When you wish upon a star

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 142-8714

It’s really fitting that the base of this Kylie Minogue statue is a star, because the ex-“Neighbours” actress has been one of this country’s biggest stars since the Eighties.

Notice something strange? If you look really carefully at this image, you’ll see that the singer’s right foot is on the left and her left foot is on the right. But that’s because her legs are crossed in this famous pose, as her arms are raised heavenwards in triumph.

Interestingly enough, the model for the Docklands statue, unveiled in 2007, was not Kylie herself but a body double, Sophia James.

If you take a look at the image below, you'll realise why the feet are so unusually positioned. And as you can see, I wasn't the only person shooting the statue at the time!

 Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 142-8700

Here's A Visual Mystery For You!

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 124-5919

Time to put your thinking caps on. Can you work out what on earth I've shot here? Are they Lego-like building blocks? Are they extras on the set of a Toy Story film? Are they colourful cogs in some futuristic mechanism?

No, they're actually a row of little "floral people". Each of them is about a metre high. Each was a different shape and painted in a different colour. They were simply meant for toddlers to put their head and shoulders through, and were in display at the Moomba fairground here in Melbourne.

I shot this in March 2010. Because I had my long lens on, I was able to find an angle lining up each object and shooting them in a tight frame creating a visual puzzle. It's all about angles of perception, really ...

But this is what the brightly painted figures looked like when viewed normally!

 Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 124-5916

Wedding Presence

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID:135-2148

My new wedding photography site has been launched. It is here and if you have the time, I'd like to know what you think of it. Feel free to critique the design, the content and the display.

Cue the theme music from Jaws

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: CanberraJuly2011-7997

It might look like a fearsome carnivore, but it’s completely harmless – and it’s inanimate as well!

It’s simply a potted indoor plant outside the restaurant at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. The shape of the leaves caught my eye and when I found the correct angle, enabling me to shoot it in silhouette against one of many lamps, I knew I had an unusual result!

Let There Be Light

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 139-7018

These stage lights had me mesmerised at a recent function. They went through various colour sequences, with several swift permutations and combinations that utilised every colour of the rainbow - and then some!

There was swirling fog all across the stage, being blown by fans in every direction. I studied the lights. Then I studied the fog. Then I studied the lights again. Then I studied the fog again. Of all the light sequences and colour combinations that continued to flash, I knew which one would look the most striking.

But the real challenge was not just to wait several minutes until I had the red main light and the three blue lights. The real challenge was to wait until that particular combination of lights appeared when the fog had just the right density.

(Bear in mind this is just a low-resolution image. If you want to see it full size, you can view it here on my Red Bubble site.)

I needed just enough fog across the stage to give me the density that would work best with the blue and right lights. Too much fog and the lights would have been blurred. Too little fog and the lights would not have had the right effect.

I'll leave it to you to judge ...

The King And I

 Image copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 139-6914

One day Elvis was in the shop window - then he was gone. There's this beautiful white building in South Melbourne that is more than a century old. It has huge old-fashioned windows, a door that opens on the street corner, and a high turret at the apex of the V-shaped building.

It always catches my attention when I drive past this area, because it harks back to a different era and also because it is such a contrast to the other, more modern architecture that has sprung up around it. The building is now home to a place called The Costume Shop and about a week ago I noticed that one of the mannequins in the window was dressed like Elvis Presley.

I was determined to return to the area and take some shots of the figure. A couple of days later I made sure I had a few minutes up my sleeve. I parked down a side street, and walked over to the shop. To my disappointment, it hadn't opened for the day, but I decided to shoot some images from outside. Interestingly, this was not as easy as it might sound, because of the reflections in the window.

Eventually I managed to find an angle where I wasn't getting too many reflections- and trudged slowly back to my car, disappointed that I hadn't been able to get into the shop. But the next time I was in the area, a day or two later, Elvis was gone.

As a good friend of mine quipped, Elvis had well and truly left the building.

There were no clues as to his whereabouts. Not even a pair of scuffed blue suede shoes.

Pail imitation of his former self

Photo copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 137-5090

A couple of months ago, the Authorbloglets and I were in the bayside suburb of St Kilda and I was ambling along the Esplanade (the "Espy" to the locals) when I spotted this sight at the Sunday market. Naturally, I had my camera with me, so I was able to take the shot of this mannequin with the unusual headgear.

When I got back home, I posted the image on my Red Bubble site, which is home to more than 1000 of my images from around the world. I threw open the image in a worldwide title-writing contest and I received so many great entries that the result was a three-way tie! You can view the high-resolution version of this image, along with all the winning entries here.

And yes, one of the joint winners was Leslie, the popular Vancouver-based blogger who took the trouble to come all the way to Vancouver International Airport to have breakfast with me in August 2008.

The bride wore orange

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON. Image ID: 139-6680

 

She was only three when the Steve Martin version of the film 'Father of the Bride' was released. But after the movie was over, she asked her father if he - like the Steve Martin character in the script - would play basketball with her the night before he walked her down the aisle.

Instantly, the father said yes. He never forgot his promise.

A few months later, the little girl - four years old by this time - refused to let her father throw out a pair of her orange socks. They were her all-time favourite socks, she declared. The father pointed to the fact that the socks had a couple of holes in them. "That doesn't matter," said the little girl, "they're so comfortable."

Several times, the father threatened to throw out those orange socks. They sprouted (as socks do, especially favourite socks) more holes, to the point where the father, mathematical by nature, actually pointed out to the little girl that there was a greater percentage of holes than there was orange fabric. But his daughter would not let him throw out the socks.

They were her "all-time favourite" socks, remember?

Before they knew it, the little girl was 22 years old. She was about to be married. Relatives and friends flew in from far and wide. The house was even more full of laughter and joy than it was normally, because so many loved ones had travelled nigh-biblical distances to be present at her wedding.

The evening before the wedding, they didn't have the time to play basketball. They had to be at the beautiful Gothic church with the sweeping bluestone steeple for the rehearsal. Afterwards, when evening had given way to a humid night, torrential rain lashed the city. It meant they were unable to play the game of basketball they had promised each other, just a few short years earlier.

The next day, the bride's makeup was complete. The hairdresser had finished. The flower girls were ready. The bridesmaids, her closest friends in the world, were waiting for the official photographer. The house radiated happiness.

The bride was about to step into her jewellery and her wedding dress.

The proud father, his heart bursting with joy and pride and oh so much love, put something into his beloved daughter's hands. It was a brand-new pair of orange socks. "Just perfect for a basketball game," he suggested with a big grin on his face.

The bride paused. She donned her Adidas shoes. And they played the game of basketball each had promised the other.

And the bride's mother? She dropped everything to videotape the special moment on the little girl's most special day.

Try picking my most popular shot

Close-up of a building facade, Whitehorse, Yukon. IMAGE COPYRIGHT: DAVID McMAHON

Some of my blog friends would remember this unusual image, shot while I stood mid-stride (yep - the things we do for art!) across a pedestrian crossing on a September afternoon in 2008 in Whitehorse, capital of Canada's gold rush Yukon region.

So I guess it would come as no surprise that this is among my most popular images. But if you wanted to skim quickly over my top dozen and a half photographs, all you have to do is click this link on my Red Bubble site. You'll see square thumbnails of my most-visited images, all on a single screen.

I'd be delighted if you could leave a comment on this blog post, saying which ones you think have attracted the most views on Red Bubble - which is an online art and photography gallery that is free to join.

When you've had a look, let me know what you think. But if you're wondering about the answer, this image has attracted by far the most views, with this image about 700 views behind, and this one a couple of hundred clicks behind in third place.

PS: Yes, I've been away a long time. But it's always great to push the door open and see who's here!

Off to the Michael B(a)uble concert

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 120-1234)

No, I wasn't using a fisheye lens - but by concentrating on this bauble, high up on a five-metre Christmas tree, I have managed to acquire a fisheye effect of everything above and behind me. What you see here is a very low-res image, so if you want to see the original full-size file, just click here to view it on my Red Bubble site.

This unusual Yuletide image was shot in Melbourne last November. These giant Christmas trees are on display in a public area and in order to shoot this bauble placed so high on the tree, I had to use my 300mm lens at full stretch!

Verse and worse

Mrs McClusky had a pet husky

That could play the piano while using a bus key

But as we discovered, on grand concert night

Its Bach was definitely worse than its bite

You can't drive THIS Chrysler

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-30June-9305)

As most of you would know, my continual quest is to find fresh, unusual angles of familiar landmarks. Along with Mrs Authorblog and the Authorbloglets, we were walking towards Grand Central Station in New York City in June this year - and of course, I was lagging because I was taking quick shots of the skyline while we walked.

Then we stopped for the lights at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street and, as I always do, I did a quick scan on all four points of the compass, then I looked directly up. There, above me, was the shot I wanted. I shot the Chrysler Building's distinctive Art Deco shape through the street lights above me.

This is simply a low-resolution image, but if you want to see the original in full resolution on my Red Bubble site, just click here and I hope you enjoy what you see.

