Photographing The Milford Track

The Milford track is the most popular of all New Zealand’s great walks. A four day hike through pristine rain forest in the heart of Fiordland. I was excited about the adventure and potential for photo opportunities. About a month earlier I had bought a new camera, the Fujifilm GFX50sii with the bundled GF 35-70mm zoom lens, and decided to take the combo on the walk with me. My bush walk adventures have taught me not to expect the moon from the images I take. As landscape photographers know, good light on subjects is rare and generally requires repeat visits to specific locations to get a good shot, with multi day hikes, you are never in one place long, except at the hut/camp locations. This hike deep into the lush rainforest of Fiordland, was a journey into the unknown. I decided to leave my tripod at home and handhold all my shots.

DAY 1. Access to the Milford track is via a ferry from Te Anau Downs. The boat has a top deck so you get a great view of the huge granite mountains you will be walking under in the rain forest. My choice of lens was equivalent to 28-55mm on a full frame camera, so just a standard view. I would have loved a 70-200mm type lens for a tighter crop, but I made do with the old Fujifilm X-pan crop mode built into the camera. Not ideal, but still got an image.

The hike from the ferry jetty to Clinton hut where you stay the night is only about a couple of hours, if that. The bush on this part of the walk is really pretty, with lots of vibrant sphagnum moss covering the trees. So do stop and take pictures.

Day 1 and part of 2 is the best opportunity to photograph the Sphagnum moss. As the hike slowly climbs in altitude on day 2 the rainforest environment changes as well, so less of the lush green views, make the most of it on day 1.

Clinton hut is an overnight stop and from the helipad you have one of the hikes best photogenic views. A stunning vista of granite cliffs with rainforest in the foreground. I took off early in the morning, but this could also be a great sunrise photo opportunity.

This image was taken early evening and captures the mystical vibe of the Milford track with larger trees jutting out of the rainforest cloaked in low hanging cloud, clinging to the ancient granite cliffs.

Day 2. The second day is a long hike of about 18km slowly gaining in altitude. You will eventually walk out of the cover of the rainforest and travel between giant granite cliffs. Finding images here is not as easy as it sounds as the dynamic range between cliffs and sky can be crazy difficult. It started to rain at about lunch time and it didn’t stop for the rest of the day. I managed to get one image from the day I really like. There is a historic avalanche segment of the track where you have to navigate walking over boulders. This grouping of rocks was an obvious foreground, but my camera lens wasn’t wide enough so I took a handheld 2 shot panorama.

Rain brings waterfalls everywhere on the Milford track.

At the end of day 2 you stay at the new Mintaro Hut, the image below is of the tree outside the balcony of the hut. As you can see it’s raining. Expect lots of rain. I didn’t do much to protect my camera and on day three I was about to find out… i should have. You should definitely look at some sort of rain cover for your camera.

Day 3. The main focus of day 3 is the climb over the Mckinnon Pass. Whether you get a view from the summit is a lottery and on my day I only had fleeting moments when the clouds parted to get some kind of view. I can’t tell you what sort of focal range would suit this location, but a tele-photo lens in the backpack wouldn’t go amiss.

Just below the summit of Mckinnon Pass. While not a great view the low cloud did provide an atmospheric image with the pleasing rock formations and tussock grass.

It was on the descent I came unstuck with my camera. In Fiordland not only is it wet but extremely humid. My camera lens is supposed to be weather resistant, but that didn’t stop an internal element from fogging up. I missed a few shots but luckily after sitting the camera and lens in the warm sun to dry at the problem disappeared, and I took images all of day 4.

Day 4. This is an easy walk, and I took plenty of images. My pick of the day was the image below.

Just a few hundred metres from the end of the 53.5km Milford track I took this image. Probably the wrong time of day but a nice keepsake just the same.

After the end of the Milford track I stayed in Te Anau for the night. My room at the lakeside holiday park was really close to the boat clubs jetty, so it was an easy sunrise location.

Lake Te Anau. Without a tripod I balanced the camera on a concrete wall and took this image.

Photographing the Milford track was a lot of fun, and while I didn’t have the perfect focal range for many images, I still had a great time. If I were to do the trip again I would take longer and wider lens options. Overall the Fujifilm camera did the job, and the image stabilisation worked well. Next walk on my list is the Routeburn track, and I hope to walk shortly in January of 2022.

Remembering the Dunedin Cadbury Factory

When plans were announced for building the new Dunedin Hospital on the Cadbury Factory site, I knew it would be really important to get at least one good image of the Cadbury factory as a keepsake before it was demolished. The idea was good, but taking an interesting image proved a little harder.

I thought it might be nice to start by photographing the silos with a longer lens, and by doing so, include the spire of First Church in the frame.

The Dunedin Cadbury Factory silos. The ‘glass and a half ‘ symbol, established in 1928 to promote the glass and a half of full cream milk in every 200g of Cadbury chocolate.

I would always be looking for opportunities to grab a different perspective of the factory, and on this occasion I was driving through town late afternoon, close to sunset, so the shadows were getting long and the light was warm and summery. I used the apartment building as the foreground, and as luck would have it a seagull flew through the image at the moment of capture.

