A short stint in Naarm

It has been a little too long since my last post. There's something about Christmas that really gets me out of the headspace for taking photos - maybe it's how busy everything gets, or maybe it's just the heat. Either way, I haven't shot much (minus a few photos at concerts that I've been meaning to write about), and I've written even less. So much for keeping up a routine!

These reoccurring December woes did not seem to follow me on my short trip to Melbourne for some work-related Microsoft training. Beyond the novelty of not being in my home city, I think there are a couple of reasons why Melbourne got me shooting again:

• The complete absence of Queensland's blistering heat - on most of my days away, I needed a jumper!
• The interesting architecture of the city, and the way that light has to sneak through its various nooks and crannies.

I don't have a massive amount to say about Melbourne that I haven't already prattled on about before. The tram is amazing ($5.50 per ride is an absolute joke, though), the city feels so lively (and, at times, a little too busy), the coffee is always good (as is the food), and it's so much more fun to explore than Brisbane. Like many twenty-something Brisbane-dwellers, I am no stranger to the siren call of moving south, and every visit lures me in further.

One switch-up that I made for this trip was whacking a cheap 1/4 black mist filter on the front of my Sigma 45. This filter adds a noticeable (but not overly aggressive) haze to the image, especially visible as a blooming in the highlights.

I'm not yet sure if leaving it on for the whole time was a good idea, but it did cause me to more aggressively chase light for that gorgeous and generous bloom. If anything, it's left my excited to try something like a Glimmerglass, as that relegates the misting to only the highlights, and leaves everything else looking pretty contrast-y - plus, they're glittery and pretty!

The best part of the trip (apart from learning so many interesting things about various Microsoft products and services, of course) was seeing Klaasje, my favourite little Melbourne creature. Thank you to her owners, who put up with my incessant aww-ing and camera shutter clattering whenever I was over.

What I listened to in Melbourne: "A Crow Looked at Me" - Mount Eerie (difficult listen on the tram)
What I'm reading: "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" - Gregory Maguire (yes, I'm only reading this after watching the movie, no, I am not immune to Wicked propaganda)
What I'm playing: Death Stranding Director's Cut (dropped this one a while ago and have since picked it back up, and I'm obsessed all over again - perfect example of a "just one more delivery" type game)