Flossages

!!!!!!

2011-11-13T21:06:00.001+11:00

Had a major Blog Break lately; I'm hoping to share some of the reasons why in future posts. But for now, I was just doing some catching-up on my neglected online social life and couldn't go past this clip without sharing it.

R 'n F'n R

2011-08-27T00:07:00.002+10:00

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"R 'n F'n R"
(taken at The Entrance Leagues Club)

"My Family"

2011-08-25T11:42:00.002+10:00

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"My Family"

"Post-surf picnicking"

2011-08-24T18:01:00.003+10:00

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"Post-surf picnicking"

Memories... (?)

2011-06-01T22:37:00.001+10:00

Photos are a wonderful thing.
Capturing a moment in time, preserving it for prosperity...
If not for these images, I would not have much memory at all of the activities & places depicted therein.
Experiencing Torquay over the Easter long-weekend is apparently quite similar to how I've heard the '60s & '70s described - "If you remember it, you weren't really there."

The Aussie Way

2011-05-05T23:32:00.003+10:00

Never call anything by its proper name, especially if you can call it something shorter.

Had to laugh to myself when I saw this tucked away in the back of the latest edition of The Surfer's Journal.

Of course it should have read: "Att. Oz Photog's"

Mmmmm... South of the Border

2011-04-24T23:11:00.003+10:00

(It was a slightly less-cheesy headline than "Stairway to Heaven")

Noosa Teaser

2011-04-17T18:36:00.002+10:00

Dane Peterson, hangin' two at Nasho's

Reflection

2011-04-09T00:00:00.001+10:00

A Moment of Escape

Taking Charge

2011-03-28T21:48:00.001+11:00

My friend Tim Silverwood never ceases to amaze. From his inspirational travel adventures and the resulting images, to extreme himalayan snow sports and now environmental activism, the dude must never sleep. Now he's decided to embark on one of his biggest and most important adventures yet, and he sets sail (literally) in a matter of weeks.
Check out this nice little story on Coastalwatch for all the details, and support his great cause if you can. We all contribute to the problem, and we all stand to suffer if we don't help find the solution.

Haha WTF??!!

2011-03-27T22:04:00.000+11:00

A random old-school oldy

Wildlife Freakshow

2011-03-01T20:00:00.000+11:00

Just a few of the grotesque creatures that I have spotted lurking in my yard over the last few weeks:

Token Effort

2011-02-08T22:13:00.001+11:00

Been so busy lately I've missed a whole month without posting!
Anyway here's about the most newsworthy photo I've taken during that time. I was recording in a small studio in Sydney, and had these beauties to choose from. It reminded me of that game "Duck, duck, goose", but it was "Gibson, Gibson, Gibson, Gibson.... Fender!"
The Tele' that you can just make out in the background was a 1978 Sunburst.
The front 2 Gibsons were acoustics, then a LP and an SG. Unlike the Fender, I wasn't sure how to date the Gibsons by serial number.
... and of course there was the White Falcon which I would have loved to have fired-up.
As it turned out I only got to play my own Cole Clarke acoustic on the recording; the Gibsons just weren't as comfortable and didn't sound like "me." I'm sure there's an Aesop's Fable or something that is symbolic of situations like this; 6 objects I could save for for years, but I ended up using ol' faithful.

More regular posts to come I promise

Desktop

2010-12-13T22:58:00.000+11:00

This is my current Desktop image, rescued from the depths of the "rejects" vault.

Help yourself to a copy if you want to try it out; they do say a change is as good as a holiday...

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With Dusty Feet

2010-12-10T19:58:00.001+11:00

Last weekend I went to the launch of "With Dusty Feet," an exhibition by my two beautiful friends Tim and Lisa.
The show featured some of their inspiring travel photography from the last four years. Here's just a small taste...

