News
TRISTAN CARDEW
Photography + Digital Imaging
090810
So, you know what time it is, Fred? It's 4:29am. And i'm sitting at my desk, writing this blog entry, and in an hour i'll be at the airport, and an hour after that i'll be boarding a plane bound for New Zealand. And you know why I haven't written this blog post earlier? Because i've been running around like a mad-man the past few days and haven't had time! When it rains, it pours... That saying couldn't be more applicable right now...
Anyhow, on a more serious note, I should actually probably keep this relatively short as I have a half-packed bag waiting patiently next to me to be filled with camera gear and ski equipment... So let's get down to business.
These past few weeks, or more importantly, these past few days, have been hectic - coming down with the flu didn't help, of course, but y'know, one has to follow the general trend right? Photography wise there's a couple of things of interest been going on. Well, to me at least....
- I shot a new, HOT, 29" single-speed race weapon for AMB Mag the other day (that's a bicycle for all you non-bicycling folk...).
- I shot the Jet Black 12-Hour up at Wisemans Ferry for Rocky Trail Entertainment on Saturday (that's a mountain bike race...).
- And I upgraded my camera to a Canon 1DMkIII so can now shoot 10 frames per second at 10 million pixels per image, which is awesome.
The next fortnight i'll be in NZ shooting, too, which should be extreme, so definitely look out for a couple of new images over the next little while... From the small glimpse I had of New Zealand last year, the place looks radical, so i'm very much looking forward to it.
Sorry I don't have time to write more - time contraints, sleep deprivation, yaddah yaddah...you'll hear more eventually!
Until then, stay cool...
180710
Sorry about the delay in updates recently guys and girlies. Even though my mum is probably the only person to view this section of my site...
Anyway, I should probably write something mildly amusing or interesting so that if someone does happen to randomly stuble upon my news page they have something current and up-to-date to read up on. So where to start?
I've been working on multiple photographic fronts lately... Putting together a 2011 calendar for Bike Addiction (is 2010 already flying by us that quickly?), shooting more BMX images of the amazing Joe Dodd (one of which i've put up in gallery three), and practicing my portrait skills with my good friend Elliot Holdstock. As usual, all of this has taught me a huge amount, which, at the end of the day, is what we're all after right? The ability to learn and grow in our chosen field. I find photography ridiculously addictive because of the constant learning and progressing I experience. It's truly a beautiful thing.
And then outside of photography? Well, it was my older sisters 23rd birthday on Thursday, so we had an awesome dinner last night at L'etoile in Paddington, a 10 minute walk from my place, with family and friends. I've also been really missing my beautiful girlfriend, Giuliana (you may have seen photos of her in a couple of my galleries), who's currently in Lima, Peru for 6 weeks before heading to Montreal, Canada to study. It's tough being away from the ones you love...i'm learning that more and more every day, but I really understand the importance in following dreams and supporting others who do the same. But don't fret, we'll be together again soon...a trip to Montreal isn't too far away! And if you're reading this Giuls, know that i'm thinking of you, and I really, REALLY miss and love you.
And yeah, that's about that for now! Hopefully next time you read this I won't be too far from the south island of New Zealand. Only three weeks to go now before skiing and photography takes hold of me non-stop for two weeks straight. Family, friends, travel and passions...this is what life is about.
250610
I've been working quite a bit lately - unfortunately not work of the photographic kind though...i've been slaving the 9-5, pay-the-bills gig to help save for New Zealand, more camera gear, and a trip overseas at the end of 2010/start of 2011. Where to, I haven't yet decided. Japan? Canada? Scandinavia? Who knows... You'll just have to wait and see...!
In the meantime, check out Adolfo Gosalvez's website. Really impressive stuff...I love looking at inspiring images, and I have to thank my mechanic buddy, Mark, for showing me this piece of brilliance.
On a completely unrelated note I thought I should give a shout out to everyone involved with the lobbying for the rebuilding of The Grove dirt jumps in Seaforth, Sydney. The Grove was such a massive part of the Sydney dirt-jump scene (where multiple, epic DJ events have happened and has been featured in every major MTB publication at least once or twice), until it was knocked down by Manly Council in April 2008. It's taken two years of petitioning and painstaking council meetings to get them to recognise the need for such an area, and they've finally put forth the cash to have it rebuilt by the masterminds at DirtArt.Com.Au - a Tasmanian-based company that specialises in the designing and building of dirt playgrounds for grownups. I think I speak for the whole of the Australian MTB community when I say we look forward to seeing it finally finished and rideable. Yeeewww!
120610
Some links i've been clicking on lately:
Matt Kechele's awesome tunnel vision - Insane, mesmerising tube-riding. I don't know about you, but this kind of thing gets me HYPED.
Alltelleringet - A friend sent me this link to an incredible photographer/retoucher who has an utterly trippy, ridiculously creative style. Love it.
Fiberglass and Megapixels - This is just the trailer, but I bought the full-length version of this epic movie about surfing and surf-photography on the North Shore of Hawaii. The footage and stories are super inspiring, and the whole video gives an awesome behind the scenes insight into the way the freelance photography world works.
78 Rules for Photographic Noobs - Just for a laugh. Some good tips in there, too!
One, by Shapeshifter - The kind of tune I could listen to forever. Melodic drum and bass is a beautiful thing. I'm addicted.
