Waharoa Unveiling

Recently I was invited along to an unveiling of the new waharoa (gateway) to Masterton Intermediate School, and I decided to take my camera along, just in case. I pre-loaded it with Tri-X400 black and white film and decided I would only start shooting if it felt appropriate at the time. I made my way in and found a seat, but as soon as the covers started to come off I had to get up start shooting. Karakia (prayers) were chanted/spoken over the waharoa while the covers were removed, verbal expression of the community’s intention for this waharoa. This was a moving moment that made my hair stand on end - not only because the carving and karakia were beautiful but also because it was awesome to see a symbol of Maori culture positioned proudly in front of the school. We heard from one of the master carvers, Carl Rongonui, about what the various parts of the carving represented, followed by a haka from the school and a symbolic ‘first walk’ through the waharoa (and of course, a mean breakfast).

I’m not able to do the meaning of this justice, but I can say that the two figures on the vertical pillars represent our two local iwi (tribes), also featured are kaitiaki (guardians), and students reading and painting. The waharoa acts not just as a beautiful entry point to the school but also as a representation of the stewardship of the children and learning that takes place on the school grounds.

Our Maori culture is something all Kiwis should be proud of. To see the school putting it literally front and centre was really special to witness, especially after having recently had my eyes opened to some of the extent of our country’s tainted history (see Huia Come Home).

See my photos from that beautiful morning below, and if you get down a bit further you’ll find some photos I shot at the workshop where this was carved, as well as some colour photos of the waharoa itself.

B&W photos shot on Minolta XE // 50mm f/1.4 MC lens // Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 800

dev+scan by The Black and White Box

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te Patukituki o Wairarapa

Centre for Maori culture in the Wairarapa, and workshop of master carvers Wayne Pitau & Carl Rongonui.

Ma Tatou Ka Ora Ai Tatou

Our Togetherness Keeps Us Well

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Shot on Hasselblad 500C/M // Kodak Portra 400

First Rolls: Hasselblad 500CM

I recently sold my Mamiya RB67 and purchased a Hasselblad 500CM from a fellow NZ film shooter, Michael Neale (you should go check out his awesome work). I’m only a few rolls into it but I thought I’d share some of my photos and experience so far.

Kodak Portra 400 // dev+scan by The Black and White Box

Roll #1

On this roll I was shooting down to a shutter speed of 1/60 as I had been doing the same on my RB67, so I didn’t think much of it. Once getting the scans back I realised many of the shots either had motion blur or I had missed the focus! I’ve been using split screen viewfinders until now, so the Hasselblad focusing screen is taking a bit of getting used to. There were still a few I was pretty happy with though - I’ve included some below. You can click on a photo to view the full res version. The one of the ship is a good example of motion blur, as I was stopping down the aperture for as much depth of field as possible.

Roll #2

With this roll I only shot down to a shutter speed of 1/125 and took more care with focusing. I was much happier with the results across the roll. The photo of Judah and Ash on the swing was kindly featured on KEH Camera’s instagram feed.

Roll #3

Roll #4

thoughts (Camera Geekery)

Out of all the medium format cameras I’ve owned this is definitely the most portable - on the strap it hangs nicely against the body when not in use and isn’t too heavy. As expected of the legendary Carl Zeiss glass, the lens performs amazingly. Even at the widest aperture of 2.8 there is no noticeable vignetting, distortion, or loss of sharpness at the edges of the frame. The fact it is all-mechanical appeals to me and means I never have to worry about batteries. Despite the minimum focus distance being a slight limitation for close-ups, I get the feeling this is going to be a a great camera for portraits and landscapes, which is what I find myself gravitating towards when using the camera. There are only 12 shots on each roll, and to make the most of this larger negative size you need to really nail the focus and make sure you don’t get any camera shake from lower shutter speeds like I mentioned above.

The Hasselblad’s limitations inspire a more thoughtful, calculated approach and it rewards the extra work by producing stunning images. I don’t think medium format will ever replace 35mm for candid/documentary style photography for me but I find myself reaching for this camera more and more when I head out to shoot.

Hit me up with any questions in the comments below.

