Winter Is Here

Yep, you know Winter has arrived when you go for an afternoon jog wearing a thick jumper & scarf, and come across what is normally a very full, green tree looking like this.

I loved the contrast of the branches against the perfectly clear Winter's sky.

I finished up my jog early so that I could get home in time to get my camera and take these photos before I lost light. =)

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Storm

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This was an impressive and very defined storm front that swept over the Gold Coast and Hinterlands. I was told about it while I was at home one day and so I drove over to this vantage point on the mountain to have a good look. It moved very quickly and before I knew it it was suddenly very dark and I was running back up a very steep hill to my car amidst sideways-trees and cyclonic leaf circles!

Glorious Morning

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This is the sunrise that greeted us at Burleigh on Christmas Eve 2008.

It was beautiful, well worth the 4am depature and long drive.

I love the shafts of light dancing on the water.

Solitude

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Now this is an oldie.

I took this while myself and friends were going on one of our usual bushwalks.

My friend walked out into the long grass near the edge of the mountain, she was just enjoying being out there, walking around and exploring things, admiring the view, perhaps contemplating the great wonders of life?

She is a still being in amongst an untouched and untamed evironment.

Its a snapshot description of something that I enjoy doing, alone or with friends.

Mother & Daughter

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Hands say a lot about a person - this photo not only captures an event, but it captures these two women as people, without showing their faces. The mother's hand, bearing the signs of her life up to now, tenderly holds her daughter's young wrist - soon to be given away in marriage. It is a beautifully gentle depiction of mother-daughter relation.

I shot this image while doing a wedding just recently. I was taking the pre-service family photos at the bride's family home. The bride and her parents were positioned for a photo but were distractedly talking to the younger brothers. Despite their distraction the mother and daughter were affectionately embraced like this & showing no immediate signs of moving, which gave me enough time to get the shot before more distractions caused them to separate.

Streams

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I shot this at Curtis Falls, right after a lot of rain.

I climbed down the muddy embankment, and balanced my tripod in a very risky position and held my breath for what seemed like an hour for this shot, haha.

Sun-day

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-You can almost feel the warmth of the sun-

When I see this image, I just feel good - it was one of those afternoons that was just right.

I shot it while visiting friends one afternoon. I was standing on the back verandah admiring the sun-down and soaking up the warm rays while the girls went down to pat the horse. It was a nice scene, so naturally I took a picture.

Studio

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I very rarely, actually never, work in a photography studio - I prefer to capture things as they happen without the help of a controlled environment - however, I was experimenting with equipment and whatnot in a studio when I took this frame. My lovely model was doing a fantastic job of simply filling the space while I played around. I like this shot - granted, its not the greatest shot, but I do like it, it's 'moody'.

Curiosity

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"Ohhh can I touch it?"

Working at Make A Wish - Christmas on the Mountain in July of last year (2008), the kids were treated to a reptile show, of which this little fella was an attraction. The kids this year were fantastically involved with all the activities and really enjoyed getting to hold him and touch him. They were crowded around in a big group all waiting to touch the lizard, so I got down on their level and this was the shot that I captured: Curious Kids.

At the Rink

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I shot this image on an ice-skating trip for a friend's birthday. I decided I was better off on the sidelines behind the lens rather than clinging to the edge of the rink. My friend had paused for a moment and I liked what I saw, contrasting his silhouette against the brighter, reflective rink. There is something almost sinister about this image.

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The following images I shot on the same night. I was exploring movement and I like how they turned out, freezing the figures (in a very low, crappy lighting situation) against the 'moving' ice rink. Please click on the images to enlarge them!

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As for this image, there is a stillness about it that draws me in.
I was just watching the skaters drift around the rink, waiting for a shot to present itself when this scene unfolded, it may not be the most perfect of photos, but I enjoy it, somehow that is what I like about it. The couple; the friends; the lone skater, they are all there, frozen in time, heading away from the camera. Read into it however you like =)