Sam Orchard Media

http://sammyorchard.tumblr.com

2010-06-22T17:17:00.003+10:00

My new blog is over here at http://sammyorchard.tumblr.com

Max and I also have a blog for our comedy material at http://maxandsam.tumblr.com

Long Time No Post

2009-12-21T00:25:00.005+11:00

There's been a lot going on in Sammy land over the past two months. Each of these little things have added up to the fact that I couldn't keep up with my daily photo anymore. The main factor being work six nights a week at Mezethes from 6pm onwards, which also usually happens to be my most creative time of day. I'm going to try to update the blog on a weekly basis or so just to keep my photography passion moving forward. I've recently lost my hotshoe trigger for my cybersyncs too which means no flash photography until i can afford to replace it. That really sucks as it's one of the aspects of photography I enjoy the most.

We've also been given a notice to vacate premises from our current share house by the 28th December which is a pretty lame thing to do. On a good note though, this means Katie and I can find a house together. We've got our eye on one house in particular and have made all the applications but are still waiting to hear back from the real estate agents. Being homeless three days after Christmas isn't my ideal way to spend the festive season.

I'll update the blog again in a couple of days but for now here's a couple of photos from Katie and My getaway long weekend on the north west coast of Tasmania in November. More photos over on my flickr.

Day One Hundred Twenty One - Rolo Tony Brown Town

2009-10-30T17:44:00.005+11:00

Uni is just about done for the year. I know I've been pretty slack lately at updating this blog. It's not so much me being slack, but more that I've been busy as fuck. Working in a busy restaurant four nights a week and stacking fruit the other three, when added to a full time uni workload and freelance video work, definitely puts a little bit of a damper on a photography hobby. In short, I haven't really had time! I'm freeing up a little at the moment though as two out of my three units for uni are handed in and done. The third unit, which is a trailer for a short film we were supposed to get done, should be done by Wednesday. *big sigh*. Being busy also means I haven't had much time to see Katie. She's been really busy too. It sucks. We're going away together for my birthday in a few weeks though so that's really exciting!! =) I can't wait!!

I have a terrible cold at the moment. I've lost my voice and am snotting all over the place. It's pretty fucking gross. I also had the pleasure of waiting last night with only half a voice. Wasn't too fun. Luckily my boss took pity on me and gave me tonight off. I love Stas. It's a weird feeling having to take a 'sicky' when I actually do want to be at work. As stressful and busy as hospitality is, I do kinda enjoy it. Maybe it's the people I work with. But I always leave the restaurant smiling and with a feeling of achievement rather than finishing work at Woolies and wanting to get the fuck out of there as fast as possible.

Kittens are growing up fast! They're all I've really had time to photograph in the last two weeks, which is pretty evident. They are so adorable though and I love them all. Seeing them go in a couple of weeks will be very sad. Katie and I are keeping one. I think I've already mentioned this but it's quite exciting nonetheless. I think my heart has found a special place for runty, even though I originally didn't like him much. But shh. Don't tell him I said that! He's got such a fun personality and is always the most curious and outgoing of the three. And of course he's a little cutie. He's male obviously. The brown tabby is also male leaving the grey tabby as the only female of the three kittens, apart from mother kitty of course. =)

Also, I should also add a few words for Jiraiya. He was one of my favourite characters. Poor Old Pervy Sage. Naruto won't be the same without you!

Day One Hundred Twenty - Runty

2009-10-25T10:57:00.003+11:00

I felt a bit sorry for this guy at first. He was the smallest of the three kittens and his fur took the longest to grow. I thought he might have ended up really small and ugly but he's kinda turning out really cute now and i'm beginning to favour him over the others! I know that's a little harsh, because I love all of them but this guy is really cute and loves to adventure around the room by himself. All of the kittens slept with their mumma on my bed last night. It was rather cute.

Nikon D200
35mm f2
Ambient Light.

Day One Hundred Nineteen - Album Cover

2009-10-20T19:55:00.004+11:00

So Max has appeared in a few of my photos as a creepy looking 80's character lately. I'm aware of this. There is a reason though and you'll all see it soon enough. Depends if our new 80's band really takes off or not though...Hmm

Day One Hundred Eighteen - Meow

2009-10-20T19:48:00.001+11:00

Kittens have opened their eyes well and truly now and they're wobbling around the box in a drunken state. This little guy has just figured out there's a world outside the box too and has begun to attempt to climb out. Oh I love kittens.

Day One Hundred Seventeen - Simplicity

2009-10-16T01:47:00.005+11:00

Something simple for today. It even seems like a little bit of a cop out for me to post a photo that was taken as I was walking rather than a photo that I'd put a lot of thought into. However, something about the balance and composition of this photo had me just staring at it for quite a while. I still don't even know what it is. Maybe I'm the only one who likes it. I suppose at the end of the day that's all that matters anyway.

I didn't have much time to think about a photo or set much up today but I still want to keep in routine or I'll let myself slack off too much, and at a time of year such as this when uni work is piling up and due dates are ever so quickly approaching, lack of routine is not a good thing.

On a good note, not that there was anything bad about the above, but I had a great night at work tonight. I'm finally getting the hang of the menu at Mezethes and the whole waiting and serving thing is starting to come to me more naturally which is a good thing. It allows me to have a bit of fun with work and take my mind off things which is a luxury i haven't had in a while. I use the term luxury very lightly too. Waiting is not a luxury in the traditional sense, quite the opposite. But it's an escape from my busy and cluttered mind and it's something that gives me quite a bit of satisfaction too. It also helps that the people I work with are great guys and heaps of fun!!

I'm off to bed. Today's been long enough.

Day One Hundred Sixteen - Since You've Been Gone

2009-10-14T23:48:00.000+11:00

This is Max as an eighties rock star belting out some lyrics to his latest hit. Yeah we filmed more today for the eighties filmclip. It was pretty amazing.

Ambient/Stage lights.

Day One Hundred Fifteen - Hitching to the Eighties

2009-10-13T19:23:00.003+11:00

Max and I filmed a scene for our eighties filmclip today which we'll have to finish over the next couple of days as i'm pretty sure Max doesn't want to have a Hall and Oats style mustache for much longer than that, especially working as a waiter.

Ambient Light.

Day One Hundred Fourteen - Home Recordings

2009-10-12T23:10:00.000+11:00

I bought a shiney new, but secondhand mixer the other week. I've been putting it to good use with Max and have recorded a nice 80's love song which will soon have a filmclip to accompany it in the vain of cliff richard. Oh yeah. Next it's the Cranberries.

Strobist
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th bounced off the roof

Day One Hundred Thirteen - Kitten Cuddles

2009-10-12T23:07:00.002+11:00

This is my favourite of the three little kittens. It seems Kitten has taken a liking to it also. =)

Day One Hundred Twelve - Passers By

2009-10-12T23:05:00.001+11:00

Sitting on the porch at our place is a pretty daily thing these days, especially as the weather is warming up. I find it interesting watching all the different people that walk past.

Day One Hundred Eleven - One Day Old

2009-10-04T15:25:00.004+11:00

Kittens are one day old. This little guy is one of my favourites of the three. He's sitting in the hands of my favourite person too!! Katie and I are going to keep one of them together. Most likely this little guy.

Day One Hundred Ten - Mother Kitten

2009-10-03T22:28:00.002+10:00

Kitten is finally a mother. I got home from work this morning to find three gorgeous little kittens curled up with a very proud and happy mother kitten. Unfortunately the place she had decided to introduce these critters to the world was none other than my bed. INSIDE my bed. In fact, inside my doona.

This meant I had to relocate the mother kitten and three little kittens to a nicely prepared box and convince her it was okay to sleep in there. Then it was off to the laundromat to get my bedding cleaned up. Definitely worth it though. I love kittens. =) It's so interesting how my perception of my cat has changed in such a short period of time. Yesterday I saw her as a playful little kitten as quirky as they come and now she seems like a mature woman with extraordinary mothering skills. The way she looks after them and grooms them is so adorable. When it gets a little cold or someone she doesn't recognise enters the room she shields them from view and the cold air. *sigh* kitteeeennssss!!

