Absolute Aukiman

Territory Day Fireworks

2014-07-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

Territory Day Fireworks

Territory Day. Looks like palm trees!
Fireworks pics by +Auki Henry

Full article is over at aukihenry.com, these sample sets are from Territory Day 2014, the Mindil beach display in Darwin NT.

Click on any of the samples below to see the bigger picture.

Click play to watch the Territory Day Fireworks Video below:

Playground Workout

2013-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

Playground Workout

Playground Workout. Fast, Fun and Free.

Amber Walker demonstrates how simple and easy it is to get a overall body workout without the expense of going to a gym.

The local playground or park is ideal for this routine, which is great especially if you are a mum with kids as you can pretty much exercise right there without the need for a baby sitter. We filmed this video as part of Amber's living well series and she had her own two children there just to prove the point! There's no excuse to keep your body in condition, even with kids its as easy as childs play, literally!

Playground Workout with Amber Walker

Presenting - Maddison Ash

2012-07-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Darwin's girl next door Maddison Ash
Photo: Auki Henry

Maddison Ash is a recent discovery, friend and fellow photographer Mark Hamilton did a shoot for an advertising campaign recently which was actually Maddison's first exposure to a pro photo shoot.

Her natural beauty was evident, nothing forced about her smiles and very confident in stature.

We got quite a lot done on that first shoot in such a short amount of time, and admittedly the time was shorter as I slightly miscalculated the speed of the setting sun by about 20 minutes. Luckily we have a few more shoots with Maddison to come this year.

The article picture inset is one of those pics that I took just a little too late for the setting sun to provide a backlight, so rather than waste the photo it was turned into a fantasy composite. I'd like to say twilight scene, but the movies have ruined that for me, no offence to team Edward but I'd like to class Maddison in a league apart from the connotations of the movie . . . I will refer to it instead as a surreal moonlit forest.

Below is a linked sample set of the shots we got in before the sun went down too far; enjoy!

Click on the samples below to see some more Maddison Ash

Swinging it in the top end

2011-08-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Swinging it a the old Darwin town hall ruins with
Quito Washington and Kelly Ann Doll

Today I woke up to a special start, and it wasn't anything as tame as bacon and eggs in bed either, my 0600 start was an opportunity to work with the indomitable Kelly Ann Doll filming a swing dance sequence for Swing Dance NT dance master, Quito Washington.

No stranger to the camera , Kelly is one of those people that can actually provide energy to invigorate a scene. After just five minutes with her I could see she has (quite aptly) been described in the past as the 5 foot pin-up pocket rocket, and this girl can move! Not just as a swing dancer either, Kelly Ann Doll has redefined the art of cabaret,was the first burlesque performer to tour Singapore and this year was a headlining star at the Australian Burlesque Festival with other featured Australian tours with Gangsters Ball, Burlesque Royale at Crown Casino and an boasting an endless list of premier events, functions and festivals all over Australia.

In front of the cenotaph on Darwin's esplanade

I had seen Kelly in action previously in the feature film 'Swing It' and her incredible assortment of stills work from her casting profile on Star Now, but the piece of media I found the most interesting was her Burlesque showreel on youtube check it out to see energy in abundance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64jIN6fUxg

Todays filming was shot pretty much 'guerilla style' - the idea is in your head and you just wing it at different locations and work out the shots as you go. Relaxed, only semi-organised and a really good way of practising improv with limited gear. I only brought the glidecam rig with the Canon 7D, a tripod, an LED spot and a a panasonic AG-HMC41E for the morning and that pretty much covered all scenarios. I'd almost forgotten how much fun unscripted shooting can be.

Murphys law invariably threw some clouds our way, but nothing that a little warming up in post editing can't fix.

Kamfari 2011 Feature on its way

2011-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Final morning filming for Australian Trailrider magazine.

Today I finally submitted the master of the DVD feature we produced for the 40th Anniversary of Kamfari. The event ran in May and we have been working on the edit in time for the September release of Universal Magazine's Australian Trailrider publication.

From beginning to end this project was a lot of fun, it was one of those jobs you get at the last moment, one of those ones where a quick thought about limited resources at the last moment naturally crosses your mind, but is quickly replaced by enthusiasm to take on the challenge.

The media team at HighRPM who I work with regularly are the 'lets give it a shot anyway' type of people, a concept which I take great delight in indulging, and so it was that we decided we'd accept the brief.

