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ewen

@ewen@photog.social

Editorial photographer. Author, writer and mentor. Traveller and lover of the Arctic and Himalayas. Partner to Shellie Froudevaux.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

vampiress , to random
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Other than being one of the greatest espionage movies ever made, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) is also an interesting film because I have never seen a city get so thoroughly sledged in a movie than London does there.

By which I mean, I saw that movie in cinemas and decided I never, ever, EVER wanted to visit London, despite being fully aware that it's a cinematic depiction, not a documentary. Nothing has ever looked so drab and soul-sucking than London in that film.

ewen ,
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@vampiress

Morning television shows in general.

ewen , to random
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I think I wanna make a post for the blog about why people get bored with photography.

So would love to hear from anyone who hit that wall, and managed to bounce back.

Or didn't bounce back even?

Professionals do get bored with the job. Making a living from photography can kill some of the fun. But also it can keep you moving forward when you might otherwise be too lazy.

Please share your thoughts.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

There's a few workshops we run every year. Same place, Same format. Same inspiration.

The only way I keep it fresh for ME each year is to literally shoot with a different lens or camera. A different perspective.

If I'm not seeing it fresh, then my workshop folk won't be getting a fresh version of me either. That matters.

rsf92 , to random
@rsf92@fosstodon.org avatar

Cory Doctorow utterly destroyed Microsoft in his latest column
https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/14/patch-tuesday/

Like, subscribe to @pluralistic and don't forget to leave a comment!

ewen ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

@rsf92 @pluralistic

He's in form today...

"This is 'security through obscurity' and it's an idea that was discredited nearly 500 years ago with the advent of the scientific method."

ewen , to random
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Finding the right bag is harder than finding the right camera.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

I am conducting that experiment as we speak :)

ewen , to random
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Anybody had a good look at the Cara app? Is it hype, or is IG gonna tip over a cliff?

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

Has a photography section too. Either way, nice to be in an AI free zone.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

I haven't had much of a look around, but when I hit the "photography" hashtag it's mostly the actual owner of the site :)

Really wish they had made it ActivityPub friendly. Keep getting the feeling we're so close to a tipping point for social media, where the algorithms finally get drowned out by choice.

ewen , to random
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Here's something Samsung don't tell you when you browse the website for a new 27" monitor.

The external power supply that is roughly the size of a house brick. Samsung can get in the bin. Their advertising is intentionally misleading.

sohkamyung , to random
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A Lineated Barbet (Psilopogon lineatus) spotted at Bukit Gombak Park, Singapore, on 25 May 2024. It flew in, took a look around and then went off, so I only had several seconds to get these shots.

The Lineated Barbet is an introduced, resident bird.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218347197 ]

Same description as first image.
Same description as first image.

ewen ,
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@sohkamyung

Creepy yet wonderful bird :)

ewen , to random
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Quote of the day...

"Everything looks like a conspiracy if you don't understand how anything works."

ewen , to random
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Oh the temerity of these spam feeders, invoking the words of @pluralistic in their campaigns to fill the internet with shit.

nhoizey , to random
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“Common Ostrich”

The ostriches of the Kenyan savannah have never been so prized: first by jockeys, who ride them to the delight of spectators, and then by meat lovers, their flesh being reputed to be healthy.

These birds, which can reach up to 2.60 meters and weigh a hundred kilos, can kill with a single blow of their legs.

The ban imposed at the end of 2003 on the sale of meat from wild animals, apart from ostrich and crocodile, has led to an increase in demand for ostrich meat, which is high in protein and low in cholesterol. Only the meat of the legs is marketed. Ostriches are slaughtered at the age of eight months to ensure that the meat is tender.

Ostriches have a life expectancy of 70 years and females can lay up to 35 eggs per clutch, some of which are never fertilized.

🔎 https://nicolas-hoizey.photo/photos/common-ostrich/

📅 26 February 2019

📸 Fujifilm X-T3 + 100-400mm + 2.0×
🎛️ ISO 800, ƒ/10, 1/250 s

ewen ,
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@nhoizey

That's a very sad context for a very special creature.

futurebird , to random
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One thing I observed today that I HOPE I can get on video somehow ... Camponotus pennslyvanicus can jump one of the wild ants I was looking at did a leap from my hand to to nearby pole.

It was not just a fall, she launched herself like a grasshopper!

I wonder if jumping is more common in ants than we think...

@alexwild

ewen ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

@futurebird @alexwild

Have seen Green Ants (in the top end of Australia) make a kamikaze leap. They do so to defend the nest with a low probably of making it home again.

They are very aggressive at attacking anything that comes near a colony (typically formed from stitching leaves together in trees or shrubs) and mobilize astonishingly fast.

ewen , to random
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I refuse to stand by and just be slandered as "from the Antipodes" by someone who practically lives on the opposite side of the planet.

ewen OP ,
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@DJDarren @vampiress

Well we can't all be Antipodean?

vampiress , to random
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So, a 19 year old trans girl down in Adelaide made a super low budget, queer, trans vampire feature film that's on Shudder/AMC+. It's this kinda Greg Arakki-esque picture, and it's SO bloody Australian.

