Sunday, April 27, 2008

Brisbane at Play

Brisbane at Play was the theme chosen for our latest group assignment. Having re-acquainted myself with the sport of sailing, (well actually since I sail but don't race I guess technically it's a pastime), I thought this topic would enable me to combine the fun of photography with this sport. I do hope my Monochrome Brisbane colleagues will forgive my selfish motivation! The sole proviso was that a person or people connected in some manner with the activity must appear the in the image.

Despite repeated mumblings that they don't shoot people my highly talented friends applied themselves diligently to the task and have provided excellent examples of Brisbanites going about the serious business of enjoying themselves.


Nicole's "Show Pony" is a great shot of an equestrian event at the Kenmore Show. We know little about the entrant herself except that both she and her powerful mount were beautifully captured in motion whilst bathed in morning light.



In contrast, Boyd has chosen to highlight a team sport by shooting the very Australian game of cricket in his "Change of Ends". This image was taken at a locally held match in the Graceville area of Brisbane. It presents the controlled hullabaloo of the batsmen and fielders rearranging themselves at the end of an over.


On any given weekend off the Wynnum-Manly foreshore, it is very hard not see the a sail somewhere out in Moreton Bay, and as I photographed these subjects just outside the Manly boat harbour, (which is within the confines of the Shire of Brisbane), I hope my colleagues will forgive any locational latitude on my part. Whilst St Helena and Green Islands further out are listed in the Brisbane ward of Wynnum, I have no idea what jurisdiction the bay itself falls into!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Crossing Edward


Same place, different times. I have continued to experiment with different techniques and approaches to my street essay. There is a busy crossing at the bottom of the Mall where Queen and Edward Streets meet. These two shots were taken at this crossing at different times of the day (one morning the other early evening) and with different film and lens combinations: the square one using an OM2sp, Tokina 35-105mm RMC f3.5-4.5 zoom and HP5 @ 400; the other with an OM2n, Tamron 35-80mm f2.8-3.2 SP zoom and HP5 @ 1600. I like the very different atmosphere that can be generated from essentially the same spot using very similar techniques.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Hotel Carlton


A more convincing facade in many ways than the old Telegraph building is that of the adjacent Hotel Carlton. In its day this building must have stood magnificently on the main street of Brisbane, with three stories of ironwork and verandas now proudly fronting a shopping centre. The paint is peeling on the walls and the hardwood floorboards do not all look securely placed, but that doesn't really matter any more as no guests will ever again take in the view and their conversation and laughter will never spill into the street. (OM2sp, Tokina 35-105mm RMC f3.5-4.5 zoom, HP5 @ 400)

Monday, April 14, 2008

Telegraph facade


Along the Queen St Mall, and in other places throughout the City centre, there seems to be a push to develop new buildings but to keep the facade of the previous building. It has always struck me as an odd policy, because there will be a time where there are no genuine examples of architecture in the late 20th or early 21st Centuries. I am sure that future generations will think us mad not to have attempted to either save the original buildings or have our own designs that we think worthy of display. The Myer Centre, which recently celebrated its 20th year, has a number of these old facades hiding a modern multistory shopping plaza. The subject of this shot is one of those facades, that of the building that housed the Telegraph newspaper offices. (OM2sp, Tokina 35-105mm RMC f3.5-4.5 zoom, HP5 @ 400)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

GPO Buskers


For a number of days these two have been busking outside the main Post Office. Their persistence is admirable, because although the jazz that they play is enjoyable, most on commuters pass without tossing any money. This shot was taken as part of some tests that I am doing on gear before going on a short holiday. It confirms that I really should have tried harder to get a 35mm prime, because my Tokina 35-105mm used for this (and some shots to come) has neither the sharpness, contrast, nor the low light ability that I am looking for in a travel lens – a variable f3.5-4.5 as a minimum aperture just doesn't cut it. Luckily, my OM2sp seems to be working fine in all its modes, including Program, so I might take it as a second body. (OM2sp, Tokina 35-105mm RMC f3.5-4.5 zoom, HP5 @ 400)

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Steam


At the George St end of Queen St is the relatively new Brisbane Square and Radacliff Place. In this wonderful space is an installation piece called Steam, by Donna Marcus. This work is made up of a series of randomly dispersed large metal balls of different sizes with replica aluminium steamer baskets as their feature (more info). One cannot help but be drawn to them when entering the space, and many a photographer and tourist can be seen making images of them on any given day. I used one as a subject in my multiple exposure assignment shot in and Martin has included one in Push as part of his photographs of photographers series. I thought that I would attempt another composition here with a section of a ball and the top of the Mall shown in the background. (OM2n, Tamron 35-80mm f2.8-3.2 SP zoom, HP5 @ 800)

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Crossing George


I like the collection of people who gather at the various sets of traffic lights waiting to cross. They seem to show a cross-section of society who move through the city at various times of the day. This group was crossing after getting off a bus just outside the casino, and were heading into the Mall. (OM2n, Tamron 35-80mm f2.8-3.2 SP zoom, HP5 @ 800)

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Facade @ 240


From under what my family would call a Leopard Tree (Caesalpinea ferrea) I noticed the way the early morning light played on the side of the Commonwealth Bank building, making shadows and highlights that are not normally seen during "regular" hours. I liked the way this angle makes the building look like a charactature of something real, almost like a temporary facade for something more permanent later. As I stood, I though of how Martin's image of this building made it feel so substantial. So, with Martin's work in mind, I juxtaposed the comical effect of light with the leaves of the Leopard hoping that they would appear more permanent than the building. (OM2n, Tamron 35-80mm f2.8-3.2 SP zoom, f8, HP5 @ 800)