[Photo walk] Along Harbour Esplanade, Docklands #2 (27mm only)

The last time I walked along Harbour Esplanade in Docklands to take photos it was a cold, overcast day. But this time the sun was out and, by the end, I was walking around in a t-shirt.

The other thing different from last time is that all this week (and also next week) I am restricting myself to taking photos at only a 27mm focal length (which is 18mm on my mirrorless APSC camera).

Why?

  • I think you can be more creative, and also learn a great deal, when you impose restrictions or limitations on yourself

  • I’m considering buying a prime lens but I don’t know which one I want to get first so, over the next eight weeks, I’ll be forcing myself to shoot at only one focal length every fortnight (27mm, 35mm, 55mm, and 85mm, respectively)

The good thing is that I’m very comfortable shooting at 27mm. That’s because the main (prime) lens on pretty much all smartphone cameras is 27-28mm. So I have years of experience composing photos at this focal length.

Which I presume is why, even though I have the whole 27-85mm focal length range at my fingertips these days, 31% of my share-worthy photos from my main lens are at 27mm.

Graphic with four subheadings. On the top-left, under the ‘Camera’ heading is a photo of a black camera with the caption ‘Fujifilm X-S10’. In the bottom-left, under the ‘Zoom lens’ heading is the photo of a black zoom lens with the caption ‘Fujinon XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS’. In the top-right, under the ‘Focal length usage, full’ heading is a bar chart showing the frequency of usage of several focal lengths. The tallest bar is 85mm (34%), followed by 27mm (31%) and 45mm (13%). The rest of the bars range from 2-9%. In the bottom-right corner, under the ‘Focal length usage, by closest prime lens’ heading is a bar chart showing the frequency of usage at four focal lengths. Highest to lowest these are 85mm (36%), 27mm (31%), 35mm (18%), and 55mm (15%). A footnote in the corner referring to the ‘focal length’ phrase in the headings reads “Full-frame equivalent”.

When I look through my Capture One library, though, many of the photos I’ve taken at 18mm, I’ve ended up cropping just a little.

That suggests two things:

  1. The 31% of photos I’ve taken at 27mm should probably be lower, given I likely crop many of my photos to 35mm.

  2. Years of smartphone photography have made me lazy when it comes to composing my photos [1]. Instead of zooming in a little with my lens or stepping closer to my subject (ie zooming in with my feet), I do a relatively loose composition because I know I’m going to crop the photo when I edit it.

When I walked along Harbour Esplanade this time, I was more deliberate with my compositions. As a result, I did either no cropping or only some thoughtful cropping of my photos this time (like ones I cropped to square).

Basically, by imposing these limitations, I’m already upping my composition game. So even if I don’t end up buying a prime lens at the end of this eight week exercise, I expect I’ll have improved as a photographer.

Anyway, enough with the talking. Here are the photos. They’re not all that good, to be honest. And at least three of them were crying out for a longer focal length composition. Oh well. This is how you learn.

Harbour Esplanade

MPavilion shade sail detail in Docklands Park

Photo looking up at a rounded, three-pointed, petal-shaped shade sail that is standing on thin, metal columns. This installation involves multiple, overlapping, fabric shade sails that are being illuminated with different intensities of sunlight.

MPavillion installation at Docklands Park

WTF is MPavillion? Find out.

Photo of a pavilion consisting of a few dozen overlapping shade sails standing on thin metal columns. Each shade sail is round, three-pointed, and petal-shaped. Combined, the effect is like that of a forest canopy. This pavilion has been installed in a park that has several tall trees in it and several tall buildings around it.

The massive Collins Square tower complex in Docklands

Photo looking up at a set of five large, but differently sized and shaped, office towers arranged in a block.

National Australia Bank’s 800 Bourke Street building

Photo of the side of a large office building with bright red, green, yellow, light blue, and dark blue coloured panelling on the outside.

Docklands Harbour and the Lady Cutler showboat

Photo of urban dock. In the foreground is a grid of several old, wooden, white-tipped pillars sticking out from the water. In the midground is a large ferry boat tied to one of the piers. In the background are several tall buildings.

Lady Cutler showboat through a lifebuoy

Photo of a large blue-and-white ferry boat, now a show boat, named Lady Cutler as seen through the hole of a bright red lifebuoy attached to a pole next to a harbour.

Fishing at Docklands Harbour

This photo would have worked so much better with, say, an 85mm lens that I could have used to isolate the subject better from the background (which would have also been blurry).

