Just finished flicking randomly through one of my old hard drives and came across some great shots of what was a pleasant evening in Florence. Beautiful coloured skies, amazing cloud transformations and great tasting food, what could be better?

Starting to wish I was back there right now…

While visiting family in New Zealand over the Christmas break I took the opportunity to photograph the iconic Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula, east of Auckland.

Made world-famous by the film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia series, this beautiful part of the North Island has always been a favourite holiday spot for locals and the stunning coastline never fails to take my breath away.

Since New Zealand film director Andrew Adamson chose the area to shoot his 2005 adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe it has also become a popular holiday destinations for international tourists as well.  Adamson spent his childhood summers in the region and it is easy to see why he is drawn to its beauty.

The Coromandel Peninsula is filled with stunning beaches but for me Cathedral Cove is one of the best and is well worth the walk (about 30 minutes each way). Sweat it out and you will be rewarded with majestic bluffs rising out of the ocean for a few hundred feet and the pièce de résistance, a cathedral-like arch cavern offering all the mystery and exploring opportunities any child (or adult) would love.

The local Maori name for the area is Te Whanganui-A-Hei (the Great Bay of Hei) and includes a marine reserve, which is wonderful for diving. People also love the area for water sports, fishing, boating and swimming. And if you love your seafood; oysters, mussels and scallops are readily available!

Here is a great YouTube link to some images of Cathedral Cove where some of the Narnia series was filmed. Well worth a look if time permits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39xnFVV4IpQ

Wherever you are in the world I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful festive season with your family and friends. Here’s hoping that the year ahead is the best one ever for you and yours.

I have travelled from my home in Melbourne to be with my family in New Zealand this Christmas and one thing that has struck me since arriving is the vivid colour of crimson everywhere as the Pohutakawa [po-hoo-ta-car-wa] tree finds its full force for the festive holidays. This beautiful tree, also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, has the traditional red and green we associate with the silly season down pat.

What I love about this tree is that it is filled with character – it loves the coast, loves warm weather, is vibrant in colour and amazingly adaptable in that it is equally at home clinging to a cliff top or on the shores of a lake. These trees can also grown up to 20 metres in height with a branch spread of 38 metres so they definitely scream “look at me”.

When the blossoms fall in late December or early January the ground and coastal roads around New Zealand are covered with a carpet of crimson petals.  This wonderful splash of colour is great food for photographers like me.

Here’s hoping you find something special under your Christmas tree!

]]> http://blog.stuartmichael.com.au/photography/merry-christmas-from-new-zealand/feed/ 0 http://blog.stuartmichael.com.au/photography/a-few-of-my-favourite-things/ http://blog.stuartmichael.com.au/photography/a-few-of-my-favourite-things/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:31:44 +0000 Stuart Michael http://blog.stuartmichael.com.au/?p=1422 © Photographed by Stuart Michael

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” may not have made the list, but “brown paper packages tied up with strings” definitely feature as one of my favourite things! They make it in at No. 12 – Christmas.

It is a great time of the year to reflect on what is important in life and what I am grateful for. Family and friends spring to mind. It is when they asked me what I wanted for Christmas that I had to stop and think about what I love – some of which you can buy and some of which just are…

Here’s my list in no particular order:

1. My camera – My camera is my creative outlet.

2. Travelling – If you have the chance, do it! It’s all about the adventure, culture, beauty, the excitement and self-development.

3. iPad / Macbook – These are two devices I take everywhere! Both are either used for sharing my photographs, social networking or post-production.

4. Cheese – (definition: weakness of mine) Is that grilled cheese I smell?

5. Coffee – Good coffee starts with the aroma and for like many others it’s my morning boost to get my day started. On occasions I’ll order a large chocolaty chocolate muffin with white icing and choc chips to go.

6. Blogging – It’s a new experience and a good one.

7. Music – Overly bored with the music played on the radio? Me too. I love discovering new music artists to listen to.

8. My pillow – If I could take my pillow everywhere I would. It’s always pleasant to come back to your own bed after being away for any period of time.

9. Books – It’s in my down time that I’m often inspired by a good photography or travel book with startling photographs! Take Carla Coulson for example.

