MikeHawkey.com

photos and other things…

recent posts

about

  • Reflections on my City

    Sometimes when you stroll around with film you run out… but it’s not time to finish. It’s been a little while since I last used my phone creatively to take photos – which is funny really as in good light, mobile phones really do capture all one needs for ‘normal’ life use. This said, I was not out looking for standard snap shots on my walk around Auckland’s CBD – I was looking at reflections, glare and scenes through multiple windows that all blend and meld into an image you need to look a little longer at to understand what is happening in the overload of ‘stuff’.

    Back when I was in my final year of school I did a lot of double and triple exposures (on film) for my university entrance/Bursary year. Back then (Ive posted some images way back in the blog) I did quite well at assessment level. The blend of images to pull the viewer in and perhaps create a story interested me. Today’s images are not the same, but do create a sense of something. Converted to near monochrome removes the colour definitions of inside and outside and the scene blends more into one.

    I love how the reflections on glass give a real dualistic image – just like the double and triple exposures I once made. It’s a fun and creative way to look at a space you walk through often in a new light. So often I am out with my CPL doing all I can to remove reflections, see through windows or blacken them from glare. A whole new visual world opens up when you welcome and hunt them out!

    That was fun. What a stroke of luck I ran out of film on the walk!

  • Pinhole Test 1

    It’s been a little while since I last shot any pinhole cameras. I’ve been eyeing up several on the market. Pinhole cameras are quite literally a light tight box with a hole. So I (yet again) made my own panoramic 35mm camera. Currently I don’t have the right equipment to fully scan the full width of the images it produces, but today was a first roll trial just to make sure it works anyway.

    Shot on Lucky 100, the camera in theory has a f=stop of 167. Using Pinhole assist, I got dome images, but they are on the thin side negative wise. I can’t be 100% on the film or my 1:100 stand developing water was a bit too cold (it is winter), but I think I will both lean towards a bit longer exposure and perhaps try a couple of meters. This said, I got images!

    Ive said it before, as many others have. There is something special about pinhole images. You are less catching a moment in time than a period of time in one frame. Motion blurs, cars and people can disappear completely. The concept looking at one of the images above, that a ray of light bounced off a section of the sky tower ~2km away and fell into my 0.15mm hole into a dark box is still kind of amazing – even though that just how it all works.

    So thats test 1. In test 2 I will share some images of the camera itself as well as another selection of images. I’m also working on a adapted 120film camera to Pinhole at the same time, so things might roll in out of order… time will tell.

    Over the 6 minutes this was exposed, the flowers were waving in the wind – its amazing how they clearly settled back into position between each breeze!

  • Muriwai – offseason

    A trip out to the West Coast of Auckland paid a visit to Muriwai. Usually, unless you are there to surf or swim, people visit the gannet colony, which I have photographed in the past. However, it’s winter right now in New Zealand and the gannets have flown to warmer climates for a few more months (Australia). Though they are quite a sight, the Wild West that is Muriwai is still a beauty to visit.

    The surf beach was packed on this weekend day and carparks were getting tight. A quick stroll out to see the missing gannets, down to the surf beach (Maukaiti Bay), then back over the hill to explore the main beach.

    All in all, a nice day with refreshing west coast wind and air. Maybe next time birds too!

  • The Fog

    I love shooting in the fog. It’s a tricky environment depending on place and time of day – camera meters can go right out if you meter for scene as the vastness of the frame is a backlit white.

    The morning in question had me heading out to a few places on the way to a task. Starting in North Shores BeachHaven, I ventured down to Island Bay and captured some early shots as the fog engulfed the upper harbour of Auckland.

    Soft and still, though you can see ripples in the water, this area can certainly see a little more wave action than this morning offered. I then headed through Highbury – high above the fog, but with a great view out to the sea where vision was cut in the fog engulfed areas.

    The golden rays of the morning had started to hit at Highbury as I left and headed down into Northcote where some resident boats lay. I love some of the shots I got here.

    Finally the fog shots ended in Devonport as I travelled the length of the coast the village had to offer. Now near 9am, people were out starting their days and as my outing drew to a close the fog was silently evaporating in the morning warmth.

    My below closing image. It is, as the rest, in colour. The real world sepia tone of the wharf and stillness of the water really offered a moment of calm as the world began its day.

    All images today from the Canon 5D and 50mm lens.

  • The Sugarworks

    For now 142 years on Auckland’s North Shore in the suburb of Birkenhead, we have had the Chelsea Sugar Refinery. They refine and produce the bulk load of sugar we see here in NZ.

    Located next to the main harbour, it was an ideal positioning, allowing for large cargo ship anchorage and loading/unloading.

    As with many large factory industries of the era, housing was built around the refinery for its workers and families. Unfortunately over the years they suffered from dampness/poor quality and a number were demolished. Now days there are a few brick cottages on its 39 hectares of land and a large number of public walking/bush tracks. Surrounding all of this is suburbia.

    The refinery, like other historic industries offers paid tours for people as well as a on site cafe – unsurprisingly, with plenty of sweet goodies.

    My photos in today’s post are a bit of a hybrid mix. Half taken on the Ricoh KR-5 (which recently departed me to a new home) as well as mobile phone. Not so much of a conscious choice – more the fact I finished the roll of Lucky 100 in the camera but still had shots I wanted to gather.

    One day I’ll take the tour. I have a book ‘The Chelsea Project’ which had invited I think 5 photographers inside taking photos of the workers and machines in action. Im sure the tour is not as action packed, but it would be cool to see if there were any modern day replication options!

    Later Michael Edit: Ah – on tours they lock away your phones and cameras! – a bit like visiting Wonkers factory I suspect!