Vision and Projects
So why did I call this post “Vision and Projects”? Because I think the two are so interwoven that they may be fundamentally linked. The last couple of years I have been thinking about how the various genres and projects I shoot may come from the same route source. What do they all share?
Super Resolution & Tiff files in Photoshop - Now It’s Possible
For the last few years Photoshop has had a feature called Super resolution, this is a way to increase the megapixels of an image after capturing the image. But this has always been restricted to only work on the original RAW files. This is huge, if you know why, then you know why. Let me explain.
Total Lunar Eclipse - Planning
By now you will have seen many pictures of the eclipse and how it looked from both the earth and (for the first time ever) from the moon. In this post I want to take a slightly different approach and document how I planned the shoot, what I aimed for and how I could approach a similar event next time.
TTArtisan 10mm F2 APS-C and Infra red
There are many reviews on lenses, covering the normal uses of lenses. But what about if you are interested in photographing in a different style. Today, my new TTArtisan 10mm F2 lens arrived, and as with all new lens arrivals, it is time for testing. Why do you need to test a lens, because I find it the quickest way to get to know a lens, its strengths and weaknesses, its character and limits and things which would be better to avoid.
C-130 Hercules
Today as the final flights of the RNZAF C-130 H make their way down this beautiful country, we celebrate their 150,000 flying hours and 60 years of service to this country. Whether it be troops, supplies, humanitarian relief or search and rescue, these amazing aircraft did it. To the ice, desert or tiny atoll, they have been there, sometimes in the same week. When it came to a replacement we just brought the newest model of these veterans.
Living in Boxes Revisited
In some ways we all live in boxes of one kind or another. The box we live in, may be divided into many smaller odd shaped boxes, but ultimately it’s still a box. We assign such prestige and value to these boxes, to the style of them, the decorations, even the area where the box is. Should they be mass produced to make them cheaper? How vulnerable they are to natural disasters, how ecologically friendly they are, the questions are many and varied and say a lot about who we are.
Aerochrome
The image above of course was not captured using aerochrome film, it’s a digital image captured through a 720nm filter. This is my take on how areochrome might look, a celebration of its legacy and a nod to the way it transformed photography.
Silence
“There are at least two kinds of silence that define us.
One is the eloquent silence of the world as we were given itthe silence of light and beauty, the silence that holds a promise…
there is also sometimes a dark silence within us, one that results from willful blindness and deafness. We struggle against it.”
Robert Adams
Infrared and Architecture
I have always been intrigued by infrared photography but struggled with how to do it. Then in 2020, after spending time with Cath Kelly, it all came together. Like anything it took commitment, and time, but through it I have found a way to capture the world in a style I like. Dark skies, long exposures and with a touch of the surreal.
Living in Boxes
Being from a city where most buildings are one or two stories tall, and the centre of town has a smattering of buildings over ten stories. Going to Wellington is a little bit of a culture shock. To see apartment buildings like this one fascinates me. The difference in lifestyle, the benefits and downsides. Location, location, location, that’s the phrase isn’t it. Makes me think.
Looking up
The first image from our latest trip to Wellington. Been trying to find an interesting composition for this building, and finally I think I may have it. I love the way that it adds mystery to the image…. what is it, how big…. That’s one of the most powerful tools in photography, to show only what we want to show and let the viewer figure out the rest.
To see more images from this project,
NZ Camera
Each member of the PSNZ can submit up to two images, but only one image from each member will make it into the book. So in some ways you can see this as a salon in a book. A time capsule of the photographers, and the subjects that captivated them for this year.
A few months back I was told via email that one of my images had been selected. To know that I made it into the book was great news, but to know that of the two images, that they chose the surrealist based image made it even more special.
Aurora Timelapse
Well 2024 has been a year for the record books, we have had a number of aurora displays. The display on the 11th of May will not be easily forgotten. Thousands upon thousands of New Zealanders made the effort to go and see it, stood in awe, and got a chance to see a side of nature really shown at this latitude. Was this going to be another great display, and how would it look as a timelapse.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)
I went out for a quick look last night and through the aid of some astro tools on my phone managed to find the comet :)
One Hit Wonders
Of course everyone wants to win, but that is impossible. The results are based on subjective criteria not objective. But if art is about expressing your feelings so that others can express theirs vicariously through your work, then appearing in the catalogue or the exhibition is the important bit. Which one the judge liked more or less determines the "winner" but the people viewing the exhibition can have their own opinion, and experience.
Highly Commended & an Acceptance at Nelson Camera Club's 2024 National Triptych Salon
The results of the Nelson Camera Club's 2024 National Triptych Salon were annouced yesterday. I am pleased to confirm that I was awarded a highly commended for his image "Woven" and an acceptance for my image "Magical Mystery Tour".
Winner -Massey University Biodiversity Competition
Over the last couple of weeks the sustainability team have been running a photo competition to highlight this side of Massey. Yesterday the winner was announced and my image of a tui was chosen as the winning image.
Aurora Australis - May 11-2024
There are times in your photographic life where the gear, the knowledge, don’t matter as much. Where the person with the cell phone next to you can get a similar shot. But then there are times when the research helps. Where technique matters and where local knowledge pays off. When combined, all of these together can make that once in a life time experience, even better.
