New Zealand - Water Falls

[David]

Hi All - For the last in the New Zealand series I would point out that in parts of South Island New Zealand it rains. Not just dribs and drabs, nor showers, nor steady persistent rain, nor, even cats and dogs. It rains hard, heavy and horrendously. In what is known as Southland and Westland, on the coast, between 6 and 8 meters (yes meters) of rain falls annually. This fact is not well presented in tourist literature and droves of peole pay good money and spend days travelling to and from remote sites along dangerous roads to see sites that are soaked and barely visible because of the precipitation.



Nevertheless, one might also get to see incredible "curtain" waterfalls. This shot being taken at the entrance to the Homer Tunnel (d'oh, not that Homer, the other one), en route to Milford Sound.



Water also falls in a more sedate manner in the form of glaciers. Here's a shot of Franz Josef.



And, yah-boo-sucks to those who don't like the use of HDR softawre (in this case Photomatix) on single image shots. It's quick, convenient and effective in rendering a more dramatic effect on what would otherwise be a pedestrian grey image. (BTW, this shot taken during a 2 hour dry spell at Franz Josef, the first they had had in 5 days. It started raining when we were at the glacier's snout, and was continuing to do so 36 hours later when we left the area.)



The image above shows another way of dealing with grey subjects having little contrast. Desaturate and increase contrast until well cooked.

Cheers

David

[bleys]

Wow, I love number three! There's something about the subtle colours, composition, and misty clouds. I think maybe a little more foreground and a bit less sky would improve it.

PS - I just read your caption, that it's an HDR shot. Well, good job I guess! I think HDR shots can be great when they're done well. I couldn't really tell just by looking at it so I presume you've handled it properly.