A passion for cameras and photography

When I was in high school I wanted to do photography as a subject in my senior years, but didn't have a SLR camera, nor I could afford to have one. Later on in life after working hard, I decided to buy myself an SLR camera. I did my homework on what I wanted and went to about six camera shops to get what I want for the right price. It was an Canon EOS 33 film camera. I bought it from Fletchers camera store in Sydney. The guy who sold me the camera gave me a good deal and looked after me every time I went back to get film or get film developed.

Canon EOS 33. Came with a 28-80mm lens and a 75-300mm lens.

This was the beginning of my passion into photography. I taught myself on how to use it and took it everywhere I went. I would take it camping, bike messenger races and 12-24hr races. I would sometimes take to work and take photos while I was standing by. After getting the film developed on a Friday arvo, I would grab a beer and sit with my work mates and show them my photos. They loved them and always said that I was really good with photography. One year, we had an art and photography exhibition, where all of the bike messengers were invited to put in photos and their own art work. I put in two photos and manage to sell one of them, which I was so happy that I sold one of my own photos.

My first and only photo ever sold.

I bought this sweet Canon A-1 and still use it from time to time.

I went to a race out in Bathurst and I had my camera with me. It was a big race and there was a small group of guys who I went with. One of the guys who was with us, was asking about my camera and photography. He said that he had a few cameras that he wanted to give away and asked if I was interested in having them. I said yes and not long after the event he gave me two small bags, with four cameras, a few different sizes of lenses and other bits and pieces. My collection of cameras began. 

The beginning of my small collection. I gave one on the four Pentax away.

As digital cameras were becoming more and more popular, I thought it would be a good time to get a digital SLR camera, as film was getting too hard to find someone who would develop it. A friend of mine was selling his and sold it to me for a good price. It was a Nikon D100 and came with a 50mm lens, a batteries and a few memory cards. 

Nikon D100, with 18-105mm lens.

My mother, who works in a charity op-shop came across a camera and told me it was going for $25. She didn't know much about the camera and said that I should pop into the shop to check it out. The very next day, before I set off to work down in the city, I went to the op-shop to see if it was still there. I couldn't believe it when I saw it and how cheap it was. It was a Canon EOS 400D. It didn't have a battery or charger and wasn't known if it worked. I thought that I would take a gamble and buy it and once in the city, I would buy a battery for it. I put the battery in it and it work. I was stoked. The only thing that didn't work on it was the auto focus on the lens. Lucky for me that I had a Canon film camera at home that I could use the lenses off  that and on to the digital camera. I end up buying two more batteries and a charger and I was set.

An old friend of mine gave me this old camera.

 Zenit EM, Russian made. I wasn't expecting the big zoom lens.

Zenit EM

My collection of cameras was getting bigger. A guy that I used to work with gave me this Mamiya.

Mamiya MSX 1000

Another Nikon (F60), with the Nikon D100.

I went to the local markets about a month or so ago and came across this Canon AE-1 Program and thought that I just have to have it. It can in an aluminium case, with a an extra lens and a few filters. I also got from an op-shop a Canon T60

Canon AE-1 Program

Canon T60, Canon AE-1 and Canon A-1

The Canon family.

 Lens

Canon A-1, Canon EOS 33 and Canon EOS 400D

My passion for cameras and photography has grown. I take photo of anything that I come across and maybe later on I might try to sell a few photos.

Black and White

Black and White photos from random places, people and things. I will be adding more over the weeks.

Barangaroo, Sydney Australia

 Correa Bay, Woy Woy Australia

 Barangaroo, looking at the Sydney Harbour Bridge

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

 St Mary's Cathedral/Hyde Park, Sydney

 Camera lens

 Sydney Bike Messenger

 No1. Martin Place, Sydney

 Homeless Man

 Pelican feed at Woy Woy Wharf

 Pentax S3

 Rip Bridge, Woy Woy

 Random

 Sydney Harbour Bridge

 Pier One and Sydney Harbour Bridge

St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

 Canon EOS 400

Canon AE1, A1, T60, EOS33 & EOS400

Bike shop bikes vs department store bikes and how my passion began.

All of my bikes that I have owned and most that I still have.

I have been working in a bike shop on and off for the past couple of years and been riding for most of my life. When I was younger, the bikes that I did have were ones that my mother could only afford. I didn't know too much about bikes back then either. As I got older, earning my own money and working as a bike messenger, I realised that cheap bikes from department stores wasn't a good investment if I wanted to continue riding as a messenger. 

My first real bike was a GT Outpost that I bought from one of the other bike messengers, after my department store bike was stolen. As soon I got the GT, another guy said "Now that you have a decent bike you can come riding with us." Not long after that a guy who I worked with became good mates. He knew everything about bikes and pointed me in the right direction into bicycles. He got me hooked on bikes and I wanted more. 

