Sparkography

I recently joined ModelMayhem, the world’s largest social networking site for models, photographers, stylists and make-up artists.

“Joining the Mayhem” is something you really need to be do if you’re starting out in fashion photography as I am. You get to work with professionals of varying levels of experience who are striving to hit the big time, and therefore often offer their services for free in return for hi-res photos to add to their portfolios.

The name ModelMayhem itself is definitely appropriate for the site! The guidelines say that a new member’s profile can take up to two days to approve. So after nearly a week of constantly checking my inbox for confirmation, all I could do was assume that the moderators were spending a lot of time scrutinising the four initial photos I had to supply with my profile. Or were all lording it up at a fashion show somewhere, which I thought was more likely. But I can’t lie: I was nervous. I really want to break into fashion and this seemed to be the main conduit into it. If I didn’t get approved, what was I going to do? Sure I had met a dozen models at a recent model search and become facebook friends with most of them but those things only happen a few times a year. Plus a few of the models and stylists from the event had recommended that I join ModelMayhem so I was really keen to get on board and get shooting.

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My parents were here recently. I hadn’t seen them for 2 years so for their effort in travelling all the way from London I treated them to a trip to New Zealand, a place they’d always wanted to visit. As I hadn’t been to the North Island yet I thought that would make a nice little adventure for all of us, and after a brief poll of the Kiwis in the office (and a web search for good photo locations!) I decided to head to Lake Taupo.

Lake Taupo derives its name from a Maori phrase meaning “the great cloak of Tia”, a fitting description for the largest lake in New Zealand (it’s the size of Singapore!) and a major destination for trout fishermen everywhere.

Our accommodation would be the Clarion Sacred Waters, a set of luxury apartments right on the lake shore with panoramic views from your private hot tub on the outdoor deck. Imagine how “surprisingly convenient” that location was for checking sunrise/sunset conditions. Great planning eh?!

Unfortunately one thing I couldn’t plan was the weather. Day one was grey and damp but do you know what? In my opinion that actually adds more emotion to the dramatic landscapes of New Zealand than sunshine. Come sunset I could see from the deck that the clouds were looking interesting so a few steps later I was on the shore where I took the intro shot and the one below. Both were long exposures and made use of my Lee soft grad ND filters:

So on to the other highlights of the trip. Huka Falls and Craters Of The Moon were nearby attractions, and about an hours drive away is Tongariro National Park which, during the winter, is New Zealand’s largest commercial ski field. Bet you didn’t know that, did you? However we were there in spring and there was a definite lack of snow, but the gorgeous Chateau Tongariro in the foothills of Mt Ruapehu didn’t look any less majestic. And neither did Tawhai Falls, a delightful hidden waterfall just 20 mins along one of the park’s many trails:

We also spent a day at Rotarua which really is the home of thermal springs. It’s a great place to visit, but to stay there longer they’d need to do something about the smell!

The weather in Sydney this week has been schizo. 37C heat and wind on Tuesday for Melbourne Cup was not particularly pleasant, especially if you were a bloke trussed up in a suit and tie like me. Then the rest of the week was 15 degrees cooler, cloudy and wet.

But it’s all come good today to the relief of several thousand people as Sculpture By The Sea is back. If you haven’t been then you have a week remaining to head east and wander the coast from Bondi to Glamarama to view the ever interesting and unusual works of art.

The best time for photos is definitely early: read 5.30am. But for that you get the sunrise and clear shots of all the sculptures.

If you come over next weekend for the final days then bring your elbow pads and prepare for cluttered viewfinders!