Flora

Strangers on the train and other captured souls

This is a small series of images of strangers caught candidly on trains and during recent events… These are taken in the spirit of street photography and all in public places. I hope you enjoy them and find them aesthetically appealing…

A wet afternoon in Perth

I ventured out into the rain this afternoon determined to get my photography fix… originally some of us had agreed to meet at Dome in East Vic Park to enjoy coffee and hopefully plan future photo events… Unfortunately events outside their control prevented my friends from participating. So as the American Postal Workers’ informal motto says, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds…” I braved the rain for the sake of a solo coffee and some photography… See my Blog “ Do not go gentle into that good rain”.

Rain… a blessing and a curse

In 1966 Bob Dylan released his song Rainy Day Women #12 and 35. There is no mention of rain in this song. My wild guess is that he chose the name during a period pronlonged deluge during which he was going strir crazy… Rain is truly beneficial. Bringing much needed life preserving water to our parched earth. Rain is also a curse as it has caused the cancellation of my photo walks at Tomato Lake, (Lago Pomodoro… some Italian for a good friend), and Fremantle… Rain doesn’t usually keep me indoors, but when it does it promotes nostalgia and like memories of Bob Dylan’s nasal rendition of Rainy Day Women, here are some ancient photographs that are gathering digital dust on my hard drive…

A conversation during lock down

My last visit to the UK was cut short when the Australian Government sent me a message, “Come home son… all is forgiven. We are so worried that you will catch your death…” So, being the dutiful but somewhat wayward child that I am, I began my odyssey (a tale for the blog…) back to the land of my birth. That was in the last week of February 2020. On arrival back in Perth, after being temperature checked, I entered a state of isolation for two weeks. Food and provisions were delivered by a masked man, my son I think by the color of his eyes, who used a long pole to handover the goods. To cut to the chase, I was not to leave my home… house arrest for two weeks… methinks a light sentence compared to the deprivations of those poor souls who were transported to Australia in convict hulks for stealing cabbages.

My confinement ended and at last I could venture forth into the deserted streets of Perth as long as I complied to a vow of silence and did not engage with any of the lost souls I might see wandering about.

To ensure my sanity (I can hear you rolling in laughter…), I learned that I could make friends with myself and engage in philosophical debate such as the all time favourite hit Nature versus Nurture argument. This was a not to be missed opportunity to become one with nature…

Boola Bardip

Boola Bardip is the newly re-invented Perth Museum. Boola Bardip means 'many stories' in Noongar language. The name recognises that the museum sits on Whadjuk Noongar land, and honours the cultural heritage of Australia's First Peoples. It also acknowledges the shared cultural heritage of the nearly 2.9 million people who call Western Australia home.

This is my second visit along with some fellow photographers from the Western Australian Social Photographers Network (WASPN). This series of images captures mainly the people visiting. I have not focused on exhibits and I highly recommend a visit to view these wonderful sights , you won’t be disappointed.

A Walk in the Park

Against the backdrop of the Swan River in Perth Western Australia, people run, cycle and walk alone, with their friends and pets. It is going on 7:00 pm and it is a mild late December evening. The light at this hour paints the skyline gold and sets buildings afire casting a burnished glow to passers by.

Whilst we see in colour, images in black and white allow us to experience mood and hopefully by seeing the world in this light elicit emotional attachment.