Share this photo on Twitter Share this photo on Facebook

Doppelgänger

Posted by
Darkelf Photography (Perth, Australia) on 18 March 2024 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

There is a very famous tree at Lake Wanaka in New Zealand. It has been photographed so many times by now, and great photos of it have been posted here on Am3 previously. Its reputation is well deserved as it is located in wonderful spot with mountains acting as an amazing backdrop. When we went to Wanaka last year, however, I did not go to photograph that tree. Instead, we explored other areas along the shores to see whether we could find compositions different to the iconic view.

As we walked along on one side of the lake, I found myself its doppelgänger. Another tree growing out from the water. The main difference, other than slightly different shape, was that there was no one else around this spot, and we had it all to ourselves. No crowds, no people waiting in a queue to take a photo. It was peaceful and quiet. Well, as peaceful and quiet as it gets on an overcast and very windy day. It is amazing how the lakes in New Zealand (and no doubt in many other locations) can transform from calm and tranquil beauties to rough and rugged almost sea like entities. With waves crashing along the shore, it did feel a lot more like open sea rather that a body of water enclosed inland. I remembered that very well from our previous trip and this time around I was ready to photograph some of that rugged nature.

To be honest, I did not have high hopes to photograph much that evening but as is my custom these days, I always take my camera and tripod with me whenever we go for a walk. We have this running joke about taking the camera out for a walk, a bit like a dog, because often there is no opportunity to put it to any good use. Here it came very handy indeed, and my eyes lit up when I saw this scene open up before us. On this evening, I think that the conditions were much better here than at the classic location.

I loved the way the mountains converged behind the tree, and also the brightness which was coming through in that area. There were few breaks in the clouds in the distance and they allowed a bit of light to create a lovely glow in the misty air around the lake. There could have even bit a bit of precipitation over the mountains which also added to the overall effect. One of the peaks was illuminated just for a brief moment and I just caught a touch of that light over to the right of the tree.

As I already mentioned, the water surface felt like a rough see, and I was keen to photograph some of the waves crashing and moving around the tree. Because there were no other people here, I was able to take all the time I needed to catch the waves that fitted with my vision for this scene. I photographed multiple sequences at various shutter speeds to see what would work best when I reviewed the photos at home. I was looking for a bit of motion to add a dreamy touch but I did not was to see waves completed washed out. Because of wind gusts, there was no regular pattern to the waves and they came in at various intervals and with different energy. When I missed a good one, I had to be patient enough to wait for a while before another one came along.

I do not know if anyone (other than the locals) is aware of this particular spot. I am sure someone would have to be. In any case, most photographers and tourists concentrate on the original location without possibly realising that Lake Wanaka has a lot more to offer. I was certainly very happy that we discovered this location and that I was able to take a couple of decent photos there.

Canon EOS R5 3/10 second F/16.0 ISO 50 58 mm

Welcome to my photo blog. I greatly value all your support, comments, and visits.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions about my photography, and I can also be found here:

Facebook | Flickr | 500px

If you would prefer to follow me on your smart phone, my Instagram tag is: @darkelfphotography


© Darkelf Photography

This image has been featured in 1 Remix collection.

I like it by Mhelene