I Haven't The Foggiest

Where Are You Pointing Your Camera?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes it pays to point your camera in the opposite direction to the main attraction. This was shot about three weeks ago, during a heavy fog. I shot some images of the grey blanket that covered our wintry city.

Then, as I began walking across the pedestrian footbridge between Southbank and Flinders Street Station, I noticed that the sun was starting to break through. I looked down and had to stop immediately, to shoot this reflection of a nearby building, reflected on the surface of the Yarra River below me.

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Playing Favourites

Image Conscious (And The Story Behind Each Shot)

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Since this week's Photo Hunt theme is "Favourites", I've tried to select three of my most cherished images, not just for what they depict in colour and form, but for the story that goes with each shot.

2006. Calcutta, India

This was taken on a hot, sticky, intensely humid night during a very brief and unexpected visit to the city where I was born. It was in the middle of the Pujas, the peak Hindu festival season and it was also the night before Id, the major Muslim festival.

At this street bazaar behind the New Market, the crowds were almost impenetrable. There was no threat, no danger, for these were only shoppers in holiday mood. This was no street for someone in a hurry. The car inched along until I decided the best thing was to go on foot in search of some photographs.

I was dripping perspiration when I finally saw a stall selling colourful bangles. I had taken half a dozen frames when I saw this display – and immediately I knew I had a shot to treasure, if only I could get it right.

I steadied myself against the passing crowd. I chose my settings carefully in the darkness, to make the best use of the single naked bulb above the display. And, yes, I ignored the squadron of little green Diwali flies that were biting my scalp.


2007. Yarra River, Melbourne

The sun was coming up over the Melbourne Cricket Ground as I walked across Princes Bridge. It was not a frosty morning, but still one of those cold Melbourne dawns – and the blowtorch of golden light reflected on the Yarra River was a breathtaking sight.

As always, there were rowers and kayakers on the river and I could see that one was heading on a course that would run parallel to the pooling light. I waited patiently, thankful for the 18-125mm lens that enabled me to frame exactly what I wanted.

I didn’t wait until the low keel was in the middle of the frame. I understand just how powerful an asymmetrical composition can be in terms of emphasis and I wanted the hull and the oars off-centre, so that the liquid gold would be the main focal point and the eye would notice the rower as a value-added bonus to the composition.


2007. Dandenong Road, Melbourne

There are winter fogs in Melbourne, but this was one of the most interesting I’ve ever seen. This was shot at about 5am as I drove down Dandenong Road towards the city.

For all the world, it looked as if someone had smeared orange jelly across my windscreen. I pulled over, put my hazard lights on and because there was no traffic at all I was able to take some interesting semi-ghostly shots looking straight down the road.

But I needed some other object or device, to use as a counterpoint to the striking colour of the fog. I walked down the broad median strip that doubles as the tram tracks – and found my lodestone there. Not only was there a tall palm tree to use in silhouette, there was also a tram shelter. Because of its construction, it not only provided a slender silhouette, but gave me a Shrek-like sheen through the glass panels as well.

The quality of the street lights in the thick fog evoked an image of Dickensian London and it also gave me an interesting reflection across the metal of the tram shelter. I guess this is one of those images that could have been shot in any century, in any city.

There is a certain timeless quality to it and you almost expect to see Bill Sykes and Fagin emerging from the orange gloom.

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The Sound Of Silence

All Is Quiet, Under The Blanket Of Fog

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

You know the really strange thing about fog? Everything sounds quieter when the fog rolls in. Melbourne is a very quiet city, even when the business district is bustling. But when it's foggy like this, it's almost as if the dampness cloaks the sounds of everyday life. As you can see, it was a really foggy morning today. I like this shot because the only real colour is the red on the sign and the light, rendered amber by the fog and reflected in the surface of the Yarra River.

Click here: Pentax K100D, Shutter 1/60, F 6.7, ISO speed 400.

Look At The Fog, Phileas

Would You Call That A Pea-Souper, Trooper?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These pictures were taken 24 hours ago, just after 8.30 Friday morning - that's Melbourne time, which is nine hours ahead of most of Europe and sixteen hours ahead of the US east coast. The fog was pretty heavy, as you can see - even the mid-size office skyscrapers were completely obscured. As the first picture shows, there's nothing visible beyond the cathedral spires. And the second shot (below) was just a fluke, because two birds flew low overhead while I was near the (Yarra) river. Instinctively, I just swung the camera up - and just about managed to get them in the frame. There's a Dickensian touch to the photograph, I guess. I was kind of expecting Oliver Twist or the Artful Dodger to turn up at any moment!

How Do You Hide A Skyscraper?

Easy. Just Wait For A Decent Fog To Roll In

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

The fog this morning began to lift very gradually as the sun rose and the temperature climbed rapidly. I suddenly noticed the strong sunlight reflected off the Commonwealth Bank building, in the form of an extremely rare series of sharp diagonal rays. It was only as I shot the first frame that I realised the fog had enveloped one of the city skyscrapers. Exactly five minutes later the skyscraper had started to emerge as the fog burnt off, so I shot the second frame. As you know, I never shoot with filters, nor do I digitally enhance my photographs in any way. And if you think the quality of the images is not too shabby, let me give you the most pertinent piece of information. They were not taken in the open air, but through the plate glass window of an office building on the opposite side of the Yarra River!

Kermit, The Fog

Early-Morning Blanket Over Melbourne

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It's pretty unusual to have fog at this time of year, especially when the weather is still much warmer than normal (31 Celsius today). The first frame was shot on Springvale Road at 5am, the second at Southbank, just before 8am. I just liked the tendrils of fog around the unusually-shaped building, which was across the river from where I stood. Just left of centre in that shot is not a smudge on the lens, it's a bird! In a few hours from now, I'll post a couple more shots that show just how easily the fog can conceal a skyscraper. Watch this space!