The statistics? A four hour motorcycle endurance event covering a couple of hundred kilometres worth of action through some insane terrain including crocodile friendly swampland in hot humid Northern Australia. We managed to cover most of the action with just two dedicated video cameras whilst HighRPM presenter Heather Banham also assisted with a video capable DSLR, as did boom operator Katie Abraham. When you are on a budget you find ways to stretch it believe me.

The variety of shots we managed to get for the feature was largely thanks to the experience of long time motor sports cameraman Ed Forman who's passion for getting in amongst the thick of the action saw him walk almost the whole length of the circuit, including standing almost up to his waist in mud and water to get the riders perspective. This was key in getting shots the commercial broadcasters couldn't. Being in the thick of it all is definitely an angle you can't replicate when you are standing on a dry patch of ground zooming in on the action a couple of hundred metres away.

The guys from Blackwater once again allowed us to use a number of their tracks for the action. This time from their newly released self titled EP. Their songs definitely suit the motorsports genre perfectly and we can only hope that our opportunity to give them extra exposure is as helpful to them as their music has been to us on our productions.

It reminds me that an amazing amount can be achieved in this world and can still be done on a budget if you are lucky to be surrounded by people not just chasing cash as a bottom line but rather collaborating as a team.

I'd like to acknowledge Clint Holmes and the Darwin Motorcycle Club who gave us this great opportunity to film an event that has become an Australian sporting institution and also Tuffy and the crew from Australian Trailrider magazine who decided we could deliver what they needed.

NT Photographers on Google+

2011-07-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

With the recent July 6th opening 'by invite' to Google's new Google+ platform the world response has been phenomenal with reportedly 18 million users already at the time of this article being published. The clean, fast interface and superior ability to control who sees what content has been appealing to many different types of user, whether for socialising, marketing or collaborating.

Photographers who were used to facebook as a distribution and marketing medium in the past are now seeing definite advantages with "G+"in the form of better web filename SEO and freedom from facebooks poor picture compression algorithms.

I am compiling a list of talented photographers from the Northern Territory who are now starting to take advantage of Googleplus and its amazing features.

Follow G+ Photographers here in the NT !

Mark Hamilton -
Darwin's best known glamour photographer and one of the most recognised faces in the industry. Although he specialises in glamour he is know for excelling in many different genres.

Martin Eadie -
Well known for his extensive work in the field of both civilian and military aviation, Martin has also branched out into other fields including glamour and action motorsports.

William Nguyen-Phuoc -
An accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, William's amazing work around the territory has earned him widespread recognition. Has recently been involved in commericial and aviation projects.

Auki Henry -
Then there's me. Relatively new on the photography scene, better known for my work in front of the lens as presenter on HighRPM I have been lucky to have mentoring in photography by some of the Territory's finest, Will shoot a variety of genres but I have found a niche for people photography!

Huangshan city mirage, all down to bad translation.

2011-06-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

The ' Huangshan city mirage ' generated some wildly speculative claims amidst a whirlwind of media misinformation and hype. In a nutshell the reality was bad chinese translation combined with hyper-sensationalist reporting. All the buildings in the footage are real buildings, not visions, mirages or illusions, they actually physically stand exactly where they were filmed. The only thing out of the ordinary here is they are surrounded by floodwater and mist.

Background of the myth:
Huangshan City in Anhui Province, China was one city out of a number affected by the 2011 flooding over 12 or 13 provinces. By 14th June 2011 the water had exceeded warning levels in reservoirs and inundated low parts of land near the city.

Click to Enlarge - Huangshan City
Googlemap image with key identifying landmarks
within frames in the 'Mirage' video.

Incredibly, video footage of the floods, as the waters slowly rose were broadcast, sensationalised and then spread by western media with a completely incorrect story.

An all too literal translation of the english interpretation describing the surreal sight of the buildings looking mysterious as they rose out of the mist above the flood waters ironically fell foul of the 'Chinese Whispers' phenomenon and was circulated via news websites, touted as being an amazing mirage with never before seen clarity.

Presumably this misinformation was passed on in the same hurried fashion endemic to modern media that does away with cross checking of facts in order to increase readership traffic to their sites. Poor journalism indeed!

