Home

18. March 2014 12:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aiden pedalling his bike

18. March 2014 12:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day Aiden figured out how to pedal his big bike (with support wheels).He was very proud an
The other day Aiden figured out how to pedal his big bike (with support wheels).

He was very proud and keen to get out riding.

18. March 2014 12:03
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Playing at the park

18. March 2014 12:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day we went to the park to play with the kids.I brought the camera along to take a few sho
The other day we went to the park to play with the kids.

I brought the camera along to take a few shots of Lucas on the swing.

He was so tired that he almost fell asleep on the swing.









I also managed to get a couple of great photos of Aiden.



20. February 2014 12:13
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Super hero

20. February 2014 12:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

super hero


The other day Aiden came back from daycare with face paint around his eyes proudly saying that he was a super hero.

19. February 2014 06:37
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Serenpidity canyon

19. February 2014 06:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

serenpidity canyon


Last year I received a gift voucher through work and decided to use it for a canyoning trip in the blue mountains before it expired.



one of the companies were doing intermediate canyons and it happens that the canyon they were doing this Sunday was the serendipity canyon at mount Wilson. We (two guides and 6 other clients) parked at mount Wilson fire station and headed down the trail 30 minutes downhill.

After a quick briefing about the canyon and a change to wetsuits we absailed into the canyon itself.




There were lots of yabbies...really big ones everywhere.



It was a fun canyon with a couple of a absails and lots of jumps into water pools and swim-throughs. It was raining a lot the day before so there was a lot of water in the canyon and the water was relatively warm.














Once we were out of the canyon we had some lunch and headed back to the car a 45 minute uphill walk later. We returned back to Katoomba at around 3pm in thick fog. After a quick turnaround I headed back towards sydney as a snail pace until I was below the clouds where visibility improved. I made it back just in time for having dinner with the family.

A lot of the canyons in the mountains are still closed due to the bushfire a couple of months ago.

10. February 2014 12:13
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Baking bread - Sourdough

10. February 2014 12:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

baking bread sourdough


For the past 9 days is has been a small project of mine to try and bake an authentic sourdough bread.

By sourdough I mean by using the old techniques of not adding yeast and let the bread ferment using the natural yeast from the air.

As such it is not a lot of work, but there is a lot of waiting time and there are a lot of places that things can go wrong.

I finally managed to bake an actual bread last night and brought it for the family to taste.



They liked it and asked if I could bake them some more. Fortunately I still had some ferment left over for an additional two breads...photo above is one of them.

Although it was interesting to do, I think it will take a while before I attempt it again...the whole process is just too long.


6. February 2014 04:26
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Emmas Babtism

6. February 2014 04:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

emmas babtism


Emma was baptised this weekend at the local church. Fastest ever...the priest was speed reading!






6. February 2014 04:24
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Chinese New Year 2014

6. February 2014 04:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

chinese new year 2014


The other day it was Chinese new year. It is now the year of the horse.



Again it was celebrated with vegan food and money was put on Aidens rocking horse for good luck.

6. February 2014 04:19
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aiden pedalling his tricycle

6. February 2014 04:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden pedalling his tricycle


Aiden has finally learned how to ride his little tricycle (the one his grandma gave him just before she passed away) by using the pedals.

He is very proud...hopefully he is able to soon using his new skills on the bike he got for christmas.



Even Lucas was proud and gave Aiden the victory jump.



6. February 2014 04:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Baking bread - Walnut and Fig bread

6. February 2014 04:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

baking bread walnut and fig bread


At the moment I am going through a phase where I Loooveee baking bread.

There is something really satisfying about working with something that is so diverse and alive. And there is nothing like eating a freshly baked bread with a nice crust.


So far I have found a couple of recipes I really like...one of them is this walnut and fig bread.



On the weekend I made it for the family dinner and they wanted the recipe.

- 400g white flour into a bowl
- Add 100g of wholemeal flour
- Add 10g of sea salt flakes
- Add 5g of dry yeast into the bowl
- Add 335ml of water
- Mix it all together using your hand
- Kneed it by stretching it out on a table and then roll it up...do this 3-6 times
- flatten the bread to a thickness of about 15mm and then place walnuts and chopped figs on top. Roll up the bread with the walnuts and figs inside.
- Stretch the bread another couple of time and roll it up until the walnuts and figs are mixed into the bread.
- Put the bread in a bowl and cover it with glad wrap (or better yet, just leave it on the table and cover it with the bowl) for one hour...knock back the bread every 20 minutes (3 times in total).
- Leave the bread for another one hour (without knocking it back). After 30 minutes (30 minutes prior to baking) start preheating the oven with a baking/pizza stone at 250 degrees. Also put a small metal tray in the oven (for the ice cubes)
- Add a bit of semolina (or flour) to the baking stone and to the top of the bread to avoid it sticking.
- Place the bread on the baking stone and make a couple of cuts to the top of the dough.
- Add 3-4 ice cubes to the metal tray
- Close the oven and turn down the temperature to 200 degrees immediately.
- Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven.

