Kuto, Isle of Pines

A beautiful morning on Isle of Pines, also known as the Island Closest To Paradise. My night photography wasn’t a big success but this sunrise shot from the beach at Atchu Camping is probably the best image I came home with. Once again, not a soul on the fresh, breezy beach.

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I don’t think my night photography wasn’t a failure but judge for yourself, checkout my blog posts Atchu Way and Starry Atchu. It was a beautiful morning with a fresh breeze and cool sand between my toes. Apart from the tiny waves crashing on shore, it was very calm and tranquil. A very relaxing moment alone, watching the sun rise. It didn’t look like there was going to be a colourful or dramatic sky and there wasn’t. I captured this brief moment, just before the sun rose above the horizon, thinking there may not be another opportunity. And I was right. Once the sun showed itself, all colours disappeared apart from the blue sky which stayed all day.

I went with quite a long exposure of a minute and a half to get those clouds streaks and silky smooth water. The Lee Little Stopper (6-stop Neutral Density filter) helped me achieve that exposure and the Lee Polariser filter helped reduce glare on the water and pop the colours a touch too. Love the colour of that water. In fact, the filters inverted the movement in the scene. The water was a little choppy and the clouds were moving very slowly. The filters changed the motion and mood of the scene, making this image calm and tranquil yet giving the notion of time passing by. Editing was minimal, using mainly the Basic panel and the real magic happen within the Calibration panel, where I accentuated the colours. Ninety-five percent of my editing is done within Lightroom. I love it when I don’t have to spend a lot of time editing.

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SONY a7 III

full frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMTON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

standard zoom, E-mount lens

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VANGUARD TRIPOD

VEO 235AB Tripod with TBH-50 Ball Head

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LEE FILTER HOLDER

100mm square filter holder system

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LEE LITTLE STOPPER

ND1.8 (6-stop) neutral density filter

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LEE POLARISER

100mm polariser filter for Lee Filter Holder system

Kuto, Isle of Pines

Nearing sunset, I decided to head down to the beach to find a potential photo. Hoping for some colour in the sky even though the beach faces east. No colours or dramatic skies but I came away with this photo as I was trying out my filters before the sun set.

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The beach at Atchu Camping is small, about 50 metres long, and has a lot of seaweed and algae on it’s powdery white sand. Though secluded and isolated, it’s only seconds away for users of the campsite. We were there for five days and rarely saw someone on the beach let alone in the water. I have to admit, we didn’t swim there either but did stroll along a few times. The beach faces east, great for sunrise or front lit scenes like this one. And the two isles in the distance just add to this paradise scene. Isle Adventure is largest of the two and spans from the right to behind Isle Duroc, which is small, round and in front of it’s big brother. I’m on the far north end of the beach here and like the southern end, it’s dead coral. You can only get here by sea or through Atchu Camping.

I got here half hour before sunset and stayed almost half hour afterward. This was the best shot I came away with. It’s actually a blend of two images to get sharpness throughout the image. One focused on the foreground and the other on the islands in the background. To get the long exposure of 15 seconds, I had to use my Little Stopper (6-stop filter) because it’s always windy here so the water is a little choppy. I also added a 3-stop ND soft grad. filter to control the bright sky and a polariser filter to cut the glare on the water’s surface. It also adds a bit of saturation to the water and sky. Editing was done in Lightroom except for the blending of the two images which was done in Photoshop. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the Calibration panel in Lightroom can do wonders to images when used right. There’s a small learning curve but once you get it, you’ll use it often. Especially on landscapes images. Try it out.

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SONY a7 III

full-frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMRON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

standard zoom, E-mount lens

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VANGUARD TRIPOD

VEO 235AB Tripod with TBH-50 Ball Head

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LEE FILTER HOLDER

100mm filter holder system

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LEE POLARISER

100mm polariser filter for LEE 100mm filter holders system

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LEE GRADUATED FILTER

ND.9 (3-stop) neutral density soft graduated filter

Kuto, Isle of Pines

I got this shot only a few minutes after my last shot. Not quite satisfied with the scene, I switched my attention to these pine trees and thought it would make a nice image with the stars above it. Little did I know I’d capture part of the Milky Way.

