Category: Blog

June 2024

In March 2024 we revisited the Yunnan province of China. This time instead of visiting the Rice Terraces we went to Shangri- la. The tour started at Kunming, then onto Dali, Lijiang, and finally Shangri-la.

Along the way we stopped at all the major sites. These included Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yulong snow mountain, Lugu Lake, Potatso National Park and meeting the Mosul people.

The tour company provided excellent service and overall the standard of accommodation was very good. Unfortunately because I don’t speak any chinese and had a bad cold I didn’t appreciate all the places we visited. Also like a lot of “pack in as much as you can tours” it tends to be the greatest hits attractions. And because its the greatest hits, it was like a rock concert with lots crowds. Imagine trying to see Mt Cook from Peters lookout where there were bus queues, and people queues all trying to get to the front facing Lake Pukaki. That sums up my impressions of any guided tour in China. Local Tourism is so popular now, post covid. As mentioned in previous blogs , its not the destination but the journey that is rewarding. Unfortunately because we were on a speeding bus with a dead line there were very limited photo opportunity stops, just for toilet stops. Fortunately they were biologically timed to suit an old man like me.

I chose to sit at the back of the bus where I could open the windows and dash from the left to right side depending on the orientation of the bus. I had on my 35mm lens and shooting at 1/1000 sec at the moving target. At least the bus provided a higher shooting angle than being a pedestrian. I photographed a lot of tree trunks and power poles as well!

However the tour achieved our main objective and that was to have a quick look at places we would like to revisit on our own.

September 2024

These were taken at the Meiji Shrine Tokyo where Shinto wedding ceremonies are held. Photographers may notice the camera I was using and still have. Its amazing what 12 megapixels can achieve, and with some heavy cropping, as you can see with the before and after post processing shots.

6 January 2024

People often ask me what sort of photography do I like to do. My usual answer, to keep it simple, is landscapes and people. Then the conversation changes to something else.

My websites theme is mainly Travel photography and that comprises mostly of  two parts- landscapes and people. I travel to do landscape photography or experience a different culture. I don’t travel to do street photography. That just happens because I’m holding a camera and I don’t have much else to do apart from trying the street food or waiting for someone to exit a shop. So in my case it is sort of a default position.

One of my favourite photographers died recently. Elliot Erwit was a fantastic street photographer. He had that eye that could spot something amusing or interesting in an ordinary, everyday street scene. Some photographers (like me)  feel they need to go somewhere exotic to get a good photo. Examples of this are littered on my website- South Island NZ, Myanmar, China, and other parts of Asia. If I was to be absolutely cynical (who me?) I would say if you go somewhere that is different, preferably more extreme that your normal living environment, and you know how to operate a camera,  there is a good chance you would get a photograph you like enough to publish or print. However good street photographers just go outside the front door and start clicking. They can capture things in that fraction of a second when random subjects come together to produce something amusing, or interesting to the eye that will never be seen again. However that image lives on forever thanks to silver halide, or a digital sensor.  This is one example on how I define a great photographer. It is someone who can produce an image out of nothing. By nothing I mean the mundane stroll through everyday life as opposed to standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon.  BTW did I tell you I added Morocco, and Patagonia to my list to try and get great photos?