Verse and worse

I have this friend called Malcolm

Who has blind faith in talcum

Instead of tucking in to chowder

He's out buyin' stocks in powder

How does your garden grow?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 131-6568)

Judging by the state of these window boxes in the bright sunlight, the first-floor garden is thriving, thanks very much. This was shot on Lygon Street, the place that is home to Melbourne's unique cafe culture. It doesn't matter what sort of cuisine you're looking for, this is where you'll find it, day or night.

It was a warm afternoon, and the summery colours of this restaurant's facade really dictated that I had to stop to take a shot or two. The orange trellis work was central to what I wanted to depict, and if you look carefully, you'll see that the angle I chose actually meant I had to include the awning in the frame - but that I had to ensure it did not dominate any aspect of the shot!

Verse and worse

If all your cables

Have "Top Secret" labels

Just wait for the geeks

To read WikiLeaks

Welcome to the new millennium

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: Malaysia2010-4249)

Sometimes the most minor factors can lead you to an unusual composition. In Kuala Lumpur in January this year, we had walked past the Grand Millennium Hotel three or four times, but suddenly the hotel facade took on a whole new look late one afternoon.

The reflection on the glass exterior took on a golden hue in some parts, but the presence of a small cloud directly above the hotel drew me to shoot a tight frame, emphasising the triangle created by the blue sky above the hotel. I guess it all depends on what you "see" ...

Verse and worse

So complex was the nature of the ecclesiastical riddle

That it completely flummoxed old Archbishop Siddle

He consulted the scripts and staked out the priory

His mood was somber but his language quite fiery

Farewell to November's last light

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 132-8790)

It was the last day of spring, and the post-sunset sky show was brief but memorable. A range of colours rolled across the landscape as the last light of November began to fade away in spectacular fashion.

It's been a wet spring and we're being told the showers will continue pretty much through December. But for a country that's been in drought for eight years, that is the best news ever. Bring on those showers!

Verse and worse

A would-be accountant named Jonathan Ryan

Failed every exam (but he had fun tryin’)

He told us all he was useless at addition

But next thing we knew, he’d been charged with sedition

We're so glassy-eyed this morning

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: Malaysia2010-3527)

This was a tough shot to take, despite the fact that it looks easy when presented this way. It was taken indoors in a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall in January this year. I spotted these unusual mannequins and while the lighting wasn't great, I wondered if it would be sufficient to present all four mannequins in a row.

You have to remember, too, that I never use a tripod! With people streaming past constantly in both directions, I had to consider my options before deciding how best to use the unique "heads". I also figured that the dark dresses and the black-themed interior of the shop would be the best contrast for the glassy droids.

Verse and worse

Jack fell down and broke his crown

And Jill came tumbling after

The lawyer’s face revealed a frown

As he sued for a broken rafter

So they roped you in as well?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: Sydney2010-7235)

It's not your normal view of a retired naval cruiser, but who wants a normal view for any photographic image? I stopped to admire the symmetry of the vessel's graceful bow, accentuated by the curvature of the number 11 on either side.

Really the only thing that was not symmetrical was the jetty rope - but that didn't worry me. This was shot at the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney.

Verse and worse

The master builder taught his daughter

How to lay bricks and prepare the mortar

Her skills and talents could not be finer

Now she's cloning the Great Wall of China

Identify this mystery object

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 7323)

OK, so it's not the most common viewpoint. That's because I stood with my back to the object, bent over as far as I could, and shot it upwards to get the most unconventional angle. Yes, I must have looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame in reverse!

But can you guess what I've shot? Feel free to post your guesses as comments - and yes, you can guess as many times as you want. I'll reveal the answer in 24 hours, but if you just cannot wait that long, you can check the high-resolution image here on my Red Bubble site to see what the answer is.

Verse and worse

The new lighthouse keeper

Is such a heavy sleeper

That he sets eight alarms to rise every morning

And take on his duties even while he's still yawning

Dune not disturb

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 122-3368)

I love a decent abstract as much as the next photographer, so I found this simple sight really arresting. Why? Simply because of the strong shapes and the bold colours - and I guess the unusual view as well.

This was a temporary outdoor stall at Melbourne's Docklands precinct, shot on a very warm summer's day on 10 January this year. The central pole swept the canvas upwards sharply, which was perfect for the way I "saw" the image, contrasting that bright yellow against the strong shadow and the flawless blue Australian sky.

