Petraits

2011-10-13T20:04:00.002-05:00

Looking for something to shoot, and not having had an opportunity to shoot any animals lately, I decided to take advantage of our cats love of one particular piece of furniture. As she was relaxing on it a few days ago, I set my equipment up around her and started shooting. The results were some nice pet portraits or.....Petraits!

8Count Dance and Cheer

2011-10-13T19:36:00.003-05:00

As part of a re-branding process, the dance studio that my wife works at asked me to do some new head shots for the new website. The following is a few of the teachers and teachers assistants from 8Count Dance and Cheer.

Tania - Director/Owner Senior Jazz/Ballet/Contemporary

Cindy - Senior Tap/Jazz/Triple Threat/Musical Theatre/Ballet/Cheer Coach

Sarah - Junior to Senior Jazz/Street Dance/Hip Hop/Burlesque/Contemporary/Cheer

Bindy - Junior to Intermediate Jazz/Hip Hop - reliever

Natalia - Junior to Intermediate Jazz/Tap/Hip Hop/Ballet - reliever (Student Teacher)

Hannah - Junior to Intermediate Jazz/Ballet - reliever

Karrina - Teachers assistant

Birthday Photo Shoot

2011-06-09T20:58:00.002-05:00

Every year, we try to do a photo shoot with Karrina right around her birthday, a little tradition we have going. We've been doing this for several years now and it's getting so easy to do photos with her. All I really have to do is tell her where I want her to stand or sit, and she does the rest. There were so many good shots from the day, this is just a sample of what we finished with.

Purple

2011-05-16T22:09:00.002-05:00

I've joined the local camera club and each month we get together and enter photos we've taken to be judged. Each month there is a set topic that the photos must relate to and last month the topic was the color purple. Since things have been a bit slow here lately, I thought I would share my "purple" images.

This first one was a bit of an accident at the time I captured it. I was adjusting some of the settings on my camera in order to capture a different image when I accidentally pushed the shutter release. The image was nice, but a little bland straight out of the camera. An adjustment to the white balance and a boost in the contrast is really all it needed to bring out the purple and blues and make it what it is.

In search of another purple image, I noticed that some of the ducks hanging around the local pond had a purple stripe on their wings. While a shot of the entire duck might have been nice, I was after something a bit different, a little more creative.

Karrina's Test Shoot

2011-03-20T19:15:00.004-05:00

To kick off our new look, it is only appropriate to showcase the one behind the name...my beautiful daughter, Karrina. I picked up some new gear so that I can have a little more control over the light during sessions, and did a test shoot with it last night. I'll have a bit more freedom to move around now and am very happy with the results.

Glenbrook Vintage Railway

2011-02-28T00:06:00.002-06:00

Not far from here is the rural community of Glenbrook, home to one of this areas big tourist attractions, the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. The railway runs from Glenbrook to Waiuku and is staffed and maintained by volunteers who dress in period clothing to continue the experience of stepping back in time. I was out and about with my camera a couple of days ago when the train was running and grabbed a few shots.

Red-billed Gull

2011-02-27T00:25:00.005-06:00

I captured this one on our recent trip down to the beach. Some photographers say that capturing a bird in flight is one of the hardest shots to get because of the speed and unpredictability of an animal that can go pretty much anywhere. It is a bit of a challenge, but it's a challenge that I thoroughly enjoy.

Moonscape

2011-02-20T00:15:00.002-06:00

We had a really nice full moon a couple of nights ago, so I had to get a shot of it. I love all the detail that you can see, kinda makes me want to buy a telescope and adapter to connect my camera to and see what else I can capture that's out there.

More From the Workshop

2011-01-27T20:53:00.001-06:00

I had so many shots from the recent modeling workshop that I liked, I thought I would share a few more.

