New Zealand
This blog is a fair warning to all of you, arrogant fools, who believe it is wise to undertake great adventures - but packing the wrong photography gear.
Historians are still debating what exactly pushed Bruno to travel all the way to New-Zealand with nothing more than a cheap drone and an old film camera. Nonetheless, they all agree on one thing: it was monstrously stupid to use slide positive film.
It is believed that he did this to challenge himself. Just as Icarus thought he was able to fly higher than the clouds, Bruno wagered he was good enough a photographer to be able to take pictures using this notoriously difficult medium.
Both paid the price of hubris.
To be honest, Bruno did use a great camera, the legendary Nikon F5. To this day, it’s still such a pleasure to use. Snappy, reliable, beautiful.
Furthermore, his experience in Uzbekistan (read it if you haven’t yet!) taught him that analog travel can be fun and give excellent results.
So, where did it go so terribly wrong, then?
Bruno used slide positive film. On the one hand, these rolls deliver stunning colours and sharpness. On the other hand, they are ridiculously hard to develop (because no lab does it anymore) and more so, they have the dynamic range of a potato.
Using this film without gradient filters meant choosing between overexposing the sky or underexposing the subject. The battle was imply impossible to win.
The scans I received back from the lab were very disappointing (however, not as disappointing as those from my trip to Japan). I never looked back at them, until last week when I bought the equipment to DSLR-scan at home. These are the results.
Attentive readers will notice that Bruno did bring his Fujifilm X-T4 with him for video - alas due to some weird bug, the photos were pixelated garbage.
Anyway - without further ado, it’s time for some pictures. Enjoy!
The first few photos were taken behind Glenorchy, on the Southern Island. My first real contact with New-Zealand, and one of the most memorable parts. I spent all day walking, from Paradise (what a fitting name) all the way to Chinaman’s Bluff and back. The sun on my skin, the sweat dripping from my forehead and the sharp pain as my backpack tore through my hips still linger in my heart.
Obviously, rusty car photos are essential to analog photography.
After a few beautiful days around lake Wakatipu, I headed all the way south, took a ferry at Bluff (Invercargill) and went on a 4 day adventure on Stewart Island to flee the crowds. No cell phone reception for that many days felt invigorating. One day, I’ll attempt to walk the longest route: 8-10 days without anything else - just nature!
Walking around this island felt like exploring Jurassic Park. Except for a few invasive deer, not a single animal resembled these of home. Birds were either colourful, or weird. When kiwi-hunting late at night, I stumbled upon an agressive walrus, kilometers deep into the forest. Nearly all plants resemble some variety of ferns - it is not surprising then that this plant is a national symbol of New-Zealand.
After Stewart Island, I lingered around Invercargill for a few days, taking my time to explore care-free. Amongst other things, Waipapa Lighthouse greeted me with a stunning sunset.
After a stop in Dunedin, I drove through Oamaru: very weird feeling, as it was all empty. Had something to do with it being the day after Christmas, I guess. A small comment about Dunedin: it’s charming and contains quite a few beautiful buildings that deserve a photo. I also went to the late night Christmas service in the cathedral, but was shocked by how loud the crowd was.
Lake Pukaki. Never have I seen water this turquoise blue in my life. Probably due to the Tasman glacier’s minerals? Exceptionally beautiful, the sun made it even more amazing. Quite a lot of holiday goers, obviously - but I didn’t really mind this.
On my drive, I stumbled upon this wonderful field full of small flowers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember where this was exactly. Any help is welcome!
And finally, to finish this small travel story: the pinnacle of ‘Nerdvana’: Edoras. I quite literally had goosebumps when arriving at this hill. The roads towards it was treacherous and severely challenged the little Toyota. Upon arrival, I witnessed the most beautiful golden fields covered with purple flowers. And in the distance, mountains… As far as the eye can reach.
I still have quite a few photos to rescan, but I’ll add them later on as it’s quite a lot of work.
Beneath, you can enjoy some drone photos of this spectacular country!
