My son pointed out a spot where there was a good view out over Lake Wanaka. He suggested that, with the help of a stepladder to clear some pesky pine trees in the foreground, one could get a panorama of more than 180 degrees. He was right, but the thought of carting a ladder up there in the dark, not to mention trying to take time exposures while wobbling around, did not appeal. But I set off with my tripod the next morning to that spot, to catch the dawn. It started quite slowly:
A great sky, although it could do with some more clouds, but not much of interest in the foreground. (That’s the outlet of the lake, the start of the mighty Clutha River, by the way.)
Then it got a little better:
But still not much of a foreground. It will be better in the winter, when those hills are covered with snow. Then the sun started to light up the willows near the Outlet:
That was more of a taste of what was to come. Finally, they were ablaze:
(That was a real test of a tripod: 1/40 sec with a 300mm lens. My tripod passed – well almost.)
