Lake Alexandrina

I recently spent a few days up at the beautiful and peaceful Lake Alexandrina fishing with a friend from Timaru.

Lake Alexandrina is next to the larger Lake Tekapo,
a short distance off the Christchurch to Queestown road.

We were up early to be on the lake at 0530 hr before sunrise and again before sunset until well after dark weather permitting, 2230 - 2300 hrs.

Not only did I take my fishing gear but the camera gear came into good use during the day.

,

Lake Alexandrina

We stayed at the south end of the lake, which is mainly spring fed. This is due to its glacial origins being the largest tarn in the country. The outlet to the lake is behind the point in the centre right of the photo. The mountains at the top of the lake are those of the Southern Alps, unfortunately sparsely covered in snow for early December.

In the 1920's, winters were much colder than now. Farmers drove bullock teams across the frozen lake from the sheep runs at the top left of the photo.

Russell lupins have spread throughout the Mackenzie Country and were at their best when I was there. Farmers consider them a weed but they have become a tourist attraction.

Russell lupins provide a nice frame for the lake.

 Shot details: Canon 450D, f/20. 1/25s, ISO-200 at 26mm with +1.3AEB. Camera on tripod approx 30cm above the ground.

Many coloured lupins abound at the southern end of the lake.

Lake Alexandrina is a conservation reserve and as such, very strict conditions exist about its use.

• No powered or wind assisted craft are allowed on the lake. Only small dingies or canoes / kayaks are permitted.
• The huts must collect rainwater, no electricity and best of all - cellphone reception is almost non-existent.
• Environmentally friendly public toilets have recently been built as has a tin shed for a solar shower.
• Remove all your own rubbish too.

Lake Alexandrina is an alpine tarn - a water filled depression left after the glaciers retreated during the last ice-age.

Fishing huts at the south end.

The other side of the lake with Mt John, top left.

South end of Lake Alexandrina with the Mt John Observatory on the skyline.

Lake Tekapo was carved out by massive glacial advances during the Pleistocene ice-age and is on the other side of Mt John.

Mt John is classic example of a roche moutonnée which is harder rock resisting the ice flow over top of it. Ice about 2km thick over rode what is now Mt John when Lake Tekapo was being carved out.

In glaciology, a roche moutonnée (or sheepback) is a rock formation created by the passing of a glacier. The passage of glacier ice over underlying bedrock often results in asymmetric erosional forms as a result of abrasion on the "stoss" (upstream) side of the rock and plucking on the "lee" (downstream) side. These erosional features are seen on scales of less than a metre to several hundred metres. Wikipedia.

Glacial erratic

This large schist rock was carried there by the glacier and left behind when it retreated. This one is unusual in that is it on top of a hill and dominates the skyline. Many other erratics dot this area.

Being a conservation reserve, the lake and surroundings are to be kept as a pristine habitat for aquatic life and bird life. Rainbow trout abound but brown trout are quite rare in this lake and any caught are to be returned to the lake.

Around half a dozen species of birds make Lake Alexandrina home. Black swans and mallard ducks are readily seen. I didn't bother my camera with these but concentrated on the grebes and scaups.

Southern Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus australis)

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/8. 1/500s, ISO-200 at 300mm

Grebe pair in a synchronised display.

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/8. 1/400s, ISO-200 at 300mm. Both the above photos have been cropped significantly from the original image.

Returning slowly one morning from fishing in the dingy, we found a grebe nest hidden away underneath a willow tree on some branches about 5m from the lake shore. Further investigation and stalking yielded the photo below.

Nesting grebe.

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5. 1/200s, ISO-200 at 200mm with +2.7 AEB. Me lying flat amongst the tussocks poking the lens through the tussock to get a clear shot around the tree branches.

The nest was in a shady area and there was bright sunlight. There was a huge glare coming off the water resulting in a large contrast which took some time to get the exposure right for the bird. Consequently the background is blown out but the grebe, with a little processing of the image, has produced my best shot of the trip.

Another plentiful bird is the New Zealand scaup.

New Zealand Scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae),

 Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6. 1/200s, ISO-200 at 300mm

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6. 1/160s, ISO-200 at 269mm

I managed to get quite close to these birds as they came ashore. Using some bushes as cover I got to within 5-7 m of them to get these uncropped shots. They were completely unperturbed by my presence.

That wraps up the best of the photos I took at Lake Alexandrina.

