I have a two and a half year old grandaughter called Rita and on
Sunday I took this photo of her room.
Rita’s mother is Japanese, and as a result, I think that there is a Japanese influence on some of the toys that are here, particularly that of Anpanman.
Remember, that clicking on these photos will make them appear in a larger size.
Pony Tail
The first occasion was in my early thirties when, spending some time in Fiji, I saw village children whooping around, playing with a real horses tail. The horse had died as a result of a poorly applied tether strangling it. I think that at the time I had just bought my first camera and wasn’t up to even trying to photograph it.
On the second occasion an acquaintance who lived across the road in Ponsonby cut her long black pony tail off and laid it on some newspaper. I took some photos have negatives of the event somewhere deep in my files. I never did anything with the photo though. I felt at the time that it didn’t quite make it. I was probably right but I can’t be quite sure until I revisit it.
Some years later a hairdressr saved the pony tail of a client and then rang me. Again I felt that I didn’t quite make it.
Here, ten years later, I am back photographing the same subject. I’m pondering the result.
I recently saw a documentary about this Japanese photographer and these are some snaps that I took straight from my television. I’d seen an exhibition of his at the Auckland Art Gallery a few years ago, photographs of wax figures from Madame Tussaud’s. Sugimoto has lived in New York since 1974.
I went to the Nadene Milne Gallery in Arrowtown last Friday. It’s near Queenstown,
about an hour from here. Ans Westra is showing some work there at present. That’s Ans and Nadene in this photo.
Warwick Freeman was also showing some of his pieces. Here he is on the left. Luit Bieringa is on the right doing his best to stand on tiptoes. I’m in the middle. (Thanks for the photo H.)
