G Is For Grace

Sometimes We Find It In Unexpected Places

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There is no knowing where you'll find the next object on which to train your camera. This gracefully crafted piece of metalwork caught my eye one morning, in a beautifully maintained garden on the tropical island of Langkawi, Malaysia, in July last year.

It was part of a footpath lamp that was about two and a half metres tall and although this was shot early in the morning beside the beach, I was in deep shade cast by a canopy of tall trees.

I was able to stand on a step on the steep hillside to achieve the angle of shooting downwards on something that was actually a few inches taller than I am!

I framed this very deliberately to include the interesting but subtle reflection on the convex surface of the lamp in the top right-hand corner, as well as the muted tones highlighting the curved section of the painted metal in the bottom right-hand corner.

This composition also gave me some interesting (and varied) background hues to highlight my main subject, with the edge of the water only about thirty metres away.

Just for the record, have a look at the second shot (below). It's taken from exactly the same spot a couple of seconds later, with the same settings. But this time I changed the focus ring so that the metal was in soft focus and the hotel pool and the nearby sea were the main subject.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Empty Vessels Make The Least Sound

Only The Lapping Of The Early-Morning Tide

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken early in the morning in Langkawi, the tropical Malaysian island, during our holiday there last July. One of the Authorbloglets and I went exploring this settlement, about a fifteen-minute walk from the Sheraton. There was not much traffic on the road and the dew was still heavy on the grass, yet the temperature was already very sultry and the humidity was high as well.

We spent a few minutes photographing the brightly coloured local homes and then wandered down this waterway, a little canal that was just off the main road. I was about half an hour too late for true, soft dawn light, but also about half an hour too early for strong daylight.

Nevertheless, it was still an experience to get some shots of these fishing boats and then to stand there and watch as the first fishermen refuelled their vessels, started up and then expertly navigated their way down the canal, past the other moored boats and out towards the open sea.

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My Name Is Swirl

This Reminded Me Of Noah's Arc

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

One of the things about visiting different countries is that the local flora is always fascinating. This shot was taken in Malaysia, during our family holiday last July. We were on the tropical island of Langkawi when I first spotted these flowers growing in a clump near the beach.

They caught my attention because of the grace of the long, tapering petals and the manner in which they seem to be flung at random to all points of the compass. These white tendrils formed beautiful arcs against the dark green foliage underneath and in the background.

It was only after I moved closer to take this shot that I spotted the delicate, long pistils with the dark pods. I had my 18-125mm lens on the camera, which is a great all-purpose lens. Despite the deep shadows in the vicinity, the strength and contrast of the colours really dictated the way I composed these two shots.

Do I know what the flowers are called? Er, no, but if you have any clues, do let me know.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

Pipe Dream

Yes, It's Okay To Get The Blues

Langkawi, Malaysia, 2008. Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

A Nation In Deep Mourning

Victoria Reels After The Weekend Of Armageddon

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you who asked if my family is safe. Yes, we are. I have been deeply touched by the scores of emails and comments asking about our safety. As far as possible I have replied personally to every single query. If I missed anyone, my apologies ... but please pray for those who have been hard hit by the fires.

Just to give you an update, this is the worst natural disaster in modern Australian history. No question about it. The previous watersheds were the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 and, prior to that, Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day 1974. These pointers are a summary of what has happened since the blazes broke out on Saturday afternoon ....

• 173 dead, the worst bushfire toll in Australia’s history
• 750 homes destroyed and thousands homeless
• At least four children, possibly more, among the dead
  
• Hundreds of refugees flock to Red Cross centres
• Two towns obliterated, Marysville declared a crime scene
  
• Eyewitnesses use a common description: "Armageddon"
• Alfred Hospital, major trauma centre, runs out of morphine
• Fires still burning out of control, despite cooler weather
• Authorities warn some fires could take weeks to contain
• News Limited donates $1 million to Bushfire Appeal
  

Sometimes you see a familiar face when you don't want to. During Sunday night's television coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires, we caught a brief but unmistakable glimpse of someone who recently befriended us.

We met because of his easy humour and his wide grin - and both those sterling qualities were strongly in evidence during his dramatic moments on the nation's television screens.

In July last year, I had just flown into Langkawi, Malaysia, with my family and we were at a resort pool when a big, burly bloke slipped off his perch in the pool bar. He came back up again none the worse for wear, but announced loudly to his wife: "That's the first time I've ever fallen off a bloody bar stool and not hurt myself''.

He had a huge grin on his face.

