Out and about in the city

Ameel Khan January 9, 2023

Here are some photos I’ve taken with my new camera. They’re nothing particularly exciting, but taking them has given me a chance to play around with the camera and its settings.

Wide angle

Walking by platform 1 on a sunny day:

Photo of a suburban train station platform taken from the level of the platform floor. Across from the track are are row of tall trees. A sign on the platform tells you this is platform 1 at Gowrie Railway Station.

Burst mode

Pair of pushy seagulls at Federation Square:

Photo of two seagulls, walking forward side-by-side, eyeing something off camera.

Low angle

Watching a movie at Federation Square:

Photo of two people sitting in foldable deck chairs watching a movie being shown on a large screen in a public square. Behind the funky, off-angle building on which the screen is mounted you can see the tall buildings of the city centre.

Zoom

Letting the world pass them by:

Black and white photo of a couple taken through a gap in the trees. The couple are sitting on a park bench facing a river, while a cyclist crosses the walking/cycling path behind them.

I bought a camera!

Ameel Khan January 1, 2023

It’s a Fujifilm X-S10 and it’s really cool.

Face-on photo of a Fujifilm X-S10 camera.

I finally outgrew my existing camera system

I’ve been wanting to get an interchangeable-lens camera for years, but I wasn’t buying one because these types of cameras are:

Inconvenient: they’re bulky, heavy, expensive, and they have a learning curve
Unnecessary: I wasn’t being limited creatively by the camera I already had

I’ve bought one now because both those things have changed…

1. Camera technology has evolved

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs) came onto the market several years ago and they’re smaller, lighter, and cheaper than DSLRs. They do still have a learning curve though.

The best part is that all the top camera brands now make mirrorless cameras, so there are lots of models to choose from at different price points.

Screenshot of the digiDirect camera store website showing all the mirrorless cameras they have available for sale. In the left column of the website is a list that shows how many mirrorless cameras each brand has for sale. These numbers range from 1 (ILFORD) to 65 (Nikon).

2. I reached the limit of what I could do with my existing camera set-up

My current camera is a Pixel 6 Pro smartphone. It is a highly capable camera and is something I have on me at all times. However, it has a relatively small imaging sensor, and the capabilities of its lenses are limited by the thickness of the phone itself.

Google’s computational photography does let you take some truly excellent photos, of course, but I’m now at the stage in which I want both higher quality images and more precise, manual control over my photo taking. That’s not something any smartphone camera can offer.

That said, for a while I did extend the capabilities of my phone’s camera by using external lenses designed for smartphones. The telephoto, wide-angle, and macro lenses from Moment let me take some really cool photos, likes the ones below. But using these lenses was only ever a steppingstone to where I want to go to now.

Collage showing photos taken from primary, macro, tele, and wide angle lenses.

I will continue to use my phone camera, of course. As they say, “the best camera is the one you have with you” and I do have my phone on me literally all the time. So I expect many of my everyday photos will still be shot using that.

That said, the whole point of getting a small and light mirrorless camera like the Fujifilm X-S10 is that I can carry it with me pretty much everywhere I go. I almost never leave home without my backpack and this new camera will now be added to my everyday carry.

Close-up photo of a Fujifilm X-S10 camera lying on a table, party wrapped in a protective pouch.

Choosing my camera upgrade path

Once I made the decision to get a mirrorless camera, the question was: which one?

That then led to four other questions:

What’s my budget? This was between $1-2k for the camera body, kit lens, and maybe one additional prime lens.
What do I intend to do with my new camera? Mostly take non-professional photos of my life (ie family, pets, events, travels, streetscapes, landscapes) and occasionally a few short videos. Even more occasionally use the camera as webcam (eg when I’m presenting remotely at a conference).
Which camera system (ie body and lenses) do I want to buy into? I wasn’t particularly fussed. That said, I wanted to invest in a mirrorless camera system that I could grow into and evolve my photography with.
What else is important to me? A camera that I can carry in my backpack with me everywhere, so something that’s small and light. A camera with a good auto mode and good auto focus. A camera that colour-grades the photos the way I like them, so I won’t have to tweak the colours of most of the photos I want to share with people. And, ideally, a camera with weather proofing and built-in image stabilisation.

Price range

After a great deal of research – which I thoroughly enjoyed doing, by the way – I concluded that I needed to get an intermediate ($1,000+) or midrange (~$2,000) mirrorless APS-C camera.

Beginner level cameras (ie point-and-shoots) and budget mirrorless cameras (ie entry level mirrorless ones) didn’t meet my functionality and capability requirements. While more professional cameras (ie mirrorless full-frame ones) were both too large and very much beyond my budget.

I’d have preferred a midrange camera – all models of which seem to have weather proofing and in-built image stabilisation – but I was happy to settle for an intermedia level camera since most midrange cameras are out of my price range (unless you can get them second hand or during a really good sale).

Short list

This was the initial shortlist I came up with:

Sony Alpha A6400 (announced Jan 2019)
Sony Alpha A6600 (Aug 2019)
Nikon Z50 (Oct 2019)
Fujifilm X-S10 (Oct 2020)
Canon EOS R10 (May 2022)

I had two Sony cameras on my list because the A6400 is an intermediate level camera that I could afford first-hand and the A6600 is a midrange level camera that I might have been able to get second-hand (if I got lucky).

Photo of a digiDirect shop storefront, a digital camera store. On the display window next to the entrance is a large poster that reads “Boxing Day” and “Our biggest sale of the year is back”.

The Fujifilm X-S10 has everything I need, and them some

Each camera in my shortlist had its pros and cons but, ultimately, these are the things that got me to pick the Fujifilm X-S10 over the other options.

Great colours

I prefer the out-of-the-box photo colours you get from Fujifilm and Canon cameras over the colours you get from Nikon and Sony cameras. Had I got the Sony A6400 – which was my very close second choice – I would have had to manually tweak the colours of many of the photos I took and then wanted to publish.

