Who needs a DSLR?

So many people have asked me "what gear are you using"? with the implication that having good gear makes good photos.

Chase Jarvis coined the phrase "the best camera is the one that's with you" and has developed an online ecosystem of users submitting photos developed from their iphones.

This theory that you don't need a pro level camera to take good photos is something I have been testing out lately and it has made me more aware of the sheer fact that photography is all about what we see and interpret, it's a way to capture our thoughts visually and share those with everyone.

Here is some of my own stuff taken on my iphone, enjoy!

more after the break...

In tradition...

In the Filipino tradition they have 40 days of mourning, which involve prayer on the first night, then prayer every Sunday until the 40th day, of which there is a final prayer and then celebration. Here is some of the pics from the final night. Thanks to everyone who have messaged me privately with their condolences and words of support and love. Mum has since gone back to Philippines to be with her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins for a bit of R&R - something that is definitely needed. This blog ends my series on the tribute to my father, I hope that I can carry his spirit and his legacy of love for art through my photography and through my music. Thanks for reading :)

Final prayer 

Prayers and Preparations

Over the last two weeks I along with my family and friends have been helping to prepare my dad's funeral, here are some images from the preparations and evening prayer sessions held at my mother's house in Frankston. Thank you to all who helped in the preparations, and to all the people who played and participated in the funeral service. It was a beautiful, unique service, full of music and love, with a special appearance from our family friend Gil Askey, who put a New Orleans style twist at the end of the service playing trumpet and singing "what a wonderful world" and "When the Saints Go Marching In". My dad would have been so happy.

My Dad's remembrance table, surrounded in flowers sent from friends

more after the break

Michael Matthews - a tribute

Michael Matthews - musician, artist, loving husband and caring father passed away last Saturday night in my home town of Frankston, Victoria. So much of who I am today can be solely accredited to my father's influence. I was brought into this world surrounded by a man who appreciated good music, and fine art. He could sing like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and so many other crooners, he loved country music, played the guitar.

In his early 20's he used to use medium-format cameras and take photos for magazines, something I didn't know until my own passion for photography became apparent, and I gave him my old Nikon D60 for him to play around on. He took it to europe with my mother last year before he was once again diagnosed with cancer. As devastating this loss is to my family I would like to honour him on this blog by presenting you with a small series of images I made for him in the last 2 years just before he got sick. I love my father, and I hope you get the sense of this through these images. 

Thank you for passing your passion on to me. I could never repay the gift you have given me. I love you dad.  

Please feel free to click on any image to see a larger version.

more images after the break

Lens Dilemma

I am thinking of buying a new lens. Everyone says get a 24-70 2.8... I feel more inclined to go an 85mm 1.4, a little bit cheaper than a 24-70 2.8 or I can go relatively dirt cheap and go a 85mm 1.8... 

I currently have a 35mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.8 and love them both, but I'm finding myself being distractive and obtrusive rather than in the distance. If I was to shoot a wedding or a corporate I would think the 85mm would be far away enough to be out of the way and allow the event to flow... Plus an 85mm 1.4 would be great for gigs... I love shooting with primes, they're just good! 

What an incredibly nerdy boring blog, I need to shake it up with a photo. Here. A shot I took on my last shoot:

No Photoshop, no Lightroom, the file is straight off the camera. Taken on a 35mm 1.8. That is the very reason why I love prime lenses. 

Plug a Mate Mondays! no.2

Keren Dobia

Kez and I met through a great Melbourne drummer that was studying with me at the Sydney Con, she was a keen photographer and took a lot of shots of us muso's back in the day. Fast forward 4 years later and she has blossomed into an professional photographer, with incredible award-winning images. She has also been instrumental on a number of occasions for giving me rock-solid advice, which in turn has helped me develop my understanding and style of photography.

A notable body of work she has produced is a series of reworked fairytales, from Goldilocks to the The Little Mermaid. When I was in Melbourne last year I got a little tour of her exhibition in Malvern and saw these works first hand. The immense amount of detail put into these works is extraordinary, and I recommend you check it out!

See Keren's website here

plug a mate Mondays!

On Mondays I think I'm going to start a regular series of plugs for other photographers. Sharing photos should come from every level of photography - whether you are beginner, seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, everyone has a perspective and it would be incredibly stupid and arrogant of me to ignore other photographers and the work they have to share with us as well.

Angelo Sgambati - http://www.angelosgambatiphotography.com/

I was playing at my residency last Saturday night at the Argyle when I happened to run into a particular individual, his name is Angelo Sgambati, and I used to play with him back in the day at Cargo Bar (word!). So I find out that he himself has become a photographer and everyone should really have a look at his work, a fantastic fusion of originality, beautiful lighting and proficient technical ability. Check out his compelling series on the Kokoda Trail - awesome!

"I'm articulate, sarcastic and charismatic. I'm animated, eccentric and artistic. I'm loud, inappropriate and juvenile. I'm original, real and unique. I'm a creator, a thinker and a daydreamer. I don't do things how they are meant to be done, I do things my way. I don't make sense, I have a purpose. This is my life, its not what it is, it's what i make of it. I'll never stop dreaming, I'll never stop loving and I'll never stop living..."


check it out!