Jenny - Suzhou / China (Tue 16 Nov 2004)

Jenny - Suzhou / China (Tue 16 Nov 2004)
Three years ago just now, Jenny left us.

We miss her and we will always remember her. We still love her dearly and she lives on through our conversations, memories and thoughts.

Jenny loved to travel and she loved an Atlas and a Globe.

Towards the end, she told me that she would miss the opportunity to travel with us. I will always remember this and I try to appreciate every moment and opportunity away from home, even though I am not a natural traveller. She travels with us everywhere and in every thought.

We are off to Hong Kong tomorrow for the World Club Crew Dragon Boat Championships. I will make sure a few travel photos appear here, as well as the usual updates.

We live on in her Afterglow ..

Afterglow - INXS - Letterman
Afterglow (*) by INXS:

Here I am,
Lost in the ashes of time,
But who wants tomorrow,
In between,
Longing to hold you again,
I'm caught in your shadow.
I'm losing control.

My mind drifts away,
We only have today.

Touch me and I will follow,
In your afterglow.
Heal me from all this sorrow,
As I let you go.
I will find my way
When I see your eyes,
Now I'm living,
In your afterglow.

Jenny - Geneva / Switzerland (Aug 2005)

Follow Your Own Path - David Brooks / NYT (Wed 27 Jun 2012)

"Black Abstraction" Abstraction - Georgia O'Keefe - The Met / New York (Mon 15 Aug 2012)
David Brooks makes some interesting observations (*) about growing up, locality and following your own path:

Don't try to be everyman. Don't pretend you're a member of every community you visit. Don't try to be citizens of some artificial globalized community. Go deeper into your own tradition. Call more upon the geography of your own past. Be distinct and credible. People will come.

On Black Abstraction (*) - I had known of Georgia O'Keefe through her relationship with Alfred_Stieglitz (*) (I have a book on his life, but can't remember it's title or where it is now). When I walked into the Gallery Hall with her paintings, I knew I would spend some time there. There were many colourful paintings of abstract views of flowers, desert scenes and buffalo skulls. Black Abstraction caught my gaze and I just stood in front of it and thought of many things. Maybe I thought the dark painting reflected how I felt after recent experiences.

Becoming a little abstract and self absorbed (as i do this time of the year). The path through the painting represented my journey since Jenny left us and I had become stuck (*) in this place (I had known this for some time). The little bright white dot gave me hope that there was something still inside me and all it would take was a small sign to get me on my way again. Funnily enough, it would come two days later on a Subway Train. It was such a tiny gesture (*) by a complete stranger.

Maybe the importance to me of such a tiny and simple gesture, indicated how low I had sunk in my journey in life without Jenny there beside me. I don't know really, like most things. Anyway I did like the painting and I am glad this post gave me the opportunity to put the photo here and to research it's background a little more.

To finish, I love this quote by Georgia O'Keefe on Abstraction:

Abstraction is often the most definite form for the intangible thing in myself that I can only clarify in paint.

Maybe I could say the same thing except apply it to photography, as my words seem totally inadequate to describe where I have been, what I have felt and where I think I am heading.

Photographer CV - eljeiffel / Sydney (Thu 28 Jun 2012)

Photographer CV - eljeiffel / Sydney (Thu 28 Jun 2012)
Had to write something for my Sydney Life 2012 Photograph Entries (*) which I submitted this evening. Did not have much time and the above is what came out. It seems to capture my photographic intentions and what happens here.

Joanne, Jenny and David - Sunday Church Service - Rarotonga / Cook Islands (Sun 10 Dec 2000)
Jenny - Woronora Cemetery (Mon 30 Aug 2010)

Twin Lights - The 3rd Light - ATP / Redfern (Mon 25 Nov 2002)

Twin Lights - The 3rd Light - ATP / Redfern (Mon 25 Nov 2002)

On Being Human - Edward Burtynsky / The Atlantic (Tue 19 Jun 2012)

Esso - Queens Quay / Toronto (Tue 30 Aug 2011)
Toronto based Edward Burtynsky (*) says in The Art of Industry: The Making and Meaning of Edward Burtynsky's New Exhibit, 'Oil' (*):

Humans can really reveal themselves through what they choose to see as the most important or meaningful detail in an image.

Have a couple of his books and have always liked the way he sees (*) the World.

Sydney Life 2012 Entries - Darlinghurst (Fri 09 Mar 2012)

Black - Darlinghurst Road / Darlinghurst (Fri 09 Mar 2012)
KEEP THE WALL C - Darlinghurst (Fri 09 Mar 2012)
Decided to enter these two photos into 2012 Sydney Life (*). They have appeared here before (*) and have been cropped to conform to the required 35mm equivalent aspect ratio.

They were taken about 20 minutes apart after I had been to the Stills Gallery (*) to view Trent Parke's (*) Minutes to Midnight Photo Exhibition (*). I had hoped to purchase a copy of his book (*) with same name as the Exhibition, but it had not been published at the time (now due for mid-Aug release and I have a few copies on pre-order from Amazon).