Summer Modeling Workshops

2011-01-25T02:10:00.004-06:00

We just completed another round of modeling workshops, and the girls all did a great job. Their photos have turned out awesome and they learned a runway routine that they performed for their parents on the last night. We had a small group of girls this time and they were all a little shy in the beginning (except for mine that is), but they listened and learned. Their confidence grew and it shows in their photos. Below is just a small sampling of what was taken over the course of a couple of days.

On The Prowl

2010-12-19T19:27:00.002-06:00

Every couple of nights, one of the neighbors cats takes a detour through our yard on his nightly rounds. His name is Licorice and he's a nice cat, but looks like a baby panther. He makes it a bit of a challenge when he doesn't show up until after the sun has gone down. Enjoy!

Family at Sunset

2010-12-14T16:10:00.003-06:00

Meet the Kane family. I recently had the opportunity to spend a little time with them down at the beach. Great family, great weather, it's makes my job so much easier when it all comes together.

It took a few minutes for the little guy to warm up to us, but after he did he was all smiles.

A little play time at the end resulted in a mouth full of sand. YUM!

Dance Recital 2010

2010-12-07T18:03:00.002-06:00

After a few fast paced hours of shooting, recital photos for 2010 have been shot for both studios. Now on to the ordering and processing phase. At the end of the first round of shots, I capatured this shot of one of the senior level dancers jumping off of the stage. I think this photo ranks near the top of my all time favorite shots.

Spring Sunset

2010-11-29T20:04:00.005-06:00

It's spring time in the southern hemisphere which means warmer, longer days.....and the occasional photoshoot at the beach. I should have photos from that session soon, but in the meantime, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab a few shots for myself.

If I took Cassie and Yukon to the beach without a leash, I'm not sure if I would ever catch them. This was a beautiful dog, but mine are prettier with their blue eyes.

Modeling Workshop

2010-11-02T22:10:00.003-05:00

Over the past year, all of the modeling workshops I've been apart of have centered around girls in the 8 - 12 year old range with a couple being a bit older. A couple of weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to work with a group of adults. Organized by Glenys Anson, this workshop brought in six ladies as a promotion to a new business. Glenys describes it as:

'Restylise - The Style Exchange Club' (website in progress). The idea is for women to swap clothes with each other in organized premises so that preloved clothes we no longer wear can be passed on to others and we also come away with someones preloved clothes that benefits us.

These ladies were great to work with and all seemed to really enjoy themselves. This selection is a few of my many favorites from the day.

Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

2010-10-31T18:43:00.002-05:00

I wasn't really, but sittin' on the shoreline of the estuary just doesn't sound as good. It's been quite some time since I've gotten out to shoot anything just for the fun of it. So I took off last night to see what I could find. The tide was low, so meal time for this guy wasn't too difficult. As long as I didn't make any sudden movements, he was happy to be my subject.

Happy Anniversary

2010-10-25T19:46:00.003-05:00

"70th Wedding Anniversary" is a phrase not often heard. Meet the Yearbury's who have done just that, recently celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Modeling Workshop

2010-10-14T22:30:00.003-05:00

With the success of America's Next Top Model, a lot of countries around the world have created their own version in order to cash in on that popularity. With that popularity comes a younger crowd who wants to learn what it takes to become a model and experience it first hand, even if only in a small way. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to participate as the photographer in a couple of modeling workshops that take the girls through runway walks, posing, makeup, and a few other things. It seems to be a real hit and we have more scheduled for the future.

Nicky's School of Dance

2010-07-11T21:42:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've had the chance to update with a new image so I'll go back a couple of months. This shot is from some promotional shots for the dance school that Cindy works at. The photo was used in local newspapers and magazines, and is also printed on a large canvas and hanging in the studio.

Adopt-A-Family

2010-04-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

Usually, when a pet is added to a family it is the family who chooses and adopts the pet. But in this case it seems to have happened the other way around. This little kitten showed up at our door a few weeks ago, looking a little under fed. We tried to send her away to where we thought she lived and asked the neighbors, but no one seems to know where she came from. Feeling sorry for her, we gave her some food and she has made herself right at home. Oddly enough, I have been allergic to cats pretty much for as long as I can remember. But none of the cats here in New Zealand seem to affect me. I haven't had any issues whatsoever.

