A Quiet Month Is A Good Month - Or Is It?

The month started with a bang. After an exhilarating and successful exhibition opening, I high-tailed it to Portarlington the very next day – November 1st. It was exactly the post event celebration that I needed to unwind and refresh my energy. I stayed at Bellarine Bayside Holiday Park, in a very cute little cabin right on the beach (what little beach there is, it is highly eroded and on a steep incline), with a walking path right out front to watch walkers go by whilst journaling and sipping rosé.

The view from my cabin. Image by Teague Leigh by phone.

Before the trip, my counsellor suggested I write letters to my ma in an effort to heal. I am a terrible diarist; however, I found this experience highly cathartic, and the automatic writing flowed, along with my tears, quite unashamedly. If you’ve lost a loved one, perhaps you have done something similar. I cannot recommend the experience enough. This trip was all about healing. Healing from a long stint of work, and healing from the passing of my ma in July, so I did not bring my camera, I only took photos with my camera.

Whilst going on daily walks I soaked up the sun and took in the views. On one walk I watched a woman walk her horse through the ocean waters, it was such a beautiful sight. Whilst sitting outside my little cabin I had so many people say hello, such a friendly area, so uncommon in the city. All this was completely refreshing, and I thanked my past self for having the where-with-all to book this trip in advance.

Next up, on the 8th of November, Michael and I drove to Shepparton again for their annual Out in the Open Carnival Day where Michael sold their books to eager locals. Everyone is so friendly, from the teens who are neurodivergent, to the adult queers who aren’t particularly readers, but love the content anyway, or just want a chat. We love going to this event and watching the day’s entertainment. This was an overnight trip with Michael giving a panel the previous night at the local library to a handful of eager teens who ate every word. It was an encouraging experience.

Michael holding up two anthologies at the Shepparton Library. Image by Teague Leigh by phone.

Lastly in a very lean month was another trip away with Out Doors Inc. This was another overnight trip. I met a few different people on this trip, which is always difficult for me, I feel so awkward at small talk and never know how to initiate a conversation. This is the main reason I go away on these trips – to help me conquer my chronic social anxiety. The fact that we go away and spend time in nature is an added benefit. This trip we went to the dubiously named Mount Cannibal and did the spectacular loop walk. Afterwards we made lunch at Mortimer Picnic Ground and completed the tricky nature track. Tricky because a couple of the bridges were out from large fallen trees. The next day we stopped to see Puffing Billy at Emerald Park and then we walked around the lake.

Mount Cannibal views. Image by Teague Leigh.

As I said, this was a less busy month than what I have experienced in the past. I’m not mad about it. In fact, it was exactly what was called for in my hectic life. I need to practice slowing down. My daily rests are a great start, but they are the tip of the iceberg of sorting out a comfortable living. I grew up with the “head down, bum up” mentality of the working class British, and as a British, my father taught me not to complain about it. I have been working on this. Whilst I do not complain out loud to others, I certainly have stern words with myself these days and ask myself whether or not working so hard is a value add to my life. I’m trying to practice the art of not giving a fck, but decades of poor life skills have made it a hard lesson to learn. Once again, I leave you with this – be kind to yourself, on both the easy days and the hard days. Take nothing for granted.

Question of the month: Who are you in the dark, when no one is watching?

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh

A Crisis of Ability

October started out of the gates with a frenzy (if you pardon the racing terminology). Michael drove us to Canberra for their large family get together (about 30 of us, all immediate family) to celebrate their parents 50th wedding anniversary. Whilst I’ve been married, I consider that an anomaly as I do not believe in marriage. However, to see two people working hard to stay together for so long and genuinely love each other after such a large amount of time does impress me. I realised something a few months ago about my identity – I am likely greyromantic, which means I am not inherently romantic all of the time. I have yet to determine whether that is part of my autism, or a personality trait. Heaven help Michael!

October 5th, we ventured to Floriade, Canberra’s free open flower festival. Here in Naarm you would have to pay for such a privilege, so it’s always a busy festival for Canberra which of course leads to sensorial overload. Cocktails were called for whilst we waited for the rest of the family to explore the grounds, go on rides, and generally enjoy the atmosphere. I am getting better at wearing my Loops in public to help with the overload, but I forgot them on this day.

Flowers at Floriade. Image by Teague Leigh.

The following day, on the 6th, we walked around Black Mountain where the wildflowers were abundant and Michael’s mother, who is a keen flower spotter, saw several orchids.

Wild orchid at Black Mountain. Image by Teague Leigh.

Then we visited the abandoned Telstra Tower. Having spent a sporadic 15yrs of my life in Canberra, I remember the tower in its heyday when it was a tourist destination, now it is rundown and a tourist attraction of the notorious kind. It’s fenced off but not really patrolled, so you can walk up to it and take photos. I was disappointed to see it in its state of decay – I had talked it up to the family – though it does make for moody images. I have a mind to edit my images into black and white, to give them a moodier tone.

Telstra Tower. Image by Teague Leigh.

