Simon Jefferson - Photographer

Snow in Christchurch

2011-07-25T11:18:00.001+12:00

It was great to wake up this morning to some snow on the ground. Not a lot, only about five inches but it was enough to get outside a make a snowman or two.

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Invitation to Hang

2011-07-04T21:27:00.001+12:00

Here are some photos of the mini show I had at home for my birthday. The original idea was to put on a gallery show and try to sell some prints, but with the recent earthquake the venue I wanted wasn’t available, so I decided to do something at home and have a birthday party to go with it.

The idea of hanging the images with clips came from a video on Chase Jarvis’ blog. He had an artist in residence in a hotel in NYC under the title ‘Invitation to Hang’. Each day he would change hundreds of images hung on a wall in the lobby, sharing both his images and those of people who submitted online.

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Tastes Divine Shoot Preview

2011-06-26T21:33:00.001+12:00

A selection form the Taste Divine food shoot done this weekend. Check out www.tastesdivine.co.nz for gluten free cooking products.

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Christchurch Style

2011-05-04T22:49:00.001+12:00

Easter Snaps

2011-04-26T23:40:00.003+12:00

Here are some images from the Easter weekend. It was unusually warm in Christchurch so we headed out to the beach. Got some images of the surfers who were keen enough to get in the water. The girls both had a splash but I only went in up to my ankles and that was far enough. It was freezing!

Christchurch Catholic Cathedral

2011-02-23T10:35:00.003+13:00

I took these photos a few weeks ago while out and about. The Catholic Cathedral in Christchurch was damaged in the Sept 4 2010 earthquake. Yesterday 22 February we had another significant earthquake - 6.3 mag, only 5km from the central city and 5km deep.

From imagery I've seen, the twin towers of the Cathedral have now gone, reduced to rubble. The last picture below I found via news media today which shows the damage caused yesterday.

Street Art

2011-02-21T22:23:00.003+13:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent some time wandering the back streets of town and found some great street art. I love the colours and characters. Regardless what some officials say, there is a place for this art form. My feeling is that it adds a bit of colour.

I don't like it when taggers deface someone's property, but if given a space, the side of a building or a wall, then these young artists can share their talents.

Family at Christmas

2011-01-08T00:13:00.002+13:00

Every Christmas needs some family photos - even with these monkeys!

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!

2011-01-08T00:05:00.002+13:00

Here are some photos taken of my little niece Ruby taken at our place over the Christmas period. Won't be long before she is walking and then watch out.

Christmas Day - Christchurch

2010-12-25T16:11:00.001+13:00

Our Girls

2010-10-27T23:14:00.002+13:00

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Hi

2010-10-20T21:39:00.002+13:00

Time to get back into it. Its been a strange couple of months. Had a lovely trip to Kuala Lumpur at the end of August, got back, had one good nights sleep before being woken by a 7.1 earthquake. September was a month of aftershocks. Currently we have had just over 2000 3's, 4's and 5's and folks round town would say 'we're over it!!'

We're getting back to some semblance of normality but would love it if the ground just stopped moving so much. On the upside, the weather is steadily improving and warming up. Looking forward to the Band Together concert on Saturday afternoon.

More Skiing Photos

2010-07-05T22:26:00.002+12:00

Paul and I took Maia up to Porters for the day today. It was her first ever day skiing. We spent plenty of time on the learner slope, practising french fries and pizza slices (parallel skis and wedged skis for those not in the know). Maia enjoyed going on the magic carpet and holding onto Uncle Paul's ski poles.

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Skiing at Porters

2010-07-02T19:26:00.002+12:00

Tough day in the office! Went up to Porters for the first day of skiing this winter. Was absolutely rubbish - very rusty and a little apprehensive with new skis. I went with my brother Paul who has just come back from a winter in Canada. Needless to say, he kicked my ass with technique lessons every five minutes.

Back again tomorrow with the girls for some lessons and fun in the snow. More photos tomorrow.

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Kindy Kickers

2010-06-19T13:56:00.001+12:00

Saturday - Kindy Kickers in the morning. Every week starts with a warm up, skills session and then a game. Today Maia really got stuck in and was much more involved in the game, making tackles and passing the ball forward.

