Shut the door on your way out /  by Mario Mirabile

Doors are perhaps - after walls and roofs - the most universal and utilitarian structural component of buildings. They can admit or deny access to people, animals, light and air. And, of course, being so common, their form is practically endless. 

Beyond utility, doors have become decorative things. Functional components of doors wrought into elegant flourishes, retain their beauty even as they rust into decrepitude. Even something so mundane as a parking garage entrance attracts the creative attention of architects. For other doors, their original purpose has become almost secondary as they are transformed into artists canvasses. 

But, utilitarian or decorative, or both, there is always a sense of mystery as to what lies beyond.

Abandoned /  by Mario Mirabile

Abandoned (adj.) - deserted, forsaken cast aside. The word conjures up images of sadness, desolation and finality. Probably not something we care to sped a lot of time dwelling on. But, on a small scale, abandonment is everywhere, and it doesn't necessarily have to be sad.

A half eaten hamburger perched on a parapet poses all sorts of questions. Was the eater running late for a meeting, or was it just a sub-standard burger. Perhaps the fact that it wasn't in a nearby rubbish bin indicates that the owner will soon return to finish their meal. Is the neatly spread out jacket holding a place for someone who's popped off to get another drink? Will the welder's gauntlet get the helping hand it seems to be reaching for to help it off its pile of rubble?

All these questions remain unresolved, but the search for answers has not been abandoned.

Random sightings /  by Mario Mirabile

I seem to have been having a bad run of luck with technology lately. I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks rebuilding my PC after a it had a bit of a whoopsie. If that seems a long time, it's at least in part because I'm fairly anal and meticulous about how I go about such matters. Consequently, I haven't spent much time processing my pictures. Not that there's been much of consequence to process as things have been a bit slow and I haven't taken more than a few days off work. Never-the-less, here's a couple of random sightings from  my lunchtime wanderings.

The year that was /  by Mario Mirabile

2015 has been a year of photographic extremes for me. While I have at times struggled to find inspiration and motivation, I have also produced what I consider some of my best work to date. It's been very much a case of making my way through the valleys to reach a few bright peaks

To finish the year I'll post few of my favorite images from 2015. Not necessarily the best - whatever that might be - just ones that appeal to me. Most have been posted earlier in the year, but a few are making their first appearance.  I hope you like them too. I've also gone through my portfolio pages and tidied them up, so if you haven't had a look through them recently, it might be a good time to poke through them.

Here's hoping that 2016 is a good year for you. 

Happy Christmas /  by Mario Mirabile

It's Christmas, which means that another year is drawing to a close. To all who've followed my blog through the year, thank you. I wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas and all the best for the new year.

Summer in the city /  by Mario Mirabile

I'm not sure what's been happening to my photography of late. I've been taking pictures regularly, but when I look at them, they mostly seem to leave me flat. My lunchtime wanderings which have been a rich source of inspiration over the last couple of years just don't seem to be supplying the same steady flow of images lately. I'm sure it has something to do with treading the same well-worn paths. It also doesn't help that the mid-summer light is harsh and hard at the times I'm typically out. Still, the one thing that's always changing and providing something new are people. Perhaps I just need to focus on them for a while.

Daylight robbery /  by Mario Mirabile

We planted an olive tree in our front garden a few years ago. It gets plenty of sun, but I'm not really sure it's enjoying the position it's in as it has stiff competition for moisture from a nearby mature golden elm. Still, it produces a flush of blossom each spring, and should be cross-pollination with a much more successful specimen across the road. A couple of years ago I watched and waited eagerly for the two olives it had produced to mature, but the disappeared from it's branches before they had the chance.

Once again this year it produced a promising flush of flowers. I was checking it for developing olives today when I spotted something quite unexpected. This is a robber fly, sometimes known as an assassin fly. The name reflects their nature - they are notoriously aggressive predators, feeding mainly on other insects. I dashed inside, grabbed a camera, mounted my macro lens and returned fully expecting it to be gone. However, it kindly obliged me by waiting around till I had these shots. While I don't expect it played any part in the disappearance of my olives, with a name like robber fly, who can tell for sure.

Blue notes /  by Mario Mirabile

Australia is home to several small species of wren collectively known as fairywrens. Considering they have been given common names such as splendid fairywren and superb fairywren, it should come as no surprise that they are stunning little creatures. The most common one in Victoria is the superb. While the dominant breeding males in their brilliant blue are more showy, the females still manage to look pretty in their red eye shadow.

They're flighty little creatures and are reluctant to let you get close. I've been trying for years to improve on the few shots in my portfolio which I thought did them any justice. However, on a recent weekend away, I hit the jackpot. There were a couple of breeding colonies inhabiting some bushes near a house where I was staying. They probably had some degree of familiarity with humans, which made them easier to get close to, but it was the sheer numbers which made it somewhat easier to get good shots. It was as close as I've come to filling the frame with these beauties, and well worth the trip.

Retail therapy /  by Mario Mirabile

When I was young,  it wa always a bit of  thrill to go shopping in the city. From the myriad small shops to the huge department stores, the array of goods on offer was mind boggling.  Even as I got older and left home,  it was still a bit of a novelty.  I distinctly remembr the guilty pleasure of being able to shop on  Saturday afternoon when legislation was introduced to allow trading at this formerly sacrosanct time. 

These days, retail is locked in battle with with online sellers for supremacy. Shops have becoome much more interesting in design and layout  in a effort to attract shoppers back through their doors.  Symmetry and order seem to be in favour as themes,  and this can make them interesting subjects. It's almost enough to make shopping novel again.  But only almost. 

Floral tribute /  by Mario Mirabile

Back when I got my first DSLR about 6 years ago, I took a lot of pictures of flowers. They are a natural choice for someone honing their skills with a new camera - colourful, lots of variety, very patient, and no complaints when you point a camera at them. Every time there was a new bloom in the garden, I'd be out there with my camera and tripod aiming for ever more simple and - in my mind at least - artistic compositions. In fact, for a couple of years, I suspect many people thought that was all I photographed. The images came in very handy as for several years I produced an annual calendar which made a very attractive Christmas gift. The calendars form an interesting retrospective showing how my style and skills have changed over the past few years, at least within this genre.

I've  drifted away from floral photography over the years. I still enjoy the process and results, but I don't find myself going out of my way to practice the art like I used to. In fact, when I sat down to look at putting together this year's calendar, I found I didn't have 12 images of flowers I considered worthy of inclusion. The calendar will have a different theme this year, and maybe in 12 months time I'll have enough pictures to return to the floral theme. Or, perhaps not.

What goes around, comes around /  by Mario Mirabile

I posted some pictures with a circular theme last year, and it's a shape that lends itself to so well to photography that it's come around again. The sneaker store is a relatively new addition to the Little Bourke St landscape (at least I've only recently discovered it), and I've found a new twist on the wall art at 101 Collins Street. Sure, there was a bit of digital manipulation required to line up the concierge with his thought processes, but I think the result is well worth the effort .

High on ice /  by Mario Mirabile

The last traces of winter have disappeared. Even though spring is barely a month old, the last few days have been unseasonably warm, and it looks like we're in for hot and dry summer in Melbourne. Just to cool things down, I'll give you a few images of the ice which I found on the shores of Lake Guy during out winter break in the high country. Chill out.