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ISSUE 11, September 2018
INTERVIEW
WITH MARK GEE
WE ARE ONE
NZP PHOTO COMPETITION
ANNOUNCEMENT
BEHIND THE SHOT
WITH MIKE MACKINVEN
HOW TO CAPTURE:
COASTAL SUNRISES
WITH RICHARD YOUNG
PLAYING WITH FIRE
WIRE WOOL SPINNING
WITH RAY SALISBURY
September 2018
1
WELCOME TO ISSUE 11 OF
NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE
HELLO EVERYONE,
You'll be seeing starts in this
issue as we look up at the
night sky for inspiration!
We have interviewed worldrenowned
photographer
Mark Gee, he of Full Moon
Silhouette fame. Local legend
Ray Salisbury has been playing
with fire and walks us through
wire wool spinning step-bystep,
and then, in Behind
The Shot we head back to
that famous NZ location to
learn how Mike of Mack
Photography captured the
Milky Way over the Wanaka
Tree. Leaving the stars behind
and looking out to sea,
Richard reminds us to always look behind when shooting coastal
sunrises and sunsets and Brendon Gilchrist recounts his shipwreck
adventure.
This issue is also full of opportunity for you to get involved and win
some outstanding prizes... We have teamed up with Wellington
Botanical Garden as they celebrate 150 years with an exciting
competition that runs for a year. Plus, NZP celebrates its 1 year
relaunch next month and to celebrate, we're running a special
competition that covers 4 categories with 4 prizes to be won, judged
by local and international judges. Turn to page 35 to meet the
judges and learn all about it.
Emily Goodwin
Editor NZ Photographer
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS
Brendon Gilchrist
Brendon is the man behind ESB
Photography. He treks from sea to
mountain, and back again, capturing
the uniqueness of New Zealand’s
unforgiving landscape.
Richard Young
Richard is an award-winning
landscape and wildlife photographer
who teaches photography workshops
and runs photography tours. He is the
founder of New Zealand Photography
Workshops.
General Info:
NZPhotographer Issue 11
September 2018
Cover Photo
by Mark Gee
www.theartofnight.com
Night On The Ridge
Publisher:
Excio Group
Website:
www.excio.io/nzphotographer
Group Director:
Ana Lyubich
ana@excio.io
Editor:
Emily Goodwin
Graphic Design:
Maksim Topyrkin
Advertising Enquiries:
Phone 04 889 29 25
or Email hello@excio.io
nzphotographer nzp_magazine nzp@excio.io
© 2018 NZPhotographer Magazine
All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in
any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher.
Disclaimer:
Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the
opinion of the magazine.
2 NZPhotographer September 2018 3
CONTENTS
6
INTERVIEW
WITH MARK GEE
17
6
16
INTERVIEW WITH MARK GEE
OF THE ART OF NIGHT
HOW TO CAPTURE: COASTAL SUNRISES & SUNSETS
with Richard Young
17 SHIPWRECKED
by Brendon Gilchrist
20
22
30
34
37
WELLINGTON BOTANICAL
GARDEN COMPETITION
PLAYING WITH FIRE
WIRE WOOL SPINNING TUTORIAL
by Ray Salisbury
BEHIND THE SHOT
with Mike MacKinven
WE ARE ONE COMPETITION
BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS
THIS MONTH
22
SHIPWRECKED
THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
16
MARK
100 SENSOR
HOW TO CAPTURE: COASTAL
SUNRISES AND SUNSETS
Playing with Fire
WIRE WOOL SPINNING
TUTORIAL
The search for uncompromising photography and videography performance is over. The
Nikon D850 sets remarkable standards of quality with an impressive 45.7 effective megapixels.
Capture the most awe-inspiring images and produce phenomenal 8K UHD time-lapse movies.
Create epic film masterpieces in full-frame 4K UHD with NIKKOR wide-angle lenses, or prolong
exquisite moments with its 120p/100p Full HD slow-motion recording.
Purchase from an Authorised Nikon New Zealand Retailer to receive an Extended Two Year Local Warranty.
www.Nikon.co.nz
September 2018
5
Interview with
Mark Gee of
The Art of Night
CAMPING UNDER THE STARS
F2.8, 30s, ISO3200
HI MARK, WOULD YOU CARE TO INTRODUCE
YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?
I’m Mark Gee (Gee pronounced as the letter G) and these
days I class myself as a photographer and filmmaker.
I’m currently based in Wellington, but New Zealand
isn’t my country of origin. I was born and grew up
on the east coast of Australia. I found my love of
photography aged about 14. My uncle dabbled in
photography and took me to an auction to buy my
first camera, which was a Canon film camera. I did
photography as a subject at school and even had my
own darkroom set up at home.
After leaving school, I studied graphic design and
worked at various places, from an architectural office
to a magazine publisher and even a signwriting shop.
I became interested in 3D animation and set my sights
on a career in the film and television industry. I landed
my first job in the industry working on a television series
and also TV commercials and within a few years, I got
the opportunity to come to New Zealand to work on
Lord of the Rings at Weta Digital.
