Rubber plant

 I saw this rubber plant in the veranda of a Victorian terrace house. It made me stop. 

I hesitated to take the picture. I asked “Isn’t this an ordinary plant, a low hanging fruit, easy to photograph?”. At first it was my little Instagram devil whispering my ear. 

Then I thought, “If it made me stop, it’s got to be good”. This was my Artist mentor whispering my ear.

A good story can be everywhere. You need to relax and allow it to pour into your soul through your eyes. That’s when a good photograph can be taken.

There are huge merits in slow intent-based photography. 

Something that makes you stop is worth to look at closely. Ask “What makes this thing drawing my attention?”. Study its expression in relation to surroundings. This object is part of a bigger whole, yet it stands out. Ask “What makes it to stand out, what is its story?”

For me a rubber plant reminds me my upbringing. Many city dwellings in Turkey had one. It is the most robust indoor plant, easy to grow in living rooms. 

But it is not solely the rubber plant. It brings back sounds, smells and memories. An object like this serves as a memory trigger. With it I hear the sound of coffee pot (cezve) from the kitchen, my mom’s voice asking if I want a cup. The shades and light beams pouring between gaps of gently moving white sheers, the breeze and sounds coming from outside, the unmistakable smell of Turkish coffee.

Then, it is the stance of the plant captivated my attention. It was healthy, lavish green, no trace of yellow leaves yet, at the top of its game. It has this grandeur presence of a living being, commanding respect. 

I am glad that I let it to speak to me. I realised, the plant was talking to me, that was what made me stop.

As a photographer, next time something stops you, listen to what story it is telling you. Slow down, and absorb its presence in solitude. Be gentle in your approach and in your thinking. Be a giver, be generous in your attention that it demands.

Human landscape in Manly beach

Australians finally started to enjoy the orderliness of covid-19 response the nation demonstrated throughout the year 2020. 

Majority of population understood rationale of epidemic and consequently played by the rules. That alone underlined our success story. 

Leaving political divisions aside the federal and local governments maintained public trust in the way they managed the epidemic.  Mistakes were made but dealt with. Divisions emerged but common sense prevailed. 

This was a nation not in disarray but in unity.

Public safety came first.

In these pictures we see small groups of Australian public, from friends to families, enjoying fine weekend weather in Manly beach in January 2021.

North Head fire

Significant damage to North Head bushland was inflicted by a hazard reduction burn that jumped containment lines on Saturday 17th October 2020.

Around 50 firefighters battled the blaze in Sydney Harbour National Park on Saturday after it got away from them when the weather changed.

I captured these images in January 2021. 

Seeing life blooming in the midst of darkness never fails to amaze me. 

Push your comfort zone

 I took this picture on the second day of January 2021. 

This year we had a cooler and rainier December in Sydney. It rained almost daily.

Drizzled days provide opportunities to capture deep landscape pictures. Clouds and uniform mist in the air create an infinitely deep natural light filter by forming a fine smooth fog all the way to the horizon.

Leica Q-P’s excellent Summilux f1.7 lens captures every bit of light with great precision in DNG mode. All you are left to do is to apply minor Lightroom magic 🪄 to expose the depth of field and spread the tones on the histogram.

My Leica Q-P is not weather protected, but it can tolerate occasional drizzle. Thanks to Semra holding the big umbrella I could take interesting landscape pictures on this rainy day.  

💡Tip of the day: keep a decent size dry e-cloth in your bag handy. Dry your camera immediately in case it is exposed to water.