Eureka Tower - 29 July 2006

That scruffy bastard at the Southgate rally

Not that you'd notice me with the distractions in the centre of frame. Cor, what a lens!


Photo by [xntrek] on Flickr

Southgate rally photos #3

Daily Melbourne Photo - 30 July 2006

Best read phonetically :)

Another Southgate rally photo

Who's that scruffy bastard?


Photo (C) Darren Stones, freelance photojournalist

Demolition pics - Grand Central 30 July 2006

Second crane going up this arvo...

Eureka Tower - 28 July 2006 #2

Southgate rally photos

Some photos from yesterday's little gathering. For an extended version with director's commentary, have a look at this thread on MelbournePhotos.

Oh yeah, yesterday's daily photo got published at The Age online.

Daily Melbourne Photo - 29 July 2006

More obscure stuff that would be of no interest for putting in a photo album. Will post some Southgate rally photos tomorrow...


Nikon D70, Tokina 17mm f/3.5 AT-X, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, shade WB

Demolition pics - Grand Central 28 July 2006

The old Jetset building being demolished from the top down...

War on Stupidity

You may have seen my recent posts about the Southgate complex's ban on photography.

"We've had a couple of incidents of tourists taking photos of obscure things, and they were approached by security and asked to stop taking photos," Southgate property manager Kathy Barrance said.

Asked if the restrictions were designed to deter terrorists from conducting reconnaissance, Ms Barrance said, "Yes, that type of thing."

Source: Herald Sun, Photos ban in tourist precinct, 25 July 2006.

This is just one symptom of a disturbing trend in Australia. Whenever basic freedoms are being removed, the perpretrators cite terrorism and claim to be acting in the interests of protecting us. The photography issue is a small part, but we've also got bigger issues such as racial/religious profiling of travellers, vilification of Muslims and refugees, and worst of all, incarcerating people without charges or trial in places where laws do not apply.

There's nothing wrong with fighting terrorism. Like it or not, it's a global priority at the moment. But fight the terrorists, don't fight your own citizens. And don't use the War on Terror as an excuse to remove freedoms and increase you own power. It doesn't make sense fighting people who want to ruin your society by taking steps to ruin it yourself.

We need to preserve our freedoms. We need a sense of perspective when we take measures to protect ourselves. And all of us need to stand up sometimes and refuse to go along with reactionary decisions that Blind Freddy can see are stupid.

The time has come.

I declare War on Stupidity.

Eureka Tower - 28 July 2006

Daily Melbourne Photo - 28 July 2006

The ridiculous collides with the sublime in Swanston St


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G, 1/400s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, shade WB

Eureka Tower - 26 July 2006

Daily Melbourne Photo - 27 July 2006

Morning in Latrobe St...


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 D, 1/500s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, shade WB

I take photos and I buy stuff

My lovely assistant models the gear for Saturday's photo excursion around Southgate

Ruben yet again

Doing his best "love-child of Sly Stallone and Chopper Read" impersonation :)

Daily Melbourne Photo - 26 July 2006

Dedicated to Kathy Barrance...

"We've had a couple of incidents of tourists taking photos of obscure things, and they were approached by security and asked to stop taking photos," Southgate property manager Kathy Barrance said.

"It was just the facades of buildings, things that would be of no interest to put in a photo album."

Here's an obscure building facade just for you, Kathy. I'd hate to be forced to endure a look through your photo album...


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G, 1/500s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, shade WB

Anyone free Saturday morning?

For anyone wishing to express their concern/disgust/etc over Southgate management deciding photographers are terrorists (see last post), here's an invitation from Big Ted on Flickr:

We photographers have been neglecting some really very important - from an architectural perspective - buildings on the southern bank of the Yarra River. I think it is our civic duty to better document this essential piece of the mosaic that is Melbourne.

10am Saturday at Princes Bridge. Your friends may like to come along as well - so why not invite everyone you know to bring their cameras as well.

Dunno about all three of the people who read the ramblings here, but I'm in.

Southgate doesn't want my camera or my money

After an article was published in the Hun today about Southgate management banning photography in the complex, photo-types all over Melbourne are mightily disgruntled.

Rather than rant about it here, it's probably easier to point you in the direction of a few discussions:

Flickr
OZScrapers
Walking Melbourne
MelbournePhotos.net
PassionForPixels (Might need to register to read this one) - Edit: the link seems to break even if you log in. Looks like you need to go to News, Views & Opinions, then the Photography ban at Southgate! thread
NEWS.com.au

Here's a photo I took at lunchtime today...



I'm not spending any money in Southgate until they sort out their relationship with the people who keep them running. It's perfectly legitimate to ban photography on private property, and it's also perfectly legitimate for consumers to withdraw their money and economically starve an establishment into oblivion (which incidentally, is what a policy of banning photography could do to a highly tourist-dependent part of Melbourne).

Time for an about-face with matching apology, Southgate.

Lt Bourke St by night

Lonsdale St power station - 22 July 2006

Aerial views from Rialto

Construction pics - Convention Centre, 22 July 2006

Construction pics - neo200 22 July 2006

View from Rialto. Looks like they've started on the resi levels above the carpark floors...

Daily Melbourne Photo - 24 July 2006

Clouds over North Melbourne


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 D, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, fluoro WB

Daily Melbourne Photo - 23 July 2006

Footscray Rd @ 210mm from Rialto


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 D, 1/640s, f/8, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, shade WB

Daily Melbourne Photo - 22 July 2006

Melbourne Central from the Lt Lonsdale St side after dark


Nikon D70, AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G, 1/2s, f/5.6, ISO 200, manual, spot meter, sunny WB

Lonsdale St power station - Levi's shoot

13 December 2005 - took a few snaps of a fashion shoot in Lt Bourke St:





I'd pretty much forgotten about it until today. Then walking down Drummond St in Carlton, I spotted the billboards below. These billboards used to display those dodgy questionably-themed Windsor Smith posters, and were frequently hit by retaliatory graffiti. Now they're showing images from the December shoot, and the quality of graffiti isn't quite as strong...

Lonsdale St power station - 9 July 2005

View from Mondriane a year ago, in crappy weather and before I had this photography lark worked out...