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Monday, November 29, 2010

333/365


333/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
333/365. 29 November 2010

Mele Kalikimaka - Jimmy Buffet (but I'm sure either Bing Crosby or one of the old crooners did the original version)

Years ago I heard someone say that you should find different routes to and from work, because it changes your perspective on things. Well there is another reason, the other route may be shorter.

After years of travelling the same route to and from work, I took a detour along the coast to avoid major gridlock. Having run this new route now for the last 3 days, I've come to realise that the speed limit maybe 20km/h slower; the distance a bit further; but I've cut out at least 20 traffic lights from the journey and managed to shave close to 10 minutes off the trip. So yes, finding a new route does give you a different perspective on life, and for me it's about 10 minutes less travel time. Nice.

Anyway, today's shot is of the trip home. It was a really windy day today, and I noticed the palm trees swaying as I drove past. So here's the shot, HDR'd of course and it's also only 26 days till christmas and 32 days till I finish my 365. More tomorrow.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

332/365


332/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
332/365. 28 November 2010

Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters

Still sick and it rained most of the day, which is kind of perfect weather for doing nothing other than watching the cricket and sleeping. Ahh the life!

Anyway, looked out of the window and saw this view, with the dark clouds looming and thought that this was probably a waste of a perfectly good weekend, and it's a Monday tomorrow as well... great. More tomorrow.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

331/365


331/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
331/365. 27 November 2010

Unknown Legend - Neil Young

Was sick all day today. An onset of the flu and fever and a killer cough meant that I wasn't up to taking any shots today. I'm going to make this quick. I took this last night at the exhibition building, HDRd it and viola. More tomorrow.

330/365


330/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
330/365. 26 November 2010

Kisses and Tears - Frank Sinatra

How's this for a shot of the day? Went out tonight and saw these guys perform on a single trapeze about 2 stories high. It was not till I was processing and HDRing the shot, did I see a tear rolling down her cheek. Amazing. It was emotional to see them perform, but the fact that she was crying just brings it to a whole different level.

I'm wondering what's going through her head? What sparked the tear? Was it the emotion of the performance, or did they have a fight before the show, was this to be the last kiss, the last performance? Or maybe he had onion breath. More tomorrow.

Friday, November 26, 2010

329/365


329/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
329/365. 25 November 2010

Cold Gin - KISS

Will make this a quick posting. Took this shot the other day at the Johnston Street Festival, at a bar. the reason being the bottle in question bears the name of my mother's family. Having never seen it before, I thought it was quaint and interesting enough (at least for me) for a shot of the day.

BTW all you hackers out there, don't waste your time using my mother's maiden name to garner passwords, I never use that as an option, I use... (ha nearly gave it away).

Did a bit of HDR to pull some texture out of the photo. More tomorrow.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

328/365


328/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
328/365. 24 November 2010

Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

It's Wednesday night, so it's football night. I realised that I didn't shoot anything today, so with camera in tow, I went to football. Then it started to rain, so Camera + water = disaster, so no shots.

Anyway on the drive back, I took this while waiting for the longest lights in the world to change... twice!

I HDR'd this to get the texture of the concrete pillars, but I really like the total result. More tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

327/365


327/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
327/365. 23 November 2010

Little Green - Joni Mitchell

A busy day at work and then some. And now it looks like it's going to be a really warm night. The forecast calls for storms tonight, but all you can feel is the heat. Weather forecasting... in melbourne, it more like weather let's-roll-the-dice-and-pray-we-got-it-right.

Enough ranting. Today's shot is of the neighbour's plant. As a family, we don't do plants, well at least not in my household, but the neighbours have a very good looking balcony garden, so I figured might as well take a shot of it, just as the sun was setting just behind the greenery. More tomorrow.

Monday, November 22, 2010

326/365


326/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
326/365. 22 November 2010

The Prelude - Jay-Z

Got this Fedora at the Johnston Street Festival. Been searching for one for a while, but they always seem a size too small. While trawling through a hat store, I came across this which was almost the correct size. I say almost because it'll probably fit if I get a haircut. Ahh fashion, I'm your slave. More tomorrow.

325/365


325/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
325/365. 21 November 2010

All Night Long - Lionel Richie

Long day at the Johnston Street Festival today. And I remembered to bring my card with me today. Lots of food, dancing, music and drinking... all of which make for a great day.

A bit tired now, spent most of the evening processing the 300 plus shots and selecting good ones. Anyway, today's shot is of the street parade , and this is the Columbian or Argentinian or Guatemalan contingent. Whatever they are, they are a group of really pretty people strutting their stuff... who could ask for more. There are more photos of the festival here.... 40 days to go... More tomorrow.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

324/365


324/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
324/365. 20 November 2010

Impossible - Shontelle

Managed to stay awake long enough to write this, but then again it's not that difficult considering I'm all a buzz with excitement because my team Spurs just broke a 17 year hoodoo and beat their north London rivals Arsenal!

