Capture by A photoblog

Sunday 28th April was Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, and we had our second workshop at Minnie Street Studio. It went extremely well, thanks to the efforts of Petra, Jonathan and Sophie, and the great group of people who attended.

The participants had to battle with much more changeable light than last year, with the variations in cloud cover, bright sunlight and open shade meaning exposure times varied from 12 seconds to 5 minutes or longer. In light of this, the fact everyone went away with at least two well exposed pictures was very pleasing.

Here's some of the best shots from the day, and we'll add more as they come in over the next little while.

If you missed this one, don't worry, we have enough Pringles tins left over for next year, and are already planning some additional activities and challenges.

Capture away.

From where I sit, autumn is always a long time coming.  Summer hangs on, and on, and on...  In the end, three changes combine to suggest it's autumn in Auckland.  Shorter daylight hours, a subtle change of leaf colour here and there, the changing of the light. 

As a result I've had to work hard to squeeze some Autumnal Photos from among recent snaps.  We'll be relying on you all to wade in with your autumn photos from colder parts which I'm sure will paint a fuller picture of 'the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'.

April 28th 2013 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. Join Capture for our second annual (and highly enjoyable) pinhole workshop at Minnie St Studio.

The Capture Pinhole Photography Workshop 2013

Date: Sunday 28th April, 2013

Time: 10am - 4pm (ish)

The workshop will be held at Minnie Street Studio, 20A Minnie Street Eden Terrace.

Cost: $40 to cover materials and venue hire

Numbers are strictly limited, due to the small size of the darkrooms and practicality of en-masse pinhole camera assembly and photo processing

Please register your interest using the email reply button below the post, and we'll send out confirmation of your place and more details by email.

After the event, we will post the best of the day on a new Capture thread, and also contribute to the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Gallery.

This is  lo-fi seat-of-your-pants photography. Come along, and really get painting with light.

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.