Need to find a balance between work and play

This last few weeks have been incredibly busy at work, I have been starting work at 5am and often not finishing before 5pm. Not that I am complaining (well I did a little bit). I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms and missing my camera, I starting carry my camera with me in hope a photo opportunity would present. I don't really like taking photos at work - it is too much like 'work'. I miss a few weeks of the 52 week challenge on Flickr because I have been so busy and it has rained a lot on my days off. The conference that has kept me busy was an International Olympiad in Informatics (or my working title The Nerd Olympics) 300 students from 80 countries, competing for gold medals in mathematics.

http://www.ioi2013.org/

Every team of 4 had a leader from UQ who carried signs with the country names on them, the placement of them outside of the exam room appealed to me enough to take this photo.

On the last day of the Examination part of the Nerd Olympics, there was an hour delay due to technical issues, the students were getting a bit stressed and the tension in the room was high, 10 minutes before the start time there was a commotion at one end of the room. An announcement was made that this animal was harmless and to leave it be. A possum had run into the exam room, the international students were thrilled (and a little worried). With a lot of help I managed to get the possum to an area it would be safe and out of the way. The Dutch camera crew managed to get a good video of it, which I up loaded to You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Gt0bUY2Oc

The possum came out of his hiding place at the end of the day and was escorted outside.   

One night when I got home right on dusk HWMBO was burning the hard wood he had been collecting for charcoal - he is collecting charcoal for his forge.

if made an awesome fire. I took some photos, thinking I would be able to use the flames as overlays for photoshop sometime in the future. I was so pleased with the look of this one it has become one of my favorite photos of the month.

By bringing my camera to work every day I managed to convince one of my boys to let me take his photo - he was a bit worried I was going to make him 'pose and smile for the camera'. I told him I was after a tired hard working look...No smiling. HE HE this is one sure way to get anyone to smile. His girlfriend was very pleased with the result, she says it is hard to get him to look natural.

I finally set aside some time for a sunset shoot, I went to one of my favorite spots on the Maroochy River and waited for the beautiful clouds to turn to gold. As I was taking this photo the rain snuck up on me from behind, it was a mad rush to get back to my car....luckily I got my camera on the seat before the skies opened and I got soaked. 

I was so happy to get out with my camera and get a few nice photos I didn't care.

I also found a nice patch of fungi always a treat

The anti everything.....

I did it again.....I ruined a photography shoot

I finished work early, so checked in with RQQZY and AH to see if they had plans for a sunset shoot, the boardwalk at Caloundra had been recommended to them so this is where we met. I love this part of Caloundra, there is rocks and a winding boardwalk, views of the Glasshouse Mountains and surfers both young and old.
Everything looked perfect, there were light fluffy clouds, the tide was coming in, kids were playing, mums where reading, couples sharing a romantic walk, surfers riding the waves and even a few cargo ships coming and going. Then 20 mins before the sun went down, a haze hide the mountains and storm clouds covered the sun.

I have been blamed before when the sunset fails, the Mentor has asked me to join him a few times for a sunset shoot - every one a fail, I met with RQQZY last week for coffee and a sunset at Point Cartwright, all the makings of an amazing sky, but nothing....NADA.....ZIP.

I got to thinking about the some of other photo opportunities I have ruined, 

• Coffee with the Jpegs at Caloundra last year - rain and gale force winds
• Night shoot in Brisbane - rain
• Camping at Yabbalumba - rain (for forty days and forty nights)
• Sunset at Point Cartwright with the Mentor - no colour
• Sunset at Moffet beach with Mel - high tide
• The Christmas break up at Bribie - rain
• Sunset at Moffet beach with Mentor - clouds blow away
• Blue wren photos with Mentor - birds that were there for 3 previous days gone...without a trace
• Sunset with HWMBO at Shelly Beach - Fail

It has been suggested that I preform some sort of ritual before going on a photoshoot with others....I wont tell you what was suggested. Lets just say it is not gunna happen.

This is all in fun, I know I am not at fault (i think), I always come away from every shoot with a photo I am happy with, even if it is not the one I planned. I get a bit of a kick out of the title and I wear it with pride, it is not everyone that thwarts mother nature. 


All jokes aside, I was happy with my photos from last night, not a magic sunset, but an awesome moon rise. Followed by a night photo at Bullcock Beach. 

Moon Rise looking towards Kings Beach

Couple taking a romantic stroll

Surf school

Mum waiting for surf school to finish....enjoying time to herself

the dark clouds roll in as the sun sets

Bullcock Beach night lights, families enjoying BBQ's and fish and chips

Last Day of Holidays

How did this happen!