Back in Naarm I worked for the Victorian Pride Centre again, this time for their TiPS program, only to be told they were going in a different direction due to a “miscommunication” in what they were after with the images. This was devastating and a crisis of faith in myself ensued.

TiPS participants. Image by Teague Leigh.

I’m still not sure of my expertise, despite working at the Centre before for different clients and having my work loved. This was the first time a client had not liked my wares, and I was shook for a number of weeks as a consequence. Thanks to my mentor, award-winning Luke David (who has also photographed for the Centre), I was able to overcome my dark thoughts eventually. It has left me changing the way I accept clients forthwith, however, making sure the client knows what they want from me in the brief prior to accepting a contract, as well as making sure they know my style of work, so I am not negotiating terms and explaining photography concepts during. I am also going to stand up for myself more fervently from now on.

On the 13th I took on another indoor client, whilst still having a crisis of conscience. “Baliti” was performed by the exceptional dancer, Ricardo Magno, who I had photographed the previous month for the hero image of the performance as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Fortunately, this client liked my work.

Ricardo Magno in “Baliti”. Image by Teague Leigh

Then on the 27th I tagged along with Michael to Queenscliff for a writer’s festival they were appearing on a panel at. Whilst they were on the panel, I walked around the gorgeous town of Queenscliff and took shots of architecture and nature – my happy place. I know that nature is my balm, but it always surprises me just how much I get out of it, how much nature provides me. It charges my batteries exponentially and a lot of the suffering I am going through seems to evaporate.

Queenscliff pier. Image by Teague Leigh.

On the second last day of the month, I went with my support worker (my only trip with him this month) to Leanganook Camping area to walk around the breathtaking Mount Alexander Regional Park. It is a bush flower paradise. Walking around the scrub, we also detoured to Dog Rocks, Faraday, which were incredibly large boulders towering on top of each other on top of a mountain. I love me some rocks and the views were also outstanding. Again, walking around in the scrub for 2.5hrs, was a city detox and washed me of any lingering doubts about my abilities and cleansed me of the sights and sounds associated with city living.

Dog Rocks. Image by Teague Leigh.

For sunset we were going to walk up to Lang’s Lookout but weren’t really sure of how to get there once we were in the area and thus stumbled upon an old, abandoned quarry as the sun was setting across the pit.

Abandoned quarry. Image by Teague Leigh.

So, October was a tough one, but here I am, a survivor.

Remember to tell your friends to donate over on my Ko-Fi page so they too can follow along for behind the scenes and dedicated content.

October question: What have you survived? Was it depression? A poisoned working environment? An abusive partner? Bad news?

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh

Busy Does Not Make The Body Stronger

At last chat with my GP, we discussed me possibly having Restless Leg Syndrome brought on by the trauma of suddenly losing my ma. However, I am due for another appointment on Monday as something turned up in my bloods. I am hoping this will bring relief to the chronic pain I've been suffering for the past two months.

Despite the trauma and the grief and the pain I have been busy, as is my subconscious want.

Firstly, in the month of September, I participated in my first overnight trip with Out Doors Inc. We travelled to Lake Eppelock, where we canoed to an island, made a collective lunch, then paddled around the lake before heading to our accommodation in Axedale.

Lake Eppalock. Image by Teague Leigh.

The next day we journeyed to the Pink Cliffs, which are quite otherworldly, then went for a longer-than-expected hike to Devil's Cave (which was underwhelming, but the hike was great)!

The Pink Ciffs. Image by Teague Leigh.

I'm liking the Out Doors Inc adventures - it's getting me out of the house into nature, I get to bring my camera, and there is a lot of group activity so I'm working on my social skills (the bane of my life).

Straight away after that I journeyed to Benalla and Winton Wetlands and for once, the Wetlands lived up to their name with plentiful water for the first time I've ever seen in the 5 or so years I've been going.

Cat Graf by David Lee Pereira. Image by Teague Leigh.

Winton Wetlands. Image by Teague Leigh.

Mid-month Michael and I went to Tassie for their work, and I like to tac on a few extra days for photography.

Launceston architecture. Image by Teague Leigh.

We saw many a sight, but the weather this trip did not want to play nice with us. At the Tamar Wetlands, however, we did see a sea eagle, which was a first for me. We also drove past a magnificently large wedge-tailed eagle eating a carcass on the side of the road (not pictured).

Tamar Islands Wetlands. Image by Teague Leigh.

Fortunately, though we'd missed the epic floods that shut much of the island down for a couple of weeks.

This is not Eddystone Lighthouse, but on location. Image by Teague Leigh.

I finally got to photograph some of Binalong Bay, but the weather really didn't want to play nice which meant we witnessed a rainbow underneath a fiery sky. So, it wasn’t all bad.

Binalong Bay. Image by Teague Leigh.

We also managed to get briefly to Freycinet National Park, where we actually had nice weather for once.

The Gardens. Image by Teague Leigh.

The highlight of the trip for me was a soggy detour to little known Mount Paris Dam Wall. A disused dam that is truly an architectural masterpiece being taken back by nature.

