• New Zealand | Photographing Middle Earth | Trailer

    This is the trailer for my new upcoming web series on landscape photography travelling around the south island of New Zealand. For two weeks I journeyed this beautiful island, photographing some of the most amazing landscapes. Mountains, glacial lakes, rugged hiking trails and I even stop by and photograph some of the Lord of the Rings movie locations. Stay tuned for an awesome adventure.

    New Zealand
    Click on the pic to go straight to the video 🙂
  • Hooker Valley Track – New Zealand

    For so many years I have wanted to hike along the Hooker Valley Track in New Zealand.  I was fortunate enough recently to make my dream come true.  In April this year, on a perfect Autumn day, my wife and I set out to do the 8 km (5 mile) 4 hour round trek to the base of Mount Cook and Hooker Lake via the Hooker Valley Track and let me tell you … it was SPECTACULAR!

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    Mount Cook Road heading towards the Hooker Valley Track past Lake Pukaki.

     

    It was everything I dreamt it would be.  Besides the jaw dropping alpine scenery, I was also witness to avalanches (from a distance),  flowing streams, suspension bridges, wildlife, icebergs (yes, icebergs!) and of course seeing Mount Cook up close is something else.

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    You’ll find the trails on the Hooker Valley Track are well maintained. Just love that view!

     

    I chose to travel light in terms of camera equipment.  I took my Nikon D800 and Sony RX100 Mark 3 and a smaller lighter tripod.  This paid off in the end because I have gone on much longer hikes with a full camera kit and lenses.  At the end of those hikes my legs felt like jelly, on this hike I felt really good and still energetic at the end.

     

    Hooker-Valley-Track
    From every angle, every view point, the landscape is just stunning.

     

    Hooker Valley
    Beautiful suspension bridges along the Hooker Valley Track. They’re bouncy and fun!

     

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    The Stocking Stream Shelter is at about the three quarter way mark into the Hooker Valley Track.

     

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    Mount Cook and the surrounding mountains reflect into the Alpine Tarn. Taken with my Nikon D800 and 14-24mm lens.

     

    Here are some tips regarding the Hooker Valley Track.  Firstly, make sure you take some food and water.  Just snacks would be enough to get you by.  I took a large Gatorade, a pre made sandwich, nut bar and packet of chips.  I found that more than enough to keep me rolling along.  Secondly, make sure you have sunscreen and a good quality brand insect repellent, especially in the early morning or late evening.  Thirdly, DON’T RUSH, I was moving along at a pretty fast pace going in on the track and I wish I would have walked slower because you come to the end soon enough at Hooker Lake.

     

    Hooker-Valley-Track
    Nice place to stop for a rest and bite to eat don’t you think?

     

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    Icebergs float in Hooker Lake at the base of Mount Cook on the Hooker Valley Track.

     

    I would describe the hike somewhere between easy to moderate.  Let me put it this way, I saw 70 something year old people with walking canes passing me going back towards the main campsite, so my immediate thoughts of what lay before me fitness wise were instantly relieved.  I had trained for months beforehand, but in the end I didn’t really need it.  What you will notice is the hike in is a bit harder than the hike out due to the ever so slight upwards grade to the base of Mount Cook and Hooker Lake.

     

     

    Hooker Valley Track
    Long exposure shot with 10 stop ND filter, a stream flows off Hooker Lake. Mount Cook in the distance.

     

    Have you been to the Hooker Valley Track?  Perhaps you’re thinking of doing it soon?  If so, I’d love to hear from you and your experience in the comments below.  Please feel free to say hello.

     

    For more photos and adventures please follow my Instagram account @adrianalfordphotography or check out my Facebook page – Adrian Alford Photography.  Thanks for reading 🙂

     

    Hooker Valley Track – dream accomplished.

     

    Hooker Valley Track

     

  • How to Photograph the Milky Way

    Milky Way

     

    A lot of people have messaged me recently on Instagram asking how to photograph the Milky Way? So I thought I’d put together this brief blog post on how I like to do it.

    • Here is a list of gear that you’ll need:

    DSLR camera with high ISO capability (they pretty much all have that nowadays)

    Fast wide angle (minimum 24mm) lens with a minimum aperture of f2.8

    Good sturdy tripod

    Shutter release cable

     

    • Step One

    The first thing you need to do before getting started is check the moon phases in you area.  You need to shoot on a “moonless” night or New Moon phase so no moon light will spoil your shot.  Also check your weather, a clear cold night with no cloud is best.  Normally the best time of year to shoot the Milky Way in the southern hemisphere is between the months of April and August.

