Photography by John Corney

4th July Floral Fireworks

2009-07-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

I watched the 4th of July fireworks in Huntington Beach with some friends this year. Earlier in the day I gave some thought as to how I could represent fireworks without having to take my camera along with me in the evening. I came up with the idea of using this Osteospermum which is flowering on my patio right now. Don't you agree that this flower is the closest thing to an exploding firework that Mother Nature could provide? What a miracle of nature it is! So in celebration of the 4th July, I made this version of the photo a little more red and blue than the real flower which you can see following it in the set. I really like how the background also took on the look of the red of exploding fireworks reflecting off the smoke as you see happen at a fireworks show.

I hope everyone in the U.S. had a fun-filled Independence Day 2009!

Flower Photography Set 2

National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest 2009

2009-07-01T22:52:00.001-07:00

Here's another photo contest I just entered and which you might like to enter too. The deadline is July 20th, 2009. The contest is being held by the National Wildlife Federation. This is the 39th annual competition and cash prizes total $25,000.

There are 7 categories and you can enter up to 20 photos per $15 entry fee. Winners will have their photos published in the December edition of the NWF's "Wildlife" magazine. Entrants have to classify themselves as amateur or pro so that you are competing against people of similar experience

I'm sure all of you have many photos of landscapes, wildlife, and your backyards, and there are categories that cover all of these and more. The 7 categories for the competition are:

Mammals

Birds

Other Wildlife

Backyard Habitats

Connecting People and Nature

Landscapes and Plant Life

Global Warming and Wildlife

So why not give it a shot and enter the 2009 National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest.

Here are the photos I entered for the 2009 NWF Photo Contest

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What is Photo Noise?

2009-07-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you take digital photos or are shopping for a new digital camera, you will soon encounter "photographic noise" either in your photos or in the discussions and reviews of cameras you are reading.

The image captured by a digital camera is created by the sensor in the camera, which consists of millions of individual cells, each representing a "pixel", that converts the "analog" light passed through the lens into digital information about the light. Noise is created by the electrical interference neighboring sensor pixels have on each other.

In trying to think of an analogy from real life, what came to mind for me was a call-center where many service representatives are handling individual customer calls. Each is trying to focus just on their call, but the conversations of those around them intrude somewhat, and the more people packed into the room, or the more calls being taken at the same time, the greater the level of interference one service rep has on another. And then as the noise gets louder, people have to talk even louder, compounding the problem.

Just like the level of interference from others working the phones in the call center is affected by such things as the number of calls happening at once, the distance apart each service representative is from the others around them, the "energy levels" of the individual representatives, etc., so too the interference that causes picture noise in a digital image becomes more magnified by variables such as the number of pixels on the sensor, how tightly packed they are, the size of the sensor itself, the length of the exposure, and the ISO setting at which the photo is taken.

If you click on my photo above, you will hopefully be able to see the noise in the blue sky. Rather than being smooth, continuous blue sky, you can see that it is somewhat "grainy". This is an example of digital photo noise.

What steps can you take to reduce noise?

The steps you can take to reduce noise can be broken into two categories: first, how you take your picture ("in-camera"), and second, steps you can take in processing the image with software after the fact ("post-processing"):

Shoot at the lowest ISO setting possible for the light conditions since the higher your ISO setting, the more noise is generated as you "amp up" the electrical activity of the sensor

Shoot at the fastest exposure possible for the light as the shorter the exposure, the less time for noise to be generated

If you are shooting in low-light, use a flash if appropriate

If you are finding that your exposure is getting longer and you aren't shooting for depth of field, then take the photo at a lower f-stop since this will let more light through the lens and allow for a faster exposure

In low light shoot with a tripod so that you can take the picture at a lower ISO setting without worrying about blurring

In your "post-processing workflow", always look for obvious noise in your images and include steps to reduce it as much as possible. Photoshop Bridge and Adobe Lightroom, for example, have noise reduction sliders to help reduce noise. There are also many noise reduction plugins for Photoshop available on the market. You can typically get a free trial of most of these and and take them for a test drive.

Is Photo Noise Always a Bad Thing?

No, sometimes noise is introduced deliberately in image post-processing to either recreate the look and feel of old photographic papers and high-speed films, or to create digital artwork known as "grunge", where noise is also an integral part of the overall look. For example, I deliberately added noise to this photo of an aloe stalk.

