Golden Leaves

That Wanaka Tree, a famous tree in the Southern Hemisphere.

This place is always packed with tourists and photographers. I've been here three times so far, in 2015 (https:--www.facebook.com-ImagesByHafizIsmail-photos-a.838806812869402.1073741867.317934751623280-838806872869396-?type=3&theater) and in 2016 (https:--www.facebook.com-ImagesByHafizIsmail-photos-a.1031859756897439.1073741868.317934751623280-1044476842302397-?type=3&theater). Both times, I'd managed to capture photos that I am somewhat proud of.

This year, I wanted to capture something different but this particular photo didn't come out of a pre-visualized shots or anything. It was a product of being there at the right time and at the wrong time.

It was a rainy morning. I'd arrived early, about 5am to setup my tripod for a time lapse sequence of the milky way. But the weather was not on my side. Clouds were covering the sky but I could see the stars.

My time lapse of the sunrise wasn't that successful either because of the rain but I continued to capture it anyway. I wrapped my Nikon D800 and my lens with a plastic bag to protect it from the rain. 200 shot in, the rain was pouring and I made the decision to pack up and head to the campervan.

1-4 way to the campervan, the rain suddenly stopped. I made the decision to turn back and quickly look for a suitable foreground. A found a small stream of water flowing down towards the lake with golden leaves surrounding it. I set my tripod low, focused on my foreground and shot away.

3 shots in, the rain started again but this time, heavily and it showed no possibility of stopping. I checked my LCD and settled for the shots even though I knew that my filter is full of water droplets and this might affect the photo. I quickly made way to the campervan in the rain. My bag, my pants, and the plastic bag that was covering the camera was drenched in water by the time I climbed up the campervan.

Surprisingly, the photo turned out well. I'd reduced the saturation of the surrounding while maintaining the yellow-golden colours of the leaves in the foreground. Although there are some areas of the photos I would love to tinker more or if i'd the time to properly compose while on location, I couldn't be more happy with the final result.

3 years in a row I'd capture this cliche location. And in that 3 years, I'd brought back 3 different photos.

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