The Incomparable Moeraki Beach–Part 1

I don’t know why I waited until now to post these pictures from Moeraki Beach – the place is amazing.  But I stumbled upon the photos today and decided that it was better to quickly do something with them then to just let them sit around.  This is a “Part 1” post because as I was looking through the pictures, it was clear that there are several more I want to show. 

One thing interesting when reviewing photos is that they bring back memories.  I love New Zealand and I have had many good experiences there – just not enough personal time!  These massive boulders (the one in the first picture stands about 5 feet high) only exist on this stretch of coastline in New Zealand. The world is full of interesting things and these boulders are definitely among the most interesting things in nature. Science has a theory about how they are made but just a theory and it’s pretty hard to figure them out.  You can also see why some people think they are eggs from an Alien race.  The boulders, over very long periods of time, emerge from the cliff face and fall onto the beach. Then with the tide moving in and out, they make their way down the beach and into the ocean.  This takes a very long time and you need to live for several thousand years to see it happen.

In reviewing this set of pictures, I think the third one down is my favorite.  I love the texture, shape and the demarcation of sand, ocean and sky.  I also like the foot prints in the second photo and if you click to see it enlarged, you will see some pretty cool lines in the bolder in the background. 

All four of these are HDR photographs and are artistically rendered.  They were tricky to shoot because this area is a tourist magnet.  I will explain how I got around the “people” problem in Part 2.

Click on Photo to Enlarge

Click on Photo to Enlarge

Click on Photo to Enlarge

Click on Photo to Enlarge

Badger Valley

I went camping this last weekend at a nice spot known as Badger Valley which is near Cardston in Southern Alberta.  I got up early on Saturday morning while it was still quiet.  The area is pretty windy all the time but at 6 am, the air was still and as I wandered over toward the edge of the camping area, I saw this portrait scene.  I took a single hand-held shot and then went back to my car to get a tripod.  By the time I returned, the wind had come back the water was rippled. I’m glad I saw the moment when I did (my picture meta data says it was 6:14 am when I took this shot)

Nugget Point–Part I

This is the first part of some photos I took at Nugget Point which is along the Southern Scenic route in New Zealand.  It is a remote spot that you can drive to and then walk into (only about a kilometer or so up hill from the car).  There is a light house there and that was what I was photographing.  I decided to walk up to the light house to see the view and I was shocked when I got there.  I had no idea that this magnificent rock formation was out there in the ocean.  It was lightly raining which meant I had to keep putting my lens cap on and off while wiping the lens filter in between.  It was also extremely windy.  I’ve never seen my trip move around in the wind like that.  Of course, that kind of wind coupled with light rain was cold on my hands an face.  After setting up the shot and cleaning the rain of the lens, the sun poked through the clouds lighting up the rocks and creating a faint rainbow.

I will post more pictures from this beautiful place later on.

Trees by a Cliff

It’s hard to believe but this morning I finally took a look at my New Zealand pictures for the first time since I got back.  Life is busy and those pictures are always waiting on the memory card…

This picture shows an interesting tree formation on a cliff face overlooking the ocean.  When it comes to scenery, I am attracted by interesting textures like rocks and trees – or even the lack of texture like ocean and sky.  This picture has elements of all four.  The location was on an island reserve I was hiking around.  It was a cloudy and rainy day but that did not take away from the peaceful beauty I found myself enjoying.

(click for larger view)

Moeraki Art

I am not quite sure how I feel about this photo I took just a few hours earlier today.  The reason?  It is HDR Art – a special photographic technique designed to do, well, this picture for example. 