23. January 2014 12:39
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Hunter Valley Gardens light show.

23. January 2014 12:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

hunter valley gardens light show


Every year hunter valley garden put up a light show where they decorate part of the garden in christmas lights.

They leave this open until end of January, so this year we headed up there to have a look....enjoy.



















Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

23. January 2014 12:28
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Hunter Valley Trip with family

23. January 2014 12:28 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

hunter valley trip with family


Last weekend we made an overnight trip to the Hunter Valley a couple of hours drive north of Sydney.

The main reason was to see the lights in the Hunter Valley Garden (see separate post), but also to go and taste some wine and generally have a good time.

Pretty soon after we arrived the girls were distracted by the chocolate and cheese places.






We did however go to a couple of places for wine tasting.







We also had some really nice food up there. I was especially impressed by a really nice gnocchi salad I had....it was yummi.


Outside it was really hot...like 39 degrees in the shade. There were a couple of horses relaxing under a couple of trees.



We decided an alternative approach of checking into our hotel and jump in the pool to cool off.

In the evening we went to the light show and on the following day we just did a number of wineries before heading back to Sydney.

17. January 2014 12:11
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Ten Pin Bowling

17. January 2014 12:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

ten pin bowling


On the weekend we did some ten pin bowling with the family.



Kim had managed to secure some cheap tickets so it was great to play against the family.

We had one lane for the kids (with rails) and one lane for the adults.






I had a bad start and was behind much of the game, but my luck eventually caught up and I started playing a good game.




Afterwards we had a bit of a play in the games arcade





Aiden was absolutely terrified of the big scary bear (I can see why).



The kids also tried to figure out what this machine was for:



I love some of the old 50's style decor.







17. January 2014 12:08
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Water Play

17. January 2014 12:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

water play


It is summer and Lucas and Aiden is enjoying a bit of water play in the back yard on warm days.





15. January 2014 02:32
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Baptism

15. January 2014 02:32 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

babtism


This Sunday we had Aiden and Lucas baptised in the local church in Maroubra. Lucky that both Aiden and Lucas behaved throughout the 2 hour long service.

15. January 2014 02:29
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - Rocks

15. January 2014 02:29 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay rocks


The rocks at Malua Bay were quite spectacular and dramatic. A couple of times I ventured down to try my luck with some photos around sunset (grey every day)...I really suck at this style and constantly got my tripod soaked.

These were the two best results.



9. January 2014 11:38
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - The Beach

9. January 2014 11:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay the beach


Having the beach so close was great. I went for a run every morning before breakfast.



We also had a lot of fun playing at the beach with the kids.















And everyone was just really enjoying the time there.















9. January 2014 11:33
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - Indian dinner

9. January 2014 11:33 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay indian dinner


On news years day we had a very nice dinner at an Indian restaurant (I was soooo full afterwards).

The restaurant also had lice indian music as entertainment.











9. January 2014 11:29
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - Amusement Park

9. January 2014 11:29 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay the fair


On New Years eve there was a fair on and we let the kids have a couple of rides.






They also had a visit to one of the fire engines.



I actually did a ride as well, which is the most awesome one I have seen in years...but because of the scare factor it is censored from this site.

9. January 2014 11:24
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - Fishing

9. January 2014 11:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay fishing


Chong brought his little tinny along and him and Kims dad went fishing every second day.

I went along one morning out in the open water.



I caught a small flathead (and a puffer fish) which was too small to keep.



9. January 2014 11:17
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Malua Bay - Playground

9. January 2014 11:17 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

malua bay playground


At the beach not far from the house there was a playground. It was great to let the kids play together.

Aiden was obviously keen on going on the swing.






But also the other kids had a go.









Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

7. November 2010 02:35
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aiden 5 Months

7. November 2010 02:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden 5 months


Today it is Aidens Birthday....he is now 5 Months old (when you are less than 6 months old you get to have birthday every month).

Aiden, Mummy & Daddy

He is a good/easy little boy. He is now able to keep his head up, but still unable to sit or roll around onto his tummy. He sleeps through the night and wakes up around 7.30 to get a feed. On weekends he is happy to go back to sleep so his Mummy and Daddy can sleep in.