Predictably the YouTube videos for this event went viral, along with the emergence of a multitude of conspiracy and prophecy theories ranging from hologram technology experiments, the second coming and otherworldy portals.

The truth of course is a little more mundane than the fiction and just doesn't sell a story, the poetic romanticism of 'floating' buildings suspended in mist above the river may be lost in sloppy translation but it strikes me as odd that the worlds media had not linked this footage to the 2011 China floods. It was a mildly amusing that a lot of news sites did try to provide rational scientific explanation of the 'phenomenon' they were reporting on by including videos of scientists explaining how mirages work!

I don't think any amount of science can help them when it comes to poor language translation and lack of basic reference checking however. However if one thing should come out of this whole thing it is that real people have died in this very real flood. Hopefully there's a very real but very unfortunate story that the media SHOULD be covering instead.

The Video Landmarks for your Reference:
For easy identification the coloured key and identifiable landmarks/buildings are marked for you below with the corresponding slides from the video.

Click to Enlarge Image

Click to Enlarge : Not a 'mirage' after all, Easy to identify Huangshan City landmarks in the video.

The Video (complete with incorrect reporting )

that started it all off

Studio Shoot with DTOWN-3

2011-06-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

The boys from Darwin's own DTOWN-3

This was another one of my privileged requested shoots with successful musicians who have come across some of my freelance work.

Aussie rappers Liam Devine, Nate Polkinghorne and Zac Calma formed in late 2009. Their group DTOWN-3 (aka DT3) has climbed the ranks of both local and statewide recognition rapidly with their distinctive infusion of American style with Australian influence. The group have stamped a confident mark on their genre by already appearing on the 2011 lineup of the NT's annual Bass in the Grass in less than 2 years from their original conception.

2011 has also witnessed the release of their debut EP "Skyhigh" which is testament to their enthusiasm for self sufficiency and getting things done as they produced this in their self built studio.

The tempo continues after this shoot as the boys have been confirmed to perform alongside some major upcoming acts yet to be announced.

The shoot itself was called to prepare for their busy next couple of months of public appearances, the brief being basically to do a studio style set of both individual and group shots to update their promotional arsenal.

Some other publicly available samples of the shoot are available : HERE

Due Respect 101 - The very basics of sharing etiquette

2011-06-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Auki Henry 2011

The cropped signature edit of my original piece that was
discovered in : Darwin Photos

Being an avid photographer / videographer I am submitting work left right and centre to most mediums, including online to social networking sites such as Facebook. It's a great medium to share and gain exposure, both for you and your models!

It's only natural that somone eventually takes a liking to your work and wants to share it and show it around.

For the most part this has been made easy by most sites offering content, you can embed video using special embed codes, sites like Facebook have 'share' buttons that allow you to link to content. There is, in fact, little that you need to do apart from a couple of mouse clicks and you are done. All these ways generally help to leave credit to the original creator in some way or other.

A lot of the time I find people will contact me about sharing the things I have done, almost all the time they will link back and give credit in some way. I don't even mind if they don't leave credit as my signature is usually displayed on all online work (or in the case of videos a reference to all the people who put in the hard work are mentioned in the credits).

Although I am sure it has happened many times before, today it was brought to my attention for the first time by a good friend, that a piece of work I had collaborated on with a team of people and a model was being displayed without any hint whatsoever of the source of the material.

It is a little disappointing that this would happen as I am quite happy to share my work free, a lot of my full size landscapes are free to download if I am approached, I don't even include watermarks, just so it looks good for the framed finished product.

Perhaps it is just the pride in the work that makes it disappointing, both the model and myself discussed this shot and tried till we got it exactly how we wanted it, pose, shadows and post processing. Perhaps it is the the amount of work that goes into a shoot. Even a quick shoot like this took 3 hours out of an afternoon and many more in the post processing workflow.

Even if it was just 'shared' using the facebook share function that would have given me some credit for my portfolio work and that of the model as well. After all this is how the model gets recognition for photographers who want to do shoots, this is also how I get recognition for people or organisations who want to shoot with me.

My video/photography equipment costs are reaching up into the tens of thousands of dollars now, and I think most of you would agree the icing on the cake doesn't really happen when your work is mangled and your only crediting marks are cut out of the final piece ( albeit with a sloppy yellow border ).