I spluttered with laughter.

"Fair dinkum, mate,'' he announced, looking in my direction and extending an introductory handshake. "I could get used to this.'' His name was Steve and he introduced me to his wife nearby.

He had a huge grin on his face.

In the space of the next few minutes, we realised that we shared a common link. He was from Melbourne too - and we exchanged notes about just how cold the Victorian capital was when we flew out.

A few minutes later, I excused myself, saying I had to go to the airport, just a few minutes' drive away.

"Airport?'' he asked, "didn't you just get here?''

I nodded. But I explained I was going to collect my mother-in-law, who was flying in from Singapore to spend a few days with us.

He was incredulous. "Mother-in-law? Mate, you're a better bloody man than I am.''

He had a huge grin on his face.

Every time our paths crossed in the resort, Steve would greet us warmly and tell us what a great time they were having in the tropical heat, so far away from the winter frost of Melbourne. When we bumped into each other in the town centre, he would tell us where the best bargains were to be had.

He had a huge grin on his face.

Late on Sunday night, we were about to switch off the television when we saw a familiar face and heard a distinctive voice. It was Steve. He and his family had lost everything they owned. A cellar had saved their lives as the firestorm passed over them.

They had lost everything. But he told the TV interviewer that they were still alive, so they would probably crack open a good bottle of wine to celebrate.

He must have been distraught. He must have been in shock. He and his wife and their kids were probably struggling with their emotions, with the heat, with the fatigue and with the realisation that they had survived Victoria's most deadly bushfires.

But he still had a grin on his face. This time, however, it was only a wry grin.


Visit the creative team behind That's MyWorld Tuesday.

U Is For Unusual

With Fronds Like This, Who Needs Enemies?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I’d never seen a palm tree with fronds of any colour except dark green - until I suddenly spotted this tree in Langkawi, Malaysia. We were exploring the town when I saw this unusual sight across the road.

At first I thought it might have been a single albino tree, but then I realised it was ringed by three or four others. They were not fully mature trees, for unlike the towering palms that I’m accustomed to seeing, these would not have been more than five or six metres tall.

I figured I needed a dark colour in the frame, to contrast the ghostly colour of the fronds. I was lucky. On the other side of the trees was a construction area. I scouted around from a safe distance and noticed this blue corrugated metal barricade, which was perfect for what I wanted.

But if there’s an arborist out there who can tell us something about these ghost palms, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Or maybe the rare sight could be explained by a palm reader.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Wavy Crockett

Who’s Been Surfing The Net (Or Netting The Surf)?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This eye-catching motif is a recurring theme on the sides of mini-van taxis around Langkawi, Malaysia. I first noticed it as we pushed our baggage trolleys out of the airport terminal when we flew in from Kuala Lumpur in July. Even though I had my camera within reach, I had to resist the urge to take the shot.

Sometimes a bloke just has to know his priorities, right? You’ve got the family around you and they’re relying on you to take you in the right direction and this is just not the right time to grab the camera. Me, I’m just trying to follow the person from the travel company who has met us at the airport and is taking us to our hotel.

But I need not have fretted. There were many more opportunities in the week we spent there. I didn’t have to wave goodbye to the shot.

Bridle Waltz

Saddled With The Responsibility

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There’s just no explanation for what your eyes are drawn to. I took this series of shots at a shopping complex in Langkawi, Malaysia, while we were on holiday there in July.

Let me guess – you’re looking at this image and wondering why it looks kind of familiar. Right? Okay, if you haven’t quite worked it out yet, let me give you some more information.

It was part of a huge mural; painted all along the side of a store. All up, the mural must have been about three metres high (about nine feet) and at least five metres wide (about fifteen feet). Here’s a view of the whole mural – and you can now see why the first shot looked so familiar.


Inside the Levi Strauss store, the sales assistants were quite intrigued when I asked them if I could take a couple of shots inside the store – and came up to have a look at the results on the LCD screen of my Pentax. They particularly enjoyed the angle and the colours of this last shot and gave me the thumbs-up.

Maybe they figured I was getting ready for a Strauss waltz.


Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

Hang Ten (Or Twenty)

How Can Something So Right Be Sarong?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

We were wandering down a street in Langkawi, Malaysia, when this sight stopped me in my tracks. It was just a tiny rack outside a shop on a long street, but my photography-radar-activation clicked into overdrive immediately.

I walked briskly away from the family (they’re used to me going walkabout) and I homed in on the sarongs. It wasn’t just the way they were displayed that caught my eye, it was the soft lines of the fabric and the striking range of colours.


