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10. September 2015 16:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Fathers Day

10. September 2015 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Sunday it was fathers day.

It was celebrated with a game of Bowling with the kids in the morning and then family dinner in the evening (with yummi chocolate cake).

This photo is the only family photo I have with the entire Kims family (including little Mia).

7. September 2015 10:09
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Anything Goes - Sydney Opera House

7. September 2015 10:09 by Admin | 0 Comments

This weekend Kim and I joined a couple of friends at the opera house to see the show Anything Goes.

This is a great musical which I believe is based on a book and it was first shown on Broadway all the way back in 1934.

I love the old costumes from back...

27. August 2015 12:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas Moment

27. August 2015 12:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas doesn't like me taking photos of him.

Here I caught him having a moment after I picked him up at daycare.

21. August 2015 08:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden Birthday

21. August 2015 08:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I realised that I hadn't posted anything from Aidens birthday.

On the weekend we had a bowling birthday party with all the kids (and mum and dad) dressed up as super heroes.

We also had a family dinner where we celebrated both his, Kayla's and Adams (his cousins) birthdays.

21. August 2015 07:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Morning of Frost

21. August 2015 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Although we have had a beautiful winter with lots of sunny days and mild daytime temperatures, we have also had some cold mornings.

One morning the car had frost on it and it was only 5 degrees outside (most winter mornings it is 8-10 degrees with 18-22 degree daytime temps).

21. August 2015 07:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden graduating to Turtle

21. August 2015 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last weekend Aiden graduated in his swim class from being a Crab to being a turtle.

He's been in the swim class for a couple of years now and never graduated. He would swim fine with me, but would cry and be scared with the swim teacher.

After our trip to Thailand in June he gained a lot of confidence and was very happy to swim by himself, but the swim teacher was too careful so he was unable to show what a good swimmer he really is. So, last weekend I asked the swim teacher to let him swim with the result that she by the end of the lesson graduated him and moved him to the next class.

He was so proud (and so was his dad).

18. August 2015 16:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Steam train day

18. August 2015 16:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Sunday we took the boys to Thirlmere trainworks. This is a large train museum with lots of old steam trains.

Here we learned that steam trains in NSW were running up until 1973 which means that we were born in the era of steam trains...makes me feel really old.

We went for a ride on one of the old steam trains (I think I was more excited than the kids).

As usual Aiden and Lucas were monkeying around being best mates. This is a bus on rails.

This is an instruction carriage used to teach how to operate the brakes on a steam train.

18. August 2015 16:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Coastal walk with the boys

18. August 2015 16:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In the spirit of trying to keep the boys active Kim and I took them of a coastal walk from Coogee to Clovelly on a beautiful winters day.

The water in the little bays were calm and clear.

Half way we sat down and had a snack.

Kim braved it with the aerial yoga.

And the boys were being themselves...best mates.

They loved being outside and they managed to walk the whole way (bribed by ice cream) even though Lucas on the last stretch was asking to be picked up.

10. July 2015 09:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Kims Birthday

10. July 2015 09:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the day we were flying out it was Kims birthday.

I had arranged a cake for her in the morning ordered through one of the local cafes a couple of days earlier.

The hotel provided a fairly average cream and jam pile that no one ate.

9. July 2015 15:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Kims Birthday show

9. July 2015 15:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

To celebrate Kims birthday she organised for the family to go and see a show called Siam Niramit.

This show was about a 45 minutes drive from the hotel but transport was as usual included (as it is in pretty much all activities you organise).

Unfortunately Kims dad couldn't join us as he had been severely dehydrated from not drinking enough water and wearing too many clothes in the heat.

We were greeted at the show by actors in their beautiful costumes.

We then proceeded into the venue where we had a large buffet style dinner. KC organised for the staff to come and sign birthday song for Kim.

After dinner there were some pre-show activities such as kick boxing, tug of war with elephants as well as an elephant parade. More actors were dressed in their costumes.

After this was the show. The staging and props were absolutely amazing. Everything was big, and very well made. They even had a small river flowing through the stage in which actors rowed their canoos and swam in. They also had a massive monsoon rainfall in one of the acts.

The various acts despicted important historical chapters of the Thai history and mythology.

The had fabled creatures and real elephants, water buffaloes as part of the acting. Actors went flying across the stage with more that 100 actors as part of the show.

Below are some of the photos I could find to 'borrow' as I didn't take any photos during the show itself (not allowed).

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4. October 2014 11:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Open day - Christina

4. October 2014 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This was the last of the models I photographed at the goods elevator.

