Shutter Clicks by Toya

Sandy & Joel's Wedding

2012-01-28T12:12:00.000+13:00

Taituha Family

2012-01-21T10:10:00.003+13:00

Solid Gold Costume Party - Part 1

2012-01-21T09:31:00.000+13:00

Shaycee & Elyse with partners and friends

2012-01-20T07:24:00.000+13:00

Fairies in the clouds...

2012-01-06T15:42:00.001+13:00

Playing with Fairies

2012-01-05T09:14:00.003+13:00

Leaving home...

2012-01-02T13:50:00.000+13:00

Hatched on Dec 20th, less than two weeks later the first chick is leaving the nest.

Riley

2011-12-31T12:40:00.001+13:00

Roses - Wellington Botanical Gardens

2011-12-29T07:11:00.000+13:00

Busy Bumble Bees

2011-12-28T17:05:00.000+13:00

Wellington Zoo

2011-12-26T20:33:00.000+13:00

Green Iguana

Sally and Beni

Burlesque

2011-12-17T13:42:00.000+13:00

Peacock

2011-12-16T12:00:00.000+13:00

Kea

2011-12-11T16:21:00.003+13:00

These photos were shot at Staglands Wildlife Park in Upper Hutt. They are by far the best Kea images I have managed to capture in a very long time.

The End

And some more...

2011-12-06T12:12:00.000+13:00

Retro Kitchen Fun

2011-12-05T12:02:00.001+13:00

A recent wedding...

2011-11-29T13:16:00.000+13:00

Zealandia - Nov 2011

2011-11-20T17:42:00.002+13:00

Tuatara

"I can fly!"

Young Bellbird

Adult Bellbird

Tuatara

Falcon in flight

New Chrissi images - Part 2

2011-11-14T14:08:00.001+13:00

New Chrissi images - Part 1

2011-11-14T14:06:00.000+13:00

Olivia-Rachelle

2011-11-13T08:34:00.001+13:00

The Ibis

2011-11-06T13:23:00.000+13:00

Kookaburra

2011-11-05T18:31:00.000+13:00

Barn Owl

2011-11-05T09:07:00.000+13:00

Gruesome

2011-11-05T08:52:00.000+13:00

Water Dragons

2011-11-03T12:01:00.000+13:00

These "Water Dragon" lizards were running free on the ground at all the wildlife parks we visited in Queensland, Australia. All shapes, sizes and colours and heaps of them. I couldn't get closer than about a metre to them, they take off so quickly when startled. They tolerated the cameras from a distance but if you got too close they were off!

Trees

2011-11-02T10:20:00.000+13:00

Birds of Prey

2011-11-01T12:25:00.001+13:00

More from Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

2011-11-01T12:11:00.000+13:00

Australia Zoo

2011-10-27T22:04:00.001+13:00

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

2011-10-26T21:03:00.000+13:00

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - Brisbane

2011-10-24T20:46:00.000+13:00

Free Runners

2011-10-14T18:58:00.000+13:00

These guys were not the easiest to photograph. It was bright morning sunlight and thre were about 40 odd photographers all trying to get the same shot. The boys started out on the roofs of the buildings and ended up doing tumbling on the lawn. Regardless they were very fast!

And some more...

2011-10-12T19:24:00.000+13:00

Brookland Zoo, New Plymouth

2011-10-10T20:21:00.000+13:00

Free flight avairy at Viginia Lake, Wanganui

2011-10-09T21:52:00.002+13:00

Te Rewarewa Bridge

2011-10-09T21:21:00.002+13:00

Early morning on the mountain

2011-10-08T11:47:00.002+13:00

Heretaunga Park

2011-10-01T20:54:00.001+13:00

Spring is definitely in the air at Heretaunga Park right now. Everywhere you look there are ducklings. They were happy to sit around near the children playing in the park and happy to have me photograph them. It wasn't until a dog came bounding past that they decided that being out in the water with mum and dad was the best place to be.

I was quite delighted to see these little black and white ducklings. This family of ducks are Putangitangi, or Paradise Shelducks and the ducklings are just gorgeous. They were a little more skittish than the others but with a dog on the other side of the stream they decided that I was the lessor of the two evils. Both parent birds were extremely protective of their young.

