Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:16:54 am

Title: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:16:54 am
hello my name is Christian (Lim), just registered and I hope I am welcome here.  :)

I am a marketing professional (in consumer goods brand mgt) for a multinational beverage firm. But I do landscape photography during weekends and on specific months of the year. One of my most favorite places in the world is NZ.

Here are some images I would like to share and well as information on the images / locations. I have spent a total of 50 shooting days mostly in the south island but I have never done any winter shots, which I will this august as I am leading a workshop and photo safari. Been to NZ, from Manila 3x since March of 2011. Love it!

Thanks in advance for viewing my images.
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:20:28 am
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5131/5581023598_748cd3fca0_z.jpg)

castlepoint lighthouse wairarapa, north island. one of the best grand landscapes with a lighthouse I have seen. a cold and windy morning hike up gave me cramps as I was a bit late for sunrise, drove 3.5 hrs from wellington and had to instantly run up with my gear to catch the light.

5d2/17-40/19mm/F16/ISO 50/10s/B+W ND106/Lee 0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:24:20 am
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6052/6311310004_f0a45444ce_z.jpg)

man vs waves, tongaporutu, north island, accessible ONLY during low tide. a 952 return drive from upper hutt wellington since I had nothing to do when I got stuck during the Qantas strike. home of the iconic 3 sisters and the elephant rock landscape, I was trying to get a grand shot of the place by stalking my companion by the shoreline.

5d2/17-40/17mm/F10/ISO 200/0.8s/Hoya ND8/Lee 0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:30:02 am
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6310793449_4c29133c8e_z.jpg)

Coastal Castle, the Tasman Sea, South Island. 15kms north of greymouth going to punakaiki pancake rocks, you will see them on the left. park by the shoulder when the road is a straight shot, walk down to the beach and go left, the walk is a bit far, there is another bunch of formations after this one. you however will not see much detailed foreground when it is low tide. best time is if it hits 1.4meters and goes on low tide after sunset. high tide and swells only bring trouble. (which I had during my first visit)

5d2/17-40/17mm/F16/ISO 50/25s/Hoya ND64/Lee 0.3SE/Singhray Reverse Grad
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:34:46 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8225592835_9570e48a30_z.jpg)

Lupin Rising, was so dissapointed last nov 2011 when spring came late (too much snow) and I left without taking russell lupin images from tekapo. came back during the end of nov 2012 after conducting a workshop in auckland and timed it just right this time. waited for the sun to rise through the trees for this one. took about 3 images then the lupin was too harsh to shoot due to the lack of morning cloud.

5d3/16-35 M2/16mm/F22/ISO 50/5s/Hoya ND16/Lee 0.9SE/Lee 0.6HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:38:47 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8356555375_39f4c54b1b_z.jpg)

I heart Aoraki, Mt Cook National Park, this is my 3rd time here. But this time I opted to take the sunrise hike, instead of the sunset where I was always walking back pitch black. The morning sun blasted through all the low cloud ang gave us this majestic scene on the hooker glacier. I was submerged up to my knees in freezing cold water for about an hour, wearing neoprene waders.

5d3/16-35 M2/16mm/F16/ISO 50/15s/Hoya ND16/Lee 0.75SE/Lee 0.6HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 01:42:04 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8217/8282734567_c7438ccabd_z.jpg)

Deaths Shadow, willow trees along the Glenorchy Jetty, 45 min drive from the Lakeshore in Wakatipu Queenstown. Submerged waist deep spent too much time waiting for the clouds to thin out. They never did. Taken with an Infrared Filter on Monochrome picture style.

5d3/17-40/19mm/F5.6/ISO 400/30s/Hoya R72
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Chairman Bill on February 11, 2013, 04:48:02 am
Very nice. Just like your Iceland set
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Lonnie Utah on February 11, 2013, 10:12:12 am
Yeah, these are why I need to get back there sooner rather than later. 

Great shots.
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 09:18:16 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8236663541_e76c3caa6e_z.jpg)

River Beauty, 3 Lupine for every visit to the south island of New Zealand, actually I took this image to facebook it to my wife back home... like a 3 roses kinda thing. yeah cheesy... but I did manage to think about a long exposure. hehehe along the shores of the Glenorchy Jetty.

