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Miss ‘Cars for Kids’ PinUp Pageant 2016

Miss 'Cars for Kids' PinUp Pageant 2016

This Good Friday in 2016, The Old Keilor Hotel hosted the Guzzlers Rod & Kustom ‘Cars For Kids’ event. There was live music, hot rods, and of course, a PinUp Pagaent. Heading along with ‘Scarlet Soda‘, I managed to get a few clicks of the girls. Super effort from the PinUps, raising over $5,000 for the Royal Children’s Good Friday Appeal, and lots of fun overall. Continue Reading..

Benalla Wall to Wall Festival 2016 | Photos

Benalla Wall to Wall Festival 2016 | Photos

The Benalla Wall to Wall Festival has run this weekend and I’ve headed north for a 24 hour snapshot of the event. I’m really happy I made the trip and I got to see some amazing work in progress from seriously inspirational artists. Scroll below for a series of photos from 2pm Saturday to 2pm Sunday. Not a complete picture of the weekend, as it started Friday night, wrapping up Sunday night, but I hope it shows the progress of some of the pieces. Continue Reading..

Melbourne in 150 Megapixels

Melbourne in 150 Megapixels

Free Melbourne photo download and a thought about the future

Panoramic Yarra Views
Panoramic Yarra Views

If you’d like the full 150 megapixel resolution image, for non commercial use, download Melbourne in High Resolution right now. If you use it, please let me know. Either on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or link to this regularsteven.com. It’s 33 megabyte file, so best not do this on your mobile. You can print this as big as you like if you like. Please, just don’t sell it or use it for commercial purposes.

As for the quality, here’s the picture at 100%. You can crop in almost anywhere and figure out how to frame a shot. Over and over, a new picture can be found – the quality is crazy!

Panoramic Yarra Views
Panoramic Yarra Views

And, not only, but this picture is cropped down from 330 megapixels. Check out the full view of what I captured while standing in the rain.

Panoramic Yarra Views
Panoramic Yarra Views

The potential detail you can get with consumer cameras is remarkable. This is a photo that has been generated from 50 individual shots, each taken at the same settings, each shot with some overlap from the previous photo, and then stitched up using Adobe Lightroom (actually very easy – select the shots, press Control+M, and it’s almost done). Each shot was captured at 70mm, which is rather tight, but I did that to try preserve straight lines while allowing for a ultra sized end picture result.

You could say this process is a hack. Sometimes, hacks lead to the future.

It’s me using tools to make for shortcomings in technology, but over time, this will change. I’m an early adopter with photography, but these kind of hacks and results are often what drive future technology.

In the future, there’s going to be all sorts of advancements in photography to the point that photography, as an art that it is today, will die. Or perhaps evolve…

There will always be those with an eye for a shot and an ability to compose on the fly to the point it’s second nature. But as technology advances, the need for those skills while on shoot are going to become less relevant with the progressing technology in post production.

Say you’ve got a camera that captures the following at:

  • More resolution than you need
    • This would give the ability to crop the shot you’d like in post, if you shoot wide enough
  • More focal points & depths of focus points than you need (i.e. multi
    • This would give you the ability to select which are you would like to focus on in post. Look at what Lytro are doing (at least trying).
  • A 360 degree field of view
    • This would allow you to crop in the section you like.
  • Multiple exposures all captured automatically
    • This would allow for shade and highlights to be manipulated easily – no issue of over or under exposed shots.

Now, my little future thought has issues. For example, portability with regards to optical quality. There are some rules of physics (with regards to light & capturing it) that will be very challenging. Equally, things such as barrel distortion make for surreal looking pictures (think of fish-eye), but again, this will increasingly be less of an issue; barrel distortion is getting better in consumer post production tools, and it’s only a matter of time.

What do you think? Will photography, as it is today, die?

Melbourne White Night 2016 – Time-lapse and Photos

Melbourne White Night 2016 - Time-lapse and Photos

White Night 2016

White Night 2016 has happened and it’s been huge. I’ve been to a number of them, but this was the second time that I headed along with the sole goal of documenting it via time-lapse. The only downside to all this is there are some parts that I just can’t get access to. Looking online, there’s some great shots of the Melbourne Baths and the La Trobe Reading Room at the State Library, but for what this is worth, I hope it gives some idea. So here we go, Melbourne on February 20, 2016, like you rarely see it.

Watch the Night in 2 minutes

I’m up on Facebook, too…

I’ve also got a video up on Facebook – check out the direct link to watch it on Facebook.

White Night 2015 – How do they compare

To see for yourself, check out Melbourne White Night 2015 time-lapse and photos. See if you can tell which one I preferred…

Ballarat Beat 2015

Ballarat Beat 2015

Ballarat Beat 2016 is just around the corner, so why not re-live the 2015 event? I snapped a bunch of shots and thought I might as well get them up on my blog. Hope they give a little taste of what’s to come, from hot rods, pinups, rockabilly, beer and rum! I’ll be sharing a few this weekend on my @regularsteven Instagram account, if you’d like to follow along.

