New Zealand bush - Pomona Island (7 photo's)

[Steve H]

These are some shots I got last weekend on a visit to Pomona island which is in Lake Manapouri, South Island, NZ. The local conservation outfit are in the process of eradicating all pests and predators (stoats/ferrets/rats/mice/deer/humans etc) to enable the local wildlife to get a hold (the Robin is one such example - born under the new regime)

[rogerb]

Great shots, all of them.
I particularly like shots 4, 5, & 6.
BTW, that is a snake in shot seven, isn't it?

Roger

[Steve H]

Great shots, all of them.
I particularly like shots 4, 5, & 6.
BTW, that is a snake in shot seven, isn't it?

Roger

Haha yeah it's called a vine snake - quite common in these parts

Thanks for the comments

[ScoutR]

Brilliant colours! Nice to see when one is used to looking at the dirty snow in the city all week long
Number 4 is my favourite

[arith]

#1 is breathtaking.

[Hans]

Beautiful images. 2nd last...WOW! I fell in love with the south island when I was camped for a week in the head of the Landsborough valley last April. Wish I had the D90 then!

Loved your gallery too...thanks

[Shadowman]

Very nice shots.

[GuentherPrice]

They are all great, number 4 is ace.

[martianpictlover2]

YEAH YEAH YEAH.
hey mate these are superb, great, wunderbar, etc....
The shots look xrtremely fine on the iMac.
Carry on and do us all a good turn...
Noel in OZ.

[bleys]

Pictures four and six are so vibrantly and brilliantly green. Beautiful. Well, all of them are. Good job!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Steve,

Thought I'd wade in with my opinion

#1 and #2, nice pics, technically good, but I suspect I would have cropped differently, both have areas with little to hold my interest.

#3 I like the composition, but would have toned down that highlighted leaf on the right a bit.

#4 I just like (quite a lot), but I would ask if you did "monochrome" any of it?
Or is it naturally (with a carefully chosen WB) those subtle colours on the logs?

#5 and #7, vine snakes don't do much for me I'm afraid

#6 is my favourite Might not be perfect, but I don't care - I just love the patterns on the leaves and how you have captured the illumination.

A good series as usual from yourself, well done,

[Steve H]

Hi Steve,

Thought I'd wade in with my opinion

#1 and #2, nice pics, technically good, but I suspect I would have cropped differently, both have areas with little to hold my interest.

#3 I like the composition, but would have toned down that highlighted leaf on the right a bit.

#4 I just like (quite a lot), but I would ask if you did "monochrome" any of it?
Or is it naturally (with a carefully chosen WB) those subtle colours on the logs?

#5 and #7, vine snakes don't do much for me I'm afraid

#6 is my favourite Might not be perfect, but I don't care - I just love the patterns on the leaves and how you have captured the illumination.

A good series as usual from yourself, well done,

Thanks to all for your comments and CC. I was actually making another post with a few more photo's as yours came in Dave so quite timely.

#1 Yes, one of many shots from that point - that one was just the 'overview calendar' shot. Another angle is below.

#2 Has been cropped a bit already and was high iso at 1250. Under tree canopy so was quite dark (1/80 at f9 I think). also the Robin is actually sitting on a stoat trap box (the very thing that enabled him to survive this long) so wanted to keep that, actually wanted to have more of it in view but too late now.

#3 yep, I see what you mean now (these were all actually quick edits to get them out to print for someone) but could tone that leaf down.

#4 yeah you got me - I did desaturate some of the leaf litter at bottom, the logs are pretty much how they were - they had been weathered a lot by the lake - this was taken right near the water.

#5/7 each to his own I like them.

#6 yes the kidney fern, one of my favourites too, backlit by the sun of course. Another version below. These were all taken with the 18-200VR and while it's a good all rounder It's not a dedicated macro and I wasn't entirely happy with the focus on a lot of these. Not sure if it's the lens, my technique, DOF issues or what, but I would love a 100mm macro...