Also, part of the attraction for me was the fact that there are so many sarongs hanging closely together. This gave me vertical lines to concentrate on, in addition to the delicate designs.

You want to know what I reckon? In the tropics, a sarong is definitely the fabric of society.


Visit TNChick, creator of Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Together".

M Is For Monks

Alms And The Man

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The last place you’d expect to find Buddhist monks is outside the duty-free complex. No, no, relax, they weren’t flesh-and blood monks clad in their distinctive robes; just a row of figures slightly higher than a metre and a half at most.

We were just walking in to the downtown duty-free building in Langkawi, Malaysia, in mid-July, when I noticed the monks. They were beautifully carved from what looked like sandstone and I wish now that I had made some inquiries about who had crafted them and what material had been used.

The word "monk" comes from the Greek "monos", meaning "alone". Thus the idea of a monastic existence is one of solitude. In that historical respect, it’s intriguing to note that there are five monks in this composite sculpture.

These monks were not just placed in a hall or a corridor. They graced the open wing of a downstairs restaurant. Like real Buddhist monks with their bowls, they were in the open, exposed to the elements with the tropical sun beating down on them.

To the right of the monks, the restaurant itself was shaded by a high roof and generous, cool shadows. But to the left of the figures was bright early-afternoon light as well as cool green palms. All in all, it was a challenging situation for a photographer. On one side the light was harsh, while the other was in deep shade.

So I decided on three shots, to try and capture light and shade alike and to emphasise the unusual colours of the carved figures. It’s interesting to note that the central point of each figure is not the face but the traditional alms bowl, in which real monks collect offerings such as cooked food or coins from local folk.

My attention was also drawn to the detail - have a look at the folds of the robes over their shoulders and you’ll see how much care has been taken to render them lifelike. Finally, have a close look at their faces. At first they might appear to be clones of each other, but then you realise that each has a distinct expression.

Nirvana, I guess, has many faces.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Winnie The Pool

Recline And Fall Of The Roamin' Empire

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There's nothing like the sound of ocean surf to create a completely chilled-out atmosphere. In July we travelled to Langkawi, Malaysia, for a well-deserved family holiday.

It was a great tropical escape in the middle of the Australian winter - yes, July is winter for us, believe it or not. And I have to say that the relaxation at the Sheraton was wonderful.

There were no alarm clocks. There were no deadlines. We didn't have to be anywehere at a particular time. The most stressful decision of the day was what time we would stroll down to the breakfast buffet.

Yes, I spent a fair bit of time in the pool, or by the beach, or stretched out on the banana lounges under the tall trees beside the cool water of the pool.

Lazy? Well, yes, compared to my normal pace of life. But, hey, that's what a great holiday is all about, isn't it?

Visit TNChick, creator of Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Lazy".

Blind Guess

Roll Up, Roll Up, For All The Fun Of The Fair

Sometimes you find a photograph where you least expect it. While we were in Langkawi last month, I was waiting outside a shop when I noticed these rolled-up wooden blinds. I was looking at the pattern of the parallel slats, trying to figure out what type of wood they were made from.

Then I noticed that the blue paint was marginally brighter at the middle of the blinds than it was at the top.

So of course I had to take a couple of shots, because the colours made such a striking contrast against the dark background. And yes, I shot the frames to emphasise the fact that some of the wooden slats had warped while the others had remained unaffected by the weather. The lines were irregular, rather than strictly geometrical - and that just made a great image in my mind.

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

A Frond In Need Is A Frond Indeed

Cleopatra Would Have Been A Big Fan

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This post is dedicated to a (very) young man in Britain who is possibly my youngest reader. John (for obvious reasons, I won't identify him) asked his mother to contact me when I wrote the post Palm Reader, because he wanted to know if I had shot any other images in that sequence.

Yes, I did, and here they are at John's request, along with the story of why and how I actually shot them. We were on holiday on the Malaysian island of Langkawi at the time, and I was still blogging because I had my laptop with me. The weather was fairly stormy on the morning we flew in and while we explored the beautiful 40-acre property of the resort, I happened to spot this banana tree towering above me.

It took me a few seconds to work out what sort of tree it was, before I spotted the distinctive leaves, which are traditionally used in some parts of rural India as a substitute for plates. I figured it was a banana tree, but I'd never actually seen one where the branches fanned out in such perfect order, rather than growing at random angles.