The lessons of due respect are learnt with having the decency to acknowledge others, and I have done all the hard work for anyone wanting to share, I've left the signature in the corner of the original! It is far more work to have to go to any length to cover it up and hide it. /rant /lesson

For anyone wanting to share, the original web size shot is below ( with signature intact of course ). Feel free to use it on any pages you wish as it is. There are plenty others to share at http://photography.aukihenry.com

Model: Lan Treagus

Photographer: Auki Henry (Auki Henry Photography)

Filming the Doorslammer Special

2011-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Auki & Ed on location at Hidden Valley - May 2011
Picture by Mark Hamilton

Here's one of the few times you wont see me in front of the camera for a HighRPM feature. I recently went down with the media team to film some promotional footage for Hidden Valley to be used for future TV advertising, the schedule over the two days was pretty hectic which left limited time to get my head around any presentation material so I opted to concentrate just on filming.

As habit would have it though, we couldn't help ourselves and inevitably altered the schedule to shoot some extra material for a highlights reel, so with the help of HighRPM's newest presenter, Heather Banham, we quickly stitched together a rough running script for it.

We used a variety of cameras and lenses for the footage, utilising the Sony and the Panasonic AG-HMC41E for lightweight handheld shots and fast pans and two Canon bodies ( 5DMKII & 7D ) with 70-200mm and 24-70mm to get some nice DOF.

It was one of the best weekends of filming we have done, we had a great crew down there and despite the sore legs from hours of standing, crouching, climbing barriers and shifting gear it flew by. The noise of the doorslammers from up close, not to mention the smell of methanol and the vibration through the body as they accelerate hard off the line is very addictive!

Here's the quick highlights reel just hot off the press.

Darwin Ice Hockey

2011-05-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Darwin Ice Hockey feature

The Darwin Ice Hockey Team are undefeated internationally.

Born from the intrepid rocksitters mentality, laid back tropical Darwin has been thrust into the spotlight once again with the Darwin Rocksitter 's competetive sports arm.

The tropical city in Australia's north is internationally competitive in a winter sport.

Don't try to draw parallels however to the cool runnings of Jamaica's Olympic bobsled team, the Darwin Ice Hockey team are amazingly undefeated, even against traditional ice hockey playing nations such as the Nordic, Russians and North American teams.

In a celebration of the true Aussie spirit. Our iconic breakfast spread, Vegemite, has paid homage to them in a fitting tribute to Darwin athelticism.

Kamfari behind the scenes with HighRPM

2011-05-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Action from the air at the 40th Anniversary Kamfari Race, Darwin NT
Photo: Auki Henry

HighRPM sent a media team down to Black Jungle ( just south of Darwin, Australia ) on the weekend to cover the gruelling 4 hour "Kamfari", one of the best known and toughest motorcycle endurance events on the Australian calendar.

Due to factors such as track length, terrain and the hot tropical conditions at an event like this it is usually hard to get many cameras to prime locations. Our crew had a camera on track at all times to get in amongst the action, so to get a few more angles it was necessary to take to the air.

Here's a small 'behind the scenes' ride with Heather Banham and Katie Abraham who accompanied me up to get a birds eye perspective of the action.

Community Spirit & Australian Motorsports

2011-04-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

The heart of the action. The Australian motorsports family
is an enthusiastic and helpful community.

Through my involvement with the team at HighRPM Australia I have had ever increasing exposure to some big names in the motorsports scene, not only in terms of teams and drivers, but to the various media groups that cover motorsports such as magazines, production centres and TV channels that carry the various genre of sports.

So far one thing I noticed above other aspects without fail so far is the abundance of help that has been available to anyone willing to pitch in and get involved with motorsports.

HighRPM's missions has been to bring about a public awareness of the fantastic motor sports we have to offer in the Northern Territory, it was born from the need to try to balance out the disproportionate media representation of the various football codes against all other sports, almost to the point where top ranking teams and riders/drivers move their vehicles and bikes to southern states for competition as more recognition and support is received.

It would seem this imbalance in sports coverage would be a hard tide to turn against at first glance, but the various organisations we have worked with over the last seasons of operation have provided so much enthusiastic support, guidance and prime access to their events that it has been comparatively easy to start spreading the word. It doesn't stop there, the big southern stations that cover national action have from time to time swapped material and information with us to help us achieve our goals. One such event that comes to mind was an advertising brief we accepted from Darwin's Hidden Valley Drag Strip to create a 30 second TV spot for the launch of their new ANDRA Pro Series capable strip. With lack of local footage of top doorslammer events we asked a favour interstate for footage specifically for a one-off campaign. The response was immediate and generous with permission granted to freely use for the single event project ( at which we could obtain our own footage and possibly return the favour ).

