Photoblog - A pic a post

Last post...

2010-04-26T01:14:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

This will be my last post on pic-a-post. Moving on to my new blog where hopefully is the start of something exciting. Hope you will still drop a line and come visit!! New address is: http://milkwoodphotography.blogspot.com/

bye for now!

mw

#iheartfaces photograhy: Week 13 - “Dramatic B&W” Photo Challenge!

2010-03-30T22:25:00.000+11:00

i've decided to use a photo that i recently posted in the dramatic B&W photo challenge. i like this picture because the face says it all. I also thought it was an interesting backdrop of a busy cafe and i really like the light by the window. and i guess the subject is a bit cute :P

check out the other entrants at i heart faces photography !

l8rs

Breakfast: Luxe Bakery, Newtown

2010-03-24T23:59:00.000+11:00

On a quest to find the best breakfast in Sydney, we decided to Luxe Bakery in Newtown. We noticed this relatively new addition to missenden rd when we were getting our coffee at Campos one week and decided to check it out the next week.

Luckily we ducked in the week before to check they were open on Sunday because I don't think they have a website yet nor did they have a land line installed at their premises to check their trading hours. All in all, it seemed like quite a new place.

When we arrived there were quite a few people tuckered in for breakfast, so we grabbed a nook by the window (nice light there too) and proceeded to read the giant board filled with bread inspired breakfasts'

Menu was simple but had nice variety I thought, decor of the place was a bit sparse with exposed beams and all but i liked the counter where it showed delightful pastries and its back wall filled with preserved vegetables - interesting light fixtures too. i felt it was a bit like a warehouse.

We had the poached eggs with handmade baked beans and roasted tomatoes and we also got the scrambled eggs with chives and parmasen and might i add the tastiest soy & linseed bread i have ever tasted!

Great simple breakfast and not bad coffee - although hard to beat campos next door. So check it out for affordable and tasty simple food

Luxe Bakery Cafe
191 Missenden Rd, Newtown
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm
Sat 8am-5pm
Sun - i dont' remember, but I was there at 10am!

Finishing off with interesting graffiti on king rd - remember when there was a column 8 on the front page! love the pun.

happy thursday.

mw

Cormac the council worker

2010-03-24T13:31:00.001+11:00

An adventure to the ATM required us to put on yellow vests. Highlight of my day.

Phone Play!

2010-03-23T00:33:00.001+11:00

It's amazing how kids pick up actions, words and sounds by mimicking those around them. This particular night demonstrated this perfectly. After seeing his mum & dad on the phone; talking and laughing. He thought that he might have a go at it too.

The first two photos are showing how curious he is over my great big camera

Then he starts dialling a phone number on his phone and has a grand conversation!

Laughter ensues, must be a good conversation!

Time to say bye! good night!

post later, back log of 3 months. sigh. march madness currently happening, weddings galore!

Working late shenanigans

2010-03-19T01:27:00.001+11:00

Apparently the powder puff look. How cute

Caught my first fish!

2010-03-11T15:25:00.001+11:00

Here I am, fishing off a jetty in northern NSW in a place called yamba. I've been unlucky the last 2 days, but today i caught a little angel fish. They've been nibbling all the prawns we've been using as bait. We've also caught catfish, brim, whiting and flathead. Fishing is quite fun but takes patience which is something i lack. But taking time out has helped that. See you back in town

Photography 101 - Night Time!

2010-03-02T07:00:00.004+11:00

Since i have extra time this morning,I'll post the photos that we took during dusk/night time as part of my class. We went out and trekked around the Opera House and the Rocks area with 2 models on hand to pose for us. Quite amusing, at one point we were outside the Opera House with a red carpet event inside and they thought the photography class were papparazi harrassing these 2 volunteer models.

hi ho, off to work i go.

bye!
mw

San churros at glebe

2010-02-28T16:16:00.001+11:00

replacement breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea! There goes my non chocolate diet.

Photography 101

2010-02-24T23:44:00.009+11:00

I decided that I would take photography more seriously this year, well I made that one of my NY resolutions. So I decided to take Photography Classes with Focus 10 photography

The instructor, Andrew is quite a character with good stories and a wealth of experience when it comes to shooting so it was good to pick his brain about anything.

Anyways, so it was a 3 week course where we learnt about our cameras a bit more, what I got out of it was

- Greater appreciation about lighting, especially with the aid of reflectors

- My sb900 flash (previously I could not use it)

- Exposure and when to use it

- Composition for portraits and looking for interesting lines for landscape.

- The discovery of the P mode on my camera. Did not know i had to use that when i used my flash for syncing purposes!

All in all, there were around 6-8 people on the course and we all got to know each other a bit and asked each other questions and were each other's models. I was sad to see that there was only one other Nikon-ian on the course, but i guess the canon guys were ok :)

So i'll put a few of my favourite photos up. We had a round up dinner last night where we showcased our top 30-40 photos over the last 3 weeks and we voted on each person's set of photos with a score out of 10. I ended up coming 2nd which was ok with me.

Starting off with the other only Nikon-ian (is that right?) who had a beaut D700.

These were taken out on our day trip to Watsons Bay, Vaucluse House, Strickland House and the lighthouse near Watsons Bay. The weather was nice for shooting, a bit overcast and a bit rainy at times - but we had a good laugh. We had a nice couple from Perth to be our models for the lovey dovey shots at Vaucluse House

I'll post the second week's photos up soon.

Toodles

Week 7 - "I wanna dance" photo challenge @ i heart faces photography

2010-02-16T00:38:00.000+11:00

The good folk at i heart faces photography have set this week's challenge to be 'i wanna dance' and i immediately thought of the fantastic choreographed spectaclar at my friends wedding. The groomsmen and bridesmaids needed to buy some time for the groom and bride to do the final reveal and they entertained the crowd by way of a choreographed dance to the late and great Michael Jackson.

I especially like this photo because this is the beginning of the dance and they've just arrived in position and the groomsmen in the front looks like he can't wait for it to start. This particular move was the alternate bopping...crowd definately loved it. Have a look at all the other funny and cute entries on the i heart faces website.

bye

Balmain - Kazbah on Darling

2010-02-14T00:02:00.000+11:00

For our weekly dinners, we decided to splurge to celebrate Lish's engagement so we mosey on down to Kazbah at Balmain, handily a stone throws away from pretty much all of us. This was the first time I'd been there, so I was quite keen to try it out and see what all the fuss is about. I hear it's fantastic for breakfast as well, the owner told me that for groups, its best to book.

Anyways, here we go. A few of us car pooled and got to the restaurant a bit late, (sorry m.t) where we were greeted by the owner and told of the thursday special which was 2 courses for $40 or 3 courses for $45. $5 for dessert sounded like a bargain, why wouldn't you do the 3 courses?

Whilst chatting, I took a few happy snaps of our surroundings before our entree came out:. Firstly, i loved their decor, their plates were so colourful. It was fate that Lish matched her plate, or a happy coincidence.The bread came out and we munched away, well everyone else did but me, as I'm trying to reduce my carb intake.

The place was decked out for Valentines Day, so I took advantage and played around with some depth of field shots with the v. photogenic Nelisa :) and btw, that is a compliment.

Soon, the entree came out - as part of the deal you must get the mezze plate which was delightful anyways. On the mixed mezze plate was i think:

Dips Plate -Hummus, Babaganouj, Taramasalata and Breads, Fried Cauliflower with Eggplant Jam, Chickpea Battered Zucchini Flower Stuffed with Walnut and Feta, Muhamara Sauce, Calamari Rings, something like Tabouli and something like cous-cous. I don't remember - please feel free to correct me.

