As we did last year, Australia Day 2011, to celebrate Australia Day we head down to the Geelong foreshore with our friend Kathryn for a day of photos and fun.
First though was a quick stop at the Wyndham Cache for breakfast. We had lunch there last Sunday and have to say our second visit wasn’t as great. Clearly they weren’t prepared for the crowds of the public holiday and the horse show that was happening just up the road. Only two front of house staff were on, pretty sure the owner and his wife, and two kitchen staff. The kitchen kept up better than the front of house and after a bit of a wait to place our order or breakfasts arrived. I had French toast, which after ordering seemed a little wrong on Australia Day.
When we got to Geelong there was a slight hitch. Some boofhead (read “I”) forgot my camera and left it sitting on the kitchen table at home. Thankfully Kathryn was travelling with all three of her camera bodies that day; a Nikon, a Canon and a Konica/Minolta. Kathryn was going to let me borrow one of her bodies for the day, as they’d most likely just be sitting in the boot.
I think, however, that both David and Kathryn could tell I was a little miffed that I wouldn’t have my own camera and David suggested we go home and get it. Kathryn opted to stay and start visiting the festivities while David and I made the hour-long round trip back home to get my camera.
On our return, now much happier with my own baby in my hands, we set about exploring the foreshore. It was set up much the same as last year. From where we parked, on top of the hill, it was a short walk to the skate park where the “grungy” bands were playing, then past the pier, over to the first part where food stalls were set up and the main stage was in place. On the main stage our new Australians were being sworn in as little Aussies, with this year’s group including a gentleman of 88 who has lived in Australia for over 60 years but this year was the oldest person in Australia becoming a new Aussie on Australia day 2012.
Further along was another park with another stage of performers, followed by the Giant Sky Wheel (just past the marina) and the beach volley ball beside that. Across from these were yet more stalls.
We took a bunch of photos at the volley ball and moved on down to the far end, to the Eastern Beach Swimming Enclosure, where the kids (young and old) dive from the diving boards and fall, sometimes flailing wildly, from the high platform. These kids are quite often fun to watch for ages. They have so much fun bouncing around and trying new tricks.
One little girl was by far the highlight of the day. When it was her turn, she’d walk out to the edge of the diving board, look down, think about it, look back at her brother (who was waiting next in line) and then back at the water. Then she’d wander back off the board, too scared to jump and back to the end of the line. This went on about seven times before, on the eight, her brother went out on the board with her and stood with her while she did her “look and consider” routine. This time though her brother must have offered her comfort because she was suddenly crouching down and then launching herself off the edge of the board and into the water. Had it been one of my siblings I’m sure we would have pushed them off before the third time through. But her brother, and all those waiting in line, were very patient with her.
Of course once the first jump was out of the way there was no stopping her.
We had lunch at one of the stalls, I opted for a calamari and prawn basket while David and Kathryn had baked spuds. We also indulged in dagwood dogs, soft serve ice-cream and fairy floss, all right when I say “we” I probably mean just me. But it was a celebration so it’s all right for a little indulgence to occur.
While we had at first considered hanging around for the fireworks display later in the night we were all a little worn out form the sun and walking around and around. We instead opted for a ride on The Giant Sky Wheel, then home. On the way home we passed by Werribee South water front where they had just started celebrations, though I’m sure most of the people had been there all day, and it was packed. They were going to have fireworks there too, but we still decided it best to call it a day.
In all it was a fun day, we always have a good day when we’re out taking photos. I think we came back with a nice collection. Many of which probably won’t see the light of day. But here’s a few of my favourites from the day. You can see more in my Flickr set: Australia Day 2012.
At least I hope it is. Just watched the pilot for “SMASH”. I love it.
I want to see more and more and more.
I would have thought this would be a great way to actually build a musical over a season of a TV show, but it doesn’t look like that’s how it’s going to go. It looks like, from the extended season preview show at the end, that the seasons pretty much complete.
