Ed Burtynsky Done and Dusted

Uranium Tailings No. 7,
Elliot Lake, Ontario 1995

It is a fantastic feeling when an article is finished, scrupulously polished, checked and re-checked and then "sent".  My interviews with Burtynsky, an extremely gracious and generous man, were entertaining and incredibly insightful. Listening to him talk about his work gave me a greater understanding of its messages, and of its artistic beauty. 

When photographs of open pit mines and the detritus of a resource dependent world become abstract works of art the gap between photography as a science and photography as art is truly bridged.

I post here a photograph taken by Edward Burtynsky in Ontario in 1995 of the uranium mining tailings.  And I thank Ed for sharing this, and his other works, with us.  

Look for my story - Edward Burtynsky - Redefining the Landscape - in the October issue of Pro Photo.

This City

Can't get enough of this city, Melbourne.  Spent Sunday out taking shots and then the evening working on them. Today I'm doing another photo shoot.  I am so in love with my camera, my Olympus E3.  Here are some shots from Sunday's exploration.

Ed Burtynsky Mark II

Interviewed Ed last week.  What an inspirational man.  His photography is so awesome and only matched by his dedication and persistence to get the shot.  I am now in the process of putting the feature together.  This is the part I love, creating the story . . .

Architecture

Last night I attended the HP Cityscape 2020 Awards in Melbourne.  My love of architecture, particularly as a focus for my photography, is obvious and so it was with great interest and pleasure that I got to see tomorrow's architects articulate their ideas for Australia in 2020.  

Tom Morgan's entry, an almost apocalyptic view of the future saved by an ingenious take on recreation won and deservedly so.  All of the entrants put in so much work and demonstrated passion and commitment.  

A selection of my Melbourne series of photos was also on display on large screens around the room.  It was so cool to see them at such a large scale.

And I met Tom Kovac, an architect I have followed with interest over the past few years.  A great night all round.

Venice

More photos .... Venice

    

  

The Cotswolds UK

More photos from my European Collection

The Cotswolds, UK
    

Barcelona

Photographs from Barcelona Hues Exhibition

Over two trips to Barcelona I spent days photographing Gaudi's extraordinary creations. Here are some photos from my homage to a great artist.  These images were exhibited at the Port Art Gallery.

     

     

Ed Burtynsky feature

Very excited. Interviewing Canadian photographer Ed Burtynsky tonight for a feature article in Pro Photo's October issue. Ed is renowned for his amazing industrial landscape shots. His new book, Australian Minescapes, has just been released. I met Ed last year at Foto Freo Festival in Perth. At that Festival I also met Paolo Pellegrin and Stephen Dupont, both photojournalists. I've written features on both Paolo and Stephen - in fact my story on Stephen made the cover of Pro Photo this month and spread over five pages. Foto Freo was a very fruitful experience and I made some fantastic contacts.

My Melbourne - Photos from my new collection

I'm working on a new collection of photos at present with Melbourne as the central theme. I started this project in January and every weekend am out taking new shots to add to the collection. Here are some of my favourites.

That Photo

I took the photo at the top of this blog in Venice in 2000. It was my first trip to what has become one of my fav cities in the world. This outdoor cafe was at the back of the hotel I was staying in, a 16th Century palace that had undergone what can only be termed as a classic Italian Fawlty Towers renovation! The cafe provided a quiet haven where I could sit and write in my journal. In fact it was very quiet as there was no service available as the cafe and bar were permanently closed. This photo became part of the collection of photos I exhibited at the Port Art Gallery a couple of years ago. Here's a few more photos from that trip.

Rock Chicks Released in UK

My latest book, Rock Chicks The Hottest Female Rockers from the 1960's to Now has just been released into the UK. Since its launch at the end of 2007 its been picked up by readers in the US, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. It was one of the coolest projects I've ever worked on and I am totally stoked that it is now selling in bookstores in the UK.

I'm asked all the time 'who is your favourite' rock chick. Out of the 27 chicks in the book, I'd have to say Patti Smith. She's one artist that has never compromised, never cared about what anyone else thinks of her art, and has always been true to herself. She's gutsy, tough, and doesn't like to be told no. And she's real. Stevie Nicks runs a pretty close second 'cos she's the embodiment of a rock star and has managed to hold onto that ethereal creature she introduced the world to with her hit Rhiannon. There are so many fantastic female musicians out there. I guess I'm just going to have to write a few more volumes to cover them all!