P365 Day130
- At September 09, 2013
- By Neil Creek
- In p365
0
1/100sec f4.5 ISO100
via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/fMXnwA
P365 Day 60
- At June 24, 2013
- By Neil Creek
- In p365
- 0
This was a little tricky, as I wanted to get enough of the post in focus for it to be clear, but have the beams vanishing off into the blurry distance. I tried a few different aperture settings before choosing this one.
1/30sec f7.1 ISO8000
via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/eUoaxm
Bushfire Auction Prints Delivered + Photo Project
- At March 25, 2009
- By Neil Creek
- In community
- 2
The bushfires charity auction I ran concluded a few weeks ago, and the prints were delivered to the winner and recipient around the time of our trip to Kinglake. Read on for pics, and news of a very important photo project to help bushfire survivors.
Prints go to their New Homes – Or Soon Will
The winner of the fine art print of my photo taken near Mansfield was won thanks to a generous bid of $250aud by my friend Anna. I snapped this photo when Anna collected the limited edition print – my first.
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Recently, Erin was able to take a photo of her brother Ben with his copy of the print. Ben is the recipient of the proceeds of the auction, having lost his house to the bushfires, however he has decided to donate the money to the Kinglake CFA (Country Fire Association). A true hero if there ever was one. Ben is looking forward to displaying the print in his new house, once he has rebuilt.
Printing Donated by The Edge Photo Imaging
I wanted to deliver Ben and the auction winner a print of the finest quality, that will last for many decades and look as good as it possibly can. After they were recommended to us by an artist friend, we contacted The Edge Photo Imaging, a Melbourne-based and internationally known photo printing studio. We were impressed with their customer service and quick response, but even more with their extremely generous offer to produce the two prints completely free of charge! This allowed me to guarantee that all of the money raised by the auction would be going to Ben and his family to help them recover. All that The Edge asked for in return was acknowledgement of their part in this fundraising effort.
The prints that The Edge Photo Imaging delivered were exceptional, and the service outstanding, throughout the whole process. I would like to offer my deep gratitude to them for their generosity and professionalism. I can highly recommend their services to anyone looking to see their photography printed to the highest standards. Below is an extract from their “about” page.
The Edge Photo Imaging has earned a reputation internationally, and is recognized for producing prints of outstanding quality. Not only are Australia’s finest photographers using The Edge, several of the World’s best have discovered the benefits this lab has to offer.
The Edge evolved from a vision to bring back to the Wedding/Portrait industry, some good old-fashioned personal service. Niels Hilton and Wayne Padley put together a team that could provide photographers with a higher quality of service than what was available at the time. In only a short period, The Edge has certainly made a tremendous impact on the industry, not only here in Australia, but even as far away as the UK and USA.
Customer Service is one of our specialties. We will always try to accommodate the needs of our clients. We have proficient staff in this area that have all had previous studio/photography experience. They understand the needs of the Wedding/ Portrait photographer, and will endeavour to make your job as easy as possible.
Photo Project to Help Bushfire Victims Recover Lost Memories
A few days prior to writing this post, I was approached on twitter by Michelle Primmer (@mprimmer), who told me about a wonderful and very important project she’s involved with.
The Lost Photo Appeal, being run via the Disaster Help Site aims to get copies of photos taken in and around Kinglake, and of its residents and their histories, to the families who lost their own photos in the fires. Some families have lost loved ones, including children, along with all photographs of them. Photos in such cases can become more precious than gold, and help with the grieving process.
If you know of anyone who has photos taken in Kinglake, or of its residents, please send them to the site linked above. Even if you have photos of the once beautiful town taken on a holiday, please consider contributing those as well.
Here’s more about the appeal taken from the site:
The Lost Photo Appeal Project has been created to try to replace, as much as possible, family photos lost in the fires.
To assist us in this task we ask that people who are in any way connected to those in the fire zone- former neighbours from years ago, old boyfriends and girlfriends, past workmates etc., to look through your old photo albums and find any pictures that feature, or would be of special significance to, the fire affected families. Holiday snaps, photos of their childhood home, 21st birthday parties etc.
