Earlier this week I purchased a 50mm f1.4. I bought it online as it was considerably cheaper and was eagerly waiting for it to arrive for two days. I Ioved some of the shots that I have been able to get on the 50mm 1.8 so I really couldn’t wait to see what the 1.4 was capable of. It’s been raining a lot in Adelaide and as most of you know I love the effect of lights on a reflective wet road. Steve and I went down to Glenelg, to see what we could get. Its a little disappointing when you see rubbish on the streets but with three pubs all within fifty metres of each other its no surprise it can get a little rowdy on a Friday night. As we were walking down the main street we came across a broken wine bottle. I lay down on the ground to take a shot of it. With the focus on the bottle top I aimed the camera up to capture the street lights in the background and blur them out. I love this little 50mm, it’s an amazing performer in low light conditions.

A couple of weeks ago I went into the Harley Davidson store in town. My relatives had traveled to Australia for a visit and wanted to buy a few presents there to take back home with them.

I took my camera along to take a few photos of the bikes. I opened the aperture and switched the camera into monochrome mode so that I could see what the images would look like in black and white. With the shine on the brand new bikes, the dark black of the seats and fuel tanks and the bright reflections on all the chrome I thought that it was a good opportunity to focus on the contrast in an image.

I have had a couple of comments on the two photographs in this post from friends and some colleagues at work, both on the images as well as the subject matter. Its seems people either love or hate Harley’s. Of the two images, I like the one of the 1952 Harley the best, the shallow depth of field with the horn and the word Harley crisp as the focus begins to trail off in the middle of the word Davidson. I think there is a nice balance of tones as well in this image as it contains bright, mid and dark tones.

In a fast paced world of entertainment, where gaming consoles, dvd rentals and the movies reign supreme, one could be forgiven for wondering how the theatre industry survives, particularly with the younger generation. Cheap (in more ways than financial) reality television content is broadcast across the airwaves and into our living rooms. Content, that to me, seems depressingly dull with little creativity or imagination. Watching people get speeding tickets on highway patrol programs, seeing people with undeclared food parcels for the millionth time at the airport, and cooking competitions seem all the rage these days. You can’t imagine how happy I was when Big Brother was taken off the air.

However, despite the allure of finely crafted computer generated graphics that dominate the silver screen, there is a still portion of the population that has not abandoned its love affair with live theatrical production. For them, there is something special about the feelings that stir within when they are at the theatre. The intimacy between the audience and the actors as they observe them passionately perform their craft only a few meters away. And it truly is a craft! There is little room for error and the portrayal of each character has to be convincing each and every time.

I am one of those people that have a love of theatre. For me, as wonderful as they often are, it’s more than the costumes, it’s more than the story or the music. The buzz of watching a theatre production, is knowing that the people on stage directly in front of me are showcasing their creative talents, giving their very best in order to entertain their audience. It seems that this is done not for money or glory, but out of a passion of their art and to entertain others. So you can imagine my excitement when my friend Marcus emailed me and asked if I was able to photograph a production for a youth theatre company.

… a youth theatre company …

Contained in those four words is something remarkably positive. Perhaps the playstation and x-box doesn’t yet have it’s unrelenting grip on all the kids just yet.

The Southern Youth Theatre Ensemble (SYTE) conducts theatre skill and performance workshops for young people aged 4-26 in the Onkaparinga district of Adelaide, promoting inclusion and best practices in a collaborative and professional environment. Their latest production Retaliation is a musical that is advertised as being “too much for your console, bigger than your TV and louder than your surround sound”. What makes this production particularly special is that the young people from local schools were given the opportunity to actively contribute to the script that dealt with themes focusing on computer games, violence and the inability to understand how conflict affects another person.

It’s a tale of a young girl, a high-school journalist, struggling with the world around her as she copes with a bully at her school, a protective father and the difficulties in gathering information on a story. In the midst of her struggles with her everyday life she is transported into a world that blurs the lines of virtual reality and reality itself.

I called up Steve and let him know about the event and we set off the next day for the photoshoot. After we arrived, I got out my camera and took a test shot of some of the cast, I knew immediately that this was going to be a good challenge. The conditions were terrible for taking photographs, no flash, no auto-focus … no light!

The actors finished their warm ups and the show got underway. I was taking shot, after shot, after shot, manual focus and on the widest aperture that I could set. After the first show, when the audience had left, Steve and I took the opportunity to get some portraits of the cast. With the use of controlled stage lighting as well as a flash and shoot-through umbrella we were able to get some nice results. Following this we set up some scenes in the play with some of the lights on.

Despite the frustrations that I was having with taking photographs under some demanding conditions, I had an enormous amount of fun. Mixing with the cast and crew and seeing the great time that they were having as they were busily changing costumes, moving props, providing off stage backup vocals and getting into character was an immense buzz. An exhilarating moment for me was when I asked why we were starting late, the response was “People are still in the Foyer, it’s a full house”. The cast heard that and were ecstatic, all their hard work had paid off. I was touched when two of the young girls got a bit teary that this was the final night and the last show. I asked if they were going to perform together as a team again and they didn’t know. It really did show the bond of friendship that this production had given them.

