I’ve come back from 2 weeks at the Australian Open 2010, experiencing many firsts in the process, first time in Melbourne, first time watching live tennis and of course first time watching the GOAT in action.

Just a little over a year ago, I was drowning my sorrows in ethanol as Federer lost another final to Nadal. Little did I believe I would be at a Grand Slam final a year later, watching him actually win it.

I’ll be retrospectively blogging for the next few weeks or so, all my experiences at AO2010. Lam and I podcasted most days so I may actually remember stuff. I’m hoping to also put snippets of the podcasts up (well the non-defamatory parts anyway).  It’s the first time I’ve podcasted and I think it beats writing a diary on my laptop, takes less time and less energy and I can multitask during it. So look for more podcasts in the future i guess.

So the major planned goals accomplished this trip were:

• watch Roger Federer dance across a tennis court
• watch RF practise
• obtain RF’s autograph
• watch a Grand Slam Final
• Watch RF WIN a Grand Slam Final (On my birthday to boot)
• Watch heaps of other awesome players playing the glorious sport of tennis LIVE

Of course there were a few unexpected events which also made the 2 weeks unforgettable:

• Hit For Haiti Charity Event
• Justine Henin’s run to the final
• Prince William’s mid-match visit
• Gasquet vs Youzhny 5 setter
• Feliciano Lopez’s rear end

I will also cover the impact of having the iphone whilst travelling as well as professing my undying love for my Canon 40D + 70-200mm f4/L Combo.

Having done heaps of cinematography related stuff over the years, I am ashamed to admit that since 35mm film died as the go to medium to capture happy snaps, I’ve been stuck with mobile phones and point & shoot cameras as the source of my photography needs. So whilst my old Canon 35 mm SLR languished in my closet for years, collecting dust, I’ve become steadily frustrated at the limits brought on by slow shutter speeds, small chip sizes and crappy lenses.

So 2 weeks ago I took the plunge and ordered a Canon 40D. Something, which I’ve realised, I should have done much sooner to save my photography skills from stagnation. The wait ended yesterday morning when I finally had a chance to pick it up.  The rest I hope is history really…the dawn of a new chapter in creativity…

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So what has happened to my old Canon? I found this ridiculous hack which turns the crappy lens it comes with into this brilliant DIY Macro lens.

So above is my old Canon 35mm film SLR and if you take the top cap off the lens, you can take macro shots like these:

Sure there’s no focus ring and you have to move within 5cm of the object, but I love nothing more than a good hack which makes use of old useless object. How absolutely brilliant.