Peter Peryer

2012-01-17T21:17:00.002+13:00

Patu Muka

Last weekend, Puke Ariki,
the museum here in New Plymouth,
brought some maori
stone tools out from storage so that
visitors could pick them up,
and generally come to appreciate them more.

Many of them were Patu muka,
from patu which is a word
for clubs of various sorts and
muka which is the word for
flax fibre.

These implements were used
to pound the flax leaves as a way
of extracting the fibre which was
an invaluable resource, used in many ways.

Personally I found it a rich experience,
so much so in fact that I went twice.

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000+13:00

Passionfruit

I took this photo almost two years

ago and have only just

resurrected it.

Yesterday I put it on

my Facebook page

without any attached comment.

I was surprised at the level of response

and it's made me

look at it again.

An interesting point about

passionfruit, this South American plant,

is that the name comes

from the flower whose parts

were thought by missionaries to represent the

instruments of torture used in

the Passion of Christ eg the crown

of thorns, and the whips.

2012-01-09T15:15:00.000+13:00

Lily

Once again I have been

tempted to photograph a flower.

When I look back

on my photographic career I

can see that it has been

quite botanical.

Mind you, at an early

stage of my life I did

study some science subjects

at secondary school

and university,

I've always been in awe of science.

In lab classes sometimes
I was required to dissect flowers
and draw all the individual parts,

sometimes in Indian Ink.

It has been said that photography

has a science father and an art mother.

I like that concept.

2012-01-06T18:57:00.000+13:00

2012

I offer my apologies for not posting

for so long, not since November 18, 2011

in fact. Goodness gracious.

I seemed to run out of anything to say
for a while even though I had up until that time

written 947 posts.

Perhaps my mind was elsewhere.
Never mind summer is here and
now I am back.

The scene above is at East End beach
here in New Plymouth. The ocean is the Tasman,
and from this point there is no more land
until Australia.

On a technical note, 'noise' is
very noticeable in this image.
Noise is the equivalent of grain
in film. The severity of it in this instance
may have something
to do with shooting into the sun.

Taken with an iPhone 4 this
problem has been addressed with
the new model, the 4 s.
The images that it takes are
markedly cleaner.

2011-11-18T14:08:00.001+13:00

Cardinal Tetra

I am beginning to assemble a tropical aquarium

and this is the beginning.

Cardinal Tetra are my favourites of this

species.

I will keep you in touch

with fish keeping developments.

2011-11-17T12:58:00.001+13:00

The Suite

I have been asked to assemble a suite or suites of my photos.

It's been more difficult than I would have thought,

but here is a start.

It may be that this photo is in itself an image.

2011-11-03T17:37:00.000+13:00

Freesia

Here's a new photo.

I like the negative spaces

for some reason or reasons.

I'll print it quite small.

2011-10-31T10:32:00.000+13:00

Apple

Several years ago I found this apple

tree right at the back of a plant nursery.

It had been put there and to a large

extent, forgotten. The owners offered

it to me for $50. I hesitated, went home,

but then decided to go back a buy it,

a decision I have never regretted.

It's a compact form, not having

many side branches, in fact the type is called

Ballerina. This particular variety is

know as Bolero.

Although close to being 2 metres tall

it has much of the bonsai look to it.

Ideally suited to growing in a pot

it has barely increased in size in all the time

that I have had it.

This photo I took perhaps 6 years ago,

but the one with the blossom I took

yesterday.

2011-10-24T13:53:00.002+13:00

Puriri Moth

New Zealand's biggest moth, it was

always an exciting moment to find one

of these when I was a boy and living in

the country.

It has been several years since I

have seen one. They are also

known as Ghost Moths.

Sometimes, at night, they flew inside

our house, laying pearly eggs

by the hundred it seemed.

The moth lives for just a few nights.

It does not feed, it has no mouth parts.

Their caterpillar stage
can live for five years, in a burrow
in a tree, not just a Puriri, even in
some introduced species like oak.

2011-10-21T12:16:00.000+13:00

Recycled Hare

Recently this photo was

reproduced as a billboard

and displayed on the outside

of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

Once the exhibition was over

the vinyl billboard was sent

away to be turned into

shoulder bags.

2011-10-16T18:05:00.002+13:00

Earthworm Studies

More than ten years ago

I made some closeup photos

of earthworms,

it was Herald Island days.

I have the negatives

and a contact sheet but

apart from making a couple of quick

prints, I didn't pursue the image

further. I don't know why,

perhaps it was because other photos

were coming along and crowding it out

and I was distracted. I don't know

where those two prints are at the moment although

I would like to. They are somewhere in the

drawers here though.

But the idea has constantly gnawed away,

so recently I bought some clay

and began making shapes

based upon the photos that I had taken,

and drawings that I made from time

to time such as these below.

The photo at the top of the page is

my first clay version.

I would like to see it turned into

bronze, or even marble. Or

perhaps a photographic image.

I'm not sure, so I'm exploring it now.

2011-10-10T18:39:00.002+13:00

Black Nerita

Shellfish huddled together

after the tide has gone out.

2011-10-07T12:30:00.002+13:00

Farm Study

A view of some cows.

The quality of the image is not good

because I took it with my phone

camera, and the wind was very strong,

making it extremely difficult

to keep steady.

I don't think that it is really

the cows that I am interested in

as much as the way that

they are dispersed.

