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2013-05-10 08:14:07 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Partial Solar Eclipse

This morning there was a Partial Solar Eclipse, and I was fortunate to be able to go outside for a little bit to see if I could see it through a pinhole. The pinhole onto a white surface was pretty cool, but then I decided to see if I could go one better.

Turns out I was just able to get dark enough, even if I did have to crop for a decent sized sun.

This was at the max of the eclipse visible in Melbourne, I wish I was in cairns to have been able to get a full eclipse.

#solareclipse  

2013-05-08 08:27:40 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Tostaditas at Mamasita

Two versions of a shot from a lovely little restaurant I went to the other night called Mamasita. Serving Mexican with an awesome array of tequilas behind the bar the food is worth the wait. While I had a few quibbles with the service, and feel that the food had been sitting around before it got out to us because it was far too cold to have just cooled from the short moments I took to take photos, the pudding at the end Definitely made it worth it.

A proper review is to come, but I'd like some feedback on which of these two versions you prefer, and why. One was a "what if" moment where I turned the sliders to full

Here from left to right we have Pulled Pork, Tuna, and Chicken Tostaditas. My personal favourite was the Tuna.

2013-05-08 00:25:33 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Mr Strebor

I've been a bit busy so haven't really posted any of the photos from the #brunswalkwithfire . This is an image of the organiser who was down in the best state of Australia, Mr +Charles Strebor. I'm quite happy with it.

2013-05-02 21:19:12 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Flinders Street by Night

Last night I had the opportunity to attempt something that I last tried over a year ago. Shooting a panorama of Flinders Street Station with the Car Light Trails in the image. I'd actually intended to try this during twilight, however I ended up wandering the city with a friend taking photos down the laneways instead.

2013-05-01 00:22:02 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Nightmares that Glow
You could almost imagine that there's a person or alien inside this.

A macro of a glowstick in the process of melting as it burns.

2013-04-30 00:17:48 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

To go with the Moon I posted Yesterday, here's another one from the same night. Because I like silhouettes.

#brunswalkwithfire  

2013-04-29 01:13:07 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Sometimes you catch something like this while walking along. The moon moves fast enough that what you see one minute won't be the same the next, so I feel lucky to have caught this at the right moment.

This also fits +Charles Strebor's fascination with Cables for +Cableicous which is appropriate seeing as he arranged the photowalk I captured this on.

2013-04-28 15:08:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Added photos to Brunswalk with Fire.

2013-04-28 12:34:32 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Steamy Sunday
With a hint of Cables

Here's a late one for +SteamySunday curated by +Paul Pavlinovich and +Shelly Gunderson from Saturday during a photowalk organised by +Charles Strebor who curates the +Cableicous theme. Seeing as this one contains some cables I thought it was a little appropriate to share.

It was a fun walk on the weekend, and seeing this engine was a pleasant surprise.

#steamysunday   #cableicous   #brunswalkwithfire  

2013-04-27 01:31:18 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

When you can take the original sized photoshop file of an image and have it print at a width of 3 Meters at 300dpi without doing anything to the size you know you've got a big photo on your hands.

It's 35,628 pixels wide in the original file and comes in at 266 megapixels. More than that, it's hit the photoshop file size limit for .psd and will only save as .psb.

Sometimes I wonder why I shoot panoramas before remembering that the technical challenge and quality are some of the reason. That and sometimes it's well worth it.

I've uploaded a larger file than usual too for width.

2013-04-25 20:53:39 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Playing with Neutral Density Filters is interesting, though I really wish the weather hadn't been so calm.

2013-04-25 10:05:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Added photos to ANZAC Day Photowalk.

2013-04-22 03:00:02 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Steel Wool

This is what you get when you're lying a meter away from the person spinning molten steel wool while you're taking a photo. The other thing you get is holes in your clothing and sparks in your hair.

Worth it

2013-04-16 21:50:25 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

The Batman

#melbournesupanova2013  

2013-04-16 01:15:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Poison Ivy and Batman

#melbournesupanova2013  

2013-04-14 21:40:42 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Slowly working my way through putting together all of the panoramas I took of cosplayers at Supanova

#melbournesupanova2013  

2013-04-14 03:41:34 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

The only photo I have from Melbourne's Supanova convention this weekend (which is still running today at the Showgrounds) that's postable, as all my images so far this weekend have been Panoramas. Check out the Brenizer Method if you're not sure why I'd be doing that.

