Looking Differently Photography Tip
We are taught to walk forward, watching where we go, eyes up, and standing confident. But some times, the best photos can not be found this way. A photographer needs to be curious. Here are a few tips to consider when you pick up the camera (or iPhone) next.
Look around you.
Get down on the ground - like a childs view.
Turn around when walking, and see what it looks like. You will be surprised at how different the view can look.
Look up.
Look at the details - go up close and get the bubbles, the signage, the food, the beautiful colour of the flower.
You don't always need a face in the photo to tell the story. Hands, feet, even a whole body with head cropped.
Reflections can be interesting.
Windows and mirrors - use them. So many stories to be told - infront of you and behind you in the one image.
I love to sit and watch the world go by. In the image above, I was at a cafe in Mount Gambier SA, working on the laptop, but needing an 'eye strain' break. I can't last, even for an hour, on the computer without breaks. I'd been watching people come and go, conversations through the window, laughter, waitresses keeping everyone happy - and wanted to capture the hive of activity. Cafes can be a hive of activity.
I entered this photography in the AIPP Awards (Australian Institue of Professional Photography) and gained a Silver at State level. I love that you can see me (normally a pro no-no) and the outside world, but also have the dialogue of legs sitting at the window.
I wonder what they were talking about? Did they indulge in a pastry? Who knows.
We can make our own ending.
Mount Compass...
This weekend we went down to Victor Harbor. It's something we do quite often, with my family living down there. But have we ever stopped at Alexandrina Cheese Company? No. Have we ever picked strawberries at Mount Compass. No. Have I ever thought of going to Mount Compass for dinner? Heck no.
Mount Compass, for us, is normally only a place to stop for a toilet break or food. I only know of Mount Compass as a tiny, quiet, cold and wet town where we had to play netball at least once per season (when I was growing up). Why would I go there otherwise?
Well, we find out there are a few reasons…
1. Strawberries
At first, $17 for two adults and two small children to pick a kilo of strawberries seems on the 'bit rich' side. But then we thought about it. We had enormous fun - so it's a cheap outing. We ate lots - we filled our bellies. And we ended up squeezing over a kilo in the container we were given. After eating about a dozen, it still weighted out at 1100gm. Win, win, win.
The strawberries? Well, most were good, some were fantastic, and some were a bit 'pumped with water' flavour. Maybe it's our ability to pick the correct strawberry? Who knows.
2. Cheese
Alexandrina Cheese Company is between Victor Harbor and Mount Compass, and every time we go down, we see the big blue sign on the side of the road, 'turn left', but we keep going. Today is a different story. The kids loved the cut out face signs to pose for photos in, the tin galahs scattered around the grass, and picking cheese to taste with toothpicks. It'd be a great spot to go for a few hours over a cheese platter and drinks.
The shop is perched on top of a hill, with a view out over the paddocks and lumpy bald hills. A very rural farm outlook. Ben made comment the customer service wasn't what he expected - not as friendly and country cheerful. Perhaps they were still warming up for the day?
I'm not a cheese 'snob' but I do like a cheese platter. We bought two cheeses (and toyed with the idea of buying more) - with the Vintage Cheddar devoured within the hour after arriving in Victor Harbor. It didn't taste quite as 'vintage' and intense as what we tasted, but the fact that it, err, disappeared so quick, spoke louder. And the curd we purchased - that was great, fried over eggs, the next morning.
3. Brazilian BBQ
YUM! Get there. That is all I need to say. But I will say more.
Who would think they could find perfectly cooked meats, bathed in scrumptious spices and salts, that are beyond our BBQ taste in deliciousness, at a golf course in Mount Compass? I didn't, but was so very hopeful. I lived in Brazil, and I haven't tasted the same quality and experience yet in Australia. A friend I met in Brazil joined us to give it test it out too.
The dinner show includes a performace by the fabulous dancers by La Bomba - an awesome dance studio based in Adelaide. They add the sparkle (or thousand) to an otherwise pretty ordinary atmosphere in terms of decoration and Brazilian experience.