He is very quiet when in crowded places and likes to just sit and observe (Kims dad is saying that he has got that after me).

It has taken me a long time to get this photo done. I had to wait for him to keep his head up and even then it was pretty hard to get hime to look in the right direction.



3. November 2010 11:50
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Water Portrait

3. November 2010 11:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

water portrait


I have now finished the second portrait in the series of the four elements...just Fire and Air left. This one is "Water". The yellow blob is a Weedy Sea Dragon.




...Really helping my Photoshop skills. Not sure if anyone else thinks these photos are cool...but they are cool to make and are different from what I'd otherwise be doing.

1. November 2010 09:50
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Fame - the musical

1. November 2010 09:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

fame the musical


This weekend Kim and I went to see the musical Fame at Capitol theatre with a couple of friends Audrey and John.



Most of the cast was made up of dancers from “So you think you can dance” so there was a potential for a really good performance with some excellent dancing.


Our friends had organised a babysitter for the night and Aiden was being looked after by Kim’s dad and sister.

The performance was good (but not great). I think we were expecting more singing and dancing (It was a musical) and less dialogue. The second half of the play was a lot better than the first half with more dancing.



Unfortunately our friends missed this part as she was worried about their kid left alone with the babysitter (that is kinda the point of getting a babysitter) and left during the intermission.


At the end they got everyone in the audience up from their chairs for the famous "Fame" song.


Kim and I however had a good night out…and she looked smashing!

20. October 2010 11:11
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Self Portrait

20. October 2010 11:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

self portrait


Lately I have been playing around with Photoshop a lot more going through different tutorials.

Main purpose is to enable me to manipulate photos and add a different dimension to these photos. I have especially been trying to create some interesting profile photos that I can use of facebook and the like.

The portraits don't necessarily mean anything...mainly created them to see if I could do something out of the ordinary.The plan is to see if I can make a series Earth - Water - Fire - Air following the four basic elements.


It was really hard to get the starting photo right in my studio. It is almost impossible to do a photo of one-self and have it in focus...eventually Kim had to step in a help me (which I am very grateful for). In total it took me about 2-3 hours from start (taking the photo) to the finished result.


Portrait

18. October 2010 09:19
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Maroubra

18. October 2010 09:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

maroubra


Yesterday we went to the beach to have a coffee with a couple of friends. While Kim was catching up on all the gossip I went out to see if I could get some good photos of the surfers (The surf was pretty good that day).




18. October 2010 09:02
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Where to...Daddy???

18. October 2010 09:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

where to daddy


On the weekend I had a bit of fun with Aiden. I bought a world map on email just so that I could take the following photos of him...







And this last photo I call "Is this where you grew up daddy??"




He is now 4 months old and still doesn't like being on his belly...so I had to be pretty quick with the setup.

18. October 2010 08:46
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Family Portaits

18. October 2010 08:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

more portaits


Sunday night Kim and I was looking after Ethan and Kayla while Chong and KC went out for dinner.

Kims dad and Dylan popped over for a couple of hours (Kims dad wanted to see Aiden ;-)) and after dinner and after Aiden was asleep I set up the studio to take some portraits of the kids. Main purpose was to experiment a little to improve my photography skills...especially my study of shadows (It is easy to light, but harder to create meaningful shadows).

Lately I have been doing more photography using all my flashes with wireless triggers to get interesting angles and effects. A couple of days ago I bought a couple of pieces of fabric in different colours (blue and red) to use as backgrounds and the following photos are a result of Sunday nights photoshoot.




Ethan and Kayla

Dylan



Ethan

I used one flash camera right in a 60*60 softbox, Hair light behind camera left snooted. In retrospect I should have taken my 3rd flash and used this to light the coloured backdrops to create better seperation...the highlights above are done in Post processing.

27. September 2010 12:21
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Fire Devil fun

27. September 2010 12:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

fire devil fun


I had a bit of fun on the weekend and spent a little time using photoshop doing something different for a self portrait. Just a bit of fun for a Facebook profile photo.


It took me about 5 minutes to take the photo and about 25-45 in photoshop to modify the image.




After taking the image I modified the background, de-saturated the colours, saturated the green colours, added the cat-eye contact lenses and extended the canine teeth slightly...done! Not perfect, but good enough for what I wanted to try and accomplish.

19. September 2010 10:31
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Surf's-up at Maroubra

19. September 2010 10:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

surf up at maroubra


This week there was a big low pressure system of the coast of Tasmania resulting in 18 meter waves there. It was predicted that some of this swell would hit Sydney this weekend resulting in 3-4 meter waves on south facing beaches. This Saturday morning I went down to Maroubra to have a look...The waves weren't as big as I had expected, but there were lots of surfers there and I did manage to take a couple of reasonable photos (I may try again tomorrow).










