Writer's Block

Tonight, I have writer's block.

So I'm thinking that tonight's post might be short and sweet.

I didn't get to visit my little Chicklet today because sadly, the Chicklet family is down with the flu.

So instead, I pedalled out to the dirt track that splits the national park to see if I could find some fairy wrens.

I could hear them everywhere, but then I could also hear this Raptor.  I have no idea if it's a hawk or a kite or an eagle, but it was squawking incessantly, high in the tree, while all the little birds in the bush below were freaking out.

This isn't a good photo and it's tightly cropped, but I've posted it on flickr with hopes that one of the 'bird' men can tell me what it is.

I was surprised when two little female wrens flew up onto the branch of this small tree and looked up at the raptor for a couple of minutes and then disappeared back into the long grasses.

I've had a disappointing day with the camera.  I had a couple of ideas for photographs that didn't quite pan out.  I spent a lot of time on them but they just didn't live up to my expectations, so my energy levels have dropped a touch.

You know what we creative types are like ... very touchy and moody.  Just ask Adoring Husband lol!

I might get an early night to bed and build the energy levels up again, so that I can start fresh tomorrow.

Nite all.

It's me!

It hasn't been published yet, but here is the copy of what will appear in our local rag in a couple of weeks.

My usual habit is to create nicknames for people mentioned in this blog, however, in this case, for promotional purposes, actual names have been left in the article.

******

It’s ‘Time to Shine’ for Local Artisans

Local identity, Jackie Brennan, has been too busy to be out and about lately, unlike our resident photographer, Roz Griffin, who’s been scouring the village, taking shots with her long lens camera. You may have seen her - Roz is our local three-wheeler bikie with a passion for wildlife photography.

It was over coffee one morning at indoor bowls that Jackie invited Roz to join her in her next solo art exhibition. Such public display of talent was a whole new scene for award-winner Roz, but after a little assurance, she humbly agreed.

Jackie’s last solo exhibition ‘Metalica’ was held at Gallery 5 in Hervey Bay.  Two thirds of the artworks were sold on the opening night. This time the theme is ‘Art Deco Revival’ … quite a challenge for Roz who excels in capturing the beauty of Australian flora and fauna. Therefore, several generic works will also be on display in gallery two. All works will be for sale.

Jackie is a retired professor of Interior Design and Architecture with a post-graduate degree in Fine Arts. She is also an award winning artist, author and poet who still enjoys teaching - mostly weekend workshops, and of course our Monday craft mornings.

These two talented ladies are having a joint solo art and photographic exhibition at Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough for the duration of September.  This gallery is the latest Fraser Coast cultural installation. With a two year waiting list for exhibitors, it is well worth a visit. 

The grand opening is on Friday 7^th September, and best of all – you’re all invited to attend. Entry is free! Doors will open at 6.30pm for 7pm. It’s anticipated that the night will conclude around 9pm. 

So why not get a few friends together for a special night out to show your support for a couple of our local ladies.

Gatakers Art Space is located in the old warehouse building in the laneway between Kent and Wharf Streets, Maryborough – opposite the Federal Hotel at 311 Kent Street.

******

The two photos that I provided for this article are ...

Remember when?

Six Eyes

Already, strangers are stopping in the streets, asking me if I am the lady having the exhibit in Maryborough.

It's a very strange feeling, having to promote myself in a positive way, without adding a joke of self criticism.  I am renowned for that.

It's all beginning to happen now!

I can do this!

Nite all.

Distractions

We (Adoring Husband and myself) are organising a whale watching tour for our flickr group.

After we posted photos last year, a few members mentioned that they would like to attend a tour this year, so we've organised a good price and are just waiting on numbers now.

It will be on the Sunday before the exhibit, and I reckon I will need a distraction by then.  The combination of whales and my friendly flickr group will be just what the Dr ordered!

Aside from two more photos that I took today for the exhibit, I got a couple of bird shots on my morning ride.  The good old reliable lorikeet ...

and

the good old reliable kookaburra.