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As mentioned in my last post, I was hoping to capture the Milky Way over Adventure Island from Atchu Camping. The centre of the Milky Way was too close to the fairly bright horizon to be seen. The sun rises from the same direction and the two hour window before hand wasn’t enough to capture it over the island. Turning my attention about forty degrees to the right, I was able to capture a part of it higher in the sky. To my surprise, as I couldn’t see it with my eyes. Though very happy I capture the Milky Way, it wasn’t my intention on this photo. My attention was captured my the three pine trees pointing up towards the stars. To me, it made for a better composition than my previous photo. And, as with the last photo, it wasn’t taken at dawn but only ten minutes after the first shot at about 2:50 am.

If you’d like to know more on Atchu Camping, check out my blog post To Atchu Beach.

Editing took a little longer on this image. Trying to bring out the Milky Way as much as possible without over doing it, was difficult. A Graduated Filter loaded with Clarity and Dehaze can do wonders but dodging and burning with the Adjustment Brush helped too. The rest of the image was fairly straight forward in regards to editing.

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SONY a7 III

full-frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMRON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di IIIRXD

standard zoom, e-mount lens

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VANGUARD TRIPOD

VEO 235AB Tripod with TBH-50 Ball Head

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L-BRACKET

quick release Arca-Swiss L-plate for Sony Alpha series cameras

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SANDICK EXTREME PRO CARD

128GB SDXC memory card

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HEADLAMP

Letmy headlamp with white and red Light

Kuto, Isle of Pines

Though cyclone Uesi was north of New Caledonia, it’s effect on Isle of Pines was minimal with some grey clouds and occasional drizzle in the night. An image I was hoping to capture was the Milky Way over Adventure Island. I got one clear night out of the four we were there. This shot was taken on our last night in Isle of Pines.

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If you haven’t read my last post, my friend, her two kids and I spent four nights, five days in Isle of Pines at Atchu Camping. The campsite has kind of a private beach and that is where I took this photo from. I was pretty lucky to capture this image as it was our last night on the island. The first night I got up it was clear but clouds came rolling in at such speed, it was amazing to watch. It covered up very quickly and I couldn’t see the Milky Way to begin with. The second night was overcast and the third night it rained. I didn’t give up thought, as there was one more night.

I used the PhotoPills app to see where the Milky Way was going to appear. The app showed it above the horizon at 2:30 am, just over Adventure Island (the island to the left of the image). Unfortunately, with dawn only a couple of hours away and the sun rising from the same direction, it was too bright, not only me to see it but, for the camera to capture it, as well. This eight second exposure was taken at 2:40 am and as you can see, it looks almost day time. I did miscalculate one thing though, the angle at which the Milky Way would appear. I thought it was vertically above the island but in fact, it was at a 35º angle to the right. I should have studied the app thoroughly. Great app though and highly recommend it, PhotoPills.

My first exposures of the Milky Way were framed more to the right with Adventure Island in the middle of the image. Once I realised I wouldn’t capture the Milky Way, I reframed my shot to still include the kayak in the foreground but to add the branches as a natural frame to the stars. I tried different exposure times to see how long I could go before the stars started streaking. Eight seconds seemed to be perfect for this scene. Now I was only two meters from the kayaks which is why they’re out of focus. I should’ve taken another exposure with the focus on them and blended the two images to get sharpness throughout the image. I can’t tell you why I didn’t do it, I can’t only tell you I should have. Editing was fairly quick. Once I got the White Balance right, I pulled up the Shadows to see more of the kayaks and the land mass to the left. Then I added an Graduated Filter to the foreground with a bit of Whites to accentuate the highlight a little. Another Graduated Filter was added to the sky with Clarity and a little Dehaze, just to make those stars pop more. A couple of Radial Filters were added to lighten the water and the other as a vignette. Last bit of edit was with the Adjustment Brush to add Highlight and Whites to a few stars, just to make them shine a little more. Overall, I like the image even though it’s not the most eye catching.

There’s another photo though that I find much more interesting but that’s for a different post.

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SONY a7 III

full-frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMRON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

standard zoom, E-mount lens

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VANGUARD TRIPOD

VEO 235AB Tripod with TBH-50 Ball Head

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L-BRACKET

Quick Release Arca-Swiss L-plate for Sony Alpha Series Cameras

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SANDISK EXTREME PRO CARD

128GB SDXC memory card

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HEADLAMP

Letmy Headlamp with White and Red Light

Kuto, Isle of Pines

On my last post, I mentioned Atchu Camping but didn’t elaborate on it. This is where we pitched our tents for four nights in Isle of Pines. Sleeping in tents was the only camping activity we did though, for our stay here was a lot more comfortable.

