About monkeyc.net  

Where have you been !

Many of my contacts have sent me emails wondering where I am, not seeing me around as much as I have been.

As of August 2008 I am around more but still not posting a much as I would like. I have been working a lot of hours and not really motivated to get the camera out.

I had surgery earlier in the year that put me out of action for 3 months and I was re-diagnosed as Type II Bi-polar in October of 2007 after spending 15 years denying it (despite a diagnosis as a child) and I have been struggling to learn how to live without the hyopmania that gave me so much of my energy and creative drive but also was driving me over the egde and into a place I do not want to go. Now I am a lot better but spending time reconstructing my relationships and trying to find new motivations.

I am here. I am posting. I will return. Thanks for all your emails and messages of support and worry - you guys all rock.

How would you describe yourself ?

An enigma wrapped in a riddle tied up in newspaper and thrown off a bridge.

No seriously ?

Former photojournalist who fled the bright lights and dingy darkrooms for fame, fortune and a living wage back in the mists of time, now a sometime amateur photographer who dreams of the days when he understood esoteric concepts such as depth of field and aperture as an escape from a life spent dealing with the problems of suffering users and staff in the world of corporate Information Technology.

What do you want most out of life ?

A quiet mind.

Why ?

Ask me.

So where are you in the world ?

Sunny sub tropical Brisbane, capital of the sunny sub tropical state of Queensland in the sun burned land of Australia. Yes it’s hot here. No we don’t have kangaroos in the streets – we ate them all. We do however have koalas. Stinking smelly things that sleep all day and do nothing productive. Which describes the political system as well really.

What do you photograph and why?

Anything I can think of. I used to do a lot of architecture and nature photography as an alternative to newspaper work (its fun but there are only so many cake stalls you can photograph and stay sane) and I still tend to do a lot of that, I like taking images of the places and world around me.

I’m trying to be more creative and out there, photograph different subjects and think outside the box a bit more, which is why I like flickr as I can get great ideas here which hopefully will translate into something better on film – At the moment I'm trying hard to recover the lost skills I used to have when working with 35mm film – digital is different.

What camera do you have ?

I have a number of cameras - Right now my newest and favorite toy is a Canon EOS350D I bought as a birthday present after years of waiting for one - I’m rediscovering the joy and the frustration of working with an SLR and re-learning things such as depth of field and composition - and having a blast doing it. I've got the kit 18-55EFS lens for that and an EF75-300 tele as well, currently looking very closely at a 105mm Prime Macro lens and a 29mm fish eye as the next buys.

Most of the images in my photostream were shot with my trusty old Canon Powershot A40, it has been a truly excellent camera and produced some incredible images for such a small camera. There's also the remnants of a Canon 35mm Outfit here - my EOS10 died recently never to be repaired and I have an EOS1000 with sticky shutter curtains and a few older EOS lenses for them - as well as 2 manual SLRS which have seen better days but at over 30 years old are good fun to play with.

Who is your favorite photographer ?

I would say most of the time that don’t have one favorite as such, I have a number I admire and whose work stands out to me including Ansell Adams who’s amazing images are a glimpse at a timeless forgotten wilderness; Matthew Brady for images of the American Civil war that still manage to send chills up my spine; Cornell and Robert Capa for bodies of work that are testaments to the power of Photojournalism along with people like Margaret Bourke White and Alfred Eisenstadt among many many others. I also have a thing for Herb Ritts and Annie Leibovitz and love Mapplethorpe for artistic work and Philipe Halsman for pure creative joy.

On my walls I have images by Euegene Smith, Phillipe Halsman, HCB and Man Ray. I guess I have a thing for Black and white basically.

But the number one for me is Henri Cartier Bresson - simply the best, the complete article – the definitive photojournalist if you like and one of the greatest photographers I think has ever been.


Of the things you have lost what do you miss the most ?

Sanity.

What would you like most to get out of flickr ?

I would love to think it can motivate me to do better work and return to taking photographs of the quality I used to work in, it’s already motivated me to get a better camera and introduced me to some incredible work by amazing people.

What do you like most about flickr ?

The incredible images I get to see every single day from people all over the world, the quality of work here astounds me and continues to both motivate and challenge - there are some amazing people working here and I cannot recommend enough the need for people to comment on other's images and add people you like to your contacts lists - this is what makes flickr so amazing to me, no need to look at 100 photoblog websites - I can come here and see it all in one place and find something new every minute of every day.


I have found so many people whose work I admire and love through this community - people like DRP, Tonspi, Thomas Hawk, Matilde B and others who every day post images of beauty and skill which keep me coming back - flickr is special - it's given people a place to share their talent and vision and give us the privilege of sharing it with them.

In closing?

If you like my images please comment on them, make suggestions if you don’t like them, let me know what you think - I want your thoughts.


"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy."

Henri Cartier-Bresson

What do you think of my work? Your comments, thoughts and criticisms sought, please feel free to leave a comment about any of my images - I encourage people to comment on peoples work here - flickr exists to give inspiration and support to all photographers - if you see something you like comment on it - no matter who the photographer is.

My images are a story of an average journey through an average life in an extraordinary world - come along with all of us and join in.

My work is for sale for commercial use and free of charge for non commercial use with attribution. If you are interested in using an image for any purpose please contact me by email.

I'm Male and Taken.

monkeyc.net : a life in motion
Brisbane, Qld, AUSTRALIA