Mount Paris Damn Wall. Image by Teague Leigh.

Towards the end of the month now, and I had the pleasure of photographing Ricardo Magno under a beautiful Moreton Bay Fig at Albert Park Lake. Ricardo is a beautiful dancer of Filipino heritage and engaged me to create the hero image for his Melbourne Fringe Show "Baliti", and take some social media content for him. This was the first time I had taken portraiture for pay, and I am so fortunate Ricardo allowed me to take these unconventional images.

Ricardo Magno. Image by Teague Leigh.

The rest of the month was filled with friend catch-ups, cancelled appointments due to pain, and lots of Arts Access Victoria curatorial work (which is coming along nicely). I know it is an October event, but please get along to it if you can. I am so incredibly proud of and excited for the 18-25yr old's who are in this exhibition. They are sharing very personal insights into their disabilities through the theme of "Through Space and Time".

My question to you this month is: Do you switch off at all? If not, why not? What, or who, is stopping you?

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh.

Grief is still a constant friend, but life grinds on.

There was no blog last month due to the sudden unexpected passing of my ma. My ma was my best friend, and I shared everything with her, so now to be going on adventures, stretching myself as a human being, and going through so many things, it is hard not to want to share them with her at every opportunity. There is a large gap in my life now that nothing will be able to replace (and believe me – alcohol isn’t a solution).

August has been another tough month of grief looming large in my system. I developed restless leg syndrome (RLS). Previously, my fidgeting has been contained to my fingers, having fidgety legs is another level of hell they do not tell you about. I get the zoomies (an uncontrollable need to move around sporadically). Luckily my desk is a standing desk, and I can crank my music up and dance whilst I work. The night-time pain though is another matter. My GP has prescribed me drugs to combat the RLS pain when I need it, which is actually helping.

Hopefully my brain will slow soon, and I can establish a new normal. A dear friend told me not to pursue my old baseline, that was forever lost to me through the grief of losing a beloved mother. This has helped me be gentle to myself in my recovery and I’ve allowed myself to sit in the pain longer than I would have otherwise. Oft times people think that autistic people are emotionless or blocked off to emotion. Neither is true.

My motivation has fluctuated, hence this post being late, but that is not to say that I have not done any photography. My work with Arts Access Victoria (AAV) has continued but for a couple of weeks my heart was not in it, and my nature adventures were initially not the balm I was searching for, which left me flailing with despondency. However, I have found the pleasure in nature once more and hopefully this shines through in the images I have for you today.

I could post about July now, however, for the sake of expediency, I am only giving you the month of August. Posting about July gives me sorrow I am still at odds with, so shall shelve that month. Even now, writing about August feels pointless, but I love you, so I want to share with you.

So, August: I finally bought filters for my new wide angle lens so that I can take long exposures with it now. My first trip with my support worker was to Lake Elizabeth, in the Otways NP. The walk from the campground took me longer to walk than expected so we just settled near the lake and hoped for platypus sightings (we were unsuccessful).

Lake Elizabeth. Image by Teague Leigh

Then Michael & I took off to Portarlington on a creative work trip. There I photographed sunset at the famous old jetty grommets at Clifton Springs.

Clifton Springs old jetty. Image by Teague Leigh.

 Then backed it up for sunrise at Point Lonsdale Lighthouse and jetty. Neither shoots really popped, but as a photographer of nature, I’m used to working with the elements.

Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. Image by Teague Leigh.

 I have registered with disability adventure group Out Doors Inc, an organisation that helps adults get out into nature, and August was my first day trip to Mount Macedon & Lake Sanitorium (where I have been a couple of times before). It was a great day, cooking stew on the campfire and getting to know everyone whilst also fitting in a short walk around the lake. This sort of social interaction is mentally exhausting, but it is exactly what I am looking for to help me grow my social circle, and how better to do it than surrounded by nature?

Mount Macedon. Image by Teague Leigh.

 Next up, my support worker and I travelled to Dog Rocks, in Batesford. This was a first for my support worker, but it was my second time. Again, the sunset didn’t really pop, but the rocks themselves (and that tree), hold magic.

Dog Rocks. Image by Teague Leigh.

 On August 26th I popped into my local tattoo parlour, which my dear friend, Lee Stain, owns and they gave me a memorial tattoo. The saying is Irish Gaelic, meaning “My Family Forever”. It mirrors the one my mother had on her arm. The flower is a carnation - my ma’s favourite flower, despite it being so overlooked, and the Triskele represents, amongst many other things, The Mother – a deeply Pagan symbol. As you can see, Lee did an absolute perfect job of such a meaningful piece of art. I highly recommend them at Inktricate, on Lygon Street, in Brunswick East for all your inking needs – they are also a lovely soul and phenomenal artist (painting and drawing).

Image by Teague Leigh.

 That’s it for now, but September is jam-packed (already), so keep coming back to read what is going on in my world and please continue to tell people about my work. Through word of mouth and community support I have bought all but one lens I need to further my career; without your help I would not have been able to purchase these tools.

