Hands Across the Water charity bike ride 2024 with a crappy camera...

I did it! I’m ‘adventurous’ enough to brave Thailand’s hot, humid 40-degree days for five consecutive days. On a bicycle.

But do you know why? It’s for the incredible kids we support. Kids who need our help for shelter, school, and food – a life of choice, not chance.

And you know what keeps me going? The amazing people I ride with. This year, it was a lively group of nearly 70 (described by one rider as "bat-shit crazy") business owners from Business Blueprint.

The hardest part? The training. I don’t like riding bikes. It’s boring, especially on my own.

The best part? Riding through Thailand with a bunch of fantastic people. And especially the last day, riding in to meet the kids at the home. Those are happy tears.

Every year, I take my GoPro and a snap camera. They’re easy to hold in one hand and tuck away in my handlebar bag. Am I thrilled with the quality? Not really. But do I have fun with it? Absolutely.

Here are the pics…

Feel like being adventurous while doing a damn good thing? Check out a future ride here - https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/

Wild South Coast Way

“The creation of the Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail will connect the parks that run along our breathtaking southern coastline and become a beacon for locals and tourists alike, driving sustainable economic growth in the region and promoting accessibility for all.

Upgrade sections of the iconic Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis to Victor Harbor to create a five day, four-night hike and other high-quality trail-based experiences.

The visitor experience at Deep Creek Conservation Park will be enhanced and expanded with a new day visitor facility, a universally accessible walking trail, and upgrades to existing campgrounds and amenities. The project will also support new, and enhance existing, nature-based experiences in the tourism sector.”

CLIENT: National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Department of Environment and Water

SHOOT: One day on sections of Wild South Coast Way. heidi who photos organised talent (to be photographed with staff) and photographed.

What to ask your photographer before the shoot...

Are you hiring a photographer? Want to make the most of your shoot? There's a bit of prep involved to get the most out of it. Here are 10 tips. 

On shoot with Adelaide Sightseeing - fun and relaxed.

1. Know why you need your photos. What size? Any layout requirements? Ie. Website header images, specific crops, print size, billboard size, only web size. Think about all the places you might like to use them. If it's for a specific purpose, you need to know the image dimensions required - this can alter the way a photographer shoots and crops their images. They may need to leave space around the image, so when it's cropped, it won't cut out vital aspects. 

2. Develop a shot list and mood board. List all the images you would love. Then prioritise the images. Have a look at Pinterest for examples of style, colour, light, feel that you like. 

3. Think about other uses for your images. It's much easier to get similar scenarios while shooting than to re-shoot. Different angles, different angles, or adding/subtracting elements can be quick and give you easy options for different uses. Remember how much content you should be sharing? Shooting like this is a good way of getting it, so you don't have to re-use the same image all the time. 

4. Use talent that fit your client demographic. You need people in your images that can relate to your clients - so they can see themselves there, using your product etc. Don't settle for anyone you can get. 

5. Prepare all the props in advance. If you buy props and don't use them, you can always take them back. If you already have what you need, collect them and make sure they are in good condition. Think about all options, even ask your photographer what you may need. 

6. Clean and tidy everything. A photo can show everything. And it's quicker and more economical to get it right before photographing rather than relying on retouching. Fresh food, ironed sheets/bed covers, clutter etc. Look at what you are going to shoot with a critical and detailed eye. 

7. Research your photographer. Do you like their images? Do they have the experience you need? Who do they work with? Find them on social media to get to know their personality, the way they work etc. Sometimes it's worth paying that little extra to get that extra. 

8. Like your Photographer! You are going to be spending some time with them - why can't you make it fun? Yes, you need exceptional images, but if you don't enjoy the process, it's going to be hard. Plus, you need to trust them. They are creating something that you have paid for, which obviously, can't be seen. The more they know about your vision and desires, the closer they are going to get to it. 

9. Ask your photographer about usage rights - what do you need to use your images for? Photographers charge different amounts for different purposes. Photographers retain ownership of the photos they create so essentially they can re-sell and use the images however they want. Do you need exclusive use? Are they only for online use? Can you send them to media for use? Can you give images to another company to use? Ask. 

10. Share as much information with your photographer as you can. Let them get inside your head. Your idea of 'funky and casual' can be different from theirs. 

On shoot with Adelaide Sightseeing. Quiet and observing (sometimes).

ARID AIR: South Australia (and Queensland) from above

I was not expecting it to get greener as we went further into the Outback. But it did.

