So on Tuesday night I might have had a few glasses of wine. And beer. And saki. And cocktails.

But when I woke up at 6am the next morning to a room bathed in red light, I really didn’t think I’d had enough to make my eyes bleed. What on earth/mars was going on?

My photojournalistic gene instinctively kicked in (quite fortunately as the adrenalin boost instantly cleared my hangover before I realised I was supposed to have one) so I grabbed the 5D2 and headed out on to the balcony to survey the most surreal experience since…well, the night before to be honest but I won’t go into that now!

A quick change and I was down on Bondi Beach for a few more shots.

I couldn’t believe that people were working out as usual in the middle of a dust storm! And then I had a pot/kettle moment and realised I could well be ruining a very expensive piece of kit. Oh well, too late so I grabbed the bus and headed to the CBD

and Pyrmont, where I took a few more shots before the sky finally started to lighten up and clear. And my hangover finally kicked in.

]]> http://www.sparkography.com/sydney-dust-storm/feed/ 5 http://www.sparkography.com/spw-people-photography-workshop/ http://www.sparkography.com/spw-people-photography-workshop/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:37:35 +0000 Milts http://www.sparkography.com/?p=170 Photography courses can be a bit hit and miss. Websites can only tell you so much about what to expect, how much you’ll learn and what the tutors are like and, while word of mouth is powerful, there are so many courses out there you can’t possibly get feedback from someone who’s done each one. So sometimes it’s a case of suck it and see.

Luckily the People Photography workshop run by SPW (Sydney Photography Workshops) that I attended on Saturday (along with my good friend P) was just as described and more. Under the expert tutorage of Daniel Linnet and his fine team our small group honed our manual shooting techniques and use of natural and flash lighting composition at two locations, with the help of brilliant models Daniel and Zoe from Grayboy.

The first location was a boxing gym with Daniel where we shot documentary style as he trained, using only natural light. I was amazed at how many different ways there were to light a subject naturally, and how subtle changes in pose and location can make a huge difference to the final image.

At the end of the session we combined flash with a fast shutter speed and low ISO to create a moody low light effect:

In the afternoon we moved over to Sydney’s inner west for an “on location” style fashion shoot with the delightful and effervescent Zoe. As before we were using just natural lighting, but out in the open the sunlight was a lot harsher than the diffused light in the gym so we used reflectors and sheets to soften the light and counter the shadows.

Then as the sun started to set we employed the flash technique we’d learnt in the morning to create the impression of nighttime.

The workshop ended with a workflow demonstration back at Daniel’s studio as he uploaded shots from the day and we drank large glasses of red wine! Overall we had a thoroughly enjoyable day and I would highly recommend the course to anyone who is comfortable shooting in manual and wants to perfect their techniques.

To find out more check out the SPW website or follow them on Twitter @_SPW_

The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is one of the most popular pasttimes for both locals and tourists.

Each day hundreds of people stroll, jog or run along the route which has a permanent view of the ocean and passes through the beaches of Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly as it meanders south. The Bondi to Tamarama stretch also hosts the famous Sculpture By The Sea exhibition.

There are many prominent lookout points along the walk to cater for the throngs of visitors wanting to take home a photo souvenir; but every now again you spot a new vantage point, such as this one which I noticed early one spring morning as the sun emerged from the ocean.

I love dancing and I’m not at all embarrassed to admit that I’m pretty damn good at it too!

However, this wasn’t always the case. At school I was a typical male cardboard cutout who would awkwardly rock sideways from foot to foot without a clue what to do with my arms, let alone a girl.

Aerobics changed all that. But that’s another story! However, the result was that not only did I find my rhythm but I realised I knew how to apply it too and pretty soon I was the centre of attention on dancefloors all over London. Well, New Cross at least.

However, regardless of whether it was New Cross or New York, I felt as empowered as John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Complete strangers would come up and say hello, entrance queues would be bypassed, and velvet ropes would part. I even had groupies! Fast forward a good dozen years and 10,000 miles and I will still stride onto any dancefloor in Sydney expecting to own it. That’s the massive effect that music and dance had on me.

So when I was recently in Waikiki, Hawaii and chilling out on my hotel balcony during sunset before yet another big night, the building opposite didn’t look like a concrete tower blocking my view of the beach. It looked like a disco dancefloor.