Chris Hillock Photographer

Taupo Ironman.

2012-03-09T16:38:00.001+13:00

The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand Triathlon, Taupo

I went through my images for the day after the first run through and found a couple that didn't catch my eye in the hurry to make dead line. I love this shot for the single arm and hand breaking the water (if you were wondering what it was,) as the swimmer powers their way through the choppy lake water.

Shot with a 300 mm lens, 1/800th of a second at f11.0.

It seems so unusal to see just an arm and nothing else of the person.

Combing video and stills. Free range egg story.

2012-03-06T14:49:00.001+13:00

Ok, here's a link to a story I did with Dan Adams about the meaning of free range eggs in New Zealand and the proposed new standards that are about to be sorted out. It amazed me how healthy the chickens were at the farm we visited, a far cry from the chicken farm I remember visiting as a child.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/video/6516816/What-is-true-free-range

I'll see if I can't embed the video, but here's the main still from the job.

Frenz egg company talks about the definitions of "Free Range" and the proposed new national standards. Mr Rob Darby with chickens.

The moral of the story (excuse the pun) is take the time to learn about the food that you eat, maybe one product at a time. Then make a decision how that fits into your life, or doesn't.

Video, Stills and Audio: Chris Hillock
Editing: Mike Scott (.. the incrediably talented)
Reporter: Dan Adams.

Day 64-2012 Taupo Ironman 2012

2012-03-06T14:30:00.000+13:00

Hi team,
Been a while, but I have been shooting for all this time. So now that I have a spare 5 mins to throw something up I thought I would take the chance.

The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand Triathlon, Taupo. Meredith Kessler (US), leads the women's competition on the outward leg of the cycle race.

This shot was taken from the back of a motorcycle going about 40 km/hr. Thanks to my rider Peter Jackson for his expert riding. It was the first time I have shot from a moving bike and he did an excellent job helping make these shots work. A slow shutter speed of about 1/60th of a second helps give you the feel of the speed that Meredith was racing at.

Meredith Kessler (US), leads the women's competition on the outward leg of the cycle race.

For this shot I was doing long lens shots of the athletes as they came up the hill (on the way out of Taupo) and as Meredith shot passed me I turned and saw this image. I think it really sums up the solo nature of Ironmen / Ironwomen as the compete against each other.

Marino Vanhoenacker (Belgium), leads the group in cycle leg on the way out of Taupo chasing the leader.

As for the above shot, I was off the motorbike shooting with a long 300mm lens. Unlike cycling atheletes aren't allowed to draft behind each other, which is great for me. The spacing was nearly perfect, giving you a classic pattern down the road.

An athlete in the swimming leg of the race.

This swim shot was taken from the a pontoon, I had to scoot around to one side to get the sunrise going through the arch of the water. I think sometimes you look out at a scene and it's just normal, if you know what I mean. Having a bag of tricks that you know works gets you out of a bind. This time I knew I wasn't going to get many great shots where I was, and I saw the light catching, but I was in the wrong place. I moved to a good position and had a couple of cracks at getting this shot. Some of the images didn't work due to wrong position or the arm wasn't up at the right time. However patience and persistence are by-words in photography.

More images and the story here.

Day 9 - 365 project

2012-01-09T09:23:00.002+13:00

Early morning on Whangamata beach.

I was recently sent out to Whangamata to provide summer story coverage for the Waikato Times. It's an incrediably beautiful place, with a fantastic beach and qute little town. Hence in the summer season it's packed, traffic jam down the main street and not a seat to be had for lunch in the cafes.

This shot really summed up the morning for me. People out making the most of a quiet beach, and just plan old relaxing. It was a busy time for me, several breaking stories that required lots of driving and late nights getting the story down the line. Still .. there are worse places to work.

Update ... entered this image in to a Fairfax competition and won a second place! .. it's the small things in life.

Central Otago tussock

2011-11-21T22:48:00.000+13:00

Very simple shot, a low depth of field and lovely warm colours. I had a bit of movement from the wind blowing this dry tussock around, but it's good, and the point of focus pulls your eye in nicely.

I love the warmth and feel of this shot. Feels like a summer day with the tussock blowing around you.

Good light and silhouettes.

2011-11-20T22:28:00.000+13:00

A cross on the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo© Chris Hillock Photographer 2011

I took this shot a while ago on the way down to Queenstown for a family wedding. Stopping of at Lake Tekapo I found a nice angle of the Church of the Good Shepherd. I saw the light glinting off the stone cross on the roof of the church, dropped the exposure to a few stops until the meter reading, and I love the result.

It's been sitting in one of my folders and I haven't looked at it for a bit. It still grabs me every time I look at it. I hope you enjoy it too.

It's a beautiful old world

2011-11-19T10:41:00.001+13:00

Mt Ngauruhoe from State Highway 1
(copyright Chris Hillock Photographer 2011)

Heading home after a family birthday party, I took this shot with a camera I had to hand, my work iPhone 4. (Nope I wasn't driving!). I am really happy with the way it's turned out and my wife has asked me to put it on the wall, so I'll print this on canvas when I get the chance.

I love the colours and the patchy light from the broken clouds. I would have loved to have shot this on my D3, but there you go. Sometimes you just have to use what you have available. It's a beautiful old world this one, just keep your eyes open for that photo.

Ngauruhoe

A or B?

2011-11-10T13:13:00.000+13:00

Which do you like better? Picture A or picture B? I'm interested in what people have to say.

Please write a comment and let me know what you think.

For digestion: Caption is - 061111 - SPORT - Photo: Chris Hillock / Waikato Times. New Zealand Paralympic national games held in Hamilton. Shakti Krishnan (13) from Hillcrest high competes in the table tennis playoffs.

I had a very short amount of time to get any shots of the paralympics running on Sunday, and with multiple events running through out Hamilton I had to run from one to the next. I still like these ones for different reasons but I am fascinated to hear what you have to say.

Penguin bath time.

2011-10-19T22:06:00.000+13:00

This little penguin is a luck little girl or guy. Recovered from one of the oil covered beaches in Tauranga, he or she was cleaned up and looked after at the Wild Life Rescue centre.

I have to say that these penguins are the cutest animals I have ever seen. Here the penguin is playing with the water jet as it made it's way around the tank.

Sunrise silhouette.