Kinglake Devastation in 3D
- At March 20, 2009
- By Neil Creek
- In 3D
- 6
While I was at Kinglake for the photoshoot a couple of weeks ago, I deliberately had in mind that I wanted to take some 3D photography. I wanted to be able to present the photos of the destruction of the bushfires in a way that would have more impact, more reality, and put the viewer more into the scene and really feel like you were there. Stereophotography is a great way to do this.
What follows is a selection of 3D stereo images taken around Kinglake using the “cha-cha” method. If you are unfamiliar with the technique to see 3D images of this kind, then please read this tutorial first, before returning here. If you would like to learn how to take 3D photos yourself, then you can learn how with this tutorial.
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Kinglake: One Month After Black Saturday
- At March 10, 2009
- By Neil Creek
- In Places
- 49
Life Returns to Kinglake. Amid the destruction wrought by the bushfires, a tiny flower blooms, just one month after the flames died.
On March 8th, 2009, one month and one day after the devastating bushfires of Black Saturday engulfed much of Victoria, Australia, I was invited into the town of Kinglake to photograph the destruction.
Roadblocks were still in place to prevent sightseers and looters from entering the town, but a pass system allows residents and immediate family to enter to take care of personal business and try to begin to return to a normal life.
A friend, Erin, who’s brother Ben had lost his house, was generous enough to give me the opportunity to go with her when she visited Kinglake. These are the photos I took on that day.
Please note: All of these photos are being made available at full resolution, and under a creative commons license. My purpose in doing so is to make these images available for educational and documentary use. Please see the information on the image pages for the specifics of the license.
Kinglake CFA. On Black Saturday, the two CFA trucks were away fighting fires elsewhere when the firestorm hit Kinglake. With nowhere else to go, three hundred residents sheltered in this large tin shed for more than 12 hours while the fire raged in all directions around them.
Kinglake Home Panorama. Above is a full spherical panorama taken from within the ruins of Ben’s house in Kinglake. To preserve detail, this panorama is larger than most I have shown you before, so please give it a little time to complete loading.
Nothing Left. CFA volunteer Ben stands in the ruins of what was once his home. Everything has been destroyed, but he and his family survived, while so many others did not.
Ben’s X-Box. Ben pulls his X-Box from the ruins of his home. Someone has already given him a new X-Box 360.
Child’s Trike. Ben’s five year old daughter’s trike stands destroyed in what was once the garden shed.
Exploded Fire Extinguisher. The heat of the fire was so great that it caused the pressure to build inside this fire extinguisher until it could no longer stay together. The side of the extinguisher was peeled back in a great explosion.
Melted Swing. A child’s swing survives the bushfire with relatively minor damage, while the house just meters behind lies in ruins.
Tragic Loss. When he returned to his property, Ben’s neighbours were missing. He looked in their cars to see if they were inside, but couldn’t find anyone there. The police later searched the cars, and found two bodies in the car to the left. The utter destruction of the fire left nothing that the untrained eye could discern as a human body.
The blue police tape here indicates that human remains were found on the scene. The yellow tape is to keep others out while the scene is investigated.
Marking the Loss. A bouquet of flowers and a small teddy bear marks the spot where two children and their grandmother died.
Their father had evacuated the children to their grandmothers, where he thought they would be safer from the bushfire. He stayed and defended the family home, which survived.
Petrol Station Destroyed. In the heart of Kinglake, less than 300m from where hundreds of residents were sheltering from the fire, the town’s petrol station was engulfed by flame.
A View of Death. What was once a spectacular mountain forest view is now nothing but destruction as far as they eye can see. Almost half a million hectares (nearly 2000 square miles) were destroyed by the bushfires in Victoria in February 2009.
Never Give Up. The local church was utterly destroyed, but when locals found the burned and bent flag pole in the wreckage, they erected it once again, exactly in the state they found it, and raised the Australian flag.
The flag has become a symbol of solidarity and determination for the town, and everywhere you go, you see it flying proudly.
You can see the full set of fifty four Kinglake photos in my flickr set.
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I want to express my sincere gratitude to Erin and her Mother, who took Naomi and I into Kinglake, and to Ben for allowing me to photograph him and his property, but most of all for selflessly risking his life to protect the property and lives of others. Ben and people like him, the volunteer firefighters, are true heroes.
During our visit, we delivered the fine art print and proceeds from the fundraising auction I conducted last week. Another post with more information will follow shortly.
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