Ode to Vince

A good mate of mine turned 60 recently and he is obsessed with all things bicycle. Having no clue about what to get him for his birthday, I decided that I would try to do a series of photos for him. I really wanted to explore square format, and went ahead to mount the results of wet printing each in a frame with a 5in X 5in window in the cut board. These are digital interpretations of the finally presented prints, although I think that digitising the negatives has degraded the feel of the images somewhat. I rejected for the final series a print of Brake that I took during this session and posted a little while ago. I find this type of project quite invigorating and that it gives a certain amount of purpose to my hobby. (OM4, zuiko 50mm f3.5 macro with extension tubes, HP5 @ 400)

Multiple Exposure

Reddacliff Place

I was wanting to use this project to explore the telling of a story in one frame. The recently completed Brisbane Square has quickly become an icon of the city centre with its large and distinctive spherical public artwork and controversial building. However, less well known is the area dedicated to the late Trevor Reddacliff, in recognition of his work on urban renewal and making Brisbane more “liveable”. Hopefully this shot conveys a different view of this easily identifiable location. (OM2n, zuiko 50mm f1.8, f11, HP5 @ 400)

5 Brisbane Minutes

After debating whether to follow a traditional film approach for this exercise, I still ended up with a digital image. This is a an overlaid multiple image taken of City Hall over a five minute period. One wouldn't believe the number of pigeons that wanted to fly into the shot! Thankfully, I was using a remote so I could keep a lookout for erratic flight paths.


Ice

Having previously seen dramatic examples of multiple exposures taken using a motor drive, I thought I would experiment using this technique with Ilford film and my Nikon F80. Nearly all of my attempts involved at least 4 images Unfortunately most of the negatives were quite grainy however in this example I think it helps promote the idea of the rough texture of the ice on which my daughter was skating. A blue tone has been added to the digitally scanned negative to reinforce the feeling of a cold environment.

2007 Ekka - Ferris Wheel

I have to admit to borrowing my colleague’s tried and true strategy of presenting the ordinary in an extra-ordinary fashion to add some sparkle to subjects that have the potential to be clichés; hence the less typical viewpoint and a diagonal presentation of this image. A digital colour image given a monochrome treatment coupled with a soft blue wash.

Belgians from the Belgian

It's not often one sees horses trotting through the CBD, but this lovely pair were harnessed to an open carriage at the top of the mall on July 21. I found out the significance when I walked behind the carriage to see a sign from the Belgian Bar inviting people to drop in and celebrate Belgium Day. It would be appropriate that the horses themselves were Belgian Draughts and they certainly looked it. Anyway, I joined the group of camera/phone wavers who were trying to line up a shot and zoomed in at 190mm.

Customs facade 1

The facade of Customs House is dominated by four ornate columns standing proud about the main entrance. I particularly like the way that the early morning light washes back off surrounding buildings to softly illuminate the intricate detail of this most magnificent building. This shot is intended to convey the quality of the work that is evident throughout the structure. (OM4, zuiko 135mm f3.5, f5.6, FP4 @ 125)

Point on Eagle

I have been working quite earnestly of late with doors, lines and CH projects. However, there are times when a shot is just begging to be taken, just for the heck of it. This is one of those shots — pure whimsy. Every time I pass this piece of public artwork it puts a smile on my face, and given that 175 Eagle is beside Customs House, I have been passing often. I hope that this captures some of the joy the original gives me. (OM4, zuiko 135mm f3.5, f4, FP4 @ 125)

Customs at dusk

I tend to be a creature of habit, and I have found that I most often photograph early in the morning on my way to work. Perhaps this is borne out of a general reluctance to photograph when too many people are around, in case one might ask what I am doing. One reason for choosing to embark on my Customs House series was to force me to investigate the effects of the different light and different lives of the subject. This shot was taken late on a Friday afternoon. I wanted the sky to still be bright, but I also knew that the veranda areas would be well lit to give the building a warm glow. Shot hand held and wide open, I would probably want to at least use my monopod and stop the lens down a click to improve the sharpness if I attempt to use this light again. (OM4, zuiko 50mm f1.8, f1.8, HP5 @ 400)

Riverfront Place Streetside

This shot was taken from the Eagle Street side of the Riverside Centre, sort of like a mirror image of my earlier Seidler Swoosh post taken from the river side of this same complex. In this frame you can see the trademark architectural detail of the flowing lines common to each of Seidler's Brisbane towers. I composed this to capture the interesting line detail that makes up the entrance, and the way that the frame for the extended glass-topped roof is silhouetted in the morning sun and reflected in the glass walls of the lobby. Although the main doors to the complex are included, they certainly are not features of the scene. (OM4, Tamron 24mm f2.5, f5.6, HP5 @ 400)