Interloop

The "Interloop" Designed By Chris Fox - In Wynyard Station at the York Street Entrance.

These are the original timber pieces from the 1931 Escalator that supported over 8 Decades of travellers feet.

Fantastic work sir - I salute you.

The Film Diaries Pt. 2

Film Diaries - Portra 160; Ektar 100

Locations: Sydney CBD (Circular Quay); Blue Mountains McMhanons Point

Pete and Samantha's Wedding

Pete and Samantha's wedding - From the Hotel in the morning to Cataract Dam and then the Picton Valley Motel. 

We were told by Samantha on the lead up just to hang back and capture the day as it happens. So this is what we did apart from when they wanted group shots we tried to be as ninja as we could for the rest. The weather was amazing for the day with a nice amount of clouds and the perfect temp. The few hours we got to know Sam, Pete and the kids they were a very chill, happy group. It was a great day they shared with their friends.

Drumroll... My 3rd top Travel Experience!

My top 3rd Travel Experience again for Intrepid and the Travel Bootcamp in Italy eek! I know but I love Everything about here.

Italy every time has blown me away! From my first trip before I was really into photography; the culture, language and FOOD amazed me and was my European highlight.  I've been lucky to have come back twice since. Recently I returned on a whirlwind adventure in the north with my friend Simeon. Our goal was simple - Mountains! Climb, Photograph, Rest and Climb and Photograph some more. 

These exceptional views stood before us, and these are just behind the scenes of the final shots which I'm slowly releasing over the next few months.

The Story

We started in Spain finishing up a project there, Simeon and I had a few free days so we decided to do something crazy! Mixing together our love for nature and mountains and only being 18 hours drive away we decided the place to visit was here. The amazing Alps - the Italian Dolomites.  We hatched a plan. An itinerary developed in a few hours and smoothed it as best we could on the adventure towards the Italian Border.

Our first and only stop was kind of on the way and was needed to fit into Simeon's ever growing collection of world famous bridges. This bridge blow is the Millau Viaduct in the south of France; it also happens to be the tallest bridge in the world.

This bridge was a bit difficult to photograph as there was heavy construction going on for what appeared to be a visitors centre and we lost a lot of light so finding a vantage was made even trickier. It was impressive and worth the stop spanning over a vast valley between the two ranges either side. Finishing our final shots the French police came along and told us we couldn't take photos here so quickly we packed up and continued on before they decided to tell us to delete anything.

Continuing on our journey we pressed towards the Italian border but had to pull over and spent probably the most uncomfortable night of our adventure curled up in our hire car in a rest stop in France. Can I mention also the scariest night possible of our trip I won't get into the details but lets just say France can be scary!

I'll speed up the rest of the trip by giving you the advice - It will be cheaper, faster and healthier to fly to Venice or Milan and Hire your car there unless you have a lot of time. The Tolls added up to at a guess AU$400, Fuel AU$250 and way too much roadside food (which wasn't the most terrible thing being in Europe). 

Finally we made the destination and Man was it wow!

Val di Funes - Simeon getting the angle

Val di Funes stretched before us after a series of winding one lane roads which weren't one lane; Up dead ends and a few google maps mixups. This sight was what I expected of quintessential Northern Italy. Mountains lay backdrop to a collection of anachronistic houses and numerous dotted churches splayed among them.

Parking in sort of a field I think was the way to go and hiking the rest of the way gave us a unique view of the valley. I would suggest a AWD or 4WD car for some of these areas as art of gravel or slippery grass/mud can be present.

Val di Funes - Panorama

The next spot on the list was Tre Cime National Park which if you only have limited time has some of the best views in the Dolomites very close to one another. Scaling Tre Cime was the first thing we did. Stupidly with no gear but we decided to anyway. With no designated path and just shale most of the way it was a tough but rewarding climb. I would suggest if you do it in a big group to wear a helmet and be careful as many loose rocks were dodged successfully and unsuccessfully. The sight was really phenomenal and rewarding but wasn't quite what we were after but makes a good story and was enjoyable. (next 2 photos)

Tre Cime Summit

Going down was much easier sliding/surfing on our bottoms when it wasn't our feet gracefully to the bottom. This is why I always try and hike in long durable pants, saves your legs big time!

View From Tre Cime Summit reverse

Lake at Entrance to Tre Cime Park

Tre Cime Sunrise

Several of our hikes over 2 days were around here with continuing amazing views - Unfortunaltey the weather was blue sky and the photos weren't as dramatic as they could be. Just means I need to come back... Right?!

