Picture-a-Week (PAW) Journal
The stories behind the pictures, 2003.
Week 21: May 21-27
Week 22: May 28-June 3
Week 23: June 4-10
Week 24: June 11-17
Week 25: June 18-24
Week 26: June 25-July 1
Week 27: July 2-8
Week 28: July 9-15
Week 29: July 16-22
Week 30: July 23-29
Week 31: July 30-August 5
Week 32: August 6-12
Week 33: August 13-19
Week 34: August 20-26
Week 35: August 27-September 2
Week 36: September 3-9
Week 37: September 10-16
Week 38: September 17-23
Week 39: September 24-30
Week 40: October 1-7
Our accommodation in Calgary was with family in the far northwest of the city, where new houses were being built everywhere. I really liked the idea of leaving small natural areas amongst all the buildings, where there was often a pond (slough, pronounced 'slew') and a grove of trees. As we were there in the Fall (Autumn to us Antipodeans) the trees were rapidly changing colour and losing their leaves. At first I thought the landscape colours very dull, with the mainly brown tones of prairie grass and other undergrowth. Most of the trees were from the aspen, birch or poplar family which turn yellow - Calgary is apparently too cold for the red maples. As I spent time observing and photographing in two areas nearby, I discovered some beautiful reds and even purples in the undergrowth. I took several photos using the wide angle (28mm) end of my zoom lens, and was pleased with the results.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 40 alternate 1: Calgary Autumn #2
As above.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 40 alternate 2: Autumn Pathway
As above. My parents joined me on most of the walks to nearby wild areas and usually lapped me, as I became inspired by my surroundings and took photo after photo. That's Mum at the far end of the cycle path - I think she was photographing too.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
My parents and I stayed a few days in Banff, where the weather was unseasonably warm for the time of year (so we were told anyway!). I was disappointed by the lack of snow on the mountains, having visited before in March and November. This photo was taken in the late afternoon from the bridge over the Bow River. There just happened to be two people walking along the riverside, in the exact spot needed to balance the scene and show the scale of the landscape.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
The best of many pics taken from the Rocky Mountaineer train between Vancouver and Calgary - a fantastic experience, with excellent service and a running commentary on the history of the railway and the changing landscape as we travelled. Overall these pics turned out better than expected with my guesstimates of focus mostly correct (it was impossible to manually focus on continually moving objects!), and only the foreground blurred by the movement of the train. It was very difficult to compose, and the motto of the trip quickly became 'she who hesitates misses the shot'. Unfortunately the majority of the landscapes were spoilt by a burnt-out sky, due to the predominantly overcast conditions. (There *were* clouds in the sky, I saw them! Must be time to invest in a neutral density filter.)
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
The Buchart Gardens were a 'must-see' for us while staying in Victoria (Vancouver Island) for a few days, and we spent the best part of a day there. It's a very popular place with busloads of tourist arriving throughout the day, the majority with digital or video cameras. We loved the sunken garden especially - a huge area with many beautiful scenes and colour combinations amongst the beds of flowers. This was one of the very few times I carried my tripod around with me, and made use of it in a quieter part of the garden to take some close-ups of flowers that caught my eye. The Italian garden was also lovely but I was disappointed by the Japanese one - it would have been much prettier and more interesting in either autumn (fall) or spring.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 37 alternate : Rollerblader
Another 'must see' in Vancouver was Stanley Park, a huge recreational area in the midst of the city, where we spent an enjoyable few hours. I was trying for candid people shots (as ever, when I'm brave enough), and caught this moment while walking around the seawall, near the Brockton Point lighthouse. One of my cameras took a turn at malfunctioning during our time in the park and I subsequently double-exposed half a film, so lost many of the day's shots. Glad to say this only happened once during our holiday. :-)
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 36: Lookout
My parents and I travelled to Canada for six weeks during September and October. Our first full day in Vancouver after what felt like 24 hours of travelling, we did the tourist thing and visited the Lookout tower at the Harbour Centre to get an overall view of the city. I was quite taken with the view of the building from street level, especially with the reflective building next door giving an interesting frame. I had read that some people feel claustrophobic when surrounded by very tall buildings, and I'm sure others who live amongst them just look where they're going, rather than upwards - but we showed we were tourists from a small town by frequently looking up (and taking pictures of course). Dad had a problem here with his camera which we managed to sort out (it wasn't winding on, so he lost a few shots, but better to discover this after a couple of hours than several weeks we thought!).