2011-10-19T21:56:00.000+13:00

Sometimes you can just see a picture before you take it. This shot of Lessly Paledes from Chile uses her laptop to call home and check on her family after the recent earth quakes.

It took a bit of effort to get the right angle for this but I knew what it would look like if I got it. The colours really worked with this. She moved around a bit, and I was on my stomach crawling around until I got.

Sunrise at Mt Maunganui beach.

2011-10-19T21:54:00.000+13:00

Waikato Times Copyright

For some strange reason I got up around 5 am this morning and went down to the beach to see what I could find. The sunrise was spectacular and I was able to get some pretty fantastic stuff.

Tauranga Oil Slick clean up.

2011-10-18T21:42:00.000+13:00

251011 - NEWS - Photo: Chris Hillock / Waikato Times. The Cargo Ship Rena grounded in Tauranga Harbour has leaked a lot of oil. Marine Technician Kai Boon from the Royal New Zealand Navy gets his hands dirty wiping up oil from rocks around Mt Maunganui.

A bit of flash from the right popped out his face, fired with a ST-E2.

It's sticky yucky stuff really, doesn't come off and pretty noxious. Tauranga is one of the most beautiful harbours I've seen, and to have it polluted like this is really hard to see. I really hope that the oil spilled from the cargo ship Rena doesn't destroy the beautiful beach and environment.

Chase Jarvis... a worth while repost

2011-10-12T09:07:00.000+13:00

I follow a few photographers blogs, and Chase Jarvis is one photographer who is worth the read. Today I read his list of creative must knows. A set of rules, the original post is worth the read.

But here it is if you can't get time to read it. I don't like to cut and paste but it's just what I needed to hear today. I think you can apply it to any profession. There are times in your life to follow (a mentor, a trade leader, someone that inspires you), and there are times to cut your own path.

Weather you are a creative, or technical, or financial, or whatever, finding your path is important. Part of that is knowing who you are, and the thing is that you learn more about yourself if you are outside your comfort zone. If you are safe, then nothing changes and nothing gets better. Even if it's a small thing like changing the time of day that you do something, change is good.

Here is a list of 10 things I’ve learned the hard way that every photographer, designer, creative–hell, every creative person–should know.

1. Experts aren’t the answer.
The blogs, the teachers, the mentors, the seminars aren’t the answer. They’re not there to tell you exactly what you need to know. If they’re good, then they are there to give you some ideas, some guidelines, or some rules to learn and subsequently break. This isn’t about the expert, it’s about you. In creative pursuits especially…what’s going on inside you is where the answers can be found. Hear what experts say, but don’t always listen to them.

2. Clients cannot tell you what they need.
Clients hire you because they have a problem. They need a great visual representation of something, a solution. They think they know the best way to photograph something, but they don’t really. That’s why they hire you. Take their suggestions to heart, because they definitely know their brand, product, their vision–perhaps even shoot a few versions of the images they THINK they want to see first–but then go nuts with own vision. Add value. Show them something they didn’t expect. Don’t be a monkey with a finger. Remember why you got hired…that YOU are the badass image maker. If you are good enough to get selected for the job, you should be good enough to drive the photographic vision.

3. Don’t aim for ‘better’, aim for ‘different’.
It’s funny how related “better” and “different” are. If you aim for ‘better’ that usually means you’re walking in the footsteps of someone else. There will often be someone better than you, someone making those footsteps you’re following… But if you target being different–thinking in new ways, creating new things–then you are blazing your own trail. And in blazing your own trail, making your own footprints, you are far more likely to find yourself being ‘better’ without even trying. Better becomes easy because it’s really just different. You can’t stand out from the crowd by just being better. You have to be different.

4. Big challenges create the best work.
If you get assignments that are pushing your vision, your skills, then awesome. Kudos to you, keep getting those assignments. If you’re not getting those assignments, then you need to be self-assigning that challenging work. Give yourself tough deadlines and tougher creative challenges. You do your best work where there is a challenge that is clearly present and 10 feet taller than you think you can handle.

5. Aesthetic sensibilities actually matter.
Go figure on this one… I’m constantly surprised as how much this is overlooked. Read this and believe it: You must develop a keen understanding of design, color, light, and composition. To just say “I know a picture when I like it” isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to know –for your own sake as well as the sake of your clients who will ask you– WHY a photo is a great photo. WHY is this one better than that one. If you don’t have any visual vocabulary, opinion, or aesthetic sensibility you won’t be able to explain these things. You won’t get the job. Or if you do get the job, you won’t be able to explain why your photos are worth getting hired again by the same client for the next campaign, story, or video. Trust me on this. Develop a sense of visual taste.

6. Simple is good.
Almost every photo that is bad has too much information. Outside of technical basics, the number one reason that most photos fail is because there is no clear subject. Often this is the case with design, film, fashion, you name it. Remove clutter, remove distraction. Tell one story, and tell it well.

7. Make mistakes, learn quickly.
Simply put, you need to be able to learn from your mistakes. Avoiding failure is not the goal. The goal is recovering from mistakes quickly. That goes for ever element of your photography–creative, business, vision…you name it. If you’re not willing to make mistakes, you’ll be paralyzed with inaction. That is the devil. Get out there and do stuff. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t work, change it. Quickly.

8. “Value” is different from “price.”
Don’t compete on price alone. That is certain death in any creative field. Focus on delivering value and price yourself accordingly. If you deliver great value with your images — better than expected, and better than your competition– and you can illustrate that through any means, then you should be more expensive. And remember that value comes in many forms.

9. A-Gamers work with A-Gamers.
If you are good at what you do, then you work–or seek to work–with other people who kick ass too. If you suck, then you put yourself around sucky people to feel better about yourself. If you want to be the best, seek to be around awesome people–be it other artists, assistants, producers, clients, partners, whatever. Shoot high. Shoot for better than yourself.

10. Real artists create.
Do you just sit around and think of stuff you could create, photograph, build, ship, or design, but never output anything? Then you’re a poser. Take a new approach and make stuff. Maybe what comes out of your studio isn’t perfect, but there should always stuff leaving the door and hitting the web, the page, the billboard, the gallery, or the street. If you are for real, you’ll be pumping out work on the regular.

There you go. Now don’t just read this list, KNOW this list.

Rena cargo ship and Mr Butler.

