Categories
Boggy Pond

The Visitors

The Duck Shooters

On my third visit to Boggy Pond I took Sally to show her the wonders of the bog! There is a loop track around the pond that I wanted to explore. It was quite scenic and provided many opportunities for photos like my Autumn colours images. The walk took a few hours and ended up having to cross farm land to reach the road. We were walking past Eric Kilmore lodge when Sally suggested we should have a look inside. I declined the offer as the place was occupied by the look of the number of vehicles parked outside. Also there were probably big men with guns inside… So we kept on walking. We  heard some voices from behind but we  thought it was people talking. After lots of distant yelling I turned around and there was this hunter asking us whether we would like to come in for coffee. I suppose they were bored and its not often you see a couple of asians carrying lots of camera gear walking along a deserted road. As we were getting tired I said why not? He introduced himself as Paul, and I put on a fake asian accent and asked him which way to Lake Wanaka? Actually I made that up but I did joke to Paul later if I heard Banjo s (Movie, ‘Deliverance’) we would have started running away!

Anyway the coffee and hospitality was great and we made some new friends. Apparently the Hut is booked by Duck Shooters in Winter and Bird watchers in Summer. Paul also gave me lots of information on access roads around the area and how Boggy Pond got that unique look with all the dead trees. Apparently the Willow trees were taking over the swamp so they were sprayed to allow a greated biodiversity to develop. Hence the presence of many cabbage trees. And I was rewarded with the classic image of the Hunter with his retreiver dog !

The Visitors

1.    23 May 2015    D3s    iso 1600    29mm    f/2.8    1/125sec

The Visitors

2.    23 May 2015    D800    iso200    15mm    f/5.6    1/125sec

The Visitors

3.    23 May 2015    D800    iso400    150mm    f/6.3    1/125sec

The Visitors

4.    23 May 2015    D3s    iso 400    29mm    f4.0    1/125sec

Guess the non Duck Shooter……..

The Visitors

5.   23 May 2015    D3s    iso400    29mm    f/4.8    1/125sec  

Comments

Categories
Blog 2018

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays………

24 May 2015

In January 2015 I knocked off another “must photograph” place on my list for China. The Lonely Planet rates the Yuanyang rice terraces as number 22 of the places to see in China from a list of 30.

We took a five day “Wing On” tour from Hong Kong. The company on the bus were all very nice people and all keen on photography-afterall the tour was advertised as a photographic tour. We all got on so well that a “Whats App” group was formed and even now its still going! The sights and scenery were very good although most of the rice terraces scenes were from viewing platforms and we were surrounded (literally) by hundreds of fellow photographers all shooting the same scene! It seemed that sunset and sunrise were the best times and we waited for hours just to watch the sun go down.  Dynamic range (too much) was a big problem and it would have been great to have a 400mm lens.

I took hundreds of shots and there were very few “keepers”. My “Whats App” group have published no photostudies either.

So with the hundreds of photographers shooting the same scene in extreme lighting, or flat boring lighting, it may become a battle of the “Post Processers”- to squeeze something out of the files with Photoshop or similar software. Glad I was shooting Raw files from the start and using a tripod.

In future should I return, I would like to spend time in the town of YuanYang and maybe walkup to the terraces or have a private driver. Sunset scenes would be best from the sides of the terraces rather than looking down.  Unique scenes can often occur on the way to the destination rather than at the end point. I also believe you can get “nice’ photos from a view point but not really exceptional or unique images.

So this is not the “Game of Thrones” but the game of the photoshoppers to win this crown!

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

1.  15 January 2015    Just some of the 100s of photographers

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

2.  14 January 2015    Nikon D3s    iso 200    24mm    f9.5    1/125sec

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

3.    14 January 2015    Nikon D750    iso 800    70mm    f16    1/250sec    70-200f4

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

4.    15 January2015    Nikon D750    iso 200    200mm    f5.6    1/180sec

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

5.    15 January 2015    Nikon D750    iso 200    200mm    f5.6    1/90sec

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

6.    15 January 2015    Nikon D750    iso 200    200mm    f5.6    1/250sec

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

7.    15 January 2015   Nikon D750    iso 200    145mm    f4.8    1/180sec

Its Hard Getting a Unique Image Nowadays.........

8. The original capture

Comments

Categories
2018

Yuanyang Rice terraces

24 May 2015

Yuanyang Rice terraces

15 January  2015    Nikon D3s    iso200    200mm    f5.6    1/30sec    Nikon 70-200mm f4

The rice terraces are in Yunnan Province, China.  Apparently the terraces were built by the Hani People 2500 years ago. Now they are recognised by Unesco as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site.

Please go to the Blog for more…….

Comments

<
>