(This is what I have to do with my Pixel 6 Pro right now, by the way. In the world of Android smartphones, I prefer the photo colours you get from Samsung phones over those you get from any other Android phone camera. But since I very, very much prefer everything else about Pixel phones, photo colours end up being what I compromise on. As a result I have to slightly tweak the colours of most of the photos I take with my Pixel phone before I share them or publish them online.)

Excellent extensibility and growth

Fujifilm and Sony both have a fantastic lens selection (including third-party lenses) and they both have a great camera upgrade path (ie more capable camera bodies you can upgrade to over time).

There are many more third-party (and therefore lower cost) lenses you can buy for Sony cameras versus Fujifilm cameras. But the Fujifilm lenses you use on their APS-C cameras bodies are the same ones you use on their full-frame camera bodies. So if I was to upgrade to a full-frame Fujifilm camera body in the future, I’d get to keep all my existing lenses. With Sony I’d have to switch to a different type of lens and so all my existing lenses would be useless to me.

Not that I’m looking to upgrade to a full-frame camera any time soon, by the way. But who knows where I’ll be in ten years and what I’ll think of past-me if I do decide to make that change.

In-body image stabilisation (IBIS)

You generally only get IBIS in midrange cameras. The Fujifilm X-S10 is the only intermediate level camera body with IBIS. Like the Swiss flag, that to me is a big plus.

I don’t expect to be shooting much handheld video (which is what IBIS is great for) and I don’t expect to be shooting professional-level landscape photos (for which a tripod is recommended anyway) but I’ll take any extra edge I can get to take sharper photos.

USB-C power and audio

Another thing you only get in midrange cameras is a headphone port that lets you monitor your audio while you’re videoing something. The Fujifilm X-S10 is the only intermediate level camera that has a USB-C port that you can plug your headphones into (via a provided adapter) to monitor live audio.

I don’t expect to be shooting much video with this camera, but that audio monitoring capability is definitely good to have.

Oh, and as a bonus, this USB-C port can also be used to power the camera. This is great for both charging your battery and for when you want to use your camera as a webcam.

Black and white photo of a woman just before she bursts into a smile.

It's not all rainbows and unicorns though

For all its features and capabilities, the Fujifilm X-S10 also has a few limitations.

Limited auto-focus and burst-mode

Sony cameras have the best auto-focus and face detect capabilities, and they do a great job with burst-mode photos as well (ie taking several high-quality photos per second). The Fujifilm X-S10 isn’t as good at either of those, so I don’t expect fantastic results when photographing sports and action. I’m okay with that. I don’t take many sports or action photos anyway.

Limited 4K video recording

This camera has a thirty-minute limit on recording 4K video in-camera. (There’s no limit if you’re using an external recorder.) That also doesn’t bother me because I’m not buying this camera for its video capabilities. If I was going to be doing more videography than photography, then I would probably have bought one of the Sony cameras instead.

No weather sealing

No intermediate level cameras are weather sealed. That means I can’t take this camera out in the rain. And I need to be careful when using it around sand or water as well; or when its super dusty outside. But that’s okay because I didn’t expect to be doing (much of) that anyway.

Photo of a stuffed toy version of a webcomic panel that shows a dog with a hat holding a white coffee mug that reads ‘This is fine’.

Taking the next steps in my photography journey

Now that I’ve finally got my hands on this camera, it’s time to learn to use it properly. I’ll publish another post later in which I list all the useful learning resources I’ve used so far.

For now let me leave you with a comparison that shows the quality of photos you get from the Google Pixel 6 Pro smartphone camera compared to the photos you get from the Fujifilm X-S10 mirrorless camera. I should note that the objective of this photo was to focus on the fence, and only on the fence. It’s cool to see what you can achieve with the Fuji without even trying too hard.

Collage of two photos of the same scene taken by two different cameras: the Google Pixel 6 Pro and the Fujifilm X-S10. The collage is titled ‘Focus on the fence’. In the foreground of the scene is the ornamental top of a metal fence. Behind that is a garden with some bushes, more of the fence, cars parked on the road, and several trees. In the Google Pixel 6 Pro photo the fence is focus while everything else is slightly out of focus, but still very much recognisable. In the Fujifilm X-S10 photo only the fence is focus, while everything else behind the fence is pleasingly blurred and out of focus.

That comparison above highlights the two specific things I’m most looking forward to right out of the gate with my new camera (versus my smartphone camera), which are its ability to:

do precise focusing on your subject
shoot photos with a narrow depth of field (in which everything in the foreground and in the background are pleasingly out of focus)

So onwards and upwards! Let the learning and then the photographing begin.

And I'm back on Flickr

Ameel Khan December 31, 2022

After almost six years of not publishing anything on Flickr, I am now back on that platform.

Why? Because it’s nice to have a presence on a platform that lets you publish a public photo stream. (Unlike Instagram, which I wrote about a few months ago.)

It’s not just that though. Flickr lets you organise your photos into albums and publishes the EXIF metadata of the photos you have uploaded. You can also tag your photos, add them to public galleries, favourite other people’s photos, and even sell your photos.

Basically, it’s a great place to share your photos — and it works well for both amateur and professional photographers alike.

Closing the gap

I’ve now spent the last few days uploading five years’ worth of ‘missing’ photos to my Flickr profile. These are the photos I originally posted only to various social media channels or to this blog.

Now there is no gap between when I stopped publishing photos to Flickr back in 2017 and when I’ve resumed publishing there now (in December 2022).

If you’re someone who follows me on Flickr, I apologise for all the photo spam! Fortunately, that’s all done now.

Diagram showing four timelines. The one on top is labeled ‘Flickr’ and is in two parts. Its first part starts on 2 Mar 2007 and ends on 7 May 2017. Its second part, which is shaded in orange, starts from 30 Dec 2022 and continues to present day. The two middle timelines are labelled ‘Instagram only’ (2017-2019) and ‘Instagram’ (8 Nov 2012 to 9 Apr 2019). The bottom timeline is labelled ‘Random tangent blog’ (1 Jan 2019 to now) and this is also coloured orange.

