Wahoo!

A couple of weeks ago I started posting my shots on photo sharing site Flickr. I joined the NZ Geographic group open to photographers in New Zealand. As a member you can give out "Members Pic" awards to your favourite photos posted by other people in the group. Once a photo has three members pic awards you post that photo in a special group to be considered for the Editors pic of the week. A selection of these get published in the magazine printed every two months. I was stoked to have a couple of my shots chosen as Editors pics so I'm really hoping to have one published! Heres what the Editor said - AUGUST -WEEK 1 This week goes to the twitchers, birders and those who prefer feathers to fur.A handful of frames stood out from the pool, and none more so than these two from the same photographer, Mandy Hague which were duely (and rapidly) picked by members as well. Henri Cartier Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism is famous for saying that every event has a "decisive moment", and this is precisely when Mandy released the shutter to capture these frames. I just had to skite!

Come on spring!

Despite it being a dull grey morning I couldn't help visiting the river before getting to my studio this morning. I sat in the car and sulked as it started to drizzle. The river was like something out of Willy Wonkas factory - chocolate with floodwater. I was about to leave when a white-faced heron turned up so I waited a bit more. Suddenly an egret landed on the mudflat, a white beacon in a dull landscape. It was too far away, even with my 350mm lens and the light was dreary. It did a breif flyby of the yacht club before chasing the white-faced heron off over the river. Two miserable shots were all I gleaned from the visit. I gave up and headed off and ten minutes later the sun came out in all its spring gloriousness. Sigh! This daffodil glows with the promise of better weather around the corner. A tui visits our early flowering kowhai about a week ago. Roll on Spring!

Six Portraits of a Heron - My latest painting.

I picked my latest painting up from the framer today. Its about four foot high and I'm quite pleased with it. Its the first time I've painted my favourite photographic subject, the white-faced heron. I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to paint them how I see them in my minds eye.I originally envisioned it as you see it here but after it was finished I considered cutting it up into pairs. Glad I didn't in the end.

Taranaki

I haven't visited the Taranaki region since...well actually I don't know if I ever have. So it was an adventure to visit this amazing region to visit relatives in Urenui. Mt Taranaki is a grand landmark on the skyline. Who can fail to be impressed by this georgous snowy cone in a classic volcano shape?
Troy and I were visiting John and Chris McLean who live in an amazing house John built himself. John is an artist who paints the most incredible oils and I am totally in awe of his work. As an artist you tend to spend many hours working alone and for me it is sometimes hard not to be overwhelmed by the difficulties I have to deal with. So it was fantastic for Troy and I to be able to sit down with John and his wife Chris and have a good old korero about the whole concept of creating stuff. I was reassured that I am on the right track and I was very inspired by Johns insights. Below is a photo of me with John at one of his exhibitions at the Tauranga Public Art Gallery last year, in front of one of his paintings which is a favourite of mine. He is soon to open an extensive exhibition in Puke Ariki, the public Art Gallery in New Plymouth.

During the day, when we weren't sightseeing we would take a short trek across the McLean farm to the beach. Beautiful white cliffs run along the coast towards New Plymouth. I found a gannet skull to add to my collection.

Patsy, Sprite and Jess enjoy the beach!

By the way, I thought it was kinda cool that John has collected a few skulls too -it must be an artists thing.

Wellington trip - Te Papa

No trip to our capital would be complete without a visit to Te Papa, our national museum. Here are some of my favourite photos. Above is a skull of our extinct Giant Eagle.
Turtle skeleton.

Wallaby & Zebra. Here's an interesting fact - a pair of zebra were imported into New Zealand by Sir George Grey on Kawau Island in 1870 with the intention of breeding the pair for release on the mainland. If the plan had succeeded we could have had Kaimanawa zebras instead of Kaimanawa horses. Freaky thought.

A Weka, notorious for stealing shiny and interesting objects.

Bone fish pendant. A very old and incredibly lovely Polynesian object.

Stuffed Kotuku. Strangely small when seen up close!

That was my top six pics judged on interestingness. Some wonderful art too but I couldn't photograph any of that.