This was certainly the start of something special, and
15 years on, New Zealand is now home. Coming to
New Zealand inspired me to explore my photography
more, which now is a big part of my life.
6 NZPhotographer
I run a few workshops throughout the year. They range
from The Art of Night Wellington meet up which around
1000 people attended last year, to multi-day workshops
for up to 10 people. I also do workshops overseas
including the now legendary PhotoPills Camp on the
island of Menorca in Spain. Most of the workshops focus
on astrophotography, but I also do some workshops
with other photographers which are multi-disciplined.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SPECIFICALLY?
It wasn’t until I came to Wellington in 2003 and went
and visited Castlepoint for the first time. It was one of
those perfectly crisp and clear winter nights, I went
outside to put the rubbish out and looked up. I had
never seen so many stars in my life, and it was the first
time I had ever seen the Milky Way with my own eyes.
I ran back inside, grabbed my camera and tripod,
and with no real knowledge of how to take a photo
of the night sky, I pointed the camera up and took
a shot. The photo itself was really disappointing, as
I could see more stars with my own eyes than what
was in the photo itself! But that was the night when my
passion for astrophotography was ignited and things
have only improved from there!
GALACTIC FLOW
F4, 30s, ISO6400
VALLEY OF STARS
F2.8, 30s, ISO6400
HEAVENS ABOVE PALLISER
F2.8, 30s, ISO6400
YOU’VE WON TOO MANY PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS FOR US TO
NAME… WHICH HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST
ACHIEVEMENT?
My proudest achievement would have to be
Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2013. Not
only did I win the People and Space and the Earth
and Space categories, but I also won the Astronomy
Photographer of the Year overall. And within the
10 year history of the awards, that has never been
done again. I never expected anything like that, so
you can imagine my excitement when I did find out
I had won! My only regret was I didn’t go to London
for the awards, but I was well represented there by
my sister.
WHAT EQUIPMENT ARE YOU SHOOTING
WITH?
I’ve just recently switched from Canon to Nikon and
am really loving the new gear. I’m currently shooting
with a Nikon D850 and my favorite astro lens is the
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER IN THE
FILM INDUSTRY…
I’ve been working in the visual effects side of the film
industry for over 20 years now, and for 15 of those
years, I’ve been at Weta Digital in Wellington. My
current role is a Visual Effects Supervisor, so I work
with the artists and other supervisors to deliver the
director’s vision for the film. It can be demanding
work, but also very rewarding once you get to see
the final product on the big screen.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT IN NZ?
I’ve got a few favourite spots, especially on the
South Island where the skies are dark and the
landscape spectacular. But I would have to say
the one place for me would have to be Cape
Palliser in the Wairarapa. It is the first real dark sky
location I shot at, and I love going there and finding
new interesting compositions. The Cape Palliser
Lighthouse is always great to shoot against the night
sky too.
GUIDING LIGHT TO THE STARS
F4, 30s, ISO6400
UNIVERSAL SCALE
F4, 30s, ISO6400
WANUI NIGHTS
F2.8, 25s, ISO6400
UNIVERSAL BONDING
F3.2, 30s, ISO3200
WHAT TIPS CAN YOU SHARE WITH OUR
READERS FOR SHOOTING ASTRO?
Always plan your astrophotography shots well
in advance and do the location scouting in the
daytime. Use planning apps so you know exactly
where the Milky Way will be in the sky at the planned
location - I personally use an app called Photopills
which is like the swiss army knife of astrophotography
planning.
When you do get to your location at night, make sure
you allow yourself plenty of time to set up and frame
the shot. I usually arrive at least an hour before I plan
to start shooting.
Focusing is one of the hardest things to get right in
astrophotography. I use the live view function on my
camera and then find the brightest star in the night
sky and try to get it towards the centre of your LCD
screen. Once you’ve done that, make sure you are in
manual focus. Magnify your live view screen as large
as it goes (usually 10x) and rotate your focus ring until
the star looks sharp. Take a photo and then zoom in
on the image to check the sharpness. Hopefully your
stars will be in focus and you are now good to go.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
I’m starting to work on a few personal projects which
I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, so I’m
cutting down on the workshops, public speaking and
travelling so I can get back to doing my own thing. I
enjoy doing all of those other things but want to get
back to where it all started for me, and just go out
and shoot for myself for the time being.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
www.instagram.com/theartofnight
www.facebook.com/theartofnight
www.theartofnight.com
DO YOU HAVE A SINGLE FAVOURITE IMAGE?
My favourite changes all the time, but my all time
sentimental favorite would be the one I shot of my son
and I looking up at the Milky Way in Kaikoura three
years ago. I called the image Universal Bonding. It was
taken on the last night of a week long road trip my
son and I did on the South Island – We try to go on an
annual road trip each year to explore new locations
and photo opportunities. I’d been trying for over a
year to get him to pose and stand still with me long
enough for the 30 second exposure, and on this night
he finally did. It was the perfect moment for the end
of an amazing trip.
TELL US ABOUT THE FAMOUS FULL MOON
SILHOUETTES...
