Tom Mangelsen

Tom is probably my favourite natural history photographer. I first met him in 1994 when he won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, with his incredible image “Born of the North Wind” of a polar bear and an artic fox standing on windblown ice. He was at the reception in London (as was I), and he was flattered when I asked him to sign my copy of “Images of Nature” – a book only available in the US at the time. I had visited his gallery in Palo Alto on numerous occasions and picked up this wonderful tome while there. He was amiable, humble and altogether pleasant. His photography is simply as good as it gets – see www.mangelsen.com and he has never, ever compromised a wild animal for a photograph. His integrity is total, determination formidable, technical prowess exquisite, fieldcraft unsurpassed, and with an acute business acumen. I have met him several times since, at various NANPA events, and my impression of him only improves. My wife bought me a wonderful image of a Barred Owl in a tree, shot by Tom, which now proudly hangs in our bedroom.

Joe and Mary-Ann McDonald

Joe and Mary-Ann can’t help it. They teach everyone everything they know, which is one hell of a lot. They are the most pleasant, fun-loving, dedicated picture takers I have ever met. Joe is pretty famous for his wildlife photography books that he wrote in the 80′s and early 90′s. Now they run numerous workshops throughout the year, all over the planet. They shoot everything from bugs and bats to highland gorillas in Rwanda (where they have visited annually for the last 6 years). Joe is also an exponent of High Speed Flash photography – one of the best. You name it, he’s done it. Funny bugger too – a left-field sense of humour – I guess that is why we get on so well. If you want to learn about wildlife photography, or digital darkroom techniques or anything in between, take a look at www.hoothollow.com – and go on a workshop. You will learn more in a week than you normally do in several years. Plus, you will have a boatload of fun, and probably put on quite a few pounds, because Mary-Ann’s cooking is that good. I have helped them with several hummingbird workshops in Madera Canyon over the years, using some of my Fotronix high speed flash units. An interesting thing to ask Joe is how many Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards he has won, in comparison to Mary-Ann……

Mark Moffett

I met Mark at a NANPA event, where he was the keynote speaker. He was just as I imagined – scarily smart, pant-wettingly witty, and a brilliant presenter. Oh, and he takes wonderful, wonderful images. Especially macro images. Of jumping spiders. In the field. With about half a mile of depth of field. I let him know that I hated him for that, and he understood, in a knowing sort of way. Again, very accessible and helpful, though rather too modest. He is one of the National Geographic photographers that I really admire. He does whatever it takes to get the image, which has often involved climbing 200ft into the rainforest canopy….His work can be seen at www.doctorbugs.com The other Nat Geo photog I admire is

Mike ‘Nick’ Nichols

I first became aware of Nick’s work in 1999 when he partook in Michael Fay’s MegaTransect across Africa, which was superbly recounted in Nat Geo. Nick was the photographer for the trip, and his images from it are stunning. He does a ton of work on the Great Apes – see www.michaelnicknichols.com I met him also at a NANPA gig (it was my suggestion that both he and Moffett be keynotes in consecutive years) and his qualities were multiple and all overwhelmingly positive. He was the first photographer I had ever spoken to about camera traps, which I had been using many years before to photograph nocturnal Eurasian Badgers in the UK (Meles meles). We definitely resonated as we recounted various trials and tribulations we had both suffered. He, with the resource of National Geographic behind him, and me with a soldering iron.

Patricio Robles Gil

About as humble and magnificent as a human being can be. His photography of his beloved Mexico is simply breathtaking. He is an ambassador of conservation, and his books should be on every coffee table.  He is part of the Interantional League of Conservation Photographers

Murray Cooper

Murray is a South African, living in Ecuador. He has several books on Ecuadorian wildlife, with more coming. His work is unsurpassed – his fieldcraft is amazing, and he is probably one of the funniest guys I have ever met. We shared time at a research station in the Choco Rainforest of NW Ecuador, photographing the Umbrella Bird. Needless to say, his images were phenomenal and mine were trashed. His macro work is among the best on the planet, and he has evolved his own style, which he calls ‘Wide Angle Macro’. I think you can go on field trips with him – see here. If you Google his name  and add Ecuador to the search, you will find plenty on him. I look forward to returning to Ecuador and doing some hummer shoots with him.

Art Wolfe

He signed a book for me, which was decent of him I guess. Considering how busy he is making money. He is a truly outstanding photographer, one of the very best, and is probably the most successful businessman in the business of wildlife photography. It is said by others that he does very little or nothing, if it doesn’t involve being paid in some way…..I have no idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me one jot. He is a great MC, spellbinding presenter, but oh, so condescending. I have been on the receiving end of that personally. I also know of folks who run eco-lodges where he has stayed, and made completely unreasonable demands. His TV shows ‘Travels to the Edge’ on the face of it are interesting, but not that informative, and appear (according to my wife) to be nothing but a platform for him to show off. Again, his condescension toward some of his photographic subjects around the planet is rather disgraceful, IMHO. Still, one of the very best photographers alive today. No doubt at all about that.

Those who know me know that I love Sushi, and that I used to travel a lot. I have been lucky to sample sushi from hundreds of fine restaurants all over the planet. Yes, hundreds. (From 1989 to 2000, I took off and landed over 1450 times…)

I now live in Westlake Village, Southern California, which has probably 20 sushi restaurants within a 5 or 10 mile radius, with most of them being run-of-the-mill, ordinary fare at best. Probably a 70/30 mix of Japanese and Korean sushi, the former of which I definitely prefer. We even have one or two restaurants of those awful ‘grab your plate from the boats as they pass by’ – which many folks seem to love (obviously food quality has little to do with the enjoyment).

And then there is Sayka Sushi. About a mile from my house. Right next to the more famous (and overrated) Rustico’s Italian restaurant, which is a wannabe celeb hangout. Sayka is owned and operated by a young husband and wife team, Kenji and Hiro, with Kenji being the chef, and Hiro doing the front-of-house duties (delightfully). The restaurant provides subtle, low-key ambience, happy, efficient service, but this review is all about the food. Oh, the food. I would eat there every day if my finances could stand it.

Kenji produces some of the finest traditional sushi I have ever sampled. This feeling is echoed by several of his more elderly Japanese customers, who oft come in, are seated at the bar, and fed without a word being uttered – just knowing nods between a knowledgeable chef, and educated recipient. Kenji has a ‘special’ section of his sushi bar devoted to the specials of the day – generally imported from Japan.

Perhaps more importantly though, Kenji has grasped that a changing world has changing needs, and has developed a line of his own contemporary offerings. Some developed from traditional lines, others mixed with disparate cuisines (even TexMex – which sounds almost shocking, but works superbly – see below), but all with a fresh outlook, immaculate presentation, and truly harmonious tastes.

They also cater extraordinarily well to non-sushi lovers. For example, this is the only sushi restaurant that my wife will visit, and we do so regularly.

I haven’t yet had anything I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, but will make some recommendations:

For non-sushi types:

As an appetizer, my wife adores the ‘Shrimp Squares’ followed by a ‘Rock Star’ roll, a ‘Honey’ roll and the incredible ‘Seared Tuna with Salsa’. These are all very novel dishes, unique to Sayka, and all delicious.  They contain fish, however my wife eats them with gusto! If you are really, really non-fish, then there are many meat and vegetable selections available too.  The tempura at Sayka is the lightest and tastiest I have ever had.

Seared Tuna with Salsa - simply a "Must try" dish. Fantastic.

For raw fish lovers:

Kenji (somehow) produces consistently excellent Maguro. I know, it is the standard sushi, and everyone does it, but Kenji’s is just better.

That being said, his Hirame is simply to die for. Hirame is typically produced with halibut, and when it is in, I have tasted none better anywhere. The preparation is similar to the standard Hirame presentation, but the sauce he adds simply amplifies the flavor, rather than overpowers it, which is a common malady of others who prepare this dish. When the seasonal halibut is not good enough for Kenji to bother getting (he is an absolute perfectionist), he substitutes with baby snapper. This is a perfect replacement.

I have never been a big fan of  Spanish Mackerel as sushi, until Kenji suggested I try his. Suffice to say, I now have it at every visit.

I won’t go through his entire menu (I have only scratched the surface), instead will leave that to the lucky folks who get to the restaurant.We are  so fortunate to have it so close, and in these tough times, I hope that there is enough business to keep them afloat. We already have had a plethora of restaurants close down in Westlake Village – even a few good ones. Indulge yourself with a visit, and I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Leave a comment if you visit – I would love to find out if you agree with my summation.

Robert DeNiro – I am afraid Nobu has been knocked off its lofty altar, in my humble opinion….

I was skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland, with a very good friend of mine, Ariel, and a few other folks/friends. We were there for about a week, and had a blast. An expensive place to stay and ski, however the snow was great, and we had a ball.  One morning, early, I was heading into a coffee shop, and out through the door popped a cute Anita Dobson. She is a UK actress made famous in ‘Eastenders’ – a long running UK soap opera, which I believe is still going. I gave her a big smile of recognition, which she reciprocated (though not of recognition!). She was followed out of the door by an apparently 16 foot tall human being in a bright white ski suit, with a huge mop of hair that made it look like his head had exploded. Brian May, of course. He too, returned my smile and simply said “Hello” and asked “How are you going?”