Seeing the Outback from the air is a unique experience that leaves me speechless for most of the trip. The beauty of nature, her patterns and the varying colours. There's a lot to love.

The contrast. The graphic lines. The sand-dunes all lined up. The bareness. The hills. But the vibrant green was surreal.

And let's not forget Big Red. The subject of many stories - a place I've wanted to see for myself for years. It was even stuck on one of my journals as a 'vision board'.

Birdsville is over 20 hours from Port Augusta by 4WD or under 3 hours by plane. Perhaps I'll have to do the Birdsville Track next - to experience this amazing landscape 'from a different angle'.

https://aridair.com.au/

Khlong Toei - one of Bangkok's largest slums.

As we walk past I can't help but hold my breath. I want to cover my nose and run. But don't want to be rude. We are walking past the rubbish dump, an area between houses, centimetres from the footpath. Rubbish covers the ground and drums emit the smells that are making me want to run. There is also a fire smouldering, I presume to burn off the rubbish.

We turn the corner and now my nostrils are filled with the sweet and husky tones of incense. And then we pass an area where locals are cooking - homely fragrance filters the air. People look up and smile, saying 'thank you' or 'hello'. They look so happy to see us.

We are being shown through Khlong Toei, one of Bangkok's largest slums. Prateep, who's the founder of Duang Prateep Foundation, has set up a kindergarten along with a program for elderly and disabled here. It is among much other support the Foundation offers for slum dwellers. Prateep herself was a slum dweller in the 60s but now, after setting up Duang Prateep Foundation 38 years ago, has over 20 projects through Thailand helping the disadvantaged.

Khlong Toei slum is built on a swamp, so we need to watch where we walk. Under some houses, we can see fish swimming around. In other areas, we need to be careful our foot doesn't get soaked in sloshy waste water (I don't even want to know what it was).

I peer in windows as we walk past - it's hard not to, the houses border the path which is just wide enough for a scooter to zoom down. People are sleeping. Others are making food or sewing. The homes are very small and simple. I see a flat screen TV in a few houses. We comment that the house must be the CEO or Manager of the slum. But how would we know?

Prateep and her helpers show us homes they have rebuilt. All painted green. The inhabitants are very proud of their new residence. Which appears to be just one room sometimes, about 4 metres square.

And I say I have a humble home (of 3 bedrooms and backyard)? Hmm, makes me think. This slum is right in the middle of Bangkok, with fancy five-star hotels nearby. I'm very grateful to be on the other side, to be invited in to see how the less fortunate live. Respect and gratitude.

500km, 5 days, $5000 - and your chance to WIN!

Why the raffle?

Because it’s a fun way of raising money! Read below to find out why I’m fundraising…

About what I'm doing...

I'm going to ride 500km in 5 days through Thailand to raise money for the New Life project in Kanchanaburi, located near the Thai-Burma border in western Thailand. More than 50 children call Kanchanaburi home.

Children at Kanchanaburi have come from difficult situations: sexual abuse, substance addictions, or they have no family to care for them. Others have been used as exploited labour.

I need to fundraise $5,000: 100% of donations go directly to the children in Thailand. Yes, that’s right - no admin, marketing or whatever is taken out of your donation.

Hands Group is an Australian social enterprise that gives at-risk Thai children and their communities a helping hand through our charity Hands Across The Water.

You can purchase your raffle tix by donating via my fundraising page (click on image above). I’ll then send you your raffle tix. OR you can buy them at La Bomba dance studio in Adelaide OR from me direct.

Every dollar counts. Every dollar helps these beautiful children - so please consider buying a ticket (or more ;))

THANK YOU!

2019 - big things!

Happy 2019!

I'm so excited about projects waiting for me this year. One of them is a crazy ride through Thailand. I’ve been told my new best friends will be those fancy bike shorts and butt cream!

About what I'm doing...

I'm going to ride 500km in 5 days through Thailand to raise money for the New Life project in Kanchanaburi, located near the Thai-Burma border in western Thailand. More than 50 children call Kanchanaburi home.

Children at Kanchanaburi have come from difficult situations: sexual abuse, substance addictions, or they have no family to care for them. Others have been used as exploited labour.

I need to fundraise $5,000: 100% of donations go directly to the children in Thailand. It's a lot but I believe we can get more!

How am I going to do it?

Raising money by… Special photo sessions, artwork sale, asking for donations and… an auction or raffle. I already have some amazing donations which I’m very grateful for but need a few more. If you would like to help, here is how.