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 36 alternate : Vancouver Port
While at the top of the Lookout I spent a long while recording the view from all different directions, on both print and slide film. Once I got that out of my system I photographed reflections in buildings and other more creative things. (My parents were very patient the whole trip, they photographed for a while, checked out the souvenir shops, then just sat down somewhere when they got tired and admired the view.) The port and nearby rail area was interesting to look down on as there was a lot of water traffic - boats of all kinds, and float planes taking off or landing every few minutes - also there were several red cranes and railway carriages which contrasted well against the rest of the scene. These cranes looked to me like red giraffes at a waterhole.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Back in the park the following week, without the children this time, I photographed a deserted playground and fountain. I thought the fountain (which wasn't going) had a surreal look against the sky.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia
For some reason I only took three photographs this week - probably because some family happenings were taking up a good deal of my time and energy. This pic was the best of a bad bunch!
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia
I looked after my sisters' children while she was out of town for the day on Saturday. We went to the playground at the park, but first we visited one of the schools to check out an event which had been advertised. I thought it might provide some good candid people shots. Sadly there were only a handful of people there by mid-morning. The mechanised surfboard provided some laughs though.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia
Week 33 alternate 1: Surfing #1
Same place and time as above. The two young guys were taking turns on the board and once they had their balance, had to do a variety of 'tricks' while the board was operating at full speed.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia
After being out at a work-related teaching session all day, a couple of friends phoned me in the late afternoon and persuaded me to go out and photograph with them. The light was quickly fading, but we went down to the waterfront near where I live in time to witness the Kaimais silhouetted against a lovely sunset.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 400.
Week 32 alternate 1: Matua Sunset #1
Same day & time as above, a closer view of the sunset. By the time we finished the light was getting really low and I was having to compromise depth of field by using wider apertures, and extremely slow speeds for handholding. The tripod was left at home... ! However the majority of the shots turned out well.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 400.
My nephew Tony-Lee (four) has just begun attending a kindergarten three times a week. He's still settling in and doesn't like his Mum to leave. However after a while he found some activities he was interested in, and was happy for me to take some photos. When I asked permission from the kindergarten staff, I was asked to make sure I only photographed him, not any of the other children. As there were about twenty others at the session, this was quite difficult! This was the only day this week that I got out & about with my camera, so had very little to choose from for my PAW.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3,5, Fuji Superia ...
Week 30: Papamoa Fleamarket #18
A friend who knows I'm trying to do more candid people photography recommended I visit the fleamarket at Papamoa, held twice a month on a Sunday morning. It was cold and overcast and looked like it was going to rain any minute, but I made myself go despite the weather, and was pleasantly surprised to find a wide variety of stalls and lots of people there - well, compared to the last Farmers Market I went to, anyway! I saw several good 'decisive moments' but missed capturing them on film, and there were a few other interesting characters or scenarios I wanted to photograph but chickened out for some reason or other. I had the Street Photo Salon subject 'street cuisine' in mind, so took a number of shots of people with takeaways or at the fruit & vege stalls. The more often I photograph in public the easier it gets, though it still takes me a little while to warm up and get over the feelings of self-consciousness. It seems easier if I'm on my own. In the majority of cases I still need to get closer... At the fleamarket, most people either didn't notice me photographing or chose to ignore me. One stallholder came after me to question what I was doing and why, but when I explained she was more than happy to let me continue. Occasionally I got a lovely humorous reaction to the presence of the camera, and responded in kind. This couple were oblivious to my presence and I photographed them three times before moving on.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 30 alternate : Papamoa Fleamarket #1
There were several dogs at the fleamarket but this was the smallest! I'd like to take more photos like this where I'm close to the centre of interest, (actually in the scene rather than standing at a distance) and can see people's faces/ facial expressions. I'm sure these children knew I was there with my camera, but didn't realise they were in the shot. The Pentax's noisy shutter was not obvious because of the background people noise. When I finished the roll of colour print film in my K1000, I swapped to the Voigtlander Vito with Kodak T400CN. I have yet to get this film developed but will be interested to see what else I captured from the morning.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
My brother and his family were visiting Tauranga, and their oldest two children stayed with my parents while the rest of the family attended a birthday party. Late in the afternoon 'Grandad' took them for a walk down to the local reserve to burn off some excess energy, and I tagged along with camera in hand. My nephew Joshua (nearly 12) found a large fallen branch, and I photographed him in a quiet moment when he wasn't hassling his sister with it.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 29 alternate : Sisters
Two of my nieces, taken on the same day as above, just before the family headed back to Hamilton. Alicia (almost 10) was doing her best to 'pose' while Caity (6) was laughing and wriggling to get away - when she was still for a moment I got this shot of the two of them. Believe it or not it's the middle of winter here, but was quite a mild sunny afternoon, hence those bare feet!