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Agents 55 and Buzz E Bee

2010-05-31T22:25:00.001+12:00

The girls went to Disney on Ice on Sunday. Part of the show featured The Incredibles. Both girls loved it, especially the Super Hero stuff. Maia had the day off school sick on Monday so she got into super hero mode and made super hero face masks.

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More Polaroids

2010-05-18T22:13:00.001+12:00

I spend a lot of time wandering around looking for buildings that combine different types of materials. There is something fantastic about the textures in the materials and how they change over the course of a day. This building has been played with over the years, but you can still appreciate the textures in its exterior.

This image looks to remember some of the history of the building, while also creating a graphic image using the text. It reminds us that everything has a limited life, including us!

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Polaroids 2

2010-05-16T16:10:00.002+12:00

Here are some more images taken recently for a project of mine. High emphasis on simplicity and angles in the overall image.

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Polaroid Inspired

2010-04-21T14:34:00.002+12:00

I've been inspired lately by the polaroid photographs I grew up with as a child. I love the colours and unpredicatability of the images. I also love the square format. Well in searching the internet I came upon two different sites that caught my eye...

(1) Grant Hamilton from the US has a site called sxseventy.com in which he he takes polaroid images, then scans them and blows them up and reprints them. The images are highly graphic which I enjoy.

(2) An app called Poladroid, which you can download and produce your own (low resolution) polaroids. I haven't tried to print them but I'm sure they would come up as good 6x4's. The app can be downloaded from poladroid.net.

Here is an example of an image I made with the Nikon D90 and them processed through Poladroid. Look out for more of these as I create them.

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Off to School

2010-04-19T10:19:00.003+12:00

Here are some images of Maia on her way to school and at school this morning. There were no dramas. The bell went and then there was a 'See you later Mum', and off we went.

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Family Day Out

2010-04-18T22:37:00.001+12:00

Here are some photos of the girls taken today. We went up the Gondola and spent lunchtime looking out over Christchurch. Finally the girls let me take some photos of them.

Tomorrow is Maia's first day at school. Look out for some more photos of her big day tomorrow.

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Maia is Five!

2010-03-24T15:27:00.001+13:00

Wow! Maia is five. Where has the time gone. It seems like only yesterday I was holding her in my arms in the hospital. I can still do that, but there are definitely more arms and legs hanging off each end!

Here are some photos from her kindy bikeathon and birthday - 24 March.

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Honours Award

2010-03-18T22:44:00.001+13:00

It was a great surprise to find my image on the main page of the CPS website. First competition of the year and an Honours award straight away. Good start to the year. It was so much fun having a shoot when I could play with the angles and shapes of the car, and it didn't complain about being tired!

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1968 Chevrolet Impala

2010-01-22T00:28:00.002+13:00

I was asked to take some photos of a client's classic car. They are selling and wanted some images to remember the work and history behind the car which has been in the family for 25+ years. We had a great venue at the Halswell Quarry in Christchurch. I've tried to antique the images to match the age of the vehicle.

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Tastes Divine Product Shoot

2010-01-22T00:19:00.001+13:00

Here are some images from a photo shoot done last weekend to showcase the spices/condiments that Taste's Divine have as part of their range. Images from the shoot will be used to revamp their product marketing including website.

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Santa Photo 2009

2009-12-21T20:26:00.001+13:00

Here are the girls visiting Santa at Westfield Riccarton on the weekend. It was a bit of a mission to get them both sitting with Santa but once there they were like best friends - well almost!

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Help-Portrait - 12 December

2009-12-15T21:53:00.002+13:00

Saturday morning was spent at Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch. I photographed a family from Fiji who have been in New Zealand the last 11 months while their daughter has treatment for Leukemia. I had the chance to talk about their time in New Zealand. Their story is amazing with the detection of the disease more a matter of chance than a series of symptoms.

I took my two girls along. I'm so proud of them - they just walked in and smiled and started to play with these kids. After 20 minutes, it was like they had know each other forever. Kids are incredible in that respect. They don't judge, they often don't fear, they just have fun.

Here is a teaser shot of one of their children - Mavern, who was fascinated with a little toy...

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Flowers by the window

2009-12-15T21:08:00.001+13:00

Here are some images of daisies picked by my daughter Maia.