I’ll be heading along, camera in hand, so if you see me, I’m more than happy to take a photo. But much more exciting, my beautiful girlfriend Amy is entering the The Ballarat Beat Pinup Competition as Scarlet Soda – be sure to follow @ScarletSoda on Instagram. And wish her luck!

Kicking of my Daily Picture Project 2016 – Week 1

Kicking of my Daily Picture Project 2016 - Week 1

I’ve decided to ramp up my photography in 2016, so I’ve kicked off with a bold plan. I want to take a photo a day and share it that same day on facebook.com/regularsteven. Sounds pretty simple, if quality isn’t a goal, but I’m really hoping that I can snap and share something that I’m actually happy with. I’m a bit fussy with my shots; In the past you might see a picture that is cherry picked from 50 (sometimes more, sometimes less). So this project is hopefully going to push me to sharpen up what I shoot and put me under pressure to show what works, and perhaps what doesn’t.

This week has kicked off and I’ve hit every day with something I’m happy with. Some of the days I’ve captured a few shot that I’m pretty chuffed with, and one day (Jan 6 ) where I needed to give it a second crack.

I’m also hoping to get it up on Facebook pretty quickly. So while I might snap something in the morning, I’ll hopefully get it live that morning. Wont always be possible, but that’s the goal.

I hope you enjoy the effort that I’m putting in. It’s gonna have some misses – I know that. But fingers crossed it lets me find another gear and allows me to get some diversity in to my work.

So here we are; Week 1. Some of these were selected for my Facebook page, some have yet to be seen. Feel free to use for your own personal use in a digital sense, such as a wallpaper / screensaver. If you’d like to obtain higher resolution, please hit me up via facebook.com/regularsteven.

Big League at the Catfish

Big League at the Catfish

You know when you see friends on stage, and you’re just so happy for them? I’m not trying to be sucky or anything like that, but it’s always great to see people you love just doing what they love, while entertaining a bunch of friends and strangers alike. When I turned up, I knew I was a little late, but I didn’t know if Big Leage had started yet. I was queuing up, I heard music, but I thought “all good, that’s just the CD…” but it was Big League. They were great.

Check em out on Facebook or Soundcloud

Sunrise at Jells Park

Sunrise at Jells Park

I’ve never been to Jells Lake at sunrise, let alone Jells Park at first light. I’ve had no real need, and to be honest, I didn’t really know much about it at all. But a local amateur photography competition(#SnapMonash) recently caught my interest, and the requirements are to capture a photograph in the City of Monash. So that led me to having a little explore. On to Google Maps I went, had a look in the region, and I thought ‘that might be nice’.

I used to live just around the corner, but I wasn’t really in to photography back then. And having never been, I had no idea what I’d find, but I’m really happy I got up at 5am on Wednesday morning to check it out . The fog on the water, all the wild life, beautiful colour in the sky – the morning was really rad.

As for the competition, it’s being run from the Monash Gallery of Art and The Glen Shopping Centre. There aren’t too many entries yet on Instagram (check out the #snapmonash hashtag), but this kind of stuff really needs grass-roots support. I’m not a professional photographer, but it really is a massive passion of mine. And the only way these competitions run and encourage people with their passions, is if they get the entries. For all the details, check out the #SnapMonash Competition page

Anyways, here are my photos – I hope you like what I’ve found, and equally, get down there yourself. I just hope I submitted the right one. They say you can enter multiple times, but I don’t wanna be ‘that guy’…

Do Channel 7 care about copyright?

Do Channel 7 care about copyright?

Friday week ago – 16th October – I got surprise. I was tagged in a Facebook post with a quick snap of my photo on the Channel 7 Melbourne News broadcast.


Edit – 2pm on 29th October

I received a phone call today, 6 hours after sharing this story via social media. Simon, from Channel 7 Melbourne, apologised for this mistake and advised me this photo was submitted by someone else. When I pressed for who, Simon didn’t know as there was too much data to sort through. Simon indicated that they would continue to look through the data, and I’m now waiting to find out who submitted this photo. After asking for an ETA, Simon advised me he’d ‘try call tomorrow’ (Friday).

To be honest, we’re talking about 8 nights of photos to go back. This would have been 1 night back had they responded to my initial request, but now it’s 8. The fact they have too much data to go through feels unusual, so I am eagerly waiting Simon’s response.


I had no idea they were using it; they never asked, and they didn’t even let me know. The only reason I knew was because a friend of mine happened to catch it and let me know.

