In the fourth and final part of our "Landscape Insights" series, pro photographer Michael Snedic travels to Lord Howe Island.
Lord Howe Island is one of Australia’s photographic gems. There’s so much to shoot there, and the island is as unspoiled as any I’ve seen. On the south of the island are Lord Howe’s two peaks, Mt Gower and Mt Lidgbird, which tower majestically over the whole island.
Every year I head over there in October to present a workshop, with a few days tacked on the end for some photography of my own. October is a good time of year to visit the island for photography as it isn’t too hot or cold and the humidity is low.
I’ve seen so many images of Mt Gower and Lidgbird over the years, many taken at the wrong time of the day or with no foreground interest whatsoever.
My aim was to capture these iconic mountains from a high vantage point, with foreground interest, and in that subtle light produced after sunset.
For this shot I climbed up Malabar Hill in the northern part of the island, from which I had an uninterrupted view of the two mountains. I’d previously researched the best location to shoot from, something I recommend for all photographers who are planning an effective landscape shoot.
A bit of pre-planning can save you a lot of wasted time and reduce the chance that you won’t get the shot you want. I chose an area with some rocks in the foreground and waited for the sun to set. My aim was to photograph the mountains with the sun behind me rather than behind the mountains, so it would throw some of that magic sunset light onto them. Before long, there was a subtle hue of pink and blue over the horizon. Rather than taking photos while the sun was still up, I had waited until after it set to take this shot.
Even though the shutter speed I used was quite low, by using a very sturdy tripod and a cable release I was able to ensure there was no risk of blur ruining my image.
