On this week’s photo walk I decided to use only my long lens (50-230mm APSC, which is 77-352mm full-frame). This let me really zoom-in and isolate my subjects in the frame, which can be challenging, but is fun to do.
Trip to Pakistan 2024: people
Nadia and I took three weeks off to go visit friends and family in Pakistan. Naturally I took several photos as we travelled from one place to the next :)
Selfie at Melbourne Airport before heading off on our holiday
We had an almost-10pm flight out of Melbourne, so we had dinner at Melbourne Airport right after we checked-in.
All set to fly from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi
Neither of us minds having seats near the bathroom and neither of us minds sitting right at the back of the plane, so we picked seats in the second-last row of this Boeing 777 since that row has just two seats on the window side :)
Selfie along the C-gates arm at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A
Abu Dhabi Airport’s brand new Terminal A is quite roomy (having been built for future growth) and is a surprisingly comfortable place to hang out for a ten-hour layover.
Selfie to celebrate our arrival at Karachi Airport
Yay Karachi!
Ready for the first of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Islamabad to Karachi
It took us almost forty hours to get back from Islamabad to Melbourne (via Karachi and Abu Dhabi). This was the start of our first leg.
Ready for the second of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Karachi to Abu Dhabi
This was the start of our second leg, waiting in the international departure lounge.
Waiting for breakfast at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A
This is towards the end of our twelve hour layover in Abu Dhabi.
Selfie before boarding our flight to Melbourne
We’re making sure to stretch our legs and stand as much as we can before our non-stop, thirteen hour flight to Melbourne.
Ready for the third of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne
All aboard and ready to boogie (aka sleep) on this lovely Boeing 787 (yay!).
We hadn’t been back to Pakistan since late 2019, so this trip was very much overdue and it was a great way to start the year.
2023 Boxing Day test at the MCG
Since moving to Australia in 2006, this is only the second time that Pakistan has played Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Nadia and I attended day three of the last test match, back in 2016.
This year I attended day one of the match with a bunch of family friends.
Here are some of the photos I took while I was there.
Lots of ways to get to Melbourne Cricket Ground
Train tracks between the MCG and Melbourne & Olympic Parks
Welcome to the Boxing Day test
Qantas Choir getting ready to sing the Australian national anthem
Qantas Choir singing the Australian national anthem
Cricketer Shaheen Afridi warming up before his bowling spell
Cricketer David Warner batting
Young Pakistani supporter
Cricketer Shaheen Afridi bowling
Melbourne Cricket Club Members Reserve stand
DJ Ash bringing the music to the MCG outfield
Karachi Street Food stall outside the MCG
Long lunch-time line for the Karachi Street Food stall outside the MCG
[Photo walk] Collins Street, Melbourne #2 (27mm only)
It’s week two of shooting at only 27mm (which is 18mm on my mirrorless APS-C sensor camera). Like I predicted last week, this focal length works much better when you’re walking through a city centre where everything is closer together. You can make the most of the wide-angle view to capture the scene/vibe and it is easier to get closer to people and objects.
Grey-blue buildings on a grey day
Evening showers in Docklands
Warm buns in a shelf at Breadtop
Interesting fashion choices for a rain day
No one is seated outdoors on a rainy day
Umbrellas out on a rainy day in the city
Liberation can only be achieved…
Tram stops? I sure hope it does!
You are at the corner of Queen and Collins Streets, Melbourne
Empty benches on a rainy day in the city
Wet benches on a rainy day in the city
A bike named Larry (yes, yes, I know, that’s the brand name)
Three locks walk into a bike stand
Wet lime
Next week I move on to shooting at only 35mm, which I think I’ll find more challenging. I’m used to loosely composing my frame at 27mm and then zooming in or cropping a little in post to get the photo I actually want. From next week I’ll have to do all that before I take the photo. I’m looking forward to seeing how I go :)
Also, two things have changed since I started on this ‘one focal length at a time’ experiment:
I’m going to add the 4omm focal length into the mix (in addition to 35, 55, and 85mm). This is because Fujifilm have an excellent 27mm pancake lens I would love to have, and that translates to a 41mm focal length on my camera. If I find 40mm-ish works well for me, that might be the first prime lens I get.