Below is the 30 sec advert I completed which will be appearing on local channel 7Mate this month.

Always Tired? Get up and move!

2011-04-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Auki Henry 2011

Auki Henry says "Get up and Move"
Photography - Katies Cottage

I am observing a more and more common syndrome nowadays, the one of people being constantly tired and feeling 'under the weather', 'not the best' or even depressed. Even more worrying is the prevalence of this condition for those who work in an office environment compared to others with more physically active occupations. Statistics reveal that although not completely unrelated, this is less to do with stressful or mundane work, workplace stress and environment than a simple lack of healthy diet and regular exercise.

The correlation of deficiency in workout with experienced constant fatigue and other related ailments speaks volumes in itself, combine that with poor dietary habits and you have an affliction that now pervades a large percentage of modern western society.

The explanation for why this happens is pretty straightforward, the method for counteracting this condition is even simpler.

In short, your body is made for movement. There's nothing you can do to change that fact, it's the way we have evolved to be. Constantly moving muscles and joints conditions your body and keeps it operating effectively. Regularly exercised bodies also require a better ability to use oxygen to cope with the muscle activity, regular exercise adjusts your ability to utilise the oxygen more effectively, your body responds by getting fitter. Due to our modern convenience geared lifestyle this no longer occurs for the majority of people during the course of the day, so it is important to set aside some time for exercise to achieve this instead.

The most common factors that combine to cause the constant fatigue most people will experience are due to the fact that:

Sedentary lifestyle and insufficient exercise reduces cardiac output.
Sedentary lifestyle and insufficient exercise reduces the ability of your body to take in and utilise oxygen efficiently.
Poorly oxygenated blood leads to reduced brain functions including a decrease in alertness, focus and concentration.
Reduced serotonin levels due to lack of physical activity result in reduced melatonin levels at night which are attributed to lack of sleep or disturbed sleeping patterns.

Luckily, increasing physical activity will mostly result in the opposite of the above:

Greater lung capacity results in more oxygen in your blood.
More oxygen in your blood means your muscles get the oxygen required to function efficiently and avoid lactic acid build up.
More oxygen in your blood also leads to increases in alertness, focus and concentration.
The increased seratonin levels from exercise result in higher levels of converted melatonin at night which help with sleeping patterns and a deeper sleep.

Obviously to effectively maintain yourself through exercise, your body and mind will also need a healthy diet, plenty of water, plenty of sleep.

Pretty much the message here is to get out there, get some exercise. If you are honest with yourself and put in a little effort you will notice improvements quite quickly.

*Always check with your physician before beginning any exercise routine.

Race the Police - Legally

2011-04-07T23:17:00.001-07:00

Shane Shewring in "The Heat" - Picture : HighRPM

Racing against a "cop" is a draw card that would be hard to resist for many die hard speed fans, even better when you can do it legally in a safe & controlled environment.

The "Beat the Heat" initiative pits some of the Northern Territory's finest real life police officers against keen racers of all ages. After successfully drawing the crowds to the Hidden Valley Raceway since 2003 the series has become a popular attraction for the motorsports loving public making household names of officers like Senior Constable First Class Shane Shewring who is the popular driver of "The Heat" and "Street Heat".

The passion of those involved in the initative is a credit to them, they receive no funding from the NT Police or the Government and rely totally on support from the community, local businesses and service organisations.

This year Auki Henry and Ed Forman ( Zerolizard / HighRPM ) were approached to kick off their 2011 advertising with footage from HighRPM's debut 2010 season. Here is the 15 second ad format due to broadcast on 7 Mate in the coming weeks.

Monsoon Madness 2011

2011-03-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry and Krystal Eldridge go behind the scenes with Mark Hamilton at the 2011 Monsoon Madness photoshoot in Darwin, Australia.

As far as photoshoots go, this is one of the most looked forward to on the NT Calendar, what started as a fun way to get some different kinds of studio shots done whilst the Darwin wet season rages outside for half the year has become an annual institution of sorts in the local glamour scene.