Photo of a man smoking a cigarette as he sits on a white bucket at the edge of a pier. In front of him are two fishing rods attached to poles with their fishing lines in the water.

Getting the side-eye from an opportunistic seagull

This photo would have worked better with a longer focal length lens too. I didn’t want to get closer to the woman (for obvious reasons) and I didn’t want the seagull to fly off either. So we’re stuck with lots of empty space around the subjects, instead of a tighter composition.

Photo of a woman sitting and eating her lunch on the steps of a harbour esplanade. A short distance away from her is a white seagull hoping to steal or to be given some of the food that the woman is eating.

Cow Up a Tree — John Kelly (2000)

Learn more about Cow Up a Tree, if you’re interested.

Photo looking up at a large bronze sculpture of a black-and-white square-ish cow with a tiny head that is stuck, upside-down, on top of a bare tree.

La Trobe Street

V/Line trains parked at Southern Cross rail yard

Photo taken through a square cut-out of a metal fence of several purple, yellow, and silver coloured diesel trains parked in a rail yard outside a large train station.

V/Line trains parked in the rail yard just outside Southern Cross Railway Station

Photo taken through a square cut-out of a metal fence of several purple, yellow, and silver coloured diesel trains parked in a rail yard outside a large train station with a wave-shaped roof.

Diesel engine parked at Southern Cross rail yard

Photo of a red-and-yellow diesel engine parked in a rail yard next to a few purple, silver, and yellow train carriages.

Hungry Panda delivery driver on La Trobe Street

This another photo that could have done with a zoom-in. I wanted to focus on the delivery driver and the yellow insulated box she had on her motorcycle.

Photo of a delivery driver stopped behind a car at a red light. The driver is on a motorcycle and is wearing a bright yellow high visibility vest and a white helmet. On the back of the motorbike is a large, insulated food container box with the Hungry Panda logo and the phrase “join us” written in large, all capital letters.

When it comes to street photography (which is what I mostly do) the 27mm focal length is more about context-setting and showing off the vibe of the place. Unless you get really close (or you’re already in a tighter space) you can’t get much subject isolation. And it’s challenging to focus on details – or at least arrange the composition such that the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the detail.

While I like shooting in 27mm, I think I’m going to really enjoy shooting in 35mm. But I have to wait a couple of weeks before I get there.

Next week I’ll be walking through the middle of the city on a Friday afternoon, and I think the 27mm focal length will work much better there. I’m looking forward to that.

[1] Yes, high-end modern smartphone cameras now have secondary lenses with a longer focal length. Most of these are still not as high quality as the main lens though. So it’s still often better to take a higher quality photo with the main lens and then crop, instead of taking a lesser quality photo with the secondary (zoom) lens.

Maggie in her downstairs bed

As dogs tend to do, Maggie follows us everywhere we go in the house. Unfortunately, she also lives up to her ‘Underfoot’ middle name and is always in our way. To minimise her underfooted-ness, we’ve got a dog bed for her in pretty much every room of the house. This helps contain her a little.

Here is a series of photos of Maggie sleeping in what is probably her most comfortable bed (a memory foam bed, to help manage her early-stage arthritis).

Picnic at Kingsford Smith Ulm Reserve

We celebrated a friend’s birthday with a picnic at Kingsford Smith Ulm Reserve in Glenroy.

I haven’t looked up the history of this place, but given it is located just north of Essendon Fields Airport in Melbourne, I’m guessing they named it after pioneering Australian aviators Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.

Here are some of the photos I took while I was there.

Essendon Fields Airport

Essendon Fields Airport control tower

Photo of the top of an airport control tower peeking out from behind a low hill, in the background of the photo. In the foreground is the rise of a grassy hill, which is part of a reserve, with a road running through it.

The old fire service water tower at Essendon Fields Airport

Photo of the top of an large water tower above a series of industrial buildings at the top of a low hill. In the foreground of this photo is the rise of a grassy hill, which is part of a reserve.

Monee Ponds Creek viaduct on the Albion-Jacana railway line

Moonee Ponds Creek viaduct

Photo of a railway viaduct built across a creek’s valley and flood plain. The viaduct comprises steel girders supported by steel-framed towers. Behind the viaduct is the residential suburb of Gowanbrae.

Moonee Ponds Creek viaduct and houses in Gowanbrae

Photo of a railway viaduct built across a creek’s valley and flood plain. The viaduct comprises steel girders supported by steel-framed towers. Behind the viaduct is the residential suburb of Gowanbrae, and you can see several blue paint and red brick houses behind the rail line.

