By Michael Kenna
On Thursday night, while photographing a tree on the shore of Lake Taupo here in New Zealand, I left one of my Hasselblad cameras out on a tripod for a twenty-minute time exposure. During the exposure, I ran back in the dark to where I had been previously photographing, to see if I could find a lost cable release. It was a cold, wet and very windy night so I became a bit anxious that the tripod might blow over in my absence.
On my return, I was shocked to find that both my camera and tripod had disappeared completely. I saw a car accelerating away on the nearby road and feared the worst—that my equipment had been stolen. I remembered that the frame counter was on number 12 so my roll of exposed film from the day and night had gone also. I searched all around the immediate area with my torch, just in case, but found nothing.
Michael Kenna, Wanaka Lake Tree, Study 1, Otago, New Zealand, 2013
Returning disconsolately to my motel, I reviewed my list of equipment so that I could report the loss, along with serial numbers, to the local police station. This I did, an hour or two later.
After questioning me about the precise make and type of tripod I use, which I thought rather strange, the police officer informed me that he had the equipment! Apparently, a man had been walking his dog earlier, saw the camera and tripod by the lake, in the dark, and assumed that the owner had fallen into the lake! He scooped up the camera and went to the police, who in turn came out to search the lakeside for a body. Somehow, our timing conspired so that we missed each other.
All's well that ends well! Thank you Mark Porter for finding my camera and taking it to the police. Thank you to the Taupo Police Officer. Thank you New Zealand.
Note to myself—in the future, always leave a message taped to unattended cameras....
As they say over here, cheers mate!
Michael
Reprinted from Facebook page of Michael Kenna Photography, with Michael's permission. Thanks to TOP reader Frank Eberdt for the pointer. Michael Kenna: A 20 Year Retrospective
©2014 by Michael Kenna, all rights reserved
Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Mark Porter: "The concatenation of circumstances that have happened in order for a Mark Porter to have walked by Michael Kenna's lonesome Hasselblad somewhere on an Island in the Pacific, swiped it up, gave it to the police, and then for Kenna to write an essay about the event, on the one photography blog I read, and for my name to be Mark Porter, and my favorite photographer Michael Kenna, is leaving me feeling a bit nervous, for I've never been to New Zealand!"
darr: "I love it when my faith in humankind is resurrected and a Hasselblad is involved."
I'm sort of hoping that Mark Porter will soon have a framed Michael Kenna print on his wall… and I'm glad the police didn't have to drag the lake!
Posted by: Semilog | Saturday, 09 August 2014 at 08:18 PM
That's not a surprising story for NZ. It's still that sort of place. Iceland is another place where that wouldn't be a surprise either.
Posted by: Jeff Grant | Saturday, 09 August 2014 at 09:30 PM
Parallel universe - You only think you've never been to NZ ;-)
Posted by: Peter Williams | Saturday, 09 August 2014 at 09:44 PM
The wife and I are not kiwis but we married in New Zealand, and I would be shocked to hear that someone stole your gear taking it to police out of concern for your safety strikes me as exactly the sort of thing your average New Zealander would do.
Posted by: Tim F. | Saturday, 09 August 2014 at 10:02 PM
Mark Porter's comment is as good as the original post.
Posted by: FK | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 12:34 AM
If Mark Porter (the commenter) ever visits New Zealand, he just might come across a camera on a tripod with a note on it that says, "Be right back - Michael Kenna."
Posted by: toto | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 02:27 AM
And it's unlikely that the friendly Kiwi copper would have had a gun on his hip. they don't carry guns on routine duty. Not a perfect country, but sometimes close.
Posted by: Ross Chambers | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 02:37 AM
Oddly enough, I'm currently in New Zealand, visiting my daughter, her Kiwi husband, and my first grandchild. I've been here a number of times and Michael's story is quite believable. Kiwi's are quite wonderful. I've met genuinely friendly helpful people wherever I go. Michael is but a few hours drive from where we are. Lake Taupo is huge!
Posted by: Eric Brody | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 04:46 AM
"Mark Porter's comment is as good as the original post."
Yes, it is.
Another plug for Kenna's Retrospective. Inspiring stuff.
Posted by: Stephen McCullough | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 05:01 AM
Magical images, magical events...
Posted by: Giovanni Maggiora | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 05:55 AM
Never mind all that - how did the picture come out? (grin)
Posted by: richardplondon | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 07:20 AM
Michael, don't ever leave your camera unattended in the country where I live, not even for a second, not even in a remote area on the Andes, the probability that you'll never see it again is very close to 1.
Posted by: Marcelo Guarini | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 09:08 AM
I do not writing a message would happen. You fall into the lake you fall into the lake. ... unless the message is a telephone no. and someone trying to call you to check whether you have fallen into the lake!
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 09:45 AM
Mike, looks like you have just found your next print sale print.
Posted by: Michel | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 01:52 PM
Typical example of why I moved to New Zealand (from the US) nine years ago. People ask if I moved here because the country is so beautiful and unspoiled, and I reply "no, I moved here because the culture is so beautiful and unspoiled."
Posted by: Jim Simmons | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 02:02 PM
This is a great story, all of it! Including the responses. :-)
Michael Kenna is one of my favorite photographers, I've got several of his books and never tire of paging through them.
Posted by: Godfrey | Sunday, 10 August 2014 at 03:02 PM
In this case, it seems that the difference between being a good samaritan and a thief is measured in seconds...
Posted by: Andre Moreau | Monday, 11 August 2014 at 09:25 AM
My own little coincidence: Just yesterday, I attended a marvellous exhibition of Michael's prints at Point Light Gallery in Sydney, and admired that particular image for some time. So strange to then see it featured on TOP the morning after.
Posted by: Rod S. | Monday, 11 August 2014 at 05:13 PM