Day One Hundred Nine - More Grad Show Photos

2009-10-01T17:29:00.000+10:00

Wilko needed a photo for the grad show booklet today so here we are!

Strobist
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera left into 43" reflective umbrella

Day One Hundred Eight - Graduate Catalogue

2009-09-30T22:08:00.003+10:00

I took a photo for Dan for our catalogue of work for arts school graduates today and he also snapped a couple of me too. Full cheese.

Strobist
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right into 43" reflective umbrella

Day One Hundred Seven - Wilko

2009-09-28T00:09:00.003+10:00

Today was the Hobart Premiere for our DVD which STILL hasn't arrived back from replication. Apparently tomorrow they'll be here (Monday). So then the real excitement starts.

This shot was out in copping at Trav's place. Shot at ISO HI-3 which is equivalent to about ISO 6400 or something. Also handheld at about 1/20th so that explains the lack of detail!

Wilko's a legend.

Here's a couple more from the night. I'll upload the rest to my facebook when my internet isn't being a tortoise.

Day One Hundred Six - Like A Child

2009-09-26T10:21:00.004+10:00

Also on the second day of filming. This cell is also one of the dozens on the top floor or ward E at the abandoned Royal Derwent Site where we were filming over a couple of days this week.

Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th into 43" reflective umbrella just inside the door and to the left.
Camera handheld.

Same settings for the photo below...

Day One Hundred Five - Bathroom

2009-09-26T10:19:00.002+10:00

From the First day out at Royal Derwent during a break from filming. This is in the old bathroom just around the corner from where most of the dialogue in the film took place.

Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th into 43" reflective umbrella just inside the door and to the left.
Camera handheld.

Day One Hundred Four - Just Like Raindrops

2009-09-26T10:15:00.004+10:00

I am in no way advocating that you listen to Basement Jaxx. I do not either.
I know i've missed about a week of photos. Things have been hectic around here lately. The end of 2nd Semester for 3rd Year Uni is fast approaching and different projects are being hauled my way from every angle giving me no time to really think about photography. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in New Norfolk filming solidly for the short film Mark, Viv, Dan, Angus and I are doing. It's ultimately Mark and I's project as we're being asessed on it but we're also planning on entering it into trop fest.

This shot was taken downstairs in Ward E at willow court. It was raining pretty consitantly all day which was a bit of an annoyance. Oh and Handheld too. I'm going to try and keep up with the daily photo but things are only going to become more and more busy for me as uni due dates creep up and shifts at work pop up.

Maybe a photo every second or third day might be more realistic!

Day Ninety Eight - Noir

2009-09-19T20:50:00.000+10:00

I played a character all day yesterday and today in a uni mate's film shot entirely in the studio at uni. This was basically how I looked for the majority of the day. I must say I kinda like me in 1950's atire.

Photo snapped by Mark. Lighting from studio lights.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety Seven - Cleaner

2009-09-16T19:08:00.001+10:00

I had my camera with me in the cafe this morning when I met up with Tys to do more filming for a job we're working on. This was completely candid and I basically just picked up the camera as this guy was cleaning the outside of the window next to me and snapped him. He didn't seem to care. I do quite like the feel of the photo though. Candids are quite fun.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety Six - Jim Jim

2009-09-15T20:34:00.001+10:00

This is Katie's Gran's cat Jim.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety Five - Sillhouetted Kitten

2009-09-15T20:31:00.001+10:00

Kitty had to take a visit to Katie's Gran's place today so the landlord could do work on the house. She didn't seem to mind too much, spending half the day under a bookshelf and the other half gazing out the windows.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

REBELYELLBMX.COM is live!

2009-09-13T10:28:00.006+10:00

After weeks of coming soons from the guys at Rebel Yell their packed site is finally online! It's jam packed with bmx goodness and general bmx lifestyle articles, videos etc so definately worth a look!!

There's also an interview with myself on the new video thanks to Greg Barnes and Chris Polack. Check it here!! The DVDs are finally done and we'll have them back from replication by friday. Get excited!!

Day Ninety Four - Familiar Scene

2009-09-12T11:50:00.001+10:00

This is a familiar scene on my front porch.
My brother Toby and my good friend and housemate Laz.

I love the tones in this photo. Laz is all rugged up and almost looks as if he's come straight back from the war or something. Gives me an idea for another photo actually!!

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety Three - Inspection

2009-09-12T11:27:00.004+10:00

That time of the month again when Kitten has to be out of the house because certain people don't like her being here. It's the same deal with bluetack on the walls. In a house as shit as this I have no idea why they give a fuck about a few posters. The paint in the entire house is peeling everywhere and the walls are full of patched areas and bulging water damage. I really don't understand. Our real estate agent is a wanker. The hallway has water seeping through the wall, the entire back end of the house is mouldy, there are ants all through the kitchen and through the bathroom now also.

I really don't understand with all these bad qualities, why having a small cat in the house is a problem. Then she has the nerve to tell us the roof of the bathroom has mould on it and it's entirely our fault. Maybe if the exhaust fan worked as it was supposed to and the house wasn't so dank it wouldn't be a problem. Would also be nice if they'd got around to fixing our back door which doesn't latch closed and hasn't since we moved in over 7 months ago due to moisture.

What makes things worse is the fact that kitten is about to let all her little kittens out of her in the next week. Having little kittens running around will be cute though.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety Two - Sweets

2009-09-09T14:45:00.001+10:00

Katie and I went out to Richmond today to buy lollies. It started raining when we got out there but after a little while it cleared.

$18 later and we had a nice little pile of sugar to eat. =)

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Ninety One - Iphone

2009-09-09T14:41:00.002+10:00

I needed a new phone and Toby got one of these a little while back. I liked it and basically walked into Telstra shop in the hope of renewing my plan and they offered me one for free. I'd be a little silly if I said no.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f4

Day Ninety - Royal Derwent

2009-09-04T22:51:00.003+10:00

I went out to RDH again this morning with Mark to take some scene shots for the short film we're filming out there week after next. The script is complete and we're in the process of gathering photos and mapping out where certain scenes will be filmed at the vacant site.

This one's inside the Admin Building. There's a bunch more photos from the day and some from last year over on my flickr.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f4
ISO 100 at 4 seconds
Tripoded

Day Eighty Nine - Leo

2009-09-02T23:06:00.004+10:00

This little guy spotted me with my camera taking some photos in town and instantly ran from his mum and bounded up to me. It was really rather cute. He sat next to me really shy until I asked his name and asked if he was interested in my camera. He introduced himself quietly and asked if I could take his photo and posed for me. Pretty much made my day. =)

Tys was filming at the same time gathering some random city footage and swung the camera round. I captured a few screenshots of that also as it's rather cute.

On top of that Tys and I got a lot of other filming done for a client today which involved visiting a really nice elderly woman with a house filled with all sorts of interesting trinkets including a bunch of WWII gear and a full size zebra skin hanging on the wall behind the stairs. Amazing!

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2.8
ISO 100 at 1/800th

Day Eighty Eight - Manny

2009-09-01T21:56:00.004+10:00

I don't have any of my parent's dogs in my 365 yet so I thought it was about time. Getting this guy to sit still for more than 2 seconds is an effort! The bottom photo is Monty and Manny chilling on the stairs. It's much easier to get them to sit still up there as it's their little lookout area.

Nikon D200
35mm f2
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right through 43" westcott umbrella

Day Eighty Seven - Farmville

2009-08-31T23:55:00.003+10:00

Max had a pretty big harvest today in Farmville. I also leveled up to level 23 which means I can now plant coffee. Carrots are still my vegetable of choice though with a growing time of 12 hours, costing 110 coins to plant and reaping 200 coins. Very good time/money ratio. I bought myself a grain silo and a workshed to sit along side my barn and fenced in area where I keep my duck pond and tropical tress, among other fruit trees. I'd say my farm's flourishing quite nicely.

