inspired photography with just enough perspective
Imagine, if you will, walking along a misty frozen swamp just after sunrise, surrounded by snow capped peaks. Occasionally the silence is broken by the call of black swans as the establish they’re presence in the valley. This is not a fiction of my imagination, this is the scene at Glenorchy this morning. As I was immersed in this magical landscape I couldn’t help but wonder how such a place could exist in our modern world. But it does, right here on the southern island of New Zealand.
This is the lookout tower at Robinson Preserve in Bradenton. Actually, most natural preserves in my area have lookout towers because its so flat you need some way to see above the scrub and trees. Any place that has mountains, or even hills, would have no use for these because if you want a vista you just walk to the top of the nearest hill. As I write this I’m on the south island of New Zealand and I’ve not seen a single tower like this. What I have seen are plenty of hills and mountains. Two different worlds entirely.
There is a park in Queenstown that seems to radiate with the morning light. And so it was this morning as twenty photographers gathered to capture the rare light of dawn. I captured this bridge just as the sun rose and we found ourselves in the midst of an overwhelming choice of compositions. This was one of many, but one I’ll not soon forget.
Today was nothing short of remarkable. Which leads be to my second point, these mountains are call the Remarkables because they run directly north and south. I can just imagine that word out of the mouth of a British explorer, remarkable indeed sir. My musings aside, last evening and this morning were filled with rain, but above 900 feet it was snow and when the clouds finally cleared this morning we were presented with this, …remarkable view. I came to this spot morning, noon and dusk, each time capturing a different light. This was around noon.
This morning I got up for sunrise and man was I glad I did. The sky this morning in Queenstown New Zealand was epic. It’s going to take a while to processes all of this, photographically and emotionally. I suppose there a bit of luck involved, but since I’ve been here the compositions presented are endless, and the magic is palpable. The south island in New Zealand is one of the best kept secrets on the planet, either that or I don’t get out enough, probably a bit of both. Nevertheless I’m glad I’m here now and have this opportunity to capture a little of the magic to bring home.
We’re not in Kansas anymore. That’s an understatement if I do say so myself, which I just did. We arrived here after two days to travel just as the southern hemisphere celebrates autumn. One look tells me we’re in for a sensory overload. First the bad news. Theres no way the beauty of this place can be conveyed in pictures. Now the good news, I’m going to try. Maybe I got the good news bad news reversed, but I digress. I took a short walk around dusk and was presented with compositions at every turn, this being one. From way down under, I wish everyone a beautiful weekend, be it spring or autumn.
Last summer I was along a highway in Alberta Canada and this was the view at every turn. If I had stopped at every photo opportunity I’d still be there now, and maybe that’s not such a bad idea. But anyway, right now I’m on my way to New Zealand where I get to see mountains again and so I thought I post this to get me in the right frame of mind. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Keep mountains in your home with a framed print of this image
Every now and then I pull out the wide angle fisheye lens to see what happens. I’ve had this photo in the closet for over six months, almost forgot about it. Venice is a lovely little town in Florida, and they have this lovely little pier that appears even smaller than it should because of the fisheye. But as I recall, it wasn’t the pier I was looking at, rather the sky and clouds. As you can see they were crazy and I felt compelled to take drastic measures. I think that sounds a little too dramatic, …I calmly looked up and thought in passing that perhaps I might consider a viable alternative. Who am I kidding? I was as a mad man as I fumbled for my fisheye racing against the clock nearly dropping my camera in the water in the process. Yup, that was pretty much it, beautiful sky, sheer panic.
Prevent a panic attack and purchase a beautiful mounted print of this photo.
Near my home is an abandoned development that is fenced in on all sides with no trespassing signs. But my right brain has an ongoing argument with my left brain about this place and yesterday, righty won. Basically, lefty said you can’t go there, it’s against the rules but then righty says, ah man, gimme a break, I could get some nice photos. After not getting enough sleep lefty was caught off guard as I found myself hopping a fence to commit a misdemeanor. But the way I see it, this shot needed to be made before they restart construction and vista disappears. Wait, …was that a tacit approval from lefty?
Quick, purchase a print of this before lefty changes his mind.
This was me. Long time ago but this was me. I really don’t know what to say about this. Go ahead picture, you do the talking. I’ll just listen, …and remember.