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Atchu Camping is situated on the other side of the eastern point of Kanumera Bay. And at the end of the dirt road that’s to the left of the Ouré Lodge reception. The easiest way to get there is by shuttle bus which you can book online at the same time as your camping. Note though, that the shuttle drops you off at Ouré Lodge reception and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way to the campsite. It’s a five to ten minute walk so don’t bring too many or heavy things. You’ll have to walk back to the reception when leaving too. Road’s a little bumpy for a small car but you can drive right to the campsite if you hire one. Now don’t be fooled by the name, Atchu Camping is much more yet stays modest. There’s a family hut and a few bungalows if you prefer a little more comfort than a tent. There’s a small snack/restaurant, Chez Didas, that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is simple with bread, butter, jam, fruit, juice and tea/coffee. Lunch is more on the snacks side of things with burger, panini, sandwich and dinner is a small menu of five or six dishes. We tried all three and can highly recommend eating Chez Didas. Reserve in advance though. They do have an outdoor kitchen with, just about, everything you need to cook. It’s a another way to save money and meet people. And talking about meeting people, if you’re someone who’s constantly connected to social networks, don’t worry, free WiFi is available throughout the campsite, except when eating. That’s right, they turn off the WiFi at breakfast, lunch and dinner times and I’m guessing it’s to promote their own social network between their customers. I think it’s a great idea. We ended up meeting and conversing with people at breakfast and dinner, and had a great time. They also have a couple of outdoor sheltered seating areas with electrical power strips to recharge your batteries or whatever. What more can you ask for? Toilets? Showers? Yes, they have those too but bring your own toilet paper and soap. Atchu Camping is constantly windy, which is great for those hot and humid summer days and nights. The campsite is clean and quiet, perfect for those looking to get away and relax. And it’s only a fifteen to twenty minute walk to Kanumera Beach.

We had our tents pitched about ten meters to the left of this photo. I was waiting for my friend and her two kids, to head to breakfast, when I took this shot. It just seemed like a nice scene. Sun, sand, palm trees, turquoise water… it was a beautiful morning. The shot was taken with a polariser filter to remove glare from the water and accentuate the colours. I over-exposed slightly to what the metering gave me and glad I did because I got more details out of the shadows. Editing was very basic apart from an orange/red cast on the wood fence and ground which reduced with the red saturation slider under Calibration (Lightroom). I played around with the other two sliders, the green and blue saturations, to make the colours pop a little. I tell you, the Calibration sliders can do wonders to an image.

Well that’s it for now, the next image is a night shot, I think, from this little beach. Cheers.

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SONY a7 III

full-frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMRON E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III

standard zoom, E-mount lens for Sony cameras

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LEE FILTER HOLDER

100 mm filter holder

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LEE ADAPTER RING

67mm thread adapter ring for LEE 100mm filter holder

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LEE POLARISER FILTER

100mm circular polariser filter for LEE 100mm filter holder

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SANDISK EXTREME PRO CARD

128GB SDXC memory card

Kuto, Isle of Pines

It’s been a little hectic since I’ve come back from my trip to Isle of Pines. So I apologies for the lack of content but I was finally able to edit this photo. Though we had Uesi Cyclone approaching from the north, it didn’t really affect us apart from some light showers in the middle of the night and on our last day. As you can see, beautiful sunny days during our stay. Very hot too but we were lucky to have constant, cool wind at Atchu Camping, where we were staying.

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Isle of Pines is right down the southern tip of New Caledonia and part of the Province Sud (Southern Province). You can get there by plane (through Air Caledonie) or by boat (through Betico 2), we chose the latter. It's cheaper and though you leave early in the morning, there's a snack bar for breakfast or other things. The trip takes two and half hours along the south-west coast of the mainland and is absolutely beautiful. The boat moors in Kuto Bay at the end of the beach with the same name, located south south-west of the Isle of Pines. Kuto Beach and this one, Kanumera Beach, are world renowned for their white and very fine, powder-like sand. Feels likes your walking on flour, no joke, that's how fine this sand is.

Our trip here was purely for relaxation. And relax we did. We spent most of our time on this beach and Kuto's as well. We did hire a car at Kou-Bugny Hotel for a day, just to visit the Grotte de la Reine Hortense (Queen Hortense’s Cave). That took most of the morning then we drove to Gadji for a look. We had lunch at the Meridien Hotel (expensive but nice) before heading to Vao for a swim at St. Joseph Bay. Then we slowly made our through Vao village before heading back to Kuto. A nice and easy day round the island.

