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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The need for getting lost

I find a strange pleasure in getting lost, intentionally.
In a world that is fully mapped with extreme detail, where the eye-in-the-sky of Google Earth can bring me to view any tiny remote place on the planet, I sometimes long for the feeling of not knowing where I am.
Being lost, at least temporarily, in a natural setting brings me the (false) sense that the world is not so small after all.
Where not essential, like in a busy urban environment, I prefer to not use electronic navigation aids. I roughly work out where I want to head away from busy places and then often I just want to explore.

Lately I have been finding myself more and more drawn to dirt roads where a clear direction is not defined. I choose a forest with a network of trails, some rather smooth, some very rough, not suitable for my riding choice. I have to make a judgment call not to bite more than I chew.
As they say: when you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Sometimes my gut feeling says right and other times left, according to what valley or mountain ridge  peek through the forest trees.


Getting lost, no longer sure of my heading

Last Sunday I had full tank of gas and enough water in my backpack to keep thirst at bay. I rode for a few hours, stopping at times when the views demanded it.
Slowly I could no longer work out the right perceived direction to get back onto the pavement. I knew if I rode long enough I could have popped out somewhere but the rutted, rocky and pot-holed tracks were tiring me out; I didn't want to make a mistake and crash.


Steep, loose and dusty

I stumbled across a 4X4 driver, stopped at an intersection and swallowing my manly pride rode up to the driver side and asked for directions.
She had a phone in her hand looking at a map and pointed me in the direction I came from: "take a left when you come at the last intersection, keep left and eventually you will get out".
I had my phone in my pocket with detailed GPS maps too but somehow it was easier and nicer to ask for directions.

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Off the beaten path

When chasing dreams of years past I feel most comfortable when I am in "adventure" mode.
Sea kayak expeditions certainly give me that but a friendly coast that allows me to explore is not always easy to attain.
Before my wet adventures I used to ride motorcycles, adventure bikes, before that class even existed.
I am now back on two wheels and while backroads away from the main highways do give me a sense of escape, my heart is still in the dirt, dirt roads that is.


Yamaha XSR700

My bike needed some tires that would make it sing on gravel, it needed teeth to bight into the soil.
While not really a machine that could cross the desert like my previous rides, this little thumper behaves well enough to be comfortable on country farm roads that are not paved. And that is where I like to ride.





There is no traffic, only the occasional vehicle that is going into town for supplies. There is a bit of dust and a few creek crossings, a bit of loose stones and mud after rain. There are no curbs or shoulders, no speed cameras and drunken drivers, no ass-hauling trucks with swaying trailer. Mostly there is nobody out there, just me. But I see horses and cows, and towards the evening a few kangaroos that hop across the road. Speeds are low but the ride is thrilling in a different way.





And then I stop anywhere I want and there is nothing but silence, maybe an undertone buzzing sound of insects, maybe a laughing kookaburra.
Inevitably my eyes keep on scouting for suitable places to camp even if I have no intention to do that tonight. It's like in the old days when I used to ride with a few buddies, heading West.
Bikes loaded with camping gear and a map stuck to the gas tank. It was pre-digital era where a compass would be consulted occasionally. I still carry a map today even if my phone could get me out of a geographical embarrassment if needed.






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Live for the moment

Live for the moment. Dream tomorrow



Sweden, Baltic coast


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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

The little park

There is a park along a creek on my way to work, that I pass every morning.
The drive is short and sometimes I opt to walk that 1/2 hour to get a bit of fresh air.
In winter solstice the sun has been rising later allowing some low light to filter through the trees creating an interesting scene for me.
A few times I wished I was earlier and that I had a camera with me (a phone is not one, for my style)
So, instead of being the usual lazy and sleeping in, I got out of the house earlier last Saturday, with my camera.


refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7 (from Pen EED)  1/1250sec

There was a faint remnant of fog left in the low laying area and the sun illuminated it burning it off. A few joggers were about otherwise the place was still very quiet.
The dew was glistening on the grass blades asking me to have a closer look.

 
adapted Kodak Cine 50mm f1.6  1/5000sec


adapted Kodak Cine 50mm f1.6    1/1250sec


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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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More Russian love

I had no idea that the cumbersome Russian would deliver so much love.
At first I had my doubts I would be able to handle such a big thing and appeared rather difficult to get along with.
Then I worked out where she shines best and how to focus on her strengths; if I am careful and don't push her too hard she does reward me.


refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/3200sec

The images I can create with that big lens, that never was intended to make but rather show (it's a projection lens after all), are unique.
The blend of relative sharpness and the quirky bokeh for the background really help to isolate subjects where I want to tell a story, instead of just mere recording a place or event.


refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120   1/10000sec

refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/1250sec

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The gaze

Two black and white images of wild animals
I used an adapted old Russian lens (1957circa) from a rangefinder camera since I like it renders the out of focus background more than my auto-focus modern lenses


adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/60sec




adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/160sec


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The softer light

Living in Queensland I rarely get to experience the softer light that I remember growing up in Europe. The morning mists and the filtered sun through the forest's canopy are experienced but a few times  throughout the year.
When in Europe I admire the lifting fog and the clouds clinging to the hills after the rain.