This morning while talking to my good friend Darcy who is a professional photographer, we were reminiscing about the days of developing our own film and prints (I had a darkroom when I was in grade 8.  I loved the smell of the chemicals…).  We talked about how technology has empowered us to do things we could not easily replicate in a darkroom – or even do at all for that matter.  In the case of this photo, I am able to record light in a way that can’t be captured on film or even digital sensors without multiple exposures.  And then comes the tricky part.  I have to interpret how I want this “Art” to feel.  As someone who is clearly hard-wired for the scientific and precise, artistic interpretation can be a frustrating experience – and presumably a good workout for the other side of my brain :-)

Below is one of MANY pictures I took at Moeraki beach today.  It is an amazing place and there is nowhere in the world like it.  If anything justifies multiple postings, the Bolders at Moeraki are it.  As such, over the next month or so, I will try to make 4-5 posts about the pictures I took there. For now, here is a single photo.

About this photo: I deliberately took it softly into the surreal side of the art form without getting too heavy handed (which destroys a picture IMHO).  Moeraki beach itself is surreal with all these strange alien-like rocks and you can imagine that you are on a different planet when wandering among them. So this photo is my surreal interpretation of a surreal place.

(click on the photo to go larger – it’s worth it)

Random Rocks by a Road in New Zealand

I was out driving today just looking at the scenery.  I saw many of beautiful places and checked out a few popular tourist spots.  This formation of rocks however, is just a random scene on the road to somewhere else.  It’s in the middle of wherever but when I drove by and saw them in my head after I passed them, I stopped and reversed the car to go take this shot.  If you have the ability to see it large then do so (click on the photo).  The features in the rocks are pretty cool.

Auckland Sky Tower

Most cities have some sort of tower as part of their architectural repertoire.  In Calgary, we have pretty much buried ours in the midst of taller buildings.  It didn’t start out that way of course.  Below are two photos of the Auckland Sky Tower and it’s hard to get a decent picture because it too is somewhat obscured by tall buildings until you get far away from it.  One angle that works really well is actually the view just outside of my employer’s office.  I took this picture quite early in the morning before the sun was up (I am facing directly East).  This predawn light works nicely because the Tower is still lighted for nighttime but the sky is lighter and there is more light in general making a softer, less contrasty image.  Interestingly, it wasn’t even 5 minutes after I took this photograph that the Tower lights were shut off.  I was composing another shot and poof!  The Tower went dark.

I was watching all week hoping for the Tower to be lit up with a different color light because this Tower looks great that way.  The reason I know this happens is because I’ve seen it at different times and with different lighted colors.  But , the color never changed at all and it remained it’s boring grey self .  The photograph below, which I took last year, shows what I was hoping for on this visit (and for the above shot). Maybe it will happen later this week when I visit Auckland again.

Driving in New Zealand

Driving around New Zealand is a lot of fun.  You get to zip down the left side of the road while sitting on the right hand side of the car.  I’ve done this enough now that when I get into that situation, it feels more enjoyable than tense.  The traffic circles are always fun because it’s something of a challenge I don’t get back in Calgary.  But for pure excitement, the very narrow roads, twisty steep hills and gorgeous vistas can’t be beat!  Below is a picture of my rental car on the side of Law Road on Saddle Hill.  This road has a 24% grade in places (that means it is crazy steep) and going up hill requires the lowest gear.  There is no place to pull over on the insanely steep places so for this picture, I had opt for the just really steep.  Too Fun!

Below is a picture of the town of Mosgiel in the distance on a rainy day (easier to see the town if you click on the picture to go full size).  What a beautiful view!

Finally, when I was pulled over, there was sheep fence (electrified!) close by.  Below is a creative B&W shot.

Auckland Harbor Art

I walked around the Auckland harbor last night.  It was warm and peaceful.  Many couples were sitting on benches just enjoying each other and the light breeze coming off the ocean.  It was a surprisingly long day at work so the opportunity to get out and walk around was welcome.  And it was nice to be behind the lens again.

Below is a moving sculpture.  It takes on different shapes as the wind blows it around.  I walked around it a few times, found the angle that I liked, and then waited for to clouded moon to peak out just bit.

Shot wide and low for those who care about these things.