     

    • Step Two

    You’re going to have to escape the light pollution given off by cities, towns, cars etc.  So best bet is to head to the hills or out into the country where there is practically no light at all (even from street lamps).  This will help your Milky Way shots stand out even more from the sky.

     

    • Step Three

    Once you’ve chosen your location it’s time to set up your gear.  Put your camera on your tripod and attach your shutter release cable.  Isolate where the Milky Way is in the sky and point your camera in that direction.  Here are the settings you’ll need for your camera.  Firstly, set your camera to manual mode.  Next, set your lens focus length to infinity (normally the little sideways number 8) and open the aperture to as wide as it will go eg. f2.8.  Set your manual mode settings to use an ISO rating of anywhere between 2500 and 3500.  I find about 3000 works best for my particular camera.  You may have to play with this for the first couple of shots to get it just right.  Then set your shutter release time anywhere between 20 and 30 seconds.  For your first photo try this, ISO 3000 with a shutter time of 25 seconds.  NB.  For white balance settings you can either use Auto or Tungsten.

     

    • The Technique

    Using your shutter release cable, fire off your first shot and check the preview LCD screen at the back.  Firstly, check for exposure, do you need a longer shutter time or a higher ISO?  Adjust accordingly.  Secondly, zoom into the picture on the preview screen and make sure the focus is correct.  Once again adjust your focus ring accordingly to achieve sharp focus on the sky.  How is the framing?  You may want to tilt down or up to get all the Milky Way in shot.  Once you’re happy with your shot, you should take note of the settings for next time because now you know exactly what your particular camera likes for Milky Way photography.

     

    • Hints and Tricks

    Once you’ve mastered the exposure of your Milky Shots give yourself a pat on the back.  Milky Way shots look really cool, but they can look even better when you add subjects or objects into the foreground.  If you take a look at the above church shot from Lake Tekapo in New Zealand, you’ll notice I’ve put the church in position so the Milky Way is sitting just nicely off the angle of the roof line.  Make yours interesting as well.  Try a tree, mountain, hill, rock formation, pond, camping tent, windmill, even a person shining a torch into the sky in the foreground.

     

    •  Good luck and happy shooting 🙂
  • New Zealand images now available to view

    Friends, it’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog, but I am happy to announce I have now

    uploaded my New Zealand images under the Travel tab above or you can click here.  For the beautiful panoramas click here.

    I had so much fun while capturing these and also fine tuning in the post production process.  I hope you enjoy and please leave feedback if you wish.

    I have more adventures planned for the future so stay tuned.

    Your friend behind the lens

    Adrian

  • Day 10 Queenstown

    Today, very sadly is my last day here in beautiful Queenstown.  What a memorable trip!  I have some of the most incredible shots from around the south island.  I can’t wait to get home and do a bit of post producing on them and load them to this website.

     

    This morning began early for me.  I was up before dawn and headed to Coronet Peak (a mountain 15 mins from Queenstown).  From here I shot some amazing star shots with the glow of Queenstown below.  I used the magic Nikon 14-24mm lens and to say I’m happy with the shots I got is an understatement.  I then shot sunrise shots including panoramas with The Remarkables in them.

     

    I then had breakfast at a cute little café in Arrowtown.  I love Arrowtown, if you’re ever visiting here in Queenstown it’s worth the drive out to experience it, make sure you visit the bakery 😉

     

    It was then back to Queenstown where I did some experimenting with my GoPro (photos and timelapse videos) and threw on the monster Nikon 80–400mm lens on the D800 and got some wildlife shots.

     

    This trip will go down as one of the best I’ve ever had.  I’ve seen mother nature in all her glory, easily some of the most spectacular mountain scenery ever and of course I was engaged to my beautiful soul mate Kristy.  Life is so good!  Get out there and make the most it.  As Ferris Bueller said, “blink and you might just miss it.”

     

    Take care, and until next time.

     

    Coronet

     

     

  • Day 9 Queenstown

    Glorious sunrise this morning.  Incredible colours of pink and purple as the sun came up over The Remarkables.

