Caution! Wide Load.

Every picture tells a story.

Every picture also has a story of its own.

Cellphone selfie.     Photo: KAH

With the last post, I went through some of our favourite photos from the first half of our year in New Zealand (Link: Playing Favourites). Looking back at that list, it's amazing to me how much we have seen and done in such a short time. We made a point of stretching our schedule, and our budget, to experience as much as possible. Even with that impressive list, we have barely begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities here. A big part of documenting our life in New Zealand has been this blog, but an even bigger part has been our photography.

Of the two of us, Kari has always been the more naturally talented photographer. I will see her stop to frame and shoot a photo and wonder to myself what the hell she is doing. Only afterward, with the image projected on-screen, do I see what she saw. It was for Kari (mostly) that we bought ever better camera equipment. Despite this, Kari seems to always turn to the camera that is most familiar, her cellphone. She does like to use the DSLR on occasion, but still regularly pulls out her phone ... even when the DSLR is dangling around her neck.

To compensate for my lack of artistic vision, I became a technician. I devoured online photography advice, read blogs, and practiced. I slowly graduated from using the DSLR like a point-and-shoot in full auto mode, to controlling shutter speed or aperture and letting the computer do the rest, to now controlling every aspect of composition and exposure. Along the way, I went from being a strict technician to finding a glimmer of artistic talent. I still copy and mimic what I have seen others do, but I am also starting to become a little more creative on my own.

When we first started, we were using a single zoom lens that covered 28-300mm focal lengths. It's an entry level lens, good for most uses, but doesn't have a great depth of field, doesn't have great glass, and has a relatively slow auto-focus. Even with those limitations, it's far better than any camera/lens combo we previously owned. It suited our needs and we didn't know any better. Eventually, we started looking at picking up another lens, but we weren't sure what to get. Kari likes to do a lot of macro work, so a dedicated macro lens was in the running. Bird life here is amazing, and I was interested in picking up a dedicated telephoto lens in my elusive quest for bird-in-flight photos. I'm not exactly sure why, but in the end we decided on a wide-angle zoom, covering 16-35mm. We bought a (used) professional level lens, and the difference in the glass quality and speed is night and day. I'm already trying to plot a way to replace our other lens!

Shooting in wide-angle has been a completely new experience for me. I'm generally a background and sideline guy, but to use this lens you need to get up close and personal. It turned out to be a great lens for indoor use and street photography, environments where you can't just back away. After a little practice, I'm getting a lot more bold in what I am willing to try. The photos presented here are a mix of 28-300mm and 16-35mm. They represent my favourite photos, whether because of their technique or their subject matter. A few of them are included because of what I learned in the process.

House of Angels

This was one of my first true wide-angle photographs. I had just received the new lens the day before and had played around with it a little, but on arriving in Christchurch I put it to use in earnest. Christchurch was rocked by two significant earthquakes within 8 months of each other in 2010/2011 (Link: Moving Pictures and Signals). ChristChurch Cathedral sits abandoned and derelict, mired in a legal battle over the interests of demolition versus preservation. To get this shot, I had to poke the camera through a section of fence guarded by a police barrier. As I was doing so, a man came up to me and said "People complain about all the pigeons in there, but I like to think of them as angels."

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 24mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Conjunction Junction

Sometimes pictures almost seem to take themselves. We had been wandering around Christchurch with a bit of a time crunch. As we were making our way back to the car, I looked behind me and saw this mural near Cathedral Junction. It was perfectly framed by the narrow street and overhanging streetcar power lines. I had to wait for a break in traffic and sit down in the middle of the street to get this one. I thought Kari and Little Highstead stood by to make sure I didn't get run over in the process, but when I got up and looked around, they were off buying donuts.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 35mm, f/4, 1/200, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Wild Hawgs

I am a bit of an anomaly ... an Emergency Medicine Physician who loves to ride motorcycles. I certainly recognize the inherent danger (they're not called "Donor-cycles" by ED docs for no reason), but I love to ride despite the danger, not because of it. Living here in New Zealand, I haven't had my bikes to ride, and I miss it. I prefer the custom/cruiser style bikes. I especially like the older style of cruisers. Indian Motorcycles has done a great job of bringing that retro look into the modern age. When I saw this row of bikes, Indian in front, I saw the opportunity to blend two of my passions. This photo is a Triumph for me in another way ... I knew that the wide-angle lens would exaggerate dimensions in the foreground and was eager to make that effect work to my advantage.

