29.3.12

portrait of the week: d'arcy

When I take portraits of people, I usually get in pretty close. Faces are fascinating, and surely the reason portraits are perenially appealing. Maybe that's why I struggle to determine an opinion on this image - I'm just not used to this type of composition. I definitely do like it, but I'm not sure how much and for what reason(s). One thing I am confident of is that it looks much better when enlarged - being able to really see D'Arcy's face enhances the image immensely - so click on it before making your judgement.

I took a lot of photos of D'Arc that day, and some of them are lovely. But I'm not sure he thinks so - he had been up almost all night working madly on an application for an elite filmmaking course (which succeeded! hooray!) so he wasn't feeling super photogenic - and here one of the benefits of the long shot reveals itself. Instead of looking overworked and underslept, he looks merely pensive and intellectual! And perhaps, instead of seeing someone wishing for a warm bed free of the deadline blues, we can look at him here from afar and imagine that he is hatching a brilliant idea for his next celluloid masterpiece.

20.3.12

another trip to the amphitheatre


Golden Plains was pretty special this year. I mean, most Aunty Meredith devotees would say that every event is out-of-this-world amazing, regardless of weather, line-up or company. But this Golden Plains Sixxx hit it out of the park on all fronts: wonderful company made up of a group of close friends; weather that demanded bare limbs during the day and jumpers after sundown; and a diverse line-up that included everyone from world-class soul icons (Charles Bradley) to bright young things (First Aid Kit) and even my dear friends and photographic subjects Saskwatch (who, in a moment of great albeit unwarranted pride for me, had the entire amphitheatre ecstatically involved).

Somewhat surprisingly, I didn't take many photos. I think it was a case of wanting to enjoy the festival, make the most of the ambiance and avoid missing anything because of a camera over my face. This is probably not great photographic practice, but it made for a wonderful festival.

But I did take some photos. And while they're not brilliant, and they're certainly not plentiful, they are unmistakably of the moment, and enough to ensure some memories of the long weekend will stick around for a while yet.

4.3.12

portrait of the week: megan

There's not much of a story to this one; it's just one of those shots that was taken along with many others, late on a Saturday night, at a party. There are some good images and there are some ordinary images from the night, but this one stands out from the rest on account of two things: it's a gorgeous portrait, and it is a bit of a photographic non sequitur. Why is she on an old-fashioned phone? Why is there an old-fashioned phone on top of the fridge? Why does she look so wonderfully serious about the phone call? It doesn't look like a party shot - there is no one else around - and Megan looks so convincingly business-like, even the way she is holding the receiver!

The truth is, it is at a party. It is after midnight. Megan had been drinking most of the day (who would know! She looks so great and bright-eyed!). The receiver was some kind of digital novelty that plugs into a mobile phone. There was no one on the other end of the line.

An unexpectedly fabulous party portrait.