The Fairy Wrens eluded me this morning.  I spotted them a couple of times, but lost them just as quickly.  I think I need to get my glasses checked!

Unfortunately, it's still very wet in the national park ... like a swamp, so I won't be trekking through there in the near future.  It's so waterlogged, it will take an entire Summer of dry weather to dry the ground up.

This has been a welcome distraction from my exhibit photos and now it's time for bed.

Nite all.

Newsworthy

It appears that I am a little newsworthy (in my own lunch box).

I was asked to send through two of my photos, to somebody who has written an article for the local rag, about the exhibit, and THEN I had to send a photo of myself holding my camera!

I have two photos of myself holding my camera, and they are both of the back of my head!

One was taken by Adoring Husband while I was taking photos of Fairy Wrens at the southern end of town, and I think the other one was taken a couple of years ago by my sister, Squirt.

So I needed a photo, without putting too much effort into it, and without involving anybody else - because I knew it would be a 'process', and I knew that a LOT of shots would have to be taken before I'd be happy.

So I put a bit of make-up on and grabbed a hat.  I sat at my work table in front of my mosaic mirror and began experimenting with different shots.  Different facial expressions.  Holding the camera at different angles.

It was a tricky job to get a photo without looking through the view finder.

To get my head as close to centred in the circle of the mirror as possible.  To get my face focussed and have the 'Canon' name on the camera, clear and in focus.  To avoid the fluorescent light reflecting brightly off the mirror or the lens glass.  To avoid chopping the top of my head off or chopping the camera out completely.

It took 50 odd shots to end up with this one ...

... which is still not even close to perfect, but I'm happy enough to use it ... for now.

When I posted it on facebook, I got lots of nice comments, but my favourite was from the Bare-chested Chef, who said "You look so inspired and focussed.  Like you are doing something that you are incredibly passionate about.  I love it."

That's exactly how I feel, so his comment gave me a real buzz :)

Speaking of the Bare-chested Chef ... Vegan Chickie emailed me this lovely photo of my precious little Chicklet helping her 'Dadu' make pizza today.

She is so grown up!  They both look like they are having such a good time together.  Look at her little black shirt all covered in flour.  And those lovely little curls around her ears!  What a great photo.  A beautiful memory captured forever.

In the mean time, I am still head down and bum up, trying to get all the extra photos organised!

Yes, it's ALMOST time to panic!

Nite all.

I have 50

Fifty photos is what I have, ready to print and show at the exhibit.

I require more.  As Vegan Chickie would say "eeeeep!"

I didn't know this before I went to lunch today - twenty of us all having a lovely time together, drinking wine, until two of the ladies won $1800 and then we were drinking whatever they put in front of us!

We tried out the new menu set by the new chefs at the Bowls Club and they put a lot of effort into creating a delicious gluten free meal for Kaz and I.

It was a fun afternoon and something that we will be doing on the last Tuesday of every month - apparently.

Short and sweet tonight - an early one for me, so that I can panic effectively tomorrow as I attempt to find or create some extra photos for the exhibit.

Nite all.

Granny Nikonian

So excited for The Nikonian, who has become a first time Grandmother today!

She has a new little granddaughter to love.  I can't wait to see the first beautiful photos that she takes.

The Nikonian is one of the best photographers that I have the pleasure of knowing, and when she's feeling the love, her shots have the WOW factor.

Anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge her exciting news today and send my love and good wishes to her and to her family.  Hugs and kisses to you oxox.

I've been busy today with some more shots for the exhibit.  Setting the shot up, shooting it, editing it.  It's quite tiring really.  Too much brain work involved.

Those of you who know me, know that I am basically lazy - that is also true when it comes to my photography.

Wildlife and birds and landscapes are much easier.  You put yourself in the right place at the right time and you capture the moment.  That's when you best see the magic of photography.

So much more thought and time has to go into still life and portraits.  Getting the lighting right and the composition has to be just right, to tell a story.

Creating a 'moment' with people in portraits takes real skill.

It's all especially more exhausting when you are unsure of yourself.

