Westhaven panorama, summer, from the Kaihoka hills. Alas, panoramas do not suit my new calendar but this scene would otherwise qualify. The stormy drama above, stitched together from two frames, unfolded as we climbed the steep hills of the northern arm of the inlet. Although we anticipated a thorough soaking from the gathering cloud, in fact […]

The ancient parapets north of Te Hapu are of course a natural formation. In this long exposure by moonlight the stars leave trails and a cloud scuds towards the camera. This is the July 2017 image in my new North by Northwest calendar, featuring exclusively Golden Bay scenes from the Top of the South. See […]

Sample image: Nikau palms at Turtle Cove. May 2017 Golden Bay Calendar Although a good number of images in my North by Northwest 2017 calendar are taken on private property, all such locations were farmstays. What farms these are, each a delight to range over. This shattered coastline north of Te Hapu shows many stony […]

Curiosity at Rakopi. Sample image: February 2017, Golden Bay Calendar How much we overlook the photo potential of a misty day! In winter we hardly feel excited at the prospect of working a camera in damp conditions, but in summer there is much to be gained from the softer light and warmer colours. Photographing animals […]

Nelson does not lack mountains – like Taranaki, it’s defined by them – but for all their beauty the region is better known for its coastline and beaches. These vary from sheltered coves to wind-prone arcs, while Nelson’s most exposed beach – Wharariki – is also its grandest. Naturally, it features on the cover of my […]

Moonlit Mordor, from Arawhata Rd, Opunake. 8.57pm, 25 April 2010. My 36 Views of Mt Taranaki has sold out. The book used mainly daylight images, just to prove there’s more than one string to my fiddle. Nevertheless I continue to find twilight and night imagery more interesting because of the larger creative possibilities. This is a Lumix […]

3028. Minor epiphany at Maitai, Nelson. 9.02pm, 25 November 2015 In valleys in summertime the evening can be well advanced before the full moon shows above the hills. To use twilight as well you’ll need to choose the evening just before the moon hits 100% full, when it rises before sunset. It can be fun […]

2860-61. No moon, no worries, 8.49-8.50pm, 26 October 2015 The city by evening can have plenty of light for night photography, either diffused from street lights or reflected by low cloud. So if your moon disappears from view, look for other possibilities. In this case, an unusual streak of light came from student quarters just […]

2866. A pastoral pocket, at night. 8.59pm, 26 October 2015 By twilight I checked out this pastoral slope above the valley of the Henui, within New Plymouth city. A good length of pasture stretches from the river reserve up and over one old pa site to another well preserved one, next to WITT. This part […]

2791 & 2794. Te Henui ti kouka in flower, by moonlight. 25 October 2015 Usually I try to avoid subtlety, but these two images a short interval apart demonstrate the use of flash. In the scene above – the steep flank of an old pa above the Te Henui in New Plymouth – the flash […]

2758. Cool majesty from Waingongoro Rd, Taranaki. 1.47pm, 17 October 2015 Two problems in volcano camerawork are vacant skies and the huge gap in exposure values between the snowy elevations and the green landscape below. Here with patchy cloud and silhouettes is an answer to this creative challenge. Lacking as it does spring lambs (and […]

My 1980 image Shrouds was recently used on the New Zealand banner at the Pingyao International Photography Festival, a big show in which NZ photographers participated under the title: “Collective Passion – Singular Visions, PhotoForum – A New Zealand Legacy”. Over 70 NZ images were shown at the festival, which opened on 19 September at […]

Two more sample spreads, plus the back cover, of my new photo book on New Zealand’s answer to Mt Fuji in Japan. The above image is by moonlight; below, by twilight from the western edge of the city. The back cover photo is from Mohakatino, along the Mokau highway. See recent posts for further details […]

A futile gesture in the top fosse of this stronghold, conspicuous in New Plymouth’s western suburbs. The pa is high but I was sober – indeed the chill sou’wester was sobering, so a hip flask would’ve been welcome. The pa’s history is not accessible online and as it is barely mentioned in the standard works […]

MARCH 2016: Naked mountain, Arawhata Rd; Opunake district In an earlier post I asked “Where are the cows?”, meaning cattle of course, as Taranaki is host to thousand of beef cattle, as well as its emblematic dairy cows. However, these two images are the only nod in their direction in my 2016 calendar – an […]

JULY 2016: Maude Rd moonlight, Kaimiro district Three samples from my new calendar for 2016: 13 Views of Mt Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand. The two below are by daylight but all three aim to show the textures of the Taranaki landscape. The question remains: Where are the cows?? Their surprising absence will be rectified […]

14. Moonlit shroud, Kaitake foothills. Late May My new book, 36 Views, begins with a January scene and takes us through the year to December, from around the mountain. It’s a prototype, short-run edition but I’m impressed with the printer’s efforts – and grateful for daughter Pachali’s input from Wellington. Each photo has its own […]

Two productions launching at the same time! The 49 views are spread between my new photo book (36 Views of Mt Taranaki) and a 2016 calendar, 13 Views of Mt Taranaki. Both are inspired by the famous Japanese works of Hokusai (c.1830) and Hiroshige (1852 & 1858), all issued under the same title, 36 Views […]

8646. Front cover, 2016 Calendar With my new photo book 36 Views of Mt Taranaki to be released shortly, it seemed obvious to have our 2016 calendar feature the mountain too. Not so obvious was the decision not to use anything from the book and to turn the images into fine art monochromes – although […]

2393. Abstract 2: Pukearuhe rockface. 4.06pm, 31 July 2015 My interest in these stripes was partly spurred by my SO’s work in creative fibre, designing woven creations with striking bands of colour. The strong reflections here are in the surface topography. This is very close-up by telephoto standards and the wide f-stop only just copes; […]

Abstract 1: Pukearuhe, north Taranaki. 1.46pm, 31 July 2015 I  have photographed these cliffs before but only occasionally, as they are an hour north of New Plymouth on a side road, and access is strictly tidal. The beach changes from sand to rocks with the seasons, while recent rain makes a difference to the rockface […]

Tic tac toe: your move. Golden Bay, 7 January 2012, 9.33pm When they get bored with pasture, cattle can freely roam these dunes at Kaihoka, but it looked like these ones were pondering their next move in a game of tic tac toe. Taken after sundown, my flash has caught their eyes and added form […]

Moonlit margin, Taranaki. 27 August 2015, 9.50 – 9.51pm In Taranaki a calm, clear night with a waxing moon is not to be ignored – but rather than drive around, I sometimes prefer to walk out and see what turns up, as pastoral peace on the city margins is not too far away. This two-frame panorama of […]

2447. “She’s beaut”, on Carrington Rd, near New Plymouth. 12 August 2015, 5.24pm A large tract of country south and west of New Plymouth is sheltered from the prevailing westerlies by two forested ranges, the Pouakai and Kaitake. Our mountain shows above these hills (sometimes) as one travels in their lee; this is where the […]

2037. Lahar landscape, Stent Rd, Warea. 24 June 2015, 3.24pm Since our return to Taranaki at the end of May I have been preoccupied with a photo project on our local peak, formerly known as Egmont. Mt Taranaki (as it’s now called) is well overdue for a photo book, and why not one to answer […]