Photos of Portals

This air vent grate has been mouldering for a century. Despite the modern coating applied 15 years ago, nature's taking its course and things are getting elemental. When a wayward foot knocks this portal open, what will emerge? And what will venture within?

I'm no fan of mindless graffiti tags. But this gap in the wire caught my eye. When I saw the green grass and blue sky beyond it, I imagined that one kid had made an opportunity for himself and gone on to better things. A long shot, I know. But I am a writer!

Here's a window into the top of a very tall shot tower. The liquid lead cooled into pellets as it fell earthwards. It was then gathered up and, I assume, shot at pesky wabbits. Compare the lovely brickwork to today's concrete tilt-walled monstrosities. Note the chequering and faux crenellations. They don't build 'em like this any more. Wish I could get up there for a closer look ...

A sunny day. A verdant park. And a grim weapon of mass destruction for kids to climb. Herr Krupp certainly built his guns to last. Despite almost a century under the Australian sky, field piece No. 548 barely has a scratch. How many lives passed through this portal with each artillery shell?

I've been so busy with work, I've not been out photographing for weeks. After a fairly meagre result yesterday, this scene grabbed me as I headed home. Funny how that happens sometimes.

The late afternoon sun lifted this stark concrete tower. It's obvious a lot goes on when the sun sets. I like how one shaft of sunlight enters via the smashed window to illuminate a square patch of graffiti above the silo.

These little guys are small as. Guess it comes with the territory.

There's no escaping the fact that this photo is over exposed. Yet the flaring light, coupled with the unusual steps, suggests more than a literal interpretation. When I walked my dogs up this path and into the sunshine, it did feel pretty amazing. So you never know ...

From the filth of a shabby bathroom comes light and shade of the first order. A rainy dusk made moody lighting while the vegetation gave a fascinating foil to the hard, man-made surfaces. In the web, a spider silently prepared for her dinner guests.

PS. This room belongs to the pub in which they shot the drama series Offspring. But don't tell them I told you!

A pretty ordinary subject is saved by details. The leaves and other detritus, pushed past the portal by a heavy rain. The tin can, hanging on by a thread. The foreground grass, stubbornly surviving in a sea of asphalt. The pure, impenetrable black of the void. I think this photo has earned its place. Do you?

Driving to Geelong. At dusk. In peak hour. In the rain. On the Westgate Freeway. NOT my idea of a good time. Still, I got a portal photo. Always take a camera!

This is the ruin of Melbourne's first power station (the wooden superstructure burnt down ages ago). It was a water-driven mill that also ground flour. The primitive turbines are still down there - covered in rust and pond weed. A fascinating photographic subject.

If you go down the stairs featured elsewhere on this lens, you'll find this fellow (and rather a lot of his friends). Up high, surrounded by sheer walls and water, this spot couldn't be safer.

I didn't know a plain old storm-water drain could look so fetching. The draping greenery helps. And the water reflections. The foreground flowers seal the deal. Where's my torch?!

Last night I went to an Irish pub in Geelong. It was open mic night and very well patronised. This floor and trapdoor looked very old, and the stage lights picked out the pits and scars in the wooden boards just so. The feet belong to Suey and Adam.

Bali was a big disappointment for me (and perhaps vice versa). This rubbish shute belongs to one of the rash of villas that is steadily consuming the rice paddies of Seminyak. The water in the channel carries the trash far and wide - right into the fields themselves.

Shots like this make me realise I've a LOT to learn about photography. Even so, I reckon the flight, faces and faeces are interesting elements despite my lack of technique.

But aren't they cute?!

I find this portal a bit creepy. Is it because we can't see what lies within? Or is it a throwback to the spooky woods of so many childhood tales? I welcome your thoughts. BTW, check out the crazy mutt at bottom left!

I've walked past this nesting box almost every week for 12 years. Today I finally saw a denizen at the door of this little home. Fabulous!

I wish I'd photographed this before it got painted over. It's lost a lot of its character, but I still find it very intriguing. I've no idea what it's for. Or if it's still in use. How about you?

To see this as a portal, you need a robust belief in the wee folk. I was startled that such a bog-ordinary weed could produce such a bright circle of colour. Let me know what you think below.

I was going to call this photo 'Square peg' but world events gave me a better idea. I took a dozen close-up photos of this phenomenon, but none captured every facet. There was literally too much going on!

The 'cavern' is a full-on micro-environment, complete with moisture, detritus and critters. The woodgrain tells its own stories, and the lichen ... well let's just say we'll cover the lichen elsewhere.

What an odd thing to find in a bush billabong. I wonder about this portal every time I pass it.

Yet rust - that slow, silent fire - has been working the hinges and seams. I'm fascinated by detritus and decay. This door fairly screamed to be studied. Now we have. Imagine what's behind it!