Tag: North Shore

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.

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Cheltenham at Dusk

A misty rainy day today left the sky a washed out white, and the constant drizzle was less then ideal for my walk after work with camera in hand. I took a stroll down Cheltenham beach in Devonport from dusk to dark looking for some interesting images. Again with the Ricoh, I used my mini tripod, found some semi-sheltering foliage and took some 30-60second exposures with the lens stopped down. I love the effect long exposures have on the ocean, or moving water. As the sky was washed out I decided to convert the image to B&W in post processing, and cropped the image to give us more of a panoramic feel.

My new-old Juipter-8 arrived in the post today. It looks and feels pretty good, so I will hopefully give it a test out on the nex some time later in the week.

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The Old Boat

Wandering down at the beach with the tide out I came across a dinghy that had seen better days. I imagine its been anchored up and abandoned at some stage. The hull was full of water, so i’ll have to check to see if it even floats when the tide is in next time I visit.

Taken with the Ricoh, I got reasonably close up so the viewer can see the wear on the old vessel, but also so we can see its anchor line exiting into the sand/mud. Just a image that creates a quiet, end of day (end of boats life) feeling on a Friday afternoon.

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The Shortest Day

Today marked the shortest day for us down here in New Zealand. The sun arose late and set early. Otherwise known as winter solstice, it is also known in New Zealand as Maruaroa O Takurua – the beginning of the Maori new year (traditionally), which as well as being tied into legend, is identified by the  Pleiades star cluster having its first appearance.

I liked todays image, as tied into the title, the fishermen are catching the last moment of sun as they hope to pull in ‘a big one’ from Lake Pupuke.

Aside from resizing, straight from the camera (GRD)

 

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Bellis Perennis in the Rain

Bellis perennis, or ‘common garden daisy’ was the subject of todays image. For such a small little flower that grows all over, they have a lot of potential uses – eaten raw, used in soups, salads, teas, as a vitamin supplement. Romans (and more modern homeopaths) used their juice to assist with wound injuries. Then we have the saying ‘smell the daisies’ – to take a break, relax, don’t stress about the big stuff. To top it off, these are hardy little flowers. Mow them down with a lawn mower, and within the week they are shooting up at the sky again.

It had been on/off raining all afternoon today and with the threat of another downpour looming when I finished work I took a few minutes to look for todays photo before getting in my car. There was nothing appealing scanning around so I set the Ricoh on macro to see what I could find. Remembering the above mentioned saying i picked this little guy/gurl/thing, reaching up for the sun regardless of the less then ideal weather. Will it make it before the lawn mower gets it? – unlikely, but its a good reminder to take a break in our busy lives all the same.

Post work I desaturated the grass slightly and slightly bumped up the sharpness in Gimp.

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Pukeko Among Ducks

Some more fun today with the Nex and some legacy lens. Todays shot was taken on an old soviet Industar 26 – a 2,8/52mm lens. Shot stopped down to 2.8 I was happy with the images it gave me today, even with todays image being shot at dusk – credit to both the land and the Sony.

In Devonport, on the North Shore is a fair sized gold club (swamp land a long time ago). Surrounding part of this is a small stream/river, and a mass of ducks. Fed often by locals, there has been an increase of Pukeko in the area also. Pukeko’s, known overseas also as swamp hens are one of New Zealand’s more common iconic birds. The have a beautiful purple coat and amazingly dexterous feet. Whilst they can fly, its not often you see them doing so, and they more often then not retreat from ‘whatever’ on foot.

For todays image I selectively desaturated the image to ‘reveal’ and highlight the Pukeko amongst the Ducks. Shining in the center of the image, I liked the final result with the Pukeko creaping forward into my image as most of the other birds just ignored me.

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Afternoon Warmth

I went for a stroll around part of Tuff Crater, in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore this afternoon. There was a blustery cold wind coming from the harbor into the crater area. As I walked around I found a sheltered spot where the afternoon sun’s rays  warmed a patch of grass with fallen leaves.

Sony in hand today, I had fitted it with one of my old legacy lenses, the 135mm (35mm equ) Juipter 11. Looking for a semi retro feeling image, I got down low and limited the depth of field (f4), allowing the golden sun to haze the image. The final result gives an impression it was a little warmer then it actually was.

Post photo I reduced the image for web and rounded the corners in Gimp.

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Winter Branches

After work I went for a quick stroll around the same area I took on Sunday 13th May ‘Lazy Walk in the Park’. Just over a month and the trees were all bare. Ive been inspired by several people who take color photos in heavily snowed areas – the result being essentially a B&W image. My image today is in similar theme. With just a hint of blue filtering through the image, the bright cold sky silhouettes the leafless trees.

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By the Lake

On my way home today I stopped for a wander on the local lake on Auckland’s North Shore, Lake Pupuke. The ‘Pump house’, featured in the photo, now a place to see small theatre, was in 1894 a functioning pump house supplying the lakes fresh water to residents on the North Shore. Local Maori legend tells of a couple who cursed the god of fire. In retribution for her, the god of earthquakes and volcanoes destroyed their home – the lake being the result. Todays its much more peaceful and used for various recreational activities from fishing to windsurfing.

Taken on my GRD IV and converted in Gimp to B&W with the contrast up a notch. Also resized to a similar aspect to the ‘Golden Ratio’

One more weekday to go!

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Dark Mangroves

Another weekend stroll today took me on a different section of last Sundays path (Lazy Walk in the Park). Whilst picturesque in its own way, it didn’t have so much color, rather more low lying mangrove swamp. I snapped off a number of different shots, but chose this one for todays posting.

Converting to B&W and boosting the contrast, I liked the dark mood of the scene ahead. Peering through the naked tree branch, one is not quite sure what to expect ahead.

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