I am sure that there were a lot of professional/semi professional surfers out there, but unfortunately I would not be able to recognise anyone. Some of the photos I took with my 28-200mm lens which is super sharp. I also took some with an old 500mm mirror lens...it is reasonable ok...but almost impossible to keep in focus.


10. September 2010 11:05
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Aiden Looks Like.....

10. September 2010 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

aiden looks like


Some people have said that Aiden looks like me (mostly) and some says that he looks more like Kim.

Here is a photo of Kim and I with Aiden as well as my mum holding me after I was born (I think):



I REST MY CASE!!!!!
Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

18. January 2009 10:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Climbing Berowra

18. January 2009 10:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

climbing berowra


Today the Rockstar (Andy) and the Prong went climbing at Berowra. The news media had gotten the hint of the occasion and the paparazzi were there in full force taking photos.

Click here to see more climbing photos from 2009

The bureau had told us that it was going to be a cool day, but it turned out to be rather hot for Berowra (29 degrees) and around lunch time the face was pretty much in the sun...so it was skin cancer territory.

We started out by me leading on an easy(iere) climb called "The Wall Thing 18" ...very pleasant climb with a fairly reachy finish. We then did (I led) the "Boundary Rider 19" which was equally pleasant with an extremely long reach to the anchor and the first time I went for it I missed the hold on top (I had no idea where to aim) and peeled off giving myself a rockstar manicure in the process (This is when you feel off all your skin on your hands to the point where it starts bleeding).

We then did "Mental Fatigue 18" and by this time the face was getting hit by the sun and warming up. The sun was in our eyes and it was hard to see where to go. Last time May did this climb she peeled off half way up. This time there was a significant amount of blood stains on one of the holds despite it being a fairly simple and straightforward climb with good protection.

We started getting hot now and the Paparazzi had left so we decided that we didn't have to show off any longer and decided to do a direct variant to "Mental Fatigue" (sopposedly grade 20) on Toprope...very pleasant but would not have been very good on lead as the first bolt was up very high.

The last climb of the day was "Palm Sunday 21" this was the highlight of the day even though we did it on top rope. Next time I go to Berowra and have a good day then I'll definitely come back to this one and try and lead it.


Editors note: It turns out that the paparazzi weren't taking photos of the Rockstar and Prong. The reason why they were there was because Paris Hilton was there showing off her latest outdoor collection...seriously...who gives a sh..!


4. January 2009 10:46
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Climbing Bardens Lookout - Blue Mountains

4. January 2009 10:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

climbing bardens lookout


Saturday morning we drove out to the Blue mountains to spend the day there climbing (Unfortunately Andy couldn't go on an overnight trip).

When we got up there it was cold, covered in clouds and drizzling. We decided to have a coffee and breakfast to check if it would clear up...and fortunately it did.

We were planning to go to Shipley, but after studying the guide we decided to go to Bardens Lookout instead.

Click here to see more photos of climbing

It was completely dry and it turned out to be a day with a perfect temperature and we did some really nice and varied climbs (I would tell you the climbs but someone stole/took my guide book during the day). We started on a grade 16 (Karinya I think) for warmup, and then moved to a very pleasant grade 18 (Jolly Good Fellow). I then had a go at a grade 20 (Dr Do Little) with a very reachy and balancy move up the top which almost made me fall off (Andy had a hard time on this move).



We then did a grade 19 (Little Triggers) and by this time my strength was gone so I only just managed to lead it (almost came off clipping the top anchor as I was drained). The climbs are fairly long at Bardens Lookout and I don't have a lot of endurance because the climbs in the gyms are too short.

Phil had a go at a grade 21 (Hang on to Yourself) and was really struggling on it and came off 4-6 times one of which was captured on video and once he came off upside down. Eventually he got through it and I toptoped and cleaned it (With a lot of grunt and swearing).

Download video of Andy Climbing 1
Download video of Andy Climbing 2
Download video of Andy being Lowered
Download video of Phil Falling

1. January 2009 10:31
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

New Years Day...golf at Brighton Golf Club

1. January 2009 10:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

new years day golf at brighton golf club


As tradition dictates we played golf with Sasha on new years day. And he had booked a time at Brighton Golf Club (Moorebank) at a civilised hour (1.30pm).

Kim and I hadn't played for about 10 months as we had been too busy with all the other things in 2008 (see the rest of the blog postings).