My biggest disappointment with this photo is that the front wheel and fender are in a bit of shadow. I wish I had thought about using the flash. Apparently, it can also be fixed in post-processing, but with my iPad I am limited to using JPEG files and I don't have PhotoShop or Lightroom.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 17mm, f/5.6, 1/40, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Abstractions

Our crib (slang for vacation home on the South Island) in Akaroa was perched on a cliff edge and had an unbeatable view of the sound. Each morning, we would sip coffee while watching the sun come up and the sound awaken. Each evening, we would drink wine and watch the constellations fall behind the surrounding hills. When we first arrived, I set about continuing to see what I could achieve with the wide-angle lens. I had quite a bit of difficulty getting my toes out of the way when shooting the wooden spiral staircase. The second photo benefited from the keen eye and cropping of a good friend. The final product was my own, but Paul's vision led the way.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 22mm, f/11, 1/2, ISO 3200     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 17mm, f/20, 1/10, ISO 125     Photo: RGH

Little H

In general, LH doesn't like to have her picture taken, and I try to understand and respect that. Like any 11 yo, she is fickle. She definitely does want her picture taken if she strikes a pose. The poses come in two varieties ... hand-stands and utthita hasta padangusthasana. On beaches, lawns, and even cliff edges, she will throw herself into a pose and ask that her picture be taken a dozen or more times until she gets it right. Our photo files are riddled with these pictures. Below are two of my favourites. The third photo she absolutely hates ... and I absolutely love.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 200     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 48mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/6.3, 1/80, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Why The Long Face?

I had seen a photograph somewhere of a New York mounted police officer. The picture was taken with a wide angle lens and the horse's lips practically protruded from the photo. The flared nostrils looked like giant cosmic black holes. The entire picture was distorted by the extreme wide angle and close proximity of the photographer. We had seen a couple of horses along the roadway in Onuku and while I knew I could never recreate the other photo, I did see the opportunity to attempt a variation on the theme. The horse wasn't too happy with me right up close, so I had to get in, get the shot, and get out.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/8, 1/8, ISO 110     Photo: RGH

Great Expectations

The next photos fall into the category of "Way better than I ever hoped or expected". We had been walking around the marai and beach in Onuku, poking around and trying not to be disrespectful. It was a quiet little corner with barely a sound and only wisps of smoke rising from the pipes atop the houses. I was fascinated by the combination of old and new at the marai. There were traditional pou whenua and carvings at the marai with a modern meeting hall and banquet facility directly attached. I shot a few frames with the setting sun, then turned my attention to the beach. The photo with LH sitting on a rock was technically challenging. I hand-held the camera with the shutter open for 2 seconds after telling LH not to move. The result is almost ethereal. It would have benefited from an ND filter, but in another rookie mistake, I didn't have my filters with me.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/20, 1/6, ISO 125     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 26mm, f/22, 2/1, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Runaway Train

Our trip across the Southern Alps on-board the TranzAlpine scenic railway was everything we had hoped it would be. We travelled late in the season, so while the train wasn't completely empty, it wasn't stuffed to the gills either. The outdoor viewing car was a little bit crowded for the first half of the outward journey, but the cold drove most of the crowd back into the enclosed cars. Our return trip from Greymouth was almost empty. It was quite difficult shooting pictures from a jostling train car travelling +100 kph, made doubly so by the smoke and exhaust blowing our way. I did manage to shoot a few frames worth keeping. The photo with the hydro pole flying by turned out exactly how I envisioned it, but I won't reveal how many continuous frames I had to shoot to score just one keeper.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/8, 1/1600, ISO 2000     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 56mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 360     Photo: RGH

Still Life

I have previously mentioned that I do not have a tripod, so all of my photos are shot hand-held (Link: Playing Favourites). That's a little bit of a white lie. I do hand-hold for the vast majority of shots, but I'm not a robot and I can't hold completely still for more than a couple of seconds. For longer exposures, I generally rest the camera on a fence post, a rock, or even a pillow. That's exactly how I captured this photo of the constellation Orion. I rested the camera on a pillow, set the delay timer for the shutter, hit the release, and walked away. For the night-time shot of our house, I did hand-hold the camera but steadied it on a fence post.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 22mm, f/4, 15/1, ISO 2000     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 28mm, f/8, 13/1, ISO 100     Photo: RGH

First in Flight

I have worked relentlessly at obtaining in-flight photos of birds. It is incredibly difficult. I am somewhat limited by equipment ... a maximum 300 mm focal length is not ideal. I can't really blame the equipment, though. Most of my problems are operator error. I often have the wrong lens in place or have the camera set up for shooting something else. By their very nature, birds flying overhead are only fleeting and you generally only have a second or two to respond. I guess I'm just a little slow. That doesn't mean that I haven't had success obtaining bird photos, just that they tend to be around feeders or on the ground (Link: Training Docs Down-under).