I recognise this image, I've taken it

before, except that time it

was a view of ants.

2011-10-03T20:04:00.000+13:00

Stick Insect

The Auckland Art Gallery

has just published a small book

entitled I Spy NZ Art.

It is a type of alphabet book,

the letter H,

for example,

is accompanied by a Peter Siddell

painting of a house.

All of the art works used

are in the gallery's collection.

On the page illustrating

I, there is a photograph of a

stick insect.

I took this photo in 1992.

2011-10-02T18:29:00.001+13:00

Taniwharau Rugby League Football Club

Here is a Huntly rugby league club

on the banks of the Waikato River.

2011-09-29T14:41:00.001+13:00

Canterbury Landscape

Recently, I have been going through

files of earlier photos,
many of them images

I haven't looked at for

years.

Here is one,

Canterbury Landscape

taken on the
15th June 2006.

2011-09-28T16:41:00.001+13:00

Te Henui Vicarage

Built in 1843

this is one of the

oldest buildings in

New Zealand.

Situated in central New Plymouth,
It is built from stones

hauled up by bullocks
from the

Te Henui river which

runs nearby,
and from limestone
from Nelson.

It is possible that
Frederick Thatcher,
Bishop Selwyn's architect
had a hand in
the design of this
building.

2011-09-08T12:03:00.000+12:00

Flight Simulator

Here in New Plymouth we have a technological museum.

One of the exhibits is this Link Trainer, Link being

the name of the designer.

It came from the Air Force, but is in need of

a large amount of restoration.

2011-08-24T13:06:00.005+12:00

Roots

I have lived in New Plymouth

now for ten years.

Over that time, I have

many times,

driven north

up the coast,

usually on my

way to Auckland.

South

of Awakino,

ten minutes drive

below Mokau ,

there is this

tree stump.

As drive past,

as I will be on

Saturday,

I always glance in

it's direction.

This is one of my most

recent attempts at taking

a keeper.

I'm not sure but I would

like to see this image in

black and white.

Or, perhaps, the muddy,

dirty parts of the photo

Photoshopped and turned green

like the grass.

2011-08-23T17:55:00.005+12:00

Snow

Recent snow made me head out

and explore with my camera,

I couldn't help it.

Photographically, snow

as a theme is

such a well trodden

track that

I find it hard

not to photograph

in cliches.

I'm sure I'll keep

trying though.

2011-08-13T11:48:00.003+12:00

Cat

Here in New Plymouth, an old hotel,

the White Hart, is being restored.

In the process many treasures

are being uncovered.

One of the latest

is this mummified cat.

2011-08-05T18:24:00.004+12:00

Fern

Today I drove past this shadow

falling on a timber fence.

I came home but for some

reason the image stuck in my mind,

so, unable to rest, I picked up my

camera and drove back

to where it was, in this case near

our prison.

Luckily the sun was still

shining.

2011-08-03T18:46:00.003+12:00

Peters Rd

How nice to come across a road

with ones name on it.

2011-07-31T18:32:00.003+12:00

Snow

A few days ago I ventured out towards the mountain

to see if I could get in amongst the snow

that was falling heavily over many parts of Taranaki.

It was a bit of a heave because I was in the beginning

of going down with a fluey bug, but still, it was worth it.

This road heads up over the lower slopes of

Mt Taranaki, but this was as far as I could

go. The red vehicle was stopping all traffic.

Above this point it was dangerous.

2011-07-18T17:31:00.003+12:00

Californian Quail

This old friend turned up today

in an online catalogue sent out

by Nadene Milne Gallery

in Arrowtown. I had almost

forgotten about this photo of mine.

The old friend is not just the photo

however, but also the bird itself

because it was one of a large

number living around the house

where I spent a year.

This was about an hours drive

from Arrowtown.

I fed them with seed mixes

so they became very friendly,

even venturing inside if I allowed it.

This particular quail was standing

on a high vantage point and watching over

the safety of the others.

2011-07-16T18:41:00.004+12:00

Log

Yesterday I posted another version of this

photo of a log on a beach. That photo had

been taken with my small but

very precise Leica camera.

Today I was going through the images

in my iPhone and found this photo of the same log.

I like this one better.

It seems to have more soul.

Looking at those images I was reminded

of another, the one below, one that

I took about 8 years ago.

For some reason, not too sure,

I called it Vanguard. That's

an unusual name for me to use,

usually I go for more matter of fact

ones like Log.

Remember that if you click on

images they will usually get bigger.

The one below is an exception

for example. The file I used

was quite small.

2011-07-15T15:19:00.003+12:00

Weather

Over the last few days the weather

along this coast has been spectacularly

wild. Enjoyable in many ways,

I am slightly disappointed that

it has passed.

One of the greatest pleasures

for me has been spending time

on the foreshore.

2011-07-14T15:55:00.003+12:00

Pet Shop 3

Back in a pet shop yesterday,

browsing, I came across

these small kennels.

Well, I can't be too sure that

they are meant solely for dogs,

they might also appeal to cats

but I don't know what a

shelter for cats, if there is such

a thing, would be called.

2011-07-13T15:24:00.003+12:00

Pet Shop 2

Here is a toy that I bought at a pet shop in Brisbane.

For dogs, when squeezed, it squeaks.

