Posts Tagged ‘Victoria Cooper’
TWO NEW ZEALAND CAMERA OBSCURAS
The view from our window @ Rydges Hotel overlooking Lake Wakatipu – Planning a camera obscura shoot
Rydges Hotel Camera Obscura: Queenstown + Lake Wakatipu
We checked into the Rydges on the Lake hotel at Queenstown in the late afternoon and the lake-view room demanded that a camera obscura image be made. Hotel and motel rooms are all pretty much the same—the beds, the bathroom, the table with one chair maybe two, the big mirror, the tiny bar fridge full of junk food and drink and the TV. In the room one could be anywhere and nowhere.
That evening a visit to the local 4 Square store meant that we were equipped with enough black plastic bin liners and some black electrical tape to cover the 2.5 X 3 metre window.
What we needed to complement the image potential for the picture was a beautiful clear sunny day—and that’s exactly what happened the next day. There were two sessions, one around mid-day and the other late afternoon. Blue sky, the golden leaves of poplar trees in autumn and the colours of lake and mountain filled the room.
Camera Obscura image looking towards Walter Peak
In between shoots we left the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door just in case room-cleaning staff should intervene—We often wonder about what unsuspecting visitors would think when first entering the blacked-out space of the room.
Three main images were made—one of the un-made bed, a deep shot into the room, one each of the both of us—Vicky timing the one-minute exposure, the other, a simulation of Doug checking the review screen of the Olympus camera that had been used for image-making that day.
Image left: Vicky times the exposure Image right: Doug reviews images made on his camera
The ‘pinhole’ was fashioned from a postcard of Lake Wakatipu with the steamship the Earnslaw crossing the lake. The aperture was around 10mm and the exposure time around 2.5 minutes.
Victoria Cooper holding the postcard with the ‘hole’ in it
AIPP ON THE LOUNGE: SQIT Toowoomba April 11, 2012
- AIPP – On the lounge SQIT, Website invite
On this evening the SQIT Photoimaging team hosted two events for visiting AIPP members and invited guests. The visit began with a ‘High Tea’ catered for by the SQIT Hospitality team – sumptuous treats were accompanied by tea and coffee. Those attending settled down to conversation with each other in the convivial atmosphere of the ‘Futures’ Restaurant. Coffee Shop
At 5.30 stage two of the visit began with the open of an exhibition of photobooks and artists’ books made by SQIT Photo students over the last 5 years. The show was opened by Queensland Division President Jan Ramsay, who as a past student of an art photography unit, and also part of the end-of-year professional assessment team at SQIT, had experienced the Toowoomba TAFE Photo team at work.
Doug thanks Jan Ramsay for opening the ‘Brought to Book’ show
The books on show ranged from Shanea Rossiter’s ‘Inspiring Women’ book of portraits to Cathy Smith’s book ‘Junked’, a documentary comment on our disposable society and Lorraine Seipel’s political message in the book ‘Song for the future’. The exhibition was curated by Victoria Cooper and Doug Spowart for the Queensland Festival of Photography.
‘Brought to Book’ opening @ Futures Gallery SQIT Toowoomba
The third stage of the program included presentations by the three full-time staff of the photo team – Rachel Susa, Alison Ahlhaus and Doug Spowart. Each spoke of their connection with photography from both the personal and professional context. Doug spoke of the 20-year history of the photo Diploma and Certificate courses at SQIT and the Photoimaging teaching methodology.
The session concluded with a PowerPoint show presenting a selection of images and comments from past students. It was interesting to hear of the experiences of these past students about studying at SQT as well as their achievement in photography. The past students included: AIPP Chairman of the Board Alice Bennett, Nicola Poole, Katie Finn, Lisa Mattiazzi – National Gallery of Australia imaging specialist, Lydia Shaw who works in many areas including photography and teaching in Dubai, nationally acclaimed commercial photographer Damien Bredberg, Sue Lewis – APPA Team Manager and recent graduate Shanea Rossiter who is establishing a business in Warwick.
The Past Students PowerPoint show (PPS) can be downloaded from the www.cooperandspowart.com.au website – It’s a 30.9 mb download but presents an interesting overview of where SQIT students go to and the amazing achievements that they have. CLICK <http://www.cooperandspowart.com.au/2_PLACES/OtherBooks/index.html> Then select the PowerPoint AIPP OTL picture.