Sunsets and a Flower

2010-03-16T22:16:00.002-05:00

The sunsets have been really nice lately, just enough clouds hanging around to make some interesting colors.

The first was taken just a couple of weeks ago just south of wear I am living.

This one was actually taken a couple of months ago. I found it as I was going through some old photos looking for images like this one that I had overlooked.

This flower was given to Cindy by one of her dance students. It didn't last long, but was really pretty while it did.

Tom O'Neil

2010-01-30T17:09:00.004-06:00

I first met Tom back in August 2009, introduced by a mutual friend. In my quest to find a full time job, I learned that my resume was not up to standard and that just happens to be Tom's specialty. Tom is the managing director for cv.co.nz, a business that has developed specialized CV's for customers on all 7 continents. He has also been featured on television and radio, and was a major contributor on CV preparation and career achievement to the world's best selling career guide “What Color Is Your Parachute?” (2008 and 2009 editions).

Along with writing CV's, Tom's passion lies in helping people, helping them to discover their strengths and their goals in life and career and then encouraging and coaching them to achieve them. These shots were taken for Tom to use on his new website tomoneil.com and other promotional materials relating to the website. The website will be launching in the next couple of months, and if you need your resume/CV updated, stop by CV.co.nz.

Thanks Tom

Family Pictures

2010-01-06T18:53:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since the last time we took family pictures. So last week we went out and took some new ones. These were all taken down near the beach at a restaurant/event center overlooking the beach.

"Don't Chase It"

2009-12-06T14:24:00.002-06:00

The funny things you hear from other family members. As we were heading off somewhere a few days ago, we noticed the neighbors all staring up into the sky. There was a small funnel forming. Being from Oklahoma....scene of the movie "Twister", part of Tornado Alley, training ground for storm chasers.....and being a photographer and having my camera with me, she actually thought I might just ignore it. It never actually touched the ground, I think this was the closest it ever came, so no real danger from it.

Friends

2009-08-30T18:55:00.002-05:00

Karrina has joined the local homeschool group and is having fun with some of the different activities that they do and meeting new friends. This is Natasha and Larisa, sisters that are also part of the group and some of her best friends.

Cheerfest '09

2009-07-06T16:16:00.003-05:00

When there is anything dance, cheer, or tumbling related in the area, Cindy and Karrina want to check it out. Sunday, Cheerfest '09 took place at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City. It is an international cheer competition with teams from New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. It was fairly small this year with only a handful of teams, but they are expecting it to grow and be a big event in the future. Cindy may be taking some of her own teams to compete next year.

I'm Such A Fungi

2009-07-02T21:29:00.003-05:00

I went out looking for something to shoot a couple of weeks ago with nothing in particular in mind. While driving down a small road in the middle of nowhere, I noticed there were a lot of these scattered around under the trees. I drove on to see what else I could find, thinking there should be something a bit more interesting but came up with nothing. As I was driving back, they caught my attention again. The color on some of them was really intense, the bright reds and oranges just jumping off of the dull brown of the old pine needles. I wasn't expecting this, but I had found something to shoot!

And they're off.....

2009-06-23T18:50:00.002-05:00

The same track that I go to the car and motorcycle races at also has horse races. The horses were running one day and I had a few minutes and my camera so decided to stop in and check it out.

9 Years

2009-06-22T21:01:00.002-05:00

It's been 9 years already, believe it or not. Doesn't seem like it's been that long. This is a couple of shots from our special birthday photo shoot that we have been doing every year. She's 9.......going on 19.

NZ's Next Top Model

2009-05-13T18:07:00.002-05:00

Riding the wave of success from America's Next Top Model, a number of countries have created their own version. We are currently in the middle of season one in New Zealand. While attending a fashion show at one of the local malls, Karrina spotted one of the recently eliminated contestants and wanted a picture with her.

