Kotare & Kereru

This photograph of kotare, the kingfisher, was kindly sent to me a day or so ago by Paul Ward. I've never met Paul, but was intrigued to see this image amongst the other bird photos that he sent to me.

It of course, reminds me of a photo that I took a few months ago. Of Kereru, the pigeon. Paul's photo was taken a couple of years before mine.

Sand Sculpture
On a nearby beach, fresh water trickles its way toward the sea, and in the process leaves these formations. I'm struggling so far to make a photo that successfully carries my experiencing of the structure but I will keep looking. This is my second visit. There is some urgency as the structure may disappear.

TUI

A couple of years ago a carpenter built me a bird-feeding table on my balcony. Jutting out over a valley it is a convenient cat free site, that quickly enticed birds of many varieties. After a few months however I decided to see if any tui would come and feed off a syrup, one cup sugar to one litre of water, that I was leaving for them.

For more than a year I had no luck even though tui were coming into nearby trees. Two or three months ago the first tui began visiting. After another month or so later there were two, and now there are four. I can approach to within about 3 metres of them, although they are getting tamer. The photo above was taken this morning.

Two weeks ago I was concerned when I noticed a rat sitting in the sugar container, it's tail draped over the side. The night before I heard one running across the ceiling of my bedroom so it was not a total surprise. It was not myself that I was concerned about but the birds who might nest in my garden. Rats are such agile climbers that few nests would be safe. I laid poison several nights in a row but it has it has taught me that I should lay bait using a proper dispenser, on a semi-permanent basis. I want this to be a sanctuary and I have planted a couple of hundred native trees, many of them providing food for birds.

I would like to make a portrait of a tui, they have such strong faces. I believe that if I could set up a plain background behind the feeding container perhaps I could succeed. I would want to be close, although a very long telephoto would be interesting to try. I don't have one at present. A camera that could be fired using a remote I would also like to experiment with.

However, at present I'm working on gaining the confidence of these visitors. I don't always leave food out, I bring it in at night, for example. I do this so that the birds associate me with food thereby seeing me as a friend. It is touching to see one or two on the table, waiting for me in the morning.

As far as I know, tui are the only NZ birds that can to be taught to 'talk'. I heard a most chatty one at Mt Bruce, in the Wairarapa. Certainly Maori trained and prized them for their abilities to recite. They also used tui as a food source.

PS. Next day. A visitor to my site has kindly sent me a link to the Whangarei Bird Recovery Centre where they has a tui called Woof Woof. Here are some videos of him saying a few phrases in what sounds like a NZ Pakeha accent.

Tom Hutchins

Recently, in Auckland, Tom Hutchins died. When, in the late 70's, I was beginning as a photographer, Tom was of considerable help to me. At that time, unlike now, workshops were popular and I met him when I went to a couple at Elam School as Fine Arts, then as now, part of Auckland University, although much changed, whether for the better history will decide.

I never knew him very well but he was a encouraging teacher. I don't remember him ever commenting on my work, or even giving me technical tips. What he gave me was more important. He gave me encouragement. And he gave me the example of his life. He was one of the very first individuals that I had ever met, who used his camera with a belief that his work could, in some way, make the world a better place.

Unfortunately, he took early retirement in 1981 and I never saw him again. Thank you Tom.

Philodendron

Recently I wrote a posting about how Matisse had a large number of Philodendrons and used them as a motif in his work during the later years of his life.

I wrote about my photograph of a Philodendron elegans leaf, or at least part of it. In the illustration above, it is the top right hand corner illustration. Elegans is now quite rare, seemingly having fallen out of fashion as plants do. It's a pity because, currently at least, it is one of my favourite Philodendrons.

According to the Shorter Oxford, the word is from the Greek philo, to love, and dendron, trees, referring to its fondness for climbing trees when given the opportunity.

LIFE

Following my previous posting about the influence that LIFE magazine had on the development of my photographic taste, and frequent references that I make to camphones, a friend has sent me this picture.

