Believe in Hope - Cleveland Street / Chippendale (Wed 29 Jul 2015)

Believe in Hope - Cleveland Street / Chippendale (Wed 29 Jul 2015)

Doug Miller writes on Hope:

Hope is a thread that exists in our lives. It has been there since the day we took our first breaths. It has existed alongside us as we built our lives. It exists now in the shattered reality of brokenness. Though we are broken, hope remains strong. In our weakness Hope rises as an unbroken thread stretching out into our uncertain future, beckoning us to follow and explore the potential that lies dormant and hidden by our pain. Hope waits. Ready for us to reach out and grasp its firm hand. The question is not if hope exists within our brokenness. The real question is if we are willing and able to allow ourselves to stretch out of our brokenness, our preconceived attitudes, and self imposed assumptions and grasp hold of the only hope that exists, the only hope for our brokenness, our humanity and very existence. There is hope and healing and a future no matter what our circumstances. It is true. I have seen it. There are many others that have shared in it as well and testify of its existence and power and potential. Lift your eyes out of the brokenness and glimpse it, it is before you. You are not alone.

You are not without HOPE.

via A Message To The Broken by Doug Miller.

Street Photography - Jesse Marlow / Ray Edgar (Sat 09 Jul 2016)

street portrait - "A Little Bit of Red" - Broadway / Sydney (Sat 02 Jul 2016)

Jesse Marlow on Street Photography:

The essence of street photography is that it won't be the same in an hour's time .. It's about developing a style

via Has Instagram changed photography forever? CCP's birthday brings the present into focus by Ray Edgar.

Maybe I have developed my own style on the street? Something I will explore more with time.

Explore More - Steen Jones - Cleveland Street / Chippendale (Mon 21 Sep 2015)

Explore More - Steen Jones - Cleveland Street / Chippendale (Mon 21 Sep 2015)

On Street Photography - Into the Belly of the Beast - Markus Anderson / Rob Norton (Feb 2015)

Into the Belly of the Beast - Markus Anderson / Rob Norton

Aaron Brown on being Inspired in your Street Photography

Take fifteen minutes and rejuvenate yourself by watching this short film. I did and it was more than worth it. At the least, you’ll see some really pretty photography and filmmaking, but I hope you find some inspiration along with it. Maybe you’ll be motivated to explore the belly of the beast in your own city and wait for those moments to make order out of the chaos yourself.

via Into the Belly of the Beast: Rob Norton's Gorgeous Documentary on Australian Photographer Markus Andersen Will Bring out the Street Photographer in You by Aaron Brown.

Trying to find out more about Markus. Surprised I don't more about him. A fantastic video and I learnt a lot from it. I know I think the same way as he does when photographing on the street. Just have to get out there more often.

On Photography - Danielle Hark / Ellen J. Langer / Aimee Lee Ball (Thu 24 Jul 2014)

Untitled - the light was just beautiful, so it is just a photo of that and that moment - Hyde Park / London (Sun 18 Aug 2013)
Danielle Hark: (*) writes On Photography (*):

For me, it’s the act of shooting that helps, [..] It doesn’t matter how the photos come out. It’s a mindfulness (*) process that brings me into my body. I’m not worrying about the past (*) or the future (*), just looking through the lens. Some people analyze their photos and use them to explore their lives. There are a lot of possibilities that are therapeutic.

With Ellen J. Langer (*) abstracting:

Noticing things in the camera (*) puts you in the present (*) moment, makes you sensitive to context and perspective (*), and that’s the essence of engagement (*). I have years of research telling us how good that is for health and well-being.

via Photography as a Balm for Mental Illness (*) by Aimee Lee Ball via (*) Photographs on the Brain (*).

On Finding Yourself - Spencer Lum (Tue 08 Jul 2014)

Untitled - Reina Sofia (*) / Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Spencer Lum (*) writes On Life (*):

The whole point of life (*) is to figure it out for yourself. To love (*) the challenge (*) and live in the process (*). It can’t flourish in the light (*) of others. Comparison is the surest path (*) to bitterness (*) and grief (*). Explore (*). See your power (*). See what you can do. Success (*) is not being better than everyone else. It’s finding you.

via Living the Better Life (*) by Spencer Lum (*).

