I think it would be fair to say that when most of us venture away on holidays we hope for good weather and the appearance of the sun at some stage through each day to warm our bodies and make us smile. When I looked at the forecast for the time we were to take our Far North roady, it looked good - no rain in the forecast! Yus!
Our first day set the scene, exploring kauri forests with dappled light filtering through the forests as we met with Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere. The following day we saw slightly less of 'old yellow' and over the remaining days we saw him even less. While the forecast said we had a high over us, we also had a damn good layer of cloud. No interesting plays of light. Just. Flat. Light. So, to make the most of it I began to think in forms, shapes, lines, textures and tones, using long exposures to flatten out details.
Below are just some of the images I took during these flat light days.
Lifting cloud
Taken as we took the ferry across the Hokianga Harbour from Rawene to Kohukohu. A horizontally based composition, the mist was deep and dense early this morning. We happened to time it right as it started to lift (albeit temporarily) as we made the crossing.
Cloud at the Cape
Gerard had never been to Cape Reinga before and we had high hopes of watching the sunrise from this iconic place. Leaving Ahipara in the dark we made the journey up the road quickly realising as more light became available that we would not be seeing the sunrise on the horizon. Undeterred we continued on and enjoyed being buffeted by the wind as we explored the Cape with only two or three others.
Layers and Lines
I love the forms, lines and shapes that sand dunes make. So no Far North roady was complete, in my mind, without a visit to Te Paki Sand Dunes. here the layers of the dunes and lines they create contrast with the lines of the toitoi.
Motion and Shapes
Visiting some of the bays and beaches in Northland in winter means that you often had them all to yourself, aided even more by the lack of sunshine it was great to be able to potter about on the beaches and watch the waves crashing on the rocks and attempt to capture their motion and create synergies between the island the rocks.
Where rocks become Islands
Further exploring lead us to find this hole in the rock which framed the shape of Mahinepua Island perfectly. The rocks in the foreground mirroring the shapes found in the island, perhaps even aspiring to become an island themselves?
Where water falls
I'm a sucker for a waterfall. Again the overcast day made me think a little differently about how to compose the image. I moved around with my tripod and this was a frame that I enjoyed. The lines of the water falling create a contrast against the round shapes and lines of the leaves and branches. Waterfalls and bush both give me a sense of calm and that is what this image is about for me.
“The importance of colour is as nothing compared with that of form, chiaroscuro and arrangement. They are the true and enduring bases of pictorial art.” ~ Walter J. Phillips.
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* Monthly Moments - January 2020