Thanks again, always fun to share a few photo's with like minded people.
Also guess you're all getting sick of that white stuff outside your window?

[PeterL]

Hi Steve

Beautiful pictures, I like them all but particularly like the kidney fern and the vine snakes. Can I just ask how you achieved the black background on the last 3 shots? Was it careful balancing of light and flash or was it done in PP?

Thanks
Pete

[Steve H]

Hi Steve

Beautiful pictures, I like them all but particularly like the kidney fern and the vine snakes. Can I just ask how you achieved the black background on the last 3 shots? Was it careful balancing of light and flash or was it done in PP?

Thanks
Pete

Hi Peter,
Thanks for that. Actually there was no flash involved it was all natural light (under tree canopy) with D90 and 18-200VR. The dark background shots I actually developed by accident, I use (mainly) lightroom 3 beta and was playing with curves doing my normal PP routine.

Those shots had a very dark background anyway and the main subject was backlit by strong kiwi sun. I found that by using a medium to strong 's' curve i.e. moving the darks and the shadows to the 'left' and the lights and highlights to the 'right' I was able to eliminate all the background clutter. I also had to clone out some other bits and pieces to leave the main subject, as well as all the other usual PP stuff, levels, brightness, contrast, sharpening etc.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Steve

Beautiful pictures, I like them all but particularly like the kidney fern and the vine snakes. Can I just ask how you achieved the black background on the last 3 shots? Was it careful balancing of light and flash or was it done in PP?

Thanks
Pete

Silly as it may sound, one way to get black backgrounds with flower shots is to simply put some black paper / card behind them.

[Donald]

Steve

I'm a bit late coming in on this one, but just wanted to add my 'What a set' comment re both Parts 1 & 2.

Everybody sort of passed by the very first one to some extent, including yourself with the 'overview calendar' comment. I just want to say I love it. It's a beautifully relaxing image. It doesn't ask for huge mental agility to appreciate it. It's just a wonderfully calm, serene image that you can peacefully sit and wallow in, with a glass of wine in hand and nice music in the background.

[Richard24]

Excellent work Steve,

Not much more I can say really! I think number 6 is my favourite too, I love the way the light shines through the leaves. Fantastic colour in the other shots too.

New Zealand looks a fantastic place, have never visited, but would love to make the journey someday.

Thanks for sharing!

Rich

[Steve H]

Everybody sort of passed by the very first one to some extent, including yourself with the 'overview calendar' comment. I just want to say I love it. It's a beautifully relaxing image. It doesn't ask for huge mental agility to appreciate it. It's just a wonderfully calm, serene image that you can peacefully sit and wallow in, with a glass of wine in hand and nice music in the background.

Thanks Donald, I guess I get a bit blase about those sort of scenes as I see it everyday and get a bit of photographic tunnel vision, some times I need to force myself to go for a walk in the bush to see these sorts of thing. Actually that trip to the island was a special photographic/painting type trip with a bunch of people, normally you're not allowed to set foot on it.
Glad you enjoyed it!

[Steve H]

Excellent work Steve,

Not much more I can say really! I think number 6 is my favourite too, I love the way the light shines through the leaves. Fantastic colour in the other shots too.

New Zealand looks a fantastic place, have never visited, but would love to make the journey someday.

Thanks for sharing!

Rich

Thanks Richard, Reckon I'll have to hit up the NZ tourist board for a bit of commission

[Donald]

I guess I get a bit blase about those sort of scenes as I see it everyday...

Steve

I know what you mean. A lot of people make comparisons between New Zealand and Scotland and that first pic shows why. I was brought up amidst that sort of scenery and you grow up wondering why people think it's so great. It's just home, so far as you're concerned.

Whenever I go north to visit my dad, I travel along a road I travelled many hundreds of time as a younger person. At that time it was just a pain - narrow, full of tourists and slow. Now, with the benefit, perhaps, of age and an appreciation of different things, it's beautiful (for those in the know, it's the road from Dalwhinnie to Spean Bridge along the side of Loch Laggan).