Sodden Bird.

Its raining. Has been for two days. And its getting heavier. ENOUGH ALREADY! I get stir crazy when I'm cooped up inside for too long. Of course I could have gone with Troy. He is supposed to be photographing sport for the paper but of course all the games will be cancelled so he'll be out shooting slips and surface flooding and stuff like that wishing he was home on his computer with the fire going and the roast cooking. But I couldn't be bothered going with him. I wandered aimlessly into the bedroom to discover a sodden little bird on the outside windowsill. A Greenfinch. Aha at least I can take some photos.He has an Elvis hairdo all slicked up in the wet and he is puffed out against the cold. Even my photos are dreary looking just like the weather. Time to turn the roast. (Yup - its chicken.)

Roadkill Art

On a roadtrip a few weeks ago I stopped and picked up a kereru that had been hit by a car. It was dead but the colours were still beautiful so I brought it home and took some photos of it. I think the red velvet really transforms the dead bird into something really ...umm.... well, make up your own mind. Thats what art is about.
I'm a great believer in recycling so after I photographed it I put the pigeon out in the next paddock to be eaten by a local Harrier.

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.