5d3/17-40/21mm/F22/ISO50/30s/HoyaND16/Lee Pro Glass 3 stop/Lee 0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 09:21:52 pm
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5063/5663787574_b8338e1ec5_z.jpg)

Subtle. Lake Mapourika, just 15 mins north of Franz Josef. Caught on a semi foggy horizon day, but the water was calm and perfect.
this is a crop version which I use for the laptop wallpaper.  :)

5d2/17-40/F11/30s/ISO50/17mm/ND106/Lee 0.75SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 09:29:47 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8237745446_6d35d4e7fd_z.jpg)

Check Mate, one of my dream shots of lake tekapo, but i would have liked a bit of cloud but I'll take this. Waded a bit, the water was so calm it was almost frozen in time. Had to shoot very low as I kept on finding some rocks in which I could isolate.

5d3/16-35m2/F16/2s/ISO50/16mm/ND16/Lee 0.9HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 11, 2013, 09:33:41 pm
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5108/5594665632_6157d1e063_z.jpg)

Losing my Religion, the iconic Church of the Good Sheperd in Lake Tekapo and one of my favorite B&W landscape images. Had to wait for busloads of tourists to start walking before I had my 30second window for an Infrared Mono.

5dClassic/17-40/19mm/F7.1/ISO50/30s/HoyaR72
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: bradleygibson on February 12, 2013, 12:13:03 am
Gorgeous work, Christian.  Thank you for sharing!
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:32:31 am
^ thanks bradley, some more shots, though I might have mixed trips 1-3 already.  :)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8193735611_e5e0c6dd24_z.jpg)

viaduct in auckland, just going around the marina, disregarding the bars and looking around for some vantages of the sky tower, was drawn to this one due to the mix of colors flying around the different spots of the harbour.

5d3/16-35m2/22mm/F11/ISO200/30s
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:35:36 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8225693091_74315f589e_z.jpg)

WHISPER OF THE TREES, I have been salivating to get to these trees, here submerged in the cold waters of the dart river up to my waist. Good we brought along some waders, they indeed got us to spots we might never have reached. WilloW Trees, Glenorchy Jetty

5d3/16-35m2/22mm/F16/IS050/30s/Hoya ND16/Lee Pro Glass 3 stop/Lee 0.9HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:38:10 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8298477559_cc6111c931_z.jpg)

Morning Remnants, a morning at the sound, clouds coming in from all over due to the change in temp and southerly breeze, looked like a blizzard did a overnighter but it was just the waves coming in and out. Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park.

5d3/16-35m2/28mm/F14/IS050/30s/Hoya ND16/Lee Pro Glass 3 stop/Lee 0.6HE

Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:40:27 am
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8228292675_f13cbc6373_z.jpg)

Fissured, one of the more famous moreaki boulders isolated, this one near break and gets pounded by the waves of the pacific constantly resulting in its deformed state. these are meter + wide boulders, not your typical rock on the shoreline. taken during a drive at 4am from commodore hotel at dunedin then a straight 700km drive back to picton to catch the interislander.

5d3/16-35m2/F11/16mm/ISO50/2.5s/ND16/Lee 0.6HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:44:39 am
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6032/6311064152_ef5315882a_z.jpg)

Good Morning Kaikoura, stayed overnight by the shoulder in the freezing cold winds of the coastline and got chased away by some seals protecting their young. Waited for the sunrise, just to get a good start for the trip. Waves were too strong for me to come any closer down into the water.

5d2/17-40/F16/17mm/ISO200/2s/ND106/Lee 0.9HE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: RawheaD on February 12, 2013, 01:47:26 am
Those willow trees… yes, salivate...
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 12, 2013, 01:48:21 am
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6215/6310541395_d3f410a41b_z.jpg)

Moonrise over the Tasman, 900 meters up over a cold morning climb yielded to soft colors over low clouds flying over the southern alps. waited patiently for the colors to show up, not to be lured to the other side where the clouds were more abundant. sometimes, waiting for the right one makes the difference.

5d2/17-40/F16/17mm/ISO50/25s/ND8/Lee 0.9SE/Lee 0.6HE *pulled down the holder for an extra 2 stops.
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: wolfnowl on February 12, 2013, 01:58:04 am
Hello, Christian, and welcome to the list!  Too many photos to comment on, but there's some very nice work there - thanks for sharing them!