Ghostly Skaters

Earlier this evening stepped out of the car on my driveway and I could hear music in the distance.  I thought is was a car radio across the street but it was actually music from down at the lake drifting up toward the house.  It turns out that the Lake was having a family skate night.  I went there and the music was VERY loud, the air was bone-chillingly cold and the smell of burnt popcorn filled the air.  It was clear to me that for these kids, it is a wonderful time to be young and alive – and on skates!

The picture below shows their ghostly images moving across the lake ice.

Marli Makes a Point

This is Marli our cat.  She is not allowed on the kitchen table as seen here.  But I glanced over and saw her on the table.  I had a camera handy so I was able to capture the moment.  Marli is making a point here.  What is the point?  It’s that she and my daughter have been co-users of a water cup – probably for a very long time … :-)

Family Day

Happy Family Day to all you Albertan's!

I am making good use of the holiday by getting an early start.  First up, take that picture I wanted to yesterday only go out 25 minutes earlier.  Check!  Go work out at the gym. Check! Learn something useful. Check! Post to this blog. Check! Take the boys to a movie and then dinner, have a relaxing evening at home with the family, and then early to bed. Unchecked but about to change …

Below is the view I saw from my front door this morning.  I went to the top of a neighborhood hill (just around the corner) to get a cleaner shot. Same view but no street lamp in the way.

Capturing the Moment

This morning was clam, peaceful and cold. I was out driving at 7:30 am and I saw a beautiful scene.  The sun was hitting the tops of the mountains and the moon was still visible just above the mountains. I thought, “Wow! I wonder if I can photograph that?” Unfortunately, I couldn’t.  By the time I pulled over, got out of the car and climbed to the top of a neighborhood hill, the light had changed quickly and the scene changed dramatically.  The moon was barely visible and the light had moved to make all of the mountains lit up (not just the tops). It just wasn’t the same.  However, I turned around and saw the sun coming through the trees and so I took that picture.  Then as I was walking away, I saw the light flowing over the gazebo and trees. and I photographed that too. It turns out that beauty is everywhere!

About the calm, peaceful and cold. I didn’t mind the cold and I loved the peace and quiet.  Thinking back, I wish I could have preserved that moment a little longer.  Oh wait, I did.  The pictures are below. :-)

59411

I traveled today to one of my favorite zip code locations – 59411.  This zip code is located at Babb, Montana.  Yeah, I know.  What is in Babb?  Not much.  In fact, there are just a few buildings - hardly anything notable at all.  Except for the United States Post Office.  I run down there often enough to pick up the mail from a PO box. This is my contribution to the flailing US economy.  I buy stuff really cheap from Amazon.com or some other vendor, they ship it to the PO Box in Babb (usually for free), I run down there and get it. ‘Nuf said.

Cold Commute

I took this picture of a kid riding his bicycle home from school yesterday when I was on my way home from work.  Nature’s Flocking was still everywhere and I intended to record a few more examples of that (it’s really beautiful when you see a cluster of trees – click to enlarge the photo and you will see what I mean).  I pulled the car over, turned up the heated seats and heater, rolled down the window and set up for a shot.  As I am composing the frame, along comes this obviously rugged young kid on a bike who is laboriously peddling away.  I am thinking wow, good on you kid!

Taking 4 Minutes for Nature’s Flocking

I added 4 minutes to my commute this morning so that I could record two pictures of a phenomenon I’ve seen many times. The temperature dropped quickly last night allowing for frost to build up on anything that was outside – including the bare branches of deciduous trees.  This weather phenomenon produces “Nature’s Flocking” and is quite beautiful to look at. This is one upside of cold!

The trees I photographed are from two different locations in my neighborhood.  They both have a lamp directly above them which gives a nice effect against the darkness of the early morning.

The first photo shows a tree under a sodium vapor lamp and so there is a slight orange/yellow tint.

The second photo shows a tree under a halogen lamp (there are not many of those around anymore).  This gives a bluer tint which makes the frost look really white.

