Sunday, November 30, 2008

Portraits of Brittany & Greg

This Saturday I had lunch with Count Toasty at Soi. We had planned to scout the local headquarters of the Wellington Coast Guard for an upcoming calendar photoshoot we're supposed to do, more on that some other time. The Coast Guard HQ is at the end of Evans Bay Parade, and Soi is about 2 minutes down the road. I hadn't been to Soi in a few months so suggested we have lunch there first. Good choice as it turns out that's how I'd come to meet Brittany...super nice girl and obviously very pretty, gorgeous eyes.

So on Sunday we arranged to meet up in town and have a chat about doing some photos together...and that's how I met Greg, Brittany's boyfriend. Now looking at these two you might assume they were brother and sister, and you might also assume that they have a Nordic heritage...wrong on both counts. They do sometimes freak people out by answering 'yes' to the brother sister question, and then kissing each other...HAHA...ahh, I'd pay to see someone's reaction to that. And in fact they both have Scottish heritage...I never would've guessed. And to put another little twist on things, the "Wellington is waaaay too small" curse has struck again :) ...turns out Brittany is good friends with Dana, and her mom also works at the travel agency that handles Weta's accounts.

So hopefully in the next month or so I'll get to shoot some fun stuff with Brittany, and we're trying to get Greg to agree to step into the frame and shoot some "Calvin Kleiny - Giorgio Armani'ish" couple shots with Brittany. They're both really laid back and very easy to get along with, so I'm looking forward to shooting with them :) ....stay tuned...

Some alternate processes looks.



100 Strangers #36: Drew Dennehy

This is number 36 of 100 in my 100 Strangers photo project.

This is Drew Dennehy, Student at Victoria University here in Wellington. He just finished his first year of a double major in Economics and Architecture. He was born in Wellington but grew up in Nelson, and he's back in town for university. Upon graduation he sees himself heading over to work in Melbourne (AUS) for a couple years, and then taking a crack at life in London (UK). Eventually making his way back to Australia way down the road. But before he enters the work force, he'll likely travel South East Asia first...hey, isn't that what ALL grads do, you gotta get it out of your system before it's too late :)

I met Drew by chance today. I was returning to "Man To Man", a mens clothing store in Wellington, to pick up some jeans I had bought last weekend and gotten altered. As I was leaving the store I glanced at the front window display, thinking it could make for a cool photo. I went about my business running errands, and then about 10 minutes later I returned to the store determined to use the front window to my advantage and add to my 100 Strangers.

As I was standing outside the store 'casing the joint' for a good angle, the clerk that had helped me earlier asked if I wanted to buy the building by the way I was curiously scoping it out :) So I went back in and asked if he'd want to participate as my next Stranger. At first he agreed, but then as I explained the need to include a minor backstory, he declined but suggested Drew who was working on the upper floor of the store...and that's how I met my 36th Stranger.

Now here's the part that really sucks!!! I'm a little rusty getting back into my Strangers project, so rusty in fact that I totally blew it and forgot to ask Drew the ALL IMPORTANT FINAL QUESTION...what the last thing was that he ate...crap, I suck! Well, hopefully Drew will read this post in the next day or two, see my dilemna, remember what he had eaten last that day, and then email me and let me know so I can rectify my error. Come on Drew!!

"What was the last thing you ate before becoming Stranger #36 Drew?" ....

Thanks for participating Drew.

You can see my other Strangers in my 100 Strangers set, and strangers from other participating photographers in the 100 Strangers flickr pool. Learn more about the 100 Strangers photo project here.

US Thanksgiving In NZ

So this weekend was US Thanksgiving, and most of the Americans at work still have Thanksgiving dinners. Apparently securing a turkey is no easy feat either. Shannon and Jessica hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of friends, and they were kind enough to invite a few non-Americans, myself included as the token Canadian :) What is that contraption on the side of the road you're asking? Deep fried turkey! Supposedly a common way to cook turkey in the States...I had never heard of it until coming here. I THINK it's a southern thing? ...cause not all Americans have heard of it either...my friends from Atlanta and Mississippi were the ones that told me. Deep frying a big bird on the side of the road does bring odd stares from passing cars too :)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Weekend Pics

Part of the extensive grounds at Talking Horses horse training centre, Te Horo. This is where my friend Ewa (Eva) goes for riding lessons. I'm going to do a shoot with her and her horse so I went up this weekend to have a look around the riding centre and also the beach that her house backs onto. Not sure where we'll shoot or even what we'll shoot...I've never tried shooting portraits of a rider and horse before...should prove interesting. I'm leaning more towards the beach shots.

I liked how they hung the saddles and reigns in this part of the stable. I met Andrew, "The Horse Whisperer", he's supposedly one of the top horse trainers in New Zealand, very nice guy. He let me wander around on my own as he took care of some of the horses.

Waikanae Beach, about an hours drive NorthWest from Wellington.

Weka Bay, one of the many that make up Wellington Harbour.

I took some family portraits for my friend Kristie (my Coordinator at work). I liked this one best because of the emotion it portrays.

Burning Sheep 2008

Burning Sheep 2008...Weta's version of Burning Man. An annual celebration for absolutely no reason at all...other than to light something on fire, set off fireworks, and barbecue and drink on the beach at night.

Princess Jasmine (Wong...no relation but probably somewhere down the line as our families are from the same province in China) hugs Mr. Sheep for the last time...before he spontaneously combusts!!!

...nom nom nom...

How to light a sheep on fire by shooting roman candles at it.

This is what happens when a bonehead lights fireworks but neglects to stabilize them first...

Jogle...Chief Pyro Engineer for the evening.

...there are always thugs and riff raff at these Weta things. Seen here the failed boy band Backstreet N'Degrees.

I was waiting for this to end badly...VERY badly...