Lessons from Class

Lesson from Class

G’day Possums,

Often when attending to class shoots I have no pre-conceived idea before starting to photograph.

This is because each class has its own mood and social dynamic and I think it's better to follow the dynamic and not impose a layer of ego.

Before Class

 An idea was presented very quickly. It was about space and the formal relationships of the figures in that space.

Ballet Class: Pas de Deux: Bethany and Jack

Ballet Class

Ballet Class: Teacher

I shouldn't have to say it but none of these images are posed but all are manipulated to some degree...more of that, in a minute...

Wounded Dancer

Olivia and Alex: Pas de Deux

I liked the space the following shots presented it appeard to me like a stage space..

Ballet Class: Teacher

Laura: Jete

 ...and it occurred to me here that the flurry of movement might be enhanced with a slow shutter speed and the camera on tripod..

Pas de Deux

Pas de Deux

Pas de Deux

and later during post process I wondered if I could extend the "space" feel by collaging two shots together....like this ....

Class

....and this....

BalletClass

Wombat Droppings

Federal Liarbril’s did “A-Show-and-Tell” on the first of their policies.

From a position of not believing in the NBN, “Rabbit” Abbott had the man he replaced, Malcolm (“Show-me-the-Money”)Turnbull announce how they had “turned- about” 180 from the last election and now embraced high technology in communication.

 

They have replaced the string between the  two tin cans with copper!

Taaa-Daaaaaaa!!

Presentation: 4/10  

Malcolm looked embarrassed.

“Rabbott” knew he was in a wrong place where people could ask extended questions.

The Foxtel logo behind them sort of gave it all away.

Content: Heeeeeeeeeeee, 2/10

Even the core of the right-wing press was hard put to “spin” their announcement as other than a cheap joke whilst trying not to mention how their “policy” protects the media interests of “The Ugly American” Murdoch and presents Australians with another expensive dogs–dinner much like “Bully-Boy”Kennett’s (the Dorian Gray of the Tardis State) approach to privatisation in Victoria.

So, one policy…. Nah….No policy.

Let’s now see their “spin” on the other 74 pieces of Thathcher-ite / Friedman-ite GFC inspired loony-ness from the queer coots of the IPA that Abbott said at the “Night of the Right”, he supported….

Scott (The-Big-Drone) Morrison actually wants to use miliary drones to locate asylum seeker boats so he can then sool a navy patrol vessel onto them and tow them back to where they came from. Ex Admiral said drily in a TV interview, “Hmmm, it’s 2500 miles back to Sri Lanka, that’s a long tow!”

A Morrison Drone flying a Kite.....

Margaret Thatcher has died.

Many in Britain celebrated her demise by sending “Ding-Dong-the-Witch’s-Dead” to the top of the charts again. That this woman is still impacting on generations beyond the period of her control says much for the divisiveness of her rule and the fact that the gap between rich and poor is now three times wider than it was at the start of her rule points to how nastily anti- social and vicious her policy’s were.

Take note Australia:

  

Tony Abbott is a fan of the “Iron Lady” and it will do you no good after ten years of his rule to complain that you didn’t know that he was going to slash Medibank, cripple health funding, privatise education, SBS and the CSIRO abolish the ACCC, make political donations fully secret, destroy wages and conditions of employment.

Like Mein Kampf, it is all written down in the IPA’s 75 “suggestions” for policy…..   so there is no excuse for saying after the event that “I didn’t think it would come to this”.

Beware.

Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backwards) Minister for Skools (note: not, Education), Martin (Plasticine) Dixon has suggested that school councils be given the right of Fire/Hire over principals.

Hmmmm ….yeah, let’s give the “aspirationals” more control over the professionals of their field.

It worked a treat at Mowbray!

What did the liquidator say of the people who ran that place, “… well meaning amateurs!”

Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backward), ex Minister for Mis-Planning Matty ( What’s-a-Green-Wedge) Guy has been demoted to holding the drinks tray for developers…. or something like that… and is for once no-where to be seen over the collapse of a wall in central Melbourne which killed a brother and sister ( all of one family’s children) and a research student from France.

Seems there’s a bit of rather putrid “buck-passing” between Melbourne City Council and the Planning (sic) Dept. of State Govt. as to who approved the wall and the hoardings on it.

Pretend Premier, Dennis (Inutilis Rusticus) Napthine has collaged the Dept of Environment and the Dept of Forestry into one: as one wit said, “….departmental mergers linking the environment to agriculture and planning to infrastructure was like putting an arsonist in charge of the fire brigade!”

And when questioned on radio a week after the slaughter of the 800 “protected” water birds  “Inutilis Rusticus” said he would “… look into the allegations!”

Probably with the same assiduousness as looking into Geoff (“What’s-a-Car-Allowance”) Shaw’s alleged rorts.

It seems odd that as an ex-Veterinarian, Pretend Premier Napthine would condone and support the mass slaughter of protected native species…and extend the slaughtering opportunities to 12 year olds. 

Promising a new ‘‘open for business’’ culture with fewer bureaucratic bottlenecks, Pretend Premier, Dennis (Inutilis Rusticus) Napthine has announced plans to merge the departments of transport and planning to create a new mega-department of Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure.
(But there’s no plan that we can discern except for making it easier for developers to make profit from state owned assets)
Sounds like a Kennett of an idea to me!
The departments of environment and primary industries will be merged into a single entity, led by Agriculture Minister Peter(Quacker)Walsh. There will also be a new Department of State Development and Business Innovation, jointly overseen by State Development and former Police Minister, Peter(I-Know-Nuffin) Ryan and Innovation Minister Louise (Meow) Asher.”
Who said the Liabrils lacked humour?

Only imagination!

Labor continues to implode …it will soon be a Black-Hole.

They’ve announced 2 Billions in cuts to University’s to pay for Primary and Secondary education…Conservative State Premiers are furious …they wanted to do that!

Pretend Premier (“Inutilis Rusticus”) Napthine railed about it conveniently misleading the public by saying that he had increased funding to TAFE whilst at the same time ignoring the increase was only half of what Big Bird Baillieu (Genus:Silvertail Incompetens) had cut in the first place!

Melbourne Football Club is providing the best argument yet for pay by performance!

Cheers Petals,

Shane.

The Australian Index

….to Nuptials, Frogmore and Chenonceaux

G’day Possums.

  

Weddings are interesting events to photograph because the mix of people can create quite a dynamic atmosphere.

This one was a bit like a school re-union as the wedding party had all been at school together and that familiaritymade for a very relaxed mood.

R and T

I thought too, at the extensiveness of the planning involved in this wedding and wondered about the altering “Rites of Passage” we have as our society becomes less cohesive and communal.

The gels

 The venue (The Cosmopolitan, Trentham) was good as was the food and wine

The music makers are due a special mention as it seemed to me they hit just the right note (pun intended) with music that was entertaining, danceable, but not “in-your-face” head-banging…if you want a demo..   www.myspace.com/yuliyamik

Yuliya Mik

Yuliya Mik

Swingin' along

The following day Mrs Wombat and myself ambled off to Frogmore Gardens near Trentham   www.frogmoregardens.com.au  to have a wander through on their Open-Day.

Zena's Arrangement, Frogmore Gardens

 This beautiful arrangement, made by one of the proprietors, Zena, greeted us on our arrival in the office and it took my mind back to the extensive flower arrangements throughout the Chateau of Chenonceaux.

Chenonceaux

Chenonceaux

Frogmore Gardens ..The Pale garden

  

The mix of formal and informal is particularly striking in The Pale Garden 

Frogmore Gardens The Prairie Garden

 

and the Prairie Garden will have to re-visited soon as the Russets of the grasses become more bronze and contrast brilliantly with the vibrant Poplars and dark forest background screen.