In the end, 4 minutes isn’t enough time to really appreciate the beauty of this phenomenon but I actually get to see it all day.  Right outside my cubicle window is a veritable forest of “white” trees. :-)

Furious Fuchsia

A Dodge Charger with a Hemi all tricked out in Fuchsia?  Really?  The color, which is very hard to reproduce from this cell phone picture, is a very bright Fuchsia. The official name of the color is FURIOUS FUCHSIA (great name IMO)

In daylight this car radiates PINK.  It is really a gorgeous car but my mind keeps saying “pink” regardless of what fancy name you give to the color.  White leather seats too.  Clearly this car is not for people like me :-).

I saw the car at lunch while visiting Crowfoot Dodge (I was getting another  vehicle problem taken care of).  I thought they really had some courage putting that color on such an iconic muscle car. I mean what would The General Lee think?  Furious with Fuchsia I’d bet…

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to the three beautiful women in my life! That would be my wife and two daughters (so no funny ideas/rumors!).

  

But the Roses and Chocolates (direct from Germany) as pictured below are for my lovely Wife :-)

XOXOXO

On A Clear Day You Can See Greenland!

One interesting aspect about traveling back from Europe is that it’s broad daylight all the way.  You leave at 2 pm and you arrive at 4 pm the same day (after being in a metal tube for 10 hours or so).  When I have the chance to select my seat, I always go for a window seat on the right side of the place.  If the weather is clear you get some spectacular views of Greenland so I was looking forward to that yesterday.  That didn’t happen because although there were breaks in the cloud cover, the amount of snow in February gives you nothing but white for 100’s of miles.  In fact, distinguishing between the clouds and the ground isn’t that easy and taking a picture of it is even harder (especially through plane windows which really screw up photography).  However, I am undeterred because I’ve actually done this trip a number of times and so here are some pictures from last August taken 37 thousand feet above Greenland.  Enjoy!

So how often does anyone see Greenland?  I mean really.  It just isn’t a popular place to go!

Airplane windows have polarizing and other films on them.  This really messes around with the light meters in the camera (meaning exposure calculation) and it shifts color.  I know this and so to fix that, I expose a little high and then in post processing, I bring the color temperature back up a little (warmer) and restore the black point.  It’s mostly the black point that makes the difference in contrast. Still, I am not happy with the above photo as there is simply not enough color (it wasn’t there in that light to be recorded) and there is very little contrast.  So I moved it to Black and White which made for an equally dull Black and White.  What to do? I went artistic and ramped up the contrast and smoothed the details. 

Now I’m happy. :-)

Autobahn 180K

Driving in Germany is always a different experience.  Their famous Autobahn’s are only partly deserving of their reputation because you can’t really go as fast as you want.  You can only go as fast as the car will let you :-).

Realistically, you can average between 130-150 kms/hr until you get within about 25 kms of a city.  By then, there is just too much traffic.  The countryside is a different situation and you can average 180 kms/hr as I did a few years ago driving from the Netherlands through southern Germany.

About the Drive:
I drove from Kaiserslautern to Frankfurt Airport, Terminal 1, Car Rental Return without a single hitch. That's what GPS will do for you! Of course, you have to pay attention and make decisions quickly - especially at the airport!. I had breakfast with business friend this morning who is from Canada.  When he heard I was driving around, especially at the Frankfurt terminal, he was surprised.  He has visited Germany often (last year about 8 times with one stay being 5 weeks) and he said he said he wouldn't drive it –just  too much trouble.  I think it's just the same as driving in Canada and the only difference is that there are very few local street signs and the signs that are there are in a language you can't understand.  So you really have no idea where you are or where you are going. But other than that, it’s just not that different – except for the Autobahn – that’s different. Things happen very fast on the Autobahn and there is always going to be a faster moving Mercedes, Porsche, BMW or Volvo coming from behind you – eventually.

About the car in the picture:
It’s a rental car of course but don’t let that Ford label fool you, it actually a Volvo branded as a Ford (Ford owns Volvo) and if you drove it, you would know (at least compared to a North American version).  The car was tight and very responsive (manual transmission).  Handling of the car was comfortable up to 160 kms/hr. Above that was OK too but not as nice as some other cars I’ve driven. My drive this morning of 125 kms distance did not take long.  Most of it was around the 130-140 kms/hr mark because I was in rush hour.

