Black & White Autumn Waltz

Belair X6-12 (Lomography Lady Grey 120 film)

So, winter, you've well and truly arrived in Melbourne. Short, short days, filled with coffee and wholesome soups. It feels like there is a wind of change (a bit of an icy one) blowing through town at the moment. I've recently resigned from my day job, which is equally scary and exciting, but will leave me with more time to devote to Lomography Australia and my own art/photography practice. The lovely folks in my studio have been super supportive over the past couple of months, and it's wonderful to get advice from creative types who know what you are going through.

I'll be back at VCA completing my first year of post-grad next semester, so it will be lovely to have more time to dedicate to my projects and also to spend some daytime hours in the studio.

Many changes are afoot, who knows what will happen in the next few months, but I can say one thing, I'm looking forward to the change. (hopefully you will also see more posts from me on this little blog)

x
Mel

Surprising Studio

LC-Wide (Kodak BW400CN) - ACDC Lane - Cherry Bar.

So, Melbourne. You have been been impressing me lately. Yes, you are getting colder, but you have resisted too much of that silly rainy windy mess that you are known for. Among other things you have opened some pretty amazing doors lately, including of the physical variety... the physical art/creative studio variety. 

I have longed for a little while now to have a place where I can dedicate my time to my creative artistic projects, my post-grad coursework and my Lomography freelance work. A few of weeks back I responded to an advert of the Creative Spaces website for a desk space in a communal studio just a couple of blocks from my house in Carlton. After meeting the awesome bunch of people who share the space, they decided that I fit the bill & I was welcomed into the world of Bouverie Studios! Hurrah!

The past few of weeks that I've been working in the studio have been super productive & very much worth the extra rent. I recommend anyone who doesn't feel like they have the space or solitude they need in their current working space to seek out a studio space, it very much worth it for your own peace of mind & the best outcome of your work. I'm surprised just how much I can get done on nights & weekends, more than I ever did working out of my bedroom in a share house.

What has surprised you lately?

x 

Mel

O'lovely!

   

O'lovely - LC-A, LC-Wide & Diana Mini (various film types)

Back in January I had the pleasure of joining the wonderful O'lovely girls, Laura & Shakira for a photo shoot, here in Melbourne. The theme was 'runaways', so we spent the afternoon shooting at a local train station & getting up to general hijinks.

O'lovely have just arrived back from recording new material in New Zealand... so keep an eye out at the links below for new music.

O'lovely at Triple J Unearthed
O'lovely My Space
O'lovely Facebook

x
Mel

Like List #1

Instagram of one of my Belair transparencies from a shoot with O'lovely

Here is my first ever little like list!!

Firstly, Max Gimblett is one of my all time favorite artists, he is a Kiwi who now splits his time between New York and Auckland. I fell in love with Max's work back in the early 2000's & he is one of the most consistent & hard working artists I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

His most recent works are available to view on his website & I am currently in love with his colourful Quatrefoil works on paper. 

Max Gimblett's colourful Quatrefoils on paper.

Secondly, I was doing some research into artists who had attended the Art Student's League of New York, and I stumbled upon the Lost Artwork's page on Wikipedia. I never had any idea of the quantity of artwork that has been destroyed or 'lost' over the years & I found it incredibly interesting to read about the circumstances in which some of the art was lost.

Lost Artworks on Wikipedia.

& finally, I am going through a 'I want to run away to Paris!' phase (again!) & stumbled upon Airbnb. It's a nifty little place where you can view & book cheap apartment accommodation, pretty much anywhere you want to travel. You can rent just a room, or an entire apartment, with prices according to what is provided & location. I must say that looking at Airbnb fuelled so many daydreams of Parisian photowalks, cafe au lait, crepes & bottles of wine drank on the edge of the Seine. 

Airbnb - Holiday Apartment heaven!

x
Mel

Spotty Melbourne

LC-Wide (Kodak BW400CN) (colour spots added in Photoshop)

I'm a big believer in being authentic in analogue film photography, especially when portraying the end result truthfully. I'm not big at editing my film shots, I pretty much just remove dust & straighten the occasional photo. However since doing Blogshop in Sydney back in December, I've been inspired to add a little something to a few of my film photos. I don't think this will become a regular occurrence but it was fun &interesting to play around with a few effects & such in Photoshop.

These photos are from a selection from I took in Melbourne back at the end of last year... & these three just seemed to work well together to me.

How do you feel about post-processing / digitally editing your film photos?

x
Mel

Blogshop Sydney!!

 

 

 
 
Fuji Instax Mini (Rainbow, Candy Spot & Pandora film)

Back in December, Olivia (from Photograhicamismo fame) & I took ourselves off for a little Blogshop (blog/photography/photoshop) weekend in Sydney. We had a ridiculous amount of fun, learnt tonnes & met some pretty amazing people. (We also unknowingly walked through Redfern & saw a fully grown pig tied up in a park!)

Thanks to Blogshop I can now make super cute GIFs! YAY!

Bri Emery & Angela Kohler from Blogshop were super lovely & knowledgeable... encouraged afternoon Mimosas & lit little creative fires in all of us. So thanks for making your way to Australia ladies!

Here's a little Blogshop Sydney video thanks to Annette Wilson!

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

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