Dawn musings

The alarm shrills at you, it is way too dark and way too early.  Quick you have to switch it off, can't wake anyone else, after all it was you who decided it would be a great idea to wake up this early.

Stumble off down the passage way to the kitchen, thank goodness you have packed your gear the night before it will save stumbling around in the dark looking for filters and cable releases.  While we are on the subject of thanking higher powers lets add the humble thermos to the list of thank you's - without this and its' scorching caffeinated contents you are pretty sure life would be unbearable at this hour.

Into the car and off down the road.  It should take about 25 minutes (give or take) to reach your spot.  You are feeling a lot more awake now, sipping on that coffee and enjoying how empty the roads are and the quiet drone of your thoughts..... "hope the sky is good, just the right balance of clouds and clear patches".

You arrive and park up, jump out and feel that clean cold morning air and the utter stillness of pre-dawn.  It is a short walk to the beach, you checked the tides last night and know you will have a shin-deep wade to get to the spot you want to be at.  The water is glorious, not too cold and not too warm, refreshingly right!  That is what is so good about these beaches along this part of the Manukau harbour, their long shallow stretches that are ripe with photographic opportunity.

You spot the tree lying out on the tidal zone you saw a couple of weeks back.  Mental pat on the back, this is exactly the situation you were hoping for, an incoming tide that will surround this fallen giant that has been battered and shaped by the elements.  Quick look up to the sky, yep it looks good..... if you being greedy you admit it could be a bit better but this is still what you are looking for.

The gear is all set up, a few experimental composition shots taken, you are now happy with what you have lined up time to just pause and enjoy, wait for the moment in time you are looking to distill into immortality.  Man it is quiet..... just so calm and peaceful, the world feels really clean right now.

You see the moment you are here for, frantic but controlled activity takes place.... you've got it, you know inside of you that you've got it.  You cannot really explain how you know but that feeling is there... that inner smile of satisfaction.

The alarm is gone and forgotten, the groggy hall way stumble a distant memory, you breath in deep and close your eyes "it is so good to be alive!!!!"  This is why you wake up this early, the pursuit of natural glory that is shared everyday first thing with the few who are there to witness it.

Mental note: Gotta do this more often...

Looking back at 2014 - Part 3

So this is my final look back to 2014.  In the last two posts I have looked at some wildlife and travel photography I did last year.  Those are two types of photography I really enjoy but they are restricted to a degree by budget and time off work availability - especially the African wildlife photography.

What I concentrate most of my time on over the course of the year is landscape photography.  This is probably the most accessible type of photography for people to start off with and I really wanted to make a conscious effort to improve my landscape photography over the course of 2014.  I spend a fair amount of time on websites like 500px and there is some absolutely superb and awe inspiring landscape photography on that website.  I wanted to start on the road of getting my pictures up to that standard so that they could stand alongside those great shots.

Now by no means do I think I am there yet but over the course of 2014 I truly felt that my pictures took a huge step forward.  They have matured in terms of their composition as well as the feeling of the photo.  I have also reacted better to landscape opportunities and I think this is down to putting more thought into a picture and the process that goes into making a good picture and recognizing the conditions that can contribute to a good picture.

These two pictures are a good example of what I am alluding to above.  Auckland can often be cloaked in early morning fog during the colder months so there is always an opportunity to shoot something with a bit of drama. 

Mount Eden glowing in the early morning (click for larger view)

In this instance I headed up Mt Eden before work, the entire summit was shrouded in fog and I knew I was looking for a situation when the sun would start to break the fog up and the that provided the opportunity to get these fingers of light reaching past the tree.

Auckland domain 

This is another from early morning before work.  It is hard to believe this is in the middle of town but once again waling up on a foggy morning and taking the camera to work paid off.  The bird entering top right is a huge bonus as well and totally unplanned!

What both these pictures taught me this year is keeping your mind open to opportunities and recognizing that landscape photographs can be made in a wide variety of places.  The other thing (which I need to make more of a habit of) is to carry your camera with you whenever you are out, you never know when a picture comes knocking!


Planning has also been a major factor in helping take my landscape photography a step forward.  Keeping an eye on the weather and what the clouds are doing has taught me to understand when favorable conditions are brewing and when that sky could be gearing up to put on that light show landscape photographers crave!  These two are from a memorable evening out at Karekare.  As I headed onto the beach with my gear I passed a photographer coming the other way and he said to me, "Good luck there is nothing happening out there" and off he trudged cutting a pretty disgruntled figure.  An hour or so later this is what happened and I have always wondered if that guy kicked himself for the rest of the evening.  I was the only person on the beach when I took these photographs and I remember how exhilarating the feeling was knowing I had seen the potential the sky had shown early in the evening and that I had followed my gut to get out there and give myself a chance.