And finally, the new Tristan Cardew Photography facebook page - I decided it's time I have something where I can add photos easily and get in on the whole social-media-marketing thing. If you've got facebook, feel free to 'Like' the page to read my semi-regular status updates and links to keep you from boredom on those cold, rainy, winter evenings we seem to have been having a lot of lately in Sydney.
I bought myself a new bicycle today I might add...a 2010 Giant Anthem X2. Look out 100km/24-hour races and racers...here I slowly come!
Hope all's well on your end!
040610
Yo! What's been happening?
Things have been a little busy for me in Sydney this past week. Settling back into life here in this rad city, working on my website, my photography, and myself as a person. I did a shoot yesterday for Australian Mountain Bike magazine who've set up an awesome new BLOG that gets updated pretty much daily by the masterminds behind the mag - Chris Southwood and Mick Ross. Always good for a read, some MTB info, and a laugh.
And speaking of AMB, the new issue is just about to hit stands (if you're subscribed you've probably already received your copy...). Here's a front cover preview, taken by photo-guru-extraordinaire-dude, Chris Benny. Check it out if you want to see some photos I took for a review of a bright orange Ibis Tranny...that thing was crazy light, and crazy bright.
This week also saw the celebration of the 20th birthday of my best mate, Elliot Holdstock. No loud shindigs or epic drunk adventures, just a nice evening in with a cool bunch of people at his place. Gotta love birthdays like that.
Also, for anyone who surfs or who's interested in surfing, i'll soon be contributing to the Northern Beaches based surf-blog, OceanEye. I figure, once the weather fines up (because it's been rather lame here in Sydney this past few weeks), i'm going to want to get out and use my housing as much as possible, and the site will give me a place to hopefully display some images and keep another blog going - so definitely keep an eye out for it.
On a different note, myself and a few others, namely Olly Smith, Alan Lavery and Darian Woods, have booked our flights to go to New Zealand in August for a couple of weeks of skiing and snowboarding. After coming back from 30 degree Indo a fortnight ago and feeling the 11 degree temperatures in Sydney, i'm definitely keen to hit up some snow. And there's no better snow in the Southern Hemisphere than NZ, bru!
Annnddd, yeah, that's pretty much it. There's going to be more changes made to my site over the next couple of weeks too..it's definitely a work in progress, so make sure you keep checkin' back!
260510
Dude.
It's been a long time.
I'm always saying that, hey?
6 months has passed. God, time goes fast. What've I been doing? Hanging in Sydney, photographing, surfing, riding my bike, and other peoples bikes, attending and photographing weddings, travelling to Indonesia, taking more photos and surfing more, and, as always, i've been living the dream.
Just before going to Indonesia for three weeks (which I arrived home from two days ago) I bought myself an Aquatech DV-4 underwater housing and Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens to shoot from the water while overseas. When I visited Indonesia this time last year I vowed to myself that when I returned the following year i'd have an underwater housing to shoot with. Well, I got there, and i'm stoked to say the least! The water is ridiculously clear, the colours of the reef and water are incredible, and the whole visual experience underwater was almost too much to handle. Lucky I could handle it though...as there's a new surfing photo for your viewing pleasure in Portfolio Three. I also spent a considerable amount of time shooting the local people, especially on the island of Nusa Lembongan, so i've put up a couple of photos I took of a young Indonesian girl in Portfolios Two and Three. The underwater portrait in Portfolio Two is of an Indonesian surfer named Robot. When Elliot and I were over on Nusa Lembongan last year we met Robot, who shreds, and we were keen to see how he was surfing again this year. We ended up spending quite a bit of time hanging with him this time round, and I was stoked to get a cool and different shot of him in his element.
Also, a couple of weeks before leaving for Indo, my good friend Dave Musgrove was married to his beautiful fiance, Samantha Hayes. I was honoured to photograph their wedding, held up at the picturesque South West Rocks on the northern New South Wales coast. The surf all the guys had earlier in the day was one thing, but the wedding and reception was something else altogether - truly epic, and we all had a rad time. You can see a shot of the gorgeous bridal party doing their thing after the wedding in Portfolio Three...they were all so stoked! Congrats Dave and Sammy!
Also, a couple of weeks before that, my old mate Joe Dodd and I went out to shoot some photos of him riding his BMX around Sydney. I've always loved King Street Wharf, but never known quite how to incorporate it into a riding photograph. Well, that afternoon was the day to do so. My flashes were giving me all kinds of grief, but, as you can see from the photo in Portfolio Three, once they finally started working Joe was on hand to pull the perfect bunny-hop through a tight gap. Joe's riding is flawless, and I can only thank him for repeating the hop so many times with such perfection...we got there eventually dude!
And finally, a few weeks before all of these events, my even older mate Nicho Bailly of Rouler Imports was keen to have some photos taken of his pride and joy: his 2004 Audi A4 wagon that he's been progressively blingin' out over the past few months. We went out late one night and found an abandoned carpark to take some happy-snaps. I thought they turned out pretty well, and, as a result i've posted up a shot of the beast in Portfolio Three. It's a wicked car, and I only hope the photos do it enough justice...
So there you have it, my life for the past few months. Times have been good my friends, and I can only look forward to the coming months and smile at what might lay ahead. Hopefully i'll keep a more solid update going on the blog!
Peace. TC out.
091209
Hmmm, so I figure it's about time I whack up an update, considering it's been a little while.