When it comes to my photos, they sometimes ‘do the rounds’ and get picked up, both with and without consent. I advised Channel 7 the Monday after the broadcast. They emailed me that Friday with a “we’ll be in touch”. 10 days after letting them know, I’ve had enough of trying to do this quietly.

So what happened?

On Friday morning, October 16, I had an early start to the day. I was meeting up with some Instagram buddies to head out for a sunrise shoot and meet face-to-face. That morning, I put it up on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook. Here’s the tweet, with a notable favourite…

Screenshot from Twitter
Screenshot with the Twitter favourites

Turns my Tweet got a favourite that day from Channel 7 News Melbourne Meteorologist Jane Bunn. Then that night, it’s on air.

Channel7News_FFS

Contact with Channel 7

On the following Monday (Oct 19th) morning, I reached out to Channel 7 via a direct Facebook message and asked what happened. From what I can tell, there’s a few potential scenarios:

  1. Someone submitted the photo on my behalf, and without my permission. It’s possible…
  2. As part of the Twitter / Instagram terms of service, they have a legal arrangement with Channel 7 granting usage. I don’t believe this to be the case.
  3. Jane Bunn raised this with the News Team, and they then used it without my permission.

Just to be clear…

Channel 7 did put my name on the photo during broadcast. Crediting, though, is not permission. That’s akin to me crediting Disney when sharing Mickey Mouse material; Disney wound’t stand for it because I am breaching their copyright. And that’s what has happened here.

Does this even matter?

Some would say not, and that I should appreciate the exposure (yes, I get that a fair bit!). In my opinion, and when you’re in my position, it’s my right to care as it’s my photo used without my permission. That’s what really pisses me off; they should have asked! Making this type of creation isn’t easy and it’s a process that has taken years to refine. I mean, for them to just ‘take it’ isn’t right.

Not only that – how do they actually source any of their photos? I mean, now I wonder if anyone actually sends them in, of if they just pluck things away at their choosing!

All that said, photography isn’t my business. I haven’t made this a professional pursuit, because I value my motivations. I do this stuff for the love of it, and to be honest, the feedback I get is really humbling and encouraging. In the past, I’ve used my photography for charity fundraising. I love giving prints as gifts for friends and family. And I frequently let other artists and students use my work. But it’s not about money.

And in over 10 days…

I’m yet to get any response of substance. I’m really disappointed the Channel 7 News team haven’t reached out to me with any explanation. Brett from the Channel 7 social team has been really helpful, and checked in to follow up, but he’s done what he can.

Next?

I want Channel 7 to put something on the table as an apology and acceptance they have done the wrong thing. Like I said, this isn’t my business, and I didn’t create the situation. But I want them to fix it.

And if you didn’t know… What should have happened?

In 2014 I managed to get a photo of Russian space junk burning through the sky in dramatic fashion. It was pretty exciting to be honest, and I was approach from ABC Australia, FOX, CNN, and many more requesting permission to use it. Check out CCN and the video: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/11/world/asia/australia-fireball-soyuz/. To the surprise of some, I was more than happy for people to use it. Some thought I should have tried to cash in on the photo, but that’s just not me. I was okay for people to use it on request, and I didn’t say no once. In fact, the real highlight was Scienceworks using it for their Planetarium – I honestly find it awesome that I’ve got something that helps get people excited about space and science.

The key to this space junk example is I was asked for permission. The reason people ask for permission is mostly legal; a major broadcaster should understand copyright, and the nature of copyright is such that it’s implied. Whoever creates it, owns it. That’s it.

As for the actual photo, here it is…

1963 Mini – A British Icon with Modern Melbourne

1963 Mini - A British Icon with Modern Melbourne

Mixing classic and contemporary isn’t usually as pronounced as this. But it just works…

Tim O’Grady, restored this little beauty as a pet project, and it took quite a while. When it finally hit the road, what better way to celebrate than taking it for a spin and shoot. I don’t know bugger all about cars, but here’s what Tim had to say.

So the car is a 1963 mini. I swapped it for a lawnmower that I had found in a hard rubbish collection. I’ve had it since I was 13. At the time it had been T-boned by an F250 truck and had been scrapped for parts. I took the shell and all the parts I could get my hands on. All the body and mechanical work was done by Dad, John (the original owner) and myself. I owe a huge thank you to Fiona and mum for work on the interior. It has been made to resemble the performance minis of the 60’s and I’ve tried to keep things original but with modern touches. The car looks exactly as I wanted it too and I’m really happy I stuck with it.

Supporting Makers to House Breakers

Supporting Makers to House Breakers

Update 31/07/2015:

Bryce Wilson (AKA @drjft) has contacted me and request changes to the article below. Specifically, with reference to him using stolen gear for the photographs discussed, and that he profited from this stolen gear. As such, I’ve removed this content.