Set & Lights: Studio 1A Sydney
Model: Christina Tran
Hair: Roxanne Cahill
Makeup: Rachael Bastiaansen
Photo: Rene Pallesen

4. October 2014 11:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Open Day - Black Body Paint

4. October 2014 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There was another model at on the day with this really nicely done black body paint.
She looked great against the black backdrop.

These were taken with a gridded beauty dish high camera left. I had someone hold a silver reflector on the right to create some separation but I don't think it is really noticeable.

Set & Lights: Studio 1A Sydney
Model: Anna Gambril
HMUA: Jade Little
Photo: Rene Pallesen

4. October 2014 10:10
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Open day - Michaela

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

Here is another one of Michaela from the open day.

Set & Lights: Studio 1A Sydney
Model: Michaela Baranov
Hair: Roxanne Cahill
Makeup: Rachel Bastiaansen
Photo: Rene Pallesen

3. October 2014 08:10
by Rene Pallesen
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Open day - Melanie

3. October 2014 08:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Melanie was back for this shoot and in high demand with lots of photographers wanting to photograph her.

I only had the chance when she was with Sophia at the goods elevator as I didn't want to waste a lot of time at some of the other sets standing in line waiting.

Here is one of her and Sophia Angeleena.

And here is a photo someone took of me in action.

Set: Studio 1A Sydney
Model: Melanie Bowers (and Sophia Angelena)
HMUA:
Photo: Rene Pallesen

30. September 2014 07:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Open day - Jayden

30. September 2014 07:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

...and here is Jayden.

This was taken using a large octabox to the right of the camera.

A lot of work had to go into the post production of this photo. The background had a lot of creases that had to be evened out and it was a fairly tight image because the background was really narrow. I wanted something a little wider so had to expand the background while retaining all the natural shadows. The shadows that are remaining are all natural and I was so-so as to whether they should be worked on some more but in the end I've decided to leave them as they are.

Photo: Rene Pallesen
Model: Jayden S - Ikon model
HMUA: Rachael Bastiaansen
Sets: Studio 1A Sydney

28. September 2014 06:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Open day - Sophia Angeleena

28. September 2014 06:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Another model at the photo day was Sophia. She is an experienced model and I have seen some of her other work and it is very nice (https://www.facebook.com/sophia.angeleena.1).

This photo was taken in a goods elevator full of smoke from a smoke machine and then backlit with a bare bulb strobe. The front was lit using a small beauty dish with a sock on it.

Set: Studio 1A Sydney
Model: Sophia Angeleena
Hair: Roxanne Cahill
Makeup: Syham Elomar
Photo/Retouching: Rene Pallesen

26. September 2014 09:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Movement with stroboscopic flash and bodypaint

26. September 2014 09:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One of the sets at the Open day photoshoot was setup with a stroboscopic flash in an octabox to allow capturing movements. The model Bree was covered in a full body silver body paint which looked fantastic.

We would be 5-6 photographers on the set, but only one person would be in control of the trigger and this person also had control of providing instructions to the model. Sometimes the person would give you a countdown, but more often than not they would just say go and then you would pull the trigger and hope that you captured the 2-3 second sequence of flashes.

This was especially difficult because it was all about timing, coordinating the movements and then holding the camera really still (A monopod or tripod would have been great).

What made it especially hard was that the first flash was the strongest followed by a sequence of less powerful flashes. This meant that for some movements you would have to do things in reverse and have the model walk backwards to get what you were after (really hard to look natural). At the same time you would also have to consider the direction of light to make sure that the movements were properly lit.

I had very few usable photos from this session even though I spent a fair bit of time trying to get it right. These are some of the ones I did get.

Set: Studio 1A Sydney
Lighting: Stroboscopic Lighting provided by; http://www.kayellaustralia.com.au/
Model: Bree Williams - www.facebook.com/BriannaWilliamsArtist
HMUA: Jade Little - http://www.alittlemakeupstudio.com/
Photo: Rene Pallesen

15. September 2014 16:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Open Studio day - Urban

15. September 2014 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Another urban style shoot I did was with this girl.

These were all shot outside using natural light.

Model:
HMUA: -
Lighting and Sets: Studio 1A Sydney
Photo: Rene Pallesen

15. September 2014 09:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Open day photoshoot - Jamie

15. September 2014 09:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

For the first time ever did I try some urban style photos with a model named Jamie.

I both did some studio lit shots but also some natural light shots...all good fun.