Mains were pretty nice and tasty. Two ladies chose the Pan-Fried Duck Breast with Falafel, Honey Baked Quince and Sweet Potato Chips, another lady had the Kingfish with Paella Pilaf, Preserved Lemon and Coriander Gremolata and i chose the Grain Fed Sirloin with Crushed Herb Potatoes, Za'atar and Lima Beans Pork Belly, Cardamon Jus

Next stop was dessert, we decided to share 2 desserts amongst ourselves. we chose the Arabian Dessert Plate for 2 and Kazbah Bomb for Two - Turkish Delight Ice Cream, Blueberries flamed with Kurrant Vodka. Pretty interesting dessert plate, from memory it was: watermelon & nougart salad, chocolate filled cigar, milk pudding and the last dessert looked like a macaroon but the top layer was rhubarb then goats cheese? and then it seemed like it was brown sugar. that last one was my favourite. The Kazbah Bomb wsas quite a spectacle, v. interesting the blue ring that engulfed the dessert, the girls were surprised everytime they found some turkish delight in the ice cream.

We had a lovely night chatting and eating, so much so that we were the last guests at the restaurant, so I roamed around and took more photos - i think the owner was getting worried where I would be posting the photos.... :) I did like the decor of this place, you can tell there is a big middle eastern/north african influence.

Until next week girls...

Week 6 - We heart kisses photo challenge

2010-02-09T12:36:00.000+11:00

So this week's challenge is to capture moments about kissing. The photo that I've chosen is capturing the attempt of kissing with one keen little boy and one not so keen little boy. I especially like how there is someone helping the attempted kissing by positioning one of the boys in the most optimum position but the other will have none of it. We did manage to get them to lean towards each other, but I thought this was much funnier. Kids are funny aren't they.

Hope everyone this week has an enjoyable time, enjoying Valentines Day and Chinese New Year. Check out the other contestants at i heart faces.

toodles!

He put a ring on it...

2010-02-09T00:12:00.000+11:00

Probably won't get the title if you don't know Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it) song...

Anyways, congrats must go out to Lish & Wiggie for getting engaged last week! Lish being sneaky asked all her friends to guess what the happy news was, I was at first apprehensive as there was no punctuation in my sms to denote if it was a happy "guess what!" or a sad "guess what...". Punctuation does make a difference people.

V. happy for these two, its been a long time coming but I'm so glad that its 2010 that they have decided to get engaged! Caught up with them at the interesting cafe in Netown Satellite Expresso. Will post more photos soon -ish.

Couple of photos for the happy couple. Wiggie designed such a beautiful ring, a diamond surrounded by their birthstones. I tried to also capture wiggie's hand in the background. Next shot of the engaged, soon to be 'Wiggies'. Look how the shiny the ring is :)

nitey nite!

Moving at a snails pace...

2010-02-03T00:08:00.000+11:00

Mixed metaphors, i love it. Mixed metaphor being the turtle in the below picture symbolising my slowness in blogging and getting through the volume of photos that I have on my hands. I have photos all the way back from August when I went to Noosa.

Anyways, the photo taken below was shot at Australia Zoo where we didn't see Bindy Irwin unfortunately, but we did see some incredible animals including this cute little/big thing. I can't remember if it was a tortoise or turtle...i'll guess and say tortoise...

I will get to the 2000+ photos and will process these soon. slow and steady will win the race!

toodles

Breakfast: Baffi & Mo

2010-01-29T01:04:00.002+11:00

We ventured out to Baffi & Mo at Redfern a few months ago, and it is only now that I am uploading the photos. I found about this place when i was reading the timeout review about Sydney's best places for breakfast. I am determined to try all off them, not great my for waist line...but i figure breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

So i got a regular mocha to start things off, only to discover that had a gianormous size which I obviously had to get. it was v. yummy. i forgot to find out what beans they used....but easily top 5 coffees i've had in Sydney. oh, maybe top 10.

Whilst waiting for the food, we had a myriad of newspapers and magazines to occupy ourselves with although I opted to take funny pictures of Simon and our surroundings.

If only Simon had a moustache in this photo, would have been perfect.

Then the food came, oh boy it was good. I went for the Eggs Baffi with roasted mushrooms, feta, spinach and hollandais. Those mushrooms were so divine!! Simon had the one pan eggs, with bacon, chorizo, tomato, mushrooms and rocket.

All in all, I think one of the best breakfast places I've been to in Sydney. Excellent food, good service and reasonable prices I thought. It's quite small and was busy when we went so be prepared to get in early or wait for a table.... below shot was taken in the 5 minutes the space next to us wasn't taken.

Anyways, the plug:
Baffi & Mo
Address: 94 Redfern Street, Redfern NSW 2016
Phone: 8065 3294‎

happy eating.

week 4: i heart faces photography - texture challenge

2010-01-27T00:41:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day!

Anyways, this weeks challenge at i heart faces is to incorporate textures into photos. I've been doing a bit of playing around with textures, i think my favourite is putting an antique/rustic feel on photos. This photo is of my lovely friend where she was bridesmaid for my other lovely friend. She has such an infectious smile and genuinely is happy all the time, always nice to hang around for a pick me up. I actually touched up the photo a bit using Photoshop Elements and then I placed two textures on top, the first a thick paper one and then a rustic/antiquey one.

I've been totally slack with my blogging, i have a whole bunch of photos to look through, i think around 2000. where to find the time? obviously not at 12:37am.

Anyways, hope your week is going well. Please have a look at the other lovely entrants at i heart faces.

bye

Tempe driving range

2010-01-24T18:57:00.001+11:00

Interesting back drop for a driving range, watching the planes come in and surrounded by freight containers. Drone of the planes drown out the yells of the golfers frustration.

Queensland Summer Holiday: Port Douglas

2010-01-20T21:58:00.005+11:00

Hi Ya'll,

I'm starting backwards. What I mean by that is that I'm going to tell you all about my relaxing summer holiday in Northern Queensland in reverse chronological order. We were in Northern Queensland for 6 glorious sun drenched days, well 5 glorious sun drenched days and 1 semi wet day. Some overall stats, coz i love stats:

Hours to get to Port Douglas from Sydney: 9 hours (3 connecting flights!!)
Km's Driven throughout the trip: 1,000
Beaches visited: 3
Waterfalls viewed and posed under: 2
Mossie Bites Received: >15
Hideous Tan Lines: a squillion
Average Time we left the house each morning: Midday

Anyways, so this is my post about Port Douglas itself. Port Douglas is a lovely township with a vibrant cafe & restaurant population, dotted with resorts/hotels and golf courses; v. geared towards tourists. Port Douglas main attractions include

4 mile beach (which at this time of year is popular because it is one of the few beaches with netting that protect swimmers from box jellyfish which are prevelant during the wet season)
The Look Out - beautiful view of 4 mile beach. Lots of tourists taking lovely pictures, some tourists pretending to take pictures. ha ha.

Meridian Marina - 'gateway' to Great Barrier Reef, where you catch the boats to go out to the reef

Fishing off the jetty - we didn't catch anything though...i did see a fish in the water! that was a shame. I think we should have used live bait. It was great to see the boats come in and out though!

We stayed at the lovely Sea Temple at Port Douglas which is right on 4 mile beach. It was such a lovely place. For a few nights we stayed in the penthouse which had its own bbq and jacuzzi area on the roof. Splurging is good.

They have such a beautiful pool!! I don't jump very high do I ?

The view from our balcony

Eating out at the restaurantsand cafes. We ate a few nice places including On the Inlet where youcan see fish swimming about right underneath you. They have a hugeGroper called George that comes around daily to get a feed. Unfortunately i did not take any pics of the meal we had there due to the rain. We also dined atSalsa a modern australian restaurant that has a nice selection ofseafood and meats.When we went we had for entree different styles of salmon, mains, i had the barramundi and simon had the jambalya. I thought their decor was quite interesting, they had plates lining their roof.

I don't remember where we had brekkie that one morning, but we had difficulty finding breakfast places on the Sunday morning. but we did find one place where they served my mocha with an 'm', lucky for me my initials are the same upside down!

So that was Port Douglas, will post on Daintree, Great Barrier Reef and Atherton Tablelands later.