Back to the photos. Have always been intrigued by photos that are predominately black. There is actually a lot of detail in the dark centre of this one and there is a lot to explore, There is a tension associated with the opposing brighter focal points to the left and right of the frames. They draw you away from the center, but I always seem to want to come back to explore the dark centre, A 3x2m canvas print would definitely do it justice.

The 2nd photo is just about colour and a few other things, Also a study in motion and the motion blur oddly enough seems to work, as well as the left foot just above the ground and it's associated shadow. The C is for Clean.

Both photos are worth a try at entering, for me at least.

Jenny - Levento / Italy (Fri 12 Aug 2005)

Jenny - Levento / Italy (Fri 12 Aug 2005)
One of my favourite photos of Jenny. We had packed our bags and were ready to check out of our Apartment in Levento. Decided to take in the view of the town of Levento from the rooftop of the Apartment. I asked Jenny to stay where she was and I moved to the other side, zoomed in and made this photo. She was a natural in front of the camera and I think this photo shows this in so many ways.

The Met - New York (Mon 15 Aug 2011)

The Met - New York (Mon 15 Aug 2011)

On Believing - Alex Coghe / In 35mm (Thu 21 Jun 2012)

Cross - Somewhere between Lourdes and Col de Portet d'Aspet / France (Wed 23 Sep 2009)
In Order from Chaos: The Essence of Photography, (*), Photographer and Writer, Alex Coghe (*) writes:

If you believe, you are stronger and the light (*) will reward you.

While Alex makes this observation from his experiences with Street Photography, from my own experiences I would say it can be applied to all aspects of our lives.

Church - Somewhere between Lourdes and Col de Portet d'Aspet / France (Wed 23 Sep 2009)

On Understanding - Spencer Lum / Ground Glass (Wed 20 Jun 2012)

Basement Party - Erskineville Railway Station / Erskineville (Wed 30 May 2012)
Spencer Lum (*) at Ground Glass (*) writes:

In the end, it doesn’t matter if not a single soul in the universe understands why you do things the way you do. Even yourself.

I think I understand.

On Chasing too Hard - Kirk Tuck (Tue 19 Jun 2012)

Grace and Thomas - Mutton Bird Island / Coffs Harbour (Thu 26 Dec 2002)
Kirk Tuck (*) writes (*) ..

If you chase it too hard you might never catch it...

Made me think of ..

• Michael Leunig's (*) thoughts on How to Get There (*), and


• Drew Ginn's (*) recent pondering's On Succeeding (*).

Similar message, slightly different delivery reflecting the personalities of the writers.

Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)

Jenny and her Speech Therapist - Rehabilitation - Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)
"The Bag of Tricks" - Rehabilitation - Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)"Down to Business" - Rehabilitation - Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)
"Progress" - Rehabilitation - Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)
"Determination" - Rehabilitation - Speech Therapy - St George Private Hospital (Mon 22 Jun 2009)
The sheer determination of Jenny to get herself back to normal is one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. She never felt sorry for herself and she did not once say "Why Me?" in the 13 years of her Life with Cancer.

I think these photos of Jenny with her Speech Therapist show what I mean.

When my motivation and confidence is lacking, I need to look at these and remind myself of what true determination is and get on with it without trying to compare myself to others, worrying about what others think or feeling sorry for myself.

These photos and this blog are great reminders to how I should lead my life. I guess you could say they are my "Speech Therapy".

Thank you Jenny.

On Succeeding - Drew Ginn (Mon 18 Jun 2012)

Boats - Cambridge / UK (Thu 03 Sep 2009)
Drew Ginn (*) abstracts the following On Succeeding from yesterday's win (*) in Munich..

To succeed [..] we sort of need to want it less. To care but care less. To push but push less and to create without trying hard.

As he indicates ..

.. this sound stupid but its [..] the complete opposite [that] is need[ed] to achieve what's desired.

I know exactly what he writes about. It does not make sense, but it does in so many ways.

Drew, good luck to you and your crew for your final preparation and assault on London 2012.

Stencil (4 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (4 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (3 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (3 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (2 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencilf (2 of 4) - Pittwater / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (1 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Stencil (1 of 4) - Pittwater Road / Narrabeen (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Pasteups #2,3&4- Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Pasteups #2 - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)
Pasteups #3 - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)
Pasteups #4 - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)
Pasteups #1 - Revisited - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)
Love the detail in the dresses.

Pasteups - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Pasteups - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Sat 16 Jun 2012)

Jenny and Joanne - St George Private Hospital (Tue 16 Jun 2009)

Jenny and Joanne - St George Private Hospital (Tue 16 Jun 2009)
Three years ago about now.

Jenny and Joanne doing the measurements for their 2009 Australian Dragon Boat Team Uniforms. Jenny had withdrawn from the Team a week earlier when a 4cm Brain Tumor had been diagnosed, but was allowed to complete her uniform order. The next day Jenny had the tumor removed and 12 days later she left us.

Jo and I were able to have Jenny's uniform order processed and we were presented with her Uniform with the rest of the Masters Team before we departed for Prague.