Mike.
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: francois on February 12, 2013, 05:11:15 am
Just as wonderful as your Iceland images…

Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 14, 2013, 10:08:50 pm
^ thanks, some more.

Church of the Good Sheperd on Russell Lupine Field, Lake Tekapo

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8226753126_84c8cdf2d2_z.jpg)

5d3/16-35m2/16mm/F16/ISO50/1sec/ND16/Lee0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 14, 2013, 10:13:33 pm
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8299415445_17c1118022_z.jpg)

WAKATIPU ELECTRIC a colored version of the B&W image I took the day before, I just could not resist though it was almost the same vantage. stayed across the street, was drinking coffee by the window and I was like, holy sh*t looks like a great sunrise comin', went down to the lake for it.Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

5d3/17-40/17mm/F11/ISO100/30sec/ND16/Lee Pro Glass 3 stop/Lee 0.6HE

a day before (but in Monochrome)... I was walking stoned on the lakeshore wearing a shirt and boxers (had extra underwear) in 5 degree temp.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8226768202_5ca2645ba3_z.jpg)



Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 14, 2013, 10:16:58 pm
Pastel Path, a late decision to ditch a possible sunset try at moreaki proved to be worth it as we headed 85 kms more south to st claire beach in dunedin, the colors just didn't want to give up on this sunset. had to stay there overnight for an early 4am wake to catch the last sunrise of the trip at the boulders. St Claire, Dundedin

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8240951460_f4dca34b17_z.jpg)

5d3/16-35m2/F16/18mm/ISO50/70sec/ND64/Lee Pro Glass 3 stop/Singhray 0.9SE

Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 14, 2013, 10:19:29 pm
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5053/5575770424_81999fc5e5_z.jpg)

A glorious sunrise in Lake Tekapo, of all the lakes I have seen in my life... this is the most beautiful. A freezing morning got a little warm as the sun came of from the mountains on my backside. I took off my shoes and dipped it a bit trying to see if I could take an image while being submerged a bit. It was definitely a no go. (shoot and commented back in 2011)

5d2/17-40/F16/ISO100/73sec/ND400/Lee 0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on February 14, 2013, 10:23:05 pm
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5261/5580697377_dc70c9e719_z.jpg)

Arthur's Hue (Arthur's Pass National Park) We hit Arthur's Pass just in time to see the cold morning rain merge with the warm morning sun. It was a perfect time to chase some rainbows so we waited at this spot as I knew this would be it. The other end faded away... it was supposed to be complete all the way through, maybe it was the mountains way of telling me to visit them again sometime in the future. Truly a spectacular range of mountains. I've only been here once passing through, for me once of the areas that remain to be on the bucket list, i would image this place being a better spot during winter or towards end of spring this taken during mid autumn and is was a bit dry, the dirt road leads inside to lake lyndon.

5d2/17-40/17mm/F20/ISO50/15sec/ND106/Lee0.9SE
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Tony Jay on February 15, 2013, 03:38:58 am
There are some very good images here Christian - thanks for sharing.
I look forward to seeing more as time goes on.

Tony Jay
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Shakyphoto (Slim) on February 27, 2013, 01:04:37 am
+1 to all the positive comments on the photos.  Seems like well execute long exposures on many of the photos.
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: dgberg on March 02, 2013, 07:23:42 am
The best use of Lee filters I have seen to date.
Just wish they were not so hard to get here in the states.
Beautiful work!
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: JohnBrew on March 02, 2013, 08:38:50 am
Christian, very nice work. And thanks for the laugh this morning (your comments on the monochrome shot)  ;D
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: richarddd on March 05, 2013, 08:23:25 pm
Excellent work!

Might I ask about why you decided to do long exposures on the shots without water, such as Arthur's Hue and Church of the Good Sheperd?
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: Christian Lim on March 06, 2013, 04:07:55 am
Hello, i wanted to incorporate motion on an otherwise still frame, like the dirt road and the church. the exposures soften the cloud edges which also diffuses their prominence vs the subjects.

I would go for still images on landscapes without clouds, tight shots on a telephoto and intimate detail shots. the exposure length also helps spread soft light on the total images as the clouds open and close some patches from the sun.

thanks!
Title: Re: New Zealand Landscapes
Post by: richarddd on March 06, 2013, 09:37:41 am
That makes sense.  I shall have to get 3 and 6 stop neutral density filters and experiment.

Great photos. I enjoyed them.