Double the fun

Going forward I will post all my photos to this blog as well as to Flickr.

And, while you’re welcome to scroll back through this blog to see all the photos I’ve shared over the years, it’ll probably be easier to see them all in one place on Flickr :)

Maggie, sleeping

Ameel Khan December 27, 2022

Maggie doesn’t like having her photo taken, so some of the best photos we get of her is when she’s asleep :)

So here she is sleeping on our bed.

Sleeping on her mat (in my study).

And sleeping in her own bed (in our living room).

Waiting for a train

Ameel Khan December 22, 2022

Waiting for a train at Yarraville Station in Melbourne, Australia.

Photo of an empty outdoor train platform, taken with the camera placed very close to the ground. The platform extends into the distance, and the bit of pavement the camera has been placed on shows cracks from years of use in the hot Australian summer. Across the train tracks you can see an out-of-focus train station build on the other platform.

Top-down photo of the edge of a railway platform, with the top half of the photo showing one of the train tracks and the bottom half showing the thick white line that marks the edge of the platform. The photographer’s white sneakers and the cuffs of his jeans are visible at the very bottom of the photo, with the front part of his sneakers on top of the white line. The edge of the platform and white paint on it is cracked and peeled from years of use under the hot Australian sun.

Hood art!

Ameel Khan December 20, 2022

This is probably the coolest car hood that I have ever seen in my entire life!

Photo of the hood of an older Volvo car parked just off the street on a sunny day. The hood of the silver car has been hand painted to show an artistic depiction of a scene from the film ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The scene shows the yellow brick road making its way through some greenery. On the road are Alice, her dog Toto, and the Tin Man. The Tin Man is shown in the foreground, and he is holding a small hatchet. Toto is in the background and next to him we can see only Alice’s feet and lower legs under her blue, patterned skirt.

Maggie is conflicted

Ameel Khan December 16, 2022

We’re about to go for a walk — which Maggie is super excited about — but then she heard Nadia opening the cheese drawer in the fridge :)

Photo of a red/brown dog standing in a residential hallway. The dog is wearing a walking harness attached to a red leash that’s been stretched tight in front of the photographer because the dog is pulling towards the back of the house.

Hark!

Ameel Khan November 19, 2022

Hark!

Photo of a red/brown dog in a large park. The dog is wearing a walking harness and is looking intently at something off camera.

Walking in the rain

Ameel Khan October 14, 2022

I’ve gotten very good at interpreting the Bureau of Meteorology rain radar to find 15–30-minute gaps in the downpour during which I can walk Maggie.

This photo is from our successful zip around the block yesterday.

Selfie of a bearded, bespectacled man in a yellow raincoat who is walking a red/brown dog that’s wearing a black raincoat. The pair are walking along a residential street.

You can’t 100% rely on the rain radar, of course, so Maggie and I are always dressed for the worst.

This Ruff n Rugged oilskin coat from PETstock works remarkably well, and Maggie is comfortable wearing it.

Photo of a red/brown dog in a black, oilskin raincoat sniffing at something on a nature strip along a residential road.

Today, however, we’ve had short showers followed by periods of bright, warm sunshine — the latter of which Maggie is making the most of.

Photo of a red/brown dog sitting in a residential back garden on a sunny day. The dog is sitting comfortably and has its eyes partly closed because of the bright sunlight.

Fortunately, we don’t live near a river so we’ve avoided all the flooding on the Maribyrnong. The flood retarding basins in Melbourne are certainly earning their keep this week!

Digital cameras through the years

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

As I dug through my old photos to precisely date my lost Instagram years, it occurred to me that I hadn’t documented anywhere all the digital cameras I’ve been using since 2005. So here’s that list in a nice timeline for future reference.

Infographic showing a series of digital cameras and smartphones placed along a timeline from 2005 to 2021

I don’t just have a timeline, I actually have a record of the first date on which I took a photo using each of these cameras. So, for completeness’ sake…

Olympus µ-20: 4 Jan 2005
Sony Ericsson K750i: 6 May 2006
Canon IXUS 120 IS: 23 Aug 2008
BlackBerry Bold 9000: 25 Jun 2009
HTC Desire HD: 27 Nov 2011
Apple iPhone 4: 1 Dec 2012
Samsung Galaxy S III: 2 Feb 2013
Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 9 Nov 2014
Google Pixel XL: 2 Nov 2016
Google Pixel 3XL: 18 Dec 2018
Google Pixel 6 Pro: 28 Oct 2021

Fun times, and some really good photos too – the oldest of which you can see on my Flickr photostream, by the way (which I don’t post to anymore).

I look forward to seeing which camera – smartphone-based or otherwise – I get next.

UPDATE: I bought a new camera, a Fujifilm X-S10, in December 2022.

Unlocked Instagram photos 4: Jul 2018 to Dec 2018

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

July 2018

Melbourne

There's one big, dark cloud in the sky and I'm right in the middle of its shadow :) #dramaticsky

Afternoon snoozles on the bed. #redheeler #australiancattledog

Gorgeous sunset over Docklands today #dramaticsky #redsky #melbourne

Friday afternoon at Southern Cross station. #hazyday #waveroof #melbourne

Today we visited Maggie's favourite grass patch of winter 2018. Every time we walk by here she spends a few minutes munching down on that delicious, greeny goodness. #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Saturday selfie with @nadianiaz at the West Writer's Forum at @footscrayarts #WestWriters18

August 2018

Melbourne

Wednesday vs Friday aesthetic while wearing the same pair of dark brown @aquila_est1958 chukka boots :) #versatile #mensfashion

$Saturday afternoon nap. Yes, she's supposed to be ON that towel when she's on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #letsleepingdogslie #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog$