Play area

Bench in the shade

Photo of a brown park bench in the shade of a few large trees in a park.

Frog sculpture in the play area

Photo of a low, wooden, green-and-brown frog sculpture in a play area at park. In the foreground of the photo are two park benches and several vertical logs that little children can climb over and walk on. A nearby tree is providing shade to this area.

Wooden frog sculpture

Photo of a low, wooden, green-and-brown frog sculpture in a play area at park.

Drinking water fountain

Black-and-white photo of a drinking fountain, with some blurry shrubs visible in the background.

Tree stump

Close-up photo of a tree stump embedded vertically into the ground. There are visible tree rings and several large cracks running through the cross-section of the stump. On the ground around the tree stump are wood chips, placed to soften the fall of children when they’re climbing on or over these stumps.

Another tree stump

Close-up photo of a tree stump embedded vertically into the ground. There are visible tree rings and several large cracks running through the cross-section of the stump. On the ground around the tree stump are wood chips, placed to soften the fall of children when they’re climbing on or over these stumps.

Magpies

Scavenging magpie

Photo of a magpie on the ground next to a picnic table that has a few food bags placed next to it. The bird has a bit of fallen food in its mouth.

Scavenging magpies

Photo of a two magpies on the ground next to a picnic table.

Singing magpies

Photo of a two magpies on the ground next to a picnic table. The magpies have their mouths open, mid-song.

I guess it’s particularly appropriate to be publishing a photo of two singing magpies, given the Collingwood Magpies won the 2023 AFL Grand Final today :)

And, of course…

Selfie!

Selfie of a man and a woman at a park/reserve. The man has a mostly-white beard, and is wearing glasses and a straw hat. The woman is wearing a small necklace and sunglasses. Both are smiling at the camera.

Nadia's book has been launched!

Nadia’s book, The Djinn Hunters, has officially been launched!

Photo of a poetry book lying on a wooden table. Next to this is a metal-and-glass lantern with a lit candle inside it.

The turn-out was excellent, and a lot of our friends and Nadia’s colleagues attended.

Nadia was thrilled about it :)

Photo of a woman standing in an event space. The woman has long black hair and is smiling at the camera. She is wearing wearing a blue dress; black jumper; and round, gold coloured jewellery.

Instead of the speeches and readings you’d see at a typical book launch, in this one the publisher and editor (Jessica Wilkinson) asked Nadia and Will — the two authors whose books she was launching — a bunch of insightful questions. She also got them to read some of their poems that helped illustrate their answers. It was good format and it worked really well.

Photo of two people seated on wicker chairs in an event space. The man on the left is speaking into a wireless microphone that he is holding in one hand, while in the other hand he holds a folded-over book. The woman on the right is looking at the speaker. In her lap she has a book with several sticky-notes sticking out of it.

A whole bunch of people bought Nadia’s book.

Photo of two piles of books lying on a table, with a portable payment card reader and a tumbler of lemon, lime, and bitters lying next to the books.

And there was a long line of people who wanted her to sign their copy :)

Photo of a woman sitting in a wicker chair and leaning over to sign her name in a book that she is holding open on top of a table next to the chair. A small lamp shines a pool of light over the table top.

All told it was a fantastic evening, and then a bunch of us made our way to the pub down the street to have dinner :)

[Photo walk] Webb and Bolte bridges

While walking from South Melbourne to Docklands I got some nice photos of the Webb and Bolte bridges.

I love the Bolte Bridge, but the Webb Bridge is particularly cool because it was modelled after a Koorie fishing trap used to catch eels. And it always makes me happy to see those Bandalong litter traps because they’re such a brilliant, low-tech solution to the problem of river litter.

E-scootering down the Webb Bridge

Photo of a person wearing a backwards red baseball riding an e-scooter off a curved bridge that spans a river in the middle of a metropolitan city. This bridge, the Webb Bridge, is modelled after a Koorie fishing trap used to catch eels. It is curved on one end, and this curved portion is covered (like a tube) by an organic, irregular net design made out of metal beams.

A little litter goes a long way

Photo of a Bandalong litter trap installed to one side of an urban river. This trap has collected a large amount of litter floating down this river. A sign affixed to this trap reads “"A little litter goes a long way. Keep the Yarra River clean. Bin your litter.”

Walking on to the Webb Bridge

Photo of a person walking up the ramp of a curved bridge that spans a river in the middle of a metropolitan city. This bridge, the Webb Bridge, is modelled after a Koorie fishing trap used to catch eels. It is curved on one end, and this curved portion is covered (like a tube) by an organic, irregular net design made out of metal beams.

