Mountain and sight view

Milford Sound is one of the most breathtaking geographical spectacles around the world. Located in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island, it has been carved by ancient glaciers and featured dramatic cliffs that rise steeply from deep and dark waters at the estuary. Milford Sound is often wrapped in mist and cascading waterfalls, especially during or after heavy rain. Based on the climate at Milford Sound which has a low luminous, the originally emerald, green mountains seem grey and black. Spontaneously, the sky is white. Therefore, I choose black and white style to demonstrate the special structure and power of Milford Sound.

When photographing at Milford Sound, I use:

Black and white mode

53mm focal length

F5.3 aperture (The largest I have)

1/500s exposure

800iso

(Note: I use a relatively short exposure because I was on a vessel. Therefore, the ocean wave is going to cause the wobbling of the boat, and I need to use a shorter exposure to make sure the photo is clear. Meanwhile, to make sure that the pictures have proper exposure, I use at relative higher iso which is 800, but that’s not that high to make noise.)

The Wanaka Tree is one of New Zealand’s most photographed natural landmarks. Often called the “lonely tree,” it is a willow that grow isolated from the shoreline, creating a striking contrast against the surrounding mountains and open lake. At sunrise and sunset, the light reflects on the calm water making it seems peace, silent and amusing. Therefore, I plan to snap it just after sunset at the so called “blue hour”. I also do that for another reason—I don’t need ND filters. Note, in order to get a flat lake, I need to have a long exposure time, therefore, only the luminosity around the blue hour without a ND filter (I haven’t bought one yet), I need to take photo at the so called “blue hour”.

When photographing the Wanaka Tree, I use:

32mm focal length

F13 aperture (Less light for longer exposure time)

25s exposure time

50iso

I had just arrived in New Zealand, the snow-capped mountains had no snow. However, after a period of heavy rainfall, the peaks became covered in snow. So, I took photos from the valley below the mountains. Traditionally, the most beautiful way to photograph snow-capped mountains is during sunset when the sunlight hits the snowy peaks. However, because of the cloudy weather, that can’t be achieved. Therefore, I shotted the golden foreground, and capture the Tyndall light on the snow-capped mountains in this shot. I believe that it is able to demonstrate the gigantic of the snow-capped mountains.

When photographing the snow-capped mountains near Milford Sound, I use:

125mm focal length

F6.3 aperture

1/500s exposure

50iso

A broad, moody mountain landscape stretches across the frame, made up of smooth, rounded ridges rather than jagged peaks. The hills are covered in dry grass, shifting in colour from deep olive to burnt gold, suggesting a high-altitude or semi-arid environment.

When photographing these mountains near Queenstown, I use:

59mm focal length

F6 aperture

1/250s exposure

80iso