Special Assignment 5 - Environmental Portraits

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts... Here are three of life’s players; in bit parts that they themselves may not consider their greatest roles, but which nevertheless, generated sufficient empathy in each of us, such that we paused to freeze a single scene for the benefit of a wider audience.

Mick - Boyd

Vendors of The Big Issue, a fortnightly current affairs and entertainment magazine, are folk who have experienced hardship, homelessness, unemployment, etc. Mick often "holds station" on the steps leading to the Cathedral of St Stephen and uses a very passive approach to selling. I wanted an image that captured him backlit with the early morning sun and located with a hint of the majesty of the church behind.

Smile in the Boutique - Nicole

This lovely lady graciously agreed to pose for my camera. Though she was a little apprehensive about being photographed, she gave me a wonderful smile and a showed a fine sense of pride in the fashion on offer in her Brisbane Arcade boutique. The mirrored wall was a bonus, creating a seemingly endless line of linen and frocks.

Man with a Camera – Martin

I thought it quite ironic, that I as a man with a camera should shoot a man with a camera. His consent to being photographed was almost unspoken and came with nary a hint of concern, after all as we both knew, to photograph or be photographed are equally important parts of the game.

Metal Elegance

Quite a few of these beautiful pressed metal ceilings can be found under the awnings of city buildings. Sadly, many of them have been damaged by workmen with ladders, not quite passing trucks, or the unstoppable march of progress. This lovely specimen on Adelaide Street has survived. I have decided to present the photo as I shot it - no crops and in colour(!), but seeing the subject is still monochromatic, I hope my fellow bloggers will pardon the lapse!

To the Fallen

With all the restoration work going on at Anzac Square, it is impossible to get a classic shot of the shrine, so I went for this compressed view instead. Decided to give it an old-fashioned, pushed contrast, sepia tone to fit with the memories tinged with regrets. We can only hope there is never another reason to build a monument like this.

End Grain

A still life from the collection of images taken of the sculpture "The Blitz" (see blog entry 11th October 2006). After all what's a truck without a load on the back, in this case a collection of sleepers embedded with bits of iron work. Nikon F65 and Ilford HP5 pushed two stops.

Monochrome Brisbane

Taken this very evening rom the top of the Kangaroo Point cliffs whilst in the company of the motley crew (Infocus Community Camera Group). I sometimes need to remind myself that night shots don't always need colour to prop them up, (well I don't think so anyway). The title suggested itself.

1 Eagle Street

Cloaked in aqua tinted glass, Waterfront Place can't help but mirror the prevailing mood of the heavens. Thus given a digital infra-red interpretation, it is easily transformed into a pseudo smoke stack, covered in the same grime it appears itself to be belching skyward.

Special Assignment 4

This group project was aimed at changing the shape of our view.
The challenge was to create an image in the square format where the subject also has a direct or indirect reference to the word 'square'.
Here are our offerings...

Martin's 'Brisbane Square' is a simple and fitting choice. In fact, all of us took shots at this location - the newly opened BCC building. The slick glass sign is framed in a large metal square, accurately caught by Martin's camera as it obeys remote orders from its owner who lends his presence to the shot.

Squares feature in classic Brisbane architecture, often in combination with exuberant Corinthian columns. Boyd has captured the neat juxtaposition of severe lines and rococo swirls in his study of 'Column at 311" which is the portico of the Masonic Temple on Anne Street.

And to round things off (pun intended), Nicole's shot rather cheekily contains no visual squares at all but is based on the circle. 'Post Office Square' is the location which provides the necessary link and the postmark engraved tables confirm the spot.