Dirty Deeds Cyclocross 26/08/2012

Sometimes you get very close to the racing.. I LOVE CX!! 

The ability to get very close to the riders, and some AMAZING scenery around to shoot through. I get very excited when I be right in the thick of the action. 

Having riders bite the dirt right in front of you and almost take you out, much much fun.. I get such a thrill taking photos of something so intense and fun. The people and riders in these events are very open and friendly and never argue. They don't mind having their photo taken either.

So if you see or hear of a Cyclocross Race being run near your home.... Go watch and heckle!!

Better Photography Magazine

Just received an email from the people at betterphotography.com that one of my images just received a Bronze Award for Photograph of the Year.

Feeling like a very happy photographer at the moment.

Worlds Largest Holga...

Head over to fstoppers.com to see the LARGEST Holga going around and some sample images..

Nikki Toole Exhibition.. Geelong Gallery Victoria

So I popped into the Nikki Toole exhibition today to look at what she has done with her Skater Portraits. 

They are lovely images. Inkjet Printed 24"x18" (63cm x 48cm) prints mounted into white board and timber frames, the images are strikingly pretty. The shading and tonal range is sublime, withe very deep velvety blacks and crisp clean whites. 19 black and white images make up the exhibition.

The prints are of Skaters from Melbourne and around the world. As far as the Czech Republic and as close as Fitzroy, we see how the skating subculture is not much different from place to place. The faces and expressions all seem similar and familiar. We connect to her subjects understanding the discomfort and shyness we all seem to have within. 

I would love to have seen some full portraits though. All of Nikki's work was shot with the riders lower legs and feet missing. Not having access to this information made me want to see how the riders were standing, and the position of their feet. I think this is why once I looked through the exhibition, I kinda felt left out of what she was trying to show. 

If you read form the poster "Curated by Dr Christopher Chapman, Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, this special exhibition features 19 black and white photographic portraits that examine identity within skater culture. Toole asks whether there is a ‘global look’ or if there is still a place for the individual or the loner to express him or herself. She is driven by the desire to understand and commune with her subjects while exploring the forces of identity that define the lone skateboarder." I didn't really get any of this, well not from all the 19 images at least. 

Yes I would recommend you go see these images as they are lovely. You will need to make your own decision on the meaning and if they look into "Skater Culture" and show a "Global Look". 

For me..  I know what I would have, and will do, differently. There is a lack of connection to the subjects, and they all have a slightly tilted bored look. I would like to have seen a little more interaction, and more of what the skaters "space" looked like.

Anyway... Go see Skater Portraits by Nikki Toole on until September 9th.

Nikki Toole Skater Portraits...

As with almost everything I think of, someone else comes out and does it before me. 

I had this plan where I would go around to local Skate Parks and start to capture all the riders and do a bunch of portraits of the locals for the attempt at an exhibition. Nikki Toole seems to have beaten me to the punch, and I can't wait to she what she has done..

Running till 9th September at Geelong Gallery.

                                              
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500px....

I just upgraded my 500px account for a year. I have not been overly happy with this platform, but will give it a little more time to schmooze me.. 

We all need a web presence for image sales, but this one doesn't have the POP I thought it would.

Canon posts Service Notice for EOS 650D DSLR camera - Canon Australia

Canon posts Service Notice for EOS 650D DSLR camera - Canon Australia

Silly Canon Users...

Check the serial number of your Canon 650D/T4i and see if you have bad rubber baby!!!

Macro or Micro or Close Up..... Whatever you call it they're pretty!!

Being a stay at home dad does have it's benefits. I get to wander the streets like a lost puppy, and do pretty much anything I like during the day!! I can eat what I like, watch what a like, and listen to what I like (until the kids come home then all my fun is spoiled)..

So in these times of waning enjoyment of having not really that much to do all day, I get to experiment more than most others on photos and photographic techniques.

So yesterday was a nice sunny day in Melbourne (yes sun in winter) and I had to go shopping to get bread and milk, pick up some mail, and maybe even get a bite to eat. I always grab my camera before I leave the house, and chose to pop the Nikkor 60mm Micro. Now I must explain I have the older version of this lens (mine is the f2.8 D), but many of the characteristics of the lens are very much the same. 

I would LLLLLLUUUUURRRRRRRVVVVVEEEEEEE to get my hands on the new edition of this lens, even a slightly longer length would be nice, but I am loving what is achievable with more and more practice. On a technical level, one of the hardest things to get right is the DOF (Depth Of Field). Your working in such a small area that the DOF can be thrown out by something as simple as you breathing! I try and shoot at least f8 for most of my Macro use. If you can got to f14 or f16 you will get an even better look, but you risk needing a tripod unless its very sunny out (or you use a close up flash).

Think about these tiny little flowers we are trying to shoot.

These are barely the petal tips. Look at the amazing detail though!! The look as though the were snipped with scissors, or clipped at the ends with a punch. It's truly amazing what you can do with a macro lens. Remember that flowers and water drops aren't the only things you can photograph.

Sometimes a sign behind a wire fence can have a great repetitive pattern. The wire looks almost like you can touch it, and the pattern behind on the tin giving you something else to follow. 

So get creative with your Macro lens. I will be!!