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Photography Competition - Artists Haven Gallery

2009-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

The ARTISTS’ HAVEN GALLERY in Ft. Lauderdale, FL is holding an international juried photography competition that you might like to enter. But hurry: your submission must be postmarked by June 30, 2009.

There are cash & prize awards valued at over $15,000 plus participation in the finalists' exhibition and gallery representation for a year.

You can download the Guidelines & Entry Form at http://www.artistshavengallery.com/.

The contest is open to all U.S. and international photographers working in digital or film media. There are multiple categories and no entry limit. The entry fee is $25 for the first work submitted, and then $10 for each additional.

A group exhibition of the 45 selected works will be held at the gallery from Sep 01 - 31, 2009.

An awards presentation will be held Sep 19, 2009. Winners do not need to be present.

The competition will be juried by Barbara O’Keefe, Executive Director of the Coral Springs Museum of Art. http://www.csmart.org/

Artists Haven Gallery is located at 2757 East Oakland Park Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33306

You can contact Michael Joseph, owner of Artists’ Haven Gallery, with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the competition.
Phone: 954-817-4893
Email: 2009ipc@artistshavengallery.com

I just finished putting together my submission for the competition, consisting of these 5 works:

Water Lily Composition (Digital Conceptualization category)

Toned Water Lily (Flowers category)

Fuschia (Flowers category)

Globemallow Buds (Flowers category)

Lesli (People/Portraits category)

Here's a short 20 second Animoto Video I put together using the 5 photos I am submitting:

Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

2009-06-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

The term "flora and fauna" is a scientific term that refers to the plants and wildlife of a specific region or time. So while hiking Angel's Landing in Zion National Park recently, I was not only walking past red rocks and vertigo-inducing drop-offs, but was surrounded by the flora and fauna of Zion: its plants, spring flowers, and some its wildlife.

It was the early part of May when we visited, so the spring flowers were out in full-force. In terms of wildlife, we got to see a couple of different lizard species and a wasp, but not much more in the way of creepy-crawlies.

I bought a copy of "Wildflowers of Zion National Park" by Dr. Stanley L. Welsh at the park visitor center and used the book to identify most of the flowers in my photo collection. In terms of the lizards and the wasp, I would like to thank three kind members of the "ID Please" group at Flickr: Mr & Mrs Apteryx australis, Patrick Alexander, and James Christensen. (By the way, "apteryx australis" is the scientific name for the kiwi bird which makes it kind of cute that someone who uses that "handle" at Flickr should help me out, me being a "Kiwi" and all that!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos. I really enjoyed preparing them as some of the flowers are spectacularly beautiful, which is all the more amazing when you think of the hostile environment in which they grow. Oh, and after your view the slide show, be sure to check out the video below that I put together of just some of the flowers in the collection. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Photo Collection of the Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

Slideshow Flora and Fauna Zion National Park

New: See video version of some of the wildflower photos

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Latest Canon Compact Cameras with HD Video

2009-06-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Gail emailed me this week asking for a recommendation on a compact "point-and-shoot" camera. She mentioned having done some research and had turned up a Canon that she quite liked the sound of but which was "last year's model". This is how she described what she was looking for:

I'm mostly a point and shoot type of a person, sometimes I will do the odd video and use the different settings for night or action, etc...I want something good, it would be great if it takes either rechargeable or regular AA's, preferably compact. But if there is a much better camera that is slightly larger I would consider that too. I'm just overwhelmed by all the choices so I'd appreciate if you have any insight.

Gail also mentioned in her email that in reading reviews she saw frequent references to "noise" and wondered what that is. Noise is "grain" or noticeable specks that you can see in an image. As you shoot at higher ISO (film speed) in low-light conditions you get more and more noise until you get to the point where it degrades the image. So less noise at higher ISO settings is a sought-after thing.

Anyhow, being a Canon guy myself, I ran with the Canon brand and researched the Canon website for their latest compact point-and-shoot cameras that come with video capability. I turned up the following cameras, all of which have HD video capability.

They also all shoot 12 megapixels which is big! This means you can throw away millions of pixels and still have an image that will have sufficient remaining pixels to print well. I'm talking cropping here. So this gives you two advantages: you can crop out distracting parts on the perimeter of the photo and focus on the subject; or create a photo that looks like you are a lot closer to the subject than you really were - a zoom effect without zooming, if you get what I mean.

So what will distinguish these cameras since they all have HD video, and they all capture 12MP of image data? It comes down to three things: lens, LCD size, and user feedback in my opinion.

The main thing I would focus on would be the lens. That essentially is what you are really paying for with cameras that all offer the same digital-camera features. Look for "optical" as opposed to "digital" in the lens description. If a lens is described as "optical zoom", for example, this means it is "true" zooming, meaning that the lens will actually move when zooming. On the other hand, "digital zoom" means the camera uses a mathematical algorithm to guess at what the image would look like if the lens could actually extend that far. Note that the longer the optical zoom, then the more the lens is going to move and you will get to the point where the lens has to extend out beyond the face of the camera. If you want a camera that is always flush that you won't have to wait for the lens to retract before you put it back in your purse or pocket, then you will have to limit yourself to a shorter optical zoom.

Another feature that zoom lenses are coming with now is "image stabilization". Once again you can get "optical" and "digital" image stabilization. An "optical" image-stabilized lens has a motor that compensates for hand-shake and/or movement of the subject to help keep your subject in focus. This feature becomes more and more important when you are zooming out as the more you do that, the more magnified movement becomes. The fact that it is "optical" image stabilization again means that motors in the lens are compensating for the movement. There are some cameras that use "digital stabilization", which like digital zoom, is achieved by mathematical calculations to estimate what the camera thinks would be an in-focus shot.

Below I have provided links to the black or silver version of each of these cameras at Amazon - most come in a variety of colors if you want to get "jazzy". I have also listed the key features offered for the cameras including the lens details, LCD size, and user reviews at both Canon and Amazon.

Full disclosure statement: Since I am enrolled in the Amazon Affiliate program, if you make a purchase using any of the links I have provided to Amazon, I will be paid a small commission by Amazon.

And one last thing - if you want to keep this page open and have the links open in another page, then hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the link and then the new page will open in a separate window.

SX200IS
This is one of Canon's higher-end compact cameras.

12 MP
12x optical zoom lens for crisp close-ups
Optical image-stabalized lens
28mm wide angle - not too bad; you should be able to get almost any shot you want into that wide of a lens except for scenes like interior achitectural shots that take in the entire room
3" LCD
Motion detection - helps keep your subject in focus when it is moving
Blink detection - camera won't fire when someone in the picture blinks! If this works, that's pretty amazing!
Face detection timer - set the camera on a tripod to take a shot of you and your friends and no longer worry about using a timer and running to join the group in a panic - the camera senses when another person moves into the frame, and takes the photo only once you've settled in!
Red-eye correction
ISO settings up to 3200 - shoot in really low-light without a flash, but at an ISO that high you are going to end up with significant noise. I typically try not to go above ISO 800 even with my Canon 5D
High-Definition (HD) video capture
HDMI video out for the highest quality HD show on your TV
Canon DIGIC 4 technology (Digital Image Capture) - The latest technology from Canon that allows the camera to do all this amazing stuff, and better
Overall user reviews at Canon: 4 out of 5
Overall user reviews at Amazon: 4 out of 5

The following compacts are all models within Canon's "ELPH" range. I guess ELPH rhymes with "elf" to indicate small or compact.

PowerShot SD970 IS ELPH

12 megapixels
Optical 5x zoom lens
Optical image-stabalized lens
Face-detection self-timer
Blink detection
HD video
HDMI video out
Up to 3200 ISO
3" LCD
Canon DIGIC 4
User reviews at the Canon website give this model 4.8 out of 5
User reviews at Amazon average 4 out of 5 for the PowerShot SD970 IS

Canon PowerShot SD960IS released in February 2009

12.1 MP
4x optical zoom lens
28mm wide-angle
optical image-stabilization for those of us with shakey hands
HD video
HDMI video out
Anti-blink
Face-detection sefl-timer
up to 3200 ISO
Average reviews at Canon website: 5 out of 5
Average user review at Amazon: 4 out of 5

PowerShot SD780IS

Last but not least in the latest models within the ELPH range is the Canon PowerShot SD780IS

12 MP
3x optical zoom
Optical image-stabilizer
2.5-inch LCD
Anti-blink
Face recognition self-timer
DIGIC 4
up to ISO 3200
Average user reviews at Canon website: 5 out of 5!
Average user reviews at Amazon: 4.5 out of 5

My Recommendation
Finally! Now I know why you were so confused. So which of these cameras would I recommend for you? They all offer video and the same snazzy features and technology that comes with Canon's DIGIC 4, so it boils down to lens and camera size. You said in your email that you "want something good", so if your budget allows for it, I would recommend the first camera in the list the Canon PowerShot SX200IS. Why wounldn't you go for the longest zoom lens in the list. And with its 12x optical zoom you'll be able to get some farily decent shots of the cute guy at the other end of the beach on your next Carribean cruise!