She is of a Filipino and Spanish background and am represented by IKON Model.

Model: Jamie A - IKON Model, Jamie Aspillaga
HMUA: Syham Elomar 'Doll Face'
Lighting and Sets: Studio 1A Sydney
Photo: Rene Pallesen

The studio lit shots were taken in a lift with a smoke machine and a bale bulb strobe inside the lift. The front is lit by a 15" beauty dish with a sock. f5.6 @ ISO 100.

14. September 2014 13:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Open Studio - Pia Priestley

14. September 2014 13:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I had the pleasure of photographing Pia again during this shoot. Initially I didn't recognise her because she wasn't wearing the same amount of makeup and she said that she didn't participate in the last shoot.

Once I showed her the photo I took last time of her she said 'Wow, was it you who took that. It is in my portfolio!'...love it when people love my work and it is actually being used.

Model: Pia Priestley
HMUA: Carla Vallelonga
Lighting and Sets: Studio 1A Sydney
Photo: Rene Pallesen — at Studio 1A Sydney

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

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1. March 2015 09:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Swan Lake

1. March 2015 09:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kim and I went to see the Swan Lake with the Australian Ballet at the Capitol Theatre this season.

Neither of us had ever seen the swan lake and really wanted to see it. My dad was here at the same time but he was happy to babysit the kids while we we were going.

It was a beautiful performance and without a doubt the best ballet I have seen.

19. February 2015 14:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims Babtism

19. February 2015 14:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Since the kids were babtised last year Kim though it would make sense that she would be babtised too.

So, early January it was her turn with just the immediate family around.

19. February 2015 14:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya Tribes

19. February 2015 14:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It was a privilege to live in Kenya during the 80's. Much of the the country had seen very few (if any) white people.

So, everywhere that we went we seemed to be the main attraction (especially me and my brother with our blonde hair).

To be honest I can't identify all the tribes anymore, but I know that a lot of them are from Samburu, Turkana and the northern part of Kenya.

I suspect that if you went to those areas today then they would all be wearing T-Shirts.

28. January 2015 16:01
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Kenya - Animals

28. January 2015 16:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Needless to say that I saw a lot of animals while in Kenya.

I don't know how it is today, but back then they were everywhere in the national parks.

Here is some of the Rhinos we saw.

Elephants were plentiful.

Lots of cheetahs.

And lots of lions.

Their kittens.

Lots of Hippos (Lots of these in Lake victoria) and they would be grazing on the golf course across the street.

Hyenas

The vultures eating the remains of the kills.

And of cause loads of zebras and various gazelles.

23. January 2015 15:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya - childhood

23. January 2015 15:01 by Rene Pallesen | 1 Comments

My time in Kenya was every kids dream.

I got see and do things that few other kids had a chance of doing and it definitely had a big impact on my adult life.

Living at Lake Victoria gave me the chance of catching the biggest fish I have ever caught (A 56pound/25kg Nile Perch).

I also caught the smallest fish I have ever caught in that same lake.

We didn't need fancy fishing gear, just a stick with a piece of line on it.

Life, going to school and emerged in a different culture was a different kind of life (This is our house maid, my brother and my grandmother in front of our house).

This is Filistus another of our house maids. She was working for us most of our time there (we found out the she died from a bad case of malaria years after we left).

Here we are riding a 100 year old turtle.

Life with my brother was also very different. He discovered his talent for Tennis in Kenya and could whoop most of the adults arse when he was 12yo.

No hair dressers around so we also had the worst hair cuts.

There wasn't a lot of Europeans around so we'd know most with a 100km radius.

Family life was simple (not TV) but good.

Our dog was part of the family and made quite a few trips to Kenya.

Every afternoon was spent at the Nyanza Country club where Claus played Tennis and we went swimming.

I taught myself to swim and owe these days to how solid a swimmer I am today...I got really upset that I couldn't swim and my stubborness kicked in and I became determined to learn...fast.

Some of the less memorable moments were the school plays where I was dressed up as a big bird.

Here is one of Claus singing in the choir.

23. January 2015 07:01
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1981 Kisumu Primary School class photo

23. January 2015 07:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I have started going through some of the old photos on my computer and will start post some of them on my blog.

The first one I stumbled upon one of my class photos from Kenya from 1981/82 when I went to Kisumu Primary School.

I was the only white person in my class (we were 5-6 europeans in the whole school)

16. January 2015 15:01
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Alpaca farm stay - hunter valley gardens

16. January 2015 15:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One evening while staying at the farm we went to the Hunter Valley gardens to check out the light show and the mega bugs.