Intro:

Let me get this out of the way. I’m not accusing Bank of Melbourne of any wrongdoing, but it’s more of a strange story on the content marketing landscape. In no way have Bank of Melbourne actively supported robbery (obviously), but inadvertently, they have supported a thief and trespasser. Equally, I advised Bank of Melbourne of this post prior to publication (I didn’t want to create a a real headache for someone), and they have since taken the posts down. Also, mentioned Instagrammer @drjft has also gone ‘private’, so the topic of which I’m talking is of real relevance. 

Instagram; Started with creators & makers, and increasing in curators

Lately, it seems like I’m getting ‘followed’ by more and more businesses / brands / corporates wanting to explore new territory with regards to their content marketing strategies. I’m generally for it, as it’s a great way of embracing content generated by the creators, and these brands are always on the lookout for a way to curate to new markets. Equally, if a brand is generating great content, that’s an even bigger tick. But the actual content generation seems hard, expensive and the exception, so curation is all the rage right now…

(Quality) Content is King

If I get followed by some known brand – and I’ll use @bankofmelb for this – I’m generally curious on 2 fronts. 1) What type of content are they posting, and 2) What is their agenda (cause, it will have an internal ROI)?. So on @bankofmelb, what do they stand for?

Bank of Melbourne Bank of Melbourne's official Instagram. Celebrating the people, places and stories of our home state, through the lens of a local.
Bank of Melbourne Bank of Melbourne’s official Instagram. Celebrating the people, places and stories of our home state, through the lens of a local.

Good idea, and nice content too. It’s all curated, or ‘regrammed’, with a little comment crediting the original author. But one post jumped out at me, and it was really exceptional.

Beautiful Photograph Taken at Melbourne Heights
Beautiful Photograph Taken at Melbourne Heights. Bank of Melbourne have since removed this, after being notified of this story.

I didn’t quite know how they sourced that photo (I know Melbourne pretty well, but that looked like a hard space to find). Anyways, I followed @BankOfMelb back, and that was a couple weeks back. Last night on Channel 9 News, I saw an interesting news report that revolved around a Melbourne Instagrammer. Turns out, the picture above, was taken by @drjft, who was the prime target. Basically, this guy climbs illegally, and then gets exposure based on the uniqueness of it…

    1. We’ve got a corporates ‘regramming’ photos
    2. We’ve got a now-known criminal who has illegally taken these photos (and it’s not unfair to draw the conclusion he used a stolen camera to take this specific photo, from the video above)
      • Note, 31st July 2015: Bryce Wilson has informed me that the stolen equipment was not used for these specific photos, so this conclusion was not the case.  Equally, he apologises wholeheartedly for the grief he cased from the stolen personal possessions, but has no qualms with the fact he does trespass to gain access to take photographs.
    3. We’ve got a corporate capitalising on this… Seems kinda strange, huh?

I know Instagram isn’t a cash cow for business, but as per the original agenda of a @BankOfMelb being on Instagram, ROI isn’t unexpected. Equally, I’m not saying that Bank of Melbourne we’re aware of this illegal activity, but reading the comments @drjft’s original post (below), you’d think it be safe to suspect they knew it was slightly dodgy…

Conversation between @BankofMelb and @drjft
Conversation between @BankofMelb and @drjft

I’m not wanting to make a harsh judgment call on Bank of Melbourne, as this hasn’t really been their doing. Increasingly, businesses are doing this more and more, and this is a real ‘watch this space’. The current corporate-content landscape is very interesting and it’s early days. In the future, the notion of regramming will come under more scrutiny. It’s only a matter of time for a big corporate to regram something that a person has has uploaded, that they never had permission to. And that could cause some real legal headaches…

What do I want out of this?

Firstly, content curation is isn’t risk free or easy. Equally, creating content isn’t easy, but it seems that content curation is often looked at as the ‘easy way for cut-through’, because it requires less ‘doing’ and more ‘finding’.

Secondly, if curation is to be the approach, understand the risks. What are the legal ramifications of uploading an image to a social media platform, that you don’t actually own it. Say you get permission; is it legal permission, or anecdotal? If it’s by means of a hashtag, or a ‘reply to a comment’, what happens if that person decides to delete it later? Will there be a record if they wanted to take you to court? I really believe this will get messy with the increasing desire for litigation, and this is of greater significance to brands with more to lose (cash / reputation / whatever).

Lastly, I want  marketers to take care with how they operate and understand the landscape. Understand copyright, understand terms of service, and understand that social media marketing puts people in the spotlight, for all the wrong reasons.

Is this just an unlucky coincidence (which I think it is, partly), or will this type of possible PR headache come up more and more (I think it will)? Or, does it even matter (as a creator, I think it does)?

And just a final word on Bank of Melbourne; I really do like their For the Maker campaign. It’s something that I personally align to, and their advert (below) is a real piece of work.