I’m considering investing in only weather-sealed lenses and, in the future, only in weather-sealed camera bodies. I live in Melbourne, Australia where it rains 139 days a year. And because neither my current camera body nor my current lenses are weather sealed, I can’t go out and take photos when it’s raining.
In the short term I plan to buy a rain cover for my camera, so this isn’t something I need to address straight away. But if I am going to be buying a new lens in the next few months, I might as well try to buy one that’s weather sealed and, therefore, something I can keep long term.
(Assuming this is within my budget, of course, since sometimes it’s only the more professional versions of Fujifilm’s lenses that are weather sealed. That 27mm pancake lens I mentioned above is both decently priced and weather sealed, by the way, which is why it’s one of my front runners.)
I guess we’ll see which way I’m leaning by the end of this experiment.
But for now it’s time to say goodbye to 27mm and move on to 35mm. Let’s go!
[Photo walk] Along Harbour Esplanade, Docklands #2 (27mm only)
The last time I walked along Harbour Esplanade in Docklands to take photos it was a cold, overcast day. But this time the sun was out and, by the end, I was walking around in a t-shirt.
The other thing different from last time is that all this week (and also next week) I am restricting myself to taking photos at only a 27mm focal length (which is 18mm on my mirrorless APSC camera).
Why?
I think you can be more creative, and also learn a great deal, when you impose restrictions or limitations on yourself
I’m considering buying a prime lens but I don’t know which one I want to get first so, over the next eight weeks, I’ll be forcing myself to shoot at only one focal length every fortnight (27mm, 35mm, 55mm, and 85mm, respectively)
The good thing is that I’m very comfortable shooting at 27mm. That’s because the main (prime) lens on pretty much all smartphone cameras is 27-28mm. So I have years of experience composing photos at this focal length.
Which I presume is why, even though I have the whole 27-85mm focal length range at my fingertips these days, 31% of my share-worthy photos from my main lens are at 27mm.
When I look through my Capture One library, though, many of the photos I’ve taken at 18mm, I’ve ended up cropping just a little.
That suggests two things:
The 31% of photos I’ve taken at 27mm should probably be lower, given I likely crop many of my photos to 35mm.
Years of smartphone photography have made me lazy when it comes to composing my photos [1]. Instead of zooming in a little with my lens or stepping closer to my subject (ie zooming in with my feet), I do a relatively loose composition because I know I’m going to crop the photo when I edit it.
When I walked along Harbour Esplanade this time, I was more deliberate with my compositions. As a result, I did either no cropping or only some thoughtful cropping of my photos this time (like ones I cropped to square).
Basically, by imposing these limitations, I’m already upping my composition game. So even if I don’t end up buying a prime lens at the end of this eight week exercise, I expect I’ll have improved as a photographer.
Anyway, enough with the talking. Here are the photos. They’re not all that good, to be honest. And at least three of them were crying out for a longer focal length composition. Oh well. This is how you learn.
Harbour Esplanade
MPavilion shade sail detail in Docklands Park
MPavillion installation at Docklands Park
WTF is MPavillion? Find out.
The massive Collins Square tower complex in Docklands
National Australia Bank’s 800 Bourke Street building
Docklands Harbour and the Lady Cutler showboat
Lady Cutler showboat through a lifebuoy
Fishing at Docklands Harbour
This photo would have worked so much better with, say, an 85mm lens that I could have used to isolate the subject better from the background (which would have also been blurry).
Getting the side-eye from an opportunistic seagull
This photo would have worked better with a longer focal length lens too. I didn’t want to get closer to the woman (for obvious reasons) and I didn’t want the seagull to fly off either. So we’re stuck with lots of empty space around the subjects, instead of a tighter composition.
Cow Up a Tree — John Kelly (2000)
Learn more about Cow Up a Tree, if you’re interested.
La Trobe Street
V/Line trains parked at Southern Cross rail yard
V/Line trains parked in the rail yard just outside Southern Cross Railway Station
Diesel engine parked at Southern Cross rail yard
Hungry Panda delivery driver on La Trobe Street
This another photo that could have done with a zoom-in. I wanted to focus on the delivery driver and the yellow insulated box she had on her motorcycle.
