In May, I made the momentous decision to move from Auckland to Wellington. It has been an interesting time as the two cities are so different, some days I feel like I’m in another country. But I am gradually learning the nuances of life in this weird and wonderful town and slowly adjusting to its different pace. During this time, I have been emailing a friend with my observations of life in Wellington, so I thought I’d share a few. Continue reading Despatches From Wellington
I love the early morning light at Piha, and it is one of my favourite times to take photographs as only a few walkers and surfers are around. Because of the hills behind, the sun only sneaks over about 30 minutes after sunrise, so until then there is this lovely ambient light. One of the things I’m learning about landscape photography is the inclusion of active elements like animals and humans to bring it to life, so I was really chuffed when an early morning swimmer dashed across. I quickly snapped an image and I think this is one of my favourite shots as it gives a great sense of proportion to Lion Rock and the hills behind. My camera is a Nikon D5200 and I have a 16 to 85 DX lens, which I am slowly mastering. It was just on the landscape setting.
When you live somewhere, it is easy to take the scenery for granted or simply never look at it. I was up One Tree Hill trying to do a full moon shot and snapped this one of the Waitakeres as a test shot. When I looked at it today, I was knocked out by what a beautiful city I live in – I am very blessed.
I love this Zen saying:
If you do not throw yourself into the breakers, how will you ever meet the one who frolics in the waves?
The great mugginess ended last night as the wind rushed up from the south. Thank goodness. The night before was one of the ickkiest in memory. Almost a 100 per cent humidity, I had cold shower in the middle of the night to try and cool down and confused the cats who figured it must be time for breakfast even though it was still dark, so they got up and sat outside the laundry. Foolish creatures. I figured it was probably a bit early for a really cold beer (see previous post) so I had a glass of water instead, then threw half of it over my head. Time moves in fits and spurts when you wake up in the middle if the night. If you are lying somwhere so uncomfortable that it may as well be your coffin, it goes by in triple slow time. If you are desperate to get back to sleep because you have a big meeting the next day, it goes by in a flash and suddenly the alarm goes off and you feel as if you have had only five minutes sleep the whole night. Especially when you are alone. If you have company, well that’s another story altogether! Except if you are married, then they are just a big old toaster oven in bed with you.
Moments In Time 