Cadbury Factory Silos, view from the Dunedin Railway Station.

The last image I took finally gave me the ‘something special’ I was looking for in a keepsake. I was on my way to Sue Todd Antiques, a regular client, to photograph lovely items for her website. The weather looked a little stormy with a mix of dark clouds and blue sky. The sun was still fairly low in the sky and the angle of it was shining brightly on the Cadbury factory windows. By shooting into the sun, the resulting light created a very monochromatic look to the image. The vantage point I took the image from also allowed me to include the Cadbury Fry building in the composition.

Cadbury Factory Dunedin. People have commented, the Cadbury factory even looks a little like a chocolate bar.

As a comparison, below a similar image, after the silos and factory had been demolished. By chance the view here now shows the old Dunedin Hospital.

The Cadbury factory provided employment for so many Dunedin men and women, and has been an important part of our cities history. I do feel a slight loss now when I gaze toward where the silos used to be in the current work site, but the promise of a state of the art hospital is something I can also appreciate and look forward to having in Dunedin.

Photoshoot: Dunedin City streets Vol 2

Another location photoshoot in Dunedin city with Rachel. I used a single godox ad200 light on a stand for all of the images. I am a Fuji shooter, so X-H1 camera body, with either the XF 35mm 1.4 or XF 23mm f2.

An alleyway shot using the graffiti to balance the shot. I love images that could tell a story.

Slight position change in this one.

The old Post Office building on Princes street. Remember the days of using a telephone booth? I popped the Godox flash to the right of Rachel, adding a kiss of light to the ambient light filtering into the scene.

The old Post Office building on Princes street. Remember the days of using a telephone booth? I popped the Godox flash to the right of Rachel, adding a kiss of light to the ambient light filtering into the scene.

The exterior of the old Post office building, but here the atmosphere is more stylistic and gritty with the lighting.

The ugly concrete walkway on upper Dowling street. I popped the Godox ad200 to the right of Rachel to create this frame within a frame image.

The ugly concrete walkway on upper Dowling street. I popped the Godox ad200 to the right of Rachel to create this frame within a frame image.

Alleyway off Moray Place. I loved the pockets of light in this area, so placed Rachel on the edge of one well lite area and added a pop of flash to fill in the shadows around her eyes.

Alleyway off Moray Place. I loved the pockets of light in this area, so placed Rachel on the edge of one well lite area and added a pop of flash to fill in the shadows around her eyes.

Same image but a portrait version of the scene with Rachel looking at the camera. Sometimes it’s too hard to pick which one you like best.

Stairwells behind the Regent theatre made for fascinating lines in the images. I loved this spot so will include a few variations of the same scene,

A portrait version of the scene.

A wider landscape version.

First Church was closed, so a perfect opportunity to utilise the stunning doors in an image of Rachel.

Dunedin never ceases to amaze me with the number of interesting locations on offer.

Dunedin walks: Haywards Track

Access to Haywards track can be made from two locations. The first is just outside of the small seaside village of Aramoana or from the end of Haywards road. If you start from Aramoana you will include more uphill walking. I started from the Haywards road entry point as I enjoy the views from driving along the top road. From Haywards Rd you simply follow the yellow markers as they run along farmland fencing to join the track.

View of Aramoana from walk to join Haywards track.

View of Aramoana from walk to join Haywards track.

Follow the yellow markers to join up with Haywards track.

Follow the yellow markers to join up with Haywards track.

After a fairly decent walk you will finally join up with Haywards track. From here you will have an excellent view of Tairaoa head on the Otago Peninsula.

Haywards track view of Taiaroa head and the Otago Peninsula.

Once you have joined up the track you follow a track along the cliff edge at a safe distance. The walk to Haywards point is mostly downhill and quite steep in parts. On a wet day it could be quite slippery. It’s important to note you return the same way as you came, so heading back requires plenty of walking uphill. The walk to Haywards point is about 2.5km each way, not a huge distance at all, but the undulating terrain makes for very good exercise.

End of the hike, looking down to Haywards point.

A pest trap with views on Haywards point in Dunedin.

This rocky outcrop is home to a shag colony. Haywards Point, Dunedin.

This rocky outcrop is home to a shag colony. Haywards Point, Dunedin.

Possibly a rusted old whaling winch at Haywards Point in Dunedin.

Views of Purakaunui from Haywards Point.

View of Aramoana beach heading back along Haywards track.

Keyhole rock on Aramoana beach in Dunedin.

Container ship making its way to Port Chalmers in Dunedin.

Container ship passing by Taiaroa head and the lighthouse.

Haywards track is a great way to stretch the legs and get some fresh sea air. Be sure to take layers as Haywards point is exposed to the elements and the sea breezes can drop the temperature considerably. The walk from my parked car was roughly 10,000 steps. Plus if you fancy a coffee afterwards there are plenty of cafes in Port Chalmers to stop off and relax in on the way back to Dunedin.