HDR Photography

Anyone reading this blog will probably know by now that I’m always keen to try something new when it comes to being creative and photography has been no different.

But anyone with a camera (or even a phone these days) can take semi-decent photos, right? So, I want to take photos with a bit of “Wow” factor.

For me, when I first started looking closely at other people’s photography it was HDR photography that always seemed to get my attention. So I decided to try understanding what this is and how to do it.

Here’s a couple of examples taken one rainy morning recently...

I think the trick is knowing what kind of subject matter suits this kind of photography. This technique doesn’t seem to work so well on everything. Of course there’s a lot of trial and error involved too.

One photographer doing a lot of HDR stuff and who’s amassed a huge online following these days is Trey Radcliffe. He puts a lot of his stuff up on Google+. Just Google his name and you’ll easily find him. He also has a blog called “Stuck In Customs”which is well worth a read. I only started noticing him since he moved to New Zealand which is where I live.

The above photos were taken only minutes from where I live, but now that I’ve figured out how to do this, I’m keen to travel further and find some new and interesting subjects to shoot. 

These are both handheld so they’re lacking a bit of sharpness — I can probably fix that by using a tripod.

Another Painting

Muriwai Beach – Painting

View it on SmugMug here

I love Muriwai beach. It’s such a rugged place. It’s one of Auckland’s famous west coast beaches. Places like this are just begging to be captured on canvas so I’m pleased to be able to make this print available for sale on SmugMug. 

SmugMug is a great place to buy and sell photography and other creative artworks. They have a good range of products including framed, mounted or stretched canvas prints. 

Turning Photography into Framed Works of Art

When it comes to producing works of art and particularly paintings on canvas, I’m a bit impatient. And yet I’m constantly having new ideas about what kind of paintings I’d like to produce. That’s where photography can aid the whole process by speeding it up.

 Take for example the photo that I spoke about in my last post. These days with modern technology it’s a pretty simple process turning such photos into beautiful paintings by applying painterly effects and textures to the image on the computer and then printing them off onto stretched canvas.

I’ve been planning to make such paintings available for sale. If you’re interested in purchasing one visit my online store and order one today. Click here

Getting the Hang of Photography

I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember. My brother and I were each given a blue plastic Hanimex camera when we were about 7 or 8 years old, back in the early 70’s. I seem to recall mine eventually melted in the sun one day when I left it in my dad's car on a hot summers day. My brother never used his, so at least I was given a second chance.

I was never really shown how to take a proper photo but have always had an interest in it. But it’s only in recent times, since I got myself a digital SLR camera that I decided to get serious about taking good photos.

Having spent most of my life following various other creative pursuits, the ‘art’ of taking a good photo feels a lot more intuitive than it was when I was young. But having said that, there are still a lot of technical things I still need to understand, but I’m getting there.

It took me the first 1200 shots on my new Nikon D7000 to figure out how to do this...

Essentially it’s the result of a whole variety of different factors, some technical, some artistic. One thing I’ve discovered is that something as seemingly simple as ‘patience’ can make the difference between a shot that is either mediocre or outstanding. Especially when you’re relying on certain elements that are outside your control, like the weather and capturing a scene in the best light.

I’ve decided to show off some of my photos on Flickr under my new D-Mac NZ brand.

See more shots on my Flickr page here.

Reviving Black & White

I have produced hundreds of pieces of artwork over the years, some of which has never seen the light of day or it’s potential was never fully realised at the time. So I decided to try recycling some of it and give it a new twist.

I did a lot of designs using black and white back in the late 80’s and then again in the late 90’s. I’ve noticed how Black and white as a fashion statement comes and goes, so perhaps these cushion and pillow designs will appeal to those who love the NZ outdoors and want to go with a black and white theme. They feature some of the Flora and fauna that makes New Zealand so special.

I thought while I was about it a messenger bag might look pretty cool with the same design on it, but in this case with a subtle accent of colour.

There’s something about the use of fabrics that really appeals to me. It’s an avenue I haven’t explored fully. Perhaps I should do so.

If you want any of these items you can purchase them by following these links:

Square Pillow  |  Oblong Pillow  |  Messenger Bag

Handyman Signage

As far as advertising goes, Vehicle Signage is a very cost effective way of getting your message out there. When Stu a north shore handyman called me I was happy to help him out. He had a few ideas of his own. He just needed help putting it all together.

Firstly he needed a logo. He had the idea of a kind of Super-Handy-man character. So I created this first, complete with his initials and the word HANDYMAN featured prominently on it.

Then he wanted to use a photo he’d taken of his wife and overlay it onto a large 'TO DO' list. This is because he’s found a lot of his best customers are women, who often have a whole list of things they need done.

So this was the initial concept I did for the side of his truck which included some additional graphics /striping to tie it all together. An important factor to keep in mind were the sliding door panels. The position of the graphics with these in mind was going to be quite important.

Stu also wanted to have some tools shown on the van somewhere. He’s got a tool for every job you can think of and he wanted this to be obvious. So I managed to find a really cool graphic in a stock photo library which I adapted by incorporating his initials and the Handyman wording...

Stu gets noticed everywhere. Often when he’s parked at the supermarket he’ll get people coming up to him asking him for a business card, so he’s got a bit of work off it already.

I got him to do a job round my place recently trimming trees. He did an excellent job.

If you’re on Auckland’s north shore and need a handyman, Call Stu. Tell him I sent you.

This is how his truck looked when it was finished.

Another Artist Impression

Creating artist impressions is an enjoyable outlet for a few of the things that really interest me.

Firstly it’s drawing, but with a focus on architectural subjects. Drawing houses and buildings is probably about as close to actual property development as I’ll ever get. Although as a keen Do-it-yourself-er, I’ve tried building all sorts of things around my place from pergolas, garden sheds and sleepouts to landscaping stuff like retaining walls, decks and fences.

I don’t think I’ve built any of those things without drawing them first to make sure I like what I’m doing and to work out how much it’ll cost.

Secondly, I love working on landscaping projects, the whole gardening thing and the myriad of possibilities there are for beautifying a property with plants, shrubs and trees is just the icing on the cake. If you’ve read anything on my Garden Blog then you’ll know how much I enjoy that kind of thing.

So, although I’ve never actually studied architecture or horticulture and I’m not actually a builder, that hasn’t diminished my interest in those things. And the good thing about drawing them is I can dream big and it doesn’t cost me anything except a bit of time and imagination. So, what better way to put all those interests together than drawing artist’s impressions.

So this is what I do. The first thing I need is a set of architects drawings, a couple of elevations like so...



From those I create a 3D model and then add colour and detail to all the visible surfaces...



Then, using the architects site plan and a photo of the property as references...



I position the 3d model making sure the model is rotated to the correct viewing angle and scaled to the correct size. Then with a few landscaping features added like stone walls and garden planting, as well as 1 or 2  adjustments to colours and other minor details, the job was practically done.

It’s a worthwhile investment for any property developer to make, especially if financing the project is an issue. An artist’s impression like this can be used to arrange funding especially for spec building, where a buyer needs to be lined up first before the commitment is made to start building.