Verse and worse

William Spode bought "Abbey Road"

But his credit card began to implode

Downloading the Beatles brought him so much delight

That he logged into iTunes right through the night

Never yawn, from dusk to morn

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-8530)

It's not often you get to photograph dusk over your own country and then, scant hours later, dawn over the Pacific. But here's the tricky bit, right? The first image shows dusk on 23rd June 2010 and the next one shows dawn on - that's right, the same day!

The shot above was taken a couple of hours into the long haul from Sydney to San Francisco aboard a United Boeing 747. Then some hours later, I gazed through my window as I tried to sleep - and sat there transfixed by the colours that began to develop on the horizon, from my vantage point more than 30,000 feet up.

I was really tired, but I got to my feet, walked back a couple of rows, took my camera from the overhead locker - and then made my way to the rear of the plane, to shoot some frames through the tiny observation porthole in the last emergency door.

It was well worth the effort. I can now claim to have photographed dawn AFTER shooting dusk on the same day.

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-8533)

Verse and worse

It was terribly sad to see Angus McCracken

Get his new grey trousers ripped by the bracken

So he patched the holes and sold them for a shilling

To Raggedy Fred, who was ever so willing

Some drivers are so ... pig-headed

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID:USA2010-Long Island-8645)

We were in a hurry, catching up with close friends for dinner in Long Island. It was late evening and the light was fading quickly. But after we'd parked and were on our way to the restaurant (Smokin Al's, a rib joint) I noticed this mural on a wall.

I didn't even need to tell Mrs Authorblog and the Authorbloglets that I was stopping to take the photo. They had seen the mural too - and turned around because they kinda KNEW what I was going to do next.

By the way, during the meal, one of our friends, whom we've known for many years, told me that she used to read my blog regularly and asked why I had suddenly shut it down. Now that I've resumed the blog, I'd better get in touch with her so that she resumes her reading habit ....

Verse and worse

Great-uncle Bryce was addicted to dice

He'd gamble his wages without thinking twice

He'd look for a contest when he went for his stroll

But he won lots of gold - he was always on a roll

Wiggypedia gets a facelift

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 124-6129)

This might look like a page out of the French Revolution or from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but it was nothing as dramatic as either of those options. It was simply a performer at the Moomba street parade, shot in March this year.

I used a 70-300mm lens for the duration of the parade, because the focal range gave me a variety of options. From memory, this was shot at 300mm. The performers were twirling and moving constantly - but this great costume really caught my eye.

From memory, I shot about three or four frames very quickly, but this one is the best in terms of clarity. No, there was no one doing red carpet interviews! Or even green carpet interviews ....

Verse and worse

Henry Moloney was ever so bony

So he ate fried mushrooms laced with baloney

He began to work out, now he's sinew and muscles

And the women all love him in faraway Brussels

Yup, the pizza dough was ... light

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-LongIsland-8590)

So there we were, the entire Authorblog clan, dining out with close friends at Bertucci's in Long Island. It was late in the evening, we'd all had a long day, but we reckoned we could all fit in some pizza (most of us) or pasta (some of us).

As always, I had my trusty camera beside me. (Yes, like Mary's little lamb in the nursery rhyme, it went everywhere with me in NYC, as it always does.) And when I noticed the reflections in the interior of this lamp above our table, I had to ask permission to use my camera. Just as you would have, too.

And the pizza? A big thumbs up. Yes, I'd go back.

Verse and worse

Alas, the frustrations of Scientist Jones

His experiments failed to produce any clones

But all he could say was "By gosh and by golly"

When he saw reports of a sheep called Dolly

Mall things bright and beautiful

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-Long Island-8626)

This was shot at a large shopping mall in Long Island in June this year. The geometrical precision of the huge cupola above our heads had me standing there, looking upwards as though I were taking in some metallic equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. Oh well, you get my drift, right?

But I didn't just want a shot of the dome. So I found an angle from which I could include a tall indoor tree just to introduce an extra point of interest. Not an easy angle to shoot, but quite a rewarding one to look back on.

Verse and worse

Miss Harlequin Bunning

Looked ever so stunning

In a gown of laced pearls

Before emp'rors and earls

Bold as brass

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 124-6111)

Shooting images during street parades can be really difficult. On the plus side, you are outdoors, so you have good light, and bright colours to work with. But people are constantly moving in front of you (even if you are over six foot tall and standing on tiptoe) and those who are part of the parade are constantly in motion.

But I shot this during the Moomba parade here in Melbourne in March. Beautiful day. Plenty of sunshine. And I decided to use the longer of my two lenses, replacing my 18-125mm lens with a 70-300mm lens. This gave me great depth of field as I zoomed in on this tuba player.

