Thursday, 24 May 2012

Overcast morning

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Sometimes there are seagulls along the canal. They come swooping by my window. They must come a long way, I wouldn't imagine there are any fish in that rank water. 
I shot this photograph at a high ISO setting on this cloudy morning. The resulting grittiness takes me back to the days when I was in high school and would go out on winter mornings to shoot black and white film with an old manual Pentax. If only I still had access to a dark room. Printing was always my favourite part of the photographic process. There was so much you could do to tweak the picture to come out the way you wanted. Change your mind on how it should be framed? Not happy with the exposure or contrast? No worries, work your magic in the dark room under that oddly serene red light. At least my complete impatience for digital editing means that I've been forced to improve my photographing technique over the past few years and take a good picture right off. Moving forward, always.

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Artist Inspiration: Juan Francisco Casas

Theperfectman
Drawisfun
Thebrightonsucking
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These amazing artworks were drawn by Spanish artist, Juan Francisco Casas, using only a ball-point pen. I find his photorealist portraiture so captivating - aside from the obviously incredible drawing skill, the images are so provocative, animated, candid and personal. I love the way he 'frames' his portraits - cutting out yet revealing enough to let your mind complete the picture. These were some of my favourite works, which I found on the artist's website.

Iricorditoscani#1

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Friday, 27 April 2012

I heart bulgur

Bulgur wheat is a whole grain cereal food with a chewy, substantial texture, which I discovered recently on my quest to diversify my carb consumption to more than just foods derived from flour or white rice. Here are some recent bulgur based dishes from moi. 
Photobucket  Bulgur salad with pomegranate seeds, parsley, cucumbers, olive oil, lemon juice, salt Photobucket
A throw-together dish - free range poached egg and bacon on a bed of bulgur with parsley and organic salad

Just face it, everyone loves looking at photographs of food.

Sunday, 22 April 2012

Clair de lune

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Our friend Werner took this picture of us while we were playing through some tunes for some last minute rehearsal before our friend Verena's wedding. The out of tune tinkerings of the rustic, clanky piano were so charming in fitting with this beautiful and most stylish wedding day.

Here is some outstanding footage of Mo and I accompanying Werner with his wonderful song, 'Salz'. My favourite part is at the end when some tech guys try to subtly come in to sort some stuff out, realise it's inappropriate then decide to back out quietly.



Check out more of Werner Kitzmüller here.

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Rangitoto

Auckland, New Zealand
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Home. This rocky shore is just 5 minutes away from my mum's house. I miss being able to see a volcano from any given vantage point. And oh, the sea.

Friday, 23 March 2012

Mother Goose

Is there any music more divine, beautiful and simple as this?



Mother Goose was originally written as a four handed piano piece for children by Maurice Ravel between 1908 and 1910. Then in 1911 he made the logical step of setting it for orchestra, bringing it to life and making it all the more exquisite and magical. This music really pulls you into the delicate sound world of Ravel.

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Friday, 2 December 2011

Friday, 19 August 2011

A hike at the Maroon Bells

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I never thought I would really get into walking uphill in a big way, but who wouldn't, with all this breathtaking natural beauty around you to enliven the weary wayfarer? There's my sister amongst the mountain above!

Our entourage encountered this sight mid-hike:
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I laughed for about a minute. I don't think the bandleader was quite as amused. Apparently hiking with llamas isn't a laughing matter.
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