Speaking in Sydney
I have been traveling so much with the PDN On the Road tour and Photo Plus Expo that I had quite a collection of bits in my bag by the time I got to Sydney for the Digital Media Festival. I dumped everything on my hotel dresser and realized it was a pretty good representation of my recent travels so I opened up the curtain and stood on a chair to get this shot.
Travel for work is usually just that - work. It can be tiresome and difficult, especially if you have a lot of gear to keep track of. I had so much going on that I just looked at the Sydney trip as another thing on my schedule that I had to get through before the end of the year. My attitude totally changed the first morning in Sydney while having coffee in Darling Harbor. I was gathering my thoughts outside the convention center before I gave my lecture and I realized what an amazing place this was and I was privileged to be there.
iPhone shot of Darling Harbor
You heard it right folks, the jaded crust is slowly coming off of me. First, on the PDN OTR tour, I meet some amazing and inspirational people who reinvigorated my passion for photography and now I am enjoying business travel. Who is this person looking back at me in the mirror?
After Chicago, the next stop for PDN OTR was Dallas. I am from Dallas and was excited to go back and catch up with friends but that wasn’t in the cards. I had to have a cab waiting for me after my presentation so that I could make my flight back to LA and then on to Sydney.
This is the first year of the Digital Media Festival. The attendance for the still photography tract was a little light but it was a good crowd who had a lot of great questions. I had a couple of post event conversations including a chat with Dennis Montalbetti. Later he told Nicki at Sun Studios that I was in town and she invited me over to their great facility. Dennis and his partner Gay were trying out the new Sinar on the Hy6 (Rollie body). I didn’t stick around too long because I wanted to get over to the Bondi Beach Sculpture Walk.
Bondi Beach is one of the best beaches I have seen. It has pristine water and lots of beautiful people. The sculpture walk follows the cliffs from Bondi Beach to Tamarama. What a great presentation. Thousands of people who might not ever step foot in a museum or gallery spent hours looking at some very creative and avant guard sculpture work.
iPhone shot of Bondi Beach
iPhone shot of Sculpture Walk
Another example of outdoor public display of art was in Darling Harbor where an outdoor photography exhibit showcased the work of Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The slant of the show was mans affect on the environment as seen from a hot air ballon. It is part of the Earth from the Air show. I was struck by the fact that people weren’t just walking by but they were actively viewing the images and reading the information. This installation was lit up at night and continued to draw visitors on their way home from the harbor bars and clubs.
iPhone shot of Earth from Above Exhibit
I also took a ferry over the Circular Key and visited the Opera House (pretty much mandatory) and then went over to the Rocks for lunch and a trip through the Museum of Contemporary Art where I saw a great photography/mixed media exhibit by Julie Rrap
iPhone shot of Sydney Opera House
Next I visited the New South Wales Gallery via the botanical gardens. Check out the shrubbery topiary in front of the Sydney Tropical Center.
iPhone shot of Orchid Exhibit
If it hadn’t been so hot and humid I would have definitely toured the facility for the great branding/advertising. BTW, I was dressed totally wrong for the first few days. I knew it was summer in Australia but I don’t think I realized how hot and humid it would be. I had all sunny beautiful days and totally appreciated the weather once I bought some lighter weight clothing.
One of the best experiences I had was seeing Colin Hay
This has been an amazing year for travel and meeting great people. Thanks to everyone who has come out to one of my speaking events.
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