Local guide in the Barda Hills

He knew where the brown fishing owl lived, showed us the turtles hauled out on rocks by the lake where Lord Krishna swam thousands of years ago, and pointed out the muggers (crocodiles) drifting in the lake. He took us to meet families living among the sere hills. He spoke no English and walked the thorny tracks in bare feet.He looked after us well.   

[17 February 2007; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 45 mm, ISO 200, 1/80 at f6.3] 
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Prayer flag & Annapurna South

At Tadapani on the Annapurna trail, the cloud broke in the late evening and Annapurna South began to appear.
[15 March 2007; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 47 mm, ISO 200, 1/250 at f16]


All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Horse at Tadapani, Nepal

At Tadapani on the Annapurna trail, two small horses (I'm not sure whether it's acceptable to call them ponies — it's certainly not in Mongolia) wandered near the village. 
 
[15 March 2007; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 105 mm, ISO 100, 1/160 at f16]
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Snow crow, Himalaya

At the Himalaya hotel a snowstorm hit the night before we were to enter the Annapurna Sanctuary; travel onwards would have been suicidal. We waited until all the other guests had left, then followed them back down the valley. The crows just sat it out.

[13 March 2007; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 105 mm, ISO 200, 1/25 at f8. This is actually a colour photo, not converted to Black-and-White.]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Breakfast at Karnprayag

At Karnprayag (it has several alternative spellings but this seems to best approximate the pronunciation), I ate breakfast while waiting for the bus. This was a typical shop and the food was delicious.
[26 November 2006; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 35 mm, ISO 200, 1/40 at f8]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Joinery at Joshimath

At a joinery shop near my guest house, a team constructed windows. Here in Aotearoa, most of this work would be done using machines: thicknessers, planers and so on. But the power supply at Joshimath was erratic, to say the least, and hand tools make sense. Hard work, though.
[21 November 2006; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 24 mm, ISO 200, 1/160 at f8]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Weather on the way, Indian Himalaya

Near Joshimath in the Indian Himalaya. Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) lived on these mountainsides — from my balcony most evenings I could see small groups feeding on the steep slopes on the far side of the valley. 
[19 November 2006; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 75 mm, ISO 100, 1/400 at f8. Grain added in Lightroom 3.]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Entering Wellington Harbour; rain on the way

Rain lurked around the southern Wairarapa on our return from the South Island early this year.


[21 January 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 60 mm, ISO 200, 1/640 at f8]
All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Cloud on the hills, Wanaka

Clouds can be magnificent and strange, but when they're close enough to cast clear shadows, they become something altogether else. 

[12 January 2010; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 55 mm, ISO 200, 1/500 at f11]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Office equipment

All offices should have one of these.

I looked after a house for friends in April last year. The office was a delight — so was the management.

[1 April 2009; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 24 mm, ISO 400, 1/80 at f5.6]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Evening at Burdan's Gate, Wellington harbour

Two years ago I watched the sea rush in and out at dusk over shoreline rocks near Burdan's Gate on the eastern side of Wellington harbour. The human eye far exceeds the capability of cameras and lenses in most respects, but sometimes these inventions of ours show us what our eyes can't see. Still, nothing replaces being there.



[1 June 2008; Canon 20D, 24–105 mm f4 L at 58 mm, ISO 200, 1/8 at f9.0]



All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

Leopard — another version

Just playing/experimenting. The original photo's here.


All content © 2010 Pete McGregor

The dream of flight

From the time we first became self-aware, surely we looked up and longed to fly.  Still, despite our technology, our sheer power, our marvellous accomplishments, we can no more fly like a tern than we can change the past.


[A heavily processed photo of a whitefronted tern at Flounder Bay]

All content © 2010 Pete McGregor