Sentenced To Twenty Lashes

You Can’t Tell Me These Lashes Are For Real

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

You’ll never see larger artificial eyelashes than these. This is the giant face that forms the façade of Sydney’s Luna Park, the famous tourist attraction at Milsons Point, on the opposite side of the harbour from the Opera House.

We spent a balmy afternoon at the park in April this year and I shot this image as we walked away to wait for a ferry to take us across the harbour. I had initially hoped to be able to capture a great sunset with the famous symbols of Sydney as a backdrop, but that was not to be. It was grey and overcast and we didn’t even see the sun as it disappeared, nor was there any reflection on the clouds.

That’s probably why I concentrated on manmade structures instead, as the light faded and the illuminations were switched on at Luna Park. I guess you could say I had eyes for nothing else.

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Happy Feathers Day

Pretty Fly For A White Guy

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was on the wooden pier at Milsons Point in Sydney a few weeks ago, shooting some frames of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, when this gull swooped in. He was probably wondering if I would toss him some bread crumbs, but I was busy with my camera.

It was a few seconds before I realised that he was in a perfect position for a wry shot that included the bird as well as the prominent sign.

I guess telling a gull not to go fishing would be akin to telling a fish not to go swimming. But not this gull. He wasn’t going anywhere near the surface of the water to find his lunch. I could have gone and bought him a doughnut, but it might have left him a bit green around the gills, er, gulls.


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Thank You For Giving Me A Heads-Up

A Ferry-Tale Ending

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes you get thrown a curve ball and it turns out to be an unexpected bonus, rather than a hindrance. During our trip to Sydney a few days ago, I was with the Authorbloglets and close friends on the ferry from Milsons Point to Circular Quay.

It was dusk. The light was fading fast on a cloudy evening. I had my camera around my neck, but the ferry was very crowded with locals and Easter tourists and we had to take separate, far-flung seats under cover. I was in the middle of the main deck, with three or four people on my left.

In addition, there were others standing outside to get a better view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Just before the ferry docked, I could see the distinctive shape of the Opera House through the rectangular ferry porthole. Half-heartedly, I removed my lens cap and picked up my Pentax. Always on the lookout for an unusual perspective on a familiar sight, I realised I could shoot one aspect of the Opera House through the window frame of the ferry.

I lined up the shot, knowing the Opera House would slide out of view in about fifteen seconds. As I adjusted the focus ring, a woman sitting a couple of seats away suddenly leaned forward to speak to a friend.

With her head in the bottom-left quadrant of my frame, she obscured almost a quarter of my view. I hesitated for a split second. Then I hit the shutter anyway. Had I waited for her to move back out of the way, it would have still been an interesting rendition of the great Australian landmark through the thick glass of the porthole.

But by recognising the fact that this was a great opportunity, I was able to capture a frame that is not perfect, but one that certainly is a highly unusual view of a familiar and often-photographed symbol of the country I live in.

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