FAY AGATHANGELOU PHOTOGRAPHY
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Autumn in Hyde Park

29/4/2021

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Hyde Park is a magical place in Autumn. Soft light shining through the golden leaves, crystal clear reflections on the lake, birds everywhere. There is an abundance of benches on which to sit and admire the scenery. Additionally, the park has paths that are suitable for walking, running and cycling. No matter how you do it, Hyde Park is well worth a visit. 

They say that pictures tell a thousand words so I'll let the photographs do the talking. 

Golden coloured leaves

The golden coloured leaves, both on the trees and on the ground, are enchanting. 
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Reflections on the water

The golden colours of Autumn are reflected in the still and tranquil lakes. You can see crystal clear reflections of trees and birds.

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Only a ripple of water in the tranquil lake.
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Reflections of the trees.
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Golden colours at the lake.

Birds in the park

Throughout the year, Hyde Park is full of birds. However, the presence of birds is even more magical in Autumn. There are many ibises (commonly known as bin chickens) as well as ducks and swans. I have also seen kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets and flocks of white corellas. 
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Graceful dance of a bin chicken (ibis).
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Black swan among the Autumn leaves.
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Duck. Notice its reflection in the still water.

A peaceful place to sit and relax

The green coloured park benches blend beautifully with the surroundings. Benches are located all over the park, giving you plenty of options on where to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
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Exercising at the park

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People walking and running.

Sitting on the grass​

​While some dog owners take their dogs for walks, others take their dogs to sit in the park. On a recent visit, I met a dog called Justice, who enjoys sitting on the grass.
As well as being a place for sitting and admiring the view, the park is a popular place to exercise. Regardless of the time of day, you are guaranteed to see people exercising in a range of ways: walking, running, walking the dog, pushing prams, riding scooters or wearing roller blades.
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A dog called Justice, who I met in the park.
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Saturday Stroll Through South Fremantle

22/4/2021

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Last weekend, the WA Social Photographers took to the streets of South Fremantle. It truly is an amazing place full of street art, cafes, restaurants and interesting buildings, all within walking distance to South Beach. We started at the beach and strolled towards South Terrace. It didn't take us long to be captivated by the murals. 
Our first stop was the untitled mural by Artbydestroy, a surreal looking underwater scene. The mural demands attention with its bright colours, geometric shapes and strong lines. The footpath at the bottom of the mural looks like the reflection of the image in water. It is truly awesome.
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Untitled mural by Artbydestroy, 2018.
At the opposite side of South Terrace is an even larger mural, East to West Design Fresco by Graeme Miles Richards. The mural is so large that it was impossible for me to fit it all in one photograph. I therefore decided to take multiple photographs.

The art looks three dimensional and the attention to detail is impressive. The more you look, the more you see. It is cleverly done. There are many sections, each focusing on a different cultural theme. For example, French, African, Asian and South American. All of those themes blend together very nicely and the composition works well as a whole. 
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Above: East to West Design Fresco by Graeme Miles Richards.
I was mesmerised by the mural and could have looked at it for hours. However, I knew it was time to move on when I had almost lost sight of the other photographers. Thankfully, they did notice that I was left behind and they waited for me.
We continued to wander along South Terrace, admiring the buildings and the diverse mix of cafes and restaurants. The delicious smell of foods emanating from the restaurants enhanced the experience. Art works outside some of the the buildings were just as seductive and cleverly placed. A stunning mural is Zebras by Anya Brock, outside the Ootong and Lincoln cafe. The design is attention grabbing with its strong use of contrast and lines.
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Zebras by Anya Brock, 2013.
The photographers walked for almost three hours and didn't get to all the murals. However, we decided to turn back towards South Beach. It's just as well that we did, because the sunset was spectacular. 
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Sunset at South Fremantle. 
South Fremantle is well worth the visit. It really is a unique place with plenty of character. I had an enjoyable afternoon and will definitely be back to experience more.
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Brazilian Beach Carnaval 2021

13/4/2021

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Happy people dancing.
On 10 April 2021, Scarborough Beach came alive with the Brazilian Beach Carnaval. Dancing. Drumming. Music. Food. Lots and lots of happy people. We expected a big celebration and that’s what we got. Note that the Brazilian word for "carnival" is "carnaval" and their native language is Portuguese. This is important to know if you're a grammar nazi. 
The warm and sunny weather was the perfect setting for a beach party. While numbers were restricted this year due to COVID, that didn’t hamper the celebrations. It was my first time at the event and I went with a group of photographers. We arrived at 2pm, just in time for the kids' carnaval. Having registered for our free tickets beforehand, the entry process was straight forward, without long queues as we anticipated. That was a pleasant surprise.

