Tag:miniature photography
Toms amazing adventures continued as he cycled along a backroad towards St George. A patrol car emerged out of the dust plume behind him, pulled alongside, and asked for his destination. “I’m going to St George, brother,” said Tom. “Do you have any ID on you?” officer Peter Pickle asked, “no suh”, Tom said, “I identify as aboriginal, my dad passed back in March, and we don’t use the name of someone who has died. I am waiting on my new name change documents, but I don’t have them yet” Officer Pickle then asked, “what’s your address and date of birth? “Well, brother”, Tom replied, “I was born in 1979, but I don’t know what day or month. I live at the Cherbourg settlement, but I’ve been walkabout since my dad died, and now I am heading back to Cherbourg.”
Long Arm Of The Law
Officer Peter Pickle and Officer Randal Relish looked at each other in confusion. Officer Relish then asked, “do you have anything on you to show you are a Queensland resident?” Tom said, “would a letter from an elder in my mob do?” reaching into the back of his pants, Tom produced a warm, crumpled, beer, and wine-soaked letter with ketchup stains splashed over it that Beryl had knocked up in her kitchen for him. He leaned over and made to hand it through to the window towards them. Both officers looked horrified at what Tom was handing them. He brusquely said, “on your way,” as they quickly zapped the windows up and drove off in a cloud of dust.
Grinning broadly, Tom waited till they vanished in the distance and then rode into St George. While there, he sold his bike at Cash Converters before heading to the backpacker hostel on foot. Once at the hotel, he put his name on the board for a lift to Roma before joining a group of Swedish tourists in the garden.
Charters Towers
Tom picked up a lift with two french girls heading to Charters Towers and rode with them as far as Roma. In Roma, he started to make his way to the self-storage unit that held the last items he had bought. He passed a vintage car display and stopped to look, several times getting in the way of the photographers. He knew this because they kept asking him to move out of their shot.
Walking around looking at the cars, he noticed a blue police phone box in the distance and had a chuckle to himself, thinking Queenslanders really are backward if the police still use those old blue phone boxes.
Travels with the Doctor
Tom wandered around the car festival and walked past the blue phone box – just as an odd-looking chap with bushy eyebrows popped out the door. Introducing himself as John Smith, he began chatting to Tom and invited him inside. After a brief explanation, and once Tom got over it was bigger on the inside, John, who called himself The Doctor, offered him a chance to travel with him. Always up for an adventure, Tom jumped at the chance. They left Roma on Sept 28th, 2020, at 4 pm. Tom and John travelled together for two years, with Tom having many more amazing adventures before dropping him back in Roma at 4.04 pm on Sept 28th, 2025. By now, COVID had all but disappeared save for the odd outbreak among the conspiracy theorists who refused to be vaccinated.
Tom picked up his car and caravan from the self-storage (Bill, who had access to Toms bank, had kept the account up the date while he was travelling with John) and headed off up the road towards Airlie Beach, whereby now, Bill and Beryl had retired. At Airlie Beach, Tom and Bill bought a bar and backpacker hostel. Tom became a popular figure around town, entertaining all with his ‘tall tales of his amazing adventures. Sitting on his porch one day, he mused, “maybe I should write a book. I’ll call it Toms Amazing Adventures”.
The End
Continued from Part One
Tom’s Amazing Adventures continued the next day. After walking all morning, Tom had picked up a ride to Dubbo with a lovely old lady in a Vauxhall. She regaled him with stories of her childhood during the Great Depression of the ’30s and the hardship of the ’40s with WW2. It particularly offended her that people were protesting their current “hardship” with the lockdown. “pfft”, she said. “They have no idea what hardship is. Have any of them ever had bread and dripping sandwiches or eaten Tripe?”
Dubbo
More than a bit shamefaced with her words, Tom remained silent. After being dropped off in Dubbo, Tom decided to take a couple of days rest from the road and picked up some casual work repairing burst pipes. So it seems with all the excess eating of desserts. The cream was building up and causing the old pipes to crack.
Tom had been in Dubbo for three days. With work on the pipes done, he spent a day relaxing. He had been sleeping rough under the bridge alongside the Macquarie River in Biddybungie Reserve. Wandering alongside the river, and through the town’s parks, he indulged his hobby of birdwatching.
