New Zealand - Fiordland
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One of many extreme waterfalls witnessed on this cold, rainy, and incredible day in Doubtful Sound. This waterfall, and hundreds more, are in most cases temporary, formed after heavy rains begin to collect and run down the steep sides of the Sound. Water is gathered and speed gained as this runoff water works its way to the cold dark depths of the Sound.
With heavy rain and winds, the rain fell more horizontally than vertically during this day on Doubtful Sound in Fjiordland National Park. The water was choppy, making shooting from a moving boat even more difficult, but yielded images that I love. The little island in this image actually has a fishing hut on the back side of it, though it is totally obscured from this angle. And, the white "blob" on the right is actually a torrentially rushing temporary waterfall caused by the heavy rain rushing down the side of the sound.
Taken from a moving boat in Doubtful Sound, Fjiordland National Park, on a dark and cold late Autumn day. The rain was heavy as the boat took me on an adventure through one of the deepest, longest, and most dramatic of New Zealand's sounds. These waterfalls are all temporary, having been created by the heavy rain that is a near daily occurrence in the region.
My November 2012 Milford Track experience yielded many excellent images, including this one taken during my first full day on the track. I'd come to a promising looking side trial, so I shed my pack, grabbed my tripod, and then headed down the dirt trail until it turned into this curving boardwalk. I have a thing for paths, lines and curves, and am grow to them photographically; this was no exception. I set up my tripod on the boardwalk so I would not disturb or harm the beautiful vegetation below. The overcast sky actually helped accentuate the color of the vegetation, both the green and the orange. I used HDR to craft this image, as the dynamic difference between the vegetation and sky was too great, and I wanted detail in both. This approach also helped bring out the richness of the orange, which is exactly how I remember it.
After hiking most of the morning, and about 50% of that time hiking up a narrow switchback trail, I reached Mackinnon Pass. I'd climbed from about 300 meters that morning to 1,150 meters by lunch time. It was a hard but fun hike, and near the top I was rewarded with this view, looking down at Mackinnon Pass and the mountains beyond. I had explored the pass for a bit, and taken several images at Twelve Second Drop (on the far side of the lake pictured here) before continuing on up the trail, rising higher above the pass. The few moments of snow had passed, so I set up my tripod and captured this incredible image, showing where I had come from (the valley on the left side of the image) and where I was headed (down into the valley behind the lake). The memorial near the lake was erected for the man whose name the pass bears: "In Honour of Quintin Mackinnon, Explorer." What an amazing title to have. Explorer. Simple, clean, elegant, descriptive. This image is a large panoramic, crafted from seven images.
Situated just off the main Milford Track trail, Mackay Falls is one of those things you hear before you see it. I turned off the main trail, following the narrow dirt path towards the viewing platform, wight he sound of pounding water growing more intense with each step forward. Coming into view of the Falls, the mist floated along the water with the wind, hovering when the wind died down. I set up my tripod on the viewing platform, there being no other place to easily and safely to do so. I framed the image to get everything from near to far, and knowing I wanted the water to be flowing through the entire image. I also wanted the image to be as sharp as possible, a challenge given the depth of the image. All of this required the use of a serious neutral density filter (9 stops) and focus stacking. Because I wanted significant detail as well, I crafted this image as a vertical panorama. All in all, six images and about three minutes later, this is the scene I had captured. A little bit more work putting everything together and we have what you see here. One of the small details I like about this image is the fact that some of the vegetation is moving with the wind, given the long exposure time, while other vegetation is perfectly still. It was a great scene to see, and challenging one to capture, and one where I could feel the power of nature as I worked to get the image I wanted.
The night I had in Milford Sound was just like the weather I experienced the previous 4 days on the Track: perfect. I had hoped since booking my Milford Track experience that the sky over Milford Sound would be clear, allowing me to do some astrophotography. I wasn't disappointed, as only a few thin clouds were visible over the sound. In this image, crafted from a composite of 30 frames, the stars arch in both directions given how I positioned the camera with regards to the North and South stars. The clouds helped highlight Mitre Peak, and the moonlight even made the snow capped mountain over the Sound visible. This image was made using my new Nikon D800E, and would not have been possible to this degree with a lesser camera.
The peacefulness of Milford Sound is amazing when experienced. The frequent rain can make it feel wild and untamed, but once the sun comes out and the clouds mostly disappear, the Sound becomes a quite and peaceful place. One that showcases New Zealand's natural beauty. This image was captured early one morning, following my 3 day hike along the Milford Track. We had just set out on a 4 hour cruise in the Sound. Standing on the bow of the boat, I was able to capture the stillness of the water, only somewhat disrupted by another boat that had left shortly before us. Milford Sound is actually a 15 kilometer fjord, that runs in from the Tasman Sea, and is surrounded by near vertical rock that rise 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) from the surface of the water. The Sound is one of New Zealand's most famous tourist destinations.
Milford Sound is a truly beautiful place. I happened to be there on a perfectly clear day, which is the exception rather than the rule. And while the blue sky and few puffy white clouds were gorgeous, the true beauty of the sound comes out after heavy rain, when hundreds upon hundreds of waterfalls cascade down the rock walls. This was one of the few waterfalls I saw during my visit to Milford Sound. It came crashing down the lush, moss covered face of the cliff. Falling hundreds, if not a thousand meters, into the icy cold turquoise waters of the sound, creating a blanket of fine mist that thankfully was not to heavy. Milford Sound is actually a 15 kilometer fjord, that runs in from the Tasman Sea, and is surrounded by near vertical rock that rise 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) from the surface of the water. The Sound is one of New Zealand's most famous tourist destinations.
Twelve Second Drop is the view that awaited us after climbing for a couple of hours, and summating Mackinnon Pass along the Milford Track. It snowed for about two minute while I was at the top, but having just arrived I hadn't yet set up my tripod to begin taking images. After taking a few minutes to just enjoy the view, which is simply stunning, I moved very close to the edge (about 3 feet forward of where I placed the tripod) and began composing this image. I wanted to capture the sheer vastness of the scene, the height of the pass, the steepness of the mountains, and the snow line that extends across the range. After soaking in this scene, I continued hiking up the mountain before the train started it's steep descent. I think what had taken 9 kilometers of track to ascend took only 2.5 km to descend. In fact, if you look at the bottom of the frame just to the left of center you will see a straight line; that is an old airstrip. That's where we stayed that night. I have to say, I've flown into some crazy airports in my day, but I'm not sure I'd want to fly into that one! In case your wondering, the little green sign in the lower left corner of the images says "Danger: Keep clear of cliff edge for your safety." Oh, the risks I take to capture the image. I decided to take a panoramic approach to this image, which is composed of 11 separate slices, all combined in Photoshop. That was really the only way to get the image with the size and scale and detail I wanted. I'm looking forward to having this one printed, as it could easily be three meters.