And here are a few from the fashion show. The show was not associated with NTM.

Self Portrait.........Lego style

2009-03-11T16:54:00.005-05:00

Karrina loves to build and design things. In the last few months, she has discovered the wonderful world of legos. While playing one day, I mean building a masterpiece, she noticed that one of the characters looked a bit like me, or at least that is what she thought. So she decided to build a camera for him, I mean me.

If he, I mean me, has a camera, then I should take some pictures.

And I must say, the pictures turned out really good.

NZ Superbikes and more

2009-03-09T17:09:00.002-05:00

I spent the day out at the race track on Sunday. The NZ Superbikes were running, along with a couple of other groups.

and the winner is......

White-fronted Tern

2009-02-24T16:53:00.002-06:00

I think I have the correct name with these birds. These were shot just a few minutes before the orcas came through.

Field of Yellow

2009-02-24T16:05:00.001-06:00

When the summer crops have all been collected, some of the farmers in the area plant a field full of color.

Free Willy

2009-02-17T15:09:00.002-06:00

On a recent trip to the beach we had an unexpected surprise. You can get quite a bit closer at Sea World, but oddly enough it is more exciting to see them this way.

Headshots

2009-01-07T18:46:00.002-06:00

Cindy wanted a new headshot and of course my little model wants to have some fun too.

And while we are at it, lets have some fun with the makeup.

Beach sunset

2009-01-05T18:12:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile since I've taken the gear down to look for a good sunset at the beach. Can't complain about a scene like this.

Awhitu Peninsula

2009-01-05T18:08:00.002-06:00

Just a short drive down the road, you can see some spectacular scenes...wide open areas of rolling hills and valleys.

Seagulls

2008-12-18T17:47:00.002-06:00

With no sea in sight, only a small river.

A New Day, A New Race

2008-12-14T17:48:00.002-06:00

Metalman Thunder at the Park

Last week I spent the day at the races. This time I was free all day, so I bought a ticket and shot from the inside.

A Day At the Races.....

2008-11-09T17:37:00.001-06:00

or just a little over an hour actually. Since I only had about an hour and a half, I didn't want to buy a ticket. The track comes pretty close to the road on the left side. A number of people had pulled off and were sitting there watching, so I joined them. My view was of a small stretch of track just before the last turn and near the entrance to the pits. Not a bad view, considering it was free. The first group of cars are New Zealand V8's. I'm not sure about the last two, but they are a smaller and slightly less powerful car.

The race leaders.

It's a bad day at the track when this happens after only running a couple of laps.

A little bump draft.

Another bad day at the track. When you only run about 20 laps, pitting is not a good idea.

Challenge for the lead.

Challenge for......some other position.

And without warning, they are done. I never did see the checkered flag.

These cars are moving pretty fast, but there was no sense of motion. So I decided to play around with panning, something I have never had the chance to do. I think I did pretty well for my first attempt, getting a few that look the way I wanted them too.

The Auckland Zoo

2008-10-30T18:54:00.002-05:00

Took a trip to the Aucland Zoo a while back. It was probably the best zoo I have ever been to. In most of the exhibits, fences were camouflaged or minimized so that the animals appeared in a more natural environment.

Beach Sunset

2008-09-24T18:29:00.001-05:00

Went down to the beach a few nights ago to shoot some sunset shots. This is one of my favorites from the night.

The View from the Beach

2008-09-22T19:29:00.003-05:00

Karioitahi Beach is just a few miles from our house. We go down there whenever we get the chance.

This little guy wandered up on the beach the first time we were there. One of the surfers said he had never seen them on the beach in the 6 years he's been surfing here. He wasn't afraid of us as long as we didn't get too close. I managed to work my way in as close as about 6 feet before he started barking at me.

Welcome to New Zealand

2008-09-21T16:46:00.002-05:00

As things didn't work out in Australia, we are now in New Zealand. First impressions: I think I'm glad it didn't work out in Australia.....it's much prettier here and the people are a lot friendlier. Not that anyone was rude or unfriendly in Australia, but things seem a lot better here. So, what does it look like here? Check it out.

