Monochrome Monday (Equivalent)

These first words for the new financial year are for cyclist photogs, Steve and Robert. 

Thanks for your friendship and inspiration.

Seems that, for a botanist, Minor White (1908-1976) spent a lot of time looking at clouds. He would get his cumbersome camera out and surf the light with the disciplined eye of a Zen master. Waiting and waiting and waiting and then when the light reflected or refracted in a certain way, he would capture etherial fleetingness onto big sheets of film.

Yes, anybody who was there then with that camera could have taken that shot of that barn or those clouds. It wasn't like he had to swim around the line up dodging rogue sets, anti-imagery locals or anything.

But his photographs were not just images of stuff - frost on glass, clouds, peeling bits of paint or gnarly old rocks. No, his compositions directed the viewer's gaze towards specific elements out of all the clutter that Reality presented at that moment for him to choose from. (And yes that probably makes his photos political, but let's leave that for now.) He called them Equivalents as they caused an emotional reaction unrelated to the content.

And what did Minor White do on days when there were no clouds? 

Well, he co-founded Aperture, one of the most influential photography magazines ever, still communicating on numerous media 60 years later!

Next time you pick up a quality surf mag, (one that makes you still go "wow"), take a good, hard look at the wow shots inside and consider the way the shooter chose to frame them and consider this. The shooter or the editorial designer was probably inspired by the great photographers such as Minor White or taught or mentored by those that were - shooters who knew a cloud was not just a cloud.

Sinai Angels and Demons

Miller's Left

Gidget, Layne and Woody

 The woman that the Gidget book and movies were based on Kathy Kohnemann with former Gidget and multiple World Titles, Layne Beachley in Hastings Street, Noosa.

High Surf Motel

F5.6 400mm

Walls mountains wipeouts

TGIF

Crowd - paws - dog on a log

Mono Johnno

It will never be Little Cove
It will always be Johnson's Bay or Johnno's

inagaddadavida (baby)

Monochrome Monday (Seapunk)

 Todays post 

is for all the wrecks, 

relics and 

sea punks.

Two for One

well three for one actually or maybe four

Too Old to Rocknroll

More than a thousand suns have grazed my eyes and scorched my skin since my first day at school, a holy picture in my top pocket to protect me and sox that didn't match. I have forsaken the gut blasting pain of pre-rashie-era styrofoam short boards for a plethora of fins, foils and rockers. 

This weekend sees a group of ageing grommets assemble for the annual winter Wrecks and Relics gathering (dare I say "contest"). These are the crew who were there (probably don't remember) when single fins became twin fins and thrusters morphed into longboards more suitable for a gentlemanly (dare I say "middle-aged") approach to sliding the brine.

So if you see a bunch of leathery old buggers down near the Noosa Rivermouth laughing at each other, lugging around old Joe Larkins and Woosley's, know that they have seen it and done it all and that you can still surf after 60!

1973 - 2013

Happy 40th Birthday to all these albums.
(And thank God for good music and good friends.)

Walk the plank

Monochrome Monday (Hands)

Bowie x Bazza

Good luck boys.

Smile

"Come up and see me

make me smile"

Steve Harley