Frogmore gardens

A civilised place.

Frogmore Gardens

Wombat Droppings

Vale, “Big Bird”Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens).... he’s been dumped by his own lot as Premier.

Hail, Dennis “Dodo” (Genus: Inutilis Rusticus) Napthine.

But the real premier of The Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backward), the member for Frankston, Geoff “Fiddles” Shaw who now sits on the cross benches (‘cause he’s cross with the Liarbrils for letting the police investigate the illegal use of his taxpayer funded government vehicle to profit his hardware business’) but wields a big stick… although this matter pales to insignificance compared with the tens of millions floating around Eddie O’Bied of NSW Labor…. Shaw was muttering “…Vultures.” at the press the day he resigned from the Liarbril Party. 

Will people like Shaw and O’Bied ever really understand that they are the true Vultures?

Chris “The Whyne” Pyne supports some of the new testing regime for teachers particularly the stuff on “emotional intelligence”…. Does that mean he’ll not run out of Parliament when Craig Thompson has a vote?

George, Cardinal Pell is graceless! 

Sophie “Pit-Bull” Mirabella is shadow minister for manufacturing….. that’s a joke BTW..... ‘cause it’s true.

New work perhaps to go on exhibition in “What Lies Beneath Us”, soon, in Ballarat

Titled: “The Sleep of Reason…..”  More later, if it all pans out.

The Sleep of Reason....

Cheers petals,

Shane

....viewing nice things and the Huns at the Gates

G’day Possums,

Shane at picnic

Or should I say Flying Foxes  as we had a picnic with them at Yarra Bend 

Flying Foxes

before we tripped off across the river to Fairfield to Photonet Gallery for the opening of “Window on the World”, its 3rd annual women photographers’ exhibition celebrating International women’s Day.

Opening Photonet Gallery

 Maria Colaidis’ work to me evoked a sense of Gertrude Kasabier with its soft focus and introspective nature but M.C. did tell me that her reading and looking at Francesca Woodman was part of her inspiration.  Certainly, you can appreciate that in the poses but in isolating the figure from the viewer by the use of textured glass; and softening it and increasing its vulnerability and sense of self absorption the further the figure is from the glass adds a more “Romantic” allure than Woodman’s more observational and documentary commentary on youth and gender.  Also the “framing” setting of the prints adds a further dimension to this work.  

Maria Collaidis

Karena Goldfinch presented photogravures  (a C19th intaglio printing process) that had a Federation “Pictorialist” bent but there was another edge as evidenced in the starkness of the burnt trees in combination with the dead raptor and the, at first, “Romantic” feel of the light barely pushing through the trees but becoming more mysterious and malevolent the longer you looked. The process used certainly suited the imagery and again clearly indicates how graphic in nature photography is. 

Karena Goldfinch

Karena Goldfinch

and 

Kirsten Bowers, Zen Moments

 and 

Helga Leunig

and

Kallena Kucers Edges No V

and

Michel Cardamone, Images of Lake Eyre

and

Silvi Glattauer, Wimmera Window 2

Tech on tech....

You could put it down to personal preference but what “worked’ for me in this exhibition were those of a more graphic nature and although some of my favourite photographers are street photographers, in this show it was these that seemed overwhelmed by pieces which had something more than an observational and recording function to impart.

A show worth seeing.

“Window”, A Window on the World.

Photonet Gallery 15A Railway Place Fairfield….

www.photonetgallery.com.au

Wombat Droppings

In the Tardis State (Where all Goes Backwards) Big Bird Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) has been digging bigger holes for his Liarbril lackeys… he’s had another hissy-fit  with “Big Red” Gillard over education… “our’s is better than yours even though I don’t really know what yours really entails….so there…!! ”

( we in the Tardis State have any public education to talk about?)… sort of foot-stamping-stuff…. 