Hamilton Photography NT's dynamic duo of Katrina Welfare and Mark Hamilton have been doing photography of all kinds for years, they are particularly well known for their glamour photography and quality portfolio work with models they have both gained national and international recognition for their product in this area.

It became very clear to us during our research for this featurette that they were so much more than just great photographers, the number of people who wanted to come forward to offer testimonials to us on how much help Mark and Katrina are to the local scene, selflessly offering time, equipment and expert advice to other photographers. They also often offer their services for free when they are able to, considering their best rewards as seeing the local models who have aspirations to continue on in the field succeed because of their help.

The Monsoon Madness shoot is a brilliant opportunity for photographers and models alike. The publicity and great imagery generated from the event fills plenty of portfolios and the girls involved get some great hype around the local scene.

The 2011 girls included Darwin finalist for TV's Australia'a top model lineup, Amelia Weber and 2011 Zoo Magazine calendar girl Grace Brenton along side the well known faces of Khia Marriott, Rachael Jacqueline Barritt, Kayla Robinson and Heather Banham.

Who is Jerry ? - the 199-Jerry Question

2011-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

" who is jerry, 199Jerry, 199-Jerry, who is 199 jerry "

Auki asks Who is Jerry ?

These are all keyword searches we have uncovered this month from people panicked about 'somone' called Jerry who knows too much apparently. But the reality is somewhat more of a giggle.

199 Jerry is the latest texting phenomenon, an SMS service craze simlar to information text service Bongo. How does Bongo work? - according to their FAQ "thanks to a number of intelligent human researchers and a very sophisticated software application with a huge database".

With the ever expanding use of social media services and shared personal information publicly available nowadays, society tends to forget that personal information is; in fact, not personal anymore once you have entered it in somewhere. It lives electronically potentially into perpetuity.

Whilst some of us are able to have a laugh and know that it is in fact just intended as a bit of fun, I can't help but noticed cases where people are dismayed or frightened by some of the information they receive from the 199Jerry "Trivia Service".

However, before anyone gets indignant about the answers "Jerry" gives them and feels the need to take action, the terms and conditions for using this service are laid out in their privacy policy and their terms documentation.

HighRPM Best of 2010 - Feature artists Blackwater

2010-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry December 21 2010

Auki Henry with Blackwater & Luke Abraham
Adelaide 2010

This month HighRPM flew me down to Adelaide to interview one of the most exciting acts of the year, the dynamic South Australian band Blackwater.

It was a chaotic 4 days I spent there as we also had some photo shoots to take care of for other musicians down there.

The purpose of the feature was to introduce the band to the motorsports community up north, get exposure for the band prior to the 2011 release of their debut EP and also seek permission to use their hit single "Cut Down" in a look back at the year that was 2010 in HighRPM footage.

All missions accomplished. Enjoy the end result below. This will be my last post for 2010, so here's to wishing you all a safe Xmas and a happy new year.

Presented by: Tamika Barnett, Auki Henry & Krystal Eldridge

The Low-Carb alcohol myth explained.

2010-12-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry explains the reality behind the "low-carb" beer hype.

Low-Carb Beer, not what you've been lead to believe.

First up, here is an important fact that needs to be impressed upon readers, hence me starting this article with it . . .

Alcohol is NOT a carbohydrate.

Some of you carb watchers may be breathing a sigh of relief at this point, thinking that the fad of drinking "Low-Carb" beer and straight spirits are your "healthy alternative" for splurging on alcohol whilst maintaining an eating regime.

If you'd like to keep believing this, please stop reading now.

The REAL Deal:
If you are still reading then here's the scoop. Whilst alcohol is not a carbohydrate it is still a dense source of energy. Taking a look at the figures in the most simplistic sense you may be surprised to find that the caloric content of alcohol is more than carbohydrates.

Fat: 1 gram = 37.80 kilojoules ( 9 calories )
Alcohol: 1 gram = 29.40 kilojoules ( 7 calories )
Protein: 1 gram = 16.80 kilojoules ( 4 calories )
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 16.80 kilojoules ( 4 calories )

Armed with this bit of information, its easier to see how the drinks industry leverages the popular low-carb diet hype to influence consumers to buy their product.

Technically they are telling the truth - yes, their product is lower in carbohydrates, you can see this by checking the label. The label also does not infer that you will lose weight by drinking this product.