If I had a studio with all the lighting and backgrounds and props, it might be easier.  I say 'might' because I'm really only guessing or assuming that to be the case.

I think I am making the best out of my limited resources and I am pretty happy with my shots so far.

Oh if money were no object!!  Must remind Adoring Husband to buy a ticket in Powerball this week!

I'm doing ok.  Sometimes I feel frustrated because I can sit here at my desk for a few hours, and at the end of it, feel like I have achieved nothing.  Other times I can sit here for thirty minutes and at the end of it, feel like I have conquered Mount Everest!

What a process.  A HUGE learning curve for me.  Immensely satisfying and terribly frustrating all at the same time.

I only have one photo to share today.  I caught this fellow singing this morning as I rode past the lagoon.

I think I might go watch some of the Olympic Games for a while and give myself a break from the computer screen (from one screen to another - sad huh?).

Nite all.  

Childers Festival of Cultures

Adoring Husband and I spent the morning in Childers at the Festival of Cultures.  It used to be called the Multicultural Festival.

Bigger and better this year, which was our fourth year in a row.  Hundreds of stalls and tens of thousands of people.  They actually block off the main street (which is also the highway) and line both sides of the street with stalls and rides and entertainment.

At various points down the street are different artists entertaining the crowds.  Country music with dancers performing rocknroll, rockabilly and line dancing,  Jamaican music,  Egyptian music with belly dancers, and then a much bigger stage down one of the side streets with a steady stream of bands and entertainment.

The Twine were performing again this year and they always draw a big crowd.  They were contestants on Australia's Got Talent in 2010, and they have a lot of energy on stage.  I even considered getting up for a dance ... and I am NOT a dancer!

After they finished, a quartet of young girls performed.  Beautiful voices and such talent with their instruments.  They have already won a major award (the Golden Fiddle) at Tamworth Country Music Festival and they were also contestants on the New Young Talent Time.

Warming up before the show

Despite how they appear in this photo, they were happy and high energy performers

The crowd was very appreciative.

 

... and I loved this piece of artwork

... I reckon I could create something like this myself ... I LOVE trees and I would love a big colourful tree to put on the wall above the bed.

We were home just after lunch, but we had a great time and I love that every year, after we get home, I immediately begin looking forward to next year.

Right now, I'm looking forward to bed.

Nite all.
 

Boz Boz Boz

I have the image replaying over and over in my head, of my precious little Chicklet running towards me saying 'Boz Boz Boz' as she greeted me at her place today.

It's the first time that she has appeared overjoyed that I exist in the world and it made my heart sing.

She spent a lot of time leaning against me as she played with various toys and my jewellery.  It made me feel very warm and fuzzy.

I took a lot of photos of her today, but rarely looking through the view finder, so I ended up with lots of 'chopped off' shots.

I had photos of just an arm or just a leg or half a face or a body without a head, just her eyes or just her mouth!

Sometimes I can do that with the camera and end up with some wonderful shots, but alas, today was not one of those times.

I think she looks a lot like my youngest daughter, Bubbles, at the same age, in this photo.

She wore her cape and I dubbed her 'Sir Juniper, Knight of the Square (coffee) Table'.  Her little mouth was coated in strawberry juice (and so was the floor!) from the juicy strawberries that I took for a snack.

We shared carrot sticks, nuts and seeds, strawberries and grapes - a lot of which were scattered all over the floor by the time we finished!

I usually get a couple of hours to visit on a Saturday morning while Adoring Husband has his regular club golf day, but today was a special golf tournament, so I got to spend almost four hours with my lovely little family.

It was great!  But it wore me out and I climbed under the blankets in my bed at about 4 o'clock this afternoon and had a one hour nanny nap!  At the same time Adoring Husband was sprawled on the couch snoring quietly.

Home made pizza and footy tonight - Super Saturday on Fox Sports Channel and now a long evening of various Olympic sports to watch.

I've had a nice break today from my photos and I'll get back to it tomorrow.  I need to put them all onto a memory stick to send off for printing.