It feels good to be strobist shooting again.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Vivitar 285hv to left at 1/1 through 43" westcott umbrella
Vivitar 285 to right and behind max at 1/1

Day Eighty Six - Teeny Flower Upside Down in a Puddle on my Front Doorstep

2009-08-30T09:57:00.002+10:00

I hate winter days. But I love them at the same time.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.2
ISO 200 at 1/1000

Day Eighty Five - Tea

2009-08-30T09:52:00.002+10:00

Today was horrible, cold, rainy and miserable but for some reason Katie and I still went to the markets. She bought some awesome tea from a local company called The Art of Tea. I also bought a big pot of chai powder yesterday which is the same stuff they use to make chai latte's in cafes. It's pretty awesome.

These little teabag spoons were hanging up and looked cool so i got in there, nice and cosy with my 35mm. Minimum focal distance is 20cm. Mmmm.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2
ISO 400 at 1/250

Day Eighty Four - Film

2009-08-30T09:48:00.001+10:00

I found out today my Kodak Retinette is broken and the shutter is jammed. Good thing is my Dad also got me this beauty for $5 when he was in Adelaide. I've needed motivation to start shooting film again and the fact that this beauty came with a 58mm f1.4 was definately a motivator! I got some 400 ISO film today and loaded it in so i'll have some nice 35mm photos in a week or so.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8
ISO 400 at 1/400

Day Eighty Three - Back

2009-08-27T00:53:00.003+10:00

After three catch up photos i'm back into my 365 project.

Another self portrait.
I thought i'd do something a little different to usual and try selective focus in close up and dramatic lighting.

Nikon D200
35mm f2
Ambient light from the room light and the computer screen.
Vivitar 285hv to camera left at 1/2 into semi collapsed 43" reflective umbrella

Day Eighty Two - Op Shop Beanie

2009-08-27T00:43:00.002+10:00

This is my beautiful girlfriend Katie once again. We went Op shopping the other day and I found this really cute beanie that she instantly fell in love with. =)

Today was definately a perfect day to sport it. Pouring rain and raging winds. Outside? No thanks.

The beautiful soft light is thanks to the nice overcast daylight flooding in the window.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2
ISO 640 at 1/80th

Day Eighty One - Preggas?

2009-08-27T00:32:00.003+10:00

I know I missed a few days. Actually it was more like six days. So here's three photos to make up for it. I'm back on track now. A photo per day. Maybe. Uni's getting pretty hectic and my schedule is packed. I'm working with Tys on a video job for a Tasmanian residential elevator company at the moment too. This involves going to a lot of rich, elderly people's homes and interviewing them. The view from their houses is worth it.

I'm pretty sure, kinda, that kitten is pregnant. She was on heat a few weeks ago and at the time escaped from my balcony. I found her outside a few hours later cowering under the BBQ with a rather large tabby cat meowing at her. I'm guessing this was after the deed had been done. I thought nothing of it at the time but people are now commenting that she's getting fat. Oops. I think her nipples may be larger too. I can't be one hundred percent certain as I'm not really one to regularly check my cat's nipple size. Sorry!

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8
Vivitar 285hv to camera left at 1/2 into semi collapsed 43" reflective umbrella

Day Seventy Eight - Cutie Cups

2009-08-22T21:20:00.001+10:00

Today was Katie's birthday so we all went out for dinner and it was awesome. Afterwards we munged on cupcakes from Cutie Cups which were amazing. Really. So goooood!

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.2

Day Seventy Seven - No Wankers

2009-08-22T21:15:00.004+10:00

Shot a photo for gibbo at The Brisbane Hotel (Best fucking pub in Tassie) today for an upcoming half page ad in a local zine called A Fine Line. Gipsy wanted a photo of this sign that was stuck to the door as the ad. I figured the door was a pretty damn boring backdrop so I hung it above the bar and lit sign and the bottles with a Vivitar 285 at 1/16th into a 43" reflective umbrella.

The ad's being published in black and white, therefore the photo's black and white.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.2
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera left into 43" reflective umbrella

Day Seventy Six - Kodak Retinette

2009-08-20T18:59:00.004+10:00

My dad got this little fella for me from Adelaide for $5. It takes 35mm film which is nice and easy to get hold of and develop and it's also capable of taking some really nice photos. I'm going to shoot a few rolls and no doubt you'll see what comes out of it! I'm excited.

The idea of getting my darkroom set up is looking pretty positive too. I ran into Pete at arts school a couple of days ago and he asked if I was still keen on getting it all organised. Of course I said yes and he's getting the equiptment together from his parent's house as soon as he can/can be bothered. Hopefully that's sooner rather than later!

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f4
ISO 200 at 1/40th
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th above right into 43" reflective umbrella
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th behind left diffused with 2 sheets of paper

Day Seventy Five - Hey Love

2009-08-20T11:54:00.001+10:00

I would love to have set up a flash or two for this photo but it was kind of candid. It's Katie's birthday tomorrow!! =)

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2
ISO 400 at 1/60th

Day Seventy Four - Eyes Like Pluto

2009-08-19T17:31:00.000+10:00

I really love katie's cat, even though I call him a her all the time. It's really hard for me to see any cat as a male. To me they're all female. That probably came out sounding really disgusting.

I love how this one came out. His eyes are so awesome. He's so curious!

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Seventy Three - My Favourite

2009-08-16T23:36:00.009+10:00

My head's really tired tonight. This snap is from last night and was meant to be uploaded yesterday. Katie's my favourite =). We have a few ideas for photoshoots very soon too and i'm really excited. I can't wait. This photo was just a quickie. No thought to setup or location or anything as we couldn't be bothered leaving my bedroom. Heh. Cookies and Cream ice cream and Katie is way too enticing.

I have a to-do list as long as the great wall of china at the moment. So i'm slowly munching away at it and trying to get scripts written up nicely and organised so i'm more motivated to get out there and get filming. I also picked up some cameras today my Dad found me in Adelaide. One's a little Kodak Retinette. I've never heard of them before but it takes 35mm film and is very similar in appearance and functionality to the Olympus Trip meaning it has aperture control and four focus areas which isn't too common for a twin reflex camera. I'm pretty keen to see how photos come out! The other camera he picked up is a fairly old Minolta 35mm which has a 58mm f1.4 lens attached. The lens itself is worth a lot more than the $10 Dad paid for both of these beauties! If only it was a Nikon lens, I would have wet my pants in excitement.

Nikon D200
28-80mm at 28mm
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right into 43" reflective umbrella
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th in front of us and pointing up through 43" umbrella

Day Seventy Two - Brother Thomas

2009-08-15T17:21:00.002+10:00

My brother in the backyard.
I'm not entirely sure where the term 'brother thomas' actually came from. Toby and I have lived with each other all our life, but out of home together in share houses for almost 3 years now. People tend to call us the bro-tos. I believe it orignally came from a guy's name whom our former housemates went to school with by the name of Joe Thomas. That was abreviated to Joto which, in turn, was converted into Broto to suit the Orchard brothers, being us. Broto is short for Brother Thomas. So there you go. Orchard trivia.

Nikon D200
28-80mm at 28mm

Vivitar 285hv at 1/1 to camera right into 43" reflective umbrella
Vivitar 285hv at 1/1 behind me with blue gel

Day Seventy One - Splashy

2009-08-15T17:17:00.003+10:00

I've wanted to take a photo of a water droplet for quite some time and saw an old paint tray out the back with rainwater sitting in it this morning. I used an old juice pop-top to drip water into the tray and my left hand to push the shutter. Needless to say it took a few tries but I got there eventually!