But, don't go for the atmosphere. Or even the dancers. Even though I enjoyed getting up for a butt wiggle, and Ben was not too upset about the distraction of watching the girls shimmy and prance in their sparkling little bikinis and feathers.
The food. That is why you go. The Rodizio experience is all you can eat, waiter delivered meats, to your table. The waiter brings out cut after cut of various meats and slices it off the skewer onto your plate. The meats have been cooked on a brazilian bbq with special coals. On the table is a selection of sides - a black bean dish (feijoada), farofa (yummy sprinkled on meat), rice, tomato salad (vinagrette) and other dishes. Their chips and aioli starter was more than moorish, but the pao de quiejo (small cheese breads) took me back to Brazil.
Lesson learnt this weekend. Be a tourist in my own backyard. There are treasures to be discovered. Some treasures that people come all over the world to experience, yet we drive straight past.
www.harvestthefleurieu.com.au
www.alexandrinacheese.com.au
www.fleurieugolfcourse.com.au
www.labomba.com.au
Who wants to see Sir Bob Geldof in Adelaide?
Sir Bob Geldof is going to be in Adelaide, speaking and motivating a room full of people at the Hilton, on Wednesday 25th March 2015. It's early, but so worth it. 7-9am. Start your day off right.
Imagine being in the same room as the brains behind Live 8, which brought in over $45 billion of aid and debt cancellation to Africa… and someone who has been nominated for the Noble Prize 8 times, more than anyone else...
http://www.businesschicks.com.au/events/sa/250/adelaide-business-chicks-breakfast-with-sir-bob-geldof
At a Business Chicks breakfast you can network with other energetic people, eat yummy-licious food, be inspired by ultra successful people, and dance out with a fab goodie bag. These tickets usually sell for $149 each.
Who wants to be there for free? I am giving away two tickets - so one lucky person can bring a friend for free too.
Get motivated, get inspired, get pumped.
How do you get the tickets? Comment below with your fave inspirational quote. You have until Wednesday 18th March - get inspired peeps!!
P.S. Subscribe to my blog so you won't miss the next giveaway either. :)
Holidaying without your kids… you have to.
We are back from Lombok. What a great place, and what an awesome holiday. (I particularly love South Lombok, but more on that later.)
After six years of travelling with a baby and toddler, and in the last couple of years, toddler and child - this was a real holiday. Not just 'travel and experience' as I like to call going away with kids. Or, 'same shit, different place, and hard work. But hey, it was worth it, I got to explore somewhere else'.
There was nothing hard about this trip, except for the overnight flight home with a packet of Gastro-Stop handy.
My lessons learned why every couple should have a holiday without their lovely treasures? Read on.
1. You actually have time to get bored while waiting for your flight to leave. Especially if one of the crew on your departing flight can't get through customs due to her passport not being accepted. You now have an extra hour to wait for a call-in crew member to arrive.
Hint: if you can't log on to Adelaide Airport wi-fi in the Departure Lounge, stand by the Business Hub, and then log in. Ta da!
2. Happy Hours are actually happy hours - not whinging, 'quick, let's grab some food and go back to the room' hours. Enjoy watching the sunset with a mojito (or Bintang) or two, then meander off to any restaurant that takes your fancy (rather than checking each menu for child friendly options first). You can savour the food and experience too, rather than gulping it down as quick as you can - there are no children to throw embarrassing tantrums in the middle of the restaurant to worry about. Well, not yours anyway.
3. Throw some caution to the wind and hire a scooter for touring. You don't have to think about how to anchor child seats, or if the car will have seat belts. Be free and feel the wind on your face. Southern Lombok is perfect for getting around on a bike - minimal traffic (motorised and the animal kind) and have decent roads at times. Go like the expats and locals do.
4. Get hubby up and start the day with an hour and half of yoga, overlooking the beach. Bliss. Even for people that have never tried yoga. Hubby has never done it, and raved about it. The lap (or thunder, in our case) of waves, the sea air breezing over your body, a well trained teacher… Peace - parents, do you remember what that is?
5. Get a local child to take a pic of you together. Don't worry about focus, getting your heads in the frame is the only idea to strive for. You get the experience and the fuzzy visual memory. And the kids love it.
