Australia | Fotoeins Fotografie

Posts from the ‘Australia’ category

"Rats", installation 58, Hassell Group, VIVID Sydney 2013, Walsh Bay, Sydney, Australia

Glowing beady-eyed RATS in Sydney

If you’re wondering if there’s been an outbreak of radioactive rodents in the southern metropolis, you need not worry.

But at the start of the 20th century, the unthinkable happened.

Flea-ridden rats from trading ships swarmed into Sydney in 1900 and brought bubonic plague into Australia. Port authorities built a secondary seawall around the shoreline to help prevent more rats from entering the city, marking a key development in the future evolution of the city’s port facility. As a major port of entry into the country, Sydney was hit hardest, and Australians suffered 12 major outbreaks between 1900 and 1925.

But it’s the 21st-century, the cause and cure for the Black Death are well-known, and outbreaks of the plague are contained to a handful of cases annually.

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VIVID Sydney lights festival: 2013 highlights

Since 2009, the annual VIVID Sydney festival lights up the city with vibrant colour and imaginative displays. Between 24 May and 10 June, the 2013 version has over 60 light projections on display around Sydney Cove, Walsh Bay, and Darling Harbour.

VIVID Sydney is an important annual wintertime cultural event bringing together light installations, live music, photography, design, creative ideas, and people in one of the largest festivals in the southern hemisphere. With the central display on the sails of the Opera House, the Spinifex Group put their unique spin to “Lighting the Sails.” Also, for the first time, the Sydney Harbour Bridge gets the VIVID treatment.

I’m fortunate to have photographed a variety of installations over six evenings 24, 26, 28, 30 May; and 3 June 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-3qf.

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Sydney Monorail: the final stop after 25 years

(24 June 2013.)

For 25 years, the Metro Monorail (wiki) has allowed both residents and visitors to go between the downtown Central Business District (CBD) and Darling Harbour. After spending some time in Sydney, it’ll be different to view the CBD without seeing the overhead guideway or the monorail sliding in between the buildings.

On the other hand, some argue it’s about time the unsightly eyesore of the monorail disappeared.

What’s certain is that the Sydney Monorail service will cease operations on 30 June 2013.

After many years of abandonment and neglect, Darling Harbour was redeveloped in the late-1980s as a pedestrian vehicle-free tourist area. The redevelopment project included construction of the Sydney Monorail which began operations in 1988. The monorail was built as a single 3.6-kilometre loop with eight stations, connecting the CBD, Darling Harbour, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Chinatown/Haymarket in a complete circuit within 20 minutes.

With little prospect for an upgrade to an aging transport system or for continuing operating funds, the transport authority for the state of New South Wales purchased the company operating the Monorail, and announced in June 2012 monorail operations would stop in one year’s time.

After its final stop on 30 June, the monorail trains will be decommissioned. The track, guideway, and station infrastructure will be dismantled, demolished, and removed. This process will give way for an expanded entertainment, convention, and exhibition centre (International Convention Centre, ICC Sydney) for scheduled completion by the end of 2016, although some disagree with plans to demolish the present convention centre.

“Goodbye, and thanks for the memories …”

Removal of the monorail began August 2013 and was completed by April 2014.

I made the photos above on 2 April, 12 April, and 12 May 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-3d3.

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My 70000th, part 2: Sydney Opera House

Yes, you read that correctly … part 2.

I made a mistake.

I wrote previously about “flipping” or resetting the image-number counter on my camera for the 7th time as I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

I was wrong and I’d been too hasty when I began writing. I’d read the image numbers incorrectly, and I’d overlooked the image numbers (67000!).

But it wasn’t long until zeroes were back on the camera display and the actual 70000th exposure was made on the Canon 450D/XSi.

For a few evenings after opening night, I’d visited and photographed various displays at the VIVID Sydney festival of lights around Sydney Cove, Walsh Bay, and Darling Harbour. Midweek is a good time with fewer people around for plenty of space at the best spots to photograph the sights. I chose a Wednesday evening to focus on the Opera House. The photos below form a part of the sequence called “PLAY” by the Spinifex Group who have additional projections at the festival.

I made the photos above on 29 May 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.

BlurbOZ Sydney Photowalk

As part of a week-long period of activities, Blurb Australia sponsored a photo-walk through Sydney’s Hyde Park and the Domain. Leading a group of about 40 to 50 interested photographers was Daniel Milnor. He assigned two tasks throughout the afternoon. First, we had the option of photographing back-lit situations, or making a set of photos with different textures as the theme. The second assignment was learning how to make portraits: how to prepare by looking for suitable light, how to approach people, how to connect with people, and how to frame people in a portrait. The day ended with drinks at the nearby Arthouse Hotel for conversation with photographers and bookmakers with a variety of soft- and hard-cover photobooks on display.

BlurbOZ Photowalk, Sydney, Australia

Backlit

BlurbOZ Photowalk, Sydney, Australia

A boy and his balloon

BlurbOZ Photowalk, Sydney, Australia

1st portrait try: R.

BlurbOZ Photowalk, Sydney, Australia

2nd portrait try: E.

Another thing I learned was advice about the present state of photography; the necessity of hard work, perseverance, and patience; and about the disconnect between what’s popular and what’s important. I gained a great deal of encouragement by what I’ve learned over the last few days.

Disclosure: Promotional. I received promotional consideration in the form of coupons from Blurb Australia. I made the photos above on 21 May 2013. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.