They have however, quite cleverly utilised the way the phrase "low-carbs" has associated itself in modern society's mindset as being synonymous to weight loss or being healthy. This is misleading to someone who does not understand that alcohol is more energy dense than carbohydrates, almost double even. Alcoholic beverages ALL contain kilojoules, the most part being what is found in the alcohol itself and not the advertised carbohydrate content. Simply put, the higher the alcohol content of a drink the more kilojoules it contains.

The mechanisms of how the body uses alcohol as energy is material for another article however, suffice it to say you have been provided with a source of information that you may find useful.

- Auki

A Darwin Sunset with Canon's EOS 7D

2010-12-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Sunset at Nightcliff Jetty - 9th Nov 2010

Canon EOS 7D / 10-22mm EF-S Lens

Well here's a complete change in thought process for me over the space of just a few weeks; Not long ago I found myself in the market for a DSLR, and not for photography - as strange as that may sound to many people.

I chose a Canon 7D because of the amazing video quality and variable frame rates available to me. I shoot plenty of video, both for my own projects as well as for a couple of web-tv projects I work on.

Wanting to make the transition to shooting quality music videos with local bands has introduced me to the new world of DSLR movie making.

However I digress. Sooner rather than later the inevitable happens when I have a decent bit of kit lying around the place; I play with it. Although more comfortable shooting video I was curious enough to try to pick up a few tips on using the new camera for its intended originally intended purpose - photography. I have plenty of friends in this field so I was not short on good pointers.

Previous to owning a DSLR I had only ever found use for a point and shoot, while it's true I had a reasonable working knowledge of shot composition (from my video work) which I used when taking pictures with a point and shoot - I didn't fully appreciate the different effect you get from alternate focal lengths when using "proper" lenses - till now that is.

Whilst I am a long way from perfecting the skill of DSLR photography I find some of the photos I manage to get are motivation enough to keep me wanting to practice more. I have to admit, it's a really nice change of pace, no rushing to get action when it happens or re-shoot due to sound problems, wardrobe problems etc. I can go somewhere, take my time setting up a shot, sit in a chair, enjoy myself and take in my surroundings.

I reckon the 7D has paid for itself just in terms of therapeutic benefits and relaxation!

- Auki Henry

Auki's Festive Alcoholic Eggnog

2010-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Alcoholic Eggnog, with a kick! Auki's favourite kind.

Alcoholic Eggnog Recipe
This recipe is an annual thing for me ... and it packs a nice punch to boot - so get in the holiday spirit (no pun intended) and make this at home for the weekend ! - Recipe taken from the RadioAukiman archives.

Please note that this eggnog is a very potent alcoholic cocktail! Be mindful to drink in moderation, it goes down very easily!

Aukiman's Revised Easy Alcoholic Eggnog

( Approx 16 serves )

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white rum
3 cups full cream milk
3 cups whisky
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons sherry
2 cups heavy cream
Fresh ground nutmeg to taste

Method:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place into separate bowls.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2cup of the sugar, set aside.
Heat milk till it is just boiling then remove from heat, immediately add the yolk/sugar mix and whisk vigorously (this will let it cook slightly).
Set this mixture aside and let it cool thoroughly.
Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 cup of the sugar.
Pour the cooled yolk mixture into the whites and mix together thoroughly.
Stir in white rum slowly
Stir in whiskey slowly
Stir in brandy and sherry slowly
Stir in cream slowly

Serve chilled and sprinkle nutmeg on the top.

http://www.aukihenry.com

Xtreme Merchadising | Another adventure in custom graphics.

2010-10-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

The requests seem to be coming in quickly lately. The people over at Universal Xtreme asked me to do the artwork for their merchandise range, the brief was to design a gaming inspired logo for their team which would be used on the cafepress service to produce a whole range of merchandise that could be bought reasonably cheaply.

The logo needed to look good on a number of products, both dark and light and it needed to reflect the teams "tags" [UX] that are their recogniseable brand online.

As chance would have it I have been right in the middle of a rebuild of my computer, so I opted not to use 3D studio Max for solids as I traditionally would have, instead this time the work was done entirely in Photoshop, which was easier and faster in the long run.

I have worked with Universal Xtreme many times before, the team used to comprise mostly of game server administrators who used to run official medium-sized online gaming platforms for a number of Australian ISP's. Now they are a relaxed bunch who enjoy the gaming scene casually rather than having it consume all of their time.

