On Adaptability - Edmund Capon - Spectrum / Andrew Taylor (Sat 07 Aug 2013)

Portrait Wall - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
Edmund Capon (*) writes On Adaptability (*):

I think the human animal is amazingly adaptable (*).

via Still serving the people (*) by Andrew Taylor (*).

On Art and Creativity - David Grohl - Spectrum / SMH (Sat 09 Feb 2013)

Street Art - Leamington Lane / Macdonaldtown (Tue 11 Oct 2011)
David Grohl (*) talks Art (*) and :Creativity (*):

It's all those bad habits and those mistakes (*) I make that gives what I do personality.

When it comes to making art (*), when it comes to creativity (*), there should be no right or wrong.

As long as you have the tools, you should just go with what you feel and go with your heart.

And that's exactly what I did.

via Love Letter to Sound City (*) by Bernard Zuel (*).

Breakfast Reading - Urbanbites (*) / King Street / Newtown (Sat 09 Feb 2013)

On Ambiguity - Joel Meyerowitz (Fri 25 Jan 2013)

No Stopping - Henderson Road / Alexandria (Mon 31 Dec 2012)
Joel Meyerowitz (*) talks On Ambiguity (*):

You often hear people talking about the intricacies and the mechanics of the medium, more than about the emotional content—the ephemeral characteristics of the way time and moments change.

I felt that ambiguity is an important characteristic in my work, as it is in life itself.

via Joel Meyerowitz on What He’s Learned: Part II (*) by David Walker

On Change and Moving Forward - Kirk Tuck (Wed 30 Jan 2013)

Floorboard Cross Section - Kyoto (Sat 15 Sep 2012)
Kirk Tuck (*) talks On Change (*):

The thread that should run through everything though should be to honestly have fun with your work.

You don't have to love everything but you sure have to like the process.

But to fall back in love with the process you have to yield to the idea that everything changes.

It's always tough to stomach that change must include me...

via (*) by Kirk Tuck (*).

While Kirk abstracts the above from his working life as a professional photographer, it is a great way to understand the change proces, discontinuities in your life and whether you upto going with it or wallowing around in self pity for what once was (hope that makes sense).

What's it for? - On Purpose and Change - Seth Godin (Tue 15 Jan 2013)

What's it for? - Dibbs Lane / Alexandria (Mon 14 Jan 2013)
Seth Godin (*) writes On Purpose (*):

Being clear about what we're doing and why is the first step in doing it better.

If you're not happy about the honest answer to this question, make substantial changes until you are.

via What's it for? (*) by Seth Godin (*).

On Technique - Free Speed - Kirk Tuck (Tue 22 Jan 2013)

Pacific Dragons - Masters Men - Five Islands Regatta (Sun 11 Nov 2012)
Kirk Tuck (*) writes On Technique (*):

With good application of good technique you'll go faster, go further and expend less energy. Seems like a good idea.

via Free Speed (*).

Kirk is not just a professional photographer and writer on photography. He keeps himself fit swimming and is just as informative writing about swimming as he is about photography. Here he is at his definitive best.

An inspirational piece of writing and one I will come back to a few more times on the road to Szeged 2013 (*). Thanks for sharing Kirk.

On Complex Heros - J. Tolkien

Bike - Ryogoku / Tokyo (Fri 21 Sep 2012)
Roger Colby (*) abstracts the following from J. R. R. Tolkien’s 5 tips for creating complex heroes (*):

1. Complex heroes. must suffer.


2. Complex heroes are rewarded for their suffering.


3. Complex heroes fail.


4. Complex heroes have fatal flaws.


5. Complex heroes are ordinary people.

via explore (*).

On Being Human, Photo Creation, Chaos and Understanding - Spencer Lum (Tue 08 Jan 2013)

Taking Human Pictures (*) - Erskineville Road / Erskineville (Mon 31 Dec 2012)
Spencer Lum (*) writes On being Human (*) and Photo Creation (*):

Human pictures aren’t pictures of people.

They’re pictures that mean something to people.

And there are as many ways to create them as there are pictures to take.

to which he expands On Chaos (*) and On Understanding (*):

Take this crazy, complex, overgrown world of ours, distill it down to something, and you’ve done exactly what you’re supposed to do.

You’ve restructured a systemic chaos more complex than we’ll ever know into terms we, as humans, can understand.

via Taking Human Pictures (*) by Spencer Lum (*).

On Photography - Diligence and Balance - Kirk Tuck (Tue 01 Jan 2013)

Street Art Portrait #1 - Phillip St / Enmore (Sat 15 Dec 2014)
Kirk Tuck (*) writes On Photography (*):

[..] you have to be diligent. There has to be a balance.

Thank God we invented photography.

It gives us a ready and reliable excuse to push away from our desks, easy chairs, dining room tables and couches in order to head outside and get some creative thinking and seeing done.

A photography secret for living longer and happier lives.

via Good light is what you miss if you spend too much time indoors (*).