If pictures of hot men at the other end of the beach aren't what you're planning on doing, and most of the shots you're going to take will be basic snapshots of subjects that are close or general scenes of places and faces, then pick something from the list of ELPHs based on just how small a camera you want to slide into your pocket or purse.

Going to the next step the Canon G-10
In doing the research I came across the Canon G-10 so wanted to give it a mention.

It's a compact digital camera for the serious amateur all the way to pro. I have read rave reviews of this camera by the reviwers at Photoshop User where I get all my Photoshop training, product reviews and stuff like that.

It shoots 14.7 megapixels
28mm wide-angle lens
5x optical zoom
Optical image stabilizer
Face-detection self-timer
3" LCD
RAW file capture
Canon's DIGIC 4 technology
up to 1600 ISO
Compatible with Canon's detachable Speedlite flashes
NOTE - Does NOT shoot video
The G-10 gets 4.8 out of 5 from users at Canon's website
Users at Amazon gave the G-10 an average of 4.5 out of 5

And it will still fit in your pocket - unless you're wearing those spandex jeans yet again!

It has a full range of shooting modes, from different sized jpeg files to "RAW" image capture. If RAW is a must for you then this is the camera that makes it possible for the serious amateur and pro alike never to be caught without a camera, even on those occasions when you don't want to have a camera hanging from your neck. If I had the budget, this is the compact camera I would like, but what would be driving my decision would be the fact that it shoots RAW since I almost always shoot in RAW.

Note, shooting in RAW requires subsequent processing with Photoshop, so is for those who are more serious about photography and "post-processing" their images. But the G-10 of course also shoots in jpeg which most people are used to and which is the standard image format that any photo editing program will work with.

If you want to start getting serious about using Photoshop, here's a link to Photoshop User which includes a free copy of "The Best of Photoshop User: The Tenth Year DVD". Included in your membership is a subscription to "Photoshop User Magazine" which I love. You'll learn heaps of new things and tips and tricks in every edition.

Hope this helps. Happy shopping!

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Angel's Landing and Zion Canyon Overlook

2009-05-31T22:14:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago I went back to Zion National Park in Utah with a couple of friends. It was my 4th visit to Zion, and in the past I have done some of the easier hikes as well as hiked the Virgin River up the "Narrows" slot canyon, so this time I was looking for something a little more "out there on the edge".

Nothing fits that bill more than the Angel's Landing hike which takes you 1500 ft (450m) above the canyon floor to the edge of vertical cliffs overlooking the canyon. The hike in itself is about 2.5 miles (4km) each way, but the last half mile is the most challenging as it is not only very steep, ascending almost 500 ft in that last half mile, but the trail is along the narrow razorback ridge that runs out to the spot called Angel's Landing. The point was named Angel's Landing, by the way, by Frederick Fisher who was said to exclaim while exploring Zion in 1916 that only an angel could land on the monolith.

Looking at the accompanying photo of Angel's Landing you don't get the impression that what you're looking at is a narrow fin of rock, but that is in fact what it is.

Our reading about the hike online scared us, not just because of the steep climb (our average age qualifying for being "of a certain age", and we all have sedentary jobs), but also because we were weren't sure how we'd do on those vertical edges. But we were up to at least giving it a shot and going as far as we comfortably could, and hopefully all the way.

Anyhow, you can read the story of the hike and whether I made to Angel's Landing or not along with the photos I've posted. You can also see some shots I took along the Zion Canyon Overlook trail that we hiked in the late afternoon.

