The fantail

Still working my way through the photos from Nga Manu and of all the shots of the fantail, this one is probably the best and it is not sharp by any means. They flit about from tree to tree so fast and they follow us because we are disturbing the bugs that they like to feed on. I am thinking I am going to need a very expensive piece of glass to get the shot I want with the fantail. That or a huge amount of patience and luck.

I am hoping for some fine weather this weekend so I can get out with the camera again. I haven't been to the zoo in a while, not since they opened "The Nest" anyway. The Nest is the new animal hospital which has glass walls so the public can view the operations they perform. I am keen to have a look at it sometime soon.

The Spotter

I am extremely lucky in that my husband is happy to support my photography. He is also happy to come along with me, carry my gear and generally be a spotter. He will point out things of interest that I might have missed, or if we are looking for something in particular like bugs or birds two pair of eyes are better than one.


Today's image is of one of the cheeky kaka's at Nga Manu. They are so keen to say hello they will literally jump on your head if you let them. Unfortunately the lens I had on my camera ment that I didn't want them that close so it was up to the spotter to distract the bird long enough for me to photograph him. We weren't overly successful in this and I probably should have take the time to change lenses but never mind, there is always next time. It is good being able to get in the avairy with the birds though as it means if you are careful you can get a shot without any cage or netting in it.

Nga Manu Nature Reserve

Not every photoshoot goes to plan and today's one most definitely didn't. The thing is to look for the positives and not dwell on the fact that most of my shots were blurred. The elusive fantail teased me constantly throughout the morning and I still don't have a good fantail image. They are so quick to flit from place to place there's just no time to focus before they are gone again.

This tree (to the left) facinated me with the plants attached to it. It looks like little bears crawling up the tree trunk - very cute. This was shot not long after I had fallen into a hole and got a shoe full of water. I am glad I wasn't on my own because getting out required some tugging. Leaving the track when walking in New Zealand bush is not recommended, even if it is only a couple of steps away.












The next image is a branch of dried seed heads. The bush was covered in them. I didn't notice all the cobwebs over it until I started looking at the photos at home.

There was a lot of fungi about in the bush, it had recently rained and everything was damp. The conditions were good for the fungi to sprout. We came across one of the park staff photographing a fungi on the side of a tree. He took the time to talk to us about what he was doing and why. It was facinating.

I had some fun photographing one bird. To start with he was just standing there watching us, nothing special at all. Then he decided to put on a display for us - I am assuming it was for us because I didn't see another bird there to int erest him in such a way. Perhaps he was just warning us that it was his space and we were intruding, I don't know but it was cute to watch. I am trying to find out what type of bird he is and will update this post when I find it.

Missy

Another friend who likes to model for me is Missy. Initally Missy was very cautious about being in front of the camera and hated almost every image I shot. So I took the time to find out exactly what it was about each image that she didn't like and a pattern started to form. These days she comes to me wanting another photoshoot and loves almost every image. All it took was for me to downplay the things she didn't like in the photo and show her how much better the photos look when she just relaxes and has some fun. The wine helped too!

In the first photo Missy is dressed in a very tight corset and a full net skirt. We were in the middle of a bush track where we found a small waterfall. The water was freezing but Missy was a trouper and we got some amazing photos.

For the images below I was after a grunge type train station thing but the shoot didn't really go as planned. The sun and wind combined were making Missy's eyes water and her makeup run, so we went with that as a theme. Again we got some great shots and had a lot of fun.

Nature Too!

It’s not just people that I like to photograph, I am a keen nature photographer too. Over the past year I have spent a good deal of time shooting butterflies at Butterfly Creek near the Auckland Airport. With cheap airfares available, it’s not a bad day trip from Wellington. The butterfly house is temperature controlled with very high humidity so it can get somewhat uncomfortable if you stay in there too long. I have found that a ten minute break too cool off and I am ready to go back in. I was lucky in that my camera didn’t fog up at all – my glasses were a different matter!














Closer to home at the Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve I have been photographing damselflies. A friend from the Camera Club that I belong to introduced me to them just recently. They are so quick when they are moving that you can easily miss them.














Next weekend we are heading up to Waikanai where there is the Nga Manu Nature Reserve. My aim is to get a good fantail shot while I am there but they are tricky little birds to capture with the camera so I am not sure of my chances.

Introducing Chrissi

Going from one extreme to the other, another friend and willing model, Chrissi, recently visited for a few wines and a play with the camera. Chrissi has been doing burlesque dancing and loves to dress up - so the combination of the two were the inspiration for the shoot.

The first time I visited Chrissi's home I was blown away by some of the stunning images she had on her wall of herself over the years. These were not your normal portrait images either - they were pieces of art that you would be proud to hang on your wall - and she is! Now I visit and smile widely as I look at the wall and see some of my own work hanging there alongside the others. It's a huge compliment and now the challenge is to have more of my images hanging there.

Abigail Elizabeth

One of the joys of being a photographer is that you get to photograph your friends babies when they are really young. Every new mother wants photos of their precious baby and even more so when most of their family is on the other side of the world. So when they have a photographer as a friend it is a win win situation for everyone.


Abigail Elizabeth was 10 days old when these photos were taken last weekend. She is the most placid baby that I have ever had the pleasure to work with - not a peep out of her the entire time. Her parent's had bought along lots of props for the photoshoot and even a contact page of other baby photos that they liked for me to try and recreate.



I have to admit I was a little concerned that my images would not live up to the parents expectations but I decided to just have some fun and worry about that later. It was a lot of fun - each image was just a little bit different to what was planned as it was Abigail who made the images. She is just beautiful and it shows in every shot.