Broken Hill Workshop

I have just posted my 2017 Broken Hill Workshop for October 27th, 28th and 29th.
Click the image in the left-hand margin for details...

Japan Photo Tour 2017

Just posted here, my all-new Southern Sojourn Japan Photo Tour - interested?
Click the image in the right-hand column for more information and cost.

Japan's most perfect castle; Himeji

A Year of Passing Stars: the Photographic Life of a Rock Chameleon

Bowie's first album, David Bowie, released in 1967 displays a casual innocence.
By 2002, his artwork for the album Heathen (photographed by Markus Klinko) has changed virtually beyond all recognition...

As the media is currently noting, 2016 has been a terrible year for those in the music industry.

Nearly 30 years on from his first recordings, an image by Nick Night for Bowie's 1993 album Black Tie, White Noise

And for some reason it feels as if this rash of premature deaths seems to be more pronounced than in previous years. I think it's because we (baby boomers) grew up with these stars: Bowie, Cohen, Keith Emmerson - to name a few.  Many led high pressure lives, filled with heavy drug habits and alcoholism which must have contributed, at least in part, to their premature demise.

Original hand-coloured black-and-white image used for the breakthrough Spiders album back in 1972.
Photo was by Brian Ward and was shot in Heddon Street, central London.

Above all others, David Bowie transformed his persona many times through his life - so many times that I think he developed a real fear of schizophrenia. Here are some of the most memorable images documenting a truly remarkable career.

Top: Image shot in the 70s during Bowie's Stardust tour.
Bottom: Iconic studio shot of Bowie from Greg Gorman

Aladdin Sane
Iconic image (this is actually an outtake from the shoot) of Bowie shot by Duffy in 1973 and, at right, an image shot for Bowie's Heroes album, by Masayoshi Sukita.

Left: Another fine image shot by Brian Ward for the Hunky Dory album in '71.
At right: Bowie's last live performance, in Germany, in 2004, photo by Jo Hale

For me Bowie is probably the most iconic loss out of all these musos - I grew up with David Jones and his albums; Hunky Dory and Space Oddity, went mad over his groundbreaking The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, loved his metamorphosis into Aladdin Sane (even though I'd no idea what that was all about...) and have admired his career shifts through the years to Young Americans, Station to Station, Low and of course, the brilliant Heroes, A Reality Tour and  Let's Dance...

From a series of extraordinary shots of Bowie entitled "watch that man" by Masayoshi Sukita, and the artwork for Bowie's 1977 album Low which is a still from the Nicolas Roeg movie; The Man Who Fell to Earth...

Another great 70's look, again by master photographer Masayoshi Sukita, who photographed David Bowie on and off for 40 years. The image on the right is from Bowie's 1976 film, The Man Who Fell to Earth

Photo Comparison: using photography to document facets of our lives

I was impressed with the arrival of our first zucchini in our new veggie beds (constructed by yours truly, but planted and carefully tended by my dear wife). They seemed to have grown in no time at all - so fast in fact that I decided to check and see if I could find a start date among my many iPhone snaps to confirm my suspicions. Thank goodness for metadata.

I found these two snaps, taken only 18 days apart.  Loads of sun and plenty of watering produced an almost tropical outburst of growth in just over two weeks.

 Very impressive - I particularly like the way that photography (in this case, with a mobile phone) can be used as a tool for recording, mapping out and documenting features in our everyday lives in a way that's almost seamless with our daily activities...

Southern Sojourn: Japan Photo Tour 2017

I have finally devised a new itinerary for my (next year's) photo tour to Japan. This trip takes in the southern part of Japan, an area that many tours never get to because so many companies concentrate on the obvious locations of Tokyo and Kyoto.

We still spend a few days in Kyoto, the cultural heart of Japan, using the speed of the shinkansen to visit other major sites in the Kansai region such as Himeji, Kanazawa and Nara before heading south to experience the sumo tournament in Hakata, the canals of Yanagawa, the exquisite shrines of Dazaifu and the beautiful, scenic city of Nagasaki.

We then proceed further south to the volcano dominated city of Kagoshima, before flying from this southern city to the Ryukyu Islands, and in particular, Okinawa, to experience a different language, different culture, and sub-tropical scenery in a very different 'Japanese experience'. For more information, click here or click the image of Himeji castle on the right-hand side of this blog. (Note: Final schedule and cost TBA shortly)

Japan in the autumn is an exquisite explosion of colour...

