Jim Allen
This weekend, at the Govett-Brewster
here in New Plymouth there has
One of the artists featured is
Jim Allen.
The work in the photograph at the top
is a reconstruction of a 1969 work.
The performance shown in the two
photographs below is a 1974 work.
Inch Worm
Parallel with my photographic
career I have from time to
time worked in other media.
Sometimes I have worked in stone,
sometimes in wood, and sometimes,
as in the photo above
I have used polymer clay,
of which Fimo is the most
famous example, although
on this occasion I used
a variety made in Palmerston North
called Du-Kit.
I like polymer clay because of its pliability.
It’s possible to doodle with it so to speak.
When a shape reaches something
that I like it can be popped in the oven
for a few minutes and it will harden.
Bakelite was an early example
of polymer clay.
In this case I have not yet cooked it
because it needs smoothing out a bit more,
there are places where it is a bit lumpy.
However, I had bought a new camera
and I decided to try photographing
it. I quite like the result.
Tattoo Convention
Over the last weekend New Plymouth was host
to a Tattoo Convention.
Guest tattooists, many from other countries,
set themselves up in a local
stadium and visitors wandered through,
looking at their work,
chatting to this person and that.
It was an extremely friendly event.
Some visitors offered their
skin to the tattooists.
The photo below shows a Japanese
at work, using traditional methods.
He always had a large crowd of
observers around him.
And just in case you were wondering,
I don’t have any tattoos.
Dogwood
In this hemisphere of the planet
this is the time for Dogwood
to be flourishing.
As an Aucklander
I wasn’t aware of Dogwood
until I began to
spend more time in
cooler parts of New Zealand.
I’ve photographed Dogwood
three or four times in the last
couple of years and the photo
above is my most recent attempt.
This particular image was taken
with my new iPhone, in Pukekura Park
here in New Plymouth.
Eltham Church
Eltham is a small South Taranaki town.
It’s well know for it’s cheese and recently
Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s novel Predicament
was filmed there. Hawera, his home town is about
20 minutes car ride south.
Not far away is a Fonterra factory.
Fonterra is the biggest company in New
Zealand.
This miniature church is in a garden
open to the public. Anyone in Eltham
would tell you how to find it.
Every Camera
Every camera has a different personality.
Each one has different capabilities.
I have bought a new camera,
a Leica, and now I’m experimenting.
This is the first photo
taken with it.
One characteristic of this camera
is that it has an excellent macro lens
enabling me to come close to subjects
in a way superior to cameras that I have
owned before.
Rhododendron
In Taranaki, this is the time for
Rhododendrons to be in flower.
The climate here suits them.
I’ve not managed to take any
photos of them when they are
flowering but this image
has some appeal for me.
This particular variety has
extra large leaves and flowers
which is what attracted me to the
tree in the first place.
The Light
Last weekend I went to visit a friend
who has an eclectic collection of
toys, motor scooters, shop signs,
glassware, furniture, and so on.
I’d never been there before so it was
quite a sight, yet of all the possible
subjects there for a photographer,
one would have thought, the only
object that really caught my eye
was this lamp.
I’d like to revisit and rephotograph
the lamp, straightening and sharpening
it up.
Taranaki Landscape
Driving down, last Friday, the beautiful coast road from
Awakino to New Plymouth, as I often do, I saw,
and noticed, probably for the seventh or eighth time
this uptorn root system.
On this occasion, although I was very anxious to get
home and had already driven past it, I
stopped the car, turned around and went
back. It took some willpower, but I’m glad
otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this post.
Notice the remains of a pa site on the hill in the background.
Time is softening the look of these sites.