Angel's Landing and Zion Canyon Overlook Gallery

Angel's Landing and Zion Canyon Overlook Slideshow

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Maori Ancestor and Nikau Palm

2009-05-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

In working on the photos of the Sky Tower in Auckland that I posted last night I was trying to bring together some iconic imagery from New Zealand and also make a statement about how the casino, in using native Maori art in its decor and interior themes, provides a distraction to the fact that it is really all about gambling and separating us from our hard-earned money. Vegas, New Zealand style!

There are several things in New Zealand life and culture that are iconic references that occur again and again in New Zealand art. Of course the native Polynesian culture is number one, but in addition to that, the native plants and birds that are unique to New Zealand also loom large. In that list are the nikau palm, flax, the kiwi bird, and the cabbage tree, to name a few. So since I have a couple of nikau palms growing in my back yard (the only other place I have seen them growing in the U.S. is in Balboa Park in San Diego, by the way), I took a shot of one of them after work today, and then incorporated it into the artwork I'd already come up with last night in the Sky Tower pieces. (Here's the original photo of the nikau palm in my back yard).

Of course I first had to select out the nikau palm from the background which took a bit of "wrist-breaking" effort since my garden is very busy with greenery and there was no way I could take the photo with a flat background, (one of these days I'll get myself a Wacom Pen Tablet I guess), but I was able to do a decent enough job of it for works that were going to be kind of abstract anyhow. Then it was a matter of experimenting with various layers of the palm tree and the effects that came from different blending modes within Photoshop. I looked for modes that would let some of the motif on the right side combine with the palm so as to create an integrated effect.

So here you have my series of photos combining two powerful New Zealand images: Maori wood carving motifs and the nikau palm. Hopefully my friends and family in NZ will experience some sort of positive emotional response to these works, and maybe even my "Stateside" friends and family might get some sort of warm-fuzzy too.

OK, time to enjoy the weekend now and give my wrist a rest after selecting that nikau palm out from the background! Ahead are some photos from Zion National Park which I visited last weekend with some friends. Hope your weekend is going well. Thanks as always for checking in!

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Abstract Photo Featuring Maori Wood Carvings

2009-05-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

I combined and blended a couple of photos I took of Maori wood carvings to create this abstract photo. If you have Photoshop you can achieve effects similar to this by laying your images and experimenting with different blending modes. It's lots of fun, and keeps you up late at night!

Artistic Photography

Sky Tower with Maori Ancestors

2009-05-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Sky Tower Casino has dominated the Auckland skyline since 1997. Before that it was the Harbour Bridge, Westhaven yacht marina, One Tree Hill, and Rangitoto Island that were the varied icons of the Auckland I recall. The interior decor of the casino features Maori motifs and these lastest works I have put together express the question: "What do the ancestors think"?

Sky Tower Casino Auckland Slide Show

Some Photos from my Hometown Wanganui

2009-04-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wanganui, the town I grew up in New Zealand, is not exactly "on the map", but perhaps that's because it suffers from an inconvenience of its geography; it's not on the beaten track. Most people, if they aren't flying, make a bee-line down the center of the North Island when driving from Auckland to Wellington. To visit places like Wanganui, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings etc. means a side-trip to either of the coasts, and since everyone is just trying to get from A to B in the shortest and quickest manner, the cities on the east and west coasts of the North Island miss out on a lot of casual visitors.

But if you ever get to visit New Zealand and you have the time, a side trip to a place like Wanganui can reward you with some surprises not available elsewhere. Wanganui is known as "The River City", a claim that many towns and cities in New Zealand could make, but I guess Wanganui got there first. It is the only river in New Zealand that is designated as a national park, I believe, and the river is rich in both Maori and early white settler history. At one time the river was such an active means of communication and travel that a fleet of 12 steam-powered river boats plied up and down its navigable length

The city also sports two towers of notable architectural significance, and neither of them lean - eat your heat out, Pizza! The main street "Victoria Avenue" is graced by well-maintained Victorian era buildings adorned in the summer months with bright displays of hanging baskets of annual flowers. The city is also home to a vigorous polytech that focuses on the arts and design.

So if you ever get the chance, check out my home town.

In the photos of Wanganui that I have posted, you'll get to see the river steamer the "Waimarie" which sails daily in the summer and most weekends in the winter. Then you'll see a view of the volcano Mount Ruaphehu as seen from my brother's place, and then some shots of the Wanganui water tower. Oh, and there's a photo of "me mum" too. Enjoy

Some useful links if planning a trip to Wanganui:

Information about Wanganui

The Waimarie river boat

The Wanganui Regional Museum

Fodor's Guide to the Whanganui River National Park

The Sarjeant Art Gallery

Pin Up Girl Lesli!