#MelbourneSupanova2013  

2013-04-11 21:18:42 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Lake Hawea
Otherwise known as that blasted lake I lost my keys at

Now that time's put distance between me and this lake, I can somewhat see the beauty of it. I'm still a little wary of the area though, losing your car keys at night does that to your memories of a place

2013-04-10 21:10:21 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Clouds, Cliffs, and a Camera


Not sure I'm happy with this though.

2013-04-09 20:30:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Black and White photos are interesting. When it comes to landscapes they seem to be able to make a scene seem bleak or lonely.

2013-04-08 20:50:51 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Standing Alone

2013-04-07 21:04:23 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

A slightly belated post for +SteamySunday curated by +Shelly Gunderson and +Paul Pavlinovich.

#steamysunday  

2013-04-07 10:17:15 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

I think any bar that has a drink called "I Love Apple Pie" that tops it like this can be forgiven it's transgressions against the cocktail called the Zombie.

But only just. It's also given a pass as it was my Birthday and I enjoyed myself that night.

Trying to get a decent shot in a dimly lit bar without a fast prime is a pain though.

2013-04-06 06:41:34 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Another shot of the waves.

2013-04-04 19:42:24 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

Found beneath a staircase and a gallery on the #collingwalk  

2013-04-03 19:51:43 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

A cup from the #Collingwalk . Not quite as cool as a camera lens potplant that I saw this morning in an article, but still cool.

2013-04-02 19:50:12 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

It's always interesting to shoot a landscape from quite some distance away with a telephoto. The scale is so different.

2013-04-01 19:38:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Pulpit Rock at Cape Shanck from the path down.

2013-03-30 12:32:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Interesting what you can do and get away with in a restaurant so long as you're a little out of the way of other customers and your flash isn't bothering anyone. Definitely not the best shot I've taken, but for an impromptu setup using two speedlights and napkins as modifiers along with a white table and a nearby wall, not the worst shot I've taken.

This is the Cookies and Cream dessert at Passionflower on Bourke Street. Definitely one of those places you should go when you need a pick me up. As a friend has put it, a feast for the Mind, Body, and Soul. Or at least the sences ;)

2013-03-29 10:49:12 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

I thought I'd have a look at a tighter crop of one of my favourite images from New Zealand and see what it looks like as a black and white. It's turned out nicely I think.

Part of the reason I've been looking at the tighter crop is because I've been pondering making some bookmarks for friends of mine out of some of my images, which is why I ended up putting together a gallery of potentials. http://smu.gs/13Df4Io

At the moment they're all shots from New Zealand. Feel free to give feedback here or in the gallery.

2013-03-27 20:26:50 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

A quick one for the morning as I'm running late from the rain.

2013-03-26 19:51:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

From Saturday's #Collingwalk  for the google anniversary.

This was up on Easey Street near Budd Street. I had to move a few bins, but it's an interesting piece. Hopefully I can get the time to sit down and go through all the other images from the walk soon.

2013-03-25 22:55:27 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

On Saturday I attended the #Collingwalk for the Google Anniversary. Towards dinner the group I was with managed to get lost compared to everyone else and almost ended up on Brunswick street after wandering up Little Smith Street in Fitzroy. This was one of the Graffiti pieces I came across that caught my eye.

2013-03-24 19:31:49 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Last night I was down at Cape Shanck doing some location portrait work. After a flat tire and other issues that caused us to be restricted to 60km/h on the way back causing me to get home really late, I haven't had the chance to really see that I got. However I did happen to achieve something that was very pleasant to do in addition to what we went down there for.

I managed to catch the beam of the lighthouse. I didn't have the time last night to properly go through all the shots of this that I got so just picked the first that caught my attention. And I definitely haven't given it the time that it deserves to clean it up, which I'm hoping to do tonight. So consider this a work in progress shot.

The fact that I managed to catch it almost by accident though was somewhat of a shock as +Paul Pavlinovich has said in the past that he's not managed to get the right... more »

2013-03-21 19:30:43 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Melbourne Architecture

Half of the fun in wandering around Melbourne is that you never know what you might see in the way of buildings. This was down in Docklands or very close by, it's been a while since I've been there so I'm not sure of the exact spot from memory.