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8

Vivitar 285hv at 1/2 to camera left into partially collapsed 43" reflective umbrella
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right with blue gel

Day Seventy - Scouting

2009-08-12T16:29:00.002+10:00

A bunch of us from uni went out to New Norfolk this morning so I could show them the abandoned hospital buildings that we're looking at as a location for a short film we have in the scripting stage. We're tossing around ideas for the script at the moment and are jumping from idea to idea pretty fast but there's a pretty solid pathway we're heading towards now. It's quite exciting.
We also needed a promo shot for a new website fellow filmmakers Dan Cosgrove and Angus Ashton are setting up which will also feature work from all of us.

More on that soon!

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera left through 43" umbrella
Vivitar 285hv at 1/4 behind the group and the the right into 43" reflective umbrella

Day Sixty Nine - Dan Cosgrove

2009-08-12T16:22:00.001+10:00

Dan's going to hate this photo. But I love it. Mainly because Willow Court is nicely framed in the background. More on this day in the Day Seventy description. Yeah I dropped the ball again and missed a day. So two photos on one day.

I've been busy!

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Day Sixty Eight - Anyone Can Do It If They Try

2009-08-12T16:17:00.002+10:00

Once again I return to quoting Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, and also photographing Max. I apologise if you're bored of seeing his face, or mine for that matter. My balcony is also the location once again providing the bokeh of North Hobart.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

Strobist Information if I remember correctly is...
Vivitar 285 hv to left at 1/16th through 43" umbrella
Vivitar 285hv to right at 1/6th into 43" reflective umbrella.
Triggered by Cybersyncs.

Day Sixty Seven - Katie <3

2009-08-09T21:27:00.001+10:00

What more can I say other than i'm totally in love with her. =)

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera left through 43" westcott umbrella

Day Sixty Six - Boat

2009-08-08T22:51:00.002+10:00

My brother, Toby. Boty. Goat. Goatse. Whatever.

Nikon D200
35mm f2
Vivitar 285hv to camera left at 1/16th through Westcott 43" shoot-through umbrella.
Vivitar 285hv behind Toby at 1/16th with blue gel pointing towards camera.

Day Sixty Five - Revisited

2009-08-08T22:47:00.002+10:00

This is somewhat or a reshoot of day twenty one. Taken this time with 35mm lens instead of 50mm. Also using a Westcott 43" shoot-through umbrella with a Vivitar 285hv on 1/16th to camera left. Also a little Achiever flash I got off ebay that is roughly equivalent to a Vivitar on 1/4. This one's behind me point up with a blue gell.

Long day. Feeling very tired and drained. I don't look too happy in this photo. But I actually am! Katie returned home yesterday so i'm pretty much over the moon with happiness.

I love her so much!! =)

Day Sixty Four - Bright Side

2009-08-08T20:59:00.003+10:00

Looking on the bright side. Something I rarely seem to be able to do. I'm one of those people that always imagines the worst possible scenario of a threatening situation and convince myself it's going to happen. I really need to talk myself out of that mindset. It's definitely easier said than done. But I've had enough of it. Time to kick my brain into gear and start thinking more positively and optimistically. I hate my head sometimes.

Nikon D200
35mm f2
Vivitar 285hv at 1/2 into Westcott 43" reflective umbrella, semi collapsed.

Day Sixty Three - Meet Chris

2009-08-05T17:32:00.001+10:00

Oh man.

I've wanted to photograph the bag lady for so long. I was sitting on the couch this morning with Max and she walked by. We called out to her and offered her a cigarette. She gladly accepted and told us many tales of creamed rice and even some about her brother, who was a painter. As a painter he was never allowed to have ash trays, so he'd ash his cigarette in his cupped hand and put the ash in his pocket. So this is what she did.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8

Day Sixty Two - Lazy Acres and Yoki

2009-08-04T22:05:00.004+10:00

Okay i'm getting really Lazy with my titles. (Pardon the pun)

The wind almost knocked my light stand over which meant I could only get off a few shots. That and Yoki doesn't really like being photographed. So this one's somewhat candid.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right with 43" Westcott umbrella.

Katie's home in two sleeps from now. I'm pretty excited! =)

Day Sixty One - Rainbows and Cigarettes

2009-08-04T17:51:00.003+10:00

This is a day late.
I got my two lumopro light stands and westcott 43" umbrellas in the mail today. I owe another photo for today too so no doubt i'll make use of them later on tonight for today's photo.

I wish i had a polarizer so the rainbow had come out more in this one. Apologies to Max for giving him one or two extra wrinkles. In other news, my cat's no longer trying to escape my room to take a pounding, which is good. What's not good is the steaming turd I found in the corner of my room covered up by my clothes. At least she attempts to clean up after herself!

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th to camera right above Max through 43" Westcott umbrella.

Day Sixty - Meow

2009-08-02T12:13:00.001+10:00

A cat on heat is one of the most annoying experiences i've had to endure. I was on the balcony enjoying a coffee and a cigarette and the cat wouldn't stop pawing her way out the door as she's just discovered how to get down from the balcony. Oh shit.

Beau Vine's Bovines

2009-08-02T08:44:00.004+10:00

I edited together some footage I captured a month or so ago. This was filmed in Margate among our new friends, the cows. It was only Max and I meaning I had noone to hold the boom so I had to improvise. I laid the Mic on the ground to Max's right, pointing up around 2 metres from him to keep it out of the frame. Surprisingly it came out pretty crisp and there wasn't much background ambience at all! I'll be using this as part of my grad show at the end of the year, however it won't be in it's entirety. I'll be splicing bits and pieces in certain sections between other skits to keep the pace going and avoid boring the viewer. This is a little long when viewed by itself like this.

Hope you enjoy.

Day Fifty Nine - Pennell

2009-08-01T22:48:00.001+10:00

"I'm looking for my sleeping bag, and i'm pretty sure you're fucking IN the cunt!"
Travis Pennell

I love this guy.

I also love the bokeh and the blue tones in this one that match his eyes. Yeah. I'm an art fag.

Day Fifty Eight - Keys

2009-08-01T22:42:00.004+10:00

My title's aren't very imaginative. My cat's on heat. It's pissing me off.
A day late posting this one. I've been playing piano a lot more lately. It's nice.

Strobist
Vivitar 285hv at 1/4 bare above the keys
Vivitar 285hv at 16th with blue gell firing into two glasses at the far end of the piano.

Here's another photo from yesterday. Well, the day before yesterday. It's fitting because it involves Kitten who's been annoying me to no end the last couple of days being on heat and meowing constantly. You can also see the piano in the reflection of my glasses. I totally planned that.

Day Fifty Seven - We Mean Business

2009-07-30T23:36:00.001+10:00

Kitten disappeared for half the day today. The longest she's ever run away for. I found her later on, cowering under the BBQ out back with a tomcat hassling her. Poor little girl. She's still a little bit quiet and funny but i'm sure she'll be fine after some more cuddles!

I bought a tripod today. A Velbon. It's sturdy as fuck and has hardly any plastic which is a good thing. Reduced to $200. Bargain!

Strobist
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16 to right of kitten
Vivitar 285 hv at 1/4 pointing up behind me

Day Fifty Six - Patrick Dempsey

2009-07-30T01:43:00.003+10:00

I won Patrick Dempsey in a game of Drag Bingo at a pub in Melbourne on Monday night. You have no idea how happy this made me. Oh Patrick.

The setup for this shot was actually kinda complicated for my tired self. Patrick was sitting on my tv contemplating his new role in the enchanted when i approached him and asked if he wouldn't mind a photoshoot. Of course he had no hesitation and smiled at me with a nod. My tummy fluttered. I placed about 4 empty glasses and a cologne bottle on a chair behind dempsey and aimed a Vivitar 285 HV at 1/16th power with a blue gel to the left, also using a makeshift snoot to control the light spread. This created the blue bokeh from the out of focus hotspots from the flash on the glasses.

