Mike Country, Tis Of Thee I Sing

Never Mind The Area, Wot About Da Volume?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes you shoot one frame and you know, instinctively, that you've got it right. No, there's no arrogance in that statement; I'm not that sort of person. This shot was taken about six weeks ago, when I was photographing a jazz quartet called Mango Juice playing in a Glen Waverley cafe here in Melbourne. It was a warm, sunny afternoon and I suddenly realised the angle and the light were just right to shoot the microphone. The metallic tones just went perfectly with the shades in the background. To see other shots taken that afternoon, go to Everything You Want To Know About Sax and Everest Bass Camp.

Click here: Pentax K10D, Shutter 1/4o, F 4.5, ISO speed 400.

Everest Bass Camp

The Timbre Depends On The Timber

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

What’s the first question you ask someone who plays a double bass? Eiji Takemoto just grins when I ask him (as you do) how he manages to carry the huge instrument around. He points to a trolley and says he wheels it out on that and sticks it in the ``back of the car’’. So I do some mental maths. The double bass stands taller than me, and I’m about 190 centimetres. Turns out Eiji has a station wagon, which makes sense! I ask him how old the bass is. He reckons the German-made instrument is probably 120 years old. Eiji plays in a quartet called Mango Juice and they can be heard on weekends, from 1pm-4pm at Shine, a café bar and lounge at 74-76 Kingsway in Glen Waverley. Watch this space for more pictures.

Six And The City

This Could Be My Big Movie Break

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken about three hours ago. Because it's been a wet, grey Saturday afternoon, we drove to Glen Waverley for lunch and these pictures were taken on the long walkway into the popular restaurant-and-movie theatre complex. Believe me, it was quite a feat of patience to take these shots when there was no one else walking through my field of vision.