Thursday 28 November 2013

Motukiekie Rocks

"Night time photography... involving rock pillars in the ocean... but where?" This is what Milos Hroch, a semi-professional photographer from Czech Republic, asked me. Six minutes later I responded: "Motukiekie Rocks". Nine more minutes later, the trip was settled. And so it became that Milos and I were driving to the West Coast over the Arthurs Pass on a Friday afternoon, for our photography expedition.


The Motukiekie Rocks are one of the numerous rock formations along the West Coast. The pillars are gigantic, and would indeed suit sunset and night photography very well. One problem: it can only be accessed at low tide, and you have to be careful not to get shut off when tide is rising again!


We looked up the tide charts and sunrise/sunset times, to see which days and times would fit best for our target. At low tide, you can walk over the mussel beds and count the numerous starfish, like this one!


We indeed hit the best possible combination of sunset and low tide. We both chose (different) strategic spots along the beach while the sun was starting to sink. I had four lenses with me for my camera, and used them all at different positions and with various exposure times and other settings.


Every shot in this series shows (part of) the Motukiekie rocks, yet every photograph is different. Colors, reflections, composition, aperture, focus, exposure, weather: the possibilities are endless.


And the weekend had only just started yet. On Saturday we had even more great adventures, and also a few smaller trips on Sunday before we journeyed back home, over the Lewis Pass. Someday I will sort these pictures out and write a blog post as well, but I'm afraid the next trip will already have started before that!


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