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh.

Relatively subdued, but not by choice

June was relatively subdued, but not by choice. My support worker had poor health and then so did his car, meaning it will need to be sold to a wreckers or the like, so travelling was waylaid.

However, I did get to spend a week on Gadigal Country for the Vivid Festival.

Firstly was the sensational Dark Spectrum. After attending the best concert of my life by electronic dance music duo Underworld (most known with their hit Born Slippy in the film "Trainspotting"), this was a glorious continuation of lights and beats.

One of the rooms of Dark Spectrum in the underground tunnels of Wynyard. Image by Teague Leigh

Then walked around and photographed an amazing sunset from near Mrs Macquarie's Chair and played with long exposures of up to 10 minutes. The point gives a great view of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and during Vivid Festival, once Mother Nature’s lights go off, the Festival lights turn on.

Vivid Festival light trails as seen from Mrs Macquarie's Chair, Gadigal. Image by Teague Leigh.

Then I walked to The Rocks and photographed the Vivid installations.

Vivid Festival light installation. Image by Teague Leigh.

All up I did a staggering 21kms of walking. Needless to say, after hardcore EDM dancing for 3 hours (a transcendental experience) the night before, I broke. I crashed into bed and couldn't move for 12 hours, not even for the bathroom! I had to miss my intended concert (Electric Fields at Carriageworks) the following night to let my body gather spoons. Even ten years after my diagnosis of acquired disabilities, I am still learning how many spoons each action will remove from my wares. This calculation is not linear either. Variables, such as the type of crowd (rowdy hooligans, verses appreciative guests, etc), the weather, what I have done prior, and so much more, all factor into the loss of spoons. I’m still forgetting that I cannot do all of the things. Now, however, I am being kind to myself when I make these errors in judgments and try to rest as soon as I’ve realised where my levels of pain and fatigue are at.

Eventually, on the 3rd of June, I was able to leave my hotel room again to ferry over to Cremorne Point to photograph Robertsons Point Lighthouse (which I think is underrated as far as engineering structures go), before photographing a lack-lustre sunset, but still loving the city lights across the water.

Gadigal Country. Image by Teague Leigh.

I was able to do a "mild" walk of 11kms whilst photographing more Vivid installations such as the below at The Goods Line, after I had walked around Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, and Tumbalong Park.

Fire Kitchen at The Goods Line. Image by Teague Leigh

Back in Naarm I didn't get out on an adventure until the 12th June, where we went to Bellbird Picnic Area and walked the Flying Fox Trail. Since it was winter, we weren't expecting to see many, however, the sight of so many astounded us and can only boggle at how many we would see during the September birthing season.

Flying Foxes, Naarm. Image by Teague Leigh

It was a quick 2hr walk as I had to get back for Michael's new anthology launch for Avast! (pirate stories by trans and gender diverse authors). However, we did make it to the Fairfield Pipe Bridge and Wurundjeri Spur Lookout.

June wasn't boring, by any means. My big news that I hinted at last blog was me securing a job with Arts Access Victoria as their youth program, Maker Space, exhibition curator! I will be guiding the youths (18-25 yrs old - at my age I'm calling them youths) towards a group exhibition on the 31st October at Library at the Docks, which is monumental and a great privilege.

Plus my old mentor, award-winning photographer Luke David, keeps sending work my way. I managed to photograph Switchboard's launch with Yarra Trams on the 25th June, where they celebrated with Drag Storytime with Frock Hudson, it was glorious.

Frock Hudson onboard a Yarra Tram. Image by Teague Leigh.

 The lack of adventure meant I could edit these camera images, but even though I cleaned my wide angle lens every time I used it, it was still a chore post-edit! Seems I still need to figure out how to get the most out of the new lens. Professional photographers do not always get it right, so do not be so hard on yourself when you are just starting out. Welp, sometimes I even leave the lens caps on!

So many dust spots. (Mobile phone image by Teague Leigh).

There ended the adventures, due to the aforementioned troubles, but let me tell you, July is much busier, so keep coming back and tell all your friends to come check out what I’m about. I'm still saving for lenses and a filter system for my wide angle lens, so even $5 a month is going to help me achieve my goals of capturing Country and gift the healing power of nature.

Question for this blog: Have you calculated what it takes to deplete all your spoons?

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh.

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

The start of this month I started off concentrating on editing the backlog (which I am now stressing less about in order to focus on my health, which means all of these images are again from my phone) and hanging with friends. The first photography trip wasn’t until the 10th of April, which was to watch Puffing Billy (the old steam train that winds its way through the forested mountains of the region) pull into Belgrave station. This required all my patience as a multitude of passengers poured from the locomotive to walk or stand directly in front of me as I was taking photos.

After this shamble (I was also disappointed that it wasn’t billowing steam as it came into the station, the way it does along some parts of the track), my support worker and I drove to Sherbrooke Forest. This was a lesson for my support worker who had been telling me the fortnight earlier his hate for leeches. During one segment of this 2.5hr walk he was inundated with well over a dozen baby leeches whilst I remained unscathed. We now pack salt on our adventures! For some reason I was placed in charge of the map and being extremely Irish when it comes to directions, we ended up getting lost and tacking on an extra hour to our walk. However, it wasn’t a complete failure of a trip.

