Stand and Deliver!

I had a very busy Thursday a little while back.

It began mid morning, when I interviewed Shane Mauss over brunch, in Paddington.

A quick cab ride later, I was at my lunchtime appointment with Kara Kidman on FBi Radio’s Out of the Box.

A pleasant walk took me from Redfern down to Chinatown until I met up with Alan Moyle, AKA Photobat, not quite at the prearranged corner we’d intended. Alan was in Sydney to serve as one of the judges of the Canon Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Australian Professional Photography Awards (APP), as he explains in his blog. We’d arranged to catch up, have a coffee and maybe take some photos. (He'd be taking, I’d just be in ’em. Possibly.)

We kind of had a vague idea of a ‘dodgy’ photo we’d intended to take with me in it – but in the process, Alan was taking other photos ‘for pleasure’ (that is to say, not as part of a commission). The theme for these ones was decided by his followers. I mean, he’d posed the question either on Twitter or his blog or FB – I can’t remember which – and went with an idea put to him; I’m not suggesting he’s started a cult.

You’ll notice I’m being deliberately vague here – I don’t think I should be giving more details about Alan’s methodology than he does, unless it’s via an interview that he’s consented to take part in.

Not that he’s got anything to hide.

We weren’t taking photos of embassies and government buildings or anything like that. Not to my knowledge. I know you’re supposed to check now according to that government ad, because ‘not knowing’ is not a good enough defense anymore, but we weren’t on holiday. Well, Alan was, technically, but only interstate. And there are no embassies where we were – or at least there didn’t seem to be. Not that we were specifically looking. Or even deliberately not looking. We were neither looking nor not looking for official, government buildings or nondescript office blocks that might house espionage agencies.

We weren’t doing anything like that.

But if there was some sort of adventure aspect about this that I’m currently withholding, rest assured, either Alan or I will blog about it soon.

Or after we’re released, if it comes to that.

(No, I promise, that last sentence was just a joke. Your Honour…)

Anyway, we wandered the city – from Chinatown to Darling Harbour then back to the CBD – and in the process Alan decided he could improve upon his initial idea of the dodgy shoot. So, in his words, we “had a chat, had a walk, had some coffee and came up with a little idea for a photo. So we did it.” It took place in one of those streets in the south-eastern part of the CBD, just before the city gives way to Surry Hills and the Eastern Suburbs.

I’ll either blog in more detail about the shoot – or just as briefly – but with another link to Alan’s Batblog, when he’s processed more of the photos. For now, enjoy this one.