I always like to try and come up with fresh ideas and
the Full Moon Silhouettes (which you can see here)
was one of those. It took me a year to capture the
moonrise as I had envisaged it, but it was all worth the
many frustrating failed attempts.
14 NZPhotographer
The night I finally pulled it off was a perfect evening
with not one breath of wind, which doesn’t happen
often in Wellington! I was in a park 2.1km away from
the people on the Mount Victoria Lookout and I didn’t
know if I had lined up the shot correctly, but as I hit the
record button on my camera and the moon began
to rise, everything fell into place better than I ever
expected.
At that point, I knew I had captured something cool,
but I had no idea of the impact it would eventually
have on people... until it went viral. That was totally
unexpected and quite overwhelming, I was getting
hundreds of emails a day from people all over the
world sharing their experience of watching the
moonrise as well as media interview requests and
even academics offering their expert opinions.
That video gave me lots of opportunities - It got my
name out there and my astrophotography noticed.
I had the opportunity to travel and run workshops
around the world, as well as doing various media and
public speaking engagements, and of course, my
TedX talk which was an amazing experience on its
own!
MOON SILHOUETTES
F9, 1/125s, ISO400
September 2018
15
HOW TO CAPTURE: COASTAL SUNRISES AND SUNSETS
Coastal photography tips with Richard Young
SHIPWRECKED
by Brendon Gilchrist
Sunrise, Abel Tasman National Park
FIND A SUBJECT:
Coastal shots are often largely made up of sky
and water, but they also need a focal point to
help draw in the eye of the viewer. This could be
some foreground detail like a rock in the sea or a
landscape feature such as a distant headland. Make
sure the subject fills your shot so you don’t leave the
viewer lost and looking around for it.
LOOK AROUND YOU:
As the sun slips over the horizon, it casts a beautiful
golden light across the beach. Whilst everyone else
is busy looking at the sun and shooting that scene,
take a moment to look around, the scene behind you
might be gorgeous too.
CAPTURE THE WAVES:
Waves present a great opportunity to add a creative
element. Experiment with different shutter speeds to
either freeze or capture the movement of the waves.
To freeze the waves and capture them as they break,
use a fast shutter speed, ideally faster than 1/500sec.
To blur the waves and capture their movement, use
an exposure of 1 second or longer.
ADD SOME SKY:
F8, 30s, ISO 100, 24mm
One advantage of being on the beach at sunset or
sunrise is that the horizon out to sea gives you a lot of
sky. If you have interesting clouds, use a wide-angle
lens and place your horizon lower in the photograph
to capture more of the sky.
CAPTURE SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST COASTAL LANDSCAPES ON A 4-DAY GOLDEN BAY PHOTO
TOUR: 27TH - 30TH SEPTEMBER WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
I
always felt like I wanted to shoot a shipwreck.
But with no shipwrecks nearby I pushed it to the
back of my mind. A few months later one of
the world’s oldest schooner’s beached itself not far
from Christchurch.
It is hard to describe what I felt when I was scrolling
through my Facebook feed and saw that the MV
Tuhoe had beached itself near the head of the
Waimakariri River. I could not believe that it had
happened!
This 97 foot double masted auxiliary schooner,
constructed of triple skin kauri, was built in
Auckland in 1919 by George Nicol. Her Maori name
meaning ‘the children of the mist’.
I saw this as an opportunity not just for
photography, but to document the resting place of
a piece of history but I only had 1 night in which to
do it.
After a day of work followed by a basketball
commitment at night, I drove to the nearest car
park and walked the 40 min along the beach in the
dark. It felt like forever, as if the beach would never
end. Was I walking through portals and coming
back to the same piece of driftwood? Maybe I
was? Off in the distance, I could see a shape but
it was still far away. I keep walking, enjoying the
sound of the crashing waves, hoping I would not
step on a sleeping seal.
The further I walked the more the shape resembled
a boat – I felt a sense of relief, I was nearly there. It
was around 10.30pm by this time and I didn’t know
when the moon was going to rise and also had
no idea that it was a full moon at this point – Not
conditions I would have chosen to shoot in if given
a different option.
As I continued walking I could see the glow getting
stronger on the horizon and thought “oh no, you
got to be kidding. I have only a few minutes before
the moon rises.” If you have never sat and watched
the moon rise you won’t realise how fast it moves. I
quickly put my camera bag down, looked at what I
had to work with and got my camera out and onto
the tripod as fast as possible. It’s these moments
when you need be creative in an instance – I
needed to capture the emotions of this boat as fast
as possible.
I managed to get 3 great compositions before the
moon got too high and bright. The reflections in
the sand and the moon rising to the side, this its last
night alive... I was privileged to stand there alone,
shivering cold, capturing the moment.
I set up my time lapse after I had taken the stills
and stepped aside to let the camera do all the
work. Over the next hour and a half, I watched the
moon rising and the stars rotating. These moments
of waiting, of being cold, of being entirely alone,
are also some of the most inspiring. I was witnessing
the last night that this boat got to see on this earth,
September 2018
17
sailing no more, just resting upon the land where
it was once built. Being alone and in awe in these
times is challenging but rewarding, the solitude is
great but company, someone to share the moment
with, is better. I believe everything has beauty even
if many do not see it. If you look past the tragedy
that has happened you will see something new. It
may even help you as a photographer to capture
something that has an ending and will never be
seen again.