Less than six weeks til D-Day!

I will go to sleep tonight with the sound of my Chicklet saying 'Boz Boz Boz' in my head.  **happy grandmotherly sigh*

Nite all.

Big Mouth, little brother.

My little brother bragged about me, and the exhibit, on his blog this morning and then added a link to here so that people could come and view my photography.

So I decided to follow the link myself to see which of my photos would be the first viewed by a complete stranger.

Sadly, the first page of photos were not 'bragworthy' at all!

I really do need a website - or maybe just a facebook page?

Anyway, I've decided to find some of my favourite photos from the past 18 months (I can't believe that I have been keeping this blog for 18 months!!) and post them here today for the viewing pleasure of any newbies who might believe my brother and come looking for photography that is (according to him) "a must see"!

That is my effort for the evening. My brain is mush. Tonight has been a little R&R and I had a couple of wines with the girls at the club.
Tomorrow I get to spend a few hours with my Chicklet family, so there should be photos :D

Nite all.

Watching out for me.

I was pedalling past this house which is situated overlooking the river.

The walking path goes right past it.

After having a knee reconstruction last month, the man who lives in there was doing his exercises, walking up and down his stairs, when he spotted me and gave me a wave.

"Have you got your camera?" he called out (silly question!).  "The owls have been here three days in a row, but I haven't checked today ... come out the back and have a look."

So off we trotted out the back and around the corner of the house.

There they were.  Two small Tawny Frogmouths sitting close together on the branch.  They are very small compared to the two in the tree on my Holden Man's property.

Much to my annoyance, he appeared beside me and gently prodded the owls awake with a broom handle! "I'll get them to open their beaks for you" he said.

I suggested to him that they might avoid his property in future if he did this too often, but he said "Nah, I do this all the time when friends come over.  It doesn't seem to bother them."

**rolls eyes**

When I left his house, I decided to have a second coffee for the day and rode to the bakery (which is basically just across the road).  As I alighted from my trike I noticed a man running across the road from the caravan park waving his arms.

I looked behind me thinking that he was waving at somebody else, but then I heard him say "Just the girl I've been looking for!  I know where there are some owls!  They've been in the same place for four days now!"

"Excellent!" I replied "Lead the way!"

We began walking towards the house that I had just left and I said "Are these owls sitting in a frangipani tree in that house over there?" I pointed.  "Yes!" he said excitedly, until he realised that I had just been there.

I told him to keep me in mind if he sees anything else that I might like to photograph.

I really must make myself up some business cards with my mobile phone number on them to hand out to all of these enthusiastic spotters.  I believe I would be kept very busy every day, wildlife chasing!

There is one sentence that is most annoying and I hear it almost every day ... "You should have been here yesterday!"  (If they had my phone number, then maybe I could be 'there yesterday'!)

It's nice to know that people are watching out for me and thinking of me when they see something worth photographing.

I've had a good and productive day today with the camera - though more for the exhibit and less to share here.

Can't believe how early I am tonight!

Nite all.

The Decoy

It was low tide as I left the Seat of Knowledge this morning, so I pedalled along the river to the beach.

There waiting for me, and preening themselves for the camera, were three delightful pelicans.

Further out in the water, on a sandbank, was another group of pelicans.  Just as I was about to take their photo, they all took off and began flying further up the beach.

I looked in the direction that they were flying to see yet another large group of pelicans about a kilometre along the beach.  I could barely see them with the naked eye, but they were more visible through my 400mm lens.

So I decided to go for a walk along the beach to see if I could catch up to them and get close enough for a good shot.

By now the tide had turned and was beginning to run in.

When I got well past the halfway mark, every couple of hundred metres, I took a photo, just in case they decided to fly away and I couldn't get close.

The closer I got, the little streams from the ocean were beginning to flow deeper across the sand as the tide came in and my shoes got wet as I tried to tippy toe delicately through them (I hear you laughing at the vision of me trying to be delicate!).

They were beginning to look in my direction and I kept my eye on them because I didn't want to miss a good shot if they all took off together.