This was also a good cover for keeping an eye out for checkpoints and police roadblocks. Next, Tom stopped off at the local Salvation Army Op shop. Taking a leaf out of his hero Jack Reacher’s life on the road, he purchased a change of clothes. He then discarded his old clothes in a bin. He would simply wear them until he needed to replace them. He then sneaked into the NRMA Dubbo holiday park for a shower. He planned to head up the Newell Highway the next day, hoping to get a lift as far as Walgett.
On the road to Walgett
Tom set out as the sun was coming up and started walking along the edge of the highway, thumb out. After about half an hour, he was picked up by a cattle truck heading north. Grateful that the wind was blowing south, Tom accepted the ride. He chatted with Bluey, the driver, all the way to Walgett. Walking into town, Tom found a café and ordered a coffee.
Chatting to a local, he found out that Walgett had artesian bore baths, naturally heated to a temperature of 41.5°. Even better, the baths were free. Having been on the road now for almost two weeks, a good soak sounded perfect.
Tom’s goal of getting to Walgett was based on it being a quiet little town but a stop on the Great Inland Way. This was a tourist route that travelled 2,956 kilometres from Sydney to Cairns, through inland NSW. He surmised that he would have no trouble picking up a lift from travelling tourists. And camping in the national parks along the way would be easy. The border to Qld was also only an hour and a half away by car, though he planned to cross by foot. Again under the cover of darkness in a day or so. In the meantime, he would camp at the free campsite in Walgett to rest up and be ready for the night crossing.
The giant Cos tree
After a comfortable night, Tom made himself a billy tea – and decided to go for a hike through Cos Valley. He had heard other campers talking about the valley in glowing terms. It had plenty of birdlife and the tallest Cos tree in Australia. So after a breakfast of sausages in bread, cooked on his campfire (god, he missed Bunnings), he packed his backpack with a few supplies and set off.
He hiked through Cos Valley and ate his lunch under the shade of the Cos tree. Tom enjoyed the solitude before he headed back to Walgett via an ancient Celery Forest, Where much to his surprise, he encountered Bill and the scout troop Bill, behaving as he didn’t know Tom, gave him a brief nod and said ‘afternoon sir, enjoying your walk?” and kept going.
Rendevous
Back at camp, Tom put the billy on and sat down. Then, realising it was Bill who had been watching his last night, he sat and waited. It wasn’t long before Bill ambled over. They greeted each other warmly, and Bill said to Tom, “you made good time then” “Yes, said Tom, I had some luck on the trip with picking up rides, But I didn’t expect to see you till I got to Lightning Ridge”.
“My dear old mum always said you were lucky bloke,” said Bill, “she said you would always land on your feet. But, mind you, I don’t see how that’s good. If I landed on my feet, I’d snap both ankles” They hung by the campfire and talked quietly. Bill explained with the good weather; he thought he had time to get an overnight trip in with the scouts before Tom arrived.
“Everything on your list is ready at the house,” Bill said. “Beryl was a bit annoyed at the start, but she’s come around and is looking forward to seeing you,” They said their goodbyes for now, and Bill headed back to the scouts’ Tom settled down for the night as he had an early start in the morning.
Lightning Ridge
The camp was still quiet. With most still sleeping in their tents, Tom packed up and left in the morning. He wandered through the sleeping town and hit the Castlereagh Highway just after 7 am. Walking along with his thumb out, he got his first lift from a truck as it pulled out of the Walgett Wheat Siding. He rode with the driver as far as the Gwydir Highway junction. From there, he was on foot again until he was picked up by a fossicker who took him all the way to Lightning Ridge.
Beryl had been thinking about Tom. Was he having a fantastic Adventure? However, she had to work that afternoon, so no time to think about Tom Beryl was a caddy at the Lightning Ridge Golf Club Tom and Bill decided to go with her and have a drink at the clubhouse while she worked then they would all stay for dinner “Not looking or smelling like that”, said Beryl “You,” she said, pointing at Tom, “are going to take a long, hot shower, WITH soap AND shampoo, and throw those clothes out the door into the hall You will find clean clothes and shoes in your room, because Bill, you are going to burn what’s he’s wearing They aren’t going in my washing machine, and aren’t fit for the oppy”.
