In the company of mountains… a westerly storm from the Tasman Sea slams into the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The view is looking towards the head of Lake Tekapo at Mount Mistake and the Godley River valley.
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Archive for Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
In the company of mountains… dramatic lighting and composition created by the cloud of a westerly front as it sweeps across Lake Tekapo in New Zealand.
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Lake Tekapo Mood
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My place, my inspiration… Lake Tekapo is in a foul mood this week… but I still love her.
Lake Tekapo Dusk
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On my way… and an early evening walk along the shoreline of Lake Tekapo in the South Island of New Zealand leaves me in awe of the form and colour created by a westerly storm from the Tasman Sea. This place is all about the weather and the light.
Motuariki Island – Lake Tekapo
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On my way… and traveling home to Lake Tekapo the sky revealed signs of an approaching storm. The light and the weather were in tandem, I had to get to higher ground to
capture the magic.
At 1,000m above sea level the top of Mount John beside Lake Tekapo offers superb 360 degree views of the Mackenzie Basin with countless photographic opportunities.
I was in luck, the light and weather put on quite a show but, the price to pay was to endure a howling wind that sent a chill to the bone. No time to race back to the truck for gloves, compositions were changing by the second.
I have never felt such cold hands… not even as a milk boy on an endless frosty morning. At the worst possible moment the auto focus gave up, until realising I was pushing down on the camera body and not the shutter release. I had lost all sense of touch in my fingers and began to empathise with mountain climbers who’s constant enemy is frost bite.
The show was over. I made my way back to the truck feeling happy with the shoot and looking forward to seeing the results… then my numb fingers began to warm up with a sort of tingling sensation… well that was fun!
Westerly Light
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On my way… and traveling home from Lake Wanaka to Lake Tekapo the sky to the west was showing signs of dramatic evening light.
A quick detour around Mount John to higher ground and I had reached a tussock clad hill to watch the show unfold.
The colours and shifting cloud formations were breathtaking. I was constantly twisting, turning and looking up, searching for compositions that would appear and disappear in a heartbeat.
The sound of the wild westerly wind only added to the drama, almost rendering a tripod useless.
The evening left me in awe of the landscape.
TIP: Don’t leave any expensive camera gear by a tussock unmarked… especially in fading light!
In my rush to change lenses and trying to capture everything before me I put the spare lens on the ground unmarked…duh!
When the show was over I realised I had about 15 minutes of light left to find a NZ$3,000 lens in a mass of countless tussock.
Calm prevailed as I took some known bearings… but it was close, you’d think I had lost a child the way I hugged that lens when I found it!
Lake Tekapo Church
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On my way… and with the Connie Lupin (see previous post) in full bloom around the “Church of the Good Shepherd” Lake Tekapo, New Zealand a dramatic view is created with an approaching storm in the background. The church was built in 1935 after a request from locals to the Anglican Vestry Reverend W.E.D Davies. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Gloucester in the same year and since then the location has been the idyllic setting for hundreds of weddings.
The late afternoon foreground light against the dark background created a natural contrast. Along with the glacial silt blue of the lake and the vibrant mauve of the lupins, all the elements combine to give a dramatic feel to the image.
These are the types of images I enjoy making. I like to have tension between the light and dark within the image, especially where the dark is dominant over the light. Light is so strong, an image only needs a small amount for it to command attention. Dark has to work harder and so I like to give it more space.