O Captain, My Captain

Boeing, Boeing, Gone

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot of a Qantas Boeing 737-800 was taken at the 2007 Australian International Air Show. Its unusual livery is the result of a Qantas corporate decision to feature Aboriginal artwork on selected jets in its fleet. The first was a Boeing 747 and this experiment proved so successful that a second jumbo was also painted in Aboriginal art.

The third jet was this 737, literally a flying piece of artwork called Yananyi Dreaming. It wasn't cordoned off at the show, so I was able to get some side-on shots as well as some from underneath the wings. This frame was just a one-off, taken as I walked past the nose of the aircraft.

To tell the truth, I didn't think much of the shot at the time. But I later realised that not many people get this upward-looking view straight up towards the cockpit from in front of the undercarriage - except pilots, airport staff, maintenance crews and baggage handlers.

And like they say, to fully appreciate any painting, you have to study it from every angle. That's exactly what I was doing.

(Extra, extra, read all about it: I've been interviewed here. Thank you to all those who followed this link, commented and voted.)

For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.

The Last Salute Of The Day’s Light

On Final Approach To Melbourne

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The inner child comes out every time we check in for a flight, whether it is a short domestic hop or a long international trip.

Do I want an aisle seat or a window seat?

Window, thank you very much. But now that I am a responsible father of three, I happily surrender the coveted seat to one of the Authorbloglets. No worries there.


Last week, when we were flying back across this huge country-continent from a family wedding in Perth, I kept peering past Mrs Authorblog to check the view outside the Qantas Boeing 767. The landscape changed in a range of amazing hues during the almost four-hour flight, and I knew we would be landing just minutes after inky darkness hit the sky like a squid’s secret weapon.

I had done the right thing and given Mrs Authorblog the window seat, but as I had my favourite 18-125mm lens on my camera, I knew that I’d still be able to compose a decent shot through the window if we were treated to a swift burst of striking colour.

Sure enough, just as the captain began to bank towards Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, I saw the last burst of vivid colour beginning to coat the sky. I quickly shot a series of about ten frames, happily contorting myself (not an easy task when you’re my height) in order to capture the stunning Australian dusk.


The jet banked hard, heeling over on the port wing (that’s left, to the landlubbers) as I was about to hit the trigger and I watched in dismay as the colours swam so high up my little window in row 51 that I simply could not capture them.

Being the resourceful fellow that I am, I realised that I had a few seconds – while the pilot completed the manoeuvre – to capture the hues reflected on the metal skin of the wing, even though there was nothing but complete darkness across the leading and trailing edges.

Sure enough, the captain straightened out in a few seconds and I was level with the horizon once more. This time the colours were even stronger and more pronounced, with the wing itself in darkness this time.

To think that none of this would have happened without the Wright Brothers.


For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

It Ain't Star Trek, But It Sure Is Private Enterprise

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Just before I stepped on a Qantas jet to Perth recently, for a family wedding, I received an interesting query from Baino. She wanted to know if I've ever been guilty of taking a lousy picture.

Yes, of course, Baino. There are some shots – not too many, thank goodness – where I think the result could have been a lot better.

But here’s the analytical reply to the question. I have never had second thoughts about composition, because I think that is instinctive. In other areas, yes, there are times when I definitely think I could have done better.

Occasionally I’ll look at a shot and think I could have produced a different result by trying a different shutter speed or selecting a different aperture.

For instance, I took this shot just before Christmas. I was in the city, in a hurry and the light was fading fast as it was close to nine o’clock at night. That’s when I spotted this bloke, looking like a cross between a Mercury astronaut and a Roswell alien. He was standing on an elevated platform, speaking through an amplified synthesiser and treating passers-by to some pretty interesting dance moves.

He was about fifty metres away from me, but since I was heading to the Bourke Street Mall, I crossed the street to get a bit closer. I fired off two quick shots without using my flash, but as you can see, I should have opted for a quicker shutter speed.

However, I never delete shots that are NQR (Not Quite Right). I leave them, like imperfect paintings, to remind myself that photography, like painting (one of my other major hobbies) is a constant learning curve.

