Devil's Punch Bowl Falls
In Arthur's Pass, South Island, New Zealand, a short but steep walk up to these falls which is well worth the effort....
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In Arthur's Pass, South Island, New Zealand, a short but steep walk up to these falls which is well worth the effort.
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Apr, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The Devil's Punch Bowl Falls are in Arthur's Pass, in the South Island of New Zealand on one of the two mountain routes between Canterbury and the West Coast. There is a steep 1 hour return walk - if you are reasonably fit, through lovely bush so well worth the climb. However I would not want to be carrying more than just a camera. There is a viewing platform as the area is rather rocky and narrow but I found it was possible to clamber down over very large boulders to the water and find the shot I wanted with the mountain beech tree silhouetted against the falls.Time
This was taken mid-afternoon in the middle of summer.Lighting
As for the lighting there was no choice or control other than with camera settings as we visited the area on a road trip and had limited time.Equipment
This was shot on a Sony DSC-R1, F8 ISO 160, 1/250th sec 71.5mm and hand held.Inspiration
It is one of the iconic spots in the National Park and like The Wanaka Tree just about every keen photographer will want an opportunity to capture a shot. I was just lucky that the weather was so favourable. I was experimenting with shutter speed, trying out a slow speed for that softening and blurring effect on the water then high speeds to freeze the motion. I have come to conclusion that I prefer the latter as some images with very smooth water look so unnatural that I think very few people apart from photographers appreciate what is being shown. Just my opinion - I could well be quite wrong!Editing
There was very little post-processing of this image. It is virtually straight from the camera, maybe with just a little contrast and brightness adjustment.In my camera bag
My camera is now a Sony RX10M2 but at the time of taking this shot it was a Sony DSC R1, both mirrorless with no other lens required in the bag. I use a polarising filter and a tripod when necessary but keep my bag as small and light as possible particularly as I really prefer people and street photography so move around a lot. .Feedback
There are great opportunities in the many National Parks in New Zealand for capturing similar images - as I am sure there are in many other parts of the world. If possible choose your time of day to fit in with the lovely warm light early and late but sometimes it is not possible so just seize the moment and do the best you can with the knowledge of what can be achieved with post processing. I guess the essential element is finding the best composition possible in sometimes difficult situations.