Spencer (*) at his Philosophical Best (*). And a great thought for the 1600th post and 146,000th pageview here (*), give or take a couple.

A Message To The Broken - You are not Without Hope - Doug Miller (Sun 11 Oct 2009)

Broken - George Street / Redfern (Mon 10 Mar 2014)
Doug Miller (*) writes On Hope (*):

Hope (*) is a thread that exists in our lives. It has been there since the day we took our first breaths. It has existed alongside us as we built our lives. It exists now in the shattered reality of brokenness. Though we are broken, hope remains strong. In our weakness Hope rises as an unbroken thread stretching out into our uncertain (*) future (*), beckoning us to follow and explore the potential that lies dormant and hidden by our pain. Hope waits. Ready for us to reach out and grasp its firm hand. The question is not if hope exists within our brokenness. The real question is if we are willing and able to allow ourselves to stretch out of our brokenness, our preconceived attitudes, and self imposed assumptions and grasp hold of the only hope that exists, the only hope for our brokenness, our humanity and very existence. There is hope and healing and a future no matter what our circumstances. It is true. I have seen it. There are many others that have shared in it as well and testify of its existence and power and potential. Lift your eyes out of the brokenness and glimpse it, it is before you. You are not alone.

You are not without HOPE.

via A Message To The Broken (*) by Doug Miller (*).

An amazing piece of writing. All the more so, if you know the motivation (*) behind it.

A Rainbow always brings Hope - Alexandria (Sun 09 Mar 2014)

On Understanding Photography - Anders Birger / disphotic (Mon 16 Feb 2014)

Untitled - Madrid (Sat 10 Aug 2013)
Anders Birger (*) writes photography (*):

If we want to change (*) something we need to understand (*) it better, and we don’t understand things better by looking at the same photographs again and again.

I find people who work with photography as a way to explore (*) something for themselves really interesting, it’s like if I can understand something I can make other people understand it and that seems much more important.

via Interview: Anders Birger (*) by disphotic (*).

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) - Lisbon (Tue 13 Aug 2013)

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) [*] - Lisbon (Tue 13 Aug 2013)
Explore (*) writes:

it’s far more burdensome to live with the what-ifs of not having tried than with the experience of having tried and failed.

via Explore (*) by Explore (*).

Jenny [*] worked this one out for herself - Don't Wonder 'What if?' (*).

On Photography - Leonard Nimoy - Photographs on the Brain | LENSCRATCH (Tue 20 Nov 2013)

Signs - Madrid (Sat 10 Aug 2013)
Leonard Nimoy (*) writes On Photography (*):

You must master (*) your craft and then put it aside and concentrate (*) on the more difficult aspect of the work.

• What is it that you want to do (*) with that craft?
• What do you want to express (*)?
• What do you want to explore (*)?
• What do you want to find out (*)?
• What do you want to present (*) to people?

Those are the issues that you have to search (*) for.

via Instant Connections: Essays and Interviews on Photography (*) by LENSCRATCH (*) from selected a quote (*) by Photographs on the Brain (*).

On Mastery Motivation - Drew Ginn (Fri 7 Jun 2013)

Water - St Agnes / Cornwall (09 Sep 2009)
Drew Ginn (*) writes On Mastery Motivation (*):

Deep down I always wanted a greater connection and loved to explore. This happened in many areas.

Exploring thought process, movement patterns, biases, relationships, failure and obvious exploring success.

I really stuffed up more than I care to remember. Many mistake were made and the surprise is that I kept at it when many others gave up, left, changed their plans.

I stayed the course, and in one sense it was just the course, which probably was unclear to others yet, I knew I was seeking a better way, greater, intending (*) and learning (*).

Mastery (*) then is key I think as its takes the performance from simply doing and achieving or not to becoming more aware, intending (*), taking action, making mistakes (*) and making it count, and reviews (*).

Mastery (*) dare I say it is a journey and never the destination.

It’s the joy in striving for perfection, the working towards the best, to be the best and yet the result is not just best but a newer version or a reshaping of things.

Strange how I can see all that striving was the best part and when I watch other not full enjoying the striving I find myself wondering how I can assist in the unearthing of the mind shift from result to mastery seeking.

Sure I get the need to get the results and after having a few results fall my way its easier to state these words.

