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lake_of_tranquility
Alien sunrise
35 Comments | Report
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Paulacook144 November 20, 2017
Lovely colours and movement in this image.
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lake_of_tranquility November 28, 2017
Thank you very much Paula, glad you like it!
 
Sniperspawk9 December 03, 2017
Very nice capture, nice mood
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lake_of_tranquility December 03, 2017
Thank you very much!
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beckyreding December 28, 2017
Stunning
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lake_of_tranquility December 31, 2017
Thank you very much Becky!
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Gunashekar January 02, 2018
Spectacular!!!
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lake_of_tranquility January 02, 2018
Thank you very much!
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John256 January 03, 2018
Nice exposure, love the way the ocean and sky look.
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lake_of_tranquility January 03, 2018
Thank you very much!
 
amydouglas_3473 January 03, 2018
I was in NZ over 20 years ago - this image brought me back to the rhythmically waves and glowing sunrise instantly. Thank you!!
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lake_of_tranquility January 04, 2018
Thank you, glad it brought back beautiful memories for you!
 
LowKal January 13, 2018
I love this shot ! really great
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lake_of_tranquility January 14, 2018
Thank you, glad you like it!!
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Katnott January 14, 2018
wow!!!!!!!
you should join my "between Lakes and Oceans" challenge
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_atombomb February 07, 2018
Wow! This image is something special. It's interesting how the subject matter and the overall technique of the image is easy to be done but the image as a whole is much more powerful and complex. Well done!
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korinna February 09, 2018
Voted in the long exposure contest
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noellebennett February 21, 2018
This is almost certainly the best Moeraki Boulders image I've seen - absolute perfection 8-)
 
MDSPhotography March 14, 2018
Very nice composition. I like the juxtaposition between the boulder,surf, and shoreline.
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Alfredo_Jose March 26, 2018
Stunning!
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Stoops_Photography June 01, 2018
Amazing!
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manueladurson June 04, 2018
Love this! Congrats!
 
drobinso June 08, 2018
Fabulous shot, love it.
 
EdithNero June 15, 2018
Magnifica composicion, great long exposure
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debbiespeed July 15, 2018
The softness and colors are amazing!
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DutchTouch July 30, 2018
Wonderful image
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MikeW September 01, 2018
An all-round (no pun intended) perfect shot, congrats!
 
mariaelenavalenciarpo September 05, 2018
Wonderful !!!
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Merlot September 08, 2018
Stunning image
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marieannestas November 16, 2018
So beautiful !
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marieannestas November 16, 2018
So beautiful !
 
Mspower December 06, 2018
Awesome picture like the colours
 
Deiderz Jan 29
Please come join my new challenge Tunnels or Unique Rocks
 
josh5789 Feb 02
r\nthis is such a cool shot
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renatojoller-photography.ch Feb 03
Excellent
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albertoenisosbajasmoreno Feb 23
Fantástic composición and colours
 
samimalam Mar 19
affv
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Maustincpt Mar 23
Beautiful shot. Love the colors and the movement,
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donaldgbrown Mar 23
awesome image … congrates
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margitulstrup Mar 23
Congratulations fantastic shot
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FeatherstonePhotography Mar 24
Congratulations on your win from one of the other finalists. I was at Moeraki but during a cloudy day. I live the way you captured the clouds and the colors.
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joybello Mar 25
Congrats on your win!! What an honor, & well deserved with this wonderful photo!!

Alien sunrise



The Moeraki Boulders on New Zealand's East Coast are incredible remnants from ancient times and are a magnet for landscape photographers. It can get very b...
Read more
The Moeraki Boulders on New Zealand's East Coast are incredible remnants from ancient times and are a magnet for landscape photographers. It can get very busy there but on that particular morning my mates and I had the place to ourselves - bliss!
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placeNov, 2017

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Awards

Contest Finalist in An Unforgettable Adventure Photo Contest
Fujifilm X-T20 Camera
Contest Finalist in The Clouds And The Sunlight Photo Contest
Honorable Mention in The Moving Clouds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Moving Clouds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Towards The Horizon Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Creative Landscapes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 38 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 28
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Peer Award
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Outstanding Creativity
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+76
Superb Composition
+66
Magnificent Capture
+41
Superior Skill
+19
All Star
+14
Virtuoso
+8
Genius
+1

Emotions

Impressed

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#New Zealand #sunrise #Moeraki Boulders #long exposure #sky #racing clouds #clouds #dawn #landscape #rocks #seascape #beach #sky #orange #purple

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Categories

Behind The Lens

Location
These amazing boulders can be found at Moeraki Beach on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Is it just me or do they look a bit like dinosaur eggs?
Time
Sunrise is one of my favourite times of the day and I often get better light than at sunset. My mates and I made our way to the beach in the dark and patiently waited for first light. As it was a fairly overcast morning we did not expect much in terms of colour but it turned out to be a great shoot.
Lighting
I was hoping for some light from the rising sun on top of the boulder I chose for my composition. I had a symmetrical composition in mind with the movement of the waves mirroring the fan of the racing clouds. I was very happy with the overall result.
Equipment
I shot this on a Canon 5D Mark IV with my go to landscape lens, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II. My tripod for all water based shots is the Sirui W-2204 waterproof carbon fibre tripod. I used a NiSi medium grad filter to balance the light above the horizon with the darker foreground, as well as a 3 stop NiSi ND filter to slow the water movement enough to bring out the leading lines of the retreating wave.
Inspiration
I had been wanting to shoot the Moeraki boulders for a long time. I was really hoping that the right level of tide, light, clouds and water movement would all come together for the image I had in mind, and I'm glad to say that I achieved what I wanted.
Editing
This is a composite image of the foreground (with boulder and water movement) paired with a sky shot at a later time. I did fairly extensive work in Photoshop to get the look I wanted, and used several techniques including luminosity masking for tonal balance and contrast and radial blur for the sky to accentuate the fan effect of the racing clouds.
In my camera bag
Apart from my trusty Canon 5D Mark IV I always have my Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II as well as my EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II with me to cover a fairly broad focal range. As I shoot lots of long exposures, I usually have a pretty extensive filter kit from NiSi in my bag, including the excellent NiSi landscape CPL and a wide range of grad and ND filters. I use a remote shutter to eliminate camera vibration as much as possible, and always carry an assortment of lens cleaning equipment with me to wipe lenses and filters on a regular basis to get the cleanest possible image.
Feedback
Do some research and reconaissance before you shoot a location for the first time. For seascapes, it is crucial to know whether low or high tide works best for the image you have in mind. Safety always comes first, be aware that rogue waves can strike at any time. Plan your retreat before you start shooting and never turn your back to the ocean. If you don't mind getting up early, sunrise often works better as you will have to compete with less people for the best compositions. Take lots of different exposures, you will greatly appreciate that later on in post processing.

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