I was stunned to be addressed by a demi-god, and stammered a response to the positive. He actually continued some small talk while I gathered my wits, and we ended up having a nice conversation for a good few minutes. I acknowledged to Anita that while I wasn’t an Eastenders fan, it was impossible not to recognise her, and as for Brian, well as the lead guitarist of a supergroup, one would have to be blind…. I joked that I could probably ski upright between his legs, to which they both laughed. They went on their way, saying they would look out for me on the slopes, and to have a great week.

Most pleasant indeed.

Spookily, I am also good friends with Professor Greg Parker of Southampton University. He is a guru in lasers, optics, electronics, and especially amateur astronomy. I know him through photography and we have pipe dream plans of retiring in Queensland as neighbours. He has just had a book published called Star Vistas, which contains incredible astrophotography, and contains forewards by Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Sir Patrick Moore, and Dr. Brian May. Greg knows Brian and Anita quite well too.

Small world indeed.

In 1984/5, a project was performed by a couple of guys calling themselves “The Mime Theater”, and was a human version of the Thunderbirds, acting as puppets. It became hugely successful, but I was at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on the night of its premier (at least from memory, I think it must have been), and was simply fantastic. During the intermission I went to the bar, and standing there was none other than Gerry Anderson himself. We (I) struck up a conversation – me gushing in adulation, talking about TB’s being so popular in Australia etc, and that I was an electronic engineer. His ears pricked up, and he invited me to Bray Studios for a visit to check things out on his latest project – Terrahawks – the name of which was sworn to secrecy……

Gerry Anderson in his office at Bray Studios, circa 1984/5

I was ecstatic. I organised a day off the following week, and headed out to Bray Studios. I was as nervous as hell as I wandered in – noticing through the door of one studio that Telly Savalas was doing a Bacardi advert with about 6 scantily clad gorgeous women hanging off him. But I had real business to attend to. I found the building where I was to meet Gerry, and to cut a long day short, he was incredibly humble, hospitable and thoroughly engaging. I met the late, great Bob Bell, and another hero, Derek Meddings – the special effects guy. Yes, that one. Bond movies, Superman movies, Batman. This guy knew his shit backwards, but like Gerry, happy to stop, talk, show what they were doing on set (which happened to be controlling the Terrahawks puppets in an action sequence, with voice-over from the truly wonderful Windsor Davies). I was in heaven for a day, and got to see a ‘Director’s Cut’ of a whole unseen Terrahawks episode.

My goodness, Gerry Anderson could have fobbed me off in the bar, but instead chose to chat and even invite me along to see what he did. I will never, ever forget that. Thanks a bunch Gerry, and RIP Bob – you did some fantastic work as art director.

Anyway, one of the main office suppliers to my company announced they were having a seminar in Portland, and that Gene Kranz was going to be the guest speaker. Fortuitously, it turned out that I was in Portland at the time, and managed to take a couple of hours off to go along. I have been a space nut since I was a kid, and I vividly remember watching the television as Armstrong made his first steps. Hey, I even wrote a letter to Mr NASA when I was 8, offering my services as an astronaut…. Gene Kranz’s excellence was well known to me even back then – I used to scour the news for anything space related. Subsequently, I have devoured just about every space book there is to read, certainly to do with the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. So I wasn’t going to miss this gig…..

His “Failure is not an Option” presentation held me in awe, from the second he opened his mouth. Gene Kranz exudes a powerful mixture of leadership, competence (excellence), coolness, depth, courage and humility, as well as being a little comedic at times. This was about a year prior to his book being published of the same name (a MUST read if you haven’t already). He described some incredible history in great detail, but with language for the lay, in a style that held me spellbound. One of the best hours of my life.

I guess there were several hundred people in the auditorium, and it was announced that 20 ‘lucky’ people were going to be selected at random to have a more intimate discussion with Gene after his presentation. When the names were read out, alas, mine was not one of them. I was distraught, but then I noticed one of the sales guys from the office supplier that I happened to be acquainted with. I sidled up to him and mentioned I had flown across the country to see this (which was sort of true), and really wanted the opportunity to speak with Gene. He winked at me and later ushered me into the room with the lucky few.

Gene spent about another half hour talking a bit more, and answering the questions that he has probably been asked about a thousand times. He kept on referring to the astronauts collectively  as heroes, and everyone seemed to be surprised by that. I raised my hand and said that “By heroics, I assume you don’t necessarily mean Armstrong’s first steps, but perhaps the fact that he manually saved the Gemini VIII capsule while he was a few seconds from blacking out, or that Glenn sat atop a rocket that had a 50% failure rate.”

