Opening up old photos

I have been training a documentary film-maker over the last few weeks, showing her ways to make good use of stills in her film. She is getting these amazing pics from the State Library of Victoria archives. It's her project, not mine, so I don't want to say too much about it at this stage. And just for my own clip I have protected the identity of these fellows (pointless really as it's not recorded who they are).

Anyway – this is one of 3 examples I have made for her to use in her film trailer.

• In Photoshop I separated the foreground layers from each other and the background
• faked up all the important parts that were hidden in the original (this is the hard part)
• used AfterEffects to move the layers apart in 3D space so it's like a wafer
• then rotated that wafer so that the 3D space is visible, with layers moving across each other

It's the most fun I have had at work in ages.

Seeing moments

This morning at home I saw a beautiful picture on the Guardian website, of dozens of colourful hot air balloons all taking off at once, from Bristol in England. Really amazing.

At lunchtime I went for a walk from the office here in the city out along the highway to the bridge and back, past Government House. On the regatta grounds a man was flying a giant fluoro pink octopus kite. It was way up high, but casting a large shadow. A small child in a similar fluoro colour danced around energetically trying to stay in the shadow as it bobbed and weaved.

I didn't take a camera with me today so I wasn't delayed or distracted by trying to get the perfect photo - it's just something I saw and will remember.

As I walked on I thought about which was the better experience - seeing a picture of something totally amazing from the other aside of the world, or seeing something with my own eyes that you could call cute, or interesting, or quite striking, but that's all. Which was the more enjoyable moment?

I think that knowing that I can go back and look at the balloon picture anytime, and especially as I didn't try to freeze the kite in time by photographing it, the kite moment wins.

A quick visit to North Hobart Oval

Dogs and cats agree

Everyone loves the little blue pool.

Footscray via 52 Suburbs

52 Suburbs has made its way to Melbourne, and this week

visited Footscray. Delightful photography.

Port of Hobart, c1960

I love this beautiful photo from the Tasmanian Archives. The tone and light and detail are so magnificent, that when you look closely at it, any small section could be a film still. Each little setting seems pregnant with possibilities, with things about to happen.

52 Suburbs - beaut photoblog

As I am making a stuttering start to the blog in 2012, why not try a new one: 52 Suburbs? Louise Hawson spent a year taking photos around Sydney, one suburb each week. Now, she is going to do the rest of the world, and she has taken her 8 year-old with her. Hats off for that alone. The photography is very, very good.

Yes that's right - that's a lion in a sidecar

I think The Selvedge Yard has claims to be the world's finest website. I will make the case.

1. It contains this photo of a wall-of-death stunt that has taken things up a notch, viz. there is a lion in the sidecar. A lion.

2. It contains another photo which I will not reproduce here, but which has the caption Tornado Smith posts a letter while riding penny farthing bicycle.

3.  It has the above photo above a heading JACK NICHOLSON | REBEL ROUSERS which I read very clearly as REBEL TROUSERS. My mistake - and yes that does dent my case slightly but pressing on to

4. Gobsmacking pic of Schwarzenegger, Hefner and basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain. Just hangin'. Hef has the all-denim suit. Wilt has the 18 inch thongs.

Alright, yes it is mostly motorbike-related and there is some cheesy 70s pinup stuff but - you know the lion is pretty awesome.

You guys - my telephone has a camera in it!!!

These pictures have been stuck inside my telephone. I have just succeeded in getting them out, but now they are stuck in this typewriter/movie show thingamy. Help!

Fishin'

Fishin's

Handline O'Flaherty

Cruisin' the hood

Christmas means colanders

Number 4

A beautiful little house in South Hobart I walk past sometimes. I took these on my way back to work from Chess Club at the school today.

Robin Morrison

I collected some postcards of Robin Morrison's photographs when I was in NZ in 1995. I have only just got around to looking him up on the net and finding some more of his work. I just found out he died in 1993. I love the top pic - the poles marching down the slope to the lake are so wonderful. The second pic is more typical of his work that I have seen - tiny shacks and caravans in very exposed settings.

Waterproof

Bike rain shadow

Lest We Forget

My favourite photograph of wartime, for Anzac Day. Taken by Frank Hurley, at Passchendaele, Belgium in 1917 (I think). The soldiers are carrying duckboards.

I am on a mission to find out more about this...

Bathtub III from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Bird Hand Book

Photos of live birds, in the hands of ornithologists. Very, very beautiful and rather startling. © Victor Schrager.

Beautiful photos

http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/naval_officers.htm
Beautiful photos from US Civil War, in the 1850s. Spend a bit of time here, it's just amazing.