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  • Brooklands Park

    Brooklands ParkAs shot from the camera, I loved the saturated colour I got during my visit to Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. The sun was hot and the grass dry in many places.

    Brooklands itself is a suburb in New Plymouth. With a large area covered in the forested park (and a zoo), the area is (like many places in NZ) named from the old Brooklands Farm established in 1842. Its also home to the only Lawn Bowl’s Museum – anywhere apparently  (I didn’t visit it 1. due to not knowing this until after, 2. It was easter, so unlikely it would have been open).

    Shot on the GRD, resized in Gimp.

    More New Plymouth area tomorrow.

     

  • NZ from the Sky

    NZ from the SkyReturning from our holiday in New Plymouth yesterday afternoon, it was a beautiful, mostly clear day right up the North Island (soon to be given the dual title Te Ika a Maui).

    As with all of my recent holidays, I went along with my Ricoh GRD IV. I almost took the Sony Nex this time, but keeping with tradition, at last moment, switched out for the Ricoh. Battery wise, the Ricoh is superior – plus I have two spares – enough to keep me going over a week at my usual holiday snap pace. As well as better battery life, its more compact, fitting into jeans pockets, or relatively light with an over the shoulder strap. Downside wise (depending on ones perspective), the Ricoh is a fixed lens, small sensor camera.

    In many ways (I’m sure I have written this before), one of the things I like about the Ricoh and its fixed lens is that is makes you think for the shot – you have to move and change position to attain the composition in your mind. This of course applies to all prime lenses. The other strength, is even though its a smaller sensor, the lens is designed specifically for it – getting the most from the package, and not having to sacrifice like all zooms do to one level or another. I think the final piece which has made this my return to for holidays shooter is the menu system. I’ve owned a good number of cameras in the past, and Ricoh are easily up there at the top level with their menu – both in ease of use and options.

    All that being said, todays image is not right up there in my favorites from the camera… but its not often I get to shoot NZ from a plane, so I wanted to share. Location wise, its somewhere on the west coast, around half way up (I think).

    Some more from the trip tomorrow.

  • View to New Life

    View to New Life

     

    Todays image brings my One Tree Hill/Cornwall Park series to a close. The building in view is the local hospital, once known as National Womens. Many mothers when there back in the day to have their children. It was not always practice that the father/husband could come into the birthing area with the mum to be. With One Tree Hill just behind, some fathers to be may have taken a stroll up to this point, listening to the lambs and eagerly awaiting their own youngster!

    As this post goes live, it also signals the end of my Easter break. All going well, I’ll be back tomorrow with some new images from where I went. Catch you then!

  • Tree on the Hill

    Tree on the Hill

     

    Another ‘Tree on the Hill’ on One Tree Hill. Looking North, I snapped this, just enjoying the tree against the clear sky and the gradually curved mound – about 4/5’s of the way down the hill and back into Cornwall Park.

    Shot on the Sony Nex, edited in Gimp.

  • The View

    The View

     

    Moving down the hill a little, and toward the North from yesterdays image, I snapped ‘The View’

    One Tree Hill is full of quite little spots where one can relax, sit and take in nature, as well as look out towards Auckland. Unless you choose one of the common trails, you will only be bothered by the local sheep and the odd runner (depending on the time of day). On the sheep note – look where you sit – these guys are not shy in fertilising the whole hillside!

    Shot on the Sony Nex and edited in Gimp