“That’s EXACTLY what I mean young man – and a pleasure to talk to someone who knows a lot more about what we did than the average person!”

A shiver and thrill went up my spine – Gene Kranz had actually just spoken to me!! As a further bonus, each of the lucky few received a VHS tape of Apollo 13, which had just been released, and Gene was kind enough to pose with me for a Polaroid…..

Happy Days.

Gene Kranz and (a young) Roy Dunn - 2 great hands meet.....

It came to the attention of one of our visitors that David Frost was hosting a show “David Frost Live by Satellite from London” that was being aired live in Australia, and recorded live in front of a studio audience. We somehow got tickets to a couple of the shows. They were on a Saturday morning, as I recall. Anyway, the first week, we were in the crowd, and not much happened – I think the gal who sang “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was the main guest (my memory is terrible), but we were told that the following week would include questions with audience members about what they missed most from Australia.

So, the following week we all turned up (about 8 of us), looking as obvious as we could, hoping to get picked out in the crowd. I wore a Geelong football jumper (CARNA CATS!!), along with a Geelong scarf. The Geelong football colours are thick horizontal navy and white stripes. Pretty damned obvious!!

To cut a long story short, sure enough, I was picked out in the crowd. When David Frost asked me what I missed most, my carefully prepared answer vaporized from my brain, and all I managed to say was “Twisties”…Naturally he asked what the heck they were, and I told him, in rather boring terms. He quickly moved on to the next person…..

Not a very impressive debut on international TV, but hey, I spoke to David Frost.

Somehow, I doubt he remembers it.

//

Mule deer doe and two offspring

Anyway, the deer were on the hill above our house, rather unconcerned about Charley’s cacophony, and hung around just long enough for me to grab a couple of frames through the window. Of course, my camera had a macro lens on it at the time, which had to be changed, then I had to find a CF card etc etc. Meanwhile, the deer were determinedly moving away, which made picture taking difficult, but better than nothing!

Mule deer doe

The emphasis is on teaching/learning, rather than a Roy Dunn Showcase with the requisite “Ooohs and Aaahs” – the latter doesn’t really float my boat the way it seems to with a lot of other photographers. Of course the predominance of images will be spiders, but there will be numerous other examples too. But my main message will be about technique and equipment, and how these days, even a modicum of gear can produce stunning results.

Details can be found at www.topcc.org/photo if you are in teh Thousand Oaks area.

I will post more interesting things on here soon, I promise…..

I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina from the UK in 1996. I had been a European manager for a company based out of Oregon (Mentor Graphics), and I became a global manager when I moved to the US. This new role involved a lot of travelling  – indeed in 1997 I commuted between North Carolina and Oregon no less than 31 times.  That doesn’t include the other domestic and international travel either. My general route was on Delta Airlines, from Raleigh to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Portland. The Atlanta to Portland flight was actually the beginning leg of the Atlanta to Narita (Japan) route, and was typically flown by a 3 class cabin McDonell Douglass MD11 aircraft. This particular trip I was upgraded to business class, due to my frequent flyer status, which pretty much became the norm over the next few years. Anyway, we were about an hour or so into the 5 hour flight, and a heavy-looking secret service guy began talking to each passenger, saying that ex-President Carter was on board, and was going to walk around the business class cabin to say hello.

I didn’t know too much about Jimmy Carter, other than the obvious, but I thought it was pretty cool that he would go to the trouble of meeting folks. Sure enough, a few minutes later, there he was – standing in the aisle, chatting and shaking hands with each and every passenger. I was in about the fourth row of the cabin, sitting next to a guy who was reading the sports pages of a newspaper. Jimmy eyed what he was reading, and started some small talk about baseball. As they chatted, he reached his arm over to shake my hand, I stood up, and in as broad an Australian accent as I could muster, looked him straight in the eye and said ” President Carter, it is my honour to meet you, Sir”, and offered my hand. He took and shook my hand, and it remains the most unique handshake I have ever received. His hands were warm, very soft, but deceptively strong. I expected knarly old battle-hardened lumps of wood, and it was quite a shock. He looked me straight back in the eye (while still talking to the other guy) , nodded and smiled. I like to think it was a nod of recognition, of a deep, unspoken connection, but it was probably more of a ‘Welcome to the tourist’ communication.

He was on his way to Japan for some talks (I honestly can’t remember if it was 96, 97 or 98), and I subsequently found out that his peanut farm is just outside Atlanta.

Not exactly an engaging encounter, but the fact that I am one of the relatively finite few who have shaken the hand of an American President had me feeling pretty good. I am neither Republican or Democrat (I don’t have to vote), and have issues with both parties, but I do admire Presidents who can think and speak for themselves. In complete sentences. Oh, and can read and write. Jimmy Carter certainly is in that category.