The kids are alright.

ewen ,
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@vampiress

I wouldn't be able to make the poster let alone the movie. Doth tips me hat.

ewen , to random
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Daylesford workshop is underway. Full house and loads of photography this weekend. Delicious and bokehlicious!

Shellie is the rock star of the weekend though. She makes the magic happen :)

https://ewenbell.com/food

Farmhouse
Autumn colours
Beets

vampiress , to random
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Sometimes, I wonder how much the internet is making us all weirder. Like, as humans we were ALWAYS weird, but I do wonder how much the internet has fast-tracked our various paths to extreme weirdness.

ewen ,
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@vampiress

We didn't evolve to cope gracefully with such riches.

ewen , to random
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"Motion on Motion with ICM"

Intentional Camera Movement meets Bhutanese prayer wheels. Now on YouTube and PeerTube.

https://youtu.be/vlZbk49VBLY

https://makertube.net/w/p7UAUXn77akjo6cucvyHLq

#EwenTube #YouTube #PeerTube #ICM #IntentionalCameraMovement #Bhutan #Photography

ewen , to random
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Made the mistake of reading something by Annabel Crabb, and I won't waste my time doing that again.

ewen OP ,
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It's really put me in a bad mood today.

Glibly missing the point is her brand. Instead of digging into nuance, she steps sideways to make the story about something she wants to talk about. Typically something more clickbaity.

That's how we ended up getting recipes for curry from an immigration minister, instead of talking about the traumatisation of refugees.

ewen , to random
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The latest news on third-party lenses for Canon RF mount should be viewed with intense cynicism.

Canon are only permitting APS-C lenses to be licensed. They're giving a veneer of options to potential buyers, when in fact they have no intention of letting full frame owners have access to professional lenses outside of their own brand.

Could be that my old 5D will be the last Canon camera I ever own.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

Exactly. And the new ones are even more amazing. You can adapt your older EF lenses, but there's no path to access new mirrorless designs.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

Have been impressed how well my old EF Sigma lenses work with the Sony adaptor.

ewen , to random
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I too am Voyager 1. Sending out garbled messages on account of corrupted memory. Waiting for that remote signal and a chance to switch to a different part of my brain.

ewen OP ,
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Much like Voyager 1, I too have managed to travel far beyond my original design. I have confounded the most optimistic of expectations.

vampiress , to random
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Spent last night introducing a friend of mine who's a bit younger than me to 8-bit computing and gaming. She did shockingly well at Adventure on the 2600, and handing her an Usborne book and a C64 she had an absolute blast coding games.

I genuinely think issuing modern versions of these kind of systems with simple coding languages to all young kids these days would be beneficial in a lot of ways. (And fun for them.)

ewen ,
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@vampiress

I still wonder how exactly the C64 changed my brain as a ten year old. Expanded my thinking at the very least. Programming definitely changed my life for the better. Anything that allowed little-me to minimise contact with the family was a bonus :)

nhoizey , to random
@nhoizey@pixelfed.social avatar

“Biohazard”

A strange asteroid has crashed... scientific investigators are trying to understand its composition and the potential health risks for the population!

🔎 https://nicolas-hoizey.photo/photos/biohazard/

📅 30 November 2021

📸 Fujifilm X-T3 + 80mm macro
🎛️ ISO 200, ƒ/11, 7/10 s

#Miscellaneous #Miniature #HOScale #Photography #Fujifilm #Fuji #XT3

ewen ,
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@nhoizey

Looks like the alien object has been there for a while. Just sayin :)

ewen , to random
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I had a look at TikTok. My conclusion is that we're soooooo lucky to have Mastodon.

ewen OP ,
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@vampiress

I feel like I'm being yelled at even with the sound off. Even the colour saturations are yelling at me.

ewen , to photography group
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In some ways the camera makes it hard to reach your full creative potential.

It makes it easy to get into the game initially, but those easy results don't always push us to keep digging deeper. And then, every so often, I see some talented folks on Mastodon who are digging deeper and it's like being woken from slumber.

It's great to have this community here.

#photography @photography

nhoizey , to random
@nhoizey@pixelfed.social avatar

“Equally surprised”

This stoat popped out from under a rock I'd chosen as the foreground for a landscape photo in the Vallée de la Clarée, and we were both equally surprised. She quickly returned to the shelter.

By the time I got out my second camera, with a telephoto lens, she pleasantly surprised me by coming out, no doubt to see what olibrius had surprised her as she went hunting. I only had time to take 3 photos, including this one, where she graced me with a beautiful pose.

