red car & intersection

red car & intersection, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I was on a drive with my wife when I spotted this intersection up ahead. Nice light under a stormy sky makes for a good photo, I left her reading a mystery novel while I waited for the light to reappear, a red car pulled up, red is good. There is something visual about intersections that I want to photograph. It might be that buildings look better on a corner. The verticals lines of poles, signs pedestrian lights make for a "the more the better" visual feast. And for me there is the anticipation of being on a small road trip, the discoveries of around the corner.

curtain art

curtain art, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I was walking up this cul de sac and I thought I saw some interesting art work in a house. It looked like Japanese brush work mounted in a light box, who would have that? I ventured closer. It was actually just a patterned curtain catching the sunlight. It appears that no one was living here so I went up and took a photo.

closed shop

closed shop, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I noticed that this shop was closed today, the sign was just hanging on an angle. everything was painted white, and the light fittings were from another time, like a lot of the shops in this area, but one does find some interesting things just poking around. And I just enjoy looking.

fidel's

fidels, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

The window with the woman's reflection is Fidel's café, The coffee and the food arrive fast, and usually good, it has a bohemian rough and ready atmosphere, I like going there to have a coffee, I was happy to see an arrangement for a photo here. The woman appears to be waiting for someone, and maybe looking at what I was photographing, or maybe she was just looking at herself.

yellow door

yellow door, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I think it is the small incidental things that give a city its character, the small alleyways and the posters, and even a yellow door catching the sunlight. I like the way the posters are repeated, and the graffiti seems not at all out of place with the peeling typography of the Joe Strummer posters. It is small corners like this that give Wellington a certain look, (or maybe this could be anywhere).

waiting

waiting, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

We were having a walk around Thorndon, and I was waiting for my wife to come out of an antique shop. I looked up and saw this man looking down at me. It was a poster for an upcoming council elections. I took his photo then my wife appeared. We decided to have a coffee and hot chocolate. The man in the café offered hot chocolate and chilli but my wife was unsure of this combination. Unrelated to the photo, but this is my memory of the day, though my wife would think the danger sign was appropriate.

recycle bucket

recycle bucket, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

This house has a small picket fence. The curtain on the front door is a dusty pink. And on the street there is a bucket for recycling bottles and plastic. There are fast growing trees around the fence line, I think you can tell a lot from this, or imagine anyway, and that is what photography is about.

uninteresting corner

uninteresting corner, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

There is a red painted bottle store on the corner with rather uninspiring liquor adverts. Down the road there is a hire centre where you can take away a digger or some heavy equipment. Across the other side there is a car radiator repair centre. And this road has a lot of traffic with a major intersection ahead. It is usually just a place to pass quickly through. I took a few moments and had a thoughtful look, there were a couple of photographs here.

living on the street

living on the street, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

On this side of the street there are colonial villas built right on the street. They must have been well made, they look fine, though a little draughty to live in maybe. I like the colour of paint work and curtains. On the other side of the street there are apartment blocks. This mix of buildings in the city has a look that I find interesting. It takes a while to see what the look of a place is and to assimilate it. Then express and document a place in photographs. I would like to do suburbs as well but it will take time.

a functional house

a functional house, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

This is a house that sticks in the mind, possibly because the plumbing is fitted to the outside, which gives an industrial look. The corrugated iron cladding is also a common colonial touch that seems to have come around again. I also took this picture because of the play of contrasting light and tree shadows that were so transient on this generally overcast morning.

taxi driver

taxi driver, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

These Palms are flowering at this time of year with a dramatic show of yellow. It seemed good to photograph the palm with the yellow taxi sign. I don't know for sure but it seems to me that palm trees and taxis go well together, evoking a feeling of exotic travel.

spider web & triffid

spider web & triffod, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

A walk around ones neighbourhood and you will probably find some unusual plant emerging from someone's front yard. A common sight in Wellington are criss-crossing overhead cables. I felt fortunate to have found both in the one spot here. The title of the photograph I owe to my wife, who was inspired by the book “The Day of the Triffids” by John Wyndham.

garage & pole

garage & pole, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

The reality is this is an image of two car garages, plastic pipe and a wooden pole. It is also a collection of repeating shapes composed by standing in just the right place. I like it that it is both of these things at the same time.

a simple house with matching car

a simple house with matching car, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

This house has simple clean lines though there are lots of subtle design elements here. The eves over the top windows are a nice touch. The car has simple lines too. I don't know if it is part of the householders possessions, It was just across the road. It was the same colour and I just happened to be walking past.

monument

monument, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I was on a wander towards Thorndon and I came across this elegant tree fern. I liked the way if you stood in a certain spot it was covering the monument to the colonial statesman 'Seddon'. There is also a little stack of timber leaning against the fence which seems to be supporting the composition as well. I'm O.K. with the intersecting powerlines too – the more the better because this is the city.

metro man

metro man, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I went down to the local supermarket to photograph the metro man running. Well, rather I was walking past the 'Metro Supermarket' and I wondered if I it was possible to make a photograph here. I like the idea of photographing places that are overlooked, but are known and familiar. I had my doubts, but now I am glad I did.

white photo

white photo, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I made this photograph because the clouds were white, the house is white and the blossoms were white too. I wanted to put it all together. I was probably thinking of abstract painting and calligraphy at the time.

green pole

green pole, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

When I stood on this street corner with the green pole and yellow notice the colours seemed optimistic and full of light. Morning light is often like that. I would not have noticed this dusty green coloured pole in any other light. One just has to be out at the right time. I feel like I am chasing light.

town house

town house, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

These town houses are just down the street. I hadn't taken notice of them before. The large glass dome light made me think I could make a photograph here.

other half

other half, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

The homes that I find myself photographing are often built right on the street, You can get a real sense of the place and people, their gardens and the way they live. Often there are seats on the veranda so they can sit and watch the world go by. It is as if they are saying we are all one tribe. On this particular walk the homes were different. There were large heavy walls, just visible were tree tops and television antennae. One can only imagine who is there. Two different ways of living.

4 square man

4 square man, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

Looking at my photograph, we look a bit like tourists taking each others photo in front of some vista, Mr 4 square man and me. I discovered him while on a walk up Kelburn. He has been around for all my life, and I think every New Zealander knows him. He was created by the advertising department of Foodstuffs in the 1950's, according to a google search and 'Wikipedia'. I like the way he is framed in this retro revolving frame.

video store

video store, originally uploaded by Lester Ralph Blair.

I was standing outside of the video store looking at the sign with Patels name. The same orange as the poster. The house had an orange frame around the window too. There were also red poles, the same red as the typography “last King”. I took the photo, my wife dropped the DVD off, and we then made our way back to the car.