'A Diamond In The Rough'.
A few kilometres from Motukiekie Beach on the West Coast, South Island of New Zealand, you will find 17 mile Beach. Rocks stacks are littered around the Coastline here, with a never ended supply of subject matter to photograph.
The foreground rocks are well worn from the excessive tide movement, creating beautifully carved rocks with glistening surfaces, when the water hits them.
This place has an almost prehistoric feel about it, as you wonder about exploring you will even find starfish nestled amongst the rocks, especially when the tide is low.
Make your way through Greymouth and travel about 17miles along the Great Coast Rd, which is considered one of the top 10 Coastal drives in the world.
Lake Wanaka and the famous WanakaTree.
The lonesome Tree is situated in the Beautiful town of Wanaka, on the South Island of New Zealand. l have always said to my wife that if we had the opportunity to live in New Zealand than Wanaka would be the place that l would love to settle in.
The surroundings are just perfect, with mountainous views surrounding the lake and poplar trees that litter the shores and landscape with the most vibrant coloured autumn leaves, snow capped mountains to compliment the scenery, on the very clear and still mornings the lake has the most amazing reflections of colour and light.
The Town of Wanaka has great bars and restaurants to visit, including bakeries and lots of gift shops.
A must see when you visit New Zealand and the South Island.
This image was taken at Great Ocean Rd, a perfect morning and the perfect environment.
Wish you all a lovely weekend and l hope you find some time for yourself.
Whilst waiting for sunset last week at the Great Ocean Rd, a wily old fox was on the hunt for some tucker and he had a couple of wallabies in his site. The escapades went on for about 40 minutes with the fox trying every sneaky trick in the book to catch them, but eventually the wallabies outsmarted him and made their escape. Definitely made for light entertainment while waiting for what was a very ordinary sunset.
A quick snap shot from this yesterday mornings shoot at the Great Ocean Rd. Lovely conditions and the sea was as wild as ever. The edges of the cliffs here are as soft as butter, so its within your best interests not to get to close to the edge, no matter how tantalising it is. The rush one feels from being here is intense, knowing that at any moment the cliff face could collapse under your feet at any moment, but yet the image comes first.
Thanks Nick Psomiadis, for showing me this location, must get back there.
Vision without technique is blind.
When nature opens her window of opportunity, put yourself in the place of most potential.
Mount Cook. After having a successful time there on my last visit, l am so keen to get back.
Prior to my last visit, l had never seen such amazing scenery. Being from Melbourne, Australia, it's a different kind of landscape out here. We just don't have these kind of lakes anywhere in Australia.
After viewing images from Lake Tasman on the internet, l had made up my mind to see it for myself. Due to a heavily booked schedule l could only manage to stay 3 nights at Mount Cook, when l say only 3 nights, what l mean is l could have spent another week there and still require more time.
My first visit to Lake Tasman was early morning, making my way to the car park, grabbing my gear from the car, l made my way along the walking track in the dark, l was a little concerned when 40 minutes later l hadn't seen Lake Tasman and the sign in the carpark read 20min walk.
So back to the carpark l went, the sun had started to rise by then and the sunrise was looking good indeed, just my luck, alone on a walking track and witnessing some beautiful light indeed. The only problem, where was Lake Tasman? Upon my arrival back to the car, l decided to have another look at the directional sign and found that l had taken the wrong track. Bugger.
l spent the next couple of hours scouting around Lake Tasman, getting familiar with the correct walking tracks and areas that l will be shooting from. As one such path leads out to the head of the Tasman River, Flowing out from Lake Tasman, which produces the best viewpoint. The small floating icebergs make for excellent foreground composition, whilst using the mountains as backdrops.
The Old Jetty is located In the South Island of New Zealand in Lake Wakatipu, and takes about 25-30 minutes to drive there from Queenstown and nestled away in a quiet little nook call Little Paradise.
l spent 3 nights photographing there.
It is very easy to overlook, hidden behind trees, sitting in such an expansive and beautiful lake. Keep an eye out for the Little Paradise Lodge and Garden, the Jetty is located about 200 metres or so past the Lodge heading to Glenorchy.
Driving in from Queenstown you can enjoy the great views of Lake Wakatipu, with its mountainous regions and breathtaking scenery.
The best times to photograph the Old Jetty would be sunrise or sunset and if you are lucky enough to have a very still day with little wind, the reflections can add such dramatic depth with the mountains in the background reflecting back into the still lake.
Try to get in close to the old jetty, emphasising the old timber pylons that are submerged in the water. Move around and try a few different compositions, keeping space between each pylon using a low point of view also helps.
Watch out for the sandflies, l usually cover up with a hat and gloves, trying to conceal any exposed skin. Sandflies are in abundance around lakes and oceans on the South Island. Unfortunately my wife and kids had to stay in the car whilst l was photographing the Old Jetty due to sandflies.
When you have finished with the Old Jetty you can drive into Glenorchy which is only 20 kms from Little Paradise and if you have time Kinloch is also very photographic.
Twizel is located in the South Island of New Zealand, in the heart of the Mckenzie High Country. Surrounded by beautiful lakes, surrounded by lovely trees that glow in the Autumn sun and reflect back into the crystal clear water.
The best time for the Autumn colours would be April/May, with the slightly colder weather presenting misty mornings, which produce surreal mood and atmosphere as it moves through the landscape.
An ideal place for photography, where you can just jump out of the car, hold up your camera and shoot, no long climbs up the mountains or trekking over harsh terrain. Everything to photograph here is within arms reach. Be sure to do some back tracking off the main roads, you will find lots of hidden gems.
The lakes are in abundance, crystal clear and right at your feet, with mountain peaks in the background to work with. The Autumn colours are forever changing and presenting photo opportunities with every turn.
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time there, l recommend 2/3 days, than make your way over to Mount Cook or Lake Tekapo which are situated less than an hours drive from Twizel.