There were lots of really creepy insects around the garden and they were all moving and making sounds.

The light show was also really good and there were a couple of new things compared to last year.

And we also spend a bit more time in the story garden.

And the story about girls and boys is 'different'...

...but maybe true for these little monkeys.

16. January 2015 14:01
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Alpaca farm stay

16. January 2015 14:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At the end of the summer holidays we made a trip up north to Broke (Hunter Valley) with the kids and some friends to stay at an Alpaca farm.

It didn't take long for Aiden to get comfortable with feeding the Alpacas but Lucas was a bit more hesitant and was happy to just observe or throw the food at them.

The Alpacas also provided them with a biology lesson teaching them about the bees and the flowers.

We also did a bit of wine tasting while we were in that part of the hunter.

But the kids were more interested in playing outside and chasing the cat.

16. January 2015 10:01
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NY resolution - Get healthy

16. January 2015 10:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

My New Years resolution for this year is to get healthy.

By this I don't mean that I will try and become super fit and start running marathons. No, I just mean that I want to get to a stage where I feel healthy, do a bit of exercise, have a healthy mental state and generally eat healthy.

I started really well on this last year, but about half way through I started getting sick all the time (like every 2-3 weeks).

This time around I want to have 2 months without getting sick and then I will start some easy to moderate exercise again.

I want to see if I can get back to running again.

16. January 2015 10:01
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A place to stay

16. January 2015 10:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is a fun little street sign. This is a place I wanna live...

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29. June 2015 13:07
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Phuket - Tuk Tuks

29. June 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The traditional Tuk Tuks of thailand are now completely gove from the Phuket area and have been replaced by mini taxis.

These have been fitted with big music subwoofers and tv's in the passenger compartments.

The Kids loved riding them...especially the 'green' ones. We used them to transport us to most places.

25. June 2015 12:07
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Phuket - Hotel swimming pool

25. June 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The pool at the hotel was great.

The kids loved it and it was nice jumping in the pool after an excursion out and about.

It really boosted the kids confidence swimming there.

If it had been up to Kim's family then they would have stayed at the pool the entire trip and not have left the hotel.

24. June 2015 11:07
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Phuket - Monkey show

24. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There was also a monkey show with a larger trained monkey.

Apparently in the past they used trained monkeys to fetch coconuts for them and they demonstrated how they trained them.

Kim's dad had his photo taken with the monkey.

23. June 2015 11:07
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Phuket - Snake show

23. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

They also had a snake show at the elephant place.

Some of the snakes were very poisonous such as this monocled cobra.

And the huge king cobra (which kept coming over the safety barrier).

Chong and I volunteered to hold the python.

I wonder how often the snake guy has been bitten by his snakes.

22. June 2015 11:07
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Phuket - Small monkeys

22. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At the place we went riding elephants they had a group of little monkeys that we could hold and feed.

They were chained to their little houses which was a bit cruel, but the kids loved seeing the monkeys up close.

The kids thought it was very funny when one of them grabbed my nose.

21. June 2015 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Elephant ride

21. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning we went on an elephant ride with the family.

Kim had been on elephant rides before and is terrified, but she was still brave enough to do it again (She was screaming that she wanted to get off most of the way).

It was an amazing experience for the Kids.

They got to see the big animals up close.

20. June 2015 08:07
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Phuket - Kata Beach

20. June 2015 08:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One one of the first days we went to the beach at Kata. The hotel had a shuttle bus to the beach which was an easy 10 minutes walk away.

The beach was actually surprisingly nice with warm water.

About two months ago a sailing boat stranded on the beach during a storm. No one has claimed the boat and a few attempts of lifting it off the beach has failed.

We told the kids that it was a pirate ship, so they wanted to have a closer look.

Kims dad didn't want to go in the water, but decided to keep to his thing with wearing warm clothes in hot humid weather.

19. June 2015 08:26
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket – Travelling

19. June 2015 08:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we traveled to Phuket in Thailand along with Kim's sisters family and her dad.

We had to fly via Bangkok, so we were a bit worried how the kids would handle the long flight (especially Lucas), but everyone handled it reasonably well.

The boys were very excited to be going on a big aeroplane.

Once we arrived to Bangkok it was pretty obvious to see that they were very excited.

The only thing that never made it all the way to the hotel was our stroller. We lost it somewhere between Phuket airport and the hotel...but wasn't a big loss and hopefully someone puts it to goo local use.