Blog

Peter was a great believer in communicating about photography and got into blogging in its early days.

His blog ran, with some gaps, from 30 November 2006 to 2 September 2018.

You can visit the earliest entries via archived links on the right hand side of this page.


Whites Aviation

Whites Aviation since 1945 took thousands of aerial photos of NZ. Many homes and businesses had prints on their walls and books were published.

A couple of weeks ago Art + Object in Auckland had one of these in an auction. Even though they are in Auckland and I am in Invercargill I made an absentee bid on the work. My bid was successful ($350) and the framed work was couriered to me. I bought it partly because I have spent the last 5 or 6 years living in Taranaki and I have a sentimental attachment to the mountain.

The print is a black and white photo that has been hand coloured. A common technique, my father used it quite often. Several of our family photos have been done this way.



Tuatara

At the Invercargill museum there is some pioneering work being done on how to breed Tuatara in captivity. Bit by bit more is being learnt about what they need. It’s a complex problem involving kinds of food, light levels, etc.There is greater and greater success being achieved and currently there are something like 30 tuatara there. Henry, the biggest is more than 100 years old.

Last week I was able to hold one medium sized specimen, but for some reason I find that I have quite a strong fear of touching reptiles. I don’t know why, they have never done me any harm, the fear seems to be built into my brain. They feel so cold which I always find something of a shock.

I don’t know if I am going to be able to take a photo of a real tuatara but outside the museum there is a large statue of one. I’m always a sucker for photographing hands and feet hence the photo above. It’s really no more than a sketch, an exercise, but out of interest I’ve made 2 versions, one in black and white, and one in colour.

Clown 2

Looking at the clown photo from yesterday I decided to return to it for another look. It’s a photo that I am going to stay with but wanted to see what it looked like with the colour removed. Although this version still needs work, I prefer it this way. I certainly like the Stephen King feel.

I am a little bit relieved for this to happen because since arriving in the South Island 2 months ago I have only been able to make images in colour and was beginning to wonder whether my black and white days were over.

There was a long period of time some years ago when I only worked in black and white. My ideal is to be able to work in both ways.

Clown

I went for a walk today along a nearby foreshore, through an area that I had not visited before even though it is only 5 minutes away by car. There is so much to see in Southland. I made a big mistake when I took this residency for 4 months when I could have had it for 6.

I don’t know this area’s history but it is currently under restoration I could see. It’s the kind of saltmarsh that would have been turned into a rubbish tip in the not-so-distant past. There are places like this in Auckland such as Ngataringa Bay in Devonport and Tahuna Torea in Glen Innes.

There were signs, in spite of the extensive planting of flax, akeake and other native flora, that this thinking had prevailed here until quite recently.

Lying around there were plastic bottles in the shape of clowns. Here is a snap of one of them. It does remind me of a late night film that I saw once called something like Invasion of the Killer Klowns. I don’t know what these bottles originally held but I suspect that it was of a lurid colour.

First Church, Invercargill

This beautiful church, done in what seems to be a mixture of Italian and Moorish styles was built in 1915. Surprisingly it is Presbyterian.

I have not yet been inside, partly because I fear that I will be disappointed. I know that at some stage it was modernised and not tastefully.

Invercargill Tudor

This remarkable example was until recently a b & b. Inside it has 4 or 5 bathrooms and 8 fireplaces. The grounds are extensive.

The new owners are friends of mine and have offered to put on a birthday party for me. Understandably I accepted their kind offer without hesitation.


The Catlins

An hour or so by car from here are the Catlins, basically the bottom right hand corner of the South Island. Sparsely populated, much of it heavily forested right down to the coast. It has a rich history, both Maori and Pakeha, much if it savage much of it tragic.

I spent a couple of days there looking for a new photo. I went to the famous Cathedral Caves. At low tide it is possible to walk right through a large point of land, from one side to the other, although it involves negotiating a sharp corner. It’s a dramatic experience although personally I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen if there was an earthquake. I would never be able to be a coal miner.

Here is a photo that doesn’t quite pass but it may give you some idea of what it looks like.

St.Josephs Dunedin

Last weekend I visited Dunedin, a lovely University city about two and a half hours drive away from Invercargill. I was there to attend a function at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, among other things.

I stayed at The Brothers, a boutique hotel which until recently belonged to the Christian Brothers, a Catholic order. It has now been sold to a couple who have turned it into accomodation for travellers. It is the second time that I have stayed there in recent weeks. Apart from its location, I like the way that it has interesting photos on the wall. On the previous occasion my room had two Burton Bros photos on the wall, this time there was a George Chance.

This photo is taken from the balcony. Such interesting architecture I feel, and I quite like this photo too. It may be a keeper.

Most of all I enjoy the feeling of history permeating the building.

Snake

Was at a friend’s house yesterday and saw this intriguing arrangement designed to keep his tv remote away from his two Jack Russells. (They like to chew it.)

It caught my eye immediately, reminding me of a snake charming scene.

The photo is rough, if I was to shoot it again I would put the rope in front of a much cleaner background. I would keep it the same colour though.

I would also use a tripod and make it sharper.

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