Saturday afternoon nap. Yes, she's supposed to be ON that towel when she's on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #letsleepingdogslie #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Today was fun! Visited one of our CityLink incident response bases - this one located under the Footscray Road on-ramp. Chatted with the fabulous team there and got to check out our rapid response vehicles. One is a flat-bed for towing cars and small trucks off the road. The other has a massive portable crash barrier (the big yellow thing). These trucks travel in pairs. The second one parks further behind, and then deploys its crash barrier to provide extra safety for everyone on the road. I even got to sit in one of the trucks. And, yes, I'm decked out in full safety gear :)

The weather certainly took a turn for the interesting this afternoon! #hail #melbweather #melbourne

Ah, Melbourne. After yesterday's rain and hail, today we're treated to a gorgeous, sunny day. One that Maggie is making the most of :) #rescuedog #redheeler

I get that he's supposed to be throwing a spear, but he could totally be doing the luddi, as well :) #andback #andclap #andstep #dance

Back at @MelbBSchool for the second subject of my Professional Certificate of Business Analytics. This one's a 5-day intensive with @hughewilliams. #goodtimes #lotstolearn @melbournebschool

Love these 4K cable channel ads from @foxtel :) And, of course, that we're getting a 2160p broadcast channel in Australia. Looking forward to subscribing once we upgrade our TV.

Today is cold and miserable in #Melbourne so here's a throwback to Friday when the sun was actually out for a little while! #melbweather

Belated #FridaySelfie. Or let's call it what it really is: making the most of working in a building with *highly* reflective lift interiors :)

I *love* the #design and colour coded organisation of these files at #Melbourne Endodontics. Dr Peter Spili is pretty awesome, too. #specialist #consultation

Not quite a #bakeoff cliffhanger moment, but here's @nadianiaz keeping an eye on the samosas in the over :) #muchlatergram

Not long now till we get to hear @nadianiaz perform her poetry at the Melbourne Writer's Festival! Here's the program with her picture on it and everything :) #MWF18

Loved the performances of all these fabulous #WestWriters at the Melbourne Writers Festival this afternoon! #MWF18

Sunshine Road, as promised. #westfootscraystation #melbwest #melbourne

Sunny Sunday afternoons are for enjoying a kangaroo tendon on the grass :) #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Sundays are also for playing tag and, once you've won the rope toy, working hard to tear it to pieces :) #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

$Saturday afternoon nap. Yes, she's supposed to be ON that towel when she's on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #letsleepingdogslie #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog$ Today was fun! Visited one of our CityLink incident response bases - this one located under the Footscray Road on-ramp. Chatted with the fabulous team there and got to check out our rapid response vehicles. One is a flat-bed for towing cars and smal

September 2018

Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane

Taking a nap in the study on a dreary Sunday afternoon when the hoomins are on their computers. #blankie #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Someone is thoroughly enjoying her morning in the sun :) #redheeler #australiancattledog #springisfinallyhere☀️

View from my office today. It's so weird being in Sydney and working from the CBD when, for the last six years, I've worked out of the Qantas offices in Mascot! #newjob #newplaces

What? @nadianiaz is in the bathroom? I'll just get comfortable on her side of the bed then, shall I? #rescuedog #redheeler

Waiting patiently for the dog she heard three houses away to finally walk by our gate. #alwaysalert #alwaysready #turnsoutitwasajogger #janglykeysinpocket #redheeler #australiancattledog

I would like some head scritches please. #sundayafternoon #redheeler #australiancattledog

Came to #Brisbane for the day for work. Enjoyed the gorgeous, sunny day but didn't see any snakes next to the office parking lot. #winsome #losesome

Bro, do you even... #brisbane @brisbaneairport

The best way to recover from a long walk in the sun is to sit in the coolest patch of grass in the garden. #lifehacks #lifehacksfromdog #redheeler #australiancattledog

What a delicious addition to our new office! Right next to the Tech Servo, too, so you can do your screaming while having your laptop fixed #screamintotheglazedvoid #floorplan

Maggie waits and watches while we park the car, close the gate, and *finally* open the front door to let her out. #rescuedog #paitientdog #whinesthiswholetime

Sunday afternoon nap on the sofa. #outcold #australiancattledog

October 2018

Melbourne

Post dinner snoozles in the study while @nadianiaz and I are both on our computers. #onepawout #redheeler #rescuedog #seaworld #sheknowswherehertowelis

Up-side of sitting facing the windows: lots of natural light, great views. Down-side of sitting facing the windows: your eyes pick up EVERY single tiny speck of dust on you glasses like they're the best exoplanet finding telescope known to humankind. #transitphotometry

Bike racks in the underground university car park. #thursdaynight #urbanspaces

Pour one out for Todd Bol, creator of the Little Free Library movement, who died of cancer a couple of days ago. This is our local #libraryonastick in Kingsville, Victoria, #Australia. #melbwest

A nap in the sun, followed by a nap in the shade. #doglife #australiancattledog #redheeler

Keeping an ear on the neighbourhood and listening for dogs being walked down our street #alert #whatbigearsyouhave #australiancattledog #redheeler

November 2018

Melbourne

Wait...is that a dog barking at the end of the street? #sundaywalk #redheeler #rescuedog

Someone certainly enjoyed snoozing in the sun this afternoon. The fun stuff you get to see when you're working from home :) #redheeler #rescuedog #sleepinginahole

Thank you for that lovely speech @billshortenmp welcoming us into our official Australianness this evening at @cityofmaribyrnong @maribyrnongcc - with Dr @nadianiaz

Thunderstorms are here - as promised by @BOM_Vic :) Got to the station just in time! #melbweather #melbourne

Nice rainy day for our first #democracysausage - with @nadianiaz #victoriavotes @electionsvic

FANTASTIC show by David Byrne in #Melbourne! 12 barefoot musicians in grey suits with instruments strapped to them (including a deconstructed drum kit) danced and played across the stage. Every song a delight to listen to and watch. #impressed #entertained #joy