After my time lapse had finished I took a quick selfie
beside the boat then, after packing up, struggling
to put my gear in my bag as I was shivering so
much, I headed off into the darkness, back along
the beach on the 4km walk back to the carpark. It
was well after midnight and I had work at 7am but
my thoughts were this; I have photos that no one
else has. I have captured something I wanted to
shoot. I enjoyed my day. There is not much more I
could have asked for.
The next day I saw photos of The Tuhoe being
pulled apart with a digger. There was nothing that
could be done to save the boat as it was too far
up the beach and there was no way to pull it back
into the ocean, the stern having twisted from every
wave and tidal change but it was so sad to see
something so rich in history being destroyed.
3 TIPS FOR SHOOTING A TRAGEDY
• Respect the moment for what it is.
• If you know the history of the subject you are
shooting, this will help you to capture the emotions.
• Don’t question ‘should I go out with the camera?’
Do it as soon as you can because time is of the
essense – The opportunity could be gone before
you know it.
18 NZPhotographer September 2018 19
Celebrating 150 Years of
Wellington Botanical Garden
On 3rd September the formal establishment of the Wellington Botanic Garden
turns 150 years old and NZP readers are invited to participate in the special photo
competition that runs through the year.
David Sole, the Manager of Wellington Garden tells us more about the history of
the garden and the photo competition.
FRESH SHOOTS
PHOTO COMPETITION
ENTER
Wellington Botanic Garden is fondly regarded as ‘our
garden’ by the residents of Wellington and enjoyed
every year by tens of thousands of visitors to the city.
The origins of the garden, and its inclusion on the
Wellington Town Belt, dates from the planning for the
city in the period 1839-44 but the formal process for the
establishment of the garden did not begin until 1868.
The legacy of Sir James Hector, the botanic garden’s
first director, is today revisited as we establish
education programmes in the newly developed
Discovery Garden Te Kaapuia O Te Waouku.
We are returning to science and beginning to
carefully reconsider the role of our collections in
supporting education, science, and conservation –
how we contribute to the local regional, national,
and international roles of botanic gardens in plant
conservation in the face of climate change and
the alarming worldwide loss of plant species due to
human activity.
The garden still continues to be a place of refuge
and respite from the pressures of the city and ever
increasing social pressures of urban intensification.
People can find calm and tranquility and immerse
themselves in a landscape that is safe, soothing, and
satisfying.
It is a place where individuals and families and friends
can come together and enjoy the flowers, the events,
and the diversity of seasons; where they can enjoy the
wondrousness of plants and their contribution to our world.
The ‘Fresh Shoots’ photo competition will provide
inspiring opportunities for amateur and pro
photographers to capture the garden, its people, the
wildlife, its dramatic landscape and, fundamentally,
the beauty of the plants.
With four separate competitions taking place over
the year, photographers are encouraged to capture
seasonal aspects of life at the gardens. A panel
of expert judges will select the winners from four
categories; People, Nature, Events, and Creative with
both senior and junior (photographers ages 14-18
years) winners.
We look forward to seeing your photos!
We’re inviting photographers to highlight all the wonderful things that make the Wellington
Botanic Garden much more than a garden, while encouraging photographers to focus on
the garden season by season.
For prizes and full Terms & Conditions see: www.excio.io/freshshoots
The competition is split into four quarterly competitions based on each of the four seasons:
Spring Summer Autumn Winter
1 September -
14 December 2018
15 December -
22 March 2019
CATEGORIES
23 March -
21 June 2019
22 June -
20 September 2019
NATURE PEOPLE CREATIVE EVENTS
PARTNERS
20 NZPhotographer
September 2018
21
Playing with Fire
WIRE WOOL SPINNING TUTORIAL
22 NZPhotographer
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Repeating the geometric shapes at Lake Rotoiti to create my own
‘spin’ on light painting.
by Ray Salisbury
The literal definition of the Greek words photos
and graphos mean to ‘paint with light’. So, by
definition, if you practice photography, you are
light painting; you are producing art.
But how do you stand out from the proverbial crowd
when every man and his DSLR is saturating social
media with stunning images? One answer is to shoot
at night time. Under the cover of darkness, you can
put a different ‘spin’ on your shots!
In this tutorial, I will show you how to spin wire wool to
create arty, abstract photos that exude that elusive ‘wow
factor’.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• A DSLR Camera with Manual Mode, and preferably,
low-noise capability. However, many compact cameras
will be suitable, providing they have manual focus and
a long enough shutter speed.
• A Cable Release or remote timing device so that you
don’t accidentally bump the camera. Use the humble
self-timer as a ‘poor man’s shutter release.’
• Fire Extinguisher
• Safety Goggles
• Gloves
• Head-Torch with fresh batteries. Carrying a spare torch
is a wise precaution!
• BBQ Firelighter or cigarette lighter. A 9 volt battery will
also work.