Big news of late: I bought myself a new camera. A Canon 7D. Yep, i've jumped ship... No biggie, it's a tool to get the job done. Now, though, I have the ability to get the job done in either 18-megapixel, 8 frame-per-second still photos, or full 1080 HD video...
I've been doing a little shooting for AMB lately, too, so keep an eye out for that in the coming issues.
Apart from that i've been doing odds and ends. Taking photos and assisting, riding my bike, exploring Sydney, living the dream. Life is good, my friends.
Much love.
251009
Not a huge amount to write about at the moment (probably more due to my own laziness rather than a lack of activities in my life). But basically i've been back in Sydney since the start of October - wow 3 weeks goes quickly. Since being back i've been shooting a little (think Tom Patton for a new article for AMB, a 21st birthday and more of Joe Dodd's BMX wizardry), as well as riding my new Leaf Cycles DLX, kindly provided for me by Matt Whitmore of CTN Imports. It's a sweeeeet machine! 24" wheels, Fox suspension, Leaf componentry. Solid, light, fun.
More updates to come as I get myself more settled back into the good life that I currently lead.
But for now, check out a couple of new shots from a street session I shot in Canberra while hanging around waiting for Worlds to happen. Portfolio 1 and 3 with a new photo in each...
Peace.
270909
So the Winter season here in Thredbo has pretty much come to an end...
Apart from the 50 centimeters of snow we just received over the past two days...!!
There was practically nothing left on the mountain, snow wise, until Friday night when it started snowing, and snowing, and snowing. Thredbo had a small strip of snow running down on side to get skiers and snowboarders to the bottom of the chairlift, and now the hill is covered. Today I skied the best powder i've ever had in Australia - knee deep, steep, dry and sweet. Put simply; f*cking awesome!
I'm coming back to Sydney in a few days, and my ten weeks will be done. I'm really looking forward to being home actually. Hopefully I see you round!
100909
Well, that was a big weekend, wasn't it?
I got a lift to Canbrah with the other students heading back to Sydney for the weekend, where I was dropped off at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the middle of the city (would one even call it a city?). I grabbed my media pass, and hung in the foyer processing photos for a couple of hours until Olly Smith and another guy, Josh, arrived to pick me up. Olly grabbed his media pass and from there we headed straight to Mount (pronounced Mound) Stromlo for the Friday night 4X World Champs warm-up and race. If you read back through my blog from this time last year when I was in Val Di Sole, Italy, you'll notice Australian rider Jared Graves crashed during the race and didn't take the rainbow jersey. This year that all washed away. Jared qualified first in every heat and took out the final with ease. Well done dude! Much respect! You're the worlds #1 4X MTB rider...a big achievement.
I was surprised to see Chris Benny down in Canberra too, which was cool. I also chatted to Tim Bardsley Smith and Steve Hillenbrand (the pirate), as well as spotted a few other large-named MTB photographers around the traps which was cool. It really reminded me of shooting a whole bunch of MTB races last year.
After the 4X we met up with James Patterson (Patto) and Darian Woods of
Surf to Summit Photography who would be staying with us for the next couple of nights.
On Saturday morning we headed into Canberra city to meet up with some street riders, Louis Maddiford and Jack Foster, to go shoot some photos. Patto was also shredding, so it made for a fun morning's photography. In the afternoon Olly, Josh and I headed back to Stromlo to shoot the afternoons practice. The light was awesome, the sky was blue, and the worlds best were shredding, so it was a cool arvo out.
Sunday saw the day of racing - beginning at a chilly 730am. A petrol-station meat pie and Red Bull got the hangover, I mean sleep, out of our eyes, and we headed up the hill. Again it was an awesome day...I couldn't have asked for much more in terms of weather, and nothing more in terms of riding. It was so good to again be up on the hill shooting the worlds top riders battling for the elusive striped jersey, only this time in my home country. The crowd got loose and loud, and the atmosphere was awesome. Eventually Steve Peat ended up taking the win, which is insane because it's his first ever World Championship win. He's the old-boy on tour, at 36 years of age, so it's such an achievement for him to add to his belt.
By Sunday night I was buggered. I'd filled my photo vault, and memory bank, with a whole bunch of memories from the weekend...good times. Darian dropped me at Canberra airport where I jumped in the car with one of the staff members from winter school and headed back to Jindabyne. Sweeet!
020909
So i'll be heading off to Canberra this weekend to stay with Oliver Smith, head of Liquid Productions, as well as James Patterson, famed Melbourne rider and photographer who regularly has his hilarious road-trip stories strewn throughout [R]evolution Magazine, to document the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships being held at Mount Stromlo. You might remember (or may have read) that I shot the same event last year in Val Di Sole, Trento, Italy, though I didn't end up doing all that much with the photos. I hope to change this, this time around, and actually use them for something worthwhile (not just my own portfolio, ha!).
I'm guessing quite a few of you guys will be there, so feel free to come up and say hey if you happen to see me around the place.
Also, i've just put up a new shot in Portfolio Three for you guys to check out. Something a little different from me...
For now, i'm off to teach some lessons...
260809
Just to let you all know, i've thrown up a whole heap of new shots in Portfolio Three, as well as a couple of new shots in both Portfolio One and Two. Enjoy.
250809
Well, well, well. Back here again. First of all, I apologise, profusely, for the lack of updates over the past, say...6 months. I blame the crappy user interface of my website, but more so my lack of effort and ability in the maintenance of the site. I promise to do more for you guys!