Went out tonight, with camera in tow. Was ready to take some party shots, when I turned my camera on and... there on the screen were the 2 words photographers hate to see - No Card!

How in the world I forgot to put the card in is beyond me. I've been carrying the camera religiously for the past 323 days, and today I forget to put the card in.

So I get back home without a shot to show for the day. I turn to my go to shot and take a night shot of the rooftop next door from my balcony. And in my joy, I also added the Spurs logo. So shout it from the rooftops people "C'mon you Spurs!" More tomorrow!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

323/365


323/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
323/365. 20 November 2010

In The Light - Led Zeppelin

Posting this at 6.40 in the morning the day after... all because I couldn't stay awake long enough to write this while it was being uploaded.

I'll make this quick. A few days ago, I bought a set of LED lights. Why? I don't know. Another spur of the moment internet purchase again. I had intended to work it into some of my artwork, or even use them at work, but I think they will sit in their packets for a while before I actually use them.

Anyway, I set a few of them up, took the shot and HDR'd them. I like that they are in the same colour as Flickr's logo. More tomorrow.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

322/365


322/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
322/365. 18 November 2010

Hot Chili - Steve Miller Band

It was a funny day... Too sore from last night to do anything, but I did manage to reconnect with a long lost friend. I never thought I'd hear from her again, but I'm glad that if the only thing My 365 blog and Flickr posting was to get me in touch with her, it is/was so worth it.

Back to the shot, took this just after my sister pounded 2 parts dried shrimp paste (roasted) with one part lemon or lime Juice, a dash of sugar, salt and a whole lot of hot chillies. Its a whole lot of yum and pain, if you know what I mean.

Took this from a few angles and finally settled on this. HDR for texture of the mortar and pestle and the sink top. More tomorrow.

321/365


321/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
321/365. 17 November 2010

Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen

Quick one today. Football = tired = need sleep now!

For as long as I can remember playing football at the Welly, this car has been by the road, covered and remains a constant curiosity. It's obviously old, considering the white walled tires. Just wish we knew what it was. Set the shot up on the roof of my car and HDR. More tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

320/365


320/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
320/365. 16 November 2010

Disco Duck - Rick Dees

Another day with Guy Gowan, and another world of photoshop revealed. If you ever get the chance, you really have to go for his seminars.

On to the shot for the day. Some back story is required here. My neighbour, a couple of doors down, is the duck lady.

A few months ago, a couple of inebriated friends and family said they saw a duck on the balcony of said duck lady. As they were in that drunken state, I thought it was the alcohol talking.

A few weeks ago when I got back from work, I thought I saw said duck lady with a big black duck or swan in her arms, moving quickly into her car as I was driving into my lot.

This morning, I finally got photographic evidence! There in plain sight, a white duck and a black duck/swan/goose (I can't tell the difference, as you can see). Maybe the fact that I saw duck lady 2 nights ago with a "ban duck shooting" t-shirt should have given it away.

Anyway, HDR the shot and viola! More tomorrow.

319/365


319/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
319/365. 15 November 2010

Photograph - Def Leppard

What a long day... long but really interesting. Firstly, I hit 20,000 overnight. So thank you all my Flickr friends, fellow Bloggers and everyone that's come by for a peak.

Well today was interesting because I was at a Guy Gowan Photoshop Seminar all day and at a Peter Coulson Photography Seminar all evening.

Let's begin with Guy Gowan. I've spoken of him before. He's a Photoshop master, but he never, ever uses any of the tools that photoshop provides. It's all in channels (and I swear it's better, faster, and completely non destructive - no pixels are ever harmed in his work). He used to consult for Adobe, and yet he bags photoshop for not being as good as it should be. I love the history he provides of the evolution of photoshop... just brilliant.

Now to Peter Coulson. He's Australian commercial photographer of the year amongst other accolades, and he was brilliant as well. Just seeing him talk about lighting setup and he's workflow process is unbelievable.

However, having listened to both today, it's really interesting to see how both Guy and Peter have almost complete opposite views on photography and photoshop. Like I said interesting.

OK don't want to bore you anymore, and I have a full day of Guy Gowan tomorrow. Which is probably why I took this shot today. It is kind of an amalgamation of everything I've seen and heard today. More tomorrow.

Oh and sadly, they both do not like HDR the way I like HDR... to each his own I guess.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

318/365


318/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
318/365. 14 November 2010

Lips Stitched Tight - The Ghost Frequency

Took a few shots today around the house, from the balcony and the surrounds, but nothing really took my fancy. Right before posting something that I wasn't really thrilled about, something caught the corner of my eye. Saw this small football I had shot once during the world cup, figured the texture would really pop in HDR, so I got my flash and shot it... nice and tight.