I grew up with Led Zeppelin. I spent my teen years frustrated beyond belief that I couldn’t get to  see them live. They only played once in Melbourne, and that was back in 1972, when I was 11 years old. I remember absolutely hating my parents for not letting me go to the gig, notwithstanding that I wouldn’t have been allowed in anyway. It was at Kooyong – famous for tennis, and a brief clip is on their ‘How the West Was Won’  DVD. Still, I digress. My brother and I bought each album upon its release, beginning with LZ 2. I know every bar, of every song, and if a song comes on in the background somewhere, I simply have to stop what I am doing and listen to it. Except Stairway to Heaven, which has been overplayed to its detriment.

In 1977 I was reading a copy of ‘Juke’ – an Australian music paper. It had a gig review of Zep somewhere in America on their ’77 tour. I read the review a million times, picturing myself there, just in front of the stage. The review mentioned that they played ‘Sick Again‘ as the second song in the set – my very, very favourite Zep tune. It sums up the power and sleaze that was Zeppelin in those times. The layers of guitar are complex. The sets on that tour went for 3 hours – I nearly wept with frustration.

I remember hearing about the upcoming Knebworth gigs in 1979, and wondered (on a student’s salary….) how on earth I could make it to England for either of the 2 concerts. They were only a week away, and had sold out completely months before. I didn’t make it. I saw a clip of ‘Hot Dog’ from Knebworth much later on a TV music show, and was stunned. It was the only footage I had ever seen, other than the movie Song Remains The Same – shot in 1973 and released in 1976. I saw that 3 times at the theater.

Then they were embarking on a European tour in 1980, as a precursor to a world tour. Rumours in the local music press was that they would be including Australia – I scanned every single music rag for updates. The Euro tour went well – new songs, long setlist, and the band performing at their best.

Then, one evening, my mother looked over the top of the newspaper at me and said “You always talk about John Bonham don’t you?….. He’s dead.”

My heart stopped beating, I choked, grabbed the newspaper and read the article in disbelief. And again. I went to my room, and didn’t emerge. I was 19 years old, and crying my eyes out about a guy I had never seen, only heard. I knew then that I would never see Led Zeppelin. I was heartbroken.

In 1982, I graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics, and moved to London in 1983 to work in GEC Research Labs. There were several reasons for the move – a great job, the music scene, and to be as physically as far from my parents as possible.  It was a good decision. I attended many, many gigs while I was in England over the years, probably about 800 from 1983 to 1996. No kidding.

It was ’84 or ’85, and I read in NME that Roy Harper was going to be playing at the 100 Club in Oxford St. My brother had introduced me to Harper’s music – quirky and satirical English folk, and the fact that he was a mate of Jimmy Page (and immortalized on Led Zep 3′s “Hats Off (to Roy Harper)”, meant I had to go along. I went with a mate from work – Roger “Chopper” Knight – we tubed it into London, had a couple of pints, and hit the 100 Club.

I don’t remember too much about the early evening, but when Harper came on, the lights dimmed and the bustling crowd moved towards the stage. Chopper and I hung back a little for a few songs, and then I noticed a tall, lanky looking guy with big hair standing next to me on the right. I looked up, and gasped. I nudged Chopper and pointed, and he didn’t recognize him. I did though.  I caught the gentleman’s eye, and mouthed a questioning “Jimmy?”. He smiled, put his finger to his lip, nodded, and I nearly fainted. During the next song break, I said to him “I don’t want to interrupt your evening, but I would LOVE to talk to you sometime!”. He laughed, put his hand on my shoulder and said “Come backstage after the gig, I will introduce you to Roy, and we can chat a bit then”.

The rest of the night is rather a blur. Chopper and I waited until most folks had left the gig, and we knocked on the door backstage. A security guy glared at us, and I blurted out that Jimmy Page had invited us to be there. Jimmy heard my voice, and told the guy to let us in. Smiles and handshakes all round, beers and food willingly shared.  I do remember joking with Roy Harper that this was proof that ‘Grown Ups are just Silly Children‘, and that I was a keen cricketer… As for Jimmy, he answered as many things as I could throw at him, the only thing I recall being that I couldn’t think of a single decent question to ask. Awestruck. Both Roy and Jimmy signed the back of my business card (for my brother in Australia), and we chatted until it was time to leave. We even hung out on the street with Jimmy and his blonde girlfriend at the time (whose name embarrassingly escapes me) until their car arrived (a Ford Capri, 2.8 Injection). He talked a little about The Firm, and a couple of other projects. I thanked him for the music I loved so much, particularly Sick Again, and In My Time of Dying, another of my fave tunes. He smiled, shook hands again, got in the car and was driven off.