The quality of this is a bit crap, and they really missed the boat on using online to help the show grow. This is clearly a rip someone has made from their DVR. Sad the studio hasn’t embraced the Internet.
So I guess I’m just a bit of a musical theatre queen at heart. I can’t wait for more of the show.
For those who like a little Doctor Who humour, and who doesn’t, I present “The Daily Dalek”
Get on over to The Daily Dalek and have a laugh at the (currently) over 100 awesome comics and a little more Doctor Who humour thrown in.
We’ve gone international people.
We created the “Australian Open 2012 Official Program for iPad” for Tennis Australia. It’s an iPad app that includes the full print program in two versions, either a PDF View showing it exactly as it appears in the printed magazine or a story version with the PDF’s text inline and much easier to read on the device.
In addition to this we’ve included a news feed and live scores so you’ll be able to see the action real-time in app/
And as you can see from below, we’ve gone world-wide. I’m not certain what they’re all saying but it it’s anything like the feedback we’ve received so far from other english speaking folk, it’s all good.
明日からテニス４大大会のオーストラリアOPが始まるので、『Australian OPEN 2012 app for iPad』ダウンロードしました。錦織圭選手の活躍を楽しみにしています。
لمستخدمي الآيباد والآيفون ، تطبيق بطولة استراليا المفتوحة 2012 الان متاح على الابل ستور google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&…
This would have to be our biggest app to date. We’re pretty proud of how it works. It was conceived by us and built in collaboration with another team of developers quite quickly over the Christmas break.
Geoff, the boss, tweeted about it.
Can’t get to the OzOpen? You can still get the official program free on the iPad, a product of @slatterymedia. iTunes:bit.ly/AOP2012
- Examine 2011
What did you achieve in 2011? What did you plan to achieve but didn’t? What got in the way? Take time to do some honest reflection, but don’t beat yourself up. Instead, start thinking about how you want 2012 to be different, including any behaviours you want to change. - Set SMART Objectives
SMART stands for Specific Measurable Attractive Realistic Timeframe. Be specific about what you want to achieve. Make sure it’s measurable so you know when you’ve achieved it and notice the important milestones along the way. Make sure it’s attractive to you. Be realistic about what you can achieve — but that doesn’t mean you can’t think big. And set a timeframe to achieve it by. - List the Benefits
What are the benefits of you achieving your goal? How will you feel, look or what will you have? If your goal is going to the gym regularly, will you have more energy, feel more confident, enjoy the changes in body and have a sense of accomplishment/. Create as long a list as you can. These are your positive motivators. - What’s at risk if you don’t succeed?
It doesn’t feel good to fail and can have negative effects on us emotionally, mentally and physically. Create a list of everything you want to avoid that could happen if you don’t succeed at your goal. Using the gym example, you may want to avoid poor health, not fitting into those new clothes, or having to tolerate procrastination. These are your negative motivators. - Indentify Three Obstacles to Success
Every goal has potential obstacles, from self-limiting believes and procrastination to budget and external forces. A well-planned objective means that you have to consider what might get in the way and most importantly how you might sabotage your own success. If you’re honest about the year just gone, you might already know what your worst enemy might be. - Identify Two Solutions
Every obstacle has at least two solutions if you’re willing to see them. If you’re a procrastinator, you need to develop new habits, get someone else to keep you accountable, and break the goal down into smaller easier-to-achieve parts. Brainstorming solutions with someone else is always a good step, especially if you’re too attached to the obstacle itself to see it differently. - Create a Motivation Strategy
Some people like affirmations, others prefer images of success or focusing on how you physically feel when you’ve achieved something. Whatever strategy works for you, build it into your plan. Some strategies could include putting up photos of what success looks like to you, or you could speak your affirmations to yourself everyday in the mirror. With affirmations, speak in the first person, positive and present tense and, most importantly, speak them out aloud. - Develop an Action Plan
If you don’t take your first steps with 24 hours of setting your goal, you’ve just cut your changes of success in half. Do something now — anything — just get started! Perhaps start by breaking down the goal into smaller, more manageable tasks and set deadlines for completing each of the steps. Keep the task list somewhere you’ll see it every day, like on the fridge, and track your progress. If you forget about the list, chances are you’ll forget to do anything. - Plan Your Celebration
How will you celebrate achieving goal? This is the most forgotten step in the process and without it, it’s very difficult to push yourself toward the next goal. If your objecting is a really big one, be sure to celebrate the milestones along the way. Treat yourself to something you really want (like new clothes to match your new body), or just something you enjoy but don’t do regularly — like take a bubble bath. - Don’t Do It Alone
Ask a friend for help or consider hiring a coach to support you along the way. Whoever it is, their role is not as cheerleader but as someone to hold you accountable to your actions — or inactions. When you do achieve your goal, be sure to celebrate with the people who helped you.
