Common Ground was founded in 2010 as an image-based blog and tri weekly mail out, aimed to expose Byron Bay community in all it’s diversity and beauty. Common Ground is owned and operated by Byron Bay locals Johnny Abbegg, Tim Manton, Dave Keam, Kirra Pendergast, and Lachie Pennefather who share a passion for film, photography, music and the true meaning of “community”, with an emphasis on inspirational short stories, that explore and highlight the passion of people living within our community, supported by great photo’s and video clips.

Common Ground is expanding to more regions giving communities a new-found voice, and encourage contribution from the people within their community. We hope to empower you to tell stories about your home, through photography, words and videos about the diverse people, history, events and activities that make up our unique communities.

The business of Common Ground Australia aims to encourage, inspire and strengthen communities, through buying and acting locally. Whether you are visiting Byron Bay, Torquay, Airlie Beach or Bondi we aim to encourage people to support local businesses and stimulate their local economy.

We take supporting community seriously, having set up a Not for Profit Organisation called “The Common Ground Australia Community Support Fund”, where 5% of all of our revenue goes to back this fund, accumulated on a monthly basis.

The MyNikonLife community can expect to see photographic essay’s, videos and personalised content that represent communities across Australia. To see the Common Ground website, click here.

JOHNNY ABEGG BIO

Johnny Abegg is a surfer/filmmaker/photographer from Byron Bay in Australia, who is inspired by people, passion, stories and creativity.

Growing up in Tasmania, Abegg always had a love for surfing which lead him to the warmer waters of Byron Bay in 1995. His creative journey began creatively in 2005, when during an ending career as an aspirational pro-surfer, he picked up a handicap and began documenting the trials and tribulations of the ‘unseen’ side of Pro Surfing, racking up a $27,000 debt on credit cards to fulfil a lifelong surfing dream. That decision lead to his first film titled On Credit.

That decision lead Johnny from surfer to filmmaker, completing his fourth independent film titled Two Weeks in 2010, an internal roller-coaster filmed in the heart of the Tasmanian wilderness, which was also combined into a photographic journal.

2010 also marked the beginning of Common Ground a photographic website based around community, it’s landscape, it’s people, which has combined Abegg’s filmmaking, writing and photography into the one evolving community project.

EQUIPMENT

Check out the equipment that the team from Common Ground are using:

Take a tour of the D7000’s features in this video:

Lenses

The lenses that the team use are:

• AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
  
• AF-S Micro 60mm f/2.8G ED
  
• AF-S DX 10-24mm
  
• AF-S DX 18-55mm VR
  
• AF-S DX 18-70mm
  
• AF-S DX 55-200mm VR
  
• AF-S DX 18-200mm VR II