Australia, Victoria, Melbourne.

So someone told me to revive my dead photoblog.  Well here goes

Drawing inspiration from the world of Parkour...

We got surprised with this random bubble machine at Mt Dandedong

As soon as I saw this firey red tree in Olinda I knew I had to take a photo!

So... the Taj Mahal is in Victoria?

This photo is an injustice to what I saw with my own eyes

When I don't wear glasses, that is what the city looks like... bokeh-erfied

Like a mini Time Square...

Melbourne moves a lot faster than Brisbane...

 
Everyone raves about Melbourne, and while it is an amazing city and very picturesque I couldn’t help but feel a little home sick.  Brisbane… you rock with your laidback relaxed medium-paced lifestyle   But some great friends live down there soooooo that’s a huge win

Black&Gold {BNECty}

So it has been ages since I updated this blog.  But it hasn’t been ages since I took photos, although I still haven’t gone on a outing dedicated to taking photos just yet.

But while I have been taking happy snaps to remember my days as a 22 year old, I do try and take the time to take some photos to capture the beauty around me. Thanks to the awesome CameraBag software, I have been able to put a little spin on the typical black and white photography.

A row of bike rack things made me want to jump through the holes and come out in a parallel universe on the otherside

I was inspired by the practically black theme from last years photo5 comp to capture something with high ISO. I can't but feel like the building couple with the lense flare looks like a spaceship blasting through space

My friend best describes this as something our of Zelda... These 3 statues had an eerie forgotten feel to them that I was drawn to.

Bokeh is magic... but i like how this photo has a mix of textures with the soft glow of the bokeh to the hard harsh lines of the cage

My first time walking over the Kurilpa Bridge or as i like to call it the "Pick Up Sticks" Bridge...

Not sure what this building is, but i just like to call it "The Glass Box"

While walking along the boardwalk, we watched a flood of people come off the Island party boat. I am sure for these girls the night has just begun

Probably one of my favourite photos from the night, here is the Wheel of Brisbane behind the silohouette of a tree

Once again just love the contrast of lines, shapes and textures

After a week of heavy clouds, we finally got to see the sunrise

I know lots of people who say, “Oh Brisbane is boring, there is nothing interesting to take photos of… but Melbourne! Now that’s a photogenic city…”  but the truth is that every place, location, city, town, village, forest, valley, ocean, house, building person… everything has its unique story… we just gotta find it.  The highlight of the night would have to be Lauranne saying…”hey Brisbane is actually quite pretty…”

 

Bring it On 2010

So for the past couple of months I’ve been teaching at a local state high school in Brisbane.  I had heard about a group of students rehearsing for the 2010 Bring It On dance competition and decided to help supervise the afternoon sessions.  I then went on to watch my students perform in the heats and place 3rd and qualify for the finals.

Showing some teamwork

The firey red hair adds alot of fierceness to this picture

The atmosphere of Bring It On was pretty amazing!  No one was booed and no matter what school you came from there was always a sense of celebration in the air.

So the finals came around and so I went to the finals to give some support to my students and to my school.  I was pretty nervous since the day before the comp only 75% of the crew were actually there, and all the transitions still had to be finalised… but I knew that they would pull together… nothings worse than flopping in front of more than a 1000 screaming dance fans.

I think you know what school I'm at now haha

Some artsy photography

The show opened with some performances and a really really cool introduction video… the competition was pretty fierce but my school definitely gave it their all and had some tight choreography and cool tricks.

Opening flips

Love the flowiness of the red shirts

Tumbling over

Some nice formations

Pointing out at the crowd

Blurry shot, but love the facial expressions

Can feel the hard out movements

Brisbane State High's pyramid

I really love this shot, and Brisbane State High's crazy 3 man swaying towers!

So at the end of it all, the results were:

1st: Brisbane State High School

2nd: Runcorn State High School

3rd: Wynnum State High school

Although Sunnybank didn’t place in the top 3 we later found out that they had been placed 4th!  But the competition was really tight and the top 3 schools were definitely deserving.  As a teacher-in-training I definitely felt proud of my students.  As a teacher I learnt to believe in my students, to realise that just because they are unmotivated in class, doesn’t mean they are unmotivated in the other parts of their life!  And as a youth worker, seeing a welcoming and undiscriminating community built by the students was pretty inspiring.

Something I’ve realised about dance is that it’s not cool to put down others, instead everyone is given a fair go no matter their skill level. This is definitely a life attitude i want to have!