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000+13:00

Mr. Graeme Butler comments on the Rena cargo ship disaster.
Copyright Waikato Times

Caption 061011 - The cargo ship "Rena" ran a-ground on Astrolabe Reef 14 km off the Port of Tauranga. Mr. Graeme Butler a marine life expert, owner / operator of "Bulters swim with Dolphins" talks about the risk to the environment and wildlife that the tanker presents disaster.

A simple set up, single flash held by my trustee reporter to the left, and availabe light set to 1/2 a stop under. It helped make him pop out of the photo and draw your eye to him straight away. This story has been on the nations attention, and this photo has thrown Mr Butler in to the media spot light, interview by both Radio and TV. Kind of nice to see how a strong photo like this can effect the community and draw attention to an issue or person.

Daniel Sharp - World Class

2011-10-02T20:09:00.000+13:00

Daniel Sharp is a world class athelete with several medals and records to his name. Nearly blind he's still pushed himself to excel. Mike Scott and I had the chance to meet him and hear his story. It's one worth hearing and good to remember that no matter what life has thrown at you, it's up to you what you do with it.

In my books Daniel is a real inspiration. Kind of makes me feel like I am sitting around doing nothing.

Big ups to Mike Scott for the support and fantastic editing and camera work in this story. Can't wait to do another one with you.

Te Ao Marama goes smoke free

2011-10-02T19:59:00.000+13:00

I am lucky enough to be in the position to tell peoples stories. I love to give a voice to those that don't have one.

In this case I did a story about Pita Sharples visiting Te Ao Marama unit at Waikeria prison some months before hand. My friend and reporter Karla Akuhata and I knew we had found a special place with Mana and Aroha. We returned when we could to do a story about the prisoners making efforts to go smoke free. With government legislation coming into effect this year to ban smoking in all prisons they had taken the initiative to go smoke free before the ban came into place.

Here's the story that we made. There's a lot of bad press about prisons and prisoners, but there's a lot of good stories too.

John Rhys-Davies

2011-09-29T21:29:00.000+13:00

John Rhys-Davies, has been one of my must meet people, and I was really blown away. He's a man for all seasons, passionate about a wide range of subjects, and well read. Sitting listening to him was a pleasure. He is one of those people you can sit down with and talk about anything, for hours.

Shot simply with available light, the cleanest background I could find and with a aperture of about f2.8 to blur things out in the background. I asked my reporter to sit with their back to a large dinning room window and had John across the table. The light coming from the window was nice and soft, giving me the effect that I was after. I also shot from the side which gave me nice cross light and the room was light enough for a 1/4 stop fill. However the background became a bit more distracting with the rest of the room. The key thing with this kind of job is to let the subject hold the photo and John did most of the work I must confess, he has a great face for expression.

I'd love to have another conversation John, come around for a BBQ any time.

I don't do weddings

2011-08-27T20:03:00.000+12:00

For me photographing weddings is just like torture. I would rather not, however when my cousin got married the other week I had my camera and couldn't help myself.

The deed is done!

They really had the luck of the weather gods as the sun was brilliant and the venue was fantastic. We all had a fantastic time and there is a small video from Queenstown I will add later.

Early morning light and industrial stockshot

2011-07-11T10:27:00.001+12:00

A wise man once told me (Lester de Vere by the way) that you should never stop shooting. Whether your shooting for an assignment or just for the hell of it (i.e. stock shots) shoot the beautiful things around you. This morning I saw some beautiful light from the sun punching through the thin clouds and an industrial landscape as I got out of the car.

There was heaps of light and the silhouette wasn't strong with a normal exposure so I dropped it down to get the out line of the buildings and bring in a bit more of the shape of the sun, (note to self: don't look at the sun too long!)

My thought process is that this would make a nice little illustration for a story about industry or pollution, or the environment, the news desk can make use of it as they will. But I guess you can be doing anything or going anywhere and see something that catches your eye. Perhaps illustrate something that might tell a story, or is straight out beautiful.

Waikato weather.

2011-06-21T20:03:00.001+12:00

Early in the morning the light works magic. This story about the weather in the Waikato was a bit hard to shoot, looking for something completely different and found morning commuters making their way across the Claudelands bridge. Breath in the slightly cold air give me the idea for this shot. The only problem was to get the breath nice and clear. I shot into the sun, so that I could get a dark background and the sun would bring out the breath.

In this case I liked the golden silhouettes and didn't fuss too much about the breath not coming out. I got the umbrella clear in the swing of the persons arm. So job done.

It's the small things in life.

2011-06-12T10:31:00.000+12:00

Well, life is busy as always, and like most people I get caught up in the day to day things. Some times you make a small break through in something that doesn't seem so important, but it opens a few more options up and makes a difference.

So I guess I am trying to say, that sometimes it's the small things in life that help you out, make things clearer, remind you of something, finish off that project you've been working on for ages.

Hope you are all well, busy and happy. Just remember to appreciate the small things in your life, they can make a big difference.

Good Friday celebrations

2011-04-23T20:26:00.003+12:00

Hamilton Church's celebrate Good Friday celebrations

I was tasked with capturing the church services for Good Friday. The easy way to shoot this kind of job is just capture the people doing their thing and just record the event. However I wanted to make a strong statement with this opportunity. I shot the obvious stuff to have it in the bag and back stop myself. Then I saw the high clouds, tested a couple of exposures to see what they would look like - under exposed (-3 stops in this frame) and thought about the silhouette of the church members carrying the cross. Shot with a wide angle 20mm, and the camera held low (nearly on the ground) I relied on the camera auto focus and a bit of luck to get the people in sharp focus. I had to follow the cross for a bit to get a few goes at angles and it paid off. I like this shot for it's strength and impact.

I wanted to take away from being able to identify the people, and make you think more about the event. Some times you don't want to be obvious, you want to treat the viewer with respect ie: make them think.

Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury

2011-04-18T20:39:00.002+12:00

Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury editor in residence WINTEC
copyright Waikato Times.

I have to say that I love portraiture, especially when you get a character like Martyn. Martyn is WINTEC's new Editor in Residence. Which means he talks to the journalism students about the job and provides "inspiration" about the profession. He has an impressive C.V. with several high profile roles in New Zealand's media arena.

When Martyn arrived he sat with his back to the window, making any thing of the situation difficult, however I got him to sit on a hard chair facing towards the windows and hey-press-toe we have some lovely light and shadows to make his face come alive. Talking with Ben Stanley my reporter kept him animated and full of life.