Modified from a list found in DNA Magazine’s January 2005 edition.
Our drive to Sydney was pretty uneventful. It’s almost a straight run now with only Holbrook remaining as the last little town to be bypassed. The Tarcutta bypass seems to have opened since last year and what was once considered the halfway point on a journey from Melbourne to Sydney is now a mere blip as you fly passed on a motorway.
Of course while we see these little towns, where we were often made to go from 110kph to 50kph, as annoying obstacles — and often speed traps — I do have to wonder what all the folks living in these towns are now doing for a living? As the “halfway point” I’m sure Tarcutta used to see a lot of folks stopping in town for a well needed rest. And now that respite is found at a service centre featuring a McDonalds, KFC or Hungry Jacks (AKA Burger King for American readers).
I was reminiscing on the drive, back to the days when; as a family; we’d take the drive to Coffs Harbour or Tamworth to visit family.
Back then mum would make sandwiches and bottle up some cordial for the trip. Rest stops would be made at designated town. There were no “service centres” along the way. Service was provided in a small township, petrol was put in the car by an attendant at the petrol station and our packed lunch was taken in a local park.
A lot of the majesty has been removed from the road trip. It really is now all about the destination and getting there as fast as we can. We no longer enjoy the journey, if we ever did.
I remember there was a lot of fighting on road trips. We were a family with four kids. There’d be a fight before we left over who was going to sit up front in between our parents on the car’s bench seat. There’d be fights as the three in the back, most often the three boys, would jostle for their space. Drawing non-existent lines with our fingers to designate “our spot” and chastising a brother should he even think of putting an ounce of flesh over that line. Of course there’d also be the deliberate fingertip placed over the line, just to get a reaction. These incidents would be met with the obligatory “If you don’t stop we’re turning the car around and going home!” and “Do I have to put you out here and make you walk the rest of the way?”
Back then, there’d be games of “I spy“, “punch bug” and constant animal imitations as we passed them in abundance.
Now we pass cars with kids in the back watching DVD players, wearing headphones. I think it’s a shame to see. I firmly believe the road trip isn’t just about going from one place to another. It really is about the experience of the trip and the experiences we gain as children through the interaction with our parents. I can’t recall a single conversation on these trips, not that they didn’t happen, in fact I’m sure they did, but I’m just getting older and those memories evade recall. I’m certain that interacting with our parents and our environment during these trips helped form us into the people we are today. I really don’t think staring at the back of our parents heads watching “Toy Story” for the 1,000th time would have seen us be the same people we are now.
I only have one firm memory of a road trip, for the most part they are a muddled bunch of snippets in my mind, but bear with me as I remember one particular trip to Tamworth to visit our Aunty Cheryl.
My sister, Jennifer, was just a toddler. It was near Christmas (I think just after) and just us kids and mum made the trip. I distinctly remember having to stop on the way home because we in the back had fed Jennifer a bunch of lollies and she had puked them up all over the place. I have this memory in my head of the smell and of us standing at the side of the road while mum used bottled water to clean the mess. And not only was there the puke, but we had been given plasticine by our Aunty, it was in a pack with instructions for making a Smurf figurine. One had been made and had obviously been held by Jennifer. In the heat of the summer it had melted in her carseat. I remember mum getting a little angry as we couldn’t say with absolute assuredness that Jennifer had not in fact eaten any of the plasticine and if that was a contributing cause for her being sick.
So yeah part of the trip yesterday was reminiscing. Feeling a little nostalgic and a little sad for the kids of this current generation who listen to iPods and watch screens, disconnected from their parents, their siblings and the world passing by their window. Another part was watching my partner, David, driving or sitting in the passenger seat. Thinking how lucky I have been these past 14 years to have someone beside me who still makes me smile just by being there.
I also played with my iPhone 4S, taking photos and testing time lapse apps. I’m thinking of making a time-lapse of the trip home. So here’s a few pics from the trip and the video at the end.
Oh yeah, I’m big in sports… not… but apparently my abdominal region thinks I am, or else why would it feel it would be right in forming abdominal tendonitis?
Apparently over three years of pain has been a result of the spot where my abdominal muscles come together with leg and pubic muscles being repetitively strained.
I went to the doctor last Friday who basically stopped short of calling the other doctors and specialists “quacks” for wanting to remove a testicle in an attempt to fix my pain in that area. To their credit, that IS where I was feeling the majority of the pain, with the occasional pain in the muscle and right thigh. Constant nausea and a LOT of sleepless night.
But when I went to see the new doctor on Friday, I told him my story. About a third of the way through he started nodding. He didn’t once try and stop me talking, he was listening to anything and everything I had to say, and when I was done he said “I think I know what’s wrong, but lets just take a quick look before I say anything”.
I jumped up on the bed, shimmied my pants down a little and he touched me in a spot I can only describe as midway between my hip and groid, along that point where the one side of the V appears on men in much, much better shape than I. I pressed, I yelped, he said “yep, you can get dressed now”.
He says the problem is tendonitis. Caused by a repetitive strain in the region and often experienced by football and soccer players. I’m neither.
I was so happy to have a doctor say something definitive I forgot to ask what he thinks may have caused it in my case. But I, as always, have my own theory. When I was younger I had a massive hernia, but on the left side. I think maybe the years of the right having to compensate for the massive tear in the left might have had something to do with ongoing strain. I can certainly tell you it has nothing to do with sport, I don’t do any.
Regardless of the cause, I’m happy I now have a plan for tackling the problem that has been a pain in the, well groin, for over three years. Anti-inflammatories for now, steroid injection in early January and ongoing physiotherapy to repair and heal. YAY.
Not a big proponent of writing off part of the year, it’s like December doesn’t happen for most of the folks who put these “year in review” things together. But there are a few good moments in this one.
Oh man, I have been waiting for this shoot for so very long. Not only have I finally shot in the field I have been stalking for forever, I finally got to shoot with Amirah. Many thanks to SueZ who’s been trying to get Amirah and I together for a few years now.
I was a little nervous earlier in the day. I always get nervous when I’m shooting with someone new. On top of that I was shooting deliberately with the light behind Amirah and using a flash to create the front light. I really like the look it gives.
Originally this shoot was supposed to be of a male model, a blue sky with a few white clouds and back when the grass was still green. I found a couple male models but it was hard to pin them down while also getting the weather right.
On hearing my frustration with it all, SueZ insisted I shoot with Amirah, so we set it up a couple of weeks ago. With the way the weather was today I called Suez to say it was starting to look nasty and considered cancelling the shoot, but then thought, “to hell with it”, I had to shoot.
I always pre-visualise my shots. And while photographers are always told that’s a good thing to do, I’m a nutter for it. An incredibly visual person I get a vision in my head and too often am not happy if I know it’s not going to turn out the way I want it to. Take the field for instance. This is what I wanted it to look like (but with real green grass, not the fake I did below):
But Mother Nature just wasn’t playing nice. Ever. And today was the last straw. Basically because I’m pretty sure the field is going to be mowed down any day now and will soon be a field of hay bales (another opportunity for another shoot).
