Here’s a photo I took during a recent workshop in Queenstown. See that area down below in the valley with all the farm plots? That’s the area I live… I feel very lucky to have all these magical mountains around me!

The Remarkables in Queenstown

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-25 08:09:46
• CameraFC2204
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/120
• Aperture3.8
• ISO100
• Focal Length8.6 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias-1.3

I took this one beautiful morning at Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, New Zealand. I’ve always wanted to take a balloon ride here, but I haven’t carved out enough time to make it happen. I’ve never taken a balloon ride before, and I’m often confused about how you steer the thing around. I know there’s air currents and stuff, but how do you know? And what if you blow over the mountain into an area with no roads (which is most of New Zealand)? I don’t know… these are all the questions I will ask the balloonist (is that what they are called) when I finally get on a balloon.

Ballooning in New Zealand

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-10-21 07:08:27
• CameraFC330
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/170
• Aperture2.8
• ISO100
• Focal Length3.6 mm
• FlashNo flash function
• Exposure ProgramUnknown (58655)
• Exposure Bias

It’s been a few years since I have been to Matamata on the North Island and seeing these photos make me want to return. The farmers that originally owned (and still manage) the Hobbiton Movie Set have always been very generous and kind to me, so I try to repay them with as many photos as possible. In a way, this is an easy task, since it’s impossible to take a bad photo there.

The Party Tree in Hobbiton

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-05-25 09:12:46
• CameraFC330
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture2.8
• ISO100
• Focal Length
• FlashNo flash function
• Exposure ProgramUnknown (58655)
• Exposure Bias+0.656

Here’s another photo from the workshop here in New Zealand. This one happened to be with the Pixel 3 phone. I am often quite amazed at how incredible the camera is on this phone. Maybe its most underrated feature (which seems a bit obvious when I point it out) is how convenient it is. Once you get into the world of photography, you are able to see nice scenes throughout the day. I don’t always have my big Sony with me, but I do always have my phone! This was exactly the case here when we were driving up to the Remarkables in our bus and I saw this scene. And yes, even though I had my Sony, I decided to take this one with the Pixel!

The Pixel 3 Phone

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-25 16:57:13
• CameraPixel 3 XL
• Camera MakeGoogle
• Exposure Time1/1250
• Aperture1.8
• ISO62
• Focal Length4.4 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

We had a wonderful time strolling around The Hills during our photo workshop. I really enjoy seeing how excited people are when they see the unique art and sculptures spread around the course. Here, you can see one of my new besties out with these incredible horses that were designed and built by Max Patte.

Max Patte’s Horses at The Hills

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-23 16:14:44
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1000
• Aperture4
• ISO50
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I should spend more time taking photos at The Hills! It’s such a great place and perfect tableau for creating art. There are all sorts of cool sculptures all over the place, and this one is Michael Hill’s son, Mark. He has his studio very close by. Whenever I wander around, I stop by his studio to have a look at his latest creations. He’s a very inspiring guy, like his dad!

Tree at The Hills

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-01-14 22:32:09
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/2000
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-2

On one of our morning photo walks, I saw this beautiful tree along the lakefront in Queenstown. I didn’t have the right lens, so I took a 2×2 panorama. I merged them together in Photoshop to create the final image. I’m pretty happy with it, but I honestly think it would be better if I had stayed here and wait for the sun to shine through the leaves.

Panorama of an Autumn Tree Before Sunrise

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-23 08:19:37
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.3
• Aperture10
• ISO160
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias+2

After I dropped off Ethan, I began a random drive around Picton and the north island to find some new scenes. Almost immediately, I came upon this tremendous logging operation. It was impressive to watch all these huge logs being dropped off and then transported to this ship. I assume (but not sure) that this ship then takes all of these logs to China.

The Wood Comes Down the Valley

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-05-06 16:22:51
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1600
• Aperture8
• ISO400
• Focal Length105.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

On our first full day, we went on a great walk along this coastline on the North Island of New Zealand. The first half of the walk was along a trail up and down through the trees. The second half was down there, along the coast. It was quite rocky, as you can see… I was focused on not twisting my ankle or anything! At the end, we were walking along a nice soft beach, so I took off my shoes and let my feet sink into the sand.

The Beautiful Walk Near Te Arai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-29 17:34:00
• CameraFC2204
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/640
• Aperture2.8
• ISO100
• Focal Length4.4 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3

During almost all our workshops, we spend the first morning walking along the foreshore in Queenstown and then into the gardens. This is the first time we had many layers of clouds and fog rolling in and out throughout the morning. I stopped on the beach to get this photo of all the layers stacked up together. One of the tips I often give around composition is to try to take more landscape shots in portrait orientation. There aren’t a lot of “rules” around orienting photos like this, so you can be much more experimental in how you choose to group the subject matter you are shooting.

Layers in Queenstown

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-23 09:27:35
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/80
• Aperture8
• ISO50
• Focal Length105.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias