I've just been out on a short expedition into the flood waters with my camera. All these photos are taken within 5km of my Home at Norong which is approximately 15km west of Rutherglen 

I may be going a little crazy making another cycling calendar after giving most of last years version away. But enough interest has been shown to inspire me to make a limited run for 2012. I'm certainly not doing it for any financial gain the truth is I really had fun making them last year and the feedback was great. So below are a few images under consideration for the new calendar.This time around it will be all local events and mainly local riders with the exception of a couple of shots from 2010 Tour of Bright.

Whilst wandering around this evening in a bit of a daze from staying up late watching the Tour De France I spied the moon coming up. As I was outside and had an excellent bonfire going to keep warm I ran inside and got my camera and tripod. Was just in time to fire off a couple of quick shots before the moon rose above the trees and into the open sky. 

Last night I ventured into Rutherglen, to the Tuileries Wine Bar, which is part of the Tuileries Restaurant,Cafe,Accommodation and Function centre. It is located in the old Seppelt Winery building in Rutherglen.

 As a teenager one of my best mate's dad was the manager of Seppelt's Rutherglen and I have lots of memories of our adventures exploring the massive buildings and getting up to mischief. 


One of my reasons for my visit, aside from the opportunity to sample a nice red, was to take some photographs and on Wednesday night they have live music which adds to the atmosphere and also the subject matter for my photography. It was quite a challenge as the lighting was very dim, the results from my Canon 5D in these conditions rarely disappoint, most of the shots were taken with a shutter speed of around 1/40th sec. @ f2.8 and ISO 1600 for any camera buffs who might be interested.   

Back home in Norong on the farm by myself. Seems a little surreal looking through my photos of LA. 2 completely different experiences. Life is interesting to say the least.

There are a couple of dudes in the photos below with one being pretty obvious. The other, for you movie buffs out there is Johnie's Cafe. In the movie The Big Leblowski the scene with the Dude and Walter discussing Bunny's toe is filmed here. Below is some information about Johnie's from wikipedia.

Johnie's Coffee Shop is a former coffeeshop and well known example of Googie architecture located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard andFairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California.[1] Architects Louis Armet and Eldon Davis of Armet and Davis designed the building, contributing to their reputation as the premier designers of Space Age or Googie coffee shops including the landmark Pann's coffee shop in Ladera Heights,Norms Restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard, and several Bob's Big Boy restaurants.[1] Johnie's opened in 1955 as Romeo's Times Square. Romeo's was in business a few years, becoming Ram's in the early '60s, and Johnie's not long after

The restaurant is perhaps best known as the setting for the opening of the 1988 cult film Miracle Mile, in which a patron learns that a nuclear war is about to begin. The restaurant has also appeared in a 1999 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers music video, "Swingin'", and a 2003 Reba McEntire music video, "Somebody"[2], and is seen in several movies, including Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones,The Big Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman,[1] and American History X, starring Edward Norton.

Here are a few more photos from our visit in Los Angeles. Click on the images for and explanation of the shot 

After cycling in the Canyons in the morning we had lunch at a local Haiwiian style cafe then drove over to Century city shopping centre and then had a look along Melrose Avenue. 

I really have Margaret and Barry to thank for my latest photography here in LA. Most of my photography has been landscapes, sports and many other various things. Margaret has a special interest in street photography and this has rubbed off on Barry. Through his not so gentle persuasion it now seems like the obvious style to experiment with whilst here in LA. This being the second post of the day due to the drizzle outside which now appears to be clearing I'm adding some of the more interesting signs I have seen here.

I've continued the B&W street photography theme for today's post. For me it's a new experience and certainly outside my comfort zone. The upside is there is heaps of material and you could go out and shoot hundreds of photos every day. It's drizzling rain outside this morning so it's a good chance to edit some photos.