Autumn

Autumn, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

A photograph about Autumn. The sky is clouding over. The day is drawing in. But the sun is still having an effect. The weekend too is drawing to a close. I was making my way up a zigzagging path of steps, enclosed by walls of graffiti. I turned around for one last look and saw a view that reminded me of a Turner painting. There was still time for one last photograph.

purple curtain

purple curtain, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

My stroll began along The Terrace, it was early on a Saturday morning. Everything seemed heightened in a photographic way, the street ahead, the cars, and a shining window filled with purple. I returned an hour or so later, and it was all back to normal.

when a tree gets too big

when a tree gets too big, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

Maybe an arborist should have been called when it was young. Or a tree feller before it got large and impressive. But now it may be a city treasure and protected, and we can now only look and wonder.

a room with a view

a room with a view, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

accommodation on the terrace, I find peoples homes interesting. I was working in real estate a decade ago and most homes we were dealing with were ordinary, just a television and hardly a book to be seen. Maybe there are apartments here that not only enjoy inspiring views, floor to ceiling books, art on the walls, but a good neighbourly community too.

light on Mt Vic

light on Mt Vic, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

The homes on Mt Victoria are catching the last of the days sun. I took this photograph while on my way home, just as the street lamps were coming on. I savour this time of day, my walk home from work and the freedom to take a photograph. It is the freedom of an amateur to enjoy the moment and make an image that has that feeling of what it is like to be here.

ordinary day

ordinary day, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

It was just an ordinary day. Just me, a tree, and someone coming the other way. I took a photograph and that was all there was to it. Taken in Thorndon, Wellington on a sunny Saturday morning.

pole rock

pole rock, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I like this rock. It's big. And there is a lot of space around it. This building seems to crop up often in the background of my photographs. Also vertical poles, street lamps, traffic light are favourite compositional items. A pole right in the middle of the rock is not a mistake. Looking a little to the side of the rock and it seems to float, and why not.

sushi tree

sushi tree, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

These trees down Manners Street Wellington always catch my eye and I have already posted one image of them. This time a single tree with the word sushi. I thought the tree has a vague bonsai look. I don't mind the cardboard either, it echoes the shape of the frame.

Street lights

Street lights, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

Rows of street lamps stop me in my tracks, they are like calligraphy in the sky, an invitation to follow them on. And intersections too, they suggest other possibilities. I found this composition down the end (or is it the beginning) of Lambton Quay – were all the buses come and go.

fly

fly, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

Now and again, while searching streets for stunning arrangements of signs, road markings, power lines and traffic lights I catch a little action. On this day the local television crew were out filming. Two men leapt into a black helicopter. There was a period of adjusting various controls, seat belts etc. Some increasing engine noise. The machine rose and left the scene. I do not know what it was about. I was just there to photograph the windsock.

Bumble bee on Bunny Street

Bumble bee on Bunny Street, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I am discovering that streets, intersections, buildings and signs present all sorts of possibilities when they are flattened out in a photograph. I feel like a painter arranging shapes, lines, and colour on a canvas. It is just a matter of where you put the edges of the frame, then everything just falls into place, like a buzzy bee on Bunny Street.

nightlife

nightlife, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

As day turns to night and Summer turns to Autumn, things can look a little odd and out of place. Like a man going for a swim. But Wellington is a city and nobody seems to notice him or the man taking a photo.

buses

buses, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I was looking at the sun shining vista beyond the street. It was late in the afternoon and the streets were getting dark, except the shaft of light before me. I was thinking this is a photo. Then a bus went round the corner, more is better I thought, and I took the picture.