Apart from the obvious which is allowing me to shoot some photographs and making them look pretty, I love my cameras for their funny little quirks. When you spend as much time with a camera like I do, you start to think of them as friends, confidantes, secret keepers and often times, like your own children.

My latest family member is my Polaroid SLR680 and it has got to be one of the funniest cameras I have ever owned. No, it doesn’t tell me jokes, but shooting with it often ends in giggles. Usually the photographer controls the camera but in this case, this camera controls me. I have absolutely no say in where the Polaroids will end up once I press the shutter button.

It has a mind of its own and for some reason when I press click, instead of slowly ejecting the Polaroid which is supposed to remain in the camera, the Polaroid shoots itself out of the camera like a cannon ball. I never know whether to try to grab it quickly, run after it or giggle. One must be very careful when shooting around snow, puddles and sand. I have already lost a few Polaroids to snow diving suicide missions. I may have been seen chasing a Polaroid across the sand on the beach in Hawaii. Thankfully a nice lady caught one for me.

Yes, this Polaroid shooting is a dangerous business. If you ever find yourself with a cannon ball shooting Polaroid, be mindful of these things:

• wind and water are your enemies.
• you may end up with wonky shots because you will attempt the “shoot and catch” move that I myself am becoming most skilled at.

Do your cameras have any funny, little quirks that you’ve come to love?

Related posts:

1. Rainbow Polaroid Cameras at Photojojo
2. The Things We Do For Those We Love
3. Paper Cameras Print Store Sale On Now

I have a confession that no camerajunkie should admit…I have been looking at purchasing a new digital camera. It’s terrible, this disease. Always hunting for something different, something to inspire and recharge the picture taking mojo.

At present, I am in love with the idea of the Olympus E-P1. It has been built with the love of old school photography in mind. This gorgeous new thing looks like the old Olympus Pen cameras and has some awesome features that most digicams do not offer. I would LOVE to get my hands on this camera.

Check out some shots on flickr.

However, as we move into October, which I have dubbed U2 month, I have been pondering getting something good and strong to work that concert stage. I have been looking at the Canon G11 which does very well in low light and has the old flippy out screen.

Oh, decisions, decisions…

Does anyone have any compact cam recommendations or use the Canon G9/10? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. First Steps Towards The Move
2. So You Want to Buy a Film Camera
3. How To Use A Polaroid Camera

My sister in Centennial Park, Sydney

So you wouldn’t think that this is the dead of winter here in Sydney, right now. The past couple of weeks we have been having glorious sunny weather that only requires a light jacket. It’s that kind of weather where you instantly feel the urge to lie down in the grass to feel the warmth of the sun caressing your back. It’s like a hug, a warm, sun hug.

I absolutely adore this kind of weather, so this week my sister and I headed out to Centennial Park to have a mini photo shoot. Ducks and geese were splashing in the water (we think some of them were laughing at us), golden, curly haired puppies were scampering through the grass, while the sun was hitting the ponds, making them sparkle.  It made me feel warm and gooey inside.

There is one small section in Centennial Park that has a little wooded forest and for a moment, you can imagine you are in a hidden woodland in Europe somewhere. We took Polaroids and played with balloons and heard the click and whirr of the shutter button. I handed her the holga and she inquired, ” What do I do? ” after she had just wrestled with my Canon 40D and all it’s wizz bangery. I laughed and replied, “point it, push that plastic lever”.

It was a happy little lomo moment.

If you are ever in Sydney, just before or around Spring, you must stop by the little wooded forest and pond with the giggling geese.

More photos to come but for now check out these lovely shots…

Image by Lawatt

Image by Hanna Davis

Related posts:

1. New Sydney Finds
2. Shooting In The Rain
3. Things I Will Miss About Sydney