However no dog will however be allowed

to bite this one as I enjoy it

too much myself, not the squeak,

but the overall shape that it

makes.

Most of all I would like

to make a marble version.

2011-07-11T13:47:00.003+12:00

Pet Shop Boy

The pet shop is a place I often visit

with my camera, or even without

my camera for that matter.

In this case I have used the camera

in my iPhone.

I visit it not, however, just for the animals,

that are found there,

fish, bird, canine, or reptilian

but also for the supplementary

material, the objects that

are placed in aquaria for example.

Or the toys that they have for cats and dogs.

I often buy some of these items

not that I have cat, dog, or fish.

2011-06-28T16:34:00.004+12:00

Tony's Toys

I took this photo about 3 years ago,

and have had it on my bathroom wall

for the last two. I never went beyond making

one print. I wanted to think about the image

before I made the expensive decision to print

an edition, although I did exhibit this particular print a couple

of times.

I keep looking at this photo in terms of the

flat planes of colour that compose the image.

For some time I've been looking for a photo that

I'd taken that would work in needlepoint.

Perhaps this image could be treated that way.

Those flat planes make it much easier to

render in thread.

Even as a boy I was interested in needlepoint but never really

took it up other than in a sporadic way.

My mother did encourage me though and she

had as a young woman been a seamstress

in Karangahape Road.

I've heard my stitching described as 'tortured'

so I wouldn't stitch it myself.

Meanwhile, lately, I 've been

thinking that I will after all print an edition

of the photographic version.

2011-06-24T14:11:00.005+12:00

The Pressure of Sunlight Falling

Here are two photographs taken

at Fiona Pardington's exhibition opening

and book launch at the Govett-Brewster

Art Gallery in New Plymouth.

The speaker in the top photo is Rhana Devenport,

director of the Govett-Brewster.

On the right in the photo below, smiling, is Fiona.

2011-06-23T13:37:00.003+12:00

Ant Attack

I'm currently experiencing an ant attack

so I've had to go on the offensive with some

poison. It is obviously made of something

very delectable because it only takes minutes

for them scout it out and form a scrum.

New Zealand has 11 known species of ant.

I think that this is one of them.

2011-06-22T10:11:00.004+12:00

Hare

A photo of a hare that I took

a couple of years ago is now

on the side of the Govett-Brewster

Art Gallery here in New Plymouth.

It is the signature work

for a collection show that they

have on at present.

2011-06-21T13:29:00.004+12:00

Bat Flower

This plant is native to South East Asia

although I saw this particular specimen

growing in Auckland.

A flower like this is very tempting

to a photographer like me but

I can see that although the image

is superficially interesting, I have

not been able to add anything extra.

In other words, it is important

not just to show, but to say.

Someone once said that a photographer

must place themselves between the camera and the subject,

that at a good photograph is one

taken through a personality.

It is my personality that is lacking

in this image. Still, it is important

to keep trying for new images.

Photos that don't work are vital

in that we must understand why they

don't succeed otherwise one is doomed

to repeat them.

2011-06-02T20:39:00.006+12:00

Waitara

As I was taking the photograph

of Laurence in the previous post, the one below,

I was also looking, with my camera, in the direction of the Tasman,

an empty ocean that spreads a thousand miles to

Australia.

2011-05-28T11:37:00.006+12:00

Laurence Aberhart

Towards the end of last year

Laurence Aberhart

visited Taranaki

and I had the pleasure

of introducing him

to some of my favourite places.

It was a pleasure,

not just because Laurence is a colleague

but also because he is a friend.

Both of us took photographs

and this one

of mine has now found its way on to the

cover of Art NZ. I'm glad because

for some reason it makes me want to smile.

The river is the Waitara

about 20 minutes drive north of New Plymouth.

Famous New Zealand

art dealer Peter McLeavey

went to school in Waitara.

2011-05-23T17:27:00.005+12:00

University of Queensland

I was impressed by the stature

of their buildings.

In hindsight

I regret not photographing

more of the campus.

I think I was a bit

dumbstruck.

It was unlike any architecture

I had previously seen.

The blocks of limestone used

in these walls came from Queensland.

2011-05-23T11:37:00.003+12:00

Ikebana

While exploring Brisbane recently

I came across this example of Ikebana,

the Japanese art of flower arranging.

There was a sign, indicating who made it,

and what particular Ikebana group

they belonged to. There are hundreds

of different approaches to Ikebana,

often with very strict rules.

It is not showing up on this photo very

clearly but the tray is full of water.

The leaves have been pushed down on a flat weight with some

small spikes protruding upwards.

No wire had been used in this arrangement

and somehow I can imagine that it would

not be allowed.

2011-05-21T12:57:00.004+12:00

More Brisbane Views

In the previous post I showed

a photo of a coral reef

that I took in a museum in Brisbane,

not that I like the word 'took' very much

when used in describing the photographic process.

Here are another couple of views

from the same room.

If I was to Photoshop out the penguin in this

photo, I think that the photo would be improved.

2011-05-19T17:20:00.003+12:00

Reef

Just back from Brisbane where

I visited a display

of underwater life in tropical Australian waters.

A few months ago I bought a $300 underwater camera

in preparation for a snorkeling visit sometime this Winter to a

Pacific Island or the Great Barrier Reef looking for a scene just like

the one above.