Patrick was lit from the right with a Vivitar 285hv at 1/16th and fired through about 4 sheets of paper to diffuse and lessen the light. (Vivitar 285hvs don't power down below 1/16th.) I put through an order with midwest photo exchange today for 2 westcott 43" umbrellas, 2 lumipro 8' light stands and umbrella clamps. $270 later, but definitely a worthwhile investment. I'm looking forward to shooting decent strobist portraiture.

Day Fifty Five - Coming Home

2009-07-29T00:14:00.001+10:00

No matter how many times I leave Tasmania, I always look forward to coming back. Katie comes home in 8 sleeps too. =)

I'll upload more photos from Melbourne over the next couple of days. Five blog posts is enough for one sitting.

Day Fifty Four - Curiosity

2009-07-29T00:08:00.003+10:00

Monday in Melbourne. Coffee in Yarraville again. I spent too much money today again. This dog was so small and so cute so of course, I had to photograph him. Maybe I take too many dog photos. Maybe not. Who cares.

Day Fifty Three - New Friend

2009-07-28T23:51:00.003+10:00

This gorgeous Kelpie lives a few houses away from Max's Dad's place where we spent a few nights while in Melbourne. Everytime we walked past he'd squeeze his head through the hole in the gate and beckon us to come and pet him. He was lovely. After a few pets and licks he'd run off and get his ball, dropping it through the hole for us to throw it for him. Poor little guy. Obviously didn't get enough loving from his owners. I want to take him home.

I should also mention that Max's dad is actually Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Day Fifty Two - Premiere

2009-07-28T23:30:00.003+10:00

PREMIERE PREMIERE!! Two Wheels 'N' Pub Meals, our latest BMX video premiered at the Anchor tonight and it was nuts. Heaps more photos over here!
The DVD will be available for sale in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Day Fifty One - Hungover

2009-07-28T23:23:00.003+10:00

25. Around the number of drinks consumed the night before, many courtesy of Rupert.

Max took this one straight after I took a photo of him looking very similar on the other side of the table. Breakfast in Yarraville.
I love Melbourne. Here's Rupert being a turtle. Silly boy.

Day Fifty - Rupert

2009-07-28T23:00:00.003+10:00

This is Rupert. One of Max's longest good friends. He met up with us on the first afternoon in Melbourne and we proceded to drink into the evening. It was fucking amazing. The night included Melbourne's Ice Bar and Drag Queens. Nuff said. I'm tired and have five days worth of photos from Melbourne to post so I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. Aparently each photo speaks a thousand words so this will be one hefty essay...

Day Forty Nine - Dusty Keys

2009-07-22T21:08:00.004+10:00

I'm going to Melbourne tomorrow for our Two Wheels 'n' Pub Meals premiere and to get smashed. I'm pretty fuckin' excited. However I won't be back till Tuesday so I'll then have the task of finding a photo from each of the 6 days over there and posting them all! I suppose that'll be fun. Beh whatever.

I was at the arts school today burning the master to DVD as my burner at home is rooted. It was taking forever and I was restless so wandered around and took some photos of this old piano sitting in the Video Studio. No idea why it's there, but it has been for about 2 years and I think it's kinda cool.

We didn't win the UTAS Ad either. My mates from uni (who also made one) took the $5G, including Mark, the star of yesterday's photo. I'm not too fussed though. Good on 'em! Honestly, their ad was much better than ours both in concept and quality.

Also 14 days until Katie's home. =)

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8
Ambient Light.

Day Forty Eight - Mark

2009-07-21T21:54:00.003+10:00

I wandered into uni at 10am this morning for what I thought was a normal E-media class, but we were asked to help Leigh Hobba set up some installations in the Gallery downstairs. You wouldn't believe how spatially and logically impaired these middle-aged artists can be. I was working with one middle-aged woman mounting a shelf and also measuring out and hanging some picture frames. I'm a little carpentry challenged myself but at least i can work out half of 14cm without thinking about it for 30 seconds. Yeah. Really.

Anyway this is Mark, a good friend of mine and always there when I need any sort of media assistance. Dave and I used to fondly call him Dad, as he'd often be the one organising things on shoots and making contact with clients and people involved. He's great.

Sometimes I wish my 50mm was autofocus. This was basically just walk up to Mark and fire off a couple of shots hoping one is usable. All ambient lighting from random downlights spotted throughout the gallery space. I haven't had heaps of time for photography the past week. My head's been full and focused on getting the DVD done by tomorrow, uni and my new job. I'm quite excited for this weekend. Bring on Melbourne.

Day Forty Seven - Lattés in Shiny Land

2009-07-21T01:14:00.005+10:00

I consume at least one or two of these every day so it seemed fitting that, lacking any other inspiration, I take a photo of one.

I'd like to do a decent-lit version of this at some point. This one's dull and boring. Salamanca is Shiny Land. Shiny rich people eat there and drink lattés with their poodles and chiwawas sitting in their handbags.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2

Speaking of rich people, I hate bluetooth headsets. They're one of my many pet peeves. I suppose because it seems no different to the crazy inhabitants of Hobart who stroll around aimlessly, chatting to themselves and harassing people. Until you see the stupid flashing blue light attached to their ear, you're led to believe they're just a well dressed homeless person who has noone to talk to but themself. Of these homeless people who intrigue me are Moggy and The Bag Lady, neither of whom are well dressed, nor have I had the pleasure to photograph either of them. The only reason I carry my camera everywhere with me is in the hope of running in to her again. Actually not really, but it's definitely one of the reasons! She's pretty amazing. So is Moggy for that matter. I love Hobart's freaks.

Bluetooth savvy man in the rain. Obviously important enough and expecting that many calls that it would inconvenience him a little too much to use his hand to hold his phone to his ear. Having a cord dangling from your ear is pretty comfortable anyways.

Day Forty Six - Barrios

2009-07-19T18:32:00.006+10:00

Please click over to flickr to view this photo large.

This photo has a very studio feel to it, which I was kinda going for. The piano bouncing bokeh in the background, the blue light, the harsh outlines. Yes. I like this. And it's not too often I can say that about one of my own photos.

This wasn't really intended to be a photoshoot as such. Max was in my room playing Barrios' La Catedral on my guitar and trying to learn the second movement. I wanted to go do something but decided to set up a couple of flashes and take some shots of him playing.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2
Vivitar 285 HV at 1/4 above left fired through a jb-hifi docket to diffuse (yeah i really need those umbrellas!)
Vivitar 285 at 1/16 under the desk with blue gel pointed at max.

On that note, I'm about half way through learning the first movement of Barrios' La Catedral on guitar and it's quite exciting. I endeavour to learn the entire piece within a month. If you don't know what I'm talking about click here. Barrios is beautiful.

Day Forty Five - I Don't Need High Definition

2009-07-18T21:58:00.006+10:00

Really. I promise I don't need HDV. I'm completely happy with SD. *bites lip*

Okay so no. I actually really do want to upgrade to High Definition but I'm too poor at the moment. I was way too hungover today to think about anything at all until about 5 in the afternoon. I worked on the cover for our bmx dvd for a while and that's about as productive as it got. So here's my little baby. Sony DSR-PD150. Standard Definition isn't a dinosaur yet!

I like this photo. I'm not sure what it is about it but it grabs me.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8
Vivitar 285hv at 1/16 to camera left bounced off the roof.

All that said, here's a rough draft of where the DVD cover is at. The idea is to smother the page with a bunch of bmx photos I've taken over the past 2 years that haven't ended up being published or used for anything in particular. It still has a little ways to go as making every image look like a polaroid film photo is a little time consuming, but so far I'm pretty happy with how it's coming together.

Day Forty Four - Steam Train

2009-07-18T12:16:00.001+10:00

Not much to say about this one except i'd downed half a bottle of Canadian Club in an hour beforehand.

Obviously too drunk to get the flash out of the frame.

Nikon D200
10.5mm fisheye f2.8
VIvitar 285HV at 1/4 to the left bounced off the wall
Vivitar 285HV at 1/16 to right with blue gel

2020 Issue Thirty Two

2009-07-16T23:14:00.008+10:00

I had an article and a bunch of photos published in last month's 2020 BMX Magazine. The article gave a brief overview of our new BMX DVD which is premiering next weekend at The Anchor in melbourne.