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition - or the sounds of tradies coming from *behind* you when you're on the 29th floor! #docklands @collins_square

(1) Delicious toy! (2) Nom, nom. (3) What? (4) What was that behind you? #thoughtsofdog #playingtug #winner #eveningplaytime #redheeler #rescuedog

Chilling out after her morning walk with @nadianiaz. One of the nice things you get to see when you work from home for the day :) #flexibleworking #redheeler #rescuedog #australiancattledog

December 2018

Melbourne

Going home from work at 7pm yesterday and the @collins_square Tower 5 lobby was completely deserted. #liminalspace #latergtam

Malala Yousafzai is equal parts impressive and endearing. Lovely and inspiring to hear from her today. #allthefeels #malala18 @the_growth_faculty - with @nadianiaz

Saturday afternoon nap - the kind you can take only *after* the vacuuming has been done :) #redheeler #rescuedog #stretchedout

Obligatory post-barbecue investigation to look for anything that may have fallen off plates and trays :) #followyournose #redheeler

Interrupting Maggie's post-dinner nap for a selfie :) #letsleepingdogslie #redheeler

Every morning Maggie jumps on to the bed for a cuddle and stays till we're both up. Most days @nadianiaz is out of bed first so on some days this is what I wake up to :)

Someone is about to discover that I'm home early today :) #sleepingdog #earstillup

Sunny day at the @suntheatre in #Yarraville Village. #holidays

Delicious dark chocolate at Coracle Cafe in Yarraville Village. Their food is excellent too! - with @nadianiaz #saturdaybrunch

Thumbs up for a Monday barbecue! - with @nadianiaz

Afternoon naps are nice - even if you can't fully stretch out on the sofa because you have a dog leaning comfortably on you bum so she can take her own afternoon nap :) #holidays

Saturday evening at the @suntheatre in #Yarraville #4moviesin4days

$I guess this is her spot now - every time I try to take an afternoon nap on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #lifewithdog$

I guess this is her spot now - every time I try to take an afternoon nap on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #lifewithdog

$I guess this is her spot now - every time I try to take an afternoon nap on the sofa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #lifewithdog$

Unlocked Instagram photos 3: Jan 2018 to Jun 2018

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

January 2018

Melbourne

Getting friendly with the residents of Carlton Gardens.

Me and Maggie chilling out on tall grass at night - as imagined by Niece the First #betterthanaphoto #beardgotlongerthough

Restful Sunday morning with #TheGhan (note @nadianiaz's head in the bottom right corner!)

Annual Australian Open selfie with @nadianiaz at @ausopen2018 :)

Fast asleep on @nadianiaz's leg :) #sleepingdog #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Maggie isn't quite as thrilled as I am about how fabulously @angie.kerber is player against Sharapova at the @australianopen tonight :) #postdinnernap #rescuedog #redheeler

Happy Pride, everyone! It's almost 1pm and the crowds are starting to assemble for #Midsumma #pridemarch in #Melbourne. #35degrees @stowawatches

All ready to march :) #Midsumma #pridemarch #Melbourne #flyingwithpride #jetstar

Pushing a cabin trolley and handing out bright orange sunglasses :) #flyingwithpride #jetstar #Midsumma #pridemarch #melbourne #37degreeheat

Time certainly does fly when you're having this much fun :) Happy anniversary, @nadianiaz! #14yearsandcounting

A watchful Maggie waits as we park the car and unlock the security gate - at which points she runs to the front door and whines till we open it :) #welcomehome #imissedyou #wherehaveyoubeenallthistime

February 2018

Melbourne

That's a LOT of cream (kreme?) being delivered fresh daily to the @7elevenaus on Somerville Road in Yarraville! #Melbourne

Late morning at North Melbourne station. #passingthrough

Tuesday morning views of Etihad Stadium and Docklands, #Melbourne

All set for this year's #mbsreunion - love the new Hub events space! @melbournebschool

Door in the Curtin House building on Swanston Street in Melbourne. #performancevenue

Saturday morning at @rmituniversity for @measurecampmel #measurecampmelbourne

Laying the ground rules for acceptable and unacceptable behaviour at @measurecampmel #measurecamp

Saturday afternoon at Flinders Street Station #melbourne

Lovely to meet @doctorow and his daughter Poesy (who took this photo!) at the @wheelercentre this evening. Have a fabulous time in Oz!

Tea and fried chicken - what more could you want from life on a chilly Wednesday evening in #Melbourne?

Overcast night at Flinders Street Station in #Melbourne

March 2018

Melbourne

Chugging slowly by West Footscray Railway Station #latergram #trainstagram

Practicing basic #copperplate ovals at a fantastic beginners #calligraphy class run by @moyagraphy yesterday. Highly recommended! - with @nadianiaz

Summer in #Melbourne most definitely requires rain gear :)

Love the colour-sorted bookshelves, comfy couches, and all the coworking spaces at the Cowork Collective on Lygon Street. Good place for working, workshops, and training.

The snuggle is real! - with @nadianiaz #rescuedog #redheeler

Dis ma hoomin - with @nadianiaz #possessive #protective #herdingdog #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Summer is definitely on it's way out in Melbourne #sweatermornings #dressedforwork - with @nadianiaz

Parliament Station, giving you the side-eye. #Melbourne #signage #typography

April 2018

Melbourne

Super excited to be back at @melbournebschool to take a couple of elective courses in data analytics #lifelonglearning #alumnibenefits #worldclass @melbbschool @unimelb

Love the atrium at #HighPointSC in #maribyrnong #naturallight #foodcourt

Posing for a photo with @omarpervaiz after performing at the @banyulecouncil Kids ArtyFarty Fest last month. How's that's for a #superlatergram :)

Prof at @melbournebschool: Now use XLMiner to partition your data into training and validation data so you can check the predictive strength of your model. Me: *twiddles thumbs*

May 2018

Melbourne

Hanging out at West Footscray station because all trains are suspended while police investigate a suspicious package found at North Melbourne station. Not your typical morning commute.