Sherbrooke is a gorgeous pocket of Victoria, only 90mins from Naarm. Sherbrooke Falls themselves are nothing to write home about, but the river walk is exquisite. We also had the added bonus of seeing a very angry crayfish – a Eustacus Woiwurru (Central Highland Spiny Crayfish). These unique and very aggressive crays make their burrows in the ground and can be found near freshwater. In Victoria they are becoming harder to find, so I registered the sighting on the iNaturalist app – which I highly recommend as it is a powerful tool in the fight for conservation. It’s cousin up in Queensland is on the endangered list.

The menacing Eustacus Woiwurru (a screenshot from my laptop)

With no rest for the wicked, Michael and I flew to Lutruwita on Friday and spent Saturday driving from Longford (near Launceston) to Somerset (near Burnie). Saturday we went chasing waterfalls: Liffey Falls, Upper Preston Falls, and Delaney’s Falls. Between Liffey and Preston, we took the time to walk to Tulampanga Lookout and I am so glad we did. I now urge everyone to visit this lookout to give perspective over how insignificant humans actually are in the grand scheme of things. You can feel the ancient call of these cliffs, the area being a sacred women’s space for the local First Nations people – the Pallittorree.

The inspiring view from Tulampanga Lookout (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Whilst I did not get attacked by leeches when out with my support worker on the Wednesday, I did find one on me after Upper Preston Falls but because I had learnt from my support workers experience, I deliberately wore knee high white socks on the trek. I know white socks are the last colour you want to be wearing whilst getting dirty, but I was able to see the black leech immediately and flick it off me with a nearby twig. Win!

Sunday was an early start at Fern Glade Platypus Reserve. This is a nice, easy walk and we had the place to ourselves until we were about to finish up our breakfast at a picnic table near the river. We had not seen any platypus whilst walking, but as we were finishing up breakfast, I noticed two women concentrating on the water down by the river’s edge, so I tiptoed across the gravel path to stand at the viewing platform nearby and lo’ – there was indeed a real wild platypus swimming and diving for an early breakfast itself – my first time seeing a platypus in the wild! Such a phenomenal way to start the day.

Next, we drove to Upper Cam Falls. Reviews on Google Maps are mixed about the difficulty of finding the falls. Let me tell you – it is very, very easy to find. Whilst it is not signposted, and there is only a goat track down to the falls, it is a very simple five minute walk (although I do not think I would like to do it in the wet). The effort is worth it. These falls, this little pocket of nature, is magical. It feels like the best kept secret – so pristine and perfect. I could have literally stayed there for hours; however, I was wary of leeches so didn’t sit on any damp logs, plus we had a schedule to keep.

The mystical Upper Cam Falls (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Our next stop was Hellyer Gorge. It is a little walk near a river that is pretty with plenty of different types of fungi and mushrooms (that I like to think are faerie houses/villages, so I do not approve of foraging – plus Irish tales of p!ssed off faeries are scary – you do not want to anger a faerie!). This is a nice area, but I would not go out of my way to see it.

For sunset, after lunch and a nap, we headed to Tioxide Beach. It wasn’t what I was expecting (which were rockpools that I wanted for foreground material with the golden hour colours in the background), it was an adventure with driftwood and dead cut logs everywhere. Tioxide Beach is near Burnie, which is proud about its ongoing commercial logging industry, so I’m not sure how many of these logs have fallen off of the back of trucks, or how many of them have washed up from other areas. The deadwood is interesting to photograph, but as a Pagan, it hurts to see the felling of so many trees and the wastage of the industry.

Tioxide Beach at the end of the day (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Monday is a workday, so it was lots of driving to shops on the way to Nipaluna. Whilst Michael was at their appointment in Pataway/Burnie I headed to the beach and some rocks leading into the water. Such a fun time, especially getting the camera ready and chasing after birds so they would lift off en-masse. Then we had some time before the Launceston appointment, on the lands of the Kanamaluka People, so we spent a couple of hours around dozens of juvenile peacocks strutting about Cataract Gorge. Even for a Monday, this area was teeming with people. I would like to spend a day here doing all of the walks, but we just walked across the Alexandra Suspension Bridge and back and then around the Basin.

I truly loved this area, and we will definitely spend more time here in the future, however, with the mountains and trees everywhere juxtaposed with the large area of manicured park grass and Olympic sized swimming pool, it made me think about what we do to the land for the sake of commercial tourism. Surely this area speaks for itself and doesn’t need the gaudiness of these two colonist structures to bring people here (& I’m deliberately ignoring the horrendous chair lift).

Alexandra Suspension Bridge at Cataract Gorge (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Tuesday morning, whilst Michael was in appointments, I photographed around Salamanca and up to Battery Point (where I had never explored before). I also did a spot of street photography, which is not my natural go to, so I really admire professional street photographers and their craft.

