Shinrin-yoku

Shinrin-yoku 

This afternoon we went for a wander with the dogs into the local bush. This is sooo good for the soul. In Japan it is called shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing). Here is a link if you want to read more - https://qz.com/804…/health-benefits-japanese-forest-bathing/

Stopping to photograph, especially on a calm day, has many benefits. You start to see and not glance. Instead of looking at your footing you look around. You start to hear more. Native birds start to come by and the songs are stunning.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/6.3, 1/2sec, 100mm, IO-100

I love the comparisons of old and new life. It does remind me how short I have on this planet. The circle of life from being born to fading and dying away. Its a stark reminder of how fragile our lives are and that we must not take them for granted. These leaves are Mahoe and as they slowly decay the bones ie veins of the leaf are the last to be composted back into the earth.

 Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/2.8, 1/13sec, 100mm, IO-100

The crossing of paths between dying and healthy growth. Here I discovered a naturally fallen Mahoe leaf had fallen onto these beautiful lush ferns.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/3.2, 1/125sec, 100mm, IO-800

Our lives are precious and loving the people you know best is important. Don't take them for granted and always make an effort to listen and spend time. It is a beautiful life we have and a gift.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/4, 1/40sec, 100mm, IO-800

The Mahoe tree. Melicytus ramiflorus 

The Maori made his fire by friction, and used te hika ahi, the fire plough, to get his fire.two pieces of wood which had been thoroughly dried were used. One , the kauahi, or lower stick, a piece of Mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), was generally 14 to 18 inches long, 2 or 3 inches wide, and 1 to 2 inches thick. This was very soft wood, and the stick could be used on both sides. Pate (Schifflera digitata) was sometimes used as a kauahi, but Mahoe was much preferred.the other piece of wood used was te hika, the rubbing stick, made from Kaikomako, (Pennantia corymbosa), a very hard compact and durable wood. The stick was scraped down with tuhua (obsidian) or shell, to a rounded point or end.

Te Hika also means “generating stick”, and a man and woman would both take part in generating fire, as both took part in the generation of children. The kauahi or lower stick was kept in position by the woman, while the man worked on the hika, or the generating stick. A small log is placed on the ground, with the lower stick against it. The lower end of the kauahi is held firmly in position by the woman, who stands with her feet on it, and the man kneels at the other end, which is raised up 5 or 6 inches from the ground. He holds te hika firmly, with his thumbs underneath, and his fingers placed flat on the outer part, with his right hand passing over his left. He begins rubbing the lower stick until a groove is formed about 5 inches long. The rubbing is slow at first, then a little quicker, with heavier pressure, until a hollow, a1/4 to1/2 inch deep, is formed, and a minute heap of dust begins to collect at the lower end of the groove. When plenty of dust has been made, the man uses te hika again, working it back and forwards more vigorously and with greater pressure, and the hollow gets hotter. He knows by the smell when the fire will come. The hollow gets darker, and from the heap of dust comes a little smoke, then a little bright spec in the middle.” A kua ka tea hi” the fire has come to life.

Makareti Maggie Papakura: The old time Maori  1938

Andy Thompson

Week 6 Photograph Assignment

This weeks challenge was to get a monochrome image. For this shot, I had to return after the first photo session with Grace. She was super helpful. The first session I did not use a flash and afterwards was not happy with my results. This shot, however, I am happy with! I like the composition with the angled metal Grace is holding and the angle of Graces head offsets this well.

There is a silky silver smoothness to the skin tone. Yet the flash I used gives some contrast and depth to her face. The eyes are crisp and directly focused through the lens and she has a relaxed look about her. I have burnt the outer edge round her head to ensure the bright parts are not distracting. Her hand is slightly out of focus, yet face and eyes are sharp.

Monochrome Portrait Grace Ella

Canon EOS 5D Mark III
f/3.2, 1/1000sec, 85mm, ISO-500

Portrait. Processing in Adobe RAW

Week 5 Photographic Assignment Part 2

Woke up and decided I would change these images to monochrome and greys and I like them way more than in colour. It simplifies the image and gives a much smoother tone on the skin.

Week 5 Photographic Assignment

This weeks task was to get a portrait of someone I did not know well. Key was to capture their personality and authentic look of them. This is a funny task as when I think I have it, as a photographer I start to doubt if I have. You start to not trust yourself. Then you have to say - well actually I did get it!

Portrait 1: Casey

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/3.5, 1/400sec, 35mm, ISO-800

I was first privileged to photograph Casey at work in a kitchen. Wow, he flys around the kitchen fast and I really had to be quick to keep up, sometimes getting an image and often missing the right place and angle. Casey is a very happy, relaxed person and smiles often. It was my first shoot in the kitchen so was getting to know the environment. I used a range of three lenses. However, this was my f/2.8, 16-35mm. I would have prefered the 35mm prime but its what I had. I like this image for the lighting, angle telling the story of what he does and it has Casey looking very natural. Out of about 90 shots, I chose this as the winner.

