Capture by A photoblog

The recent high-pressure system that's been keeping the rain away has brought with it both the romance of a long, hot summer and the heartbreak of drought. But that kind of weather also brings clear blue skies, one of my favourite things to photograph.

As Jackson recently discovered in Nelson, there's something about a clear, cloudless sky. It's like a perfect plain background to photograph something against. But when there aren't any clouds, the sunlight is stronger, harsher and less forgiving. But a blue sky is just that much more uplifting than a hazy grey day.

And as standard as a blue sky seems, there are differences in blue around the country. Wellington in particular has a really strong, dark blue, surely a result of the windy climate keeping atmospheric pollutants (and light diffusers) away. Other cities have a cooler, lighter blue.

So over the years I've taken advantage of cloudless days and got out in there, both in the sweltering summer sun and the refreshingly cool clear winter weather. Here are some of the blue moments I've captured.

And this is also a chance to dig out your blue sky photos and share them here, or go out on a mission and capture some blue sky (that is, when the weather is suitable). And it doesn't even matter if a little bit of cloud has snuck into the shot!

Last week I ventured south, starting in Nelson, and then a wonderful weekend in Christchurch, where several of the Public Address massive provided excellent hospitality. Cheers Emma, Lilith, Stephen J, Isabel and Ian D (and friends). Was great to meet some of you for the first time, and catch up with others.

Friday 1st of March, by all accounts, was the first day of autumn. Waking in Nelson to the bluest skies I can recall, it felt more like the beginning of the golden weather than the end. There's a lot of clichés about the Nelson climate, and in spite of the long hot summer we've all had this year, they all seem to be true. Even after a 24 hour whirlwind stay, I left thinking it was a place I could easily live in.

Then to Christchurch.

In two days I felt like I got to see a multitude of things, thanks mainly to Lilith and Ian, who accompanied me on separate tours that took in Woolston (Coolston!?), New Brighton, Sumner, Lyttelton, the CBD and one of my favourite discoveries, the Canterbury Sale Yards, in all their abandoned graffiti glory.

I tried not to focus too much on the quake, and just enjoy the company of the people there. I did this mostly, but you'd have to be sleep walking not to notice the spaces in between. After a great night with several at Pomeroy's, I walked through the CBD back to my motel. Something about the fenced off ruins, glowing road cones, and mercury lights over the Avon at night got stuck in my throat.

Arohanui to all in Christchurch.

Capture away.

The Auckland Pride Parade took to Ponsonby Road today as part of the Auckland Pride Festival. While it differed in many ways from the Hero Parades I remember from 1992 and beyond, it was still a great day, and I, like many others, am hoping it becomes a regular fixture again on the Auckland calendar.

The moment of greatest significance for me was seeing Maryan Street walking with her placard. I found myself yelling out in support almost involuntarily. It reminded me that while we've come a long way, we still have further to go.

Feel free to share your photos, stories, or memories of previous pride parades.

Capture away.

First published in 1967 and now long out-of-print, Gary Baigent's The Unseen City is a unique photographic document of Auckland. It was the result of four years observing and photographing the city that Gary came to know after he graduated from Ilam School Of Fine Arts in 1962 and rode his 'worn out G3 Matchless' motorbike to Auckland, intending to train as a teacher. Describing his move north in a 1987 Metro article, [1] Gary wrote that when training college began to seem like a return to the petty discipline of his schooldays at Nelson College, he dropped out and picked up casual work on the wharves, or as a labourer, and concentrated on photography. For a young man born and raised in the back country betweeen Nelson and Marlborough, this new city seemed exotic and alive. Auckland was "... tropical with mosquitoes and the sound of shunted railway wagons clanging through the warm night air ..." [2]

The Metro article gives a fascinating glimpse of Auckland in the sixties, of the people, places and events that shaped the book, the process of getting the city book project underway and the backlash when it was finally published. There was criticism of Gary's technique, and of the heavily inked printed pages where subtlety and detail were lost. On the other hand, the book was celebrated as the complete opposite of the many 'beautiful New Zealand' photographic books that had been published up to that time.

"Well, I knew nothing then, self taught, and the mistakes are obvious ... but I can still see the enthusiasm, excitement and dedication in making the collection... so, it's okay, can't change it now anyway. Even though just following my nose, broke into new areas  which hadn't been
done, if at all, in this country before; night photography with fast film and lenses, hand held, no setups or tripod, for example - but it all looks pretty conventional now."

Gary Baigent still takes photographs, and many of them can be seen on his Facebook page. In recent years he has published a book entitled Light Brigade about his beloved light displacement and multihull yachts, and is currently collaborating on another in-depth book about the history of New Zealand yacht and powerboat design. He continues to enjoy sailing in Auckland, Northland and the Bay of Plenty.

The photographs in this post are reproduced with the permission of Gary Baigent, and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.

Te Papa also hold twelve of Gary's photographs from this period, including 'Johnny Hermann's Smile', 'Party, Brighton Rd' and 'Milkbar, Grey's Avenue'. The Te Papa collection can all be viewed in high-resolution.

Copies of The Unseen City are available at many New Zealand libraries, and the book occasionally comes up for sale on TradeMe.

Introduction by Jonathan Ganley

I've been to all the Laneway Festivals in Auckland, since the first in Britomart in 2010. It's a great concept, and delivers a freshness and different vibe, in terms of music, patrons and overall atmosphere, than other music festivals I've been to. It's a festival for the here and now.

So by the time my crusty old sciatica back got the best of me at around 9.30, just as Tame Impala were about to take the stage, I had begun to feel a bit 'there and then'.

The Laneway organisers delivered on the promise of more shade, but there were still plenty of rosy red people in evidence, and queues, but not for the toilets or coupons this time. The Auckland Council ordered the organisers to close one of the bars at 8pm due to "concerns over intoxication levels."

Bailterspace were, as I'm sure was the case for many, the highlight for me, and Jonathan and I both got up the front to capture it.

And this guy I know also recorded Machine Song from the crowd. Awesome.

I wonder what next year will bring. Are we ready for a new venue? One thing is for sure, more ingenious hiding places for those contraband packets of nuts & raisins will need to be found ...

Capture away.

ETA: JP's full set on Flickr. Trialing embed function. Which apparently works. Yay! Click for slide show, and hit 'full screen'.