Film lover gift list

After an amazing weekend in Sydney at BLOGSHOP learning new Photoshop & blogging skills, I thought I'd do a little mood board with a few photography & film goodies to inspire you over the holidays. I'm a big fan of all of these products & they may be worth a thought if you are out of ideas for your friends & family who are interested in photography!  xo Mel

1. The Tokyo Dreamer Camera Strap. 2. Lomography LC-Wide 35mm Camera. 3. Crumpler Haven (S) Camera Pouch. 4. Fuji Instax Mini Film (L-R) Pandora, Candy Pop & Rainbow Colour. 5. Instant Love Book by Susannah Conway, Jenifer Altman & Amanda Gilligan. 6. Baggu Canvas Duck Tote Bag.

Photo Swap 2012 - Part Two

My Melbourne photos from the photoswap with Margrethe from Norway. 

(LC-Wide with expired Agfa 100)

Oh the joys of a Melbourne spring! Sunny 28 one day, rainy 8 the next... thankfully there is always just enough light to snap up the sights of the city.

I can hardly believe that it is already November, the year has gone so fast & so many things have happened. Next weekend I am spending a long weekend in Sydney, a little mini break is exactly what I need & if I manage to take some photos while I'm there, that's a bonus. (Although I am limiting myself to only taking 3 cameras with me!) I'll also be catching up with a couple of old friends from the UK & Europe that I've not seen in ages... fun times!

Then 3 weeks after that I am back in Sydney for a Blogshop workshop which I'm going to with the spectacular photographer Olivia... we are making a big girls weekend away of it & I just can't wait for cocktails harbourside & learning loads of neat new photoshop skills.

Sometimes you just need a little travel time to clear your head & heart.

x Mel

Photo Swap 2012 - Part One

Norway photos from the photoswap with Margrethe.

This year I participated in the annual Photoswap run by Rhianne from For The Easily Distracted, which involved swapping film with another film photographer in another part of the world. I was teamed up with the incredibly talented Margrethe from Norway.

Above are a few of the photos from the film that Margrethe sent me from Norway (you can see the remainder of photos from this film here.), but in my next post I will also post the photos from the film I sent to Margrethe.

I just realised today that Margrethe & myself share our birthday, November 18th (however a few years separate us)... what a lovely coincidence!

It was so lovely to be involved in this project & I can't wait to see everyone's photos over on the Flickr group!

x Mel

Oh Hai Hiatus!

Vignetting Victoria Exhibition photos by Patrick Boland (except the last one)

Apologies for the little mini hiatus... life suddenly became very busy post-exhibition season & I only now getting back into the swing of daily life.

The Vignetting Victoria Lomography exhibition was an amazing success, and I am incredibly thankful to all of you who supported me through it's planning, organisation & running. Most especially Lomography Australia/NZ, No Vacancy Project Space & Brooklyn Brewery, hopefully this is just the start of a thriving Lomography community here in Melbourne. Thanks also to all those Lomographers who contributed to the exhibition, it was lovely to meet some of you & have you share in the experience.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet all of those who visited the exhibition & to meet so many fellow Melbourne Lomographers while teaching workshops. I can't wait to get more Lomography events & workshops started so I can continue to share the LomoLove around.

x Mel

UNSENSORED12: An Exhibition of Analogue Photography

The Melbourne Silver Mine presents:

UNSENSORED12
Collingwood Gallery
292 Smith Street Collingwood

Opening Night:
Friday 14th September 2012 from 6pm

Exhibition dates:
Saturday 15th September 2012 – Wednesday 26th September 2012

Gallery open daily:
10am – 6pm Saturday & Sunday
Midday – 6:30pm Monday – Friday

This year’s show features photography by 47 Melbourne Silver Mine members.

I shall be exhibiting these photos 1 2 3.  I hope you can make it to the show.

You can grab the Exhibition invites here, please feel free to circulate them:
Square format: web | PDF (photograph by Emma Starr)
Landscape format: web | PDF (photograph by Nicole Davis)

This event is also listed on Facebook

x Mel

Vignetting Victoria Lomography Exhibition

Lomography Australia / NZ is proud to present an exhibition of selected photographic prints collected from 35 photographers Australia-wide who utilise a range of Lomography film cameras and techniques. Discover the Lomography photographer’s view on Melbourne and Victoria, with a blend of urban, suburban and rural work that ties together the beauty not only of Melbourne but also the state as a whole.

We’ll also be having workshops, a POP UP Project Store and also a DIY station where you can personalise your own Lomography La Sardina camera. For more information follow Lomography Australia/NZ on facebook or visit www.lomography.com.au.

I will be gallery sitting the exhibition for the entire 2 weeks it is running, along with running a Lomography POP UP shop in the gallery space & running Lomography workshops.

The workshops I will be running include Introduction to Lomography; Fisheye 1, 2 & Baby Fisheye; Diana F+, Diana Mini & Baby Diana; Light Painting & Multiple Exposures; and finally a Lomography Melbourne Night Walk. Pop on over to the Lomography Workshops website to book, since spaces are limited.

I can't wait to meet all the Melbourne Lomographers who come to the exhibition & those who have work included, so come by & say hello!

x Mel

LC-Wide x Fisheye 2 on the Streets of Fitzroy

LC-Wide x Fisheye 2 (Lomography 800CN film)

On Saturday morning there was a brief, yet exciting few hours of sunshine here in Melbourne... so out I went with my LC-Wide & recently borrowed Fisheye 2... one swapped double exposed film later & I'm super happy with my results... I love experimenting with double exposures & I think I will really learn to love the Fisheye 2.