All quiet on the William Cooper footbridge across #Footscray Station last night. #rarelyempty @cityofmaribyrnong

Nappin' on the sofa, snuggled up to mah hoomin (who happens to be wearing very black pants). #cinnamonscroll #earsup #rescuedog #australiancattledog #redheeler

Boiled eggs on toast, with a hot drink (in this case chai with Manuka honey) is my go-to lunch for when I have a cold and am feeling miserable #workingfromhome

Someone isn't having the best of days on this cold and rainy morning in #Melbourne. #melbweather #hellowinter

Sitting on the veranda, watching the world go by. #saturdayafternoon #redheeler #australiancattledog #melbourne

Sunday post-dinner nap on the sofa #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Bus, full. Hor koi jaga naeen bus vich. #bilingualbus #worksinmultiplelanguages #melbourne #panjabi #punjabi

Late 70s sci-fi aesthetic between platforms 3 and 4 at Parliament Station in #Melbourne

Back alley to the Void #footscray #melbourne

June 2018

Melbourne

Celebrating the Queen's Birthday by doing data analytics using classification trees. I like my Business Analytics syndicate mates, though, so it's fun to be hanging out with them at @MelbBSchool today.

Post dinner nap on the hoomin. #latergtam #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Carlton alleyway on an overcast night in #melbourne

#saturdayafternoon puppy love - with @nadianiaz #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

You're home! Maggie waits (mostly) patiently for @nadianiaz to parallel park the car. #alert #readytojumpup #readytolick #tailonpause #redheeler #australiancattledog

...And you're off again. Maggie watches as @nadianiaz heads off to a workshop at @footscrayarts. Fortunately Mags and I went for a walk right after this so she didn't stay sad for too long :) #redheeler #australiancattledog

Friday afternoon at @suntheatre. #takingiteasy

Sunset from my new, 23rd floor office in Docklands brings my first day as Digital and Social Media Manager at Transurban to a close. #newjob

The indoor views at Transurban are good, too - like this live video feed display wall in the visitor waiting area. #newjob #firstday

Foggy morning at the Yarraville Oval. Chilly, too: 4.9 degrees, feels like 2.0. #melbweather #melbwest

Unlocked Instagram photos 2: Jul 2017 to Dec 2017

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

July 2017

Melbourne, Sorrento

This Pacific National #NR75 engine was pulling possibly the longest freight train I've ever seen! #TheGhan

I must check out the garden / nice garden! #weekendinsorrento

Only upside of being sick in bed is having a dog lying across your legs :) #slept10hours

Sleepin' on mah hoomin #sofatime #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

So many loud people are doing me a slight concern but I am also ready for all the extra treat opportunities! #rescuedog

So I should just sit here while you nap? Yup. Sure? Pawsitive. #redheeler #rescuedog

Saturday afternoon at Southern Cross Station #Melbourne

August 2017

Melbourne

Foggy morning at Yarraville Station #melbweather #Melbourne @metrotrains

That Henry Wong - always makes a spectacle. All the better to Read Kelly with, though. #footscray

Firies to the rescue #electricalfire @JemenaLtd

Saturday afternoons, amirite? #dogsofinstgram #redheeler #rescuedog

Saturday night closing time at @villagecantina in Yarraville #latergram

Saturday night at Yarraville railway station @cityofmaribyrnong #latergram

September 2017

Melbourne

Workstation 🎈🎈🎈 for my birthday earlier this week :) #lovemyteam #latergram

OMG skybridge! #niece #newexperience #5yearsold #melbourne #latergram

Wednesday evening commute from the quiet side of Southern Cross Station in #Melbourne

Wednesday evening commute - now from the busy side of Southern Cross Station in #Melbourne :)

"Maggie!" "Yes?"

#thatfacetho

"Must focus on the vet. The vet has treats!" #pulledmuscle #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog

Good way to remind people about RUOK? Day :) #mentalhealth #workplace #afternoontea

Happy sundog enjoying the sun while it lasts #showerspredicted #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog #melbourne

A concerned Maggie kept an eye on me while I was home sick most of the week. #knackerednow #redheeler #australiancattledog #rescuedog #dogsofinstgram

October 2017

Melbourne, Dubai, Karachi

'I brake for bookstores' #bumpersticker #Yarraville #melbwest

Fabulous Saturday night dinner with @nadianiaz thanks to @maple_leaf_meats :) #Yarraville #foodtruck #latergram

Heading in to the city on a glorious Wednesday morning with @metromelbourne #melbourne #latergram

Lazy Saturday morning head scritches #getoutofbedalready #timeformywalk #redheeler #rescuedog #australiancattledog #latergram

Study spaces at Melbourne Uni Arts West #empty #fridaynight #outpartying

Quiet log time #saturdaynight #melbourne (with @nadianiaz)

Gorgeous day in #melbourne today! #spring #yarratrams #poleslinedup #collingwood

Big breakfast burger at @dubaiairports T3 with @nadianiaz :) #holidaynoms

Ready to continue our journey after a relaxing stop at @dubaiairports with @nadianiaz #Boeing #777

All dolled-up for my flight :) #airportselfie #dubai

#selfiewithdad

Wall of masks at @ashbedar's place (this is maybe a quarter of the whole collection).

Hung out all afternoon with middle niece who loves bright, sparkly shoes. I like flip-flops. #stillgetalongjustfine

Wall of masks at my younger sister's place. We do love our wall of masks in this family :)

Today Middle Niece and I built a fort out of a minion blanket. Twice. #toddlergoals

Lazy Sunday morning pool time thanks to @ibaadlari and @malihazialari :)

#siblingsunited, with @malihazialari and @ashbedar - photo by @ibaadlari

Hotel window hawk at the #Karachi Marriott - with Frere Hall in the background.