-Sam

"Flowercam" Photos and Video

I went to a stag do on Labour Weekend, and I really wanted to take a light camera that I could keep in my pocket all day and wouldn’t require too much thought. I was taking the stag himself over to Wellington via motorbike to kick the weekend off, and while I was prepping my backpack the night before, I was hit with a lightning bolt. Buried in the bottom of a stack of old suitcases was the perfect camera…

I picked up this little gem (flower) many months ago at an op shop, after fiddling with it enough to realise it appeared to actually work. A stag do and accompanying antics seemed like the perfect occasion to give it it’s first outing. I used one roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 over the course of the weekend, pushed to 1600 in processing as I had only rough guesses about what the fixed settings might be.

I had many doubts about the quality of the results and whether I would actually get any photos from it, though I’m glad to say I was pleasantly surprised! I found it a refreshing challenge having no settings to change and focusing purely on framing or even just whipping it out to snap something in a split second with no thought at all. The goal was to document the weekend and it did this perfectly!

My favourite shots are the ones I spent a little more time framing, like the wharf jump and my accomodation in the morning. The cheap construction of the lens is partially disguised by the added grain from pushing the film 2 stops, resulting in an overall softness that is not out of place. It goes to show that you don’t need expensive equipment to make good photos! All it took here was a bit of creative vision and an understanding of my limitations.

We made a video of the whole thing over at Cam & Sam - check the video and photos from the day below.

-Sam

Kodak Tri-X 400 // Dev+scan by The Black and White Box

South Island, Winter 2018

Our second annual winter holiday to visit the Waru's in Invercargill was just as cold as expected! We had a great time catching up, visiting the snow for a day/night in Queenstown, drinking good coffee, eating great food and just general antics.

in the bag:

• Minolta XE-7 with 50mm f/1.4

• Olympus 35 RD

• Mamiya 645 Super

• Sekonic light meter

• Portra 400 (35mm and 120)

• Japan Camera Hunter Streetpan 400

• Expired Ilford FP4+

• Beanies to protect both the cameras and my shaved head

Normally I would only pack one 35mm camera and one medium format camera but I had recently been given the Olympus, had it serviced and new light seals, and I wanted to see how comfortable I would be shooting a rangefinder. I had a great time shooting it for about half a roll - more on that later.

The trusty Minolta with 50mm lens is my constant companion which I shoot most of my work on, and as a medium format option the Mamiya 645 is just that much more portable and quicker to shoot with than the mighty RB67.

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Coronet Peak / Mamiya 645

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Here, at the amazing Bespoke Kitchen in Queenstown, ends this 35mm roll from my Minolta XE-7. I loaded the next roll into the Olympus 35 RD, unfortunately while shooting the roll it took a serious tumble when the strap broke, jammed up and put a massive light leak across the entire exposed part of the roll. In some cases these leaks made for cool shots! Excuse me for a minute while I wipe my tears for the Olympus.

Sorry I broke your tripod mate.

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After picking up the shattered pieces of my camera and emotions, I rewound the roll and chucked it the Minolta for the next leg of the journey - back to Wellington with the Waru's in tow.

Airport-rait - see what I did there?

Why the finger - every time?!

Farewell bae

Every flippin' time

Nepal/Singapore 2016: Retrospective

It was my first experience of shooting on film in 2016 that made me fall in love with photography. Lately I've been going over old photos from this time period to see what I was drawn to with my camera, before outside influences started changing my ideas about taking photos. These images remind me of that puristic, curious approach to photography that I hope I never lose.

Before this trip to Nepal I was gifted an old 1970's Minolta SLR which I blindly took as my only camera (no test rolls - in hindsight not the greatest idea)! Having no instant feedback on the images I was taking was freeing. Months later I finally got the rolls developed and all the precious moments came flooding back in all their grainy, natural, vibrant glory. Since then I've been hooked, taking every opportunity to capture life as it happens around me, telling stories as I see them unfolding.

Get in touch if you would like me to capture something for you too.

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Nepal

On this trip I worked alongside our friends at Compassion Nepal who work with a number of communities across Nepal to help give access to education, shelter, and food to people in need.

Click any photo to open the full-res slideshow // Shot with Fujifilm Superia 400 // Minolta XE-1 with 50mm 1.4 lens

Singapore

After leaving Nepal I had a stopover in Singapore for a long overdue visit to my Singapore-Chinese side of the family - Grand Uncle Eddie, Pohtai (Great Grandmother) and Grand Aunty Linda and Grand Uncle Dan. By this stage I was missing my little family pretty bad but had a great time of much needed rest, catching up with family and friends and hopping around Singapore with my GALinda and GUnkaDan.