This City and You

Sometimes you get those lucky moments when you can comment on life through your own eyes.

My fiance Elizabeth and I were flown down to Sydney to put our creative spin on the city during Winter, taking in the many wonderful sights (including the wonder of Vivid Festival) on the eve of us becoming parents for the first time in 7 weeks (whoa!). It was a magic long weekend together.

So below is our little personal tale of love in the big city, autumn leaves, coffee’s and bird cages, with a twist of oceanography. I put a bit of heart into this edit so I hope it shines through.

A big thanks to Destination NSW and Sydney.com for the wonderful creative opportunity.

Vivid Memories

I was recently in Sydney for a couple of days for an amazing event called the Vivid Festival.

It was like I had a two day long acid flashback. Wild colours distorting on buildings, while a lady climbed the Sydney Opera House. A ghost like silhouette drowned in the waters under the bridge, and candy grass swayed in the city wind.

Enough ramblings. Enjoy the video. Looking forward to Vivid Sydney in 2013!

sydney.com
vividsydney.com

Bedroom Eyes

Last year my fiance Elizabeth (who runs Spell with her sister Isabella) took an instagram picture of the faded Moroccan patterned wall paper on my parents lounge room. I thought she was being quite strange. Apparently she  kept going back to this picture, marveling at the gorgeous print, it was faded and scratched and gloriously vintage.

Then months later they decided to make some screens with the pattern and print it on to fabric and make a kimono!

Obviously I don’t know much about fashion. I do wear track-pants all the time you know. These are a few extra images from a recent photo-shootI did for them. Enjoy.

More pics from the shoot HERE.

Photos taken on a Nikon D7000 with the 50mm 1.4 lens.

Images of Spindrift

You might of seen Spindrift already, but I thought I’d share a few more personal words from the experience, and some additional pics (thanks Colin Page for his lens wizardry).

This was the second trip south to catch up with Chef Ben Shewry (checkout the first video we made Kobe and the Sea) and mold our creative thoughts and talents for Spindrift. We both like similar tones; dark, moody and emotional. So we get along great. The main subject this film was local Mussel farmer Lance Wiffin of Sea Bounty Mussels.

It was an amazing experience. In mainstream food production there is a massive space between supplier and chef, which was wonderfully bridged by the relationship formed between Ben and Lance. A respect for food and where it comes from.

Lance’s Sea Bounty Farm is located in Port Phillip Bay, 30kms away from Melbourne and can produce over 35 million, succulent and sustainable Mussels. To see this process with my own eyes was incredible, the way they grow the spat on the long ropes to maturity, the camaraderie between the fishermen, and the wonderful calming nature of the ocean was a treat.

I won’t go on, it’s all in the video. Enjoy the pics and if you want to find out more about Lance’s farm, it’s all here – seabounty.com.au

Thanks to Ben Shewry and Attica for letting me create this wonderful story.

Photos above the pic of me filming are with a Nikon D7000 using the 18-200mm and 50mm lenses.
Photos including me filming and below are taken by Colin Page using a Nikon D3S and a variety of lenses – mynikonlife.com.au

‘Spindrift’ Online Short Film Premier

‘Spindrift’ is the short story of acclaimed Chef Ben Shewry, who during a transitional time in his life, had the fortune of meeting Victorian Mussel farmer, the Sea Bounty‘s Lance Wiffin, through Ben’s late friend Jason Jurie.

The encounter formed a unique bond between Chef and Fisherman, the tale emphasizing the importance of sustainable food practice, compassion and friendship.

‘Spindrift’ is the second food based film from Ben Shewry and Filmmaker Johnny Abegg, following on from the success of their first short film together called ‘Kobe and the Sea’, which won the Chef Directory‘s “Best Internet Food Film” for 2011 – https://vimeo.com/30412588

http://www.attica.com.au/
http://www.seabounty.com.au/

The video was shot on a Nikon D7000, with the 50mm 1.4 and 18-200mm lens. The underwater was shot on a GoPro. Photos by Colin Page.

Rhythm of her Soul

A fun recent fashion video I did for local Byron Bay designer Myee Carlyle.

“Willowy and delicate, she wanders through the serenity of her hillside home. Strolling through the wild woods, a free-spirit with an alluring stare, the deep sapphire blue of a bohemian soul, a purple romance in her heart…she finds solace in the magic of her spirit. A dream weaver all her own, realising peace in stillness and the beauty possessed within, she floats alongside a cool autumn breeze…”

Midday

A few midday wandering moments from today…
http://commongroundaustralia.com/byronbay/community/midday/

Kobe and the Sea : Ben Shewry

A couple months ago I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Ben Shewry. He is a worldly acclaimed Chef who runs Attica Restaurant in Melbourne, with Attica recently being voted “Restaurant of the Year” in The Age Good Food Guide.

But, none of these accolades were noticeable when Ben invited me to Victoria to make a short film with him. A very modest and humble family man, we spoke of surfing, our past and the general questions in getting to know one another. Being invited to stay at his home in Ocean Grove was a real treat, and a new found friend had been found.

We drove off one morning to a remote location to film what was to become “Kobe and the Sea”, a very personal tale about Ben and his 7 year old son Kobe, as Ben educates him on the importance of being in nature, whilst passing subtle comment on the serious over-fishing of Abalone in Australian waters. It was a wild experience, very raw and beautiful.

On return home, I got to know more about this other side of Ben, the restaurateur side. He soon invited me to dine at Attica. I was a little overwhelmed at first, seeing this over side, but after a multiple array of wonder entering my palate, I was in food heaven. The fact that Ben hung up the Chef’s attire after course 3 (there are 10 courses) and joined me for the experience made it all the more enjoyable and sweeter.

Personally, I’m very proud of the outcome of such a wonderful experience and very thankful to have had the chance to make something so beautiful with Ben. We both hope you enjoy this video.

All photos by Colin Page on a Nikon D3S.

Video shot on a Nikon D7000 with the 35mm/1.8 lens.

Shutter at the Thought

Late afternoon is my favorite. Especially on a Grey old day. Rain is sporadic. People are scarce. Dogs don’t give a stuff.

The sand is sticky with chills, but shoes aren’t an option. The sun yearns for a peak through the clouds. The ocean is a pot on boil.

Perception is a wonderful thing, setting your camera to delay the response. Shutter like teeth chattering. This is the outcome…

Enjoy your afternoon chill, it’s not quite Spring yet!

Photos taken on a Nikon D7000 with a 35mm 1.8 lens and 18-200mm lens.

My Nikon Life

I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with Nikon and it’s My Nikon Life website through Common Ground. It’s a community for photographers of all levels of expertise. Personally, I’m not that great a photographer, I don’t know any of the technical stuff, more of a creative mind. What’s ISO? Haha. I usually heckle my best bud Sammy Smith for the tech stuff then I’m “Off Off and Away”.

At the moment I’m using a Nikon D7000, mostly because I love to shoot video with the DSLR’s. Video camera’s just bore me now in comparison (except for the RED). Lens wise I’m using a 18-200mm, 35mm/1.8, 60mm Macro and a 10-24 wide. Lots of fun to be had.

Here are a few of those moments… Enjoy.