2020 was a difficult year for most people around the world. Here we were restricted to home through several lock downs and movement restrictions, but we stayed safe.
We only have local travel planned for this year, but we hope to be able to visit other countries by the second half of 2022.
This is an image from our travel through Kazakhstan in 2019.
While in Samakand, we visited Registan Square at sunset to watch the lights come on. This is a spectacular sight.
Recently I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Uzbekistan. One of the major sites is Registan Square in Samarkand. The square is open on one side and flanked by Madrasah buildings on the other three. The oldest Madrasah dates to 1417.
We first visited the square at sunset. There were quite a few people there and the sunset was far from spectacular, though there was a short period of twilight before the flood lights came on.
We returned early next morning for the early light. However it had been raining and the square was deserted, except for a cleaning woman sweeping up the leaves on the wet pavement.
During our stay in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, we took a boat trip to the almost abandoned Russian mining town, Pyramiden, on the island of Spitsbergen.
The boat was met by a Russian guide who took us on a walking tour of the town and let us into a few of the buildings.
The town was originally established to mine coal and provided an ‘ideal’ lifestyle for the townspeople far from home, many came from Siberia to work.
The Russian company still maintains the small airport (helicopters only) and the hotel so that they can maintain a presence on the island under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty.
We finished the tour in the hotel and had a shot of Vodka in the most northern bar in the world.
Expedition leader Martin knocked on our cabin door just after 3.00 am.
“Polar Bear, we have a Polar Bear”.
A mad scramble followed, thermals, (how many layers?), waterproofs, boots, gloves and a woolly beanie.
Grab the camera gear and rush up to the deck to join 10 other photographers, all trying to catch sight of the first polar bear of the trip.
We were above latitude 82 degrees North; it was full daylight and cold.
And there was the bear.
We were on Joshua Holko’s Polar Bears of Svalbard expedition, 10 days on a small ice hardened expedition ship. As well as the lifetime experience of seeing Polar Bears up close on sea ice, we also had close encounters with walrus and were able to watch Arctic Fox cubs at play.
A memorable holiday.
I am very pleased to announce that I am a part of this year’s LOCAL exhibition at the Wyndham Art Gallery, 177 Watton Street, Werribee, Victoria, Australia. I am sharing this exhibition with local sculptor, Jonathan Mendez Baute.
I will be exhibiting large colour prints from Iceland and Coffin Bay National Park in South Australia; from my ‘Shifting Landscapes’ series. For the first time I have had the prints made for me, being too big for my printer. The prints were made by the fantastic team at Image Science, North Melbourne.
If you can make it, please come along to the opening at 6.30pm, Thurs 30 August. The exhibition runs from Friday 31st August 2018 until Monday 29th October 2018.
Point Richards is to the east of Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. It is mostly sand and is still growing toward the eastern end. It features a boat ramp and is a popular fishing location. It also has a volunteer run miniature railway and a flora and fauna reserve.
I visited, along with a number of other sites, looking for something to photograph. The day wasn’t helpful, the light was terrible and the sky was full of haze.
At least the boat ramp was empty and there was no one fishing from the piers. I tried a long exposure and came up with this. The only usable image from a photographic day that was mostly just a pleasant drive.
Point Richards Boat Ramp
Dimboola is a town just off the Western Highway in Victoria. I have been driving past it going to and from Adelaide for many years. This month I decided it was time to stop and visit. It is a quiet town, not so busy since being bypassed by the highway. The town features wide streets, turn of the century buildings and friendly locals. In terms of photography I had superb evening light followed by an excellent morning.
Dimboola was featured in the famous Australia play of the same name written by Jack Hibberd. The play is set as a wedding reception in the town with the actors playing the families of the bride and groom and the audience as the invited guests.
I haven’t been for a walk around the city in Melbourne for a long time. Recently I had some business in town and took the opportunity to have a walk around with the Olympus and the newish 12-100 f4 zoom. This is a fantastic lens for me, almost my entire shooting range in one lens.
I managed to pick one of the hottest and brightest days so far for my walk, which was at midday of course. So, not the ideal time to take photos according to conventional photographic wisdom.
But that was the time I was there and those were the conditions, so I wandered about looking for opportunities.
I visited Brighton in England for a few days in May this year. This coincided with the Brighton Festival which had the town buzzing. with music and the artists’ open day. Visiting and talking with artists in their workspaces, often their home) was an entertaining way of spending a weekend.
Another feature of Brighton that I had wanted to see was the tradition seaside entertainments. Unfortunately it was early in the season and not all were open, but it did make for an interesting evening walk.