2009-04-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of photos of my very fun friend Lesli. Who could ask for more with a friend like this!

I've added the photos to the People and Portraits gallery. And, yes, Lesli says it's ok for you to order a huge pin up girl poster of her to grace your walls! You go, Girl!

Sky Tower Casino, Auckland

2009-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Until 1997, the landmark that dominated the Auckland skyline was the volcanic cone in Auckland harbour known as Rangitoto Island, but since then the Sky Tower at Skycity Casino has taken those honors. Seen from almost all vantage points in and around Auckland, Sky Tower has become perhaps the primary icon of Auckland.

The tower is floodlit every night, and special occasions are celebrated with a new color-scheme. When I was visiting in March the tower was lit with a bluish-green or cyan color, and my friend from whose place I took the photos said it was the first time she had seen the tower lit this color.

The night I took the photos was full-moon, and the full-moon can be seen in these photos at "10 o'clock" above the ASB building, not to be confused with the bright street lamp to the lower right of the tower.

These first 5 photos are actually all from the one shot and I am hoping to try and sell some of these photos or others I may work on to an art framing store in Auckland. So I would really like to know which version you like the best. I'm placing a poll at the right side of the blog and would appreciate it a lot if you voted for 1 of the 5. The best gallery to view the photos from is the slide show gallery of Sky Tower. Thanks!

Candid Kid Portraits: Smith Family

2009-04-09T23:32:00.001-07:00

Taking candid shots of young kids is always just so much fun isn't it! Who can resist their playfulness and cuteness.

And they are just such willing models who don't need much direction at all. You just have to let them be themselves. Young girls in particular just love posing for the camera.

So here's a few more brags of some more of my cute nephews and nieces, this time some candid shots of my sister Gill's kids: Dillon, Madison, and Emma. Oh, and family pet, Max, the King Charles cavalier spaniel.

Smith Family Kid Portraits Slide Show

Catlins Coastline

2009-04-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

With some 10,000 miles (16,000km) of coastline in New Zealand there's no getting away from the sea and pointing your camera at it. The coastline of the Catlins area in the south-eastern corner of the South Island has some spectacular examples of New Zealand's crystal blue waters and extensive sandy deserted beaches.

I learned from one of my friends who had worked for Air New Zealand and who joined in on the trip to the Catlins that the 3-tones of blue used in Air New Zealand's color scheme comes from the 3 tones of blue that predominate in the coastal waters off New Zealand. He mentioned that fact when were at Nugget Point, and this photo of the teal-blue waters that I took at the time in particular shows off that particular tone in the color scheme.

Anyhow, visiting the Catlins was quite a discovery for me. Despite growing up in New Zealand and living there till I was 33, I had never heard of the Catlins region and when a friend proposed visting there on my latest trip home I was lukewarm at first. I'm so glad I didn't miss out, and if these photos of the beaches and sea of the Catlins coast doesn't make you feel like you want to visit too, then I can't imagine what it would take to get you off your couch. ;-)

Photos of the Catlins Coastline

Purakaunui Falls and Native New Zealand Bush

2009-03-31T21:41:00.001-07:00

These photos should give you some idea of what the entire Catlins area looked like before the arrival of European settlers who felled and burned most of it to raise sheep.

The lush green forest of trees and ferns around Purakaunui Falls is a good example of the dense forest of the area. The forest was once inhabited by the "moa", a large flightless bird, one species of which stood 12' tall and weighed over 5oo lb. (3.7m/230kg) and the largest eagle ever known to exist, the Haast eagle. However, both were hunted to extinction by the Maori by about 15oo AD.

Photos of Purakaunui Falls and surrounding New Zealand forest

Portraits of Holly

2009-03-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some portraits I took of my grand-niece Holly last month while in New Zealand. Little girls just love having their photos taken so they make great subjects and a little encouragement to make-believe is all it took to get Holly into the role of super-model!

There are also some shots of Holly with her mum Jane (my niece), and her grand-mother, my eldest sister Jenny

I also to took some shots of a couple more of my grand-nieces which I'll get to share with you some time soon.