Happy Hump Day!

mw

week 3: i heart faces photography - we are family

2010-01-18T23:30:00.000+11:00

I've decided to join up for fun this group of photographers called i heart faces photography that have different themes every week and you need to photograph that particular theme which is quite fun! This weeks theme is 'we are family' and there are quite a few gems by other photographers - quite cute and funny.

Anyways, my submission is the one that i took of my parents on NYE where i got them to make faces which is v. rare of them so this is quite a unique capture. I'm enjoying the low light lens and new tripod I got for Christmas.

check out i ♥ faces photography to check out the other photographers!

Secure much?

2010-01-16T11:51:00.001+11:00

This is the fanciest butcher i've been to- victor churchill in woollharc. They had all these security cameras on a jar of quince. Must be good quince...

Try getting this red mark out of the carpet

2010-01-15T16:08:00.003+11:00

Interesting carpet huh? Interesting decor in general - check out the post modern art work in the corner. we surmised that it is about fishing or space or something....not sure.

Where else but Queensland...

2010-01-10T23:11:00.000+11:00

Just got back from Port Douglas about an hour north of Cairns and it was beautiful. Weather was great, activities were great and it was such a fun and relaxing time.

Here's one of my favourite shots of the trip - will upload more once i get around to getting through all 1000 photos and my laundry...

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

2010-01-03T03:48:00.003+11:00

It's been a hectic couple of days gone past, I've finally had some time to go through the photos I took of NYE. Let's start with a teaser, Sydney sure does know how to do a firework display... the new decade definately came in with a blue bang.

But i digress, let's recap from the NYE day. My sister offered to host NYE dinner at her house where we were treated to sashami, oysters, lobsters, salads and we managed to polish off a bottle of Brown Brothers Rose Zibibbo Champagne (yum) and 3 different types of sauvignon blanc wines. Picture of food below

Good photo of mum & dad enjoying the food

We managed to see some of the fireworks from my sisters balcony, but I didn't get any great shots - so heres smoke instead. Top photo is taken by Simon and is what you can usually see, bottom photo is the 9pm fireworks in action.

Then we decided to take some silly photos to kill time before the midnight photos using my new tripod and lens. Here are some of the funnier ones of everyone on the night, starting with mum & dad. Had to get them to pull some faces...

It was easier getting funnier poses out of Malinda & Lan. Check out his guns! Malinda was obviously not ready for the first photo so was a bit taken a back by the forward movement.

Simon and me were a bit more creative, not sure which one I like more, the vogue or the glasses...

Needed to get to Cahill Expressway by 11:50 to attend the midnight session. Thanks to Phil for giving us the tickets to the session. Thanks to the RTA for balloting the session so it wasn't so packed. We were in a posing mood, so this was us waiting for the bus. The black and white photo was taken whilst we were on the bus. Not sure why he was walking around with an empty case on his head - strange.

We started the walk from Hyde Park towards Cahill Expressway, we stopped off to pose at the giant chessboard. Atmosphere on the street was quite festive, with the road closures, people were just wandering aimlessly and generally having a good time.

It was a bit strange walking on the Cahill Expressway, since I've driven on it so many times - v. cool though. Took the opportunity to take some shots I would never be able to get -

When we got there, after a bit of a port-a-loo debacle (ahem) the crowd had definately formed. It was pretty packed by 11:45pm and we just muscled our way to the quasi front. Some people had definitely gotten into the spirity of the 'blue' theme. We waiting patiently for the countdown to begin, our view was pretty spectacular.

Unfortunately, the photos I took of the fireworks weren't great - mostly smoke. Next time I know to bring a tripod and leave the flash at home...but here are a few that are ok. The first set is supposed to be blurry ...really.

We had a really good view of the other participating city skyscrapers that had fireworks launched off their rooftops. The AMP building looked especially good with the blue I thought.

We didn't take many people photos during the 12 minute firework display, but here are 2:

The finale was quite spectacular, although I got mostly smoke - I thought the colours were really nice.

Aftermath of the fireworks below - people cleared out within 20 minutes. We hung around to take a few photos. Smoke cleared up within 10 minutes which was pretty quick.

Finally managed to get to the front when the spectators had vacated the prime spots so we took some happy snaps

We departed and we were swept in with the masses battling the public transport system to get home...

We took a scenic route and posed for a few pictures before arriving at our bus stop. Heres the view from the top of Bridge St

We moseyed on to Martin Place where it was quite packed, people were ready to flood the bars. We took the opportunity to pose on Pitt St - the road says 'US' .. ha ha.

This photo is to show you the wrist band we had to wear to get into the Cahill Expressway area and the top photo is of a bentley...i think.

We then walked to King St where I wanted to take a picture in the middle of the road. Apparantly I wouldn't hold still, and then came the traffic, and then I got scared because I heard the fire trucks - hence the 'running'

Anyways, we got home by 2am ish so it wasn't too bad. All in all, a memorable NYE for 2009. Here's hoping that the new decade proves to be better than the last. Hoping that your twenty ten is filled with happy and memorable adventures.

Bye!

A Wong (+others) Christmas

2009-12-30T06:01:00.008+11:00

Hi ya'll,

It has taken me ages to sift through the hundreds of photos taken on Christmas day to give you a recap of what happened on that rainy but eventful day in Sydney. This will be lengthy!

Started off visiting the bf's family and exchanging gifts.. I received so many lovely things! My most prized gift was the new lens that the bf got me! All the photos from Christmas has been taken with my new Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 macro lens. eek! Also to stop me giving up on golf, I received a bag of used callaway balls so I don't feel bad about losing them in water traps. From my family, I received a crumpler camera bag and a gorrilapod tripod. Photo of my feet was just coz...

Then went back home to pick up the meat for the dinner BBQ (twice), then exchanged gifts with my immediate family and also shar, wayne, gregan & simon participated. I don't think i've ever seen our Christmas tree this full...someone was v. original with their 'Happy Birthday' wrapping.

Marissa got stacks! shirt, dvd box set, clothes, dvd player, wine & crumpler laptop bag

Malinda & Lan not so much, an IOU voucher for a BBQ and wine

Mum & dad will be getting clothes....

Simon received clothes

Shar received band hero and guitar hero 5 which we proceeded to play that night and also sneakers that i didn't get a good photo of...

Wayne received a wii fit, a bulldogs badge?, a toliet brush?, clothes and other stuff i don't remember.

Cousins started arriving so we fired up the bbq and started feating away ...feasting started at 4 and finished at around midnight...each family brought a dish and we also had meat and salads...so we had way too much food as per usual. Malinda made some yummy eaton's mess for dessert and mum also made mango pudding which was delish!

After finishing the first round of food we launched into Evil Kris Kringle. After 20 minutes of debate around what the rules were, we finalised that a present could be stolen up to 8 times. On the 8th time, the present is no longer allowed to be stolen.

We all chose a card, and we somehow decided that we would use big 2 rules to determine what is the lowest and highest cards. of course i picked up a 3...

I went first and I picked up an ipod docking speaker thing, and this got stolen immediately by shar. Sylvia picked up some monkey door hangers and Gary picked up the hotly contested brita water filter jug and scratchie. Needless to say the ipod speaker and water jug were both stolen up to 8 times...

Malinda went next and she picked up a Women's Weekly cook book and lollies and Marissa got a Pink set filled with nice smelling candles and scent infuser ...i think. That was stolen by Wayne.

Then it was a good 10 minutes worth of stealing after this point, mostly around the ipod speaker and brita filter jug. Always Olivia who lost out...sorry oli. final winners - ali got the ipod speaker and marissa got the brita filter jug.

Gregan patiently waited for his turn and picked up a photo frame with Guy Sebastian and Lan plastered on it. Lan offered to autograph the photo but was turned down with that offer. It's funny that Olivia & Wayne are so interested in the opening of the present.

Lan was quite unlucky, he got his gift stolen 3 times. In the end he stole the air hockey table off me and I stole from Rachel. Gary ended up with pop out speakers for your laptop, Shar picked out a Fred Hollows donation.

