Aurora HDR 2018

It was fun going back in my “back catalog” from the last five years to find photos I had never processed to test out the new Aurora HDR 2018. This was one of them… I was testing the “ghosting” here to see how well it worked… as you might expect, in my three exposures, the lupins were blowing all over the place.

Less than 48 Hours to pre-order!

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A couple of years ago I teamed up with the geniuses at Macphun to design the ultimate tool for HDR photography. I had them put in all of the things I felt were missing from Photomatix, OnOne, and the other tools out there. I’ve been blown away with the results.

Current users of Aurora HDR should check this link to see if you qualify for the special pre-order price of just $49.
New users may purchase Aurora HDR 2018 for $89. A collection of free bonuses is included with every purchase.

Daily Photo – Bright Fields of Lupins

This is one of those pretty Spring days in Tekapo at the Church of the Good Shepherd. It’s kind of a hard shot to get nowadays because you have to get there between the busloads of Chinese tourists. It’s great for the economy, but horrible for photos!

Bright Fields of Lupins

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-12-05 11:17:16
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture16
• ISO200
• Focal Length28.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

A special day in Tekapo (more for Passport members)

Want to see how today’s photo was processed? I do the whole thing from beginning to end… it was kind of a challenging photo, I’ll be honest. Anyway, you’ll see the bonus material at the bottom of this blog post if you’re a Passport Member and THANKS again for all your support! 🙂

A very in-depth post-processing of the Tekapo Lupins

So, this is kind of a long video, but it’s one of the most in-depth post-processing videos I’ve ever made for you, awesome Passport member. I hope you enjoy! 🙂

Exclusive content for Passport members

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Daily Photo – The Lupins in Spring

This is a new favorite photo of Tekapo! I had a lot of trouble figuring out what composition to use and how to process it (you’ll see in the how-to video below), but I’m very happy with the result. Can you believe a lot of locals in New Zealand find this lupin flower to be a pest and a nuisance? I’ve been trying to collect more and more and plant them at our home! I think they are very pretty! 🙂

The Lupins in Spring

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-12-05 11:17:16
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/30
• Aperture16
• ISO200
• Focal Length28.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Sick of seeing this church?

I take A LOT of photos of it… I think people in New Zealand get tired of seeing it because they see it so much, but my feeling is others around the world can’t get enough of it! 🙂

Daily Photo – Stopping in Tekapo on the way to Antarctica

It’s easy enough to drive to Christchurch in a day, but why do that when you can stop halfway there and stay here for the evening? That’s what Stu and I did on the beginning of our harrowing trip to Antarctica. The skies aren’t always this amazing by the Church of the Good Shepherd, but I’m glad they were this night.

Stopping in Tekapo on the way to Antarctica

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-01-04 21:27:52
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/40
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3

YouTube Stuff

I’m slowly adding more and more content over on the YouTube channel, so be sure to pop over there and check out the latest uploads! :

Daily Photo – Wandering in the Lavender Fields

This was shot on a small lavender farm on the edge of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand. I don’t know what’s involved with growing lavender, but it kind of made me want to plant a ton of it at home. I know nothing about gardening, and this is probably obvious to all of you that found my previous statement ridiculous.

Wandering in the Lavender Fields

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-01-05 12:28:34
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture11
• ISO100
• Focal Length55.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

More from Lake Tekapo

See this church below? Here’s another video that I shot in this area a few years ago when I was using the Sony NEX system… of course, now I’ve moved to the Sony A7 system! You can read more about these and more on the Reviews page here on the site.

Daily Photo – Exploring New Zealand on the way to Antarctica

Stu and I had a really fun road trip on the way to Christchurch, where we took a flight down to Antarctica. Along the way, we had a fun night here in Tekapo. There’s actually an AMAZING sushi restaurant right by here… we stayed there a LONG time and ate a lot of sushi and had a lot of sake, then stumbled over to take this photo during an amazing sunset!

Exploring New Zealand on the way to Antarctica

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-01-04 21:34:59
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time0.4
• Aperture9
• ISO100
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3

Behind the Scenes Video

Here’s a cool video I took while inside the glider and taking photos. I used Google Glass to make this, which comes in really handy for these sorts of things!

Daily Photo – Twisting in the Wind

This is a perfect situation for an ultra-wide angle lens! The downside to these lenses is that it really warps and stretches the very edge of the photo. You can see how I compensated for that here by simply cropping that warped part out! Yes, I lost a little of the photo, but you don’t really have to show everything to give the viewer the impression of what is happening beyond the edges of the frame.

Twisting in the Wind

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-01-04 16:51:39
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/320
• Aperture9
• ISO100
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.3

A New Video!

A New Photo-Video for you – All New Zealand awesomeness…

I have a Landscape Photography Tutorial based here in New Zealand available over at https://stuckincustoms.com/landscape-and-travel-photography-tutorial-new-zealand/

Animation/Slideshow – more info at https://stuckincustoms.com/links/animoto — or see my review at https://stuckincustoms.com/animoto-review/

Amaze-maze music by the New Zealand band, Arma Del Amor – see more at https://www.facebook.com/ArmaDelAmorNZ

Coming to New Zealand?

As you know, we have one or two workshops a year here in New Zealand (click on the store up there at the top), but if you are coming on your own and have never been before, here is some advice. New Zealand is big. Way bigger than you think. Many people come for 3 weeks and really spend quite a bit of time driving if they are trying to visit both the north and south island. My advice is just to stick to the south island. That is where I live, and if you are into dramatic landscapes, it honestly doesn’t get any better.

Daily Photo – Low Mist in Mackenzie Country

While I was working with the Google team, taking photos of the Loon project, I went out one evening to see this. It is very close to Tekapo, where all the Google Loon Balloons were launching from. Sometimes right before dusk there is a nice inversion layer that makes everything extra-dreamy.

Low Mist in Mackenzie Country

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-06-12 02:09:04
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/25
• Aperture6.3
• ISO100
• Focal Length95.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

This spot on Google Maps

If you look at this Google Map, you can perhaps spot where the photo below was taken! 🙂 It’s a bit prettier even if you click on the “Earth” view in the lower left!

Answer: Here is the exact bridge where I took the photo! 🙂

Daily Photo – The Ever-Winding River

There’s this amazing man-made river here in New Zealand. It’s used for irrigation, and as far as I can tell, the water flows south from Lake Pukaki down towards the south. The water that comes out of that lake is this amazing unholy blue, and it looks so perfect and strange as it flows in these smooth lines and curves on the way to the south. And then, when the sun is setting, the color becomes somewhere between blue and rainbow.

The Ever-Winding River

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-10-29 07:31:35
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/4
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length18.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Best Lavender Fields in the world?

Where are the best lavender fields? These are the first ones I’ve seen in person, so I’m not really an expert. I was expecting some place like the Netherlands or Denmark or something… but maybe you know for sure! 🙂

Daily Photo – Lavender Fields on the way to Mount Cook

I started a little scene here by accident!

This lavender field is off the side of the road on the way to Mount Cook. It was so beautiful that I had to get out of my car, jump over the fence, and start taking photos. There’s no gate to get in, so no one ever really pulls over. But when someone saw me do it, they did the same thing, and so on, and so on. Before long, this place was covered in people! So funny…

Lavender Fields on the way to Mount Cook

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2014-01-05 12:38:19
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture13
• ISO100
• Focal Length55.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias