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Photography has changed the way I see the world around me.

Through it I discover new things and rediscover old ones. Like my island, New Caledonia.

This blog is just me sharing my world through my photography.

Hope you enjoy.

Posts tagged building
160 PORTRAITS

City of Noumea

With the spotlight on racism and discrimination these past few weeks, a referendum for independence knocking at the front door of my country and all the tensions that entails, and having experienced racism and discrimination myself… I felt this photo was appropriate.

This huge canvas measuring 16 x 9 metres on the main wall of the Hotel de Ville de Noumea (the Noumea Council building) represent 160 black & white portraits across Noumea’s population. It was part of a photographic exhibition which also included 100 black & white portraits in A0 format exposed around Place des Cocotiers (Coconut Palm Place) to celebrate the City of Noumea’s 160th anniversary. It also shows, for an island, we have an immense ethnic and cultural diversity.

At the time of this exhibition, I was very interested in black & white architectural photos with street lights from a worm’s eye view. Hence my take on the genre. The lights weren’t on when I took the shot so I add that in. Though they were situated across the street, the perspective make them seem to light the wall. Adds a little more interest in the overall image too. A couple of Radial Filters with Exposure, Highlights and Whites turn all the way up lit the street lights and another with an extra stop of Exposure and a lot of Contrast for the 160 portrait canvas. The rest of the edits were very basic, minor touches.

A last reflection, this world is magnificent and beautiful and wonderful and extraordinary. And I’m not just describing the Earth here but also every species on it including us, the one and only race, humans. Our ethnicity, our cultures, our languages, our beliefs, our stories, our histories… and much more is what make us, unique individuals, so different, so interesting, so beautiful in this world worth visiting, exploring, discovering. All of this and much more is what makes this world so magnificent, beautiful, wonderful, extraordinary. Let’s accept each other’s individuality and live in peace ✌🏽

 
TIEBAGHI VILLAGE

Koumac, Tiebaghi Village

With the corona virus (Covid-19) here in New Caledonia since last week and with auto-confinement in place since midnight monday, photo outings are no more. I’m lucky I have a stock of images to get through and share with you. This set is one of them. A trip to Koumac, in June last year, with the family brought back memories to my mum of her childhood in Tiebaghi Village. Her father, my grandfather, worked in Human Resources on the mine and, apparently, was well liked by everyone. I remember my grandmother telling me that he’d never say no to anyone but told them he’d see what he could do. Anyway, I deviated a little.

The above panorama shows the village of Tiebaghi. From the social club on the left to the bakery on the right. In-between are a couple of grocery stores, a chapel, a playground, an engine dock, a few houses farther down, etc and behind me, from where I took this photo, there’s the clinic. Plenty to see and visit and if you’re interested and there’s a three hour guided tour that you can book with a lot of history knowledge and humour. Check out the current dates of the visits through the Province Nord website. It’s a visit worth doing if ever you have the chance. It’s kids friendly and you don’t need a four wheel drive to get there, we were in a minivan.

The Tiebaghi plateau opened in 1877 when Chromite Ore was discovered and it became the largest Chromium provider in the world in 1941. It also produced Nickel during World War II. The mine closed for the first time in 1962 and reopened in 1982 before definitely shutting down in 1990.

All the instruments and objects photographed above, were found in the clinic. A power box for dentistry, x-ray command box, a telecom switch, really old suitcases, a remote control box for… something, a crank phone, a couple of calculators and another instrument I have no idea what it was used for. Very interesting stuff and there were dozens more things I could’ve photographed but I just wanted to get a few detail shots of a handful of things. The clinic is situated above the village and has a fantastic view as you can see from the panorama photo which was taken from there.

Just a couple of photos from the social club. It’s just a empty hall and there wasn’t much in it apart from this beautiful film projector. Spectacular north-eastern views as well from the club. There are a lot of photographs of past events in the hall. It’s great to see what life was like back then.

This wasn’t my first time visiting the Tiebaghi and because of that I didn’t take a lot of photos of the exterior even though there are very interesting things to photograph. This old, rusted truck, for example, with the company name on the passenger door. There’s also a small cargo rail and cable car for the minerals and whatnot. The engine dock is quite interesting as well with it’s massive equipments.

One thing we HAD to do was find and visit the house my mum grew up in. We found it, isolated on a hill with magnificent views of the valley and mountain range. Still standing and in good condition, apart from the roof, these houses were built to last. Evidence after a few tropical depressions and cyclones. It’s difficult to imaging what life was like on Tiebaghi Village but from what my grandmother told me, though hard, camaraderie was high amongst this mining community.

I think the best time to visit Tebaghi Village would be in October during heritage month. Over a weekend they have guided visits of the village and botanical path, artisanal stands and expositions and reopen the old bakery to make and explain how bread was made in the old days. I plan on making this visit this year, if all goes well.