I started buying mountain bike magazines and learned more about bikes. I got into some of the 24 and 12 hour events and loved it. I ended up getting another bike, one for work and the other for race/play. Later on down the track I ended up buying a road bike. My collection and passion for bicycles started to grow. I was working in a bike shop for a while there and in that time I manage to buy three bikes and lots of parts. I went back to being a bike messenger and at one stage I had seven bikes. I ended up selling a few, but over the years I have gained a few more bikes and now have 12 bikes, a few of them are not complete.

Over the years that I have been working in a bike shop, I see a lot of people who buy a bike from a department store and want us to work on it, but only have to pay more than its worth. Here are my thoughts on the difference between a department store bike and a bike from a bike shop.

If you buy a bike from a bike shop, not only you'll get a good quality bike that bike companies spend a lot of time developing their product , but you'll also get a bike that has been put together by a bicycle mechanic, a safety check to ensure that the bike wont fall apart after your first ride, a FREE first service and service with a friendly smile.

If you buy a bike from a department store, you'll end up putting the forks around the wrong way (as seen in photo), bars wont be straight, brakes/gears wont be adjusted properly and nuts and bolts will be loose, which can be dangerous to ride, especially if your child is riding it.

Buying a bike from a bike shop might cost you a little bit more, but it's money worth spent, safer for you or your child, and a bike that will last you a life time and can pass it down from generation to generation. You are also supporting you local business and community.

Buying a bike from a department store will cost you money. The average lifespan of an department store bike is 12 months. Then you take it to a bike shop to see if it can be fixed, but end up costing you more than its worth, which in the end you should of bought a bike from a bike shop.

A department store bike that has been put together by the person who bought it. The fork is around the wrong way, bars are on an angle and the breaks wasn't even adjusted properly. A death trap for a child.

This a bike that has been set up by the bike mechanic (which a department store doesn't have) in a bike shop. The forks are around the right way, the bars are nice and straight, the brake are working to a perfection and every nut and bolt tighten so it wont come loss while riding. 

Note: The GT BMX shown above doesn't have a front brake and isn't required as it is a bmx that is used as a race bmx. 

Out and about in Sydney

On the 8th of March, 2014 I went down to Sydney for a bike messenger ally cat. I had some time to kill, so I thought that I would take some photos. I have taken photos of the harbour bridge and the opera house before, but it's always nice to try and capture them from different angles and light. 

                                         Sydney Harbour Bridge

                                          Sydney Opera House

                                          Sydney Opera House, with an old sailing ship.

                                          The Rocks, Hickson Road water side

                                          The Rocks, Hickson Road water side

GT Workhorse

My beloved workhorse. This is my second GT that I have owned. The first was a GT Outpost. When I first got this bike, I was in a rush to get it ready for a 24hr race. It wasn't just a workhorse, it was also my race bike, weekend bike and anything else bike. This bike had seen about three different wheel sets, four different brake sets and a few different group sets, seat posts, bars, stems, grips and tyres. I had spent a lot of money over the 8 years I had this bike, before it got stolen.

I was coming home from work one day (I commuted from the coast to the city on the train), it was early and hardly anyone on the train. I never used to lock up my bike, as for years I felt it was safe. I got up before my stop and realised that my bike was stolen. I was upset, because I just had it to how I wanted it and some dick thought it would be nice to take it and sell it to buy drugs.

Anyway, I still wish I had this bike and I do have another frame which I will do up, but that is another project later down the track.

GT Ultra

This is my baby. It's an 2005/6 GT Ultra. The guy who owns the bike shop that I am working in, owned this. He didn't have it for not that long and he did less than 400km on it. I changed a couple of things on it to make it a bit lighter. I added a Thomson seat post, some FSA stem (which was the lightest on the market at the time) and new drop bars.

A few years ago, when I was a bike messenger and my workhorse was stolen from me, so I had no choice but to ride the GT Ultra, as my other bikes were set up for mt biking. One day I was doing a delivery to North Sydney and was crossing to beautiful harbour bridge. On the north side of the bridge there is a set of stairs and in the middle is the stairs is a ramp, to make it easy for cyclist to take their bikes up and down the stairs. Any, I have ridden down that ramp 1000s of times before, but this one time it went wrong. I was about half way down when my drop bars had slipped down, lost control and hit a parked car. The end result was a chipped tooth, stitches above my left eye and some how my back wheel was damaged. I have never got around to buy a new wheel, so I had been using a set of wheels that I borrowed from a mate. I am now looking at a nice set of wheels and hope to get them soon, so I can ride this sweet bike.

Up date: I have a new set of wheels and will post a photo soon.

New wheel set

GT Gutterball

This is my favorite bike. It's a GT Gutterball and I feel in love it the moment I saw it. Lucky for me, the bike shop that I used to (and still do from time to time) work for sell GT bikes and I was able to get it for a good price.

When I first got it, I had changed the tyres from black to orange and changed the stem to a nice Thomson stem. It now has a Thomson seat post, Time pedals, SDG Bel Air (Brown) saddle and some nice leather (brown) grips.

Later down the track, I might put in an orange Chris King headset and maybe some lighter wheels or an orange Aerospoke rear wheel.

I will post some more photos of how it is now, later.