The Bolte and Webb bridges

Photo taken along the length of an urban river that shows two bridges crossing this river. In the foreground is the Webb Bridge, a curved cyclist and pedestrian bridge. In the background is the Bolte Bridge, a large road bridge. The Bolte (as it is known) is a large, twin cantilever road bridge with two 140m tall towers that hold up the roadway that spans the width of the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour.

Heavy traffic across the Bolte Bridge

Photo taken along the length of an urban river that shows two bridges crossing this river. In the foreground is the Webb Bridge, a curved cyclist and pedestrian bridge. In the background is the Bolte Bridge, a large road bridge. The Bolte (as it is known) is a large, twin cantilever road bridge with two 140m tall towers that hold up the roadway that spans the width of the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour.

Cleaning our rivers

Photo of a Bandalong litter trap installed to one side of an urban river. This trap has collected a large amount of litter floating down this river. A sign affixed to this trap reads “Cleaning our rivers”. In the background of this photo is a cyclist and pedestrian bridge that spans this river.

[Photo walk] Underneath the West Gate Freeway

I took these photos while walking from South Melbourne to Docklands, which takes you underneath the West Gate Freeway and this portal (one of two) built around these elevated roadways.

It was windy, drizzly, and freezing cold the morning I took these photos. I’m glad I managed to get some good shots; made the whole effort worth it!

Portal along the West Gate Freeway

Black and white photo taken from ground level of a large concrete archway structure constructed around two elevated roadways. A sign attached to the lower roadway reads “M1 West Gate Fwy” and tells drivers that, if they turn left, they will head to the West Gate Bridge and Geelong.

Turn left for the West Gate Bridge

Black and white photo taken from ground level of a large concrete archway structure constructed around two elevated roadways. A sign attached to the lower roadway reads “M1 West Gate Fwy” and tells drivers that, if they turn left, they will head to the West Gate Bridge and Geelong.

The messy underneath of an elevated roadway

Black and white photo taken from ground level between two elevated roadways. There is a bit of litter on the road and few small scrubs growing in the dirt patch next to the road. The whole place looks messy and grimy.

Jaunty portal, serious hotel

Black and white photo taken from ground level of a large concrete archway structure constructed around an elevated roadway. This otherwise-rectangular archway structure has been built with a slight rotation, so it looks like it is twisting anticlockwise. Behind the portal is the tall, thin building of the Novotel Melbourne South Wharf hotel. There is traffic stopped at a red light below the elevated roadway.

Oakwood Premier hotel building rises above the roadway

Photo of a tall, narrow, blue-and-brown windowed tower rises up from behind an elevated roadway into an overcast sky. In the foreground of the photo, and in front of the elevated roadway, is a deep red coloured mini SUV.

Portal and hotel, almost touching

Black and white photo taken from ground level of a large concrete archway structure constructed around an elevated roadway. This otherwise-rectangular archway structure has been built with a slight rotation, so it looks like it is twisting anticlockwise. Because of the perspective of this photo, a tall, wide hotel building (Novotel Melbourne South Wharf) that is much further back from the portal looks like it is the same height as the portal. And because the portal is twisted towards the left, it looks like their tops are almost touching each other.

Maggie in bed

Maggie has a comfortable, fuzzy bed in the corner of my room where she sleeps for much of the day.

Gentle snores, lethal farts

Photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a round, fuzzy, orange coloured dog bed in the corner of a room. The dog’s head and one of its paws are lying on top of the side wall of the soft bed.

Fast asleep in her bed

Close-up photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a round, fuzzy, orange coloured dog bed in the corner of a room. The dog’s head and one of its paws are lying on top of the side wall of the soft bed.

Snoring gently

Close-up photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a round, fuzzy, orange coloured dog bed in the corner of a room. The dog’s head and one of its paws are lying on top of the side wall of the soft bed.

Snuggled up in a fuzzy bed

Photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a round, fuzzy, orange coloured dog bed in the corner of a room. The dog’s head and one of its paws are lying on top of the side wall of the soft bed.

Asleep, but with one ear still up

Photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a round, fuzzy, orange coloured dog bed in the corner of a room. The dog’s head and one of its paws are lying on top of the side wall of the soft bed.

Nadia's book is out!

Nadia’s book, The Djinn Hunters, is out!

You can buy it online and, if you’re in Melbourne, you can join us at the book launch on Tuesday, 26 September 2023 at Crystal Palace in Carlton North. The event is free, but you do need to RSVP.

