Sunday February 10 Quaywest Hotel in The Rocks was the venue booked in for the second Sydney Strobist meet which was organised by J - of whom fronted the costs out of his own pocket to book a conference room which was used for indoor/studio style photos.

5 models agreed to come along on a TFP basis, all of which appeared to have a fun day & had some amazing shots produced by some 30 photographers who attended, most of which brought there own Strobe lighting, Pocket Wizards, Backdrops, Reflectors, Stands & a huge amount of lenses. All in all I think there would of had to of been close to $400,000 worth of equipment.

Council approval needed be seeked, waivers drawn up & model releases to protect from commercial use. A huge amount of organisation was done before the day, however things went along quite smoothly...everyone kept to the deadlines - of which was 1hr to move between indoor/outdoor locations, setup lighting & shoot before packing up & switching to the next location/model.

I'd advise anyone that wants to learn the fundamentals of studio lighting setup to attend one of these events. While things move along quite fast, there are a number of individuals with a vast amount of experience which can help you with any questions/techniques. Everyone that I had talked to was friendly & even went as far as to lending me a pocket wizard so I could try produce some shots of my own.

I was only able to stay for a couple of hours, so while my time was limited, I think I learned a fair bit which will help me in future. I'll definitely have to try and start attending future meets as they are a great way to improve & learn new lighting techniques, create cheap but awesome Ring Flash's with cardboard or even just to socialise with those who share the same interests.

Here are a few of the shots I got from the day, head over to the Flickr Sydney Strobists Group to view other shots from the day & updates for upcoming meets.

Dan.

Thea

Sarah

Once again the great music festival which is Soundwave is upon us, I just confirmed my pass through Killswitch Engage management to shoot the Sydney show on Sun Feb 24th 2008.

And what a killer lineup they have for us this year, definitely one to please hardcore fans across the nation. Acts which include the likes of: Killswitch Engage, Alexisonfire, Devine Heresy, Offspring, Incubus, As I Lay Dying, Shadows Fall, Plain White T's, From Autumn To Ashes, Thursday, Saosin, Bleeding Through & the locals Carpathian.

I covered last years show which was a terrential rain filled day of action. This years line-up blows last year out of the park however, it is basically a full days worth of top acts compared to a number of gap fillers last year, thats my opinion anyway. It is disappointing Byron rockers Parkway Drive did not join the tour again this year, choosing to hold their own regional tour with 50 Lions instead.

Unfortunately it is looking like I will not be able to take the day off work to do the mass amount of editing which will come with Soundwave, so I will try update each night with 2-3 bands worth of photos.

Anyone that is attending the Sydney show, let me know & we will try catch up for a brew during the day.

Check out some of my shots below from last years event & those of Killswitch Engage, Thursday & From Autumn To Ashes.

www.soundwavefestival.com for more info.

Dan.

We decided to buy Panda a new playmate today.

Ventured in to the nearest RSPCA shelter to take in a stray, 2hours later we had to leave because it is 'procedure' to call our landlord to check that we are allowed to have pets in the unit....unfortunate but understandable, so they don't get many returns

After that disappointment we raced in to Parramatta Westfield Pets World 5minutes before closing time & picked up this little man - fullscreen views can be seen at my deviantArt gallery - we are still yet to name him, Gonzo & Top Hat have been the recent suggestions...anyone else with a possible name, comments below!

For those who don't know, we picked up Panda after losing our Zoe 3days after returning from a month in Perth...we took her in to get her de-sexed & received a phone call to say she went in to cardiac arrest immediately after the anesthetic was injected, we didn't want to have an empty house, so we took in a stray which was residing at the Vet during the time...Panda is a lil nutter kitty, always wants to play!

This was our awesome Zoe before she passed away.

Dan.

DBedford.com is now open for business

I finally got my act together & put together a website with the help of DCurrie

For those of you that do not yet know me, I go by the name Dan...I'm a Photographer based in Sydney, Australia

I've been shooting on & off for 2 years now - tried to dab my paws in a little bit of everything...from landscapes to international music festivals

I currently shoot for FasterLouder & World Entertainment News Network

If you're ever after a photographer for any occasion - feel free to shoot me an email - dan@dbedford.com - a brief set of rates are up on my 'About' page at the moment - keep in mind I am still to write a short bio about myself, if anyone I know is keen to do it for me, please do so!

People that know which would like their blog/site listed on my front page, leave your links in the comment section below.

This is my first attempt at a blog outside of the delights of myspace, so any tips/tricks are most appreciated....also any advice for traffic/tagging/advertisements are encouraged.

Upcoming:

Flickr Strobist Meet/Model Shoot @ Quay West Hotel - Feb 10

Sydney Soundwave Festival @ Sydney Park - Feb 26 (awaiting confirmation)

Girlfriends 21st Weekend Bash @ Newcastle - Feb 29 - Mar 2

Wedding Shoot @ Newcastle - Mar 8

HIM @ Big Top, Luna Park - Mar 25

Celine Dion @ Acer Arena - Mar 28

Dan