Hobarts street art (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Due to circumstances, that was the last photography adventure for the month. However, I did train up to Ballarat for an afternoon to check out the sublime Nan Goldin exhibition. Previously stating I admire street photographers; I also greatly admire those who can capture humans. Nan Goldin is an absolute ace at this genre of photography. Having recently seen her documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, I was looking forward to seeing this exhibition and the level of talent is exceptional. Fortunately, the National Gallery of Australia has purchased the entire exhibition, so hopefully generations of Australians can experience this significant work for decades to come.

Now that I am no longer stressed about getting all of my editing done immediately and the flow-on effect of that decision, I am not nearly as stressed as I have been getting. I have been putting a lot more time into positive energy and it feels like that is paying off, to the point that I may have exciting news for you in my next blog post (watch this space - subscribe to email/rss notifications).

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh

A quarter of the way

The first quarter of 2024 has been and gone – can you believe it! My apologies for the silence, I took some time off after working as a contracted event photographer for Midsumma Festival and have found it difficult to establish a routine. Which isn’t to say I have been sleeping this whole time – I wish!

First up, with the money my Ko-fi fans have graciously donated my way, along with my savings and the first half of my Midsumma payment I was able to buy my new waterproof full frame camera body – the Nikon D850. The D850 has been a blessing - allowing me to push my old lenses at low light events, and photograph beautifully crisp and colourful landscapes.

I ended up photographing seven extraordinary events (including Carnival, Pride March, and Victoria’s Pride) on behalf of Midsumma. “Animalising” is one of the events I photographed that has altered me forever – to the point where I am now trying to formulate the basis of a grant to allow me to photograph the official Bull Trance Festival in Batu City, Indonesia, which the director of “Animalising”, Taka Takiguchi told me about. The trance master of “Animalising”, Master Agus runs the festival, and I would love to explore the connection and importance of trance and nature within the local indigenous communities who have re-embraced this tradition.

The dancers of “Animalising” in rehearsal, by Teague Leigh

What have I been up to since the end of Midsumma Festival? Well, here’s the brief rundown of the photography and art adventures I have been on in date order:

Based on my time with Midsumma this year and what I saw and overheard during and then read and discussed afterwards, I wrote an open letter to the board asking for all members to step down as a vote of no confidence after the violence that was enacted at Pride March. The LGBTQIA+SB community deserve better than to kowtow to police and political parties and I firmly believe there is no place for uniformed police officers to march in any Pride around the world, particularly whilst we are still being abused by these institutions without recourse.

Midsumma Festival Pride March, by Teague Leigh

March was jam-packed and an indication that whilst I have not found routine yet, I am back to busy:

The first photography adventure with my support worker was to Noojee & Gentle Annie;

Then we took a few friends to Daylesford for the weekend for ChillOut Festival where I did bring my camera, but only took a few images at both the Pride Parade and the Carnival. I didn't end up with too many shots as my very old long lens is starting to melt on hot days (it was 38 degrees Celsius - in March! - hello global warming) and not focus automatically;

Cape Schanck mid-month was outstanding. It has long been on my bucket list to photograph and the ferociousness of it did not disappoint. I only managed to stack and land in the water once (within the first 30mins - but I got the shot!) and the tide, whilst going out, was still quite high by sunset (1.3m), so we didn't make it all the way around to the rock pools where I would have loved to have shot from, so I will definitely come back again;

Thanks to your ongoing commitment to my craft and the beauty I am trying to share with the world, and my final payment from Midsumma, I bought my new weatherproof wide-angle lens to replace the limited non-weatherproof wide-angle crop-sensor lens. She's a heavy-duty workhorse, though I must admit I am still getting used to her personality.

For instance, my previous Nikkor 12-24mm wide-angle lens was not fish-eyed, meaning the front of the glass was not rounded outwards. This new Nikkor 14-24 however, is fish eyed. It does not affect horizon/straight lines at all, but what I have discovered is that I need to clean the lens all the time. My workload has been bogged down trying to remove dust spots! I did some Milky Way photography with it which I am not looking forward to editing. There’s a tip for every photographer – know your equipment and make sure it is always clean before every use.

Michael & I went to Sea Lake for a weekend. Nearby Lake Tyrell (Direl) was another longstanding bucket list location, so it was fitting we spent our 5yr anniversary celebrating "walking on water" out on the pink salt crystals of the lake;

Lake Tyrell (Direl), Victoria, by Teague Leigh

During this trip we visited many places along the Silo Art trail and various other places across the Mallee region. I give thanks to the Latji Latji & Ngintait, as well as the Ngai Awang, Ngawait, Nganguruku, Erawirung, Ngaralte, and Ngarkat people as the original custodians.

Did you know that Wergaia is the word for Mallee and refers to the Eucalypts that grow with thick multi-stemmed roots under the ground that collect water? Local lore in the region is fabulous and I urge you to read up on it.