• Fine Grade Steel Wool. The steel wool comes in
several grades. The ‘super fine’ grade, labeled ‘0000,’
burns fast. The ‘very fine’ grade ‘00’ gives off more
sparks, and burns longer, for about 25 seconds.
• Spinning Device. A 25cm egg whisk can be purchased
from a Two Dollar shop for $2.50. Get the steel
version, not the plastic! Attach the kitchen whisk to a
length of chain, a skipping rope, or a dog lead about
one metre long, using a carabiner or similar bolt.
• A Trusty Assistant for both practical and safety
reasons.
• Warm Clothing & Snacks especially if you’re set up in a
remote location.
PLANNING YOUR SHOT:
1. Location. Find a suitable plot of ground, devoid
of vegetation, vehicles or flammable material. Think
concrete… netball courts, train tunnels, or under a bridge.
Spinning steel wool will bounce off the walls of a closedin
space, such as a tunnel, sending random sparks flying.
While this is a neat effect, your surroundings should be
damp, so that stray sparks don’t get you in trouble - Err on
the side of caution. Alternatively, a calm pool of water will
reflect the spinning orb of light. Sparks may bounce off the
water – another cool effect. In this situation, gumboots are
a godsend!
2. Timing. If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Just like
comedy, timing is critical. Set up during the daylight, so you
can scout for a decent composition. It’s best to set up your
camera on a stable tripod well before dusk, and pre-focus
on your subject before auto-focusing becomes impossible.
The ideal time to shoot is during the Blue Hour – more
specifically, half an hour after sundown, when the
sky darkens to a deep blue – perfect for a contrasting
backdrop. Indeed, blue is the complimentary colour of the
burning orange orb you will be spinning.
My rule of thumb is to start the shoot 20 minutes after
sunset so that you can make several attempts during
this 10-minute ‘window’. If you shoot after twilight, the
background elements of the scene will disappear into
darkness and the resulting photograph will lose context.
3. Composition. Spinning wire wool creates a circle of fire.
Ask yourself, ‘how can this geometric shape relate to the
surrounding landscape?’ Also ask yourself: ‘Do I want to
appear in the photograph?’ If not, wear black clothing,
gloves and a balaclava.
September 2018
23
For my iconic image shot at Lake Rotoiti, I made a long
exposure of the stars circling the Southern Celestial Pole,
then mimicked these concentric circles by spinning the
wire wool.
4. Camera Settings. Once you have a composition planned,
lock down the camera on a sturdy tripod. Hang a small LED
light from it to make it visible. Focus on where the firespinner
will stand, then switch to manual focus on the lens
barrel. A wide-angle lens is preferable.
Set the camera’s Mode Dial to Manual, with a shutter
speed between 20 and 30 seconds. Apertures can vary
from f/2 to f/11. Set the ISO. between 50 and 800. Any
higher and digital noise may become an issue. For colour
temperature, choose a ‘Daylight’ setting, or drop the Kelvin
temperature down to about 3500K.
WIRE WOOL SPINNING TECHNIQUE:
• Pull apart a wire-wool pad length-wise to break up
the density and allow oxygen inside. Unravelling
the wool, then spinning it speeds up the chemical
reaction.
• Insert a wool pad into the whisk, ensuring it won’t
fall out.
• When igniting the wire wool, a BBQ butane lighter
is preferable for a continuous flame, whereas a
cigarette lighter is fiddly and hard to operate with
cold hands.
• The wire wool will not burst into flames, only
simmer. Once the wire wool has caught alight,
spin the whisk in consistent circles. Then get the
photographer to begin the long exposure.
• Keep your arm straight to create a perfect circle.
Consistency is the key. Try not to move your body, or
you will appear as a blur.
Note: If you are the photographer, wait for your assistant
to light the wire wool and begin spinning it in a circle,
then fire the shutter. Both of you should switch off your
headlamps, so they don’t interfere with the photo. To
mitigate light leaking into the viewfinder, hang a baseball
cap over the top of the camera.
Being an experimental art-form, be prepared for
lots of trial and error, especially the latter. As Ansel
Adams remarked, “Landscape Photography is the
supreme test of the photographer, and often the
supreme disappointment.” This is a challenging genre
of photography with many inherent difficulties to
overcome, but the rewards are there for the patient
photographer.
My shots on the following pages are sure to inspire you to
get out there and give it a try. If you need more help, tips,
and inspiration, there are tons of tutorials on Youtube.
There are numerous variations of this technique that you
can try too, from orbs to spheres to halos to a vortex.
RAY SALISBURY is a seasoned landscape
photographer and art teacher based in Nelson. He
sells his photos to magazines, calendars and image
libraries. He also shares his knowledge through his free
e-Books and affordable online courses allowing you to
learn photography at your own pace through a series
of video training modules that have been filmed in NZ.
www.hotpixels.co.nz
SPINNING WOOL
24 NZPhotographer
Repetition of geometric shapes through use of reflections.
September 2018
25
SPIRAL AT SPOONERS
Moving towards the camera while spinning steel
wool creates a vortex.
26 NZPhotographer
September 2018
27
SPOONERS WIRE WOOL SPIN
Playing with Fire inside the retired train tunnel at Spooners, half an
hour from Nelson.