In closing I would like to thank SYTE not only for the opportunity that they had given Steve and I to come and photograph their wonderful theatrical production, but more importantly for the work that they are doing for the community and the positive impact that it is having. It was abundantly clear to Steve and I the joy that this production had brought to all that were involved. Congratulations on your successful production, a success that can not only be measured in ticket sales, but also in the confidence, pride, joy and lifetime memories that you have given these young artists.

Well done.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to have been given a pass to Adelaide’s Anime and Video Game Convention, AVCon 2010. I remember going to an AVCon event quite a few years ago, it was small, quaint and held in a picture theatre. There were a few people dressed up as their favourite anime or video game character and people were happily talking about the latest episode of Naruto.

This year AVCon showed a much grander display of a Japanese subculture. Unlike the last convention that I attended years ago, this one was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in multiple halls so that the event could cater for an increased number of guests. Anime, video games and “cosplay” (short for costume play) are prevalent in Japanese society amongst teenagers. Conventions are now held all over the world as a passion for the characters, stories and adventures created in japanese culture spreads across the globe.

I have always enjoyed watching Japanese anime, mainly for the amazing artwork and creativity that goes into a picture production, but also because the medium frees up the story teller to express all sorts of ideas that may be harder to achieve in a live action movie. It’s a cartoon; right from the outset, the people that are watching are willing to suspend their disbelief and take in the story.

I particularly love Spirited Away, an animation film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It’s a lovely story of a young girl and her family that loose their way into another world where the spirits exist in physical form. Her adventure unfolds as she tries to save her parents and return home with them. There have been other films that I have enjoyed as well, Final Fantasy: Spirited Away, Ghost In The Shell and Akira to name a few.

Unfortunately I was not able to attend the entire convention, but from what I did see it appeared that everyone had a great time. The photographs that are in this post are of a young woman dressed as a character in one of her favourite anime television series called Bleach. The costume was absolutely stunning and won an award on the night. I love the contrast between the rich red and the stark white. I am so pleased that this convention was able to provide an avenue for costume designers and other artists to display their work.

It has been an busy month, but this was to be expected. I have finally completed the construction of my new home. Being an owner builder for the first time has been a tiresome and somewhat stressful adventure, that has resulted in a happy ending. Nine months ago I was the owner of a block of land with weeds so high they were in danger of becoming a fire hazard; now I have a wonderful home.

The house was complete two weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Japan, however due to an unfortunate turn of events I did not make it to Japan. I decided to have the time of anyway and take a break. Managing the construction of my home around fulltime work and night school was a challenge to say the least. So whilst waiting for my phone and internet to be connected, I was enjoying a good break in my shiny new home.

On the final weekend of my holidays I took my cousin Hannah to Monarto, a wildlife park in South Australia owned by the Adelaide Zoo. Hannah is visiting from Germany and we thought it would be a good activity to go and see the animals at the park. She was particularly taken with the Meerkats that we was prior to boarding the safari bus. I was more eager to see the Cheetahs, I had not seen them since they were brought to the park.

In 1983 the State Government gave control of 1,000 hectares to the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia to develop a special purpose breeding area. Since then it has become an international standard conservation and zooological bio-park.

The park features habitat exhibits that include the Asian Steppes, arid North Africa, African plains and Asian grasslands as well as habitats for the Cheetah, African Dog, African Lion and Black Rhino.

Once again it has been far too long since I have written up a post. Finishing the construction of my house before I fly out to Japan has been keeping me incredibly busy. My family and I will get to move in this week, only two weeks prior to the day I head overseas for a wonderful photographic adventure.

A few weeks ago I was filming a wedding as a videographer with Steve. Although I was not there as the official photographer I was still able to take some pictures on different angles and get some casual shots that we could add into the video. It’s nice to use some of the casual shots on the DVD covers as well. I thought that I would share some of the photos that I took on the day with you.

Darran (the official photographer) was great to work with. Wedding photography can be quite difficult as there is a lot of pressure due to time and lighting constraints. You only have about an hour and a half at each location and you have to work with the available light that you have there. If it is an overcast day, that’s what you get and being able to make the most of the lighting conditions is a must.

The shot where the couple are walking across the street is my favourite. It was a rainy day and I always try to get some good reflections from the water when I am doing street photography. I love the way that lights can paint the wet ground when they are reflected off a wet surface. Rather than taking a shot of the couple straight on as they were walking across the road, I wanted to get the lights from the cars in the background.

I used my Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 for the entire day, it is such a fast lens and performed wonderfully on the day. I think that when in Japan this will likely be my primary lens. I really do want to save up for the other two though, the Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 and the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8. I loved all the shots that I was able to get and was really happy with the day. I am looking forward to editing the wedding video after I have returned from Japan.

