Old Habits & an Old Dog
They say start as you intend to go on, and I had every intention of starting this blog post in January on time. Alas, the overwhelm was real with all of the events I’m about to talk about. I found myself sliding into old territory of not getting out of bed/showering/napping even more than usual around the editing of events. I turn 50 this year and that officially makes me an “old dog” in gay years. Perhaps I have patterns and old habits that I fall too easily into that I just cannot unlearn at this stage of my life. I want to change, I really do. Whilst I have disabilities that mean I need to find a kinder way of living with myself, I also live in a capitalist society that demands a lot of individuals. It is therefore harder to change the indoctrination I have been subjected to. Anywho, onto January!
The month started off very slowly with just one event in the first half on 6th January. My support worker and I travelled to a relatively close location, that of steam engine A2 964 at Edwardes Lake in Reservoir.
Steam engine A2 964. Image by Teague Leigh.
We started out traversing the Edgars Creek Wetlands, then did a lap of the lake itself. The whole excursion didn’t take very long, but it was a rewarding trip with plenty of various birds sighted, plus there was a weir, and of course the steam engine.
Edgars Creek Wetlands. Image by Teague Leigh
I bought another filter from Nisi for my wide angle lens that I purchased with the help of my ko-fi supporters, and I put the lens and the camera in to be cleaned at the amazing Vintech Camera Service Centre who cleaned my babies in a matter of a couple of days. They discovered that my secondhand camera has a scratch on the sensor, but at the f stop that I use, it will not be an issue.
I also created a new logo and have a new business name! I have moved away from TLeighs World Vision to World Vision Photography. This website is still a work in progress, making sure it is up to muster as far as accessibility is concerned, which is my top priority with the website. I've been told the colour scale I used wasn't accessible, so I'm reconfiguring that to pass the test and now it is more monochrome.
The second half of the month has been much busier with the advent of the three weeklong Midsumma Festival. I am always keen to take Midsumma on as a client as it equates to a third of my annual salary.
The first event is always Carnival on 19th January. Much like Sydney Mardi Gras’ Fair Day, merchants and community groups come together to celebrate the rainbow community. Over 100,000 people usually attend the openair event. Local and National performers grace the multiple stages and give a taste of what the three weeks of Midsumma entails.
Rainbow Racquets Squash members at Carnival. Image by Teague Leigh.
This year I was assigned the Sports Precinct and the Garden Bar area. I love capturing the diversity of the community and the Sports Precinct is a fun day of activations, rainbow sports teams, and the famous Queerlympics.
Queerlympics at Carnival. Image by Teague Leigh.
At 36 degrees Celsius, and a shift starting at 1030am going until 9pm, it was a long day, and I did get a bit sun-touched, despite slathering myself in suncream.
No rest for the wicked though, my next Midsumma shift was photographing the Queer Playwriting Award Showcase at Gasworks Arts Park on the 20th January. The showcase highlighted four finalists as they read an excerpt from their new plays. Not to be biased, but my favourite was from Danish Sheikh, “Much to do with law, but more to do with love”. This play focuses on repealing the sodomy laws of India and dealing with a system that doesn’t necessarily make it easy to love. Danish surprised me with his humour and grandeur of ego (for comedic effect). I laughed out loud multiple times whilst taking images. EDIT: Danish won the Award, so will get to produce it in conjunction with Gasworks and Midsumma.
Danish Sheikh. Image by Teague Leigh.
On Friday 24th I took a break from Midsumma to photograph another client, one I have photographed before – Tony Yap. This time, Tony curated Trance Zones – Ritual Performance, collaborating again with multiple dancers in an experimental and transcendental style. I find these performances to be gripping, yet difficult to shoot due to the lighting and the chaos of the movement, especially the free-for-all at the end where all dancers take to the stage in a trance of movement and music. I love shooting this chaos as I love the challenge of trying to capture the movement!!