I have to go back to work tomorrow! I have been enjoying my time so much I could get used to this staying at home capper. It has been so good to do what suits me, when it suits me. 

I have packed as much as possible into the last few days (except today I have to pick up #1 and BF from the airport, what she doesn't know is she is taking me to lunch after).

Early morning bird shooting with Kitfox on Friday resulted in so good photos of my favorite birds. He has shown me a great spot with lots of wrens. I am not sure I am keen enough to go out on my own though. I don't really have a lot of patience to sit and wait for the birds to come to me....I also have the attention span of a puppy. (and I am just as easily distracted). Lucky I have good friends who will help when I am after bird photos.

I have had a photo shoot with a very talented friend of #2's, she is studying dress design at TAFE and has created some very nice dresses. 

HWMBO and I went out for dinner going to our favorite Japanese restaurant on the sunshine coast. it is a small cafe type place that has great service and great food. The price is also very reasonable.

Saturday I 'worked' for Andrew (the guru). It is so not like working, I get to tell people how to use the dials on their camera for 40 mins, spend a few hours taking photos or doing what ever I want before meeting the group to work on the practical side of taking photos. This takes place at the Maleny Showgrounds - purposely chosen for its boringness. However on Saturday we had a visit from a red belly black snake. Half of my group ran to take its photo and the other half hung back scared. I wish I had my camera with me. I love snakes....the snake was actually a good learning tool for those who chose photos. NONE of them checked their settings so all the photos were over exposed.
I got a few flower photos...none I am really happy with. Wrong time of day for photos and not a great spot for variety.

Saturday night was spent drinking red wine with the neighbors until very late in the night. Always a good time.

With Bathurst on the telly all day I decided to take my non hangover to the last session of Andrews workshop at Baroon Pocket Dam. I was hoping for a magic sunset to get an awarding winning photo to finish my holidays...no such luck. I did get a few I was happy with.

My time will not be my own soon...I am going to miss my camera, my laptop and photoshop. I wish I could think of a reason I need it installed at work.

Whale Watching

Sick or not I went whale watching with a group of my photography friends. What an awesome experience, I have never seen anything so big and majestic. 
Two members of our Flickr group live at Burrum Heads - about 20mins away from Hervey Bay, the home of the Humpback. Every year the humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to the warmth of the Great Barrier Reef for breeding. We saw a few mothers and babies on their way back south. It was amazing to watch Mum show baby how to call for help by slapping is tail on the water. Apparently whales have incredible hearing and eye sight. (Although I think  it was totally possible the crew on the boat wanted to see us yell and wave at the whales to get them to come close. There was a lot of running from side to side on the boat with everyone jostling to get the best spot. With 7 photographers in our group with all wanted to get the best spot....the whales of course did what ever they like. Once when I was up front right a whale was no the left, but when I looked into the water I could see the tail and about 3 meters of body, he then turned around and showed me his head and the front of his body. I was so awe stuck I didn't even try for a photo. I had another one on one with a whale when I just wanted a break from all the pushing, I was on my own (totally as there were whales on the other side of the boat) when a male popped his head up right next to the boat where I was standing, I was so close I couldn't get him all in frame when I took the photos....when he had gone everyone was crowded around me again and I was shaking with excitement.

Right close to me

Mum teaching baby to tail slap

Mum, Bub and an escort

tail slap

Baby trying to flip

After a full day on the boat we had a few - lots of cheese and bicies before heading down to the beach at Burrum Heads for sunset shots over the water, not a lot of clouds but beautiful color in the sky, I had the wrong lens for a good 'landscape' photo, still happy with what I got. 

After a dinner of leftover, we went in search of RQQZY's tawny frog mouths, walking along the beach paths making enough noise to scare even the bravest bird away, RaRa finally spotted movement in a tree and yeah it was a tawny...we lite the poor thing with a torch for 20 mins or so to get photos.

An early night was had by all, after a glass of red for me baileys and birthday chocolate of JA and her non photographer friend - *side note 4 of the eight of us are Virgo's*. 

We were up early for a walk along the beach again stopping for coffee and a chat with RQQY's local friends at the seat of knowledge. I got a shot of a Whistling Kite, I think I was the only one with the focal length to get a clear shot.  Back at RQQY's we got the bonus shots of the weekend, bee eaters, these are the most amazing colored birds, they catch bees bash the stinger out then eat the bee. A pair are nesting in the sand in the vacant lot next to R&B's. 

I struggled to work yesterday, but only made it until midday before I had to leave or sleep in the office, I feel much better for staying home today. I will go into work tomorrow and Friday....then I have 4 weeks holiday. YAH

Photo picked from RQQY's Blog....if she ever reads this I am sure she will forgive me.