28 NZPhotographer
September 2018
29
Behind The Shot
with Mike MacKinven
30 NZPhotographer
September 2018
31
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON
YOURSELF AND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
I am Mike MacKinven of Mack Photography and
Design Ltd. I am an Advertising Art Director, Designer,
and Retoucher. My photography journey started
in 2012 in Auckland – I’d always wanted to learn
photography but never really got to the point of
purchasing a camera until my beautiful wife bought
me a Canon 600D for my 28 th birthday. As most
enthusiasts know, it’s all downhill from there…
I was mostly interested in cityscapes, until one
night I noticed stars appearing in my photos. From
there I researched Astrophotography and made
it my mission to master that genre. I’m not quite
a pro photographer, more a semi-pro amateur
photographer once removed kind of thing, but now
hold workshops teaching other photographers about
the night sky and how to capture it.
TELL US ABOUT THIS SHOT...
32 images went into creating this shot. I hadn’t
planned on shooting at this famous location but after
a bit of encouragement from a few people I thought
‘Ok, let’s do this’. However just going out and shooting
it wasn’t going to work, a fair amount of planning was
required as the Milky Way was going to be above
the treeline looking back from the Wanaka Tree. This
meant I’d need to get wet to capture our Galaxy
above that tree!
So I ended up wading out into the chilly lake to get
the optimum composition, waist deep in leaky waders
from midnight until 01:40am with the temperature
hovering at about 1º, it being the middle of Winter.
After a while, my body temp warmed up the trapped
water but I had to be super careful as the stones on
the ground were very slippery, and the waders don’t
have grippy soles for these kinds of situations! My
biggest concern was keeping the dew heater battery
and camera dry but I managed to successfully
capture 2 x 240º panoramas, a series of tilt-shift style
images, and some timelapses.
My tripod is actually kitted out with a nifty beer holder
so, being in the South Island, it seemed rude not to
have a bottle of Speights ready, especially as my wife
was asleep on the shore in a green sleeping bag,
looking rather like a slug in my images!
WHAT WERE YOU SHOOTING WITH?
I was using my Canon EOS 6D and the trusty Samyang
24mm ƒ1.4 lens. I still use this setup today as it’s just
so good but now being sponsored by Samyang Lens
Global, I use this lens and the XP 14mm ƒ2.4 lens
combo, a killer setup with two cameras.
WHAT WAS YOUR POST-PROCESSING
PROCEDURE FOR THIS IMAGE?
I generally keep this as simple as I can. I do basic edits
in LR (White balance, sharpness, lens profiles etc) then
I export the files ready for stitching in either Hugin or
Autopano Giga. Photoshop and Lightroom aren’t
suited to multi-row panoramas where you need the
freedom to adjust composition, horizon angles and
projection settings. Once the panorama is stitched,
I fine tune it in Photoshop (fixing stitching areas if
any) and then global contrast is added (Brightness/
Contrast or Curves) and masked to mostly sit in the
sky. Once I’m happy with how it looks I’ll import the
panorama to LR so it’s added to the catalog, crop it,
and then export it as a final file.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT THIS
IMAGE?
With most of my astro shots I strive to get away from
light pollution, however, to shoot this tree you cannot
get away from it, so I embraced it! Most of the lighting
is pretty antique, well, a few billion years old but still
shining bright! Other than natural starlight and the
light pollution from nearby towns, no other lighting
was used. I still get people confusing the floodlights as
sunset light!
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
www.instagram.com/mack_photography_nz
www.facebook.com/mackphotographynz
www.mackphotography.co.nz
www.zodimap.nz
32 NZPhotographer
September 2018
33
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Photographs used in the top banner: Roxanne Crawford, Peter Kurdulija, Kane Hartill, Peter Maiden, Marina de Wit, Todd Henry, Yasen
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34 NZPhotographer
September 2018
35
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36 NZPhotographer September 2018 37
OUR TOWN
F16, 1/200s, ISO200
WELLINGTON HARBOUR
I went out on a cold day looking for our whale, Matariki. Hung about out
on the end of the wharf but no luck from there. Took this hand held from
then end of the old OPT wharf. 2 or 3 photos merged into pano.
Ann Kilpatrick
38 NZPhotographer
September 2018
39
MOTURIKI SUNRISE
F8, 6s, ISO50
LEISURE ISLAND, MOUNT MAUNGANUI
A cold winter's morning. Went out hoping for
a sunrise and wow did I get one!
Annemarie Clinton
40 NZPhotographer
September 2018
41
WAVE ART
F8, 1/500s, ISO400
MOUNT MAUNGANUI
I went out early to catch a sunrise which ended up rather
disappointing. Walking back to my car I couldn't help but
notice the perfect waves lit by the rising sun.
Annemarie Clinton
42 NZPhotographer
September 2018
43
COMBLEUX CANAL
F11, 1/160s, ISO100
COMBLEUX, FRANCE
This is the canal in Combleux, France. It meets the river
Loire at Combleux. Shot taken late afternoon.
