The incredible lightness (or darkness?) of being.
the reason you get out of bed, is to create. Because that’s what feeds your soul.
(that first image feels almost spiritual to me)
National Photographic Portrait Prize Finalist
No, not me. One of my students. Tiffany Garvie. I feel so proud. Taught her everything she knows. Haha. Nah, not really. But I was there at the start of her photography journey when she signed up and did the RMIT Intro to Photography course with me. She then went on to do the People and Portrait course with my mate Bryce Dunkley. And from there she's gone ahead in leaps and bounds and there's no stopping her. Oodles of natural talent, a keen curiosity, plenty of drive and determination. You can see more of her work HERE. She's a powerhouse. Oh, and a friend, not 'just' a past student. :-)
The National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition is showing at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum in Lilydale SAT 7 JUL – SUN 2 SEP 2018. There's a bit of a Photography Festival going on around that area so be sure to see what else is happening if you're heading out that way.
Photo by Richard Kickbush
And here's a fun snap of Bryce and I and Tiffany on a recent photo day out.
Favourite Photo from 2017
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain.
To be honest, I find it bloody near impossible to choose a favourite photo from a whole year. My Lightroom catalogue on my laptop alone has over 10000 photos from 2017.
But this one stands out to me. This is my photography buddy Bryce. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to Melbourne in 2010 and it's because of him I started teaching at RMIT. He and I are pretty much interchangeable in what we teach. He's one of my best friends and this year, he nearly died. The specialists informed us he had about two weeks to live and they were looking at palliative care.
This photo was taken in Qld a couple months AFTER that phone call.
Moral of the story? Get a second opinion.
And don't take life for granted.
And sometimes it's ok to have a crooked horizon line.
Below is another favourite. A Smart-Phone shot of me dancing with Bryce on Christmas day. Best present ever.
So maybe a favourite photo isn't about the best technical or creative or clever photo. It's about the memory, the moment, the story, the person.
Double Delight - Timeless Photographs of Twins
Two weeks old. Jacob and Harper. Perfect little models who slept through their whole session and didn't poop once. Amazing!
Alicia gave me free reign when it came to photographing her little bubs. I'm not a fan of fancy props and poses and gimmicky ideas. I prefer classic, simple and uncluttered. Images that are all about the baby and not the accessories. Images that are timeless.
Sarah and Rupert at the beach
It's been almost 7 years since Rupert the cheeky Dacshund went to live with his new Mum, Sarah, and I started commuting back and forth to Melbourne. It was a bold and somewhat rash decision but one of the better ones I've made in my time. Melbourne has been good to me. The Coast will always be 'home'. When I get stressed at the complexities of living between two places, I remind myself how bloody lucky I am to have the best of both worlds.
I went to visit Rupert and Sarah last week and we went for a walk on their local beach (Yaroomba, I think it is). I'm absolutely certain that Rupert got the best deal in the world when Sarah adopted him. He is so well loved and looked after.
Sarah not only took on Rupert but she kept Wild Honey Photography running while I got up to speed with teaching photography. She's a great portrait and event photographer. You can find her at Your Life Photography.
I'd seen Sarah's great sunset shots and put an order in for a similarly spectacular sunset for my visit. And then I got lost and nearly missed it. The light was fading fast (up the ISO on the Fuji X-T2) but we got a couple of quick snaps with Rupert before heading back to Sarah's place for a Thai Green Curry and a bottle of red.
Blogging is a good way to remember that amongst all the shit that goes on in the world, there are good things that life offers up. Beautiful beaches, sunsets, good friends, cute puppies, yummy food and red, red, wine.
Brandon and Rachael Engagement
A sunny afternoon in a pine forest with a gorgeous young couple in love. What more could you ask for? (the answer is Mozzie Repellent!)