Stoats spend four to five hours a day hunting. They move by leaps and bounds, often skirting rivers, low walls or hedges. It also has a habit of standing up on its hind legs to see farther.

I only found out later that this camera was configured for JPEG and not RAW, and I hadn't had time to set a faster shutter speed. The photo is blurry, but I managed to get a shot of an stoat, so it's not too bad.

🔎 https://nicolas-hoizey.photo/photos/equally-surprised/

📅 16 October 2023

📸 Fujifilm X-T3 + 100-400mm
🎛️ ISO 160, ƒ/8, 1/160 s

ewen ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

@nhoizey

Awwwww just love these little critters!

Saw my first real live stoat last month in the Arctic. He was accustomed to rummaging beneath the decking at a cabin we were staying in. Wasn't too shy. Was night time so didn't bother with a photo.

Happy to have shared his company for a bit.

ewen , to random
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Current mood.

ewen , to random
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Whenever you hear someone use the term "victimless crime" just remember what they mean is "manipulating market price so everyone else pays more while denying taxes that pay for basic services".

These are people who don't care about other people and don't deserve the benefits of living in a society.

PS, yes I am in a ranty mood today I have a very sore toe.

ewen , to random
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Just read that article about Facebook buying up a VPN service so they could intercept encrypted traffic on your other phone apps.

If I tried to do that I'd be a arrested for hacking and thrown in jail. This is a long way past just "tech bros be bad actors".

https://mastodon.social/@dangillmor/112165860831650086

ewen , to random
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Remember to try and drink a little more water today, and consume a lot less billionaire owned media.

ewen , to random
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Potential Employer: "So where do you see yourself in five years time?"

Me: Still not paying a subscription for image editing software.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

The fact that I was able to purchase a copy of Affinity Publisher for AU$50 nearly a decade ago, and it still runs, tells you everything you need to know about how much respect Adobe have for their customers.

ewen , to random
@ewen@photog.social avatar

I'm sick of the hot-takes over Boeing. They deserve to be punished for putting lives before profit. Totally.

But literally hundreds of thousands of people die every year from being exploited in under regulated markets. They die from lack of access to healthcare and housing. From being forced to work in toxic factories. From working through a pandemic. They die from poverty.

A lot of people seem to get really upset when capitalism potentially puts them at risk and not just everyone else.

ewen OP ,
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Ok same thing but fewer words...

https://federate.social/@profcarroll/112165067657197944

ewen , to random
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Watched two really really lovely episodes of Grand Designs NZ today. Both were just really genuine couples working hands on to build something they really believed in.

Am jealous and impressed in equal measure. Sometimes I watch these shows and feel like I've wasted my life!

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/grand-designs-new-zealand

Another amazing lady and her hubby was a gem. The finish inside this home was unimaginable.
This home is a rare moment in time, and such a treasure that a little of their journey has been captured by the production team.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

The botox lady is now complaining about how yucky artificial grass is.

I have no words.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Very pleased that "Moroccan styled" lady ended up with a very nice house and it doesn't actually look like Morocco at all. It's just nice and bright with a few well chosen arches.

Thing is, Moroccan style doesn't belong in Sydney, it belongs in Morocco.

Anyhoo, must be great to have a lazy million quid to throw at upgrading the holiday house.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

The underlying problem with Grand Designs is inescapable. Very very very rarely do we get any attempt to champion genuinely sustainable approaches to housing.

Just putting aside that most people I know simply don't have millions of dollars to spend on "a better home", especially at the age of 30.

We can't all buy 100 hectares of forest to live off-grid, the earth isn't big enough. 300sqm townhouses made of steel and German engineered glulam are not sustainable either. Not for only 2 people.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Nothing makes me feel poor like a few hours of Grand Designs.

Can only imagine how it feels for people facing a lifetime of Hunger Games in the Australian rental market.

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Today we're driving through some of the eastern suburbs in Melbourne and I am reminded of what an almighty mess we've made of both urban and natural environments.

Just awful little blocks sprawled across the sunburnt terrain. We've wasted so much opportunity to build sensible or liveable. Everyone clinging to their 1/2 acre of garden, like sad remnants of the environment we've trashed.

Suburbia is depressing in Melbourne.

ewen , to photography group
@ewen@photog.social avatar

Love it don't fight it :)

This video looks at how to shape light in the studio versus how light shapes us on our journeys. We’re delving into light and the difference between photographers who love to control it versus those who are guided by it.

https://youtu.be/jlqP9Cuv7D4

#Photography #EwenTube #LetTheLightGuideYou #PhotographyIsLight

@photography

Kali Gandaki at Dawn
Connection
Gompa

ewen OP ,
@ewen@photog.social avatar

@mlanger @photography

I hear ya! I avoided studio lighting for much of my career.

Having just one or two simple setups that work reliably really helps us though. We don't reinvent the wheel every time, just have a reliable setup that can make our lives easier :)

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