As the focus of this trip is on photography, Steve and I have been planning where we can get some good shots. We created a list of what we wanted to see and where we were going to go. Whilst we were looking at maps and locations we decided that it would be a good idea to create a travel itinerary that would provide detailed information to our friends and family at home. As well as reading our blogs, they will be able to see in advance where we will be traveling the next day.

Then an idea sprang to mind about creating a product that people could download an use to plan their own trips to Japan. We’ll include the places that we visited, hotels that we stayed at and any events that we went to during our tour. As well as this we will include photographs of these locations that will hopefully capture the culture and feeling at each place. I cant wait to fill up this book with a lot of images that will hopefully inspire others to travel to Japan on their own adventure.

Mothers Day was a perfect excuse for me to take some time out, pack up the family and head off to the zoo. Despite having a family membership, I had not yet seen the Giant Pandas that were the new local residents in the Adelaide Zoo.

Adelaide Zoo has been entrusted with the care of two Giant Pandas. Wang Wang and Funi were carefully chosen because they are healthy, friendly and easy to handle. They are also considered a fantastic genetic pairing for the global Giant Panda breeding program. Any cubs Wang Wang and Funi have will be valuable additions to the Giant Pandas shrinking population. It’s sad that the estimated number of mature Giant Pandas in the wild is only 1600.

The Adelaide Zoo has undergone an amazing transformation recently, the main gate has been moved, the living areas of the animals are so lush and you can easily forget that you are in a metropolitan area. Previously the zoo had that feeling of being dry, tired and run down, but this afternoon the zoo was lush, vibrant and full of life.

I am glad that I took along my camera bag with all of the lenses in it. I thought about just taking my 24-70mm but was greatful that I was able to swap the lens over to the 70-300mm that Steve had lent me. I was able to get in close and take some great shots.

We booked the tickets to see the Giant Pandas early and then walked around looking at the tigers, monkeys and birds until it was time to enter the line for the Panda viewing area. After waiting for thirty minutes the line began to move. There were a lot of people and none of them were disappointed, the enclosure was wonderful and everyone was able to get a good look at our new locals.

I liked these two photos the best, they display the Giant Pandas happily relaxing in their enclosures.

On the Monday public holiday I drove into town. Bugs were still splattered across the front of my car as a result of diving back from Renmark during a locust plague. I was a little embarrassed, but I did not have time to wash the car as I was already late for the Steampunk Reunion at Carclew. Carclew is a venue for the youth arts with a focus on policy, funding and strategic initiatives that nourish the artistic and cultural lives of South Australian children and young people aged 26 years and under.

I wasn’t dressed up, the invitation mentioned that it was not required and I did not have a lot of time, I had to select the last lot of photos from The Maiden Voyage of the Olympia during the Adelaide Fringe Festival, make sure they were of a good standard and copy them to CD so that I could give them to the event organisers. The weather was fantastic and the sun was out and I was excited because I knew that I would be able to get a lot more shots in broad daylight rather than in the middle of the night during the actual production. When I arrived, I parked the car, got out the camera bag and walked around to the front of the beautiful old house. I shouldn’t have been surprised when I turned the corner to discover I was the only one that was not dressed up in a Victorian style steampunk costume.

The costumes were amazing and some people had different attire to what they wore on the night of the event. I was glad that I had the opportunity to take some more photographs. By the end of the afternoon I had taken over one hundred and seventy of them, but as usual in my blog posts I am sticking to two or three that I like the most. The first shot above was taken in the board room of the old building. It is a nice shot with good depth of field. If I was to change it I think I should have stood around towards the front a little more. I love the second shot of Steve Scholz in his costume, the detail in it was absolutely amazing and a testament to the passion he has for his art. I did like the colour version of this photo, but I felt that it detracted from what I really wanted to show, that is the detail and texture of all the cogs and wheels in the costume.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in both Australia and New Zealand, honouring the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). In 1915 Australia and New Zealand set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsular, with the ultimate goal of capturing Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire that was allied with Germany. The Anzacs landed on the shores of the peninsula on April the 25th and were met with a fierce resistance. What was to be a quick strategic battle, became a long drawn out stalemate, one in which both sides endured heavy casualties. By the end of 1915 the Allied forces evacuated, over 8,000 Australians and 2,700 New Zealanders had lost their lives. Since the Second World War, Anzac Day became a day to commemorate the lives of Australians and New Zealanders lost in that war as well. On Anzac Day, we remember all fallen soldiers that have fought and lost their lives in service to their country.

I was in Renmark, a small country town in South Australia, when I took this photo. When I saw the priest there wearing those medals talking to the tall, strong and young sailor it just spoke to me. I look at this photo and wonder what is the father’s story? What is he talking about with the young man? The contrast between the young and the old. I love photos like these, ones that make you wonder when you look at them.