Spring’s arriving.
Sydney’s warming up, flowers are blooming, and beaches are starting to fill up with sun-seekers, and even swimmers.
A birthday lunch on the north side of the bridge took us to the sandy shore, and the signs of the summer to come were everywhere to be seen.
The sun’s getting hard, again. The shadows are crisp and dark, without a cloud in the sky.
Spring’s arrived.
The annual food festival in Århus is someting that we have attended many times. It’s a very good way to spend a day with the kids, and teaching them the value of a proper meal made from proper ingredients. This year was no different. A joyous mix of generations, all committed to learning and discovering about the fuel that is needed to sustain existence.
All I caught was black and white.
In his post this week Kevin reflected on our Chronicle journey, on how “the mediocre bubbles to the top”. We knew, going in, how much of a challenge this would be. Namely because once we all agreed to go ahead, we just flipped the switch: we didn’t choose these 90 days for any anticipated fire and fury. We’d roll with the punches, attempt to spin from the fabric of our lives, however grandiose or...mediocre.
In a couple of weeks I’ll be heading to Germany—along with Bert, Kevin and Jonas. Planes, trains and multitudes to fill our days; frenzied nights and likely much too little sleep. But for now there’s grocery shopping with Cynthia and Héloïse, whipping out my iPhone for a few uneven frames while my cameras sit at home. Sometimes your mind is somewhere else when you leave.
For now there’s grocery shopping...and that’s just fine.
It’s been a heavy weekend of music related stuff. Rock on Friday, Jazz concerts on Saturday and Sunday, then throw in a white seamless shoot with a mobile setup. That would be all well and good, but try fitting sixteen musicians on a 6’x7’ background. I did manage five at one stage, but that was pushing it. I’ll probably end up using the single shots of each musician and then making a composite.
I’m now at my desk. 1:1 preview's have been built in Lightroom and I’m ready to start editing. This is where I tell myself to be ruthless when culling, but I always end up giving myself more work than I need to.
Okay. Cappuccino in front of me. Sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.
Sunday's are always peculiar to me. If I've shot a wedding on Saturday, I feel like Sunday is my Saturday and as such I'm a bit discombobulated by them.
This weekend, I should have been in China, but the trip was cancelled so yesterday was also affecting my mind. I spent the day in Bristol with the family shopping and constantly worrying that at any moment I would get a call from a groom asking me where the heck I was!
The stresses of a wedding photographer, I tell you.
And therein we arrive on Sunday. This whole Chronicle journey for me has been about openness and I know that on some days, the mediocre bubbles to the top but it's mediocre that interests me in other people's lives.
I'm a photographic voyeur and it's that reason why I love photojournalism with integrity and it's also that reason that Gemma, my wife, is always asking me to deal with the many photo-books I have scattered around the house.
And I have a fairly substantial collection now, I reckon over 300. I've been meaning to inventory them for a long time and today, that has started.
My Sunday is gorgeous today. I took a run, had a bit of a struggle with the new puppy (he didn't seem bothered), and started to inventory the books.
Kind of.
Actually, what happened, in reality, was, I pulled some of them off the shelf and started looking at them again. They are back where they came from now, on the shelf. Not inventoried and Gemma is giving me one of "those looks".
I think photography is such an important factor in my life.
I'm not an artist, at least I don't see it that way, I like to just think of myself as a collector of memories (and I hope that doesn't sound pompous). I photograph and I print. Our house is full of those captured memories and in a very short period of time, we are having substantial work done on our house.
I'm already thinking about new frames and pictures. I'd love to have all the walls floor to ceiling with pictures in old frames I find at junk sales. I feel the frames themselves have memories too. I can see my books in a big wall to wall shelf at one end of the room. Maybe with a set of steps on wheels. A nice tray of Scotch and some glasses at the bottom with a lovely leather armchair and lamp.
Gemma, does not have the same vision.
PS - All images from the Fujifilm X-T3 Out of Camera JPEGs.
Sometimes I wonder, is the forest an escape or is it home?
Accompagné aujourd'hui encore du 80mm pour une petite excursion dans le jardin. Prémisses automnales, parfums de fin de saison, teintes délicieuses...
Images réalisées avec le boitier Fujifilm x-pro2 + Fujinon 80mm.
Post traitement Velvia.
Sometimes, it's just the lines.
The intersections & collisions. The mix of new and old, of sun and shade, of hand-painted and computer-created - and, once in a while, a burst of something organic.
I guess because I've been away recently, the lines of Sydney are fresh to me again…
“Duality
WHO gave thee such a ruby flaming heart
And such a pure cold spirit? Side by side
I know these must eternally abide
In intimate war, and each to each impart
Life from its pain, in every joy a dart
To wound with grief or death the self allied.
Red life within the spirit crucified,
The eyes eternal pity thee: thou art
Fated with deathless powers at war to be,
Not less the martyr of the world than he
Whose thorn-crowned brow usurps the due of tears
We would pay to thee, ever ruddy life,
Whose passionate peace is still to be at strife,
O’erthrown but in the unconflicting spheres.”
It’s so hard to believe September’s here already. When the season began I couldn’t wait to slide my kayak into those Richelieu waters...and now here we are. As the famous Doctor Who once said: whatever you do, don’t blink.
Much more majestic in person...
Yesterday—Labour Day—felt like the very last opportunity to get out there, so I did. I drove a few kilometres further up the river this time and found a bay—shallow waters for the most part so no motorboats. As I left the shore, I noticed two huge birds standing next to each other on a small sandbank...American Bald Eagles. I wasn’t aware it was even possible and had to double check when I returned home: they’re extremely rare in our zone but not unheard of. One of them flew away but I managed a crappy phone shot (through a waterproof enclosure), to show the kids. I could’ve paddled closer but didn’t—call it the respect of the invader.
I stopped in a creek further off, grabbed a few images to act as markers (with my older X100T), had a drink of water...then storm clouds moved in.
Curtain call.
