I’m finding it very hard to get my head around the fact that the next time I write our IG Edition, we’ll be in a different hemisphere.
Mrs Romance and I are heading back to the UK for a couple of months… tomorrow! It’s been so long since we’ve both been back, plus we’ve got some plans for travelling in Europe we need to put into play.
And – as if she needs any more help with it – Mrs R is also going on a week-long practical photography course to learn how to shoot. I think I need that more than she does!
This will be the longest trip we’ll have taken together since we first settled in Australia a long time ago. We’re both really excited about it, but at the same time, there’s a bit of apprehension in the air.
Still got to get work done after all.
We hope you enjoy this IG Edition though. Got a couple of great tips for Sydney eats and drinks plus some amazing hints for shooting better video.
Cheers
Jim & Christina x
I don’t think there’s ever a time where the sight of this bridge ever gets boring or less pretty. Unless you’re painting it. Apparently, by the time the painters have got to the end of the bridge, it’s time to go back to the start and break out new brushes! It’s a never-ending job!
I’m happy enough just enjoying the sun go down behind it.
Today, we’re in the Sydney Town Hall learning about shooting video as part of the Head On Photo Festival. We’re getting a full day’s lesson from the impressive Michaela Skovranova and Olympus Cameras with a mix of theory and practical learning. Looking forward to getting to know my Olympus camera a bit better.
We’re outside getting ready to put into practice some of the skills Michaela has taught us. We’ve got our cheat sheets with us too which include little information nuggets like:
– Use a camera with FullHD video capabilities
– Use a Class 10 memory card (it’s written on them) or faster for video. Anything slower than 10 won’t be able to keep up with the data from your camera.
– For normal footage, set your camera to 25 frames per second (1/50 second)
– For slow motion, set it to 50 frames per second (1/100 second). This is perfect for up to half speed slow-mo.
– ISO for video – use 160, 320 or 640.
There’s so much more to shooting video than stills, but when you get it right, I bet it looks amazing!
It’s so good to be able to practise skills with some help from a pro. Plus all the people in the class are enthusiasts and have other amazing skills too. The knowledge sharing in the group is fascinating.
Believe it or not, this is a full size camera. It’s the OM-D E-M1 Olympus mirrorless camera, and it’s actually bigger than Mrs Romance’s. It’s a beautiful bit of kit – unfortunately my mutant hands make it look like a toy.
We’re playing with the manual settings on our cameras today too, which is really challenging. Getting the focus, the white balance and the exposure all right while keeping the camera still and maintaining the angle is kind of hurting my head!
But I think we got some good footage for a quick behind-the-scenes vid:
I edited this together in about 25 minutes just on iMovie – I think it came together quite well.
This evening – just after the Olympus video workshop in fact – we’re in Surry Hills for dinner with some very fine friends of ours. Stevie and Mel from Stevie English Hair and Paul and Ewelina from Refoil are awesome people. We get together whenever we can.
It’s become a bit of a habit now to meet in Suzuya Japanese Restaurant on Devonshire Street. It’s a real gem and surprisingly cheap. And they pour their beer like it’s ice cream!
If you do get a chance to come to Suzuya, make sure you order the miso eggplant if nothing else. It’s amazing!
Today, Mrs Romance is back stage of the opening day of Sydney Fashion Week. Every year MBFWA puts on an incredible show. I was lucky enough to be in Milan when the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was in Italy. It’s just fascinating.
I only got to see the front of house performance. Mrs Romance – in her Hair Romance capacity – is reporting from behind the scenes, which would be even more interesting.
Tonight, Mrs Romance is out on the town without me. She’s meeting up with our lovely mate Stacey. They’re at another hidden gem of Sydney: Hacienda Bar.
This bar looks out over Circular Quay with amazing views out over the Harbour and the Bridge. Not many people know about this place, even though it’s in one of the busiest parts of the city. Check it out for great cocktails, food and – of course – vistas!
I’ve lived in Sydney for 17 years – and Mrs Romance was born here, so she’s been in Sydney marginally longer – but neither of us are bored of looking at this city when it looks like this.
This morning we’re having a catch-up breakfast with our superb friend Tash at Euforia Café in Balmain. She and Mrs Romance have opted for the veggie breakfast – I think because of halloumi!
I’ve gone for the BLAT, because bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato is… well, it just is.
This week’s Travel Recap
Each week we go back in time over some of our favourite travel destinations using never-before-seen photos of our travels. Here’s where we’ve been looking back on this week.
Gaya Island – the largest island off the coast of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo – is a beautiful spot. There are a few places to stay here, but Gaya Island Resort has to be the best.
They even set up a beautiful beach picnic for you to enjoy to max out the romance. It’s part of our quick itinerary of Sabah here.
Also in Gaya Island Resort is their spa, which is the place where I think I found nirvana. The massage I had here was beyond everything. Surrounded by rainforest sounds, clean air and a perfect tropical temperature, and a really excellent massage treatment. Bliss.
Check out what else we got up to in Borneo with our Essential Guide to Sabah.
We’re really getting ready for our trip to Europe! Exploring what must be Sydney’s most English suburb – Balmain East – we found this old church. Looking forward to seeing a lot more architecture like this very soon!
Mrs Romance is also ramping up her door photographing skills again. It’s a theme she has running through all of her travel photos, and is one of our favourite tips for improving your travel photography.
Watch this space for a (much bigger) post on all our photography tips for taking your travel snaps to the next level.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s IG Edition. See you again soon.
Jim & Christina x