M.Zuiko 45mm f3.5  1/2000sec

Walking in the forest towards high alpine lakes I was able to capture images that I often try but fail when in Queensland.


M.Zuiko 14-42mm  EZ   f3.5  1/80sec


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Story telling through an image

I like the concept of story-telling through a static single image.

While beautiful landscape photographs do capture my attention and I often admire the location and the capturing techniques, rarely are those images remembered.

And then there are moments that are captured where the photograph goes beyond the initial visual appeal: an image that tells a story.

Alone

Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  1/320sec

These images however have limited appeal because each viewer perceives them on a different level, depending on his/her personal life experiences and cultural background.
Images that evoke a certain emotion are very subjective as individuals draw on their emotional precedents (and image memory-bank) to be stirred by the two dimensional representation of a feeling that might have experienced in the past.
To reinforce one's perception the title usually gives away the photographer's intention.

PS. If all you see above is a poorly executed photograph of an old park bench and a blurry passerby in the background, then this concept might be lost on you...

Social isolation

I saw this image of original artwork from a gallery: some found it funny but it actually made me sad.

On a recent Sunday, a beautiful sunny day, I walked around my city's urban park; it was crowded with families and (real, not virtual) friends, some were in groups.

But there was a disturbing trend: I rarely saw direct interaction...

adapted Cosmicar 50mm f1.4   1/160sec

Are we too driven by social media to actually be social?

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Pokemon hunting

With a condescending thought I laughed at these guys running around the city "hunting" for the imaginary Pokémon (mobile phone game).
Then I paused and reflected: and how am I different?
The basic principle it's the same, the medium different and results possibly more "tangible" (kind of). However I see similarities: we are both satisfying an ancient need to hunt.


adapted lens from Pentax-110 70mm f2.8  1/500sec

EDIT 19OCT16: ....and apparently now gone 
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French girls

There was a hearty feeling in the air at the French festival; a mild winter day with crisp skies seemed to make people happy.
I noticed that many girls there had a bit of a different look; less pompous, sultry or dismissive. I liked the atmosphere of the place.


Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/800sec



Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7   1/1600sec




Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  1/4000sec

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Around the stables

My girlfriend is mad about horses, for me is something new. There was a local event that I went to visit on invite from my friends and wondered around the stables not knowing what to look for, photographically.


Nikkor-P 105mm f2.5 RF  1/1600sec

I had to be cautions enough to know when a horse was not happy having my big lens pointed too close to his body.


refitted Sony Precision Projection 60mm f1.5  1/200sec (adapted here)

 I loved the people around the horses: genuine and unpretentious, friendly and approachable. A warm rural atmosphere pervaded the event.


SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4   1/500sec 

I was also there walking around with the most ridiculous refitted lens that I have tried to date. It was awkward to handle as it was never intended to be fitted onto a camera but the results I achieved were worthy of the trouble.


refitted Sony Precision Projection 60mm f1.5 (?)  1/1250sec


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Where is my master?

An opportunity to try my sudden acquisition of a really weird vintage lens.
This dog was a bit distressed waiting for his owner when  a friend (I assume) came to console him.


Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7    1/250sec

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Content of shit

I read this and made me pause:

Like those pictures you take. The good ones are either art, or portraits, or, at worst, photography. But the really awful ones you put on Facebook -- that picture of the tunafish sandwich you had for lunch, or your dog licking himself, or the adoring selfie -- that shit. And that content is shit!
The Ad Contrarian

Be proud of your work but be your worst critic. Seek perfection but don't be stuck in perfectionism. Create with passion and not for an audience of imaginary friends with shallow "likes".  Explore and go against convention if that is what drives you, as only by seeking and not following you truly will master the art.
For yourself.

That is what I think when I photograph.


G-Lumix 14mm f2.5  

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Snowgum grove

My favourite trees.
Twisted by the harsh winter winds their resilience is inspirational.


G-Lumix 14mm f5.6  1/125sec

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Lost lives

I don't like war memorials as they only remind me of the lives that were lost fighting for a cause that was never truly disclosed.
Visiting one just recently I was confirmed of the absurdity.


Adapted 16mm film projection lens Bell&Howell 2" f1.6   1/640sec




Adapted reverse optics from a vintage Canon 110ED: 26mm f2.0   1/160sec

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