Did you notice the reflection on his brass instrument, showing the city skyline behind him - and the crowds lining St Kilda Road in front of him? If you want to see the original high-res version of this shot on my Red Bubble site, just click here.

Verse and worse

``Whatever,'' mused the oracle, ``would rhyme with `tumbler'?''

``I know,'' said his pupil, ``why don't you try `bumbler'?''

And so on they did joust, with such mental alacrity

That they tied in a contest, for Rhyme King Of The Ditty

Wonder why he looks so familiar

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID:122-4401)

With these strong colours, you might think this was shot on Caribbean soil, but it wasn't. I was striding down Flinders Street in central Melbourne on a Friday afternoon in January this year when I noticed this vivid evocation of Steve Wonder.

It wasn't the only one on the wall of a store that opened up onto the busy street. There were many famous musicians depicted in an amazing mural. I was in a hurry that afternoon, so I only shot two or three frames, but I reckon it's high time I went back there to find out who painted these great images.

Verse and worse

If you love to pose

With a freshly cut rose

Then nuthin' will thrill yer

Like a purple grevillea

Just gimme a ball park figure

Photograph copyright: DAVID MCMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-NYC02July-1050)

There aren't many shots I take with a focal length of only 18mm, but this is one of them. It was shot late on a perfect evening in early July in New York's Central Park, as a single batter limbered up, with long shadows showing how late in the day it was when I took the photograph..

The range of colours, as well as the strong horizontal patterns, had to be captured against that beautiful sky. For us, it was strange to be walking through Central Park in shorts and T-shirts, because frosty Melbourne was in the grip of winter when we flew out.

Verse and worse

There once was a bloke called Wilberforce Schneider

Who slid down ALL banisters (and was nicknamed The Slider)

He did blackflips and star jumps and 360-spanglers

But his mother complained that he ruined his Wranglers

This seat fits like a ... glove

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: USA2010-Long Island-8563)

I'd never seen anything so unique - or colourful. On our first day in Long Island, we drove past an ice cream parlour that had these outdoor chairs in the late-June sunshine, so of course I had to stop to take a shot.

About a week later, we went back there, on a dual mission. Not only did I have to find out if the "chairs" were locally made, I also had to sample the ice cream as well. Turns out the chairs were ordered specially from a non-NYC manufacturer and shipped in.

And the ice cream? The Authorbloglets and I gave it a thumbs up!

Verse and worse

Lord Balfour was ill (so terribly stricken)

When he ate his enemy's poisoned chicken

His lips turned blue, his hips wouldn't move

But a drink of fine port gave him back his groove

What kind of honeycomb is that?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 131-6646)

It's not a honeycomb. It's not an advertising hoarding. It's not a computer game. It's not some hi-tech set for a television game show, either.

I shot this in an amusement parlour a few weeks ago, with the permission of the staff. As soon as I saw the changing colours on these segmented platforms, each for a single player, I knew I had to take a shot. I chose my angle carefully, to include the silhouette on the right and the metal stool on the left.

By shooting it from side-on, I figured it would create a more interesting (even perhaps intriguing) sight than shooting it from front-on. This angle also gave me the added attraction of the reflections on both sides of the metal.

Verse and worse

Because her brain was affected (by weevil)

Lady Macbeth never thought she was evil

She thought it her duty, as a nobleman's wife

To know how to use a sharp stabbing knife

Cutting remark

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: 132-8552)

Let me start by saying the cutting remark was not made by me. It was made by one of our neighbours, when we happened to meet at a recent wedding. And no, the cutting remark was not made in a mean-spirited way. All she wanted was a rose (you guessed it) cutting.

She explained that she drives past Casa Authorblog every morning and throughout spring and summer she really enjoys the sight of the sea of roses that adorn the western perimeter of our property. They are a variety of colours, with traditional bushes mixed with climbing roses - and our neighbour says they bring her joy every morning as she goes to work.

And then she made me promise that the next time I prune the roses, I will give her a selection of cuttings for her own garden. Gotta love those "cutting" remarks, right?

Verse and worse

Nuthin's colder or windier

Than the far north of India

Where my first cousin Betty

Rode to school on a yeti

A real display of inviting colours

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON (Image ID: Malaysia2010-3816)

Perhaps this was once the main entrance to a pagoda. There was no one around to tell me if this was a real pagoda or not, or whether it used to be one many years ago. This was adjacent to the entrance of a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur - and really whetted my curiosity.

I was drawn to the shapes and the bright colours - but I also wondered about the unpainted wooden square on the right. Perhaps it once held flowers or incense. It just doesn't seem to be part of the original structure. If you have any theories, do let me know.