In Brief:

Provisional itinerary for 10-28th November, 2017
(Please Note: dates, times, prices and locations may change subject to availability, access and local holidays)

​

​

Arrival Day

Osaka (Suggestion: Jetstar from Sydney via Cairns. Arr: 19:30

Group met by tour leader and escorted to hotel (express train) in town.

Overnight central Osaka

Day 01

AM: Osaka castle visit (escorted via subway)
PM: Walking tour of Shinsekai suburb in afternoon/evening

Overnight central Osaka

Day 02

AM: Morning local express train to Kyoto. Leave luggage at hotel (check-in in Japan is normally 2pm)

Visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Temple

PM: Lunch at Kyoto station, then take a local train to Fushimi Inari, the Fox shrine (local train) stopping off at Tofuku-ji shrine (if there’s time)
Overnight central Kyoto

Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto

Day 03 
AM: Taxi to Kiyomizu temple + then walk downhill through the old suburbs of Higashiyama and Gion.

PM: Lunch at Shijo-dori, a popular shopping street, then local bus to Shisen-do, a samurai house
PM: Return (taxi/bus) for evening photo shoot in the Shirakawa-minami dori area
Dinner in town

Overnight central Kyoto

Day 04

AM: North west to Arashiyama and World Heritage Sagano bamboo forest returning with a stop at Tenru-ji zen temple (local train)

Dinner in Kyoto

Overnight central Kyoto

Day 05
AM/PM: Visit the old capital of Nara and its parks and shrines, including the impressive Kasuga Shrine (full day, JR local train)

Dinner in Kyoto
Overnight in central Kyoto

Day 06
AM/PM: Full day trip to Kanazawa, including a walking tour of the Omi-cho markets, World Heritage Kenroku-en gardens, and the old Higashi Chaya geisha district (on the Thunderbird express train)

Dinner

Overnight central Kyoto

Day 07

Early train to visit the most perfect castle in Japan, Himeji.  Lunch in Himeji, then afternoon free in Kyoto.
Dinner
Overnight central Kyoto

Himeji, the most original and perfect of all Japan's castles

                                                        

Day 08
AM: Early Shinkansen train to Hakata (approx. 185 mins). Check into hotel.

Rest of day free, evening visit sumo tournament
Late dinner.

Overnight central Hakata

                                                        

Day 09

AM/PM: Full day trip north to Hiroshima, Visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum then on to the magical island of Miyajima. (Shinkansen 80 mins one way, then tram, local train, JR ferry)

Dinner in Hakata

Overnight central Hakata

Day 10
Full day trip to visit the Tenmangu shrine in Dazaifu then on for a cruise around the canal city of Yanagawa (local trains).
Overnight Hakata

Day 11
AM: Early express train to Nagasaki (140 mins)

Visit to the Nagasaki Peace Museum, lunch then take the tram and cablecar to the summit of Mt Inasa for a magnificent view across the city

Dinner in town

Overnight Nagasaki

Day 12
AM: Morning ferry trip to visit Gunkanjima island, return to Nagasaki for lunch then a walking trip to visit the Dutch Slope/Glover Gardens area, finally arriving in the Megane bridge part of downtown and Chinatown
Dinner in Chinatown area.

Overnight Nagasaki

Day 13
AM: Long trip to Kagoshima (approx. 240 mins)

PM: Check into hotel than take an escorted trip to visit the famous Edo period ‘borrowed view’ Sengan-en gardens

Izakaya dinner in city
Overnight Kagoshima

Day 14

AM: Local bus tour to visit the Chiran Kamikaze museum and beautiful samurai gardens nearby
PM: Ferry to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. We take a taxi tour around Sakurajima island then back to another ferry point for the ferry ride back into the city.

Dinner in the city
Overnight Kagoshima

Sakurajima volcano, Kagoshima

Day 15

AM: Morning flight to Naha, capital of Okinawa prefecture.
PM: Check into our accommodation then visit Shuri castle and museum in Naha, as well as Fukushu-en gardens and the historically significant Naval underground HQ, one of the few remaining monuments to the island’s tragic WWII history

Dinner in an izakaya restaurant
Overnight Okinawa

Day 16

AM/PM: Today we take a full day boat trip for scenic tour out of Naha to see best beaches in this Pacific paradise.

Dinner along the main street: Kokusai-dori (TBA)

Overnight Okinawa

Day 17

AM: Flight back to Osaka

Flights onward, or return home

Santa's Shadow

Here's a demonstration of to combine one image with another and make it look like it was shot as a single image (using Photoshop Elements 15):

PSE 15 Santa Claus from Robin Nichols on Vimeo.