Chopper and I didn’t speak on the way home. I think we had to get the mail train, because it was so late. Didn’t need to speak. At breakfast the following morning, I casually placed the signed business card on the table in front of my 4 housemates.

“Can’t read it – who is it from?”.

“Look a bit closer – you’ll figure it out….”

“Holy fuck!” said Gordon – “Is that who I think it is?”

“Yep”, I said, grinning.

I have many bootlegs of Zeppelin playing throughout their entire career – the internet being a wonderful organ for sharing rare recordings. YouTube also has an amazing collection of rare live footage. Jimmy’s live playing was regarded by some as either ‘on’ or ‘off’, sometimes sloppy, sometimes phenomenal. For me, it has always been spellbinding, and he remains one of my very few icons.

I have seen Jimmy play live on numerous occasions since then, though I wasn’t fortunate enough to win tix for the Zep reunion gig. Nonetheless, I saw him with The Firm, Page and Plant (3 times), and then with the Black Crowes, in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2000 or 2001 (can’t remember)

They played “Sick Again“, and my wife wondered why I was crying my eyes out…

Finally, I should add that Jimmy was charming, personable and thoroughly accessible. It does not surprise me one bit that he is so charitable, especially to the causes for Brazilian children. I thoroughly appreciate still, the time and hospitality he showed me and Chopper. He didn’t have to, and it made an indelible impression on me, that such a ‘god’ could be so normal. Thanks a bunch Jimmy, and “Rock on”….

Some of these meetings were little more than a single sentence or handshake, but many were extended and/or numerous interactions. So, future posts will include Jimmy Page and Roy Harper, ex-president Jimmy Carter, Peter Garrett, Nik Turner, Robert Calvert, Ed Kuepper, Ivor Hay, Barrie Gilbert, Tom Mangelson, Joe and Mary-Ann McDonald, Michael Moorcock, Henry Rollins, Kevin Borich, Dave Brock, Steve Squyers, Eugene (Gene) Kranz, Nick Cave, Kid Congo Powers, Australian Crawl, Kerry Armstrong, John Watson, Loanne Bishop, Peter Gabriel, Tony James, Sanjay Jha,  Ross Knight, Art Wolfe, Brian May, Doug Wade, Keke Rosberg, Jacques Lafitte, Jesus Jones, Lemmy, Marty Willson-Piper, Captain Sensible, and any others that my failing memory regurgitates. As most of these folks are musicians, I probably sound like a real groupie – not quite so, but an opportunist, for sure.

Of course, the corollary to this is a list of people I would very much like to meet. If anyone could possibly do anything about it, I would be most appreciative – in these cases I have little to offer than adulation….

Not in order:

Eddie Izzard, Barry Humphries, Stephen Fry, Stephen Dalton, Sir Richard Attenborough, Chris Kraft, Gene Cernan, Iggy Pop, John-Paul Jones, Edward O. Wilson, Richard Branson, Joe McNally, Deniz Tek and about a thousand others…

Not just any horse though – a Dutch Warmblood gelding, 16.1h, showing level 4, training Prix St George chestnut, who goes by the name of Sherman.

Ruth and Sherman getting acquainted...

I must say, with my limited equine expertise, that he looks great, behaves well, and doesn’t seem to have any vices. I look forward to Ruth doing really well on him – she has never owned her own horse, so I think it is about time. She sure deserves it.

Ruth's first ride as a horse-owner!

Sherman is a very deep chestnut – not the usual flat brown, which adds to his good looks. His gaits are balanced, and he is light on the bit – thanks mainly to his trainer – Melonie Kessler.

So begins a new era for us. Charley (our black standard poodle) and I realise we have been relegated to even lower rankings in the hierarchy, but we can live with it. The fact that Ruth will have to stop work at certain times to go for riding lessons can only be beneficial to all.

Oh, and back to the economy. We are helping in several other ways too – why stop at a horse that cost more than twice as much as my (new) car? Why, we are putting on a new roof, replacing our perimeter fencing and adding some concrete steps that lead downhill from our garden to what one day may become a vineyard. Now that will have to wait for an upturn……

Phiddipus sp from the West Indies....

So I have started with a wide selection of some rather not-too-good images, just to clean the pipes. You may want to catch some of these before they are replaced with better ones…

Take a quick look at my website and click on the Nature Gallery, under Arachnids. Feel free to leave some comments!

Highlights included seeing old friends, all successful and happy, getting a fix of some endemic junk food, such as meat pies, Chiko Rolls, dim sims, potato cakes, violet crumbles, cherry ripes, twisties, and licorice bullets, and having a good laugh when a kookaburra stole a very hot sausage from my wife’s breakfast plate.