Another pleasant surprise was the music that was playing as we entered. The photographers smiled to each other while being welcomed by the sounds of children’s music, sung in Portuguese. It was a magnificent soundtrack as we explored the grassed area outside the auditorium. There were many food trucks with a diverse mix of Brazilian and international foods. The mouthwatering smells whiffed through the air, harmonising beautifully with the music and colours of the carnaval. As well as having great food, the trucks looked stunning with amazing art works and Brazilian flags. It is clear that a lot of effort was made.
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Stunning art work on food truck - Rio 40 - Authentic Brazilian food.
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The Tape Truck - Brazilian fusion cuisine.
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Braza Churros.
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Brazilian flags everywhere.
Strolling around, we came across a foam making machine. Interestingly, there was also a food truck selling fairy floss, which looked a lot like the foam from the foam making machine. However, I was assured that the fairy floss was not made of foam. If it were made of detergent, the fairy floss could have been germ-free and COVID safe. If only they'd thought of that as a safety precaution.
The photographers reached the auditorium at 3pm, just in time for the dance session. The dancing was incredible, the dancers shaking their spectacular costumes to traditional Brazilian music. As part of the show, there were dance demonstrations where audience members were invited to have a go. The participants were obviously having a great time and it was fun to watch. While I was preoccupied with taking photographs, I became inspired to try Samba dancing one day. As a “non-dancer,” this is a big deal for me.
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Master of ceremonies.
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Dancers.
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People enjoying dancing.
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 Lots of dancing - I'll be using these photographs to learn the moves.
Once the dancing session ended, we left the auditorium and made our way back towards the grassed area. I couldn’t help but notice a sign, stuck on a bin, that said “bin out of order - use waste stations.” That was a first for me, I had never seen a broken-down bin before.

Presumably, not having a rubbish bin would have caused many people to worry. Fortunately, there was a dedicated station for worriers, the “Waste Warriors.” The sign on their station said “leave ya waste with us,” a reassuring message for all the worriers. Not so reassuring for the grammar nazis however. As well as managing worries, the Waste Warriors did an excellent job of waste management. Despite having so much food, there was not a single bin chicken at the Brazilian Beach Carnaval. Not even one.
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An out of order rubbish bin.
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Waste Warriors station - do not worry.
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Love Brazil sign next to the faulty rubbish bin.
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Outside the auditorium.
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Inside the auditorium.
Before we knew it, people were gathering to watch the grand parade. As they aligned the street, the COVID marshalls strolled up and down, managing the crowd. At the same time, I strolled up and down, managing my view by looking through the spaces between people. Being a somewhat shorter person, this was not a new experience and I knew how to get a glimpse of the action. 

The drums were beating louder and louder as the parade came nearer and nearer. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Jingle Jingle Jingle. Jingle. Boom. Boom. Boom. Jingle. Jingle. Soon we could see the dancers, drummers, colours, costumes, happy people dancing everywhere. It was clearly a joyous occasion. Suddenly, disaster struck.

As soon as the parade came near us, my camera battery ran out. Speaking of bad timing. It started flashing red, maybe it was trying to flash in time with the beating drums. Thankfully I had a replacement battery and changed it in record time. Phew! Just in time for us to watch the parade make its way across the grass and back into the auditorium. 
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Sambanistas drumming group.
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Drummers and dancers.
The entertainment continued for a few more hours, partying hard into the night. Brazilians certainly know how to put on a good show. The carnaval was a lot of fun and I'm keen to go back next year. Hopefully by then I'll know how to dance the samba.
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Duck Quackers

1/4/2021

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Ducks splashing in the water.
Lately I’ve been finding myself photographing ducks a lot. Some might say that I’m quackers to be walking around lakes, getting down amongst the duck droppings. That may be true, but it's a small price to pay for quality entertainment. 

My photographs reflect the entertainment value of the ducks. As per usual, many of the shots are duck "bloopers," therefore not to be taken very seriously. This post is a recount of a recent expedition, which is typical of my duck chasing adventures. 

An Afternoon at the Lake

From a distance I could hear the cacophony of quacks, getting louder and louder as I tiptoed quietly towards the water. Hundreds, or even thousands, of ducks were waddling around, pecking at each other or splashing in the lake. The smell was pungent. Despite the fowl* odour, I positioned myself close to the muddy ground, taking a punt on which way the ducks would jump first. One by one they jumped into the water, in all directions. I was too slow and missed them. I staggered to my feet, shoes covered in a brown mush of mud and freshly laid duck droppings. I followed the ducks to another side of the lake. 
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*fowl is a deliberate choice of spelling
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Duck mayhem at the lake.
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Ducks on the edge of the water.
As I snuck closer and closer, the ducks waddled calmly away. They did not even attempt to fly despite me following them. Clearly I'm not scary enough. Suddenly I heard some wings flapping and turned around just as one duck leapt into the water. I snapped with my camera and hoped for the best. Before I knew it, I had a good run of ducks leaping into the water. I managed to get quite a few shots, most of which were WTF (What the Fay) shots. Alternatively you might like to call them WTD (What the Duck) shots. Regardless of the choice of acronym, you have to agree that ducks look incredibly funny when they fly. 
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Duck leaping into the water, closely watched by another.
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Duck leaping into the water.
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Leaping ducks.
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WTF (What the Fay) is this?
As if the leaping wasn't entertaining enough, the ducks started splashing as soon as they entered the water. I watched a few dive below the surface before lifting themselves up and opening their wings. It was a spectacular show, the ducks looked like they were conducting an orchestra. 
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Duck conducting an orchestra.
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Duck conducting an orchestra.
My attention was diverted to another duck floating peacefully on the water. It twisted its neck around and looked like it was doing backstroke. I can assure you that the duck was ok. Moments later, it started splashing in the water, just like the other ducks. 
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Duck doing backstroke.
Feeling content with the day's entertainment, I decided to pack up my camera and go home. It was going to take me a while to recover from the fowl odour, plus I wanted to remove the mud from my shoes while there was still light. I waved goodbye to the ducks, marching away to the sound of the quacking cacophony. 
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    Fay Agathangelou

    Writer and Photographer

    About my blog

    An honest and often humorous recount of my photographic experiences. There is always a story, regardless of the photographs taken. 

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  • Collections
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