Pauatahanui Inlet

2011-09-30T07:02:00.002+13:00

We often drive around the Pauatahanui Inlet on our travels North, and each time we go past there is something different to see. Sail boats can often be seen in the distance, people on wind sails are often there skipping over the surface of the water. Sometimes the water is incredibly chopping and other times it is still like a mirror reflecting everything around it. Of course most of the times I have seen this I haven't had a camera on me and have missed the shots.

Just recently we drove past and while the water was not totally still, there were reflections visible and I did have a camera in the car, so we took the time to stop and wander for a bit. Landscape photography has never been one of my strong points. I struggle to get what my eye sees, into the final picture. I do envy those who manage it well and often wonder if the difference is in the post processing but I suspect not.

So while I will have the odd attempt at landscapes, to date I don't have many that I am entirely happy with. I guess the passion just isn't there as much as it is when there is a bird or animal of some kind in the shot. Why is it that something that is for the most part just sitting there waiting to be photographed always end up being the hardest shot to obtain?

This bird was so busy feeding himself that he didn't notice me standing on the bank photographing him. I managed to get my mirror image though not of the landscape, and I am happy with the results.I really should stick to what I know :)

Another day at Zealandia

2011-09-04T17:21:00.003+12:00

Over the last few weeks there have been several really great images of the New Zealand falcon posted by Hutt Camera Club members on Facebook . Being a keen bird photographer I asked where the images were shot and promptly took myself there as soon as I could. It turns out that the falcons are currently nesting at Zealandia and it is possible to get reasonably close to them. So a friend and I ventured off to have an attempt at getting our own great images of them.

New Zealand Falcon

The falcons share nesting duties and typically swap places on an hourly basis. Of course the first day we were there they were obviously unable to tell the time! We stood around and waited for the change over for about two hours before giving up. On our second trip the following week I managed to get these shots. The falcons have hatched one chick this year, I am keen to see it when it leaves the nest.

New Zealand Falcon

Further down the path the New Zealand robin (see previous post) was hoping about in the branches along the side of the path so we stopped and photographed that too. While we were with the robin a couple of saddlebacks played around in the bush beside us, staying just out of reach of the cameras. The saddlebacks are very hard to capture as they move about so fast and in areas where there is little light.

Saddleback

The feeding stations are great places to stop and photograph the birds. The kaka are particularly fun to watch as they prance about doing their thing. They are just so busy and boisterous, and you can see a very distinct pecking order of the birds around the feeding station. The smaller birds stayed back and waited their turn or scavenged off the ground, letting the kaka and tui have their fill first.

Bellbird

Kaka

I have been to Zealandia many times and never until this visit had I managed to see the tuatara out. I was definitely excited to see on the notice board that someone had spotted them just an hour before so hurried to the right number post and there it was. Unfortunately its position next to a plastic drainage pipe was not great for photography (see previous post) but I saw the tuatara!! On my next visit the same tuatara was out in the same spot still next to the plastic pipe!

Pied Shag

We also took the time to ride in the little electric boat they have there. This gave me the opportunity to photograph the pied shags without needing a huge piece of glass on my camera. The shags are quite used to the boat moving around and happily posed for the photos. We were also able to get almost underneath the tree they were nesting in. One doesn't want to get right underneath for obvious reasons...

Pied Shag

Pied Shags Nesting

Zealandia

2011-08-21T19:07:00.000+12:00

Snow in Trentham, Upper Hutt

2011-08-17T07:16:00.000+12:00

These were taken around my house over the last few days. Snow in Trentham is extremely rare and in the 13 years I have lived in Wellington I have never seen it like this before.

Chrissi

2011-08-08T07:11:00.000+12:00

Monkeying around

2011-08-07T17:32:00.000+12:00

Pigmy Mamosets, Baboons, Chimps and lots of bright sunshine

Reflections and other things

2011-07-26T17:52:00.000+12:00

Phoenix Flame

2011-07-19T12:18:00.002+12:00

Sadie Von Scrumptious

2011-07-18T19:32:00.000+12:00

Playing with photoshop

2011-07-17T08:54:00.000+12:00

Frolic Lounge July 2011

2011-07-15T12:05:00.001+12:00

Chrissi

2011-07-10T17:16:00.001+12:00

Rainy day wedding

2011-07-10T08:21:00.000+12:00

Wellington Zoo on a rainy day

2011-06-19T14:35:00.000+12:00

Volcanic Ash Sunset 13th June

2011-06-14T08:14:00.000+12:00

Sunset

2011-06-12T19:06:00.000+12:00

Dawn breaking

2011-06-11T14:12:00.000+12:00

And some more...