10. Credit card – It’s my plastic fantastic complete with frequent flyer miles! It’s a lifesaver as well as a love/hate relationship.

11. Boot camp – I enjoy the ‘military style’ category workouts but it’s not the combat boots and camouflage clothing cliché you might be thinking of. Jumping jacks, squats, sprints and tyre push-ups are all part of the fun!

12. Christmas – As a kid it use to be the count down of the months, weeks and days that I loved; not so much anymore. What I love most about Christmas is the giving of gifts (this is where the brown paper packages come in), the gathering of family and friends and a feast that could last you into the New Year!

If you are anything like me when it comes to travelling, you pack your suitcase at the very last minute, throwing in what you think you might need only to find you have left some essentials behind and taken too much that you don’t end up needing anyway.

This Christmas I am heading overseas to New Zealand to spend some special time with my family. I have decided to take a different tack and get snappy – packing my bags in advance and with some thought.

I laid out everything that I wanted to take and then did the recommended “halve it”. I even took some time out to photograph my suitcase, and I must say, it has made packing more fun than usual and I think I have done a great job and chosen only the essentials – including my families brown paper packages tied up with string.

If I could offer a few packing tips to anyone they would be to carry your camera on the plane in your carry-on bag and if you have room, include a spare change of clothing in case your luggage makes it to a different destination than you do!

If you are off this Christmas I would suggest get packing now before the taxi is at the door. It makes for a more stress-free lead up to the holidays as you try to cram in all those last minute things to do before you leave.

Christmas shopping – check ✔
Packing – check ✔
Relax – check ✔

Wishing you a wonderful festive season!

I live in Melbourne but have been lucky enough to also visit Sydney in the past week. It seems both cities have embraced the fun festive season with gusto and I have tried to give you a taste of what is on offer this time of year in both cities in this photo blog.

I love Melbourne’s vibrant energy, restaurants, café-filled laneways, casual bars and galleries. And as the festive season draws closer, I love the splashes of colour – mainly red and green – the Christmas lights, the balmy nights and the chance to catch up with friends and family.

If nothing else, make sure you visit Federation Square – Melbourne’s inspirational public square and home to a host of wonderful restaurants, cafés, shops and events. It’s located at the corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Street in Melbourne’s CBD.

Sydney never fails to turn it on for locals and visitors alike, especially in the festive season. Sydney Harbour is one of the most impressive harbours in the world and it always offers some wonderful photographic opportunities for me, be it the iconic bridge, Sydney Opera House, a wonderful restaurant down at Circular Quay or an unexpected fireworks display over the water.

Like a beautiful glamour girl, Sydney is turning on the glitz this Christmas so if you are in the city there is a massive tree at Martin Place in the CBD covered in thousands of fairy lights, baubles and ribbons worth taking a peek at. Other hot spots around the city include Customs House Square, St Mary’s Cathedral Forecourt, Taylor Square, Hyde Park North, Kings Cross, Pitt Street Mall and Sydney Square.

Don’t forget to take your camera to capture a bit of your own festive cheer!

If you are lucky, every now and then you meet someone who is so passionate about what they do, they inspire you to go out there and chase your dream. They pass their enthusiasm on to you and reignite your own passion.

Carla Coulson is one of those people. She is a talented Australian photographer who made an extraordinary life change to move from the corporate world here in Oz to Italy to follow her dream – capturing people, places, fashion and life in the best way she knows how. Carla has now been working in magazines and the publishing industry for 12 years and has also photographed seven books in that time.

It was through one of those books that I initially discovered Carla’s work. While visiting a friend, I came across her first book Italian Joy (published in 2005). This beautiful hardback 264-page book features so many amazing inspiring colour and black and white photographs of Italy that it impelled me to take such images of my own when I travelled through Europe in 2010. I have since enjoyed Carla’s Paris Tango and Chasing a Dream, both books just as inspiring as the first. I highly recommend adding them to your collection of coffee table books.

