25th November – 7th December 2011
Collingwood Gallery
292 Smith St Collingwood
Monday – Friday 12pm – 6pm
Saturday/Sunday 10am – 6pm

No, it is not a spelling mistake or anything dirty. The exhibition title is a play on words. Digital cameras record images on a digital image sensor. This exhibition features photos taken with analogue (film) cameras, hence the title “Unsensored”.

I will be exhibiting a photo from the roll of film I mentioned in a previous post. I was at the gallery until late last night helping with hanging the exhibited works. It is an eclectic mix of photos and I look forward to the opening tonight.

As usual, my print was rushed at the last minute as I returned from a trip to Colombia less than a fortnight ago.

Hopefully I will find the time soon to post some photos and details of my amazing trip around Colombia.

20th August – 18th September 2011
Old Butcher’s Shop
Cnr Seymour St & Neil Street Ballarat
Thursday – Friday 11am – 5pm
Saturday/Sunday 10am – 6pm

Other exhibitors include: Jock Blakley, Michael Carew, Dave Carswell, Andrew Cosgriff, Nicole Davis, Matthew Joseph, Daniel Lee, Iain Maclachlan, Ambre Pitt, Richard Plumridge, Karen Riley, Ahmad Sabra, Gary Sauer-Thompson, Deanne Smith, Paul Stoney,  Lea Williams, Chris Zissiadis.

One of my SAM2011 Submissions (Bronica ETRS with polaroid back, Fujifilm FP-3000B)

Melbourne Silver Mine’s annual portraiture event ‘Shoot a Miner’ (or SAM as we’ve come to know it) is on again next Wednesday. I have submitted several photos I have taken during the course of the year. All welcome.

Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale Street
Wednesday 13th July 2011
5.30pm onwards

Schooling Jackfish - Tulamben, Bali

With my newly aquired Nikonos V loaded with some Fuji Velvia, my good friend Agung and I had three dives on the USS Liberty wreck in Tulamben, Bali back in November 2010. Only minutes into our second dive whilst exploring the dark volcanic sea floor we were met by thousands of schooling jackfish. They formed a circle around us and continued to put on a show for us and we remained awe struck. At one stage, without realising my regulator had dropped out of my mouth, whilst I sat there wide eyed looking at this amazing event. I then remembered I had a camera and started snapping before remembering to breathe. I took several photos but also made a conscious decision to sit back and enjoy it and not spend all my time fiddling with my camera. I have seen bait balls and schooling fish on documentaries before, particularly on one of my favourites BBC’s “The Blue Planet”. I was always envious of how the photographers managed to not only find schooling fish but also get in the middle of them. Now here I was, experiencing it first hand!

Still in a awe induced stupour, we decided to surface and reload cameras quickly before finding the fish again. Once surfaced we realised that Agung’s video camera had seized up and he did not get any footage. When rewinding my film it also jammed up. We agreed that perhaps it was something that mother nature intended us to enjoy there and then without taking anything away from it except for our memories. I am not at all religious but this was truly a very special and spiritual moment for me.

With the aid of a semi-dark change room and my black t-shirt we carefully removed the jammed film from my camera and placed it in a canister. I then loaded a fresh roll of film in my camera, geared up and returned to the water.

Nervous about taking a taped up film canister in my luggage (particularly with Australia’s reputation of taking things into and out of Bali) I decided to leave the film with Agung. He tried to get the film developed in Indonesia but unfortunately he could not find a lab that could process E-6 slide film. When Agung returned to his job on cruise ships he took the film with him to the Caribbean with the hope of having the film processed when he visited New York. Unfortunately, he did not find the time to have it processed in New York. His ship then completed a trans-atlantic crossing to Europe, along with the roll of film. Several months later another cruise ship friend Michael was cruising on the same ship as Agung. Agung had kindly reloaded the film into a velvia roll and handed the film on to Michael who returned the film to me in Melbourne, Australia last week.

I dropped the film off at my local lab not expecting much from this well travelled roll that had most likely suffered from significant light leak and x-ray damage. I picked up the roll this morning and rushed home, held the negatives up against the light and was really happy to see some photos of the schooling jackfish. There was some minimal light damage but I was really happy to get anything out of the roll.

Now I just need to wait for some warmer weather or a holiday so I can keep practicing with my Nikonos.

On Saturday we checked out Kuta beach and some of the shops before returning to the hotel to enjoy the pool.

We are now staying at a villa in Lodtundah near Ubud. The villa is part of the T House sustainable tourism project. The land is leased from the locals and they are provided with employment with minimum impact on their way of life.

Our day in Lodtunduh kicks off early with the sound of roosters crowing and cows mooing. Light begins to stream in through our open air bedroom, defused slightly by the mosquito net. It is then time to take a shower which is is set in a small garden. Despite being in the open it is private, although we do occasionally share the bathroom with the odd snail or gecko.

