Good Morning Moke
Early morning at Moke Lake just out of Queenstown, New Zealand. After a frustrating previous evening when my camera malfunctioned I was hoping to get a nice su...
Read more
Early morning at Moke Lake just out of Queenstown, New Zealand. After a frustrating previous evening when my camera malfunctioned I was hoping to get a nice sunrise at this stunning location. It delivered and huge waves of mist blew through with a few clear periods. This is one of those clear times. I used a long exposure to smooth out the small amount of mist in front of the mountains and emphasize the motion of the clouds.
I will definitely be back here over winter; hopefully when the area is covered in snow and the lake might be partly frozen.
Read less
I will definitely be back here over winter; hopefully when the area is covered in snow and the lake might be partly frozen.
Read less
Jun, 2016Views
684
Likes
Awards
Member Selection Award
Summer Selection
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
Platinum
PRO+
WildSeascapes
July 23, 2016
Really liking the soft tones of this photo. The image has a real mystical feel to it, great work!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Moke Lake, approximately half an hour from Queenstown in New Zealand. It is a magical location; both for photography and just to relax among beautiful scenery. I had a week in between jobs so decided to take a quick photography road trip around the South Island; this spot was one of my favorites.Time
This particular photo was taken at about 5:30am. It was a 40 minute walk from my campsite so that meant an early start. Because of the orientation of Moke Lake, and its various composition opportunities in any direction, you can shoot sunrise, sunset, or night shots with some pretty great results.Lighting
I really liked the side lighting of the sunrise in this scene. There was a wonderful glow with the low cloud/mist (that I slightly emphasized in post-processing to help create the mood that I felt when I shot it). I liked the side lighting on the mountains that help add depth.Equipment
I shot this with a Canon 7d, Sigma 18-35 f1.8 ART lens, Lee big stopper 10 stop ND filter, and Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod.Inspiration
This is a relatively common photography location in New Zealand (though certainly less photographed than 'that Wanaka tree'!). I have a long list of locations I would like to shoot; some commonly shot, others more remote that I have only found via topo maps/satellite imagery. This location was on my list, and given that I was planning to hike up a nearby mountain the next day I figured it was a good chance to spend the night here. I didn't have a particular shot in mind, but the evening prior I walked around the lake scouting locations and hoping for a decent sunset (that didn't eventuate) and I decided that this view could work well for sunrise. I took a few different shots with slightly different compositions + with and without ND filters; but I particularly liked the long exposure and how the motion of the clouds contrasts with the stillness of the reflection.Editing
I used 2 exposures. One for the majority of the image and the other to help bring out some detail in the foreground tussock. I manually blended these, then proceeded to make some local contrast adjustments, dodge/burn to help bring out the highlights in the mountain and add depth + emphasize the glow from the right side of the scene. I warped the mountains slightly because the wide angle lens tended to flatten them out.In my camera bag
I mostly shoot landscapes and 80% of the time am shooting wide-angle. I used to take my Canon 7d, Sigma 18-35mm, Lee filters, a remote shutter release, and a tripod. That would suit me most of the time; especially if I was hiking somewhere and wanted to keep my load relatively light. Recently I have changed system to Sony so my camera and lens is now a Sony A7R and Sony Zeiss 16-35mm f4. I carry a longer lens (usually a Canon 100mm IS f2.8) if it is a short hike, but when I am going for multiday hike the telephoto generally stays at home.Feedback
Be patient, try multiple compositions, and plan ahead. My favorite time of the day to shoot is sunrise; but the problem is that leading up to sunrise it is often too dark to reliably find a good composition. So wherever possible I scout the location the day before and figure out where I will shoot from. A lot of the time the sunrise or sunset won't give spectacular colors, and maybe that means you don't get the shot you were looking for, but it is also an opportunity to try something different like using a long exposure, or shooting a skyless composition. Most of all I try and enjoy being out in nature. If I don't get a good shot, that doesn't mean I can't have a good time.
