photography – Page 46 – helenthura.com

March 6, 2007

Beechmont Launch

Well on Sunday I headed out with some friends to Natural Arch (Natural Bridge) to take some photos and take photos we did. I am not yet happy with my photos of the bridge or the creek in general. I was however happy with this photo of a Stinging Plant.

About 12ish we started to splinter off with people going home. I decided though that I had all day, some petrol and plenty of “film” left. I had thought of heading up to Binna Burra and taking a short walk but as I went past the Beechmont Launch on my way I stopped there instead and took some photos. Whilst the conditions for the hang and para gliders was not the best, there were still a handful up in the air.

Take off. This girl was lucky on her second time attempting to reach the clouds.

Paraglider and a model glider.

Looking across the top of the launch area.

Blowin’ in the Wind

Safety Floats.
I don’t think getting caught in these powerlines would be a wise life choice. Hence the big red balls.

I even managed to pick up my first hitch-hiker on that trip as well. Mum was quite shocked when I walked into the house and told her that. Well, that is until I explained the hitch-hiker. I had thought of driving home via Canungra but a km or so down the road from Beechmont I decided against it and did a uie, on my way back up the road I saw a paraglider lugging his big pack with his thumb out. I thought well I have just been taking photos of you all, so I may as well repay the favour with a lift back. I picked him up and a had a nice chat on the way back to the launch site about para-gliding and photography.

March 3, 2007

Flashed

I bought a flash for my camera the other week and it arrived on Thursday. I didn’t dare leave the house till the UPS man had came and finally at 12:06pm, he pulled up to our house with a parcel from BH Photo and there inside was a Canon 580ex Flash and an off-camera flash cord.

Since then, actually since the batteries were charged a couple of hours later, I have been having a ball playing and learning with my flash.
I don’t think I have any “real” photos to show for it other than a whole stack of my handbag sitting on my bed as I played with angles and strength.

My younger brother and my younger “brother” both see my camera as a tool of the devil so the arrival of a flash is just another excuse for my younger brother to yell and scream at me as he tries to defend himself from the devil. My younger “brother” of course follows the lead of his “brother” and after enduring the flash for 2 shots raises his arms to cover his face. Such is my life.

I just had a look through my photos again and I found this one of my duchess, when I was playing with my flash on the off camera cord with a bounce card. This photo shows two of the bangles that I picked up at Woodford. The top beaded one is a nice sparkley one that is nice for wearing out. The bottom one however is my very favourite. I think it is some sort of silver alloy but who knows for sure, just I don’t know where it was made, other than an educated guess of one of the many Muslim countries stretching from Morocco to the ‘stans in Central Asia. Isn’t it pretty though?

I am off to Natural Arch at Springbook in the morning with some local photographers for a fun filled day of camera fun.

February 25, 2007

All in the details

Do we want another wedding post? It was quite a nice w/e and I haven’t done that many exciting things since then or not that I have photos of and really it is all about the photos isn’t it?

How about details. There was so many pretty things at the reception that just made it that little bit more special.

Michelle’s Bouquet. Can you see the Paua (Abalone) shells? NZ is famous for Paua shells and they really are quite pretty shells, sort of like opals of the sea. Can you see the spiral shell? It actually has a finger sized hole at the bottom and that is what Shawn proposed with 🙂

Aunty Susan and Lisa went out to the reception site on the morning of the wedding and they created a masterpiece. The tables were decorated with “white” and black sand, tumble weed, Paua shell, seaweed, shells and candles. They truly outdid themselves, the tables were gorgeous.

Hiding beneath those layers of icing were a white chocolate and a chocolate mud cake from The Cheesecake Shop. Mmm Mmm.

This was a photo I grabbed as I walked past the wedding car. I only had my 50mm lens on and I couldn’t walk back any further or I would have crashed through the wall of the marquee.

We are about to go pick up Erica, another cousin who is up in Brisbane for a couple of days for job training. It will be nice to see her as we haven’t seen her since we were in Tasmania last year.

February 22, 2007

The Man

It is pretty well known in these parts that my grandfather (herein after referred to as Grandad) is the coolest man around. He walks the walk, speaks the speak and has the ladies to the left and right sighing as he walks past and he is also a bit of a comedian as well.

Now imagine Grandad looking oh so suave in a cream shirt and trousers with his signature blue hat on a beach surrounded by a group of adoring fans.

This is the man of the ~~hour~~century, throwing back a glass of bubbly at the beach at Raglan. See that man to the right, looking down at the sand? That is the undercover NZ police officer who was in charge of Grandad’s security detail. You can’t take him out anywhere in public these days without a security detail.

When he is spotted by various grandchildren/children with bubbly in hand after a certain grandchild who very much adores her grandfather squeals something along the lines of “look, Grandad has a glass of bubbly”, the paparazzi set their focus on him and the adoring fans look on in admiration.

I had ladies coming up to me left, right and centre at the reception asking me “Is that your grandfather? I was chatting to him before, he is pretty cool. I wish my grandfather was like him”. Ok so I might have made that last little bit up but I am sure people think that after meeting Grandad. He is Grandad after all. In the end, the girls and guys just couldn’t give him a little space and he had to leave the reception with his entourage shortly after the gifts were opened.

This is a photo of one lady who had a chat to Grandad at the reception. The lady is Michelle, of course (you know, the bride) checking in with her new grandfather in law, making sure that he wasn’t been crowded by all the fans wanting autographs and that security was looking after his wants and needs. The pressures of having such a high profile celebrity at the reception. You’ld almost think Shane Warne was at the reception or something…

February 21, 2007

On the beach.

“How many photos did you take Helen?” asks any number of assorted relatives.
“Aw you know, just a few” I reply.

Out of that just a few photos I took during the wedding itself, this photo is without a doubt my favourite, both emotionally and technically. I just feel quite strong about it. The beach, the people, the composition, the feeling. This is the wedding. This is Shawn and Michelle on their day that they shared with 60 odd people who traveled from not only within Kiwi Land but England and Australia to be at Raglan for the wedding on the beach.

February 20, 2007February 20, 2007

Landed.

Well I got back from Kiwi Land this morning, I have caught up on some of my emails, had a shower, unpacked a bit and had a quiet look at my photos. I am about to have a nap since I have to go to work tonight and since I woke up this morning at 1:30am Brissie time I would be buggered at work without a nap.

Here is one photo from the weekend which shows the groom’s side of the family. Looking at my photos I don’t think there was one taken of both the families together. The Stephenson’s are on the left, the Howie’s are on the right with Shawn and Michelle in the middle.

It really was a gorgeous wedding. Low key, laid back and a lot of fun. It was a wedding that was very much an illustration of who Shawn and Michelle are. Anyway of course there are more photos to come 🙂