The Scramble
The district of Shibuya is modern Tokyo at its most epic. An area of omnipresent neon and fashionable youth where thousands flock to eat, drink, shop and be merry. The embodiment of this hive of activity is Shibuya Crossing where pedestrian traffic flows out of Shibuya Station and across the multi sided intersection before disappearing into [...]
May Wallpaper: Great Ocean Road
This month’s wallpaper is quite an unusual view of Gibson’s Beach on the Great Ocean Road and two of the 12 Apostles. It is unusual because of the mist that persisted all evening in rising from the wild Southern Ocean. At times the mist reached the top of these cliffs and almost blanketed them completely. These clifftops [...]
Cherry Blossoms
I was extremely lucky on my recent trip to Japan to be in the country as the cherry trees began to bloom. This is an annual event eagerly anticipated by the Japanese and has significant cultural value due to the similarities drawn between the cycle of the blossoming trees and the cycle of human life. Each year [...]
Japan First Look
Shibuya Crossing Back from Japan and starting the long process of cataloging, key-wording and editing another few thousand images. I’ll post more on my own way of doing this later, but for now, some impressions of photographing in Japan: Japan is such a country of contrasts that it is impossible for two people’s viewpoints to be [...]
Steve McCurry and the Last Roll of Kodachrome
If you’re a photographer or at least somewhat interested in Photography, chances are you are familiar with both Steve McCurry and Kodachrome film. When Kodak announced in 2009 that it would stop producing this film after 75+ years, McCurry asked the industry giant for the last roll ever made. He had 36 frames to work [...]
Port Campbell National Park
I have made a few trips to Port Campbell recently looking for some images of the rugged coastline. Actually, I have visited this location many times over the past few years without coming away with anything that I’ve really loved. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It keeps me going back and exploring new parts of [...]
Gibson’s Beach Mist
After a disappointing recent trip weather-wise down the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell, I had been waiting for an opportunity to head back there in some better light for some images of 12 Apostles and Port Campbell National Park in general. Last weekend provided the perfect opportunity. Seeing that the conditions were going to [...]
Royal Exhibition Building
Nestled in picturesque Carlton Gardens just north of the central business district, the heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building is simply one of the most beautiful examples of late Victorian architecture Melbourne has to offer. Built by the architect Joseph Reed, who also designed the Melbourne Town Hall and the State Library of Victoria, the Royal Exhibition Building [...]
Post Production Deconstruction 2
Following a recent post over viewing my own particular Lightroom work flow, there have been requests for more, so here goes. This image is from The Peak in Hong Kong looking out over Victoria Harbour and Kowloon on a foggy evening. Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. First, the original RAW [...]
Wreck Beach
This photo took 2 1/2 years to make. Let me explain. The location is Wreck Beach, located at Moonlight Head along the Great Ocean Road. It is the site of two major shipwrecks, the Marie Gabrielle in 1869, and the Fiji in 1891. Hence the name. I managed to get down to the beach on a recent [...]
December Wallpaper: St Paul’s Beach
St Paul’s is one of many beaches that can be found on the ocean side of Mornington Peninsula, around an hour’s drive from Melbourne. On this day we were rushing to catch the light before it set on a cold and wet afternoon. It had been grey all day with only short gaps of sunshine. [...]
Inspiration: Eric Lafforgue
Eric Lafforgue is a French photographer who’s images have been used by Time Magazine, National Geographic, New York Times and BBC amongst others. Eric has had a facination with travel and far away countries since a young age, but only began photography in 2006. As with the best photographers, Eric’s images give you the feeling [...]
The Stuff You Don’t Plan
Last weekend was spent in retreat of the rat race that is Melbourne. Driving around the Pyrenees and Grampian Ranges in country Victoria, we covered quite a bit of ground and saw many more sheep and kangaroos than we did humans. It wasn’t really supposed to be a photography weekend, but the cameras did make [...]
Location Review: The Dandenongs
The boathouse at Alfred Nicholas Memorial Park The Dandenong Ranges are located just east of Melbourne and for city folk, they are a convenient way to get out of town on the weekend and escape the big city for a day or even a few hours. For photographers the Dandenongs are also a paradise. The [...]
Location Review: Point Lonsdale
This post is pretty localised, but if you’re ever in Melbourne it’s well worth taking the time to head out of town along one of the Peninsulas that form Port Philip Bay and taking in coastal towns, beaches and lush hinterland. There are many locations on either side that are great for photographers, but one [...]
The Good to Bad Ratio
View from The Peak, Hong Kong. There was not a lot of scope to move around on the viewing platform, but I took over 100 frames as the sun set, building lights came on and the fog rolled in. Some photographers are blessed with the innate skill of being able to view a scene, understand [...]
Melbourne’s Laneways Revisited
I’ve posted before about Melbourne’s laneways, their history and the character they give to the city, and I seem to have been drawn to them again recently, shooting around the various laneways crossing the CBD. I love this kind of shooting, when you go out not really knowing what to expect. You kind of know [...]
Mornington Peninsula
Best known for its local produce and many wineries, the Morning Peninsula is also a landscape photographer’s dream. It is ideally located with the raging Southern Ocean to one side and calmer, more peaceful waters of Port Philip Bay on the other. The Peninsula is dotted with many small towns from which it is easy to make a base [...]
Portfolio Update- finally
Temple Street, Mong Kok at night. I have been working on this for some time amongst other things and have finally got something together that I am comfortable sharing. New images have been added from a recent trip to Hong Kong, as well as some other new favourites. I spent a week exploring Hong Kong for [...]
Inspirations
I’ve posted quite a bit lately on inspiration and how to go about finding it. Lately I have been finding it in the work of others. Landscape photographers mostly. This can be a useful way to gather ideas for future shoots. Of course there is always the chance that by studying other photographer’s work you could [...]
Among Hong Kong’s markets
Click the image above to view gallery For a modern, fast moving metropolos with an abundance of shopping malls and supermarkets, the people of Hong Kong still shop predominantly at its many street markets. Throughout the city, narrow streets are lined with stalls where you can purchase anything and everything from cheap clothing, to pets to [...]
Singapore Stopover
I’ve managed to pass through Singapore on quite a few occasions without ever actually leaving the airport, but on a recent trip to Hong Kong (more about that soon) I had an overnight layover so decided to try to make the most of a short time in the city to explore a little. Arriving late at [...]
Raphael Nguyen: Daily Life in Vietnam
Image © Raphal Nguyen 2009- All Rights Reserved I’ve been hankering (yes, that’s right, hankering) to visit Vietnam for a while now. I’ve even made some loose plans and done a bit of research into things to see and shoot. As part of this reseach I recently came across Raphael Nguyen’s series Daily Life in [...]
Overnight in Casablanca
A while ago I mentioned starting an ongoing series about the stories behind some my own images that I have liked in the past, and I’ve just never continued on with it. So now is as good a time to make up for that as any. This image of Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco is [...]