Working on a moto-centric project

 A buddy of mine has agreed on working with me for a slide-show of discovering the pleasure of riding his motorcycle on country roads.

For the last two month, on evening and weekends, we have been leaving the city and headed West, to the rural areas not too far from the city. The search for the vanishing dirt roads has granted us some wonderful moments.

The conditions are always best at sunset, where the shadows are longer and softer, the light warmer and illuminating from the side. David is happy to pose for the camera and doesn't mind to do a few passes for me so I can frame him correctly. I use almost exclusively adapted old lenses to create the mood and look I need.

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Urban motorcycles

I am not a big fan of urban riding with all the stop-go traffic and congestion. But admittedly there are some spots in the city that lend themselves as a backdrop for interesting images.

 

Yamaha XSR700. M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Honda CB650R.  Zonlai Discover 25mm f1.8

Yamaha XSR700. Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7

Yamaha XSR700.  Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Yamaha XSR700. M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Yamaha XSR700.  Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Benji. Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Winter riding

Best time of the year to be riding.
I don't risk dehydration on longer rides when I get caught out without a hydration pack and I can wear my protective gear without overheating.
The lower angle of the sun finally gives me "European" light conditions where the sunset lasts more than mere minutes.


Adapted E.Zuiko 100mm f3.5 (for Pen-F system)

The light during the day is lower creating longer shadows and more pleasant contrast.






The air is crisp and dry with little chance of an afternoon thunderstorm to get caught in. But mornings call for a decent jacket and maybe thicker gloves.



adapted D.O. Industries Naviata 75mm f1.3 (C-mount)




adapted Canon TV-16 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Outback camping.

Long time sea kayaking buddy, companion of many expeditions, joined me on an overnight ride to the country. We picked the roads less traveled and in the late afternoon we ended up on dusty unsealed ones. We were looking for a secluded spot to camp for the night.


Canon TV-16 50mm f1.4



Vanilla sporting that kind of look that commands respect, the face of wisdom.     Canon TV-16 50mm f1.4


Towards sunset we found what we wanted: a seldom used rural track that was a wide corridor of trees and short grass, with the occasional tree-trunk to sit on.



We were travelling light with tarps instead of tents for shelter. There was a light breeze in the air but it calmed down once dark. No frost yet but it is just a matter of weeks before that will happen.
Clear skies and no light-pollution from the urban sprawl; there was a meteor shower although peaking too early in the morning for me to care waking up and getting a proper look.




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Ride to the country

As we come into autumn, and soon winter, the skies promise to remain blue with little chance of rain, while the temperatures are much more comfortable than at the start of the year.
Perfect weather for riding


E.Zuiko 100mm f3.5  photo: Chris Eastwood

Getting away from the city takes a few hours heading West and once the traffic dies down to a trickle the country side opens up revealing its nostalgic charm.


G.Zuiko 40mm f1.4  photo: Chris Eastwood

Queensland back road still offer some great rural scenery that has not been exploited by the Instagram masses, leaving the places intact with a genuine sense of nostalgia. Needless to say I won't be geotagging these :-)


Lumix-G 14mm f2.5 

Once these cottages were home to farmers and graziers, now fast transportation from town allows to attend the properties without living on them.


G.Zuiko 40mm f1.4

I find that travelling by motorcycle to be the perfect mean of transportation to allow for roadside photography. I don't have to look for a spot to park my car; I just pull over on my two wheels and often I am able to photograph while still seated in the saddle.



Pentax-110 70mm f2.8



E.Zuiko 100mm f3.5


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Birds on my balcony

Over the years I have befriended some birds that are territorial in my neighborhood; they live there and don't migrate.
Magpies are often seen roaming around gardens and are rather used to people in the suburban sprawl.
From my initial timid toss of some cheese towards them, the magpies soon regarded me as a "friendly" person (they can recognize dozens of people and they form an opinion if you are deemed as "safe").
It did not take long for them to fly in onto my balcony when they saw me around and started to expect a hand out every so often.
I was more than happy to have the feathered guest: after all they sing much nicer than the crows.



And then all of the sudden they disappeared: did not see them for a month.
Eventually returned and were more hungry than ever but rarely consumed their food on the balcony: they would fill up their beak and fly away to return a short time later.
Something was going on: they must have young ones that they are feeding?

I was right: one day I saw a brown looking, fluffy feathered nagging (for food) bird in the nearby tree with parents now shuttling food from my hand to him.


M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8 1/160sec

A week or so and the young one was able to fly well enough to be brought closer and soon he was right beside the parents, eventually accepting food from my hand.
A few timid bights (some to my fingers when he missed) he now can feed himself rather well.

At the same time the Butcher Birds also started to observe that good food was handed out at my place; they soon joined in and after some initial protests from the magpies are now on friendly terms: there is enough food for all.


adapted E.Zuiko 4,5cm f2.8 (for Olympus ACE) 1/160sec

Much more agile than the magpie these birds will catch food mid-air but I prefer the interaction of them reaching for my hand


adapted Jupiter-9 85mm f2 1/800sec

And yes, the butcher birds also has their young which is much more cheeky than the magpie chick.