2011-05-19T17:24:00.000+12:00

Today at the zoo

2011-05-19T15:40:00.000+12:00

Emperor Tamarin

Pygmy Marmoset

Morepork

Red Panda

Doing the tourist thing...

2011-05-18T19:58:00.000+12:00

I have family staying, so we have been out doing the tourist sites. Today was Zealandia and the Botanical Gardens.

Lines everywhere...

2011-05-11T12:27:00.000+12:00

More lines

2011-05-10T12:08:00.000+12:00

Lines

2011-05-07T17:29:00.001+12:00

I have been getting migraine headaches that alter my sight. Just before they come I get lines in my vision - everywhere I look there are lines and I can't get away from them. They never seem to last more than 15 minutes or so but they have made me way more aware of just how many lines there are around us.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T10:39:00.000+12:00

This Easter weekend we stayed at home and had the family come visit us. It was great to catch up with them all. We shopped and gave Dan a makeover, we played scrabble (on a board with tiles!), we played cards and drank wine. We went out for dinner together one night and had fish and chips the next, caught a train (bus) to Wellington and wandered around Te Papa - its amazing how much you can fit into a couple of days. I can see a trip to Brisbane sometime in the future!

We didn't quite manage a full family group photo but there's always another year or three, but I am happy with the photos I did get. These are a selection of them.

Wellington Waterfront

2011-04-23T23:27:00.001+12:00

After the rain has gone...

2011-04-17T15:10:00.000+12:00

White flowers

2011-04-05T12:10:00.000+12:00

I have no idea what these flowers are but they are growing amongst my fushia garden and are very pretty at the moment. Each year there are more of them and each year the white display is more impressive.

A C A C I A spells ME!

2011-04-04T12:11:00.003+12:00

Acacia came visiting on the weekend. She is just five years old and we were spelling her name. When we asked her what it spelt she said "ME!"

Barton's Bush

2011-04-03T18:49:00.000+12:00

Went for a short wander into Barton's Bush this afternoon. I was hoping for birds but instead I found fungi. The birds were there, I could hear them but they were hiding from me in the high canopy.

More from yesterday...

2011-04-03T08:49:00.000+12:00

The colours of Autumn

2011-04-02T18:26:00.000+13:00

Late afternoon on the last day of daylight savings in Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt. The colours of Autumn are almost everywhere you look.

Rainbows and wind...

2011-03-27T10:27:00.001+13:00

Every wedding is different, as is the weather. One day it is brilliant sunshine and the next it is raining. However all is not lost, with rain comes rainbows and clear haze free skies. These images were taken during light rain, gusty winds and failing light but still the results are great!

Tying the knot

2011-03-26T10:10:00.000+13:00

Yesterday saw us at Gear Homestead in Porirua photographing the marriage of Hannah and Carl. We had a really enjoyable time with this couple and their family and friends. The weather was perfect (if a little bright) and everything went to plan. Here is a few of the images from their special day.

Up Close and Personal

2011-03-25T07:40:00.000+13:00

The pelicans at the zoo are always in the same places and the photographs always look the same. So this time I thought I would try for a different angle on a pelican shot. I hope you enjoy them :)

Peek a boo

2011-03-22T12:15:00.000+13:00

You may have noticed that I have enlarged the size of the images on my blog. I have done this because sometimes it is hard to see the detail in a small picture, and I want you to be able to see it all! Today's images are more from the trip to the zoo last Saturday. The chimp enclosure is rather good for photography when the chimps co-operate - however they do like to hide their young. Note the little hand and foot to the side of the chimp in most of the images.

Dahlias

2011-03-21T12:20:00.001+13:00

Had some time to spare on the weekend and a garden full of dahlias caught my attention.