The following shot shows what a crop can do and how this image is improved. It gives more emphasis and focus on Casey.

Portrait 2: Rob Heath

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/3.5, 1/200sec, 85mm, ISO-800

My 2nd shot was with Rob Heath who is the head chef. Man what a cruisy guy and very competent food specialist. Rob has a wonderful salty beard and that seasoned look about him. He was very willing as a model and the challenge was to capture him at his best and natural. His focus on managing fire and cooking was a skill many would run from. Using my 85mm I struggled to get the right angle and distance. In hindsight I would have used a wider angle, however, I am happy with this result.

Portrait 3 Rob Heath

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/3.5, 1/200sec, 85mm, ISO-800

This shot to me is Rob! He is solidly strong, yet calm and quiet and thoughtful. A slight smile allows that kindness that Rob possesses, yet still has that old salt hardness of years of experience. The foreground allows the story to be told.

Portrait 4 Molly Ellis

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/2.8, 1/200sec, 85mm, ISO-500

I have been lucky to meet Molly at the villager I work at. She is a wonderful, bubbly and very photogenic person with a fantastic personality. What a treat to photograph someone like Molly. Here I tried to change the angle and work with different looks. This shot I used a fill-in flash bouncing the light off the opposite wall to even the light on her face.

 Portrait 5 Molly Ellis

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/1.8, 1/160sec, 85mm, ISO-500

This is my favourite of Molly. It has a slight level of cheekiness! The background compliments her light complexion and bright and happy smile. I could argue the eyes are a bit dark and a fill-in flash could have brought that out. This would have taken away some shadows on her face. Either way, I love the image. 

Well, I have to submit one of these for my assignment. Not really sure which one as I love them all for different reasons. Mostly I have loved doing the images and meeting these amazing people.

Andy

Week 4 Photographic Assignment

The plan this week was to capture  4 images.

• The rule of thirds, with the subject on the intersection of the rule-of-thirds lines negative space in the other three quadrants. 
• Perspective lines going into the distance. 
• Repeated shapes. 
• A canted frame.

All images have been only processed in ACR

The rule of thirds, with the subject on the intersection of the rule-of-thirds lines negative space in the other three quadrants. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/2.8, 1/160sec, 200mm, ISO-160

I chose this one as I thought this best met the criteria. Using a strong 200mm f/2.8 telephoto I knew it would compress the perspective and give me the best chance to produce Bokeh or at least blur out the background. I was concerned about the image taking up too much of the quadrant, however after working a few images think I have come close to what is required. It required me to get low, lying on the grass to get the angle correct. Quite relaxing once your there and sometimes I am happy to relax and just breath in the energy being so near the earth and plants.

Perspective lines going into the distance. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/11, 1/100sec, 16mm, ISO-400

When I started this project I ended up with three final images to choose from. I seemed to struggle to compose an image with perspective lines going into the distance because I could see them everywhere. However, I could not seem to compose something that was pleasing. The amazing part of the journey creating an image, especially when you are looking for a particular image is, images can pop up surprisingly without any planning. This particular one was just that! I was looking across and down in my visions. What attracted me to this image was the light, then this developed in composing. But all through this process, I was not focused on creating perspective lines. When I reviewed my work it struck me that this was the strongest image to select.

Repeated Patterns 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/20, 1/160sec, 24mm, ISO-640

There are so many repeated patterns around us it is overwhelming to try to compose an image that works. Kep elements I used for this image were; creating a sunburst, positions of the vertical lines and linking from where the sun reflects the shadow of the holes across the opposing wall. From symmetrical repeated holes to slanted repeated holes. I also used a tilt/shift lens that enabled me to change my angles. Key also to this image is using a small f-stop and angle to create the starburst.

Canted (Dutch Tilt/Angle) Frame. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

f/13, 2sec, 17mm, ISO-100

This image took me a while to compose in my head and find the right place to create it. Often with my trials, I remembered you still need the four key aspects of any image; Clearly defined subject & background, a point of view, sense of balance and level of simplicity. Creating this image also required to wait for the right person to cross my frame, and as I had the timer set to two seconds, mirror lock, I had to time the image to get the subject in the right place. I like this image because also it depicts a female walking through the alley which provides a level of vulnerability. (Nicley it was well lit and relatively safe, I am pleased to say). This image worked better to convert to monochrome grey tones to simplify and allow the ey to use the leading lines to be taken to the subject and then cast past this to take in where the subject has come from.

Andy Thompson