Shot mostly with a longer lens (70 -200) on f2.8 to make the background a bit blurry keeps you looking at him. What you get from these portraits are different for each person, but I really to try to capture something of the person.

Good Charlotte gig

2011-04-17T21:09:00.001+12:00

Joel Madden from Good Charlotte gets the Hamilton 400 V8s crowd going at Seddon Park.
Copyright Waikato Times

Gigs can some times be very cool to shoot or be a right pain in the a#$e. Good Charlotte was a little of both. Good becuase the stage lights were done well, and pain because I only got three songs in which to shoot. This means you have to get as much out of your time as you can. Unlike having the whole set to work out who does what on the stage, what lighting patterns are, etc, you get in shoot hard and get out - PDQ.

This shot, as you might guess, is on a long lens (300 mm) at f2.8. Had a good time and the music was cool.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic v Canterbury Tactixs

2011-04-14T21:24:00.002+12:00

Charlotte Kight (Tactix - left) and Irene van Dyk (Magic) battle it out in Rotorua.

Someone said to me the other night that Netball is a non-contact sport .. yea right! I love my sport and Netball is right up there. It's one of the hardest games to shoot, but when things go right I get a really big kick out of the shots.

Shot with a 70-200 mm lens with the ISO cranked up really high, (you can't use flash). Follow the ball and hope for some good timing or pick a player and wait.. both techniques have their pros and cons. For me fast shutter and good lens makes all the difference. And of course the more you shoot, the better you get.

Beautiful light = great portraiture.

2011-03-28T20:24:00.000+13:00

I love chasing light. Finding it and using it well gives you the best images, and the best buzz ever. Today I did a story with feature writer Jeff Neems from the Waikato Times, a profile of local Muslim elder and leader.

We sat in his small office at the temple and the light on his face was fantastic. Very atmospheric and I loved the results.

The way the light is on his skin just makes it stand out beautifully. Shooting with f 4 or so made sure that I had enough depth of field to get most of him in focus but not enough to made the bookshelf behind distracting. Once in a while you meet cool people. This gentleman is one of them, and he turned 50 the other day. No way, he doesn't look that old!

These books are beautifully bound. The light from the windows in the temple proper wasn't particularly strong but with a high ISO I was able to capture this image. I love the atmosphere and colours.

Light, light, light

2011-03-22T21:59:00.001+13:00

Anyone who's tried to photograph birds will know how difficult it is. With the silver eyes in my fig tree, I found a ripe fig with a nice piece of light and waited, .. and waited, for the birds to get used to me. Once they came back it didn't take too long for them to come to the fig I was watching and got the good shots.

Light is everything in this shot. Picks out the bird and makes the eye look 3-D. It's that shadow that makes the difference. And of course .. sharp focus.

Next step is to get a magic arm and remote fire the camera from a safe (not seen by birds) distance.

Relax and shoot something completely different

2011-03-08T09:52:00.000+13:00

After an intense week supporting The Press team in Christchurch I've had a couple of days off and found myself playing with the camera. Looking for stuff to shoot just for the fun of it.

Saw some beautiful morning light and this fly warming up on a leaf from the overnight low of 5 degrees. Have to say that fly's aren't my favourite creature but some of them do have beautiful markings.

Shot with 105 mm macro and cheap extension tubes. It's nearly full frame, but I am keen to get some bellows just to get in close to the eyes and face. Cranked the ISO up to help with shutter speed and an increase in the f-stop to give me a wider depth of field.

Hellmilton Roller Ghouls

2011-02-21T22:21:00.000+13:00

I love shooting sports. The raw emotion on players faces really does it for me. Match that with some great afternoon light you can capture some great photos.

I love the determination in this players face .. says it all.

This player has the technique and skill to dance through the pack.

Don't let anyone tell you different, Roller Derby girls are tough,
they take some big hits on the track and still get up and go!

Photo of the day.

2011-02-11T12:55:00.007+13:00

I often take several hundred images a day, not all of them seeing the light of day, hitting the cutting room floor if you like. On the odd occasion I look back through and grow to like some of the ones that don't make the cut. Especially when you look through your years work, sifting through your collection for the big competitions like Canon Media Awards.

I have begun to love this image. So many photographers will focus on the cowboy riding, and rightly so, and I do too, until I have the shots I need for the story. But having done that I was interested in the bull and trying to give a moment to them, after all they do all the hard work of trying to get someone / thing off them!

Huntly Rodeo 30 Jan 2011

I think a lot of people will not like my crop when I shot this, cutting the cowboy off, however I really want the viewer to think about the bull. With all four hoofs off the deck, a bit of dirt flying, and the head down, tells a good story about how the bull must feel, in my opinion at least.

Here's some more from the day. I love the gumboots with the spurs strapped on.

Poor little kitten. Had to come to a photographers house!

2010-12-20T18:17:00.001+13:00

I feel sorry for Torti, she and her mum had no idea that being fostered by a photographer would lead to this kind of thing. Lucky I love cats so much!

Two flashes on either side, fired with radio slaves. Just add a kitten .. very cute!

Happy holidays

2010-12-19T09:01:00.000+13:00

Happy holidays to you all. I'm looking forward to a good Kiwi Christmas of BBQ and summer food, family and a good time.

Hope you have a good break from it all.

Chris

SPCA - fostering a mother cat and her kittens

2010-12-14T08:39:00.002+13:00

If you have the space and time, think about fostering a cat and her kittens for the SPCA. The SPCA is looking for cat friendly homes to help with the influx of cats this season.

There is no commitment to keep them, just provide some shelter and love. www.spca.org.nz will point you in the right direction in New Zealand.

Hours of entertainment as they grow and learn about the world around them.

Skate boarder at Raglan skate park

2010-11-29T10:30:00.000+13:00

Super-wide lens and a fast shutter speed. Don't think I can manage this trick. Yes he did make it!

Miners memorial

2010-11-28T10:23:00.000+13:00

There are times when it's absolutely hard to capture the feelings, mood, essence of a situation. In this case to capture peoples raw grief is probably one of the hardest jobs for a press photographer. I took several beautiful shots from the memorial service in Hamilton, but this one I like the most because of the atmosphere, colours, and tones.

Like most Kiwis my heart goes out to those families in Greymouth, and I wish I could do more.