Rachel ended up with body shop range of goodies aimed at travellers after I stole her scent infuser

After opening the presents, eating more we then hunkered down for some game playing: Buzz, Guitar Hero, Band Hero, Singstar, Magic Mic, Mahjong & Poker. I think it's safe to say that anyone who tried to play the drums for Guitar Hero or Band Hero struggled. except for Shar.

Suffice to say, people were occupied...

Unfortunately for Wayne, he was not 'Poker King' as his shirt said he was.

Although the funniest thing that night was the karoke session we all had to participate in. Each person had to pick something from the magic mic and entertain us all. My uncle being the most entertaining as he was serenading his wife. Although no one sounded as good as Sylvia when she sang.

A very fun Christmas to end 2009, glad I could catch up with my cousins. Last photo is random, marissa insisted I take a picture of her grotesque toe and the toliet roll is just really random from crumpler.

Hope everyone else had a relaxing and fun Christmas!

It's beginning to feel like Christmas

2009-12-20T00:17:00.002+11:00

Lonesome Star, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I didn't want to say 'it's beginning to look like Christmas' because that was evident from the end of November - if you noticed all the shopping centres started decorating quite early on.

This week i ventured out to the city during lunch time, and i can say that i felt chaotic. i felt the rush of all the busy little workers as they scrambled to get their Christmas gifts for 2009. I can't believe there is only 4.5 working days left. Have I finished my Christmas shopping? Absolutley not, however I have started - which is saying something.

I like to do things last minute, that's why I am grateful for 24 hour shopping on Christmas Eve. Anyways, the Christmas Carols were on the domain - i wonder if they were any good. At least the weather held up for it.

Anyways, an early Happy Christmas to you all, may you get granted your Christmas wish this year.

toodles
mw

Restaurant Atelier - 3 course dinner

2009-12-18T01:21:00.007+11:00

Hi All,

Two of my girlfriends and I went to try out Restaurant Atelier last week because they have a v. good value mid week special - 3 courses for $59. I was so surprised at what great value, service and food we received during the night. The place was pretty packed with other restaurant go-ers and I can see why.

Here are some photos of what we had:

We started off some with some complimentary green olives - green olives are my favourite and we also ordered our wines. We all got different wines, so we didn't buy a bottle. One friend had a white wine, I had the light bodied red and my other friend had the fuller bodied red wine

Then we had our pre-entrees, i can't remember for what the life of me what were stuffed in these balls....all i remember that it was yummy-licous.

Then came our actual entrees, we got the Ginger & Wasabi Cured Hiramasa Kingfish, Dashi Jelly, Pomello, Citrus Sesame Dressing and the Seared Scallops w a ‘Pot-au-Feu’ Terrine, Chive Crisp & a Summer Truffle & Rosemary Dressing. The scallops were cooked to perfection and i really enjoed the truffle & rosemary dressing - v. indulgent!

Next we moved on to our main, the other ladies had the Prickly Ash-Cured Breast of Grimauld Duckling, Crisp Confit Leg, BabyBok Choi, Shiso Tempura & a Ginger & Garlic Sauce whilst I had the special of the night which was venison wrapped with prosciutto with a few parcels of ravioli filled with goats cheese and fig. So delicious! I usually don't like venison and don't really like meat on top of meat, but this was not overpowering at all, and it worked really well with the goats cheese and fig.

After stuffed with the duck and venison, restaurant atelier offered something to cleanse our palatte. it was a basil ...cream? i forget the name but it was v. light and airy like whipped cream and i think we all didn't like the date on top...

Finally, we finished off with our desserts: Tahitian Vanilla & Chocolate Fudge Souffle ww Balsamic-Poached Strawberries, Vanilla Ice Cream. I of course had the chocolatey souffle, the way to eat it was to dig out a whole in the middle of the souffle and pour half of the milkshake in the souffle. it was tast Malt Chocolate Ice Cream & a Malt-Infused Milkshake and the Tonka Bean Creme Brulee

Here are some other pics I took during the night. From top left and then clockwise: Interesting wall art that they had, tiny little red blobs that made up a kiss with a few Sydney iconic features in there and also local business names and logos. The next photo is of the view from the restaurant, kinda feels like another era i think, i love thick napkins - its a sign of a fancy schmany restaurant, i love a good wine rack, i liked how they had the illusion of intimacy through their use of thin curtins

Last but not least, a sign of a well fed and good meal - a messy table or just because i am a messy eater

Thanks friends for sharing a lovely meal with you

Happy Yule Tide Eating!

*****

the plug

22 Glebe Point Road Glebe NSW Australia 2037

p: +61 2 9566 2112

Mid Week Specials: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursdays - Starter, Main and Dessert for $59

Steven & Karen's Wedding

2009-12-14T01:57:00.003+11:00

Happy Monday Morning,

I overslept today, this is what happens when you have naps in the afternoon - you are unable to sleep at night. But I have been able to make use of my time and go through some photos I have not yet post processed. Steven & Karen's wedding was actually last month, it was quite a warm day as I recall and it was an early church service at St John's Anglican church out at Gordon followed by a lunch time reception at Curzon Hall.

Enjoy the pics, i'll be posting a restaurant review of restaurant artelier next...hopefully anyways.

Nite
mw

A Family's Photos

2009-12-09T00:21:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone,

Just got back from the buffet at the Intercontinental. It wasn't as good as I expected, but the oysters were nice and fresh - dessert was disappointing. Perhaps because I ate such scrummy desserts on the weekend! I had a taste for my first Kris Kringle for 2009, we played 'evil' secret santa where you get to steal presents. I ended up with a massager! I was pleased that the present that I bought was a sought after commodity!

Anyways, just wanted to post up some of my favourite shots over the weekend where we celebrated Christmas at Jonah's at Whale Beach.

Enjoy!

Middle shot is my favourite and Simon actually shot that one. Really nicely captures the mum and bub in a nice moment. He seemed to really enjoy playing with his car, rabbit and his dad's sunglasses!

I actually really enjoyed Jonah's backdrop, it had a lovely lightness about it and the white walls and light colours that it was decked out in helped in creating a nice dining experience.

Elmo is life sized!

I love that in the first two photos, everyone is fussing over the little one, but then we get our act together and get a nice family portrait. I thought using the jungle gym was cute.

Post more beach shots tomorrow...or the day after....

Let me know what you think about the storyboards!

mw

Jonah's at Whale Beach

2009-12-08T09:01:00.000+11:00

Morning all, Over the weekend we went to Jonah's at Whale Beach. What a lovely spot! It's a bit far from Sydney, but I think well worth it for the food and the views. You can actually catch a sea plane from Watsons Bay all the way out to Whale Beach and dine at Jonah's.

We had a lovely lunch there on a fine Saturday afternoon including
- A few bottles of wine
- Scrumptious 3 tiered chilled seafood platter
- Seafood mains
- Delictable desserts, I had one called 'Death By Chocolate' - it was pretty chocolatey, but i was able to handle it!

Here are some photos of the day:

Bokeh Attempt

2009-12-02T22:58:00.011+11:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindy_w/4152918016/, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I love fairy lights, they look so pretty. this is my attempt to achieve bokeh. what is bokeh ? - well i had to look it up too....i love wikipedia

"bokeh is the blur,[1][2] or the æsthetic quality of the blur,[3][4][5] in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

i also think that i over-use the word 'love'. i also think i jump on the band-wagon to easily. I jumped onto googlewave this week, what is the deal with it? i am not sure why everyone is going ga-ga over it. Isn't it a glorified googles group with messenger like functionality. and my final 'i also think' statement is that the new lady ga-ga song is unfortunately v. catchy. how she made her name into lyrics is good on her !

anyways, the photo taken is of this guy that I met at a family gathering in a little italiian place in woollhara called cafe nino - food is pretty yummy. i would suggest two things
1. scampi fettucini
2. tiramisu - be sure to pre-order this! it goes quick!

