IMAGE OF THE WEEK #24

Like many kids I was fascinated by outer space, I so desperately wanted to be an astronaut. Sadly the dream slowly wore off, I put this down to being repeatedly told by teachers and other so called grown ups that "You will never be an astronaut!" I remember being nine years old, the kid that sat next to me at school went on holiday to the USA. He came back with a multitude of tall stories, the ones that mesmerized me were the stories from his visit to NASA. Tales were told of the launch pad, the space suits, moon buggies, you name it he knew about it, or had touched, sat in or smelt it. I was at the very least dripping with envy. From that day forth I wanted to go to the Kennedy Space Centre. Last year my dream came true. It seamed fitting that as my wish to be an astronaut had passed me by, so too had the shuttle program, which ended a week before my pilgrimage. The place was filled with nostalgia, it was also curiously filled with space aficionado's (nerds). I almost bought myself a mug that said "I need my space" very apt. I made sure I also had my photo taken in front of the NASA sign, this was the closest I had ever felt to become an astronaut, a very proud moment. What I didn't do however, is get my mum to take a photo of me, tell her it was no good, or rather shout it at her and then proceed to take a shuttle load of photos of myself looking cool. OMG.

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #23

 I grew up shooting black & white, I started in my fathers disused darkroom at around the age of fourteen. Mixing up out of date chemicals, developing out of date film, then making prints on out of date paper.
I loved the experience of the process, the not knowing if what you have shot is worthy of printing, or if it's just more fodder for an overflowing bin of mistakes. Once I could afford new film, chemicals and paper, my world became alive with opportunity. From that point on I spent most of my teenage years in a darkroom, absorbing an array of toxic chemicals and harvesting an unhealthy lack of vitamin D. My love affair with black & white never ended. I have simply found that colour allows me to tell my stories in a more fulfilling way. I do however have plans on dusting off my 5x4 view camera and shooting some black & white projects around Sydney. This image was made in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA.

Simon Hewson ©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #22

A big wooden cock, or maybe rooster. I'm not sure of it's intended age, so I'll let you be the judge.
What is it with roosters and art? It's a rule that one should never depict a chicken, however a rooster is perfect subject matter.
So what makes the rooster so special? The Ancient Greeks, Chinese, Japanese and Christianity have all had a bit of a thing for them. Revered as a mythological symbol, its thought to represent: pride, honesty, courage, vigilance, strength and watchfulness. In this instance its being used as a symbol to sell wood and what a lovely piece of wood it is.

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #21

I once read somewhere that Americans were fascinated by the frontier days. The days when disputes were settled by gun fire, men sported leather and a day old growth. Sounds like modern day Kings Cross, Sydney on a Saturday night. Only by the look of this empty grave, even the slain couldn't rest in peace.
I stumbled upon this shallow grave in Tucson, Arizona. Many things can kill you out there, the relentless heat, snakes and Mountain Lions* to name but a few. I deduced however, that this grave has probably never been used as I shot this at the Old Tucson Studios. Over the years it has been home to around 300 movies and TV productions, mostly Westerns. It has seen some of Hollywood's greats; Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Paul Newman, Leonardo DiCaprio and last but not least, the awesome Charlie Sheen.

My question is what did you think when you first saw this image?

*There has only ever been around 20 reported fatalities on record in North America due to Cougar attacks, so probably wipe this one from the danger list, I just wrote it for dramatic effect. To find out more on Mountain Lions click here

Simon Hewson ©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #20

We all love old photos, especially the ones that bring back memories of times forgotten. This week I have decided to invite you to look at one of my old photos and therefore share an old memory. This photo was taken at the RAF Coningsby Airshow in 1988. It was taken with my first camera, a Minolta AF-EII. I had shot almost a whole roll of film, innocently I opened the back of the camera to see how much film was left, I was filled with joy to see plenty sitting there, this however didn't fill my Dad with joy. I got a stern telling off for opening the back of the camera. Until that point I didn't grasp how film and light worked. A heavy lesson learned and what felt like a day ruined. The camera rewound the film to the first frame. Much to my secret delight I started snapping away again. The result was almost a whole roll of ghostly grey double exposures. I now realise looking back on the days of my early visual exploration that they were by far my freest days. No constraints, just say what you see or rather snap what you see.

To see more form this camera click here... AF-EII

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #19

The best cherries I ever tasted were in Chaves, Portugal. Plucked from a tree in an overgrown garden at the back of a hotel we stayed at. I was admiring the way the light was hitting the disused hotel sign laying in the grass. I then noticed that the tree was full of beautifully ripe cherries. I looked around to see if anyone was watching, I figured I was alone so I plucked one from the tree. As I was placing the stolen fruit in my mouth an elderly lady rounded the corner and spotted me enjoying what wasn't mine.
'Bugger!' I thought to myself, such an innocent theft and now I'm going to be punished!
To my surprise she gave me a warm smile, she walked straight past me and up to the tree. With the aid of an old garden rake she pulled down an entire branch. I then heard the voices of excited kids running towards us from behind. They were her grandchildren, full of joy and innocence, just the way kids should be.
I asked if I could take photos of them gathering their fruit, she granted my wish and then offered me the entire branch that she had first pulled off the tree, I did the typically English thing and refused profusely.
Not a good idea on my part. The branch was pretty much forced upon me and I gladly accepted the wonderful gift. They tasted so much better than the one I had stolen. This was my first interaction with the people of Portugal and I have to say they are some of the loveliest people I have ever met.

Simon Hewson©2012

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #18

Happy Valentines Day to all the lovers of the world. While love still lingers vaguely in the air, I feel its an apt time for another instalment of lovers. It's the day after, the chocolates are all but gone, the wine is laying heavy on the head and the rose needs some water. Is that what love is about? I think not. I think however, these folks in Coney Island know what love is.

Simon Hewson © 2012