kiwiapple
Well-Known Member
I am reluctant to call these my best, but they are among my favourites of the year about to end. Hope you will enjoy them!
1. NGC3372, the Great Carina Nebula
This is my most ambitious astro image to date. It consists of many nights' worth of data, more than 90 hours' worth, in fact, stacked and manipulated to coax out all the very faint data.
2. Moon and Pleiades (Matariki) over Oamaru Harbour
I joined several dozens of people early in the morning on 14 July to mark Matariki, the new New Zealand national holiday celebrating what some consider to be the Māori New Year. The day occurs when the Pleiades (known as Matariki to Māori) rises just before sunrise. As you can see, the clouds were a bit of an issue, but I managed to stick around and capture the cluster and the moon together.
3. Ōkārito Lagoon
I took myself on a solo photo trip to the West Coast of the South Island of NZ tis winter and visited a couple of my favourite spots, including this much-photographed fishing hut. If it weren't for the relentless sandflies that always attack me here, resulting in days of itchiness, this would be one of my favourite spots to photograph in the country.
4. That Wānaka Tree
This has to be one of the most-photographed trees in the world, even after a vandal cut off the lowest limb a few years ago, making it a bit less well proportioned. It's very hard to get a shot of this tree that isn't cliché, but I think this is a bit more particular than most.
5. The Ōamaru Breakwater
The breakwater in my adopted hometown is also a popular photo subject for many locals and visitors. It is often pummelled by waves, since that's what they put it there for, and when the seas are a bit more active the look of the water flowing over it I find very soothing.
6. Tree in Winter near Omarama
In winter I frequently venture into the high country near me to shoot the snowy landscape. This tree struck me as being very interesting--I cannot quite tell if it's one tree or two.
7. Milky Way Arch with Aurora in Kakāunui
![jg-20230616-[Canon EOS R5]-2-Edit-Edit.jpg](https://www.focalworld.com/attachments/jg-20230616-canon-eos-r5-2-edit-edit-jpg.68344/)
In mid-June I had a string of sleepless nights as I worked on capturing the Milky Way arch over a couple of spots in my area. In the middle of this endeavour we happened to have a very good auroral show, so I decided to try to capture both the aurora and the Milky Way at the same time. For an impromptu shot, this one turned out particularly well, I think.
8. Dramatic Sunrise over Ōamaru Harbour
From my house I have a view out to the east so on occasion I will wake up, take a look out the window, and see a dramatic sunrise taking shape. That's what happened on this particular morning, causing me to dash out for the 5-minute drive to the waterfront to capture the scene before it disappears.
9. Clay Cliffs near Omarama
The Clay Cliffs are a geological formation in the high country near where I live that is one of the highlights of our newly inaugurated UNESCO Global Geopark (the first in Australasia). Over the years that I've been living here, I had always shot the cliffs from up close, but this year I had the bright idea of shooting them from the nearest road instead, and managed to capture something that reveals the whole scope of the site.
10. The Wairepo Arm of Lake Ruataniwha
Another of my favourite spots (and free of sandflies!) that I try to shoot in all seasons if at all possible. In autumn the colours are remarkable, even when it's covered in heavy fog, as it was this day. Luckily it thinned out for a bit, allowing me to capture this subdued image of the scene.
1. NGC3372, the Great Carina Nebula
This is my most ambitious astro image to date. It consists of many nights' worth of data, more than 90 hours' worth, in fact, stacked and manipulated to coax out all the very faint data.
2. Moon and Pleiades (Matariki) over Oamaru Harbour
I joined several dozens of people early in the morning on 14 July to mark Matariki, the new New Zealand national holiday celebrating what some consider to be the Māori New Year. The day occurs when the Pleiades (known as Matariki to Māori) rises just before sunrise. As you can see, the clouds were a bit of an issue, but I managed to stick around and capture the cluster and the moon together.
3. Ōkārito Lagoon
I took myself on a solo photo trip to the West Coast of the South Island of NZ tis winter and visited a couple of my favourite spots, including this much-photographed fishing hut. If it weren't for the relentless sandflies that always attack me here, resulting in days of itchiness, this would be one of my favourite spots to photograph in the country.
4. That Wānaka Tree
This has to be one of the most-photographed trees in the world, even after a vandal cut off the lowest limb a few years ago, making it a bit less well proportioned. It's very hard to get a shot of this tree that isn't cliché, but I think this is a bit more particular than most.
5. The Ōamaru Breakwater
The breakwater in my adopted hometown is also a popular photo subject for many locals and visitors. It is often pummelled by waves, since that's what they put it there for, and when the seas are a bit more active the look of the water flowing over it I find very soothing.
6. Tree in Winter near Omarama
In winter I frequently venture into the high country near me to shoot the snowy landscape. This tree struck me as being very interesting--I cannot quite tell if it's one tree or two.
7. Milky Way Arch with Aurora in Kakāunui
In mid-June I had a string of sleepless nights as I worked on capturing the Milky Way arch over a couple of spots in my area. In the middle of this endeavour we happened to have a very good auroral show, so I decided to try to capture both the aurora and the Milky Way at the same time. For an impromptu shot, this one turned out particularly well, I think.
8. Dramatic Sunrise over Ōamaru Harbour
From my house I have a view out to the east so on occasion I will wake up, take a look out the window, and see a dramatic sunrise taking shape. That's what happened on this particular morning, causing me to dash out for the 5-minute drive to the waterfront to capture the scene before it disappears.
9. Clay Cliffs near Omarama
The Clay Cliffs are a geological formation in the high country near where I live that is one of the highlights of our newly inaugurated UNESCO Global Geopark (the first in Australasia). Over the years that I've been living here, I had always shot the cliffs from up close, but this year I had the bright idea of shooting them from the nearest road instead, and managed to capture something that reveals the whole scope of the site.
10. The Wairepo Arm of Lake Ruataniwha
Another of my favourite spots (and free of sandflies!) that I try to shoot in all seasons if at all possible. In autumn the colours are remarkable, even when it's covered in heavy fog, as it was this day. Luckily it thinned out for a bit, allowing me to capture this subdued image of the scene.