I love this guy's toothy grin. Japanese people have the best expressions. Not like I know a lot of Japanese people, but i did see a Japanese movie this week called Kamui. V. gory, if you love animals; you probably shouldn't see it. I also noticed that all ninja's run like they're pretend aeroplanes with their nose down and their arms spanned out like wings...well thats how they do it in the movies.

this is the worstly structured blog post ever. i am not even sure is worstly is a word.

happy hump day
mw

p.s. I am really enjoying this 50mm lens! this was taken at f1.4

MISSING: BEANIE

2009-11-30T16:41:00.004+11:00

Dear Beanie,

Where are you? I think the last time i saw you was on this day when i was sipping on coffee and eating to my hearts content at ripples cafe at Pyrmont.

Have I left you somewhere in the car? Have I left you on a park bench? Sorry.

I will miss you greatly in winter. hope you come back soon.

mw

Sydney Wedding - 21/11/09

2009-11-25T22:01:00.004+11:00

Hi ya'll,

So I tagged along with Dexter and his brother from Elusive Photography to see what it was like to be a wedding photographer. It started at 8:30am, i walked out the door and realised that i had left my camera on my table and was carrying a full bag of lenses, flash, food and no camera. good start.

Anyways, the day started at the bride's apartment where it was already packed with relatives and 'sisters' who was getting the bride ready. Next came the games that the boys had to play to gain entry up to the apartment consisting of the groom having to dress up as a pink fairy and screaming 'i love you' from the ground. Needless to say, it drew a crowd. A few pictures captured tea ceremonies at both bride and groom's places and me experimenting on how to do close up of peonies on the staircase.

The ceremony was at a lovely church out at waverly where it had lovely large murals and interesting statues lining the ceiling. They had 2 sets of adorable page boys and flower girls with a lot of fussing parents in between. The couple opted for a full mass which was nice, but some of the kids were worn out by the heat.

We then went to Botanic Gardens to get some shots of the couple, funnily enough Harbour Life was on at the same day so we attracted some attention from passer-byers. Still trying to learn how to NOT get other ppl in the background of my shots. I guess i just need to move more. My feet were at this point in pain - supersoft shoes are not that super soft.

On to the reception at Sheraton on the Park with a nice quartet playing and a pretty fluid order of activities. Highlight for me was when they played games during the night and watching the little kids on the dance floor wreaking havoc.

So for my first wedding experience as a non guest taking photos it was quite interesting, I learnt a lot about lighting, composition, settings and generally what skills you need to be a wedding photographer. it was quite a lot to take in one day, but i am glad i survived. thanks again to the boys at Elusive Photographyfor letting me tag along!

Hope you enjoy the photos!

that's all folks! let me know what you guys think!

First Wedding as a tag along photographer

2009-11-25T00:52:00.003+11:00

Sydney Wedding: Botanic Gardens Photo Session (7), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

More photos to come...but this is one of my faves.

But boy was it a hot stinking day!

mw

The Runners Up, Again

2009-11-18T00:18:00.002+11:00

Team Photo, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Sorry. Perhaps i am the bad luck charm that haunts this women's basketball team. At least they got cool hats. sorry i cut off your face sharlene - not intentional.

Game was pretty interesting, the opposition had one leggy 16 blonde girl that was on fire. She dominated the paint and she was awesome at the outside shots as well. Blame youth. and potentially puberty.

anyways, storyboard i made of the photos i liked best.

Getting to know you...

2009-11-16T01:26:00.002+11:00

50mm-Lens, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi all,

It is currently 1:22AM, and i am post processing and blogging. I have been slack with post processing and did an awful job with marissa's basketball game photos which i will be posting up tomorrow.

Anyways, my lovely bf bought me some goodies from HK awhile ago - a sample shown in these photos. He got me a 50mm f/1.4 lens and a nifty flash and some other stuff.

These are the first few shots I took with my new gear. Today I played around with the SB900 flash - man so many terms and different settings. Who knew a flash could have so many things going on...

I am a bit sad that we didn't make it to Sculptures by the Sea today. we drove around and around looking for a park but alas, to no avail. Instead we bought 12 bottles of wine.

Anyways, will be posting marissa's basketball finals and also my trip with minty to NOOSA, a few funny photos to see.

Hope your weekend was well.

mw

NOOSA

2009-11-09T11:52:00.001+11:00

Crikey! What a ripper. I should stop reading the steve irwin book...

It's a dog eat dog world...

2009-11-03T11:41:00.001+11:00

This was posted on my computer screen when i came back to work. I was quite upset. My flat dog is used for wrist purposes so I do not get RSI! No ransom note was delivered. When i came back from my meeting all had been restored. Hoorah for flat dog!

Pt 2: Mal & Lan Photo shoot

2009-10-30T01:07:00.009+11:00

Mal & Lan: Little Hunter St StoryBoard, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi All,

Finally finished the post processing of the photos. It really takes much longer than expected. i play around with the settings so much just to see what works. i think each photo takes me about 10 minutes at least. I wonder if i'm doing the right thing...i do the following
- open it in my RAW editor and play around with the settings, i try to recover as much as i can. i always play around with the temp, brightness, saturation, clarity, recovery, fill light
- open it in Photoshop Elements and crop if necessary, unmark to sharpen the image, touch up any blemishes using the dodge tool and perhaps put on a Gaussian blur to try and make the sking a bit more silky
- then i might apply a colour pop action or apply a burn action around the edges
- then i might add text or add a texture on top of the photo.

i still don't really know how to use curves or anything to fancy but i guess i have to learn. Here are some other shots i liked:

1st Photo Shoot

2009-10-26T22:57:00.003+11:00

Mal & Lan - Angel Place (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Sydney is currently hosting an 'Art & About' project where different art projects are springing up. As part of this Art & About project is something called 'Laneways by George' where artists come in and do up laneways within the Sydney CBD.

This was the backdrop to my first photo shoot, it was quite fun. I have only processed half the photos but here are my faves so far:

i'll work on the story boards and upload them next!

toodles
mw

Woof!

2009-10-23T17:23:00.001+11:00

Sydney - Dog Park (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi all,

I am starting to warm up to babies and dogs. I was walking through Haberfield the other day, on my way to the Bay Run and there is a Dog Park in Haberfield where all the dogs are free to run around and sniff other dog's butts! Theres also a cafe at the end of the park where dog owners can mingle and their dogs can mingle. Theres also some sort of training ground there for dogs to practise dog tricks.

Here are some snaps. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

mw

Check it out

2009-10-21T18:01:00.001+11:00

Sydney - Iron Cove Bridge (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

More shots from my Bay Run walk later!

Going out for chicken @ Granville! Exciting!

mw

Sun shining = happier people

2009-10-15T18:51:00.002+11:00

Sydney - The Rocks (2), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

i have often wondered if there is a direct correlation between weather and mood. of course when i googled this, there has been a study on it - thank god it had a summary blurb. the summary is, depending on how sensitive you are to weather. i could have told you that!

Another interesting thing is that i found out that there is a medical disorder about this 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' aka SAD (how coincidental) it is a type of depression that affects a person during the same season, it affects women more than men. interesting!!

anyways, this is a photo i took out at the rocks. not sure if i like it. what do you guys think?

Here are other sunny photos:

sun setting across anzac bridge - i was not driving!

sun shining out at the skate park at olympic park. pretty cool skate park actually.

i do like this sun flare shot out at woolwich! you can just spot someone at the top of the stairs.

in other news, one of my photos got short listed for a work competition today! how excitement! i dont' think i will win though. and no, it was not this photo.

mw

Meeting antics

2009-10-12T16:10:00.002+11:00

I should really stop doodling in meetings. Do you like my date balloon? Water is required for many reasons. To keep awake, to have something to play with, to assist in my quest for silky skin and finally to provide a backdrop for this photo.

Where does the weekend go?