When it comes to street photography (which is what I mostly do) the 27mm focal length is more about context-setting and showing off the vibe of the place. Unless you get really close (or you’re already in a tighter space) you can’t get much subject isolation. And it’s challenging to focus on details – or at least arrange the composition such that the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the detail.
While I like shooting in 27mm, I think I’m going to really enjoy shooting in 35mm. But I have to wait a couple of weeks before I get there.
Next week I’ll be walking through the middle of the city on a Friday afternoon, and I think the 27mm focal length will work much better there. I’m looking forward to that.
[1] Yes, high-end modern smartphone cameras now have secondary lenses with a longer focal length. Most of these are still not as high quality as the main lens though. So it’s still often better to take a higher quality photo with the main lens and then crop, instead of taking a lesser quality photo with the secondary (zoom) lens.
Picnic at Kingsford Smith Ulm Reserve
We celebrated a friend’s birthday with a picnic at Kingsford Smith Ulm Reserve in Glenroy.
I haven’t looked up the history of this place, but given it is located just north of Essendon Fields Airport in Melbourne, I’m guessing they named it after pioneering Australian aviators Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.
Here are some of the photos I took while I was there.
Essendon Fields Airport
Essendon Fields Airport control tower
The old fire service water tower at Essendon Fields Airport
Monee Ponds Creek viaduct on the Albion-Jacana railway line
Moonee Ponds Creek viaduct
Moonee Ponds Creek viaduct and houses in Gowanbrae
Play area
Bench in the shade
Frog sculpture in the play area
Wooden frog sculpture
Drinking water fountain
Tree stump
Another tree stump
Magpies
Scavenging magpie
Scavenging magpies
Singing magpies
I guess it’s particularly appropriate to be publishing a photo of two singing magpies, given the Collingwood Magpies won the 2023 AFL Grand Final today :)
And, of course…
Selfie!
[Photo walk] Picnic at Coburg Lake Reserve
Nadia and I went for a picnic to Coburg Lake Reserve so, naturally, I took some photos :)
Reclining by the lake
Keeping an eye out
Ibis in flight
You lookin’ at me?
Keeping an eye on the inquisitive human
Barbecue time at Coburg Lake Reserve
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Players
Following on from my previous post, the other half of the fun of watching a live sporting event is (obviously) watching the match itself :)
Players arrive at the USA v Sweden match
Sweden come close to scoring a goal
USA come close to scoring a goal
Megan Rapinoe takes a corner kick
Sweden v USA penalties
Goalie versus goalie at the penalty shoot-out
Colombia v Jamaica about to kick off
All quiet in the Colombia half
Usme letting her goal-scoring moment sink in
Arias encourages the Colombian supporters to cheer
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Spectators
Half the fun of attending any live sporting event is getting to attend it with thousands of people.
Taking a photo of the big screen
Half-time is a good time to take a selfie
Half-time photo opportunity
Jody Brown supporter
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Behind the scenes
This FIFA Women’s World Cup (football) was held in Australia and New Zealand this year, and I attended two of the round-of-sixteen matches held in Melbourne. (I did have tickets to two other matches, but work got in the way and I wasn’t able to attend those.)
One of my favourite things to do at large events like this is to document the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on. I am a producer / events organiser / behind-the-scenes person at heart, and I do enjoy seeing – and, evidently, photographically documenting! – how things are run.
Stadium
Birds on the pitch 90 minutes before kick-off
Watering the pitch
Grounds keepers make their final adjustments to the pitch
Grounds keepers flattening the pitch during the half time break
Doing the phone camera spectator participation thing
Full house at USA v Sweden round-of-sixteen match at
Full house at Colombia v Jamaica round-of-sixteen match
People
Ushering spectators
The only folks not watching the game
Keeping an eye on the crowds
Assistant referee
Photographers and videographers
Aligning the cameras behind the goal
Getting ready to capture the match
Gaggle of photographers
Operating the primary broadcast camera
Capturing fan reactions
On-camera talent
Getting ready for her live cross
1/3 Getting ready for their live cross
2/3 All set for their live cross
3/3 Making their live cross
AMWP at Emerging Writers' Festival 2023
Nadia’s publication, the Australian Multilingual Writers Project, was invited to present a session at the 2023 Emerging Writers’ Festival in Melbourne.