     

    Well after getting engaged yesterday and a long night of celebrating I took it easy today and just cruised around the Queenstown area itself with the camera.

     

    I mostly took shots over in the botanic gardens area and did a lot with the GoPro today in terms of time lapse videos.  Look forward to putting them together when I get home.

     

    Finished the day off with casual cruise on the TSS Earnslaw (a 100 year old steam ship) across Lake Wakatipu with my new fiancé.  Perfect end to another wonderful day here.

     

    Last day tomorrow.  So sad to be leaving but will make the absolute most of my last day shooting.

     

    Sunrise

     

     

  • Day 8 Queenstown

    Today I asked the most beautiful person in the world if she would marry me.  And she said, YES!

     

    It all happened in my favourite and what I would describe as the most magical place in the world.  At Paradise not too far from Queenstown on a picture perfect day.

     

    Words escape me in describing the love of my life.  All I can say is I have well and truly found my

    soul mate.  I am the happiest and luckiest man in the world.

     

    Kristy & Adrian

     

     

  • Day 7 Queenstown

    Well, it had to happen and today was the day.  Snow!  Yes, I awoke to beautiful snow showers sprinkling across Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables.  The whole of the town took on this magical glow.  I live in a tropical climate so experiencing snow for me is special.

     

    After a huge breakfast I headed out to Arrowtown, about 20 minutes away from Queenstown.  Here I found early settler houses and a main street filled with incredible character.  There’s the old Chinese settlement from the gold rush days, with huts so small you WOULD hit a cat if you did swing it!  Goodness knows how they survived in those tiny huts during the snow of winter.  They made for some great photos in the snow.

     

    In the evening I went to Queenstown’s botanical gardens and got some terrific shots around a water fountain that changed colour.

     

    I love Queenstown so much.  There’s something about it I connect with so well.  Maybe it’s the mixture of adventure and beautiful scenery?  All I know is I feel like I’m home when here.

     

    I think it’s time for a delicious Patagonia’s hot chocolate.  See you all tomorrow 🙂

     

    Queenstown Gardens

     

     

  • Day 6 Queenstown

    Another long day of driving 6 hours to and from Milford Sound from Queenstown, but it is SO worth it!  Picture perfect day for weather once again and mother nature turned it on for me as I drove into Te Anau, the entry towards Milford Sound.

     

    I got shots of ice caked rocks with rushing water coming down rivers.  Early morning mist on long sweeping plains, waterfalls, plants frozen solid, panoramas of misty snow capped mountains.  For the first time I witnessed an avalanche at Homer Tunnel.  It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time.  Needless to say I didn’t stick around long after that and continued on to Milford pronto.

     

    Milford Sound is so beautiful, a natural fiord carved by an ancient glacier.  It’s filled with wildlife, tall snow capped mountains and crystal clear blue water.  I am so happy with the shots I got and can’t wait to get home and see them on my large computer screen.  While travelling out of the sound I had my GoPro mounted on the front of the Milford Sovereign ship I was travelling on.  Got some interesting shots with it.

     

    Well, tomorrow I think I’ll take a break and cruise for while.  See where the wind takes me.  To be honest you can point you camera anywhere here in and around Queenstown and you’re pretty much guaranteed a great shot 🙂

     

    Milford Sound Cruise

     

  • Day 5 Queenstown

    Such a beautiful day today.  Started out a little cloudy, but quickly cleared up to reveal stunning mountain ranges covered in snow.

     

    I decided to head to Glenorchy today.  A little town about 45 minutes away from Queenstown.  The mountains here are just stunning and combined with the aqua blue water of Lake Wakatipu made for some great shots.

     

    From here I headed to a place called Paradise.  This is one of my favourite places in the world because of it’s diverse landscape elements.  Lakes, wildlife, forest, waterfalls, long sweeping plains, and mountains.  Of course it is here that I am in my element.  I almost filled my camera memory card for the first time on this trip.  I was salivating as I saw the most amazing gifts of nature.  Snow frosted plants.  mirrored snowy mountains in lakes, rock solid frozen grass with icicles and suns rays streaming through tall ancient forest trees.

     

    What a magnificent trip it has been so far.  So much fun, wonderful weather and getting some great shots along the way.  Tomorrow is Milford Sound.  I’m going to try out my new Nikon 80-400mm lens and hopefully get some good wildlife shots 🙂

     

    Diamond Lake