Training… getting by bum saddle ready is already slightly painful. Also getting used to hills. If anyone wants to come riding with me, let me know! I’ve already started and did my first 50km ride the other day.

How you can help:

Anything would be helpful. If you could donate something, please get in touch. I hope to do the auction in late January/February when everyone is recovered from the summer holidays. :)

And in return (apart from the feel-good factor of helping me raise this money for the kids) I will smother your logo/tag name all over everything in the promo for it. I'll also mention on social media and in a blog post that goes out to an email list of nearly 1000.

I can also give you a hug. Who doesn't love a hug?

So where will the money be going? Here's a bit about Hands Group...

“Hands Group is an Australian, New Zealand and Thai social enterprise that gives at-risk Thai children and their communities a helping hand through our charity Hands Across The Water.

Hands Across The Water was originally formed after countless Thai children were left alone and homeless by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

This charity was unlike many others, it was nimble, entrepreneurial and strived for goals that many thought were unattainable. Just over 12 years later, Hands has raised more than $20 million for the children and communities in Thailand and now cares for more than 350 children throughout the country.

The reason for the charity’s success is two-fold. Firstly, we don’t rely purely on donations. Instead, we create meaningful shared experiences for everyone involved with hands – experiences that truly provide food for the soul. Secondly, we believe in charity in the true sense of the word. This means:

Our care comes without conditions

We don’t seek to impose a religion or belief system upon those we support

We give children the chance to grow according to their own beliefs and traditions

Plus, 100% of donations go to the kids and their communities. No donors’ money goes to administration in Australia. Or staff costs. Or marketing. Or fundraising. “

Here’s a link to the project so you can check it out, and donate if you want to... all donations are tax deductible.

Thoughts and conversations while hiking Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail...

What goes through my head while I'm hiking alone for five days? 

Well, after talking to animals and plants, meditating on the beach, begging whales to come closer and walking in a trance, I have plenty of time to have conversations with myself. 

These may or may not have all been said aloud, multiple times - to myself, the birds and the bees, the plants... 

#1
OMG, what am I doing? I'm so cold. What if it rains the whole time? I hate winter, the cold and being in the rain. I can't escape the rain. What am I doing? What if it rains the whole time? How many more days do I have? (All said within the first 24 hours.)

#2
Wow. Look at the water droplets on the leaves. They are so beautiful. Wow, look at the leaves. Look at the shapes. There are some beautifully shaped leaves. How wonderful is Mother Nature? And look, wow, a redback spider I nearly stepped on. Lucky I missed it. I should get a photo...

#3
Thank you. I am so grateful. I am so lucky to be out here. How special is this? Thank you Weather Gods, you have listened. Look at the sky this side, look at the sky that side - I'll take this side thanks. Please. Wow, winter and summer in one sky. Eek. I hope that's not the 20mm of rain coming.

#4
Damn. I love beaches. I can't get this stupid smile off my face. I want to stay here. Wow. It's a shipwreck beach. Look at all the rubbish? Look there's a shoe - it's a nice shoe. Wonder what happened? Ahh, I don't want to leave. 

#5
Yuck. Sweaty Betty. I'm going to stink from day one. I really should stop and take some layers off, but the rain is too hard. I'll just keep walking. Yuck. Sweating. Argh, my feet feel so wet too. And I've missed stepping in all the puddles. Why? Damn, look, I have a hole in my shoe. Should have looked at them before packing them. Damn it. Hope it doesn't rain every day. My feet are going to be horrible. Wet feet for five days - yuck.

#6
The birds are singing songs. Sounds so pretty. It's natural music. How many different bird sounds can I hear?

#7
The wind is singing songs. I can see the colours and tones of the wind blowing through like waves over the treetops. It's a bit spooky. Is this a place of cultural significance? I feel different here. Something in my soul. 

#8
Am I going to get bored? I'm going to get so bored. What am I going to do? I forgot my book and only have one magazine with me. Shit. Oh well, guess I should practice meditating. Be good for me. How many pages a day can I read?

#9
So thankful it has stopped raining. I am grateful. I am blessed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

#10
Live a life that makes me happy. Life is a process, a journey of coming out of my shell. 

#11
I need more holidays alone.

#12
Nature is true, amazing beauty. Nature makes me calm. This is amazing. I'm so happy and lucky to be here. 