About the photo:
The photo is from the drive this morning. The car really can’t go as fast as shown for very long since it isn’t designed for that. Also, general traffic conditions were not accommodating.  This was taken on a brief stretch of straight road with little traffic. For those of you wondering about how I got the shot, I used a super-wide angle lens (10 mm) so the camera could see a lot of area close in. I hung the camera around my neck (so I wouldn’t need to actually hold the camera). When I wanted to take a picture, I reached over briefly and pushed the shutter release.  Later, I straightened and cropped the photo on my computer to just show the interesting part.  For safety, I was never looking through the viewfinder or at the back display - that would be insane at those speeds. Enjoying the drive and the opportunity to push some limits is one thing, being stupid about it is quite another.

Modern Architecture

Giving non-equal time to new buildings in Europe.  Examples of old and even ancient builds are found everywhere in Europe. Indeed, I was looking at the excavated ruins from a centuries old Castle just before dinner this evening (and my dinner meeting was in the oldest building in Kaiserslautern)  They are all amazing to see.  However, because of the bombing in WWII, significant parts of Europe were rebuilt and so there are fine examples of modern architecture too.  Of course, just growth in the modern era makes for many new buildings too.

Below are some examples from places I visited this last week. I really thought I should split these pictures into two posts but the risk would be that I wouldn’t revisit them so this is a longer post that normal (I guess this is what happens when I am in my hotel room between dinner and bedtime…).

Remember to click on the pictures for a better view.

The first photo below is a Black and White photo of the domed roof over the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.  I shot this looking straight up into a gray rainy sky.  You don’t get a lot of color when doing that and hence, a B&W rendition that makes sense.

This next photo is of the lobby area (shot from the second floor) of a new research center at the Hasso Platner Institute in Postdam, Germany. I really love the lines in this photograph. I gave a lecture to the Human Computer Interface class there and met a lot of very creative researchers doing very creative things.

These next two shots are of the Ars Electronica building in Linz, Austria as seen at night from across the famous Danube river (as in The Blue Danube waltz).  What is really cool about this fantastic building for art and technology is that the façade can be programmed by the motivated public.  You can get a software application and then play around with the lighting to create different effects, messages and rudimentary scenes.  I asked about censorship and they have only three categories of material not allowed that were told to me in this order (which tells me something Austria’s painful past): No swastika's, no sexual material and no color changes between red and green.  This last requirement is due to the traffic intersections on the bridge. A final comment these pictures.  The juxtaposition of Old and New is once again displayed between the new building and the old world church on the right.  So European!

Foggy Drive

While driving today from Frankfurt to Saarbrucken, I ran into many foggy patches.  Just on the other side of one little town I passed through, I pulled over to take this picture. Sometimes it’s interesting to see things when they’re foggy.  Sort of like how everything looked at 4:45 am this morning - I hate early morning flights…

A Perfect Moment

But not for me.  The picture below shows a perfect moment for the couple in this picture.  For them, it was a serene morning, walking hand-in-hand down a quaint street early in the day.  Try this:  close your eyes and imagine being in their place. Didn’t work?  Yeah, me neither.  Instead I’m here in this little hotel room with a computer and foreign language TV for company. :-)

But for the couple in the picture, I imagine it was a good moment for them.  Nothing disturbed them – not even an unknown pesky photographer with a zoom lens quite a distance behind them.

This picture meets with the approval of my daughter so I thought I would share it here.