Obstacles

2011-03-20T09:20:00.002+13:00

As a photographer I often find the bird exhibits at the zoo very frustrating. I understand why they can't have glass for the viewing area of the birds(they would fly into it and hurt themselves), but that doesn't make it any easier to photograph them. Walk in avairies are so much better! However I have found a way to shoot through the wire netting and still get an acceptable image. I might look a bit silly when I am doing it but the result isn't bad.

Captive

2011-03-19T17:32:00.001+13:00

It was a beautiful day in Wellington today and after a few meetings in the morning I decided it was time to get out the camera, so we headed off to the zoo. Wellington Zoo is constantly changing and even though we go there often there is always something different to photograph.

These photos are from one enclosure - the baboons. Usually I shoot then through the glass viewing window but today they weren't co-operating and were no where to be seen. Well not close enough to photograph well anyway. I was just about to give up when I noticed a couple of feet up against the wire netting further down the enclosure.

While I was busy focusing on the old pair of feet and hands, my ever patient husband pointed out that just a few feet to the right there was a cute little baby baboon imitating the bigger one. Normally I would go out of my way to avoid having the cage or netting visible in the image but today it worked. I have entitled this post "Captive" because it is what they are.

Artwork

2011-03-16T18:08:00.001+13:00

As a photographer I like to get that perfect image in camera, however that is not always realistic. The lighting, weather, surroundings, people, any number of different variables can affect how the shot turns out, which is why we often need to do some post processing on the images. Now I am working on taking some of my images just that little step further and changing them from photos to artwork. I had a bit of a play this afternoon using some images from past weddings, the results are below. Firstly there will be the original and then the after effects.

Before

After

Before

After take one

After take two

Hot Stuff - Fetish Shoot

2011-03-08T12:15:00.001+13:00

In stark contrast to the photoshoot with Claire, these photos of Chrissi were from Saturday's fetish shoot. Many of the images are not suitable for this blog but I will share a few. Props for this shoot were a roll of black pallet wrap and a roll of danger tape. What more does one need? Enjoy!

Forever friends

2011-03-06T20:17:00.001+13:00

During our lifetime we make a lot of friends, some stay a little while, others longer. But there is always one or two that are 'forever friends'. Claire, the lovely lady in these images is one of my forever friends and it was a pleasure to photograph her this weekend. She has been working in Christchurch this last week and called in to see us on her way back to Hamilton. Amazingly she said she didn't feel many of the shakes down there during her stay. I guess some people just aren't tuned into to them.

Claire's hair was in a style that she particularly wanted for this photoshoot. She has a 'big' birthday coming up soon and wanted a photo of how her hair might have looked if she was this age in the year she was born. She asked me late Saturday afternoon if I could find a hairdresser willing to work on Sunday morning - a long shot but she thought she would ask. As it happened she was extremely lucky and her hair was done by Fiona Knapman. Not only did Fiona say yes to our request but she was on our doorstep at 9am and this after being up all night with a sick child! Now thats service!

So the photos got taken and Claire has caught yet another plane home to Hamilton. We might not see each other for another six months or so but we remain (and always will do) forever friends.

2 Minutes Silence

2011-03-01T13:26:00.001+13:00

Today the country stopped for two minutes as a sign of respect for those who lost their lives in the Christchurch February 22 earthquake. This event has touched almost everyone in one way or another and some of the images that are being shown are heart breaking. I looked down the road that I work on during the two minutes when we all stood outside and almost every business down the road had staff standing outside in the rain with us - it was quite a site.

Todays images were shot on the weekend at the Pauatahanui Inlet. I have chosen them today because they are quiet peaceful images. They just seem to fit with the moment.

More from Whitford

2011-02-20T16:57:00.001+13:00

I am a little disappointed in the photos I took at the Whitford Bird Garden, it was very dark and the lens I was using just wasn't up to the task. That said I have some more to show you today. There is one of a very deadly plant - one touch and it can kill you with anaphylactic shock depending on how alergic you are to it. It is far enough off the track that you really would have to seek it out to touch it, but definitely not a plant I would like to have in my garden.

