December 31st... Manly pre-dawn and some final reflections

Admittedly I am going through some weird phase with my photos. I'm not sure where all this abstract colour/social-documentary/general randomness has come from. A had a (slightly less than sober) conversation with a friend on Christmas Eve and she questioned my lack of interaction with people in my photos at the moment. The weirdest thing about the 'critique' was that I always forget that this is actually being read by anyone! So thank you Ains for making me think about what I'm doing... I was thinking about you this morning whilst I was out and will face the challenge head on....tomorrow.



Every colour of the rainbow! Manly Wharf at 5.10am



So this morning I was a good wife and drove M down to Manly Wharf to go fishing. Did I mention it was 5am?! He better come back with dinner...

The lack of waves meant that Manly was pretty much empty, apart from a couple of stand up paddle boarders making their way across to Shelley Beach.



The long and dusty trail...



So after my ridiculously early start to New Years Eve, I went to a 6am yoga class. As much as I enjoyed it, and as nice as it was to walk out at 7.30 with a full day ahead of me, I couldn't help but wonder, 'what the hell am I doing?' I've become one of those crazy people.



Lake Manly

Like most people, I find that New Year is always a good time for reflections, reviewing your achievements for the year, redefining your goals for the next 12 months. I think I did pretty well this year, made some great new friends, built on the relationships I had with existing ones, did a half marathon, got engaged, got married, rekindled my love for photos and walked a bloody long way. 



So in closing for 2010, I'd like to share something I was told in a yoga class yesterday. Forgive me if this is slightly wrong, it's hard to memorise life-affirming quotes when you're standing on one leg, locking your knee, sweating profusely and wishing you hadn't placed your mat behind the guy with the shortest shorts who is also really good at doing the standing splits - sorry for the visual.  

"The past is in the past, the future is a mystery, now is a gift, that's why it's called the present."

Happy New Year everyone.

...the tropical north

I'm a fan or 28 degree water temperature. I'm not a fan of transparent, floating globules of jelly the size of my little fingernail that can kill you simply by looking at you. Conclusion, big fan of hotel swimming pools. You can drink gin & tonic there too.

A few piccies from my mini-moon to Tropical North Queensland. Highlights being diving with sharks, snorkelling with turtles and hot air ballooning at dawn. Due to a lack of water-friendly technology (or camera housing for my camera) my artsy-fartsy shots were somewhat limited to 'supremus humus'. That's 'above gound in latin for the uninitiated. Tourist note; if you want to go out to the Great Barrier Reef, do it from Port Douglas, not Cairns. Better reef, fewer backpackers.

No trip to the GBR would be complete without several hundred shots of the crystal clear turquoise water...believe me, there were lots. I won't bore you with them, instead I will recommend you visit Palm Cove yourselves. Very chilled out place, but word to the wise... eating isn't cheap!

While you're there, eat at Far Horizons... quite simply, yum. I know it sounds random but we met the best waitor ever, a South American who was travelling, had spent time in Mona Vale (random?!) and had started working at the hotel as a luggage porter.

When he hurt his back and couldn't carry bags anymore, the manager gave him a shot at being a waitor and has consequently become pretty much fluent in conversational english in about 6 weeks. Seriously impressive and a bloody good bloke.

He obvioulsy had a better grasp on this waitoring thing that we thought because he got us pretty drunk (becuase we needed encouragement) and we ended up tipping him something ridiculous.

Anyway, when you're there, say hi from us.

December 21st...a study in blue

I know you've all been devastated at the length of time I've been away and you've lives have felt empty and generally lack-lustre without my images... Fear not good people of the world, I have returned, and I bring with me a host of bountiful colour to once again, brighten your days.

Unfortunately for the water babies out there, I seem to have brought the surf-less calm if the Tropical North Queensland seas back with me. For this I apologise.

Its taken a few days to get back into the swing of things, early mornings suck, especially when you're not getting up to go hot air ballooning at dawn or diving to swim with sharks and turtles. Finally, this morning, I was able to drag my weary ass from my bed to the beach. Here are the results.

As you can see, blue seems to be the main theme. I was also banned from the actual beach by a certain someone who was back doing bootcamp for the first time in a while...

I seem to have grown very fond of the pool at Dee Why. I promise to expand my photographic subjects over the coming days!

I have also started working on the hundreds of images taken whilst we were away... no doubt a select few will make an appearance in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled.

For now, I think we should all take a minute to look out of the window and appreciate the sunshine (depending on the hemisphere in which you currently reside!) and say a little prayer that it sticks around to see us through the festive season!

There's nothing quite like a glass of bubbles in the afternoon sun on Christmas Eve, so come on down to Dee Why Beach on Friday arvo, bring a bottle and come say G'Day and Merry Christmas! I'll be there from about 4pm...

November 23rd...blue and gold

5.50am watching the sunrise is a very tempting distraction when trying to exercise.

5.40am. Air rats at dawn.

5.40am another B.E.A.utiful day on the Northern Beaches guys.

November 22nd...ghosts at dawn

I think we might finally be seeing the beginnings of summer... but shhh, don't tell anyone I told you, you might frighten it away! Another early start for sunrise with a definite improvement on last week, actually being able to see the sun.

Early morning swim in a liquid rainbow...These guys swim every morning, all year round, irrespective of the weather. Mental.

On second thoughts, what's worse; getting up at 5.30am go to for a refreshing swim to start your day, or getting up at 5.30 to take photos of old boys in budgie smugglers?? Answers on a postcard please.

fingers of god

Its never to early to be social... apparently.





Ghost swimming

 

weddings...Dave & Lisa March 2010

Two very good friends of mine tied the knot in March up on the Central Coast. One of these amazing days where we woke and up and it looked as if the heavens were about to open, but someone up there was watching out for them as we all ended up with sunburn and heat stroke.

