pagespicsCyclone Gabrielle
Posted on February 28, 2023
This February has been something of a nightmare for many people living on the East Coast of New Zealand. The following photos share some of what has been happening before and after Cyclone Gabrielle. Fortunately, I escaped the worst effects of the storm, which were exacerbated by the slash formed from intensive logging.
Before the Storm
The above image was taken at Tokamoro Bay before the storm hit. The town is still not accessible by road as the bridge was washed away.
After the storm…
Whilst the weather calmed down, the effects of the storm will be felt for a long time. I hope that everybody’s lives get back to normal as soon as possible.
Take care and keep clicking, Chris
Shooting a Gig
Posted on November 22, 2022
What is this? Two blog posts in one week, it must be something of a miracle. This weekend I was feeling blue (still am to be honest but I’m sure it will get better, particularly as there is some good news on the horizon…). With this in mind I did the best thing possible, and surrounded myself with old friends, new friends, music, food, dancing, and of course, photography. These photos are from the somewhat notorious Smash Palace in Gisborne NZ
its all about the gear
For those of you who care, and I know there are many of you, this was a chance to try out my Sony GMaster 1.4 85mm lens. It was dark, so even with this beast I was still pushing my ISO up to 5000. Fortunately, I have Topaz noise removal to clean each image. Sony’s A7III is still working it’s magic and detecting eyes and faces in the low-light conditions.
What’s next?
I have just got my drone repaired (again) so later this week I hope to capture some aerial photography. Also, I will endeavor to get through another roll of film, as I am enjoying the slowed down process of developing my own film. Another film camera has been added to my collection in the form of an old Olympus OM10 film, which I have hankered after for a while and was available at a super cheap price. Hopefully the camera will function as it should!
That’s all for now folks. Keep clicking, Chris
My new Kase Variable ND filter
Posted on May 24, 2022
Those of you that regularly follow this blog will have seen a transition from big city street photography, to the more sedate aspects of New Zealand life. The upside of this is that my photographic skills are widening. One hankering of mine was to play with an ND filter; if you are unsure of what I mean, think of it as a pair of sunglasses for your camera – it makes the world a darker place (and that is a good thing). Here is what it does…
Shooting Wide Angle
Posted on February 11, 2022
Using the Samyang 24mm 1.8
Getting new gear does not make you a better photographer. Maybe. However, getting a new lens sure is fun. I previously mentioned that I was hankering after an extreme wide angle lens. In a classic case of buyer beware, I went for a secondhand lens that turned out to be an older model than I thought. It was also manual focus. However, 24mm is plenty wide enough to capture images that are slightly different from what is often seen.
New Year New City!
Posted on January 20, 2022
Starting again in Gisborne
A belated Happy New Year to everyone. Once again, my New Year’s resolution is to post at least once a week; the critical ones of you will notice I have already failed this, but it’s the journey and not the goal (?)… maybe.
To be honest, like many of us, my photography is struggling post Covid. New Zealand is beautiful, but somehow misses the excitement of International travel, which is now almost impossible. However, Gisborne presents a interesting challenge. A holiday town, a surfing town, and an industrial port. One of my favourite locations so far has been a disused railway track. Lots of leading lines. Here are a few pics from my dog walking & photography exploration.
35mm
These pics were all captured using a Samyang 2.8 lens, which is a bit of a bargain and great for Street Photography. Though I am finding it a little soft for landscape and cityscape work. I am quietly hankering after the Sigma 24mm F/2, please let me know if you have any experience with this lens, as it looks quite a beautiful piece of work.
Next up
In Gisborne all good walks end up on the beach, which is generally littered with timber waste from the logging industry. A pain in the bum, but it makes for interesting pics. Next up – some street pics!
Stay tuned and keep clicking,
Chris
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