Custom Print and Frame. Sample Coffee Shop, Surry Hills, NSW.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be approached by my good friends Reuben and Ainhoa, who own and run Sample Coffee, with a small store in Surry Hills, a Pro Shop in St Peters, and the very new Old Gold in Chippendale. They had some spare space on the walls of the Surry Hills shop and asked me If I’d like to display something. Obviously, I jumped at the chance! Any excuse to have something on display, whether it’s in someone’s home (myself included) or on the walls of an amazing coffee shop is always an opportunity not to be missed; it’s great to know that people appreciate what you’re doing and that people will see your images. Getting a photo off the laptop screen and into print, whether it’s big or small, suddenly brings it to life and makes it real. Due to the whole COVID-19 thing I’ve had a bit more time on my hands recently so decided to also do a custom frame to get it just how I wanted.
I’ve gotta say that personally I really enjoy just looking at quality images in print and especially behind some shiny glass. I find them not only beautiful but also super inspiring, especially if there’s a connection or makes you think; What is that? Where is that? or, How did they do that? Hopefully a few of you will find some beauty or inspiration in this image.
So, a bit more info about this photo…
The connection here - other than they make well tasty coffee, and we all love to drink it (i’m a Sweet Tooth kinda guy) - is that myself, Reuben, Ainoah, and quite a few of the regulars at Sample have a passion for rock climbing. The photo here is of a place that we all have a love for, The Grampians National Park in Victoria, which is part of the Gariwerd Aboriginal cultural landscape. This specific location is Taipan Wall, which has some of the best rock climbing in all of Australia, if not the world. A quick google search will reveal some great images of scantily clad climbers putting themselves up against a myriad of impressive routes up the beautiful orange walls.
This image was taken after a great day out doing exactly that. We didn’t think the sunset would be anything special as the clouds had pretty much covered the horizon and it looked a little like rain. Low and behold, just as a light rain began to fall a gap appeared on the horizon and the sun found a small hole to peek through, illuminating everything in sight. The first rainbow began to appear, getting brighter and brighter, and then the second followed shortly after, whilst at the same time the rock took on an amazing golden glow. It only lasted a few short moments, but thankfully I rattled off a few quick shots and somehow one turned out good. It was one of those times where you want to get a great shot but also just really want to sit back and watch the display. I remember looking around afterwards and asking myself, did that actually just happen? It really was a magical moment and one I’ll never forget.
Taipan Wall, Grampians National Park, VIC. // 36°53'49"S 142°23'10"E
14th April 2019
Sony ILCE-7M3 // FE 16-35mm F2.8GM // ISO-640 | 35mm | F/2.8 | 1/640s