I have been trying to capture an image of a Swamp Harrier since we arrived in New Zealand. It's become a bit of a running joke in our family. Every time we go for a drive, they fly at or alongside the car, seemingly mocking me. If I stop, they're gone. Zooming along a back-country road one day, Little Highstead spotted a Harrier sitting on a fence post. I turned the car around and approached slowly, but it was back-lit by the setting sun, so I tried to creep around on foot to position the light at my back. As I approached from this new angle, the bird flew down the road about 30 metres and settled on a new post. I slowly walked toward it only to have it do the same again ... and again, and again. Finally giving up, I had Kari drive and I stuck the camera out the passenger window to capture this image.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 800     Photo: RGH

I did finally manage to get my first in-focus BIF photos just recently. Kari and I had a rare afternoon off together so we went to the beach before Little Highstead got home from school. I spied a couple of South Island Pied Oystercatchers along the shoreline and approached knowing that they would fly away. I set the camera for what I hoped would work and started shooting as soon as they took flight. I do like the solitary Oystercatcher flying low over the surf, but I think I prefer the second photo of a pair of Caspian Terns flying high overhead. There's something about the minimalist nature of that photo ...

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 280     Photo: RGH

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 64     Photo: RGH

Dimholt Road

New Zealand's stark and empty landscape has served as the ideal location for a number of movies, the most famous of which may be The Lord Of The Rings series. With a little bit of planning, and sometimes quite a bit of tramping, we have been able to visit film sites from LOTR, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Samurai, and King Kong, among others. Despite this accessibility, without the magic of post-production, it can be difficult to identify just where the movie was filmed or imagine yourself walking alongside the characters. This is not true when walking up the stream bed bordered by the Putangirua Pinnacles. It was easy to imagine walking the Dimholt Road alongside Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli en route to the Paths of the Dead.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/16, 1/13, ISO 200     Photo: RGH

Floundering

Our experiences turn on the smallest of decisions. We had built up quite an appetite walking the ridges and stream beds through the Putangirua Pinnacles, so headed into Lake Ferry for their famous fish and chips. An interesting aspect of life here in New Zealand is that many restaurants and cafes close in the hours between lunch and dinner. Such was the case with the Lake Ferry Hotel, the only place close-by for a meal. We decided to move on to Martinborough and dinner at a winery, but most of those close by 5pm so we would have to hurry.

The Lake Ferry Hotel sits at the end of the road, beyond which is a dirt track. Kari asked if we could get Taylor (our Suzuki Swift) down there and I was game for giving it a try. The track led to some tidal flats where we saw a man in waders working a gill net. It turns out, he was pulling in flounder (my favourite eating fish). Curious (I had only ever caught flounder by gigging or by hook and line), I spoke briefly with the fisherman's wife standing on the shore. While Kari and Little H played in the loose sand, sifted through driftwood, and hunted for shells, I sat quietly on the bank and took pictures. We missed out on dinner at a winery but had beer and chips (french fries) at the White Swan in Greytown followed by an amazing dinner at Salute.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR @ 170mm, f/14, 1/50, ISO 200     Photo: RGH

Sunsets

Having learned to take the camera with me wherever we go, many of my best photos have been a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Occasionally, and seemingly more frequently, I actually shoot some good photos by design. New Zealand consists of two long, relatively narrow islands. As such, we are never far from the coast. Driving home from Wellington one evening we noticed the brilliant colours in the sky to the west of us. We just knew it was going to be an amazing sunset, so we turned toward Waitarere Beach to watch the day close out. I had an idea of the images I wanted to create before we even got there and I was hoping the circumstances would cooperate. These photos almost didn't happen though. I was wearing nice clothes, including suede shoes, and I was hesitant to walk out behind the receding tide. I managed to find a little area of dry sand and started shooting. Kari and Little Highstead couldn't have been better placed if they had posed there. The colours in this picture are exactly as we saw them ... untouched, and un-enhanced.

Nikon D810 + AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR @ 16mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO 200     Photo: RGH

I'm quite happy with what we have accomplished here in New Zealand, personally, professionally, and as a family. We don't have any more big trips planned locally, although we do have tickets to an All Blacks rugby match and will spend a week in Fiji to escape a Palmy winter. The adventures aren't over ... far from it. We are leaving NZ a month early to travel through Japan and Europe on our way back to the U.S. We purchased a EuRail pass and plan to go where the trains will take us.

My goal for this blog was to try to write a post per week, and I've mostly managed to maintain that pace. I never considered myself much of a writer before taking on this project and have really come to enjoy it ... even when hit by endless days with writer's block. If you have specific thoughts, ideas, questions about where we have been, what we have done, or what I have written, we would be more than happy to hear from you ... and you just might ease my pain.

16mm, f/20, 1/10, ISO 64   RGH

Not fade away ...