Why is Auckland called the City of Sails? Because almost everyone owns or has access to a boat.

More to come....

Olympic Gold Medalist.....

2008-09-16T19:50:00.003-05:00

Stephanie Rice.....3 Gold medals that is. Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice and Eamon Sullivan made an appearance in Melbourne. As you can see in the display picture behind Stephanie, they were promoting underwear. It sounds a little too odd to be true, but it is.....we have Stephanie and Eamon's autograph on an underwear ad.

Great Ocean Road Adventure Continued

2008-09-16T19:11:00.002-05:00

After London Bridge, we headed on to Warnambool to finish out the day doing a little whale watching. Southern Right Whales spend the winter just off the coast of Warnambool and it is easy to see them from the nice viewing platform right on the beach.

Day 3
Back to the Rainforest....

We've started to make our way home now, but have to make a few stops along the way. Since we were so close, these were too good to just pass by. To get to these waterfalls required a bit of a hike, but was worth it.

Beauchamp Falls
The viewing platform is so close you can feel the power of the water coming over the falls. It was also so close that I couldn't get the entire shot in one frame. I had to shoot it as a vertical panoramic and stitch together about 5 images.

Along the path down to Beauchamp Falls

Hopetoun Falls

Day 4
Otway Fly & Treetop Walk

After a short walk down a winding pathway into the forest, you enter onto a walkway that takes you out above the ground and up into the trees where you are some 80+ feet above the ground. Half way through the walk you can climb up the Otway Fly, a spiral staircase that takes you up even higher, to about 155 feet above the ground.

The view from above...

And to finish out Day 4.....
Triplet Falls

Again, we were so close this is another 5 images stitched together to get the entire scene.

That is the end of the Great Ocean Road adventure, except for the long drive home in the dark. There are a lot more images I haven't shown, but may add later on.

The Great Ocean Road Adventure

2008-09-06T17:23:00.002-05:00

I call it an adventure because what was originally planned as a day trip turned into a 4 day trip. Obviously, if it was planned as a day trip, then there weren't very many extras packed for the trip. That's part of what made it an adventure. The other part is all the places we ended up that we didn't think we would see.

You might think that this is the official starting point of the Great Ocean Road, but it isn't. It actually begins a number of miles back down the road. It was a slow day for traffic, so I stood in the middle of the road to get this shot.

Torquay

A little farther down the road.....

With a mix of sun and rain, we saw this several times during the day.

Erskine Falls....in Lorne. If you drive inland off of the coast, you'll find yourself in the middle of a rainforest.

Downstream from the falls.

Apollo Bay, the end of Day 1. The view couldn't be much better from our hotel room.

Day 2 starts off with a short drive down the coast to Port Campbell National Park and the 12 Apostles.

The rain moved in while we were there. My first thought was to protect my gear, that quickly changed to "get the shot".

And another short drive brings you to....London Bridge.

I've got a lot more pictures to go through, this isn't the end of them. There will be more coming, so stay tuned!

Impromptu Photoshoot

2008-06-28T21:02:00.002-05:00

Karrina and Cindy were testing some hair curlers and loved the results. So what was originally planned as a few quick snaps turned into a little mini session.

Age 8, continued

2008-06-12T02:01:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it is hard to narrow down a photo shoot so you can show off the best of the best. There isn't enough time or space to edit and show them all, so some shoots you just close your eyes and pick one knowing that it will be good. I finally managed to narrow it down some, so here is the rest of Karrina's 8 year old photo session.

Rainbow Lorikeet

2008-06-08T06:06:00.002-05:00

These little birds are pretty common in this area. We see them everyday, but they are fast little birds making it hard to get a good shot. I finally found one willing to sit still for a moment and let me get a few shots off. There were several others just a few feet away hopping all over the place. Maybe they were just a little camera shy.

