New Zealand Astro Photography
Morena Auckland!
Last night they said on the radio airwaves that the fog was coming and they were not wrong!
Battling stupid rush hour traffic, which totally grinds my gears (pun intended), was all worthwhile for once this morning!
There is just something pretty cool about a big city and the fog rolling around all the highrise buildings
Have a great day everyone!
Please click to enlarge any of these photos larger!
This image pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now, reflecting on my journey as a creative, as a photographer and as a mere human finding my path in this crazy place we call earth.
Having just ticked over a little milestone on this photography page, seeing my Instagram page doing well and on the cusp of launching my website, it's just a moment to take stock of this journey so far....
I have been pretty fortunate to have travelled pretty extensively around New Zealand in the last year, taking some amazing images from some stunning locations and then also being able to put the camera down and just be present in some incredible landscapes.
I have met some amazing people on the road on this journey and have made some great friends along the way. I have also lost some friends along the way.
What I have found and experienced is that the people in your life are the ones that are meant to be there. People will always come and go, but your tribe, those who champion you to follow your dreams and passions are the ones that will walk with you through thick and thin.
Photography is a polarising hobby, or profession for some, with an underlying and unspoken competitive side which can be challenging to deal with at the best of times.
Aside from all that, I am carving my own path with the vision that I have for myself and my life...and I am supremely thankful for all those who have helped and continue to inspire me along the way and to reach new photographic heights.
Thanks again, for all the continued support.
In all my adventures, this moment is probably one of the most present I have ever felt...and the most alive!
Since arriving at Aoraki / Mount Cook 3 years ago during the day, I knew that I had to get back here under a starry filled sky.
On this night I could not have asked for more perfect conditions...a snowy winter wonderland up the Hooker Valley, a light breeze with crystal clear skies and the milky way soaring overhead.
I arrived to the lake amazed to see it near completely frozen over... there was only one thing I needed to do that night....
Like a calling, a moment of pure wanderlust or destiny and every other adjective to describe this, I set my camera up and ventured out cautiously over the creaking frozen mass. Crawling the last 20m to this spot was an adrenaline rush to say the least...possibly even rather foolish seeing as I was alone.
Sometimes though you just have to do those things which scare you and create a memory that imprints on your mind for years to come. I love the motto of the S.A.S. - "Who dares wins". I am certainly no soldier, though I do feel being up all night in sub zero temperatures is a battle in it's own right....anyway I digress....
Long story short, I got the shot and made it back to shore safely to carry on shooting the most epic skies all night long!
I have just ticked over 3000 followers [on my Facebook Page] and I want to say a massive thanks for all the kind words and support over the last wee while!
From not being able to even look at a camera a couple of years ago due to gear theft and the insurance drama that followed, I am pretty proud and stoked to be where I am now.
As a freelance cameraman, predominantly working in film and tv, I am excited to be exploring this creative side of myself and the crazy journey involved in capturing some moments in nature.
It is certainly not easy and most photographers can attest to the reality that the time and hours spent shooting and editing, learning the craft, can be lonely and tiring but the rewards are often worth the struggle and effort.
So thanks once again for all the support, I appreciate every like and comment and share...these little things go a long way to aid inspiration and make the big things more achievable!
This morning was one of the most incredible and dramatic combination of sunrise and moonsets I have ever seen in Auckland.
Heading out to capture the full moon setting, I was treated to a real show of light and colour as the cloud just erupted over the city as the moon started to descend.
What started out as pretty clear skies quickly turned into a towering array of stormy goodness....and then as quickly as it at come, it was gone.
Once again, there was so much media hype over the Lunar eclipse, that failed to reach the red phase here in the north, but I hope you all managed to see something!
Canon 6D | Canon 100-400mm | ISO100 | f8 | 1/100sec x 17 image panorama
Full Res image of this mornings lunar eclipse... with no foreground element looks pretty much like the on location back-of-camera image, just with corrected white balance.