Victoria had been in stage four lockdown for the last six weeks with no end in sight. Tom wanted his own amazing adventures. He had heard all about his mate Bill’s weekend adventures in NSW and envied Bill his freedom not living in Victoria.
In NSW, with no lockdown in place, everyone continued living life as usual. Rock climbing in the Spud mountains was popular. Those new to the sport practised on Choc Chip Mountain before moving to a more challenging climb on icy Donut Peak.
The Plan
Fed-up with self-isolation, unemployed, and not seeing family or friends, when the extension to lockdown was announced, Tom decided to leave Victoria and head to Queensland. Though the border to NSW remained closed, he vowed to take his canoe and slip across the border under the cover of darkness.
Pushing off into the Murray River from Wodonga, he silently slipped into Albury. Arriving undetected, he concealed his canoe under branches on the river bank and went looking for breakfast. Coming across a waterworks crew repairing a sewer pipe, he asked for directions to a cafe.
Tom’s mate Bill lived in northern NSW and had plenty to do on the weekend. So on the morning, Tom slipped into Albury, Bill took the local scout troop out hiking. Unlike in Victoria, camping was still allowed, though finding a suitable spot to camp in the Breadline Mountains was proving difficult, and unexpected snow meant the troop lost the track. So while the troop waited back at camp, Bill went for help through Sweet Potato Canyon.
While Bill was seeking help, Bill’s sister Beryl and the family took to the slopes.
Meanwhile back in Victoria……….
Very few pulled a sick day in Victoria unless they were actually ill. Going to work meant you could actually get out of the house and be more than 5kms from home. However, you had to show proof if you came across a random police check.
Consumption of food and alcohol had exploded in iso, and keeping up with the supply of olives for pizzas and martinis was a never-ending task. It was made doubly difficult when Tom didn’t show up for his weekend shift. The supervisor was demanding to know where the hell was he?
Tom was actually making good time. Passing himself off as a Danish backpacker named Tomas, who was stuck here when the borders closed, he hitched a lift with a truck taking local Melbourne parcels to Sydney via Adelaide for sorting. Not wanting to go near Sydney, he asked the driver to drop him off in Goulburn. Tom then spent a warm, dry night in Paper Mill Caves before heading off again at sunrise towards Orange.
Days End
Tom had walked to Wayo and then been lucky to pick up a ride with a passing car. The driver was a strange, tin foil hat-wearing person on their way to camp out in the Blue Mountains until the pandemic was over. They explained that with no 5G towers inside the national park, that Covid-19 would never reach there. Parting ways with the driver in Trunkey Creek, Tom found an abandoned house and set up his swag for the night.
After a well-deserved sleep-in, Tom headed to the Black Stump hotel for a hearty country breakfast. Then, having eaten a double serve of baked beans he decided to walk for the first hour or two before trying to hitch a lift again. Once beyond the black stump he passed a bushwalker on their way to the Black stump, after that, the only company he had was the crows flying overhead and following him down the road.
Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, eBooks are proving popular. Photographers across the world have had their income severely curtailed. Tours are cancelled, portrait shoots put on hold. Wedding photographers have no weddings to shoot, even newborn photography has taken a hit with no one allowed into your home. Consequently, this has led to many photographers putting out eBooks to help boost their income. And sitting at home in front of your computer – looking to learn while you are stuck in isolation, it’s tempting to buy them. But are they worth your money? With a couple of reservations. Yes.
Over the course of this pandemic and isolation, I have bought a few eBooks, looking to upskill myself, ready for when I can venture out again. I found, overall, most were good to great. Informative, lots of tips and secrets divulged. Easy to checkout and download, tick, tick. And conversely, one, quite disappointing with basic content that I could pick up with just as easily with an internet search.
Price
Overall, the price of eBooks is something that really bugs me. Yes, the author has a lot of time putting it together. But after it’s ready, that’s it. Upload it, advertise it, sit back and wait for sales. No more work is required, and it keeps (hopefully) bringing in money month after month for years, with no more work required. Money for jam. So why are they priced equal to or dearer than print books when they don’t have the overheads? There are no printing or distribution costs. No commission or markup to retailers. Yet the price doesn’t reflect this.
