Follow the Light - Castle Point Lighthouse, New Zealand
One of my main inspirations for visiting New Zealand, as if you really need one, was a photo from this perspective that I ran across on another photo site some ...
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One of my main inspirations for visiting New Zealand, as if you really need one, was a photo from this perspective that I ran across on another photo site some time back. The leading lines and the amazing view was something I just had to see, and shoot, for myself. For this shot alone the trip was worth it - and I came home with so much more.
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Mar, 2017Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Tall Structures Photo Contest
Winner in Lighthouse Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Stairways Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
Winner in Follow The Path Photo Challenge
Featured
Contest Finalist in HDR Beautiful Shots Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
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franklinabbott
June 28, 2017
This is absolutely fantastic.I look at a lot of photos on this site, this is one of my favorites
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Ultimate
jamesjohnston_3471
September 02, 2017
Congratulations! This is a truly stunning image and I can see why the view made you take this trip. Thanks for entering my "Follow The Path" Challenge.
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margaretgodfrey
September 02, 2017
congrats on winning "follow the path" photo challenge. Beautiful shot.
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Platinum
lainy
November 20, 2017
It's it all for me, the steps, lighthouse and clouds all pull you in. Excellent Photo.
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JoanLoBo
September 01, 2018
I love the way you composed this image. The path lead you in to this simple subject surrounded by this perfect sky. Well edited. Great impact
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
After seeing photos of this area during my research I took a 3 hour detour from the 'short way' to Wellington to shoot here at Castle Point Lighthouse on New Zealand's south eastern coast. The lighthouse is situated high on a massive rock bluff overlooking a pair of sheltered inlets and then out into the mighty south pacific ocean. At the very top of the bluff is a wooden viewing platform, the wooden stair case in the photo leads up to that highest point just behind my view point.Time
This was late evening, just before sunset. The sun had already started to fade behind the few clouds in the sky and was providing some wonderful textures and color.Lighting
All natural light from the moments just as Golden Hour was starting to fade and that second magical hour, the Blue Hour was about to begin. With just enough clouds on the horizon to soften the last minutes of day, as well as providing wonderful natural colors across the sky. Shot was taken as a 3-image bracket, allowing great foreground lighting all the way to the horizon.Equipment
Shot with one of my two Canon 6D full frame DSLR cameras, with the 24-105L lens at its widest 24mm focal length. I was experimenting with a lot of different focal lengths along this stretch of the coast so the 24-105's wide zoom range allowed me some flexibility without needing to change lenses in the windy and somewhat sandy & salty environment. Tripod used with my Induro carbon fiber tripod with Benro ball head.Inspiration
I had seen several photos from this area, one being a very similar composition. The winding stair case, the lighthouse, and the fantastic rock structure and sea beyond, the shot had it all. I knew if I managed to get a night with a good bit of clouds in the sky, the sun would be in just about the right spot for a nice bit of color to tie it all together. It was a goal worth striving for.Editing
This is a 3-shot manual blend done in Lightroom and Photoshop. I start all of my edits in Lightroom with the 'creative' edit done in Photoshop, often with a layer or two created with the amazing Nik Collection plugin suite. On this photo I utilized a bit of Nik Color Effect's wonderful 'Skylight Filter' to enhance the already wonderful sunset tones. In addition to the blending for exposure, several layers were added to do selective dodge and burn work to enhance the eye's direction through the photo.In my camera bag
My primary Landscape kit consists of the 16-35 F4L, the 24-105 F4L and 70-200 F4L. These lenses strike a great balance of cost, weight, size and exceptional performance for a landscape photographer who is constantly on the go and on the move as I am. I carry a fairly small bag that fits my Canon 6D with those two lenses in the lower compartment (along with the 100mm f/2.8 Macro often gets crammed in as well) along with the telephoto in the upper compartment. Most days out shooting that's all the lenses I have on me, allowing me to stay mobile and on the hunt for the ideal composition and light. I'm also using the amazing Breakthrough X4 series of circular ND filters, the 6 and 3 stop currently, with plans to purchase the 10 stop in the future. My smaller MeFoto Globetrotter tripod gets strapped to the side of the bag on longer hikes, where the larger Induro gets slung over the shoulder when maximum support is necessary.Feedback
Good clouds are the key to this location, even shooting from a high elevation looking down, the softer light and balance achieved in the sky by having a reasonable amount of clouds in the sky is truly important for a satisfactory image. Setting good f/stop and focal points where you achieve maximum depth of field is also important. Focus stacking would not be out of the question for some lenses where the best sharpness comes at a very low f/stop. You've got elements from only a few feet away all the way to the horizon to contend with. Take plenty of shots, at different bracketing setups, at a few different focal lengths and focal points. Something I struggle with still is getting one really really really good composition you're proud to show off to everyone over shooting a dozen different shots that you'll be less than thrilled with 3 weeks later when you're back home on the other side of the globe.
