Pics Chosen: Waltzing Matilda

Story: It was a Sunday in Circular Quay, Sydney. This gentleman was playing Waltzing Matilda with harmonica and small guitar. His execution was immaculate, with his deep and authentic outback voice. He kindly let me photograph him with a genuine smile.

Photographic experience: The focus on face was perfect, with gorgeous bokeh in the background and foreground (hand is blurred). The flag was waving. Like other photographs 35mm crop gave me to frame him and eliminate compositional noise, and 28mm lens gave me that intentional perspective distortion, a feel for chaotic action, the depth of reportage photography, that realness, and casual spontaneity. With this picture I realised a 28 mm f/1.7 lens and a 35mm crop make a great combo for close-up, intimate photography.

Story: Tourists in flocks photograph Opera House every day as they walk over the Coathanger (The Harbour Bridge). I have my fair share of many photographs taken from the bridge. Usually you see more photographers in a bright day, people are in race to capture gorgeous southern sphere blueness and deep harbour blueness with the Opera House in distance. But they all look the same and there is not much story in them. I like this one, because the combination of overcast day and the foreground bokeh of the cage make the colors stand back. The sea, grey blue like a skin of a whale and in the front, the white ferry cruising and perfectly framed in a diamond of the cage. No distraction of colors. It has Elia Kazan and Brando's 'On the waterfront' film character. Mysterious docks, union fights and all the rest.

Photographic experience: There was a gap of 10cm between the cage frame and the rail underneath. I leaned and positioned my camera in that gap, half press to focus on the ferry, checked the exposure, raise the camera without releasing the focus and press the shutter release button.

Story: Here is a gentleman, a tourist perhaps. He is innocently taking his snap. You can catch almost a childish glimpse of his excitement with the stalls of the weekend market in the background. This is one of the passages under the Harbour Bridge in Kirribilli.

Photographic experience: Standard get close, point focus and snap.

Story: Elderly tourists on a small seat on the Harbour Bridge, taking a break, updating their schedule, going through the daily chores of touristic endeavours. Life, if we are lucky, is togetherness. This picture depicts that. Growing old can be hard but not impossible, light backpacks, smart and light footwear, airy hats tell us they've done this before, they know the drills, and they know therefore how to enjoy the essentials. I want to say good on them! A hasty analysis of this picture might otherwise make you think they are lonely in their small world. But I challenge that. This picture in fact do show their content, afar from loneliness. It is a testimony of their survival in this crazy thing called life. Being together they have made it, they are now content and peaceful, not a small achievement.

Photographic experience: In a moment of split second decision I stopped, turned 90 degrees to them, framed 35mm, half-press focus and snapped. Leica Q-P is so good in responding to your speedy intent. It is an amazingly responsive street camera. Its stealth color, its tiny size and fast focus, white balance response blow my mind.

Story: Three friends, standing near the Opera House, looking at somewhere in Kirribilli. The man on the right is trying to show them something, perhaps a particular building, maybe his house. Their bodies are close and they lean inwards which shows they are friends. This is an intimate moment of sharing and friendship. It is crisp and motivating.

Photographic experience: I needed to be discreet and got close, focused on the gentleman on the right and snap. My Leica Q-P is so quiet and fast they did not notice me.

Pics Chosen

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Waltzing Matilda

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