A shame the clouds prevented me from again seeing the blood moon phase...oh well...3 more years! Goals!
Quite possibly the most photographed waterfall in New Zealand...and for good reason!
Situated deep in the Catlins Coast, the short walk through mature beech forest, and then beech and podocarp to this little gem of the southern coast is a must-do in this area.
Even though this is one of the most popular waterfalls, because of it's relatively secluded location away from the tourist hubs, the area is still pretty well untouched.
Because of this waterfall being shot so extensively, I wanted to get something a little different from all the other shots I have seen, so I went into the water, sat my camera on the tripod a little above the waterline while I froze my legs off...the things you do for the shot!
This mornings sunrise from the amazing remains of an ancient lava flow from the Lake Pupuke volcanic crater.
I'm not sure what's going on around Auckland lately as after weeks and weeks of grey colourless days suddenly we are getting some amazing sunrises and sunsets.... bring it on I say!
Hope everyone in the southern hemisphere is having a good hump day!
Catching the last light of day here ranks as one of my must do’s in Auckland.
A small catch phrase from one of my favourite movies reads as "go west young man" and that pretty much sums up my mindset when I want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle and find some quiet moments among some amazing nature!
The Te Henga walkway is one of only a few areas you can still access in the Waitakare Ranges due to the rahui to stop Kauri dieback on our native Kauri trees. After a little gut buster to the summit the whole coast unfolds before you and you get, in my opinion, the best view on Aucklands west coast.
I know so many people in Auckland who have never even seen this place let alone been out these ways....there's much to explore people, see you out there!
One of the cool things about shooting at night and in particular, shooting with the moon at night, especially when it is setting, is that you can get some very interesting daylight-esque tones.
This was one of the first images I captured from my weekend mission up north to this most remotest of locations. The forecast was for clear skies but we were a little tricked by the reports so instead of getting all depresso about it, I took advantage and got my creative on!
The clouds were moving quite slow so I opted for a long exposure of around 3 minutes to add some movemnt to the scene. The moon was starting to set as well and gave it an almost sunrise feel and then of course there was the added bonus of some star trail movement.
This is a classic case of 'there is always something to shoot" if you are willing to see it, especially when the conditions are not what you had hoped for or expected.
TECH: Canon 6D | Canon 16-35mm @ 35mm | ISO1600 | ƒ4 | 201 sec
The mission to get out to Pouto Lighthouse is one of, if not the hardest missions, I have undertaken to capture a shot from a single location.
3 years ago I was exploring this area when, for the first time, I had heard of this lighthouse. Then, due to time constraints, I could not venture out so I swore to myself I would definitely be back oneway with shooting the milkyway in mind.
Last night I realised that goal and after the 3 hour drive and then the 2 hour walk by beach with a mate, we made it. We were and are, as far as I am aware, the first people to ever shoot the milkyway here.
The effort the went in to getting here was initially thwarted by unforecasted thick clouds. After a couple of hours waiting, drinking tea and eating chocolate, I managed to get some of the shots I had hoped for and capture the scene that I have for so long been after.
While not visually perfect due to the residual nagging cloud, I am stoked that this came together somewhat. This made the pain of the 4 hour return walk in the soft sand well worth it!
TECH: Canon 6D | Sigma ART 24mm | ƒ2-ƒ1.6 | ISO10000 | 10secs x 28 image panorama stitch.
What do you get when you combine some starfish, some sea stacks, a rock reef and some epic water movement? Probably the most wild and dramatic west coast location in New Zealand!
Motukiekie, although no state secret, is easily passed by and I know this because it happened to me and I was looking for the place!
This has to be one of the wonders of natures architecture and design. It's just so dramatic and stunning yet also incredibly unforgiving. To get this composition you have around 30mins-1hr to take the shot and that's only if the swell even allows you onto the reef! With ferocious tidal movement here, this is not the place you want to get caught out.
I was born and raised on the west coast so I understand it's power and it's dangers, so you need to visit these places with a healthy respect and awareness.
