In Episode 10 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m taking you along on an overnight kayaking trip to Kangaroo Valley where we camp near a sunken forest and capture some incredible night shots as well as kayak down a drowned forest.
What I loved the most about capturing these shots was that it takes 2 days to actually get to this location. Well… 1 day in and and then another out. Anyway, the more effort a location requires the more rewarding it becomes when you actually get a few good shots too.
I didn’t end up getting the conditions I had in mind for the shot. I was actually looking for low hanging mist and was hoping to capture a very atmospheric / moody shot of a kayaker paddling through this sunken forest.
I had done this same 2 day trip at the exact same time of the year a few years ago and got those misty conditions I was hoping for. But the weather must have been too dry this time around. All I got was unusable light within 2 minutes after sunrise… there’s something incredibly harsh about the Australian sunlight that makes it really difficult to capture decent shots at golden hour.
So I had to improvise…
The night was clear and I woke up several times staring at bright stars and a moonless night. So by 4AM I was up and shooting the night sky.
Soon the stars started fading and the dark night’s sky gave way to blue hour.
So I got into my kayak and started paddling around the drowned forest in the search for reflections as I noticed the early sunlight covering the distant mountain side in a deep orange tone. I tried to paddle as calmly as possible to not disturb the reflections and started capturing the magic.
As the sun rose further over the mountain I was suddenly blinded by the bright, harsh light of the new day. A dead tree blocked off the bright light and I immediately had the idea for the next shot. Now on the hunt for shapes that could block the sunlight: Holes in the trees, branches, trunks etc.
And with a high aperture I could turn the bright sunlight into a star bursting out of these shapes. Perfect!
What I love about Kangaroo Valley? Free camping and no reception. It’s the perfect place to switch off and forget about the modern world for a few days.
And be sure to check out our guide to our favourite places for an active getaway near Sydney over The Sandy Feet.
Gear List:
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II – http://bit.ly/2jSptJP
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II – http://bit.ly/2ldtCZW
M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO – http://bit.ly/2kgKjWo
M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO – http://bit.ly/2kblOYA
Peak Design wrist strap – http://amzn.to/2F2MMeP
Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit – http://amzn.to/2rvqj89
Manfrotto BeFree Live Tripod — http://amzn.to/2E0s9Rb
Røde VideoMicro — http://amzn.to/2BlpMFP
SmallHD 501 Monitor – http://amzn.to/2DBKXIF
Walimex Aptaris Video Cage – http://amzn.to/2G7jT2B
MountainSmith Lumbar Pack – http://amzn.to/2DswFXC
Camera Insert for Lumbar Pack – http://amzn.to/2BmInRA
Most of these images were edited with my Autumn Preset Pack as a base and the tweaked to achieve the final look.
My Lightroom Preset Packs are the perfect tool to speed up your editing workflow and add a certain look to your images.
Africa!
In early February 2017 I’m heading to South Africa and Namibia for 6 weeks on 2 road trips to explore some of the best sights and locations these amazing countries have to offer.
So stay tuned for new adventure from a different continent and subscribe to my Newsletter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram if you don’t want to miss out.