Archive for May, 2010

Auckland Botanical Gardens

I paid a visit to Auckland Botanical Gardens on a sunny winter day. I’m not sure that paid is the right word as entry was free.

Auckland Botanical Gardens - click to enlarge

Of course, gardens are not at their best in winter, but it was still very pretty. I will have to return when there are less people – it was quite an effort to get shots with no people on this very busy Sunday.

The shot below is from the children’s garden.

Children's Garden - click to enlarge

Both of these shots are taken with EOS 7D (grin) and EF-S 10-22mm. They are 3-shot HDRs, processed with Photomatix and Topaz Adjust / Topaz Simplify.

Telstra Clear Events Centre, Manukau

This is an interesting building, built a few years ago. From the side it’s shaped like a boat, but as you walk around it shows many interesting angles.

Telstra Clear Event Centre

The centre was opened in 2005 and has won a number of awards

Telstra Clear Event Centre

This is my favourite shot. It shows the sun rising, reflected in the glass. Also you can see reflected the “Pou Kapau” – totem pole.

Pou Kapau

The “Pou Kapua Taonga”, is a significant Maori/Pacific Indigenous cultural arts project. The Pou Kapua, carved from a magnificent ancient Kauri from the forests of the Iwi of Te Rarawa, stands more than seventy feet high, and is the largest totem of its type in the world.

The story of the Pou begins in the sacred house of knowledge, with depictions of our creation and our beliefs throughout. We have carved the journeys of the adventures of our tupuna, and Maori and Polynesian nautical myths, legends and histories of migration to Aotearoa.

Telstra Clear Event Centre

Telstra Clear Event Centre

It contains various facilities, including an arena for sports and concerts that holds up to 3000, a theatre and various other meeting rooms, etc.

All shots here are the normal recipe of 3-shot HDRs, Photomatix and Photoshop.

HDR Spotting Codes

I have some HDR spotting invite codes if anyone is interested. Drop me an email to bob at beausoft dot com with a link to your flickr page or other portfolio. I need to check out your work before inviting.

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Autumn Shots

Here’s something different. Some non-HDR shots. A series of pictures I took of some trees in a local park. The colors were so striking that I decided to post a set of them.

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Autumn 3

Autumn 4

Autumn 5

There was a little sharpening and selective color adjustment in Photoshop, but apart from that, they are basically the way they came from the camera.

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