Sunshine, lupins, and mountains

We often trust MetService (New Zealand's most accurate source for weather prediction), and use their 5, and 10-day forecasts for planning trips. I am happy to report that both were quite accurate this past weekend.

Every chance we get, we do our best to visit the alpine regions of the South Island, and to our delight the sunshine was going to be in great supply on the Sunday we were planning tp visit. When we got to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, the conditions couldn't have been better for hiking, and photography.

The first photo I'd like to share is one that combines two very distinct alpine elements, lupins and Aoraki/Mt Cook. To do this I needed to stack two photos, one with focus on the foreground, and one on the background. I then used Photoshop to blend the two to create one exposure, with both in focus. The technical term for this is focus stacking. The settings for both photos are listed below the final, blended, image. All other adjustments were done in Lightroom.

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Sony A7RII - 70-200 2.8

1/60 | f6.3 | ISO 80 | 70mm

Mount Chalmers day hike - December 2016

We are so fortunate to live in an area where really good hikes are abundant. A few months ago we attempted to climb to the top of Mount Chalmers, but didn't quite make it the top before turning back due to adverse weather.

Fortunately summer weather allowed us the opportunity to give this hike another chance. This time we would approach it from the Cedar Creek trail.

Aside from a muddy areas the run up to the top of Mount Chalmers was quite pleasant. I managed to create this photo just before the rain overtook us. The settings for the photo are just below. Post-processing was done in Adobe Lightroom, and Photoshop.

Sony A7RII - 24-70mm 2.8 - Polarizing filter

1/125 | f/5.6 | ISO 125 | 24mm

The Gift of Smile

This past weekend I was very fortunate to have traversed some amazing alpine territory in Central Otago, New Zealand, and Aoraki (Mt Cook) National Park. The whole time I was on the trail was pure bliss, even while finishing the last section of Ben Lomond, and long and winding path to the top of Isthmus Peak. When passing, or crossing paths, with others on the path, I made sure to offer a smile and a greeting. Regardless of how physically demanding the terrain was, I always managed to offer a smile. To be out in the middle of bliss, and be physically capable of hiking, was a true blessing. Always remember to give the gift of smile, for it costs you nothing, and lifts the spirits of those around you. The mountain views aren't bad either.

Sony A7RII - 16-35mm

1/125 | f11 | ISO 100 | 35mm

Countdown to Creative

I've often thought there was a magical timer that would tell me when it's time to be creative. There is no doubt I had the ability to be "creative", but I never took the time to cultivate this skill. My work as a coach afforded me the ability to express my artistic passions, and I am always grateful for those early beginnings. The most important lesson I learned from the 15 years I spent as a strength and conditioning coach, is that with anything truly worth pursuing, it will take countless hours of preparation to achieve a base level of mastery. One must have the right plan, and work ethic, to the creative they truly want to be. So let's do this! Let's begin the countdown to creative.

A7II - 70-200 f4

1/80 | f6.3 | ISO 100 | 74mm