​How presumptuous can one be, claiming to be a prophet? And what does that have to do with a painting? 

I recently read a quote from Allen Arnold from www.withallen.com - ''Prophetic art is an invitation to a conversation''. That is all this is. Every person who views this painting has a reaction, an opinion and a feeling. That is well and good. We are thinking people with individual opinions. It is for the subject of the painting to receive what their personal message is. 

​A prophet is defined generally as ''as individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teaching from the supernatural source to other people.'' (Wikipedia).

I love and serve Jesus. I don't  feel like I have had any specific message to give, besides the message of salvation through Jesus, available to anyone. All of the specific elements of this painting however, were inspired by God. How do I know? Because I would never consider putting them together myself. I don't know what the message is, held within the composition as a whole. Someone does, and I wonder if it will end up with the intended recipient. That's not for me to know or ensure. I am simply to be faithful to the project, and to put it out there to do its work. My personal prayer is that it will work God's divine favour.

For those that are interested, this is 60x80cm mixed media canvas piece. I utilised watercolour on watercolour paper, acrylics, organic additions and items donated by friends. It was completed on 2/2/22. 

This evening we met this Northern New Zealand Dotterel here on our home beach, Waihi Beach. Unbeknownst to us, we were very close to her little sand scrape which serves as a nest for two eggs. These birds are rather endangered and are more at risk than some species of Kiwi, according to the Department of Conservation. It certainly must be a tough job trying to raise a family right on the edge of the high tide mark, where animals and people could easily crush the eggs or the water could wash them away. I'll have to keep and eye on this pair to see if they can be successful this year. 

That's my bicycle in the background and luckily for me, I had my little Sony A6000 in my hands with the the Sigma art 19mm lens. I simply bent down to the birds level and used the tilt screen to frame my shot. I didn't even need a zoom as this little fellow was coming in rather close. I may return tomorrow with the Nikon d700 and the 70-200mm as I really don't want to get so close again and disturb the pair.  What a neat experience it was though. Lets hope the weather doesn't bring any nasty surprises for these guys. 

Time is speeding up! I'm convinced of it. As each day draws to a close, often I am left wondering if I did anything constructive today. I don't mean tasks only -although that is how we often measure our worth - by our productiveness. But what if it was more important to look at the differences we made for someone else each day? . Did I love someone today?  Did I make a positive difference in someone else's life? Is it that difficult? Often being friendly and asking people how they really are and sticking around for the answer can make all the difference. On those days when I am needing TLC from another and don't feel able to give out anything positive, choosing to bless someone anyway often makes me feel better too. Food for thought? 

This shot was taken at the destination of a days worth of riding on the back of a motorcycle. What an amazing experience, watching the

stunning countryside fly past. It was country that I hadn't laid eyes on before which is always a treat. The next day, in the middle of a ghost town, the fog was thick and proved to be the perfect backdrop for shots like this. Who knows what happened to this magpie, usually they are way to crafty to get hit by vehicles but they have been known to dive bomb motorcyclists so maybe that was this ones fate. One dive bomb to many! These birds are a pest in New Zealand and are regularly shot, so I'm sure not many would feel pity for him. I only hope that when I do one dive bomb to many,  I will leave a better legacy than he did. 

This beautiful boy and his sister were brought into the Aid post where our primary health care team were working for the day in the village of Akoma in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea . His whole family came in together — Dad, Mum, eldest son, sister and baby. They came to get their vaccinations updated. Otherwise healthy, I was struck by their sombre, almost fearful demeanor towards me. Try as I might, I could not get them to smile. I even gave them a loom band each — they were unmoved.  Their parents were jovial and chatty and this discord struck me. I got to thinking what it must feel like to be taken to some weird looking foreign people whom you don't even understand, to have needles jabbed into you and be told that this was good! I think me personally, I would be running, screaming and making a fuss. This was not the case with these beautiful children. They have a stoical strength that is much to be admired.  So many, many times on this trip where my function was to minister to others — I was indeed ministered to. I was reminded countless times of where the  real value in life resides. 

How time flies! Thankfully so can we, albeit in aeroplanes and other man made craft. This image signifies the start of  some most interesting adventures that I have recently had. I plan to update my blog with more fresh materiel from these adventures, but in the meantime, not many people can claim this excuse.."I'm sorry, I couldn't update my blog because I was shot in a foreign country". If I was in school it would have been a classic. Who needs the standard "dog eating homework" excuses. Actually, being shot has probably less to do with it than pure busyness and lack of internet connectivity, which in themselves are great reasons. 
We left home at 2am for a 2 hour drive to Auckland Airport. Leaving Aotearoa just before 7am  and arriving and departing Brisbane within just over an hour was a whirl, with this shot being one of the better views I got as we transferred on to our connection to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Our final flight destination. The adventure begins... 

What a pleasure to be on holiday! The ability to freely explore another part of the country is exhilarating for any photographer. Often the unexpected comes along when we are not ready, but this time I was ready! Even if not with my usual tools (my beloved D700  started playing up yesterday in the snowy weather). 

Meet Walter,  the horse who has been "down from the hills" for two weeks and who  is on his California holiday, which according to his owner is "a wonderful break from carrying his owners fat backside up and down the hills all day". What a wonderful serendipity to meet these two! They made my day!  

I enjoy painting. I don't get a whole lot of time to indulge in it, but my aim one day is to spend more time putting colours onto canvas in a more tactile way. I will be happy however- for now, with this digital version. 

Tonight, I found myself up in Waihi Town with two hours to kill. My second son and I enjoyed ourselves immensely doing some night shots around town. This by far, is my favourite. I was actually sitting inside the car so this is through the front windscreen and I was very happy to have my settings dialled in when these two cars got to where I wanted them. Actually we had to wait for ages for cars to come up and down as it wasn't busy at all. This was taken at 7:23 pm. Taken on a D700; 50mm; f/5.6; 1/8 sec; ISO 200.

New Zealand is an amazing place for a photographer to be. Maybe not a wildlife photographer as your options would be limited, but the most amazingly diverse landscapes and natural phenomena abound in this little country. Take the city of Rotorua for example. It takes about an hour and a half to drive there from my place, yet it is excitingly different to my beachside town. You know you have arrived in Rotorua when you start thinking your travel partner really should be stopping for a loo break. But the assault on your olfatics is simply the hydrogen sulphide emissions that ooze from the earth. As you drive down the streets you will see steam coming from backyards, road culverts and drains. It's everywhere! 

We stayed two days, and tried

to look for different angles and timing of shots to portray the city in a unique way. I took a total of 260 shots over the two days. Yes we did plenty of other things besides taking photos, but I came away with quite a few that I am happy with. My website needs updating so watch that space. I'm planning to do a mini Rotorua feature on my main site. Here's one to tantalise in the meantime. This shot was taken from one of the lookout points on the walk around the lake. Slightly different mission to get there in the dark. It was a showery night too, but the rain held off for us. The settings were 18mm, f/5.6, 30s, ISO 800