Carla now lives in Paris but she was in Sydney over the weekend to run a workshop entitled “Get Published” which I was lucky enough to attend. Carla teamed up with Creative Director of Inside Out Sharon Misko and Deputy Editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly Bryce Corbett to show us how to shortcut the road to getting published.

I was one of about 30 photographers who travelled from around Australia to take part in Carla’s workshop. It was an amazing weekend and a wonderful insight into the publishing world.

In February earlier this year I was thrilled to be able to meet up with Carla for a couple of hours at a cafe in Paris, ‘les philosophes’. We chatted about her life and her passion for photography over some wonderful coffee. Please follow the links if you would like to read the interview, which is in two parts.

Interview part 1

Interview part 2

Carla will be running another workshop in Sydney between 7-9 January entitled “Picture this: a fashion portraiture workshop” which includes styling sessions, portfolio building and 50 per cent of your time on location shooting. You can visit Carla’s website for more details:  http://carlacoulson.com

On a recent trip to California, USA I got the opportunity to do a shoot with international model Destiny Sierra on a secluded Malibu beach just a short drive from Hollywood.

It was a bit of a last minute decision so Destiny did her own make-up and styling and we were both really happy with the results.  Photographing outside with only Mother Nature to contend with can sometimes be challenging and unpredictable but it can also add that sense of simplicity, inspiration and spontaneity that makes my work a joy.

Destiny is a true professional who started modelling at the ripe old age of 13. She is now signed with Wilhelmina Models in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.  She participated in the BCBG model search 2013 run by TalentHouse and was picked in the top 10!  Destiny previously spent a year closer to our shores in Thailand where she walked the runway for La Perla, shot campaigns for Jaspal Home Collection, SpyKar and Genesis Klinik and acted in commercials for Samsung and Addiction Deodorant.

As well as a model, Destiny is a health advocate who enjoys helping others achieve a healthy and active lifestyle. She uses social media to motivate and inspire others through the positive message that success and happiness will come to those who continue to seek growth and self-development. She is a determined young lady whom I am sure we will see a lot of in the future!

Model // Destiny Sierra - destinysierra.com

You’ve heard all the famous adages: it’s the city that never sleeps, it’s so good they named it twice; it’s where dreams are made and broken. There have even been hit songs written and sung by some of the greats. It is of course New York, New York.

Sometimes the double up is a bit confusing for visitors and actually refers to the city of New York being located in the state of New York. I like to think it’s more about being good and less about the geography.

Visit New York and you will know you are alive. When I ventured there in July this year, the hardest part was deciding how to capture the true essence, pace and quirkiness of one of the world’s most famous cities. It is filled with changing light, sharp angles and celebrated icons.

Central Park, Time Square, the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial were just some place on my “must shoot” list. And with over eight million people speaking a purported 800 languages, this so-called biggest collection of villages sends your senses into a spin. How do you capture that?

I was lucky to visit before the devastating storms of late October when Hurricane Sandy ploughed her way through portions on the Caribbean and the United States. According to the latest news from Reuters, New York state and New Jersey need at least $71.3 billion to recover from the devastation and prevent similar damage from future storms. In true New York style, I am sure the city will find its feet and “make a brand new start of it.”

Thomas Jefferson once said that a walk about Paris would provide you with lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.  And while he was no doubt too busy penning the Declaration of Independence and presiding over a country to take many strolls on distant shores, I’d have to agree he wasn’t far from the truth.

For so long Paris has been the hub of artistic freedom and attracted some of history’s most famous writers like Hemingway, Joyce, Beckett and F. Scott Fitzgerald, not to mention all of the great artists, actors, designers and artisans.

On a simple stroll through France’s main botanical garden Jardin de Plantes with my good friend, I wasn’t really looking for the point of life, but as a photographer, it was hard not to be swept up in the impulse to create something beautiful. The garden was bursting with summer loving and blooming colour, and the call to pull out my Polaroid could not be ignored.

So on impulse we decided to do a fashion shoot. No fancy props and lighting, no back-up crew or make-up team, this was simply about the beauty of the moment in one of the world’s most extraordinary places.  I dare you to take a walk about Paris and not be tempted to create something memorable.

Model/Blogger // Natascha - In Search of Little Sadie