We are then visited by Komang, one of the local girls who prepares us breakfast in our villa. We enjoy our breakfast outside overlooking more locals hard at work in the rice field.

Yesterday mostly consisted of eating. After breakfast we went to the Ubud palace and watched young boys and girls learn the Barong dance. Following this we looked at the art Market before heading to the famous Ibu Oka for Babi Guling. Perhaps the favourite dish of the Balinese, Babi Guling is a suckling pig stuffed with spices, it is then basted in coconut milk whilst roasted over an open fire.

We then looked around Ubud before finding a local driver Wayan who took us to the rice terraces. By this stage it was pouring with rain. After battling flooded streets and pot holes we arrived a a place known for it’s Kopi Luwak. It is often described as the most expensive and rarest coffees on earth, mostly due to the way in which is processed. It begins with the Civet, a type of Mongoose which feeds on coffee beans. The civet selects only the best red coffee beans to eat, the magic then begins in it’s digestive system. The coffee beans, which are eaten whole, react with the enzymes in the civets stomach before (for want of a better phrase) coming out the other end. The excreted beans are then collected, cleaned and dried in the sun before being roasted. To be honest, I did not find that it tasted much different to a regular Bali Coffee. The Balinese do have a great sense of humour, maybe it is just an elaborate joke? Regardless, it is all part of experiencing other places, cultures, traditions and flavours.

We returned to our villa to dry off from the rain. As if Komang’s breakfast, Babi Guling, Pisang Goreng & Kopi Luwak was not enough we decided to go to the Sunday night buffet at Cafe Wayan. The food was exceptional. Following this we went to the Havana Club for Marjorie to get her dose of Salsa music, an important part of any South Americans life. The local Balinese band memorised the words to the Latin songs phonetically, much to Marjories amusement. I watched some expat Aussie regulars dance with the Balinese staff, whilst I sipped on my large Bintang beer. What a melting pot of culture in one little bar!

I am now sitting outside, typing this post on my iPhone 4, having just finished another great breakfast that Komang prepared. Shortly our transport will arrive to take us to a spa for a full day of massage and relaxation.

For some time now I have been considering getting an underwater housing for my Canon 5D MK I dSLR. However, by the time I purchase a housing, lens port, strobes, arms and insurance I would be looking at forking out at least $3500. This is when I decided to keep my eyes open for a Nikonos V.

The first Nikonos camera was designed by JacquesCousteau and produced in France, it was called the Calypso. In 1963 Nikon purchased the design and launched it as the Nikonos. Various revisions were made over the years. Not just used for underwater photography, Nikonos cameras were a popular choice for the military and photo journalists during jungle conflicts such as Vietnam.

As with any camera I purchase on eBay I did not rush things. I kept my eyes open for one that was in good condition and had been recently serviced. Having underwater cameras serviced with fresh 0-rings is very important as the slightest imperfection can result in the camera flooding. I eventually found the one I wanted and purchased it from a seller based in Hollywood. If only this camera could talk, who has owned it before me? Was it used at Hollywood pool parties, or trips down to the Caribbean or Mexico? At a recently photography market here in Melbourne I managed to purchase several sets of spare o-rings. I also met a seller there from Sydney who arranged to have a serviced SB-105 strobe sent to me.

I now have my upcoming trip to Western Australia and Bali, Indonesia to look forward to. I look forward to posting the results here on my return in mid November.

Unsensored is a photography exhibition showcasing the works of analogue photographers. The exhibition opens this Friday night at Collingwood Gallery and runs until the 25th August.

I will be exhibiting a photograph taken with the 1954 Voigtlander Vito B I picked up in an op shop for $40. The photograph I am exhibiting was taken in northern Peru earlier this year. With the blaring desert sun and no meter I maxed out the camera at f/16 for 1/300 of a second.

I hope to see you there. Opening night is the Friday 13 August at 6pm.

Despite the fact that it was a freezing cold winters night here in Melbourne I thought I would check out “the light in winter” at Federation Square. With no way to meter I decided to try some long exposures to capture the projects in Federation Square. Unfortunately it is underexposed, however it gives me a pretty good indication that the camera functions well and my seal replacement was a success!

I will next try out Shanghai GP3 120 Black and White film. I look forward to posting the results here shortly.

Tomorrow nights event “Shoot A Miner” is a portraiture event that encouraged members to get out and shoot one another. Several of my photos will be shown, most of which I photographed with my lovely little 1954 Voigtländer Vito B, using black and white film which I then processed in my bathroom. Several members of the group also photographed me during various meets.

Details are below, all are welcome.

Shoot A Miner 2010
Thursday 6th May 2010, 6pm onwards
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Londsdale Street, Melbourne