Be sure to check out their respective blogs for much more of everything that they do:

silverandwood.blogspot.com

lisalowenborg.blogspot.com

First Stones Turned

2010-11-30T21:51:00.000+11:00

This is the reason for my lacking "online profile" of late: I have caught the dreaded Home Improvement Bug.... plus the lack of quality waves.

It seemed symbolic when the first few bricks came out from the late-'70's-era brick archway/feature-wall/useless hallway.

Don't worry, there is no risk of this becoming a renovation blog.

Interview

2010-11-18T09:17:00.000+11:00

Click here to read a nice little interview with Kerry Down about his recent POV/GoPro experiences, over at Korduroy.tv - one of my favourite "blogs" (if it still counts as a blog)

Yeeeeewwwww

2010-11-12T18:25:00.000+11:00

Couldn't think of anything else to say.
Good ol' Kerry again. This is just what he does. No wonder he's always so amped on surfing.

Rad Matt

2010-11-10T16:30:00.000+11:00

Matty Chojnacki over at The Waxhead Diaries has uploaded this trailer for his new video webisode series. I strongly recommend keeping an eye on all future instalments.

The Waxhead Diaries (trailer) from The Waxhead Diaries on Vimeo.

Surfing World Stunned

2010-11-03T20:23:00.004+11:00

Andy Irons was a hero to many. The realisation that someone such as this - a symbol of strength and triumph in the face of life-threatening danger - could be struck down so unexpectedly in their apparent physical prime, came as a chilling reminder of the fragile balance of life.

Photo Ryan Heywood - see it here

I didn't have a photo of Andy, so rather than steal from someone I don't know, I thought I'd use this one and give a credit and a link to my ol' matey Ryan Heywood.
This is Ryan's photo of Andy with his brother Bruce, shot several years back in Tahiti. It was the first image that came to mind when I heard the news; reiterating the theory of "six degrees of separation".

Oil Slick ... (the good kind)

2010-10-25T22:01:00.000+11:00

Smooth as silk and sharp as a tack. Kerry Down (again).

Rossy Trilogy

2010-10-24T15:56:00.004+11:00

Mr. Daniel Ross: One of the best surfers and nicest blokes to come out of Wamberal Beach

"This ...is Lucky Phil"

2010-10-19T18:51:00.000+11:00

I only met Phil on the weekend, but every time I see this shot I am reminded of John Blackman's predictable quote

Dane Insane

2010-10-18T22:47:00.002+11:00

Had a fairly productive weekend, so keep your eyes on this blog for the evidence in the next few days.

...But for now, please enjoy this tasty treat from a couple of my most inspiring friends: Nathan Oldfield and Dane Peterson.

Cobblestone Slipperies // Dane Peterson from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

Check out the original post on Nathan's blog here.

The Innermost Leftovers of Pure Fun

2010-09-23T18:40:00.003+10:00

A few of the leftover shots from last week's arvo session.
(Apologies to George Greenough)

The Set-up

2010-09-20T22:36:00.000+10:00

Two contrasting angles of usual suspect, The Black & White Chicken, preparing himself to do what he does best.

Afternoon De-Light

2010-09-16T21:21:00.000+10:00

That's right, I've climbed back on the blogger.

Much to my surprise, it turns out some people do look at this thing. Thanks to their insistence that I actually update it once in a while, this is the second post within a week.

I was just able to sneak in a quick little sesh-wahn this arvo, just as the sun was setting.

Old Mal

2010-09-12T00:44:00.000+10:00

Went to Crescent for the National "Old-Mal" contest last weekend. Conditions were testing, but no-one seemed to let any results bother them. For those who compete it's more about getting your prized favourites down off the wall and enjoying them in the way that was originally intended. And, of course, the inevitable apres-surf activities.

Brett Caller

Jacob Stuth

Wow

2010-09-03T10:14:00.001+10:00

Apologies for the recent blog drought.
At least it's because I've been busy; got a few things in the pipeline that should be posted in the coming weeks.
For now I just wanted to share this. The latest developments from T-Weg: a new beard and some new boards to go with. Looks like these could be just as popular as the alaia trend of the last few summers.
... or even (gasp!) a challenger to succeed the SUP fad...

