Charmayne Johnstone - Iron Woman

Last Sunday was a Half Ironman in Taupo. The full Ironman event was due to take place on Saturday but was cancelled due to the terrible weather. Here's my mother in law, Charmayne Johnstone, as she completes the race with her support team at her side.....what an achievement! Seriously! I was getting puffed just watching the race. Look at all those people lining the finish line to cheer her on! Congratulations Charmayne! What an effort! You are ridiculously amazing! Alex.

Kodak BW400CN, EF 50mm f1.4, Lake Taupo, New Zealand. March 4th 2012.

Rusty and Clint Eastwood - Kawakawa, NZ

Meet Rusty and Clint Eastwood. I met these two fine gents in Kawakawa during late December after a bit of a roadtrip with Coralee up to Ahipara. It was one of those moments where I'd missed the initial encounter. We jumped straight out of our car and bolted across the road to the bakery. We were hungry as! For what it's worth, the bakery food was average, haha. I still struggle to find a decent snack in Kawakawa. Open to suggestions! But I went back to the car to casually fetch my camera before introducing myself.

These two were just chilling on the main street singing along to Clint's clanky strumming. Obviously, that's not his real name, but when I introduced myself, that's what he said. It took me a few seconds to click...but when I saw the humor in it I just continued conversation as if nothing was even out of the ordinary. Rusty and his ol' mate Clint Eastwood. Haha.

At first I dismissed Clint's instrument as just a small guitar....but closer inspection revealed it was some kind of ukelele. "A tenor uke" he told me in his gruff smoky voice. Clint has been playing his tenor uke for far longer than I've even been on this earth. He was the man. Clint had a great course laugh. I told Clint and Rusty of my newly acquired banjo/mandolin. I'd been having trouble playing it in the conventional tuning, so I'd been experimenting with guitar tunings and stuff. Clint screwed up his face.....insisted I learn the GDAE tuning that it's supposed to be played in. I've been improving too, Clint!

After joking with me that my 'manjo' would be more suited to a big band in the 1970s with a giant brass section than hipster folk music in the 2010s, we parted ways. As always, I offered to email them a copy of the photographs I'd made....but Clint and Rocky didn't have email. "Not many of us care about email up here in Kawakawa" Rusty chuckled. Nor did they particularly care to see a copy of the photo. Clint was more worried that I'd shatter my camera lens photographing his "ugly mug". The lens was fine. the pie was average. And Coralee and I sung to the cheesy Northland radio stations all the way back to Auckland.

Kodak BW400CN, Canon EF50mm1.8ii, Kawakawa, Northland, NZ

Orewa, 0600hrs

The waves have been pretty good this week. Well, not at the moment thanks to a pesky nor'easter. It's a bummer, because we are pretty busy. OK, crazy busy working through our first weddings of 2012 (and the last one of 2011!). That's cool though, because I was forced to get up early to go for a surf. I was indeed rewarded for my efforts. I watched the sun rise and spent a good two hours surfing perfect peeling Orewa Bar with only one other SUP out with me. It's been a late start to summer, but here's to more mornings beginning like this one!

FujiColor PRO400H, Orewa Beach, Jan 11, 2012.

December...

December. Oh! December. Coralee and I took a sweet little getaway to Ahipara once we'd completed the final wedding of 2011. I couldn't swim because of a recent tattoo, so like any good husband...I took photos of others swimming. Before Annabelle and Matt's wedding in Taupo, I managed to catch the first few floats of Taupo's Santa Parade. What else.....aha....Christmas with the Johnstones! Joshua and Isaac stoked with their new radio controlled cars and then all the kiddies crashed out watching movies that evening. Christmas with my side of the family is the very last image. Oh, and there's a few 2am shots of Tauranga Harbour thrown in there for good measure. Enjoy. Alex

Various cameras, Kodak BW400CN, FujiColor Pro800Z, December 2011

Federal Street

I've been back to this exact spot on Federal Street multiple times. You see, I've got this particular shot in my mind and I'm really trying to make it happen. I suppose the streets aren't as predictable as that though. So, just in case I don't ever make the photograph I'm really hoping to make. Here's one that comes close! First post of 2012. Happy New Year everyone!
Alex

Canon EF 50mm f1.8II, Ilford  FP4, November 2011.

Atop a red rock, Phil and Tanya are engaged...

It all happened in a flash. Early Sunday morning. Coffee. An impromptu drive to Muriwai in the rain. A winding track up to Tanyas favourite red rock with a view of the ocean. Then appeared a break in the wet. Next thing, Phil was down on bended knee. I knew it was coming but was not yet prepared. The Olypmus Trip 35 snapped away. Some focussed correctly, others not. Some exposed acceptably, others not. All a part of the fun and mystery. Then we celebrated. Two of our bestest friends in the world....engaged! The ring was incredible. These two are incredible. The perfect match. Five minutes later there was fish and chips and champagne and berry cider under the shelter of umbrellas as the rain resumed. Congratulations Phil and Tanya!!! We are soooo stoked for you guys!!! Coralee and I are so glad that we could be there with you to witness this special moment on this adventurous day. Let's adventure together forever :-) Married adventures. haha.

Alex

Olympus Trip 35 - Kodak BW400CN - Dec 18 2011 - Muriwai NZ.