Well the title is a bit of a give away isn't it? I love it when you stubble upon something that has been right under your noise for what has been for like years and you never knew that it was there. I have shot 2 jobs at Watsons bay in the last few years and have never really bothered to explore it properly in a way, to turn it into a culture shoot for LaMode magazine like I have here. A culture shoot for me is about not only showing off the place I am shooting to the reader in a way that is not only interesting, but also in a way that has been shot artistically as well eg black and white and interesting angles. That is what Watsons bay give me when I decided to document it for LaMode.

It's a little bit like a beach side town with a extension to it. The extra walkways and restaurants that you can dine in when you arrive by ferry while enjoying the sunset when you are sitting next to the pier that you just walked over to reach your destination. I really didn't think that Watson bay had that much to offer but it does and wow it doesn't disappoint either when you are capturing the photographs you want to shoot. It is so easy to get to as well, you can catch a ferry from the city or a  bus, both are really fun rides and will let you take in a bit more scenery of Sydney in general.

But that really is enough of my commercial writing ........and more about the images that I have shot here for A Hidden Gem.

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I love the beach and Summer, no two ways about it. Which is the reason why I spend a lot of the time shooting at the beach, take a click on some of my swim shoots and you will see why I love shooting with a beach setting. I have been lucky enough to have worked with some amazing models and some very special swim brands. So you most be thinking that you must have to have a cool beach location to produce some of the pretty cool pics you may have seen in my swim section .....and the answer to that is YES. And that is the reason why I have shot this editorial on Tamarama Beach. Not with a model but the beach it's self and some of it's surroundings.

The beach it's self is tucked away between two hill sides which gives it cover from the wind and in turn retains the heat from the sun turning it into a amazing place to visit and sun bake. Don't you worry I have spent many hours chilling out on this beach and have shot a few swimwear editorials as well. 

So if you ever get a chance to visit or plan on getting a tan in the Summer, Tamarama beach is the one. Never crowned like Bondi, but still has a ambience that you can soak up and enjoy.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my photography and the sort of editorial's that I would like to shoot for LaMode Magazine. Thinking more about how the final images should look like. And I came to the conclusion that if it isn't art or doesn't have a art feel to it then maybe I shouldn't be shooting it? Does that make sense .....it should because photography is a art form period.

That was my thought process when I shot this culture editorial last week. The thought process was work back from how I would like the final images to look like. So the first step was think of a place or location that I would like to capture and then capture it in a way that is not only engaging but also eye catching.

So really the bottom line was how was I going to frame my shots secondly, I asked myself  how do I want these images to look and feel? I chose black and white, which is how I shoot my culture editorials anyway, and thirdly the time of day which will dictate how hash the light will be. I shot most of these pic's around 3pm Sydney time which would mean the light is still hash but good enough to play around with in photoshop so that they will look engaging enough for my readers enjoy them.

I think that is the reason why I love shooting with natural light ....because I can make the adjustments that I need to do so that they can be art it's self. 

Enjoy my culture editorial on Paddington, Sydney

Mind set, what is it? It’s attitude, how we think and what I think is the most important one our decision making. I have met so many people that just can’t stay above the line. And what is that I ask you? Being accountable for your own actions, is probable the most important one for me but taking control of everything you do. Remember that you are where you are today because you want to be not because you have to be.
How do you control it …..easy. By being accountable for everything you do. And that is where planning comes into play. You plan your day your week and and month. Ok sometimes it doesn’t happen the way you want it to but you learn from that and come back with a better one. 

If you ever want to achieve your goals it has more to do with your mind rather than accomplishment. Each stone you lay down is one step closer to where you want to go, and how you get there is the fun part?? Am I right .......well if you have read this far you may think that it doesn't work, but it does. If you don't have the right thinking and mind set you won't move forward. Think about it for a minute if you think negatively then you will most likely fall over or even worst move backward. And I think that is the reason why a lot of people get stuck in one place. I have written a lot about this on my instagram, so if you want to check out my instagram page please do so via this link :https://www.instagram.com/photography_by_geoffreychuah 

So to finish up and put this in a bow tie so to speak, think before you act and always plan ahead as that way you can never always look into the future, but you can plan for it.

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