The Three Sisters

Puke Ariki, our local museum has this striking display. (although I admit I have Photoshopped out some labels on the rocks in order to clean up the image a bit). In the foreground is the skeleton of a dolphin, and in the background we have The Three Sisters which are about and hour north of of New Plymouth and of course a local treasure. About 4 years ago I photographed them.


Within a month the middle one, known as the 'skinny sister' collapsed into the sea so I was fortunate to see it. At the time I was forming a trust, so it became The Three Sisters Trust.

Roots.

Today I photographed these on a track in Pukekura Park, about 10 minutes walk away. I've probably photographed these exact same roots about five times now. I always stop and look at them when I pass by. If you asked me to explain why I would struggle. I feel that sometimes I photograph something in order to see what it looks like when its been photographed. In this photo's case, it feels a step on from the previous one of which I am glad. Right in the centre there seems to an area that is glowing. i like that part.

The photograph below is about four years old. Even though superficially the subject matter is close to the previous one, they feel different in their concerns, their flavour. A friend told me about how he had seen these particular roots and how he thought I would like them. He was right. They remind me strongly of extreme dentistry of which I've had lots. I liked the image and exhibited it a couple of times.

Tui

This is the foot of a dead Tui. I found the body of one that had flown into window glass. Maggots did their work and and after a week or so and some superficial cleaning from me, I've got to this stage with the carcass, as shown in the photos below. I've made a black and white version of the top photo just in case something different is revealed.

I'm reluctant to go any further with cleaning this skeleton because at present I'm enjoying how it is fossil-like, reminiscent of a Pterodactyl. I've been taking it slowly just in case there is an image somewhere in there. Looking at the Tui's legs did encourage me to have another look at some hawk's feet that I have. Here is one of them.

Mt Taranaki

Puke Ariki, our museum here in New Plymouth, has an arresting 3 or 4 minute video on loop. It shows the volcanic history of Mt Taranaki and describes the effect various eruptions have created eg thick suffocating ash everywhere. Trees have been found on the side of the mountain that still have rocks from the last eruption stuck in their branches. The lower image, dated minus 250yrs, indicates how active the maunga is. I hope we get some warning. New Plymouth could be the new Pompeii.

One particularly unattractive effect after an active period of eruption, is that large tracts of surrounding land, can slump.

I was strolling through the museum today and snapped these shots with my camphone.

I didn't take the photos just because of the content. I like the shapes.

Edward Bullmore's Launch

For the third Sunday in a row the Sunday Star Times has had a stamp sized photo of mine published at the bottom of page 3. The images are embedded in advertisements for forthcoming auctions. Here is last Sunday's, this time an image from 1993. The estimate on it is $6000-$10,000.

When Edward Bullmore was teaching in Tauranga he kept this boat on one of the Rotorua lakes. It is called Honeypot.

I must admit, next Sunday I am going to the dairy to buy a paper.

Falling Soldier

An artwork that has really stuck to me over the last 10 days is this Lego piece by
Marcos Vilarno. I came across the image on a posting on overthenet and since have found myself thinking about it often. I had never heard of this artist before.

About 10 years ago I was in Denmark and visted Legoland. Magically, It was snowing delicately during my visit. I have a few negatives from that occasion that I have not yet printed, but here is one that was. I put it in because It seems to match the image above, the juxtaposition reminding me of Gallipoli stories.


Below is the Robert Capa photo that Marcos Vilainos is quoting, taken during the Spanish Civil War and dated Sep 15, 1936. I was bought up on Capa's work, seeing it published often to illustrate the theme of war. The popular Life magazine published his photos and those of many others and luckily, when I was a boy, it was a magazine that often turned up in our home. It has turned out that Life was an important part of my photographic education.

Capa was killed in 1954, in Vietnam, while covering a battle between French soldiers and the Viet Minh. The film that was in his camera was developed and some images taken a moment before he stepped on a landmine, have been published posthumously.

This is a Capa cover for Life, 1938. This time a Chinese soldier at a time when China was under attack from Japan.