This building caught my eye, so of course I stopped to try to do it justice. For once I think I might have succeeded with that.

2013-03-20 19:49:22 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

It's Windy and promises to storm today, which I'm looking forward to, though not to walk through. So I thought I'd share a sunrise instead.

2013-03-19 19:48:36 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Nothing special this morning, just a photo of a dumpling. However I'd say this is probably one of the best food shots I've taken, so there's something.

If you're in Melbourne, and want quality over quantity for your dumplings, but still at a pretty decent price, you absolutely can't go anywhere other than Hu Tong. Not for nothing does it have a reputation for having the best dumplings in Melbourne, and for being booked out several hours in advance.

To get a seat you usually have to call up in advance unless you happen to be as fortunate as my dining partner and I were in having a stupidly hot day and going early. Within 10 minutes of our getting there and getting a seat, there was a line outside.

We were blessed with some of the best food I've had when it comes to dumplings, and I have dumplings a lot. We were seated right next to the kitchen, and... more »

2013-03-18 19:44:45 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

The other evening some friends asked me if I could do some portrait photos for them as one of them is pregnant and due soon. I'm still working my way through the photos, but I got permission to share this shot with you all. The majority of other shots aren't exactly something I can share on G+

For future reference, the fogging you get when you manage to get one of your lenses soaked in the rain creates a really cool effect when taking headshots. Seriously, who needs photoshop :P

2013-03-17 20:25:35 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

 Over the road from Flinder's Street Station is St Paul's Cathedral. This is one of the few photos I have of the interior. Some day I intend to get a selection of photos within.

2013-03-17 04:37:12 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Steamy Sunday

It's Sunday, which means it's +#SteamySunday curated by +Shelly Gunderson and +Paul Pavlinovich.

Yesterday I managed to get absolutely drenched on my 3rd trip through the Puffing Billy Yards to get somewhere, but during the process I saw one of the engines in the Shed being washed down after having been out. I'm not sure whether the rain is considered helpful when this happens but of course I stopped to get a photo from the road.

#steamysunday  

2013-03-15 23:43:27 (16 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

It turns out that while I shared this on Flickr, I forgot to share this here. This is a selective colour version of one of my shots from Sydney last month. Usually I go either all colour, or all black and white, so when a friend asked if I could take out all of the colour except the red I decided to indulge them.

The sails of the Opera House were red from Chinese New Year.

2013-03-14 20:08:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
Coromandel Peninsula

Vantage point from the hill where I managed to get lost on a hike. This was just before I started.

2013-03-12 20:25:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Another Shell. I almost brought this one home but decided not to last minute while in New Zealand

2013-03-11 19:56:22 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

One for the morning. I've been focusing a bit more on working up print files rather than new images. Hope to get out some once this heatwave passes.

2013-03-10 03:19:34 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
Lake Hawea

By the time I followed the road up to the other end of the lake I'd hit the clouds and it was dreary and wet taking the pass to the west coast. The weather remained like that until I got to Christchurch late the next day.

2013-03-09 06:20:14 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
Lake Hawea

There's a hint of a Rainbow here, which later on I properly noticed. I didn't manage to get a shot of the rainbow that I was happy with though. And the night before I'd lost my car keys on the beach here, so I wasn't a particular fan of the area at that point.

2013-03-08 02:59:46 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
Breakfast with a view

This is where I stopped for breakfast one morning, I can't really convey the sense of peace I got from the location, to my shame.

2013-03-06 19:32:43 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
As the fog burns off

Early as heck in the morning, a volcano spewing smoke across the lake, and fog yet to burn off under the rising sun. There's a peace to moments like this that you don't get usually. It's almost enough to get me up before dawn.

Though now that I think about it. That's what I've been doing lately.

2013-03-06 07:45:38 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Moments from New Zealand
Rotorua

Sunset turned the Museum of Natural History and Art a wonderful shade of gold the evening I made it to Rotorua. I couldn't help buy attempt to take as many photos of it as possible the instant I noticed it.

#NewZealand  

2013-03-04 19:27:49 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Photo from a dream

This is what happens when you've got Photoshop and Nik Software, and are in a strange mood. You can end up with something more than a little odd that looks like it's out of a dream.

Perhaps this is the moment before the dream turns into a nightmare