Slideshow of portraits of Holly and family

New Zealand Sea Lion at Surat Bay

2009-03-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Do the paparazzi annoy you too sometimes? That's what this New Zealand or Hooker's sea lion seemed to be saying after I had taken multiple photos of him sun and sand-bathing on the beach at Surat Bay on the Catlins coast.

We had heard that the bulls come onto the beach at Surat Bay, so stopped by to see what we could see. We struck it lucky as this big bull sea lion strode up onto the beach just as we got there. He must have heard I was coming with my camera!

These sea lions once bred all over the New Zealand coast, but wouldn't you know it, man put an end to that. Hunted first by the Maori for food, and then by sealers for their fur and oil, today they breed mostly on some of the southern-most islands off the east coast of the South Island. In recent years some small breeding colonies have established themselves on the mainland coast.

Anyhow, check out my photos of the sea lion at Surat Bay.

Nugget Point and Lighthouse

2009-03-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

On my recent trip to New Zealand, I joined a group of friends for a trip to the Catlins region. The Catlins is the coastal region at the very south-eastern tip of New Zealand's South Island. It is a very remote and sparsely populated area of the country and features some dramatic beaches and coastline, virgin forest, and spectacular farmland.

One of our first ports of call was Nugget Point which gets its name for the islets or nuggets of rock that point up from the sea just off the headland. The rocks have been uplifted and tilted over millions of years and the sedimentary layers are now vertical as a result.

The headland attracts New Zealand fur seals, New Zealand (Hooker's) sea lions, southern elephant seals, colonies of yellow-eyed penguins, blue penguins, and a host of other sea birds.

A lighthouse stands at the end of the point.

Go here to see my photos of Nugget Point and Nugget Point Lighthouse

Note, pressing F11 in Internet Explorer which hides the toolbar menu (pressing F11 shows it again) may allow you to view larger versions of the photo depending on your monitor size.

Photoshop Camera Raw 5.3 - Failed to install

2009-03-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

This post is purely aimed at followers who are Photoshop users and who shoot using a "raw" format. For some time I have been plagued by a message when opening a raw file from either Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop Bridge that I needed the updated Adobe Camera Raw 5.3 plug-in. Despite several attempts to install ACR 5.3, I always got an error at the end of the install process saying "Photoshop Camera Raw 5.3 - Failed to install".

I decided over the weekend to give it another shot, initiating the update from the Updates menu under Help in my version of PS CS4. Once again failure. Then I had an inspiration that perhaps the issue might be that the update needed access to some files that were being used by either Lightroom or Photoshop, I closed LR, and once the download started I also closed Photoshop. Eureka! The ACR 5.3 installed successfully.

For the record I am running Windows Vista 64bit SP1. Good luck if you too have been having this issue, and hopefully this is all you need to do to successfully update to ACR 5.3

That's Me!

2009-03-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

By time you get this my 24 hours of fame could well have passed, but I just go an email from someone through Imagekind.com alerting me to the fact that I am one of the two featured artists for the day! How exciting is that!

Just in case you miss it and think I was fibbing, I've included a snapshot of the homepage before I retreat back into oblivion! Ha ha!

I recently took some prints I got done by Imagekind home to New Zealand as gifts for friends and family and the quality of the prints is phenomenal. I lashed out a bit and got the prints done on the "photo rag" they offer and it is really worth it. Another cool thing was that I went to the framers with a couple of the people I gave prints to and on both occasions other people in the stores were ecstatic over my work and in one case the framer asked to buy a limited edition series of the print to sell in his storefront (I'm now working on getting some copyright clearance first as I incorporated a famous New Zealand company's cook book cover in the artwork). So that was very exciting.

Anyhow, you can buy prints, frames, and greeting cards of my work at my gallery at Imagekind here if you are at all interested: John Corney's gallery at Imagekind.com.

Orion and the Southern Cross from Downunder

2009-03-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a 3-week trip "home" to New Zealand and of course took a lot of photos while I was there which I look forward to sharing with you over the next few weeks; but first, that small matter of taxes! Yes, I have to complete my damn tax return by April 15 and want to get that out of the way first before playing with my latest photos.