This is poet Kevin Brophy’s blurb from Nadia’s book:

‘Nadia Niaz dances worlds into being. Hers is a rich and heady poetry, unafraid to play with form, spun for us across contrasting worlds, languages, time, customs. It’s a poetry to savour, gasp and marvel at for its spirit of sustained and generous observation.’

—Kevin Brophy

Hope to see a bunch of you at the launch!

[Photo walk] Picnic at Coburg Lake Reserve

Nadia and I went for a picnic to Coburg Lake Reserve so, naturally, I took some photos :)

Reclining by the lake

Photo of two people in a park sitting on a wide, reclining bench with a small dog in their lap. The bench is facing part of a lake shore on which there are several birds, some of which are sitting on rocks in the water.

Keeping an eye out

Photo of a large, brown and white dog in a park. The dog’s leash is being held be someone seated behind a tree. The dog is looking at a couple of people with a small dog who are coming down the walking path towards it.

Ibis in flight

Photo of a white ibis (a type of bird) flying away from the photographer in a large park with a lake. The bird’s wings are pushing down to give it lift. Below this bird are several other birds, sitting on the grass.

You lookin’ at me?

Close up photo of three rock doves / common pigeons sitting on a rock wall, all of which are looking at the photographer.

Keeping an eye on the inquisitive human

Close up photo of two rock doves / common pigeons sitting on a rock wall, both of which are looking closely at the photographer.

Barbecue time at Coburg Lake Reserve

Photo of four people standing around several tables and a barbecue that have been set out in a large, grassy, public park with lots of large trees. A large volume of white, puffy barbecue smoke is blowing away from barbecue.

A dog in the garden

Taking a sniff

Photo of a red/brown dog standing in a garden, sniffing a spot on the grass.

Maggie in the bushes

Photo of a red/brown dog peeking its head out from some bushes next to a fence in a garden.

A dog in the bushes

A snail in the weeds

Routine vet visit

Routine vet visit; routine sniff of the speciality dog food on display.

Photo of a red/brown dog on a leash in the waiting room of a veterinary clinic. The dog is sniffing at a set of display shelves on which there are several large bags of specialty dog food (eg for digestive, gastrointestinal, and kidney issues).

Maggie is not amused

I slept in and delayed Maggie’s daily morning walk. She was not amused.

Close up photo of a red/brown dog sitting on a bed next to the photographer, who is lying in the bed. The dog has a resigned expression on its face as it stares into the middle distance.

She was even less amused after I took that first photo :P

Close up photo of a red/brown dog sitting on a bed next to the photographer, who is lying in the bed. The dog is looking at the photographer, and is not looking particularly pleased that the photographer took her photo instead of getting out of bed.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Players

Following on from my previous post, the other half of the fun of watching a live sporting event is (obviously) watching the match itself :)

Players arrive at the USA v Sweden match

Photo of a brightly coloured bus arriving at a large football stadium, with FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 banners flying around the area.

Sweden come close to scoring a goal

Photo of two teams of women playing a football match in a stadium. The play is very close to one of the goals.

USA come close to scoring a goal

Photo of two teams of women playing a football match in a stadium. The play is very close to one of the goals.

Megan Rapinoe takes a corner kick

Photo of a footballer in a while coloured uniform taking a corner kick on a football pitch in a stadium.

Sweden v USA penalties

Photo of two sets of football teams lined up along the centre line during a penalty shoot-out at a football match in a large stadium. An assistant referee stands between the two sets of players.

Goalie versus goalie at the penalty shoot-out

A goalie in green (playing for the USA) takes a penalty kick against her counterpart goalie in red (from Sweden).

Colombia v Jamaica about to kick off

Wide angle photo of a football stadium in which two teams are about to kick-off. A large video screen mounted on the side of the stadium is counting down the time, and there are five seconds to go before the start of the match. A spectator in the foreground of the photo is holding up a sign that reads “Go Jamaica”.

All quiet in the Colombia half

Photo of a football pitch in a stadium. The half the photographer is on is almost completely empty, and even the goalkeeper has moved up halfway along her side of the field.

Usme letting her goal-scoring moment sink in

Photo of Colombian forward Catalina Usme kneeling on the ground, her arms outstretched, in the corner of a football pitch.

Arias encourages the Colombian supporters to cheer

Photo of Colombian forward Carolina Arias waving her hands upwards by her side, in an effort to encourage the Colombian fans in the crowd to cheer as she steps up to take a corner kick on a football pitch.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Spectators

Half the fun of attending any live sporting event is getting to attend it with thousands of people.