We had little pups trying to nibble at our feet in this pic of us at Mawun Beach (absolutely stunning with only half a dozen people scattered on the white arc of sand).
6. We are in the era of technology - so if either party misses each other, Skype is the answer. We Skyped our kids daily, and video Skyped them once too. But when we heard our daughter hid under the bed for ten minutes after seeing us, we decided video was finished.
Not sure if this Skype thing benefited us, or them, as we were the only ones eager to talk. :)
Final thoughts...
I'd like to make sure we go away once a year, for some time to do what we want. It felt like we were young again, with no pressures or responsibilites. We could do what we want, when we want - or nothing at all. Some days we lazed the day away reading and browsing the iPads on our beach front patio. Other days we explored near deserted beaches, one after the other. And one special day, I went to the Spa for four hours. Namaste.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
Free ticket to see Naomi Simson!
Occassionally I am going to be giving free stuff away. It's a way of saying thankyou for 'listening' to me, and another way of being helpful to you. If you know anyone that likes free stuff, and also wants to be in the running to win, shout it out. :)
Today I have a free ticket to the wonderful Business Chicks breakfast in Adelaide on this Friday 6th March. It's International Womens Day, so it seems ultra fitting, listening to a woman that 'does it all'. This woman is Naomi Simson of Red Balloon and Channel 10's Shark Tank. She is also a chair, mother, author and blogger with a list of close to 800,000 followers. Safe to say it will be a very insipiring event.
These tickets are valued at $129 - and worth it. To get my ONE ticket, please comment with ONE word that best describes heidi who photos. Let's have some fun. I'll be asking an associate to pick the winner at the end of today (Monday 2nd March)… so get onto it.
Please share this with anyone (they will need to subscribe) that would like to...
a/ win the ticket
b/ keep in touch with me
c/ win other cool stuff in the future
d/ loves cool pics
e/ is a wanderlust
Have a great day!
When things go wrong on holiday...
Holidays aren't always remembered by fun moments.. sometimes it's the 'adventure'.
Speaking to a friend the other day, I heard myself saying, 'I don't have any problems or incidents on holiday.' It got me thinking, is that true? Well, I'm not sure. A five minute chat with hubby reveals a few little oopsies...
1. We were stuck up a mountain in Phuket, with a 3yo and 1yo, with just a couple of bottles of water to share between us. Waiting for a tsunami to come, we were taken in by some very caring locals. Luckily for us, the tsunami never came.
2. I was woken up on a flight to Groote Eylandt by my head hitting the ceiling. All other flights were to be cancelled that due, due to storm activity. We arrived, seatbelt firmly tightened, with a bit of a bump and thump.
3. We ran out of LPG on a long straight of quiet road, one hot day, in the Flinders Ranges. Hubby eventually worked out what it was, and switched to petrol. Hahaha.
4. Circum-navigating Fiji, I saw a view I wanted to take a photo of. We nearly backed off the muddy road into a dense ravine. At the time, hubby said, 'just get out of the car now'. I did, and that's when I saw the back end hanging off the cliff.
5. On our way to Fiji, our domestic flight left so late we had to run to catch our next flight. Sprint actually. With the doors to the plane shutting right on our tails.
6. Our bubba Ashton 'cut' a tooth or two, in one week, while away in Phuket. Not fun. Grizzly, tired and not wanting to eat. And his sister wanted breakfast before the restaurant would open each morning… at 5.30am.
7. I got food poisoning in Peru. Yes, I did eat a meat and potato skewer that was cooked in the gutter. But Ben didn't get sick.
8. Arriving by plane into Cuzco, I got the worst altitude sickness. Stuck in the room, crawling from bed to bathroom, for over a day, isn't the best welcome.
9. Ben got drugged (we assume) in a Rio nightclub and couldn't get out of bed for days. I took myself off to the pharmacy and got a concoction of drugs for him. My Portuguese, and year living in Brazil, paid off.
10. Our Melbourne hotel had a fire start in the air-conditioning. We were evacuated at 4am, in our skimpy summer pj's, to wait on the road with our 1 year old girl. No shops open except McDonalds, no formula, no food. And our flight was leaving in a few hours (which we did end up catching).
