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September Holidays day two

Well am really and truly on holidays now, finished my regular VU class, and have week off. So no classes no preparation just learning how weird it is to be a student again. I hope I don't give my teacher too much greif, I know in the past that having taught other teachers it has been a little bit of a pain. Still it's kinda cool answering rhetorical questions in a class room situation personally I hate it when students in my classes sit there unresponsive when trying to get the to participate in some sort of discussion.

Something else I'll be doing especially if this weather keeps up is making more images, this one is from the weekend but I hope you can feel the light and clouds the way I did. I love this view from our backyard! Today's class made me wish that I could take my students outside to work, sadly this is not the fate of classes involving multimedia and computers. The students were responsive to the idea though! However if this weather keeps up I'll be hard pressed to stay focused on my own studies.

Needless to say the list I wrote yesterday hasn't moved very far, prepared my lesson ok, and ressurected our old wok, still plenty of time to get cracking on the rest; famous last words though I guess. Still I'll be mighty friggin' impressed if this weather keeps up!

September Holidays; day one...

The weather forcast for today is excellent, 23 degrees Celcius, just what the doctor ordered, pity I have a shitload of things to catch up on?

As I am on holidays, here is a list of things I'd hope to do over the break

• Prepare lesson for tommorrow
• Mow the lawns
• Ressurect our old Wok
• Take lots of photos, (applies any time really)
• Practice the new software app I am trying to learn
• Read more of my new book, 'Technology and Culture'
• Hang out with my good friend Joff, (mental note, find cheap easy things for him and his family to do whilst in Melbourne)

Oh boy priorites eh, gota get onto them?

This morning, popped back and read some of my first entries on this blog! Oi what an experience. It seems all those months back I was confident on getting my 'Nokia' Gallery up and running well it still hasn't happened, I have the soft ware just have been brave enough to run Virtual PC to get it all happening?

Which leads me to yet another thought, Oi my mind wanders easily!

How would this, reading old/archived thoughts, impact on people's perception of themselves, particularly the young 'uns who are busy typing away out there? I mean a lot of contemporary art is about identity/memory, either individually or collectively, think about it, you write a blog entry on day X you revisit that blog entry 10 years later, or some one else finds it 10 years later. how weird it would be to realise how much you have changed, or how little you've changed?

This is all too much for this early in the morning!

Should I do a writing course of some sort? See off I wander again!

New art gallery added

Made an update today to my website, added another gallery, to my eclectic gallery, '... as a log book stand to a journey', crikey 3 posts in one day, I must be on holidays!

Nikon Gallery draws tons of hits?

As a footnote something is happening at stunik dot com, the Nikon gallery is driving shit-loads of traffic to my site. Why? No idea? Still it's good to know that folks are at least coming to visit.

The nineteenth of September two thouand and four

Today is the day....... of my wife's birthday. Happy birthday you gorgeous lovely woman. Enjoy your new iBook.

On a completey different note, here is a nice abstract image made recently, simple, formal, almost zen-like. I have taken several other images recently that are similarliy zen-like, oh well a new series here, maybe I'll put it up on the other section of my site insead of the Nikon Gallery section?

For both my regular visitors, you should aware of the part of my site called '...as a log book stands to a journey'. This is a place where I have been trying to use the web as a on-line narrative publishing system. Where I take the images I make that 'feel' connected to me and each other and turn them into a low level interactive image sequence. Well up until recently, I was using a Kodak DC260 to shoot the images for this part of the site, recently there hasn't been that many updates, even with my new digital camera. Now, as I am growing more comfortable with the new camera I am able to start producing satisfactory images with it, images that lend themselves well to my somewhat intuitive/subconcious/surreal approach.

This is what I like about the WWW, and photography/art, it openly encourages that kind of approach. I can work fluidily, shoot many, many images and just as quickly have them online for many to see, and it seems they have been coming of late, so perhaps this is the germ of a bigger idea about to develop (no pun intended) and take on some more serious research?