So what've I been up to since we last spoke? Well, quite a bit actually. In May this year I travelled to Indonesia for a month with my good friend Elliot. We spent 2 weeks on Bali checking out classic Indo surf at Uluwatu, Bingin and Kuta Reef, as well as a week on Nusa Lombongan - a small island between Bali and Lombok that had 2 awesome right hand reefbreaks and an awesome bunch of people looking after us, before heading off to Sumatra for another week. I can't tell you how different Sumatra is to Bali and Nusa Lombongan. While the latter two islands are predominantly Hindu, Sumatra is predominantly Muslim, which made for some pretty interesting looks when we arrived at the airport as the only westerners, in singlets, shorts and thongs (something not generally "done" over there), carrying 7 foot surfboard bags (we were hundreds of kilometers from the coast...). Ahh well, we lived, and we learned, and then we got in a car with a non-English speaking driver for a 5 1/2 hour ride to our destination, Karang Nyimbor, which was home to an awesome left hand reef, which, at low tide, broke into about 2 feet of water. Exciting stuff. There will be a couple of shots of some Indonesian kids I took on the trip in Portfolio 3 if you're interested...
After that we left 30 degree Indonesia, and headed back to Sydney, arriving to a classic winter day - perfect blue sky and about 8 degrees outside. It was a nice contrast to the temperatures we'd spent the last month in.
I then spent 6 weeks in Sydney working and catching up with friends, before flying out to New Zealand to work with Chris Benny on a project of his. You'll have to check out his blog if you want to find out more. One thing I will say though is New Zealand (primarily around Queenstown) has the most spectacular scenery i've ever seen. It was incredible, and i'll definitely need to go back on a skiing/photography-related trip. I'm thinking July next year...
Also while I was in Sydney, a new issue of 2020 BMX magazine was published, with a nice 5 page article on Joe Dodd, plus many riding shots i'd taken over the previous months, inside. It was great to see some more of my work in print, as well as to see Joe get the recognition he deserves.
After New Zealand brew, I was in Sydney for another 4 days before moving down to where i'm currently writing this update from - Jindabyne, in the snowy mountains. I've been living down here for the past month (with another 6 weeks to go), working at the Redlands Winter School High Country Campus as a 'gap student'. I'm not quite a teacher, but not quite a student, which means I have fewer responsibilities than either of them! I've been skiing 5 days a week, teaching a few scholastic classes, and generally having a pretty awesome time. It's been super cool to hang with young people (yet not have to take orders from older people...), as it's making me feel like a teenager again (wait, I am a teenager?). I've been shooting a little on the side to document what happens down here too (skiing, school work, sleep, and not much else).
Since i've been down here, hanging with Kangaroos, the latest issue of [R]evolution MTB mag has been released with a LowProfile on Callan Robison that I wrote and shot photos for. Callan's another rider who's finally starting to get the recognition he deserves. Definitely something worth checking out.
And finally, while I was busy not updating this blog, I started another, easier to maintain blog - http://tristancardewphotography.blogspot.com/ - where i've been posting random shots of stuff i've shot over the past few months. You'll see much of the same stuff on this site as you'll see there, so feel free to visit either on a regular basis...
So that's what's been happening in my life since the last update. Again, apologies for the lack of updates - I hope to keep a closer eye on my blogging habits into the future.
Hope all's well on your end!
230209
The past few days i've been out shooting with an English BMXer who goes by the name of Joe Dodd. He's now living and working in Sydney, and plans to stay here indefinitely. From a photographers point of view, I hope he does too! It's awesome going out with a rider who's super consistent, capable, and willing.
We shot in Manly on Friday night, then again in Randwick last night (Sunday) and at both spots he was pulling tricks I couldn't have imagined, and all so flawlessly and consistently. It made taking photos THAT much easier, and made the outcome THAT much cooler.
Keep an eye out in the next few days as I update the Portfolio pages of the website, and hopefully in the next couple of weeks i'll have a whole new website altogether...
100209
What i've been up to since we last spoke:
I spent 5 days down in Mt Buller, Victoria, riding and shooting during the Australian Downhill National Round. I met and had beers with Dan Peters, which was awesome, as well as bumping into Damian Breach, unexpectedly, which was also cool. The final photog' I met for the first time was Tim Bardsley-Smith who's photos can be seen regularly gracing the pages of [R]evolution mag, amongst others. Awesome to see so many top-level MTB photographers around at these races. I don't care about so-called "competition"...we're all doing what we love, so it's all good boys and girls.
After arriving home from Buller, I spent a week in Sydney enjoying myself, before heading off again on Saturday up to Blueys Beach, north of Newcastle, to live like a surfing-hobo (sleeping on the beach, eating baked beans and tuna from the can, surfing 3 times a day and getting horribly sunburnt). We started out with a crew of 8 which quickly dwindled down to just 3. Ben and Elliot Holdstock, and myself. It was still rad though...nothing like escaping the cities claws and spending a few days living like a hermit.
And now i'm home. Hopefully not for long (just long enough to save some more money), but I must say, I do really love Sydney...it is truly my home.
Hope all is well on your end...
270109
The website has been lacking on the update front lately, huh. So what's been going on?
