I took a three-week road trip to the South Island of New Zealand in late April this year, and I have to admit, the landscapes were absolutely stunning. I aimed to capture the fall colors, and the most anticipated stop was photographing the renowned Wanaka Tree. Its beauty in autumn was everything I'd hoped for—I was definitely not disappointed.
I got my first chance at sunset, arriving an hour early. While there were quite a few photographers, it was still manageable, though once the tripods were set, there was no room to move. It was also quite windy, so an ND filter was necessary to smooth the water, but I quickly realized sunset wasn't the best for this location.
What was shocking, however, was the immense crowd that showed up for sunrise the next morning. It's also worth noting that it was a full moon, providing quite a bit of light well before dawn. I arrived an hour early and was stunned to see so many people already set up and ready to shoot. I'd estimate there were at least 25 people standing in the water to get their shot! and another 50+ on the shoreline. This made the photography difficult, especially as I felt a group (I believe it was a photo tour from Asia) was quite disrespectful of others out there. I managed to find a small spot for my tripod but couldn't get the angle I wanted. Despite the chaos, the light was perfect: the sun rose from the far right, directly hitting the tree and the other shoreline trees, making the fall colors look absolutely amazing.
Here are a series of photos taken during my outing. Thanks for viewing and welcome all CC
Sep 29, 2025 at 05:02 PM
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