Pier Pressure

Wanna See Me Shake My Tail Feather?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Cloudy evening. No chance of a blazing sunset. But I can take a shot of a couple of gulls sitting on the pier.

You have no idea how long I sat there with my lens trained on these two birds. I had a very simple idea in mind. I lined up both gulls on the pier pilings, and wondered if I could possibly get a shot of them looking in the same direction, or just looking synchronised.

But these two were not going to co-operate. They could not have been less in synch if they tried. And no, they didn't even try and shake their tail feathers.

Maybe they were just tired of the paparazzi.

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

Pier Pressure

On The Boardwalk, Without Roy Orbison

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It's funny how slightly different compositions can emphasise different aspects of the same scene. These shots were taken about ten days ago, late on a winter afternoon here in Melbourne. I was really shooting a couple of tight frames to capture the gunmetal-grey of the metal framework as well as the (unusually grey) wooden pier slats.

But when I looked at them on the camera's LCD screen after I had taken the shots, I noticed the subtle difference in the way the water is depicted.

In the first shot, you hardly notice the gentle ripples of the river in the background. Whereas in the second, the horizontal composition (below) seems to lead the eye to the subtle reflections on the river's surface.


Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

Pier Pressure

An Appetite For Art

H'es ready to face the music. Former British radio DJ Mike Read, 57, has turned artist - creating a $9,000 picture of Brighton's West Pier - out of liquorice. Titled "Choc Art", it contains more than 20 pictures made of sweets including the liquorice pier and a Brighton rock concert made from - naturally enough - Brighton rock. He has also incorporated his love of music with versions of famous album covers such as The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Abbey Road".

All things Brighton beautiful, all features great and small.