New Zealand. Auckland --> Hobbiton

Scam

Scam

Scam

Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
18,644
Location
London
Hello again. My Hong Kong pics seemed to go down quite well, so here's the first batch from NZ. We were driving down the country, and the first stage was Auckland to Matamata, better known as Hobbiton. I've tried to be a bit more selective here, there are more on my new photoblog. Enjoy. :)

(1)
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(2) First BBQ of the year!
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(3) Auckland Sky Tower
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(4)
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(9) Who needs HDR?
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(10) Orewa Beach. Just down the road.
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(11) On the road to Matamata
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(12)
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(13) On the grounds of Hobbiton
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(14) Candid competition? :p
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(15) Hobbiton!
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(16) Checking out the Hobbit's pad
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i really liked the set :) some stunning scenery. my main criticism would be that a fair few suffer from blown out clouds but aside from that, the colours are really good and i like the compositions.
 
some fantastic shots there mate. Out of the whole bunch i think 4 is my favourite, but overall well done :)
 
Mint_Sauce said:
Great shots, I myself will be over there (NZ) soon!
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Cool, for a holiday i presume? My top two places to go would be Abel Tasman (Do some sea kayaking! Pics to come when i get round to them!) and Taupo to do a skydive. It's the cheapest place in the country (~£75) and has the best view -- over a lake with snow-capped mountains in the background. Breathtaking! Oh, and go to Doubtful Sound instead of Milford! Oh and go to Queenstown to do all the adventure stuff. And Wanaka 'cos its lovely. Do the Tamaki Brothers Hangi (Maori feast) in Rotorua -- its the best in the country. Do the Zorbing and Luge there too.

..Bah you got me started now.. i wanna go back! :D
 
Some good shots there.

I like 4 the best. No. 1 has potential, but the sun/flare is a bit of an issue. A few of the landscape shots have blown clouds which is a shame, as there are quite a few nice ones there.

No. 15 looks like Teletubbies would normally be seen living there (although I quite like this shot), and No. 14 confirms it for me :p :)

There's a few there that don't ring my bell (8,9,10).

Overall though, they are nice shots. Good work!
 
Oh, thanks for the comments too. Regarding the clouds, i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. I generally have a bit of a play in Camera RAW, mostly changing the curve to medium or strong contrast. Then in PS i've been changing the curve to an ever-so-slight 'S' shape or simply ben it up a bit. Perhaps thats too much? I thought i was evening things out, because i generally use a level mask on the sky and bring it back down. I'll try to take note of the clouds in the future, as opposed to going mad on the blue sky. :)

If anyone wants to have a play with any of them, feel free.
 
Scam said:
Cool, for a holiday i presume? My top two places to go would be Abel Tasman (Do some sea kayaking! Pics to come when i get round to them!) and Taupo to do a skydive. It's the cheapest place in the country (~£75) and has the best view -- over a lake with snow-capped mountains in the background. Breathtaking! Oh, and go to Doubtful Sound instead of Milford! Oh and go to Queenstown to do all the adventure stuff. And Wanaka 'cos its lovely. Do the Tamaki Brothers Hangi (Maori feast) in Rotorua -- its the best in the country. Do the Zorbing and Luge there too.

..Bah you got me started now.. i wanna go back! :D
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Cool! We have noted down what you've said and added it to our list of recommendations! Seems there's so much to do. We are over there for 4 weeks and are just planning our route at the moment. Hoping to land at Aukland, check in to a hotel then the next day pick up our campervan to start travelling round. Thinking about going up to the tip of the North Island then quickly down in to the South Island doing lots on the way. Can't wait! :D

I'll have plenty of pics when I get back, that's for sure.
 
I've only been back a week and i'm already jealous of you :( lol. Just get used to saying "sweet as". :D
 
Really like that shot of the skytower (4), I found it pretty difficult to get a unique perspective on it, as you've got.

Nice set :)
 
PaulStat said:
bro!!!! :D
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haha :D

I love the way the Kiwis say "eh" so much as well. Even when what they're saying doesn't remotely resemble a question :p

ajack said:
Really like that shot of the skytower (4), I found it pretty difficult to get a unique perspective on it, as you've got.
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Thanks. I have to admit i was at the stage where i was going a bit wild with angles etc.. Seemed to work for that shot!
 
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