Well, i've been working, surfing, and saving lately. I'm going down to Mt Buller in Victoria tomorrow, which should be another fun road trip. Kicking it down there with Nicho Bailly of Rouler Imports, who's now importing Morewood Bikes and will have a new website complete soon, featuring pictures by, well, me! Also coming along for the ride are Brock Newling and Tom Patton...both top blokes who i'm looking forward to chilling and riding with. There's also going to be a National Downhill Round on at the same time, so hopefully some photography will happen too...i've been lacking on that front too recently, and god I miss it.
On a different note, check out David Bergman's 1474 megapixel stitched panorama of Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration. Truly an incredible photograph, for an incredible moment in history.
090109
God I love Thredbo. Spend 6 hours driving and end up in a serene, beautiful, open landscape where one can ride downhill without having to pedal for 15 minutes straight then catch a chairlift for 10 minutes to do it all over again, day after day after day.
The past four days we had perfect weather and a perfect track to hit run after run. That was my idea of a nice time away.
I also grabbed a couple of hours to take some happy snaps of David Andrews and Tom Patton. You can check one of them out in Portfolio Three.
And now i'm back, I think i'll go for a surf! (Life is grand).
010109
Well, here we are at 2009. How quickly it came. I hope 2008 was a successful year, and I hope 2009 is going to be a successful year. I know i've got various plans in store for my life this year...so i'm hitting the ground running by heading down to Thredbo this coming week with O Smith, T Patton, D Andrews, S Dillon and a bunch of other souls, for a week or so of shenanigans, riding, and photomographing - kicking the year off like a dead lepers head.
I'll let you know more of what's in store soon. But let me just say i'm excited. 2009 will be great.
PS: Check out the new shot from Austria in Portfolio Three!
181208
Well, when I said I was pretty keen on riding, I wasn't joking. I've ridden the past 8 days straight, and don't plan to slow up. Whether that be bicycles of the fixed-wheel variety or the multiple-suspensioned, heavy-weight type, i've been non-stop pedalling (literally, as well as metaphorically). Oliver Smith took a nice photo of me hitting our newly-built corner yesterday, as well as a lovely portrait just for good measure. Always gotta have the portrait...
Oh, and I decided i'd follow a trend for once (haha!). I picked myself up an iPhone today. Stepping up in the corporate world, I am...
Peace.
121208
I finished building a Kona Stinky that Nicho from Rouler Imports hooked me up with the other day and since then life has been all downhill. I've ridden three times in the past 5 days, and am going again tomorrow. This stuff is addictive like some sort of cocaine, heroin and nicotine concoction pumped directly into my veins intravenously, but without the needle, the comedown, the cost, or the skeletal appearance as an after-effect. It's truly got me by the balls.
I've also been shooting a bit with Chris Benny the past couple of weeks which has been excellent. Anyone who knows me will know i've always been a big CB fan..so this is dream-come-true type shit.
So life is great at the moment, to say the least. I can't get enough of it. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am.
031208
So much for updating twice a week. I guess that happens (or doesn't happen) when you run off to the Gold Coast Hinterland for 5 days and don't have internet access...
As I mentioned in the last update, I headed up to Tambourine Mountain, about 50 minutes inland from the Gold Coast, to ride some downhill, and to shoot National Round #2 @ Illinbah. The four of us stayed with an awesome couple, Stewart and Jen Robson of SpaOne in their jungle-book-esque house. Their hospitality was very much appreciated, and it was great to be able to come home to a beautiful house rather than a shitty motel...
We also rode a couple of downhill tracks just near their house which turned out to be awesome. It was so cool to have a local showing us around.
Also, remember that couple of days shooting I did with Tom Fogarty? Well it wasn't done for nothing. Keep an eye out in the next issue of [R]evolution..it comes out around Christmas. Hinthint.
Oh, and that day it rained down in Manly - it eased for long enough to shoot a few pics of the 2020 ramp that was set up. So keep an eye out for the next issue of 2020...it comes out mid-January.
As you can tell i've been shooting a lot of MTB and BMX lately. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a nice sunset. You can check out a new one in Portfolio Three...
Stay cool.
231108
Jesus Christ this year is going fast. Already almost December. Anyway...
I don't mind rain too much, but i'm meant to be heading down to Manly today to shoot some BMXers riding a ramp hand-built by Matt Holmes of 2020, and it's sprinkling. Will the event go ahead? I've got no idea. I guess the best way to find out is to go hit it up. If you see some photos over the next few days you'll know it wasn't a write-off...
Different subject: This Thursday i'm driving up to Illinbah, an hour north of Brisbane, Queensland, for the Australian Downhill National Round #2. Coming along for the ride are Nicho Bailly, Brock Newling and Scott Grundy. It should be a pretty loose (pronounced "interesting") few days - we all know how rowdy those Queensland folk get...especially at National races...
Hopefully i'll get a days riding in there somewhere too, which would be a nice change!
More to come.
171108
Hmm, we need more updates, don't you think?Perhaps i'll start to update twice a week rather than just once. Just so you can know what my life entails...you lucky people.
The last couple of days i've done a bit of shooting with Tom Fogarty. What a lovely young chap. And a decent rider too. I've put up two new photos from the last couple of days shoots' in Portfolio One and Portfolio Three for your viewing pleasure.
I'm also in the middle of building up a fixed-wheel commuting bicycle to replace the one I got rid of before I left Sydney. Really looking forward to having that done - I'm desperate to ride. Ride something. Anything!
And then there will be a street bike, and a downhill bike too. It never ends.
