This is a shot I took about a year ago that's part of an HDR series of the Tasman Bridge, which links the Eastern and Western shores of Hobart,my home town in Australia. Underneath the bridge is another of my favourite places in Hobart. I always feel completely removed from my normal world when I'm there. On this particular day there were some fairly aggressive storm clouds building up and a cool breezing coming off the water, all I could hear was the faint hum of cars passing above.
This is a photographic montage I put together of the Brown Street Skate Bowl. I'm already thinking about going back to take some more of these + some more HDRs. It's a great space. This is comprised of 34 8MP photos, actual size of artwork is 190x70cm.
I spent some time today hanging out at the Brown Street Skate Bowl located north-west from Hobart city. This is one of my all time favourite parts of my home town and for some unusual reason it's almost always empty, although I do try to time my visits during quiet days/times of day. It showcases some spectacular street art, which combined with the awesome/old school setting makes it an awesome place for inspiration. I thought I'd grab a couple of HDR shots while I was there.
I was reading the ISO50 blog today when I came across a great "over the wing" shot taken from within a passenger plane. The post wasn't really about over the wing photography but the photo left such an impression on me that I ended up contemplating more on it the written content of the post. As a child I was always told that it's bad luck to get the seat on a plane over the wing and for many years (and flights) I boarded planes with this mentality. It was only within the last few years that I started to quietly hope for an over the wing seat, mainly for photographic opportunities. Unfortunately I haven't had many flights where I've been in this situation. This post, however marks the official beginning of a new series of over the wing photography that I will undertake. I think the thing that strikes me the most about OWP is the contrast between the cold hard metal surface, interesting geometric shapes and aeronautical symbols of the wing and the warm soft colourful landscape/sky. The mood/nostalgia of "the journey" is also captured in these shots, which I think adds to the appeal. The image above is a shot I took coming into land over Hobart airport. Over time I hope to be able to share more of these.
I went to see some tasty live electro music on the weekend, one of the acts, a couple of local guys called Acumen put on an awesome DJ/VJ set. They completely blew me away with their combination of experimental dark electro music and dark visuals. The visuals consisted of a combination of eclectic, abstract 3D animations and clips taken from various pop culture sources including multiple movie clips – all with dark tones. I recognised all of the movie clips but felt like I was watching them all for the first time due to the new context that they were playing in.
Anyway, one of the clips they played was Disney's "Night on Bald Mountain". This is a clip that I had watched countless times in my childhood and had completely forgotten about until I saw it again during Acumen's set. I thought I'd post it because I think to some small degree it has influenced me artistically, and is something that I still find intriguing and can watch multiple times over. It must be the darkest thing to ever come out of Disney. I don't really know why I liked this as a kid (or why I still do). I've always found the darker side of art and music more intriguing and captivating. Perhaps the depiction of danger or evil experienced in the comfort and safety the home allows us to taste fear induced adrenalin without being in any real danger.
According to wikipedia The night on Blad Mountain depicts "The nocturnal Chernabog summoning from their graves empowered restless souls, until driven away by the sound of a church bell" I wish I could play it with the Acumen's music but it is still great in it's orginal form. Enjoy.
I snapped this little car park in Hobart on a public holiday, every other time I walk past there were cars parked there. I'm not sure why but I find something intriguing about spaces like this. They show us a history of who's been there on some late night mission. Usually these types of spaces are avoided by the general public and have a certain loneliness that I like. They feel so foreign in the city they occupy, perhaps I like them because the offer an escape from the common and mundane – as well as providing inspirational artwork.
I thought it was probably time I put one of my own pieces up. This piece, titled Loitering, I completed during a phase of "extended photo montage" I went through (and still visit occasionally). On a quiet Sunday I wondered down to one of my favourite parts of my home town Hobart. This hidden away alley showcases some of Hobart's best and most diverse street art. My intention was to simply recreate the space in an art form. This space has gone under a lot of scrutiny in recent times the "ugly" graffiti has made it unpopular with some of the more conservative/unappreciative locals. I love it and I'm glad I can share it with the world. One futile attempt to prevent peeps from tagging/graffing is this insignificant little sign that simple reads "NO LOITERING ALL OFFENDERS PROSECUTED". If anything I think the sign would have an opposite effect as it reinforces the deviant motives in many a street artist and therefore fits into the scene perfectly.
