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Cape Egmont Lighthouse and Mt Taranaki

Cape Egmont - Images by Marcus and Jennifer Schoo

This is a beautiful spot that looks upon one of New Zealand's most iconic mountains. It is far enough out of the way to be quiet but still easy to get to by car. Cape Egmont marks the westernmost point of the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Standing guard over it is the Cape Egmont Lighthouse that was originally built on Mana Island near Wellington but was relocated to Cape Egmont in 1877. Behind the lighthouse stands Mount Taranaki (aka Mount Egmont). Mount Taranaki's solitary volcanic peak dominates the geography of the entire Taranaki region.

Best Times

Time of year : All year. June - October for a snow capped Mount Taranaki
Time of day : In the evening one hour before sunset through to a half hour after sunset

Directions

From New Plymouth take state highway 45 south through Oakura and Okato for about 40 minutes. Turn right onto Cape Road and follow it for 4.7km till it reaches the small dirt car park at the coast. A rough track leads north along the coast from the car park and provides good views back toward Cape Egmont Lighthouse and Mount Taranaki.

View Larger Map

Photo Advice

Walk a few meters along the rough track to frame Mount Taranaki with Cape Egmont Lighthouse to its left and the small farm house to its lower right. A few meters further along there is a small mound to the left of the track. From atop this mound you can frame Mount Taranaki with Cape Egmont Lighthouse to the right.

To frame the mountain and the lighthouse you will be looking at using a lens of about 110-130mm (70-80mm on APS-C). Try and use the smallest sharp aperture you have at your disposal to keep the lighthouse and the mountain in focus, think f/16 or smaller. Use a polariser to reduce glare and increase saturation. The effect is minimal as you will likely have the sun directly behind you at sunset but its still there. With late light and narrow apertures, shutter speeds will be slow so use a sturdy tripod and a cable release. At this medium telephoto focal length mirror slap can cause a little softness so use mirror lockup if your camera has this feature.

Give yourself some time here. The light changes dramatically over the 90 minutes around sunset from early golden light on the lighthouse and mountain to a late purple sky behind them.

First Try At Astrophotography

Astrophotography is gaining considerable popularity recently thanks in no small part to advancements made in the area of highly sensitive, low noise digital sensors. After many years of procrastination, fuelled by a strong disdain for being up all night, spectacular work by the likes of Mark Gee have given me the proverbial kick in the pants I needed to get off the sidelines.

Here is my first attempt.

I'm somewhat happy with it. It isn't a masterpiece, I know that. A long way from it. There is a lot more to learn.

Here is what I did and what I learned.

Tech Details

• Canon EOS 7D
• Undoubtedly a full-frame sensor would be better here, but this is what I have.
• Tokina AT-X 116 AF Pro DX 11-16mm f/2.8
• Again, probably not the best choice but at f/2.8 this is pretty fast and pretty wide.
• 11mm
• f/2.8
• 25.0s
• ISO 3200
• Three days past New Moon
• 9:06PM (about 90 minutes after sunset)

Aperture Adjustments

• Colour Temperature set to 3500K
• Exposure increase by one half stop
• Black point increased

Things Learned / Things To Do Differently Next Time

• Stay up later. It may seem obvious but the Milky Way moves in the sky throughout the night. This shot has the Milky Way barely breaching the horizon. To see it in its full glory I should have shot it at around 2-3am. Not something I'm relishing.
• Composition is just as important in astrophotography as any other photography. Don't think just because the Milky Way is in the frame the shot will be an instant classic. This means finding dramatic locations, with dramatic foregrounds ahead of time.
• Don't get to close to your foreground. The Milky Way is always going to be about the same size no matter where you stand but shoot too close to your foreground and you run the risk of marginalising your primary subject.

Assuming I can drag myself out of bed at some ungodly hour I'll let you know if I've learned from my mistakes in a future post after the next New Moon.

Australasian Gannets at Muriwai Beach

Muriwai Gannet Colony - Images by Marcus and Jennifer Schoo

As they normally breed on rugged coastal islands, there are only a few places in the world where it is possible to photograph Australasian Gannets in mainland rookeries. Probably the most easily accessible such colony is at Muriwai, about one hour drive west of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city.

About 1,200 gannets nest at Muriwai between August and March each year in four separate nesting sites. Two are on the mainland at Otakamiro Point above Muriwai, one on the precipitous Motutara Island just off-shore and one further off-shore on Oaia Island.

Best Times

Time of year : August - March. Most activity around December. 
Time of day : In the morning just after the sun clears the hills behind Muriwai about one hour after sunrise or in the evening one hour before sunset to 30 minutes after sunset.

The Australasian Gannets are in residence from August through to March. Some suggest December is the optimal time with the most fishing and feeding activity. Weather is generally more reliable in New Zealand in late Summer around February. Look for dramatic wide seascapes featuring the colonies around thirty minutes before and after sunset. In the morning wait for the sun to rise above the hills behind Muriwai for great on-the-wing shots of flying birds. The rookery is a popular spot for tourists and is busy (by New Zealand standards!) in the evening though seems to thin out just before sunset. Early mornings are quiet.