Last Friday, in

Brisbane, I discovered

in a museum,

above water on dry land

a static constructed model of a reef

including fish

that was very like

the one I had envisaged.

There was no glass

through which to photograph.

2011-05-03T21:07:00.003+12:00

Two

A week or so ago I was in Norsewood,

a small town less that an hour north of

Palmerston North on the road to Napier. It was called

Norsewood by the Scandinavian

settlers who colonised the area.

Using my new Leica, which has

a fiercely powerful telephoto

lens, I was able to reach this photo.

I cannot explain why

but the image of these

two tree stumps

connects with me

on quite a deep emotional level.

2011-05-02T20:01:00.003+12:00

Hot

While travelling a week or two ago, I stopped

at a roadside stall. Sitting on it's own

was this large chilli with this label

on it.

2011-04-22T11:38:00.007+12:00

ANZAC

A few days ago this was emailed to me

from England.

This Peter Peryer was my grandfather's

brother.

Below is a photo of Turkish machine gunners

at Tel el Sheria.

This battle was after Gallipoli.

2011-04-20T17:34:00.002+12:00

Eels

All of my life I have been scared of eels.

Don't know why, I can handle spiders and cockroaches,

but eels and snakes give me the shivers.

It may have something to do with the way that

they can come out of the water onto land.

The blackness of them is a factor as well.

And the silver bellies. And the pink gums with their

little stubby sandpaper teeth. And they can live in mud.

Today however, I went with a friend and a quantity

of dog food, and watched while he fed his friends,

these muscular animals.

He stroked them and looked into their eyes.

2011-04-05T11:42:00.005+12:00

Looming Mythic Mountain

This was the view of Mt Taranaki from my sitting room

a couple of evenings ago.

Coincidentally, if there is such a thing,

I have been reading Bright Star, a biography

of Beatrice Hill Tinsley written by

Christine Cole Catley. It is breathtakingly

good .

Christine Cole Catley who went to New Plymouth Girls High

as did Tinsley, later wrote the centennial history of that school.

In her biography of Beatrice Hill Tinsley she describes Mt Taranaki as that 'looming mythic mountain.'

Beatrice Hill Tinsley was well on her way

to becoming one of the great astronomers

of our age, until melanoma cut her down at the early age of 40.

2011-04-04T17:32:00.004+12:00

Rock, Back Beach

A photo from Back Beach,

one of my favourite haunts

on the coast here.

Luckily it is only a few

minutes drive from where

I am sitting.

In this photo I recognise

one of my favourite themes:

just how big is the object that I am

looking at.

I don't do this deliberately,

I just can't help it.

Unfortunately in this case

the barnacles undermine the illusion.

2011-03-28T11:29:00.004+13:00

Eyes

Some rocks in New Plymouth

that have been painted.

2011-03-09T11:36:00.004+13:00

Gourds

A couple of days ago I bought 3 large gourds.

They were for sale at a market.

I instantly thought of them as a possible

photo subject and have been experimenting

for a couple of days.

I now think that there is not going to

a 'keeper' there but it is a worthwhile

exercise to give it a try, if for no

other reason than to discover why the

photos don't work.

I tried in colour and black and white

but still to no avail.

I did however remember how I had

taken a photo of a cone shell

several years ago. It is called

After Rembrandt because I

based it on a Rembrandt etching.

When I look at this photo, alongside

the gourd ones, I see that it is really

the speckles, the pattern

that I am interested in.

2011-03-05T21:15:00.004+13:00

et al

A couple of days ago I went to see

Michael Lett's new gallery space in Auckland.

Even though I knew that the opening

show was an exhibition of the famous

NZ art collective known as et al,

the one that exhibited at the Venice Biennale,

and I thought that I had a pretty good

idea of what to expect, this time I was

well and truly fooled.

I arrived by car, parked in the generous

parking spaces off Beaconsfield Street but was confused.

This can't be the right space I thought,

this is an empty space still under construction.

Screwed up newsprint, rusting metal

structures lying around, a roller door

semiclosed, this can't be it I thought.

It was only when a courier arrived and I asked

if they knew where Michael Lett's was that I

realised that my mind had been well and truly

stretched beyond its current limitations.

This was the show, but it was spilling out of

the spaces inside into the carpark.

What a rewarding experience.

Art that expands my thinking is the

kind of art that I like.

2011-03-02T20:22:00.006+13:00

Ponsonby

At the Karangahape end of Ponsonby

Road there are three or four of these

John Radford sculptures. "They have

been there for several years.

Now however, suddenly, they have

gained a new significance.

2011-02-28T17:39:00.005+13:00

Christchurch

It's been a struggle over the last few

days, finding something to write

a post about.

It seems that perhaps the events

in Christchurch are

preoccupying me.

Last Tuesday at 12.51 p.m.

I was nowhere near a television

that was on, or a radio that was playing

or near another human being who could tell

me the news.

I may have been the

last person in New Zealand

to know about the tragedy unfolding.

2011-02-16T17:28:00.007+13:00

Templates

In a previous post I mentioned how art auctions

often bring out little known works of mine.

This photo of a lizard, which I think is a

Monitor, is an example.

It has appeared in the latest Webb's

catalogue.

The image is probably about 30 years old

and I doubt if there are more than

one or two prints in existence.

However the reason that I have

included it in this post is

that recently I took a photo

of a sea lion and when I look

at the two photos together

they are almost totally congruent.