Taking a photo of the big screen

Close-up photo of a Swedish supporter in the stands at a stadium. The supporter is taking a phone of the stadium's big screen with her smartphone.

Half-time is a good time to take a selfie

Photo of two Colombia supporters in the stands at a football stadium. They are taking a selfie with a smartphone. The supporters are dressed in Colombian colours, and the woman has a Colombian flag draped around her. They have their backs to the pitch, and are both holding glasses of beer in their hands.

Half-time photo opportunity

Photo of a group of people taking a photo of people dressed up in costumes at a football match.

Jody Brown supporter

Photo of a man sitting in the stands at a football match. The man is holding up a large, hand-made sign that reads “Jody Brown U R Gold” and has the number ten written on it.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: Behind the scenes

This FIFA Women’s World Cup (football) was held in Australia and New Zealand this year, and I attended two of the round-of-sixteen matches held in Melbourne. (I did have tickets to two other matches, but work got in the way and I wasn’t able to attend those.)

One of my favourite things to do at large events like this is to document the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on. I am a producer / events organiser / behind-the-scenes person at heart, and I do enjoy seeing – and, evidently, photographically documenting! – how things are run.

Stadium

Birds on the pitch 90 minutes before kick-off

Wide angle photo of a large football stadium. The stands are mostly empty and there are only four people in bright red puffer jackets standing in the centre of the pitch. Also on the pitch are a couple of dozen seagulls sitting on the grass.

Watering the pitch

Wide-angle photo of a large football stadium. Five large water sprinklers are spraying water onto the grass along two sides of the pitch.

Grounds keepers make their final adjustments to the pitch

Photo of two grounds keepers walking across a football pitch. They each have a small pitchfork in their hands, and they are using those to push in any bits of loose soil or grass.

Grounds keepers flattening the pitch during the half time break

Photo of three grounds keepers in the corner of a football pitch. Two are picking up any small debris they find, while the third is using a small pitchfork to push-in any bits of loose soil or grass.

Doing the phone camera spectator participation thing

Wide angle photo of a large football stadium with most of the big lights turned off. Several thousand spectators around the stadium have turned on the flashlights on their cameras and are holding them up in the darkened space.

Full house at USA v Sweden round-of-sixteen match at

Photo of a large football stadium screen that reads “Attendance 27,706”.

Full house at Colombia v Jamaica round-of-sixteen match

Photo of a large football stadium screen that reads “Attendance 27,706”.

People

Ushering spectators

Photo of an usher wearing a blue, padded jacket standing at the top of a flight of steps leading into the stands at a large football stadium. The stadium is mostly empty at this time.

The only folks not watching the game

Photo of four security guards in bright yellow, high visibility vests sitting in low chairs along the breadth of a football pitch. They have their backs to the football pitch and are, instead, keeping a close eye on the spectators who are watching the match.

Keeping an eye on the crowds

Photo of a security guard in a bright yellow, high visibility vest sitting in a low chair outside the corner of a football pitch. The guard has his back to the pitch and is, instead, keeping a close eye on the spectators watching the match.

Assistant referee

Photo of an assistant referee standing by the side of a football pitch, holding a flag in her hand. The referee is keeping a close eye on what is happening in the match.

Photographers and videographers

Aligning the cameras behind the goal

Photo of a camera operator lying face-down on the grass behind a goal at a football stadium. The operator is looking through, and making slight adjustments to, one of the many cameras placed on the pitch in a line behind this goal. In the top of the frame is an assistant placing small plastic markers along the pitch (in front of a small, portable goal) for the players to run along during their warm-up before the match.

Getting ready to capture the match

Photo of several photographers and videographers in the process of getting ready to photograph and film the upcoming football match. In the top-left corner of the photo are two videographers aligning their cameras behind the goal. Along the left of the photo are several photographers setting up their equipment next to the boundary fence of the pitch. A couple of photographers, carrying cameras or wheeling them in bags, are walking along the breadth of the field as they make their way to their assigned locations.

Gaggle of photographers

Photo of about a dozen professional photographers seated on the outside of the fence surrounding a football pitch. They are all looking through their cameras at the match taking place in front of them.

Operating the primary broadcast camera

Photo of an operator standing in front of a broadcast video camera that's been set up in a bright orange, walled-off area among the seats on one side of a large stadium.

Capturing fan reactions

Photo of a roving videographer and an accompanying security guard. The two are standing next to a stand full of spectators in a football stadium. The videographer is broadcasting live video of a group of spectators.