It made an interesting silhouette against the dark, cloudy sky and I shot just one frame before walking on. The next morning, the weather had cleared, so of course I had to shoot the same scene and this time the bright green of the giant leaves worked beautifully against the clear blue sky. As I hit the trigger on this shot, I thought it looked like a giant Roman fan, of the sort that palace serfs would have held above Cleopatra to protect her from the elements.

But there was clearly a better angle to be had, so I explored the options with the shot below, which was the next one in the sequence. It was only then that I realised the most unusual angle, along with the geometrical precision of the fronds, would be best served if I composed a tighter frame - and you can see the best result here.

Visit Mama Geek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Goldilocks And The Three Beers

Cheers, Mate, We'll Drink To That Nursery Rhyme

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot wasn't taken on my home turf, because Jaz is not an Aussie brand of beer. I took this photograph in Langkawi during our recent holiday in Malaysia. I was walking down one of the streets in the main town area when I saw this huge carton sitting just on the fringe of a shop.

Initially I thought it was a container of lemonade, because of the colour - and it was only when I got closer that I realised what it was. The curious thing about this shot is that it works because of the slight angle. Had I shot it front-on, it would probably not have been such a strong image.

And just in case you're wondering, no I don't drink. But there are lots of Aussie blokes who make up for me.

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

Curtain Call

My View Of An Island Paradise

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes, adverse light conditions can be used to good effect. I shot this image last month, on the day we arrived in Langkawi, Malaysia. Our flight from Kuala Lumpur to the island was slightly delayed because of a storm over Langkawi and when we landed there was little more than a drizzle. Nonetheless, as we left the plane for the short walk across the tarmac in the tropical air, there was a veritable army of red-white-and-blue umbrellas for the passengers to use.

After we had checked in to our hotel and road-tested the pool, the pool bar, the a la carte menu and the amazing hillside villas, it was time to start taking some photographs. The chill of Melbourne’s winter long behind us, we began soaking up the heat.

The clouds were still grey, late on that first evening. But the weather gave me the perfect opportunity to frame an unusual shot. We were sitting in a quiet cabana near the restaurants, overlooking the pool, the beach and the great view of the Andaman Sea.

I left the family for a few seconds, confident in their ability to order the long, tall, dewy drinks - while I made the best use of the sky and the soft arcs formed by the transparent drapes of the cabana.

Visit Mama Geek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Enter The Dragon

Creature Comforts Are Airborne

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

What do you do when you're suddenly confronted by a fire-breathing dragon? Don't panic. Don't retreat. Don't call for the emergency services.

Grab your camera. Fire off the first shot to blind the marauding, fierce critter.

Then work out the best way to capture the sight of the dragon's wingspan.

I encountered this fella in a shop in Langkawi, Malaysia, earlier this month. But before I reached for my camera, I first asked the lady in charge of the shop if I could take photographs. She immediately gave me permission and nodded when I asked her if the dragon was really a kite.

I'd like to build a kite like that one day. But I think my plans are up in the air.

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

All There, In Black And White

My Turn To Make A Move

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, during our recent holiday. I noticed these four men playing draughts (or checkers, as some of you know it) and I walked over and asked if I could take a photograph.

They nodded, happy to give me permission, so I hit the trigger immediately. I chose a horizontal frame, wide open to include their surroundings as well as their clothing and the relaxed manner in which they were concentrating on the game.

Then, just as the rest of the Authorblog clan climbed into a taxi, I walked in the opposite direction, to thank the men for their kindness. They asked me where I was from and as I replied, I noticed one of them had his hand hovering over the board, in preparation for a strategic move.


In mid-sentence, I lifted the camera again, quickly adjusted the focal length and shot this frame.

Only at this stage did I realise that the men were not playing on a conventional board. Look closely at this and the next shot (below) and tell me if you see the extent of their creativity. There is dark green tape (probably electrical tape, because it is fairly thick and wide) marking the boundary of their makeshift "board" on the white table.

Now look closely and you’ll see that the black and white squares are all painted uniformly onto the surface of the table.

It was only as I sat down to write this post that I realised I’ve never seen four people play a game of draughts/checkers before. I can only assume that there were two alternative explanations. Either they were playing in teams of two; or they were playing one-on-one, with the other two waiting to play the next game.

And what of the Authorblog clan, waiting for me in the taxi? They were not stressed. They know I always like to follow a trail when I have a camera in my hand.

And in this case, the trail led me to a memorable sight - I’ve never been invited to witness such a unique board meeting.


Visit Mama Geek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.