This is a cool hut we found on a mountain in Wanaka. I think it’s called the Bob Lee Hut. We were up here shooting a segment for the video you see above… one amazing thing about NZ is that there are about 1,000 of these huts scattered all over New Zealand and they’re all free or at least a very low price! I think this one was $30. Yeah, people just bring their own sleeping back and snacks and camp out inside. I think this one slept about 12, but there were only three of us this night. Everyone is also very good at cleaning up after themselves… I’ve never seen a mess left behind.

Free Camping in New Zealand

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-03-05 22:25:26
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time25
• Aperture
• ISO200
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

And here’s one of my favorite photos (now sold out) hanging in Sir Michael Hill’s home.

In Sir Michael Hill’s Home

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-08-18 11:44:18
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time4
• Aperture16
• ISO100
• Focal Length12.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

My original plan was to stay here for two nights, but I ended up just staying one night. It was actually a very small little town and you could easily see the whole thing in just half a day. I am glad I stayed the night though because everyone really clears out around sunset to get the bus back to the main town.

Bridge Crossing in Ginzan Onsen

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-02-18 21:48:00
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.6
• Aperture8
• ISO250
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I came to this place with one of my worst plans, but it totally worked out!

Planning for this Japan trip was very difficult because I was going to many remote towns that a) do not take online booking b) where I stay in small hotels where no one speaks English. This makes getting reservations directly almost impossible!

I tried to get reservations via the bilingual concierge at the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo, and even though he was very resourceful, he said it was 100% booked. But I decided to go anyway and knock on every door of every ryokan until I found a room. I knew it would be hard because nobody speaks English in these places. Anyway, after I knocked on the door of ryokan #4 I finally found a room! Even better, they had private baths fed by all the steaming water from the nearby hot springs. It was incredible to be soaking in steaming hot mineral water while watching snow fall all around me.

Ginzan Onsen

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-02-18 22:03:16
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time0.6
• Aperture6.3
• ISO400
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I made this one with my Movie Night Presets that are available now. It’s one of my favorite presets, especially for moody night shots. I almost called it the “Blade Runner Presets” but I didn’t want to run afoul of those persnickety copyright lawyers in Hollywood.

A Cool Rainy Night in Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-02-01 23:16:08
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/200
• Aperture4
• ISO3200
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

When I look back on photos like this, it reminds me to get out and shoot more in the rain! It’s not gonna kill me, ya know? What’s a little bit of water on your head and camera? Both can take it. The head was built to be waterproof as long as you are above the waterline. And sure, you get a little wet, but, in 47 years, I’ve become a total expert at drying myself, right? Maybe one exception is when it is really cold… don’t want to get into the hypothermia zone, like I am probably in right now in Japan!

Rain on the Bund in Shanghai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-06-23 01:41:58
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/20
• Aperture2.8
• ISO800
• Focal Length17.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• 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

What a cool idea this was, if I do say so myself! I decided to do a workshop right outside of Paris and we rented this whole chateau for a few days. It wasn’t actually as expensive as you might think. It was a little weird for a few reasons. One is that a family was living in one of the corner rooms, but we never saw them. Also, about half of the rooms were abandoned and there was all kinds of creepy stuff inside. It made it even more creepy when we pictured that the family was living in one of those creepy rooms.

Midnight at the Chateau

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2012-11-08 20:46:31
• CameraNIKON D800
• Camera MakeNikon
• Exposure Time1/4
• Aperture5.6
• ISO6400
• Focal Length14.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias