back down...

...Sydney way.

That's right, I'm back in Sydney.

Thankfully it's work related.

I'm in town for 10 weeks on two separate jobs.

two-weeks-in on the first job, and I have a new-found love of booming. the actors are amazingly good at reproducing, then building on, the fantastic script.

perhaps this is the way that all scripted comedies go, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's not the usual.

either way, I'm a happy boy.

for my first weekend in town, I went on a massive walk, and headed back out to cockatoo island, where we spent several weeks of nights on wolverine; for the 17th biennale (art show)

'twas quite exciting to see the old warehouses and construction halls re-purposed into art spaces.

I also headed off to the NSW art Gallery for their Abstraction Exhibit (I definitely find impressionism more suited to my tastes), and saw the world press photo tour.

all in all, it was a art-filled weekend.

combined with the requisite clothes washing and de-stressing, My first weekend was pretty full.

Photo time.


Driving from Brisbane



sunset



nice, post-sunset skylight



train-tracks



are you serious, 3 degrees! it's not even 10 mins after the sun has set



more magic hour



early-morning Tamworth after an overnight stay. On approach to town, I received a chip in my windscreen and was contemplating the stress of not being able to get it fixed during my time in sydney (12hr days 5 day weeks etc); luckily a local glass repairer was open early, and managed to do the repairs quickly.



back on cockatoo island, and true to form - it was raining.



best instalation at the biennale on cockatoo island.



another angle of the amazing "inopportune: stage one (2004)" by Cai Guo-Qiang



on the other side of the turbine hall, where the mutant cages used to be, is a cool instalation, where you can walk on shanty-rooftops. by Kader Attia



I'm 99% sure that the "metal-gate" at the entrance to this 'interactive sculpture' was a part of the set-dressing on wolverine (it's actually wooden)



ground floor view of Strykers office (where wolverine and victor creed fell from the 2nd story window)



opera house on the rocks



sides



one-handed booming

oh well, I'm off to seek out another coffee, and perhaps take a few more photos...

week 3 awaits.

If you're in sydney and would like to catch up, give me a call, and we'll find a time.

cheers, Ian
0414 468 413

back up...

...the mountain.

It's been so long since I last climbed Mt Tibrogargan, that I had to search back through my photos to find the date - turns out it was in march of 2007!

In that time, the powers-that-be have added some safety fences to the lower part, but have thankfully left the more difficult top section alone.



view from the look-out, just before the steeper, more technical section



that's mark, good friend of 29yrs.



Mark taking a photo



the view



Summit



Mark at the top



view from the top - one of the great things about Mt Tibrogargan, is the eastern view. It's completely unobstructed to the coast. Truly spectacular, and photos don't seem to be able to do it justice.



just past the summit, there's a nice overhang to soak up the winter sun. Mark and I managed to find a narrow window of opportunity - where the upward journey isn't too busy, and the Summit isn't too hot, or crowded.



I guess the only problem with climbing at the time we did - is the massive number of people heading up after us. Here's a shot of mark waiting for people to pass, so we can descend



Descent is trickier - but infintiely more fun...



random photo from the top.

I've finally negotiated my next project, which will be shooting in Sydney From 5th July for 5 weeks.

Not much more to say about the last few weeks, been bridge climbing, recording a few commercials, and repairing some equipment.

Somehow I've managed to avoid the seasonal cold/flu so far... and have even started to go back to the gym (in preparation for my next job)

ok, I'll catch you all later.

it's finally my time...

...of year that is.

The weather is starting to get cold, yay!

Sisters of War finished up a few weeks ago; and since then, I've attended a wedding, taken some photos, climbed the bridge, re-read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and caught up on some sleep.

Canada is still on hold, as my working year has continued to roll along nicely... more on that later this month, but for now - it's photo time.

Something that's occurred to me lately, is that alot of people have absolutely no clue what it is that I do every day on a film shoot.

so to start with, here are a few shots of me on the last project. (these shots courtesy our lovely assistant Mel)


that's me setting up before a take - as you can see, i hold a big stick with a microphone attached to the end...



Here's another set-up, this time, with two operators - each covering their respective actors...





better angle, allowing you to see what i see



most important is keeping the microphone in front of, and aimed at, the speaker


more random shots from the shoot.


LASER! (attached to the camera dolly, allowing it's operator to acurately measure, and repeat their movement)




awsesome lighting in the forests of Mt Tamborine




video-split




very pretty location...




...and a very pretty sunset at the end of a very tiring day...


time for some more HDR photos (like the one at the head of this post)



New Farm tree




William-Jolly bridge, Brisbane.




approach ramp to the Kurilpa Bridge, brisbane




Vancouver Harbour, Jan 2010




alternate angle




one more




Story Bridge 2.0




non-HDR driving over the bridge

ok, that's it for the moment.

catch y'all later.

sunrise...

...2010-05-03

It's that time of year again, when I head up to Mt Coot-tha and take some sunrise shots.


pre-dawn travel


yes I am taking a picture, while driving (not pictured - texting/eating a bowl of spaghetti/applying make-up in the rear-view mirror/changing songs on my i-phone...)



I've never understood why it's so bloody busy for the sunrise, guess I'm not that strange afterall...


setting-up (wait, how'd I get a photo of my camera - conspiracy!)


what i'm shooting...


viewfinder detail


The shot


wider...


Tone-mapped HDR pre-dawn (interesting effect)


Tonemapped HDR of the site (not really my cup of tea - but worth the exercise)



perople and scopes



alternate view from mt coot-tha


photographers abound - sunrise 3rd may 2010



couple+doggie at the mt coot-tha look-out.



alternate sunrise shot.

What's happened between posts

- First 2 weeks of the telemovie at Mt Tamborine

- Lots of driving... (depending on traffic it's up to 3 hrs a day)

- Week 1 = rain and mud

- Week 2 = short week (Anzac day holiday), Dry and getting cooler (schedule was split day/nights), finding the rhythm, better swinging = better recordings...

- bridgeclimbs and days off (nice to catch-up with friends...)

- movies (1st time since february) = Beneath Hill 60 (pretty good), Kick Ass (also pretty good)

What's NEXT

- finish the telemovie. (3+1/2 more weeks)

- purchase a few lenses (today's exercise reminded me how much I enjoy photography)

- decide if I want a mini-series in Sydney (late-june).

- pick a date for the move to canada.

see ya
eewee