Tennis profile

2010-11-16T10:16:00.000+13:00

I do a lot of profile shots for the Waikato Times, and it's often difficult to do something fresh and out of the box. At the start of most jobs I do the safe stuff first and then look to break it up. In this case playing normally with an opponent, and then go for the harder or different stuff.

In this case I stood on an umpires chair and got him to pretend to serve. Andrew is quite tall so I didn't have much distance between us, hence use a super wide lens to make sure that I get the ball in the frame. He was a trooper and threw the ball up several times until I got the shot.

World Rowing Champs.

2010-11-07T09:57:00.002+13:00

This is probably the closets I'll get to a gold medal of any description! Unless of course I win several million in Lotto and can dedicate my life to a sport.

This particular one belongs to Hamish Bond after he and Eric Murray won the Men's pair at Lake Karapiro. Good to see Kiwi's doing well on the international stage!

World Rowing Champs

2010-11-06T10:06:00.000+13:00

This shot is here, just 'cause I like it. Taken at the World Rowing Champs, held at Lake Karapiro, near Cambridge. I was heading down to photograph some of the rowers coming off the water and saw the water splashing against the piper / pontoon thing. Any way I like it!

Martial Arts story - shooting as they kick

2010-09-15T18:50:00.003+12:00

I love to shoot sport. It's always a challenge and I love getting that moment.

With this story I wanted a profile shot of a young karate competitor who is about to head overseas to compete. She's definitely got the right stuff and a good attitude too.

The lighting conditions were pretty poor and in fact so bad that I set up a flash in the corner and fired it via a pocket wizard as I followed the pair of them with a wide angle lens. I don't like to set these kind of things up if I can help it so I danced around the dojo, nearly getting kicked a few times for my trouble. It took a bit of effort to get a nice shot but well worth it.

Creative Fibre job

2010-08-22T18:47:00.003+12:00

Good to catch up with some of my best clients today. Once again I was blown away by the quality and creativity that I saw. High standards and passionate people.

I had a great day with these ladies. I'll post a couple of images soon.

Chris

Food feature

2010-08-04T16:13:00.008+12:00

All these images are part of a feature on a local chef and marketing manager for Hamilton and Cambridge Farmers market Alison Worth. She and her husband run an organic farm and produce some wonderful food.

Spin on things

2010-07-10T21:28:00.000+12:00

I like the effect with the strong sunset and the street lights.

Reflections

2010-07-10T21:22:00.001+12:00

Ok ok, a day at the gardens I know. The last few posts, and yes the next one, is the result of a play afternoon, play to help myself be inspired by the world around me. I love the reflection here and I think that it's a lot stronger in Black and White. The people in the image weren't wearing strong colours to have a bit impact so the texture of the environment played the stronger part in this image.

Try to tell a story

2010-07-10T21:05:00.000+12:00

It's just a chair. Hmmm.. what can I do with just a chair? I love the light colour and softness of late afternoon. I asked a couple of strangers to help me with this one. I got a lot images from people passing by but they didn't quite make it work. So I got the couple to position themselves just so.

I like the concept of seeing the shadows of people that might look like they are in the chairs but aren't there. Space, light, shadow to elude to a story that you can imagine.

Shadow and light.

2010-07-10T20:55:00.001+12:00

I feel the need, some how, to plug the gaps in my blog with images. It's possibly a hang up from doing the 365 day project. Anyway, I love shadows and light. This shot was taken at Hamilton Gardens, with the sun low and the gap in the building providing a nice effect.

I didn't set this up so I was waiting for a bit to get someone walk by and get the right position and stride. But it worked.

Play play play

2010-07-10T20:45:00.000+12:00

It doesn't matter what job you do, if it's routine then you don't develop and get bored. So even though I love my job I do feel the need to go a play with the camera.

This image was a play, set the shutter to a long shutter speed and then twist the wrist sharply. As an image it doesn't do much and I think that it needs to be used for very specific jobs, but I like it all the same.

All whites at Waikato Stadium

2010-07-09T21:40:00.005+12:00

Riki Herbert was kind enough to pose for me today as the Wellington Phoenix had a practice at Waikato Stadium before the game with the Brisbane Roar tomorrow. The team are a great bunch of guys, very friendly and love their fans.

Again this is another punt for me. It's a stitch of 6 images with a 14 mm lens, a little bit of flash at Riki to help pump up the detail in the face. You can see the bow of the roof of the stadium but I like it, makes it a little different. Got some great shots of the team warming up, which I'll post tomorrow after they have gone to press in the morning.

Images catch up.

2010-07-06T21:21:00.005+12:00

I recently got the ok to start posting some of my images from the Waikato Times, so I'll start doing some catch up. In no particular order....

From ANZAC Day this year. Some times you go on the job and go ... I'm going to take a punt today and just do something completely different from what I normally do. Normally I use a bit of flash to capture those who lay wreaths, in the parade etc. However on this day I was effected by the fog and atmosphere at the memorial. I chose to push the camera to it's limits and just go for available light. This shot is one of several in a series showing the parade honour guards doing their stuff. Here they have just completed the parade and marching off in to the flood lights.

Caption: 250410 NEWS - Photo: Chris Hillock / Waikato Times. ANZAC Day, Hamilton. The honour guard from Waikato mounted rifles, 6 Hauraki Battalion Group, march off the parade ground after the dawn service.

For this image I was 0.4 of a second, f 2.8 and ISO 1600 which is the highest the camera can go (Canon 1DS MkIIN). Shot with a wide angle lens helps a bit but still a bit slow for my liking. With a bit of practise I can often get down 2 or 3 stops below the recommend shutter for a lens but this was a bit of a stretch. Still I am happy with the result.

Bucket list - All Blacks game

2010-06-28T20:58:00.004+12:00

I think most people have a bucket list with a couple of things on it. For me it's always a list that seems to grow and change as I do. However some things have been on there for a long time, photographing the All Blacks in an international test and getting it published is there. I'm very happy to say that I have ticked it off this weekend. Click here to go to the Waikato Times story about Richard Kahui.

So very happy to tick two things off this year so far. Qantas media awards win, and All Blacks game. Might have to have a look at that list again and see what else to put on it.

Restored water way near Lake Waikare.

2010-06-25T19:59:00.008+12:00

I love this image. I know that not everyone will but when I shot this for a feature on lake Waikare I wanted to show the beauty of the place with the calm surface of the water and the beautiful blue sky. I had some waders on and with the shallowness of the lake I wondered further and further until I got the perfect spot.