To be amongst this landscape and to experience all it offers is what calls me back time and time again. For me, this really is the essence of Aotearoa.
Just a quick edit from this morning's banger sunrise in Auckland...the last week has been the best colour all winter...amazing!
After shooting some astro last night I arrived back to Auckland to see this unfold so raced to my local go-to spot!
Hope everyones having a great hump day!
Castlepoint has to be one of the windiest and wildest parts of the East Coast and even New Zealand that I have been. This is probably the furtherest place in the North Island from where I live, so the mission to get here with hopes of some decent conditions was in the hands of the weather gods somewhat! It was also my fourth trip here and for the first time, the wind wasn't powerful enough to blow me off the rocks!
There is so much to see in this area and so many interesting rock formations and angles you can photograph from but it is also one of the most underestimated and risky places around and weather can change in a moment here!
Over the weekend we had the most incredible storm pass over Auckland City with the rare occurance of some of the most dramatic Mammatus clouds I have seen up here.
In all my time in Auckland, I have never seen, let alone captured, such clouds over the city. This winter is certainly proving to be a very wet and moody one, which is making for some pretty interesting images!
As a side note, probably the most interesting thing about shooting these amazing clouds was the comment of one 'photographer' i know who described these as, and I quote: "dull clouds".
This photo completely exemplifies why I do what I do. Why I spend countless, sleepless hours in search of the sublime.
This was one of the most memorable moments from all my trips to this incredible location...the light was just unreal and a testament to expect the unexpected!
Photography is all about these fleeting moments, moments when the light just hits a location so dramatically that it changes the entire landscape.
The light just stopped me in my tracks and forced my camera out of the bag instead of racing to my intended location.
And then in another moment is was all gone.
This is what I love about photography and the great thing about adventure is the unexpected can and generally does happen! I had a completely different intention for the evening but instead of going with my original plan, I took that chance and thankfully I did, because the light faded soon after and this was my shot of the day!
In some exciting news, I am making the final tweaks on my website and will be looking to launch that this coming
Monday...so keep an eye out!
I really appreciate all the support and kind messages lately...it really does inspire me to keep sharing my work.
Driving back home to Taranaki I just had to pull over as the sun was rising and capture some foggy landscape goodness!
Of all the areas I have been, the Waikato seems to have the most dramatic scenery and heaviest fog!
I love how the simplest of scenes can often be the most beautiful as well.
Probably my favourite beach location in New Zealand!
At the top of the South Island lies a pretty special place, with golden sand dunes and ocean sea stacks, this place is definitely a NZ must do!
I have found that the west coast of NZ, on both islands, is the gift that just keeps on giving!
Auckland doing it's best impression to be a floating city in the sky.
On the way back from another all night astro mission with Focused West Photography we could not let this amazing sight pass us by, already halfway over the harbour bridge, within a stones throw from home and completely shattered, we decided to do the motorway loop and get some shots while driving back over!
This was snapped halfway back across with the 50mm just before the sun came above the horizon...Never seen this city looking like this as the fog was literally just rolling over the bridge and into the city.
I have heard the most horrible environmental news over the past week that there are plans to place 15000 cows and create a massive 4500 hectare dairy farm in the Mackenzie area!
If you have travelled through this region you will know how unsuited this land is for dairy and how amazing and unique this landscape is. Aside from the farm itself, there will be the inevitable pillaging of the pristine waterways from the surrounding lakes to irrigate this.
The Mackenzie is a fragile wilderness, home to critically endangered native species, world-renowned landscapes, and bright blue glacial lakes...just look at any image from here.
Agriculture is the single greatest threat to our environment and the sole reason NZ isn't as 'clean and green' as we used to be and should be.
There is a massive movement against this and a current petition with over 40,000 signatures which I would encouragement anyone who values the environment to sign asap! It can be found here:
https://act.greenpeace.org/page/23869/petition/1…
Help save this precious landscape!