What I realise is that some time ago just learning (*) become the many motive

via A Wanderers Update (*) by Drew Ginn (*).

People ask me why I keep paddling? Why put myself through it all, over and over again. I've been fortunate and have experienced it all - the highs and the lows. Maybe it is like Alex with his photography (*), but maybe it is what Drew writes about so well here?

A few ways to increase your connection to your photography - Kirk Tuck (Thu 23 Feb 2012)

A3 Prints - New York - Aug 2011
Kirk Tuck (*) writes:

To do what you like in your work, separate from the buzz. [..]

• slow down [..] If you slow down and concentrate on the kinds of images that bring you real joy you'll find a tighter bond with your own work.


• Stop looking at all the sharing sites - When you turn off the outside influences and sit quietly with your own thoughts about art and photography you begin to understand the way you like to see and share art. That's valuable. Everything else is unconscious imitation.


• Do a project - Consistency of vision and subject are worthwhile goals for all artists. Set yourself to the task of creating a body of consistent work. Choose a subject that you love and explore it in depth. Ignore everything else.


• When you choose to do a project have a a goal - Wouldn't it be great if it changed some lives? But no matter where it ends up I will have met interesting people who've taken charge of their own lives and excelled. What fun role models. And the art will be my souvenir of my time spent with them. The prints will be part of the sharing.


• Start thinking beyond the screen - [..] When you slow down and do your art try to go through the whole process of bringing an image to life before you rush out the door to fill up more memory cards and hard drives.


• Really explore the images in front of you. Edit them down. Make them perfect and then print them large [..] Print them till you love them. And learn from the process of presentation. Learn what you like to see, big. The art becomes both portable and present when you pull it off the screen and onto paper. Be sure to go through the whole process so you understand in your gut what you've really created. It will slow you down [..] and focus it on doing work that makes you smile. You are the first audience.


• Finally, forget the online critiques - Find people in your own town, city, region whose work you admire and approach them about forming a sharing circle. Just like a writer's group.

Having a project will move you to take chances. [..] You'll need to discipline yourself to do the [..] And you'll need to learn how to finish.

Having a goal for your work gives it extra meaning.

Sharing the work with live people standing in front of you builds real confidence in the work. Having real critiques is painful but helps engender real growth. Helping real, human, non-virtual friends succeed with their own art is part of a rewarding virtuous circle. Embrace it.

From A few ways to increase your connection to your photography (*) by Kirk Tuck (*) - Thu 23 Feb 2012.

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 (*).

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.

Hands and Gestures (1 of 3) - Detail (1 of 2) - The Met / New York City (Mon 15 Aug 2011)

Hands and Gestures (1 of 3) - Detail (1 of 2) - The Met / New York City (Mon 15 Aug 2011)
Yesterday's post (*) about the Eric Kim (*) cue on gestures and hands, reminded me to look at some of my recent, yet easily forgotten, photos, in a different light.

This photo is a detail crop of a nicely framed full size photo I took on the steps of The Met (*).

I really love the lady on the left - her hands and facial expression, they make it for me. It is the center of the photo for me and there are many other compelling elements to explore nice you force yourself from her gaze.

To follow is another detail crop and the original full-size photo from which both were drawn.

I also realised that I had posted (*) about this before through a Joel Meyerowitz (*) quote, which I will repeat here ..

So the idea is to walk and watch what is happening in any crowd and see if there is an interaction.

A gesture or a hug or kiss or goodbye.

Something that is a significant gesture that makes it interesting for people to look at in a photograph.

Tree - Tompkins Square Park - Alphabet City / New York (Wed 17 Aug 2011)

Tree - Tompkins Square Park - Alphabet City / New York (Wed 17 Aug 2011)
Stumbled across this blog - NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography (*) - recently and added it to me Google Reader.

It sparked my interest because of the photography content and the interesting stories about the 5 boroughs of New York, particularly the Lower East side of Manhattan which I spent a bit of time exploring on the recent trip to New York.

This story - Street corner and ode to Bob Arihood. Alphabet City. East Village, New York City. (*) - popped up today on my Reader. Its a story of the Lower East side area known as Alphabet City where the north to south running avenues of Manhattan are named by the letters of the alphabet, not the more well known numbered avenues a bit further to the west.