FREEDOM

A little over 21 years ago, my world changed (again) when my first child, a daughter, was born in October of 1989. A mere 21 days after her birth, starting on November 9th, the whole world changed in a way that has repercussions today and that will continue into the future. I was not quite 30 when I watched live on television the fall of the Berlin Wall. For my whole life up to that point, the people of East Germany lived under an oppressive regime not ever knowing even the simplest freedoms that I had always enjoyed and that my new born daughter would inherit. I remember watching the news on TV as throngs of people were tearing at the wall, jumping over it and cheering.  I remember watching the East German guards standing there looking on and being powerless (for the very first time in their lives I imagine).  I remember the TV cameras showing a man shaking the hand of another through a hole that had just been smashed through the wall.  It was an incredible time.

For my daughter and my other children to follow, the fall of the Berlin Wall is nothing more than another subject learned about in school.  But for me this morning, as I walked past Checkpoint Charlie and into East Berlin, it was all very real as I remembered that time. The repercussions of those events two decades ago are being played out again in Tunisia and on the streets of Cairo. People want to be free. I take my freedom for granted but today I am reminded that I need to be grateful for it.  Free people should express their gratitude once in awhile. After all, they a free to do so, and that is what I am doing in this post. There are so many simple and important things to be grateful for:  The freedom to write this blog for example, the freedom to have an education and learn a skill, the freedom of opportunity, to start a business or work for one of your choosing, the freedom to raise a family, to own a home, drive a car or ride a bicycle in the mountains, the freedom to own books, browse the internet, save money or spend it, the freedom to congregate, enjoy friendships, to love and to marry, the freedom to do or be just about anything you want if you desire it. And that’s just for starters. The list of freedoms I have cannot be enumerated in this blog.

Below are some photos and descriptions from my walk this morning.

This is the location of the notorious Checkpoint Charlie – a Cold war crossing between East and West Berlin.  Today it is a historical site with a large museum.  Notice the McDonalds on the right. It may not be obvious but a McDonalds in East Berlin is a symbol of the freedoms I enjoy today.

This is a section of the Berlin Wall (on display at the museum).

There was a 150 kms of the Berlin Wall that came down in the blink of a historical eye. Today all that remains standing of the Berlin Wall is this small 200 meter section.  It was heavily damaged from the events of 1989 but historical societies stepped in to preserve it for future generations.

A Starbucks in East Berlin?  Yet another unobvious symbol of freedom and democracy.  I was actually more interested in the building.  While taking the picture, it occurred to me that I was standing on a corner in East Berlin pointing a camera at a building. A scant two decades earlier, I would have been shot for doing that.

I love my freedom!

Pastries for Breakfast

I got up early this morning to wander around the town square while it was still quiet (I wanted to take some pictures before the hustle and bustle started). Some of the shopkeepers were just starting to open up including one of my favorite shops in Europe - the pastry shops! The other two favorites are the bread shops and the cheese shops. One thing quite different from back home is that there are a lot of smaller bakeries around everywhere you go.  It seems like there are several on every street – at least on the main streets.  I love European pastries!  Below are photos showing two fine examples of what I’m talking about.

This is just a small sample of the fine delectables on offer at these shops.

This tasty pastry (held in my hand for this picture) was wonderful.  It had a really smooth icing with creamy custard on the inside. The pastry itself as light as air and practically melted in your mouth.  It was slightly warm having been made fresh just a short time before I got there.  It was so worth 2 Euros!!

A Museum at Night

Well how lucky can I be?  I went out last night to photograph a building and it was snowing and windy and cold.  It couldn’t have been any better. Seriously.  I froze my butt off (well, my fingers actually) and I couldn’t be happier.  It is only in these conditions that a photographer can get a shot like the one below.  I mean, how else could I get set up in the middle of the road with my tripod and gear to take this picture without worrying about people or cars ruining the opportunity?

This is the Linz museum.  It’s an HDR photograph that I pushed slightly into the artistic realm in honor of the museum. Click on it to make it large – the best way to view HDR IMO.

Shopping District in Linz

What to do when the weather sucks and there is nothing but gray sky's, light snow and dull colors?  Shoot at night!  Here are a few shots from the stores around here to show the “flavor” – not typical of stores back home. I am near a large shopping district and it seems to mostly fashion stores in old buildings. Oh yeah – click on images for a larger view.