An idyll of sheep grazing peacefully by a grove of cabbage trees (ti kouka), on old dunelands behind Wharariki Beach, in Nelson. This is a wider version of the image appearing as FEBRUARY in my Modest Epiphanies 2019 calendar. It was taken on the foot track to the beach – in New Zealand the grandeur […]

Not every image in my Modest Epiphanies 2019 Calendar was actually taken in the month it displays, but this autumnal scene was a good fit for MAY, although the only hint of autumn being in the misty background. New Zealand’s native vegetation is almost entirely evergreen, but summer shows with flower stalks on the flax […]

An unexpected First World Problem has been developing in western countries in recent years. It is an odd one, to be sure, and some might say it’s a “Giraffe in the Room” (the elephant needs a day off every so often). This is it: Considering the billions of images we now take every month on […]

Stony River wide, 28 February 2010 Mt Taranaki is bare of snow and ice for 4 or 5 months of the year; this view from the Blue Rata Reserve is a sandwich of two frames, taken on a full moon evening, the last of summer. The Stony (Hangatahua) is a fast-flowing stream, one prone to […]

1991. Yana among the vines  I took this one afternoon in the early autumn of 2010, when Yana was 20. My father had some self-sown vines rioting in his garden (yielding 80 large melons), which looked to  make a good backdrop. It’s no surprise to see here the same elements as in previous portraits: sympathetic ground, […]

0958 Ben at sundown, Back Beach Continuing the evening portrait theme is this “one-take” shot of our UK visitor Ben, in 2010, taken on the cliff above Back Beach in New Plymouth. The light is striking, but the effect is enhanced by the “da Vinci” background of Paritutu Rock, pylon and blue sky. I would […]

2481 Moturoa hilltop, New Plymouth           2408 Church camp, Eltham, Taranaki           2930 High tide at Mangawhai, Northland           2039 Angel at Pukerimu, Cambridge       Here begins a new series of recent images in the 16:9 wide screen ratio, posted for […]

 Let us live most happily, possessing nothing; let us feed on joy, like the radiant gods.  –  The Buddha 24mm; ISO 200. 60 seconds at f2

The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.  –  Thucydides 24mm; ISO 200. 60 seconds at f2  

Tomorrow will be the same, but not as this is.  –  Colin McCahon “60mm”, ISO 125. 1 second at f2.8. Tungsten light balance  

One forgives as much as one loves. –  La Rochefoucauld The old water reservoir at Nelson is a peaceful place for pic-spotting by the moonlight photographer, in part because access to it is through a motor camp. It may be needless to say, but when you’re out at night it’s important to feel safe so […]

Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody. –  Samuel Pepys, Diary 1665 “24mm”, ISO 800. 60 seconds at f2  

All glory comes from daring to begin – Eugene F. Ware, American soldier There’s no better time for moonlight photography than when you are on holiday with a large territory you are free to wander over. Here’s a memorable evening at summer’s end with a cool southwester still about, as indicated in this well-clad group […]

The vacated frame and its variables: ghosting by pure moonlight

Golden orb on the shoulder of Mt Taranaki, from the National Park boundary.

Golden fluff in moonlit motion; creative control and its inevitable decisions

Simplicity and multiplicity; vertical frame with a wide angle

Simple imagery; it pays to look around the back

Graveyard in white and the mountain in grey; a harmony of moon rays and lingering daylight

A seasonal opportunity by the full moon; adjusting computer screens and camera playback viewers

Abstract of evening traffic; use of two planes of movement

Fun with a torch in motion; colour temperature, cloudy skies, late moons

Strong contrasts in form and colour; perspective, light balancing and the winter moon

After midnight, the search for illumination continues, in a translucent sort of way

Silver surf and f16 on the beach; handling difficult focus by using a small aperture