Picture of the Day

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A picture speaks a thousand words, so instead of writing we can photo blog about our day. The possibilities are endless, it could be the couch or your breakfast.

No wonder photo bloggers begin looking for the unusual or even set the scene up themselves without admitting it. Everyday life doesn't exactly draw the crowds regularly unless you can find some interesting angles of your pet goldfish or office desk.

I was contemplating a photo library of stenciled graffiti, every store front, back alley or bin seems to hide another activist's masterpiece.
If we can't laugh at the state of world affairs, western super-powers or weird robots through these graffiti campaigns or vandalism, urban life is rather dull and austere.

The Brooklyn community of blogs features neighbourhood life in all its glory. A featured photo might be a woman in a large hat or children playing on the street with a small story behind it. They are all strangers but are bound by living in such close proximity to each other. Any blog Brooklyn-related is listed in links. Its like a Brooklyn tourism guide!

Photo-bloggers daily inspiration is posted for the world to see, all you have to do is look.

free, take one

Everyday the letterbox is filled with circulars and leaflets. They flood shelves in shops, the streets and the gutter.

Is it human instinct to take flyers pressed into your hand by a distributor instead of refusing. Fifty people can go by, each given literature they briefly scan. It is instantly crumbled and thrown in the bin or drops to the ground.

Is the prospect of a bargain more important than the planet?

Amazingly despite living in the digital age, we are still reliant on paper to spread messages. Maybe its because a physical item and not a jumping ad on a computer screen that we can scrawl away from or shut down with a click of a box.

Even when trays in stores are stacked with the latest catalogue, people would rather read the specials and then put it back or rest it on a shelf.
We are in a constant battle with paper, newspapers and general junk ourselves.

Spare a thought for the hopeless hoarders, every aspect of modern life mass produced including paper takes over every living space they ever had.

One of the festival films I saw was about people crazy about movies. It followed three, who spent their days rushing from one cinema to another in New York.

Their apartments were crammed full of albums, promotional movie material and memorabilia. One woman had to move out because she had filled her entire apartment despite warnings from her landlord.

Guess that is why paper is successful as an advertising medium, it is hard to throw things away. Clutter-free books and TV programmes are all the rage, but will they save us from our own rubbish dump in the car, home or at work?

disposable camera

Remember when 'Staple Magazine' hit the streets in the early 2000s?

As with all new magazines, it had a fresh look and its bill stickers were all over the city when first released, only to fade into the background within a year.

Each month the back page featured the developed film of a disposable camera that had been given to some up-and-comer or famous NZ face.
Over 24 shots, the person took photos of friends or places, even swimming underwater with the camera.

I've never really been a fan of disposable cameras but they serve their purpose, when a digital camera isn't around. There is something final about film, without the handy erase button.

After leaving my camera at home, I bought a disposable before I left Napier for Wellington.
Lack of zoom, its obvious boxy shape and manual winder reinforced its status as a mode of convenience.
The environmental aspect of their disposable status is rather disturbing, but its a novelty I rarely repeat.

Capturing images along the journey, I went photo-crazy in Wellington. I think it helped that the shops were closed and less people were on the streets.

I was glad to be able to snap a golden sunset or an building without over-examining the photo, it seemed more about the moment rather than the camera for once.

I'm looking forward to finishing off the film and getting them developed. I haven't got a clue what to expect.

Art Deco City

Its all palm trees and sunshine in the bay. They are also rather proud of their art deco architecture, which is stunning but almost like a time warp.

Shopping on a Saturday, I tried on hats at a art deco costume shop on sale.
Its quirky when its just dress-up but I've heard they go all out on Art Deco Weekend.

It was Kelt Capital Spring Carnival weekend- the ultimate racing event and there were people on the street dressed in 40s costume. It felt a bit like a movie but everyone else seemed to be staring at them too.

On my travels, I went into an antiques and vintage clothing store. It was like a cheap gift store with bright lights on glass cabinets.
When I walked in, a number of plastic looking necklaces greeted me. The sign above them said "Genuine art deco necklaces found in the back of a European warehouse. $12 each."

Jewellery glass cases housed broaches, necklaces and crystals at the front of the store.
Down the main aisle, I came across a secondhand bookshop area, gloves, bags, war memorabilia, binoculars and finally a 1940s department store style vintage clothes area.
Hats were perched on old mannequin heads and dresses 'pre-1970' were displayed on racks.

It all started to feel rather morbid instead of quirky. Its great to enthuse about the era but it dawned on me that all the ex-owners are probably dead.
All this was reinforced by the 1940s style song with lyrics 'I'm going to live til I die'.

As other customers poked at the items on display, the whole thing seemed a tacky and distasteful way to honour the past. So I quickly exited, walking home via the steep staircases and lanes weaving above the city.

It was a sunny Saturday and the art deco detail of the city was more apparent as I climbed the hill. How could I argue with the views, palm trees and this small city's style!