Photography has really shifted how I view the world. It’s like a window into new experiences and a way to revisit familiar places. Take my island, New Caledonia, for example. This blog is where I share my perspective on the world through my photography. I hope you find it enjoyable!
LE ROOF IS ON FIRE
Port Bélandre is not known by it's name but for it's bars, nightclubs and restaurant. Situated next to the renowned Anse Vata Beach, it is one of THE night scenes of Noumea.
Ouen Toro, Noumea
Another oldie I found in my collection. This one dates back to 2014 when I was using the Nikon D7100 with the Nikkor 18-105 mm. Again, I was trying my hand at long exposures. I’ve always liked this image but had completely forgotten about it. Goes to show you, it’s worth going back through old image catalogues. You never know what you’ll find.
The photo was taken from the well known Anse Vata Beach and what you’re looking at is Port Bélandre. It has three establishments, the classy restaurant Le Roof, Pop Light nightclub and to the left edge of the image is the bar/nightclub La Bodega Del Mar. The Pop Light nightclub has been refurbished to become the XO Club and opens before sunset whereas before it opened at 10 p.m.. La Bodega and XO are very popular night scenes in Noumea. I’ve never had the chance to try out the restaurant but from what I hear it’s very good. Oh and the women receive a menu without prices on them. Don’t forget your credit cards fellows. A little information you probably don’t want to know is the channel of water between the two rock stacks is actually a sewage outlet. Yep, and some people fish here. Would you?
Though I used all three exposures (2 stops apart) for this HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, I only really needed the 10 second exposure to get the same results. Well, technically, you would need a second image exposed for the “restaurant” sign of Le Roof to avoid the over-exposure of it in this photo but at the time I was more after a silky smooth lagoon than anything else. The images were blended and edited in Lightroom. As you can see by the red horizon, the photo was taken at the very beginning of blue hour. Which means it was brighter outside than the image shows. And that’s a creative decision I took. I wanted a slightly darker, contrasted and moodier image. And I think I’ve achieved that here.
FINGERS MITCHELL CULLEN
REPLAY-ing Live en Août
Noumea, New Caledonia
The last, but not the least, performer I went to hear and see at the Live en Août music festival was FINGERS Mitchell Cullen at the Code Bar. A very talented multi-instrumentalist performing as a one-man-band. A remarkable young man who, not only, sings but writes his own songs as well. He has a unique style that is also present when doing cover songs. Head over to his website to hear his music.
As with the previous bands, I used a shutter speed of 1/320th second with a wide open aperture of ƒ/2.8 and used the ISO to correct the exposure. I would’ve liked to have gotten closer to get those detail shots but didn’t have a long enough zoom lens.
Again, I’d like to give a little shoutout to REPLAY for the great work they did with lights and, especially, the sound.
SHADED BED
Santa relaxing on the shores of Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia) before the busy month ahead. Seriously though, this is a homeless person sleeping in the shade to escape the scorching sun.
PUSHING WHEELER
I was wandering around Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia) when I thought I'd try my hand at panning. I only had a 70-300 mm lens on me and this was as far back I could get at 70 mm. This was my best shot out of a dozen. Not the best image, I know.
PÉTANQUE SPECTATORS
Friends and strangers alike watching pétanque on the shores of Anse Vata (Noumea, New Caledonia). Pétanque is a French bowling game similar to Lawn Bowling. Except it's played with smaller, metal balls (bottom of the picture) and on dirt grounds. A very popular game, here, in New Caledonia.