I’ve never really taken to podcasts or talkback radio as I have always preferred to listen to music. That is, until now! As I found myself getting back into photography, I stumbled across the unused podcast app on my iPhone and started listening to Light Minded by Christian Fletcher & Carwyn. Being a Perth boy it was quite refreshing to hear Christian talking about the South West of WA as I have always been a big fan of his work and that part of the world. Their unscripted/unplanned format, impressive guest list and endless humour make it a really easy but engaging podcast to listen to. I have learnt a lot in only a few weeks. Its also been much needed after taking time off from the craft. The other podcast I have been avidly working my way through is the Atkins Labcast, my local pro-lab here in Adelaide. I love these guys and really can’t say enough good things about them. I could listen to Paul for hours talking about photography, boats, land rovers… And of course Kate just rolls in like a storm of wit, humour and blunt applaud to create a perfect balance. So, get streaming!

When travelling somewhere to create a particular landscape image, it’s often nice to capture a few moments on the side. Usually just back of the film camera/viewfinder snaps with my iPhone. However, I’ve only got one large tripod for serious work and lugging two of them around brings its own challenges. I’d been looking for a small travel tripod for a while and eventually stumbled upon the Benro PP1 as a small and fairly inconspicuous pocket pod. I bit the bullet and grabbed one and I’m certainly glad I did! While it has little to do with my film work, I can now set this up on the side and grab a time-lapse or video. Or if I’m desperate and need a slow shutter speed for one of my smaller cameras it can do that without too much hassle either. Heck, it can also hold a flash or video light if you really need it to. There’s a lot of little travel pods out there on the market but I have to say, for price and build this one stands out for me. Coupled with the Quad Lock photo attachment, it’s a great little combination that now lives in the front of my camera bag!

Looking at the date of my last post it’s been far too long since I’ve been on here! So much for a busy life… I’ve not long come back from a quick trip to the South Island of New Zealand, a place I could easily disappear to for a few weeks every year. It is also the first bit of film photography that I’ve done in a while and some of my images show it. The last time I was in New Zealand (2005 and 2012) was before Instagram started making places famous so I’d never actually seen that Wanaka tree. I was keen to change that but also expected it to be packed. In fact most of the tourist spots were busier and far more developed than I had remembered them to be. It didn’t disappoint, even if some of the tourists did. It’s a beautiful tree and an incredibly peaceful setting by the lake. If you’re keen to get up before the sun, you’ll have the place mostly to yourself. The same goes for getting off the beaten track (or the paved roads), there are many spots to avoid the crowds and most are worth the effort. Weather hampered some of my photographic endeavours so I have no doubt I’ll be back. Fortunately I still love Ferg!

After a long time thinking about it, I’ve finally added a new gallery to the website, ‘The Paper Gallery’. Helped along by my recent dabbling’s with making Cyanotypes, this is where I can put everything analogue that doesn’t quite fit into the standard film group. Everything from prints and Polaroids to Cyanotypes, Solargraphs and maybe even Tin Types if I get the chance!

I have never been drawn to the oceans in the same manner as I have to the high mountains and the remote wildernesses of this planet. However, exploring the Great Barrier Reef, before the full impacts of climate change are realised, has been high on my bucket list for some time. Not more than 800m long and 300m wide, Heron Island is a small coral cay in the southernmost section of the Great Barrier Reef. It forms part of the Capricorn Bunker group of Islands and is a biodiversity jewel for both bird and marine life.

In a single snorkel I was able to witness more marine life than I have ever done so before. Just some of it included pink whip rays, cow tail stingrays, giant shovel-nose rays, spotted eagle rays, black tip reef sharks, sea turtles and an abundance of fish. It was also pleasing to see plenty of healthy coral, in fact canyons of coral as far as I could see. To be a guest in their blue world was an incredibly humbling experience and hit home just how important it is to protect this resource and how what we do on land is linked to the ocean. No phone reception and no computer were definitely welcome changes. A few days unplugged on a beach really does do wonders for one’s soul, I can’t recommend it enough. I could have stayed for at least a month! It was also a good opportunity to use my Nikonos V and 15mm which all too often sit on the shelf. I actually shot more film than I have ever done on a holiday. Overall I’m happy with the results but still have much to learn, underwater photography is very different!

With a new set of fins I can’t wait to explore more of Australia’s marine parks and underwater life. I suspect it’s not the last time I’ll visit Heron Island but for now I have the dearest of memories.

It has been far too long since I put a post up so here goes. Unfortunately I really haven’t had much chance to shoot a great deal of film in the last 12 months or produce anything worth while since my trip to the Arctic. Hopefully that is about to change with an imminent trip to the red centre! Now, back to what I really want to walk about – Kodak. I’ve been using a lot of Fujifilm Acros 100 lately, a beautiful film with a unique look. However, if you want fine detail it doesn’t compare to Kodak Tmax 100 or if you’re after grain then Kodak Tri-X 400 is unmatched. In fact the versatility of Tri-X 400 is unmatched in my opinion. I’ve ruined more than a few shots trying to use Acros 100 when I really needed a faster film. Add in the news that Kodak are beta testing their new Ektachrome 100 with photographers in the US with a release date of later this year and you have a recipe for change! Sorry Fujifilm, I love the reds and blues of Veliva but the quality control and reliability of Kodak film is more than enough for me to switch for good. C-41 film isn’t really my thing so I can foresee a well stocked fridge of Ektachrome and Tri-X. Besides Kodak made Aerochrome and that stuff is down right incredible.

After a few 3D printed prototypes and some refining, I finally have 2 CNC machined aluminium camera plates for my F3 cameras. They are anodised to match use the arca-swiss dove tail. They also have space for spare batteries, a motor drive cap and a 10c piece. I’m very happy to finally have a finished result that matches seamlessly with the lines of the camera. Less is always more when it comes to good design. I’ll be investigating how I can economically get a small batch of these made up should interest be sufficient. In the mean time, this is my answer to the Leicavit, the Nikovit!

After 15 flights, nearly 60,000km and a 30th birthday all in this last month, I’m ready to sit down a relax for a little while. It’s also why I’ve been fairly quiet on here. I have about 200 digital images to go through from my trip to Svalbard and Norway as well as 4 rolls of film that are in for developing.

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend my Sunday hanging out with some genuinely amazing people learning how to use large format (4×5) cameras and talking all things film. The Analogue Laboratory is an artist run community darkroom facility within the heart of the Adelaide CBD. Created and managed by Alex and Aurelia, their passion (and knowledge) for all things analogue is contagious. They run a number of different courses throughout the year depending on what your needs are (large format, darkroom basics, cyanotypes etc). So, why go and play with a large format camera? Well, why not! I’d played with the idea of getting one some time ago but settled for my GW690III for film economy and use in aerials. However being a bit mad on film I really wanted to experiment with one as it’s a significant departure from using roll film (135 or 120). So, doing a course was a no brainer as I don’t study photography or have a friend with a 4×5 camera. The large format course runs all day but has a gentlemanly start time of 10am. Covering a bunch of history and theory behind large format, Alex and Aurelia do a great job of imparting their wisdom before you get to practice loading film. Then a couple street and a couple of studio shots later I had 4 images ready to develop. Queue some tasty lunch! Following a stint in the darkroom developing and eagerly awaiting the results we also tried some New 55 instant 4×5 film (colour and monochrome) with mixed opinions. All in all, I ended up with six pleasing images but more importantly the memory of a very happy day! If you’re interested I can highly recommend the experience.

What’s in my bag you ask? Well thanks to Bellamy Hunt (aka Japan Camera Hunter) you can find out what I like to roll around the streets with right here!