Compost: Stage 1

Robert Burne
Waste

The kitchen scraps go in the compost, rather than waste them.

Foundation Stone

Robert Burne

Found

Following the decision to found the federal capital of the Commonwealth of Australia at the present site of Canberra, a foundation stone was laid on Capital Hill. Many years later it had to be moved to make way for the new Parliament House.

Television Time Wasters

Susan Stayer

Waste

I hate that show "Two and a Half Men" and consider it to be a HUGE waste of time!

A Lawyer, a Car and Two Friends

Ed Whalan

Portrait

I met Marc Roberts at our year Seven swimming carnival, when he approached me and said "I think we should be friends". That was in February 1987. Now, 20 years on, Marc is a successful business lawyer living in Brisbane. His car is a 1977 Holden HZ. It is consistent with his continuing attempts to rebel against society and his place in it. The HZ was bought new by his Dad in 1977 and garaged in 1990 awaiting the 17 years and the lawyer’s salary it took to get it back on the road. The two components of this image were photographed the day it was re-registered and on the eve of its maiden trip to Brisbane.

Found and Wasted

Image below is after tone-mapping

Ed Whalan
Found, Waste

Look what I found, maybe it's just waste ... I can't decide.

Seeking Solitude

Lorna Sim

Found

It was one of those days when your mind is in turmoil and you need to seek total solitude for some serious self-reflection. I headed off to Lake Burley Griffin on the Western Park side. This is what I found — some solitude with seagulls keeping their distance and their peace. It was nearly 8pm, but there was still some light left and a light drizzle of rain as well.

Gary's Garage

Kerry Baylor
Waste

Gary is a neighbour. His garage looks like a waste dump, but to him everything is a possible scientific experiment.

Waste Bins: Symbol of an Affluent City?

Lorna Sim

Waste

This series highlights common scenes in cities around the world. The haves and the have-nots live side by side, but the have-nots are usually treated as non-existent in an environment of plenty. Meanwhile the back streets overflow with the refuse of the rich.

Discarded Skin

Susan Stayer

Found

Here's what I found in the yard.

Sweet Sixteen

Kathleen Fisher

Found

I was recently given a Holga Micro, a tiny 110 camera that's about half the size of a Mars Bar. As the name suggests, it's a point-n-shoot plastic number with a single f-stop (f/8) and shutter speed (1/125 sec). It's so basic that the film cartridge doubles as the camera back and child-sized fingers are a distinct operational advantage.

Skeptical, I took it for a spin downtown to my favourite junk store, which has the most fantastic mannequins. I love that the girl-next-door one has pendulous boobs and is totally naked! Despite it's obvious limitations, I was impressed that most of the shots were well exposed and thrilled to get six shots I loved from a 24 exposure film.

As you can see, the Holga Micro doesn't vignette like its big sister, but it does have other creative advantages. The yellow emulsion and frame numbers of the Ferrania Sakura film are super cool. The 110 format is only available in print film these days, but I created the cross-processed look by scanning the negative on the Fuji NPS 160 6x6 profile in SilverFast.

PS You know you're hip 'n' happening when you shoot the same subject as Kerry!

Girlfriend Has a Boyfriend

Kerry Baylor

Found

I found this girl a while ago while op shopping and only had a digital "just in case" camera with me. I found her again and had a loaded film camera. These have so much more character than the digital pics I have of her. She has been moved and is bearing more of her midriff. The other shot is is what's left of her boyfriend, or maybe she would prefer the boy in blue.

Not for the Faint Hearted

Ed Whalan

Hooked

Why would someone want to do a suspension?

There are many different reasons to suspend, from pure adrenaline or endorphin rush, to conquering ones fears, to trying to reach a new level spiritual consciousness and everything in between. In general, people suspend to attain some sort of "experience".

Some people are seeking the opportunity to discover a deeper sense of themself and to challenge pre-determined belief systems which may not be true. Some are seeking a right of passage or a spiritual encounter to let go of the fear of not being whole or complete inside their body. Others are looking for control over their body, or seek to prove to themselves that they are more than their bodies, or are not their bodies at all. Others simply seek to explore the unknown.

Many people believe that learning how one lives inside ones body and seeing how that body adapts to stress -- and passes through it -- allows one to surrender to life and explore new realms of possibility. While some people are seeking something spiritual, others are just looking to "do it" and the sense of accomplishment is enough for them.

WARNING!! Don't get hooked!

Lorna Sim

Hooked

I must say that I've struggled a bit with this week's theme. Nearly shot the same thing as Kerry. Then I ended up with this old tune "hooked on a feeling" running through my head for the last few days, it's driving me nuts! I was also tempted to dig up old archives, but resisted. Found this barb wire at the back of the restaurant last night. Hope this will kill the tune in my head!!