Oh, and Oliver Smith (Mr Liquid Productions) and I are planning a Thredbo trip for sometime after the New Year..Thredbo has chairlifts!
Finally, the new issue of Australian Mountain Bike magazine will be out in the next few days with a four page write-up/article on the Megavalanche journey I took part in back in July with my good friends Nicho Bailly and Dave Andrews. Dave has written the words and I have taken the photos. So check it out if you happen to be bored and standing in a newsagent. Which, c'mon, happens to most people daily...
So for now, i'm out. Take care.
091108
Shot film for the first time the other day with my dad's old Nikon FG-20. What a thrillingly disappointing experience.
I was totally stoked, loving it, thought I was being indie, artistic, and avant-garde (ha!), but then I got the pictures back this afternoon...
Enough said.
Anyway, I think i'll keep trying. Perhaps stick to candid portraits and group shots, rather than riding. And maybe keep it simple with black and white film.
It's my birthday, in two days, by the way...
291008
Home and dry. 48 hours travel time, two plane flights, a car ride and a lot of goodbye's.
But also new beginnings...
211008
Went out for a rad street ride with some crew from London a couple of days ago. Turned out to be a sweet day. Got the chance to shoot Matt White who rides for Dynamic Style clothing and Union Bikes, along with quite a few other guys off the RideStreet.co.uk forums. They'd definitely give the Sydney street riders a run for their money...
I've added a couple of new photos in Portfolio three...
Oh, and i'm coming home on October 29..so only 8 days away now. My trip is drawing to a close.
...But don't worry, i'll be back...
141008
You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that I actually like canned tuna.
Nifty, huh.
101008
Whoahhh, so it's been a while, yeah?
Almost three weeks has passed. And what a 3 weeks it's been. After my last update - from paris - I've done many-a-thing. From Paris I flew to Munich, Germany, for Oktoberfest. Y'know, the crazy, beer-drinking, never-ending party festival that goes on for 2 weeks every year. Camping during a drinking fest isn't the best idea, especially when it's raining, less than 10 degrees every day, and you wake up at 4am to the sound of a guy in the next tent along throwing up...yay for drinking!
After Oktoberfest I went and stayed at a sister of a friend's house in Munich (how nice it was to have a hot shower and a real bed), for a few days so I could check out the city. Munich is a beautiful place. Definitely one capital city everyone should visit once in their lifetime.
After Munich I flew to Vienna, Austria (yes, back to Austria). Vienna, the capital city of Austria, is apparently one of the most livable cities in the world. I'd have to agree actually. Although it rained the first couple of days, the last couple were spectacular. That city shines in the sunlight! The amount of cathedrals and churches i've now been into is crazy. Enough to last me at least another year i'd say. On our last day in Vienna we decided that border-hopping to Slovakia would be a good idea, so for 11 Euros return we caught a bus to Bratislava. There's not many places in the world you can do that, is there? Yes, Europe is amazing.
And finally, a change of plans. Originally I was meant to be heading to Athens and the Greek Islands for 3 weeks, but decided against it for personal reasons. I'm back in London instead. Not unhappy about it - it's simply a change I decided to make.
Another change i've made has been the decision to come home in a couple of weeks. Traveling has been amazing - truly spectacular - but now i'm ready to come home and get on with various things. Namely photography. When you travel, you begin to understand what home means. It's not boring, it's not characterless, it's not a negative place to be; one just has to make it so, and traveling has
made me understand this. So yes, i'll be home, and i'm amped to pursue certain things I haven't been able to the past 5 months. Plus save for next years trip of course!
Sorry for the long update..alot can happen in 3 weeks...
Be happy my friends.
220908
Salzburg - Was Amazing.
Paris - Is Amazing.
Munich - Should be Amazing.
Vienna - Will be Amazing.
Athens - We'll have to wait and see!
I'm on the road again...
...with a couple of new photos in Portfolio 3.
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Sitting here in the media dungeon of Schladming, Austria, i've just finished downloading my 10GB of photos from today. What a track Schladming is!
Andrew and I eventually met up with Ryan and Pip, and are sleeping in a tent in the local camp-ground. It seemed like a good idea until last night, at about 11pm, when we experienced one of the gnarliest thunder and lightning storms i've seen in a while. Oh well, what can you do? Rain happens...
On a photographic note: I've added another portfolio page with just a couple of shots..i'm planning to upload more over the next few days. This portfolio is dedicated entirely to landscape oriented photographs (you might have noticed the other two pages have been full of portrait-oriented shots). Hopefully it won't all be to do with mountain bikes, too...
Now i'm off to shoot the 4X World Cup. It's just outside the window infact!
Checkya...
080908
Updating a website from a train travelling through Scotland, to England? When the f*ck did anyone ever expect that to be going on?
Well that's what i'm doing. Right now. No, i'm not kidding.
This, if you've read previous updates, is the first leg of our journey to Schladming, Austria. Both Andrew and I have been granted media passes for the event, so LOOK OUT Australian magazines...
So much internet access and so little to say.
If I think of something in the next 3 hours i'll let you know...
020908
Alright! Plans are in place.
With 5 more days working at the Allargue Arms, we're starting to wrap things up. We leave on September 8, catch 2 trains to London, sleep a night in Stanstead Airport, then a plane to Salzburg, Austria, finishing our journey with a train to Schladming. Why are we making this pilgrimage? For the Schladming World Cup of course...