Either that or we were very rosey and a little doolally from too much champagne.

Beach weddings are fun to shoot, although I would definitely consider paying someone to come down and clear up the weed beforehand to save me hours in post-production.

Everyone loves a good wedding.

Mr & Mrs Villaume at the reception - The Bells, Killcare



 To view more of Dave & Lisa's wedding, do the clicking thing just here and see where it takes you....

bush babies and blue ring octopus

Today's title is inspired by a request from Sean in the UK. Sorry I couldn't actually photograph either of these two things, but thanks for getting involved. Keep the requests coming!

  

So this morning I got up at 5.20am to photograph the sunrise over Dee Why beach. It wasn't there. Met with a very dull, overcast sky with mean looking clouds that were taunting me with the threat of impending rain I had to get a little creative.

Very empty out there this morning, nothing special on the wave front and so only one hopeful out there trying to catch whatever be possibly could.

Bleak

By a little after 6am I was cold and went back to bed. My bedroom smells of stale booze, thanks for that.

 

It rained on the way to work. When will it be summer?



Just because I felt like we all needed a bit of colour, this is a proper sunrise taken a little while ago.

grey day on lake garda

A warm welcome to my new blogites. May have just penned a new phrase there; its certainly important to be original. Just to get serious for a second, I will be working hard to get this photography thing going and I really do appreciate your support. As one very good friend put it to me the other day (over several glasses on wine and some cake) "this is your year of fabulous things".

Considering the unappreciated turn in the weather over the last couple of days I'm sticking with the grey theme. Lake Garda is a weird place, and I fell asleep at the side of the lake here for a while. It was nice.

Bright yellow Ferrari's are cool.
Bright orange Fiat Panda's are not. Fact.

Palm Beach Panorama

A very pleasant trip to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. Looking back onto Palm Beach and Pittwater.

I love the light in the late afternoon and evening, there's just this golden hue that is so different to anywhere else I've ever been. Probably going to give us all cancer, but it sure as hell makes for a good photograph.

weddings...random seeelection

Yesterday (Sunday 14th) I assisted my good friend and colleague photographer Tania Niwa (http://www.tanianiwa.com.au/) for a Jehovah's Wittness wedding in Ingleside with a shoot afterwards at Turimetta Heads in Narrabeen Park.

It was hot.

I mean really hot. I actually think I may have fried my brain a little.

Anyway, I started thinking about some of my old wedding photography and what I've learnt over the last few years and how my style has changed since working with Tania.

So I thought I'd chuck in a few of my oldies for good measure.

 I really must do another wedding soon. Strangley I really enjoy them.

 Know anyone that is getting married? Give them my number...shameless plug.

Definitely more wedding stuff to come. Probably from my own wedding... mmm... two and a half weeks to go.

isolation

Tuscan Vineyards

Italian travels...



There's nowhere quite like Italy.



Amalfi Coast







Obviously if you've been there I don't have to tell you that. In April 2008, just before my intrepid move to Australia (I was very brave), Matt and I travelled around Italy, from North to South, for about a month. 




Florence

   
   I honestly dont think we had a bad drop of wine the whole time we were there.



Travellers tip: if you're on a budget, instead of buying lunch or dinner, just go to a cafe or bar and buy a glass/bottle of wine and they'll bring you nibbles... and lots of them! Free. Olives, chips, pretzel things, and they'll just keep filling them up! Eat like a king, turn into a while. But it tastes so good!







The most awesome shop in Amalfi

 


Random fishing village we discovered on the Amalfi Coast

 

This little herbs & spices shop is a visual work of art! Be careful when taking photos though...you're not supposed to... shhhh!



 

 



Lake Como

  


Stay on Lake Como and go to Bellaggio for the day. You might see some A-list celebs... apparently George Clooney stays there. Just make sure you go 'in season'. Friends of ours (lets call them Vicky and Ken) made the mistake of going at the wrong time of year and the whole place was deserted!






Asleep on the job - Florence



 Florence has everything I could ever need in life... architecture, art,wine and as many cheap knock-off replica handbags as you can carry.

home of the blue domes....

Personally, I think Santorini is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Matt and I were only there for around 24 hours, I think I took over 500 photos!

Make the effort to go there, once in your life. Take spare batteries and memory cards. Just walk. Get lost and you'll find some of the most amazing vantage points and be completely alone.

We caught a ferry from Crete to Fira. First thing I must mention is the coffee we had at the most random cafe at the ferry port. Think road-side truck stop campervan with a jar of instant Nescafe and a deep fat fryer and we're on the same page. Seriously, it was a cross between the best ice coffee you've ever had and a semifreddo, with a little splash of heaven thrown in for good measure. I know I sound crazy.

Definitely stay in Oi, on the other side of the island, which is actually one side of an old volcano.

Watch the sun set.

some older travels

London baby...!

I don't care how cool you think you are, London is cooler.

So much to see and do, so many little ally ways, nooks and crannies to explore; each suburb is in it's own little universe...

Covent Gardens is a photographers dream.

Shame about the coffee though.....

 Vienna - Christmas 2008.

Matt and I visited Vienna the Christmas before we moved to Oz (well, his home-coming, my move). Another stunning city, the architecture is breathtaking...partly becuase it is just MASSIVE!

The best part about being a tourist here over Christmas is that everything stays open on Christmas day.

Drink the beer and gluhwein. Visit the Christmas Markets at the Schönbrunn Palace and if you can, see the Mozart Concert on Christmas Day.

We got really drunk in one of the proper beer cellars (I can't remember which one) and then went for a horse-draw carriage ride in the snow. Would have been really romantic if it hadn't have been for the copious amounts of beer consumed beforehand.