I miss New York!

Apologies for the lack of updates, I knew I could never keep a New Years Resolution! The reason for the inactivity is because much of what I have been shooting lately has been work related and as it is yet to be published in print I cannot share it here... Stay tuned for that soon!

As I have been working to save up for my move to New York I can't help but count down the days, all 113 of them!

Anyway I will leave you with just a couple my images from my last visit to my favourite city... I will leave it up to your imagination as to where that may be!

Congratulations Mr President

Yesterday I bore witness to a piece of history, the second inauguration of Barack H. Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America. It was one of those "once in a lifetime" kind of moments.

As I was not credentialed or assigned to cover the event I decided to sit this one out in the public areas and rather than witnessing the entire day through my lens I chose to spend much of the day simply soaking up the atmosphere. I shot only a few hundred frames the entire day, many of them "spray and pray" style over the heads of the crowds in front of me!

Now that I am beginning my travels back to Australia I decided that my few hours at JFK would be the perfect opportunity to sort through and share just a small handful of images from yesterday. Expect more in the coming days or weeks.

Enjoy!

Empire State of Mind

One of my favourite views of New York is from the 'The Top of The Rock', the observation deck on top of the Rockefeller Centre. I spent nearly an entire day up here last winter and when the skies were nice recently I couldn't help myself and just had to go back up!

Happy New Year!!

What better time to get back in to the weekly blogging again than on the first Sunday of the year?
After a very busy few months towards the end of 2012 spent finishing university, helping to organise our graduate exhibition, and graduating I am now free and ready to get back in to the organised flow of weekly blog updates.

I hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic Festive Season and a wonderful New Year. I was lucky enough to spend New Years Eve roaming about in New York's Times Square from about 8pm-1am. Whilst I can say it is not something I think I ever intend to do again it was an amazing experience and truly unforgettable, once in a lifetime kind of moment.

I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking them and I look forward to bringing my work to your screens every week this year!

A long overdue post!

Firstly apologies for my lack of updates of late, I plan to get back in to the swing of weekly updates from now on, especially in the next few weeks as I am just about to return home after 2 months overseas, lots of new photos and stories to share! Anyway let me start with a post I did for The Photo Brigade about my experiences covering the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2000 I was one of the lucky school students to cram the steps of the Sydney Opera House to watch a ceremony welcoming Queen Elizabeth II to Sydney on a royal visit. It was my first taste of a royal occasion and it was unforgettable so in early June when I had the chance to be in London for the central weekend of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee I naturally made the most of the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere once again.

Coming all the way from Australia, and with another two months of travelling following my time in London, I had to work out a kit that was not too big or heavy, that would cover all bases and most importantly I needed weatherproofing. The kit would also need it pack in to my Think Tank Airport International Roller for all my flights and to cart around the streets of London.

I originally wanted to use the Canon 5D MkIII, however a lack of weather sealing ruled it out in favour of the 1D MkIV; one with a 16-35mm and the other with a 70-200mm and a rented 400mm f2.8 IS L for a few photos of the main attraction, Queen Elizabeth II.

With the pomp and pageantry of a royal event, especially one of this scale, it is hard for even the most die hard republican not to get excited, drape themselves in a union jack flag and sing God Save The Queen. It was absolutely fantastic to see London showing its true colours, flags adorning every building and cardboard cut outs of the royal families in many shop fronts, not to mention the myriad of souvenirs available for purchase!

As I look back on it covering the jubilee weekend in many ways mirrored my first royal experience 12 years ago; it was raining, it was crowded, it involved a lot of standing around waiting and I only caught a fleeting glimpse of the queen; however both were remarkably unforgettable experiences.

Sunday Siege

Today I was able to spend a few hours at the Victoria Police Academy as the Critical Incident Response Team ran through various siege and arrest drills in the scenario village. It was a fantastic opportunity to watch them at work up close and not at the distances that one would normally see them from when working at a real world scenario.

Remember to click on the pictures for a larger preview

The Sun, Sand & Surf!!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend 2 nights in Miami, Florida. The trip only afforded me a few hours to myself to roam around the South Miami Beach area, enjoying the sun and taking a few photos. Enjoy!