I remember back in my Undergraduate days, I saw Video as a highly responsive and politically charged medium capable of producing powerful imagery. Of course broadcasting this imagery was somewhat limited to Art house cinemas and galleries, but the web, the web is to my mind a highly democratised environment that this may be an even more suitable place to make this kind of imagery accessible to all. these days I feel I am more suited to somewhat less politically charged ideas but none the less the idea that access to these images is made in an open and democratic way is what appeals to me.

Software and GUIs?

Just started a class in in a new software package called Lightwave 3 d. I am suitably flabbergasted at the fact that the software defies logic. There are no menu items at the top of the screen. Some key information the name of which I don't know, it is my first class after all, is at the bottom of the work space, the list goes on and on. At one stage, I spent 20 minutes poking around trying to do something in the wrong app. It was a simarlarly named app and looked identical, but was NOT the same application, go figure, I suspect the the world of 3d apps is one that has simply managed to ignore all common sense when it comes to GUI interfaces?

Time, how much do we really need?

My wife's birthday is approaching quickly, so is Christmas, the end of the term is today and, I am participating in an exhibition in a months time. The house needs lots of work done on it, from simple lawn moving to major renovation inside the house and shed.

This begs the question what is it that *I* do to relax? ( I am often racked with guilt as I watch TV or nap on the couch)

Well one way is by making images with my numerous cameras, make prints from said images, or post them to the web, depending of course on which camera I use to make them. I also read or watch movies, either on DVD or at the real cinema. You'd think that that would be more than enough?

Now I'm thinking of doing a writing course part time, Oi what sort of fool am I?

Now this week I I read on the web about a grass roots movement that is taking back family's time, but encouraging people to cut back on extra curricular activities, apparently a real problem in the US? and of course I can't remember the place where I read this and nothing in my history list in Safari is showing anything vaguely familiar? Ah well!

On another note I made some images of a sculpture on the weekend on the beach on the great ocean road, and they had a distinct feel about them that is reflected in a sculpture by a well known English Sculptor, and what should turn up in my inbox this morning but a link to the Met in New York where this same artist is exhibiting, spooky?

Art mimicking life or life mimicking art?

New book on Technology

On the flip-side to yesterdays early post, I am reading a book on Technology and Culture. 'Human built World', by Thomas P Hughes is the book, published by the University of Chicago Press. 2004 ISBN 022635936

It is early days yet, I skimmed the book whilst browsing in the book store in San Fran where I bought it and was suitably impressed by it's content, and so far have not been let down. It of course starts off trying to define technology and I am understand the authors dilemma about how to do this but really like his delving into Technology of the past, and the idea that the word only came into common use in the last 50 or so years. Of course there is one technology that I have been heavily involved in for the last 16, that rates a mention already, and another technology that I have been involved in for over 6 years that I suspect will feature heavily as well. Yes Photography and computers respectively

More as I get further into the book, quite easy considering that the term break is upon us.

Photos from Otways uploaded.

Just uploaded a new Nikon gallery to my website, and picked up a missing page at the same time. So pop on over and check them out.

The newest gallery is a handful of images that I chose from the weekend away in the Otways. The other gallery is a series of images I shot from a moving car. While I realise this could be potentially dangerous habit, it produces some interesting results, enjoy them.

To Photograph or Not photograph?

Some photographic musing from one of my favourite photography books. The nature of photographs, by Stephen Shore, pub John Hopkins press, page 56

"Pictures exist on a mental level that maybe coincident with the depictive level - what the picture is showing - but does not mirror it The mental level elaborates, refines and embellishes our perceptions of the depictive level. The mental level of a photograph provides a framework for the mental image we construct of (and for) the picture.
While the mental level is separate from the depictive level, it is honed by formal decisions on that level: choice of vantage point (where exactly to take the picture from), frame (what exactly to include), time (when exactly to release the shutter), and focus, (what exactly to emphasize with plane of focus). Focus is the bridge between the mental and depictive levels: focus of the eye, focus of attention, focus of the mind. "

Yes wonderful words that all students and practitoners of photography could learn from. As I personally hover between continuing my fine art photographic print making and a more computer based/interactive approach to my creative output, these words are a reminder of the power of photographic images. Their ability to convince persuade and influence thoughts and feelings.