Buyer beware
I read voraciously on my iPad. Mostly fiction, with some photography related ebooks. The fiction books are always $10 to $20 cheaper than ‘textbooks’, so not a big investment. However, textbooks are usually a lot dearer. So I try to be selective with them. A boring or badly written fiction book at $15 or less is easier to stomach than a photography ebook where I learned nothing but paid $35 – $40. And I really wished for a money-back guarantee with the last one I bought. Some do give it – some don’t.
Reviews
Be aware; these are my opinions only. You may feel completely different about the books. I also purchased all these books – none are paid reviews.
Landscape Photography: On Location
by Thomas Heaton
$6.58 on Amazon
One of my favourite eBooks. I have been following Thomas via his YouTube channel for ages, so I jumped at the book when I found it.
It contains loads of useful, well explained technical information for all skill levels. While it’s not a ‘how-to’ manual, it contains many tips, pointers, and inspiration. And for the price, you can’t go wrong.
Photographing Fabulous Flowers
By Leanne Cleaveley
$19 from Photzy
This book is well written, filled to the brim with loads of helpful tips and hints on getting the perfect shot. Leanne covers everything from settings to composition to editing and printing. The book also comes with a bonus checklist plus a flower waterdrop tutorial. If you’re not satisfied, it’s also backed by a 365-day money-back guarantee. No money-back is needed on this one. If you are into flower photography, this one is definitely for you.
For the Love of Food
By Julie Powell
$25 from Julie Powell Photography
This is a great little eBook.
Seventeen pages covering composition, lighting, hints, and tips on backgrounds and props.
If you are getting into food photography and looking for where to start, you will be on the right path.
No money-back guarantee (not that I want one), but for the price, definitely value for money.
Captiviting Color
by Mitchell Kanashkevich
$19 from Digital Photography School
This was one of the first eBooks I purchased on photography, and it made a huge difference to how I “see” images. It aims to teach you how to understand and use colour. This, in turn, influences your viewer’s attention to the image and use colour and subjects for maximum impact.
Includes six practical exercises to help you implement what you have learned. Comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
The Creative Photography Cookbook
by Dina Belenko
$39 Available from Expert Photography
In a word. Awesome. This book has to be the bee’s knees for creative food photography. Dina Belenko is the queen of ‘conceptual still like photography’ with 44k followers on Instagram.
Her book covers composition, props, setups, techniques. 31 projects with loads of pictures, giving you step-by-step directions from props to setup to editing on creating your own amazing images.
Includes bonus ‘recipe’ sheets. One of the more expensive books, but it’s 374 pages big! It also comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Miniature Worlds
by David Gilliver
£20 from Davids website
I had to hit one turkey sooner or later on the law of averages.
David is a fabulous photographer from Glasgow, Scotland, renowned for light painting and miniatures. He has been featured in many newspapers for his small world figures and has over 2.5k followers on Instagram. The book is roughly the same price as Dina Belenko’s but 1/6th size.
However, his book of ’52 pages’ sounded great. He said his book “is packed full of advice and detailed information on camera gear & settings. Additionally it included information on where to source the figurines and props. He claimed to have “not held anything back and have shared everything that I have learned over the past 20+ years”.
I agonised over this book for a week or more. I really wanted it. But there was no money-back guarantee. In the end, because I had never asked for my money back before, I bit the bullet and bought it. And so wished I had saved myself the $37 Au. We didn’t get information on how to do these figures till page 13. The first 12 pages are fluff. The next seven pages contain images and descriptions. Nothing you couldn’t work out yourself by looking at them on his Instagram page.
The following pages cover camera settings and props, then more images and tip gems such as “check battery is charged, and sd card is in camera”. He may have held nothing back, but what he gave was nothing I hadn’t already learned by google searching others. In fact, I learned more from a free tutorial on the Adobe Create page.
Moral to the story
Above all, don’t buy if they don’t offer a money-back guarantee. Of all the books I have bought, those with the guarantee were worth it, and I was a satisfied customer. I guess I know why David’s book didn’t come with one.