Mount Cook – Stuck in Customs
24
Mar 2021 : Wednesday
filed under  Camera Gear, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Sony A7R 3, Travel

The Tip of Mount Cook

My First NFT Auction – Behind the Scenes

Drop 1 was a wild ride as you can see from the quick video below that shows a few things that happened during the NFT auction. I’m still learning as I go and will share more videos! Drop 2 is now in progress and you can bid here if NFTs are your sort of thing. 🙂

Daily Photo – The Tip of Mount Cook

We were lucky to barely catch the tip of Mount Cook as we were driving down this beautiful road. You never know what the weather conditions are gonna be like down here. It’s about a 4-hour drive from Queenstown, and the weather is often pretty unpredictable, so it’s just a roll of the dice! Can you believe people climb up there to the top? It’s quite dangerous actually… quite a few deaths.

The Tip of Mount Cook

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2020-11-08 18:41:42
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/160
  • Aperture8
  • ISO320
  • Focal Length65.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias+2

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20
Mar 2021 : Saturday
filed under  Camera Gear, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Sony A7R 3, Travel

Road Trip to Mount Cook

Mars Rover uses an old iMac processor?

I saw this surprising piece of news about the rover thanks to Stu. I wonder if Apple forces an update every 24 hours… that’s probably why the data returned to earth is so slow.

Daily Photo – Road Trip to Mount Cook

The road to Mount Cook is a great road for sports cars if you are into that sort of thing. My friend Mark, who is really into this stuff, says that the road is perfectly engineered like a race track, so you can really take things to the next level. Not that HE does that or anything… He did tell me a little tip that “his friend” told him… that since it’s a dead-end road, you can go the speed limit from the beginning to the end and then turn back around. If you don’t see any cops, then you can turn around and do it again, going hog-wild!

Road Trip to Mount Cook

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2020-11-08 18:46:50
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/160
  • Aperture8
  • ISO320
  • Focal Length42.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias+2
Comments
11
Mar 2021 : Thursday
filed under  Camera Gear, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Sony A7R, Travel

Hiking Around Mount Cook

Daily Photo – Hiking Around Mount Cook

One cool thing about the Mount Cook area is you can kind of walk anywhere, even though most people stick to the many existing trails. It’s a massive area with little rivers that weave this way and that. I usually put on my headphones, listen to some Hans Zimmer, and rove around for a few hours… besides getting a few photos, it’s both relaxing and invigorating.

Hiking Around Mount Cook

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-08-17 15:29:44
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/640
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length70.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
11
Mar 2020 : Wednesday
filed under  Camera Gear, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Sony A7R, Travel

On the Way to Aoraki

MDMA Research

I came across this interesting article about MDMA Research. I’m a huge supporter of what MAPS is doing in their Phase 3 trials…pretty sure it’s a game-changer for treating depression, PTSD, and even helping well people have a better life.

Daily Photo – On the Way to Aoraki

About four hours away from my home is Aoraki (Mount Cook), and every drive is completely worth it. This was one of the first times I went in the winter and I was not disappointed. It’s almost impossible to get a bad photo there around there! The place reminds me a lot of Antarctica because it is so remote and raw.

On the Way to Aoraki

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-08-19 08:37:25
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/60
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO125
  • Focal Length24.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias-1

Comments
4
Mar 2020 : Wednesday
filed under  Camera Gear, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Sony A7R, Travel

On the Way to Mount Cook

Funny Airline Video

Economy, for your comfort from funny

Daily Photo – On the Way to Mount Cook

If you’re up near Mount Cook on the South Island of New Zealand and want a cool reflection shot, here’s a tip! There’s a big lodge there and if you start driving on the roads behind it that seem to go nowhere, eventually you’ll find this water treatment area. I know… I know you expected a lake. And, I suppose, it’s sort of a lake, even if it is man-made. Anyway, because it’s so small, there’s a good likelihood of getting a clean shot.

On the Way to Mount Cook

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-08-19 08:35:18
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/8
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO125
  • Focal Length24.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias+2

Comments
11
May 2015 : Monday
filed under  Mount Cook, New Zealand, Photography Tips, Sony A7R, Travel

Reflections on Reflections

Reflection Shots

One good idea for reflection shots is to make sure there is some kind of randomness or lack of symmetry in the bottom half of the photo. Otherwise, it will look like a straight up Photoshop fake-reflection!

Daily Photo – Reflections on Reflections

This place near Mount Cook looks like the perfect idyllic clean lake, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t! A bit more artifice here I suppose… but Stu and I spent the night in our truck right by the waste-water treatment facility! The water was actually quite disgusting, but it was a small enough waste-pond so that the water was nice and still. And, luckily, there was no wind!

Reflections on Reflections

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-08-19 08:39:09
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/100
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO125
  • Focal Length38.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias-1

Comments
23
Jan 2015 : Friday
filed under  Mount Cook, New Zealand

Making Mistakes at Mount Cook

Night Photography

A while ago, I suggested that maybe I could create a night photography tutorial. I must confess that I have never actually done this. It would be a really awesome thing, but I’ve just been too busy I’m afraid! I know that sounds lame, but they actually take quite a long time to make. But, it’s still on my list for sure… never fear! Well, fear a little.

Daily Photo – Making Mistakes at Mount Cook

I made a variety of mistakes this evening. The only success was this photo!

I went here to Mount Cook with my friend Stu (who I happen to be with now in Antarctica). We decided to sleep in the back of the pickup, but it was so horribly uncomfortable that we decided to move to inside the truck halfway through the night. While transferring from the outside to the inside, I took a quick photo of the village here on the edge of this amazing mountain range at Mount Cook.

Making Mistakes at Mount Cook

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-08-18 21:28:53
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time30
  • Aperture
  • ISO320
  • Focal Length
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
21
Nov 2014 : Friday
filed under  Akaroa, Arrowtown, Auckland, Christchurch, Cromwell, Dunedin, Franz Josef, Glenorchy, Lake Tekapo, Lindis Pass, Matamata, Milford Sound, Moeraki, Mount Cook, Nelson, New Zealand, Paradise, Queenstown, Rotorua, Saint Bathans, Te Anau, Wanaka

The Beauty of New Zealand

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

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13
Mar 2014 : Thursday
filed under  Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook

Lavender Fields on the way to Mount Cook

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

  • 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

Comments
29
Jan 2014 : Wednesday
filed under  Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, New Zealand, Photography Tips

The Impressive Sony 55mm Prime with Lavender in the Fields

A recommended Lens

If you click up there on the top to see Trey’s Gear, you’ll see I have a bunch of different recommended lenses. One of them I used for today’s shot – the Sony 55mm FE f/1.8 lens. It’s really been quite remarkable and fun! It’s nice to have a full-frame lens like this with a great depth of field for shots of this nature (if you forgive the pun!).

Daily Photo – Lavender in the Fields

While driving up towards Mount Cook, I finally saw my first endless field of lavender. I’ve seen these before in photos and thought it would be fun to walk amidst them, which I then ended up doing for about an hour. I got all sorts of shots, from the close-in stuff below to wide vistas. I’ll publish some of those soon as well!

Lavender in the Fields

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-01-05 12:36:40
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/500
  • Aperture2.4
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length55.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias+2

Comments