Karekare

Adding depth to a two dimensional medium can also be a bit of a challenge but goes a long way to improving a landscape picture.  When I look at pictures of landscape photographers I admire there is usually and element of depth to their pictures so this is something I have tried to work hard on over the last year.

Karekare waterfall

Lion Rock, Piha

Piha - low tide

2014 allowed me to explore and learn more about landscape photography.  I think that over the course of the year i have been able to really move my skills forward in the craft and hopefully that has translated to some enjoyable viewing for you all.  

As 2015 continues I am going to make sure that I keep heading out to the beach and other areas of New Zealand (or where ever I may be) and work on my abilities in this genre of photography.  It is really rewarding and there is nothing better than putting in the effort of getting up before the sun or staying out and missing cocktail hour when the result is an image you are really proud of.  I think that is what draws me back to this type of photography.

Thanks for stopping by!

Looking back at 2014 - Part 2

Hi again and welcome to my next look back at 2014 - it is a slow process I know but we'll get there in the end!

Last time I looked back at the African leg of our trip and what processes I followed to try and get the photographs I wanted, hopefully I shed some insight into what goes on in my head when I am out there.
The second part of our holiday was a three day lay over in Hong Kong.  Neither of us had been there, Cathay Pacific had a special on flights to Joburg and we had to go through Hong Kong as a result so we figured lets take advantage of the fact we will be there and spend some time exploring the city.  I mean come on it's not like we were going to be looking at a 10 hour flight up there again in the foreseeable future!!

Hong Kong presented me with quite a challenging situation photographically speaking.  I am comfortable with landscape photography, I think I have a fair handle on it and getting better at it.  Wildlife photography I have also taken huge strides in.  Hong Kong doesn't really strike you as a wildlife destination and I felt landscape opportunities would be limited as well so my conundrum was how to try and get pictures that conveyed some part of this densely populated patch of earth.

Thankfully there are some obvious touristy spots and we visited a couple of these, here you are just looking at getting pictures of the attraction/site.  The problem can be, as previously mentioned, is there are usually quite a few people around at these sites!  I personally want to get pictures of these kind of areas with as few tourists in them as possible.  With this in mind we headed to the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. 

There are seas of people at this sight - there are seas of people in Hong Kong for that matter - so it can be a challenge getting relatively clear spaces to shoot in.  The solution to this is patience.  With this shot I sat for a fair while and just waited watching the ebb and flow of the crowds till I saw them thinning out.

Three of the Six Devas

Patience is a really important characteristic to have in these situations, it is really worth it to sit and take the time to get the shot you want.

While we were on Lantau Island we also had the opportunity to visit Tai O Fishing village.  This gave us the opportunity to explore what I guess you would term as "the otherside" of Hong Kong - away from the sky scrapers and glitzy shopping malls.  It was a great place and I would love to be there at first light!

Tai O Fisherman

the fishing village was in a ways quite a contrast to the main islands of Hong Kong and Kowloon - not as crowded and less commercial.  That commercial side is a big part of Hong Kong so I wanted to try and capture that as well.  When you are walking down the streets it can be a touch overwhelming - so many people, smells and sights bombard your senses.  To try and give an idea of that hustle and bustle I've used a long lens here to compress the picture - the focal length is 116mm and what this does is help condense the street scene and make it seem really crowded and the neon signs seem to stack up on each other, I think this really helps communicate the crowded nature of the place.

The streets of Hong Kong really come to life after dark

I had one 'bucket list' shot for Hong Kong and this is a shot that has been done to death.  It is taken from the top of Victoria Peak and is a view of the city and Victoria Harbour - I got tow versions, this HDR taken just as the sun was setting and then the following one taken after dark.

Victoria Harbour viewed from Victoria Peak

I mentioned above that this is a shot that has been done to death so in terms of a picture that is new and innovative this does not fill that category - but  that should never dissuade you from taking a picture like this - sure there are many like it out there, but this is my one and I think it is very important that you recognize that you can take pictures for yourself.  After all if one pursues photography as a hobby then you are doing it first and foremost for yourself and with that in mind don't worry if you are taking a shot that has been done before because you haven't done your version of it!

Hong Kong at Night

This part of our trip was really invaluable to me photographically.  It really pushed me and took me away from zones that I find comfortable and confident in.  It forced me to really think about what I was shooting and what I wanted to try and get across in the pictures.  

It is really important to step away from your comforts and try taking pictures that challenge you, it is the best way to grow.

Thanks for stopping buy and checking this out - my last part of looking back at 2014 will be to hand soon!