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September 2008 | Don Norris
Location:
Sydney, NSW
robynnehayward.zenfolio.com
My Favourite Websites:
weburbanist.com
Mike Brodie (see: http://tinyurl.com/3lraq2)
Inspirations:
My inspirations are mainly visual, a scene that appeals because of the light or colour, or the way objects in it are composed. But there are also attachments that come from a sense of connection to place and history - such as the Maori pa in the far north of New Zealand, where the defensive terraces, kumera pits and middens from the past are still prominent in the landscape. My favourite photographers change all the time. I work in the Pictures section in Original Materials at the State Library of NSW and this has given me an appreciation of photographs which work as community memories or historical markers. The library has a collection of photographs by John Williams, who I like a lot. He is a historian as well as a photographer.
My Gear:
I mainly use a Canon 40D with a 17-55 mm lens, and also have a 350D that I keep mainly to carry my 85mm lens. I also use the little Ricoh GRD. I have this set up so it starts in black & white mode. I like it as it has a closer feel to the old film grain than the Canon. Film to me is still capable of more than digital. It has an instant nostalgia. I
think it is more difficult to get the photo you visualised with digital. I know you can play around in Photoshop to re-create film grain etc but it's not the same. I'd love to continue using my old Olympus OM2, but somehow time and convenience win out.
Aspirations:
Mainly to have more time to devote to learning about photography as well as taking photographs. And I wouldn't knock back having unlimited time and money to travel. …Mexico would be exciting.
My First Photo:
I can't remember the first photo I took, but this is the first one I kept: my father in triumphant pose, smoke in mouth, fish in hand, taken with a little Italian camera he brought home from the war.
This shot of the couple in the train at Tokyo Bay was just lucky – I only caught a glimpse through the lens as the train flew by. I like the contrast between the impersonal buildings and the couple's intensity, the girl looks ecstatic. To me this photo says something about individuality and humanity thriving in a rigid society.
The crowded trains and streets in Tokyo could be overwhelming, maybe
because of this I was often drawn to photograph people in stillness and solitude.
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