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  • Door to Wonderland

    I took the Nex and Jupiter-8 for another stroll today, this time around the Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna on Auckland North Shore. On the outskirts of the property I came across this awesome wooden carving. With a little imagination, one can dream that this is the entry door to Alice’s Wonderland, or a back door to Narnia.

    In post production using Gimp, I did a bit of bluring, sharpening, desaturating and color balancing. I wanted to give the tree a bit of a stand out presence without totally ignoring its otherwise normal surroundings.

  • Forgotten Days

    Today we went for a stroll around the Auckland Domain, Winter Gardens and Museum.  I took the opportunity to bring along my Nex with the newly received Jupiter-8 lens. Overall, for an old legacy lens I was very happy with the results. Wide open it delivers some beautiful shots and stopped down is equally nice. Portraits look beautiful and general landscape was pleasing to the eye. I was using the Industar 61, but think this is my new favourite 50mm (film) lens.

    The museum had the Wildlife photographer of the year 2011 display on, and I spent some time admiring the wide range of photos. What I also noted and liked was that not all the stunning images were captured on top line cameras. Many were, but some were right down to novice DSLR cameras, and one even a point and shoot (cant recall the model now I am home).

    I also went for a stroll around the museum, and took today’s shot from a ‘times that were’ section, showing some of New Zealand’s cultural and social history. Wooden blocks and sewn dollys – not something you see in every home now days! As much as anything, it was a indoors test for the Jupiter – but I liked it enough to post up today.

  • Intoxication

    Today’s photo, freshly scanned from the archives takes me back 14 years. Learning on my first SLR camera, a Seagull DF-300 and self developing B&W film. I submitted a 4 sided board for my UE/ 7th form Photography, themed ‘Intoxication’. I was quite into experimenting with double and triple exposures, and successfully showed a self portrait journey from sober to intoxicated. Whilst I scored well in the finals, I always remember having to keep my work hidden from the Headmaster as my teacher was not sure what they would make of my topic at the time. This particular image was from about 3/4 of the way in and I had about 50 images self printed from small A6 size, up to A3.

    I’ve been on a bit of a path of late getting all my film records into a digital medium. I think the ability to keep multiple backups gives a sense of security in case of the ‘what if’. As well as this, I recently won an online auction for a Seagull DF-300 SLR. A direct copy of the Minolta (made in the same factory and licensed), the nostalgic need, and regret of selling my first one…coupled with the low price meant I could not say no!

    Ive also been cleaning up my very well used (by previous owners) Ricoh Singlex TLS. It has a lot of brass showing through the worn paint, but operates great still. I’m looking forward to capturing some images on both units. I still need to use my new soviet lens on the nex also – likely this weekend!

  • Kennedy Park Erodes

    After being stuck inside all day, with OK weather outside, I took a stroll after work at a place called Kennedy Park, found on the coastline of the North Shore. As I got out of the car it started spitting rain, and the last of the days light slowly began to retreat. Walking through the park, on the cliffs edge, I sank up to my ankles in mud – it was pretty boggy. Following the coastal path I ventured down a long set of stairs to the beach below. To no surprise, the sodden land had given away in places, and I caught this image of one of the land slips.

    Its not a totally unusual occurrence along the coastline, and as the multi-million dollar houses remove their trees for a greater view, the cliffs seem to give way more and more with nothing to hold them up. Even areas with trees will eventually give as the wild weather of mother nature washes away the mostly muddy sandstone cliffs of the area.

    Initially shot in bleach bi-pass mode on the camera, I reduced in size and switched to Black & White in post production in Gimp. I think it gives the image a bit more dramatic depth.

  • Swallow Dogfight

    On the same day I caught ‘Air Brakes‘ I also just managed to catch a few swallows darting around. Cool little birds, unless they are perched, they seem to travel at lightening speed and zig zagging all around, hence todays title ‘Swallow Dogfight’.

    Captured on the Nex 5N and Jupiter-11 lens, I was quite happy I managed to get one as the Jupiter is not the fastest to focus manual lens! Cropped to get the loosing dog fighter (well – other swallow), the long narrow format reminds me of some of the skinny long portrait Japanese paintings – something I might have more of a go at some time.

    Oh – and just in case there is confusion in my title, I mean dogfight as in two planes in close combat – not the bad (other bad?) kind…