As I mentioned in my last post I somehow managed to lose two days worth of photos. I tried a few different file recovery programs, primarily photorec, to no avail. I was really proud of a few of the lost photos, but there were a few good ones out of the ones that made it home.

Enjoy!

There's something about New York that is unlike any other city I've been to. It's the contradiction of the city -- the homeless living alongside the rich; the green spaces of Chelsea next to the dirty, narrow lanes of SoHo; the curved architecture of the Guggenheim next to the sharp angles of it's neighbouring buildings.

Taking the subway feels like travelling to completely different cities at times. You descend into the dirty, noisy platform and ascend into a new world. A world that could contain anything, and often contains the exact opposite of what you expected.

One thing is guaranteed though -- it's always exciting.

It's a city that puts you in a strange state of mind. There's always so much going on, and because of this you feel like you should be going out and doing something 24 hours a day. You're always switched on, constantly seeking the next challenge. Memories of places that you've never been to flood your mind, triggered by the countless movies and TV shows that you've seen set in this amazing town.

I can't wait to go back.

I did a lot of experimenting with shooting in black and white on this trip. Colour photos are coming, but unfortunately I managed to lose about two days worth of them. Don't ask me how, because I have no idea.

Ever since I can remember I've had a "thing" for the Ford Mustang. They're a rare car in Australia, and to my knowledge were only sold here in small numbers in the 1960's. The first generation Mustang is the iconic one -- Bullitt drove a 1969 GT and the Mach 1 models are simply drool-worthy, so when Ford brought back the classic styling in the 2005 model my car-lust immediately kicked into overdrive.

Unfortunately Ford Australia has never imported the newer models (and even if they did, it would have been over-priced due to the "Australia tax"). My recent move to the US provided the opportunity to finally own one, and even though it's not the most practical nor environmentally friendly vehicle I simply couldn't resist.

The photo you see above is it -- a 2007 Ford Mustang GT, with the optional hood scoop, pony-logo engine trim and Shaker 500 sound system. Rae came up with the name "Em"; it's both short for Mustang and a reference to the "M" character from James Bond (strong, powerful woman). It immediately stuck.

She's also my first V8, and she doesn't disappoint in the acceleration or the sound department. The commute to work is definitely something to look forward to!

Those who know me know that I love a good car show. I've been a fairly regular attendee of the Brisbane- and Gold Coast-based events such as Twilight and Wintersun (2008 pics, 2009 pics), so I was pleased to find out one of the biggest shows in the US was in town soon after I arrived in Austin.

The 9th Annual Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up was on last weekend. It was a good chance to get out in the rapidly warming sunshine, have a beer or two and give the new camera a work-out. Comparisons with the Australian shows I've been to in the past are inevitable: it was about the same size as Wintersun, with a lot more rat rods and lead sleds and a lot less classic muscle. I guess that's to be expected for a show that's all about rods and customs.

I've included some of the better photos below, follow any of them to my Flickr stream for a look at the rest.

I've been promising myself a new camera for a long time, and last week I finally delivered. After much deliberation I bought a Panasonic GF1 with the 20mm f/1.7 lens from Precision Camera. I really like the way the micro-four-thirds format has adapters for many different lens systems, and the increased portability means I'll have my camera with me more often.

I toyed with the Olympus E-P2 and the E-PL1, but the E-PL1 felt too plasticy and cheap and the focusing motor on the E-P2 sounds terrible. The UI on the Panasonic is much better, in my opinion, as well. I don't know if I'll miss the in-body stabilization but only time will tell.

The photo above is one of the first taken, and I really like it. As always I have more photos on Flickr, so head over and check them out.