Sights of note were Brisbane in general – an up and coming city with an unusually good infrastructure, Lake Weyba Cottages (kookaburra incident), Town of 1770, and the Bunya Mountains National Park. These are all in Queensland, which is where we were for most of our time. We popped into Sydney for a couple of days, where it rained solid, but I met up with an old university friend, Robin Gist. He was in a band called Girl Overboard in the late 80′s, and now is a full time recording engineer at his own studio. His credentials include Ed Keupper and the Hoodoo Gurus, as well as writing and engineering some stuff for “The Wiggles”.  ‘Twas great to catch up and hear he is doing so well.

Sydney sights were fun, if wet. The Botanical Gardens are very attractive, replete with flocks of sulphur crested cockatoos, fruit bats and a perfectly wonderful succulents garden. The Sydney Tower enabled us to see the fog, rain and clouds from very high up (after having paid an incredible $50 entrance fee EACH). The Harbor Bridge and Opera House are still stately, though both showing their respective ages.

The last leg of our journey was to Melbourne to catch up with more friends and family. Toured some of the areas ruined by the recent bushfires, which fortunately missed a great winery - Tokar - without a doubt the best wine/restaurant combination I have sampled in years. Trouble was, the storms caught up with us, and there was over an inch of rainfall that very afternoon. Still, the Saturday night (my birthday) was spent at a dear old friend’s place, Michael Story, who with his lovely wife Amanda put on a fabulous dinner for several of us. The wine was outstanding to, and it capped off a great Oz trip. Thanks to all involved, and don’t forget to take a look at my photography website - www.quickblink.com for all your nature, science and high speed flash photography needs!

That was before I visited Australia Zoo, Steve’s legacy to wildlife conservation. I have been lucky enough to visit 47 countries, and zoos in most of them. Australia Zoo is possibly the very best I have ever experienced, and it only exists because of the dogged determination of its now deceased ambassador. It is a well designed, well funded operation, built to cater for the masses, yet provides an incredibly intimate encounter with some of Australia’s (and the world’s) endangered species.

When you chat to folks ‘in the know’, you find out that Steve Irwin was a passionate conservationist, way before he became a media sensation. In fact, he assumed the celebrity personality under sufferance, realising it was the only way of ensuring funds.

RIP Steve, and thanks a million for what you achieved. I for one, have become a very big fan indeed.

We will then head to Sydney for a couple of days, and on to Melbourne to see my father and a few friends. Should be a lot of fun….

The trip…

Well, it was a long, long flight, but the plane wasn’t full, so Ruth and I nabbed a couple of seats each, enabling us to get a little (sort of horizontal) sleep. The Ambien tablet also helped here.  Our arrival at Brisbane airport was not impressive. The walk from the gate to immigration was endless. The line waiting to go through immigration was endless. It took at least 45 minutes to get through immigration to the baggage carousel. It then took at least another 15 minutes for our bags to appear (an hour from landing…..). Once we had our bags, we joined another line to go through customs. This line (I am not kidding) snaked about 200 yards or more. There were 4 different customs official that checked the same documentation at different stages of the line. (Why they couldn’t all be helping at the end of the line escapes me…). We finally got through to the car rental counter, where I had done an online booking, filling out all the necessary details. Well of course we had to stand there and fill all the details out again. That only took about 20 minutes – a relative blink of an eye….

The only fortunate aspect of the trip was that we were able to check into the hotel very early – a special request helped there. So Ruth and I took a wander by the river to find some brunch on a Sunday morning. We found a popular spot, so I stood in line to order…..They served nine people in 45 minutes. I was number 10 in line. If you think I am exaggerating, you are very wrong. Nice breakfast but by now it was lunchtime….

We took a long stroll along the river and across the bridges to the beach on the south bank – yes they have an artificial beach in the middle of the city, near (but not on) the river….

Came back to the hotel, crashed for a few hours, then went out for a nice dinner. Not too long a wait this time! Woke at 5.30 this morning local time, ready for a new adventure…..

More to come.

• Religilous - this should be compulsory viewing for everyone. I have little tolerance for blind faith.
• The Theory of Flight – K. Brannagh, Helena Bonham-Carter – superb acting and touching story
• Breaker Morant – Edward Woodward at his absolute best
• Fitzcarraldo – or any Klaus Kinksi/Werner Hertzog combo
• Sound of Music – High on a hill with a lonely goat herd…..
• Tim – one of Mel Gibson’s first movies, but Mad Max and several others are great too.
• Filth and the Fury – Great stuff
• Chelsea Girls - Andy Warhol – ’nuff said
• Eraserhead – David Lynch – nobody comes close.

