Some Snazzy Snaps

Most of the following were taken with either with our Minolta X700 or with the Olympus Mju zoom, which I think is a wonderfully handy point-n-shoot camera, when you don't have the time or inclination to lug around heavy gear. Almost all were exposed on Kodak Gold 100ASA color film and printed on Kodak Paper. Annotations describe the actual settings and lens/filters used. The Minolta was since lost in a burglary in Baltimore USA when we went on a daytrip to the Smithosonian zoo :-(

This doll ain't for sale. Model Panini Raman. Photographer: Me. July 1996. Camera: Mju zoom at 35 mm.

``Fireworks in the sky'' (Manfield Park, Fielding, Nov 1997). This was taken with the X-700, at f/4, 70mm (the widest angle setting I had at that time.) Time 9 PM. No filters were used. Exposure was for about 2 minutes.

More fireworks at Manfield park. This was at the same zoom and aperture setting, but the exposure was for only about 5 seconds.

Guess where this room is? Its in a wall in the Baltimore Museum of Art. That's right, it's a miniature that is no bigger than about 30cm by 60cm. This deceptive photograph was taken using the Mju Zoom at 70mm zoom and a flash (whose reflection you can see off the mantelpiece over the fireplace across the room). I had to position the camera so the flash won't be reflected off the glass frame enclosing it.

It's a small world (Ride at Magic kingdom, Orlando, Mar 25 1998 I took this using the Mju zoom at 35 mm while on the float through the "small world". The light sensor was covered with a finger so it will expose longer than required and also flash to freeze the motion at the end of the exposure. The main idea was to get a vivid splash of colours on the film. It worked. Well, somewhat.

Another shot at the small world.

``Wild flowers on US Route 50 at Delmar'' Photographer: Me. Camera: Mju zoom, at 35mm. Enroute to Ocean city, Maryland in May 1998. Filtered red (left), green (right).

``Footsteps in the sands of time'' (On the beach at Ocean city, May 1998) Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 35mm. Models: Me and Panini Raman.

``Fireworks at Baltimore's inner harbour.'' Independence day, July 4 1998. Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 35mm. Since our Minolta gear had been burgled :-( I had to make do with the Olympus. This was taken with no tripod, only a very still hand and stopped breath, holding the Mju zoom at about 35mm. Flash was switched off and the light meter covered with my left index finger to force selection of maximum exposure time centered around the blast.

``Aeroplane.'' Aug 1998. Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 70mm. Panini had been showing signs of abstraction and creativity for a while now. He'd been lining up ice-cream cans (which we had plenty of) one behind another and calling it a train. But today when he picked up clothes pegs from the backyard and clipped them on a pacifier and told us he'd made a "Pluune - Zzzzmmm!" I couldn't resist the urge to snap this up.

``Silhoutte.'' June 2nd 1998. New York. Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 70mm. What a difference a few feet can make! The photo on the right was taken a few seconds, and a few feet away from the photo on the left. In the second one the sun is directly behind the statue and no fill flash was used (not that it would have made a difference at this distance).

``Statue of liberty.'' June 2nd 1998. New York. Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 70mm. I wouldn't have snapped this up if not for the curiously red colour of the water at this time. I don't remember being able to figure out where it came from.

``Skyline!'' June 2nd 1998. New York. Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 35mm.

Dominic's Pumpkin Patch enroute Monterey from San Jose, US Route 1, 12 Oct 1998. The sign says "Happy Halloween!". Photographer: Me. Camera: Olympus Mju zoom at 35mm.

Here are some more photos, all of which I took with the Mju zoom when I was the official photographer at the UniForum NZ 97 conference, at Quality Hotel in Rotorua NZ.