2009-10-12T00:06:00.002+11:00

Balmain Storyboard, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

i have no idea where some weekends go, why are they so damn short. i guess i'm so knackered during the week that i waste my weekends sleeping. the extent of my laziness is staggering. i convinced myself that because the clouds were grey and it was 3:30pm that i was in no state to go running. i opted for sitting in front of my tv and watching
- new episodes of vampire diaries (its getting better!)
- new episodes of anime series darker than black (really good btw)
- old skool - v. funny, vince vaughn is hilarity it self.
- get smart - surprisingly good, anne hathaway was not as annoying as i thought she would be and steve carrell played a v. believable maxwell smart.

anyways, this story board was last weekend when i could be bothered getting off my butt and doing something in the lovely balmain region. so many lovely little gems in there. if you get a chance, you must visit Adriano zumbo! yum-o-licious if you are a chocolate fiend! yes, fiend.

some other happy snaps of friends and the general inner west area. i love the inner west.

bye!

My foray into textures

2009-10-09T02:15:00.003+11:00

2009-06-28_0351---antique-multiply, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi All,

It's currently 2am. i am not asleep because i am blogging. i might be obsessed. but i might be still adjusting to the daylight saving. anyways, id like to share with you my thoughts on textures.

I had no idea what textures were 3 days ago, but i found out from reading different websites and even looking at the flickr group about textures (flickr website). The concept is quite easy, you take your photo and then you place on top of your photo a 'texture' and then you blend the texture into the photo. In the above photo, i used an 'antique' looking texture and then used the blending mode of 'multiply' in Photoshop Elements.

Here are some other examples i have done using different textures

Here i have used a letter type texture, a light texture and a heart texture. Which one looks best?

Here is one that i did on a nice looking daisy - i used a metallic/rustic type texture and overlayed using 'colour burn' in photoshop elements.

Here is one that i have blogged previously, but i overlayed it with a golden rustic texture to bring out the urban feel and i think it looks more afternoon-y

Last one, this was at the wall cafe in surry hills. I used two textures, one was a thick lined paper and the other was a coffee stained paper and i overlayed it with multiply i believe in photoshop.

Anyways, I am getting to the point now where I am blog stalking a lot of photoblogs - i think the number is getting up to 70. There are a lot of talented people out there, mainly in the US. I think its because they have more probability of talent due to sheer numbers.

Just a thought - anyways, enjoy the weekend all!

storyboard time

2009-10-07T02:20:00.002+11:00

i've been playing around with story boards, i've seen so many great websites recently that do really cool things with story boards so because i was such a keen bean i researched it on saturday night (my excuse was that it was raining outside and i was re-discovering surfing on the internet because i recently got internet installed at my place! yay!). anyways, so the first story board i did was of my friends little daughter. isn't she adorable?

next story board i did was of my bf's nephew. cute little thing, i did a couple of them. oh i need to say i have been going to this great blog - coffee tea photography to look at their tutorials and they provide great templates and actions to download for free! Running actions save so much more time when doing story boards, think of them as macros that you would run to automate steps. all you need to do is plug in the pictures in the alloted spaces. anyways here are my next attempts:

This one is not really a story board, but i like the idea of polaroids so i tried that out. i also used a paper texture as background. i am loving textures at the moment, will blog about that tomorrow. doesn't sound exciting, but its quite interesting....well i think anyways.

Last but not least is my sister malinda with her bling. on our most recent excursion to look for her wedding dress we stopped off to have lunch at balmoral. i thought it was an opportune time to get some shots of the bling. a bit rainy that day, but i like the clear umbrella ella shots.

off to bed i go, hi ho.

Wheels keep on turning...

2009-10-02T23:28:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Wharf Area (3), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

So loosely am i connecting the above picture with the subject of the post. I was so psyched to get cable broadband installed at my place today - giggling like a school girl psyched. when did i get so addicted to the internet? it offers so many different things
- ability to download tv shows that air in america to get it 'first' in australia - i am loving vampire diaries btw.
- ability to read interesting world news - i love the website http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ AND how i found it was through google's fun website http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/. This totally satisifies the people of x and y generations, that like to 'flip' or 'channel change' within 3 seconds if it does not hold their fancy.
- ability to learn different things, everyone is so willing to share information. i have learnt so much and am always surprised at people's ability to be so open about things on the internet. i guess it still feels like you are anonymous
- ability to keep in touch - as sad as it sounds but i am thankful for twitter and facebook - without these mediums i would not know what my friends are doing. sad, but true.

i believe i am using dashes too much.

anyways, this was taken at the Rocks near the Sydney Dance Company. I will be experimenting with photoshop next couple of days and delving in the world of photoshop 'actions' - excitement plus!

happy long weekend readers!

mw

Kids

2009-09-24T18:32:00.002+10:00

Sydney - The Rocks (4), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I've never been a maternal person, often i find kids annoying with the crying and incessant attention seeking. lately, i have been finding them much cuter and endearing.

Like this kid, this cute little girl was running around with her pink sandels and white nappy (well, semi white) and a yellow balloon. she was as happy as could be without a care in the world. she was just having fun with her other relatives and enjoying the sunshine on a beautiful sydney weekend.

we often talk about losing innocence, and i guess its refreshing to see innocence in its purest form.

heres other kids i snapped

bye!
mw

Cars - Yay or Nay

2009-09-23T21:15:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Car Art (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I am a bit bothered. due to the freakish red dust storm, my black honda civic is a film of red all over it. its quite gross.

don't get me wrong, i enjoy my car, its a zipply little thing and i really enjoy driving down a highway doing 80km/ph (or maybe closer to 100km/ph), windows down (i wish i had a convertible but perhaps not today) and singing at the top of my lungs....preferably coldplay. but the maintenance.....oh, the maintenance.

- rego.
- ctp.
- green slip.
- servicing.
- filling up with petrol.
- washing.
- vacuuming.
- uncovering the months of rubbish hidden underneath seats and floor mats

= hassle.

necessay hassle though, without it i would not be able to drive to work or drive back to my parents house for free food.

Anyways, poor little car pictured in the photo. This was at the rocks and i'll add one more pic below of another angle i took. i think the person who created this artwork would be a 'nay' to cars...

l8s

mw

Stairway to .... possibilities

2009-09-22T18:07:00.003+10:00

Sydney - Wharf Area (4), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

The thing about stairs is that they start somewhere and they generally lead you to a destination. They are used as a mechanism to deliver you to an end point. So much we concentrate about the destination, but not on the journey.

The picture is framed in a way that does not cap where the stairway ends, it could continue in a different direction, it could stop.

i need to constantly remind myself that in life, it is the journey that matters and to enjoy the view throughout. It's not about constantly climbing the proverbial 'ladder' - sorry mixed metaphors - don't you hate that? It's about learning, experiencing and being fulfilled by the things that happen to you during.

Photo Details
This was taken around the Rocks, where Sydney Dance Company is and Wharf 8. It was a really nice crisp day with not many people around. This is an HDR using Photo Matix and Photoshop Elements 7.0

mw

Lovers Lane

2009-09-21T22:42:00.002+10:00

Sydney - The Rocks (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Not sure if it was lovers lane, but i like to think so. Sometimes when you see something, it doesn't actually seem like much. More and more, i find that photos only mean something when you associate it with a feeling, a moment or what you thought was happening at that time.

For me, these set of stairs were so normal, sure it had a bit of artwork on the side of a strange little man. But what made this memorable for me that day was a young couple slowly making their way up the stairs. holding their hands tightly enclosed in one anothers, whispering and giggling like they were in their own little word. They stopped, gazed at each and then they stole a kiss and didn't care that they were in public. it was nice.

and no, i am not a voyeur. much.

mw

Time, your furry friend

2009-09-20T21:06:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Hyde Park (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

There is a fantastic documentary series called 'about women' and 'about men' and it a really interesting look at the two genders and how the different genders deal with age and its v. strange to see how we react differently to the same situation.