11. On my first ever plane flight in 1992 I spilt the contents of my tray on the person in front of me. I was just a bit excited to be there.
12. Our overnight bus ride in Turkey broke down for 10 hours. We were given a water and one muffin. That's it. I also remember having to try and hide from the random men while peeing on the hillside.
13. The shower in the apartment we lived in while working in Greece gave us electric shocks - every day.
14. After a few too many drinks, hubby crashed my work scooter - not once, but twice. Within a metre of each other. I was woken in the middle of the night to a bloodied, prickled mess that couldn't tell me what happened. He ended up on crutches.
15. We were conned into purchasing an expensive tour, and upgraded hostel, on arrival in Peru late at night. What can I say? Sleep deprived.
I'm sure I could come up with more - but this is a five minute round-up.
What's the worst thing that has happened to you?
Getting ready to go away without the kids… a checklist.
Parent only travel checklist...
Octopus Resort, Waya Island, Fiji
Belle is 5, Ashton is 3. They have been to Bali twice, Thailand once, to various places around Australia and now the time has come… for them to stay home. And we are off to Lombok. Shh.
Belle has just started school, which makes it harder to leave. I'm so thankful she is loving it. It would be hard going if she didn't. And Ashton, well, I'm not sure he quite understands what's happening soon.
How do I feel about going without them? I have a strange lump in my chest as I write. It's a lump of both excitement, and a lump of anxiety. So many questions rattle around in my head. 'Will they be ok, what if something happens, will I be ok, what if it damages them emotionally? What will I do if they cry on the phone to me, wanting me home?' Eek. So many horrid voices.
I should just relax and let it the other voices trump. 'It will be good for them. It's going to be awesome. You will love it. Think of the freedom, relaxation, swimming, surfing, reading, un-rushed dinners, nights out.. Time with Ben to talk without interupptions, and actually enjoy eachothers company.' Wow. That feels better.
It's weird packing and organising for just two. We've booked our flights, hotels, and been to the travel doctor. Poor bud Ashton was the only one needing a jab for Hep B - and he's not even going anywhere!
Here's our altered 'parent only holiday' checklist, it's in some ways harder than organising a family holiday. I'm sure the benefits will be worthwhile.
1. Organise people to look after kids, pick them up from school/day care, and keep them alive.
2. Leave Mums a list of how to's/what to's/schedules etc.
3. Organise Skype or other form of contact to home
4. Get reading material together for those lazy arvos poolside or beachfront
5. Research things to do - because you can without child limits!
6. Get an International Drivers Licence - mopeds have just come back on the scene for freedom exploring.
7. Pack some nice clothes because we may actually get to go out somewhere nice, and stay for longer than 30 minutes. You know, enjoy dinner, rather than gulping it down before the kids start getting crazy.
8. Get ready to have one hand free… just one suitcase!
9. Get to the airport in time to enjoy a quiet drink before departure without having to hang out at the playground.
10. Practice hiding the pity faces when looking at parents travelling with their kids.
What have I forgotten my dear seasoned non-parent travellers? I seem to know how to pack for work trips or family trips… but think I'm missing something.
Kids on the beach… without toys.
Simple beach fun while on holidays with kids...
My kids love the beach. Normally they trawl up and down the shoreline looking for shells and building sandcastles. The shells then decorate their sandcastles like jewels around a womans neck. Just recently, they have begun to get more adventurous - taking to the water on boogie boards and skim boards. Getting wet! Oh my.
Before our recent trip to the Gold Coast, I was imagining days spent on the beach, plonked in the sand, building sand castles. Forgetting the bucket and spade as we amble out front of our accommodation, I wonder what the kids would get up to. I needn't have worried. The multitude of jellyfish that were washed up on the beach give the kids a workout as they run up and down spotting bigger and bigger ones. The thunderstorms that dazzle every afternoon provide the stage backdrop for many a show put on by the kids. And watching the surfers paddle out and catch zippy waves keeps me entertained.
