Week 4: Quiet moment

Snatching quiet moments in a busy week at work is always a challenge. And work-life balance is an aspiration and not always a reality! Somehow it’s easier in summer though. I have had my camera (phone) ready for those moments this week. Here are a few of them.

Catwatching….

Relaxing at the end of the day….

Unfortunately, aforementioned cat caught a cicada. Fortunately, it wasn’t too damaged but managed a few photos before it flew away.

Trailrunning allows me to de-stress. Working in different places means I have to travel but also means I get to escape to different trails at the end of the day.

These last two photos are both on the Te Araroa trail just south of Te Kuiti at a wee reserve called Mangaokewa. Beautiful spot.

Week 3: Full Manual

So, I have a wee problem with this one..

I’m not quite ready to get my ‘big camera’ out. Mainly, because it doesn’t have a charged battery and I’m too disorganised to remember to dig it out from the cupboard and charge it! But I’m also snowed under with work and I know that if I’m going to start relearning how to use my camera this week it’s going to mean I have to set aside some time specifically to do that.

Charging the camera is still on the ‘to do’ list (today, I promise), so I’ve been exploring the manual setting on my phone. I only realised it was there recently.

Here are a few of my attempts…

This spider lives in a bell hanging from a tree in our garden. As we sat out playing cards the other evening we spotted him right in the middle of his web. It took quite a few attempts to get him in focus and not the lights. It’s not quite in focus but as near as I could manage! I like the composition and colours.

We have a whirly windmill thing in our garden. Earlier this week, it was blowing a hoolie and so the whirly, windmill thing was whirling like billy-o. I thought I’d have a play and see what happened. I love the effects but there is too much distracting stuff around to make a well-composed photo imho.

Another evening in the garden. Don’t you just love summer? Another play. Try as I might I couldn’t get the lizard’s face in focus… Just too close to the lights.

These black wallflowers in the garden are stunning especially when the bright yellow pollen falls on the petal. But for this one, I was focusing on the pink stamens. (Or are they anthers? I failed biology!) The problem with trying to focus with a phone is that it’s really difficult to hold steady once you think you have it in focus and not move the phone as you press the button. So the pink bits (stamens, anthers…) are not quite in focus but close.

I collected heaps of these shells from the beach in Mahia last week. I spent the morning chipping away at the crusty bits to reveal the nacre underneath. For this photo I wanted to make the nacre sort of glow. I chose the bracken as a backdrop because it makes a good contrast both of colour and texture.

This one ended up being my ‘official’ submission to the Facebook album on the Dogwood Photography page.

Week 2: Colour Contrast

This week’s challenge is all about colour. Looking at what contrasts, what blends, maybe even what clashes to create impact. I love colour so I have plenty of photos to choose from which made to all the more difficult!

This is my shortlist…

Bluebottle jellyfish in the foreground of a beach with a blurred hill in the background

Bluebottle jellyfish on the beach at Mahia.

Brightly coloured statue with stripes of blue, yellow, pink. Water cascading down and overlaid with a statue of Riff Raff

Tongue of the Dog sculpture mashed with Riff Raff in Hamilton.

Bright yellow sunflower against a bright blue sky

Sunflower against a bright blue sky in Hamilton Gardens.

2018: Week 1: Vision, Look Ahead

So, I have decided to challenge myself in a slightly different way this year. Instead of simply recording a photo a day, I have joined the Dogwood Photography Challenge.This gives me a focus for a photo each week. I can only submit one to the challenge page but that doesn’t stop me from posting more on this blog. This week I had two photos to choose from. The theme was Vision: Look Ahead

On a bushwalk in Mahia this week I saw these new shoots pushing through surrounded by skeleton leaves. I found these words from Bryant McGill’s book Voice of Reason;

“Life moves forward. The old leaves wither, die and fall away, and the new growth extends forward into the light.”

Bright green new leaves pushing through old skeleton leaves.

As we drove back along the road we came across this stunning view which also seemed like a good contender for looking forward.

Gravel road in foreground looking out to sea cliffs ahead and blue ocean to the left. Blue sky streaked with light clouds

Where I am is not actually where I am. It’s just a point on the road to where I am going. Who knows what is round the corner?

Which one would you choose to submit?

Rā 363 Rātapu 31 o Hakihea

Hogmanay. Last day of 2017. I know my numbers are messed up..maybe sometime in 2018 I’ll go through and work out where I went wrong! Stole a couple of hours out of preparing for holidays and this evening and headed out to Pukemokemoke. Very happy that I managed to run up, down and round twice in less than an hour! AND I saw this beautiful tui. Not sure yet if I am going to continue with a photoaday … I have another project which is a weekly photo challenge. I might just mix it up a bit!