#13
The bonus of hiking through winter. I don't need to keep an eye out for snakes. I can look around a bit more while walking. There are so many twigs laying around, if it were summer, I'd be jumping every minute or two. (On day 3 I realise that snakes don't hibernate on Kangaroo Island. The guys hiking the trail at the same time spotted 2.)

#14
Shit. Up to 50km winds and up to 20mm of rain. Oh no. What if I get totally wet and can't dry out. I'll be freezing. I don't like it. Perhaps I can just keep walking today and do it all? Argh. Rain. Lots of it. Oh no. 

#15
F**K, so fricken cold. I'm freezing. Oh my god. What can I do? How long til morning (of course I don't know because I forgot to bring anything, except my flat phone, that tells the time). Really? I have three more nights of this? Oh shit. I'm not going to cope. I'm going to go crazy, not sleeping. This is horrible. 
*Thankfully I find a way of keeping warm the following nights.

#16                                                                                                                                                (When my knee starts 'talking' to me, I speak straight back to it - out loud.) Be quiet and stay quiet. I don't want to hear from you on this hike. 

#17
Um, why on earth did I choose to be here and not lazing on a warm beach somewhere? I guess the only answer is 'I love adventure'. Although, I remember now that I said one to two-night hikes are best for me. Oops. 

#18
I feel you girl; I know you are there, now steady. (Yep, I actually start talking to the wind as it tries to blow me sideways while hiking the clifftop. It is that intense I can feel all the muscles in my legs and core battling to keep me upright.)

#19
Thoughts are like the surrounds on the trail... always changing and never permanent or solely one thing. 

#20
Not a spoken word but written in my diary...
Cold afternoon, cold night, cold sleep, cold morning... only when I'm moving, am I not cold. Thankfully, I have the sun til 4-4.30pm to keep me warmish. But when that sun starts to drop, brr. It's cold. Which is about now and I start to think... 
"Sitting by myself at camp as it gets colder and the dark creeps in. I wish the night to go quick. I want the hours to zoom by so I can crawl into my sleeping bag and be warm. Now that I know I can be warm."

I also sang songs. In English and Portuguese. I made songs up of strength and courage, of living a life you love but perhaps the most intense thought, however, was a realisation that brought tears to my eyes. 

Most of my thinking time is while walking through the bush as I'm not as 'wowed' by the vistas, but this aha comes on a clifftop. 

"I feel like I've been living in a box. I am finally pushing the top off and living the life I am meant to. A life of adventure, fun, love and discovery. I can have this life. And by doing that, I can show my kids how to live a life that makes them happy. Not a prescribed life that they think they have to live." 

I wipe my eyes so I can see and walk on.

Hiking Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail for five days... and the things I forget to pack.

Carrying everything (except for the stuff I forgot) I need on my back for five days. Couldn't do it without the hiking poles - or my knees couldn't.

The track on day one. Nice. 

Presuming most people would check their equipment before going on a five-day hike? Yep, not me. I end up packing the morning I leave for Kangaroo Island. I'm pulling things from that room, a bit from over here, and remember as I'm packing something else that I haven't packed my hiking boots yet. Tell you now... probably not the best idea I've ever had. Not that it was an idea, it's just the way it has turned out.

So, did I forget anything? You bet. 
1. One of my boots has a hole in the side. I discover this after feeling my foot feeling quite wet after hiking in the rain for over an hour. 

2. No clock/watch. Not a biggie, but it's nice to know when I'm tossing and turning, waiting for it to be morning so I can get up.

Of course, everyone packs a tripod and DSLR for a hike, right?

3. No pegs for my tent. Oops. When the wind picks up, it's nice to know my tent isn't going to fly away. Especially since I don't have much weighty stuff to keep it on the ground. Only once did it have a little bit of lift off. Rocks and hiking poles came to good use in keeping the door fly off the inside of the tent. 

4. No pocket knife. Admittedly, this trip, I only needed one a few times. I managed to make do with the flint for my Trangia. 

5. No dishwashing liquid. Oh well. Not dead yet. 

6. No book to read. When I wake up before dawn and only hike until early afternoon... it leaves a lot of time to sit and reflect. A book for some of these hours, or a deck of cards, would be very handy. This is the one item I missed the most. 

Pegs could have been helpful when not on the tent platforms. Oops. 

7. Hat and sunscreen. Oops. Don't tell my Dad.

8. Thongs. It's really nice to get out of wet boots at the end of the day. But when I have nothing else... 

9. Mini Towel. What can I do? Shake 'em dry. 

10. Dehydrated wine. This should exist by now!

Ok, so that is a long list. Oops. Would I have remembered all of this had I packed earlier? Probably not. I always forget something. But next time I will try to pack earlier, and not forget so much. At least I kept the weight down that I had to carry!
 