Day Forty Three - Paw Thing

2009-07-16T18:33:00.004+10:00

Firstly, I'm terribly sorry about the horrible, and offensively lame title.

This dog has three legs. He was so cute and kept fleeing (pardon the pun) as soon as I lifted my camera. I had my little manual focus 50 mounted to my d200 so couldn't auto focus, meaning this shot's not quite as sharp as I'd like it to be but I only had time to fire off two shots before he trotted off and hid. The photo really reminds me of an RSPA commercial or something to do with animal rights, which got me thinking that every single domestic animal is locked up for all their life. Sad? Yeh Nah. They're loved to pieces and pampered almost every moment of every day so they have it pretty damn good really.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2.8

I started a new class at uni today called "temporal imaging and 2D animation" which should be a lot of fun and allow me to experiment a lot. Basically it revolves around stop-frame animation which I've always had an interest in but have never had the patience or drive to really give it a go. Definitely watch this to get an idea of what I'm talking about. The idea behind this is amazing and was produced using only polaroids. Another stop motion video I saw today was a music video by a band called Oren Lavie. Also worth checking out. It's quite a beautiful piece.
Ideas for stop motion are already floating around my head and I'm really looking forward to getting into it!

I also met up with my mate Tyson today and discussed our ideas for an entry into the MyState Film Festival which is due by some date in October. I'm also entering a film with another friend too so I'll definitely be very busy over the next few months. This is a good thing. Our idea is loosely based around a dream Tyson had a little while ago and so far it sounds pretty fun. I'm quite excited to get these ideas off the ground and into production.

In the words of Nathan Barley,
Peace and fucking...Believe.

Day Forty Two - BFF

2009-07-16T09:42:00.004+10:00

This is a day late but none of you care i'm sure. I took this yesterday but was way too tired upon getting home to attempt stringing words together.

Back at uni this week along with working a whole lot isn't leaving me much time to think, let alone to be creative with my camera. But i'll keep plodding along and producing, whether it's interesting or not. That said, this photo is probably one of my favourites i've taken in quite some time. Next week is the premiere for Two Wheels 'N' Pub Meals, our third bmx dvd, which means i'm also pretty stressed getting that finalised and organising printing and designs and such.

That's it for now. I'll be posting today's photo later on. Here's a couple more photos from yesterday.
Peace.

Day Forty One - Fatso

2009-07-15T09:27:00.004+10:00

Today was my first day back at uni for second semester. That's second semester, third year. So if all goes to plan I'll be a graduate in 15 weeks. However I'll probably have to go back next year to finish things off. I'm not really ready to put uni life behind me just yet anyway. Uni definitely seems very empty without Dave though. I miss that guy heaps.

I also started a new job today at Mezethes Greek Taverna. Having never worked in hospitality before, I was pretty nervous and didn't really know what to expect. It probably didn't help matters when I rocked up at 5 and Stas, the owner (who I know quite well), wasn't working and had also neglected to tell any of the other staff that I was coming in! Sofia (Mama) offered me a coffee though. This is apparently a good sign. She usually hates everyone and everything and wouldn't offer anyone more than a slap to the face. Maybe she's taken a liking to me. Probably something to do with my baby face. As stressful as the whole night was, I'm hired and definitely glad to have the first shift done and behind me. I feel like I've been adopted by a new family. It's a good feeling.

Here's a photo of my friend Morgan's dog, Fatso.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2
ISO 1600 (yeah) at 1/25

Day Forty - Melancholy

2009-07-14T00:23:00.004+10:00

I was going to upload some snaps I took today but realised I hadn't taken any strobists shots in a while. I actually set up this snap in the hope of taking a photo of a passer-by. Just my luck, not one single person walks past in 20 minutes. I guess that's Hobart on a Monday night at 11:30pm. Probably a good thing considering if I was counting on a passer-by, there'd be a 50% chance of a someone very much lower class, or in laments terms, a bogan, smashing my shit up. I know the chance of that happening is very slim, but I still don't like taking my chances with the unpredictable lower class.

I suppose one in every 10 photos being a self portrait isn't so bad. One of my Vivitars was playing up too and not recycling properly. Time to clean the battery terminals I think. I don't complain too much when my flashes play up as I picked one of the Vivitars up on ebay for $7 when they usually retail for around $180. Apparently it was faulty but once I took it apart it was only a loose solder contact. Really not too difficult to fix. One day I'll have SB-900s. One day.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2
ISO 400 at 1/80

Vivitar 285HV to camera left at 1/16th and 20' away.
Vivitar 285HV behind me to the right at 1/4 for rim light.

Day Thirty Nine - Hot Bird

2009-07-12T22:58:00.003+10:00

I'm going to ask you to full view this one.

I'll admit it's not often I get an image this sharp with my 50mm at f1.8. Manual focusing with such shallow depth of field is fucking hard! Especially when your subject is a little bird that's just landed on the seat next to you and you have to snap a photo before it flaps away. This little guy was quite odd. He didn't seem too scared of us and actually hopped his way under the table we were sitting at before flying up to the neighbouring chair and posing for me. Some sort of finch I believe. However I could be wrong.

I do have lots going through my head at the moment and feel the need to vent. However, I'm hungry and my stomach takes priority right now. There's also the fact that not many of you could even care less. So here concludes another photo in my daily photography adventures. Enjoy.

Day Thirty Eight - Max and Jacki

2009-07-11T21:54:00.004+10:00

Today was work and tiredness. Then coffee in the afternoon. Just some photos of friends. Not in the mood for much else creative. Using my 35mm f2 a bit more.

Above is ISO 400 at 1/80th.
The image below is ISO 1250 at 1/40th.

Day Thirty Seven - Distractions

2009-07-10T20:05:00.004+10:00

I worked till 4 today and noticed a really strange band of clouds over the horizon on the way home. I rushed inside when I got home to get my camera and drove to the closest high point that had a clear view of it over the city. This was the best vantage point I could find before it was dark or the cloud dissipated. I didn't have my tripod with me either so it had to be handheld at ISO 400. I am also very aware the power line is quite distracting. But at the same time I kinda like it.

Not the most motivating day. I have work at 6am tomorrow morning again and have to get the bmx dvd done this weekend, including menus and cover design. All this and I miss Katie more than anything. Buh.

Day Thirty Six - The Shire

2009-07-09T23:41:00.003+10:00

Max and I went to The Shire today and kindly asked a passing Hobbit to take out photo. He did his best. It came out okay. He was also kind enough to email the photos to me via his precious. I don't even know what I'm talking about.

Okay so we filmed more today with the cows. The lighting was quite nice for photos so I set up strobes and gear and we set my camera on timer and had a bit of fun. I'm definitely getting some decent light stands, umbrellas and diffusers with my tax return. I need softer light for portraits.
Love or hate I don't care.

Nikon D200
35mm f2 at f2.8
ISO 100 at 1/250th

Vivitar 285HV to camera left at 1/2 power.
Vivitar 285HV behind the tree on the right at full power pointing up at us for rim.

Day Thirty Five - Huh

2009-07-08T20:16:00.011+10:00

These guys loved it. I marched up to them like I had a purpose, lifted my camera and pushed the shutter. I then lowered my camera, gave them a nod and said "how ya garn?!" and wandered away.

Okay not the sharpest photo ever but I still like how it came out. That's what this 365 thing is for anyway. Learning new things and experimenting. I've realised that next time I'm taking a candid photo I'll set my fstop to something considerably higher than f2 so both subjects in the photo are in focus. I'm excited to get a 200mm lens.

Nikon D200
35mm f2

In other news, I spent the entire day today down at the arts school with Tys editing the UTAS Ad after discovering that HDV footage captured on a mac can't be played back on PC. I hate cross platforming. Important thing is, we completed the entire thing in one day, even to the point of going to the post office and sending it off. Done. Now bring on the $5G.