The shoot turned out, as these things often do, to be just right. Sure I didn’t want an overcast and cold day, but I think we did a great job. And it’s worth remembering a making photos isn’t just about what the photographer does. It’s most definitely a team effort when a model and assistants are involved.
All shot with a single flash (Canon 580EX II) on a light stand, often held in place by the wonderful SueZ when I couldn’t get the light stand to do exactly what I wanted it to.
These are just quick edits, but I think they’ve worked out well.
Unlike many other shoots I’ve done in the past I have to say this would be one of my most successful when it comes to the number of keepers to the number of throwaways. Amirah was a great model with an amazing outlook on life and having SueZ along made it all the more fun.
I look forward to shooting with Amirah again. I had so much fun and want to publicly thank Amirah and SueZ for an awesome afternoon of shooting.
Behind the scenes:
The genesis of this shoot was the field and a stool. I wanted the stool, I wanted a stool that looked just like the one you pretty much don’t even see in these shots. I scoured Ebay for weeks and then drove all the way to the other side of town to get the one I found.
The shoot was lit by a Canon Speedlite mostly off to the side, varying on the shot, held on a light stand for some. Then held by the awesome SueZ when the light stand wouldn’t give me the angle I wanted. The human light stand is always awesome but I think I need to invest in a C-stand with an arm for future shots.
Lighting was of course helped out by the giant ball of light in the sky, which for this shoot, was greatly diffused by the cloud cover.
Having a bit of fun between shots.
This is what it looked like on the camera.
Amirah was quite cold at times when the wind came up.
The one light I used.
My amazing assistant for the day, SueZ.
What did I learn from today’s shoot?
- To stop worrying about the pre-visual in my brain. Use it as a launching point and run with the idea, understanding photography is organic and you just have to ride the wave.
- To get out and shoot, bugger the weather.
- To love your model, especially when willing to stand in summer clothes, in winter-type weather (but in Summer), who’ll lay down in a scratchy grass field. I do always appreciate my models, the photos wouldn’t be what they are without them.
- Consider buying a battery pack for my speedlite. Or at the very least better quality batteries so I can get more shots out of a set of batteries.
The great folks at Craft and Vision have made a brand new ebook, 11 Ways to Improve Your Photography, available for free. Packed with 11 great tips to help you along the way to making beautiful and compelling photographs.
Often we look around us and snap what we see without really thinking too much about it. We think, that looks good, snap, done. But good photography is more about just snapping away and seeing what you have when you get back home.
There are things to look out for in your composition and techniques you can use to ensure you come home with more keepers and less digital garbage.
11 great tips from 11 great photographers, contained in a beautiful, pdf-based photography book, 11 Ways to Improve Your Photography. Perfect for reading on your computer or on your iPad via iBooks. And yes, it’s completely free.
Really more than just tips, we have 11 great chapters to help us improve our photography and give us focus.
- Make your images more dynamic — Piet Van Den Eynde
- Tame your digital exposures — David Duchemin
- The power of the print — Martin Bailey
- Learn to direct the eye — Michael Frye
- Understand the stages — Alexandre Buisse
- Create projects and collaborate — Andrew S. Gibson
- Refine your composition — Nicole S Young
- The power of the moment — Eli Reinholdtsen
- Forget lens stereotypes — Piet Van Den Eynde
- Slow down and learn to see — Stuart Sipahigil
- Make stronger portraits — David Duchemin
Of course Craft and Vision have a great number other amazing photography ebooks, all at $5 or less. Check out Craft and Vision for more information.
Yesterday we were going to go to the oval with the doggins but there was football training going on. Thankfully we live in an area with a lot of building going on so we were able to find some spare land on which to throw the ball for the dogs. Check out the video below.
I promise not to keep posting just videos of the doggins to the site. But I do think they are cute. I left the sound out of this one :-/
We took Bill and Jo to the local oval yesterday for a bit of a run around. I think they liked it, I made a short video on my iPhone 4S.
