
P-51D Mustang Display at the Whanganui Air Ambulance Trust's open day,
After a long period of storage, meticulous rebuild, and a successful test program. Brendon Deere and Sean Perrett are now showing off this beautiful example of an RNZAF P-51D Mustang to an adoring public.

Vought FG-1D Corsair NZ5648 - Whanganui Airport
We have all heard the saying “luck is when opportunity meets preparation”. Well we had done the prep… then out of the autumn blue sky, descends the Vought FG-1D Corsair. Surprise! No hints, no insider info—just plain luck. That gull-winged beauty struts its stuff, as it lands on the runway. This is it—a shot that’s been on my bucket-list for a while. No ropes, no crowds, just me, the Corsair, and that boundless blue canvas. If we had known we would miss the Mosquito would we have still gone… no. But because we risked it, trusted our guts, in the end we got something better,

BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 88 NZ6372 at Wanganui Aero Club Open Day 2024
Hey, it's the weekend, and what better way to enjoy it than by checking out some cool pics of the BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 88? This military aircraft is a real head-turner with its sleek design and powerful vibes. Take a peek at these images, and you'll see what I mean – from the smooth fuselage to those badass wings, it's a perfect mix of style and functionality. So, kick back, relax, and let's appreciate the awesomeness of the BAC 167 Strikemaster Mk 88 as we cruise through the weekend vibes.
Wanganui Aero Club Open Day NZ Strikemaster 72

North American Harvard NZ1044 at Wanganui Aero Club Open Day 2024
This plane originally flew with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and is a beautiful example of a Harvard Mk.IIa

De Havilland DH 112 Venom MkI ZK-VNM at Wanganui Aero Club Open Day 2024
De Havilland DH 112 Venom MkI ZK-VNM flying at the Wanganui Aero Club Open-day Wanganui Aero Club Open Day 2024

The sword of Orion and M42 - The Great Nebula of Orion
After a good discussion with Les Rackham about balancing setups I tried a few new ideas last night, which didn't go as well as I would have liked. Still they pointed me to some refinements and further ideas which I will trial later.
I did capture some data though (50 x 5 second exposures at F8 1500 ISO on my Canon 80D with a 70-200 f2.8 L lens) which I merged in ASTAP and then processed in Adobe Photoshop. The shorter exposures was to try and avoid the clipping of the brighter stars in the centre.
There were issues including some teething issues with the mounting and a constant wind. But I am quite surprised at the final image. There are lots of things I can improve from here which is promising.

Time To Dream
I posted this image a little while ago as a placeholder. Like a shop in the plaza, a temporary boarding to hide the changes happening behind. This allowed me time to, assess things, to dream of what might be. To reimagine and renovate both the content within and where I am going. To take a breath and think of the future and not the past.

Cert in Intermediate Photography (UCol)
We went back to school! Three months of assignments, practical’s and great discussions on photography and art. In some ways it took a long time, in other ways it flew past. What drew me to it you might ask? It wasn’t the learning of new techniques, it was a reset, a chance to look at my process, work on my confidence and try something new. To give myself a chunk of time and go for it.

Taputeranga Island
We were blessed with some beautiful clouds and light, a nice reward for the lack of sleep. The forecast had predicted waves up to 2 metres tall, and turn up they did. In the image you can see the sea spray billowing into the air off the rocks and into the morning light.

Spontaneous
The image captures a fraction of these comedians talent and was such a fun thing to do. The concept, which we found out on the day, was theirs, and I love it.

A converted 300D
What could I learn from experimenting with an 18 year old camera that has been infrared converted



Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex
We finally had a clear night when I had nothing on. Time for more testing


First Quarter Moon
Testing tracking with the Canon 100-400 at 400mm with a 2x extender on my Canon 6D


Exhibition in Woodville
Exhibition in Woodville this month at the Rinitawa Art and History - Woodville gallery. Kelly Taylor Gannaway and I have images in this, so if you have a lazy Sunday and feel like a drive or you are passing through Woodville, stop in and take a look around. The gallery space looks great, thanks to the team there 🙂


Foggy Sunrise
We share in each other successes, failures, set backs and triumphs. We can achieve more together and we can help when things get a little hard. We can also share a lot of fun and laughter along the way.