On-camera talent

Getting ready for her live cross

Photo of a TV presenter wearing a long, light-blue coat and holding a microphone in her hand. She is getting ready for her live broadcast from the side of a football pitch.

1/3 Getting ready for their live cross

Photo of two sports commentators standing at the edge of a football pitch in front of a small, tall, round table. They are in the process of getting dressed for their upcoming appearance on camera. The woman is adjusting her tan trench coat and the man is putting on his suit jacket (which his producer producer is helping him with). Their camera operator is standing a short distance away, ready to go.

2/3 All set for their live cross

Photo of two commentators making final preparations for their live broadcast from the side of a football pitch. They are standing with their backs to the pitch, and are facing a camera, a screen, and two lights that have been set up in front of them.

3/3 Making their live cross

Photo of two commentators making a live broadcast from the side of a football pitch. They have their back to the pitch and are facing a camera, a screen, and two lights that have been set up to face them.

[Photo walk] Along the entrance to the Yarra River

You can get some really nice photos with a zoom lens at the entrance to the Yarra River in Melbourne.

The Yarra Queen from Melbourne River Cruises entering the Yarra River

Photo of flat-bottom, blue-and-white cruise boat making its way along a wide river. You can see people sitting in the boat looking at their surroundings through the large windows along the sides of the boat.

The Yarra Queen from Melbourne River Cruises enters the Yarra River

Photo of flat-bottom, blue-and-white cruise boat making its way along a wide river. You can see people sitting in the boat looking at their surroundings through the large windows along the sides of the boat. In the foreground of the photo, and in the corner of the frame, is a red navigational buoy.

The Yarra Queen from Melbourne River Cruises makes its way into the Yarra River

Photo of flat-bottom, blue-and-white cruise boat making its way along a wide river. In the foreground of the photo is the near side of the river bank. In the background of the photo is a massive bridge that spans the river. Next to near side river bank is a tall, red navigational buoy pillar jutting out of the water.

A Melbourne River Cruises boat makes its way along the lower reaches of the Yarra River

Photo of flat-bottom, blue-and-white cruise boat making its way along a wide river. In the foreground of the photo are several bushes and a tree, all of which are framing the shot. In the background is a massive bridge that spans the river.

A cruise boat makes its way along along the Yarra River, heading towards the West Gate Bridge

Photo of flat-bottom, blue-and-white cruise boat making its way along a wide river. In the foreground of the photo are several bushes and a tree, all of which are framing the shot. In the background is a massive bridge that spans the river.

A red, port hand mark on a navigational buoy marks the entrance to the Yarra River

Photo of a tall, red-coloured pillar jutting out of the water at the entrance to a river. On top of the pillar is a small platform on which there is a rectangular, bright red ‘port hand mark’ that indicates the direction of travel along this river. In the background of the photo is Hobsons Bay and in the foreground are several white-topped, wooden pillars built into the breakwater along the river's entrance.

Survey vessel John Norgate on its way to Hobsons Bay

Photo of a medium-sized, two-deck cabin boat named John Norgate making its way along a wide river. Just behind the boat is a green, ‘starboard hand mark’ that indicates the direction of travel along the river. In the background of the photo is a large container ship loaded with several containers.

Survey vessel making its way along the Yarra River to Hobsons Bay

Photo of a medium-sized, two-deck cabin boat traveling along a wide river. Just behind the boat is a green, ‘starboard hand mark’ that indicates the direction of travel along the river. In the far background of the photo is a large container ship loaded with several containers. These containers are being moved by several, massive, white coloured cranes on Melbourne’s Webb Dock.

Heading to Hobsons Bay

Photo of a medium-sized, two-deck cabin boat entering a large bay. Behind the boat are red and green lateral markers installed on navigation buoys that tell mariners which direction to travel along this channel. In the foreground is a breakwater that has white-topped wooden pillars jutting out of it.

The West Gate Bridge across the lower reaches of the Yarra River

Photo of a tall, massive bridge built across a wide river. In the foreground of the photo is the Yarra River and one of the navigational buoys installed along its sides.

Prepping his runabout at Williamstown Boat Ramp

Photo of a man on a runabout (a type of recreational boat) parked along the concrete pier next to a boat ramp. Parked on the boat ramp itself is a large SUV with a boat trailer attached to it. This truck has been reversed down the ramp so the trailer is under water, allowing the boat that was on the trailer to now float freely.

Navigational buoy 28 along the Yarra River, with the West Gate Bridge in the background

Photo of a tall, red-coloured pillar jutting out of the water at the entrance to a river. On top of the pillar is a small platform on which there is a rectangular, bright red ‘port hand mark’ that indicates the direction of travel along this river. In the background of this photo is a tall, massive bridge built across the wide river.