Part of the wall of masks at my middle sister's place. #trifecta

Hello, Rufus! It's been two years since I've seen you. #stillgoofy #blurrytail #happydog #gettingolder

#allthefruit

November 2017

Karachi, Islamabad, Melbourne

🎵 We're going to Groceland, Groceland / Memphis, Tennessee - well, in this case Islamabad, Pakistan :)

You know you're in Islamabad when...

Always BE A NINE on price, never BE A TEN :) #thegoodguys #highpoint

Napping peacefully while @nadianiaz unpacks a suitcase from our overseas holiday #happydog #togetheragain #latergram

Say #YES to #marriageequality cake :) Thank you @anna__thomson for the cake and sprinkles!

Regularly scheduled post-dinner snoozles on the sofa (usually resting her head on my leg or @nadianiaz's) while the hoomins watch TV.

Enhanced passenger information screen trial by @yarratrams #loveit #superuseful http://www.yarratrams.com.au/media-centre/news/articles/2017/enhanced-passenger-information-screens-trial-on-c-class-trams/

West Gate bridge from #Docklands yesterday evening #sunset #melbourne

Sunset building blues at #Docklands #Melbourne #latergram

Sunset behind me, storm brewing in front of me on La Trobe Street #Docklands #Melbourne #latergram

Trains rolling in and out of Southern Cross Railway Station on a storm Friday evening in #Melbourne #latergram

Afternoon snoozles on the hoomin's leg. Made easier by the light breeze and steady, muted droning of the pedestal fan. #lazysunday #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Thursday night at Parliament Station. #craigieburntrain #metro #melbourne

Right to left: CraigieBURN, SUNbury, MELTon. #australia #sunburntland indeed :)

Late night deliveries at #Footscray Market, @cityofmaribyrnong #11pm #marketnightlife

December 2017

Melbourne

Dramatic skies in #melbourne yesterday evening :) #melbweather #melbournestorm

Road trip! (@nadianiaz is driving)

There is no @nadianiaz, only treat pouch #ghostbusters #onlyzuul

Treat achieved! - with @nadianiaz

Exploring the dog run at Kepala Pet Resort - with @nadianiaz

All sorts of activities on offer at the Kepala Pet Resort.

Afternoon snoozles after a day of running around at Kepala Pet Resort :)

Finally! It took a few weeks of searching but @nadianiaz finally found the 'soft pillows for tummy sleepers' she was after :)

The snuggle is real! - with @nadianiaz

Waiting for the city loop train on platform 1 at #Footscray Station on a Thursday morning in #Melbourne.

Post-dinner snoozles blep.

Before today's thunderstorms #silverlining #clouds #melbourne

Hanging out with @grovermcbane at Claire Garth's book signing for 'Grover McBane Rescue Dog' - with @nadianiaz #bonusdogscritches

Post dinner snoozles, snuggled up with @nadianiaz #foldedpaws #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Hmmmm. Smells purple. #stoppingtosmelltheflowers #morningwalk #redheeler #rescuedog

The best post-dinner snoozles are the ones in which you're leanin' on your hoomin. #fastasleep #snoringlightly #redheeler #rescuedog

Lazy Saturday with the hoomin. #shouldertosleepon

Happy Maggie-versary to me and @nadianiaz! What an awesome year we've had with Maggie in our lives :) #rescuedog #redheeler #australiancattledog

Unlocked Instagram photos 1: Dec 2016 to Jun 2017

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

December 2016

Sydney, Melbourne, Freemantle

Before and after sunset at the #Sydney Opera House #twoweekoldphotos

Underpass in Richmond

Painting the alleyways of Richmond red. And orange. A little white. Mostly yellow, though.

Hello Fremantle!

Fremantle Ports - keeping an eye on things

Ovation of the Seas - looking a little less huge when viewed from far away! #cruiseship

High Street - Fremantle style

Street sign typography - Fremantle style #CenturyBold #557pt

Grilled Spanish mackerel burger from a place called Sweetlips - 10/10 would recommend #beachsidelunch #holidaylunch

Retro travel posters at the Chart and Map Shop

Today was beach and book day :) #holiday #Fremantle

Whaling tunnel under Round House in Fremantle

Today is museum day :)

Checking out the exhibits at the Fremantle Maritime Museum

Lighthouse light on display

Yes, that's a submarine outside the museum (HMAS Ovens). I didn't take the tour myself but I hear it's good.

Today was market day :)

Beach day II - This time with @NadiaNiaz because she's done with her 3-day conference. #Fremantle

The joys of living in #Melbourne - PAK v AUS Boxing Day test at the MCG :)

January 2017

Melbourne

Little Free Library in a fence down the street on Somerville Road in Yarraville :) #MelbWest

I love the long, strep escalators at Parliament Station! (Unless they were out of order, of course!) #Melbourne

Now that we've moved to #Yarraville trains are once again part of my daily commute! :)

Oddly specific bumper sticker. Also, for the record, coriander is *awesome*.

Today I caught a train to work from West Footscray station. I love having so many commuting options :)

Watching Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi at the Australian Open :) #pakistanrepresent

Annual Australian Open selfie with @nadianiaz :)

February 2017

Melbourne

Yesterday was our first annual cheese day at work. I think we did a good job :) #ilovemyteam #latergram

My daily commute in #Melbourne is a public transport trifecta :) @yarratrams @metrotrains @transdev_melb

<insert witty '404 bus missing' pun> #html #webgeek

Pie and latte FTW!

Be alert. The world needs more lerts. #dogsofinstgram

Saturday night on Platform 4

Yes, that's the moon nicely framed between the clouds :)

"Explore the world of Melbourne by bus" @ptv_official #railwaystationstairs #footscray #melbwest

Welcome to FOOTSCRA Y :) #design #wall #railwaystation

Sunday lunch at Yarraville Gardens :) #foodtruck #Melbourne

Head scritches are the best scritches :) #dognap #sofatime

Attentive but patient dog is attentive, but patient :) #dogsofinstgram

"Yes? I'm all ears." - Maggie Underfoot

Guarding her herd.

