Photo 150 "2022" - Wetapunga

Week 48: November 28 to December 5

Not feeling very inspired I have to confess. It's a busy time of the year and I'm not 'feeling' the photographic urge.

Anyway, some of the shots I've taken include:

#1 (Pic 145) Mushroom (Scenic Theme)

The unusual thing about this shot is I didn't have a macro lens, so took this with the Tamron 150-500 and Sony a9 at 500mm...

#2 (Pic 146) Female pūtangitangi guarding ducklings (Telephoto theme)

Sony a9 with Tamron 150-500

#3 (Pic 147) Pūtangitangi ducklings dozing (wild card 11)

Sony a9 with Tamron 150-500

My second shot is a rework of a 2016 photo, of the Mokoroa Falls.
It's a 20s long exposure.

#2 (Pic 149) Mokoroa Falls (creative theme)

Sony a7R and Minolta 50/2.8 M, 20s

And the last shot of the challenge, is a telephoto of a flying poaka. A common shorebird in NZ.

#3 (Pic 150) Poaka (telephoto theme)

Sony a9 with Tamron 150-500



Edited by Wētāpunga - 11 December 2022 at 02:48

Ngā mihi Howard, have appreciated your regular feedback on my photos.

I did like the poaka pose, but the lighting conditions were not kind enough to capture the details I wanted. It's a shame almost all the waterfalls I was photographing in the Waikateres are no longer accessible.

And so, on to Week 50
Week 50: December 12 to 19

I have in fact, got my 150 shots as I was afraid that by not starting in Week 1 of January, I would fall short. So over the challenge I've used 3 bonus shots to avoid falling behind. But instead I got to the 150 mark a week earlier.

So this week, I'm just going over some of my previous shots, and either reworking them or processing a variant.

#1 (Pic 151) is the ever popular Takapu at Muriwai (telephoto theme)


#2 (Pic 152) is a rework of the Asiatic lily. This time I've used the advanced colour tools in C1 to play around with the yellows. As this is also a stacked shot, it fits the creative theme.


#3 (Pic 153) is a seascape shot I didn't get around the processing the first time I was at Te Henga.


And the bonus shot is also from there, as I can't decide which I prefer.


So unlike last year, I've finished the challenge. This was a little easier as we did not have the lengthy lockdown in Auckland, or my car getting stolen etc to hinder me. On the other hand, the surging price of petrol did cut down the number of expeditions I attempted.

As I've commented before, having 'themes' that were more general helped, as well as the 12 wildcards.

Some of the positives for me for the challenge have been getting the Sony a9 and getting to grips with it, in combination with the Tamron 150-500. I've also gotten better at processing images with Capture One.
It also motivated me to try things, like the sand dunes at Wainamu.

In terms of disappointments, I still didn't break out my panorama gear and use that. Most of my creatives needed up being stacked photos or long exposures. Neither of which really stretched me. I did also want to do more video work, which I did but this was entirely for work. I am at least, much better at using Final Cut Pro, but I never got around to recording some simple NZ nature videos.



Edited by Wētāpunga - 19 December 2022 at 08:10