Gines North Face 100 Blog #4

North Face 100 Blog #4 from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

North Face 100 Blog #3

North Face 100 Blog #3 from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

Matt Burston

Matt Burston... athlete of the week! from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

North Face 100 Training Diary

North Face 100 Training Diary from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

Ohana Wellness & Yoga Centre

Untitled from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

ART / free ride with love

     Artist: Melanie Lambourn

Can we smell summer?

SUNSET CIRCUS... Urban Pavement's band of the week

Sunset Circus from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

PORTAL 108

The Story behind Portal 108

Urban Pavement caught up with the owners of Portal 108 to see how the shop, and the owners got to where they are today.

Five years ago, in 2005, Connie and Kyla made the move from the Sydney rat race to Daylesford, one of Victoria’s top tourist destinations. It is in Daylesford that they have set up Portal 108, an extension of their home.

When the couple moved from Sydney to Daylesford/Hepburn Springs they didn’t fancy working for someone else. They started by selling jewellery in their front yard over the summer, whilst eating ice blocks and packets of twisties. Then “old man winter same, and we quickly ran inside and thought, we’d better make it look like a proper shop.”  They have transformed their home, and reached out their hands to the wave of tourists and residents that flock through the county. The shop has been open for five years now and it always continues to evolve.

For Connie and Kyla, the name Portal 108 was simple. They both love the movie “Being John Malcovich” and the notion of teleporting yourself anywhere, anytime, via portal. The name seemed appropriate because the shop is also their home. When the shop is closed, it just looks like a regular house. When the doors are open for trading, it’s a completely new world. The number 108 came from the address, 108 Main Road, Hepburn Springs.

When people walk into Portal 108  they usually comment on the range of Goorin Brothers hats they have. There's nothing like them. They searched the world for other brands to complement them, and there's nothing like them in the market. They've been around in the USA since 1895, so, I guess they know their stuff. They have a huge celebrity following also which gains them alot of television & print exposure.

Connie and Kyla want their customers to “feel secretly excited about the possibility of discovering something unique.” They also want their customers to feel as if they are just hanging at their mates house, checking out their new stuff.

Connie and Kyla love meeting new people everyday, and a heap of their extended circle of friends they actually met when they walked through the doors of Portal 108.

The Daylesford/Hepburn Springs community is diverse and it lacks “wanky cliques.” The people accept each other on face value, for who they are, not on how much money they earn or how cool they seem. There is a “daily sense of realness”, Connie and Kyla won’t be leaving anytime soon.

The shop stocks:      

Jewellery, Najo and Inori.

Goorin Brothers Hats (San Francisco)

 Belinda Pieris wallets & Status Anxiety Purses

Lily Loves Pearl

St Mel Clothing

Have you met Miss Jones- Bone China Collectables

Lacerisesurlegateau cushions and tea towels (France)

And, local artworks and other funky stuff.

Portal 108 is always on the hunt for new and exciting things to buy for the shop, it’s a never ending, evolving adventure.

Visit http://www.portal108.com.au/ or call (03) 5348 4353 for more information.

Mackenzie Photography

‘Mackenzie Photography strives to make photography work for you, whether you require images for your business, family or friends – from the smallest jobs to the biggest campaigns, on location, in the office or the comfort of your own home.’

Nominated Top 5 Sport Cover, Maggie Awards 2010

Mackenzie Charlton was born to create images. She has never wanted to do anything else but create images, this was evident even at high school where she excelled at photography and graphic design. She graduated from PSC (Photography Studies College) in Southbank, Melbourne in 2001.

Mackenzie believes, and is thankful that she was blessed with a natural eye. She rarely thinks about the composition of the shot before taking the picture, everything falls into place.

Straight out of college, she landed a job working for a company in the Yarra Valley. In the years she worked for them she covered Weddings, Portraits, Hot Air Balloon Rides, Dog Shows and Horse Events.

For the five years prior to starting Mackenzie Photography, she worked for a company where she created images for catalogues five days a week, the same thing over and over again.

Mackenzie believes that the success of Mackenzie Photography has evolved from working that five day a week catalogue job. There was no room for big ego’s, or work hoarding or selfish behavior, everyone at the company worked as a team. That is the approach that Mackenzie Photography has taken on the world with.

The motivation behind having a start up business is similar to most entrepreneurs. Work for yourself. All proceeds go to the one pocket. Make your own hours. It has allowed Mackenzie to try different things, travel, music and sailing. And most of all it has allowed her to explore her talent, she is no longer creating images of the same thing day in and day out.

Mackenzie loves shooting weddings because she is allowed to do what she does best, that is capture the moment. There are no constraints, there is no finish to the shot. The images are the art, the people are the subjects and the photographer is the artist.

Mackenzie Photography is not limited to Weddings. This year she landed her biggest contract thus far with Country Road. Her photos regularly are on the front cover of Outer Edge Magazine, one was nominated top 5 for the Maggie Awards, 2010.

There is more on top of her experience in Sport, Portraits, Weddings and Hot Air Balloon Rides. Mackenzie steps inside the doors of business to create images for corporate websites, brochures and advertising. Also on the odd occasion, she tackles food photography.

Mackenzie Photography is versatile. But, it is the person behind the camera that makes this the reality. Mackenzie wants the customer to be happy, and believes that photography should be affordable for everyone depending on the purpose. She has excellent people skills, she is easy going and she makes the client feel comfortable to express their ideas, concerns and vision. If you book a shoot with Mackenzie Photography you will not regret it!

To learn more about Mackenzie Photography click on the link on the top right corner, or visit the website www.mackenziephotography.com.au

Training Diary 100km's Blue Mountains (1)

Gines No. 1 from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

Southern Exposure Part Two

Southern Exposure from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

Southern Exposure Part One

Untitled from Samantha Charlton on Vimeo.

"GIANT" Ladies Night!