But now some-one has really leaked some very sloppy and recorded “merde” about the OPI/ Overland/ police union/ Peter ( I-Know-Nuffin) Ryan… I have said this lot stinks … you no longer have to sniff too hard to get the whiff… Oohhh and let’s not forget we’ve another $50,000,000.00 or so to waste on another Grand Prix.

And let’s also not invite a vituperative backlash by mentioning the “deals” of Un-planning Minister Matty (What’s-a-Green-Wedge) Guy!

Federally, Morrison’s putrid idea about reporting a group to the authorities is not unlike what the Nazi’s did after they occupied countries in 1940…. they just asked people to register for identity cards .. and then again, for more information… first a small directive to give information to the occupying authority; a trickle that becomes a torrent until you are fully integrated and so compliant with the racist machine that without realising you are the racist.

Morrison needs better to understand history and better understand the ramifications of what he is doing to this society.

And is Abetz’ support for Morrison only repeating history and angling for another family Ambassador’s posting to Paris? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPHEU3lYp0

I suppose you could call my little video “vilification” and I’d agree with you; but as Mr “Rabbott” has by his support for Morrison’s nasty vileness, sanctioned vilification as an appropriate methodology why not serve a bit back?

“Rabbott” took almost three days to “come-out” and back Morrison.  Was he reading the polls before making a decision?.

This really is a leader?

Vote Bogan…get a Liarbril!

Ships of the Damned, then and now

Already in previous posts I have said that if the Liarbrils win office in September the “Civil” society that some aspire it to be, will be submerged into the sort of vicious bogan mindsets we see evidenced above and interestingly, for the first time in Australia in 100 years we will have this crude racism (White Australia Policy) emanating from the top of our political system.

It’s going to be a very interesting country by the time it saturates the whole society and then has to find new “targets” to satisfy it’s inherent selfishness in order to maintain itself.

Cheers,

Shane

...to things noted

G'day Possums,

......there's another one almost gone.

My favourite shots from 2012

Giselle rehearsal

Says much, I think, of the ballet and rehearsal mood.

Giselle, Myrtah, Wilis.

This one was the most popular publicly...... to the extent that one couple looking at it on exhibition accurately described to me the scenario in some detail though they hadn't seen a performance before. I felt chuffed at that.

Giselle, Wilis.

Mood of the performance and the Romantic sensibility.

Summation of the year? ... wasn't bad photographically but the moments of bad faith, deception, plain rudeness and selfish bad manners that even Polly-Anna wouldn't countenance appear to be increasing year for year.... or is it that peoples' minds are narrowing?

Next year: another Ballarat International Foto Biennale exhibit... venues booked, forms signedand paid for .... Title: Meditations on RD.   More later......

....and hopefully, soon, some interesting location ballet stuff...generally I hate ballet shots on location so it will be a challenge to make something "other" of it.

..it aint cricket....

Politics or Wombat droppings

Annabel Crabbe, journalist, commentator, blogger and it seems, a terrific cook had a T.V. program called “Kitchen Cabinet” where she would visit politicians in their homes; they would cook lunch (she supplied dessert) and converse about aspects of the pollies life and work.

The programs’ real interest lay not so much in the conversations but the subtext messages radiated by the pollies.

Often this year I have commented on the appallingly poor behaviour emanating mostly from the conservative side of politics. Sophie “Pit-Bull” Mirabella, Kellie “ Shaddupa-ya Face” O’Dwyer, Tony “Rabbit” Abbot most readily coming to mind but Crabbe’s program shone a whole new light on some of those who would like to rule us.

It was the meal with Christopher “the Whyne” Pyne.  (He who fibbed, no lied about his initial involvement with “Slippery Pete’s” disgraced accuser’, Ashby)

Apparently Pyne can’t cook so he changed the venue to his old mate Amanda Vanstone’s home because she can.

