Night Falls over Banks Lake

In my previous blog post, I hinted that I would be sharing quite a few more images from Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. This week’s blog post continues on to a peaceful evening at the lake, featuring a little bit of astrophotography. The last two photos are star trail images: compilations of tens or hundreds of images of the night sky, merged together to show the movement of the stars over time. With a clear and unpolluted sky, you can really see how the milky way shifts around across the frames. In this particular place, the brightest stars are also reflected in the still waters, creating mirrored star trails on the surface of the lake.

A Hidden Treasure in South Georgia

We arrived in Valdosta, a small city in south Georgia, with absolutely no expectations of what we would find there. On a spare evening, we opened up Google Maps and searched for “things to see” in the area. Apparently there was a somewhat interesting swamp visible from a boardwalk, so we packed up our camera gear and went to see the sunset. Little did we know what we were about to encounter!

The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is truly a hidden gem and was an absolute surprise. We loved it so much that we just kept coming back for more! So be prepared for a few more blog posts featuring this amazing place.

Pine Trees at Dusk

I’m very fortunate in that my work allows me to travel all over the world (more recently, throughout the US) and see some amazing places. Over my next few blog posts, I want to share some of the images I took a few weeks ago when I spent some time in southern Georgia and had a free couple of days to explore the surrounding areas.

These first few images are of the pine trees at Stephen C. Foster State Park and the surrounding Okefenokee Swamp area at dusk. I was so surprised by the natural beauty of these swamps; they were completely different from any other place I’ve visited before. Keep your eyes peeled for much more over the coming weeks!

Stars From The Underground

As night falls and darkness covers the land, the New Zealand landscape comes to light. I’m not referring to the stars in the skies of Aotearoa, but to their invertebrate counterparts. Glow worms such as these are abundant in many caves and dells across the country, shining bright to lure their prey. Their bioluminescence is the effect of a chemical reaction where luciferin is combined with oxygen to produce a mesmerizing blue glow...

Pancake Rocks and Their Inhabitants

These rock formations in New Zealand’s West Coast are, of course, named after their looks - they look like stacked rounded layers somewhat resembling pancakes. Pancake Rocks even boasts a suitably-themed pancake-serving café near the entrance to the park. I visited on a stormy evening and, although the weather left much to be desired, the white-fronted terns (Sterna striata) that inhabit this location more than made up for the moody skies.

Sunset at the Sugar Loaf

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro is the Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açucar), where you can take a series of cable cars between the mountains and see the city from above. A few years ago, I visited this spot at sunset and came out with several images I am very fond of.

A Little Bit of Belgium

Although I admittedly spent much of my time in Belgium eating chocolates and waffles, I did find some time for photography! If I am not mistaken, all the images shared here are of the little town of Bruges, which you might also spot elsewhere on my website. I would love to return some day and spend more time exploring this adorable country.

The Windmills of Oia

Another classic part of Oia’s landscape are its white windmills. They are actually part of a villa which can be privately hired. I presume that the residents unfortunately miss out on the very best sunset view in Santorini - that of the windmills themselves, from a nearby hill!

As we were there in the (pre-pandemic) summer, there were countless other tourists around, and with this being a coveted spot, we arrived at the lookout and set up our tripods about 3 hours before sunset to guarantee the best views. It was worth it, as about an hour later, hundreds of other people started trickling in, many with their own large tripods and cameras that they set up alongside us. So if you ever want to capture this iconic view, make sure you plan ahead and arrive early.

Portugal's Venice

The final stop on our roadtrip through Portugal was Aveiro, considered the country’s equivalent of Venice. Aveiro is a small town organised around several canals. The houses are painted in either bright colours or covered in traditional Portuguese tiles. The colourful gondolas are available for tours of the area, like their counterparts in Italy. One of our favourite parts of our stay in Aveiro was the excellent seafood, no doubt caught fresh from the ocean nearby.

Chapel of the Lord of the Stone

The beaches near Porto are relatively under-explored, and yet contain photographic gems such as the Capela do Senhor da Pedra (Chapel of the Lord of the Stone). We arrived just before sunset, and caught the golden light just before sundown from the air, followed by more traditional images from ground-level. By sunset, we were mostly alone at the beach, a truly unusual occurrence for a place like this!

Porto: An Evening on the Waterfront

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, known for its tile-covered buildings. The city really comes alive at night, when tourists flock to the restaurants and shops on the waterfront. We were lucky enough to stay at an apartment with a perfect view to the canal, which resulted in some great evening photos. To capture the details of the buildings on the other side of the canal, I used a telephoto lens - and of course, a tripod to keep the shot steady!

Monsanto's Sunset

I was lucky enough to photograph the sunset over the town of Monsanto from the town’s plaza, half-way up the steep hill to the medieval ruins that sit above the city. The so-called “most Portuguese village” is truly unique, mixing natural rocks and stonework for a truly unique architectural style. I hope you enjoy the fantastic light in these images as much as I have.

Baleal Island Landscapes

Baleal Island, a small drive away from Peniche, is an unusual island. Not only is it connected to the mainland by a thin stretch of road, it also sits atop unusual rock formations to either side. This is a popular sunset spot for locals and tourists alike. There are many spots to sit peacefully by the coast and watch the sun go down over the sea, colouring the white village and its layered rocks as it goes.

Sunset in Belém

Following my visit of the Tower of Belém, I stayed behind and waited for the sunset. As most tourists disappeared into the nearby restaurants, a golden light surrounded the tower and coloured the sky yellow. Soon after, a full moon had risen just behind the tower. I just wish I had had a longer focal lens with me to make the most of the moonrise at blue hour! Even so, I’m happy with several of my images from that evening, and I hope you enjoy this selection too.

St Andrews

I recently had the incredible opportunity to spend two weeks in St Andrews, in Scotland, as a participant in the first ever Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute. Naturally, I packed my camera bag and tragged all my equipment to the other side of the world.

This was my second visit to Scotland and although I only had a couple of photography opportunities in my spare time, it again surpassed all my expectations. Here are some of my photos from an evening out in the city of St Andrews.

The Church of the Good Shepherd

Following a visit to Arthur's Pass, we drove to Lake Tekapo, arriving just in time for sunset. As the sun sets on the opposite side of the lake in Autumn, we were left with a beautiful purple sky over The Church of the Good Shepherd. We also waited for nightfall to attempt some evening photographs, and although the skies clouded over, there were still quite a few stars to be seen.

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the home of the famous Mount Taranaki. On a clear day, it can be seen from most parts of the city. We decided to make the short hike up from Lake Mangamahoe, where we could photograph it from the land and air.

That evening, we also went to the Festival of Lights in Pukekura Park, which happens every Summer between December and February. It's a really lovely walk around the small park, which is completely transformed at night by all the colourful lights.