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The Voice

Jason Benz — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 06:17:03 +0000

Amidst the chaos of the 2016 Brexit and Trump campaigns, I became an Aussie. Here the climate wars were in full swing and politicians were attempting to break the world record for toppling Prime Ministers.

Among the indigenous population, a series of corroborees occurred around Australia. In 2017 they culminated in a gathering at Uluru (Ayers Rock) with delegates from 100 Nations. After 4 days of collaboration, they produced “The Statement from the Heart” A single piece of text and art which would be given to the government instead of a chorus of voices. For people who never ceded their vast land, the statement contained seemingly modest requests; Voice, Recognition and Truth-telling.

Australia’s PM du jour was Malcolm Turnbull. His qualifications for the top job were, being a millionaire with media training and a willingness to write a 7 figure check to the Liberal Party’s election campaign. He was rare among Aussie Polies in talking about climate change but when it came to responding to the statement from the heart, He dismissed it completely. After leaving power he said that was a mistake and joined the Yes campaign. Prudent to judge actions, rather than words, especially with politicians.

Ignored for 5 years until Bluesfest 2022 and the then opposition leader Anthony Albanese, stepped on stage to introduce Jimmy Barns. Albo got a frosty reception and was booed immediately by a loud section of the large crowd. The Murdoch press may fail to mention the cheer he got later when he said he would take action on the statement. Speaking about the voice turned the crowd and saved him from complete humiliation. He was elected the following month, and in his acceptance speech, he confirmed he would put the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to a national referendum.

Political parties took predictable sides. The right of politics was against giving indigenous people a voice, and the left supported it. As the national debate continued the No Vote was joined by indigenous people who thought it did not go far enough. They believe by voting it down, Albo would be forced to go further. The promise of a perfect solution in a second referendum, which never happens, is a trick that has worked here before and resulted in this egalitarian nation continuing to stamp every coin with the owner of the world’s most expensive hat.

Sayonara Southport

Jason Benz — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 07:54:20 +0000

These buildings are part of Southport Central in Queensland. I have been living and working in Southport on the Gold Coast since 2013. The 5-year project which brought me here was the Global Reef Record which my former employer Panedia has been a big part of. Although it was the longest and most interesting Photography job I have done, I am excited about what comes next. Since moving here my weekends have been spent upgrading my van (which I consider part of my photographic equipment) to tackle Australias remote areas. I have installed a solar panel and a 250ah battery which allows me to shoot, process and upload images in areas without mains electricity. I have also built extra storage for water, fuel and gas. Once I am back on the road (2nd March) I expect to increase my photographic output so the amount of Stock Photography will go up.

Singapore Skyline

Jason Benz — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 14:19:02 +0000

This modern-day Stonehenge is Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. It was billed as the worlds most expensive casino property at $8,000,000,000 in 2009. Ambitious? Certainly, The record-breaking 67-metre overhang and 150-metre infinity pool presented some unique challenges, not least construction during the GFC. Extravagant? Definitely, but ask yourself how green our cities would be if every building had a 3-acre park on it’s roof. I wonder if bees ever fly up the 55 stories to visit it’s 650 plants and 250 trees?

If you find yourself on a long-haul layover in Singapore the airport run free city tours. This evening shot is the result of a pause in a Journey from Australia to the UK. I suggest you take a tripod on the later tour so you can get a night shot with all the lights on. This shot from the 6pm tour needed some Photoshop to add some depth to the colours.

Thanks to Don at “The World is Flat” for helping me get onto Changi airports WiFi.

Walled Parliament

Jason Benz — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 22:55:28 +0000

This is the Australian Parliament House in Canberra. It may look imposing from this angle, however, it is surrounded by grass and from each corner wide lawns sweep up and over the building. This blends it into the landscape and lets the public walk above their politicians. I was impressed by the openness when I took this photo in 2012. It showed the confidence of the nation. Disappointingly the current government has decided to build a 2.6metre wall to block access as part of a AUD$60,000,000 security blitz. The only threats to manifest have been the odd hippy protest on the roof. When the politicians have finished isolating themselves from the people who put them there, I hope they can still see the war memorial as they need a lesson in courage. Australia’s colonial history began as prison without walls and is now a walled democracy and since covid has become a prison island again.

This is the second of my parliament house images I spotted the ABC using. This time for an Australia Talks promo.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Collins Street

Jason Benz — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 09:11:03 +0000

This is a view of the 3rd and 4th tallest buildings in Australia as Photographed from the 2nd tallest. The centre building is 120 Collins Street, A postmodern style heavily influenced by iconic Art Deco buildings in New York. On the right is 101 Collins Street which also would not look out of place in a Ghostbusters film. This led me to make this composite by adding purple clouds in Photoshop.

The tallest building in Australia is not in Melbourne like these, nor is it even in a state capital. It is the Q1 on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Oz answer to UK‘s Blackpool tower.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Flinders Street

Jason Benz — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 07:48:09 +0000

This building is Flinders Street Railway Station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Capitolio Nacional

Jason Benz — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 09:45:54 +0000

This is Karen’s photo of the National Capitol Building in Havana. It was the seat of government in Cuba until after the 1959 revolution. As of 2013 restoration began in preparation for it to be once again used for the national assembly.

Petra Treasury

Jason Benz — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 09:09:32 +0000

This is the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. It was made famous by Indiana Jones when Harrison Ford and Sean Connery “discovered it” while looking for the Holy Grail. It has of course been known to everyone in Jordan for thousands of years.

Dedicated to Rowan who loved this place.

Rasta House

Jason Benz — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 13:40:45 +0000

This building near Port Antonio in Jamaica is painted with the pan-African colours Red, Gold and Green which are based on the Ethiopian flag. It has been a stock photo at Shutterstock for 10 years and still gets downloaded every week. It was shot on an early digital compact camera EX-Z3 less powerful than the average mobile phone camera theses days.

Festival Centre

Jason Benz — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 08:30:27 +0000

This is the Adelaide Festival Centre in South Australia reflected in the waters of the River Torrens at night.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.