DSC_0643-2
Rangitoto island is bathed in the pre-dawn light of a new day as the low tide is just turning and creating a almost prefect mirror image in the stillness of the...
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Rangitoto island is bathed in the pre-dawn light of a new day as the low tide is just turning and creating a almost prefect mirror image in the stillness of the water on Cheltenham Beach, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Mar, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo of Rangitoto Island was taken from Cheltenham Beach in Auckland, New Zealand at sunrise during an exceptionally low tide. One of the unique things about this particular beach is that it is very, very flat and so at low tide, only a very thin layer of water covers a large part of the sand.Time
I particularly like the wealth of colours you get just prior to sunrise and so this was taken at around 6am in the morning at the start of Autumn. All the conditions came together just at the right moment, in that the sun was well to the East due to the time of year, the sky was completely clear with not a cloud to be seen and the tide was a exceptionally low tide and just on the ebb so very little water movement. Added to that, there wasn't a breath of wind so perfect conditions for a mirror image of Rangitoto Island to be seen in the water.Lighting
Just one of those mornings where everything seemed to come together at the right time. Certainly the sunrise colours are typical of an Auckland sunrise on a clear day, but to get such a still mirror image is quite unusual since Auckland usually has some wind just about all the time.Equipment
The photograph was shot on a Nikon D850, tripod mounted, 16-35mm Lens set at 35mm, ISO64, f/22 and 15secs exposure.Inspiration
The photograph is from a series of sunrise shots from various Auckland beaches. But it's certainly one of my favourites as really shows its often about being in the right place at the right time and let the magic happen.Editing
The is a small amount of post processing done in Ligthroom to darken the blacks and add vibrance to bring out the rich range of colours in the sunrise.In my camera bag
No matter where i go, I tend to carry most of my equipment with me. Fortunately I have a Lowepro Proroller X100 AW which I can fit in my Nikon D850, a whole bunch of lenses, flash, spare batteries, external hard drives, filters and all the other small accessories and bits and pieces you tend to gather over time. Added to that, I typically carry around in the car boot a large tripod for just such an occasion as this.Feedback
I guess my only advice is you really need to get up well before the birds while it's still dark, so that you're in the place you want to be, setup and waiting for the sunrise without having to rush around. With that out of the way it's then just a matter of envisaging the shot you want to take and configuring the camera accordingly. To get this one shot is around 2 hours of driving there, finding the right place to setup, setting up, checking everything and then taking a range of shots from just before the sunrise starts to about half an hour after. It's about being deliberate and not just rush in, click and go.