Penultimately, I took myself to Bendigo for two nights, sans camera, as a bit of a cleanser for the months of hard work prior;

Lastly, my support worker and I drove to Marysville to hike Steavenson and Keppel Falls. When I planned that trip Steavenson Falls was the main objective and I had also scheduled sunset in the region, however, once we saw Keppel Falls, I ditched sunset (even though conditions were promising for a gorgeous colour) and truly communed with the magic that is this region.

On the way out of Keppel falls, just after sunset, a tire shredded on the gravel road, and we were stranded for 2hrs as my support worker struggled to swap tyres. Perhaps this was the spirit of the Taungurung people, willing us to slow down and embrace the rivers and mountains of the region?

Despite the difficulty, we persevered in the dark with relatively cool heads, so I’m jubilant knowing that we can triumph over adversity together.

Triumph over adversity. Mobile phone image by Teague Leigh

Going forward, my plan is to continue blogging monthly about the previous month and share tips and tricks that I have learnt as a disabled queer trans artist. I will also start providing more information about the lands on which I visit so that you can get a feel for Country no matter where in the world you are.

I have some amazing news about the upcoming months, but you'll have to keep engaging with my blog posts to hear all about it. As always, I thank you for your support. Together we shall share the magic that is nature in an effort to save it.

This month’s blog question: How many dust spots are too many?

Together we are stronger.
Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh.

A Gala: the Goddess Keeps Me Humble

The Summer months, January in particular, is always a busy time filled with travel to see family (this year we drove to Yass to spend time with my sister and her three children for Christmas), and photography gigs and adventures.

Lake Hume, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Despite also having a Gala to arrange (more about that in a minute), there was a lot of everything else going on, starting with a trip to Dinner Plain in the High Country of the lands of the Gunaikurnai, Dhudoroa, and Jaitmathang peoples.

As was the case for December, I have put the editing of that trip aside, but do have exclusive images, just for my supporters. They were taken with my phone, so don't show the whole grandeur of the region, but I hope they get you excited enough about Country!

Dead Timber Hill, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Mount Hotham Summit, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Omeo, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

The sunrise shoot at Pioneer Lookout, Omeo was initially a bust because I didn't listen to my instincts and I had placed so much pressure on myself to capture meaningful images of Country as part of my push to save it, that I was a grumpy douche! Fortunately, I got over it in time to take great photos in Omeo.

Whilst away for the seven days, I worked my patootie off on the Gala. Promoting the event, including all my talented performers. I was on the wireless! Joy 94.9 had me on as their first guest of 2024 - so honoured! You can listen to the segment here.

In one day, I had 17 items on my to-do list in my schedule; and I completed them all! Including the audio descriptions for all my artwork.

I've been running ragged, often sick, Midsumma Festival Carnival kicked off on the 21st and as an official event photographer it was a long day.

Me, by Suzanne Balding

Miss Moneesha at Midsumma Carnival, by Teague Leigh

A party-goer at Midsumma Carnival, by Teague Leigh

The Gala on the 25th January was a successful hoot and the amazing Tom Noble (@NobleTomNoble), whom you can hire, has already sent me his first pics - I've included a sample below, more will go up on my website eventually (check my website regularly for the link) and on Instagram (@tlwvision). The stunning portrait of me was also taken by Tom.

Rosie Roulette at The Reclamation of Terra Gala Exhibition Opening, by Tom Noble

Yin Paradies at The Reclamation of Terra Gala Exhibition Opening, by Tom Noble

I am exhausted, and with no help from the gallery who refused to answer many of my questions then act like I was the inconvenience to the point that I am questioning if they’re just a bunch of allists and ableists, I am so incredibly proud of what I pulled off with the Gala opening and the exhibition itself. It is always stressful sharing a piece of your soul with the world - what if they hate it or at least don't empathise with what you're trying to do?

I am particularly proud of the additional canvas I decided to do at the end of the 17 months after visiting many art galleries with so many textures that I could not touch - I would walk away overstimulated from the effort! So, I decided to create a canvas that people could touch - run their fingers over the textured paint and "Feel Country". Tom has captured that well in his image of Yin Paradies above.

Every single performer was sensational, and the gathered crowd enjoyed it. Bayley Turner spoke beautiful poetry; Dean Arcuri belted out an Abba medley; Wakaya man, Yin Paradies gave a speech that made me so emotional and proud that I am going to put it up on my website; Saskia hula hooped the roof down; and Rosie Roulette sang a pitch-perfect rendition of Kate Miller-Heidke's "Gravity"; and our MC Goddess Naavikaran was witty and performed a beautiful song in her mother-tongue of India. If you weren't there, you missed out!

As I think I mentioned last month, 5% of every sale from The Reclamation of Terra between now and the 5th of Feb will be donated to Environment Victoria, a grassroots community organisation who works tirelessly on a local, state, and Federal level to reverse climate devastation and our current negative impact on the planet.

Before I go for the month, I managed to shoot Jessie's Ngaio's original one human play "Oh Yuck It's Me" on opening night as part of the Midsumma Festival. So very thankful to have been given that opportunity. This is a play that will make you both cry and laugh and move you in all the ways in between. Jessie is a masterful writer and performer. Tix here.