The post was sparked by the passing of a local identity and photographer by the name of Bob Arihood (*). I read the post with interest and it brought back some recent memories for me ...

During the recent trip to New York (*) I spent a couple of days exploring parts of New York I had not even heard of before. One place was Alphabet City on the Lower East. Decided I would explore these areas by wandering around at random after looking at my well used crumpled A4-size Map of Manhattan. Looking at the map I saw the area had a number of parks which I thought I would visit and sit in for a while to just observe what the locals were doing,

Started out at Washington Square Park (*) and then moved quickly onto Union Square Park (*). Both were full of local market stalls and I quickly passed them by as they were crowded with the tourists.

Thought I would try my luck at the next park, Stuyvesant Park (*), a bit further to the east and hopefully away from the tourist crowds. Found it easily and it was what I hoped it would be - a small park for the locals of the Lower East side. There were many seats and tables in the shade provided by the many leafy trees that filled the small and inviting Park.

As it was quite hot, I decided to sit for a while and just observe the going ons in the park. Indeed it was a park for the locals and time quickly passed and I nodded off for a while into a dreamy sleep.

When I woke I sat a while longer and then moved onto the next park - Tompkins Square Park (*). This park was bigger and busier, and there was an eclectic mix of people there. I can remember dog owners walking their little friends (actually one was probably the biggest dog I had ever seen), street people, joggers, people walking home after a days work and others just like me sitting in the park. I can still hear a small band singing religious pop songs on the edge of the park near the Flea Market Cafe (*).

As I look at Bob's (*) photos (*) (*) I can remember the time and I can sense and feel the place. His photo from 27 July 2011 (*) put a smile on my face, particularly when I read the comment - Joe gets photographed a lot these days (*).

For me, his photos give me a strong connection of place and being there, even if it was just for part of an afternoon. At the same time Bob's photos motivate me and give me a strong desire to return to New York for an extended period of time and just do what I did that day back Wed 17 Aug 2011 (*).

Bob seemed like great guy and his passing is no doubt moving time for those that knew him. He leaves a legacy which I (and many others) will no doubt explore further both online and hopefully in person when I next go to New York.

Ridden into the Ground and Loving It - Drew Ginn (Wed 08 May 2007)

Another Favourite Blog Post by Drew Ginn.

A great way of thinking about a maximum effort in any endurance sport.

I have taken up RPM again for my cardio fitness and the great thing with RPM Indoor Bike Sessions is that I get a chance to explore all these feelings in every 45 minute session.

For me it is a great way of training the mind to Win the Workout.

Ridden into the Ground and Loving It - Drew Ginn (Wed 08 May 2007)

It is an extreme sensation to run out of gas on the bike.

It's a wonderfully strange feeling that is painful, magical and exciting.

The energy this morning as we rode ourselves into the ground was very cool.

Each challenge to dig deeper was meet with that fear of failure, of seizing up, of not being able to hang on.

It was think like a sea fog and could not be escaped.

If for one moment we were to back off it would be the end.

The only choice was to roll on and push again into that space of fatigue and sting.

The remarkable thing is each time I go into this place, into this zone I find something special, something new.

A freshness presented itself and as I pushed further.

I found that I couldn’t just stand and fight, punch myself out.

Be smart w[as] a statement I could hear like a whisper from an invisible friend.

Be smart, again it came into my awareness.

We swung round a corner and the pace quickened, the surge is extraordinary and it occurred outside and within.

If for a moment I was to hesitate I knew I would loose connection, so to drive again was the command.

The pleasure is in the relationship the lies within the range and scope of extremes.

The vastness of feelings marks a cycle.

Not just the one we ride but the one that is ever present inside us.

The burning grew and as it did I thought, "how can I maintain this effort?"

Then in one foul and almighty swoop we were away again.

The release was wonderful as I gained new energy to challenge and step.

Every stroke of the pedal was one closer to the end of our ride.

As we encountered a slight rise away from another bend it had become noticeably more difficult.

The build up of accumulated resistance was so filling and even the little climb was laughing at us.

We dug, I dug and before we realised we are over and off again.

The joy was like a chorus of celebration that burst and gradually it turned into new momentum.

The final stretch was into a strengthening wind.