We did managed to land one rainbow trout ca 60cm long - my Timaru friend got this. I did however take great pleasure in stalking and shooting many birds, with my Canon! My results will last a long time, the trout ended up on the BBQ.

John's Top 10 Series 4

Trying to select another 10 photos since my last collection has again been quite difficult. However each of these photos is unique in its own way and I will endeavour to explain why.

In my previous collection of Top 10 photos, limited processing of the images has taken place. However, since joining the photographic club in Timaru, I have begun to look at how I can enhance images taken and all these below show the benefit of around 5 minutes work using FastStone.

One comment that I heard at the club was "The best camera you have got is the one you have with you." It doesn't matter if you have a Canon 5D or a professional model Nikon, "light waits for no man". This certainly applied to the following two shots.

Now days, smart phones are nearly always in one's pocket and they do take good photos up to a point. In fact the first DSLR maker who can combine the best features of a smart phone into a full frame body with its range of lenses will be onto a winner.

Approaching thunderstorm

Location: My backyard, Pleasant Point. 12 November 2014

Shot details: iPhone 5s: f/2.2, 1/1580s, ISO-32

Comments: I had been out in the garden and was watching the clouds build up and wondered if we were going to get the hail as forecast. Only for a few moments did the sun peek through some holes in the clouds and this wonderful light filled my backyard. A quick look a the sky told me that there was not enough time to get my Canon from inside. The iPhone in the pocket was "the best camera I had".

Autumn colours

Location: Pleasant Point Domain, 20 May 2014

Shot details: iPhone 5s: f/2.2, 1/208s, ISO-32

Comments: The shot details have been included here to show you that even though a smart phone might take an acceptable photo, it is very limited in what you can control, they will never replace a decent DSLR. One good feature though is the inbuilt HDR function. I just happened to be in the right place to catch the golden hour of light in the late afternoon.

Keen concentration

Location: Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, 6 July 2013

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/4.5, 1/80s, ISO-800 at 135mm

Comments: On our way back from 2 years in China we stopped off for a week in Malaysia. The aviary at the bird park in KL is massive and one wanders though it without being aware that you are inside a huge environment where entry and exit to the outside is strictly controlled. I have no idea what the bird is but my EF 70-300 L series lens has done a good job here. (You wouldn't get a shot like this on a smart phone!)

Kochin rainbow

 Location: Kochin, India. 20 November 2010

Shot details:  Canon 450D, f/4, 1/40s, ISO-200 at 10mm.

Comments: We had a nice meal on the river where the sunsets are renowned. However, this evening it was the rainbow behind which stole the show.

After I bought my Canon 450D with its kit lenses, I quickly realised their limitations and purchased an EF-S 10-22mm ultra wide angle. This quickly became a favoured one for landscapes and is the one I need for rainbows. When I first took this photo, the details on the bottom right where heavily in shade. Now with some processing, this image now looks much better than the one "straight out of the camera". I am quite pleased with the result. This image was taken by resting the camera on the rails of the pontoon the restaurant is on.

Location: Lake Tekapo, 4 January 2014

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/11, 1/200s, ISO-200 at 28mm

Comments: One of the iconic scenes in New Zealand is through the window of the Church of the Good Shepherd. The lake is always a blue colour and the clear overhead conditions together with little wind made a nice blue scene.

Memorial cross

Location: Pleasant Point Cemetery, 15 June 2014

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6, 1/160s, ISO-200 with AEB +2/3 stop. 85mm

Comments: The camera club ran a black and white day which made me think about those flat days when the light or the season (winter) doesn't lend itself to good coloured shots. This shot and one following are my stand-outs for the day.

Old vice head, American spelling: vise

 Location: Courtyard, Legends Cafe, Pleasant Point, 15 June 2014

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO-320. 140mm

Comments: I like this one for the details captured here. The judge in a competition didn't like it and suggested I should have include the whole vice. If I had, then the cobwebs and the texture of the rusting surface wouldn't have caught the eye.  Perhaps I should have called it as above instead of just "old vice".

Septarian concretions, about 60 millions years old

Location: Moeraki, Otago, New Zealand, 26 April 2014

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/11, 1/250s, ISO-200, 61mm

Comments: A favourite stopping off place on our way to or from Dunedin. A must see for all who pass this way. Be prepared to wait out the tide at the cafe.

Mesoptamia merino ram's horns

Location: Mesopotamia Station, 22 November 2014

Shot details: Canon 450D, 50mm f/1.4  lens. f/2, 1/4000s, ISO-100

Comments: One of my more memorable shots. I returned later the same day with a different lens as I was not happy with there being a little too muc details of the background hills. The light was better then too. There are other photos here when I was at Mesopotamia.