But I did want to share some night sky photos I took while down in the south eastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand in the coastal region of the Southland area known as the Catlins. For those of you who follow my posts, you will know that I have recently posted some photos of the Orion constellation taken first from the Anza Borrego Desert in San Diego County, and then from atop the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernadino County. So it was a thrill to take some shots of Orion from the southern hemisphere while staying at Waikawa, a tiny town on the "Catlins" coast.

When you take a look at the photos of "Orion's belt" and compare them to the ones from the northern hemisphere, you will notice that its orientation is turned upside down! What is referred to as Orion's belt in the U.S. is commonly referred to as "the Pot" in New Zealand. And you'll see why when you look at the photos from Downunder in the far southern reaches of New Zealand as Orion's belt appears as the handle of a pot from south of the equator: Orion's Belt from New Zealand.

Turning to the south from Orion you encounter the Southern Cross (Crux) formation in the night sky of New Zealand, a formation that is not visible from the northern hemisphere at any time of the year. The Southern Cross appears in many flags of the South Pacific, including those of Australia and New Zealand. The Southern Cross can be seen at about the dead center of this photo: Southern Cross.

Another interesting observation I made while taking these photos was how low the moon was in the sky that far south. When I first started taking the photos at twilight the moon was low so I thought it was near to setting, however, it turned out not to be the case at all and didn't set till about 3 hours later. You can see a photo of how low the moon was in the sky soon after twilight here: Orion and Moon.

None of these photos are what you would call "sharp" shots as they require long exposures of typically 30 seconds. In that time it is hard to believe just how much the stars actually move, but nonetheless, they give you an idea of the star-filled southern night sky.

Links: Night Sky Slideshow Gallery and Night Sky Static Gallery

Orion and an Airstream

2009-02-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

This past Valentine's Day I was atop the snowy San Gabriel mountains near Lake Arrowhead and got to take a photo of the Orion constellation through some snow-covered pines. You might recall from my previous post that three weeks ago I was in the Anza Borrego Desert in California and shared with you this photo of the Orion constellation that I took then. So it was quite a contrast to be taking a similar shot just a few weeks later, but this time in the snow. In fact it got so cold that after about 15 minutes my remote shutter release stopped working! So here's the shot I took that night of Orion through the snow-covered trees.

I also took this photo of the Airstream parked in the snow in front of my friend's dad's cabin that we got to stay at. Quite an interesting composition to see an "Airstream", that speaks so much of the freedoms of summer holed up in the snow.

Larger versions of these photos can be seen in their respective slide show galleries: Night Sky Gallery and Nighttime Photo Gallery.

Night Sky Photography

2009-02-01T19:18:00.001-08:00

I headed back out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park here in Southern California with my photography buddy, Denise, this past weekend. We took a class in night sky photography at the Anza Borrego Desert Visitor Center and then as the sun set we headed out with the other members of the class to Coachwhip Canyon to put what we had learned into practice. Although the canyon itself in the pre-sunset light isn't all that spectacular compared to others I've seen, that wasn't the point; we were going to be pointing our cameras up after all.

As civil twilight turned to nautical twilight (all the definitions of twilight were covered in the class and it was quite fascinating to learn all these distinctions) the stars started to show through one-by-one at first and then in bursts. Venus was there right from the start in the western sky following close to the crescent moon. Then came the first 3 stars of Orion's Belt, and then there it all was; the Milky Way.

Something that is incredible to observe is that many more stars show up in the photos than appeared to the naked eye no doubt because of the length of the exposures. Most of my shots were taken at 30 second exposures and I tried to keep the ISO setting as low as possible, starting out at 100 in the early part of twilight and not going past 400 as it got even darker so as not to get too much noise.

Right by where Denise and I were taking our shots a young couple showed up and built a campfire and started to prepare a barbecue under the stars. As they arrived I commented to Denise, "Well this will either be a good thing or a bad thing". As it turned out, it was a good thing and the light from their campfire actually added some great additional light and made for a good shot in itself as you will see in this photo: Camp Out Under the Desert Night Sky.

Here's a link to my Night Sky Photography slide show

Reptiles from the San Diego Zoo

2009-01-09T21:20:00.001-08:00

Enough of the warm-and-fuzzy. How about some cold, scaly reptiles for a change! The San Diego Zoo has an amazing reptile house with a pretty big collection of the cold-blooded types that crawl the earth. Here is a small sample in the animals of the San Diego Zoo.

Slideshow of photos of animals of the San Diego Zoo