Carole Garside
44 NZPhotographer
September 2018
45
POHUTUKAWA
F20, 1/1250s, ISO320
COROMANDEL
The iconic pohutukawa.
Carole Garside
46 NZPhotographer
September 2018
47
48 NZPhotographer
SMOKY MOUNTAINS STREAM
F8, 30s, ISO100
TENNESSEE, USA
Fall in the Smoky Mountains is always special because of
the bright and saturated colours.
Chick Piper
September 2018
49
YOSEMITE VALLEY VIEW
F4.5, 25s, ISO200
CALIFORNIA, USA
Winter in Yosemite, the place rocks!
Chick Piper
50 NZPhotographer
September 2018
51
FIRE IN THE SKY
F9, 1/41s, ISO200
PARAPARAUMU BEACH
Best sunset ever over Kapiti Island - my 4th night of
waiting for something this grand, and I wasn't disappointed.
Karen Moffatt McLeod
GANNET
F5.6, 1/250s, ISO160
Close up of a Gannet nesting.
Colin Prince
52 NZPhotographer
September 2018
53
LAKE DUNSTAN
F3.5, 1/1000s
ROAD FROM CROMWELL TO TARRAS
Driving along from Cromwell, I liked the effect of
the river terrace across the other side of the lake.
Dominic Stove
54 NZPhotographer
September 2018
55
MOODY MILFORD
F4, 1/3200s, ISO640
Early evening - Last boat back from the nature cruise.
Dominic Stove
56 NZPhotographer
September 2018
57
MELBOURNE CATHEDRAL
Dwayne Woolliams
MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART
F10, 1/500s, ISO200
DOHA, QATTAR
We visited the museum with our family in July -
a wonderful location and really interesting architecture.
Emily Willis
58 NZPhotographer
September 2018
59
AFRICAN HOOPOE
F10, 1/160s, ISO800
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
An African Hoopoe eating a millipede.
Gary Reid
60 NZPhotographer
September 2018
61
SQUACCO HERON
F10, 1/160s, ISO800
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Hunting for food on the river bank.
Gary Reid
62 NZPhotographer
September 2018
63
FOGGY MORNINGS
F6.1, 1/125s, ISO400
LOBURN, NORTH CANTERBURY
We live near a swamp, and under inversion conditions, really thick
fog forms over the swamp. The fog allows shooting into the sunrise,
silhouetting the plants and birds, with some really vibrant monolithic
colours.
George van Hout
64 NZPhotographer
September 2018
65
STAR WALK
F2.8, 120s, ISO1600
LAKE HAYES, QUEENSTOWN
This photo shows my love for shooting the
milky way and the sense of calm I get while
alone at night with my camera.
Gareth Davies
SEA THAT KIWI
F2, 25s, ISO2500
WAIKUKU BEACH, CANTERBURY
My astro adventures this time took me to Waikuku Beach, just north
of Christchurch. I was driving there though some thick fog and
cloud, just hoping that when I got to the beach it wouldn't be foggy
or cloudy. I got out of my car, walked over the sand dunes and a
perfectly still, cloudless, fogless sky awaited me.
George van Hout
66 NZPhotographer
September 2018
67
FIRST LIGHT
F5.6, 1/250s, ISO500
FEATHERSTON, ROTOTAWAI
Summer 2017-18, 6:00 am, Hind allows me close
enough to get her first fawn's, first suckle!
Greg Arnold
68 NZPhotographer
September 2018
69
DON'T FENCE ME IN
F5.9, 1/180, ISO200
RUAHINE ROAD, MANAWATU SCENIC ROUTE
A colourful remote farm shed, deteriorating yet sitting proudly
in its summit position protected by an iconic farm fence.
John Kelly
70 NZPhotographer
September 2018
71
SWAN IN BLACK
F16, 1/128, ISO200
MOTUOAPA LAKE TAUPO
I often stop at Motuoapa when travelling between Wellington &
Whitianga for a break, eating some lunch and taking a few photos.
I love this image in particular as it gives the sense of movement with
the feathering of the water as the swam glides. A little post work in
Lightroom for the monochrome.
Karen Moffatt McLeod
72 NZPhotographer
September 2018
73
KAIMANAWA MUSTER 2018
F6.3, 1/1600S, ISO1250
WAIOURU MILITARY BASE - MUSTER YARDS
A newly mustered Kaimanawa horse from this years
June Muster waiting to go to its new home.
Kimber Brown
74 NZPhotographer
September 2018
75
76 NZPhotographer
FLOWING WATERS
F13, 30S, ISO100
RUAPUKE BEACH
The mountain waters flow towards the
ocean becoming one as they meet.
Matt Jenkins
September 2018
77
RUAPUKE BY BIRD
F13, 30S, ISO100
RUAPUKE BEACH
The higher you get the different
your perspective is.
Matt Jenkins
78 NZPhotographer
September 2018
79
SUNSET AT THE THREE SISTERS
F13, 1.6S, ISO50
TONGAPORUTU
Ensuring I went out in a receding tide, I still had to wade through hip
high water to get to the beach for sunset. The slight inconvenience
was worth it as I captured this image as sunset lit up the tree sisters
and a peak through to Mt Taranaki.
