The Wandering Vines
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It is interesting how things work out. Last week we were at Port Hedland and were planning to go to Karajini National Park. Due to flood concerns to the area, Karijini National Park was closed for a couple of days which caused us to postpone our visit there and give us more time to explore Port Hedland than we had planned. The following day we found ourselves at Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery. The gallery is beautifully presented. I found myself instantly drawn to Philippa Nikulinsky’s work and was drawn to it each time we entered or exited the gallery. I love the detail of her work. I love the personal notes depicting her personal story of where she found this botanical item, as well as smells or insects connected with the item. Upon perusal of the gallery I noticed a flyer about a watercolour workshop for children the following day. Katie advised me that the workshop was full but to pop back at 10 am the following day in case some participants didn’t turn up. I went ‘home’ intrigued by the gallery, so of course I goggled it to find out a little more about the gallery. I’m so pleased I did as I came across a photography workshop / camp that was to be held the coming weekend at Karijini National Park. Due to the delays caused by the rain and therefore the park closures we would now be at Karijini on the weekend of the workshop but I would be unable to attend the workshop at the gallery on Friday night as we would already be at Karijini. The following day we arrived at the Gallery a little before 10am. All participants had arrived for the watercolour workshop so the boys were unable to attend. This was however an opportunity to enquire further about the photography workshop. Katie could not have been more helpful, flexible or accommodating. It was not a problem that I could not attend the workshop on Friday night and Katie kindly offered to email Meleah Farrell’s notes to me. I took the last spot for the photography workshop. Yeah! It was going to happen. Saturday morning arrived and I was a little nervous. I like to be prepared and know what is expected of me. There was no service at Karijini so I had not received the notes from the previous night. Insecurities started to fill my thoughts; “I won’t know what I’m doing as I didn’t attend the previous night’s workshop. What if I’m not creative enough to take part in an abstract photography workshop? What if I don’t have the skills expected by the two presenters? I have no idea what Solar Printing is.” I got myself organised and headed over to the designated workshop camp site. My concerns were alleviated as people attending the workshop started arriving, everyone was warm and welcoming. Meleah kindly went through her notes with me from the previous night. After initial setup of the camp site we headed to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool, stopping at regular intervals along the way so Meleah had the opportunity to show examples and reinforce the principles covered the previous evening. After arriving at Fortesque Falls we were given a challenge card from Meleah, mine being ‘Take 5 shots on an angle.” We were only a group of about 10 so there was plenty of opportunity to chat to Meleah, Bewley and other photographers attending the workshop. This is a magnificent part of our country. We moved on to Fern Pool where Meleah introduced us to some techniques involving camera movement as a means of creating on abstract image. It was a fantastic afternoon of exploring. Prior to dinner that evening, Bewley Shaylor led us through some Lightroom editing tips. From what I read, Bewley has many talents. Bewley is part of a photography tour across the Kimberley. I would love to be a part of this so I’ll need to start saving my pennies. On Sunday, Meleah led us through the techniques involved in Solar Printing. It was lots of fun and I can see lots of opportunities to use this technique. It was a great couple of days. A big shout out to Katie from Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery and to the amazing, talented and creative photographers / presenters who gave up their weekends to share their knowledge with us. The images included in this blog are all shot in camera with only small exposure tweaks made in Lightrooom. This was a great opportunity for me to refocus on the little things. I like wandering alone. My own time to discover and shoot pictures. ~ Cherel Ito
1 Comment
Bewley
15/7/2016 05:45:20 pm
Really enjoyed reading your piece Sonia, beautiful images and beautifully written, especially the bit about me! ;) You have an amazing eye for the abstract image, keep up the great work and keep saving your pennies so you can join us at Diggers Rest!
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