Got Wood?

2010-07-13T19:21:00.007+10:00

from Tim Silverwood

Inspiring

2010-06-21T20:13:00.003+10:00

The Greening of Kashmir - short - Canon 7D from Tim Silverwood on Vimeo.

My good friend Tim Silverwood recently returned from India with this stunning footage. His vision and commitment are just as impressive as these images.
Closer to home, keep an eye out for his other work with the Take3 initiative.

A Glimpse of the Future...

2010-06-21T19:58:00.005+10:00

... or just another new way to have some fun?

It probably helps a lot that the points of Noosa are working their magic

New Favourite Blog

2010-05-21T20:33:00.007+10:00

This shot (yours truly, setting up) was posted on The Black & White Life by good friend and recurring photographic subject Kerry Down. He's a talented all-round surfer who also loves to get behind the lens; now he does both at once with his GoPro setups. Subscribe to his blog if you like seeing stuff like this:

Find a Happy Place

2010-05-08T22:22:00.007+10:00

Just got back from 4 days getting away from it all.
Satisfied after repeating the "surf-eat-sleep" cycle three times in my first day, I looked around and realised the visual spectacle I was immersed in; a significant part of the experience that I had overlooked while focussing on timing days off work to align with windows in wind and swell conditions.

Lacking night-time entertainment options, I grabbed the tripod and tested out my new DSLR. I used to take nightshots on film; by comparison this seems like cheating, but you can't argue with results.

Viva La (digital) Revolution!

Autumness

2010-04-23T20:29:00.006+10:00

Beer, Barbecues and Bob Marley seem a world away as the dry chill and early sunset inflict a mood more fitting of a good strong red (wine) and blue (cheese), while entire evenings are spent with an acoustic guitar or something more like Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. Only one other thing comes to mind when the autumn feeling takes hold: This photo was taken in May of 2005 (I think), preceding a rather memorable session (note the solitary figure paddling out). Here's hoping this season has plenty of this typical autumn gold up its sleeve.

2010-04-20T16:41:00.001+10:00

My good mate Nathan Oldfield shot this vid recently at Noosa, featuring some of the guys from TCSS. Nice work everyone involved to score a spot at The Surfers Journal (best mag ever in the history of everything).

Critical Sliders from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

What Goes Up...

2010-04-05T18:49:00.004+10:00

Kerry Down. Big boost on a lumpy grey late afternoon.

Good Times Indeed

2010-03-02T23:39:00.010+11:00

The fellas are on fire. Kerry Down & assorted other mates.

Morning Mist

2010-03-02T23:05:00.008+11:00

Another from the archive

Beginnings

2010-02-28T19:22:00.023+11:00

You can ponder and plan some things for as long as you like, but then when your chosen moment arrives you just launch yourself off the edge, fly by the seat of your pants and all that careful planning amounts to nought. I've decided my first ever blog post will be one of those occasions.

Despite the multiple revised drafts I have constructed in my mind over the last few months, I am resisting the urge to say too much, as I fear that could potentially steer me down a particular path... let's just see where this thing takes me over the coming months and years.

This blog will not be specifically about surfing, photography, art, music, science, politics, religion, or any other single subject.
It's just a bunch of stuff that happens in the life of some dude.

To start off this new adventure I'd like to share an old image that for me sums up the beginnings of two concurrent journeys - both lifelong passions that will no doubt feature highly in these pages.

This is where I learnt most of what I know about waves, how to ride them, how to photograph them... and sometimes also which situations to avoid. It was the beauty and power of this place - the amazing things we witnessed on a regular basis - that first drove me to try and capture it on film in order to show others. It was the thrill of getting in amongst that beauty and power, and the rewards of making it out with some treasured momentos, that got me hooked.