Throughout the 'about women' documentary, it looked at the different phases of growing up as a woman and the running theme was confidence. When you were young, you were over-flowing with confidence because you were oblivious to everything else; all you knew was fun and the next adventure. In the growing up years, you were so scard and worried about every one else's opinion, your insecurity comes out and you struggle to find your way. In your college or university days, you start not caring what other people think, but i think its not something that women can get rid of. We can't help but over-analyse and react to the situation at hand by banding with our other girlfriends and dissecting in detail what you should do next.

About Men, the documentary i saw concentrated on men in their later stages of their life. It followed men with their wives in retirement homes or men who had lost their spouse. It's so interesting that men find it harder to make friends or maintain friendships when they're older so they find it harder when they lose their spouse compared to women. It goes towards my thought that men are emotionally stunted in comparison to women. it makes me sad for them that they don't have a support network...

Anyways, this man pictured is always at Hyde Park watching the people play on the Giant Chessboard. I think he is somewhat of a genius when it comes to chess - well it gave me that impression.

The thing i like about photography apart from its a bit stalkery, it capures a moment and you wonder about the subject of the photo, what his life was about, what he's doing, what makes him come to the same place every day....i like to wonder.

back to listening to the australian idols massacre the top 10 songs. did you hear how they massacred the GLEE theme song?

seeya!

mw

What comes around...

2009-09-18T17:40:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Paddington (6), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

First thing is first, i went to the gym yesterday and i brought one sock with me. fantastic. i decided to not wear any socks, as wearing one sock would have felt a bit weird.

Second thing is, i've been watching the channel GO (channel 9's HD version), it's pretty good. It has re-runs of good shows like Seinfeld and mediocre shows like The Nanny and then bizarre shows like 2 hours of the Jetsons.

What is funny is that they have a Sunday mid morning episodes of Charlie's Angels and Starsky and Hutch. I, not being of that generation only know of these as movies with famous Hollywood actors of this time; so it is interesting watching where it all started off.

Anyways, this photo was taken at William St in Paddington. I am not sure if the graffati man is suppose to be Bosley...or is it the owner of the convenience store?

Hope everyone has a toasty time in ol Sydney town this weekend!

mw

Sailing Away!

2009-09-17T17:25:00.002+10:00

Anzac Bridge at Dusk, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

I will be sailing away in October. Well, sail or fly - the main thing is i'm out for a quick break! Well I just applied for leave, but hopefully it'll be approved. I'm going up to Noosa - well that's tentative too, but luckily Minh has done all the research including interesting things to do! including Australia Zoo! ohh, bindy irwin!

Anyways, this shot was taken at dusk in winter on the blackwattle bay side of the Anzac Bridge. I did the post processing by updating the tint to have more of a pinkish hue and i also updated the saturation to bring out more of the colours.

Happy Thursday! May your late night shopping be fruitful!

mw

Sometimes, you need to drink...

2009-09-15T18:30:00.002+10:00

Shots on a Friday Night, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

If you have not noted by now, i am a whiner. i am incapable of action. i am all talk and no action etc etc. i understand this about myself, it stems from my chronic laziness. Something i aim every year to address.

I need a drink. work causes this reaction in me. i was re-watching 'The Matrix - Reloaded' and there was a whole spiel about 'causality' and how things only happen when there is a cause, a why...i.e. cause and effect.

Cause: Too Much Work, Not Enough Time
Effect: Unhappy and Stressed workers = Drinking or Quitting.

What do you think?

Anyways, this shot was taken down @ GPO at a friends birthday. This is THE moment where it goes down the hatchett and you let loose on a Friday night.....i can just imagine it now.

mw

SURPRISE! Streamer Style

2009-09-14T21:26:00.002+10:00

Fight with streamers, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Check out that alliteration!

So, it was my sisters SURPRISE birthday party last week! i won't reveal her age, but its a milestone! Anyways, her friends had arranged a surprise birthday party at Rozelle at a pub called Three Weeds {fantastic venue btw, highly recommend the atmosphere, food and choice of drinks - although parking is difficult in the area}.

I think she was surprised in the end and the organisers had done a fantastic job with co-ordinating the surprise as well as the awesome trivia afterwards. i love trivia. especially when my team wins.

Anyways, enjoy some of my favourite photos of the night!

Homeward Bound

2009-09-11T18:35:00.002+10:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindy_w/3830103164/, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

You know, I enjoy living close to the city. Just yesterday, we had my sister's surprise birthday party (which I might add, we killed trivia and the family team won!! YES!!. [Happy Birthday Marissa] I drove my friends home as they live close to the city and then I drove myself home. So convenient, round trip was 20 minutes.

I really like driving through the city, it gives me a chance to look aroudn and see what's happening - whats the latest trends, where everyone's going etc. Although, it makes me feel like an old foggie when I'm driving home and everyone is out partying. But i feel comfortable that at this stage of my life, that i enjoy going home. I don't need to go out clubbing or drinking til the wee hours of the morning. I guess, that's not really how i roll.

Anyways, this shot was taken at dusk. Not a great idea to be driving and trying to operate a DSLR...hence the shakiness. I like the colours of this shot, its a bit of the gradient in the way the sky displays. This is another example of a HDR.

Anzac Bridge is great though, always interesting what billboards are up on those giant pillars. Beautiful view from Anzac Bridge, i must remember to walk that sometime.

Anyways, hope everyone has a beautiful weekend.

mw

My First HDR

2009-09-10T17:25:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Rushcutters Bay (5), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

This is my first HDR - High Definition Range.

I used PhotoMatrix to create this image, what you need to do is actually take the same shot 3 times but at different exposures. One should be very dark, second should be neutral and the last one should be very light. This is to get the greatest variety of colours. Some people do more than 3 shots, so you can choose how many you do.

What i also find useful is to use to the bracketing functionality that comes with most SLR's that takes multiple shots at different exposures based on your settings.

The post processing work is quite a labourious task, Photo Matrix is a v. intuitive program to use but here is my take on it:

1. Select 'Generate HDR' and select the bracketed photos that you wish to combine to make your HDR
2. When aligning your source images, you need to select carefully. Sometimes aligning based on horizontal and vertical shifts is not the best if its a moving target or you have not taken it with a tripod.
3. Have a play around with the 'Detail Enhancer' settings, the slider bar is useful to see the effect it creates. Settings will depend on what type of photo it is
4. Don't forget to go to the Tone Mapping tab and update the settings
5. Once you select 'Process' it combines the Tone Mapping settings and the Details Enhancer settings

Anyways, this was a beautiful dusk day at Rushcutters Bay. Thanks to my friends Lowell & Nelisa for being the models at the end of the bridge.

l8s
mw

Hello SOP!

2009-09-08T18:56:00.002+10:00

Sydney Olympic Park (5), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Good thing about working out in whoop whoop ( no offence Sydney Olympic Park ) is that you can walk around and take photos during lunch time and no body will think you are weird.

Another good thing is that there are usually things going on like the Gardening Show and the on-going PINK concerts that keep things interesting.

The poles in front of ANZ Stadium are quite cool, that have writing on them so they tell you stories and they also have interesting patterns and don't be scared - they have voice recordings telling you stuff. stuff i didn't listen to. But anyways, they also have a listing of athletes by alphabetical order which is nice. so many talented people in the world!

Anyways, tomorrow i think i will post about HDR's and how i have been using them and how it still doesn't look as good as the ones i have seen in flickr.

Time to box.

mw

Perry Lane Cafe

2009-09-07T23:10:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Perry Lane Cafe (2), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Good Night,

Its strange to start a blog with 'good night' but it makes sense that we should be able to start with 'good night' similar to 'good morning' and 'good afternoon' - why do we associate night with end? what about vampires - what about them you say? meh.

Anyways, i like this photo because it displays the cool background of other photos. This was taken at Perry Lane Cafe in Paddington - taking a mid afternoon break on the Saturday for sustenance after a morning of bridal dress shopping for the sister pictured in the photo.