Tony Yap and dancers. Image by Teague Leigh.
Lastly for the month, on the 25th January, I want to mention going to see a reading of a work-in-progress play “The Placeholder”, by my friend, Ben MacEllen at the Abbotsford Convent. I want to make note of this play because it left everyone in the room spellbound and excitement beyond compare. For information about the play I’ve included the link above. What I want to say is this: once it reaches production and asks for financial support, do yourself a favour and back this play. This play needs to see the masses and the masses need to see this play as it is life-altering. Not just for trans people, but even those people who don’t think they are transphobic or homophobic, but really are, plus all the allies all over the world (yes, I see this touring!). I was transfixed and now consider myself a cultist of this play!
Following on from the previous month, Midsumma work continued with Pride March on the 2nd Feb. For those uninitiated, Pride March is Naarm’s largest march for the rainbow community that goes all the way along Acland Street in St Kilda.
Pride March. Image by Teague Leigh
It was a fiery hot day of around 36 degrees Celsius, but thankfully I was stationed near the Pride Centre so I could duck out of the sun occasionally. The same day I also photographed another event, so it was a big day!
Shortly following the March, I got to photograph a lesbian play “Day For It” on the 4th. It had some lovely moments and was superbly acted throughout by the two actresses, Anna Lindstedt (who also co-wrote the play with Sally Q Davies), and Roz Hammond playing off each other.
Day For It. Image by Teague Leigh.
On the 7th I was honoured to photograph a dear friend, Mama Alto, in her De-Flowered performance. Mama Alto is a sensational and award-winning jazz and blues singer, and this performance included all songs about sex! It was quite the treat.
Mama Alto. Image by Teague Leigh.
Rolling right along on the 8th I photographed “The Queer Kingdom” staged reading. This play, written by Tom Ballard, is all about Emperor Dale Parker Anderson who declared a small island “The Gay & Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands”. The reading was raucous, and I highly suggest you go see it when it is staged in the future.
The Queer Kingdom. Image by Teague Leigh.
The party didn’t stop there for the Midsumma shenanigans. The very next day was VIC Pride, which is a street festival in Collingwood’s “gaybourhood” complete with live music, roving accts, window activations, and DJ’s, not to mention all the local vendors getting into the LGBTQIASB+ spirit (spirits quite literally flowing in the streets). VIC Pride is sponsored by the Victorian Government and is the last event of the Midsumma Festival (although VIC Pride was only meant to run for four years, so we have to tell the government to continue to sponsor it).
Vic Pride. Image by Teague Leigh.
After a lot of exhaustion, I finally got to go on my own adventures with my support worker on the 19th of Feb. I have tried a couple of times now to find the old pier pylons in Altona but have been unsuccessful. This was another attempt at finding them. So, we started out near Seaholme and walked (and drove) to Altona pier but still could not find the photo op. Still, there were pelicans hanging out in a rowing boat and plenty of wind surfers, so the excursion was not a loss.
Altona Pier. Image by Teague Leigh.
To round out the end of the month, on the 28th, I was hired to photograph the Summer Residency Exhibition opening at Yarra Sculpture Gallery. You may or may not recall that I have actually done this residency and exhibition in the past, so it was a nice full circle moment for me. The YSG residency gives people living with disability a residence to work on their art for a number of weeks, so it is vital that the program continues to run for future artists.
Artwork by Tamar Dolev. Image by Teague Leigh.
Next month is looking a lot quieter, but that is another blog post entirely. As always, thank you for supporting this independent artist and keep telling your family and friends about me and my blog post so that they too can support independent art, especially art that strives to help the planet through a positive path to change.
I will endeavour to get the next blog out the first Sunday of the month, but am also not making any promises. Maybe my “thing” can be that my blog is one of the most reliably unreliable blogs on the web!
Question of the month: What tips and tricks have worked on you, to teach you new life skills?
Be kind to yourselves, each other, and the planet.
T.Leigh