You can always get better – and that is the bottom line for any form of creativity. In keeping with the theme of this bloke’s costume, never let improvement become an alien concept.

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

Hop To It

Mate, There's A Kangaroo On Ya Runway

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

As most of you would know, we've been away on the west coast for a family wedding - which is why I haven't been able to visit your blogs and collate the normal Post Of The Day nominations. But we're back home at Casa Authorblog now and life is (slowly) returning to normal.

This shot was taken as our flight was about to leave Perth airport. As usual I was craning my neck to look for interesting sights when I spotted this other Boeing 767 through a window. You can guess what happened next.

Yes, I had to jump up, get my camera out of the overhead locker and take this shot, specifically for Camera Critters. Mrs Authorblog, she just pretended she didn't know who I was.

The flying kangaroo, as the recognisable Qantas symbol is called, simply had to be photographed for this post. So there I was, in an aisle seat, twisting and contorting myself so that I could shoot this just to the side of Mrs Authorblog's stunningly beautiful profile as she sat in the window seat.

By the way, here is a trivia question for all of you. The term for a baby kangaroo is exactly the same as a character from Friends. Do you know what it is? If you don't, scroll to the very end of this post for the answer ....


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

ANSWER: A baby roo is called a joey. (Sorry, Ross and Chandler.)

Glass Vegas

That’s A Real Pint-Sized Subject

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

If you’re wondering why I haven’t been visiting and commenting on your blogs recently, there’s a simple reason. I haven’t been home. I’ve literally been on the other side of the country for a family wedding.

We boarded a Qantas Boeing 767 for the four-hour flight to sunny Perth, capital city of Western Australia. It’s not quite as far as the flight from Toronto to Vancouver, but I’ll just point out that Perth’s time zone is closer to Singapore than it is to my home city of Melbourne.

This shot was taken in Fremantle on the day of the wedding, literally between the ceremony and the reception. Family and friends alike decided to kill half an hour at a boutique brewery called Little Creatures. I was at the bar when a worker put a metal tray of glasses on the counter.

Immediately I put my drink down and picked up my camera instead. Sometimes the most ordinary sights can produce the most unusually rewarding images.

A couple of drinkers looked askance as I lined up this shot. I guess they just saw empty glasses. Instead, I saw swirls of light, gentle contours of silver-blue, soft colours and several tiny golden sparkles of reflected light.

It’s always a privilege for a non-legal member of the family to be called to the bar.

The Day That I Never Saw

Sunset Is Tuesday, But Sunrise Is Thursday

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Because there is a time difference of seventeen hours between Melbourne, where I live, and Canada's northern reaches, where I spent the last week at the invitation of Yukon Tourism, the subtlety of the International Date Line can play tricks with us.

So when I flew to Canada midway through last week, I watched dawn break aboard a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney. Then, about fifteen hours later, I watched dawn break on the same day, just before I landed in Vancouver.

But while we gain a day flying to Canada, we lose a whole day on the way back to Australia. Stay with me through this one and I'll explain how.

I photographed the sunset on Tuesday, 2nd September, halfway through my Air Canada Jazz flight AC 8448 from Whitehorse to Vancouver. Then I photographed the sun coming up the next morning, at cruising altitude aboard my Air Canada flight AC 033 from Vancouver to Sydney.


But the sunrise was the start of Thursday, 4 September. Yup, that's right. When you fly from Canada (or the US) to Australia, you lose an entire day. Gone. Disappeared. Never happened.

For the two sunset shots at the top of this post, I was actually sitting on the left of the aircraft, when I noticed the colours spreading across the sky to my right. Luckily there were a few spare seats aboard the flight, so I was able to get my camera and move to a window seat on the other side.

At around the same time, we hit a patch of turbulence and as I was trying to hold my camera steady, the "fasten seatbelt" sign came on, so my photo session came to an abrupt halt.


The next morning (above) I was sitting on the right of the Air Canada Boeing 777 non-stop from Vancouver to Sydney, so I was able to take as many shots as I wanted, as the sun rose above the Australian outback.

But I still can't account for that missing day between sunset and sunrise!


For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.