awhile to set everything up, we decided to take some shots of us (us meaning Jenn and I and our little snorter ;-))

(Below) Errr, where has Scampi's left ear gone?

(Below) Scampi flicking the bird...

(Below) I will do anything for food

(Below) Mummy trying to do one of her pensive looks while Scampi is thinking about his next meal