NZPhotographer Issue 20, June 2019

Lucretia Route but still nothing. I had that feeling when
I left the campsite that this was the best spot and
I sure wasn’t wrong as that is where I walked back
to – I was fortunate enough to have the campsite to
myself despite 16 people having walked up to the hut
which is only a 10 bunk.
Before sunset (the usual bedtime for trampers unless
they’re doing astrophotography) I had scouted the
area for photo locations in the morning. Sunrises in
valleys are quite difficult as the sun takes a long time
to come over the hills. I was fortunate enough that
there was a perfect pool of water with nice leading
lines heading down the river, I stood there for at least
30 minutes drinking the water and taking a mental
picture of what I wanted to capture the next day.
The morning came and it was a damp start to the
day, the ground had lots of moisture and the tent was
wet, a normal kind of morning for this time of year as
the valleys do get very cold with very little sun the
whole day.
I knew what I wanted to shoot, the river leading
downstream with the forest on each side, but I had
made a mistake – I’d left my camera on the ground
overnight. I usually have it in my sleeping bag to keep
it warm so it doesn’t get condensation on it so I found
out halfway through my time lapse that the back
element was fogging up which was disappointing
although I did manage to get all the other shots
I wanted. My mistake is a good excuse to go back
and re-shoot though as the place is stunning.
By the time I had photographed everything I wanted,
the sun had come up over the mountains to dry a bit
of the tent off before packing up and taking in the
view one more time. I always find walking out hard,
I love being around nature as it’s so beautiful but I also
know that I need to return to civilization and tell these
stories and share how beautiful and almost unreal
these places are.
3 TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY WHEN TRAMPING
• Allow enough time to get to your destination as it
gets darker in the bush an hour before sunset. This
also allows you enough time to scout around your
hut or tent to find something to photograph the
next morning.
• It might be awkward to sleep with your camera
but if it is a damp night, it’s a wise move so as to
keep the elements warm.
• When shooting streams, if you have an ultra wide
angle lens, you can make the smaller cascades
look bigger then they are in real life and therefore
more eye-catching in your photos.
F16, 6s, ISO100, 14mm
June 2019
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