About a month ago we took some photos of our puppies in front of our TV with the PupMates website in the background. The photo was to accompany a story about PupMates.com.au going into the November issue of the Dogs Victoria Magazine.
It took a few goes to get this photo, but it was worth it in the end. Everyone seems to love it and the magazine decided to run a full page instead of a half page for the story.
Click the image below for a full view to read.
So I have this friend who is a little into the work of David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who believes the world is controlled by a number of top level families who move our lives, governments, and societies like pieces on a chessboard. This is the Illuminati. Icke believes that these families “feed” on negative energy; fear and hate. He promotes “love” and energies that resonate at a certain frequency and connect us all together. When these are separated we are open to the “lies” and messages from the evil in the world.
My friend recently sat through a 12-hour long session of Icke pontificating on the ways of the world. So I thought I’d look into it.
I recently watched an interview with Aaron Russo, now deceased, about the Rockefeller family’s involvement with the Illuminati and the “running of the world.”
In the interview he talks about the Rockefeller’s involvement with the women’s liberation movement, funding a lot of the lobbying and advertising. Russo mentions how he was told this had nothing to do with giving women their place in the world because they deserved it, rather he recounts being told that this was done because the families saw there was almost 50% of the population that wasn’t paying tax. Money that could be going into the coffers of the government and in turn into the reserve bank as payment for government borrowings. So taxing the ladies meant more money for the top level families.
So this group appears to be in need of a lot of money and a lot of power.
Many wonder why the Illuminati would allow someone like David Icke to exist if he talks them down and encourages people to “wake up” to what is happening to them. I can tell you why.
Because if this group, the Illuminati, were to exist and operate in the fashion Icke and his tribe suggest then they are pretty much untouchable. They also use and need him to spread his miss-informnation. One example was made ever-more obvious by the interview mentioned above.
Universal Healthcare. A system enjoyed by many countries, at the cost of the government and tax payer. And a massive reduction to the billions of dollars made every year by the American health insurance system. Universal healthcare is often rejected by the American’s out of fear of higher taxes and a drain on an already taxed economy. A system that would cost just a pittance when compared to even a month’s spend for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Thanks to the likes of David icke, it’s not just the rich calling for no universal healthcare. The likes of Icke also have the poor and middle-class calling for no universal health care. He has convinced them that with universal healthcare comes poisons and government experiments via vaccinations and government medications. They believe it to be a licence for the government use the poor for experimentation.
So just as the Rockefeller’s supported women’s liberation because it served their purpose, bringing in more money. Then one could assume, if one was to believe in the Illuminati, they are also financially supporting the high-level fight against the introduction of Universal Healthcare along with or via the insurance companies. All the while allowing, and potentially supporting, folks like Icke and their propaganda war against he exact same thing. A great tactical move, fighting the fight on two fronts and let them meet in the middle ensuring universal healthcare will never see the light of day in the US.
So yeah, I don’t know if the Illuminati exist, I don’t know if anything David Icke says is true. But I do know there’s not a lot of point worrying about what the big wigs are doing because if they exist then David Icke is working for them, even if he doesn’t think so. And they are so powerful we all have no ability to stop them so we may as well get on with our lives. And if all we need is love and happiness, that ain’t going to come from worrying for the rest of our lives.
The casting call is out there and the stage, as it were, is set.
I’ve passed these fields of grass and canola for years, often dreaming of doing a shoot in them, never getting off my butt and doing it.
Now driven by the fact that the fields may not be there for much longer, due to urban sprawl, I’ve made the move to get some shoots done there while there’s a there in which to do them. There’s also a time factor based on the grass appearing to be pretty close to hay-bale time, when it will be mowed down and turned into massive round cylinders of hay. Which could of course be a good location to shoot too.
So far I’ve had three responses to my casting call, two of which I think will be perfect. If past experience is anything to go by at least one of them should commit and we’ll make some great photos.
With any luck both will commit and I’ll get to have a couple of goes at the fields before they are gone.