It is easy to forget these kind of moments, particularly when lost in the haze of grief, and the trauma that goes with the risk and mistakes that one takes when trying to find purpose and a new place in the world.

For those I have hurt or confused (and I know there are many) on this emotional rollercoaster, I apologise. The way I have acted is the best I could manage under the circumstances.

It is times like this I am glad that I have these photos to help remember the moments that shaped our lives.

Jinni - Fuzhou Road / Shanghai (Thu 18 Nov 2004)

Jinni #1 - 44 - Fuzhou Road / Shanghai (Thu 18 Nov 2004)
Jinni #2 - Fuzhou Road / Shanghai (Thu 18 Nov 2004)

Looking Up - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)

Looking Up #1 - Red Tint - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)
Looking Up #2 - B&W (Yellow Filter) - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)
Looking Up #3 - The Original - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)

More than a Portrait Photo - Jinni Art Supply Shop / Shanghai (Thu 18 Nov 2004)

Portrait - Jinni Art Supply Shop / Shanghai (Thu 18 Nov 2004)
Selina Ou (*) on photography ..

Photography was something I just always wanted to do. The camera enables me to express how I see the world because sometimes words, for me, don't explain enough.

So here is an attempt to describe what this photo means to me in words. Here goes ..

I was sitting outside this shop, while Jenny and Joanne were inside deciding what to buy. We would return numerous times afterwards to buy a few more things - rice paper, paints, horse hair brushes of various widths, and much much more. I was sitting there with half a dozen Chinese men, waiting patiently like all good husbands do, and I was fiddling with my new camera. He came up to me to look at the camera.

As he seemed interested I worked up the courage to gesture to him to take his photo. I made the photo above and then showed him the results. He was very excited to see himself In the review screen of my Canon 300D and he was all smiles, which he certainly was not for his photo.

I then gave him the camera and showed him how to take a photo. I reciprocated his gesture to allow me to photograph him and he then photographed me - I will put it here soon.

Even though we did not talk the same langusge, there was lots of hand gesturing and smiles. I should do this more often when travelling, or just photographing for that matter. I must admit that I had been inspired to engage with people more while i travelled, by a young up and coming photographer by the name of Selina Ou (*) - more on her and this later.

This was the day of my 44th Birthday.

Nine - Bronte (Sun 12 Jun 2005)

Nine - Bronte (Sun 12 Jun 2005)

Joanne and Jenny - St George Private Hospital (Thu 17 Aug 2006)

Joanne and Jenny - St George Private Hospital (Thu 17 Aug 2006)

Water - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)

Water - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)
Dark and abstract. These kind of photos always interest me. Such a long time since I looked at these photos, it took me a little while to remember what it was.

Trees / Intersection - Fuzhou Road / Shanghai (Thu 06 May 2010)

Intersection / Trees - Fuzhou Road / Shanghai (Thu 06 May 2010)
Mid Spring in Shanghai. It was warm and very pleasant. It was nice to walk the lightly shaded back streets and to capture this scene. The newly leafed / leaved trees seem to provide depth and an almost 3D quality, which is rare in my photos.

Tree - Dianshanhu / Qingpu / Shanghai (Sat 23 Oct 2004)

Tree - Dianshanhu / Qingpu / Shanghai (Sat 23 Oct 2004)
Remember shooting this with my new Canon 300D DSLR on a tripod. I like the apparent isolation of the tree and some of the leaves on the tree that are blurred from the movement caused by a strong wind. A closer inspection of the sky reveals a number of stars. Looks great printed about A3 size. Lots of intricate detail which I like to have in a photo.

Water - Dianshanhu / Qingpu / Shanghai (Wed 17 Oct 2004)

Water - Dianshanhu / Qingpu / Shanghai (Wed 17 Oct 2004)

Intersection - Red / Yellow Crossing - Geneva / Switzerland (Fri 19 Aug 2005)

Intersection - Red / Yellow Crossing - Geneva / Switzerland (Fri 19 Aug 2005)
Just another simple Intersection photo - liked the red and yellow combination which seemed to be a Swiss thing. The cracks in the road and tyre marks on the yellow crossings makes this one, for me at least.

Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club - Sculptures by the Sea 2005 / Tamarama (Sun 31 Oct 2004)

Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club - Sculptures by the Sea 2005 / Tamarama (Sun 31 Oct 2004)

Bullseye - Sculptures by the Sea 2005 / Tamarama Beach (Sun 31 Oct 2004)

Bullseye - Sculptures by the Sea 2005 / Tamarama Beach (Sun 31 Oct 2004)

Jenny and Joanne - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)

Jenny and Joanne - Yu Garden / Shanghai (Wed 17 Nov 2004)
Just found this evening. A very nice surprise.

Jo and I would return here in May 2010.

The 300D did a remarkable job to capture this photo in very low light.

Sticker - BLOM. - Sydney Lane / Erskineville (Tue 05 Jun 2012)

Sticker - BLOM. - Sydney Lane / Erskineville (Tue 05 Jun 2012)