Александр

Photographing Hokitika – Worth a Quick Stop?

February 11, 2019 by Александр Leave a Comment

We discovered Hokitika almost by pure chance. Our next destination in New Zealand after Wharariki Beach – Franz Joseph Glacier – was simply too far to drive to in one go. Instead, we decided to play it safe and find a place somewhere in between to have some rest before heading to the glacier the following morning. That’s when Hokitika caught our eye. Located two hours away from Franz Josef and described online as a cool little town with a beautiful emerald water gorge nearby, it appeared to be a perfect spot to spend the night and capture some nice photos. But did it live up to the expectations?

Wharariki to Hokitika – 3 places you shouldn’t miss on the West Coast

February 4, 2019 by Александр Leave a Comment

Wharariki Beach was one of the highlights of our trip, but amazing as it was, we only had two weeks in New Zealand and had to keep moving. Our next destination was Hokitika, a small coastal town known for its beautiful emerald water gorge. And, as it happens, a grueling six hours drive from Wharariki. That’s problem with being this far north – no matter where you go after, you’re looking at a long and tiring journey. In situations like these I usually try to make a day-trip out of it, finding interesting stops along the way to split driving into shorter, more manageable chunks. So, should you consider making a similar voyage from Wharariki to Hokitika, here are the three spots I think are definitely worth a quick stop.

Archway Islands of Wharariki Beach

January 3, 2019 by Александр Leave a Comment

Wharariki Beach is undeniably one of the most inspiring, captivating and amazingly beautiful places I have visited in New Zealand. For some strange reason those gigantic jagged rocks protruding from the ocean, the vast empty dunes and the ever-present wind driving the waves relentlessly against the shore are inexplicably alluring to me. Ever since I first saw images of it on the internet, I knew right away that Wharariki Beach has to be on my itinerary. I waited eagerly with excitement and anticipation for the moment when I finally see its beauty with my own eyes. Often such high expectations can easily turn into disappointment. But not this time.

Kaikoura to Wharariki – 4 places you shouldn’t miss on the way North

December 24, 2018 by Александр 4 Comments

New Zealand may appear small on the map, but its distances are often deceiving. While on paper Wharariki beach is only 400 kilometers and a six hour drive away from Kaikoura, in reality it can easily take much longer. There’s no high-speed motorways and with all the gorgeous scenery awaiting at every turn it is very difficult to ignore the temptation to stop and explore a little. Yet picking the best among so many beautiful and interesting locations may be a daunting task. So in this article I will give you my own selection of absolute top spots. From rugged coastline to tropical jungle, these are the four places I think you definitely should not miss.

New Zealand – Landscape Photography in Kaikoura

December 11, 2018 by Александр 2 Comments

I never really thought of Kaikoura as a big landscape photography location. Sure, it came up while we were preparing for the trip to New Zealand, but for entirely different reasons. At some point we even considered removing it from our itinerary completely and if we hadn’t decided to head north, that’s probably what we would’ve done. And really, that would have been a great shame. Kaikoura turned out to be so much more than I ever expected and an incredible place for landscape photography where I took probably one of the most memorably shots of our trip.

How to legally fly your drone in New Zealand

November 20, 2018 by Александр Leave a Comment

New Zealand is incredibly beautiful, with lots of gorgeous landscapes all around. However, if you are planning to capture all this beauty from the air using a drone, there is quite a few things you should know. When it comes to drones, New Zealand has some of the most stringent laws and regulations I’ve seen in any country. I have spent countless hours prior to my trip trying to figure out all the details and applying for all the necessary permissions. Yep, depending on where you plan to fly, you would most likely need to apply for a permission. So, to save you some headache, in this blog post I summarise everything I have learned about drones in New Zealand, including how to apply for and receive Department of Conservation permit. I also offer a few tips that will help make the trip as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

One day itinerary for landscape photography in Southern Bavaria

November 9, 2018 by Александр Leave a Comment

Southern Bavaria is an absolutely amazing place with tons of interesting locations for landscape photography. Unfortunately, we were only visiting for a weekend, so after exploring lake Königsee and shooting the famous boathouses, we had just one more day to check out some of the other sights the region has to offer. Needless to say, it was a busy day with an early start and a late finish, but also one that I enjoyed immensely. Choosing where to go was not easy and obviously we didn’t get to see everything, but if you’re into landscapes and only have one day in the area, the itinerary below might be a good starting point.

Boathouses of Lake Obersee

September 20, 2018 by Александр Leave a Comment

Ever since I passed it on my way to Austria in spring of last year, lake Königsee has been on my radar, and for good reason. Situated among the majestic Bavarian Alps it’s an incredibly beautiful lake that offers a lot when it comes to landscape photography. In fact, the whole surrounding area known as Berchtesgaden National Park is quite fabulous. Sadly, I didn’t have the opportunity to visit it back then, so I made a mental note about it and moved on. In the year that followed, images of Königsee and its sister lake Obersee kept periodically appearing in my Instagram feed and in some of the Youtube channels that I watch, until I finally gave in. It was time to see it with my own eyes.

My experience watching Hockenheim 2018 live

August 16, 2018 by Александр Leave a Comment

I have been a fan of Formula 1 ever since I first played a F1 game for Sega Mega Drive II back in 1994. And yet, during all these years it has somehow never really occurred to me to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix live. It just seemed like a waste of money. After all, why sit in one place and miss out on all the action elsewhere on track, when you can see it all for free from the comfort of your couch? Well, it all changed last Christmas when my girlfriend had given me as a present two tickets to 2018 Formula 1 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. So now, a few weeks after the race and as we find ourselves in the middle of the summer break, is a good time to talk about what that experience was like.

Photographer’s Guide to Castle Neuschwanstein

August 6, 2018 by Александр Leave a Comment

Castle Neuschwanstein is probably the most famous german castle and one of the country’s most notable landmarks. Located just a few kilometers away from the Austrian border, in a small Bavarian town of Hohenschwangau, this fairy tale castle attracts millions of visitors every year and is on every tourist’s “to see” list. Obviously, this means it has been photographed thousands of times before. So is it even worth going to for photographers? Is it still possible to come up with a unique image of such an iconic location?