Traveling to New Zealand in early spring

October 7, 2019

Photographer / Toshiki Nakanishi

In early September, I left Japan, where the heat was still lingering, and headed to New Zealand, where spring had just begun. This time, my destination was the South Island. In Christchurch and Queenstown, the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, and it was beginning to look like spring, but as I headed towards the mountainous areas, it was still winter. I traveled around with my usual red merkins in search of the beauty of the landscapes created by glaciers.

The starting point of the journey is Queenstown. It is a beautiful town, fitting for a queen to live in. Behind the night view is a lake and snow-capped mountains, making it a picturesque place. While it is still light, I head to the top of the mountain and set my favorite EOS R on a red marker lens. I capture the ever-changing colors accurately and without blur.

After the sun went down, I also tried to capture the Southern Cross. Due to the phase of the moon, the ground was reflected brightly, which resulted in a photo that was different from that of a new moon. When it gets dark, that's when you really appreciate the convenience of the Markins head. Just slide the L-shaped plate into the groove and turn the knob to securely fix the camera. Even in complete darkness, the mounting remains the same. Small things can easily lead to mistakes in the field. The sense of security of these basic things is very important.

A famous tree on the shores of Lake Wanaka. I stayed nearby the night before and waited for the sunrise. I caught the moment when the orange morning sun shined through a small gap in the clouds overhead. It lasted less than a minute. It painted the surroundings with autumnal colors, and then quickly returned to a world of gray. The encounter with the landscape lasts for only a moment. If you don't anticipate it, you'll miss that moment. It's impossible to respond to that movement with a 3-way head. If you want stability, operability, and speed, a free-angle head is the only choice.

Hokkaido and New Zealand may seem similar, but they are different. It seems that the formation of the land is different. I think I'll be going there for a while. Of course, with my beloved red Markins. The next time will be next spring. It's autumn in New Zealand. I hope to be able to deliver such a report at that time.

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of red Markins in Japan. When I meet them on the set, I often hear people say, "Oh, it's red." It makes me very happy as I've been recommending them. I've been daydreaming about taking a photo of a row of red Markins one day.

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