The evening concluded with the video fusion show “Dance-on’ by 2011 SQIT Diploma Student of the Year. “Lindsey’s video represents the future of photography” said Doug, and added, “that the stilled image is dead!” The point was not debated, but in the context of an industry that has gone from wet darkrooms to light rooms and digital output in the last ten years everyone left knowing that anything is possible.
Cheers Doug
COOPER+SPOWART: ‘Contact Zone’ exhibition
Featuring the photo-based artist’s books and photobooks of Victoria Cooper and Doug Spowart
March 21 ~ April 5
Cooper and Spowart are influenced by the context and the consequences of living within a constantly changing relationship with the landscape. Contact Zone connects the viewer/reader with “place” relationships through the photobook, both physically and metaphorically.
Contact Zone installation - Cooper+Spowart @ Futures Gallery, Toowoomba
Part of the 2012 QCP Queensland Festival of Photography
Feb 11: STORM LASHES Toowoomba – Blackout most of the evening
When the clouds get dark in Toowoomba these days we check the Bureau of Meteorology’s website to see what’s in store … Last year’s floods have made us sensitive to potential disasters. Today we checked BOM at 6.00pm as a storm appeared to be coming in from the west …
BOM Website 6.00.41sec 11-02-2012
Within a half an hour a severe thunderstorm hit Toowoomba and caused a power blackout lasting 3.5 hours. Just as well the MACs were charged …
Doug and Victoria caught out after storm blacks out electricity
31 December: NEW YEARS EVE – Toowoomba
TOOWOOMBA NEW YEARS EVE 2011 FIREWORKS
Not Sydney but it’s all we’ve got (and we can walk home in 5 minutes!)
A great five course dinner with friends, the fireworks was course two, Champagne, exotic cheeses, home-grown baked veggies, Felicity’s rack-of-lamb and Beverley’s famous raspberry sauce!!
Fireworks in 'Frogs Hollow' Toowoomba 7.30pm December 3, 2011
2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
25 December: Lunch in the Park
We Hope You All Had a Great One Too ! !
Christmas lunch in Toowoomba’s Botanic Gardens
Toowoomba Botanic Gardens setting
Smoked trout, salad, fruits ad watermelon – A Christmas Dinner feast
A bull ant tucks in as well!
Lying back after lunch – looking skyward
Maybe Christmas is for the birds!
20+21 December: Heading Home
It always rains when we turn for home. The Newell Highway, rain and big B-Double truck rattling along the flood tortured bitumen is an experience that is full of tension.
Drivin' down the highway - Photo: Vicky
Another thing – Don’t check into motels that are too close to the highway. Sometimes, in the dead of night, it feels as if the truck is coming through the room …
The sun did shine @ Forbes …
Outside the Forbes Courthouse
Santa up a pole
19 December: Milawa Bread, Cheese and Wines
A Mt Buffalo snack - Olive breads, soft and hard cheeses and nuts
North-eastern Victoria is renown for fine foods and wines – While at Mt Buffalo we feasted on sour dough and olive breads made locally. The olive bread came from the Milawa Bakery and when we left the mountain we went in search of some more of the luscious bread. Milawa Bakery is situated in the Cheese Factory so we stocked up on some Christmas delicacies.
Just nearby Brown Brothers vineyards stretch across the landscape, and they have wine tastings at their cellar door – we went in …
Out the cellar door with a few bottles
For more on the Milawa foods:
15~18 December: Mt Buffalo National Park
Revisiting the mountain will require many posts. Here is a taster …
To see the FULL Mt Buffalo image package visit our ‘PLACES VISITED’ Blog – alongthetrack.wordpress.com
Victoria Cooper and Doug Spowart in the Mt Buffalo Chalet garden
Doug and Vicky at the Gorge lookout, Mt Buffalo National Park
Vicky photographing flowers at Mt Dunn, Mt Buffalo National Park
Doug photographing near The Horn, Mt Buffalo National Park
14 December: Hume Dam
View of water from the dam wall
We’ve visited the Hume Dam that block the flow of the Murray River near Albury – After all the recent rains the dam has filled.
Looking towards the dam
The water height has varied from the last time we saw it te years ago …
A comparison of dam water levels @ Bell Bridge 2000 ~ 2011
wotwedid 