It is almost as if I have templates

somewhere in my brain

and that it is subjects

that fit these templates

that I am looking for.

2011-02-15T16:55:00.006+13:00

An Early Work

One benefit of my work showing up in auctions

as it often does is that I sometimes see images that

are quite rare, and not often seen.

In the latest Webbs catalogue I

have seven prints for sale.

I have no idea where they

have been all these years.

Amongst the seven there is this portrait

which is one of my favourites out of all the

photographs that I have ever taken.

I don't know how many prints of this

image are in existence but it is probably

only 3 or 4.

I'm not sure of the exact date that I took

this photo but it was probably about

1980.

In 1981 Sheridan Keith wrote an essay on my work, entitled Frontierland,

which was published in London Magazine,

illustrated below. It is a powerful piece of writing.

Erika Parkinson, to whom I was married at the time,

said to me one day that she had met a woman with

a very interesting face and perhaps

she would be a good subject for a portrait.

Upon meeting her I agreed, and Donna Yuzwalk very kindly

volunteered to sit for me, although sit seems a

rather strange word to use in this case.

So here Donna is, standing in front of a river

in Kaukapakapa. Why a river? Well, for some

reason I was going through a phase where

I was hoping to take photos to illustrate

some of the poems that I had learnt by

heart as a schoolboy. In this case you are

looking at The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

2011-02-14T20:35:00.004+13:00

Pukeko

Recently I was able to get quite close

to some Pukekos.

I was keen to see if I could make

a portrait of one.

This is the closest

that I got,

but as a portrait

it is not quite there yet.

Unfortunately, the bird

was moving quite

quickly and the subject

is slightly blurry.

I like the way that it

is standing on a rock

and I like the way that

it appears in profile.

2011-02-13T15:31:00.003+13:00

Fire

A scene this morning

near where I live.

I think that this is the

first time that I have

seen a car so well and truly

on fire. In many ways

it was quite thrilling,

not for the owner

of course.

2011-02-12T14:28:00.007+13:00

Wasps

Here at my home it is

Invasion of the Wasps

time.

While, this year, people who are

growing Swan Plants in order

to encourage Monarch butterflies,

are noticing how the caterpillars

are being killed by wasps,

here I have been troubled by swarms of wasps

drinking from the dish of sugar

water that I put out for tuis.

Some of the

wasps did drown but many were

able to land on the water, drink,

and fly away.

The key has been to put some

dishwasher detergent in

the water. This lowers the

surface tension and as a result

the wasps land and quickly drown.

I have killed about 100 since this time

yesterday.

One problem is that the tuis

don't like the taste of the detergent

but another day or two

and this wasp community

might be severely decimated,

hopefully exterminated.

They certainly appear to

be reduced in number.

There are ways to make

wasp traps including simple

ones made from large plastic drink bottles.

The internet has many suggestions.

2011-02-07T12:31:00.004+13:00

Tickets

This morning I went for a walk

in Pukekura Park, a large area of land

a few minutes walk from where

I live.

This ticket box, if that is the word,

has always appealed to me.

In a slight state of disrepair

I would like to see it preserved

especially as it is one of my favourite

buildings in New Plymouth.

2011-02-05T17:31:00.006+13:00

Rotorua

Here is a photograph, 1928 we think.

The man on the right is my father who

after injuring his neck when a car rolled

was sent from Auckland to Rotorua

for treatment.

I don't know what the

treatment consisted of, or for how long

it took place, but I value how

Rotorua still has the feeling of the

Sanitorium.

Milton, my father was never able

to turn his head very far to the right

for the rest of his life.

As a boy

I found it a little creepy that he

slept on the flat of his back,

arms by his sides,

eyes staring steadfastedly

at the ceiling

parade ground like.

Directly over

my parents double

bed in their bedroom at

Brown's Bay there we

two searingly vivid white fluorescent lights.

They added to the Stephen King effect.

Under my father's left arm

he holds a folding camera in

a leather case. Our family

is thankful to him for the

photographic legacy that he left

us.

The name of the guide I do not know

at present. It may be that someone

does know her identity, if so please

let me know, she may have family

who would find comfort in her image.

2011-02-04T12:59:00.003+13:00

Rotorua

I have been visiting Rotorua

since I was a child.

In winters my parents

took us on trips to see it's

wonders. I can still smell

the mix of sulphur and

the leather seats of the

Jaguar.

A month or so ago I was there,

and as usual, captivated by

the personality of the city.

There is nowhere else like it in

New Zealand.

I photographed this fence 3 times,

it's taken me a while

but I've whittled my choice

down to this one.

I am very careful not to be disrespectful

when I photograph

which is why I chose this

particular fence. It has been

built for tourists to photograph.

But of course, somehow the photograph

is not about anything ethnic at all.

It is about the visual vibrations that the

patterns set up. The push and pull on the eyeball.

2011-02-01T19:55:00.004+13:00

Pukeiti

Much of New Plymouth is built on land

only a few metres above the original beach

sea level.

From the CBD the slope gains steepness,

exponentially as the road comes closer to the summit of

Mt Taranaki which even now, in the height

of summer I can see from my home still has patches

of snow. It's cold up there.

One advantage of this climate is that as I leave my driveway,

turn right and point my car towards the mountain's summit,

the altitude rises and the vegetation changes

accordingly.