It seemed like I would never reach them! It took forever to get there! They all started to waddle towards the water.

Then one of them took off and flew towards me, flying almost directly over my head! I raised the camera and fired off a few shots to get this.

While I was getting this shot, much to my dismay, the other pelicans took off and flew behind me ... BACK towards the spot that I had just walked from!

So back I walked, through ankle deep water in some parts to get to the soft sand beach, so that I wouldn't have to walk through so much water.

It was good exercise and it was a glorious day, so my only complaint is that I couldn't get any worthy shots of such a lovely large group of pelicans.

Thank goodness I live in such an honest town, because my trike and all the junk in the basket, was all still waiting for me where I'd left it almost an hour earlier.

I had a sneaky little hide behind Kaz and Lucy's Man's house on my way home, to see what birdlife might be lurking in the bushes, now that Spring is creeping up.

I found a new bird that I've never seen in real life before. A Spangled Drongo.

My mother used to call me a drongo sometimes  - obviously not after the bird!

There was a cheeky little Grey Fantail and a couple of Brahminy Kites sitting high in the trees and some Noisy Friars washing themselves in the puddles, but nothing much else.


I'll try again in a couple of weeks.

Boo Radley phoned and asked if I'd photograph his beloved Port bottle collection for him, so I did that this afternoon too.

I've told him that I am far too busy and important to be at his beck and call over the next five weeks (okay, maybe I didn't use those words exactly), so he knows not to call me for photography duty until after September.

I spent the afternoon getting a couple more shots for the exhibit. I'm happy with two of the four different sets I created.

I'm feeling 80% happy with my progress at this stage ... which is a whole lot better than I was feeling last week!

So, except for the decoy pelican that foiled my group pelican plan, it's been a productive day!

Nite all.

Small Steps

I am taking small steps and getting there slowly, but surely.

Just a quickie tonight.

Another shot of the Osprey from yesterday, which I thought was pretty cool.

You don't get to see a bird's tongue very often do you?

Today was morning tea with the girls and I took Aussie H's disc of photos, and my computer, so that they could all see the photos too.
Now that Aussie H has a copy of them, I can start emailing a few copies to everyone else.

Taking small steps to bed now.

Nite all.

The Gallery

Adoring Husband and I went for a drive to Maryborough today, to have a look at the gallery and check out the frames that I can use for the exhibit.

The gallery is bigger than I remembered and so are the frames, which is a good thing!

So I feel a lot better about the exhibit now.  Less stressed.  More comfortable with what I'm doing.  I'm still having a bit of a crisis of confidence, but only because I'm wishing that I'd taken more photos in 'raw' (photographers know what I mean - non-photographers really don't WANT to know what I mean!).

Also when I compare my photos to Photoshopped photos, I can notice a big difference and I almost wish I'd learned to use PS!  I just keep telling myself that I take photos of real life and I want it to look like real life.

Anyway, the gallery staff are going to help set the photos into the frames and hang them a few days before opening which is now confirmed 7th September.

I think that I'm on track.  My 'to-do' list is getting longer, but I'm not bothered by that just yet.

I'm ok.

After Maryborough, we drove to The Bay and met Vegan Chickie and fam for lunch.

Little Chicklet is growing up so fast, that I can't keep up.  She's talking so much and is so tall!

This is her, leading Mama and Dadu.  She is definitely the boss of the house!

I love that she knows me now and calls me 'Boz' - much more fun than Nana or Granny :D



There was lots of giggles and silliness to be had and all too soon, it was time to leave.

Adoring Husband and I both got goodbye kisses today!

As we got to the car, I looked up and saw an Osprey perched in the tree not too far away.

I've wanted a photo of the Osprey for a long time now. It's probably not as good as I'd hoped, but we all have to start somewhere!

That's it for my day I think.

I stayed awake til after 2am to watch the Aussie, Adam Scott attempt to win the 2012 British Open Golf Tournament. He went into the final round with a handy four stroke lead and when I went to bed, he was on the 10th hole still with a three stroke lead.

