Katoomba Noir

Katoomba's Main Street on a misty Friday night in winter. 

Moody

How moody is this pic??!

It's hard to believe, but these were the actual colours of the day. This photo hasn't even been photoshopped into black and white. 

I think it's pretty atmospheric!! It's the epitome of my this month's theme of 'light and shadows'. 

Wisteria Warming in Winter

The bare branches of a wisteria plant glowing in the afternoon sun. 

Moonrise Over Pink

Pretty nice, isn't it?

Pulse of the Grasses

The shadows of the grass in the late arvo sun. 

It reminds me of one of those medical monitors/print outs filled with incomprehensible jagged spikes and troughs, which - depending on what movie you're watching - is either perfectly normal or very bad. 

I'm whimsically reading these shadows as the lawn's pulse. A healthy one. 

Intersection in the Sky (Meeting Point)

I'll meet you where the tree tops touch the sky - at the end of the clouds, where the deepest blue floats above. 

Dancing Shadows

This was a photo taken by accident - ie, trying to click one thing but having the phone slip at the crucial moment and clicking some interesting shadows instead...

Sunrise Commute (in Winter)

Pretty amazing colours for a pic that's completely un-photoshopped. 

The icy cold of the 7am start doesn't really come through the photo, unfortunately. Nor the bitter wind. Take my word for it though - both were present. Bitterly present!! 

I can only remember one or two of the Gestalt principles as they apply to composing photos. I have a feeling this photo might (accidentally) meet one of them... But feel free to (nicely) correct me if I'm wrong! 

Dandelion Fluff in Late Sunshine

A halo in the late afternoon sun...

I've always been a big fan of those photo compositions which do intense, beautiful close-ups of, say, a flower - while blurring the background in subtle harmony. 

This pic is part of a long series I took of this particular dandelion. And I'm rather proud to say that many of them have that  'blurred background' effect that I like. 

Wall in Noir

The most prosaic of settings can be made moody and atmospheric with a trusty black & white filter. 

River at Dusk

This photo was taken on a train as it headed up to the Blue Mountains. 

The Nepean River in Penrith, Sydney, Australia, just on dusk. 

I did several quick clicks with the smartphone, and had to do some justice to the image with Photoshop. 

The bridge railings blurred themselves almost completely out of the picture - fortunately. I've also cropped the rail lines in the foreground. 

The smears and scratches on the train windows are still there, but hopefully not too noticeable. 

And yes, I have added a heavy 'vibrant' filter to get some colour into the image - both to replicate the reality, and to emphasise the serene, river-settles-to-sleep ambiance - which was what caught my eye about the scene in the first place. 

Gold Dots Against Unsmiling Grey

Spring-like Bloom in Shade and Sun

I spotted this bush - still mostly denuded of foliage - while moving between buildings at work. 

I stopped to get a closer look, and sure enough, there were all these tiny pink flowers awoken to the world. Including this little gem!

Night Lights

A prosaic suburban intersection made much more vibrant and interesting, thanks to the night, headlights and reflections!

The bright coloured lights are inside the café, but are reflected onto the outside scene to add the extra fiesta feeling. 

And what night scene isn't improved by a fiesta feeling??

The Tree Reaching to the Sky

Trees are just spectacular creations, that's all. 

Moonlight at Dusk

Moonlight at dusk casts fewer shadows. 

Departure Lounge as the Sun Rises

The liminal space of the airport departure lounge, where travellers wait...

Smiling Moon Above

I like the gradually darkening sky.

The photo's been cropped a tiny bit, but otherwise un-photoshopped. I couldn't bring myself to alter or enhance these gorgeous dusky colours. 

Cyclist in the Sun

Yes, there is a cyclist there!

Look carefully!!

Squint if you have to!

Daffodil Close-Up

If sunshine could be trapped in physical form...

Tide of Frost

The tide of frost on a winter morning retreats to the safety of the shade. 

The Afternoon Sun Throws Long Shadows

Yes, I know I've used this composition before. 

What can I say? I like it! It's very, very striking.

Casuarina Waterfall in the Sun

Palm Tree Root in Late Afternoon

This external root of a palm tree has fallen to the ground, its job done.

I was walking by my work building and noticed it mainly because of how striking it looked in the late arvo light. 

Striking enough to not need photoshopping.  

Spectacular Sydney Sunset

Without *any* photoshopping whatsoever! 

Lil Hair Clips

Some of my extensive selection of childhood hair clips have survived into adulthood. I've got a soft spot for these. 

I have to confess though that the blue ones were particularly skilled at hurting the scalp without holding the hair!

All of these may or may not still get some hair time (minus the blue ones!)

August Theme: Light and Shadows

Finally came up with a theme for August that I'm excited about:

Light and Shadows

I was just going to use 'Light' initially, but with the whole yin-and-yang approach, you can't have one without the other. 

So 'Light and Shadows' it is. 

Pencil Case II

Oh, this is such a familiar design from my childhood. 

Looking at it now, it's obviously a 70s design - the lace-tipped flares answer that question. And I'm not sure why on earth the satellite dish is even there, but I don't think any speculation would be useful. 

This was a very popular, 'wide' pencil case, twice as wide as the standard ones. 

Prior to my discovering my super-duper fancy-schmancy one, this one was popular for its size difference. 

The little mirror was a popular component too!

Singing, Crying Doll

With the help of a 9-volt battery in the doll's back to activate a torso of electronics, this doll had - what at the time were - some definite next gen abilities. 

With the flick of a switch also in the doll's back, she would cry noisily, shrilly and incessantly. The only way to quieten her was to provide her with the specially-designed dummy which paused the crying noise.  

A genuine crying doll who was quietened by her dummy. Truly amazing! And instant favourite with kids. 

But wait. There was more. 

There were also 3 tiny, mini-records that you could put in the doll's back, with different songs on them. 

The mini-records have long since gone AWOL. And I think the dummy has gone missing too. Which is why there are no batteries in the doll's vicinity. 

But the doll otherwise is in great condition, and conjures up some lovely memories. 

A Perfect Lil Bag

Oh I loved this bag when I was younger! A tiny little item which fit into the palm of my hand. It wasn't big enough to even accommodate 4 folded tissues, but I still went through a stage of wanting to carry it everywhere I went. 

And the colours!! Bright rainbow-like colours - including pink - separated by sparkling silver thread! Loved it!