I really love art galleries, but people who take junk and turn it into a story steps it up for me. Add in Victorian-era machinery – steam trains, copper pipes, goggles and the clothing of the era combined with science fiction and you get Steampunk.
Oamaru, a coastal town south of Christchurch, is home to Steampunk HQ. The old waterworks has been transformed, with a Zeppelin above the gate, a steam train ready to launch into the sky out from and the inside crowded with robots, creatures from outer space, mishmash technology, surprising lights and sounds.
The backyard has all sorts of Steampunk machinery – bikes, trains, cranes and lots more.
It’s an amazing place to photograph, with high ISO and odd lighting inside, extreme contrast from dark subjects and a while building outside and some cramped spaces to make life difficult, but you’re almost guaranteed to get some memorable images.
Nigel Paterson - 0410878752 