Click on photo to see more photos

I think we played a fairly decent game considering the time since we'd last played but both Kim and I were fairly tired after the 18 holes. It was a hot day with temperatures in the mid thirties and the course was fairly hot...so we drank lots of water as we went.

31. December 2008 10:42
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

New Years Eve 2008

31. December 2008 10:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

new years eve


Every year both Kim and I have been in the Sydney harbour area to watch the fireworks on New Years Eve.



But this year we decided to have a quiet new years eve just the two of us with a visit to the movies and then a nice dinner at home.



We did however watch the fireworks from our balcony at midnight and it looked just as spectacular as previous years (I borrowed the photo above from another site).

27. December 2008 11:53
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Smiths Lake Christmas Trip

27. December 2008 11:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

smiths lake christmas trip


Between Christmas and New year we drove with Kims family up to Smiths Lake (300km North of Sydney). We rented a house on the lake up there.

We hired a tinny (small aluminium boat) a couple of days and went fishing and managed to catch a lot of breams (a lot too small to keep).

Click here to see more photos from XMas

Click here to see more photos from XMas

Kims dad loves fishing and he quickly found out that in the morning and evening the fish were at the shore just outside the house.

In the evening we cooked nice dinners and BBQ's and the cookaburras came to the balcony around dinner time to check if there were leftovers. We had a bit of fun with them as you can see.

Click here to see more photos from XMas

In the evenings we played Blackjack (Kim and I cleaned up) and had nice food and wine.

Click here to see more photos from XMas

Chong (The husband of Kims sister) showed his more feminine side.

Click here to see more photos from XMas

The rest of the time we spent at the beach playing in the waves and playing with Kims sisters kids.

Click here to see more photos from XMas

Click here to see more photos from XMas

25. December 2008 11:21
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas Day

25. December 2008 11:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

christmas day


Christmas day was celebrated with Kims family at her sisters house.

A lot of people were there and everyone had been asked to bring some food. Kim had cooked Red Duck Curry the day before while I was preparing the Christmas Eve dinner.

Click here to see more XMas photos

Again...lots of food, playing table tennis, jumping the trampoline and all the kids got to open their presents.

Click here to see more XMas photos

24. December 2008 11:16
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas Eve

24. December 2008 11:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

christmas eve


Christmas even was celebrated in the traditional Danish way in the evening of the 24th December.

Kim and I had invited some friends over to out new house and prepared the traditional roast duck, ris-a-la-mande and large tiger prawns for entrees.

Click here to see more XMas photos

It was a nice evening and we didn't finish until well after midnight and all of us were really full by the time we finished dinner. There was a couple of kid and after dinner they got to open their Christmas presents.


12. December 2008 08:31
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Kims dads Birthday

12. December 2008 08:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

kims dads birthday


Every year on Kims dads birthday we celebrate with the family. Every couple brings a couple of dishes of food and we all share it.

Kims Family

18. November 2008 02:48
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Diving at Tulamben - Honeymoon in Bali

18. November 2008 02:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

diving at tulamben


On our honeymoon in Bali I really wanted to do this scuba dive that was recommended to me by my friend Andy. It is this old wreck of a US cargo ship (USS liberty) that was torpedoed by the japanese in 1942 and then beached to save the men and the cargo.

Click here to see more photos

The wreck has since slided back into deeper water (during a volcanic eruption in 1962) and it now in 5 to 27 meters of water just off the coast.

Click here to see more photos

I did two dives on the wreck while Kim was snorkeling in the surface on top of the wreck and it is without a doubt the most amazing scuba diving experience I've had. The ship is huge and you can swim through the cargo hulls and there is an amazing variety of fish and corals on the wreck.

I saw a 1.5 meter barracuda, a 1cm tall seahorse, a garden of eels and a great variety of other fish including a large school of travelly.

Click here to see more photos

I had my personal dive master for the day and I got him to take some photos and some video with his camera while we were diving. On the first dive we went all the way around the wreck (max depth 27 meters) and on the second we went through the wreck itself.

Click here to see more photos

Kim had a really good experience as well and really enjoyed the 30 degree warm water and managed to get her bum burnt while snorkeling for several hours.

I think we'll both go back there if we get the chance.

Click here to download video of me feeding fish

Click here to download video of me diving

18. November 2008 01:34
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Bali Honeymoon

18. November 2008 01:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

bali honeymoon


Our Honeymoon day after the wedding went to Bali in Indonesia. We did have some hesitation going there considering that the Bali Bombers had been executed the week before and that the Australian government discouraged all travel there.

The plane up there (and back) was only 25% full so plenty of space to get a good sleep.

We stayed in Nusa Dua Westin....a nice hotel although the rooms are a bit small.

