(Updated 25th April 2008)

Photos from Culture Chock Events Evening with Chris Judge and Gary Graham in Melbourne, and Supanova Melbourne are now online at the Castle Photography site!

All new photo spreads will by placed on www.castlephotography.com.au, and this one will be gradually converted back to a plain (software) business site. I expect the process will take a few years for eveyone to update links…etc so don't think your favourite photos are vanishing just yet!.

Instructions are in the Purchasing Photos from this site section below if you'd like prints of any photos on the site.

As usual please email me if I spelt your name wrong, or if you can tell me the names of people in any photos.

To contact me, send an email to: . Or ring anytime in the afternoon or evening on (+61 3) 9885 5184

New Zealand Holiday 2006

Over for another quick visit to see few sites and catch up with friends! I'll only put a couple of highlights online here. Anyone present in the party shots, or the special tours we had should contact me directly for a DVD containing them.

Best of Both Worlds - Convention 26

Maybe their last spectacular event!?

Guests included: Teryl Rothery (Dr Janet Fraiser), David Hewlett (Dr Rodney McKay), Paul McGillion (Dr Carson Beckett), David Nykl (Dr Zelenka), Sonny Whitelaw (Author), and Ivy Isenberg (Casting Director).

There was one full day of workshops, and then our usual weekend of activities: Two one day conventions, cocktail party, banquet and wrap party…

SupaNova, Sydney October 2005

Another weekend in Sydney with costumes, TV and Movie guests, a huge array of stands enticing you to part with money, artist's alley and lots more…

Hey, once I found some work in Sydney just after that weekend, attending became a no-brainer!

First Contact Conventions - A Trip Through the Slipstream

Event number three! Guests included Kevin Sorbo (Capt Hunt on Andromeda), Laura Bertram (Trance Gemini), Ken Ludden (Sci-fi Author), David Winning (Director), and a stunt demonstration by Action Stunts Australia…

We also had photos, presentations, cocktails and a lot of fun!

First Contact Conventions was also proud to present Dear Diva, in her first Australian appearance, at the Butterfly Club in Melbourne for four nights last week.

Best of Both Worlds - Convention 25

Lord of the Rings - our penultimate event!

Guests included: Paul Norell (King of the Dead), Daniel Falconer (Senior designer, Weta), Jonathan Harding (Master Erastor), Sandro Kopp (Gildor), Jorn Benzon (Rumil), Jarl Benzon (Glorfindel), Emily Sturrock (Weta, hero armour and Weapons), Matt Appleton (Orc Director & Saelbeth), Daniel Reeve (Calligrapher & Cartographer).

There was one full day of workshops, and then our usual weekend of activities: Two one day conventions, cocktail party, banquet and wrap party…

First Contact Conventions - Under Cardassian Occupation

Their second event! This time the guests were Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat, Deep Space 9) and Mike DeMeritt (Assistant Director on Enterprise and Star Trek Voyager).

The one day event included photos with the guests, a fabulous auction, including some exclusive items auctioned for charity, presentations from Marc and Mike, cocktails in the evening, and a lunch with Mike where he talked about the art of Directing.

There was also a wine tour in the Yarra Valley on the Saturday before the convention.

Lord of the Rings Exhibition - Sydney

The exhibition opened in the Powerhouse Museum on Boxing day 2004. We got to see it on day 2, 27th December. Unfortunately photos are not allowed within the exhibition, so all I have are some shots of the entrance, showing a replica of the Argonath "bigatures" used for the films.

Oh, don't bother trying to flout the ban on photos, they have security cameras covering every bit of the exhibit, and staff or volunteers are always on duty. The photos I got here are the limit of what is permissable.

The exhibition goes until the end of March 2006. For more information, go to the museum's website

Best of Both Worlds - Convention 23

Lord of the Rings - our fourth event!

Guests included: Thomas Robins (Deagol), Stephen Ure (Gorbag and Grishnakh), Paul Norell (King of the Dead), David Weatherley (Barliman Butterbur), Brett beattie (Gimli stunt and scale double), Andrew Stehlin (Stuntman), Daniel Falconer (Senior designer, Weta), Mike Grealish (Senior leather master, Weta).

There were two full days of workshops, and then our usual weekend of activities: Two one day conventions, cocktails party, banquet and wrap party…

My 40th Birthday

I normally let birthdays slide by, with a quiet dinner with close friends and a few phone calls to family, but I wasn't allowed to get away with that this year…sigh.

After much to do, the usual successes, organisational disasters and last minute no-shows, about 20 of us had a very good time. I then went out with friends over the next few days, including lunch on Puffing Billy on my birthday itself.

First Contact Conventions - A Day with the Siskos

Starring Penny Johnson Jerald (Kasidy Yates, Deep Space 9), Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko, Deep Space 9), and Jonathan Hardy (a ring-in from Farscape!).