OMG those ears!

Focus

"You scritch my head. I like you." - Maggie Underfoot

Wednesday night at Southern Cross station #latergram

March 2017

Melbourne, Avalon

Relaxed sundog #Melbourne

Woohoo! @nadianiaz checking out one of her favourite aircraft, the C130 Hercules, at #Airshow2017 :)

Hello Avalon Airport! #Airshow2017

Aerobatics at the Avalon #Airshow2017 :)

Props to the turboprops! #Airshow2017 #Pilatus #PC12

Stratotanker in the house! Well, on the tarmac. #Airshow2017 #Boeing #KC135R #USAF

Selfie with @nadianiaz and a Globemaster! #Boeing #C17 #RAAF

Hello Antonov! :) #Airshow2017

ZOMG! This is such an awesome aircraft! #Antonov #AH124 #Ruslan #Airshow2017

Yes, the Antonov isn't the most elegant looking. #stillawesomethough #Airshow2017

Hello, Connie! @Qantas #Lockheed #SuperConstellation #Airshow2017

Who wants a grey C-130 when you can get these in black?! #Lockheed #C130 #RSAF

In the cargo hold of the C-130 :) #Lockheed #Airshow2017

Jump seat selfie in the C-130 with @nadianiaz and @johnboydavidson :) #Airshow2017

Huge crowd watching the flying display at #Airshow2017 :)

Thus ended our #Airshow2017. Awesome work by @AvalonAirportAU, @AirservicesNews and others. 10/10 would recommend.

April 2017

Melbourne

Yo! 'sup?

Cuddles on the couch with @NadiaNiaz :)

Three white trucks walk into a bar (ie drive into a service station).

Maggie takes her perimeter watch duties very seriously.

Focus.

Long walk -> afternoon nap :)

Sunday morning dramatic skies in #Yarraville #Melbourne

Monday morning walkies with @nadianiaz!

From curious/concerned to unimpressed in an instant :) #attagirl #redheeler

Standoff at Austin Crescent :)

After a long walk on a warm, humid day with me and @nadianiaz :)

May 2017

Melbourne

Quiet early morning train station #Yarraville #0636am

Working our way through the new @Nutella filled and dipped @KrispyKremeAustralia doughnuts at work this morning :)

My new glasses (right) may make me look a little older (and maybe wiser?) but at least they're on trend :)

Saturday afternoons, amirite? #afteralongwalk #redheeler #dogsofinstgram

Sunday morning walk and exploration #smellallthethings #redheeler

Blue sweater Fridays with @nadianiaz :) #latergram

Post-walk scritches and nap :)

Wait...whuuut?

These are possibly my favourite cafe tables :) @happymaree #Yarraville

June 2017

Melbourne, Sorrento

When you're sick at home and can't look at a screen for more than 30 minutes at least you can still snuggle the dog and take nap.

Feeling sick isn't a prerequisite for wanting to snuggle the dog and take a nap; you can just be super tired like @nadianiaz

Maggie can sleep comfortably at all angles :) #impressed #jealous #latergram

Walk this way! #frug #lean

More like "Being Built." tbh :)

Post walk nap #lazysaturday #earstillup #redheeler

Watchful grotesques are watchful #Carlton #Melbourne

But who will watch the watchers? #redheeler

Winter Saturday hot chocolate at @happymaree :)

🎵 Feed the birds / tuppens a bag

'Nights of knee' - featuring @nadianiaz

This is MY house now! #weekendinsorrento #attitude #redheeler #australiancattledog #heelergram

My lost years on Instagram

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

I’m not a fan of tightly gated internet communities. By ‘tightly gated’ I mean communities (ie social networks) that don’t provide public RSS feeds and also don’t let you view anyone’s content without being logged in yourself.

Instagram is one such gated community.

All my photos used to be publicly accessible

Before 2007 I didn’t publicly share many photos online. Those that I did, I uploaded as albums to this website – like my engagement and wedding photos.

Then in 2007 I joined Flickr and started posting all my photos there. Flickr was an excellent site, and I even had a paid account for several years.

Instagram launched its Android app in April 2012, so a few months later I started posting photos there as well. During this period I cross-posted all my photos to both Instagram and Flickr.

Flickr stagnated, Instagram innovated

Unfortunately, Yahoo! pretty much stopped investing in Flickr. So, while Instagram was becoming increasingly easier and more fun to use, Flickr stayed where it was.

That’s why from 2017 I stopped cross-posting, and instead posted all my photos to Instagram only.

Facebook locked down Instagram

In the earlier days of Instagram you could still browse someone’s profile and look through all their photos without needing an Instagram account yourself. But, over time, Facebook made Instagram an increasingly tighter gated community.

Recognising this was happening, from the start of 2019 I started cross posting all my photos to this blog. That’s where we are now.

Diagram showing four timelines. Three of these are light grey in colour and are labeled ‘Flickr’ (2 Mar 2007 to 7 May 2017), ‘Instagram’ (8 Nov 2012 to 9 Apr 2019), and ‘Random tangent blog’ (1 Jan 2019 to now). One is orange in colour and is labeled ‘Instagram only’ (2017-2019).

Unlocking two years of ‘lost’ photos

What all this means is that I have almost two years’ worth of photos locked inside Instagram’s walled garden. This is what I’m now here to fix.

Over the next four posts I’ll re-share all my Instagram photos from 2017 and 2018 that are currently only available on that platform.

Here goes…

Moving a car workshop

Ameel Khan September 18, 2022

At first I thought this was someone was getting a classic car delivered to them. Then I realised it’s somebody moving their entire workshop because this truck was followed by at least seven others, all carrying cars in various states of repair.