I was recently gifted a scanner. Thanks to Gary. This now means I can scan any or all of my analogue work on an as needs basis. All I need is time. This image has always stayed with me since I made it around 1992. It is one my earliest successes using 5×4 inch film. However it never moved beyond a contact print as the emulsion had been damaged in a couple of places.
Now using Affinity Photo, I am at least able to resurrect it and use it online. I may some day get a commercial scan and make a big print from it. In what context I’m not sure. I use Affinity Photo because it has a perpetual license and a few technical advantages over PotatoeShop.
Concurrently I had been mulling over how I made an earlier book using Blurb. ‘What’s the ugliest part of your body?’. When making it. I had decided to compromise on its layout and not crop the images resulting in a book that few people handled correctly as it was landscape orientation. As a consequence it had lots of wasted white space. I feel this didn’t add anything to the idea. This time I decided that I would print full bleed, and use pictures that were portrait in orientation. I also wanted to add some text to engage the reader. So after perusing my library and searching the internet I found of series of snippets of text and quotes that posed pointed questions about landscape, landscape art, and landscape photography. With these two ideas in mind I collated as many images as I could that were portrait in format, ie Not Landscape, the book’s title, printed out a set of them. Then started editing them into a book.
A spread from the first draft of my 2022 book, Not Landscape.A spread from the first draft of my 2022 book, Not Landscape.
I have some copies of my ‘What’s the ugliest part of your body?’ left. These are $15.00 each, and after making them now consider it unlikely I will make a second edition.
The cover of my 2017 book, What’s the ugliest part of your body?
I have one copy of my book Contact for sale as well.
Contact my Pandemic inspired photobook from 2020/2021
Alternatively the Photo 2020 is running a photobook weekend there will be some of my books there too, 21st May [12 to 7pm] and 22nd May [12 to 4pm] at PSC 37-47 Thistlethwaite St, South Melbourne.
For the second year running the skies in Melbourne have been far more photographic and overcast than I remember in summer.
I really exploited this in the quiet period from when I started my holidays to the new year. Many construction sites are closed at this time of year. This makes it even easier to photograph these places. I have shot more than 3 rolls of 120 film and about 20 sheets of 5×4 film. The results at this point seem pleasing.
This year I didn’t borrow a digital DSLR from work so the only digital files I’m making are using my iPhone.
These are the images I’m adding to this post. I also used the quiet time to scout a few possible locations moving forward. I’m very interested in the infrastructure projects going on right now all around Melbourne. In particular I’m interested in the ones that are close to me ie the inner west.
These are going to change the fabric of these suburbs. For better or worse I don’t know. But change they will and I’m trying to capture as much as I can, while I can.
Melbourne Docklands, 2022-01-04 12:33:53Docklands Melbourne 2022:01:04 11:52:0Melbourne Docklands 2022:01:04 11:38:27, looking east over the former wholesale fruit marketFootscray Road and construction 2022:01:04 11:31:35Footscray Road facing east, 2022:01:05 16:33:31West Melbourne Facing east 2022:01:08 16:37:43West Melbourne, near Dynon road facing east, 2022:01:08 16:28:47West Melbourne train yards facing east, 2022:01:08 16:37:31
Melbourne was recently placed into its 5th lockdown since the pandemic began. I found this one more taxing the previous ones. By about the 7th day I decided I needed to get outdoors. I decided to walk aimlessly. Walking aimlessly is harder than it sounds.
So I decided to walk into the park adjacent to our house. Then once on the other side of the park wander in the direction of some incongruous land. This land runs between a rail siding and the medium to light industry either side of it. This gives me access to places that are inaccessible any other way. Carrying a large camera (and tripod) in this instance may not have been permitted by the lockdown rules I suspect. So I carried my small Canon point and shoot as well as my iPhone 12.
I walked for about one and a half hours. I took approximately 6639 steps. Sadly I forgot to run my mapping software as I walked, so I’m using other software to trace my route. In this instance Aperture. I took very few iPhone pictures it seems, anyway. I manually added these images to Aperture’s map feature.
The place I walked, 23rd July 2021
All up I took 189 pictures. Below is a small selection of them in chronological order.
Parsons Reserve facing South East 2021-07-23 14:51:59Abstraction of urban forest Parsons reserve 2021-07-23 14:49:40Trees and silos at the Western edge of Parsons reserve 2021-07-23 14:53:52Wright Street with Silos in the background, 2021-07-23 14:59:00Linda Street Sunshine, facing South West 2021-07-23 15:04:47Looking North from the Freight Rail siding in Linda Street Sunshine, 2021-07-23 15:08:13Melbourne Container Park, from the rail siding. 2021-07-23 15:10:15Looking North from the freight rail siding 2021-07-23 15:11:50Track along the freight rail siding looking North with Melbourne Container Park in the background 2021-07-23 15:29:28Facing South West overlooking the old ‘Huntsman Refinery Site’. 2021-07-23 15:35:30. Soon to be a major infrastructure site.Melbourne Grand Prix infrastructure storage 2021-07-23 15:40:36Texture, of a pile of stone used as filler 2021-07-23 15:41:23Atop a rail siding overlooking Melbourne facing south east 2021-07-23 15:36:47CBD Skyline with Melbourne Grand Prix infrastructure in storage 2021-07-23 15:48:00Stony Creek and Environs looking West 2021-07-23 15:58:56Wright Street, Sunshine. Facing North East. Sunbury Train line in the background. 2021-07-23 16:04:52
The whole experience was definitely one of heightened senses, visual, aural and olfactory. This in my mind made the journey one that was entirely psychogeographic, even if only partially aimless.
Some changes are occurring in this area also. I have walked this area on and off since moving to Sunshine in 2000. When I next walk it, who knows? The ninth picture is about to undergo a major infrastructure project. This is one of the reasons I walked there. I shall return and use a film camera soon hopefully.
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.
Melbourne’s skyline from West Melbourne in 2005. This view no longer accessible. As the Metro tunnel work s have repuposed the land and denied public access generally.