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Rachel Palmer Dance Recital

2009-11-30T23:02:00.001+13:00

Here are some images from Maia's dance recital on the weekend. Unfortunately I was right at the back of the theatre so couldn't get really good close up shots.

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The Canovan Kids

2009-11-27T22:06:00.001+13:00

Here are some photos of three cute and funny little girls taken at Gordon and Sheryl's wedding a few weekend's ago.

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Nor'west Night Sky

2009-11-23T23:14:00.001+13:00

The night sky was fantastic last weekend. The Nor'west created these fantastic cloud formations that were beautifully lit up as the early summer sun slowly disappeared over our neighbour's house.

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Help-Portrait Day - 12 December

2009-11-17T20:39:00.008+13:00

A month ago I helped cook a meal for the families and children staying at Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch. Ronald McDonald House is a community support mechanism for families from around New Zealand who have sick children requiring long term hospitalisation in Christchurch. Being there and seeing the families cope with the day to day struggle of being away from home with their sick children really struck a cord with me. It made me realise how lucky my family is.

I'm taking part in Help-Portrait Day on December 12. My aim is to help those staying at Ronald McDonald House gather some permanent memories of their time in the house. Often portraits or photos are the last thing they think about during difficult times. These could either be the last images together or a lasting reminder of difficult times and coming out the other side.

I want to make a difference. What can you do?

Gordon + Sheryl

2009-11-07T01:08:00.008+13:00

Sunday 1 November - Gordon and Sheryl surprised friends and family by getting married at a party organised for Gordon's 65th birthday. It was a lovely day out in Rolleston with warm weather and blue skies. In fact the weather was a little too good! Gordon and Sheryl shared their commitment to each other with friends and family, and told great stories with lots of laughs about how they met. Here are a couple of images from the day to tease you...

Thanks to Dawn who gave up her house and garden for the ceremony.

Our Australian Holiday

2009-11-03T21:45:00.005+13:00

Here are some photos from our holiday to the gold Coast. This was Sophie's first trip outside New Zealand so was very excited about holding her passport and boarding pass. It was an interesting trip, unfortunately the girls didn't really adjust to the difference in timezone so this created early starts down at the beach, mid morning sleeps and often grumpy girls when they didn't get fed on time.

We had a great time at Dreamworld. We went into Wiggles World and met Dora, Spongebob and Wags and Captain Feathersword. The girls even got to feed some kangaroos and Maia became a magician and made a rare Bilby disappear and then reappear.

Enjoying some Spring snow

2009-10-10T19:44:00.007+13:00

We had some cool weather the last couple of days as a southerly front came up the South Island. This produced some late season snow so we took the girls up to Porter Pass (about 1 hour from Christchurch). We didn't have to go to a ski field to enjoy sliding down the hill on sleds. We just stopped on the side of the road near Lake Linden and played, ate lunch, had snow fights and even had enough snow to build a snow man. Maia's friends Hally and Oliver came with their parents too.

Unfortunately, the girls came home with a little sun burn which we hadn't even contemplated. Well, we'll have to wait another 8-10 months to do this again.

PJ

2009-10-05T20:44:00.009+13:00

My brother Paul has been staying with us the last couple of days. He is off to Canada tomorrow so has come down to see our girls before he leaves. We don't know how long he will be away, but I'm sure the girls will have changed plenty by the time he gets back.

He must have been living it up the last couple of weeks in Gisborne as has been a little tired since he arrived. I thought I would get a couple of shots while he lay on the sofa, but I must have woken him up.

The beauty at the beach

2009-09-14T21:01:00.005+12:00

A while back I was down at the beach kicking around the rocks at Sumner. Near Shag Rock, the water comes up around the rocks and pools at high tide before leaking back into the ocean.

This one day, I noticed the beautiful shapes that the tide created.

The ocean can be so brutal but can also be so soft and delicate. It plays with the sand and leaves some and takes some back. Water always seems to find its way home. This shot reminds me of an aerial view of the Waimak river with the braids continously moving and changing.

Its amazing what beauty you find in nature

Site update

2009-09-12T02:08:00.007+12:00

Hope you are all well. As you may see, the website and blog have had a little spring renovation. I've added a wallpaper to the background in my website to make the rest of the site stand out a little.

