eclipse theatre

^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 26 November 2020].}

It's easy to forget how much Art Deco architecture still remains in Australia.

There are so many high profile examples of it in major cities, and I'd seen examples in New South Wales towns like Bellingen when on a road trip with a friend in 2010.

But, even then, I kind of forgot. Even though it's one of my favourite architectural styles.

So when Simon and I were on our road trip from Melbourne to Brisbane just over a year ago, it took me a bit by surprise.

From Fish Creek and Yarram in Victoria to Oberon and the well-known Hotel Gearin in Katoomba, New South Wales, we saw a lot of beautiful Art Deco buildings in various states of repair.

Unfortunately, with our trip feeling rushed, with the constant stress created by watching bushfire alerts, and with my limited mobility, we didn't spend much time photographing these gems. Definitely not as much as I would usually demand.

The Eclipse Theatre in Deepwater, New South Wales, was a sneaky surprise that caught our eye on the New England Highway. Still impressive despite its dereliction.

And a place we would never have seen if not for the bushfires that raged across the country.

We were supposed to be driving along the coast somewhere between Port Macquarie and Rosebank according to our original itinerary. Instead, as we stopped to check out this beauty, we were inland about 20 minutes' drive south of a raging bushfire.

Our visit varied a lot from our plans, but I'm thankful for the experiences we had. And grateful we chose to go for Mum's birthday (despite what the day held for us) instead of mine and Simon's. Had we held off until April this year we would not have been able to go at all.

untitled #47

^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 20 September 2020].}

I took this on a photo walk with my friend and fellow photographer, Scott, on my birthday in 2018.

It was taken in Bloomberg Arcade, a spot which is very close to two of my last workplaces but that I rarely passed through. I think this was only the second or third time I'd been there.

This was one of two photographs of Bloomberg London that I submitted to Issue #149 of Shots Magazine.

time for reflection

^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 11 September 2020].}

Last week I submitted some of my photographs to issue #149 of Shots Magazine. The theme for the issue is open, so work on any subject can be considered.

This was one of the images I submitted, though the version I sent through was black and white as the magazine is printed that way.

I took this photo of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Appledore Parish Church, in Kent on 20 June 2016. It was taken mere days before the referendum on Britain leaving the European Union.

A short walk around the town revealed posters, placards and flyers proclaiming many of the town's residents as proud Leave supporters. Conversations overheard while we ate at The Black Lion confirmed we were in prime Leave territory.

Fast forward four years and the UK has left the EU, but we're still figuring out what that means.

About five months after the UK referendum, Donald Trump was elected.

The passing of time since then has revealed the world to me as seemingly the inverse of what I had believed and hoped it to be.

I felt we were moving forward as a global population. But since 2016, I feel like we've gone backwards in every way except time. Honesty, compassion, empathy, rationality, sanity and logic all seem at an all-time low around the world right now. At least compared to what I've seen in my lifetime.

Though gender and racial equality has made leaps and bounds over time, it feels like notions of equality are bending back into shapes of the past.

Two steps forward. One step back.

Or, more accurately, two steps forward, three steps backwards, another two, another two, another one for good measure...

I often feel like I'm staring at a weirdly inverted, sideshow-mirror-reflection of the world I thought I knew.

Though I've (perhaps foolishly) not 100% discounted the thought of having children, I've seen so much in the past four years to make me thankful for not having children up to this point. And fearful of what they might face if I were to have any.

On a day when everything feels alternately raw and jagged or dull and numb, this photo feels like a metaphor for the disorientation I've been feeling more and more lately. But perhaps it appears calmer than my feelings.

lloyd's of london, the gherkin, and holborn

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untitled #75 ['the gherkin', 30 st mary axe, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #87 [staple inn, holborn, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #92 [cittie of yorke, holborn, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #90 [cittie of yorke, holborn, london, england, 2011]

^{now playing: INXS - old world new world}

park royal

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untitled #82 [park royal, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #79 [park royal, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #80 [park royal, london, england, 2011]

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untitled #81 [park royal, london, england, 2011]

^{now playing: bat for lashes - trophy}