Meeting up with our trusty van-owning friends, Ryan and Pip, we'll hang out, take photos, watch a downhill race and yell at Sam Hill. And pray it doesn't rain - we're sleeping in a tent this time...
Speaking of sleeping, is 12 hours a day too much?
My heart goes out to Jarred Graves, who, as always, was taken out in the Olympics BMX Mens Final race. He crashed and had to watch a podium finish slip away, AGAIN.
However, not to be outdone, he's of course gone on to win the World Cup #6 4X final at Mt Stromlo, Canberra...which is, i guess, not so bad after all...
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Not much to inform you on. Just what's been on the agenda the past week:
- Sleep
- Read (The Dice Man, for the second time, plus a great book by John Grisham, The Innocent Man (very touching))
- Watch the Olympics. C'mon Aussie. Graves for gold in the BMX.
- Eat (pub food of course, when you work in a pub it's only natural).
- Listen to music (the new Booka Shade album is excellent).
- Discuss science vs religion, endlessly, with no conclusion.
- And, seeing as we're in the whiskey distillery capital of the world, we quite often end the night 'Wit a wee dram'...or a big dram...
130808
Not much to inform you on. Just what's been on the agenda the past week:
- Sleep
- Read (The Dice Man, for the second time, plus a great book by John Grisham, The Innocent Man (very touching))
- Watch the Olympics. C'mon Aussie. Graves for gold in the BMX.
- Eat (pub food of course, when you work in a pub it's only natural).
- Listen to music (the new Booka Shade album is excellent).
- Discuss science vs religion, endlessly, with no conclusion.
- And, seeing as we're in the whiskey distillery capital of the world, we quite often end the night 'Wit a wee dram'...or a big dram...
130808
Just quickly:
Chillin in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, working in the Allargue Arms Hotel. Very relaxed. Nice place, free beers, rugged landscape.
Save save save. $is the key.
Doing a lot of thinking, too. Life makes for an interesting story...
020808
It's funny how things don't always work out the way you planned them. Leitch and I have been in Nice, in the French Riviera, for 4 days, and haven't found a job...anywhere.
So we've decided Scotland is the next port of call. Not as hot, not as many beautiful women, but hopefully more opportunities to earn money. Plus the sunburn we both received yesterday probably won't be repeated...
Yay for another 36 hours travelling; One 5 hour train to Paris. One 12 hour bus to London. And then another 12 hour bus to Aberdeen, Scotland.
Oh, the joys of travelling...
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This is my last update from Paris, seeing as we've booked a train to Nice for tomorrow morning. We're heading south, hopefully will find work, and will inhabit the Mediterranean coastline for a month or so if all goes to plan.
Where we're staying, where we'll work, and who we'll hang with is yet to be decided. Either way, just like most other activities i've participated in, it'll be an interesting experience.
I'll try keep you posted.
Until next time...
Laters, yo.
260708
Almost the end of July. Crazy.
The past week i've travelled around the French countryside with Ryan and Pip Gardener, as well as Andrew Leitch, chasing a couple of stages of Le Tour De France. Namely the Alps D'Huez stage (my 2nd time back there in 2 weeks...it's a beautiful place), and Montlucon. We slept, ate, drank and commuted with the four of us in the same van, which proves no space is too small to inhabit.
We're now back in Reims, an hour from Paris, waiting for a train to Paris so we can watch, and shoot, the final leg of Le Tour, along the Champs Elysees. As Ryan said, while chasing Cadel Evans up Alps D'Huez, "get under it c*nt and give it some herbs!!"
Off topic: Just finished reading an amazing true story; Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. One of the most influential books of my life. Read it. I guarantee you'll love it too.
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Wow. So many updates in such little time..aren't you lucky.
A new photo of Nicho Bailly in Alps D'Huez, France in Portfolio One.
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Even more quickly this time...only 5 minutes has passed.
New shots up in Portfolio Two. Take a look.
On a different note: travelling can be described by a whole different number of adjectives; stunning, shocking, awesome, sensational, extraordinary, phenomenal, incredible, amazing, wonderful, etc etc.
For now i'll just call it fulfilling. It truly is.
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Just quickly...
Been in Paris with Andrew Leitch for 4 days now..doing the typical - including going up the Arc de Triomphe to watch sunset, wondering along Rue de Boumarche looking at the 30 camera stores in a row, and drinking 2 Euro bottles of wine while walking the Champs Elysees. It's been grand.
Tomorrow we train it to a small town named Reime, outside Paris, to meet a lovely couple in a van, whom we will be travelling around with for a few days following the final legs of Le Tour De France. After this, noone knows. I'm running out of money...which should make life interesting. Until next time, stay classy.
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Suh-weet. Just done a bit of an upgrade to the website - you'll notice and extra portfolio page, featuring various people and various places.
Enjoy.
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Jeez it's hard to keep updating my news when I only get access to the internet once a fortnight. Forgiveness, please?
So again, i'll start out with that line; What have I been up to the past couple of weeks?
First of all you may have noticed something different about the site. That home page, perhaps? I've decided that this site, the one linked directly to my name, my identity, who I am, shouldn't become some lame excuse for a business facade. This is my passion, my love, my life; I don't want it squandered. I want to share it with anyone keen enough to gaze, and for that reason I felt a more relaxed introduction was needed. "Like it or lump it", it's staying for now...
And then, to the news.
