Autumn yellow against vibrant evergreen
Cast iron in the tropics
Some Sydney suburbs are fortunate to be graced with cast iron and tropical plants. A far cry from my childhood memories of concrete and weeds in Birmingham, UK.
More street signs, please?
It takes superhero powers to be able to read all of the road signs, watch for pedestrians, animals, children, cyclists, other motorists…. oh and drive safely in Sydney!
I took this picture on a side road in Dulwich Hill this afternoon.
Moon perch
I managed to catch a shot of a crescent moon as it dropped behind the house next door. I like the way the moon appears to be perched on the terracotta swan neck finial. I was surprised by the number of stars in the picture, as the light noise from street lamps usually obscures them.
I was using A Sony NEX-5N camera with SCN selection set on night scene, zoom lens and a tripod.
Thursday Tips: A Matter of Perspective
Every so often, a novice photographer tags along with me in the field. At the end of the shoot, they almost invariably say the same thing to me—you move around a lot! Yes I do. I think the biggest shortcoming for photographic newbies is the tendency to settle for the first shot they see. Part of that “settling” is the propensity to shoot every scene at eye level. Much of the time, this inclination leads to ho-hum imagery, and it’s a habit I think every photographer should break, immediately.
I’ve discussed this elsewhere, but years ago I attended a John Shaw photo seminar, and one of the things that stuck with me was his description of how, as a workshop leader, he noticed that the vast majority of his participants would approach a scene and immediately set up their tripods at full height. I made a point of keeping…
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Golden
Daily Om ~ The Ego
The ego from a different angle.
Be the Media
I wonder how many countries legally allow the media to do this?
In 59 B.C. the first newspaper — called Acta Diurna (latin for Daily Acts or Daily Public Records), was published in Rome. Carved into wood or stone, verdicts and outcomes of legal issues were publicly posted to inform the city’s citizens. Soon the “Acta” was a source for news including announcements of births, marriages and other happenings. Etched at the end of each text was the saying, “publicare et propagare” or “make public and propagate“. It wasn’t until later that this new means to propagate was used for propaganda.
For a long time our media has not been what it should be. Words like “reputable”, “fair”, and “honest” are not words to describe current day media. We have given corporations and governments the power to manipulate through information. It’s unfortunate that there are still some people who believe news outlets are their friends and a great public service.
Many people…
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Inspiration is everywhere
I find inspiration when and where I least expect it, here are three examples:
In going for a spur of the moment meal last Tuesday at Atom Thai Restaurant, Newtown, we were able to chat to Atom. He showed us photos of himself and his partner becoming Buddhist monks for a day in Thailand. He explained that this was a traditional part of the funeral for his mother. After chatting to a Buddhist monk, Atom has realised that becoming a monk could be a path he might want to take in life. Atom exuded calm, peace and serenity.
Since writing a blog I do not use Facebook as frequently. On one of my recent visits a friend had liked Emmanuel Dagher. After checking out his website I signed up for his email newsletter. I received a link to Unconditional Love Meditation. In the middle of our breakfast cereal yesterday, my partner and I took part in a 10 minute guided meditation. The experience was blissful.
I just saw the most exquisite photograph of a swallow tail butterfly posted by Ajaytao 2010
The reason I’m telling you this is after a week of self doubt and endless chatter in my head, I have experienced moments of clarity. I have unconsciously achieved a sense of peace and calm. I am ready for whatever this week has in store for me.
I took the picture of the yellow flowers on Friday in our local park with my mobile.
Robert
The Grove
I am going to try something new; in addition to posting photos, re-blogs and poems I will include bits about my past. I’m inspired by The Temenos Journal to write about my childhood and my family. I am relying on my memory as I am not organised enough to have kept journals. Here is the first instalment:
My delusions of grandeur started early in life; we lived in what my mother described as a “masionette”. It was the left hand of two ground floor, three bedroom, council flats, in a 1950’s block of six. There was a central entrance leading to a common hallway and stairs to the upper floors. My bedroom looked out over our back garden, while my brother’s had a small loggia which faced a common lawned area with a horse chestnut tree. As I stood with my back to the trunk looking up through the branches the tree appeared to go up into the clouds.
Out the back of the block of flats there was a narrow corridor formed by sheds to the left and the right, this led to dustbin area, a chain-link fence and a hedgerow beyond. Former tenants had been thoughtful enough to loosen the fence from it’s posts so that we could crawl underneath. This was fine in the Winter months, however during Summer our escape to the “countryside” was blocked by the evilest stinging nettles known to man.
Our home in Birmingham, UK was located in a “grove”; as a child I associated this with the fancy sounding, cul-de-sac, end of the road and no through traffic. Our grove was by no means quiet, there was a constant stream of vehicles delivering everything from milk, bread, pop, fish and meat to dry cleaning and coal. Luckily we were still on the map as far as Mr Whippy and the rag and bone man were concerned.
The delft houses above were gifts from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines when we emigrated to Australia in 1998.
theINFP 