 

SONY a7 III

full-frame, mirrorless camera (body only)

TAMRON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

standard zoom, E-mount lens

SANDISK EXTREME PRO CARD

128GB SDXC memory card

GIOTTO CLEANING KIT

lens cleaning kit with blower, brush, microfibre cloth and solution

WANDRD PRVKE

31 lt. travel backpack

WANDRD INSERT

medium size camera insert for the WANDRD PRVKE backpack

 
LA NUIT DES ILLUMINÉS DU BAGNE

THE NIGHT OF THE ILLUMINATED JAIL

Noumea, New Caledonia

This event was organised by Association Témoignage d'Un Passé, hosted by them and Site historique de l'île Nou, and held at the Centre de Rencontres et d’Échanges Internationaux du Pacifique (CREIPAC) in Nouville. An evening of music, lights, dance and comedy gave vibrance to this heritage site.

My objective for the evening was to capture the lights on these century old buildings. My mistake though was not arriving before blue hour. It would’ve bumped a couple of these photos a notch above average.

Historically, this place was a hard labour prison and is now a place where people from all over the world come to learn French. And I’m sure to discover the culture here and it’s people.

STARBUCKS COFFEE KOBE MERIKEN PARK

Kobe, Japan

We don’t eat a huge amount in the morning so paying for a buffet breakfast at the hotel wasn’t worth our while. The problem though, most places open around 8 am. No matter, we went for a stroll around Meriken Park and Kobe Harborland and checked out a huge shop that opened at 7:30 before coming back here, to Starbucks, for a simple breakfast.

This shot was taken a couple of hour beforehand though. Just before I headed back to the room. I liked the reflection of the sun in the front glass panels and having the Port Of Kobe Tower in the frame, gives the viewer a location. A destination.

28 mm, 1/25th second @ ƒ/11, ISO 100

KOBE MERIKEN PARK ORIENTAL HOTEL

Kobe, Japan

I got up before sunrise in hopes of a shot of the Kobe Great Bridge all lit up with beautiful light as a backdrop but, unfortunately, neither happened. The bridge lights switched off just as I was setting up and sunrise wasn’t spectacular in any way. There was no interesting compositions either. Port Of Kobe is more beautiful at night than the day.

After the sun had risen, I went for a stroll around the area and saw this Be Kobe sign, meaning Kobe Bay. I realised I didn’t have a photo of our hotel and thought it made for a nice snapshot. Though it was still early morning, there were no interesting shadows, the sky was blue with no interesting cloud structures, it was a pretty bland scene. Thus the black and white conversion. Like I said, just a snapshot of where we stayed.

The Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel is shaped like a ship and is prominent on Port Of Kobe. A luxurious hotel where every room has a view. We had the northern views which looks out towards the city. The best view, in my opinion. We didn’t eat at the hotel but had a nightcap at the View Bar which looks out to the north and west. Apart from a singing pianist, it’s pretty low key and quiet. Perfect to wind down. It was one of two accommodations we splurged on. And it was all for the location and views.

28 mm, 1/10th second @ ƒ/11, ISO 100

ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE

Miyajima / Itsukushima Island, Japan

Check out my last post if you haven’t seen the torii to this magnificent Itsukushima Shrine. When we arrived for sunset, I was a little disappointed to see it was low tide but glad it was for this shot. Though my friend was cold and we were hungry, we stayed a little longer after blue hour to capture more images. We were only here one night thus wanted to make the most of it. I wanted a centred composition with the reflection but to get it I had to get my feet a bit wet. Well, I tried to avoid it but it was a failed mission. I got the shot I wanted and that’s all that counts.

I have to say I’m blown away by my new camera and lens. It took me a long time to get it but the combination of the Sony a7 III with the Tamron 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 is just awesome. In regards to this photo, though taken a 30 seconds and ISO 50, the raw file was very dark. Everything behind the shrine and the foreground was in darkness. The dynamic range on the raw file was amazing. I was able to bump up three stops of light noise-free without loosing any sharpness. I’m literally blown away by this camera lens combination and the quality of the images.

28 mm, 30 seconds @ ƒ/11, ISO 50

CARP CASTLE

Hiroshima, Japan

We took a different route from the Peace Memorial Park to get back to Hiroshima Station. Walking by Hiroshima Castle, sometimes called Carp Castle. We didn’t visit the castle itself but could see the tiers of it’s roof from this point and from almost a kilometres back too. We didn’t have the time to spare as we wanted to be in Miyajima before sunset.

This is actually the entrance to the second compound of the castle. You may not know, I surely didn’t, but the castle is a replica of the original which was destroyed by the atomic bomb blast. It now serves as a museum of Hiroshima’s history before World War II. I would’ve loved to have visited it. Though a replica, I still find this architecture amazing.

40 mm, 1/125th second @ ƒ/11, ISO 100

GENBAKU DOME

Hiroshima, Japan

Officially named Hiroshima Peace Memorial, this landmark is more commonly known as Genbaku Dome. Translated, it is what the rest of the world knows it by, Atomic Bomb Dome.

