ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW!

On Sunday I ventured to the Royal Melbourne Show to do a review for threethousand.com.au The Polaroid camera got a workout that day!

Dagwood dogs dripping with dead 'orse, hot chips, fairy floss in buckets, ghost trains with that don't-talk-to-strangers kind of feeling, mullets, winny reds and skinny jeans, wood chopping and pig diving, whingeing scally wags, spending an entire year's worth of pocket money on showbags. Cooee it can only mean one thing, the Royal Melbourne Show has rolled into town for it's 154th year, giving us slickers a taste of the rool Australia.

But is the Big Pie still casting a watchful dog's eye over the crowds? To my relief it's still there, in all its piping-hot, pastry glory. Not much has changed from when I was a young bubba with Humphrey showbag in hand, squealing to avoid a traumatic ride on the baby Ferris Wheel, although this time Humphrey was updated with the $10 Gag Magic bag.

All the classic rides are still there - with gaudy airbrush art to rival Howard Arkley's 'Nick Cave' and updated names like 'Freestyle', 'Breakdance' and the Euro-less 'EuroSlide'. But let's face it, Showbags are the real reason we catch the special train from North Melbourne every September. In the words of Russell Gilbert "I WANT A BER TIE BEETLE!"

 Review here - http://www.threethousand.com.au/stray/the-royal-melbourne-show/

"MILKBARS, LAUNDROMATS & URBAN BEAUTY" PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

As my milkbar polaroid collection grows bigger by the week along comes this beaut exhibition of photographs by Natalie Jeffcott, Gemma Jones, Miikel Doomernik and a selection of my said polaroids, as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. I think I'm more excited to be in this show than any other as the subject of Milkbars gets me all hot and bothered like a mum taking ice cream orders for all the kids at the front beach kiosk, on bitchumen and in bare feet. 
Showing at Arthus Circus opening night Tuesday 22 September from 6 - 8pm. 

♥ POLAROID ♥

I have never really explained my polaroid obsession before. It's really quite simple, i've used 35mm SLR, Digital SLR, shitty Digital, Holga, Diana, Slide's but none of these formats ever stole my photography (he)art like the Polaroid did. A few years back well before I found out the devastating news that film production would cease at the end of 09, I visited Pearl and Alf Donnelly, my Grandparents. Asked Grandma if she still had that old Polaroid in the cupboard from when I was a kid. Of course she did - the Donnelly's never throw anything out! Since then i've probably taken 700 + polaroids, which has eaten a nice hole in the old back pocket but has been worth every penny. Pearl didn't recognize her camera after i'd covered it with Advance Australia, I love Melbourne stickers, a custom tripod super glued block of wood on the bottom, and various cellophane filters blue tacked on when needed for some extra yellow haze, her words "i didn't even know you could still get film for it?"

I ♥ the way it can be so unpredictable (like most photography formats) but sometimes a batch will turn out super warm, others cold, colours can be saturated or bland, and depth of field rarely exists. The white framing, the square print area, add to that the instant quality of it and the vintage / retro history of the format and it's you beaut bloody bonza - the Polaroid is Tops! And it is film, which is of major importance. If anything I think the announcement of film production has reignited the love of Polaroid across the globe, and fingers crossed, it will hopefully make some fat cat buy the rights to reproduce the Sun 600 film, or Polaroid will backflip on their decision. This little aussie battler has his fingers crossed and is going to eat all his peas.

Michael Pham over at Lifelounge mag emailed me this beautiful advert from the Polaroid archive on youtube this arvo. If only I could have got my hands on an SX-70 and some film. This vid made my day. Thanks mate!