I have found designing for gaming groups over the years to be the most fun, they expect flashy and slightly abstract designs from experience and are appreciative and willing to spread the word about your work. Unlike some commercial jobs I have taken on which virtually kill the soul when it comes to compromising your own creative ideas.

True, I make very little on the former, whilst the latter can pull in a couple of hundred dollars an hour, but in the end my sanity really enjoys the break and the opportunity to let loose once in a while, not to mention the rewards of seeing people genuinely enjoy and appreciate your work.

Universal Xtreme Apparel Designs by Auki Henry

Universal Xtreme Merchandise Designs by Auki Henry

Photography - Canon vs Nikon - Why I still sit on the fence

2010-10-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Canon vs Nikon? It is an age old comparison of the two best known brand heavyweights in the SLR category, more so in the amateur arena where there is a much larger choice of product available.

Let the Confusion Begin:
There is a certain 'fan boy' element in this equation, die hard brand lovers with blinkers on who have fallen in love with the name rather than the merits. Chuck into this mix the 'stats geek fanboy', an uber fanboy who likes to talk pure numbers and settings and you are left with a huge vortex of confusion for those trying to start off on the beginning of their own DSLR adventure.

Expense is obviously a limiting factor; brand lenses are not cheap to make, and thus not cheap to buy for the average consumer. Various factors require them to be built as proprietary hardware so they are not very interchangeable between different brands of camera bodies without some compromise or the purchase of additional adapters. The reality for most people is once they start down the road of a particular brand it isn't financially viable to switch later if they decide they want to try a new model from a different brand.

It is true their are definitely noticeable differences in the 'look' of pictures that come out of these brands and their associated lenses and debate will inevitably touch on the topic and the merits of each 'look', and this is where I sit on the fence.

I have the good fortune currently of owning both these brands of DSLR, a Nikon D90 and a Canon 7D with a small compliment of lenses, and I can safely say I still can not decide which ones I like best, either in terms of functionality or the 'look' of the pictures I produce from them.

Click to Enlarge Image

The picture on the left is taken with a Nikon D90 & 50mm f/1.4 lens. The picture on the right was taken with a Canon 7D & 10-22mm lens. Both compositions will appeal to different people in different ways. Model - Katie Abraham.

Visual imagery is a highly subjective area, there is no one particular look that will appeal to everyone. I have never found that arguing the merits of the end product. ie the photographs, can be rationalised by statistics of any kind.

In reality the people viewing your photos will enjoy them for what they are, quite probably with only a cursory interest in how they were taken or what settings were used. My own thinking is just get out there and enjoy taking pictures. I have plenty of still shots taken with my old standard 'point and shoot' consumer camera that people comment on as being fantastic simply because the shot was well composed, they often are surprised that those shots were not even from an SLR.

- Auki

Thanks to Katies Cottage for letting me publish these photos in this article.

The Original Electric Goat Mousepad | "Geek" Your Heart Out

2010-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Many people who are familiar with my media roles in front of the camera are usually surprised that I am reasonably competent behind it as well, most people are even more surprised to find out that I have been moonlighting on and off in the freelance design industry for a few years now as the odd creative burst hits me, mostly when time allows.

It only recently struck me as odd that I had never actually bothered to try my hand at merchandising some sort of simple product range like a clothing label or similar.

As the result of a mild shock from a cheap badly wired ebay external HDD powersupply, an over abundance of filter coffee and a penchant for weird names I envisoned a desperately random but sufficiently unique idea for a streetwear range and was lucky enough to score the lapsing domain name of electricgoat.com to help market it.

A good designer friend of mine, Brooke Ottley, just happened to have shown me the finishing touches to one of her pieces that she was uploading to the online service 'Cafe Press' which gave me the momentum to get off my ass and do it myself!

So here's me bringing you the first official range of Electric Goat products which you can buy direct from the Cafe Press store online @ : http://www.cafepress.com/aukiman

- Auki

Win Yourself A Power Gaming Suite from Razer!

2010-10-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

The folks over at Razer have done it again! In celebration of reaching 133,337 fans on Facebook, they are offering this incredible chance to win one of their quality gaming setups.

Not one to miss out on the chance to win FREE stuff ( lol of course ) I registered. Here's to sharing the link with you for those who want to get in touch with their inner "Geek"

Enter HERE