On another note, should hit 20,000 by the morning. So thanks everyone who's ever come by.

317/365


317/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
317/365. 13 November 2010

It's Raining Again - Supertramp

Seems like winter is refusing to leave us. I've packed up all the winter woolies and still the cold remains.

Went out for dinner in sleepy Kew today, in the pouring rain and took this shot while on a smoke break outside. Food was good but slightly on the insufficient side. On the menu was Italian tapas (?), so you can see the relevance of the shot with a Macca's just off to the side.

Single shot HDR. 48 days to go... besos baby.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

316/365


316/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
316/365. 12 November 2010

Opera Singer - Cake

I did it again. Started uploading this at about 2am and it's now 6.30am that I actually get to write this out. Really? I couldn't stay awake for 5 minutes to write this out? Anyway I want to tell you something I saw tonight that I'd only ever seen in the movies - the singing chef!

Went for dinner tonight at Middle Park, a stones throw from where I live. Had this lovely Japanese meal and on our way back to the car, I saw this restaurant/ bar/ cafe/ bottleshop full of people listening to the proprietor or chef sing popular italian opera.

He had a beautiful Tenor voice and he was actually serenading to the people. It's not something I'd ever seen before, and I was captivated, and so were the half dozen or so passer-bys... not to mention the diners who were completely mesmerised. Stayed for a couple of songs and vowed to go back there in the very near future and get right up close to the action.

Today's shot is from the outside of the restaurant/ bar/ Cafe/ bottleshop. Had the Canon with me so was confident of it's ability in very low light conditions. I HDR'd the shot and managed to catch the brilliant tenor in action. Actually had a few shots that were pretty nice from the Japanese restaurant, but this had a better story attached to it. More tomorrow.

Friday, November 12, 2010

315/365


315/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
315/365. 11 November 2010

In Living Colour - Heavy D and the Boyz

Looking for something to shoot today, and I came across an unopened box of pastel crayons. Unopened because I haven't used pastels in years, but even more so, I haven't painted in about 5 months. I do miss it. Maybe this weekend, and maybe with pastels... you never know.

Today's shot was taken with a 50mm and a handheld flash. HDR'd for the texture, but really I like the depth of field.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

314/365


314-365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
314/365. 10 November 2010

Car Wash - Rose Royce

I did it again. I uploaded this about an hour ago, and while uploading, I fell asleep. It's been a long day at work and a long night at my other work, so I'm spent right now. I'll get straight to the shot then....

Took this in the car park when I got home a couple of hours ago. I realised I hadn't done any shots for the day, so I splashed some water over the car and took the shot. I figured HDR would bring out the water drops. Wasn't really sure about how the shot would turn out, but I'm quite happy. 51 days to go... More tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

313/365


313/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
313/365. 9 November 2010

Tiger - ABBA

Lock up your daughters people.... Tiger's in town! It's almost a year ago that the big Tiger Woods saga started, and now he's back in Melbourne, on the taxpayer's dime. I've always thought that bringing Tiger in was good business, but now I think it's even more savvy business.

Anyway today's shot is off the balcony looking at the Albert Park golf course. I think this is the 6th hole (actually I don't know and I'm crapping on). A little tilt-shift and HDR and viola! More tomorrow.

Monday, November 8, 2010

312/365


312/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
312/365. 8 November 2010

No Air - Jordin Sparks

Funny how everything seems to come in USB these days. I got this USB ionizer a while ago, it was another one of my impulse purchases... this time I did it blind. They had this surprise gift of 3 USB thingies for $10. So along with the ionizer, came a PC camera and a USB sound card, the later 2 I already have, but like I said it was a blind purchase.

So on to this ionizer thingy. The literature says it improves the air quality by emitting negative ions into the air which attach themselves to impure particles and negatively charges them. You got to love copywriters. You have to, I'm a copywriter as well.

So the shot is trying to depict those wonderful negatively charged ions doing their thing. One flash and Bokeh thanks to the lights on St Kilda Road, and HDR of course. 53 days to go... More Tomorrow.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

311/365


311/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
311/365. 7 November 2010

Love Is In The Air - John Paul Young

I'm going to make this a quick post today because 1) spent most of the day eating 2) need to do ironing 3) sleepy 4) football's on TV tonight from 1am to 5am (damn time zones!)

Oh and I hit 19,000 views sometime last night! Thanks everyone!

Today's shot is of a hotair balloon floating in a in a bi-rainbow sky. I have never ever seen 2 rainbows before I moved to Melbourne. So here you go 49 days to go, more tomorrow.

310/365


310/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
310/365. 6 November 2010

King of the Bongo - Robbie Williams

55 days to go... it's getting closer. Went for a walk around South Melbourne markets when I came across our friendly neighbourhood buskers. I think you might have seen them a few times on My 365. Anyway I had my 28-300mm lens, so I thought I'd go in close today.