Alas, when I awoke, he had lost the tournament. Maybe he'll win the next one. He's young enough to win lots of major tournaments. Go Adam!

Time for bed.

Nite all.

Less Discombobulated

I'm still not completely back to normal, but I felt a lot better today and was even capable of doing a baked dinner in between editing photos.  So that tells me that my brain is improving.

I got a phone call from my little brother last night!  We talked for over an hour!

He has been on an emotional roller coaster ride of late.  Life is 'happening' for him, which is great, and he is moving forward with his life, which is also great.  I still worry about him.

We talked about photography and he directed me to the redbubble.com site where I was able to find some of his old work from more than two years ago.

I remember that I saw some of it a few years ago, before I became a photographer, and thought then how good it was - but I was still pleasantly surprised by what I saw.  Some of his work is as good, or better than I remembered.

I told him that after we do Tasmania this year, for our next trip, we might find our way up his way and he can take us to all the secret places that I could get some great shots.

Free accommodation (or somewhere to set up our campervan) and a free tour guide in what is generally known as 'paradise'.  That's a pretty good deal!

Anyway, it was GREAT to catch up with him and spend so much time chatting about 'stuff'.

Today, I found my 'Repetition' shot.

I visited Boo (the man I met on Friday) this morning.

I didn't plan on the visit.  I just happened to ride past his house, as I do almost every morning, and he was in the garden so I called out to him.

He invited me into the garden and I took a couple of photos of plants for him.  I also found this plant which I though was excellent for the 'Repetition' challenge.

I had planned on a different kind of shot from his house, but I really needed to get the shot out of the way so that I could focus properly on my photos for the exhibit.

So here it is...

'Repetition'

Today, I made a rough 'to do' list.  I shouldn't have done it.  I panic a bit every time I look at it.  I know that when I start crossing things off the 'to do' list, I will feel a lot better.

It's a good thing :D

Nite all.

Discombobulated

My brain is so fuzzy today.

I am even finding it difficult to make decisions.

For example, Adoring Husband asked me if I wanted to go to the supermarket with him to choose stuff for dinner and I just looked at him, all the time wondering what sort of answer I should give and how I was going to decide.

Really?  How hard can it be?  Yes or No!

Not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips in 2 weeks, so I can't even blame that for making me fuzzy-headed.

I even came home from my morning ride early.  I think I was home before 9.30am.

It's probably not the best time to be doing it, but I've been researching prices online for printing my photos at small poster sizes - around 30x40 cm.

From there, I began to panic about how many I should be printing and whether they should ALL be that size or not.

Then I realised that I have to print some postcard sized photos to sell at the gallery, along with my jewellery.

I also have to think about how I am going to display my jewellery!

I need a 'to do' list lol.

I need to find somebody who will speak publicly and introduce me and my photography at the opening.

I need something to unscramble my brain.

I need an Assistant!  Who will work for free!  And tell me how talented I am!  Somebody with a clear head!  A mover and a shaker!  A motivator!  Somebody hardcore!

Ok, I am exhausted!  That gave me a sudden adrenalin rush.  I'm over it.  NEXT!!

It may have been a short outing, but I got a couple of nice photos.

Pale Headed Rosellas are one of my favourite birds (of which I have many!).  They are so pretty, and very difficult to photograph because they are so skittish.

These two flew across the road in front of me, into a palm tree, so I stopped the trike and waited to see what they would do next.

I didn't even notice the bird bath until they flew to it.  First one, and then the other.

I took a couple of shots before I crept closer.  Every two or three feet, I would take another shot, just in case they noticed me and took fright (and flight).  I didn't get very close, but close enough to get this shot, which I'm pretty happy with.

I think these Pacific Basas are nesting quite near to the Seat of Knowledge! They have been hanging around there for a couple of days now. I need to start exploring and following them.

Can't wait to see their babies this year!

This has been a nice little diversion, but now it's time to get back to the job at hand - and I can't even sign off with 'Nite all' because it's not even 4pm!

I'm still discombobulated.

Afternoon all.