Skiff heading out to Hobsons Bay

Photo of a twin engine, single-deck skiff on which there are five people on board, all of whom are wearing yellow or orange high-visibility vests. The boat is travelling along a river. In the background of the photo are two large container ships.

[Photo walk] Birds (and one dog) at Riverside Spit in Newport

I was in the area so I stopped by Riverside Spit – a popular fishing spot in Newport – to take some photos.

The only animals I regularly take photos of are dogs, but there were so many sea birds in the area that I figured I might as well take photos of them too. Some of the photos even turned out alright!

Long-billed (or slinder-billed) corella digging around in the grass

Photo of a white bird (a type of cockatoo) with its beak in the soil underneath some grass.

Long-billed (or slinder-billed) corella hanging out on the grass

Photo of a white bird (a type of cockatoo) with bluish skin around its eyes and reddish feathers around its breast and eyes. The bird in standing on a patch of grass.

Long-billed corellas settling down at Newport Riverside Park

Photo of a flock of birds that are landing on some grass in a park. The birds, which are a type of cockatoo, are white with bluish skin around their eyes and reddish feathers around their breast and eyes.

Long-billed corellas landing at Newport Riverside Park

Photo of a flock of birds that are landing on some grass in a park. The birds, which are a type of cockatoo, are white with bluish skin around their eyes and reddish feathers around their breast and eyes.

Single silver gull among the corellas

Head-on photo of a single silver gull (a white sea bird) standing just outside a flock of long-billed corellas that are picking at some grass.

Birds on a fence – 1

Close photo of two silver gulls and one common sandpiper sitting on a metal fence along a popular fishing spot.

Birds on a fence – 2

Close photo of two silver gulls and one common sandpiper sitting on a metal fence along a popular fishing spot.

Silver gull turning to land on a fence

Photo of a silver gull (a white sea bird) turning to land on a metal fence. Two silver gulls are already sitting on this fence and this third bird is aiming to land between them.

Silver gull slowing to land on a fence

Photo of a silver gull (a white sea bird) turning to land on a metal fence. Two silver gulls are already sitting on this fence and this third bird is aiming to land between them.

Silver gull landing on a fence at the Riverside Spit fishing spot in Newport – 1

Collage of three photos showing a silver gull (a white sea bird) flapping its wings to adjust its speeds and trajectory as it lands on a metal fence.

Silver gull landing on a fence at the Riverside Spit fishing spot in Newport – 2

Collage of three photos showing a silver gull (a white sea bird) coming in to land on a fence between two other silver gulls. The bird on the left (which the bird in flight has to fly over) ducks its head in the first as it gets flown over.

Silver gull taking flight

Photo of a silver gull (a white sea bird) taking off from a metal roof. Another gull remains sitting on that roof.

Settling into a landing on the fence

Photo of a silver gull (a white sea bird) settling into a landing – wings up and one foot in the air – onto a metal fence.

Dog at the Warmies Off Leash Dog Area

I couldn’t not take a photo of a dog, right? :)

Photo of a man and his dog walking in a park. The dog is off-leash and man, who is talking on his phone, is holding the dog's leash in his hand. The dog is running alongside the man.

June desserts

June is chock full of family birthdays and this year Eid-ul-Azha also fell in that month. So I took out my apron and got to work :)

Collage of four photos. In the top left is a chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate cookie base and a chocolate ganache top. In the top right is a tall, plain looking cake with yellowish/white frosting. In the bottom left is a bowl full to the brim with seviyan (vermicelli) kheer. In the bottom right is an apple pie with a lattice pastry design on top.

The no-bake choc ripple cheesecake (top left) was for Nadia’s birthday, and it is based on Gemma Stafford’s no-bake Oreo cheesecake recipe. This was both gluten and lactose free.

The funfetti (aka sprinkles) birthday cake with lemon buttercream frosting (top right) was for my niece’s birthday. This is based on two of Gemma’s recipes: one for the cake and one for the frosting. I didn’t decorate the cake because the kids wanted to decorate it themselves.

The seviyan (vermicelli) kheer (bottom left) was for Eid-ul-Azha, and I made it using my mother’s recipe (which is a pretty standard recipe, tbh). This was lactose free.

The apple pie (bottom right) was for my older sister’s birthday. The pie is based on an SBS apple pie recipe and the crust is based on Sarah Howell’s gluten free shortcrust pastry recipe.