(Psstt….Joe Hockey couldn’t cook either but that didn’t stop him attempting a BBQ, Chrissie.)

It was as if on one hand Pyne wanted to control the setting and on the other promote Vanstone again to the public (remember Mandy? Used to ship Australian’s offshore, not just asylum seekers) whilst diffusing Crabbe’s scrutiny of him.

It struck me just how little Pyne involved himself in the proceedings and how off-hand both were to Crabbe, too.

Crabbe had brought flowers as a token for Vanstone who noted them but offered no thanks (well, we didn’t see it on camera) and Vanstone then just left them on the kitchen bench until eventually she became aware the camera-man was “making a meal” of her lack of manners by shooting the scene with them in close-up at base of shot.

They disappeared but we never did find out if they got to a vase and water.

Although not as fiercely guarded as Bronwyn “Pompadour” Bishop during her meal/interview, there was still a palpable sense throughout of “we-can’t-wait-for-this-to-be-over” and I felt a real sense of “I-just-wish-this-person-would-go-away”, with Vanstone making most of the running and Pyne saying little.

You would think that if you felt it below your dignity to appear on these sorts of programs, you’d just say, “No thanks” and not appear; but if you do, you should at least appear to be polite!

I can only contrast this with the interviews Crabbe had with Penny Wong and Tanya Plibersek from Labor.

Both were impressive in their openness and engaging behaviour and presented themselves as highly intelligent and committed women; the exact opposite of what I saw from the conservatives.  Have a look and judge for yourself….   http://www.abc.net.au/tv/kitchencabinet/

....all honking away...

 Then there was Chris Uhlmann, spouting, no, spitting lines verbatim, spruiked from the Abbott’s and Hockey’s Liarbril script at Penny Wong about the lack of a surplus…. The ABC’s “7:30” has, under Sales and Uhlmann, become as relevant to current affairs as “Play School” is to quantum physics.  Balanced, thoughtful journalism? Nah, tabloid crap.

Are the producers of this program are plotting its demise?

arrest.. Paris, St Martin Canal...

 All of which segues into “Coot–With-Queer-Ideas” from the Institute of Pubic "Affaire's", Chris Berg, who bewailing that he thought that there was no talk on policy this year only muck raking: “This Mindless Pursuit of Scandal…..” (The Age 30-12-12) whilst doing his best to spend 95% of the article raking well over the muck, leaving policy to get a mention “en passant”… a typical, loony-right conflation propaganda technique, conveniently tarring the Government who actually did implement policy, with the same brush as the Liarbrils (the side that he most keenly supports) who are drowning in their “tactique-merde” have no policy to discuss. And the little bit of policy he mentioned ?…Well, it was mentioned.

He’s a queer coot who appears not able to discriminate between free-speech, truth and propaganda.

The Wombats’ look forward to more of IPA’s hysterical rantings on 774 this year… as they provide insight into what appear to be the foetid, amoral minds misting through our land at present.

Barren, deserted and the wide blue yonder....

Speaking of which, John Singleton (mate of Gina “our Biggest Miner” Reinhardt) has, like his mate bought into Fairfax press. As an old “Ad-man”, when he talks about the integrity of reporting and journalistic standards you know he knows exactly what he’s talking about: ‘cause he spent years doing the opposite! 

Can we expect further interesting editorial “lurches to the right” from Fairfax?  

In the “State of Tardis” (where all goes backward) Police Minister (I-know-Nuffin) Ryan extols the good behaviour of our partying youth, which is a signal indicating that again, the opposite is probably true and that the “Tardis State” has nothing of real value to say....particularly about "Overlandgate" and "Frankstongate".

“Big Bird” Baillieu, (Silvertail Incompetens) is keeping everything “commercial-in-confidence”, particularly the deal with Myki who now make a profit from Victorian public transport users. Sniff, Sniff?

future

I’ve got a feeling Petals, that this is going to be a loooong year.

Cheers,

Shane