During a trip to New Zealand in the spring of 2018 my wife and I made a quick stop in Oamaru, exploring an interesting city street and also along the waterfront. This article features some street photography in Oamaru.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

As regular readers will know, I’m not really a ‘people photographer’ and my street photography focuses on objects, buildings, signage and curiosities that I find.

Sometimes a shape will attract my eye, a texture, or a particular combination of lighting. On occasion all three combine in one image.

Often the culture of a destination is well captured by objects that are found during a walk, like the Tiny Free Library above. My wife and I have always found the people of New Zealand to be creative and caring.

At times my wife will question what I photograph by asking, “Why would you take a picture of that?” My reply is often, “Why wouldn’t everyone take a picture of that?!!”

My eye is often attracted to simple compositions and small splashes of colour against monochromatic backgrounds.

Sometimes a combination of complimenting colours and textures will intrigue me.

Or perhaps a bit of whimsy on a window sill.

Strong angles always grab my attention, especially when they are formed by highly textured surfaces or have interesting details.

I also enjoy gentle curves and radiating lines.

I love objects that show their age and character…

Or exude a feeling of elegance.

The brawn and might of industrial machinery will cause my shutter finger to react.

Magnificent profiles can be created by mountainsides, statues, and even by subjects named Brutus.

Who is, by the way, still photogenic when he’s having a nap.

Sometimes all it takes is walking up and down one street on an overcast and foggy day to find a plethora of image opportunities.

If you enjoyed this article you may want to have a look at New Zealand Tip-to-Tip. This 250 page eBook features 89 locations in New Zealand and over 400 original photographs. You can use the link to see more detailed information about the eBook. The cost of New Zealand Tip-to-Tip is $12.99 Canadian.

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Technical Note:
All photographs were captured hand-held in available light using Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO PhotoLab, CS6 and the Nik Collection.

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