Age 8

2008-06-05T02:01:00.002-05:00

Today was the big day. She has been so excited for the past couple of days, I thought she was going to explode. So here it is, her birthday photo session, a few of them anyway.

The Olympics are near!

2008-05-26T03:36:00.002-05:00

The 2008 Olympics are near and the Australian Gymnastics team was chosen this past weekend. I made it down to the final day of the five day event. This is a few of the girls that will be in Beijing in a couple of months competing for the medals.

This is Dasha Joura, Karrina's favorite from the day.

Night Time Stroll

2008-05-17T07:12:00.003-05:00

I went out and walked around part of the city a few nights ago.....just a couple of my favorites.

Creative Challenge

2008-05-11T02:23:00.002-05:00

I recently participated in a little challenge with some other photographers. The idea was to challenge our creativity and just get out there and shoot something everyday. We decided to use the alphabet as a guide. I won't post all 26 images from the challenge, just a few of my favorites.

After the Rain

2008-05-11T02:13:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you only need to look as far as your own backyard to find a great shot waiting to happen.

The City at Night

2008-04-26T07:56:00.002-05:00

I've known from walking around in the city that it would make a great shot at night. I finally got the chance to see exactly what it would look like, and it turned out really good.

Celebrity Sighting

2008-04-14T01:44:00.002-05:00

A nearby shopping center was having a family fun day on Sunday. As we walk out the door to where all the activites were, there she was, up on stage singing. It's Kylie Minogue. I pull out my camera and start shooting. It was a small show but a big production with costume changes and backup dancers and she was only on stage for about an hour, more elaborate than any amature show. But it wasn't really her. Kylie is from this area and is very popular here. So popular that there is a tribute show for her. This girl is good. She has the look and the sound.

So You Think You Can Dance......

2008-04-06T00:52:00.002-05:00

Thumbing through a paper, we found out Sabra and Kameron would be in town for a few days and doing an autograph signing. Not only did they sign autographs, they performed as well.

Underwater Adventure

2008-03-19T22:06:00.003-05:00

Took a trip to the Melbourne Aquarium a while back. I'm finally getting around to posting my favorite shots from the day.

Not sure of the name of this one, but his whole body looked like a child's maze.

Cruisin' through the kelp

A little guy swimming with the big boys

This shot of the cuttlefish is probably my favorite shot of the day.

More Family Pictures

2008-03-12T18:51:00.002-05:00

I am finally getting around to posting a few more shots from our family outing a few days ago.

Me and ReeRee

Cindy and ReeRee

A little Collage I created for Cindy

We also stopped by the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens for a few shots.

After we finished with the family shots, I grabbed this one of the sunset and clouds.

Family at the Beach

2008-03-04T03:58:00.002-06:00

I have been told that we needed family pictures. There are plenty of everyone else, but I'm not in any of them. I don't see a problem with that, but others did. So we went out a few days ago and took a few. Here is one of the favorites.

Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens

2008-03-01T21:45:00.004-06:00

A trip to the RBG is a great way to spend the day....a lot of great places to point your camera, and it's free.

A few more from Melbourne

2008-02-18T20:26:00.002-06:00

Here are a few more shots that I finally got around to looking at.

Sunset on the City

A few more from the Zoo!

Not a monkey or lemur, Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo

St. Kilda Beach

2008-01-31T04:17:00.000-06:00

Not the nicest beach in the area, but still plenty of opportunities to pull out the ole' camera.

Just Hanin' Out

Under the Palms

Sunset on St. Kilda

Out and About in Melbourne

2008-01-31T04:09:00.000-06:00

These are just a few shots I've taken while in and around the city.

Flinders Street Station

Waiting for the Train

Melbourne Zoo

Yarra River pathway

Yarra River and City Skyline

Karrina in Melbourne

2008-01-31T04:01:00.000-06:00

Here is a couple of my favorite shots from our time here. Can't see much of the city in these, but you'll be seeing more of it soon.

Welcome to ReeImaged

2007-08-03T13:28:00.000-05:00