SIMON HEWSON BLOG

31.5.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #30

Buongiorno! On this day one year ago, we were in the land of wonderful coffee and bread that you didn't ask for, want or eat but still had to pay for. Yes you guessed it, this week we're in Italy. First off, I love Italy, I have been many times and I love the Italian spirt. However, things have changed. Italy has always been a place where you have to pay for almost everything ranging from laying on the beach to going to the toilet, but it seems more desperate now. The hard sell has become compulsory in almost any store you step foot in, restaurants only give service to those who wish to feast. What has happened to the laid back Italians I used to know and love? One thing that is still the same is the driving skills. The smaller the road the faster you go. It's in the blood, the fire and the passion is on display for all to see and avoid if you're quick enough. I had to pull the mirrors in on the van more than once, in fact I left them in for whole days at a time. The other thing that is as wonderful as ever is the pizza, my diet consisted of Prosciutto e Funghi pizza paired with a fine can or bottle of Lemon Soda, pure bliss. One evening I did try and order something different, but my gut told me to stick with the old combo. The old adage "go with your gut" was never more fitting, although my shorts were starting to not fit due to my gut!

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24.5.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #29

Again, one year to the day, it's week two and we're now deep into Portugal. The sun is shining, the wine has been free flowing and the cheese has already taken its toll on our increasing waist lines. Today we will meet Maria. Maria sits on the wall to her one bedroom home and enjoys watching the world pass by. She wears a pendant with a photograph of her late husband, he is quite a looker. My Nan passed away a few years ago and she reminds me of her, she has the same cheeky glint in her eye. Maria doesn't speak English and I don't speak any Portuguese, we do however sit and have a lovely chat. We meet her son briefly, he pops his head out of the low doorway to see whats going on, quickly losing interest he goes back inside. Maria is warm, open and full of youthful spirit. I liked Maria a lot. Until next week.

17.5.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #28

Time to dust of the heaters and dig out the Ugg boots. Winter seems to be blowing its way closer by the day. I think the best way to deal with winter is to ignore it, last year we skipped winter almost entirely. A year ago today we set sail for France, we travelled Europe and the USA for four months. So in the spirit of sharing, I have decided to take our travels once more, but this time I'm taking you with me. Each week the image of the week will be exactly one year to the day. Hopefully this will brighten your day and make summer feel like its not an age away.
This weeks image was taken in Jersey, the only place left with a one pound note and instant coffee.

11.5.12

Happenings and other news

Wheres the image of the week? He's so lazy...

Well, I hold my hands high and apologise for the lack of image of the week over the past few weeks. I have had my head firmly stuck in a photography vacuum, I have managed to dislodge it for a few seconds, so I thought I would fill you in on the latest info.

My new show 'Playground' opened last week at Gaffa gallery, the opening was a fantastic night, much fun was had by all. The shows last day is the 14th of May, so if you want to see it, but haven't, you better get in quick!

So they say (whomever they actually are?) never work with kids and animals. This week I have done both.

Meet Mila, perfectly well behaved until Mum put her in a washing basket.

Next meet Zeb, a very friendly dog and bicycle enthusiast. Will sit still for biscuits.

Now for Sheila, Sheila is a black sheep. She doesn't hang with the others she chooses to do her own thing. She has a wine named after her.

Then I spent a morning photographing beautiful bikes with Justin from Bondi bikes, that shop is a must visit place, even if you don't like bikes you will fall in love with something shiny in there.

I also shot the winter collection for Nala. I know very little about fashion, but their stuff is pretty damn cool.

So that was a very quick run down of my week, so far... Image of the week will be back next week!
Now where did I put that vacuum?

24.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #27

Here we have another car for sale. A nearly used Corvette with a total rebuild, 800bhp, 4 new tyres and it's guaranteed to get you across a muddy bog quicker than you can say "I can't see shit! Can you?" (sorry for the Cannonball Run reference, it just seemed fitting.)

I feel conflicted. I love the idea of saving the world by driving a hybrid, electric or alternative fuel car, but in the same breath I love the feeling of redlining a car and revelling in its power. I grew up with motor racing. I followed the late great Ayrton Senna from the age of four, I still miss him today. I even followed my own aspirations to race, from karting to getting a National B racing licence in the UK. I soon realised that I could have all the pace in the world, but if you don't have the wallet to match the pace, you may as well sit yourself back on the sofa.

I took this shot in Old Town, Florida. The Corvette was going for around $18,000. I reckon that's about half of what the white Prius cost and dare I say, possibly a more sustainable car?

P.S If anyone wants to give me a drive in their race car/ team I'd be happy to drive for free (just putting it out there!)

18.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #26

To most, the word 'prison' is intimidating and unnerving. Is the idea of imprisonment out dated in today's society or is it a vital part? Do we look deep enough at the issues behind the crimes or do we just adopt the idea of you do the crime, you do the time?
Worldwide there are around 8.5 million people in prison, of which around 2.2 million are in the USA alone.
The current population of Sydney is around 4.58 million. The current amount of people either on parole or probation in the USA exceeds this number by almost 400,000 thousand. In Australia, we have 116 prisoners per 100,000 whereas the USA leads with 715 per 100,000. Why are these figures so widely different when on the face of it both countries are similar in ideals? What about the health of the inmates? It has been stated that around 50% of US prisoners suffer from mental illness. Surely this would relate to many of their original crimes and thus convictions? Is there a better form of rehabilitation and integration?

10.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #25

It seems to me that life is fragile. We have the ability to give and take life, sometimes with love and sometimes with misguided motives. We humans are a strange and curious bunch. Over time we have strived to preserve and protect but we have also destroyed so much greatness.

This weeks image comes from Belchite, Spain (for a beginners guide to Belchite go here). When you walk the ruins of this town, you are filled with a quiet eeriness that makes your hairs stand on end. The dust kicks up as you walk and the air is dry with heat. You look around and all you see is destruction. What could be mistaken for a lavish movie set was once a beautiful town. You can see glimpses of its former glory, the ornate architecture and the stunningly detailed frescos are still visible in parts. Due to civil war, the town of Belchite was frozen in time in 1937. Once the battle was over, Franco ordered that the ruins of Belchite be left as a monument to a bloody civil war, the remaining residents had to build a new town right next to the ruins.