The most popular stop for photographs of the lake is That Wanaka Tree. I’d visited Wanaka but not seen this tree on the water. On the day I arrived in town I visited this spot three times. On arrival in the afternoon it was very overcast and gray. Then after sunset, pictured above. Then a couple of hours later at night when it was too cloudy to see the stars above. Each time I walked along the shoreline of the lake to the tree there were more than a dozen other tourists. At sunset maybe 40 or 50 people around. And that was in a time when New Zealand’s borders were closed to international tourists! Photography has been changed a lot in the last decade. First smart phones with good cameras. Then Instagram. This tree isn’t just pin pointed on Google Maps. It’s labeled with #ThatWanakaTree. This has taken a popular spot and turned it into a must see location with public toilets and a big carpark.
Castlepoint at night
Having been to Castlepoint around half a dozen times now, it’s my favourite lighthouse to photograph. Not just in New Zealand. I’ve shared many landscapes featuring this iconic lighthouse. Here we are looking south, back towards the small beachside settlement. At night the lighthouse is lit up in bright, coloured lights that cycle through the rainbow. As is typical for photographing this lighthouse at sunset. Just as I am about finished with my photographs, putting my camera back in the bag, the lights come up. I thought that the pink colour contrasts well with the coast landscape behind. It makes the lighthouse stand out as the focal point of the photograph.
London Eye at night
Walking along the River Thames is one of my favourite things to do in London. Especially at dusk. I hadn’t planned to take photos this evening, I didn’t even have my tripod. Finding myself here at twilight I knew I had to get my camera out. This is one of a couple of photographs I took of the London Eye. It took some time to wait for the wheel to stop moving long enough to capture this 8 second exposure.
Shanghai skyline at night
This view was the reason I wanted to visit Shanghai. The tall building lit up with purple lights is the Oriental Pearl Tower. The two largest spheres are around 50 metres in diameter. Opened in 1994 this tower is a symbol of Chinese architecture. The larger but further away building on the right. Lit up in yellow is the Shanghai Tower. This 632 metre tall tower is the second largest building in the world.