Ongaonga or Tree Nettle

When we were being shown around the gardens by Blake, I asked him if he had any frogs in the pond. I am still wanting to get a shot of a frog peeping up through weed in a pond. Before our hour was up, Blake was back with a net and in it was a frog for us to photograph. Now that is customer service!! The frog was lucky to escape being run over by the lawn mower.

If there was one bit of advice I would offer to visitors of this garden it would be to use insect repellant. I didn't and I have big red blotches all over my legs. The mosquitos were large and vicious and they seemed to like my blood the best - none of the others with us got bitten at all - my legs on the other hand look like a bad case of chicken pox and itch something chronic!

Whitford Bird Gardens

2011-02-17T19:52:00.002+13:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted but we have been kind of busy with family stuff. We are currerntly in Auckland for a few days on route to Dargaville again and found some time to visit the Whitford Bird Gardens. This was an amazing wee place that was really interesting to visit. It is very obvious that the owner Blake Twigden (an amazing artist) has a passion for his gardens and the wildife within. Below are some of the images from today - I will post some more over the next few days when I have the time.

Frolic Lounge - Burlesque Show

2011-02-08T15:34:00.001+13:00

Miss La Belle being interviewed by Sadie Von Scrumptious

Backstage

Last Saturday night saw us at Frolic Lounge - a burlesque showcase from a graduating students from Miss La Belle's Burlesque dance school (don't forget to check her website!). Never having been to one of these shows I really wasn't sure what I was in for photography wise and being the 'official' photographer of the night I wanted to do my best for the ladies. The lighting was pretty dire (from a photographic point of view) and the venue has seen better days but once the ladies stepped onto the stage all of that was forgotten.

I got to see 'behind the scenes' while the ladies were busy getting ready for the show. Nerves a plenty and pasties being frantically glued in place. It was an extremely hot evening and that made it very difficult to get the glue to stick to skin. However the show must go on and pastie or no pastie the dancers continued.

We were treated to delightful corsets, stockings, gloves, feather boas and so much more as each of the six dancers did their solo acts. The highlight of the night for many would be when those pesky pasties just wouldn't stay stuck and instead of twirling they flew away! The art of tease is still alive and these dancers showed us just how it's done. It was a most entertaining show!

I am looking forward to working with some of the burlesque ladies again and hopefully I can do some really cool pin up photographs with them. This is an area of photography that I am finding really challenging and until I have that 'perfect shot' I will continue to work at whenever the opportunity arrises.

A fine day for a white wedding!

2011-01-23T18:33:00.001+13:00

Yesterday we headed up to Levin to Tatum Park to photograph the wedding of Rebekah and Kyle. It was raining when we left the Hutt so a quick count of umbrellas was in order 'just in case'. Thankfully the rain held off and the umbrellas stayed in the boot of the car.

Rebekah and Kyle had some amazing cars to transport their wedding party and wanted some specific photographs taken with them. The bright colours of the cars make for vibrant images that catch your attention.

We had a lot of fun photographing this lovely couple and their family and friends. We wish them all the best for the future and hope they enjoy their photos as much as we had fun taking them!

Dragonflies and Damselflies

2011-01-15T21:32:00.001+13:00

This morning I visited the Auckland Botanical Gardens as we had some time to spare before our flight home. We headed straight to the wetland area to see if there were any dragonflies about. There were too! However the dragonflies (larger than the damselflies) were hovering and flitting about way out of the reach of my lens. The damselflies were a bit easier. I spotted a little red one on a flower and it posed nicely for me. The larger blue one (I think it is a damsel but it might be a small dragonfly) was much harder. He seems to flit about in a regular pattern and was very territorial. Very hard to photograph a moving object that never stays still!

Taking a break on a flower

Hovering over the water

Wings constantly moving!

Auckland Zoo

2011-01-14T20:27:00.002+13:00

A very disappointing trip to Auckland Zoo today. It was really hot and most of the animals were in hiding. The most disappointing bit was that we paid $20 each to get in and half the zoo is closed for renovations and maintenance. If they are going to close stuff off they should reduce the price you have to pay. Very disappointing, I am glad I didn't make a special trip up from Wellington to see it.

Bay of Islands - Day Twelve

2011-01-13T15:17:00.001+13:00

We have been trying to get to the Parot Place for a while now and today we finally managed it. From the outside it doesn't look like much but inside there are birds everywhere! They have some birds just flying free and others in avairies. There are two large walk-in avairies where we were able to get up close to the birds.

