Wednesday, December 30, 2009

departure


Farewell to another year. This is the TSS Earnslaw chugging off for its run up Lake Wakatipu from its little harbor mooring in Queenstown. In a couple of years, the Earnslaw will reach its centenary so one perhaps can draw some comfort as 2009 draws to a close that something so majestic can still race off into a stiff wind with such grace and speed that years, like squalls, are quickly left in its wake.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009


Perched 15 floors above Coolangatta Beach on the Gold Coast, we're being treated to a wondrous and constantly changing view of the Pacific Ocean, beaches, and mountain hinterland around us. But nestled in one corner of the park between our apartment and the beach is a tiny fair that's sprung up to provide some Christmas entertainment. I thought it represented a nice opportunity to test out the new Canon G11 I've added to the photographic arsenal, and so I screwed on a Joby gorilla-pod and clamped the camera to the balcony railing for a long-exposure shot that I think came out nicely. Low noise, low shake, and lovely colors, although I still need to do a little adjustment on the halogen lighting, methinks.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

art amidst the trash


Little did I know but Melbourne's street artists could rival those of Barcelona and Madrid for their creativity and style, although their collective canvas is a little less obvious than the main thoroughfares targeted by their Spanish counterparts. In a handful of alleyways in central Melbourne, there are long stretches of anarchistic graffiti, ranging from basic stencils through to elaborate and fantastic painted scenes. It's just the sort of thing I love. These alleyways aren't your pampered and protected tourist showpieces however. They're lined with overflowing dumpsters, characters reclining in doorways with long ashes drooping from cigarettes, and the smell of urine - fresh and historic - pervading the scene. No wonder the city council took some convincing that these were actually worthy of preservation. So there is an entrance price to these galleries, but one well worth paying. This little gem was in the dimmest, trashiest, and most easily-overlooked of the alleyways, and apart from the scrawls, was the only art in this location. Even though some of the other work at locations is more complex, more storied, and perhaps more enjoyable, I found that the solitude and apocalyptic surrounds of its alley lent this one added relevance. Taken with the 5D Mk II and a 24-105mm f/4 at 1/25 sec handheld.