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
During a family gathering to celebrate my nephew's birthday, my father and brother-in-law were deep in a serious discussion (probably about the garage they're building) and didn't notice me aiming the camera in their direction. I particularly liked the gesture I've caught here, characteristic of it's owner.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 400.
Week 28 alternate : Tony-Lee
Taken on the same day as above (my nephew's fourth birthday). After the eating part was over and the candles on the cake had been blown out etc., the children went outside to play. I took several photos of Tony-Lee sitting on the verandah rail examining his father's tool belt, with the evidence of the birthday party still on his face.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 400.
I visited the Otumoetai Railway Reserve this week, on my way to work in the afternoon. After taking several photos of the trees I saw this rope fence and its shadow. The walk in the sunshine was refreshing and good to think about later on, in what turned out to be a very busy evening.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 400.
Week 27 alternate : Winter Tree
Also at the Otumoetai Railway Reserve - my best effort at capturing one of the bare trees.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 400.
This week I went along to the Farmers Market at the Compass Community Village again. There were very few people around, maybe because it wasn't that warm, which made it very hard to photograph inconspicuously. I chatted with several of the stallholders and showed some B&W photos I'd made the last time I was there. Two or three of the stallholders were unsure or even negative about having their photos taken this week and I felt I was wearing out my welcome, so I wandered around the back streets of the village instead and had a wonderful time exploring. There was some very colourful artwork - this is one example.
Pentax K1000, 28-80/3.5, Fuji Superia
Week 26 alternate 1: Clothesline
The last time I visited the village for a Farmers Market, a lady was hanging out her teatowels on the line and the sun shining through them made them really glow. When she saw me looking she 'challenged' me though, so I moved on without photographing them. This time the light was a lot softer as it was an overcast day, but the teatowels were there again and I couldn't resist! I tried several angles and liked this one best, because of the sense of movement - the breeze has just lifted one of the teatowels.
Pentax K1000, 28-80/3.5, Fuji Superia
An attempt at capturing the main street of the Compass Community Village. I called in for about 15 mins before work. It was nice to see some blue sky and sunshine. I took several more shots with a Kodak T400CN film in the Voigtlander Vito but haven't been able to print these yet - may post them here at a later date.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia
I helped baby-sit my niece and nephew while their parents were visiting the Agricultural Fieldays on Thursday. The 'Ball Boy' reference is to some photos I made of Tony-Lee when he was much younger. In one of them he is seated in a cane basket, holding a ball. He's almost four years old now, and was very happy to pose while I took several shots.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Kodak Supra 400.
Week 24 alternate 1: Kristina
Kristina will be two in September this year. She didn't mind being photographed but didn't keep still for long, so it was a challenge to catch her with my manual focus camera! It was late afternoon on a winter's day (same day as above) and there was a cold wind so we didn't stay outside too long.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Kodak Supra 400.
Posting these some time after I took the photographs has its advantages & disadvantages - I can't remember many details of the time they were taken, which means less to write! It was late in the afternoon on a Saturday. There weren't many people around and I spent an enjoyable hour or so wandering around the back streets of the Compass Community Village, discovering all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies. There is so much more to photograph here than just the 'main street' where the Farmers Market is held, and it's becoming one of my favourite places. I discovered this (probably smoker's) chair outside one of the buildings, with the late afternoon sky reflected in the window behind.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Week 23 alternate : Tuscany
A more general view of some of the Compass Community Village buildings, taken on the same day as the main, with the wide-angle end of the zoom. As above, it was late afternoon and there were very few people around. I learnt how to do some perspective correction in Photoshop, and re-posted this.
Pentax K1000, 28-70/3.5, Fuji Superia 200.
Some winter colour in the garden. This was the one I considered best of several attempts on different days. This was a very uninspired week photographically due to work and other commitments, so no alternates.
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 200.
While visiting a friend to update our camera club website, I walked around her garden looking for photographic inspiration and found these 'rosebuds in the rain'. I didn't stay outside long as it was wet...
Pentax K1000, 80-200/4.5, Fuji Superia 200.