Learning Lessons In Queenstown

2019

There’s nothing quite like getting schooled while on vacation, and for the very first time I was able to learn from another photographer who was experienced in travel and landscape photography. I was also lucky to be practicing in New Zealand, an amazing country full of rolling hills, splendid mountains, and merino wool. While the list of natural treasures this country possesses is undoubtedly quite impressive, I was most interested in their native people: the Hobbits. To my dismay, I was unable to see any of them in their hometown, but maybe one day. Perhaps I should bring some rings on my next visit since I hear they’re rather fond of such things.

While my collegiate instruction in Taos, New Mexico was where I started practicing this type of photography, our professor’s focus wasn’t on landscape and travel, more art and history. Here in New Zealand we had a family friend whose husband is a photographer who primarily focuses on weddings and newborns in creative settings within his home studio. However, being in New Zealand you would be hard pressed to find people who didn’t also enjoy taking snapshots of the beautiful mountains, lakes, and sheep. The places I saw on this trip guaranteed that I would be returning to New Zealand again in the future for there’s so much more of this country to explore, not to mention plenty of adrenaline-filled activities I need to participate in.

The lake around Queenstown, as seen in the photo above, is prime real estate for a variety of activities from ferry rides to parasailing. There’s even a vehicle in the shape of a shark that lets you dive down and move at high speeds underwater. The area surrounding Queenstown hosts plenty of unique opportunities as well, with the viewing platform on the nearby mountainside being the most popular. After taking a quick gondola ride, or hiking, to the top, you have the option to dine at a restaurant that offers sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. Once you’ve had your fill, you can pick one of several options to descend the mountain: walking, taking the gondola, luging, or jumping off a ledge. Actually, that last option is known as bungee jumping and you don’t even get the pleasure of going all the way down to the ground.

While all the activities available were quite enticing, I decided to opt for a less extreme vacation this time around for a few reasons. Having learned from my rollercoaster of emotions in Hawaii, I thought it best to avoid bungee jumping or parasailing or any other adventurous pursuits this time around in order to minimize my time suffering and making things difficult for those around me. This actually worked to my benefit because that meant we had more time to see more natural wonders, which meant more chances to practice photography. Since we’ve been told not to go chasing waterfalls, we went around chasing sunsets, geysers, blue pools, and mountains instead. Surprisingly it was also frowned upon to chase sheep and alpacas, but I was still lucky to have the chance to feed and pet them on a farm known as The Agrodome.

As much as I love public transport in big cities, nothing quite compares to having your own vehicle to explore the countryside. Thanks to our hosts we were able to drive to different spots around the lake to try and find the best place to take photos of the sunset. In order to reach the location we had in mind, we decided to plow the van through a narrow walking path with trees scratching the car on either side just so we wouldn’t have to trek in the cold which was being amplified by the wind. Here I had the opportunity to learn how to photograph with filters in order to take the sunset photo above. This first attempt left much to be desired, but every master was once a novice, and one day I hope to master the techniques necessary to capture the best photos.

Another novel opportunity given to me during this trip was the chance to capture photos of the numerous stars in the night sky. After deciding we didn’t want pneumonia we returned to the van and drove a long ways away to a place in the mountains where there was no light pollution so we could clearly see the jewels above us. I excitedly disembarked the car only to realize it was freezing due to being higher in elevation and, as usual, I was ill prepared. Hoping to make the most of my time before I turned into a sorbet, I quickly unpacked my bag, set up my tripod, and took a few images with hopes that they would turn out well when I reviewed them later in bed. The photo above is the only one I found acceptable, and even then there’s room for improvement. The bottom there is either part of the Milky Way, or a vape cloud.

I must admit that I definitely underestimated the techniques necessary for great landscape or travel photography. There are professional photographers who use various tools to discover the right position to capture the best photograph depending on the way sunlight and shadows are in play during certain times of day. Many photographers also visit the same locations repeatedly or even just wait for long periods of time in order to capture the best scene. My lack of patience and desire to constantly stay on the move are two likely reasons why I wouldn’t make a great landscape photographer. However, that hasn’t stopped me from continuing to try with each new adventure I pursue, because if there’s one thing I know for certain it’s that there’s a whole world out there — let’s go and see it.