  

Old wagon wheel

Location: Mesopotamia Station, 22 November 2014.

Shot details: Canon 450D, f/6.3, 1/60s, ISO-200, 21mm.

Comments: This could have been improved if I had opened out to f/4 or so to blur the background a little more. However, I like to shot and that's all that matters as far I am concerned.

This is the 4th of my Top 10 collection.

The first collection, second collection and third collection can be found at these links.

The fifth collection has now been uploaded.

Please leave comments below.

Mesopotamia

We recently had an awesome weekend at Mesopotamia Station with the Timaru photographic club. I had never been there before even though it is only a little over 100 km from home. Another tick off the "bucket list".

It was a great chance to get the camera out and try new angles and gadgets. I took around 900 photos in 3 days with a large majority of these destined for the waste bin. However there are a few shots which I will use here to give you an idea of the high country of New Zealand.

The road to Mesopotamia, on the south side of the Rangitata River, passes through Peel Forest before rising steadily to reach a small summit before dropping down again.



The top of the hill looking back to the Canterbury Plains



This part of the road skirts around the Rangitata Gorge where exhilarating rafting and kayaking are features of the great outdoors.

Letter box on the way down the other side, heading west.

Dropping down a few hundred metres in altitude we caught our first sight of the river above the gorge and hints of a building nor'wester.

First sight of the upper Rangitata River

River flats open out the valley with nor'west clouds coming around the corner.

About 100m down the road  a small herd of deer were very protective of the first fawn of the season.

New season arrival

Beef cattle, deer and merino sheep are the main animals farmed in the high country. A forestry block on Forest Creek Station, next to Mesopotamia has around 4.5 million trees.

Further up the road, nor'west rain can be seen in the next photo. The river rose over the weekend although was not in high flood.

The valley opening out into wide flats

Mesopotamia Station entrance.





By the time we got to Mesopotamia, a real high country nor'wester was to batter us on Friday night and most of Saturday. Fortunately our accommodation was well sheltered by many large trees although the sound of the wind was like an approaching express train that seemed to keep on coming!

Showing the effects of the nor'west gale

The view from our accommodation

The old stables

The stables in the early evening

Being one of New Zealand's historic sheep stations, there are plenty of old buildings to explore. The old stables above has a new roof but the walls are still clad with flattened 44 gallon drums. This turned out to be a treasure trove of old saddles, harnesses etc when horses were used extensively.

Mespotamia ("between the two rivers", originally the Tigris and the Euphrates) lies between Forest Creek and the Rangitata River and back to the Main Divide was first settled by Samuel Butler in 1860.

Horses of course played a major role in allowing the such stations to operate prior to the arrival of motor vehicles. The stables above still have plenty of relics from the days when horses were a vital part of rural life.

Pack saddle

Mustering - rounding up the sheep from the hills and bringing them down to safety before the winter snows arrived - involved a large team of men and dogs walking days on end and staying in back country huts. Horses were used to pack in supplies for the musterers who came from far and wide. Gradually the thousands of sheep made their way down to the rivers flats for the winter.

Helicopters have replace the teams of musterers now and only a few shepherds needed. On most stations they fly out each day and go home again at night.

Bit and stirrups

Collars - probably used for pulling wagons

Wheel hub of the old gig

Dusty old saddle

Feed box. It's been some time since there was any chaff in here

Modern gear at the ready

The station has around 30 horses nearby. I'm not sure what breed they are but they are strong, heavy horses that are in the peak of condition judging by their shiny coats.

In the days before motorised trucks, horse drawn wagons were used to haul everything to and from the station.

Wagon wheel

During our weekend trip we did not get close to any farm animals as it was in the middle of the lambing and calving season. Between 7000 and 8000 are shorn annually. See the buildings link below to see the woolshed.

Finally, a piece of equipment which I did not have for the weekend at Mesopotamia is  neutral density graduated filter.

As you can see an ND grad is particularly useful in bringing out detail of the sky in difficult lighting conditions. This filter is hand held in front of the lens to show its effect. Some of the above photos would have been much better if I had some NDgrads.

The land does slope down to the left as we were on a giant shingle fan and the camera was mounted level on a tripod.

A set of ND grads and other filters are shortly to be added to my camera gear after seeing what they do.

More photos of the buildings, landscape, machinery and miscellaneous items can be found using these links. There are plenty here for your enjoyment.