On the first day we slept in and later in the day drove to Kuta to have a look around and do some shopping. Later in the evening we went to Jimbaran Bay for dinner. This is a whole beach where all the restaurants have put their tables and chairs out onto the beach itself...very romantic but quite expensive compared to local restaurants.

Click here to see more photos

Click here to see more photos

The second day we hired a car to drive us to Ubud in the hills, Monkey Forest and later in the day down to a small place called Tanah Lot. Especially the last one was very nice around sunset and we ended up not getting back to our hotel until 8.30 in the evening much to the dismay of our driver.

Click here to see more photos

Click here to see more photos

Dinner took place near the hotel and we found that the value of the food/prices was much better here.

A couple of days later we went for another drive (In between we went to Tulamben...see posting below) up to some beautiful lakes and temples up on the north of the island as well as rice paddies and we had a really nice trip despite driving with the most grumpy driver.

Click here to see more photos



Click here to see more photos

Time was running out and Kim felt that she hadn't spent enough time shopping so the last two days were spent shopping and sitting at the pool and on the beach.

Click here to see more photos

One evening we booked a really nice restaurant called "The Living Room" in Seminyak and I booked the whole outdoor area (cost a fortune) just so that we could have a romantic evening in the garden just the two of us with personal waiting staff.

Click here to see more photos

Click here to see more photos

The week was way too short and we never got to do everything we wanted to do so I have a feel we will be coming back in the future.


Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

1. May 2014 15:05
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Toronga Zoo April 2014

1. May 2014 15:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Taronga Zoo.One of the families from daycare had a spare pas
A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Taronga Zoo.

One of the families from daycare had a spare pass that we borrowed for the day.

First we went through the bird sanctuary and the kids were not overly impressed and were more interested in the waterfalls and the leaves fallen off the trees.




After that we walked past the playground and Lucas immediately ran off (Aiden was a bit more hesitant as he is more cautious) and couldn't get enough of going down the big slide (by himself).




The seal show was more to the taste of Aiden even though he'd seen it before.





After this we went to the Australian section of the park to see some kangaroos (including a tree kangaroo) and other wildlife.







23. April 2014 12:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photo shoot - Other various

23. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is some more photos from the shoot the other day. They are not my favourites, but good enough t
Here is some more photos from the shoot the other day. They are not my favourites, but good enough to share I think.



Model: Kerry Ann Peterson



Model: Gabriella Srage



Model: Emma Perceval

22. April 2014 12:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - Dream

22. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I just finished another edit of one of the photos from the open day. Someone else had posted a photo
I just finished another edit of one of the photos from the open day.

Someone else had posted a photo of a dream like impression and I wanted to see if I was able to do the same with one of my photos.



Model: Taylia Lopez
Lighting & Set: Studio 1A
Hair & Make-up: Kabuki Mee Designs

I also did another photo of one of the other girls at the photo shoot.




Model: Britney Williams
Hair: Cara Leupuscek
Makeup: Melisa Tomic
Sets: Studio 1A Sydney

19. April 2014 15:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - wrap up

19. April 2014 15:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The photoshoot last week provided a lot of lessons...some learnt and some where I need more practice
The photoshoot last week provided a lot of lessons...some learnt and some where I need more practice.

My main reason for participating was to gain more experience working with models and especially be able to pose models better. A secondary objective was to get some great photos that I can use for my portfolio and for this website.
I think I succeeded with both objectives although I definitely need more experience with posing.
 
 I had no idea what to expect before getting there apart from knowing that there would be a number of models, makeup artists and a number of different sets.
 
The format is pretty simple...first come first serve to a set. You use the time effectively, work quick and take 20-30 shots with each model and after that you let someone else have a turn and move onto a different set.
 
This means that you have to work very effective with the models and try and get a good photo. You cannot change the set and you cannot change the light setup so in terms of creativity this is quite limiting.
It came in very handy that I have done some studio photography and have a good understanding of the theory. This means that it was easier for me to work with the variables that I could change, mainly changing my position on the set to get different shadows and lights and then also let the models move closer or further away from the lights to change this. I definitely think that this allowed me to get some pretty unique photos, but I definitely something I need to do more of if I get the chance to do this again.
 
Also, some of the models were professional models and others had done absolutely no modelling before. They all presented different challenges, as the professional models will give you the model poses and looks and it it hard to change this without it being pretty obvious that you only have little experience. The ones with no experience required a lot more guidance and this was where I really struggled and I definitely need some more standard poses that I can pull out for these situations. That said some of the models with no experience did really good and the most of the models were rally good fun to work with.
I especially found it really hard to pose with the male models.