I love how well the two very different lens of the LC-Wide & Fisheye 2 complement each other & give different angles... I will most definitely be using this combination of cameras again very soon. I also love how forgiving the 800 speed film can be, without too much grain... I look forward to maybe even giving some xpro a go next time on this little doubles combination.

I love walking the streets of Fitzroy, if for nothing else than the awesome old cars that you see around the place... I'm always a sucker for a cute old car & a bit of lane way street art... oh & don't forget the occasional (done too much these days) feet shot.

Come on Melbourne sunshine, stay just a little longer?

x Mel 

A Yarra Valley Weekend

(1 -3) LC-A (Lomography 50-200 Redscale) & (4 -5) LC-Wide (Fuji Sensia 100)

During the winter months in Melbourne, the light isn't ideal for film photography... especially in the city. So when a friend suggested we go for a wine tour of the Yarra Valley, I was all ears. It rained for most of the day of our tour, but thanks to my LC-A & LC-Wide there were still plenty of photos to be taken. It's so lovely to visit the countryside, it make me miss Queensland a little,with all of it's wide open spaces & fresh air. 

Just a little reminder to those of you who have taken photos with Lomography cameras (including Holgas) anywhere in Victoria, you still have time to submit them into the Vignetting Victoria Exhibition that will be running in September at the No Vacancy Project Space in Federation Square. The deadline is midnight tonight August 3rd... so quick sticks! You can see all the submission & exhibition details at Vignetting Victoria.

x 

Mel

The Winter Wait

LC-Wide (Kodak Ektar 100CN)

Oh, the Winter Wait (as I call it)... that time when you are just trying to wait winter out... when you really do know deep down inside that there is a minimum of 6 weeks of chill left. Sometimes I think a bit of englishness rubbed off on me from my days in London, like taking about the weather... yes I most definitely talk about the weather too much.

To think that this time last year I was in a New York City "heatwave"... I remember how lovely it was to be warm again, then I also remember the sunburn & the noisy airconditioner in my Chelsea hotel room. It really does only feel like yesterday since my days in New York... *mental note - need holiday*

I know that now I'm helping out with the excellent Australian/NZ people that my opinion of Lomography products will sound biased, but just to clear that up... this is MY blog... I promise only to talk & post things that I think are completely awesome & amazing... in this tradition I want to mention how much I love my LC-Wide... in hindsight it really was worth every cent I spent on it. I highly recommend that anyone who has used an LC-A before should get their hands on a LC-Wide & at least put a roll of film through it. I still love my old Russian LC-A, but I must say that the LC-Wide is slowly & surely swaying me her way.

Antipodeans, stay warm. Everyone else, stay cool.

x

Mel

Supersampler Early Winter

Supersampler - Lomography 800CN film

Oh Melbourne in winter, there is always that chill in your bones that often disappears in hot showers & cosy beds, but always reappears with a sudden jarring moment familiarised by the term 'burrr'. Then there are the sunny days, that aren't necessarily any warmer, but they give a heightened illusion of warm, even if just to the eyes. They make the cold that much more bearable & all the layers, socks, scarfs & coats worth it.

I've been lucky enough to have a couple of my wonderful interstate friends & my awesome family visit in the last few weeks. It is always lovely to have visitors, show them 'my' Melbourne & share with them my favorite cafes, restaurants, galleries & lane ways.

This time last year I was preparing for a trip to New York City... a summer break from the Melbourne winter chill... this year I will just have to layer up, curl up & think warm happy thoughts.

x
Mel

Melbourne, can you hear me?

LC-A (Agfa Precisa 100 shot at 50 ISO x-pro)

Melbourne! Victoria! Yes, I'm talking to you!

Do you shoot film? Would you like to learn more about film photography?

I am now the Melbourne/Victorian Ambassador for LomographyAustralia/NZ & I am here for all your Lomography needs, wants & queries.

What better way to celebrate Lomography in Melbourne & Victoria but an Exhibition, right?

You can find all the details about the Vignette Victoria Lomography exhibition that will be filling the No Vacancy Project Space in Federation Square in September 2012, over at the Lomography Aust/NZ website.

You are also more than welcome to contact me at melbourne@lomography.com.au with any questions to may have.

x Mel

Melbourne in a season of change

 

Lomography SuperSampler (Lomography 400CN film)

Apologies for my blog absenteeism of late. Life has been busy with family & friends visiting Melbourne; the shortening days of early winter; spreading the Lomography love in Melbourne; falling in love with my LC-Wide; watching leaves fall & trees turning into empty branches reaching for the sky.

One thing I can say Melbourne, is that there are exciting times coming for the Lomography community! *wink wink*

"Everybody says that time heals everything all in the end

What of the wretched hollow, the endless in between?

Are we just going to wait it out?" 

Wait It Out - Imogen Heap 

x Mel

The Lovely, Chanelle Davis

LC-A & LC-Wide (Kodak BW400CN, Kodak Ektar 100 & Lomography Slide 200)

The excellent & amazing Olivia invited me along to shoot with the beautifully talented Chanelle Davis a couple of weeks back. Liv shot DSLR & skirted around her with my LC-A & LC-Wide. It was my first real shoot & I have already learned many lessons from the results I got... but it was a super fun day & I can't wait to hang out with these awesome Kiwis again soon.

x

Mel