Gillard & Labor’s Leadership Crisis
Nikon D800
The much anticipated Nikon D800 was finally announced this week after probably the most bad luck ever inflicted on a new camera release.
First the Japanese tsunami affected the Nikon Sendai plant and once manufacturing transferred to the Thailand plant, the facility was under water for nearly three months! Sendai is now back in action after $100 million dollars in repairs and hopes to produce 30,000 D800′s a month according to this article. Still, the constant D800 speculation kept everyone excited until enough was enough and people stopped listening. Looking back at some of the “imminent release of the D800″ posts going back to 2010, the torture was unbearable! Natural disasters aside, I have been waiting over 18 months to get my hands on the D700 successor and we are nearly there. My only early reservation is the 36mp sensor. Will it have the same low light capabilities of the camera it replaces, the spectacular low light performer, the D700?
Will the current crop of lenses be up to the challenge of the 36mp sensor? Who knows, too early to tell but i certainly look forward to more reviews.
Now, what lenses do i put on it? To start with i need a wide angle for landscapes. Two Nikon options are the 16-35 F4 VR or the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. The only thing i don’t like about the 14-24 is it can’t have filters attached due to its bulbous glass.
I know my head is going to hurt over the next month going through the options while i wait for its release. Here are some links to reviews.
Japanese Amazon pricing for the D800
Tweet
Marco Simoncelli
I can’t believe just one week after watching Marco Simoncelli at Phillip Island, tonight
i watched with millions of others as he was taken during the Malaysian MotoGP. This
guy was in the same mould as Rossi and I was looking forward to him taking over the mantle
of the best rider in the world, passing the baton if you will, from one outrageous Italian
to another. Sadly that is not to be. 


Snippets Book
Just printed and available now. Bit pricey so basically this version for my benefit:) Cheap ipad version available late November. Snippets is a premium quality coffee table photographic book of some of my work.
40 pages long, it is a traditional large landscape format with minimal text to let the photographs shine, but with a series of spreads that include text, images and graphics to tell a particular story of that photograph. The images have been loosely sorted to compliment one another across a spread. The book concentrates on snippets of colour, design and form in situations that would otherwise be lost in time, but for a quick moment, caught my eye.
TweetCongratulations Casey Stoner
Always good to see another Aussie World Champ. Congratulations Casey Stoner on your 2011 Win.
Image taken at top of Lukey Heights, 2011 Phillip Island MotoGP. Great weekend.

MotoGP
Friday at the MotoGP. Always a great atmosphere and amazingly for the island, the weather was absolutely fantastic. No wind – which is very rare – so with the sun shining and about 25 degrees it was perfect. This of course makes for very contrasty conditions, but i managed to get a lot of shots of Rossi and a few of Stoner from various parts of the track. Here are a few quick shots of the day and will post some of the better ones in my Movin and Groovin file once i get a chance to sort them. It looks like race day is going to be windy with a chance or rain, while Stoner looks like he has it won already.
Old Rossi Yamaha Phillip Island TShirts available here














Old Rossi Yamaha Phillip Island TShirts available here
TweetPolaroid
The Impossible Project has given thousands of Polaroid owners a reprieve from rendering their cameras useless.
A group of former employees have started the project to save this pre-digital instant imaging company from the scrap heap. While the film is still horrendously expensive (8 images a pack for $28), for certain projects or for those with an interest in pre-digital photographic technology, this reprieve has allowed people to continue to use their cameras. I recently bought a low end polaroid 636 close-up and three packs of film to experiment with. I am currently evaluating projects worthy of my 24 initial shots! Polaroid cameras can still be found very cheaply on ebay, starting at around $20, but with the more sought after SX70′s going for closer to $100.
I will post some shots here once i have found my project idea.
Docklands Rising
Vertical seems to be the way to go at Docklands. I love all the elements that are coming together in the area.
Cranes, light poles, buildings and the ever present columns of the Bolte bridge as a backdrop.
My Updated Website
My new website is being updated and should be finished by the end of June 2011. Featuring a shopping cart and paypal functionality, all images will be able to be bought online in sizes ranging from A4 up to A2, including signed limited editions handmade by the artist. Printed on Canson Museo paper, one of the finest photographic papers on the market today, the quality of the images is first rate. Remember to bookmark this site and visit regularly, as updates and new images will be available regularly.
Mark Higgins, Melbourne Australia.