Samyang 12mm t2.2   1/160sec



Samyang 12mm t2.2   1/1250sec


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Genuine feeling

While often I am drawn to the conventional "pretty features" of people, beauty can also mean something different to me: often not just their physical appearances but their sincerity and genuine disposition
I found that in a very small village on the Coral Coast in Fiji; somehow the look on their faces seems to radiate the altruism that they carry within.



refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7  (from Pen EED)  1/25sec

They share their passion for helping others, would that be trough singing and praying, on a mission that doesn't discriminate religion; all are welcome.
I was invited to their humble premises where I was welcomed to sit on the floor to listen to their beautiful voices accompanied by a guitar.




I didn't notice any shyness and no reservation in me taking a few photographs there. Nobody asked me: "What are going to do with those photographs?"
A very refreshing interaction, so different than the self-image obsession of the Western world.


refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7  (from Pen EED)  1/2500sec

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The art of being lost

In a world where roads, sign and people are everywhere I can't get lost.

For most of the year I live in a structured society and my little niche is well defined, I am just a small cog in a massive machine and there is very little wiggle room.

I never have to really think how to find a place even if I have never been there before. My car or my phone can talk to me and tell me where I am or how to get where I want.... there is never any guessing.

F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7  1/5000sec

Once I year I have the luxury to be off grid where I can exercise the opportunity of being lost.

I paddle out in my kayak away from houses and roads and I just wonder around, not really too concerned with where I will end up in the evening. After all, I have right with me what is needed for a least a few days, food and shelter are guaranteed.

Canon TV-16 50mm f1.4  1/320sec

I generally take the direction that looks prettiest to me and I wiggle my way through the islands trying to not go around in circles, but if I do that's fine too. I have given up on "destination anxiety" and I no longer set myself with a goal of so many miles per day. I rather spend some time on a particularly interesting island and explore its shore to spend some time photographing.

Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f3.5-5.6  1/100sec

I have no desire to find out and then go to "good campsites", the "must see spots" and I never plot a course beforehand and follow it. I much prefer to travel spontaneously to suit my mood and interest as the day goes by.

I don't carry a GPS as I don't want a machine to tell me how I am doing, how fast I am going and how far I have to go. What is the point of getting away from it all to then create yet another unnecessary constraint?

I have a basic map with me that helps me find a place that might have supplies for the next few days and I consult it when time comes.

And in between those necessary stops I feel free to think and I am present in the moment, absorb my surrounding and allow myself to be off-line, not answering to any calls or not slave to this screen.

Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f3.5-5.6  1/500sec

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me, hipster?

It was his expression while looking intently at me that made me think: is he the original hipster that started the trend?


adapted Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7


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Winestraße, Steirmark

A wonderful landscape that has been labelled the "Toscana of Austria"
While the images were recorder in full color spectrum I felt that color was not giving justice to these scenes: there was some haze in the air and the light was a bit harsh in some.
Converting them to monochrome helped conveying the unique features that these hills offer



M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8  1/160sec

On the Southern border the Winestraße in places runs right on both sides: vehicles straddle Austria and Slovenia. Before the political relaxation of this region there would be no such liberal thing but now there is no longer anybody to make you sternly aware that you a crossing into "enemy" territory :-)


Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f3.5-5.6   1/500sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/800sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/320sec

When grass is enough

Grass is enough for me to make me dream of wide open spaces, while still living in a city.
There is this open field left untouched by urban sprawl where the sun can though the horizon.


refitted projector lens RO501-1 100mm f2  1/6400sec

As the sunset comes I like to squat or even lay on the ground and observe the light filtered by the thin texture. As the breeze moves the sunlit field, one can imagine gentle waves on a golden sea.


refitted projector lens RO501-1 100mm f2   1/1250sec

There is something about the wonderful structure of the stalk supporting the grains of seed in the crown.


adapted Kodak Cine 50mm f1.6  1/4000sec



refitted projector lens RO501-1 100mm f2   1/1250sec


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The fire and the ghosts

When I see an image that doesn't just clinically depict a subject or a location my mind is left free to imagine what it could be.
Blurs and bubbles of light play with my creativity and I imagine things beyond of what I can see.


refitted projector lens 35KP-1,8/120    1/100sec

So, what good is that?
Well, it's no different than a book that vaguely sets a scene allowing the reader to create his/her own vision of the story. Some say that they prefer the book to the movie :-)
Images that don't state the obvious feed my dreams.


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Because storytelling is what engages us

Because storytelling is what engages us, not facts and figures*

That phrase resonates so well with me where in images I look for a story, not just a record of an event or place.
And that's why I am attracted to images that isolate the subject, take it away from the visual noise of the background and present it with a message, abstract if needed be.


refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120 

It's where my mind then has room to explore the scene and create my own scenario or recall a similar situation or place close to my heart. And fundamentally that is why some images might evoke a reaction from some viewers and not from others; it's one's image bank that is tapped into to recall, subconsciously if you want, an emotion from the past.

That is why images with a story are so much more powerful


refitted Russian projector lens KP-16 50mm f1.2


* from this video at 2:44

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