This photo has become one of my favourites from my Japan trip. I wanted a photo of the ruins with the Motoyasu River in the foreground and I thought I had it from the Aioi Bridge. Unfortunately, it was low tide which change the composition and mood of the photo. I did notice a small dock area and beginning of a path that lead underneath the bridge. Once down here I just loved the composition. I still wish I had a wider lens though, just to fit a bit more in. It looks a little cramp to me but nonetheless, one of my favourites. To me, black and white was the only way to go with this image. The sandstone lantern and wall, the carved rock and the Dome made me think of an era long gone. Once the black and white was done, I slapped on my split-tone preset, tweaked it and, oh man, looove it! I think I’ve captured a unique image too.

The Peace Memorial Park, which is build around and opposite the river of the landmark, is beautiful. There’s also the Memorial Hall for the victims, Memorial Museum, the Gates of Peace, not forgetting the flowers and sculptures. We didn’t get to see all of it but from what we saw, it’s well worth a visit. Well, it’s a must really.

28mm, 1/80th second @ ƒ/16, ISO 100

HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL

Hiroshima, Japan

Continuing from my last post, once we had finished lunch, we made our way to the Peace Memorial Park to see for ourselves the remains of the atomic blast of 6th August 1945. The Atomic Bomb Dome or officially the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

We checked both Google and Apple maps for directions and they both us it would be a 25-30 minute walk. It took us 45 minutes. And we weren’t dragging our feet either. Go figure. We did get to see the city and especially liked the side streets with their small restaurants and boutiques, and beautiful old buildings.

When you think about the impact of an atomic bomb and the sheer destruction it can cause, you start to wonder how it is possible for this building to still be here, standing. I can understand why some would want it torn down but am glad to see it stand. A memorial of the bombing and a symbol of peace. To me, it’s also a reminder of how far mankind is willing to go to destroy each other. Very sad.

This photo was taken from the Motoyasu Bridge looking through it’s guard rail. At the time of taking the shot, there was no way of avoiding it, I wasn’t content having the modern building as a backdrop. Once home though I quite like it. Actually, now I’m a little pissed at myself for not having centred the dome with the Hiroshima Chamber Of Commerce building. Too late now. I went with a split-tone edit after I had edited another photo of the Dome beforehand. I liked it so much I applied it here.

40 mm, 1/640th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 100

LANDING

From across The Last Dock you can see this magnificent building. I have no idea what it’s called nor it’s exact location. I don’t think it was finished long ago as I couldn’t find it on Google Maps but it looks like it situated around Wharf Landing Park in Docklands (Melbourne, Australia), not far from Bolte Bridge. No other buildings around it for now but I’m sure that won’t last long.

I took a few photos of this building at blue hour and in broad daylight. I preferred the later because it had a lot more contrast, which suits the subject better. This is one of those times I wish I had filters. I think this scene is perfect for a very long exposure to smooth out the clouds and the water. The image would’ve had an out-of-this-world kind of mood. And produce a cleaner photo. The filters are on my list of things to buy.

1/1000 sec @ ƒ/5.6, 55 mm, ISO 100

BANKING REFLECTION

A very different shot of the National Australia Bank (nab) building. I was wandering around Newquay (Melbourne, Australia) on a beautiful winter’s day. There was very little to no breeze at all. I saw the colourful reflection of the nab building on the Yarra River and thought it would make a nice photo. As always, my first instinct was to capture everything. The building, the reflection, the blue sky, everything. But again, as I was framing my shot through the viewfinder, I realised it wasn’t what really attracted me to the scene. The reflection is what I want to show. I included the bottom of the building at the top of the image because that part is very dark and blurred in the reflection. And I liked the semi abstract look it gave the image.

1/80 sec @ ƒ/5, 44 mm, ISO 100

NAB-BING A CLOSE-UP

Let’s get a little close and personal with the nab building. I took this shot while strolling along Harbour Esplanade (Melbourne, Australia). The symmetry and colours is what attracted me to photograph this building. My first reaction was to capture the whole building but as I saw the image in the viewfinder of my camera, I realised it wasn’t what caught my eye in the first place. What did was very simple. Lines and colours. So that’s what I photographed.

1/1000 sec @ ƒ/5, 39 mm, ISO 100

MELBOURNE'S ARCHITECTURE

The old. The new. The artistic. Some of Melbourne’s architecture is a mix of all three. I just love seeing the new next to the old. The artistic with the old. Such wonderful architecture. These are just some of the photos I took while strolling through the city on my last day in Melbourne (Australia). I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, Melbourne is a beautiful city.

BOARD GAMES & COFFEE

Walking through the little streets of Melbourne, I found the Marché Board Game Cafe. A lovely place and a must visit. And you’ve got to love the hipster bicycle. Brown leather seat and beige tyres, how often do you see that?… goes perfectly with the cafe’s entrance, the pavement and the old Abaris Printing building. Anyway, I just loved the scene thus took a shot.

1/60 sec @ ƒ/5.6, 41 mm, ISO 800

CENTURY 21

This scene with the old sandstone building, the modern yet old school scooter and the real estate with the modern name of Century 21 was too good to just pass by without taking a shot. I've wanted to photograph this building for a long time now but was never satisfied with what I saw. That scooter changed everything. It's not a great photo, I admit, but I needed the photo to tell a story. And not just be a photo of an old building. I might try a sunset shot the next time I'm in Randwick Junction (Sydney, Australia).