s2z Photography Blog

Photobook Shop Online

Screengrsb of the new Photobook store — Screengrab of the new Photobook store

Last weekend, on the 28th of March 2021, the Melbourne Photobook Collective unveiled a new shop on our website. This means my books can be purchased by anyone anywhere in the world anytime.
Exciting times indeed.
Here is the link to the shop to buy my photobooks.
If you are interested in Anne’s Bill’s or Mike’s, visit here

Panel Discussion at The CCP

Mount Moriac, Victoria, Australia. 2015-11-07 16:45:47 — An image from my 2018 publication, What’s the ugliest part of your body?

I am participating in a panel discussion as part of the Melbourne Art Book fair at the CCP. The title is, Connection, Restriction and Making Photobooks.

Details below in the link.

Basically we will be discussing the impact of the Covid Pandemic on our creative endeavours.

Panel Discussion: Connection, Restriction and Making Photobooks | NGV:

iPhones?

A view of my library made using my iPhone 12 Pro.

Over on Light Paths, Gary has a good article about iPhones and photography as a cultural activity. He compares the Kodak Box Brownie to todays iPhone.

Wordless Wednesday #20210303

Photobook Club Melbourne?

Last weekend I participated in and helped lead a small forum discussion and talk on Photobooks. The workshop was entitled, ‘Reading Photobooks with Photobook Club Melbourne’. The event was held at the CCP in Fitzroy as part of Photo 2021

There were 8 speakers. The event lasted an hour. There were approximately 30 attendees. The attendees were split into small groups of about 10. The speakers worked in small groups also. My group had myself, Suzanne Phoenix, and Dr. Kristian Haggblom. Each presenter was asked to bring one or two books and discuss them. In the end we all had a least 4 books each.

A small group discuss Photobooks at the CCP Fitzroy — One of several goups who discussed photobooks at the CCP on Sunday the 28th of February 2021, as part of Photo 2021 image courtesy CCP

For about 15 minutes each group there was a brief discussion about the books that were chosen. Continue reading “Photobook Club Melbourne?”

Tweaks, Additions, & Other News

Photobook Workshop

Next weekend I am participating in an event at the CCP around the Photo 2021 festival.

Titled, Reading Photobooks with Photobook Club Melbourne, . Several photobook makers, academics and artists will, ask, ‘What does it mean to ‘read’ a photobook?’. Join this meetup with Photobook Club Melbourne, and discover the new perspectives and depths of meaning that can come from exploring a photobook in a group discussion.

Photobook News

I’m considering a second edition of my book, Body Bags and other Misdemeanours for the Melbourne Art Book Fair next month.

One final thought, much has been made about Facebook’s response to the federal Government’s attempts at legislation. All anyone needs to do is subscribe to newsletters or newsfeeds of all the major media outlets and your knowledge of current events will be fresh. It’s how we did it before Facebook. It is how I am doing it right now.

Changes Afoot

I have tweaked my blog.

There is now a follow button at the top of the sidebar navigation on the right. If you want to be kept up to date on the goings on around here, just use that button.

Facebook & The News?

I’m also wondering if I put a link to an Australian news article here then share back to Facebook what will happen. [edit, it does not work, in fact I cant even post a simple link to my blog!]

The Changing Face of Melbourne

Last weekend I walked from a small carpark west of the CBD to the Yarra river at Spencer Street. A distance of about 2.6 kilometres one way. All up 5.1 kms return.

Upon my return I noticed an electricity tower was partially dismantled. I returned 5 days later and it has been completely removed. This view of the western edge of the CBD now clearly visible from the edge of the Moonee Ponds Creek, only because of the removed tower. I have other pictures in my archive on digital and film from this location.

Beijing Silvermine

Beijing Silvermine is an archive of 850 000 negatives salvaged over the last ten years from a recycling plant on the edge of Beijing. Assembled by the French collector and artist Thomas Sauvin, Beijing Silvermine offers a unique photographic portrait of the Chinese capital and the life of its inhabitants in the decade following the Cultural Revolution.

Beijing Silvermine – Thomas Sauvin from Emiland Guillerme on Vimeo.

Photography, in Summer, in Melbourne Australia.

Western Edge of Melbourne's CBD, on an overcast Saturday morning. — Truck Parking Bay on the western fringes of the CBD, 2021-01-30 @ 10:38:20 on an overcast Saturday morning.

Photography often takes a back seat in January for me. Summer photography has been prolific this year for me though.

The weather continues to be overcast in the mornings. This is somewhat unusual here in Melbourne, in January. I decided to get out and exploit this on Saturday. I went looking for spots to make pictures in and around the infrastructure projects going on. Close to home.

This truck holding bay is a favourite of mine due to its location and topography. You can see the CBD easily and in the right conditions make some good pictures of Melbourne.

The blue screens on the Citylink off ramp are the only clue that construction is underway. All the action is behind me here. I wandered west with my ‘Blad and made a few pictures of some of the works going on. As I have yet to process this film it remains to be seen if I was successful.

At least I have some record of the changes that are occurring. This forms a major motivation behind what I am focusing on these days.

Post Covid Exploring?

The View East from the new bridge in Laverton over Dohertys' Road — The View East from the new Cycling bridge on the Federation Trail in Laverton over Dohertys’ Road

This view did not exist in 2019. I can’t remember the last time I drove along Dohertys road.

I am standing on a bridge built for cyclists that forms part of the federation trail. I’m not quite certain when it was completed. Google maps most recent picture of this part of Dohertys road is from 2019. The new bridge forms part of the larger infrastructure works going on around the Westgate. The works are affecting the peripheral and arterial roads that run off it. This trail will allow cyclists to ride from Werribee to the city. It crosses Dohertys’ road a dual carriageway arterial road.

As I had not had a chance to really explore this part of Melbourne since we had spent so much time in lockdown last year. I decided to investigate several areas nearby that I know would have altered radically.

Dohertys road used to be a single lane arterial road. Given the real estate in this part of Laverton there would have been many many large trucks using this road. It is now a dual lane road which no doubt means the numbers will increase. Melbourne’s cyclists can now cross this road safely using this bridge.

The weather on the day I was there proved to be almost perfect for photography. Unusual for Melbourne in January. I suspect this will be a regular location now.

This approach to finding locations underpins my work. Not being able to wander and just follow my nose while we were in lockdown was stifling to say the least. At least it means there will be plenty more surprises waiting for me; all within a 10 minute drive from my house.