The blog has undergone a colour change more than anything, with the aim of trying to find some consistency in colour and design.

Easter in Gisborne

2009-06-11T21:28:00.005+12:00

We spent Easter in Gisborne. It was Mum and Dad's 40th Wedding anniversary, so the whole family got together.

Here is Maia on the plane to Gisborne.
Sophie in the plaground
Almost all the Grandchildren - where's Sophie? Maia in the middle with Noah, Ethan and Phoebe (Grant's children)
Paul and Mum with the girls
Paul and guitar, entertaining the girls before we went home.

Maia dancing with her sunflower

2009-06-11T21:20:00.004+12:00

Maia grew this sunflower from a seed in a small pot. Three or four months later these two were taller than our little girl.

More Photos - Maia's Birthday

2009-06-11T21:13:00.003+12:00

Here are some photos from Maia's 4th Birthday - 24 March. I know - what a slack Dad, not getting the photos on until now.

Photos of the girls

2009-06-11T21:02:00.005+12:00

Here are some photos of the girls taken in the last two months

Where have you been?

2009-04-20T22:09:00.002+12:00

I know...

No blogs for more than a month. Bugger, my goal was to get pics of the girls on as often as possible. I've been a bit consumed with work, easter and getting a few things done around the house.

I've also found another blog called blipfoto. You add a photo a day and the pictures have to be taken that day. Makes you go out and look around you to get some new images.

I promise new pics in the next week...

Antenatal Group Catch up

2009-02-28T16:44:00.004+13:00

Last weekend we had a catch-up with friends from our antenatal group. We were supposed to have a picnic, but the weather was rubbish so we headed to an indoor rock climbing wall that caters especially for kids. Here are some pictures of Maia and Sophie who both got harnessed up and tried rock climbing.

Kindy Bikeathon

2009-02-28T16:35:00.005+13:00

Maia's Kindy had a bikeathon last week to raise some money for Kindy supplies. The kids all decorated their bikes and some even wore fancy dress. Here are some pictures of Maia riding her bike, showing the decorations and fancy dress she wore. I wouldn't exactly call it fancy dress, as this is what Maia wears round the house quite often.

I think the teachers miscalculated how much energy these kids had as a course was set out on tennis courts and the kids went round and round for about twenty minutes and didn't look like stopping. Finally the teachers stopped them all and they all sat down to watch a magic show before we went home for tea.

Sophie

2009-02-28T16:29:00.003+13:00

Here are a couple of photos of Sophie. The one above are before and after shots following her first haircut, and the one below is her walking around waving to us at Maia's bikeathon.

First day at Kindy

2009-02-28T16:21:00.002+13:00

Kindy started back for the year on January 26 and it was Maia's first day at a new afternoon kindy. At her age they go three afternoons a week and later in the year they go 5 mornings in preparation for school. Here Maia is all ready to leave the house with her afternoon tea in her backpack and later with Sophie sitting on the deck at Kindy showing Mum her butterfly painting.

Sushi Time

2009-02-28T16:16:00.003+13:00

We love sushi, so we decided to make some at home and the girls couldn't get enough. Maia was making her own and Sophie just demolished them as soon as we put them on her tray.

January summer fun

2009-02-28T16:04:00.002+13:00

January was really hot in Christchurch. We all enjoyed being outside playing but some times had to get the sprinkler going. Maia and Sophie got a water fountain from the toy library and enjoyed running up and down to yard going under the water.

We also got a couple of other toys from the toy library including this roller coaster that was also used as a slippery slide.

The Girls

2009-01-27T22:15:00.002+13:00

Maia performing in her dance concert at the Theatre Royal, doing the Yellow Polka Dot Bikini song. Our 2009 Santa photo - Maia was up on Santa's knee so quick and Sophie couldn't get away quick enough.
Sophie playing in the playhouse that Nana and Grandad got the girls for Christmas

Pics of the Girls

2009-01-27T21:56:00.005+13:00

Maia and Sophie with their cousins - Phoebe, Noah and EthanMaia on Uncle Paul's shoulders walking in Kaitoke Regional Park
Sophie swimming in the pool at Waikuku Beach just after New Year

Website Updates

2009-01-27T21:17:00.003+13:00

Time to upload the new website. Look out for new content as it comes on line.

Simon