I did a fun overnight trip with Real Journeys into Doubtful Sound. It’s a very difficult fjord to reach because you have to take a series of smaller boats and a bus to actually reach the destination. But, once there, it’s really nice! You’re on a boat with about 30 people or so and you end up eat and sleep on the boat for one evening. The weather was absolutely terrible when we were there, but it did clear up for a few moody shots like this.

Sailing into Doubtful Sound

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-05-09 08:40:40
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/500
• Aperture4
• ISO250
• Focal Length27.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

This is a road near my home that I often run down to during my semi-regular jogging sessions. Obviously, this is in the middle of the Autumn, and this island is known for its rather majestic poplar trees. I notice that all poplar trees seem to be over 100 feet tall! I’ve never seen a short poplar tree… surely they exist, or maybe I just don’t notice them.

Speargrass Flats Road (near Arrowtown, New Zealand)

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-04-30 11:48:10
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/250
• Aperture9
• ISO100
• Focal Length105.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Here’s a fun little vertirama of The Wolves at The Hills here in Arrowtown, New Zealand. I believe this was taken with two vertically stacked shots with the quadcopter. I think it’s nice how just getting 10 meters off the ground gives a slightly different perspective. The top-down is not nearly as good as I thought it would be, because you can’t tell that these are wolves vortexing in on a samurai.

Attack of the Wolves at the Hills

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-02-23 10:14:51
• CameraFC220
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/2500
• Aperture2.2
• ISO100
• Focal Length4.7 mm
• FlashNo flash function
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias-1

It’s the middle of summer now, and you only get this Aurora Australis action down here in the winter months. When people ask me when they should come to New Zealand, I tell them it really doesn’t matter! Every season, especially on the south island is about exactly 3 months long and has a special flavor all of its own. We usually hold our Photo Workshops in the Autumn, because that’s one of my favorite times for photos… but if you want these Auroras, come in the winter.

Stars in New Zealand

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-07-15 11:45:23
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time30
• Aperture2.8
• ISO1600
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Another trip to Glenorchy, another easy photo! I’m not saying this in a bragging way at all (you know this already if you know me!). I’ve gotten a ton of shots while down ON that road, so now I’m focusing on getting up in the air to get some aerial shots. I’m so excited about this new Mavic 2 and its ability to zoom in and take 9 photos in a grid, giving it a total resolution higher than my Sony!

On the Way to Glenorchy

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-11-28 14:58:02
• CameraFC2204
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/800
• Aperture3.8
• ISO110
• Focal Length8.6 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

This was taken when Bel was filming a new video tutorial while we were in Hobbiton. You can get that Organize Your Photos tutorial right here! I took this photo about halfway through shooting when we took a break inside the Green Dragon. It’s the famous pub from the movie… that was kind of where we parked up and stored all our gear!

Bel Between Shoots

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-10-18 15:00:14
• CameraNEX-6
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/25
• Aperture5
• ISO400
• Focal Length55.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

This is a shot from here in Queenstown atop Deer Park Heights. We brought one of our workshops up here early one morning to check out the scene. At the time, there was a Korean Prison built, and you can see it over on the left there. It was used for a totally terrible Disney movie and they just kind of left it up there. There’s no way the Department of Conservation would let you get away with that nowadays! I’m pretty sure it’s been destroyed now.

The Korean Prison in the Distance

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-02-08 11:32:54
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/250
• Aperture7.1
• ISO100
• Focal Length17.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-2

I don’t know how I got caught up in this scene. It was my first time hanging out with supposed “Influencers.” Most of the time, I’m by myself, taking photos and wandering around for an interesting photo. These Influencers seemed obsessed with taking photos of one another, illustrating how they are experiencing nature. Many Influencers are very weird.

Social Media Influencers on a Mountain

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-06-30 09:30:48
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1600
• Aperture4
• ISO100
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

This is actually another panorama, but it was a little easier to put together. I was lucky enough to go out and get really close to the space shuttle on the day before the big launch. I was so excited… just a like a little kid! I still get excited thinking about it.

The Shuttle at Rest

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2011-07-07 18:42:32
• CameraNIKON D3X
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/15
• Aperture6.7
• ISO200
• Focal Length300.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

There is a beautiful road that connects Wanaka and Queenstown that is locally known as the Crown Range. It’s the highest highway in all of New Zealand as it crosses the Southern Alps. There are plenty of places to pull off the side of the road and get a view of the valley down below. I live down in there somewhere… kinda over on the right side of the photo.

Crossing the Range

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-10-31 07:19:47
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time0.3
• Aperture16
• ISO100
• Focal Length10.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1