X Is For X-Factor

It's So Easy To Describe, But So Difficult To Attain

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

As a photographer and a writer, it's not every day of your life that you come across an image that produces a "look at me now" photograph, just as writing a memorable blog post or newspaper article can be highly elusive.

But therein lies the joy. Were they easy, then they would be far too commonplace. And that is precisely why a great photograph or a great piece of writing is one that you tend to remember, or that you keep in a special place, to bring out and share with people who matter.

All it takes is the ability to look at something differently, or the ability to present it differently. That is where The Big Difference lies.


I work on the most simple ground rule of all. If something catches my attention, I photograph it. Very often, someone will ask me why on earth I'm photographing something - but when I show them the image on the LCD screen of my camera, they "see" the beauty through my eyes.

And, my friends, therein lies the reward. Every time I take a photograph, I am inviting you into my own personal world, to share my viewpoint and to look directly at the sight I've captured, from the exact angle I've captured it. You see, in the image, precisely what I see through the viewfinder of my camera.

A few days ago, we were in the Bourke Street Mall here in Melbourne to check out the Myer Christmas windows. Above us, the entire street was covered by alternating cables of miniature lights and silver stars. As you can see by the shot below, it was a striking sight against the azure-blue of the darkening sky.


But the first two shots on this post were taken from a slightly different vantage point, with the focus deliberately blurred. In the first of the four shots, the vertical frame shows three street lights in the guise of golden globules. In the second of the four shots, the horizontal frame shows the same intriguing shimmer, with only a solitary street lamp looking like a mysterious golden pearl.


This final shot (above) was taken as we were leaving. In order to give you an idea of just how far the lights stretched down the street, I actually stood in the middle of Bourke Street, astride the tram tracks to hit the trigger very quickly before moving to safer ground.

And now, my final question for all of you - please let me know which of the four shots gets your vote.

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

Bridge The Gap

X Is For X-Factor

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

What I really like about the expression ``the X-Factor’’ is that it is completely undefinable. It is something that defies our attempts to categorise everything around us. Yet it is something we clarify as being the difference between something pedestrian and something memorable.

I’ve tried to devote this week’s theme to explaining this ephemeral concept. Last week, I was walking across the Sandridge Rail Bridge here in Melbourne, which dates back to the late 1800s. I was just standing there and running my hand across the rivets and wondering about the men who painstakingly put them in place while the bridge was being built.

I shot the first image to try and capture the fact that these rivets were put in place by hand, not by robots but by flesh-and-blood builders who laboured under Melbourne’s fickle weather.

I could see that while most of the rivets were in a precise military-like pattern, an occasional one was slightly out of alignment, as you'll see in the second shot (above).

I also liked the fact that the weak sunlight in this frame gave me a definable shadow - hey, when was the last time you got an artistic kick out of photographing rivets and their shadows?

I was also intrigued by the early-afternoon light patterns on the painted metal. Then I continued walking along the bridge and the light changed dramatically, with the sun coming out from behind cloud cover.

Immediately, the metal took on a new sheen, like polished chrome.

Just before I hit the shutter, a tourist with a camera walked into my line of vision. Instead of swinging my camera away from him, I moved it fractionally towards him, to include him in the frame. His appearance gives the shot a new perspective and his yellow jumper puts a splash of colour into my frame.

Along with the darker daubs of colour on the top right-hand corner, I also liked the fact that the rivets disappeared into the distance like an array of shimmering silver globules.

I guess each angle tells a different story, but I hope you were riveted. I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me which of the three shots, in your opinion, has the X-Factor.

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