Sky Hook

Robert Burne

Hooked

This hook-shaped venting pipe is a feature of the still-used old dairy building in Fyshwick.

Cowboys and Other Country Reflections

Kathleen Fisher
Reflections

In the past, I would have avoided taking this picture of Tim Davaris (left) and Dave Willersdorf (right) — it would have seemed just too much of a cliché of country life. But since moving to Yass, I've realised that clichés exist for a reason and that boys in Wrangler jeans and felt hats sipping booze do reflect an aspect of rural existence.

I took this photo at the Yass Rodeo and the Yass Ute Muster (two events held as one) in November. As an aside, I just looked up "cliché" on The Free Dictionary website and the page included a cartoon of a cowboy on a bucking bull!

I do baulk at calling these guys "cowboys". Is there an Australian equivalent? Jackaroo doesn't fit the bill because that's a job description, rather than an attitude.

Hooked Up

Kerry Baylor

Hooked

My first thought was to shoot "what am I hooked on?", but it's hard to get a good shot of eBay. My next thought was "what am I hooked up to?" ... everything.

An Ethereal Church

Susan Stayer

World Toy Camera Day 2007

Here's my World Toy Camera Day '07 photo. Finally, I know. I had four or five rolls from that day that I finally took to the lab. This one of the church in Captains Flat was my favorite.

Holga's Orb

Miguel Gallagher
Driven to Abstraction

I took my Holga for a drive and found some birds flying around and above the Governor General's house. I took this photo as the sun was falling and used the bulb setting and, of course, cross processed the film.

I am also very excited that my pinhole camera has finally arrived. I'll be taking lots of photos with it soon.

Zoom Zoom!

Susan Stayer

Driven to Abstraction

I like abstract images of cars. This is the grill on our Mazda. Zoom Zoom!

Literally Driven

Lorna Sim

Driven to Abstraction

The night was really warm, so we had the sun-roof open while driving home from dinner. At one stage, after getting tired of shooting the same old streaky light shots through the window and windscreen, it suddenly occured to me that I could try a new angle and format. So there was I, hanging on tight to my dear DSLR with a wide angle lens, on top of the car roof and had a ball shooting tons of moving shots like these!!

Tunnel Vision

Kerry Baylor

Driven to Abstraction

I was travelling back from Newcastle and, driven by boredom, started looking for abstractions in what I was seeing. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to a window that had scratches all over it. Then it rained and we stopped in a tunnel.

The Furnace

Robert Burne

Driven to Abstraction

The glass-maker is transforming realities.

Fleshed With Power

Susan Stayer

Flesh

In his poem "Cherrylog Road", James Dickey refers to a motorcycle as "a bicycle fleshed with power":

And I to my motorcycle

Parked like the soul of the junkyard

Restored, a bicycle fleshed

With power, and tore off

Up Highway 106, continually

Drunk on the wind in my mouth,

Wringing the handlebar for speed,

Wild to be wreckage forever.

To read the entire poem, go to http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1193.html

Reflections in Ruins

Kerry Baylor

Reflections

I went to the derelict Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital looking to just take art photos but what I got was overwhelming feelings of emptiness, loneliness, abandonment, reflection — the same feelings patients probably had. Maybe I was a patient in another life.

Fleshy Offering

Lorna Sim

Flesh

I went in search for "flesh" when we were at Kerry's today and was not disappointed. Kerry's place turns up to be a photographer's dream.

Lee

Robert Burne

Flesh

Lee generously permitted me to take this portrait. At infra-red wave-lengths, skin actually becomes translucent and the image responds to the warmth of the underlying flesh. One consequence is that the pigments of her tasteful tattoo are accentuated. Note also the effect on the dark sun-glasses.

Ghost Flesh

Ed Whalan
Flesh

Mango Heart

Kerry Baylor
Flesh

I was cutting my first mango of the season and went into the flesh for a closer look. This is what I found.

Don't Slip!

Susan Stayer

Packaging

I like bananas because each one comes in its own package.

See Through Packaging

Miguel Gallagher
Packaging

Here are my pre-packaged photos of a pre-packaged garden. I took these using various bits of packaging from chocolate biscuits and muesli bags as filters.

Me in Dirty Glasses

Miguel Gallagher
Self-Portrait

This photo was taken at the Third Ave Street Fair, New York when I had realised that I had taken thousands of photos but had failed to include myself. I remedied the situation.

Pinhole Package

Ed Whalan
Packaging

I've been playing around with a digital pinhole, but I think I need a smaller pin.