Today, as promised, we will visit Milford Sound, where I'll prove that anyone with a half decent camera can take awesome photos.
So let's jump right into it.
We couldn't get any of the photos on the way to the Sound to turn out, because it was pouring down rain that day. So without further ado, Milford Sound;
We arrived at the Sound just as the rain cleared up, and were able to get some really good shots.
We arrived at the Sound just as the rain cleared up, and were able to get some really good shots.
Photo just after the rain stopped
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Milford Sound, NZ
Because of the sheer massiveness and suddenness of the rise in terrain around Milford Sound, any cloud going over it dumps whatever moisture it has before proceeding eastward across the Southern Island. Because of this, a temperate rain forest ecosystem has taken root in the area, replete with a myriad of beautiful fungal growth on the trees, as shown in the photos below.
The rest of the photos we were able to take on the way back from the Sound, but the weather soon closed in once again, making photography a risky proposition, considering all the moisture and the camera's delicate electronics
Near Milford Sound, NZ
Interesting photo comparisons can be found of this river when there isn't as much rainfall happening, at the following website: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/27309796
For all you budding photographers, you'll notice that the water has taken on a soft appearance, while the rocks remain more sharply focused. This trick is achieved by stopping down the aperture of the camera, while setting the shutter speed to 1/2 to 2 seconds in duration. This long exposure, of course, requires that you use a tripod to mount your camera on. It helps immensely if you have an overcast day, so that your bright spots and shadow areas are not so far apart in brightness that the camera cannot record them all. Direct sun on the water, as compared to the darkness in the shadows around those bright spots, can span up to eleven "EV's" of light, while digital cameras can only capture a range of five to six EV's in light intensity difference. Our eyes can register the greater range, but both film and digital cannot. Also helpful in these photographs is shelter from any wind. Calm conditions allow for the leaves in photos, like the one above, to come into sharper focus, as they are not moving around. What I am not pleased with in the photo above, and on the one below, is that I underexposed the shots, which skewed their colour too much into the blue spectrum of light, rather than the green. I could have partially combated this by bracketing the photo one stop above the camera-metered settings. Furthermore, the images would have been sharper still, had I remembered to turn off the image stabilizer while using the tripod. Duh! "Photography 101"
Unfortunately, the chasm itself, while awe-inspiring, did not lend itself to easy photography, as it would have required a wider-angled, fish-eye lens to cover properly, in a way which could be appreciated by you, the viewer. C'est la vie, I guess!
Continuing on back to Te Anau, we were able to get some shots of the box canyon we were entering, with Homer Saddle at its end--through which Homer's 1.3km Tunnel is carved out. While Homer did not build the tunnel, he did suggest its construction when he discovered the saddle named after him in 1889. More info can be found @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Tunnel
The photo below shows all the rivulets that occur when a heavy rain hits the Sound area. It was, quite simply, a breath-taking display of nature at its most raw!
Getting almost to the tunnel, we stopped and took the photo below, of the valley leading up to the Saddle. The rivulets can clearly be seen on the left, cascading noisily off the mountain's rain-drenched shoulders.
Having reached Homer's single-lane tunnel from the north side, we saw the sights you see below. We were there for about 15 minutes, as we waited for the light on our end of the roadway to turn green.
While waiting at the tunnel's entrance, this cheeky little devil came looking for entertainment and scraps from the regular flow of tourists. The cars that lined up behind us actually fed the wee beasty, and so he hopped right up on the left-side mirrors of those vehicles to be hand fed!
North entrance to Homer Tunnel, NZ
A closer look at our fine-feathered friend, the kea.
This was the only other shot the weather permitted us on the south side of the tunnel, making for a quick trip back to Te Anau. The shame of it all was, that there was sufficient photo 'ops' on this return trip to last a whole year, let alone a single day's jaunt up to the sound! "Alas, alas, my kingdom for more time!"
Fungal encrusted tree, growing out over the edge of the abyss.
Back at the campground to end another day.
Good Night from Te Anau once again folks!
Tomorrow we're off to Invercargill!
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