And nothing beats seeing a students face light up because they’ve realised you’ve come to support them in what they love to do.

walk-a-bout photos

I’ve yet to really go out on an expedition solely for catching moments in a photo.  After an event I had taken the wrong bus and decided to get off and rather then bus it back, i decided to walk back to Garden City.
With my camera conveniently being carried with me i decided to make this my first official photography “trip”.  Here are some of the shots i caught.

hope to be able to do it again soon with some friends =D

Koh-Ya: Japanese all-you-can-eat BBQ

For my bro’s 17th birthday i reccomended an all you can eat Japanese BBQ buffet.  While it is pretty exy the atmosphere and the quality of food is pretty awesome… well to us youngins… mum described it as

dark and scary :S

The service is good with all the waiters being Japanese… or from what i know.  The restaurant gets pretty crowded and noisy around 7:30pm…But how can you say no to this array of all you can eat food choices!

Edame! is really addictive!

Yukke - that's raw beef with some cucumbers, egg yolk and like soy-sauce and yes, you eat it raw

Serving of Prawns and some Beef Eye Fillets

All you can eat Salmon sashimi... YES PLEASE!

Salmon and Avocado Salad

Plate of goodness!

Pork Belly Goodness!

Cookin' on the BBQ

Neon Skies

It’s been ages since I posted a photo here.

Here is my latest photo creation

Life 3 Ways

For Mum’s Day this year,  we visited Q1, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere (i think) at the moment.

Not only was it special for mum, but it was special for me as well.  I expected the view to be awesome but when those elevator doors opened my eyes absorbed in the view for the first time, it took my breath away!

We stuck around from late afternoon till after the sun set and I managed to snap some shots that I’m really proud of.

So here is my experience at the Gold Coast, particularly Q1, in three ways:  As it is, Reworked & BnW

[as it is]

Izaak showing us how the next generation does it

The view from 250m up in the sky

Star Eater!

[reworked]

the view from heaven

absolutely love this photo!

Overlooking the Gold Coast hinterlands! Amazing view!

I was a little frustrated with the reflection of the bar behind on the window sill but it adds a really interesting dimension to the photo

[B&W]

This photo has a sense of chaotic order that I love. The lines, the textures and the contrast.

This long shadows give this photo a sense of eternity

the watermark

I was recently inspired by Rachel Soh Photograph (i highly reccomend you click that link) to create a watermark for my photos. 

I was given the opportunity to be a photographer at my church’s Oceania Convention which was a really great and new experience.  I stopped to think about who I want to be as a photographer and what I want my photos to be known for…

So far this is what I’ve got

• Shots of stuff in their natural habitat…
• Shots that have only been post processed because the camera simply cannot capture what my eyes capture in terms of colour and clarity…
• Shots that have been so over-processed they say and create something totally new

So when thinking about my “watermark” I thought about my options:

• jc42graphy
• Justin Chan Photography
• Jussography
• Jusso Photography
• As it is
• JC Photography

All of these ideas just didn’t seem to work with me… I thought to myself, “why does everyone put <insertname> Photography or <insertname>graphy… (no offence to the people who have chosen this route) but it’s kinda cliche and … unoriginal.  Plus I don’t really want to be known as a business, photography is just a hobby that I’m getting more and more passionate about…

so I thought and got stuck on Jussography…

then it struck me… my photos are an extention of my viewpoint of life… how I viewlife and want to capture life as a still frame…

So let me introduce to you my first 4 watermarked photos!

That’s right, Jussograph… because it’s not just any photo it’s a jusso photo =D

a world in grey

So a recurring thought in my mind has been…

was the world black & white before the first colour TV’s and camera’s were invented?

of course i know that the answer is NO… duh! But it’s a thought that amuses me.  I also imagine the world being a very noisey and not crisp and clear picture simply because of the photos i’ve seen from back then.

But I’ve always had a fascination with the quality of photos from the time my parents we’re my age… i love it & i especially love B&W photos from my grandparents era!!… and I always wondered what my photos would look like if we were able to travel back into time with my SLR or compact and take photos from the 60′s, 1900′s, 900AD and earliar!.  Probably like a permanent theme – dress party haha.

But B&W photography is something I’ve been experimenting with the past couple of months.  and here are some of my fav shots!  And to be fair… all these photos we’re taken on a black & white setting on my camera, i didn’t go through my photos and suck the colourful life out of them with iPhoto…

That last photo is actually one of my all time favourite photos =D

So what is it about black and white photos that fascinates me?  B&W photos bring out a certain type of detail that colour photos can’t.  Colour photos are fueled by their diversity in… colour… but take the same photo as B&W photo and it can be as dull as lecture on a friday arvo… and vice versa.

So what fuels a B&W?  in my observation: Contrast, details and shading.

A red ball and a green ball look great in colour but in black and white… not so spectacular.