Another thing is how social media works. The agreement was that you would put your shots into a dropbox folder so that the hair and makeup artists as well as the model could access low resolution files and at the same time get access to your contact details if they would like prints/hires files. I also posted the photos on the groups facebook page and the response was amazing compared to what I normally get on photos. Lots of likes and suddenly everyone wants to be my friend on Facebook (they may be disappointed when they see the stuff I normally post) and most amazing is the response from the models and the hair and makeup artists...a number of them are already using the material to promote themselves (which I am fine with as long as it doesn't go beyond that) and they are leaving comments/shares saying things such as 'this is my favourite photo from the day so far'.

Not knowing what gear to bring I brought pretty much everything I terms of lenses and even a couple of flashes and grey cards. I ended up shooting with my 85mm f1.4 pretty much most of the time and occasionally changing to a 50mm f1.4 for full body shots or on the sets where there wasn't much space on the set. What I didn't bring was my 105mm macro lens. I could have used this lens for getting in close for detail type shots and wish I had brought this along.
I should also have brought an ND8 filter for shooting natural light at f1.4...even with the Nikon D800 it was next to impossible to not overexpose using that bright light.
 
They have announced that they will be holding another shoot in august which I am planning to participate in and they also have a nude workshop in July that I am trying to convince Kim that I should go to...but we will see.

18. April 2014 07:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - Miyuki

18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Miyuki is a makeup artist and had never done any modeling before and this was the first time as a mo
Miyuki is a makeup artist and had never done any modeling before and this was the first time as a model.



She has a really nice outfit/hair piece and the makeup was done really nicely. The skin in her face is absolutely flawless and virtually no re-touching was required.



Photographer: Rene Pallesen
Model: Miyuki Tsuda
Hair and Makeup: Kabuki Mee Designs
Set/Light: Studio 1A Sydney

18. April 2014 07:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day Photoshoot - Melanie J Bowers

18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One of the professional models on the day was Melanie. She knows how to model and give you the looks
One of the professional models on the day was Melanie. She knows how to model and give you the looks but it also made it hard to get a unique photo. Even though I did get a lot of great photo I think the one below is the best...it is very magazine like.

At one point during my session with her she started talking to some other people down the back and she became all smiley and giggly...the modelling cover totally disappeared. I really kick myself that I didn't keep shooting while this happened.



Photographer: Rene Pallesen
Model: Melanie J Bowers
Hair: Cara Leupuscek
MUA: Melisa Tomic
Studio and lighting : 1A Sydney


18. April 2014 07:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - Pia Prestley

18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Pia had a very cool red and white facepaint/makeup. It was a bit strong for the set but I think it i
Pia had a very cool red and white facepaint/makeup. It was a bit strong for the set but I think it is pretty good in black and white with a slight hint of the colours blended back in.




Photographer: Rene Pallesen
Model: Pia Prestley
Hair: Cara Leupuscek
MUA: Marie Donnell
Studio and lighting : 1A Sydney


17. April 2014 14:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - Sudip Limbu

17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At the photo shoot there was also a couple of male models.I find it a lot harder to pose males than
At the photo shoot there was also a couple of male models.

I find it a lot harder to pose males than females...with females I can (kind of) tell what looks good and what doesnt and when I get a goo pose I know it. With males it is a lot harder as I never think about what looks masculine.

This day was a really eye opener that before I next time have to shoot a male I will have to do a bit of homework and have some general ideas already mapped out.

At the end of the day they were shooting inside this caged lift and I got the this shot. Later I saw another photographers photo using the same setting and it was amazing.




It was really cool to see what other people did in the same set and I learned so much just from watching other photographers as well as models.

I also did a couple of shots using a projection screen...not a big fan, but I did snap the following that turned out somewhat ok but not entirely happy about it.




Model: Sudip Limbu
Hair: Cara Leupuscek
Makeup: Melinda
Lighting & Sets: Studio 1A Sydney

17. April 2014 14:04
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Open day photoshoot - Valerie Peovska 50's style

17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I did another set/makeup shoot with Valerie in a more 50's style setting.First I had her standing up
I did another set/makeup shoot with Valerie in a more 50's style setting.

First I had her standing up, but just could not get the poses working for me with the makeup and the set...just somehow seemed out of place and it was my second set of the day so I was still trying to get used to the whole idea of giving posing directions.

Eventually I had her sit down and managed to get this photo which I think captured the whole 1950's style much better.