And then you have to remember to pick things up after you put them down. Left my glasses here after they fell off trying to get the boat untangled from the tree. Enlisted my Jane of the Jungle skills to get that sucker unstuck. 

Photographer of the High Seas

One of my first photography gigs...

The staff and crew bar... not quite as glamorous as the ones above water level. From memory, we were only meant to have a maximum of two beers per person per day... made sure we cleared the table often. 

What else to do when surrounded by hundreds of un-sold photographs? Be models of course! This is the gallery where we would print every image with the aim of selling. 

As long as we weren't in a guests place, we were able to have a drink in any of the bars. Perks of being a Photographer. 

Santorini. When you go every week, you don't even bother getting off the ship. Tender process, stairs... all seemed too much sometimes. But, when we did get off, we had  fun!

Guests would head left, we'd go right. Far, far away. Frappes, Greek salad, beer, no guests. Ahh.

I have read a lot of interviews with photographers, and the question is always asked. How did you get into photography? Many times, the answer is ‘my parents were artists’, ‘I knew from the minute I picked up the camera age five’… and so on. Childhood encounters. But mine is a bit different. 

Sure, I took pics as a child. I loved Photography in high school - even commuted 45 minutes from a different school so I could hang out in the darkroom. I worked at photo labs, camera stores and got an assisting job in a Greek/Italian/Croatian wedding studio by walking in the door with a handful of prints. Literally. 

But then I went overseas...

Working in a bar in Richmond, London, I made friends with a guy who was Photographer for H&M or Mango or something like that. The more I chatted with him, the more I wanted to do what he did. I asked how he got into it. One thing led to another, and next thing I know, I’m working on an Italian cruise liner as a photographer. 

The glamorous part of the job was that we visited Venice, Bari, Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Santorini, Corfu and Piraeus (Athens) weekly - and, unlike other staff, we could get off and explore every port. The less glam side of it was that three of us lived cramped in a two bed cabin for a few months, we pestered the guests for photos every waking minute, then had to stand in the gallery and try to sell them in between functions. 

A mild ‘up’ was the fact we were staff and not the crew. The crew weren’t allowed above sea level; staff could be in passenger areas so long as they were not getting in a passengers way. We could have a drink or two in one of the lounges, as long as we sat at tables towards the back and not near the bar. We weren’t to ride in the elevators. And for goodness sake, we had to be below water by midnight. I tell you what, our past midnight feast runs up the elevators to the only open restaurant on the pool deck were an adrenalin rush. Never would you want to get caught by the Captain. Thankfully, we had a few security guards on our side. 

To be honest, I should have known what it was going to be like. The first week, I felt ‘off’ from all the metal surrounding me. The Captain put us through training for fires. He locked us in a room, let off smoke bombs and told us to find our way out. The choking! OMG.

I was also a minority. It was an Italian cruise liner. Most passengers were Italian, Greek, French or Dutch. The staff and crew were European or Phillipino. I didn’t speak any language spoken on board - the nearest I could get was Brazilian Portuguese. It got me by. I could understand them (sometimes) but rarely could they understand me. It made not understanding ‘no, I don’t want a photo’ very easy. It made selling and the questions that come with it, just slightly difficult. The hardest part though was making friends. English as a second language can be difficult and be tiring to speak for a lot of people. I know - having lived in Brazil and learning Portuguese, I got tired and restless quickly for having to constantly concentrate and think while ‘chatting’. It’s easy for people to hang with their own. I made just a few friends. But we had fun. 

Cabin parties. Drinking sessions in the crew bar. Sneaky food runs up to Pool deck. Dancing in the nightclub. And running ashore away from the hordes to have a sneaky local lunch. 

Seven day work weeks. Morning and night shifts. Lots of hours. Leftover guest food. Grumpy Captains that complain the music is too loud in the gym during the day. Inside cabins. Bunk beds. One locker for all your personal belongings. 

Worth it? I think so. If I had a ship that was English speaking, I could have lasted longer. It’s a great way of discovering parts of the world - especially if you get the opportunity to relocate with the change of seasons. Unfortunately, we’d had enough by the time relocation to the Caribbean came, so quit just a month or so shy of discovering a new side of the world. Oh well. Perhaps I’ll do that as a guest. Haven’t done that yet.