The weather here was sensational however - Cool enough for hikes and warm enough to not chill in the mountain breeze. If you're a photographer and want to visit you must be aware during the month of July when we where there the days are really long. After such a long drive we had to wake up at 4 am to start hiking for sunrise and for night time not getting back to the hotel till 10-11 after hiking back from 9 pmish Sunset. Which means the places to eat were really limited; the food in Cortina d'Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites where we stayed was still sensational with only the pizzas available after 1030 we didn't care. Sipping on a mix of Aperol Spritzes (my fave summer drink in Italy), Cold Beer after hikes and sensational Italian wine with a simple slice of Italian goodness was heaven!

Tre Cime

This spot below was on our departure after the 2 days of trekking we headed off to one more sunset hike. Before that we made a short midday Pitstop on Lago De Braise - You've probably seen way to many Instagram shots here right?! Still it was pretty sensational to dip in with this view. 

I should mention if you plan to visit allow a lot longer than you think to drive as the roads are ever windy and if road works or a crash catches you it takes hours to conquer in the mountain roads. 10km can take 2 hours.

Lago Di Braises

Our final Hike. I. Almost. Died.

Not having trained enough after 3 days of exhaustion and hiking my calves gave in. I almost had to scream as we  got to halfway of part 1 of the two ascents to the Vajolet Towers. Simeon the tank was fine for this bit and thankfully he pushed me on when I was ready to quit. So important to have a buddy when you climb even if its just for this. Burning through the pain after 20 or so minutes of torture, my body exploded with energy. At the start of the second ascent, (scrambling up sheer rock faces hanging only to fixed pitons and steel wire) I could bound ahead again. I like to think I traded places and returned the help to Simeon at this point who looked like he traded my struggle town on the second half.

The view was one of my all time fave views here however so I am so glad we made it just in time for sunset. Unfortunately it got blocked by a cloud towards the end but we didn't care. We just were so glad in conquering the mountain, never ever take it for granted because it may look easy but always brings unexpected challenges.

We ended up climbing up in a record time of 45 minutes + maybe a little bit which was probably why we suffered a little as well. Always leave a bit more time so you don't have to rush for a sunset.

Iphone Panorama of Vajolet Towers hiking Hut.

These views mixed with the food and challenge of the exploring made this my top 3rd favourite travel experience.

The unique culture of the Alsatian region was another highlight showing off the diversity of Italy. I think I could spend the rest of my life exploring this region if I have time and can't wait to go back and share more of it. If you want to know anything about this region or Italy and our experience including hotels, car hire, locations comment below and I will answer them.

If you leave your Instagram handle too if you have one and I will check your account out. 😊 happy travelling!

Where Feet Don't Touch the Ground - My Top 3 Travel Experiences for Intrepid

I hear a lot of travellers talking down organised tours and I was honestly one of them.

Still reserving my feelings for some planned trips as I see them - Cramped on a bus, popping out to see a monument and getting corralled back up the same steps 30 minutes later. I mean at least they've made sure all 60 of you have taken your Harbour Bridge selfie…

I have spent most of my travel as a solo person or a part of a small group. Mainly because of this way of thinking.

This one trip which is in my top 3 travel experiences; (yep top 3) was however on an organised tour. I know… I may be about to sound like a hypocrite - it’s complicated though. 

This adventure forsook the bus for being a group of 8 people together in a minivan. Had a schedule which allowed flexible time. Listened to the opinions of the group to change the days plans a little; keeping in mind we needed to make our accommodation and significant stops.

Most importantly - Didn't get in the way of daily coffee oversampling; in fact encouraged it!

I hope it already is sounding great because it was.

Starting in Queenstown we already had a taste of epic mountains - but the schedule had so much more in store from raging waterfalls in Milford Sound, Lit peaks in Mount Cook Park and glaciers. The William Patino Workshop was a most epic organised experience.

The crowning moment was stepping out of a plane after the most awe inspiring sights from the window onto the top of a glacier. If it wasn't surreal enough being at the same level as the peaks of the mountains - We landed on one!

The plane stopped after skidding to a halt - sliding while the brakes gripped the ice and snow below. Eager and next to the door I jumped straight out. Immediately vanishing the bottom half of my torso into snow - and if you haven’t experienced snow before, it’s wet! 

My pants became an immediate annoyance. For this to be one of the best experiences of my life the view had to be pretty astonishing to overcome the uncomfort. No joke it was! White stretching as far as the eye could see, a crisp breeze, and freshly laid snow. The mountains ahead looked close but after running (well stumbling in snow) for probably 500 metres I still wasn't any closer. That's how big a glacier is... huge!

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face or catch my breath for excitement. This high didn't dissipate at all but remained for the whole time the pilot extended for us up there.

The group trip just topped this experience - snowball fights, snow angels, weird dancing and shouts of joy. Our collective enthusiasm outweighed anything that I might've had on a solo expedition.

This moment alone changed my view on organised tours and I actually can’t wait to experience another. As I now have seen they don’t have to be stuffy, robotic, monument selfie driven tours. They can actually allow you to experience the place for what it is while having fun.