Model : Valerie Pueovska
Hair : Cara Leupuscek
MUA : Melisa Tomic
Studio/Set: 1A Sydney
Photographer : Rene Pallesen

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

Home

25. December 2014 08:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Christmas 2014

25. December 2014 08:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we celebrated Christmas eve with the boys.5 days before Christmas I still hadn't taken our
This year we celebrated Christmas eve with the boys.

5 days before Christmas I still hadn't taken our annual family photo even though I had the concepts loosely worked out in my head.

I knew that I wanted to do one in the kitchen and one evening when Kim decided she wanted to experiment with cooking brownies I decided to set it up and talked her through the concept and what I wanted her and the kids to do.
It worked out better than expected.



Kim also wanted one of us unpacking gifts.

This one was a lot harder to set up as the light was critical.




The last family photo we did was a simple one taken in the morning at Maroubra beach.


24. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Inspirational notes for 2015

24. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In one of the shops at Eastgardens I found a wall full of these inspirational notes for 2015.
In one of the shops at Eastgardens I found a wall full of these inspirational notes for 2015.


















23. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Playing a storm

23. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of days ago the kids were playing in the park at Kims dads place while a big storm was appr
A couple of days ago the kids were playing in the park at Kims dads place while a big storm was approaching.

The light was beautiful so I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos with my phone.











21. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Kim riding a bike

21. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kim has never learned to ride a bike. One day at the park she borrowed Kaylas bike and gave it a try
Kim has never learned to ride a bike. One day at the park she borrowed Kaylas bike and gave it a try.

She did pretty good considering that she's never done it before.



20. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Cool art work

20. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is some quick snaps of some public artwork that I find really cool.This artwork I found in the
Here is some quick snaps of some public artwork that I find really cool.

This artwork I found in the Macquarie centre.







It is thousands of plastic balls suspended from the ceiling.

And this grafitti is from Redfern...I wish all grafitti was this well done.


19. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

The Tiger who came to tea

19. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One day we went with the kids to the opera house to experience a play called "The tiger who came to
One day we went with the kids to the opera house to experience a play called "The tiger who came to tea" which is based on a childrens book of the same title.

We had borrowed the book week before and read it to the kids so they were very excited and the play was really good fun and well made.







15. December 2014 09:01
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Lindt Cafe

15. December 2014 09:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One of the sad events of the year was the attack on the Lindt cafe in Sydney where a lone gunman too
One of the sad events of the year was the attack on the Lindt cafe in Sydney where a lone gunman took the patrons as hostages. He was eventually shot by the police after killing two patrons.



All of Sydney laid flowers in front of the cafe as Martins place.








22. November 2014 16:11
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Daydream island

22. November 2014 16:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago we went to Daydream island in the Whitsunday islands at great barrier reef.Thi
A couple of weeks ago we went to Daydream island in the Whitsunday islands at great barrier reef.

This was a great opportunity to check out some of the natural beauties...





...such as Whitehaven beach.











We spent a lot of time playing at the pool and at the beach.





The resort has a massive inland lagoon with lots of stingrays and sharks that the kids loved.






Aiden and Lucas were allowed to touch some of them including this live shark.



and stingrays and star fish.










And on the island there were lots of kangaroos.



A beautiful place.





And I did have time to do a bit of creative shooting.





Eventually it was time to say goodbye to the island with a vulcan salute.





20. November 2014 14:11
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Mini open day photo shoot

20. November 2014 14:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In early November I did another open studio day. This time a mini day with less models, hair and mak
In early November I did another open studio day. This time a mini day with less models, hair and makeup and studio setups.

As usual it was good practice and fun to work with the various models. I think I did get some great photos and there were a lot of lessons learned that can be done better next time.


Model: Charlotte de Lucey


Model: Jessica Garcia


Model: Tanika de Alwis


Model: Britney Williams


Model: Tanika de Alwis

Compared to the other times I was doing a lot more natural light photography this time and some of it in nasty and not very flattering direct sunlight. I think I still managed to get some very usable results out of it.


Model: Nikki Doan


Model: Nikki Doan


Model: Amy Hill



The hardest thing for me is still the communication with the models and the creation of a vision that is different when you are on a fixed set.


Model: Jessica Garcia


Model: Jessica Garcia

23. October 2014 10:10
by Rene Pallesen
0 Comments

Trip to Manly

23. October 2014 10:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Sunday we took the ferry to Manly. It is a beautiful trip past the opera house and the boys wer
This Sunday we took the ferry to Manly.



It is a beautiful trip past the opera house and the boys were very excited being on a boat.














At Manly we went down to the beach. It was a calm day so the boys had a lot of fun at the edge of the water.










After that Kim did some shopping, we had some fish'n'chips and we also had an ice cream.