Reflections on Lake Gunn in New Zealand

Anyone can buy a drone, fly it and be happy with the shots. But, I try to take it to the next level. Do things right and maybe good things happen. When I mean do things right, I mean applying for your concession from the Department of Conservation so you could fly your drone over public lands in New Zealand. Sure, you are limited to where you can fly, but when you see something like this, who cares!? This is Lake Gunn which is on the way to Milford Sound. This is a panoramic from three pictures stitched in Adobe Lightroom, then processed in Aurora HDR and final touches in Adobe Photoshop.

The Mallard

The New Zealand mallard population is derived from 17 small importations of gamefarm mallards from England between 1870 and 1930, and two later imports of birds and eggs from a gamefarm in Connecticut, USA. Acclimatisation Societies subsequently bred and released over 30,000 mallards throughout New Zealand until 1974, by which time the mallard had become the most common waterfowl in the country. Extensive hybridisation with the native grey duck followed soon after their initial release and the mallard competitively excluded grey ducks from most wetlands, especially those in and near urban environments and in pastoral landscapes. As a consequence of both their gamefarm origin and hybridisation, the plumages of New Zealand’s mallards are highly variable, especially the females, and males in breeding plumage are duller and less striking than wild northern hemisphere mallards. SOURCE: http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/mallard

That Wanaka Tree Panoramic

Everyone that comes to the Queenstown area who loves photography will likely make the trek to Wanaka and snap this photo. After all, the tree has it's own hashtag - #thatwanakatree!

Lake Hayes-Arrowtown, New Zealand

Just about a 5-minute drive from my Airbnb outside of Queenstown is the peaceful and gorgeous Lake Hayes. It is on the way to Arrowtown, and makes for a great stop before heading into the town for a bite to eat or socializing over a glass of wine. There is plenty of parking here and if you want to go on a hike or ride your bike, this area gives you access to the Queenstown Trail and Lake Hayes Circuit.

The Angry Sky

As I drove back from Glenorchy, I could not help but notice the sky becoming more and more active behind me. The wind was furious and the lake water began to kick up further. What's a photographer to do - pull over of course! I found a place to stop the car and walk down to the shoreline. I stood there and watched mother nature a bit before setting up the camera to capture the angry sky above.

Glenorchy-Queenstown Road

I took this 9-photo panoramic on an extremely windy day just off the coastline of the Glenorchy-Queenstown road under a concession I applied and was approved for through the Department of Conservation in New Zealand. This is Lake Wakatipu and the road is likely one of the most beautiful roads to drive in the world.

The Golden Hour Begins in Queenstown

I did not go far from my AirBNB to find my spot for the sunset. This is the Franktom Arm of Lake Wakatipu just outside of Queenstown, NZ. Sometimes I am asked how I find the places to go, so I will share a little tiny secret with you... my iPhone! I have an application which allows me to see where the sun will set and it allows me to overlay that on a map. I scroll around and move the map until I find something that looks like it may work. Once I find it, I check out the times for sunset, the golden hour and the blue hour. I get all my stuff ready and go!

Queenstown

I guess I sat on the right side of the plane - literally - for this spectacular view during landing in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Mitre Peak at Milford Sound

One of the wettest places in the world, and certainly the wettest place in inhabited New Zealand is the beautiful Milford Sound. Mitre Peak rises 1692 meters at the center of this shot and is seen reflected in the freshwater basin easily accessible from a public parking lot.

Sunset at Jack's Point

Upon landing in Queenstown, NZ, one of the first things we needed to do was eat. We had received a list of recommended places to visit for photos from a friend, and this one just happened to have a restaurant. After what is likely the best burgers in the world, we headed outside to watch and capture the amazing scenery and sunset. This was an amazing way to start out the journey in New Zealand!

Bridging the Gap - Milky Way

Looking up between these two mountains while camping at Milford Sound Lodge last week was amazing. For the first time in my life I could see the Milky Way by simply looking up. I was pleasantly surprised when I loaded these shots up on my computer and saw that I had also captured a shooting star in one of my frames. I certainly wish it were towards the center of the photo, but I will take what I was given!

Stirling Falls at Milford Sound

Stirling Falls stands at over 150m. For an idea on how this looked when I took it, check out http://gph.is/2b6S2A3