The image is a stitch of six images. Shot on a Canon Mark II N and a super wide 14 mm lens. Just a bit of push in the colour and a bit more density. I placed the camera as close to the water's surface as I could and panned around to get the frames I needed.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Photo essay any ideas

2010-06-17T18:43:00.002+12:00

Each month we (the photographers at the Waikato Times) photograph an event or subject for a photo essay to be used on the back pages of the Saturday edition. If you can think of any ideas drop a comment and let me know.

Cheers

Chris

Qantas Media Awards 2010

2010-06-16T17:16:00.006+12:00

Hey all

Just a quick note. I entered in Qantas awards this year and was a finalist in two categories, Best Portfolio six pictures (Junior) and Best Single Picture (Junior).

I won the Best Single Picture (Junior)

April 2010 - Some of my images from the Waikato Times

2010-05-23T20:44:00.004+12:00

Hey there

This is a little taste of some of the jobs I have been on as a photographer for the Waikato Times. I hope you enjoy.

Waikato Times

2010-02-14T16:56:00.003+13:00

Well I have just finished my second week at the Waikato Times and feeling at home there. Getting used to a new style and new place. I still need to get permission to post some of my work from there so I don't know how much I will be posting for the next month or so.

Good shooting.

Chris

Youth achiever awards

2009-12-15T08:28:00.002+13:00

Te Rehua Cameron received the Cultural Development Award at Young Achievers Awards. Again another situation that I found there was no where to photograph her in the immediate area so I looked around to find a simple and uncluttered background. Point her as much as possible away from the sun so that she's not squinting! Then fill with flash close in. I shot with a long lens (70 - 200 mm) to compress the foreground and background. Posing is usually my bug bear but I am learning that if you let the person sit or stand as they normally do and then make small adjustments you get the best results.

Lesley Pitt.

2009-12-09T20:08:00.001+13:00

There are some jobs you go on that you go .. bugger. There are no decent backdrops or props to help you out, or the story is about something completely irrelevant to the location you're in. So, what do you do? Go for a pattern or colour or something .. anything!!

With this I had to hunt around the building for some sort of background that was interesting. It didn't really relate to the story but the colour and pattern from the windows helped make the image a little more interesting that shooting in a worn-out classroom that interview was done in.

Not much to tell about this one, long lens on a wide open aperture and available light.

Maple leaf.

2009-12-08T20:18:00.004+13:00

It's been a long time since I looked around the garden and shot nothing in particular. It's funny to shoot something that you did such a long time ago and look at it through new eyes. I have to say that I need to pic up the 365 project again and keep my eye fresh and keep challenging myself.

Soprano of great talent.

2009-12-06T19:07:00.003+13:00

Bryony Williams performed at the New Plymouth District Council chambers. Bryony is a young singer - Soprano, with an awesome voice. She is Taranaki girl and came back to New Plymouth to say thank you to all her supporters.

Bounced the flash off the roof this time with the small built-in bounce card throwing a little forward. That gave me some clean light and colours in an otherwise poorly lit room.

Found news.

2009-12-05T19:02:00.003+13:00

I was in Eltham shooting another job and found out about these boys spraying some work on a wall. These guys are great talents and I'm glad the story ran.

Shot with two lights and available, Canon 480 ex from bottom left and Canon 580 ExII from far right. Strong lighting and strong colours give the image punch.

Walter Hunger

2009-12-01T20:07:00.001+13:00

This young man (98 years old) worked for the Daily News as a paper boy back in the day. He had a heap of stories from a full life and still has a few good years to go I think.

When I walked into the room I saw this great light coming from the windows and started shooting immediately. Long lens to get the right view and shot for expression and action in his hands. I have a few shots of him talking away and they're great, a good character study.

Emergency Department

2009-12-01T20:06:00.002+13:00

These three professionals talked about the Emergency Departments hard work and the results that they recently achieved in a National rating. We did some shots of them with a nurse posing as a patient but I did this shot as a guarantee if the sub-editors didn't like it. I have to say after a few days away from it I like this one the most. Nothing wrong with the others but the three of them hold the image a bit better then the action one.
One speedlite (580 EX II) from the left at 1/2 power and available for the rest. The flash as usual giving me clean light and colour in a fluro room. Gives the people a bit of a sharper look too.

Hard men play golf when it rains.

2009-11-30T20:05:00.001+13:00

New Zealand Vets golf held at Manukorihi golf club, was a very very wet event. I seem to get rained on alot when I cover golf. Here Trevor Campbell, lines up a putt but has to put down the umbrella to play the shot.

Vandals hit school garden

2009-11-30T20:04:00.000+13:00

Safer Families fun day

2009-11-29T20:02:00.001+13:00

These kind of events can provide a gold mine of opportunity to get great candid stuff of people being themselves. Looking for the potential photo, angle, people, expressions etc. Often you need to spend a few moments just looking. Looking for the places where interesting things are happening, and then the angle that will give you the face and action.

I've just re-read the paragraph above and I have mentioned "looking" several times, and there is your key. Seeing what others don't is a huge part of photography. You can go in all guns blazing but you might miss out and not see the obvious stuff.

The three brothers.

2009-11-25T20:02:00.002+13:00

These three talented guys were lots of fun, and let me try heaps of different stuff. In this case I wanted to used Mt Taranaki in the background to give them that regional home-boy feel. Using a longer lens (80-200) to help bring the mountain closer in. With a wider angle lens the mountain just disappeared in the background. Flash from the left and sun from the right.

365 PROJECT.

Well today is nearly to the day that I started the 365 project, and yep there are few gaps. I have to say that it was one of the best things I have done in my life. It certainly kept me shooting and improving my work. That improvement led to getting work with the Daily News and that too has been a very good move for me. I can recommend it to anyone who needs to kick themselves in the pants to get out and create something, motivate, and generally make their lives a bit better.

Got to love the world we are in.

New roof!

2009-11-25T20:00:00.002+13:00

Busy place with lots of activity and pretty poor light coming from the roof of this public pool. I am hoping that we can figure out this guy is a swimming coach and his students behind. This pool had a roof put over it a while ago but it's fallen into disrepair and needs to be replaced. Needs some serious money spent on it but it's got so many holes in it that you need an umbrella inside when it rains.