It amuses my friends to see addresses such as mine

which says Lower Vogeltown. There are many

Upper and Lower roads and streets here in Taranaki,

It makes sense because of the pointy nature of this Province.

What Taranaki offers plants is a slight nip in the air,

reminiscent of the Himalaya's for some flora of which

Rhododendrons, Azaleas are two, both in the photo above.

2011-01-31T14:44:00.008+13:00

Tahuna Torea

Here I am, with a friend.

I'm the one on the right.

My friend's name is Tony Bishop, from

Invercargill, and in Auckland for

the music festival

the Big Day Out.

Nick Cave was one

of the musicians

who had inspired

him to make the long

pilgrimage.

In this photo we are at Tahuna Torea,

a nature reserve on the Eastern outskirts

of Auckland. The restoration

has been going for about 30 years,

the area narrowly missing being filled in with

rubbish.

The photo was taken with my iPhone.

2011-01-30T17:25:00.004+13:00

Sealion

A sealion at the Auckland Zoo.

2011-01-25T22:34:00.004+13:00

2011-01-25T10:07:00.004+13:00

The Portrait

My interest in human portraiture

seems to wax and wane.

I wish that it wasn't that way

but that just seems to be

how it is.

Lately however, I've been meeting

quite a number of Japanese children

who are so interesting that

I can't help getting out

my camera.

2011-01-22T17:04:00.004+13:00

Flowers at the Cemetery.

Yesterday I visited my parents remains

at Snapper Rock Cemetery in Auckland.

I spent some time there, wandering around

looking at the graves and enjoying the peaceful

environment.

My eye was continually attracted to the bunches

of artificial flowers that were dotted around.

Many of them had an attractive faded pastel look.

I've often said that sometimes I photograph

objects to see what they look like when

they are photographed. This

image falls into that category.

2011-01-19T20:48:00.004+13:00

Handbag at Starkwhite

Tonight I went to an opening

at Starkwhite in Karangahape Road

in Auckland.

It was a jovial event.

People were happy.

Reluctantly, I had to leave

quite early

but as I was about to do so

I noticed this handbag sitting

on the polished concrete floor

that is such a feature of this

gallery.

The only camera I had on me

was the one in my iPhone.

From my iPhone I emailed it to my laptop

which was back at my batcave.

From my laptop I have sent it out via

Photoshop to this site that you are now reading.

There is probably a way that I could

have sent it directly from my iPhone

to this site but that path I have yet to learn.

Remarkably, to me, the picture

reminds me of a Gavin Hipkins

Starkwhite are his

Auckland dealers so his work is often

on these walls.

2011-01-18T11:19:00.004+13:00

Rotorua

This audience was waiting for a geyser

to start erupting.

What I hadn't realised was that this particular geyser

could be induced to start by putting 300 grams

of washing powder down its throat.

The advantage of this was that it could be advertised as

coming to life at 10.30 every morning.

Actually, the guide gave a very good description

of how the washing powder worked.

It had to do with surface tension.

2011-01-17T13:40:00.003+13:00

Rotorua Trees

Recently I spent a couple of days

in Rotorua, scouting for a photograph.

This view caught my attention.

2011-01-16T13:33:00.003+13:00

Rosella

While driving through a pine forest just south

of Rotorua I saw the bright colours of this parakeet

lying on the road.

Although it was It was directly in the path of tyres

even 16 wheeler trucks,

it was relatively unscathed apart from being dead.

The colour of its feathers was so vivid that

even after I had steered around it and driven on towards my destination I made a

u-turn. Two in fact.

These birds are Australian but they have colonised

parts of New Zealand

probably with human assistance.

My father, who until the last years of his life

kept birds, had a Rosella in a aviary. It think it was a he, they have brighter colours,

He endlessly paced back and forth on his perch,

and in a nervous equivalent of nailbiting

pulled his feathers out with his beak so that large patches

of him were bald.

Even as a small boy and not particularly schooled in empathy

for fellow citizens of this planet I always felt sorry

for the poor creature.

The body of this paticular Rosella is in a deep freeze.

2011-01-16T11:27:00.002+13:00

Bees and Beehives

When I was a boy

our family usually had a beehive

or two, sometimes more, somewhere on the property

providing honey for us all.

This was rural New Zealand.

Takanini and Taheke for example.

Ohaeawai too.

If, usually on a hot summer's day,

a Queen left the hive and a swarm followed her

we were there in the family Vauxhall on the gravel roads,

in dusty pursuit.

There would be a box and a handsaw in the boot,

there to collect the swarm when they landed

usually on a branch surrounding their Queen.

Once safely in the box we would bring them home

and give them a new residence alongside the

previous tenants.

I always kept my distance, but for some reason

my father had no fear of being stung at all.

He handled the bees as if they were old friends.

2011-01-15T19:08:00.008+13:00

Tennis

A couple of weeks ago I went to the tennis here

in Auckland.

Here is Maria Sharapova playing.

She's at the far end, serving.

(click on the image to enlarge it.)

2010-12-20T14:03:00.005+13:00

Ryder Hall & Aquarium Ornament

Lately I have been going to

a local pet shop and buying

ornaments that are designed

to be immersed in aquaria.

This tree trunk is an example.