Photoshop Elements v.15 Trumps Facial Feature Editing

PSE 15 Facial FeaturesTrump from Robin Nichols on Vimeo.

Vale Fidel Castro

"A revolution is not a bed of roses..." - Fidel Castro

Although former president and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has been out of Cuba's national and political limelight for more than a decade, it was still sad to read of his death on 25th November.

Much has been said about Fidel Castro, most of it incorrect and wildly misleading.  But one thing is for sure: unlike many political leaders of our time, Castro was a man who stuck to his principles despite the poverty enforced by the crippling embargo that has kept Cubans out of the international mainstream for more than 50 years.

It is particularly sad to see how many so-called leaders applauded his demise and yet Castro demonstrated to the world a dedication and honesty that few can come close to.  Sure, he stamped out any factions that strove to challenge his authority - Cuba is, after all, a one party State - and a lot of Cubans have left the country because of its unwavering politics.   If President-elect Trump has his way, Cuba would be ripe for 'development' again, and all the social reforms that Castro fought so hard for - free education, health care, social equality - all of which are not freely available in the US, would be gone. And this attitude comes from a man who has not paid any tax for 20+ years.
 Although initially involved in fighting right-wing governments in Colombia and the Dominican Republic, it wasn't long before Castro turned his attention to fighting for equality in his homeland. At that time much of the wealth was generated by the sugar industry and this was predominantly owned by foreigners - Spanish landowners who had little interest in a Cuban independence.

In the fifties Cuba was controlled by the US-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. He seized power in 1952 and, because he was seen as being so Western-friendly, enjoyed the full political and financial support of the United States. In fact, prior to the Revolution, many notorious criminals from the US  treated Cuba as their personal  playground: for running prostitution rackets, drugs and money laundering.

Many modern day travellers have visited the Hotel Nacional in Havana - this is an art deco monument that was the virtual HQ for gangsters like Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano. These ruthless criminals ran gambling and drug rackets in Cuba with absolutely no restriction from the local authorities, while the general population struggled to eke out an existence from the land.

In the mid to late fifties Castro eventually formed a cohesive band of revolutionaries wanting freedom from a dictatorial system and, more importantly, an independent Cuba for the Cuban people.

His 26th of July Movement resulted in the people's revolution which eventually overthrew the Batista regime in 1959, replacing it with a left-leaning government fighting for social reform.

In late 1959, a few months after toppling Batista, Castro visited the US hoping to open up relations but was publicly snubbed by the then president, Eisenhower. The US government clearly didn't like what had happened in Cuba and was not about to support a new leader that they had not sanctioned. This is a disastrous foreign policy that the US continues to inflict on supposedly sovereign nations to this day. (I am sure most of us can name at least half a dozen US-approved leaders that have subsequently turnout out to be complete duds. I'd name the countries here, but it would take up too much space).

In 1961 the CIA trained a number of what I suppose you might call 'political fundamentalists' Bay of Pigs incident was defeated in three days and left the US with a certain amount of political egg on its face.  Nevertheless, (or maybe because of) this loss of face caused the US to instigate a blockade and embargo on trade with Cuba, which still exists today.

Billboard in Eastern Cuba stating "Blockade - the largest genocide in history"

At the time, Castro could get no assistance from the US, so desperately needing the funds he  went to the next bidder, which was Russia. The rest, as they say, is history.  Interestingly Ho Chi Minh experienced the same problem when campaigning for Vietnamese independence (from colonial France). No one in the West was willing to get involved, so the Communists stepped in.

“A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.”
During Castro's presidency, there have been more attempts to have Castro assassinated than any other figure in history (Castro claimed there were 634 attempts on his life).  Many of these attempts were, apparently, instigated by the CIA. The Bay of Pigs for example, was clearly organised entirely by the CIA, others, like an exploding cigar, were possibly more fantastic than practical.

Whatever your opinion of Fidel Castro, the facts about his life are unequivocal: he was a strong leader, believed fiercely in freedom for the Cuban people, never wavered under the pressures brought to bear by other nations - and he fought for justice.

“The ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry, but they cannot kill ignorance, illness, poverty or hunger.”   

