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February 21, 2016

Just a couple of shots …

Well, not much chance to get out and take photos today. I must have picked up a bug or something ‘cos I’ve been sneezing all day. Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow as I have heaps to do this week. With no new photos to play with I decided to look over a couple of shots taken over the past couple of days. Some of you may have heard that I recently made the move to Photoshop CC. I’ve been quite happy with CS5.1, but felt the time had come to get a little more current, so I “upgraded” earlier this week. I suspect, however, I’ll stick with CS5.1 for any pressing tasks as I’m still finding my way around the newer applications.

Playing with a couple of images in both Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC though has been interesting. I quite like the variety of crop overlays available now, and the Camera Raw options seem a little different to what I had before. Quite a bit to play with before I’m as happy with these new version as I was with the older release!

Below are two images that may amuse you. The first is of an old homestead close to Te Puru Park on the road between Beachlands and Maraetai. Quite a lovely old building and full of character. I’ve been meaning to get some photographs of the property before it falls down and only just managed a shot or two. This image was processed in Photoshop along with Nik’s Color Efex Pro plug-in. Hopefully you’ll like it.

The next image was processed in Lightroom CC and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2. I used to use Lightroom extensively a few years ago, but have to admit I’m feeling a little lost with the product now! I think with Lightroom, Bridge and Photoshop there’ll be a few changes to my workflow. Feeling rough though isn’t conducive to thinking about workflow changes however. The image is of a boat anchored just a little way off the coast close to Maraetai. I liked the horizontal lines and low contrast scene. Very bright sunlight and some pretty sparkling highlights on the water. Not altogether sure I’m that impressed with the image, but I’ll add it to the post and you can perhaps let me know what you think.

February 20, 2016

Just for fun …

Back to Maraetai again today … wifey fancied a stroll along the water’s edge between Omana and Maraetai. There’s a lovely walkway called “Tracey’s Walk” from which there are some really gorgeous views. Needless to say I took my camera along for the stroll.

View #1 from Tracey's Walk — View #1 from Tracey’s Walk

Most of my images of this area are in colour, but after reading a few books and articles by Ansel Adams I decided, just for fun, to try processing today’s images in black and white. I used to do a lot of black and white photography many years ago, before the advent of digital cameras, and still have a fondness for black and white. A few folks would argue that black and white isn’t the best choice for these views due to the significance of the glorious colours in the scenes. The shades of blue in the sea and sky were really quite lovely. Mind you, being as the camera takes colour photos I do have colour versions as well! What I did notice of interest as I processed the images was the significance of the sun’s rays in the photos. These “Jesus Rays” were not at all obvious in the colour images, yet seem to show up quite well in the black and white versions.

The first view is looking north towards Omana and Beachlands. The second view looks more south towards Maraetai. Quite a lovely gentle stroll if you’re in the area with the added bonus of some very pleasant cafes at Maraetai!

View #2 from Tracey's Walk — View #2 from Tracey’s Walk

February 13, 2016

Up early again …

Back to Totara Park this morning. It’s been quite hot during the day, so an early morning walk is very pleasant. Especially when the sun is just coming up. There’s a lovely warm glow from the rising sun. Very special.

The first shot in this post has a significant sunburst effect in the image. I can recall years ago using sunburst filters to get starburst effects from highlights in the image. No filter used in this shot. The lens seems to do a nice job all by itself!

I’ve always had a special fondness for Rimu trees. I can recall a friend telling me about them many years ago, ” … make excellent chopping boards …” Looking at them, however, I can’t imagine how anyone would want to convert them into chopping boards! You can’t see the whole tree in this shot, just a few of the leaves and branches. It’s the weeping effect of the branches and leaves and the way they catch the light that I like … hopefully you do too!

Flare ... but is it ok? — Flare … but is it ok?

Last shot for today. Shooting straight into the sun and despite all the clever coatings on the lens I still get flare. Does it matter, or does it add to the shot?

February 8, 2016

Clouds, Trees and Zones

Sunrise and clouds at Auckland's Botanic Gardens — Sunrise and clouds at Auckland’s Botanic Gardens

I suppose I’ve always liked looking at clouds, especially at different times of day. This morning as the sun was rising there were some rather lovely oranges and pinks. The first shot is at the Everglade Drive end of the Botanic Gardens here in Auckland. Interesting shot as to rely on the camera sensor would probably result in an overexposed sky and little detail in the grass and bush around the lake in the centre of the image. Exposing just for the sky would probably result in loss of detail in the shadows. Using Liveview and the histogram can really help here, but so can use of Ansel Adams’ Zone System.

Ansel Adams’ Zone System divides “exposures” into eleven “values” numbered from 0 through to X. Zone V (the middle value) is the average or close to an exposure for an 18% grey card. Values at the extremes (0 and X) are either black or white with no discernable texture. As such, I through IX are the extremes we really want to deal with. These would allow for slight detail retention at the extremes. Each zone is separated from its adjacent zone by one stop. So, carefully looking at a scene, you can decide on which zone each element in your frame falls and expose accordingly.

I’m just reading and experimenting and haven’t decided yet whether Liveview and histogram have replaced the zone system or if perhaps it compliments it. Remember, the Zone System was really created to ensure reliable and consistent creation of black and white negatives. We’re now working with colour and digital sensors.

If nothing else, deciding on which zone each area in your frame falls slows you down and makes you examine the shot you’re about to take. I suppose this makes the whole process of taking a photograph more enjoyable … certainly much more so than point click and shoot! You may also feel more in control and feel that you took the photo rather than relied on the camera to work things out.

