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!

Back to regular programming...

I am sorry for not posting recently, just haven't been out shooting much. Tomorrow I leave for two months in New York during which time I will be updating weekly again.

On Tuesday hundreds gathered on the streets of Sydney to farewell NSW Ambulance Service Special Casualty Access Team (SCAT) Paramedic Michael "Mick" Wilson who died in the line of duty on Christmas eve whilst conducting a rescue in the Blue Mountains.

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Fellow SCAT Paramedics move in to position for Mick's funeral precession.

Pallbearers carry Mick's casket in to St James Anglican Church.

Paramedics begin to form an Honour Guard ahead of the funeral precession. 

Motorcycle Paramedics lead the precession.

Paramedics line the streets as the funeral precession passes.

Paramedics line the streets as the funeral precession passes.

Manhunt Madness

As a week had past after a specialist police officer was shot through the shoulder on the hunt for New South Wales' most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, without any sign of the search concluding soon I decided to make the more than 400km trip up to Nowendoc in the states North West. As I turned off the Thunderbolt Way in to town I was confronted with massive scale police command post where officers from across the state have called home for the past week. 

Officers from the State Protection Group, State Protection Support Group, Tactical Operations Unit and Dog Squad lead the front line search through dense bushland with over head support by way of two Police Airwing helicopters as well as a dedicated group of State Crime Command Homicide Detectives whom among others lead the operations from the command post. 

Whilst media access to the search area was impossible the command post still provide some interesting visuals, however due to operational requirements the identities of the officers involved in the search must be concealed and as such all faces are pixelated. 

NO ENTRY - As close as the general public can get to the operation.

A special thanks must go out to the Nowendoc community for their hospitality, especially the Nowendoc Tennis Club who handed over keys to their shed (And the tea/coffee contained within it) to the media to use as a temporary work station and shelter from the elements. Also thanks to Daniel Irwin for this picture of me editing on the billiards table inside the Tennis Club.

Obama Down Under

Apologies for the long gap since my last blog post, however, more importantly I would like to thank you for your continued support with only a small drop in daily views through the time I was not updating.

It has been a very busy month with time spent photographing official state visits of US President Barack Obama and Danish Royals His Royal Highness Prince Frederik and Her Royal Highness Princess Mary. As the title suggests this post will be dedicated the incredibly brief state tour of US President Barack Obama to Canberra.

Also as I have long promised I will do a mid week post with images from my week long trip to Tasmania, my coverage of the Danish royal visit will be included in that post, a bit of a stretch I know, however HRH Princess Mary is originally from Tasmania!

Remember to click the images for a larger view.

What a week!

The past 10 days have been incredibly chaotic having spent time in 3 states; New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. At least I now have 6 more days in Tasmania to relax.

On the last full day of Occupy Sydney a protestor blows bubbles in Martin Place, Sydney.

Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II visits Federation Square in Melbourne.

Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II waves at the crowds as she departs Government House.

British Actor, Author, Playwright, Journalist, Comedian and
host of Television show QI speaks a function in Melbourne.

It's hard not to take an interest in landscapes in Tasmania,
certainly proving to be a good trip!