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Just returned from NZ where we had a mixture of appalling and wonderful weather! Didn't see Mt Cook from any vantage point due to the cloud cover, hail and gale force winds! But I managed a snap or two of this photogenic country!

I was standing on Moeraki beach where the famous boulders are and was not too inspired until in the distance I saw a man on horseback. Hmm..might make a good snap!



Cheers
Sheila

Hi Sheila,
I've been wondering when you'd return with some images from your NZ trip. Nice start - has there been much PPing done to this one? I like it, and look forward to more.. PS - Welcome home

Thanks Geoff. Very little PPing - I shoot RAW and I believe I tweaked Temperature in ACR conversion but very little else. It was early morning and the sky was just gorgeous.

I'll post some more when I upload them to Fred Miranda (who hosts the images I put on this site as I have disabled direct linking in my PBase site).

Cheers
Sheila

And a shot taken of Lake Glendhu, near Wanaka



Cheers
Sheila

Magic Sheila - this is a nice wide image, almost panoramic, which lens was this taken with?

Hi Sheila,

two great photos here. The Wanaka area is certainly one of my favourites in NZ, you had a great opportunity there being so clear and calm on that day.

Cheers,

André
(PS: enjoyed your article in Image )

It was a merge of two images from my 24-105 f/4 L IS.

Cheers
Sheila PS Thanks Andre. It was nice seeing my work in print again!

My wife also returned from NZ on Saturday. Her photos weren't as good as your though Sheila. She also said that the weather was not very good.

Wow, great shots Sheila! I particularly love the second one, beautiful scenery. The reflection and colours just do it for me. I guess when you stand in front of something like that, photography seems so easy, doesn't it?

Looking forward to seeing more!

Bad weather does have its advantages



A shot across Lake Wanaka the day we arrived. The weather improved by morning.

Cheers
Sheila

Great shots Sheila, the images bring back a few memories of my last NZ trip.

Bob.

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Love shots Shelia, glad to hear you are back from your NZ trip. My favourite out of these is the 2 shot pano, looks absolutely gorgeous. How have you been finding your new kit ?

Alpha_7 wrote:Love shots Shelia, glad to hear you are back from your NZ trip. My favourite out of these is the 2 shot pano, looks absolutely gorgeous. How have you been finding your new kit ?

Thanks Craig. I really like my 5D in that there is little or no sharpening. None of these pics were sharpened in any way. It also has excellent colour rendition and they print out beautifully. By mistake, I printed out the man on horseback in 11 x 17 paper (a gift from Ilford USA for the B&W Spider Awards win) in low resolution (which is about 300 kb and 800 pixels which is what I upload to PBase) and it was hard to distinguish that it was a low res shot - which is a bit of a worry! (Makes mental note to upload even lower res shots ).

I like the 24-105 f/4L IS and my 17-40 really becomes wiiiiide. I do get vignetting but this can be eliminated in ACR.

There are more shots of this visit in my pbase site - http://www.pbase.com/sheila/new_zealand_2006

Cheers
Sheila

Brilliant shots Sheila.

Mic

Beautiful work Sheila, especially the first two. Glad that your 5D is working out as you expected

The Rainbow is gorgeous, amongst many beautiful shots in your new gallery.

Sheila Smart wrote:There are more shots of this visit in my pbase site - http://www.pbase.com/sheila/new_zealand_2006

Nice work!

Where did you find the Royal Albatross? I'm used to only seeing those on the open ocean!

DaveB wrote:

Sheila Smart wrote:There are more shots of this visit in my pbase site - http://www.pbase.com/sheila/new_zealand_2006

Nice work!

Where did you find the Royal Albatross? I'm used to only seeing those on the open ocean!

At the Centre in the Otago Peninsular in Dunedin.

Cheers
Sheila

Sheila Smart wrote:At the Centre in the Otago Peninsular in Dunedin.

It is pretty amazing to see them there, so close as well. Great capture of the albatross. You have some great photos of NZ, you certainly can make that 5D sing. Cloud formations can also be amazing, as you show in your gallery.

You covered a good part of the south island by the looks of the photos in your gallery, thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

André

Sheila Smart wrote:hard to distinguish that it was a low res shot - which is a bit of a worry! (Makes mental note to upload even lower res shots

Nice shots! You're complaining about the weather - was it too photogenic for you? ;-)

I wouldn't worry too much about the res of the web stuff - there's not a lot you can do. I've seen one of my "shitty with watermark" shots on a postcard in WA the watermark cloned out. At that point I decided that there's not a lot I could do, as the original shot was about 500x300 pixels with a 50 pixel high watermark on it. I decided (after negotiation failed) that those who want to pay will, and the rest are too hard to persuade. I still do watermarks sometimes, but primarily as a way to put advertising on people's prints :)

Seeing some of the pictures here and on your site make me want to throw my camera in the bin.

Very nice, well done!

Some beautiful images in there Sheila - thanks for the photo too of your van! Bel and I did the same thing in Tassie a few years back and NZ is next on our list, this van looks both stylish and very functional for your trip! We had a great time in Tassie in a van a bit smaller than this one.

Outstanding images - congratulations
Makes me want to visit again!

Cheers
Gecko

Thanks for sharing these very nice pictures. You do a very nice job and I hope I'll get there some day... Would you have used a tripod for most of these shots?
Cheers,
Gerard

Isn't New Zealand a photographer's wonderland!

I had the same trouble with the weather, but luckily some kind local soul pointed out that they had 12 days straight of stunning sunshine before we got there, thanks mate

The pano image of Lake Glendhu is stunning, love it.

Soem lovely images in your gallery too, just spent the last 10 minutes gazing

Lovely images, makes me want to go back!

Beautifully worked images Sheila. You are really making that 5d sing! Terrific colour,sharpness and composition.
cheers
marco

glamy wrote:Thanks for sharing these very nice pictures. You do a very nice job and I hope I'll get there some day... Would you have used a tripod for most of these shots?
Cheers,
Gerard

I took a tripod, Gerard but never took it out of the suitcase! I rarely use one in any event as I have a very steady hand for someone the wrong side of 60!

Cheers
Sheila

And now for something completely different! A shot of a dilapidated wharf at Riverton - all reasonable offers not refused!



By the time we got this far south, I was fighting dust on sensor big time! I could not take my Eclipse with me as its so flammable and is not allowed on aircraft - especially when you are a passenger! A camera store in Dunedin tried to blow some off but it only made it worse. After this, I was restricted to shooting between f/4 and f/5.6 so dust would not show. Tried shooting landscapes at this aperture?!! When I got home to sunny Avalon (sans gales and hail), it took me several goes at removing it. But Eclipse and Copperhill's sensor swipe came to the rescue. I now have a gleeming sensor!

Cheers
Sheila