Learning To See In Black And White – Part 2
What I am learning is that learning to see in black and white is an ongoing process – at least until it becomes a natural and intuitive part of…
I’m Learning To See In Black And White
Shooting photographs in black and white can be a bit like stepping back in time – after all black and white photography has been with us for over a hundred…
Sky Replacement – Good Or Bad?
Turning dull photos into keepers… Thanks to advancements in AI technology, sky replacement is now a common feature found in most modern photo and image post-processing apps, where just clicking…
Here’s 1 way to make dull photographs pop
Here’s one way to make dull photographs pop If you’re like me you’ve often come back from a walk or a photoshoot and found that some of the photos you’ve…
Is It Worth Upgrading to On1 Photo RAW 2023
Is It Worth Upgrading to On1 Photo RAW 2023 Update June 2023 – – – yes it is worth upgrading to On1 Photo RAW 2023.5. It’s just over a year…
The Lazy Photographer
The Lazy Photographer For better or for worse, I’ve always considered myself a lazy photographer. My photography seems to go in fits and starts no matter what I do…
Photographing Trees – Part 2
What an incredible amount of feedback I’ve had about a story I published here a couple of months ago – Photographing Trees. Thanks to everyone for the very kind…
Black and White – An Alternative Visual World
An alternative visual world In his book, Black & White Photography renowned photographer Michael Freeman says one of the appeals of black and white is that it transcends reality and…
Beautiful Postcards From The North Island – Part 2
Is it really two months since I posted my first collection of Postcards From The North Island? Mmmm – yes it is! The first collection was published here on June…
Experimenting With Black And White Photography
In my website’s brief “about me” section I describe myself as an opportunist photographer but if I am blunt I would say that I am a procrastinator when it…
6 Reasons To Use Nik Collection 5
Before I get to the 6 reasons to use Nik Collection 5 – first things first. What is the Nik Collection? The Nik Collection is arguably one of the most…
Photographing Trees
Photographing Trees I never really stopped to think about taking photographs of trees as a specific niche genre of photography. But apparently, it is! A Google search throws up…
Ferry Reserve Freedom Camping Area
Back in April I wrote a story called Our Favourite Freedom Camping Sites – Part 1. This isn’t Part 2 – that is still to come – probably after we…
Postcards From The North Island
Postcards From The North Island Growing up I remember listening to a radio programme by Alistair Cook called Letter From America. I loved his mellifluous voice, and the stories he…
Our Favourite Freedom Camping Spots – Part 1
Freedom camping in the South Island of New Zealand This is a story about some of our favourite freedom camping spots – or at least about five of the 26…
Time To Say Goodbye To Nikon
Goodbye to Nikon – but potentially not forever…. A Nikon D5100 has been the number one camera in my photographic arsenal since late 2012 – and it has been a…
Awesome Black And White Street Views
It might be strange for me to say this, but this collection of photographs of black and white street views was inspired by – or rather motivated by – Canadian…
Colour In The Garden
These photos were almost “shot on the run” as I rushed around before the day lost the last of the sun. As a result of my frenzied dash, I didn’t…
Every Dog Matters – And A Shift To Super Fast WPX Hosting
10 October, 2024 Update… AperturePriorityNZ is no longer hosted by WPX Hosting. Purely as a matter of economics my blog is now hosted in New Zealand by HooplaHosting. Those…
A Nifty Fifty for Micro Four-Thirds
In the photography world nifty fifty refers to a 50mm lens, normally with a decent wide aperture of f1.8 or thereabouts; a prime lens many photographers recommend as a “must-have“…
Flirting with Auto ISO
I have always been aware that most digital cameras have an Auto ISO feature but was never inspired to work with Auto ISO as my default setting. This came about…
Roads Less Travelled
As we spent Christmas at home this year, and as the weather was really kind to us, we decided to do a few day trips on roads less travelled (by…
I Still Shoot Film – Occasionally
Perhaps to say I still shoot film – even occasionally – is a little bit of a white lie It has been about 12 months since I last put a…
Jackson Bay Sandflies Are Huge!
The Jackson Bay sandflies are huge…. But this is not actually a sandfly. It is a urepetala carovei…a New Zealand bush giant dragonfly. This incredible flying machine can grow up…
Oamaru – More Than Meets The Eye
More than meets the eye We’ve been back from our last motorhome trip for over two weeks now, and it was only yesterday that I finally got around to checking…
5 Great Reasons To Use On1 Photo Raw 2022
Shortly I’ll tell you my 5 reasons to use On1 Photo RAW 2022, but first a little background. The last full version of On1 Photo Raw I purchased was On1…
A Brief Excursion To Wellington
We were very lucky that New Zealand, except for Auckland, moved from Covid Alert Level 3 to Level 2 at one minute to midnight, Tuesday 7th September. Lucky because…
Goodbye To The Nikon D300
Although it was introduced way back in 2007, the Nikon D300 DSLR is still very much fit for purpose. So it was with a certain amount of sadness that I…
Some Of My Favourite Photographs
I’ve taken the opportunity over the last few weeks while we’ve been in lockdown to troll through my archives and select a few of my favourite photographs. When I say…
Should You Use Photography Presets
Should you use photography presets? Do real photographers use photography presets? I ask those questions, especially the second one, a little tongue in cheek because a few days ago a…
I’ve Gone Full Circle With Lumix
Well, it seems that with the recent purchase of my new micro four-thirds Panasonic I’ve gone full circle with Lumix. Eight days ago New Zealand went into Covid-19 Alert Level…
5 Reasons Why I Switched To A Micro Four-Thirds Camera
Shortly I’ll tell you 5 reasons why I switched to a micro four-thirds camera. But first – I have been a Nikon user for many years now and up until…
Mist Opportunities
You may think that mist opportunities is a miss-spelling, and should be missed opportunities. In fact, it’s not wrong. Whenever you travel up or down the West Coast and back…
Why Shoot JPEG Instead Of RAW
Why shoot JPEG? Why shoot JPEG instead of raw is not a question I ever really asked myself. I was sold on RAW when I purchased my first DSLR and…
Selective Colour In Black And White Photography Can Look Good!
Whether you call it selective colour or selective desaturation, selective colour in black and white photography often seems to get a bad rap. Selective colour is one of many photographic…
In Defence Of The Humble Kit Lens
Don’t ditch your humble kit lens just because a “real photographer” tells you you need better glass on your camera. Yes – your kit lens is cheap and cheerful! Yes…
Candid Street Photography
I’ve never really tackled any candid street photography before, but an opportunity arose recently so I took a crack at it. There is a major redevelopment underway in the heart…
DxO PureRAW
On their website DxO claim that DxO PureRaw offers simply better raw files! Do you remember, back in the day, you often got a CD with free software when you…
Are My Photos Good Enough
A couple of months ago I suddenly found that I seemed to have hit a brick wall with my photography. I had been in photographic ruts before, but this time…