As with most of the beaches in Isle of Pines, Kanumera beach is paradise. It’s split in two by a huge rock formation where snorkelling, all around it, is magnificent. If snorkelling isn’t your thing, you can enjoy the fine, white sand and turquoise water with a cocktail in your hand from the Banian bar & restaurant, of the Ouré Lodge, situated at the far end of the beach in this photo.

And talking about the photo, the one difficulty I had, was getting the exposure right in camera. The sand is so white and bright, as with snow, the camera under-exposes to balance the overall exposure. So I had to over-expose the shot by about a 1 stop to get the correct exposure for this scene. Not sure of myself, I did take two other exposures just in case. Better too many than regretting. Also had a little trouble with the White Balance. At first I based it on the boat but it gave me a too warm of an image so in the end I used the eyedropper on the sand and warmed it ever so slightly. Oh and if your colours don’t look right sometimes, play around with Calibration (in Lightroom), you’ll be surprised how effective it can be.

OK, well, I’ll get myself into gear and try to post more photos from the Isle of Pines for the next couple of weeks. Hope to see you back here soon. Cheers.

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SONY a7 III

full-frame mirrorless camera (body only)

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TAMRON E 28-75 MM ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

E-mount standard zoom lens for Sony cameras

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LEE FILTER HOLDER

LEE 100 mm filter holter

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LEE ADAPTER RING

LEE 67 mm thread adapter ring for 100 mm filter holder

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LEE POLARISER FILTER

LEE polariser filter for LEE 100 mm filter holder

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SANDISK MEMORY CARD

SANDISK Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC memory card

Kuto, Isle Of Pines

I’m heading over to Isle Of Pines in a couple of days and it reminded me that I had photos dating back from 2014 of this place. So I went through my catalogue and found this one to share with you. Technically not the best image but it portrays an essence of this island. Tranquil waters, blue skies, traditional pirogues and the feeling of being isolated.

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Isle Of Pines is situated at the southern most point of New Caledonia and is renown for it’s fine, white sand beaches. You get there by either boat or plane and both offer exquisite, though very different, views of the mainland and the surrounding islands. You also get to see the reef line, more islands and the different colours of the water by plane. By boat, you’re in the middle of it all with the smell of the sea and the wind in your hair, if you so choose to. Enjoy a drink and/or a snack as you make your way along the south/west coast. Personally, both are a must.

In 2014, I was there with my brother and friends. It was our first stop from of the P&O cruise ship holiday we were on. I had just received the Nikon D7100 with the Nikkor 18-105 mm kit lens a few days earlier so the cruise was my learning ground. For this image my intention was to have the pirogue in focus and the background a blurred. So I chose to go with an aperture of ƒ/5.6 thinking it would be enough to have the whole pirogue in focus and throw the background out of focus. Not the case. Now the background is blurred but not enough for my liking and the pirogue is not totally in focus. If I remember correctly, my focus point was the closest perpendicular bar on the pirogue side, thinking the depth of field would extend to the back and front of the pirogue. Once again, not the case. And though I had a shutter speed of 1/3200th, the focus point isn’t as sharp as I had hope it would be. At first I blamed the fact it was a hand-held shot but with a shutter speed that high my guess is the auto-focus didn’t quite lock-on as I took the shot. I should’ve taken more care and time though when checking the image on the back of the camera. I tried to correct the blurred pirogue in Lightroom but you can only do so much before ruin everything. In my opinion, a beautiful image nonetheless but technically not good.

As I said, I’m heading back to Isle Of Pines in a couple of days so I’m looking forward to capturing a sunrise, sunset and a starry night shot, if I’m lucky. I might even make a small video of my time there but not promising anything. See you when I get back.

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NIKON D7100

24MP crop sensor DSLR camera (body only)

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Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm ƒ/3.5-5.6G ED VR

NIKON Crop sensor STANDARD ZOOM lens

I was heading out to dinner when I noticed how gorgeous the light against the flowers and the wood was. I turned around to take a photo with my phone and was stunned how beautiful this pathway I had just walked down was. This is the hotel Kou-Bugny in Kuto, Isle Of Pines (New Caledonia). It's situated very, very close to the beach and it's bar & restaurant is, well, on the beach. With gorgeous views of sunsets and Kuto Bay. A paradisal spot. A must visit. You can get there either by boat (2 1/2 hrs) or plane (30 mins) from Noumea. Both offering a unique view of New Caledonia.

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