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Still so much to do, but that will be in February's post!

I almost forgot the fall and how I see the Goddess as she keeps me grounded, despite my achievements. Two days after the Gala, @littleElfman tested positive for Covid. The gallery subsequently locked me out from attending and speaking about my exhibition, despite me consistently testing negative for Covid and never having Covid - ever.

Whilst angry at my treatment, setbacks like this keep me humble. The Gala has people talking about my intent and my vision for the world - this is the success I was after, but the Goddess sending me these hurdles keeps me from getting an inflated ego and I am thankful to be shown my place in the natural order of life. I am but one link in the cosmic chain of change. To be truly successful, we all must be united and experience equity, including all those nations and individuals suffering from ongoing genocide, oppression, murder, and destructive colonial and capitalist rule.

This blogs question: How do you celebrate your wins, whilst also maintaining humility?

Keep finding your peace and joy within and with others.

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh

Happiness Is…

*trigger warning: mention of violence

Hello friends, I bring you tidings and good news this blog post, which is a pleasant change from the previous. December can be a mixed bag of emotions if you are part of the rainbow community, with large numbers of us estranged from family (not to mention the violence).

For me, this December started off with a visit to South Australia/ Kaurna country to visit my ma and aunt and were able to sneak in some time with my cousin and his family and reconnect with them. I am pleased to report that my ma is doing surprisingly well after her fall and month-long stay in hospital from knee-replacement surgery and subsequent complications. This is a huge relief to me. She also surprised me by not referring to my past self in the feminine; listened to me speak about Palestine and the other atrocities happening across the globe and in our own country; and never uttered the phrase “I’m not racist, but…”. I waited for these things to occur and am still pleasantly in shock that she seems to have changed her ways for the better.

Whilst in town, we also made time for friendly catch ups, and I was able to get to the Karrawirra Parri to photograph it for sunset.

View from the pedestrian bridge over the Karrawirra Parra, South Australia

You’ll have to excuse the mobile phone picture; I have stopped editing photos to concentrate on my upcoming Gala Exhibition Opening (more on that later).

In fact, my last photography adventure with my support worker was on the 7th of December to Point Leo, lands of the Bunurong people. All the images are on my hard drive, screaming at me to make joyous, however I have no time. Here’s a behind-the-scenes mobile image that I didn’t take with my camera.

Point Leo Beach, Victoria

On the 9th of December I had the pleasure of photographing the annual Carols by Queerlight celebration by the Melbourne Rainbow Band. As this was for a client, I can show you one of the images I produced of the night.

The featured singers performing with the Melbourne Rainbow Band, St Kilda Town Hall

Mainly what I worked on in December was my Gala and trying to acquire funding through the Australian Cultural Fund project. I have happy to say that with your generous support, I reached just over halfway to my target finances. Whilst this is amazing news, it does mean that I will be spending all my new waterproof camera savings to finance the rest.

Unfortunately, that means no camera upgrade for me until possibly after Midsumma (February). This is a shame, considering I am an official Midsumma photographer and wanted the upgrade to produce better work and do less post-editing to make up for the lack of quality of my current camera.

Therefore, if you know of anyone who loves art and photography, who would like to be a financial benefactor to a queer, neurodivergent, disabled trans man, let them know I am in need. To be completely transparent, here is what I am requiring, with the camera body the most urgent, then the lenses. As I am upgrading from what is called a “crop sensor” to a “full frame” camera, most of the lenses that I have will unfortunately also need to be replaced eventually.

Screenshot of the equipment I require from the cccwarehouse website.

I have also been working on my health – putting back all the naps, listening to my body, and I finally received my nerve root injection at the C4/5 vertebrae (in the top of the neck), and it seems to have actually worked which means the arthritic pain has substantially subsided.

Then I went to Yass/land of the Ngunnawal & Wiradjuri peoples, to visit my sister and her three amazing children. The oldest is 17, the youngest 9, and they are dealing with the fact that their father is an abusive douche. Their father reminds me of my own father and fortunately I was able to let them know that it gets better and that the emotions they are experiencing now, can be healed. I am so immensely proud of them all, especially my sister and despite hearing of the abuses she suffered, which were triggering for me to hear due to my own past, we were able to love each other’s company and I hope she will love herself enough in the future to embrace her own healing. Five days with my family is never enough.

The good news is that my Gala Exhibition Opening is ready to go for the 25th of January at the Victorian Artists Society. Being their first queer, trans solo artist is immensely humbling, so I want this Gala to be sensational – you can help with that by attending and supporting the amazing artists who will be performing on the night. Absolutely free, including drinks and finger food. On my home page you will find links to the event and artworks. I will also be linking venue and event accessibility in the coming days.

My question for you this month: How much do you want this world to change? United we can make a difference.

Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.

T.Leigh.

Official Image for The Reclamation of Terra gala exhibition/opening at Victorian Artists Society, East Melbourne, opening 6pm 25th January 2024. Image by Teague Leigh