Whilst walking through the bush I noticed in a nearby field a large family of rabbits. Up near the ridgeline was one rabbit obviously acting as lookout. Very cute! Hopefully you can pick out the ears!

One of the lookouts keeping the tribe safe near Totara Park.

Last shot from this morning’s stroll is of a new bit of growth on an more aged tree fern trunk. I quite liked the richness of the colours in this image. Often the bush can look a little “grey”, but this scene looked lush and vibrant.

I’ll play a little more with Mr. Adams’ Zones and perhaps mention them in more detail in a subsequent post.

February 6, 2016

Out in the garden.

I’ve been busy reading all day and decided to take a break and head out into the garden. I was going to buy a few books, but thought I’d check them out first from the library. I seem to get the books, get embroiled in something more pressing then frantically read them before the return date. Anyway, the garden. We bought these plants a few months back and they ready are rather lovely. The leaves are those “sword shaped” affairs but then, from the centre of the leaves, you get these beautiful yellow flowers on stalks. Well, I like them anyway!

Whilst shooting these flowers I noticed the seed heads on the lilies close by. I think I like these seed head more than the flowers to be honest. Lining up the camera to take the shot I noticed something move. Not sitting still for long was a very busy spider crafting its web between these seed heads. Quite a pleasant time looking around the garden I think.

February 5, 2016

Trees

I was due to shoot a property early this morning further south from my home and the agreement was to check the weather first. Forecasts indicated rain, but you can never tell in Auckland. Looking out the window the sky looked amazing with some wonderful cloud shapes and colouration from the rising sun. I had to get to the park and see how the sky looked with the trees. Needless to say, by the time I got there the sky was a pretty uninspiring grey. The trees, however, looked magnificent. The first shot in this post is of a Totara quite close to the carpark at Totara Park. When I saw this tree I thought of a black and white image; great shape to the tree and the texture in the bark is so lovely. We’re very fortunate to have so many beautiful native trees here at Totara Park.

Stepping into the bushwalk the rain started. Besides getting me somewhat damp it did have the effect of washing the foliage and providing a glisten to the palm fronds. So many shapes and textures here. Next time I’ll dress appropriately! Cameras were getting wet as was I, so I decided to head back home and contact the agent to check on the weather further south.

One more shot before I left. I liked the contrast between the bark on the tree and the soft fronds of the tree ferns alongside. This contrast needs more time to explore, but I was keen to get somewhere dry! Maybe tomorrow?

February 2, 2016

Alpacas!

What a pleasant job today. Out shooting a property in Glenbrook that was the home to a flock of Alpacas. Mindful of Tintin’s experience of spitting alpacas (or were they llamas) I didn’t want to get too close! Just a few photos of these lovely creatures. Hopefully their expressions will make you smile.

One thing I learnt today was they go to the toilet in the same place each time. Is that right? Anyway, looking under the alpaca in the last image certainly suggests he’s been here before!

February 1, 2016

Back in the bush …

Well, this morning was quite different to yesterday morning. Today was rather more overcast and the light intensity was much lower. A more diffused light, so I failed to capture what I was looking for. Yesterday the sun poked its rays through the tree canopy and illuminated small areas in a very special way. No such luck today! Even so, the bush remains a wonderful place to walk and look and listen.

The bush area I was walking through was in Totara Park and there’s some really lovely large specimens of native trees. The next photo shows a lovely Puriri tree. The branches seem to spread out for ages and the main trunk has such lovely texture and form. A bit of a favourite for the kereru for the berries. We didn’t see any kereru today, but we could hear them. It struck me that the next time I go into the bush I should record the sounds and play them as a background track to the blog post. If I can get up in time tomorrow I might just try that.

I’ve always been fond of the tree ferns, not just their huge fronds as you can see in the final photo of this post, but the patterns in their trunk. This next image shows the trunk of a tree fern with the textures accentuated by moss and lichen.

Lovely patterns on the trunk of a tree fern.

Final image for this post is looking up through the fronds towards and brightening sky. It was quite noisy standing here taking this shot. Not from sirens, vehicles, aircraft, loud music or people talking, but from the cicadas. And then the whoosh of a kereru flying above. Quite a special place and well worth getting out of bed to enjoy if you get the chance. So much better than sitting in a queue on the motorway!

January 31, 2016

Raindrops …

Today started off well. I thought it was going to be another hot and sunny day, but no. We had rain and thunder … and a respite from the heat. I’d been trying a few photos with varying exposures, seeing what happened with long 30 second exposures as the wind blew the branches and leaves in the trees. I was curious to see the effect as some parts of the image would remain sharp and focussed as there was no movement. Other areas would have motion blur. Nothing to show I’m afraid … still experimenting!

What was interesting, however, was how the rain sat upon the leaves of the plants in the garden. The first image is of raindrops on a yucca leaf. Quite a shallow depth of field to ensure other leaves are nicely out of focus. Made me think of Itten and his contrasts. Here you can almost see rough and smooth, wet and dry, harsh/hard and soft.

The second image intrigues me as it looked less like a raindrop on a leaf and more like a creature with a beady eye! I really must try some of those shots where you use the raindrop as a lens.

January 31, 2016

No snooze today!

It was during a stroll out at Conifer Grove that we decided on an early start this morning. The plan to walk through Totara Park and enjoy the sun rising whilst in amongst the trees. I have to admit that the hills seem much longer and steeper since I was here last! Obviously more exercise is required.

Early morning sunlight in Totara Park, Auckland, New Zealand

It was most pleasant! Peaceful, cool and most enjoyable. Needless to say, I think I’ll try to have less of a snooze in the morning and more of a walk.