The Gold Coast is known for it's surf beaches, and Mermaid Beach, where we are staying, is no different while we are here. I'd asked people before arriving, if it was an ok beach for surfing, and the answer I kept getting was, only in the right conditions. Well, this must have been 'right conditions'. Every day there were surfers running to and from the surf, in search of their wave. I want to hire a board but from my vantage point, the waves look too big. And the speed some of the guys are getting, zipping along the face, was fast. I get scared. I lknow I will regret it after. I think I would have fun. Oh well.
So, here we are on the beach. Kids nearly nude. Running around like mad cows. Laughing. Spraying water at each other. And building volcanoes in sand. No toys. Definitely no plastic toys or electronics. Everyone loves it. The kids are screaming with laughter, Ben and I are beaming with satisfaction. It makes me want to live up here. I can imagine coming down the beach at night; running around in the warm, humid air. I can see the kids eventually taking to the water, joining a surf club. I can feel my surfing improve with the near daily practice. Ahh, makes my heart sing. But for now, our airplane waits, to take us back to Adelaide.
2015 - a new year of excitement.
So, who has made a new years resolution? I don't normally, but this year, instead of going back and forth like the waves on a beach, not moving forward, I'm going to force my way through the tide. I've been floating in a little tidal rock pool for too long, and now I am going to stream forward to some unknown. As they say, 'lean into the fear'.
I want to move forward as a person; spiritually, emotionally and physically. I want to work smarter, be calmer and experience more adventure.
Three big things are going to happen...
1. I am de-cluttering.
2. I am cutting back on the 'learning' and actioning more.
3. I am taking more time for me and creativity.
Work smart, play smart, live smart (which includes more time on beaches).
Christmas getaway in Adelaide - Crowne Plaza
Normally, our little family goes camping just after christmas, but this year we decide not to. The last few years, we have had 40 degree plus days, and when we are camping with little kids, it's no fun at all. And this year, it is set to be no different. 35 degrees on New Years Day, and then in the 40's on the 2nd. No thanks. I can just imagine trying to pack up camp in that heat - no thanks.
But, just because we haven't gone camping, doesn't mean that we have to stay home all the time. Hubby and I leave the kids with Granny for a night, and head off to the Crowne Plaza. The last time I stayed here, I was super impressed, so my expectations are high.
We attempt to check in on Boxing Day, half an hour too early, but are unfazed. After all, it is Boxing Day, and there are big sales on just a few steps away in Rundle Mall. Excitedly, we are soon surrounded by colour and people. The pace is fast, and we feel like ants being shuffled this way and that in the crowd of thousands. We last about an hour before retreating back to the hotel. My idea of a good time is not being pushed around, looking at messy displays, and then waiting in line to buy goods.
Our Junior Suite is ready, overlooking the square and Pulteney Street below. It is nice, but I'm not sure if I would pay the extra for a Corner Suite again since I only sat out there for about twenty minutes. The room seems very similar in styling and size to the Deluxe Balcony Room.
Two hours are relaxed away in the pool, spa, steam room and sauna on the second level. We jump between everything, not knowing what to do first. With kids, it's spent playing 'catch me', helping them swim, or splashing about in the shallows with squeals and shrieks that could rattle glass.
Redsalt Restaurant is downstairs, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the square. We enjoy people watching as we sit with a bottle of D'Arrys Footbolt, chomping on prawns, wood-oven bread, and fish and chicken main meals. Beautiful flavours, but ultra small portions on the fish platter is disappointing. I can't say the same for the breakfast - absolutely fantastic. I am not normally too positive about Australian buffets, but I can fill my belly here. I squeeze myself some veggie and fruit juice, order poached eggs (with some sneaky bacon) and nibble on bircher muesli. The home-made baked beans nearly has me going back for seconds, even though I'm bursting. Of course, there is all the usual suspects on the buffet as well - pastries, all kinds of eggs, sausages, cheeses, fruit, yoghurt, toast, cereal...
Final verdict? Great city location close to the mall and Rundle Street, quiet rooms, chilled bar and fab breakfast. Staff are polite and very helpful. Concierge remembers me from a few months back - that's impressive.