Single flash from the right and available. Asked him to cross his arms and have a grumpy expression to match the story.

Young doctors

2009-11-25T19:59:00.002+13:00

You might have noticed a lot of my work for the Daily News is posed sort of thing. For this job though we wanted them in action so let them do some training and get the shots as they went for it. Bounce flash off the roof and look for faces hands and action.

Flying Wands - sounds like something out of Harry Potter

2009-11-24T17:03:00.004+13:00

What? I hear you say... sorry that's flying Wind-wands! New Plymouth has a wind wand with a light on the end of it. It flaps around in the wind on New Plymouth's sea front, and is one of it's most famous land marks. Every few years it's taken down and cleaned and maintained etc. Monday saw it flown back into place and as good as new.

Saturday golf.

2009-11-23T16:43:00.000+13:00

From Saturdays shift is a shot from the local golf championship. It's been a bit cropped for the web but still it was a good shoot and I got a few shots I really like.

To have a look at the story click here and you'll got to the Daily News website. I am back at work tomorrow and hopefully find some time to put more of these images up here.

To share some thoughts about shooting golf, it's not as action packed as rugby, or soccer, or any of the other sports but you can find some nice moments all the same. The etiquette is not to shoot on the back swing, as Tiger Woods commented on a PGA tour game the other day. Only shoot as the club is coming down to strike the ball. As in comedy timing in photography is every thing. The other shots you can look for are the ones that don't come out and grab you. The conversations with other players, emotion after a shot has gone out-of-bounds. I'll post some more shots when I get back to work tomorrow.

A & P show

2009-11-21T19:58:00.001+13:00

It always amazes me the strength and power that horses have. The way they move is incredible. I like this shot for the elements of grace, strength, and power.

Rain deer born for Christmas.

2009-11-20T19:57:00.002+13:00

Caption: An orphan Red deer named Jingle was saved last night at Stoney Oaks wildlife park. Gail Simons feeds Jingle with colostrum after being abandoned by it's mother.

HMNZS Rotoiti

2009-11-20T19:56:00.001+13:00

Caption: Lieutenant Andrew Hogg RNZN, commanding officer of HMNZS Rotoiti with his ship in Port Taranaki.

... it's been a long time.

2009-11-19T20:39:00.002+13:00

It's been a long time since my last post, the paper (The Taranaki Daily News) has me busy and life continues on.

That's the thing when you are passionate about what you do for a living. Life has a funny way of getting in the way of photography. So I intend to post more and keep putting more work up for the world to see.

Cheers and good shooting.

Young student leader.

2009-11-18T19:55:00.003+13:00

Caption: Andrew Single (18) is head boy and dux of Stratford High school.

A friend once said to me that the key to good portraiture is to look for a clean background, free from distractions. I keep that in mind for any portrait that I do. Unless the background is important to the story then it shouldn't distract from the subject. Andrew was at home, and I had to scout around for a nice place to do the shot. This white brick wall did the trick and I threw some flash from behind him to add a little extra to the shot.

Young achiever

2009-11-18T19:54:00.002+13:00

Caption: Toni Pettu (18) a student from Stratford High school is studying hard for a scholarship.

Lucky for me it was examination time and I had a hall full of desks and chairs to use. I sweet talked my way in to the room and with just five minutes before the start of the next test I got this shot done. Available light from the right and a little flash from the left filled in nicely.

Young student interview

2009-11-18T19:52:00.001+13:00

Caption: Jamie Fenton (16) right, interviews Bryan Hocken for a series of articles about important people in the Taranaki community.

Leadership award

2009-11-17T19:51:00.002+13:00

Caption: Cameron Lacey (17) from Inglewood High School is a winner of the young achievers awards for "Eco-Friendly".

Taranaki Stamps

2009-11-17T19:50:00.002+13:00

Caption: L to R Kevin Rimmington (TSB Bank), David Allan (NZ Mail ltd), and Taare Wilson (NZ Mail ltd), with the first issues and presentation of Taranaki's regional stamp booklets.

Burnt out house.

2009-11-17T19:48:00.001+13:00

Caption: House fire on Hine Street New Plymouth. Fire Safety Officer Peter Gallagher searches for clues to the cause of the fire.

Top rugby skills.

2009-11-13T19:47:00.002+13:00

Caption: Winner of the Alf Bayly award (rugby). Matthew Kowalewski (13).

Farrier top of class.

2009-11-10T19:46:00.001+13:00

Caption: Champion apprentice farriers at work at John Wheeler's horse farm. Ryan Harris-Hayes shows his craft with "Cat Bird Filley".

Steve Crow Vs RSA

2009-11-10T17:52:00.000+13:00

This is one of my favorite images this month. Click here to read the story and get some idea of what's been going on.

Heading out on the job Matt the journalist for this story talked about storm clouds a brewing for the fight happening between Steve Crow (pictured) and the New Plymouth RSA. So with this in mind I thought about the RSA sign and the shadow on the RSA sign to show him leaving his mark on this institution. Single flash from the left gives a strong shadow and strong light across Steve's face. You can read what you like into the image but it kinda sums up what is happening in this story.

Yummy yummy!!

2009-11-05T19:45:00.001+13:00

Caption: Kai with Soul. Dishes prepared at Spotswood college. Tiramisu with frozen berries.

Japanese Tea ceremony master

2009-11-05T18:03:00.001+13:00

Some times it's a real hard to express in a single photo the atmosphere of the place and events you cover. With this photo I hope I gave the impressions of tranquility and zen. Click here for the story.

Coach

2009-11-04T19:44:00.001+13:00

Caption: Coach Mr Angleo Hill (right) puts his players through their paces at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth.

Young Farms competition.

2009-11-03T19:42:00.001+13:00

After trying a bunch of different stuff to get a pic to go with the young farmers award winners from last year, I spotted this cow looking at us at the top of a small hillock. I got them all to sit in a diagonal line as you can see, hopeing and praying that the cow wouldn't move off. Even the dog as playing the game.

Caption: Taranaki Dairy awards. Last years winners. From left Cow #127, Karl Dean (20), Paul Davidson (29), Lorette Davidson (27), Fiona Hogan (29), Aaron Riddick (31) and Gazz or "Chops" 13 months.

Mini motorcross championship

2009-11-01T19:40:00.001+13:00

Mini motor-cross championship held in New Plymouth was a blast. Lots of noise and action. Best fun I have had in ages.

