A tree

 

Who can resist a solitary tree at the top of a hill???

(I think this might have been a wee bit inspired by Six Feet Under…)

The Morning of the Following Day

The girl in front of me
just sniffed her armpit.
She was out dancing last night
and drinking
and met some guy
went back to his place
and took off her clothes
and did the nasty
but they were too drunk
for it to be any good
and the second time
he couldn’t get it up.
This morning she wanted
to puke when she saw
how he held his toothbrush.
She’ll be home soon
and she can stand in the shower
until the water runs cold,
until the stink of it all
is washed away.

Yeah, I was sitting on the bus. And she did. And the story just came as they sometimes do, from out there somewhere. Good thing I had my notepad in my bag…

Oncoming Train

Took the train in to the city the other day, thought maybe I’d get some good blur shots or other interesting bits and pieces. Got home and naaah… the light was flat, no interesting shadows, rather just a bit of gloom. So I took this into photoshop and had a bit of a play with it. Can’t say it’s one of my favourites, but maybe not so bad…

Of course these days, there are so many cool, quick filters out there – not to mention Instragram has pretty much grabbed the square format, this style of imagery is falling out of fashion. Which means photographers will have to rely on taking really great photos in the first place again. Next time I take the train into town, I will coordinate my travel time with the position of the sun (if we ever see the sun again)…

Pretty as an autumn day in Wanaka

I’ve noticed how popular this style of highly saturated HDR has become lately. Not sure why, but something about it rubs me wrong – really, I don’t know why. I certainly have no issues with playing with images so they tell the story I want to tell. So, I decided to give it a go – lovely romantic shot of a small boat on Lake Wanaka.

I still can’t decide if I like it or not. What do you think?

No other way…

Oh yeah… I know you think I’m making this stuff up – but you talk to any of the farmers on the South Island and they’ll tell you it’s all true. Every last pixel.

Toi Toi

Last of the summer grasses… taken last month. It’s called toi toi here, but back when I lived in the States I’m pretty sure we called it pampas grass. I love how it towers and sway and whispers in the evening breeze.

Not much of that these days with winter setting in. Heading down to the south island this week though, I hear they’ve got snow. And morning frosts. And mists hanging in the air over the rivers. Not to mention the Alpine peaks and glistening lakes, roaring fires and views and views and views. I hope to return rested and fit and packing about 1000 brilliant images to help tide me through the dreary days in Auckland…

Suzhou Garden Reflections

Been thinking about memory lately, how fickle it can be, how downright deceptive – and you think you’re being completely honest with yourself. Hah! I remember when ‘facing reality’ was something I could do. Or thought I could.

This image of a Suzhou Garden is completely deceptive…

Trust me – nothing about it is what you might think. Sure is pretty, though, isn’t it?