Street Art Portrait #2 - Phillip St / Enmore (Sat 15 Dec 2014)

On Risk and Failure - Quentin Tarantino (Wed 19 Dec 2012)

It's a Little Bit Scary - Glebe (Sat 24 Nov 2012)
Quentin Tarantino (*) talks On Risk (*) and Failure (*):

I’ve always been pushing that envelope.

I want to risk hitting my head on the ceiling of my talent.

I want to really test it out and say: O.K., you’re not that good. You just reached the level here.

I don’t ever want to fail, but I want to risk failure every time out of the gate.

via Quentin’s World (*) by Charles McGrath (*).

A thought to start the year.

On Colour - Daido Moriyama (Aug 2012)

Green and Yellow - Tokyo (Sep 2012)
Daido Moriyama (*)f talks On Colour (*):

Sometimes I take a picture of just a colour

Simply because I like the colour.

via Daido Moriyama: The Mighty Power of Photography (*) by Ringo Tang (*).

On Effortlessness - Neil Finn / Spectrum (Sat 29 Dec 2012)

Set it up - State Titles / SIRC / Penrith (Sun 18 Mar 2012)
Neil Finn (*) reveals the truth On Effortlessness (*):

When something looks effortless, like it always existed, like it rolled out of you like a river, then you have done a good job.

But what makes that up is painful small, incremental steps, craft, skulduggery, anything that gets you over the line.

via Culture: Neil Finn - On writing music for The Hobbit. (*) by Tim Elliott (*).

I know exactly what he means. All my life I have been told that I made this or that look effortless - it's actually happened a few times in the last week. Always taken it as a compliment, though sometimes I wish I could have shown how much goes on behind the scenes - to show how much I was trying.

Thanks Neil and Tim for giving some perspective and clarity on the issue of effortlessness.

A great quote and a fantastic little snippet for my 1201st post. Will keep them coming. It might look effortless to post these little pieces of wisdom (*) here, but just as Tim says, there is a lot going on to make it happen (BTW, I don't try too hard to find subject matter, it just seems to find me). I have a lot of fun doing it and it is worth the effort[lessness] (*).

On Photography - discovery and your place in the world - Trent Parke

Birds Eye View - Bondi Junction (Fri 14 Dec 2012)
Trent Parke (*) talks On Photography (*):

Photography is a discovery of life which makes you look at things you’ve never looked at before. It’s about discovering yourself and your place in the world.

via Trent Parke (*) by Colin Pantall (*).

On Photography - the relationship between objects and people - Daido Moriyama (Summer 2005)

Traffic Barrier - Shinjuku / Tokyo (Sat 22 Sep 2012)
Daido Moriyama (*) gives an insight into his photography when asked What do you want viewers to take away from looking at your photos?:

Most of my photographs are taken on the street, of objects on the street.

I want to capture the relationship between objects and people.

I don’t ever think about what people are going to think looking at my photographs.

There are many things I can’t control.

That viewers see the photographs in a different way is really important, but it doesn’t influence the work.

My message enters the image, but I think it’s good if many messages enter the image, not just mine.

via Daido Moriyama Photographs His Beloved Shinjuku (*).

On Light - Alex Coghe / in 35mm (Sun 16 Dec 2012)

Steps - Bondi Junction (Fri 14 Dec 2012)
Alex Coghe (*) writes:

Somewhere there is always light.

via Why I will not be using more flash for Street Photography (*).

On Energy - What gives you Energy - Drew Ginn (Thu 18 Oct 2012)

Cobblestones - Berlin (Wed 10 Aug 2005)
Drew Ginn (*) asks Energy - What gives you energy? (*). His response:

Doing Stuff Alone,
Doing Things With Others,
Taking Initiative,
Being Lead,
Being Coached,
Being Challenged,
Setting Goals,
Achieving Goals,
Doing,
Learning,
Crowds,
Challenge,
Winning,
Risk,
Achieving,
Making Mistakes,
Being Centre Of Attention,
Being Quiet,
Reflecting,
Thinking,
Focusing,
Performing,
Following,
Being Praised
Being Pushed,
Being Left To Work It Out,
Seeing Other Do Well,
Doing Well,
Trying Stuff,
Working Stuff Out,
Knowing Whats Expected,
Knowing Whats Required,
Listening,
Having Clear Goals,
Seeing Improvement,
Time Pressures,
Making Decisions,
Taking Having Choices,
Making Choices,
Saying No,
Stepping Up,
Thinking About New Ideas,
Making People Laugh,
Hurting,
Feeling Pain,
Getting Taken Care Of,
Being Looked Up To,
Being Included,
Having Autonomy,
Being Creative,
Being Good,
Being Bad,
Influencing Others,
Surprising People,
Getting Something For Nothing,
Working Hard For Something,
Deserving Something,
Being Helped,
Taking Control,
Having Control,
Letting Go,
Resting,
Sleeping,
Pushing Boundaries,
Challenging Others,
Doing A Good Job,
Doing Whats Expected,
Making People Happy,
Beating Others,
Stuffing Up,
Following A Plan,
Setting The Pace,
Catching Something,
Being In Front,
Being Vulnerable,
Being Uncomfortable,
Finding A Way,
Showing Others,
Proving Yourself,
Showing Others,
Being Better,
Being The Best,
Being Capable
Doing The Opposite,
Doing Things Differently,
Sticking To A Plan,
Changing,
Standing Out,
Flying Under The Radar,
Being Loud,
Doing Things You Know,
Having A Routine,
Impressing Others,
Telling Stories,
Knowing Facts,
Having Knowledge,
Knowing Things Others Don't,
Having Power,
Having Authority,
Leading,
Being Unique,
Showing Care,
Taking Care,
Being Careful,
Having Discipline,
Feeling Guilty,
Being Passionate,
Setting The Standard,
Getting Out Of Control,
Let Things Happen

Drew then asks:

What takes it [energy] away?

