...Super Snaps for my new job. Australian Centre for Photography: Photojournalism exhibition. Jacaranda trees. Mid-twenties crisis. Opera House encounter. Sculptures by the Sea...

I love my job! This week has been ace as I really started to get involved with the campaigns and also got to put my photography skills to good use. I was set the task of collecting images for two client's nudie and Channel Ten's Californication. The Californication shoot was ace as the tactic to try and draw attention to the season's finale was to have scantily clad models parading the streets of Sydney and my job was to follow these fit guys round taking photos. Nice! And to add an even bigger smile to my face was the next day one of my photographs received national coverage when it accompanied an article in the newspaper the Daily Telegraph.

But the week had been very wet, grey and reminiscent of weather at home. Now that I'm settled in a home & job I started to get withdrawal symptoms from travelling and the weather just made me feel far too in touch with everyday life back in England. However, this weekend completely changed all that and enlivened my spirits.

I started off by appreciating another side of Sydney in the form of its arts and culture when I visited the ACP (Australian Centre for Photography). It was my last chance to see the photographs in the Nikon Walkley Photojournalism Awards exhibit so made an extra effort to get down there after work on Friday and was so pleased that I did. The pieces were exceptional and captured all areas of Australian life. There were moving photo essays and breathtaking shots of protests, sporting events and real life drama.

On my walk to Paddington I was given another visual delight when I passed the most beautiful lilac blossomed Jacaranda trees down Oxford Street.

And talking of things purple I decided to have a bit of a drastic change to my hair and had the underneath dyed a plumy mauve colour and the top quite an ice white blonde with a bit of a Victoria Beckham type of cut. I think I'm going though a bit of a mid-twenties crisis and getting round to doing all the things I never did as a teenager like dye my hair random colours! Out here I've got the freedom to do it.

Whilst in the hairdressers yesterday a friend I met in Byron Bay text me saying he had a spare ticket to the ballet at the Opera House for later in the afternoon that he'd managed to get a special deal on. Absolutely loving the ballet I jump at the chance and quickly rushed home to change. But quite amusingly he hadn't read the small print on the offer and didn't realise it was a talk on the ballet until we were at the steps of the Opera House. We lasted five minutes until we couldn't take any more of the pretentious dribble the couple were chatting about and headed outside to have a drink in the sunshine at the Opera Bar. It was lovely sitting there in the hot early evening with the iconic structures of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge either side of me. I suddenly felt that I had really arrived in Sydney and my withdrawal symptoms from travelling just melted away.

And today I couldn't have got more back into my travelling ways by going to the Sculptures by the Sea exhibit - where two of Sydney's great loves the beach and culture was combined. This has become one of Sydney's iconic events and is Australia's largest annual outdoor free public exhibition of contemporary sculpture, spanning across the Bondi to Tamarama beach walk.

Jess, who I'd met through NOSH (the catering company I was working for) and me had a great time analysing the pieces and enjoying the wonderful natural backdrop of the Ocean. There were some astounding sculptures and a diverse use of materials. There were wonderful pieces made of glass, metal and a mixture of both. Sculpture and photography have to be my two favourite forms of art and I got a bit snap happy taking lots of photos (but then I always do!). What a brilliant way to end the weekend!

Photo: Californication Campaign - The picture that made the papers

[Next blog entry: Sydney Sunday November 18th 2007]