And sometimes I get a little carried away...
The first surfer
Uncle Davey is up at mum & dad's place for a couple days, he told Sebby he'd take him for a surf - Dave is a very good surfer and, if I had a longer lens, I'd have captured a few better images of him earlier today (he broke a fin going hard) ..anyways, he gathered up Seb and after a quick beach lesson, took him out into some small mush to give it a shot.
Davey doing some eighties dancing on the waves... #HandsInTheAir
He's been surfing since he was about nine or so, knows what he's doing and loves my kids so I had no hesitation sending my first born out into the depths... Pappy was also standing by for rescue duties - I was too, but it would have meant dumping a 5DMK3 / 70-200 f/2.8IS in the surf (which I was totally up for doing, mind)
He informs me he was not "aiming for the dude"
Anyways, I've babbled on, here's a quick photo story of Seb's first surf (and my first time on an 8'6" Mal in 20 years... stood up second go!)
Thanks for reading, you can purchase all the gear I use if you find out what it is and visit a local camera shop, or you could.. err.. not? Happy days!
Why do I bother photographing coffee?
Someone sent me a message and asked "why do you bother photographing your coffee?" ..usually I'd say "good question" but I have an actual answer, so I thought I'd share it with you here...
Q. Why do I bother photographing my coffee?
A. Because I like doing it.
Click the instagram below to see a selection of eleven coffee photographs. Click here to stalk for more on Instagram.
Working from wherever is great and horrible
My profession is essentially marketing, social media marketing to be more accurate. I specialize in the photography sector because that's what I'm passionate about and also something I've always dabbled with. I figure if you're going to work for a brand to promote their product to photographers, you should at least know about the products, right? So, what I do all day every day is find interesting content, post it, watch how people react, give them some form of interaction back, start conversations, mess about with photographic gear and make photographs.
Working from Artisti cafe in Coffs Harbour - Cafe noise is great. Great coffee.
If you sat and watched me work for an hour, I could go from laughing at what someone's posted on a Facebook page to photographing a camera bag or tripod with something or other in or on it to show size or usage.
I've been doing this independently for four years, running my own business with its own books and tax etc... During this time I've been working from home or, in limited cases a cafe. I've been fortunate to have an office and space at home to work and I've always said that its tough to work from home with kids, but that I'm fortunate to be able to work from wherever I am...
Using WD My Passport Pro / Wireless for Lightroom cat and all my work on the move.
At the moment I am "wherever I am" and I've been here for a few weeks - I love being here, the boys love seeing their grandparents, the weather is good (I prefer cold, but a bit of warm never killed an... oh, wait, it did... but you know what I mean) but in short, I'm working from a kitchen table and its driving me absolutely crazy.
Working from 'wherever' can be amazing and flexible and I want to smash something...
10 things I'd like you to have...
And by 'you' I mean me...
That time of year when every man and his dog are making lists, checking them twice (for affiliate codes) and slapping them up on the internet for all of those clickings!
Here's my list and the reasons that I'm including the things I choose. Hope that a. you click them, buy them and I get $1.45 and b. that if you need help choosing photo gear for family or friends, that this list helps.
1. Sony a6000
Why? A great step from a compact camera / point and shoot. You can use this in auto mode for stunning photos (matched with a good eye, you'll do even better!) and when you're feeling more confident, you can start working through the modes to 'M' for 'Much better' (or manual... right?) and really sharpen your skill set.
2. Fujifilm X-T1
The Fuji X-T1 is a great camera, but to me, its in a different place to the Sony... The X-T1, also features wifi options for control and transfer to your phone / tablet, etc, but there's something different about the X-T1 that just makes it a bit... cool? Does that even matter? I don't know, only you can answer that. The Fuji X-T1 with the 56mm f/1.2 lens is a stunning combo for anyone that wants to do away with all the mess and fuss of choosing and just have a powerful, relatively compact camera to take everywhere.
3. WD My Passport Wireless
If you're going to buy one of the above cameras, you're going to need to put the images somewhere! Recently I've been using the WD MyPassport Wireless when I'm on the go... The ability to put my SD card in the actual drive and see it transfer off onto my drive without me having to do anything - so good! Then I can connect to my drive from my phone / tablet via its wifi network, copy the contents, edit them on my phone and upload to wherever! Great for me as a social media professional. Great for you as a photographer (aka mum or dad with a camera) that wants to have a good bit of storage handy!
4. Big Turtle Shell
A departure, but not, from photography! If you're on a shoot or just out and about taking photos in some cool place... You and your friends, Urbexing it up, maybe shooting a model (your semi-cute, but willing guy friend) in an old house somewhere... Take music! Add atmosphere to your environment and don't be fussed if it rains - just dance! Big Turtle Shell is an epic inclusion for anyone... Yes, you can charge it and take it to the beach / a picnic / farm OR just to do the dishes...
5. Retrospective 7
You have this cool stuff, but you need to cart it around - there's only one bag brand that you need... (well, there are two, but you know.. for now, lets go with one!) The thinkTank Photo Retrospective 7 is my goto walk around camera bag - I stick my mirrorless camera, extra lens (typically a wide and a good portrait length) as well as my Turtle shell. All of my Retrospective camera bags are Pinestone - they remind me of my dad's old fishing bag. Much love.
Well, we're half way through this list... What are you even doing for Christmas? Do you like lists like this? Are we all born to windowshop? One thing I do know is we should have a coffee before we move on to number 6...
6. Rancilio Silvia espresso machine
By now you may have gathered that I enjoy a good coffee? I'm using a Silvia V3. Incidentally, Silvia is named after Silvia Rancilio, the sister of once Rancilio SPA owner, Luca Rancilio... Enough with the random info - The Silvia is a great espresso machine (none of that pod nonsense) for your home.
7. Anker Astro portable power
If you're going to cart all this stuff that needs powering, and you're off somewhere for more than a few hours with heavy phone or tablet use in mind, maybe on a shoot, maybe off to the woods to see if you can find a teddybear's picnic - who knows - anyways, I've been using the Anker power for a year or so and LOVE it... Well worth the cash, great form factor, more powerful than a speeding bullet... (This one will charge your iPhone from flat to full about 6 times'ish)
8. Wish you were here
I don't actually, but you should listen to this record - its brilliant, timeless and real. Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on vinyl, even suitable for hipsters - vinyl's cool don't you know.
9. Cath Kidston mug
Yep, lately this guy has been making an appearance on my desk, often. After 5pm Silvia sleeps for the night and my tea drinking skills come to the fore. A big mug of tea is a comforting thing.
10. Turn off your computer and go outside for five minutes...
Just go somewhere quiet with your mug of tea, think about your year. Has it been bag, good, otherwise? Did what you think would happen, happen? Where do you want to be this time next year? Tuesday December 16th 2015... 365 days of uncertainty / positive direction?
I'll be a year closer to starting my renovation mayhem, I hope to be sitting at a new desk in a new chair, I may have moved completely across to a mirrorless system OR Canon will have released the 5DMK4 and I'll have sold everything and simplified to a Mk4 and a new set of primes. Who knows.
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond.
Happy Christmas.
Sime