I also had a run-in with an angry old man too after failing to pull out of a parking space when he stopped to let me out. Apparently that's an offence. The only reason I didn't pull out is because I was waiting for the four lanes of traffic to be free so I could merge over all of them at once in order to turn right at the next intersection. I love shutting people down two generations older than me who just can't seem to grasp that things might unfold differently to how they expect them to. This guy was so irate I didn't pull out that he slammed his expensive car into the parking space in front of me, mounting the curb and knocking his wheels severely out of alignment in the process. He was steaming red for some reason and approached me. Of course I shut him down completely with my wit and sent him about his boring day until he found someone else to have a go at. I believe he even called me a young fool. Apparently minding your own business makes you a fool. Better than being an old piece of shit I suppose. Also better than paying $200 for a wheel alignment.

Anyway that's it for today. I might take some more photos later on tonight. Here's a man having breakfast in his boat.
Sam.

Day Thirty Four - Jag Alskar Dig

2009-07-07T19:43:00.004+10:00

I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world. =)

I recieved this photo in the mail today and I haven't smiled this much in a long time! =D She's been overseas for the last 5 weeks staying with Swedish friends and is still away for another 4. I miss her like crazy but it's little things like this that keep me going. The little golden creature in the scene is one half of a set of two little hugging figures that lock together in a hug when they're together. Katie has the other one at her house. =)

Jag Alskar Dig is Swedish for I Love You.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f4
Strobist
Vivitar 285HV to camera right and above through paper diffuser at 1/16th
Vivitar 285HV behind subject and bounced off the wall at 1/16th

Definately worth clicking through to the Flickr page and viewing large.

Day Thirty Three - Thirty Five Millimetre

2009-07-06T15:00:00.007+10:00

It's only the 6th of July. I wish it could be the 6th of August already.
This photo would have been better to do on Day Thirty Five but it wouldn't have been as relevant. I got this beauty of a lens back from a friend today who's been borrowing it for the past 4 months or so. I'd kind of forgotten I even owned it and also how much I loved it. It's bokeh is so creamy.
I took this with the 35mm today which you can also see if you can't be bothered reading the rest of this and jump to the bottom of the post.

I'm still waiting on my group certificate so i can do my tax return and hopefully get a whole heap back so I can buy new light stands, umbrellas and a new lens. But for the meantime on the top photo, I used a Vivitar 285HV on 1/16th shot through two sheets of paper to camera left to diffuse the light.
Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f1.8
ISO 400 at 1/200th
In the background is my Sony DCR-PD150. Only SD but I still love this bad-boy and don't think I could part with it. That said i've been shooting footage in the last couple of days with the uni cameras and I'm starting to sway a little more towards HD. I think my vigilance to SD is purely born of jealousy and lack of money these days. That and my love for the PD150. I've also managed to incorporate Coopers into my photo for the second day in a row. Funny that.

I spent the morning and the better part of the afternoon at the uni catching up with my mate Mark and capturing footage Tys and I shot a couple of days ago for the uni ad competition which is due Friday. It's a good thing I have the next few days off work as it's going to be a frustrating few days getting all this edited up and ready for submission. Beh.

Okay so here's Ratty. I found him in the back hallway last week as I was making toast. My cat was making all sorts of noise out there so naturally I went to investigate. The rat was completely stiff and lying on it's back, still in crouching position. Poor thing. I'm guessing it was a victim to poisoning. Either that or old age. But either way it had no marks on it's body at all. Kitten hadn't even sunk her teeth into it. Of course now I'd found this rat I had to put him somewhere in my brother's room. All sorts of other ideas popped into my head too but I know too well in this house you reap what you sow. So i opted for Toby's room instead. Needless to say when he got home he thrived off it and put the rat out the front on the fence post that sits right next to the footpath. He's been there ever since.

Day Thirty Two - Coopers

2009-07-05T20:14:00.003+10:00

This weekend has really dragged. It's been colder than it has been in a long time and i'm not enjoying it at all. Yesterday was okay but today consisted of work from 5am till 2pm. Then it was more coffee and video editing followed by Beef Osso Bocco at the pub. Sunday night happy hour. I was the only patron there. Rohan, Jed and I. I like that. I love the Brisbane.
I also love Coopers. Keep that in mind if you're ever going to buy me a beer.

Day Thirty One - The Red Key

2009-07-04T17:31:00.005+10:00

This morning Tys and I filmed a bunch of footage for our entry in the UTAS ad competition.
After about 4 hours sleep I awoke to Tys calling my phone. Getting up before 8am is always a chore and it doesn't help when it's below 10 degrees. We headed to the eastern shore to pick up his friend Tahlia who was our actor for the project. I had a good idea where I wanted to film. Initially we thought it'd be troublesome to get a cafe or restaurant to agree to us filming there without paying them a considerable amount of money. especially when we rocked up with takeaway coffees bought from different cafe. However, Chrome Cafe in North Hobart loved it. The dude even offered to move things out of the way for us. I love people like that. Gives me a little more confidence that society isn't completely fucked.
We were all done and back home by 10:30am. Quite happy with that. It all came out pretty nicely and i'll edit it out with Tys next week.

Before midday me and a bunch of BMX mates headed out to the DEC to shoot a photo of Daniel and film a final clip for the video before I send it off for replication on Monday *knock on wood*. The clip was a 360 down the 15 stair set out the front of the Derwent Entertainment Centre. You can see the stairset in the photo below. Pretty fucking nuts. Second attempt blew out his back wheel completely, as displayed also in the photo. This was a bit of a downer on things but luckily Uber Ben (who's name is actually Ben Lee, and who also bares a striking resemblance to the singer/songwriter), was willing to lend Daniel his bike. Luckily for him, Daniel slammed the three out nicely on the third attempt. Ben Lee also had swine flu a few weeks ago. He told everyone not to catch his disease. Fuck i'm hilarious.

Anyway because Daniel had three attempts at the three it also gave me a chance to shoot a photo at 10.5mm fisheye and also with the 50mm. Both came out really nicely. Hopefully you'll see one of the shots soon in a mag of some description!
That's all for today!

Peace out.
Sam.

Day Thirty - Cafe Conversations

2009-07-03T15:07:00.004+10:00

These last thirty days have really cruised by. It'd definately not a bad thing. I need the next month to go fast. Then Katie will be home! =) Melbourne from the 23rd till the 28th of July for the premiere of our new BMX DVD. Click on to that If you haven't seen the promo yet...

Not heaps to say about today's photo. Just a shot of some cafe yuppies while i was doing the same after a trek up the mountain to shoot some footage for a friend's project.
Below's a shot from the 15 minute walk through mt wellington's icy paths to one of the lookouts.

Both with the Nikon D200 and 50mm f1.8. Worth a full view on both photos. Clicky on them and head over to flickr full resolution. There's a little magnifying glass above the photo on flickr for full size. I can't be bothered linking to it.

Day Twenty Nine - Oh Hey Doggy

2009-07-02T18:53:00.008+10:00

First thing that comes to mind when I look at this photo is the song Gordon used to sing on Seasame St all those years ago.

"One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell which of these is not like the other by the time I finish my song."

And of course by the time he's finished singing "song", the song is in fact over. Pretty unfair really.
I should also mention that Max actually pointed out these dogs to me as we were walking through Salamanca today. They were so cute. As you can see.

Three middle aged women sitting around a table just to my left made all sorts of remarks about kodak moments and beautiful photos and something about how i should win a prize. People are funny. So are dogs.

On that note you should watch The Room. It will give today's title a little more meaning. Really.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2

Here's another photo from today. Bokeh. Whatever.

Day Twenty Eight - Studio

2009-07-02T00:58:00.001+10:00

It wasn't the most productive day today at all. Dull and depressing weather never gives me much of a motivation to do anything. Not getting paid enough and fucking up your plans for the week can also put a damper on things.

