I often walk over here around sunset to this little peaceful pond in Dalefield. You can’t tell from this angle, but it’s actually in the shape of a heart, which fits many of my Disney romantic fantasies. Speaking of which, I think Disney has messed up a lot of people! A friend came over about a week ago and she studied Women’s Issues or something in college… she went on a long diatribe about sexism and stuff. I mostly was tuning her out because she was a woman, but she did have a few good points.

The Little Pond Near my Home

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-03-21 08:02:06
• CameraX1D-50c
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time0.5
• Aperture11
• ISO100
• Focal Length30.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

One early and a rather cold morning, I jumped on a snowmobile and headed up the backside of the Remarkables to get a view. I was not disappointed, but I was rather cold. It really was worth it though. I’ve got these pretty snazzy photographer’s gloves where the fingers still have access but there is a mitten cover that comes over the top to keep them warm. It’s a simple invention, but a welcome one!

The Backside of the Remarkables before Sunrise

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-06-30 03:26:46
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time13
• Aperture
• ISO200
• Focal Length0.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Back before the Apocalypse, I used to have Autumn photography workshops here in Queenstown, New Zealand. On the very first day, we do about a 2km hike from the lake to Queenstown Gardens here. It’s all timed pretty well so we can both see the sunrise over the Remarkables followed by a beautiful photo-stroll through these gardens. Here you can see a couple of my slavish apprentices doing exactly what the benevolent dictator says.

The First Morning of the Workshop

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-04-18 21:38:01
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/160
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Here’s one of my rare textured photos. When I look at these, I always think I should do this even more. The Remarkables can be a little tricky to shoot in the morning because the sun comes up kind of behind them. It’s great for silhouettes but if you really want a better shot of the Remarks, it’s best to wait till sunset.

The Remarkables at Sunrise

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-04-18 20:18:54
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time0.8
• Aperture16
• ISO100
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

New Zealand has great gardens in pretty much every city. I suppose this is part of the British influence because the USA has very few elaborate gardens like the ones here. Luckily, this one is only about 10 minutes from my home so it’s a great place to go for a little photowalk. It’s pretty all year round, but I think it’s prettiest in the Autumn.

Queenstown Gardens

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-23 09:41:00
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/80
• Aperture8
• ISO50
• Focal Length63.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

After living here in Queenstown for 10 years, I finally decided to do a hot air balloon ride. There were two balloons, and that was a nice surprise, as some of my best photos were of the other balloon. The landscape shots were cool of course, but I really think this top-down perspective is interesting.

Ballooning From Above

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2020-03-01 08:51:44
• CameraILCE-7RM4
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/2500
• Aperture4
• ISO160
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I don’t actually head up this road too much because I’m not much of a skier and snowboarder. If anything, I drive up it to go on little hike and take photos. It does give a pretty good overview of Queenstown, though. Queenstown is kind of right in the middle there and on the lower right an area called Frankton. It’s still technically Queenstown, but people call it Frankton.

Queenstown from the Remarkables

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-04-25 19:17:36
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/6
• Aperture4
• ISO160
• Focal Length63.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Here’s a new photo from Queenstown of the Remarkables with Deer Park Heights in the foreground. This perspective actually makes DPH look pretty huge, but it’s quite small compared to the mountains in the background. If you’re a geology nerd like me, then you may identify this as a Nunatak, and it is formed when two glaciers come together to carve out these shapes. It’s a little like a terminal moraine because it the “leftover” part of the rocks after a glacier melts.

The Remarkables and Kelvin Heights

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-10-17 20:20:35
• CameraFC330
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/13
• Aperture2.8
• ISO164
• Focal Length3.6 mm
• FlashNo flash function
• Exposure ProgramUnknown (58655)
• Exposure Bias

That’s not the official name of this cool rock structure in Skipper’s Canyon near Queenstown, but that’s what I call it. This road around the canyon has many little turnouts and stops where you can see cool formations. This one is right in the beginning, just as you are beginning your downward crawl into the canyon.

The Wizard’s Hat

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-03-21 06:40:29
• CameraX1D-50c
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/125
• Aperture8
• ISO100
• Focal Length30.0 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Are there any bad photos of this area? I don’t think so. If you ever have a chance to fly in a helicopter, one thing to notice is the reflections. Sometimes you’ll have totally clean shots and other times the reflection will be too much to remove in Photoshop. One thing I’ve noticed about helicopter pilots is they like a bit of direction. So, if you want one shot or another, feel free to tell them over the headphones the kind of angle you are trying to get. They’re happy to do it… otherwise, they are just kind of on rails, going from one place to the next.

Flying Across the Southern Alps

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2016-03-30 06:07:03
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/160
• Aperture11
• ISO100
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias