Xan and the Storm

Incoming storm when I was home.  Taken between Christmas and New Year.

Singapore Takeoff

Flying out from Singapore.
Shot with one of the art filters on my Olympus OM-D.... straight out of the camera.
(Which has stopped working!!! - the camera - no idea about the art filter)....
It no longer recognises that a lens is on it.
The Olympus service people have been good with talking to me.... BUT..... I can't do anything about it until I get back to Australia.  I will not be back in Australia for a month!!!    Very disappointing.

Windows to the soul

Filed under:  things you do when you are bored in your hotel room with 2 flashes, a camera and photoshop.

Yesterday's morning activities...

Here in Miluo,
out the back of my hotel...
after spending some time ferretting around randomly with my camera and flash...  I worked up the courage to ask the guy I wanted to photograph if I could shoot him while he was working....

He had no problems with it.... and this was the result.  He was shovelling coal from a big pile outside to a smaller pile inside and then from that pile into the boiler that was giving me hot water in my hotel - so I definitely appreciated his efforts!

Temple - Yuelu Mountain

A little busy in Changsha

But I am enjoying being here in the much sleepier Highfields.....

PSAM

If anyone is interested... here is the mindmap I used in a talk a couple of months ago....
Asked to do some sort of "for people new to photography" talk...

So I talked on the modes of the camera....

It is summarised in this diagram:  I am not sure if it means anything without me talking about it as well..... but there could be something in there that is useful?

Water

Xan jumping out of the surf.
If you like we can pretend that I just captured this in real life, rather than asking him to flick out of the water half a dozen times.... that would make it a lot cooler!!!

We spent the weekend at Noosa.  Awesome beach, great family time.  Ruth got to do lots of relaxing, the boys and I got to do lots of swimming.

Back home and Christmas lights

The view from my front door just after sunset....
Through the Christmas lights....

We are joining in with the neighbourhood lighting just a little more each year...  It all looks very festive!

Walking around Miluo

In order to make sure that I did not spend too much time wallowing in my hotel room on the last Sunday in Miluo... I went for a walk in the rain.  All very lovely (and a weird combination of a little hot and bitterly cold)...

my intention was to walk to where all the rice fields started.... I did not quite make it, but found some interesting things on the way.

First one, normal photo run through a vintage process in Silver EFEX.
Second shot... A mum and her child were walking along, at some distance away I pointed to my camera and gestured to ask if I could take a shot...  She nodded and this is what came out...  A little bit of oversharpening to get some detail out of a VERY dreary day...

Selectivity

Coming back from China (Yay! I am back at home for the moment!!!), I was sitting behind a Gentleman in the plane.  He was busily reading a self help book.  To make sure he took in all the salient points he was underlining them.

The problem was.... that as far as I can tell he underlined the ENTIRE book.

Riding to work

The Main Street of Miluo

Where the dummy massacre occurred.....

What a job!

This young lady's job was to sit out in the cold and convince the thousands of people walking past to come in and organise their photo sessions.  It very much appeared she was not to move or interact with anyone.

I am not sure how the cost compared to dressing a mannequin to put out there... but that was definitely what she was.

The 2012 Shop Refit Atrocity.

Oh the plasticity!