Sobering indeed

Nikon 5400 photos, from recent school trip

Recently on a trip away to the West coast of Victoria in a region known as the Otways, I shot this image. The weather was abysmal, it even snowed twice while we there. However I'm pretty impressed with the results taken with my digital camera.

I have been going to this area for over 20 years now. One waterfall in particular Stephensons Falls has been a favourite place of mine to visit. This waterfall has changed immensely since I first visited it in the late 80's I suspect I might even have enough images for a small show of images of it. Will need to poke around my archives to be sure.

What this means is that yet another little gallery will be a added to my growing Nikon photography gallery.

Recently got a mention on John Allsop's blog dog or higher, he has written a piece on the upcoming Web Essentials 04 conference. And yours truly gets a mention, hey hey, fame at last! Thanks John, love the CSS WYSIWYG software keep up the good work.

New photos coming soon...

Been away for a few days on the victorian coast. Managed to get some great shots. when I get the chance I wil post a couple here and upload most to my gallery.

Stay tuned

New Tom Waits Album, due October 5

Just found out today that my all time favourite musical artist is going to release a new album in the next couple of weeks. Man oh man can't wait for that. Tom Waits is the artist in question, and the track I heard this morning on was classic Waits, rough crackling guitar, with those vocals that defy description!

I have been hanging out a bit for a new album as sadly I felt his last 2 album releases didn't quite cut the mustard even the art work was a poor copy of the previous ripper album Mule Variations.

My 3 favourite albums of his would be

1. Swordfishtrombones
2. Bone Machine
3. Mule Variations
4. Hear Attack and Vine

Ok OK that's four but when it comes down to it I would have lots of trouble picking between about 6 of the albums of his I own, ( I own 15 in total, not counting the handful of bootlegs of his I have acquired)

Some links to other Tom Waits sites

• Official Page?
• The music and prose of the artist Tom Waits
• A blogger blog for Tom Waits, hey hey!
• His Internet Movie Database entry

So stay posted for news on the new release of this upcoming album!

Moving Photos

Started to shoot out the window of the car, which I admit can be risky but is also very hit and miss in terms of resulting image.

This one is, in my opinion, worth it, perhaps a new Nikon Gallery will come out of all this?

Joys of Digital photography

Wow! The magic of digital cameras recently scored a quick dirty job of putting together a CD cover. Thanks to my little digital camera I quickly shot a series of images around the appropriate location and off home I went to post process and start mocking up ideas.

An hour and half later I had scrapped my first idea and moved along to the next, which with some modification became the third. No film no waiting for processing, no re-shoots because of exposure errors.

Ah the joys of digital.

Flash and Blur Techniques

One of my favourite techniques is "flash and blur". It is where the ambient light is low, and produces camera shake say about 1/4 of a second, and is combined with flash to give interesting ghostlike effects, see image above. My new Nikon Coolpix 5400 produces this effect effortlessly and easily in automatic mode as well as manual, so this is indeed an improvement on my old Kodak DC 260.

Gary Winogrand Quote!

Whilst on our recent trip, and sorry to harp on about it, I purchased a book of Images made by Gary Winogrand, 'Winogrand 1964'. On the front page of the book is a snippet from his Guggenheim grant application, and I quote,(without permission)

I look at the pictures I have done up to now, and they make me feel that who we are and how we feel and what is to become of us just doesn't matter. Our aspirations and successes have been cheap and petty. I read the newspapers, the columinsts, some books, I look at some magazines (our press). They all deal in illusions and fantasies. I can only conclude that we have lost ourselves, and that the bomb may finish the job permanently, and it just doesn't matter, we have not loved life. I cannot accept my conclusions, and so must continue this photographic investigation further and deeper. This is my project.

Wow! Gary Winogrand died in 1984, what would have thought of the current state of the world, and digital? What would have he thought about digital cameras and their their impact on his style and approach, I know when I work with my Nikon Coolpix 5400, digital camera I probably shoot more as an experiment to 'see what the world looks like photographed' than to actually make good images, what then to do with these images is the eternal question? This is where the web steps in, I can now exhibit 24/7/365, for a very modest fee, (for my server space, traffic is low enough to not worry about excess downloads).

Another Nikon Gallery

Just added another gallery to my website with images made with my Nikon Coolpix 5400.