Rhodo and Garden festival.

2009-11-01T19:39:00.001+13:00

Denise Wood loves her garden, and it shows. This was a very small section but it was so well done that it made a spot on the Rhododendron and garden festival tour. Her passion is very clear from her results in the garden.

Returned Kuni Kuni pig

2009-11-01T19:37:00.001+13:00

Licked by a puppy and a pig on the same shoot. How lucky can you get! These two are great friends and lots of play was had. This puppy was definitely the star of the show, with miss pig not fazed at all.

Sunset on the coast.

2009-10-27T09:07:00.004+13:00

Not much to say about this one. Driving home I had to put the brakes on and turn the car around. Glad I did. This is stitch of 12 or so photos. Not much else done to it.

Camera: Canon 1D Mark IIn.

ISO 800

Lens 16 - 35 mm (@ 16 mm)

Aperture: f 2.8

Shutter 1/80th of sec.

Images blended in CS 3.

Miss Saigon

2009-10-07T20:38:00.001+13:00

The dress rehearsal for Miss Saigon held at the TSB theatre in New Plymouth. Some times stage lighting can be great and some times is can be terrible. In the case it was great as there wasn't be ranges between the areas of light and dark. If you don't know the show it's a bit of a tear jerker - love story that can never be. To capture that for a photo to go with the story was a push because of the limited time to spend there. So looking for a scene to match the entire story line I felt this one is the best. The principle characters looking to the heavens for help / hope.

Big win for girls rugby

2009-10-07T20:37:00.001+13:00

These girls are obviously very happy with there win, taking out the title for secondary schools girls rugby. Didn't take much to get the shot but I love the happy faces and energy from them.

Fire in shelter belt

2009-10-06T20:36:00.001+13:00

Too late for the flames I had to look around for something to make it bit interesting. With the sun at the right angle and the firefighters in the right spot I found this atmospheric shot.

Rainy day for golf. ... seems to be a pattern

2009-10-02T20:35:00.001+13:00

As it seems that every time I do golf, it rains this shot seems to sum it up. After getting soaked for an hour photographing people doing the same, (and not getting paid for it) they called off play for the day. As you can see from this pic, for good reason. I went back to my place for a change of clothes and then to the office.

Book reading

2009-10-02T20:34:00.001+13:00

This job came in and I thought, what am I going to do with this? I was stuck for ideas because it seemed like nothing much would be happening. Still things are what you always expect and I think a key thing about photography is keeping an open mind and look for the things that aren't obvious. After I took the shot I knew I had it, and it was the shot all a long but sometimes you have to keep shooting to find the one you want.

Some recent work

2009-09-25T13:20:00.003+12:00

These shots have been published recently in the Taranaki Daily news.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/2896669/Noise-level-meter-sounds-like-a-great-idea

A messy shed, a new gadget made by a very smart young lady and a loud stereo. Front flash set to ETTL and the side flash set to 1/4 power. I used the side flash to pop her out of the background which was distracting. Posing, which I need more pratice at, was the new gadget in the forground and set the invetor in the opposite corner. Rotate the camera on an angle to jazz it up a bit. Oh and turn up the stereo (it wasn't to far from my head either) to get the red light flash for the over 80 db that it's supposed to indicate as dangerous noise level. :)

Love food. You guys know that. It's nice to get some beautiful food presented in great fashion. Use a combo with fluro lights. My flash set to 1/2 power through a small umbrella, close to the food, and let the avaible (and a bit of bounce back from the environment) fill. Only had to do a bit of dodging to bring out some of the darker bits that I wanted to show.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2896604/Red-light-runners-rile-police

For the above job it was suggested that we could get a shot of someone running the red light but since it was raining at the job list for the day was full I didn't have time to wait for it. So, need a red light, officer with the video camera and a speeding vehicle. So slow down the shutter and get the vehicles blurring in the background and wait for the light to turn red. Get my reporter to hold the flash from the side to fill the darker side of officers face and help him pop out of the photo a bit. Only problem was the video camera nearly disappear but a bit of dodging helped bring that out just a little.

With this job the available light was so bad it wasn't worth shooting (tungsten lights with big ugly shades on them). So I setup two flashes on either side of the pool and fired them with poverty wizards. Gave me good clean sharp light. Both flashes were set to 1/8th power and wide zoom. Gave me a fair percentage of the pool to use. So even at 800 iso I still got a clean shot and looks pretty sharp. Have to say that they didn't fire everytime however I got a shot for the story and happy to sign that one off.

Norfolk vs Ratohu school's rugby

2009-09-18T10:28:00.004+12:00

Caption for the above image: Alex Bell from Rahotu School (11) left, misses Adam Gallicham Norfolk School (13) in a hard fought game. Norfolk won the game 50 - 24.

Caption for this one: Cody Rothwell (10) from Rahotu School right, comes in to tackle Brody Lindsay (12) from Norfolk School in a hard fought game. Norfolk won the game 50 - 24.

Walk-about: Sunset image

2009-09-13T19:37:00.002+12:00

Looking around at the local enviroment for some interesting photos to put in the newspaper. The sunset was outstanding and I tried something a bit unusual, not focusing on the person in the background but on the plant.

Sunday 13th Sep

2009-09-13T10:04:00.000+12:00

It's no surprise that I enjoy sport and this is not exception. It's just a pity that the Taranaki Sharks didn't perform like their Rugby Union counter parts. Story here.

Not much photo information to pass on here. Just have to be in the right place and look for the action, well as David Alexander use to tell me, anticipate it. If you see a good shot it's too late, the shutter should be up taking the photo.

This story is about the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company and it's "Day in the life of a Dancer" tours, visiting local schools. This shot is available light from the stage door open behind me and a stage light that I scooted around until one was behind the dancer (Lucy Balfour).

2009-09-11T17:21:00.002+12:00

On this wet and miserable day there is always a story to tell .. some where. I passed the street with the school patrol doing it's thing and thought that's a cool tale about doing an important job no matter what the weather. This young man, Richard Peter Conquest left (11) from Oakura School is doing a fine job of looking after his fellow students despite the cold and rainy weather.

Some times it's hard to make something look natural and I hope that I succeeded with this one. I asked Richard to look over my shoulder to stop him looking at me and to at a bit of narative to this.