This is an amazing collection of thoughts gained from a life long rowing career. Each one strikes a chord and it is the culmination of everything you have experienced and learnt. Thanks Drew.

Congratulations on an amazing rowing career and all the best for new position as National Rowing Coach Integration. I can see you a going to challenge and mix things up. Good luck.

On Photography - I love to make portraits - Kirk Tuck (Fri 07 Dec 2012)

Grandpa (Eric) [1] - John Sharman (*) Gallery / Mogo (Sun 07 Dec 2003)
Kirk Tuck (*) writes about the beauty the wonderful relationship he has with photography in (*):

I love to make portraits.

I love that not all of my subjects are required to smile.

I love that we can spend time talking about life while we're making portraits.

I love to work in black and white but I don't fear color.

I love light that can be both dramatic and flattering.

I love the contrast of dark shirts against light skin.

I love longish lenses and continuous lights.

I love going back and looking at old contact sheets to look at the "paths" not taken and then re-scanning and reprinting to see if my tastes have grown or changed since we last peeked into the contact sheets and made our choices.

Another amazing piece of writing about photography by a professional photographer. Got to love that. Thanks Kirk.

[1] Random Recollection - This is a photo of my Grandfather (my Father's Father). My brother, along with my Aunt took him on a drive and at my Aunt's suggestion we ended up at John Sharman's Art Gallery. My Aunt knows him well and she has a few of his paintings. John had also made some paintings from the cliff on the edge of my Grandfathers property at Malua Bay. One of the paintings is the unframed painting behind my Grandfather. This is a nice reminder of my childhood days spend at Malua Bay with my Grandparents.

I have a few more portraits from that day which I will publish here at some stage.

On Photography, Relationships and Identity - Joel Meyerowitz (YouTube)

What you put in the frame determines the photograph - Joel Meyerowitz [YouTube (*)]
If you have been taking photographs for a while, this will really make sense and inspire you to think about what you have been doing and how you might want to view the way you take photographs in the future. Here is part of what he had to say:

[..] when I think about my photographs, I understand that my interest all along has not been in identifying a singular thing, but in photographing the relationship between things.

The unspoken relationship, the tacit relationship, the impending relationship.

All of these variables are there if you chose to see in this, in this way.

But if you chose to only make objects out of singular things you wind shooting the arrow into the bullseye all the time and you get copies of objects in space.

I did not want copies of objects.

I wanted the ephemeral connections between unrelated things to vibrate.

And if my pictures work at all, at their best they are suggesting these tenuous relationships.

And that fragility is what so human about them.

And I think it's what's also in the romantic tradition, because it is a form of humanism that says we are all part of this together.

I am not just a selector of objects.

And there's plenty of photographers here who are great photographers but who only work in the object reality frame of reference.

They collect things and I don't think of myself as a collector.

It's my sense of where I am different from other people and that's not a measure or judgement.

It's just a sense of your own identity.

For me the play is always in the potential - it's like magnetism.

Thanks Joel and congratulations on a fantastic career in your chosen profession.

On Perception - Size and Space - Makoto Tanijiri / Dwell (Sun 07 Aug 2012)

Floor Plans - Alexandria (Wed 24 Oct 2012)
Japanese Architect Makoto Tanijiri (*) talks about the standard dimensions and relative proportions of architectural elements (*):

People experience a space to be much bigger if they cannot figure out the exact size of it.

via House in Fukawa (*). Seems obvious once it is said and you take a look at the Fukawa House (*)

Alexandria Concept Model - Kerry McGrath (*) - Alexandria (May 2012)

On Design - Amanda Talbot - Interview / The Design Files (Fri 02 Nov 2012)

suppose.jp (*) - page 51 - RETHINK: The Way you Live (*)
Amanda Talbot (*) says in Interview: Amanda Talbot - The Design Files (*):

Matching living trends with good design is no longer just about colour, function and aesthetics.

It is about creating a product, an idea, a space that can enhance our life and help us deal with what obstacles this changing world is throwing at us.

Our houses are no longer simply homes but where we work, study, socialise and shop.

We demand dwellings that celebrate the rituals of domestic life and allow for privacy and change of mood.

via Interview: Amanda Talbot (*). Some interesting thoughts to ponder. Function and form are important elements for me. I also know that one persons function is anothers disfunction - it makes the world interesting and varied.

Passageway - Alexandria (Sat 25 Feb 2012)