On Saturday however,

while out walking,

I was outside New Plymouth

Boys' High School

and noticed these objects

stuck onto Ryder Hall.

They reminded me of the

fake trees that I had being buying

at the pet shop.

Ryder Hall was built in 1970-1972

and designed by Desmond White

for the Taranaki Education Board.

2010-12-14T18:44:00.004+13:00

The Pet Shop

I find that pet shops are a good

source of material for my

photography.

Lately I have been buying objects

that are intended for submersion

in aquaria.

One day I will buy

the aquarium itself.

2010-12-13T12:06:00.003+13:00

Glass

Recently, in Eltham, I bought

this glass dish.

It immediately caught my eye

as something that I could

photograph. Or at least

something that I should try to

photograph.

Visually, it reminded me of

of both a milk drop and

an oyster shell.

2010-12-12T20:43:00.004+13:00

Jim Allen

This weekend, at the Govett-Brewster

here in New Plymouth there has

been an opening and several events.

One of the artists featured is

Jim Allen.

The work in the photograph at the top

is a reconstruction of a 1969 work.

The performance shown in the two

photographs below is a 1974 work.

2010-12-11T11:22:00.004+13:00

Inch Worm

Parallel with my photographic

career I have from time to

time worked in other media.

Sometimes I have worked in stone,

sometimes in wood, and sometimes,

as in the photo above

I have used polymer clay,

of which Fimo is the most

famous example, although

on this occasion I used

a variety made in Palmerston North

called Du-Kit.

I like polymer clay because of its pliability.

It's possible to doodle with it so to speak.

When a shape reaches something

that I like it can be popped in the oven

for a few minutes and it will harden.

Bakelite was an early example

of polymer clay.

In this case I have not yet cooked it

because it needs smoothing out a bit more,

there are places where it is a bit lumpy.

However, I had bought a new camera

and I decided to try photographing

it. I quite like the result.

2010-11-29T19:40:00.004+13:00

Tattoo Convention

Over the last weekend New Plymouth was host

to a Tattoo Convention.

Guest tattooists, many from other countries,

set themselves up in a local

stadium and visitors wandered through,

looking at their work,

chatting to this person and that.

It was an extremely friendly event.

Some visitors offered their

skin to the tattooists.

The photo below shows a Japanese

at work, using traditional methods.

He always had a large crowd of

observers around him.

And just in case you were wondering,

I don't have any tattoos.

2010-11-29T12:21:00.005+13:00

Dogwood

In this hemisphere of the planet

this is the time for Dogwood

to be flourishing.

As an Aucklander

I wasn't aware of Dogwood

until I began to

spend more time in

cooler parts of New Zealand.

I've photographed Dogwood

three or four times in the last

couple of years and the photo

above is my most recent attempt.

This particular image was taken

with my new iPhone, in Pukekura Park

here in New Plymouth.

2010-11-21T18:42:00.004+13:00

Eltham Church

Eltham is a small South Taranaki town.

It's well know for it's cheese and recently

Ronald Hugh Morrieson's novel Predicament

was filmed there. Hawera, his home town is about

20 minutes car ride south.

Not far away is a Fonterra factory.

Fonterra is the biggest company in New

Zealand.

This miniature church is in a garden

open to the public. Anyone in Eltham

would tell you how to find it.

2010-11-17T07:33:00.000+13:00

Every Camera

Every camera has a different personality.

Each one has different capabilities.

I have bought a new camera,

a Leica, and now I'm experimenting.

This is the first photo

taken with it.

One characteristic of this camera

is that it has an excellent macro lens

enabling me to come close to subjects

in a way superior to cameras that I have

owned before.

2010-11-16T07:06:00.005+13:00

Rhododendron

In Taranaki, this is the time for

Rhododendrons to be in flower.

The climate here suits them.

I've not managed to take any

photos of them when they are

flowering but this image

has some appeal for me.

This particular variety has

extra large leaves and flowers

which is what attracted me to the

tree in the first place.

2010-11-15T15:55:00.004+13:00

The Light

Last weekend I went to visit a friend

who has an eclectic collection of

toys, motor scooters, shop signs,

glassware, furniture, and so on.

I'd never been there before so it was

quite a sight, yet of all the possible

subjects there for a photographer,

one would have thought, the only

object that really caught my eye

was this lamp.

I'd like to revisit and rephotograph

the lamp, straightening and sharpening

it up.

2010-10-18T14:49:00.006+13:00

Taranaki Landscape

Driving down, last Friday, the beautiful coast road from

Awakino to New Plymouth, as I often do, I saw,

and noticed, probably for the seventh or eighth time

this uptorn root system.

On this occasion, although I was very anxious to get

home and had already driven past it, I

stopped the car, turned around and went

back. It took some willpower, but I'm glad

otherwise I wouldn't be writing this post.

Notice the remains of a pa site on the hill in the background.

Time is softening the look of these sites.

2010-10-17T14:22:00.004+13:00

Fillet

This photo could now be

2 years old.

I have a large print pinned to one of my walls

and I often glance at it

as I walk past and think, wow,

that has the juice. Excoriation

is a word that comes to mind.

One day I will print up an edition

but of course that is costly

so in the meantime it remains here

for my personal delectation.

When I took the photo below in Eltham

a couple of weeks ago

and I was reminded of Fillet again.