Well, since the last update, i've been blessed with the company of my two good friends Nicholas Bailly and David Andrews. We spent a week in the French countryside at Nicho's dad's house, learning to DJ, drinking wine, eating cheese, playing piano, riding bikes through fields, visiting gypsy gatherings and the like, and then a week ago headed to the French Alps (Alps D'Huez to be precise. It's the one with the crazy winding hill that is ridden during Le Tour De France) for this huge mountain bike race they call The Megavalanche. We spent the week riding, shooting for an article thats going in Australian Mountain Bike Magazine (don't know when yet, though), and generally having fun. Doing what boys do. It was excellent. Check for photographic updates over the coming days.
And now i've arrived back to the bustling tranquility of Paris, where sirens and car engines only cease between the hours of 3 and 530am. Funnily enough, the time at which i'm writing right now!
I should better sleep, but keep your eyes peeled for a new, added Portfolio page coming very soon. It might just happen to rock the socks in your jocks (or something else that rhymes with sock, in your jocks). Have a good one my friends - I'm thinking of you.
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I've whacked up a new shot of Amiel Cavalier at Worlds in Italy. Check it, yo.
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It appears I need to update my site more regularly. I guess this should start with more news! What have I been up to the past couple of weeks? Well, after arriving back to London, I was grounded for 3 days before heading off back across The English Channel, through France and on to Trento, Italy, for the 2008 Downhill and Trials World Championships held in Val Di Sole. The 22 hours of bus rides, 7 hours of train rides and countless hours sitting around were definitely worth the effort, as I arrived to an amazing course for both the downhill and four-cross races. Saturday's downhill race saw Gee Atherton (GBR) take the win over Steve Peat (2nd, GBR) and a devastated Sam Hill (3rd, AUS) who crashed in the last turn of the race while 6 seconds up on the next closest competitor. I feel for you dude. I think anyone who has anything to do with Australian mountain biking does...
The four-cross race that afternoon seemed equally as devastating when favourite-to-win, Jared Graves (AUS), who qualified first, crashed on the first turn, along with French rider Mickael Deldycke and Swiss rider Roger Rinderknecht. It's hard, but it's the game. Good luck to Jared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics though..we know you can bring it home mate.
Overall it was a great week in mountain bike riding, from which I left tired, yet recharged. Hopefully some of my photos will be strewn threw various magazines or catalogues in coming months.
Since then i've been in Paris, living like a local, chilling and getting ready for my next adventure - Alps D'Huez, France, with my good mates Nicho Bailly and Dave Andrews, who are racing the famed Megavalanche event.
Until then...
Tristan Out.
Side Note: Make sure you check out the latest (Winter) issue of [R]evolution Magazine for an article and photos on our beloved Grove, recently deceased, with an awesome shot from Chris Benny on the cover. I'm sure it's an excellent read.
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Just arrived home from 18 days of travelling around Europe. When I say home, I mean London of course..the new home...anyway, I can now say i've travelled through Amsterdam (Netherlands), Berlin, Munich (Germany), Hopfgarten (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Rome, Venice, Florence (Italy), Lauterbrunnen (Switzerland), Vatican City (Vatican, the worlds smallest country), Paris (France), and then back to London. I went paragliding, white water rafting and mountain bike riding in Austria, skiing in Switzerland, walking in Prague, cheese eating in Paris, sightseeing in Berlin, to a true German beer hall in Munich, where we drank beer by the steinful (a stein is a 1 litre glass...), and checked out the Roman ruins in Italy. I also drank a shitload in every country and took about 2000 photos (or 27 GB worth) over the 18 days. This is what being young is about...
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So i'm writing this from London, England. Been here for about 10 days now checking out the sights and sounds, seeing and meeting people, and getting to know the place. I've been so busy i've barely had time to upload any photos!
Photography wise - this Saturday i'm shooting the Nissan Qashqai Challenge in central London. Basically it's a load of dirt jumps set up in the middle of the city, where professional riders compete in front of huge crowds. Look out for pictures here..hopefully i'll snap a couple of winners (Darren Pokoj for the win...)
In 3 weeks i'm heading to Italy to shoot the UCI World Cup in Val Di Sole, so keep an eye out for the Aussie boys in that event!
Till next time, stay cool.
020508 - RIP Grove
On Wednesday April 30, 2008, Manly Council hired a contract bulldozer to knock down a set of dirt jumps in Seaforth, NSW, formerly known as The Grove. Having been designed, built, and maintained by Dave Musgrove over the past 8 years, and ridden by countless riders since then, the jumps will be sorely missed and never forgotten. I'm hoping plans will be made to combat the council about their actions, and to rally support for the building of new jumps. Look out for homage paid to The Grove in the next issue of [R]evolution Magazine, but for now, all I can say is Rest In Peace, Grove. We'll miss ya!
Finally, the site is up! Enjoy.
In other news:
I'm heading off to Europe in less than two weeks now. First port of call is London, then a Contiki Tour for a couple of weeks, then to Val Di Sol, Italy to shoot the Downhill World Cup, followed by the Alps D'huez with Nicho Bailly and Dave Andrews to shoot the famed French Magavalanche, which should be pretty epic, then i'll just be all over the place. Going to as many countries as I can fit in my budget, and want to shoot and party as much as possible, for as long as possible, spending as little as possible. I'm sure it'll be an interesting time.
Stay tuned for updates, pictures, and stories...
Can't wait.
For now, i'm out.