Y Is For Yellow

It’s Not What You Shoot, It’s HOW You Shoot It

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

One of the joys of individualism is the ability to see things differently, to have an independent opinion and to have a viewpoint while respecting the views of those around you.

Precisely because human beings are blessed with intelligence, no two people will ever share exactly the same perspective, whether it involves a description of an event, the artistic rendering of an object or scene, or the photographic depiction of any sight.

Show a brief film clip to a room full of people and each of them will notice different things about the clip. Play a soundtrack to them and each will have a different opinion on the harmony, the instrumentation or even the quality and delivery of the lyrics.

That’s the thing about viewpoint. Difference is good. It is a sign of an independent mind.

There is no correct way to bracket your art. What you interpret depends entirely on your brain. If you sent two dozen photographers to shoot the Sydney Opera House at exactly the same time, they’d all come back with different images.

I’ve probably said this before, but only you can define your art. Follow your instinct. Dare to depict things the way you see them, or the way in which they catch your eye. Unfetter your imagination.

And if you’re wondering what I’ve shot here, the answer is very simple. They’re not UFOs. They’re not mutant glow-worms. They’re ceiling lights at Freshwater Place, here in Melbourne.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Unidentified Flying Objective

Fly And The Family Stone

Romanian UFO investigators are appealing for people to stop reporting sightings of a flying saucer on Google Earth. After reports that a disc-shaped object had landed in farmland near Timisoara, the Romanian UFO Network set out on a field trip – but found it was an abandoned water storage unit.

FOOTNOTE: Soar point.

The Sky’s The Limit

Even Agent Mulder Would Have Been Foxed

Thousands of callers in Germany swamped a UFO hotline after mistaking festive mini hot-air balloons for an alien invasion. Werner Walter of Germany's Central Research Network for Unusual Sky Phenomena said the red and gold lights were caused by a new Chinese-style balloon.

FOOTNOTE: Balloony Tunes.

Alien Behaviour

Maybe The Sofa Is A Disguised UFO

A British family claim their sofa is haunted. Christine Strange, of Bristol, says her couch has started making weird noises that are getting louder and louder: "It could be an alien for all we know." Her husband Nigel refuses to sit on the sofa.

FOOTNOTE: Take me to your reader.

Way To Go

What Is This Mystery Object?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

What's mustard-yellow, shiny, has glass panels and moves very quick? I'll let you ponder the challenge before I give you the answer.

Is it a superbug? Is it a UFO? Is it a helmet belonging to one of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers?

Very often, an everyday object takes on a completely different look if you shoot it from an unusual angle. I took this shot last month while I stood on the platform at Bukit Bintang station in Kuala Lumpur. My family and I were waiting for the monorail when one pulled in on the opposite platform, going in the other direction.

I had my camera around my neck (hey, I was a tourist, okay?!) so it just took me a couple of seconds to work out how to take the shot to best effect. Rather than shoot a horizontal frame of the very recognisable shape, I opted instead for a vertical shot so that the metal and perspex formed an intriguing view.

Let me tell you, these monorails don't spend too much time at stations. A few seconds after I had taken this shot, it was off on its concrete rail and our train was approching.

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

Unidentified Filmed Object

Can You Guess What This Is?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Take a close look at this shot and tell me if you can figure out what I’ve photographed. Is it a pitted clay pathway with straw piled beside it? Is it a narrow Outback track being choked by some vivid, noxious weed?


Let me give you a different viewpoint. This is the same object, photographed from a slightly different angle. Here’s another clue. I was using the SMC Pentax-DA macro lens when I shot this series of images.

Okay, now that you’ve identified the object, here’s the definitive view of it (below). I was holding a yellow Slazenger tennis ball in my left hand and holding my camera in my right hand. To get a different perspective and a fresh angle on each shot, I just kept rotating the ball.

Air Forced One

Maybe It Was The Venus Flying Trap

A police helicopter in Wales pursued a UFO after almost colliding with it over a military base near Cardiff. The pilot was forced to bank sharply to avoid being hit by the mystery aircraft and the crew, who described the UFO as "flying saucer-shaped", gave chase as far as the north Devon coast before they ran low on fuel.

FOOTNOTE: Flying sorcerer.

A Golden Orb, Floating With Majesty

Serene Against A Clear Blue Sky

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There are lucky shots and there are lucky shots. I'll explain what this image is, in just a minute, but in the meantime, can anyone guess what I've photographed here?

Is it the early-morning full moon before dawn? Is it the sun? Is it a UFO? Is it a ball of Edam cheese flying through the air?

As some of you might know, I bought a Sigma 300mm lens last Thursday and man, have I been having some fun with it! The focal length is awesome and I've been using the lens in all sorts of weather conditions. When I bought this Pentax K100D in September 2005, I opted for a multi-purpose 18-125mm Sigma lens which has been absolutely wonderful. But the time has come to have a second lens on hand at all times, to give me more options.

They're both detachable lenses, of course, so I can swap them instantly. This series of shots was taken with the 300mm lens, which gave me the sort of close-up I've always dreamed about.

Okay, so you're wondering what the photograph actually shows, right? It's time to reveal all. Here we go ...

It's one of the tourist balloons that dot the Melbourne sky right through late spring, summer and early autumn. It's the first week of autumn here but the skies are crystal-clear and the weather's been very warm, with temperatures in the high nineties.

As you can see, there is a subtle difference between the first image and the second. In the first, I composed the shot deliberately and focused on the fronds of a palm tree, to use them as a distinctive silhouette. Then, using a simple technique that I call "reverse focus", I simply changed the focus so that the balloon was the main object and the fronds became a secondary point of interest.

I waited a few seconds to see if I could get a clear shot of the design on the side of the balloon and I got lucky as the pilot gave it a brief blast on the burners.

The interesting thing to bear in mind is that this balloon was several hundred feet above me, so it was a good thing I was using a 300mm lens. They would still have been great shots with my 125m lens, but they would not have been so arresting.

And in conclusion, I'd just like to share what my teenage (and irreverent) son told me. I showed him the first photograph and asked him to guess what it was. "Something stupid," he said, without any hesitation.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Dad," he said, almost reproachfully, "because you took it."

Flying Saucy

Alien Spotters Just Want Their Space

Authorities in Perm, a remote Russian region at the centre of dozens of reports of UFO sightings, have started work on a $6 million centre to attract alien spotters. Many believe Perm is regularly visited by aliens and officials want to build an observatory for people to scan the skies for UFOs, in addition to a special trail along sites of supposed UFO sightings, as well as displays and even equipment like infra-red cameras that can be rented by UFO spotters to catch aliens on film. A lawyer is even planning to open an office there to give advice on compensation to people who have been the victim of alien abduction.

FOOTNOTE: Space crafty.

UFO Alert

Have The Martians Come To Take Me Away?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It might look like there's some alien craft hovering above me, but it's just the normal view of the sky from one of the alleyways at Clarke Quay in Singapore. The picture below gives you a completely different perspective of the same "sky umbrella" and the cloudy Singapore skyline, taken from across Read Bridge.

It’s A Bird, It’s A Plainclothes Policeman

No, It’s Superman (We Think)

Police are investigating after villagers in Romania claimed to see a Superman-like figure flying through the sky. Almost 20 villagers, from Gemeni, Mehedinti county, claim the UFO was wearing a shiny blue suit, just like Superman's. Police officers took written statements from all of the witnesses and say they described the figure in the same way. Constantin Toader, 41, said: "He looked like Superman and was flying slowly at about 100 yards from the ground in a standing position. He didn't make any smoke or sound. Just cruising around."

FOOTNOTE: Krypton eyed.