28th August 2010 Salamanca Market

While I had the camera hanging at my side next to my thigh, I was taking some blind shots with a telephoto lens, everything on auto. Sometimes the results give me ideas on different angles and composure. Sometimes I get shots that I like.

It is something that started accidentally while I was travelling in a Sydney bus. I think I was reviewing something on the camera when I accidentally took a shot, captured a woman’s hand with rings, holding onto the seat rail in front of her. I really liked the shot.

This is one of the results. It is a lucky shot with a main subject, but the story is to the sides. Even the framed background of the muso works.

The muso in the background had a surprisingly deep and rough voice.

28th August 2010 Salamanca Market

We were standing on an ancient stairway at the end of this alley. I was composing a shot down the alley when this woman started doing the same down the other end.

I think I won because I had the bigger zoom

28th August 2010 Elizabeth Street Mall

We were in the mall having coffee at one of the outside tables. I was taking photos with the camera on the ground.

This is one of the shots I like.

14th June 2010 Coles Bay

That is an outrageous falsehood Poor Federal Hotels, I should be ashamed of myself. They are legally going about their business of creating poverty and a greater burden on society in general.

If Pinochet were still alive I’m sure he would stay there, as a prominent share holder.

Both Pinochet and the Saffire Resort owe their success to the misery of the poor masses for the benefit of the wealthy few.

Pinochet and the Saffire resort would surely and appropriately complement each other.

It is a despicable and sad thing that the Labor government negotiated the creation of this resort as part of a deal that gives federal hotels a 20 year monopoly on poker machines in Tasmania. There is already a lot of poverty in Tasmania, and apparently in the first six months of this year (2010) Tasmanians have lost over 100 million dollars to the Federal Hotels group. That means around 200 million dollars a year from Tasmania alone. This will put a huge cost on social services; in effect, we’re all footing the bill, we’re contributing to the wealth of Federal Hotels and their share holders.

I don’t think much of the share holders either.

The biggest difference between business associated with illegal drugs and business associated with poker machines is one is legal the other isn’t.

The photo is of Nathan doing a handstand on the beach at Coles Bay. You can see the Saffire Resort in the background.

4^th July 2010 Moulting Lagoon

Moulting Lagoon is near Coles Bay. It is shallow and calm. When the tide goes out it goes out a long way leaving a lot of exposed sand.

Because the slope is gentle the water drains out slowly, creating these channels in the process.

12th June 2010 Coles Bay

The Sound of Music – boring.

Alladin – good.

4th July 2010 Coles Bay

I feel for this fellow. He was struggling along with two of his legs tangled in seaweed. He waited patiently and trustingly while I removed it. Not long after this he started doing the soldier crab thing of spiralling into the sand on some sort of universal soldier crab signal. They all disappear within 15 minutes or so.

It wasn’t till looking at these pictures that I saw he has a bung eye.

They are so tiny that people walk on them, often indifferently or without even knowing.

25th July 2010 Geeveston

Another fungi from the track to Kermandi falls.

I’ve been reading a book during my breaks at work. I don’t read that often unless I’m on holiday. I’m really enjoying this book, so I’d like to recommend it.

It is Creatures that once were men, by Maxim Gorky. I downloaded it from the Australian Gutenberg site.

Another great book I have read, also downloaded from Gutenberg, is Last of the Mohicans. It is an old book – 1826. English of the day, although understandable, is different to what we speak now.

25th July 2010 Geeveston.

This photo is to celebrate the arrival of my new neice, born to Joanne and her partner Jason.

It is a young fern. The stalk is about 50cm high, but the first leaves are just starting to unwrap. The ferns probably grow so tall because there is minimal light.

It is beside the track to Kermandi falls.

The track used to be fairly faint, with a lot of climbing over and under fallen trees. Someone has cleaned the track up with a chainsaw and brushcutter. The track itself is just not as interesting now.

23rd May 2010 Coles Bay

This photo of Chai reminds me of seals, the way they lie along the top of the water with their heads out.

I paddled out to Seal Rocks once, and was swamped with seals. One young one actually landed on the front deck of my kayak. The little ones would check me out in front, where I could see them. The big, adult ones, would stay behind me; I could hear them snort when they broke the surface.

13th March 2005 Seal Rocks

The fear of sharks keeps most kayakers away from this area

The camera I used for this was a five megapixel point and shoot in a clip lock plastic bag I remember shooting blind, not being able to see anything on the screen because of the glare. And not hearing anything from the camera because of the wind and the water smashing on the nearby rocks.

I also had to keep a hand on the paddle (not to lose it) and watch for any reasonable waves which came in frequently and meant I had to secure the camera and get both hands on the paddle ready for a brace or roll. I kept getting closer to the rocks too, and would have to back paddle every now and then. This didn’t leave much time to consider sharks