I bought two bits of mdf today and made a makeshift desk for all my recording and computer gear. Better than it all living on the floor beside my bed.

Another self loathing, self portrait. Enjoy. Hate. Love. Rainbow.

Day Twenty Seven - Condiments

2009-07-02T00:52:00.003+10:00

It's almost 1am thursday. I haven't uploaded anything in two days. I guess I don't really have a decent excuse aside from work and bad weather. But they're both pretty poor excuses.

Anyway this morning I went to a cafe that had the above engraved into their pepper grinder. I'm not really sure why. I can't see anyone feeling the urge to run off with a ratty old grinder from a small cafe. Furthermore, I can't imagine how a $5 item being stolen would prompt them to lift their prices. People are idiots. But they intrigue me so much at the same time.
This shot below was taken about half an hour later from inside the car looking out.
Mail boxes.

Beau Vine Filming

2009-06-30T09:42:00.003+10:00

Yesterday was quite productive, filming wise. I thought i'd better take the time to write about today's scenes as it was originally the reason I started this blog. But since it's turned into more of an outlet for my photography and creative mind in general rather than just the filming side of things. Max and I have had this skit idea floating around for a month or two now and thought it was time to get it out of the way. To put things simply, vibrating mobile phones sound like cows mooing. Yep. We thought this was also a great chance to use Beau Vine (pronounced bovine), vegan activist and nature enthusiast loosely based around our friend Chalky.

We drove to Margate, my home town, and drove around the back-roads until we found some cows. It really was quite a nice experience. I love cows. I didn't. But now I do. They're great. Like giant cuddly dopey dogs. They also spent about half an talking to each other and talking to us. Calves running free everywhere. This is when Max and I decided we're going to go halves in a cow. One day.

For the first part the shots came out really nicely. The road was in a valley and the sun cast shadow over the road and the fields but it was still high enough to throw some direct light onto Max, who's was dressed as Beau Vine. We got as many shots as we could before the sun went behind the hill. Once it had disappeared we kind of had to shoot a different scene as not to mix lighting environments between them. So I just positioned Max in front of some cows and he rambled on for about 10 minutes about what cows mean to him. You can imagine. You can imagine.

Day Twenty Six - Tyson

2009-06-29T12:38:00.003+10:00

I met up with Tys this morning to discuss entering the Utas Big Ad Break Competition. The idea is to make a commercial for Utas Open Day featuring a red key. It's already been running for about a month and entries close on July 10th so we're kind of hopping on to the wagon a little late but good work is often created when the pressure's on.

Nikon D200
My sweet sweet 50mm f1.8 at 1.8
ISO 800 at 1/80 I think.

Same settings for the photo below. I'm really getting into shooting candid photos of people and i'd also like to do a lot more portraits. People are so interesting to photograph.

Day Twenty Five - Ledge Hammers

2009-06-29T00:50:00.004+10:00

I'm in the process of shooting a few photos of Nick Hills for his sponsor, Mutiny Bikes. Both Nick and myself had a pretty big night last night so we didn't really leave the house today until about 1pm, which only gave me about 2 hours before i had to work. A bunch of us headed in kingston direction and Nick fired out this high-speed nose wheelie on a previously un-rideable ledge.

Nikon D200
10.5mm f2.8 Fisheye at f8
ISO 100 at 1/250th.

Vivitar 285 hv at 1/2 power to camera left pointing up.
Vivitar 285 at full power to camera right and away from the camera.

A little while afterwards Josh Fuller rode along a rail to 180 as you can probably see right below this. Fuller's a weapon. And I love the guy.
Camera and flash setup was similar to the above photo.

Day Twenty Four - Nick Hills

2009-06-27T19:02:00.003+10:00

I need to get a little more creative with my titles. Spent most of today playing my guitar. I also shot a clip with my brother this morning to finish off the bmx dvd.

This was taken tonight at EC skatepark just around the corner from my house. My housemate and good friend Nick Hills. I love this guy. I miss taking bmx photos. Winter blows. That said I need to start riding my bike more.

Nikon D200
50mm f1.8 at f2.8

Vivitar 285hv at 1/4 power to the right facing towards nick
Vivitar 285 hv to the left and away from the camera at 1/2 power for rim.

Day Twenty Three - Max

2009-06-27T18:52:00.007+10:00

A day late uploading. Yesterday was pretty busy and my head was working in overdrive with thoughts swirling around everywhere which didn't give me much of a drive to pick up my camera.

Nothing too interesting. Just Max and the creamy bokeh of my 50mm f1.8 mmmmm.

Candid photos of people are really interesting. I would definately like to do more of these. Time for a 80-200mm f2.8. bring on the tax return! I also need to get over my fear of photographing strangers. I want to be able to walk up to people and ask if i can photograph them. I need to break my photography comfort zone.

Day Twenty Two - Downpour

2009-06-26T00:08:00.006+10:00

"I'm not okay with a mediocre job, I'm not okay with a mediocre apartment. I'm NOT okay with a mediocre life!"
Jim Carey, BRUCE ALMIGHTY

It rained more today than an English winter. I also worked 5am till 2pm which definitely wasn't fun. There was a slight break in the rain just as it was getting dark so I wandered down to the rivulet and took some snaps.
There were two women who walked out of the back of some shitty-ass office complex as I was taking a few shots and they were laughing to themselves as one of them yelled out "hey get a life!"
I stood up abruptly and turned around already snarling. It'd been a bad day and I really wasn't in the mood to have some middle-aged leathery skinned nobodies talk shit on me. I don't think they expected me to challenge them back but I immediately walked towards them, face twisted and snarling. I wasn't very happy. I can't remember exactly what I said but I know what was going through my mind.

Get a life? A life like theirs? Five days a week, nine to five sitting in an office cubicle? I bet you have a lot planned for tonight. Busting to find out what happens to Roger and Marla in Home and Away. I hear Marla's in trouble with her dad this week! It's just constant excitement for you isn't it? Never once venturing out of your comfort zone. Badly dressed. Badly groomed. The epitome of mediocrity. I'm willing to bet neither of you even have an interest or ambition in life beyond work and the daily ritual of coming home to your shitty house in your showroom car, neither of which you own, and probably never will. Fuck you.

Fuck nine to five.
There's so much more to life.

Sorry. Wrong meeting.

This top photo's with my 10.5mm Fisheye and a Vivitar 285 hv on the path over to the left of the shot at 1/4 power. Slightly desaturated/curves adjusted in Photoshop.

Below is shot with my 28-80mm at 80mm. Desaturated in Photoshop.

Day Twenty One - Bokeh Wednesday

2009-06-24T20:47:00.009+10:00

It's bokeh wednesday. Wherever did that term even come from? I'd actually like to know. Maybe it's just a flickr thing. Anyway here's me. Again. Feeling uninspired and missing Katie. So I take another self portrait? Why the fuck not!?
This time on my balcony.

I really would like some flashes that i can power down below 1/16th. My Vivitars make it really hard to shoot a portrait at night or indoors. Either that or i could get an umbrella or two. I had one vivitar 285hv inside on the far side of my room at 1/16th shooting through the frosted glass on my balcony door and another vivitar 285 with a blue gel at 1/4 on the ground behind me pointing up. Obviously you can't really see the blue gel effect or the bokeh lights in the black and white photo which is why I also included a colour portrait taken a few minutes later.

Tax return time is rapidly approaching. It's time for me to make decisions. Either a Hassy 500c, a Kiev 88 with a Zodiak fisheye, a Nikon 85-200mm f2.8 or some new speedlights. Of course I could not buy anything and save some money. But that's not really any fun.

I also recieved the new 2020 BMX Magazine in the mail yesterday featuring an article i wrote about our new bmx dvd and several photos of mine. I was going to scan them in and upload to the blog but I opened my scanner to find a giant spiderweb crack across the glass. So I suppose It'll have to wait!

I'm off to bed. Work at 5am.

Peace out.
Sam.