This is why this trip makes my top 3 travel experiences I’m sharing with Intrepid Travel.

Enjoy some of the scenery below and a short video showing off the mountain:

“Just for fun below is a drone compilation video including two frames from New Zealand and a couple from the stop I made on the way home.”

Film Challenge

I set myself a challenge to between the QVB and Ultimo where Rewind Print Store Sydney is to take street shots on a single roll of 120 Acros BW film. These are the results:

Sarah and Lachlan

Sarah and Lachlan, two of the most relaxed people I've been fortunate enough to meet. From the morning right till they tried to quietly sneak out at the end of the night they were so chill. Wind was the only obstacle of the day that and a nice bright sun. However that was not going to stop anyone. Smiles ran thick, love was in the air and the gale might have helped spread it? The bridal Party was really distracted and were just having fun mucking around which was nice to see, a bit of a challenge  and made for some great shots. Was grateful to be a part of such an auspicious event!

Big thanks to my Second Photographer and Assistant Laura Mckinlay for more amazing help! Thanks to Jacquie Casey and her amazing flowers, and the ButterFactory for keeping my meal warm when I ate an hour late and the numerous coffees to keep me going!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. 

(Sorry Squarespace my website won't let me post some of the shots so I will have to try and add them later.)

Sydney Festival Cover Shoot

Coming up with a concept is always one of the biggest challenges in any project. At the core it’s what we as photographers can be known for. Anyone can click the shutter on an exposed photo; but to make it meaningful thats another thing. Concept creating for storytelling is one of the things I have been grateful to repeatedly hired on.

I was asked along with several of the biggest creative influencers in Sydney to create for several covers of the Sydney festival magazine. After researching Sydney festival in the lead up to the shoot, I had a few ideas in my mind. The major idea included the use of showing off the festival colours and how the art involved affected people.

The Brief - Use the colours blue, yellow, red in a meaningful way.

From there I thought about how I could make it out of the ordinary - I considered playing with a few constants like gravity and time. Finally I decided on the idea of inception, exploring the experience of the origin of art of the viewer. This involved having you as the viewer put yourself in the subjects shoes. What better a way to have them observe themselves?

The Technical:

This is the first photo I knew had to get, the reaction between your mind and the viewing of the Art. It had to seem familiar and tie in so I kept the lighting very similar. The key Light had to come from above to look natural so the beauty dish gave a nice pop and provided some great contrast and strong lines on the face as the key. The fill light (or secondary light) was needed a little bit to bring up the shadows and the diffused umbrella overhead worked nicely to keep the beautiful unidirectional light effect strong. 

Next was a plate shot, so I could use any elements that got messy during the paint throwing. The lighting was the same and the gels used tied into the theme of the photoshoot by adding pops of colour of the yellow and blue which were nice complementary colours. The choice to not use red gels is because the red really stands out as the non complimentary colour and as you can see in the finished product the little touch of red is perfect for dragging you into the scene.

The Profoto D2's were perfect for the job because of the fast flash speed at high power. Freezing the paint in the air was crucial and it performed amazingly.

The Lighting diagram below is used with the beauty dish as the key light the umbrella as fill and the two gelled lights at the back tying the colour theme in using the white clothing as a bounce for the background and at the same time creating a rim light so even if the paint obscured the image you'd still get some depth to the body.

[Equipment: H6D100c Hasselblad with 100mm 2.2 lens; 4 D2 moonlights, a L diffused white umbrella, white gridded beauty dish and yellow and blue CTO gels.]

After colour correction and combination the final image. 

This was a simple shoot with nothing about it technically complex, 4 lights one model and $15 worth of props. However the story told makes the image take meaning, otherwise it’s just another crazy coloured studio image.

There is nothing more powerful than doing a little research and thinking about your image. Anyone can take a pretty photo, can you take one with meaning?

Thats something I certainly put highest on my list.

For more technical tutorials and blogs to help out achieve your beautiful visions, subscribe to my website www.davidboonphoto.com big plans to release a few free videos and tutorials soon.

Frame Fashion Week

Framed Fashion week, had a showing in Martin Place showing off brands from:

• Nicola Finetti
• Wayne Cooper
• Von Arkel
• Vuarnet
• Wunderkind
• Jinnnn
• Bolon
• Coco Song
• Neubau Eyewear
• Silhouette

Here are some of my behind the scenes. (Link to fashion week.)

Josh - Portrait Sessions

Josh's sessions were great and some of my favourite work yet. Getting a mate Shanks to help me out made the session super lighthearted and fun. As with everyone a little in front of camera nerves showed but once the music and instruments were rolling I think both of us forgot what we were doing kinda... but that was the best thing about it. (Taken with Canon, Hasselblad and Profoto).

If you wanted to get your headshots or any kind of portraits done contact me via. davidboon.travelinpixels.com or the form on my website.