This is by no means comprehensive, nor am I an avid movie watcher. I actually prefer to be out in the woods watching nature – generally much more entertaining.

My passions are wildlife photography, hiking with my wife and dog (Charley), reading and music. In turn, my photography bent is a very technical one. Being an engineer, I have the artistic creativity of a warthog, however can rise to the technical challenges of creating images that your run-of-the-mill photographer couldn’t hope to achieve. Particularly in the domains of macro photography, and my specialty – high speed flash (HSF). I actually have a completely separate blog dedicated to HSF alone, which you can get to here. My photography icons are few, but revered: Tom Mangelsen, Stephen Dalton, Michael (Nick) Nichols, and recently, Joe McNally.

You will never find me happier than when I am trampsing the trails with my lovely wife Ruth, and our dog Charley. For prolonged hikes in National Parks, of course Charley is unwelcome (though the thought of him being a threat to wildlife is a tad laughable – he is lacking the courage gene), so we backpack our way up mountains together and take in everything that nature has to offer.

My reading ranges from my favourite authoress, Jane Austen, to George Adamson, Agatha Christie, Tolkien, Patrick Robinson (his ridiculous political persuasions aside), Bill Bryson, Richard Adams, Ben Elton, Enid Blyton!, anything to do with the space race, and I just devour natural history books. Particularly those to do with spiders and hummingbirds. I always judge people by their library (be warned), and mine is at least 75% photography and natural history related.

Music is part of my core. I am one of those unhappy souls who cannot have music ‘in the background’. If there is music within earshot, I MUST listen. If it is something I like, I simply have to stop what I am doing and listen to it. If I don’t like it, I don’t hear it. I cannot listen to music and do something else at the same time. I get that from my mother. One of my earliest recollections of my mother is sitting in the lounge, watching her vacuum the carpet. She was playing the Deutsche Grammophon recording of Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic doing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto on our stereo, and at one point (in the second movement), she just switched off the vacuum, tossed her head back with eyes closed, and gesticulated with the music in an almost out-of-control fashion. I have the same affliction. To the same piece of music. If I had to listen to one piece, repeatedly, for the rest of my life, that would be it. No contest. There are many, many fabulous renditions – I have most of them – but possibly my favourite is that of Benny Goodman, recorded in 1957. Rips your heart out every time you hear it. The wierd thing is, that Benny was my Dad’s hero, being a jazz/swing clarinet player. My mother was a concert pianist, and this was the spooky overlap.

So you are probably thinking I am a classical music snob. Well, you would be wrong. I even sang in a punk band when I lived in London. Actually, I don’t think anyone ever accused me of singing…. My favourite music includes, but is not limited to:

The Saints, The Stooges, Radio Birdman, Kevin Borich, Ed Kuepper, (The wonderful, lovely, talented genius) Bob Calvert, The Gun Club, Led Zeppelin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Cramps, Abba, Jethro Tull, Charlie Musselwhite, Blind Willie Johnson, Nik Turner, Southern Culture On The Skids, Richard Thompson, Jean Sibelius, the Sex Pistols, Clash, Cure (pre 1983), Ramones and a million others.

If you are still reading this, you must be really, really bored by now. Sorry about that.

This is my first blog entry. To learn a little about me, check out the ‘About Roy’ page.  I live near Los Angeles, and have been here for about 4 years. I was in Raleigh, North Carolina for 8 years prior to that, and near London UK for the 14 years before that. My first 21 years were spent in Australia, graduating from University in 1982.

Our house in Southern California

This is our house in SoCal. As you can see – we back onto lots of scrubland, rife with coyotes, rattlesnakes, spiders and scorpions. We have also seen bobcats and deer. As a keen wildlife photographer, this is great!

We are very lucky to live in such a great area, on 3.5 acres. We have water-wise landscaping and a truly wonderful view. What the picture doesn’t show is that the house is the highest in the entire neighborhood, and we look due south towards Malibu. Remember that the California coast runs east/west around Malibu, just north of Los Angeles, and we are half an hours drive away from the celebrity beach city.

I look forward to updating this with my future doings, for anyone who may be interested.

For now, I introduce a couple of websites – my consulting website www.yoricinc.com and my photography website, www.quickblink.com

With photography, I tend to specialize in High Speed Flash, so I have created another blog dedicated to that subject too – hsfpix.wordpress.com

Feel free to visit them all and please leave comments!

I am watching tutorials from Lynda.com – an online training vehicle that is a very useful.

I intend to update this blog daily, with updates on my consulting gigs, photographic assignments, music I am listening to, places I am visiting etc. etc.

I doubt anyone will take much notice, but oh well.