Peter Ambrose
DEAD DRUNK
F5.6, 1/160S, ISO200
GOSFORD, NSW AUSTRALIA
A staged model shoot captured at Central
Coast Leagues Camera Club.
Murray Lowe
80 NZPhotographer
September 2018
81
SUNRISE NORTH FORRESTERS
F14, 10S, ISO320
FORRESTERS BEACH, CENTRAL COAST, NSW, AUSTRALIA
A cloudy sunrise captured at Nth. Forresters Beach with very little wind
and a very low swell gently washing on to the beach.
Murray Lowe
82 NZPhotographer
September 2018
83
BLOWING IN THE WIND
F1.8, 1/800S, ISO100
WEERT, THE NETHERLANDS
A shot I took of a dandelion using artificial wind
(blowing!) to capture the seeds flying.
Nick van de Water
84 NZPhotographer
September 2018
85
LITTLE BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU
F2.8, 1/200S, ISO400
OLPE, GERMANY
First week with a new sibling, cautious eye on the
lovely big sister. A very sweet moment of my niece
Jette and my nephew Paul.
Nina Gastreich
86 NZPhotographer
September 2018
87
POUTO'S NEW RIVER
F11, 1/400S, ISO500
POUTO PENISULA, KAIPARA, NORTHLAND
This new river was created by recent flooding
of lakes behind the sand dunes, it was
not there a month ago.
Noel Herman
88 NZPhotographer
September 2018
89
SUMMIT SUNRISE
TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSSING
An early morning ascent of Tongariro from last December. We left at 2.30am and
walked under the moonlight to reach Tongariro's summit for the sunrise. As the thin
clouds cleared, the sun's rays crept over the horizon.
Olga Macagon
90 NZPhotographer
September 2018
91
FIRST DUSTING
F14, 1/80S
WHAKAPAPA, MOUNT RUAPEHU
The dramatic rocky face over the other side of the learners
ski slope with new snow and cloud moving in.
Paul Robertson
92 NZPhotographer
September 2018
93
WET TREASURE
F14, 1/80S
PALMERSTON NORTH
Macro shot of a small wet toadstool on my front lawn.
Paul Robertson
94 NZPhotographer
September 2018
95
WINTER IN CENTRAL OTAGO
F11, 1/160S, ISO100
WEDDERBURN, NEW ZEALAND
Peter Kurdulija
96 NZPhotographer
September 2018
97
GREY SKY
F11, 1/400S, ISO400
ISLAND BAY, WELLINGTON
A view over the south coast of Wellington to the Remutakas on a still
overcast day. The photo hopefully captured the mood of the morning and
to some extent was enhanced by the band of low cloud at the harbour
entrance. Lovely view to have when sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee.
Peter Maiden
98 NZPhotographer
September 2018
99
PULTENEY BRIDGE, BATH
F16, 2.5S, ISO400
BATH, ENGLAND
Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed
in 1774 and connected the city with the land of the Pulteney family.
Prashant Joshi
100 NZPhotographer
September 2018 101
ROMAN BATHS
F8, 1/13S, ISO800
BATH, ENGLAND
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city
of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing. The
Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level.
Prashant Joshi
102 NZPhotographer
September 2018 103
MAGNOLIA STELLATA
F4.5, 1/30S, ISO200
At home capturing Jenny's flower arrangement.
Steve Harper
WHISKY BUSINESS
F8, 1/4S, ISO100
WHISKY FALLS, LAKE ROTOITI
After a damp tramp circumnavigating the melancholic
shores of Lake Rotoiti, I was rewarded with a waterfall
to myself. A bit of gardening was in order, before I
scrambled up slippery rocks to attain this vantage. The
day was so dark that my ND filters stayed in the kit bag.
Ray Salisbury
104 NZPhotographer
September 2018 105
CUPHEA IGNEA
F4, 1/60S
Rhiannon Voice
106 NZPhotographer
September 2018 107
COMMON WASP
F10, 1/160S, ISO200
I love to go out looking for insects at night during the
summer months. Once spotted they usually get their
portrait taken and most oblige!
Sandra Van Der Lubbe
108 NZPhotographer
September 2018109
MAGNOLIA STELLATA
F6.3, 1/400S, ISO500
WHISKY FALLS, LAKE ROTOITI
Star Fish on the rocks.
Sea Stars
110 NZPhotographer
September 2018 111
FOLLOW THE RIVER
F6.3, 1/400S, ISO500
MT COOK
A little photo op of Mt Cook on the return leg from Hooker
Lake required a boulder hop in the Tasman River.
Susan Blick
112 NZPhotographer
September 2018 113
MT COOK AND MORE!
F5.6, 1/320S, ISO100
The Hooker Lake with the odd iceberg, the Hooker
Glacier and the majestic Mt Cook - perfect, except
for the 100km winds!
Susan Blick
114 NZPhotographer
September 2018 115
"COLOUR IS
DESCRIPTIVE.
BLACK AND WHITE
IS INTERPRETIVE."
116 NZPhotographer
ELLIOTT ERWITT