A War Story

I hate war, and I hate war movies.  I never thought there could be anything funny or entertaining about a movie depicting war............however, this talented film maker from Utah changed my mind.

Well, maybe you Nikon enthusiasts didn't think that was very funny!!

I posted this photo on our Kiwi Krossings missionary blog, but thought I'd post it here as well, since I rarely post family photos:

 Here we are ready to go to a fancy dress ball put on by our stake.  Missionaries, however, rarely bring ball gowns on a mission (haha), so the best we could do was for me to wear a black suit and for Jeff to wear what he wears every day, (although I thought the kiwi tie was a nice touch).  I haven't taken many photos of us together so I thought I'd take a quick one before our guests, (fellow missionary couples), came to dinner prior to the dance.  

For those of you interested:  I set my camera on a tripod, (with a diffuser on my flash to soften the light),  and we stood in front of a plain gray wall.  I tweaked the white balance to make the color 'warmer' and then I added a textured background so it wasn't quite so boring.  A few other tweaks and in 2-3 minutes I was done.  I kinda like the color wash look.

Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand

Where's Waldo?????

Hamilton Gardens in Winter, New Zealand

I think I found an interesting foreground element for this shot!

Quirky Yard Art

I'm trying to think of something clever to say about this photo, but I'm at a loss for words.  It struck my fancy because it was unusual and I really liked the reflection.

Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand

Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton, New Zealand

A little over a week ago we had an assignment in Hamilton, which is about an hour and a half drive south of Auckland.  We arrived early for our meeting so we decided to spend a little time in the Hamilton Gardens.  It was a dull, cloudy day, not very enticing for photography.  But as usual, I hauled around my camera bag, mainly because I never, ever leave my camera equipment in the car, not even in the trunk.  Anyway, I took very few photos, but this one I really love.  I adjusted it with the 'simplify' filter in Topaz Adjust.  This eliminated distracting specks of light and helped bring out the colors and reflection in the water.

Sydney Opera House at Night

This beautiful building is photogenic from all angles and any time of day or night.

Play Your Didgeridoo, Blue

Remember, 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport'????  There's a line that goes, 'Play your didgeridoo, Blue'.  This is a didgeridoo.  It is basically a hollowed out log.  The 'real' ones are hollowed out by termites, so we were told.  The ones made for tourists are not and are colorfully painted.  It was amazing how many different sounds he produced.  Now for a few behind the scenes snaps:

Nice looking accompanist!

And one for the grandkids back home!
(I was shooting in bright midday sun,  trying to get a clear shot amid dozens of tourists, so not great technically, but sometimes the subject is more important than the technicalities!)

Harbor Bridge - Sydney, Australia

View of the Harbor Bridge taken while walking toward the Opera House

Feathered Friends in Sydney

There must be a clever title for this shot, but I can't think of it!

Melbourne Temple - Sydney, Australia

Melbourne Temple

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Nicely Framed

After the last post I thought I'd better post something pretty.  This photo was taken in the dark after I finished photographing the Sydney Temple at dusk.  I experimented with the amount of flash in order to light up the 'frame' (branch), in the background, without blowing out the flower in the foreground. 

Yikes!

So, it was dusk and I was having a wonderful time photographing the Sydney Opera house from across the harbor.  I was standing near some bushes, and happened to look about 8 inches next to me, and to my horror, I saw this huge spider.  After I jumped about three feet I noticed there were about 6 identical, huge spiders right near where I was standing.  It gives me the creeps just thinking about it now. 

Blue Mountains, Australia

The Three Sisters overlooking the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia

After spending a couple wonderful days exploring Sydney, we left town to take a tour to a wildlife park and the Blue Mountains.  They really do look blue from a distance!

Sydney Harbor Cruise

Sydney Harbor area is absolutely beautiful day, night and dusk.

Koala Cuteness!

Sydney Opera House with Clouds

I took this shot just before sunset when the light was very warm.  It was a beautiful scene especially contrasted with the dark, low hanging clouds overhead. 

Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge

We walked around the harbor and found this view near sunset.  The Sydney harbor area, called Circular Quay (Key), is a beautiful area, with walking paths, parks and beautiful views all around.