2010-10-17T13:33:00.005+13:00

Moses in Auckland

Recently I went for a walk in Myers Park

in Central Auckland,

I was amazed to see a copy of Michelangelo's Moses

sitting there, looking a long way from home.

I didn't realise at first that it was a Michelangelo

copy which only added to the impact.

2010-10-16T16:44:00.004+13:00

A Portrait

I have a portrait exhibition on at McNamara Gallery

at present, 29 photos but all of them black and white.

Recently I was interviewed by Nicole Stock,

the editor of Urbis magazine, and she asked

me if I would take her portrait.

Surprisingly I decided to photograph

her in colour. That's a good sign in

my photographic development

I think.

By the way, I don't usually say yes when

someone asks

me to take their photo.

2010-10-16T11:38:00.002+13:00

The Butcher in Eltham

Eltham is a small town in South Taranaki

mainly known for its cheese.

However, it is also a very intact town

and there is an awareness that

what they have, in terms of intact

buildings, is extremely important.

There is a movement to save these

treasures, in many cases empty shops.

In this case, I took this Francis Baconish

photo through the window of a butcher's shop.

While no longer in use as such,

the window of the premises has relics in it such

as knives and other instruments

used in the ancient craft of preparing meat.

You might be relieved to know that this carcass

is not real.

2010-10-14T11:45:00.005+13:00

Auckland CBD

Over my life I have spent quite a bit of time

in the Auckland CBD

but recently I've been having a closer look

at the buildings and the changes

that this area is going through.

Above is a photo of Queen St.

2010-10-13T21:31:00.005+13:00

Auckland CBD

Lately I have been walking around the

Auckland CBD quite a bit.

I hadn't realised how many apartment

blocks there were. This is a very

densely populated part of New Zealand.

I think that I was attracted to this building

because of its colours.

2010-10-13T19:31:00.010+13:00

Hamish McKay Gallery

Here is another view of the exhibition that opened

last night in Wellington.

This photograph I believe was taken with an iPhone.

2010-10-12T19:33:00.004+13:00

Tonight in Wellington

Tonight in Wellington six of my photographs

are in an exhibition opening at Hamish McKay

Gallery.

This is one of my favourites. It's called

Holy Tomato. The foot I bought in Bali

and the Italian tomato I borrowed from

a friend.

Whilst it's my personal favourite it always

seems to evoke mixed feelings.

Still, I'm hanging in there.

2010-10-11T21:39:00.004+13:00

Room With a View

Here is a wall of an Auckland apartment

that has lots of my photographs.

Luckily,

I stay in this apartment quite often

so I get to enjoy seeing the

work all nicely framed

and carefully hung.

The walls in my home and studio are covered with

my work but the look is different to this.

There are many unframed photos

just pinned up.

One reason is that, from time

to time, I have to sell my framed works

and I don't replace them.

2010-10-10T19:53:00.003+13:00

Whale

Slightly uphill from New World in Freemans Bay,

Auckland there is a children's play ground.

It's modest but very appealing.

For some months I've noticed this whale

but today was different. I decided that today

I was going to take my camera and

begin work on it.

'Work' might mean 5 minutes or it could mean

taking a first version and then, if necessary, but

hopefully not, returning, in different light

perhaps.

In this case, I'm going to sleep on it.

2010-10-09T15:26:00.008+13:00

Exhibition

Here is the invitation for an exhibition of 6 of my photos

being shown at Hamish McKay Gallery.

It opens on Tuesday.

To make the image above larger and more readable

remember to click on it.

2010-10-08T12:35:00.005+13:00

Cockroaches

In my New Plymouth base I have a balcony

that hovers over a gully.

On a table on the balcony I have a dish with

two cups of sugar to one litre of water in it.

With that liquid I feed tui mainly.

But often I have Silvereyes as well.

And sometimes at night, cockroaches, in this case they may be native,

drown themselves in the syrup.

2010-10-08T12:03:00.006+13:00

Out of Africa

In recent months I've been collecting

ebony elephants, so many that

they seem to be wandering around my studio.

(which is also where I live.)

In the background here, is a photo of a house

that my mother lived in when she was a little girl,

the oldest child of a large family.

Several of that family, not only my mother, but her mother

as well are just to the left of the elephant, out of frame, but I guess that's no

help to you just now.

My grandfather worked for the railways. I think that this photo was taken

near Taihape, below Taupo, in the centre of the North Island.

2010-10-07T10:27:00.005+13:00

Whanganui View Point

On the north side of Whanganui, there is a high

point, with parking, built for in order to provide a view

of the city.

I was there last weekend and was attracted not by the view so much, but by a large structure

with the names of cities and landmarks from all over the world, and the distances

from that precise point to them, in miles.

Tokyo was the only Asian city shown.

I think that I particularly noticed New Plymouth's name

because that is where I have a home.

2010-10-06T08:31:00.003+13:00

Portraits

Here are some portraits from a portrait show

that I have on at present at McNamara Gallery

in Whanganui.

Many of the 29 photographs have not been exhibited before.

2010-10-05T12:19:00.005+13:00

Whanganui River Mouth

On the weekend I was in Whanganui,

and as usual, I left some time to visit

the mouth of the river, where it

flows into the Tasman.

Here is what it looked like on Saturday afternoon.

I was in Whanganui because I have an exhibition of

portraits at McNamara Gallery.

It opened on Friday night and is on for a month.