The speed became hard to maintain and as I noticed my position matching the challenge.

Lower and lower I became, grinding away.

The pressure was had developed into a constant strain that would not let up until the end of the straight.

As we crossed an imaginary line we sat up like some proud animal in the wild after a kill.

Gasping for air we an evident sign of the effort require and expended.

The wry smiles told the story and we rolled into our coffee shop and embarked on a different journey.

One of reflection as we each shared our version of the morning’s events.

We were all exhausted, we had ridder ourselves into the ground and we loved it.

Bikes - Levento / Italy (Thu 11 Aug 2005)

Floating Reeds - Water - Fraser Island (Sat 27 Apr 2002)

Floating Reeds - Water - Fraser Island (w) (Sat 27 Apr 2002)
One of my all time Favourite Photos. The arrow like formation provides a strong focal point and there are lots of little details worth looking for if the time is taken to explore the rest of the photo. In particular, the reeds floating on top of the reeds such as the two in the lower left forming an X. Also, love the fact that this photo was taken during the middle of the day, so it did not have the light working for it. Just goes to show that the early morning and late afternoon sun (so often sought after by landscape photographers) is often not needed to get the lighting right for a photo.

Bloody Gum - Royal National Park (Sun 28 Jan 2001)

Bloody Gum - Royal National Park (Sun 28 Jan 2001)
I took this photo 10 years to the minute (Blogger's time is 19 hours behind Sydney time). It was the first photo that I took with my little IXUS that I thought was more than just a record of an event or a place (and BTW there is nothing the matter with that).

It was a Sunday, the last day of a long weekend (Australia Day was Friday). Jenny and I decided to do a Sunday afternoon drive down into the Royal National Park and end up at Stanwell Top to watch the hang gliders and to have an ice cream.

Along the way we stopped to look at various features and land marks, mainly the coast line.

For some reason I randomly pulled up into a small dirt parking area along the road in a forested area of the Park. I was drawn to the large Gum Trees at the edge of the parking area and noticed the sap oozing from the bark.

Looking at the photos I took that day, most were of the trees from a distance. The above photo was the only one I took up close to the trees. I set the camera to macro mode and I am pretty sure I would have held the camera about 15 to 20 cm from the side of the tree. I remember getting back to Sylvania and looking through the photos from that day and this was the one that caught my eye. It was beyond anything I had captured up til then.

Around the same time I found photo.net and this was one of the first photo's I submitted to my portfolio. Amazingly, I received a number of critiques which were very helpful and they helped guide me along my photographic journey, particularly this one:

this is a great piece. My only complaint is it's on digital. It would make a wonderful Ilfochrome if it were on film -- gallery quality.
Matthew Kees (22 Sep 2001).

In many ways the photo and the positive feedback I received help me explore photography in a way I had never expected when I first bought the little camera a few months earlier.

I have tagged many of the photos I have taken with the little IXUS, here. Many have become my Favourite Photo's, which I have randomly rambled about on this blog over the last year or so.

Makes me wonder where the last 10 years have gone.

Finally, if I have added up correctly this should be my 300th post.

Favourite Photos - Berlin 2005 - Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders Haus

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Hau - 'Betty, Jenny, Joanne and David' - Berlin - 09 Aug 2005 (picasa)
Just starting a collection of favourite photos.

It was our first free day after the IDBF World Dragon Boat Championships in Berlin. We were staying near the race course and it was our first chance to explore the City on our own. It was a beautiful late summers day and we stumbled across this scene just behind the Reichstag. While we all stopped to rest a little late in the day, I got up and walked back a few steps. Loved the architecture, and was taken by the scene and glass reflections - I was careful to line up the reflections on the right windows. I just like the light, colours and the way everything fell in this composition. I have this photo as my Wallpaper on my PC at work.

Some more details about the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders Haus from here follow:

'The Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders Haus is home to the parliamentary library and was named in honor of a leading representative of the women’s movement. It is part of the overall urban design concept for the new parliamentary buildings in Berlin, that lie along the River Spree north of the Reichstag. The Marie-Elisabeth-Luders and the Paul-Löbe Haus are connected by a bridge above the river and were completed at the same time in 2001 under the direction of German architect Stephan Braunsfeld.'