"I am not a communist and neither is the revolutionary movement.”
-  Fidel Castro

The question of course that everyone is asking is "what will become of Cuba now?".  Most would suggest change is the only way  -  in fact, a lot has changed between my first visit in 2012 and my recent trip to Havana earlier this year. But clearly it's not enough to satisfy the younger generation who are chomping at the bit to live in a more developed nation. Quite understandable looking at the state of the infrastructure and economy. If you are Cuban, the changes can't come fast enough, but in reality, I think any changes will still happen, but slowly if the current regime has anything to do with it...

Photoshop CC Projects, an Online Class

This is an entirely new class hosted by www.bpsop.com, called Adobe Photoshop CC Projects - launched this September. It runs for two months, comprises 30 online tutorials, has four multi-part assignments and costs US$159. (These tutorials remain available to students for a couple of years after class finishes).In it I try to introduce students to tools and techniques that many regular users of Photoshop miss out on - the Quick Mask, Pen tool, custom brushes - these are just a few of the features that we look at using creatively in this class.

But, the best way to illustrate this is to show you some of the impressive and highly creative way my students have responded to the four assignments.

In no particular order, this is just a snippet of their work:

Original shot by John St Pierre

Same image, overlaid with a David Hockney-esque Polaroid framing technique.

Original barn shot by Pam Cone

Here Pam demonstrates perfectly how to add clouds using one of the many free Photoshop custom brushes available off the 'net (we like the word 'free').
All that is needed is a sharp edged selection in the main image to allow the brush effect to drop into the sky and to not bleed into other parts of the frame.

Sculpture by John St Pierre

John St Pierre amply demonstrating the power (and seamless accuracy) of the Pen tool in selecting the foreground detail, while adding a stock shot into the background, transforming the picture from simply 'ok', to an image with a lot more visual impact.

Original streaky night shot by Erin Cori

A simple transformation is made by duplicating the layer once, then flipping the top layer horizontally and changing that (top) layer's Blend Mode from Normal to Difference.
Nice result from Erin Cori.

Radically defocussing parts of this harbour scene produces a great Miniature Mode effect.
(Pic by John St Pierre).

Home spun goodness from Debbie Lieske
Part of this class is designed to push students into learning how to deal with clip art, fonts, camera RAW tools and of course, selections...

We also delve into the world of art by testing out the Art History Brush to transform a regular image into one that looks more painted than shot with a camera.
(image by John St Pierre).

Family group shot with a difference...
John Reveley demonstrates nicely what you can do with the Art History Brush

Another exercise involves adding a dot screen over a regular image to produce what I call the
Roy Lichtenstein 'look'.
Here's a great example from Jo Horne.

Another successful screen overlay effect from Corinne Bramwell

OK, so here's a grumpy cat photo (top) that seems to have a naturally-designed balancing space on the top of its head for an apple, or so Debbie Lieske thought.
It's a great example of what you can do with the Pen tool in Photoshop.

Debbie Lieske's Polaroid effect landscape.
Though this technique does take a bit of time to get right, it's a useful lesson in learning how layers, and clipping paths, work in Photoshop.

Another great result by Debbie Lieske
This time defocussing the foreground and the background for emphasis on a grand scale...

Another near-perfect Pen tool extraction by Jo Horne

Great example of what you can do using the Art History Brush in Photoshop
Image by Jo Horne

Using the Refine Edge Tool

One of the most asked questions I get is around how to perfect selections - Photoshop has a neat feature called the Refine Edge tool and while it is pretty good, the bare truth of any selection making process is patience. Making a selection is rarely going to be a cinch because we have a habit of shooting complex looking subjects. Here's how the Refine Edge tool works.
  Refine Edge Tool from Robin Nichols on Vimeo.

Lights ON at last

It was a moment of great concern for all of us.
It was time to hang the big light that we'd purchased almost a year ago.
Though we were told at the time it was Spanish, I think it looks more like a product from Morocco.
We loved it at first sight - but getting it hung was quite a different proposition...
Here's Con the sparky in his specially hired 'Skyreach' vertical platform.
On the day I was more concerned about it being driven into the paintwork or cracking the parquetry than whether the chain would hold the lamp!

Here's the final shot with our gorgeous lamp finally in position...

Having added the 10 globes, we immediately blew the electrical circuits, indicating that there was a fault
- with the unit, or the globes.
We spent 20 minutes resetting the power and, after removing all the globes, replacing them one by one.
Luckily for all concerned it turned out to be two faulty LED globes.
Hopefully the rest last a long time because I don't want to have to hire a Skyreach lifter again!

Cuba 2016

Here's a link to my latest travel book: Cuba 2016 featuring images edited in Lightroom and Jix Pix

Cuba by Robin Nichols | Make Your Own Book