Bay of Islands - Day Eleven

2011-01-12T20:53:00.001+13:00

Thank you to Pukeko for identifying our little bird. It is a Grey Warbler.

Today we really did nothing much at all. Stayed around the house and relaxed, even read a book for a while. The images today are what I see when I look out the window - a lovely rimu tree. If I look beyond that there are the boats and the bay, but today's focus is on the tree.

Identify?

2011-01-11T19:20:00.001+13:00

Here is another little bird that I don't know. It feeds of nectar or flowers and is smaller than a sparrow - about the size of a waxeye. Can anyone shed any light on it?

Waitangi

2011-01-11T19:08:00.001+13:00

A couple more shots from Waitangi. It's not often you see a tui on the ground but this one was hopping along in front of us for a bit so we took advantage and photographed him.

Bay of Islands - Day Ten

2011-01-11T12:26:00.002+13:00

We went for a walk around Waitangi this morning looking for native birds. It's funny but when I am looking for fantails I can never seem to either find them or get a good shot of them. When I am not wanting fantails hey presto there they are and they are happy to pose for me. Bizarre. This morning I managed to get a couple of tui and lots of fantails. This is the best of the bunch.

Not sure what we are doing this afternoon, so watch this space - there could be more tocome.

Bay of Islands - Day Nine

2011-01-10T21:52:00.001+13:00

This morning saw us heading off to the parot place where they are supposed to have a large walk in avairy. Unfortunately they are closed Monday and Tuesdays so we ended up heading back home again. Later in the afternoon we found Aroha Island who have a lot of native birds etc. We walked the entire island in about 40 mins and really didn't see a lot of bird life, but they tell us it is there somewhere.

Bay of Islands - Day Eight

2011-01-09T20:38:00.001+13:00

This morning we headed back to Whangarei to visit with friends. While there we went to the Quarry Gardens (really pretty gardens in what used to be a quarry) and to the Canopy Walk where we saw some rather large Kauri trees. I spotted another shining cuckoo while we were there but it was a major tease and stayed just far enough away that I couldn't get a clear shot of it.

I did find this little fantail to photograph. He didn't spread his tail into a fan so it's not obvious that he is a fantail. I suspect he is a very young bird because he had a lot of fluff about his face. Very cute!

Bay of Islands - Day Seven

2011-01-08T21:49:00.001+13:00

Today was a rest day, we stayed at the house the entire day. I know my feet certainly appreciated the break, they have been pretty sore from all the walking and climbing etc. Todays images were taken in the back yard, the dogs are Oscar and Amber who belong to my brother-in-law. We were dog sitting today while the others went out for a dive.

Bay of Islands - Day Six

2011-01-07T22:06:00.002+13:00

We woke to rain this morning but it didn't last long. A fine sunny day and then rain again in the evening. I revisited a couple of the waterfalls today with my mother who had come up for a visit, so more waterfall photos. We also got to eat freshly smoked fish for dinner this evening - straight out of the smoke house.

Bay of Islands - Day Five

2011-01-06T16:40:00.001+13:00

It is soooo hot here today and extremely muggy. We are all tired from a day out on the boat fishing. We had a dolphin encounter on the way out to the 'hole in the rock', below are a couple of the images from it. They were chasing the boat and playing in its wake. I can't do any more right now because the laptop is overheating.

Bay of Islands - Day Four

2011-01-05T15:49:00.001+13:00

This morning we headed up to Kerikeri and Rainbow Falls. These are a few of the shots I took there. Tomorrow we are going out in the boat so there should be something other than waterfalls to see :)

Whangarei Falls

2011-01-04T21:24:00.001+13:00

Today we drove and drove and drove. A trip down memory lane for my husband's parents was the order of the day so we drove to Dargaville and back. On the return trip we stopped in at the Whangarei Falls and caught up with a couple of old friends. Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a rest day, so any photos will be local to where we are staying.

Bay of Islands - Day Three

2011-01-04T06:48:00.001+13:00

Sunrise this morning taken from the deck of the house we are staying in. Five minutes later it was all over and a light mist rolled in over the bay.