It’s 2017, and for me, that’s about planning how my photography endeavors will unfold throughout the coming year. Already, I have planned my shooting locations and when I will take leave. This year, I have trips planned for Central Otago, the Wairarapa, Auckland, and Hawaii.
One place I’ll be shooting from is solely about doing a time-lapse from one location. I intend to break new ground here for a time-lapse entry in this year’s NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year competition. My planning is already coming together but the success actually relies on secrecy, i.e., not divulging what it’s about, just in case the plan doesn’t come off. That way, expectations by those who watch and follow my work are not harmed and my competition is kept wondering. All will be revealed later this year, assuming I get selected.
When entering any competition, it’s about raising the bar and putting forward your absolute best work. For me, 2017 is all about giving it my best. Striving to do better than before and getting to more locations that have not yet been captured. Planning, research, familiarisation and reliable gear will generally make the shoot a lot more successful. And that’s just the camera work, not the post production.
Already, the year has got off to a good start with some good exposure (pardon the pun). Some accolades of late include a sunrise photo over Wellington city which was from a time-lapse shoot I did (see time-lapse bottom right). One frame from the sequence was on TVNZ weather. This was shot from the end of the Clyde Quay Apartments where I’ve taken some great images before. This location provides a great view over the city for a sunrise or sunset, particularly in the winter when the office lights define the buildings. The other shot (bottom left) was a photo photo from my drone camera taken in the Wairarapa. It was printed in Dominion Post being my entry for the Stuff Summer Photo Competition. Fingers crossed I win. Segway NZ also featured me in their newsletter this month where I used my Segway MiniPro with the DJI Phantom. You can see that story here.
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Posted by Stephen Patience Photography on Thursday, 5 January 2017
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On my to-do list for 2017 will be a further revamp of my new website. After some thinking and comparison, I’ve realised that my website does not make it obvious what type of photography I actually do. Not at least from a first glance. I specialise in time-lapse more than anything and my homepage does not portray that once you land there. I’ve seen better. People would naturally think I just shoot landscapes. There needs to be moving images, i.e. time-lapse to make it more obvious. Also, there needs to be something more than just photos to make you, the viewer, think that something is new or has changed since you last visited.