Coming up on Friday next week is the largest wooden boat festival in the world. Right here in Hobart. Our photography club has many members who have volunteered to be event photographers. I have not photographed events seriously in the past so this will be a good place to start. The event will have approximately 400,000 people attending over the four days of next weekend. Friday though Monday.
Yesterday I attended an induction for volunteers. Without volunteers the event would not survive. It is held bi-yearly in Hobart. I have attended in the past but never volunteered. I am not a boat person. I get very seasick on the water. But I do appreciate the expertise and workmanship that goes into these wooden boats. We will have everything on display from dinghies to tall ships. People attend from all over the world. I see there is an American pavilion so I might drop in and say hello. The event is staged in the Hobart wharf area which is a beautiful spot.
There will be about 30 photographers from our club. Once spaces were filled by club members remaining spaces opened up to photographers outside of the club. It feels like a job. There will be a morning, afternoon and evening shift. I will probably try to work the morning and evening shifts especially if weather is hot. We supply the event coordinators the photos and they choose what they want for marketing and publication.
Tomorrow I will be attending a day long photo-journalism course. We will have assignments around the Salamanca market to complete. There will be lots of people in the area as the market is on and there are lots of tourists in town. Though I am slightly intimidated I think it will be interesting and fun. Several others I know will be in the workshop too. It goes from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Other good news is…..Remember the photographs I submitted of the African animals to Australian Photographic magazine’s competition for Wildlife Photographer of the Year? No, I did not come near to winning. The winning photos were truly stunning but I did get a highly commended certificate mailed to me. That meant my images went through not one shortlist but two. I was thrilled. It is a big honour for me who has only been participating in photography seriously between two and three years. Now I’m inspired to keep going and enter more challenges, not because I ever expect to win but they are so much fun and hoping for a win is enough.
I have been sorting through some of my Sri Lanka photos and came up with a short portfolio of portraiture I did. I’ll close out the post with those photos.
I’ve been in a reading slump for a couple of weeks but feel I’m out of it and am ready to pick up some books off my shelf and start them. I’ll be pretty busy with the festival but that might be a good way to relax at night to get the boats and water out of my head enough to fall asleep at night. More to come….
Enjoy life with the Penguin and me..books, travels, photography from Tasmania 
Ooo, congratulations on your award! That’s so gratifying!! And with practice, you can only improve, right? So exciting! 🙂
Those books look just marvellous! What a treat! I wish i was in one of them right now!
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Thanks very much. The boats are wonderful. Just wish I didn’t get so sea sick on them🤠🐧
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sounds like a delightful experience… your photographs are superb; i hope you get a chance to shoot some schooners or brigantines or xebecs! have they gotten the fires under control yet?
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I had to look up what those boats are you mentioned. I know very little about boats. 😏I will try my best. The fires are still going . Co tainment lines are beginning to hold up. It all depends on the weather especially the winds over the next couple of weeks. Not quite as smoky. A lot of good people working on it.
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Congratulations!!! That is a high honor, indeed! I love your portraits, especially the one of the moonstone miner. His hand on that rope…. Wonderful. The boat festival looks amazing! Emily Dickinson said, “There is no frigate like a book,” but watching books from all over the world try to sail around in the water would NOT be visually appealing. Wouldn’t want any pictures of that. Stay cool down there!
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Thank you Marian. You make a good point re Dickinson quote. Made me laugh. The moonstone miner was snapped using my phone and it is the one I like most too. A total fluke. That’s one thing I love aabout photography. Much of it is good luck alongside of hard work. Thanks for your comments.
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Congratulations! I am not surprised, I think your photos are wonderful:)
When The Spouse and I were in Tassie in 2009 (is it really that long ago?) we went to the Wooden Boat Centre and School. Apparently it’s the only place that you can get a diploma in boat building.
(You can see my post about it here: https://hillfamilysoutherndivision.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/huon-valley-west-tasmania-18-1-09/ – you can see why I think your photos are so good, mine are terrible!).
Anyway, we had a great time looking around at everything, but the best part was the scent of the freshly-cut wood. For a while there The Spouse thought he might have a go at making his own boat, but nothing came of it *chuckle*.
Have a great time, I look forward to seeing your photos!
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I saw on the news that much of the boat building school evacuated most of their boats and other essentials due to the fires being across the road westward. Most of their boats are being brought to the festival. Thanks for your kind words re my photos.
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Oh my goodness, I hope the building is ok….
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The building is safe. The fire has been contained near the road. Just hope the winds don’t flare up in coming days.
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