The Henley Cheese factory though Autumn and Winter

I have been taking images of the Henley Cheese Factory for a good few months now. Every time I visit there is something new to appreciate. It’s like saying hello to an old friend and enjoying a new and engaging story about their life. In this update I want to highlight 3 images.

This is an image I took around 5am in the morning when it was still dark. The night sky was clear and the moon was beaming bright over the landscape. Apart from the background light trails of cars on State Highway 1, the image has the appearence of a bright sunny day.

Henley Cheese Factory by moonlight.

In this next image a thick shroud of fog envelopes the factory. The calmness of this scene with its glass like reflection was very relaxing. When you take the time to slow down and connect with an environment like this it can be really rewarding.

Henley Cheese factory in fog.

The image below was taken during a morning sunrise. The grass is covered in a rather biting frost. On chilly days like this I look forward to grabbing a coffee afterwards.

A frosty morning at the Henley Cheese Factory

Infrared Black and White.

When I started this ‘study’ of the Henley Cheese Factory I wasn’t sure how the journey would evolve. Currently I am consistently photographing the building from about the same perspective. I could change it up, but I find there is comfort in familiarity of form and composition, so for now, I’ll just keep on keeping on. Thanks for stopping by and reading this small blog.

A study in seasons: The Henley Cheese factory in summer

I only learned of the existence of the Henley Cheese Factory last year. On first inspection I couldn’t find a way to create an image I felt good about. I loved the building but its location is right next to power lines, a dirt road and a river. My main difficulty was composing the power lines, dirt road and river as they all run parallel to the building, so it’s very easy to create an image that is very linear and lacks depth. Finally, after trying many different view points, I have settled on an area of the adjacent over bridge where I like the composition. It was then that I thought perhaps I could do a study of the scene through the seasons. As I was in the last of the summer period, this is where my study of the Henley Cheese factory begins.

Sunrise. I don’t use apps to help me plan my photography, I’m not against them, but I like to just pop out and see what’s doing at a location at any given time of year. On this morning there was a good amount of morning mist on the farm fields adjacent to the factory and also a a little floating over the river. The sun was coming up and hitting the cheese factory from the front of the building.

I liked the images from the session, but I became interested in how late evening light at sunset would potentially provide back lighting on the scene and maybe have better character. My gut instinct was right, I much preferred the way the light hit the building in the afternoon. On this afternoon there had been heavy rain fall, but the sun had broke through the clouds. The light cast on the building was really dynamic and I had the bonus of a reflection of the building in the water.

By this time I was hooked on photographing the building. I loved the above image (it’s available in my print shop) but I was still going to keep going back.

Another night and the image above is nice, but the river is not as calm as before so we don’t get to see a nice reflection of the cheese factory in the water.

Another visit and In the image above, the sun is blocked by the clouds so shadow and highlights within the image are flatter overall, making for less of a dynamic scene, but quite painterly.

I am really excited about the next month or so as we are coming into Autumn and the trees around the cheese factory look deciduous. So, in an ideal world I am hoping for a calm evening with good backlight, nice moody clouds in the sky, reflections in the water, plus autumnal colour in the leaves. I’m not asking for too much as I? I will definitely follow up with an Autumn blog.

Infrared Photography - Wingatui Railway Station

I remember thinking how beautiful Wingatui railway station was the first time I saw it, and also, how hard it was to photograph. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t take a photo I thought did it justice. One of the issues I had was the station had been repaired and painted in recent times but the repair job paint colour didn’t match up with the old, so it made it a nightmare for colour photography. It wasn’t until I started including black and white infrared photography into my landscape workflow that I finally found a way to take pictures of the station that excited me.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

My first approach was to shoot toward the station with the sun over my back. With infrared, this does result in deeper blacks on blue skies and punchy contrast.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

The images were okay but as the image above illustrates, I found the the backdrop to the station lacking depth and it was also unbalanced with the station having a massive tree behind it on the right and then nothing to the left.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

In the image above, the railway track winds off into the bush. Black and white infrared can be extremely hard to decipher unless you have structured elements cutting through the chaos and communicating what we should look at. In the image above the man made elements of the railway track and gravel mound give us a sense of place.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

In the image above by shooting from this side of the station there are only a few elements to focus on, and I find simple images so much nicer to look at.

I was delighted to find this old underpass (pictured below) and thought it would make a great shoot location for some fashion photography with strobes or even an edgy family portrait shoot as the station area itself could be great for pictures. Get in touch if you are keen.

Wingatui Railway Station underpass, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

The next 3 images were all about finding the right angle to show off the station from the south side. When I took the first image I knew immediately this was the composition I liked most. It’s crazy how an infrared camera renders foliage as white. In this scene you would think this is a snow storm in winter, but no, this is a hot and foggy day in summer. It just blows my mind.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

I love the black to white ratio in this image above, with the foreground providing a nice pathway to the subject of the station.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

A square on view. I like this as well as it includes the old fashioned power poles, giving the image balance.

Wingatui Railway Station, Mosgiel, New Zealand.

This image above of Wingatui Station was my personal pick of the bunch. For me there is a great balance of white and black with strong lines, a simple subject and an interesting, textured but unobtrusive background. This is an image I will happily pop up on my print shop, but to be honest I liked all three of the final images. Thanks for stopping by.

Infrared photography - Creating a body of work.

When I started out with infrared photography a few months ago I had no idea where my journey would take me. Initially I though infrared would be about capturing landscape, but that changed when I started photographing the buildings and manmade elements of Dunedin city.

The image that made me sit up and go ‘wow, I love how this looks’ was of the clock tower at Otago University. Heritage buildings render beautifully in infrared. There is almost a vintage and gothic vibe imparted by the glow of the foliage and grass in each scene. In Dunedin we have a nice selection of heritage buildings, so I intend to keep returning to them all, as I know each visit will give me a different result. I am not 100% happy with some of the images in the set below, but you can clearly see where I am heading with my infrared work. It will be great when a few key buildings are uncovered from scaffolding, hopefully they will have some extra pop for photos.

Otago University Clock Tower, Dunedin.

East Taieri Church, Mosgiel.

Otago Museum, Dunedin.

St Pauls Cathedral, The Octagon, Dunedin.

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Lake Waihola, Dunedin. Early morning mist hangs over the lake.

Wingatui Railway Station, Dunedin. An image from a set I wrote another blog on.

St Joesephs Cathedral, Dunedin.

Historic Henley Cheese Factory, Dunedin.

The Oval, Dunedin.

Greenpoint Shipwreck Yard, Bluff.

Mausoleum of William Larnach, North Cemetery.

Lookout Point Fire Station, Dunedin.

Victorian Water House - Ross Creek Resevoir, Dunedin

Cargill’s Castle, Dunedin.

First Church, Dunedin.

Second Beach - Stormwater outlet (1904), Dunedin.

Chingford Park, a closer view. I’m not completely happy with the framing but this shot has great potential, if I can get a windless day, and would also make a nice colour image in Autumn.

A closer view of Otago Boys High School.

Robbie Burns Statue, The Octagon, Dunedin.