As i recall the waiter say that he reminded me of a friend he has in London. What do you say to something like that ...ok? Does that mean i'm getting a discount.? perhaps not.

That's all i have to say. Hope all is swell.

mw

Battlefield!

2009-09-03T18:55:00.003+10:00

Woman Covered in Paint, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I am lovin the not so new song by Jordin Sparks 'Battlefield'. Not really agree with 'love is like a battlefield' - i guess only if you do it wrong. One should not be at war with the person they love - perhaps if they were getting divorced.

I am really feeling that life is turning into an emotional and mental battlefield. I run through the gamut of feelings from frustration, fatigue, disbelief and disappointment. It's a war of attrition at the moment, and i am losing.

Anyways, disappointment does not cover what I feel at the moment. But i will not succumb to a 'woe is me' attitude.

This photo is losely linked to this blog, loosely tied to the woman is covered in colours that camouflage her with the backdrop. And just to note, she was not nude.

This was taken at a Photography Exhibition that was held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Lot of fun, lot's of things to see.

I am so lucky she started right down my barrel for this shot.

Enjoy the fight!

mw

Sunshine and Happiness

2009-09-02T18:50:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Woolich (7), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello ,

Sometimes in life, you need to look at the brighter side of things. You need to remember that there is still fun in the mundane parts of life. You need to think to yourself, self - theres an empty field - let's do star jumps.

Man, Simon can jump high can't he? Lucky i was not the subject of this photo as i cannot jump v. high at all. Nor am i that awesome at leg spreads.

This photo was taken at Woolwich - i have spelt it wrong in flickr. apologies woolwichians (if thats a word). Woolwich is a really nice area in Sydney - but has awful public transport.

Hope everyone is having a lovely hump day.

Regards,
Mindy

Lost Hobbies

2009-09-01T19:19:00.003+10:00

Spanish Guitarists, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Lost - Please help me find
- My ability to be interested in life outside of work
- My ability to find joy in learning a new skill
- My ability to do bar chords on the guitar
- My ability to hit over 100m on the golf course.

Thanks.

Anyways, this photo was taken at Sydney - GPO at a friends drinks night. I thought the backdrop of the beautiful Spanish senorita and the v. talented Spanish guitarists was great. I love how red invokes such a powerful and passionate emotion. well it does for me anyways.

Have a lovely night, hope you find something on your way!

mw

Sydney - Coogee Rocks with Tripod

2009-08-31T22:44:00.003+10:00

Sydney - Coogee Rocks (5a), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi there,

How are you? That's how I start a lot of my peronal emails. I feel like blogging is like emailing to anonymous friends that rarely respond. Anyways, this shot was at coogee at around dusk. It looks like broad daylight right? The magic of post processing RAW files in Photoshop and RAW editors!

Anyways, this shot was probably done by Sime - it was taken with a semi sturdy tripod on the coogee bay hotel side of coogee. Really love the silky/misty feel of the photo and that was made by a very long shutter speed. Its basically capturing all the water that washes up and down trhe rocks over a long period of time.

Can't wait for summer in Sydney - it's going to be a good one!

mw

Sydney - Martin Place

2009-08-30T01:40:00.002+10:00

Sydney - Martin Place (7), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi all,

I was passing through the city today and I remembered some shots I took in the city. I had taken the day off and went into the city to get some busy city lunch time shots. Martin Place is always hectic from 12pm onwards, i do my best to try and avoid the people trying to sell things - but i always seem to get stuck talking to those people trying to sell credit cards - do i look like i have a low credit history?

Anyways, this shot is near the fountain at Martin Place - hand held shot with the Nikon D90 with a slow shutter speed. Post processing done using Photoshop Elements 7.0

That's all folks.

Mindy

Let me introduce my on again, off again partner

2009-08-28T17:56:00.004+10:00

Sydney - Coffee at The Wall Cafe (3), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Previous to my first mobile blog of last night where i was complaining about my panda eyes. I would like to address my on again, off again affair with coffee.

For awhile i was doing ok, drinking the free hazelnut latte's from the coffee machines at work. Think of it as 90% hazelnut, 8% water and a 2% instant coffee. Now i need my large mocha from Pablo & Rusty's. What a rip btw - $4. I miss my lovely coffee place mecca.

However, this place is quite good too - 'The Wall Cafe' - voted 3rd best in the Sydney Time Out magazine.

http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/restaurants/sydneys-best-coffee--page-3.aspx

Anyways, everyone have a good weekend - drink up!

Do i look tired at 2:23am

2009-08-28T02:18:00.003+10:00

I am unable to sleep and have resorted to taking photos of my friends, the dark circles. Hello constant friend. I know we will be friends for life. Should i name them? Suggestions?

The joys of amateur sport and photography

2009-08-25T19:20:00.016+10:00

Last week i watched my sisters basketball team in their grand final - i don't happen to know what they're team name is but we had funny signs left from the previous cheering squad so we just used them. There were quite a few 'Explelliarmus' calls when the opposition was at the free throw line in true Harry Potter spirit!

Anyways, it was a pretty interesting game and i was glad that there was quite a big cheer squad on our side the opposition's side. There was heckling involved, which was also quite funny from Clinton. I think the highlights were for me:

1. The buzzer beater at half time to even the score - so exciting especially with the whole crowd counting down. I thought it looked better in black and white because it was a pivotal moment in the game. ha ha.

2. The cheeky steal that Sharlene did when the opposition was just standing there with the ball. Subsequently everyone was laughing about it. We seemed to put nicknames against a few individuals, the girl closest to Marissa is called 'pochy' for pocahontas - clinton is a very creative being. i think it was her long flowing hair.

3. The hard drive into the hole resulting to an attempted extra basket because Marissa pulled a foul. is that the right term? meh. it resulted in Marissa falling over. I am not sure if she got the extra...let's say she did. good for her.

4. On the fast break, 3 on 3 with Sharlene taking up the ball. i just like how the team is in focus but the opposition is blurry. And it also looks like they're moving so quickly because theyr'e such a fast team...or i am a slow photographer.

5. Exciting last few seconds of the game, where we all thought it was over but the team miraculously clawed back a 6 point deficit to a 3 point one through some fine 3 point shooting! At this point our voices were a bit hoarse. Too bad it blew out to a 5 point deficit after some needed fouling but good free throw shooting by the 'ring-in' opposition

6. Nice shot of the ENORMOUS crowd (not saying anyone is fat but in terms of numbers and relative to the 2 spectators that the opposition had).

7. We are TEAM. Took 2 photo so the team, this was the less serious one - but there is a bit of a shine factor - i blame the sweat. good job girls - bad luck for this year - try again next season

OUT

Vivid ala Sydney

2009-08-24T22:28:00.005+10:00

Vivid - Argyle St - Bridge (2), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I first got my Nikon D90 and i thought to myself, self - let's go out and take some photos. i was a bit scared and a bit shy whipping out the camera in its new-ness and taking photos. especially since you had all these people around also with their big cameras, bigger camera bags and tripods. some people even had those remote triggers, like what you see in movies when they have detonators! anyways, off the point - i was shy and still am shy when i am unleashing the camera. i feel a bit self conscious and hope that people don't think i am too voyeuristic or stalker-ish.

This was at the Rocks, underneath the bridge and it was a v. cold June night in Sydney. As I recall it was Friday night because we passed Argyle (which might i add is better than Ivy) and there were heaps of people outside waiting to get in (mostly guys).

Anyways, this is a hand held slow shutter speed shot - that's why you get the taxi whizzing past and see the lights from there. I also like how there are lights in the background because they had lights on the trees as part of this Vivid Light Festival. Go Sydney.

Hope you like it!

Sydney town

2008-11-22T16:16:00.004+11:00

Photo taken on my Sony Ericsson - i forget what model - the phone that James Bond uses in Quantum of Solace. Holding still is really hard to do when you're trying to stitch the photos together by sight. Anyways, from what i recall it was a nice Sydney day and this was taken outside the National Maritime Museum.