Directions

From Auckland head west on State Hwy 16. At Waimauku take a left onto Muriwai Rd and follow it all the way to Muriwai Beach. A path at the south end of the beach heads up to the rookery. Alternatively, drive up Waitea Rd and park at the top of the cliffs and approach the gannets along the path from the south. There are two viewing platforms, one above each mainland colony, that give excellent views of the gannets.

View Larger Map

Photo Advice

For wide seascapes featuring the colonies try the upper (southern) viewing platform in the evening with the sun setting behind the gannets. A 16mm lens on a full frame body (10mm on APS-C) is required to frame both mainland colonies and the two off-shore islands. Try a circular-polariser to reduce glare and a two or three stop ND-Grad to bring the sunset into balance with the foreground rookeries. Waiting until just after sunset allows for a longer shutter time giving soft ocean waves. Alternatively, use an ND filter to reduce light. Evenings can also be a good time to get gannets silhouetted onto a backdrop of sunset.

For birds-in-flight images look for morning light about one hour after sunrise once the sun clears the hills behind Muriwai. The upper (southern) most mainland rookery will still be in shadow so try the lower (northern) viewing platform. Around a 400mm lens works well for tracking shots. The gannets will circle repeatedly over the colony. Look for birds that are in a holding pattern around or just below eye level and track them coming in. Shooting birds at just below eye level gives backgrounds of churning ocean, sheer cliffs or busy rookeries, all of which are usually more interesting than clear sky. Some of the birds will also be carrying nesting material while in flight so keep a keen eye out for these. In the morning birds coming on-shore should have better facial lighting than those going off-shore. Using a monopod will help you rest between shots.

Space is at a premium in the colony so there is lots of opportunity for seeing interaction between birds. Look for birds coming in to land and for squabbles between neighbours. On the path to the lower (northern) view platform there are often some birds quite close to the left side of the path providing opportunities for close portraits.

Further Reading

birdlife.org
wildlifeextra.com
newzealand.com
www.math.auckland.ac.nz/~hafner/gannets/

B&W Contest Prize APC Canvas Is Here

Back in October I was delighted to be awarded second place in the popular vote section of the John Batdorff 2011 Black and White Photo Contest. Part of the prize for that award was a 16" x 24" Gallery Canvas of my New Zealand Fur Seal image by Artistic Photo Canvas.

Have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the result, it's a great product. Now I just need to find some wall space to hang it.

Big thanks again to John Batdorff, Artistic Photo Canvas and all the sponsors of the contest for their support.

Polar Bear Newborn Cubs - Day Six

In the end - it was not meant to be.

After six days of rattling along the tundra we leave without seeing the bears we came to see. I've said about all that can be said in my previous posts.

While we are bitterly disappointed it would be a mistake to say we left empty handed. We had the opportunity to spend 6+ days with a wonderful group of like minded world explorers of amazing talent and spirit. While we came to see bears we did see caribou, ptarmigan, red fox, snow buntings and a martin and I am not so jaded to be able to say they were not a joy to see and photograph. We had some of the most vibrant and dynamic northern lights experienced in the region.

In short, we had a fantastic time. And our passion to photograph newborn polar bear cubs is just as strong if not stronger. So don't be surprised if in 12 months we start the hunt all over again.

I can't wait. Till then enjoy some shots from our last day on the tundra.

Our trunk snapped a track on the last day. First time ever.

The snapped track.

Polar Bear Newborn Cubs - Day Five

As expected the weather was still against us today. Heavy winds and forecasts of rain (yes rain!!) have kept us inside the lodge from day break.

Tomorrow is our last chance. The following morning we head back to Churchill by train. Including today the lodge has experienced seven days without a bear sighting.

We spend our days talking about various bear cub sightings in the past, about photography gear or about peoples trips to other wildlife centres of the world. We watch documentary footage showing bears emerging from dens rather than seeing it first hand. It's almost more than we can bare but we can't help watching.

Early afternoon saw the weather clear enough to make a desperate foray into the tundra. Wind was still high but the visibility was much greater than earlier. Unfortunately it made no difference to our ability to locate either denning or travelling bears. We returned to the lodge empty handed again.

In the absence of bears we amused ourself photographing details of the landscape including these abstract images of the frozen lake.

Just after midnight the clouds cleared again and the ventured out into the night to see the northern lights again. Not as magnificent as a few nights ago but awesome all the same. 

Tomorrow is our final day at Wat'chee and the forecast offers some glimmer of hope. Wind will still be strong but the sky should be clearing over night and be clear tomorrow. It's our last chance for a bear sighting and it looks like we will have beautiful light should we find our quarry.

Fingers crossed.