Haven't used this lens in a while, and although it seems like a really good zoom range, I've got to admit, the Sigma 28-300mm lens really takes a long time to focus. So I had to do most of today's shots like this, on manual focus. I knew there was a reason I didn't use the lens as much.

Post processing-wise, I used 5 exposures from a single shot for HDR. And here's the result. More tomorrow.

PS. I know that's not a bongo he's playing, it's a triangle... hahaha, ok it's a Djembe, a really small one.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

309/365


309/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
309/365. 5 November 2010

Gear Jammer - George Thorogood

You know Melbourne is really a bicycle friendly city. I don't really know what the stats are, but I figure there's one bicycle to every 2 households, this is just going by the number of bicycles I see wedged in the corner of each parking lot.

I'm all for cycling to work and getting a workout on the open road. When I was young, my bicycle and I were inseparable. However, what really gets on my nerve is the lycra bike-shorts clad groups of cyclists that travel the roads and highways 3 or 4 wide. Like I said, Melbourne is really a bike friendly city, and there are lots of roads with specific bicycle lanes marked out so that everyone is safe. It's when the tour de France wannabes start hogging the road travelling in groups and slowing traffic down, that's when frustration sets in.

OK enough venting... on to today's shot. This is of a bicycle that sits in the parking lot. It's really quite sleek-looking, with it's matt black coat and ultra cool parts. I've taken a few bicycles this year, so I thought maybe a close up might make a better subject today. So here you go. Here's a shot of the crank lit with a single flash through my favourtie 50mm F1.4 lens and HDR of course. More tomorrow.

Friday, November 5, 2010

308/365

65, Sony Alpha, 70-300mm F3.5-5.6, HDR, Guy Gowan, tilt shift, Albert Park
308/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
308/365. 4 November 2010

Mine - Taylor Swift

Quick post tonight. I actually uploaded the photo about 4 hours ago, but fell asleep while it was uploading and now at 1 am, I am too sleepy to spill my heart out.

So on to the shot. It's another balcony shot of one of the many restaurants, function areas and bars along Albert Park lake. HDR'd and a bit of tilt-shift effect. More tomorrow.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

307/365


307/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
307/365. 4 November 2010

Brain Damage - Pink Floyd

Played football tonight with the mighty Wellys. Played till the groin started acting up again. So I did a quick exit from the game, but it did give me time to pull the camera out and take a few shots. (I do travel everywhere with that damn camera).

Anyway, today's shot is actually taken on the pitch in the game. I figured if I can get close, I might as well get right up to the action. Took this with my 50mm F1.4 and HDR with a single shot and 5 exposures. I really like how it turned out. More tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

306/365


306/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
306/365. 2 November 2010

You Can Leave Your Hat On - Joe Cocker

OK. OK. OK. I can't say I told you so, because what I predicted never eventuated. So what do I know about horse racing?

Didn't make it to the Melbourne Cup this year, but I did have a nice Melbourne Cup lunch with a bunch of friends.

On to the most important part... did I win? Well I did a placing on one of my bets and that partially made up for what I spent on betting. So I'm smiling a bit.

On to today's shot. Got back after the races and was mildly soaked, So I dropped my clothes were I stood, dumped my betting slips on the clothes, took the shot and HDR'd it. Something about losing the shirt off my back comes to mind here. More Tomorrow.

305/365


305/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
305/365. 1 November 2010

Further on up the road - Eric Clapton

It's the eve of the Melbourne Cup and I want to get my prediction in so I can do all the "I told you so's" tomorrow.

Well, here we go... I predict a too close to call, a draw, a nose to nose in the main race. Think it's a stupid prediction? Well, the elections were a too close to call", the AFL final was a draw, and you know how these things come in threes... So there, I've said it! Now what odds would a bookie give for a drawn race in the Melbourne Cup?

OK on to today's shot. Took this from my balcony, set it on 30 seconds and a bit of tilt shift effect and HDR of course. More Tomorrow.

Monday, November 1, 2010

304/365


304/365, originally uploaded by DarrenNunis.
04/365. 31 October 2010

Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin

Lazy lazy lazy Sunday today... nice! The weather was crappy to say the least, which made it perfect for a lazy Sunday.

Anyway while doing a little clean up, I found this old shark tooth which I got from Japan years ago. Figured it was a good enough subject to shoot for today, so here you go.

A simple one light shot and HDR. I was thinking about the day I got the tooth. It was in Osaka and I was there for my good friend's wedding. I remember going to a shop near Universal Studios and getting this tooth as a souvenir. I could have got a lucky waving cat, a little geisha model, even some Sake paraphernalia (I did get that one), but I chose a shark's tooth... my purchase decisions sometimes really baffle me.

Just an aside, the more times I look at this picture, the more I see the Van Halen logo. More Tomorrow.