I went along and took a few photos :)
Nadia getting ready to host the event
Podium microphone at the Immigration Museum
Sneakers on the floor of the Long Room at the Immigration Museum
Colourful shoes in a colourful room
The stage is set
Nadia at the podium, preparing and then performing
Madhvi Singh Thakur, Gabriela Georges, Asiel Adan Sanchez performing
Candid photos of the performers
9.5 degrees; feels like 0.5
9.5 degrees; feels like 0.5. This is why we wear a coat.
[Photo walk] Flinders Street, Melbourne
Overhead construction gantry on the corner of Collins and Flinders Street
Keeping an eye out for their friends at the steps of Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station ready to be lit up for RISING festival
Keeping to herself on the banks of the Yarra River
Keeping to himself on a bridge across the Yarra River
Dropped shoes at the entrance of Flinders Street Railway Station
[Photo walk] Collins Street, Melbourne
Clouds reflected off Mövenpick Hotel
Road expansion joint in Collins Street, next to Southern Cross Station
Maintenance work along Collins Street
Down-tools at this maintenance site on Collins Street
Driving a coach along King Street
Heading home from their worksite on a Friday afternoon
[Photo walk] Along the Yarra River #1
Every Friday after work I walk through the Melbourne city centre so I can take some photos. I took these ones on a walk along the Yarra River.
West corner of Melbourne City View Apartments
Under the train lines crossing over Flinders Street
People walking down Oris Walk, next to Lamont Bridge
Helicopter taking off from Microflite Melbourne Heliport
Helicopter landing at Microflite Melbourne Heliport
Photo of a red-and-gold helicopter (an Airbus EC130) seconds away from landing on a helipad build in a pontoon on a wide river in the middle of a city. A sign on the side of the pontoon reads ‘Microflite Melbourne Helipad’. In the background of the photo are several tall and short buildings, as well as a bridge across the river.
That's Australia for you
Yeah buoy!
Train from Flinders Street Station
Stopping to check her phone where the bike trail widens
Lime e-scooter delivery at Flinders Street Station
Lady Justice watching over the Supreme Court of Victoria
Lady Justice above the Williams Street entrance to the Supreme Court of Victoria
Bronze figure of Lady Justice atop the Supreme Court of Victoria building
[Photo walk] Melbourne buildings, part 2
Here are some photos of buildings and cranes that I’ve taken over the last few days.
Trees on the level 29 balcony
Mr Cart at work
Media house entrance next to Southern Cross Station
Living in the Melbourne CBD
A crane named Janet
The dilapidated Sir Charles Hotham Hotel building
[Photo walk] Transport, part 3
Here’s a bunch of transport-related photos I’ve taken over the last few days.
Elevated train along Flinders Street in Melbourne
Tram going up Spencer Street in Melbourne
Passenger carriages waiting for their locomotive
Passenger carriages at Southern Cross Rail Yard
Platforms 2A and 3A at Southern Cross Station
Waiting for instructions on Platform 2A
Heading into Southern Cross Station on its way to Flinders Street
Metro train waiting to depart
Travelling past Fawkner Memorial Park
Oblong bird graffiti at Southern Cross Station
Waiting for a train at North Melbourne Station
[Photo walk] Around Southern Cross Station
It hit 41 degrees Celsius in Melbourne on Friday. So, to avoid commuting during the evening peak, I went home early. But, before I got on the train, I walked around the Southern Cross Station and took a few photos :)
Under the Flinders Street elevated train lines
Stairs vs escalators at Southern Cross Station
39 degrees Celsius (in the sun)
Documenting the 39-degree day while picking up lunch
Roller skating across Southern Cross Bridge
Down to platforms 13 and 14
Platforms 13 and 14 at Southern Cross Station
Low battery
I had a good, long sleep last night and I’m feeling refreshed and energised today. For much of last week, though, this is how I was feeling.