Standing in front of a giant blue door looks great in colour! but in black and white… not so spectacular.

and i think you catch my drift.

You might have noticed a lot of my photos are taken at night… So I’m still learning how to adapt to day light =D

So here are my tips for B&W photography!

#1. A colourful scene usually doesn’t translate well into a B&W shot – try looking for a the contrast in light and dark rather than a mix of colours!  And shadows help as well!

#2. Look for Detail – I’ve found the more details or things going on the better!  A brick wall looks far better than a plaster wall.  But trees, not so great.

#3. Shoot at Night – B&W photo’s are probably the best and most dramatic at night.  Lights from houses, office windows, street lamps, cars & neons create all sorts of shadows & silhouettes in all sorts of directions.

#4. @night – Just because you can see it with your eyes in the dark doesn’t mean your camera will be able to catch it the same way.  If you want to be able to see the whole general scene ramp up the ISO, if you want to just capture something that is being lit up really brightly, by a street lamp for example, and have it dark all around play around with the shutter speed.

Anyway… still learning!… (the art of love…) lol couldn’t help myself.

the I DONT DELETE revolution!

So in my short life as a photographer I have established at least one major rule with my camera.

NO DELETING! Only I can delete!

One of my pet hates is when someone goes through the photos on my camera… gives a loud squeal followed by a “OMG!” I brace myself for a potential loss… turn around and with all my might yell out… DON’T DELETE IT!!!!

This is usually followed by a very upset photographer (me, if it is deleted), or a series of convincing arguments on why they should not delete the photo…

As photographers we are great at setting up shots, especially with an SLR.

photo genius goes to Rachel for setting up this great shot!

People are more than willing to pose for extra long until the man behind the lense lets out a sigh of relief and an expression of satisfaction @ not only the photo but towards the momentary models who excitingly scurry over to the see what magic was captured through the lense.

While i love the set ups…

i love the candid moments even more!

Those photos that you never meant to take because your finger slipped or the photo turned out nothing like you expected but in a good way…

i didn't expect so many people to be blurred with Bec clear in the middle

or when an everyday moment or item becomes the object of your camera’s affection.

bumpin into a giant one-eyed burger on the streets of Melbourne

Why candid?  Because candid captures the truthful moment.  the straightfoward moment.  the frank moment.  Emotions are raw and real & that one particular moment is lost in history only to be remembered in our memories.

Going for a bit hit during Beach volleyball at Philip Island Adventure Resort

But the other benefit of random candidness is the ability, with the help of some trusty photo editing software, to transform that photo you almost deleted into a photo you’d want framed on your wall.

the neatest rubbish bin ever. the aftermarth of UQ's market day.

i have no idea who or what moment in time this photo was taken. almost deleted but decided to keep it

had to take a moment to crash at BDO so while my friend slept i entertained myself

a barenaked tree in the middle of winter

playing tennis with the guys & girls from Voltage

a multiphoto function on Dad's camera, the playback on the camera is like a movie but when you upload it on to the comp its like this... was originally cut but not nemore =D

walking through some trees to get to a gate. kinda creepy ay

while driving down the coast we kept seeing houses in the middle of no where... don't know why you'd want to live so far from the city

couldn't help but notice this plant growing up through the salty water at a small town called Urunga

some shattered pieces of glass in a carpark i am all to familiar with caught my eye as they caught the light of the setting sun

talked about how cool it would be to take a photo of the birds... so i did by just pointing my camera at them in auto mode and just kept clicking.... the original photo isn't so spectuclar until i played around a bit

can you guess what these are =D?

(Photos taken on my Nikon D90, N97 Camera phone, Canon ixus80 & edited with CameraBag)

So what are my tips for the candid camera?

#1. ALWAYS carry a camera on you.  Before i got my Nokia N97 i had a phone that wasn’t even colour screen (yes ancient technology but i still love that phone more than my N97!) so i would keep my canon ixus80 compact in my bag at all times.  And we all know that a camera phone or compact camera is much more convenient and much more discrete than a huge SLR.

#2. if it catches your eye, then catch it with your camera!  there have been times where I’ve thought about it and just walked away… come home and regretted not taking at least one shot

#3. not everything random is photogenic.  its ok if your random photo looks crap… the point is you tried … and it is random so it is a luck of the draw at times.

And here are the 10 Golden Rules from the worldwide Lomography community!

1. Take your camera everywhere you go
2. Use it any time – day and night
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it
4. Try the shot from the hip
5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible
6. Don’t think (william firebrace)
7. Be fast
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film
9. Afterwards either
10. Don’t worry about any rules

Join me in the I DON’T DELETE REVOLUTION!