Milford Sound Photo

Photo of Mitre Peak, Milford Sound, New Zealand

This is a classic angle on Milford Sound's "Mitre Peak". I can recall paintings by early New Zealand painters that capture this outlook. I also made a black and white version of the photo to emphasize the timelessness of this image.

Stirling Falls Milford Sound

Stirling Falls Milford Sound

Stirling Falls are one of two permanent waterfalls that cascade into Milford Sound. Stirling Falls descend from 155 metres above the fiord. They were originally named after a seaman by the name of Captain Stirling. The deepest part of Milford Sound is 1,280 ft below sea level and is located in the vicinity of Stirling Falls.

When we first set out on our cruise of Milford Sound the weather was very misty making for conditions that were far from ideal for photography.

Canon EOS 20D
1/250s at f/9
ISO200
70-300mm lens at 300mm

External Link: Information about Milford Sound

Milford Sound #3

Photo of Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.

The most famous landmark at Milford Sound is the tallest peak known as "Mitre Peak", so named because its shape is reminiscent of a bishop's mitre or ceremonial hat. Mitre Peak has long been painted and photographed throughout New Zealand's European history. Mitre Peak is on the left side of this photo.


Canon EOS 20D
1/5000s at f/3.5
ISO200
18-55mm lens at 18mm


External Links: Mitre Peak

Photo of Milford Sound #2

When I took this photo on a recent trip to Milford Sound in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the mist had almost cleared. But just enough was hanging in the sky still when I took this photo to add some extra interest to the picture.

Canon EOS 20D
1/400s at f/13
ISO200
18-55mm lens at 51mm

If you are interested in licensing or buying prints of this or any of my photographs, please contact me using the link at the bottom of the page. Prints can be on archival paper printed from the tiff file, or as less-expensive but high-quality photo prints from jpeg files.

Here are some useful links if you are planning a visit to New Zealand's Fiordland National Park:
External Links: Milford Sound - Wikipedia entry, cruises on Milford Sound, Fiordland Regional Tourism Organization - Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is the heart of Fiordland National Park and the most-visited of the fiords. Mistakenly named a "sound", Milford Sound is actually a fiord, meaning it was carved out by glacial action during the last ice age rather than by the action of rivers, which is the difference between a fiord and a sound.

After sailing out to the Tasman Sea and turning back in, the fog began to lift until the sky was completely clear by time we disembarked.

Canon EOS 20D
1/320s at f/13
ISO200
18-55mm lens at 54mm

External Links: Milford Sound - Wikipedia entry, cruises on Milford Sound, Fiordland Regional Tourism Organization - Milford Sound

Mountain Stream Fiordland New Zealand

This beautiful stream of crystal clear water runs along the side of the road taking you to Milford Sound in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park.

Canon EOS 20D
1/10s at f/29
70 to 300mm lens at 75mm
ISO 200

Sunrise at Opito Bay #3

When taking these photos of the sunrise at Opito Bay , since the sun was above the horizon and I was shooting right into the sun, I adjusted the camera to a very fast film speed equivalent (ISO 50) and took very short exposures. The result was the beautiful gold color you see in these photos.

Nikon E8700
1/320s at f7.4
ISO 50

You may also enjoy seascape paintings of Opito Bay by Keith Townshend

Surise at Opito Bay #2

Opito Bay is located in the Mercury Bay area of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. The bay is reached by a gravel road, and there are no shops at the bay so you have to bring all your provisions. You typically have the long sweeping beach all to yourself. I like this photo for the reflection of the sun in the wet sand and shallow water.

Nikon E8700
1/500s at f7.4
ISO 50

You may also be interested in seascape paintings of Opito Bay by Keith Townshend

Sunrise at Opito Bay #1

Opito Bay is located in the Mercury Bay area of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. I got to spend a couple of vacations at a beach house located right at the water's edge thanks to a good friend. This isolated beach was the perfect location for endless photos. Of course capturing the sunrise was a great treat. I like the sweep of cloud above the sea in this photo.

Nikon E87001
1/700s at
f8.0
ISO 50

You may also enjoy seascape paintings of Opito Bay by New Zealand artist Keith Townshend

Campus Drive Pedestrian Bridge UCI

You can cross Campus Drive by walking over the pedestrian bridge to the University Center owned and operated by the Irvine Company. In the center of shopping center is the office tower seen in the background of this photo. Other business in the shopping center include several restaurants, movie theaters, Trader Joe's, and several clothing boutiques catering to the student population.

Student Services 2 at UC Irvine

Student Services II is actually a building that appears as a collection of cube-shaped buildings joined together at different angles. The exteriors of these post-modernist cubes is primarily concrete, but unlike its earlier counterparts designed under the Brutalist school such as the Langson Library and Social Science Tower, these buildings have completely flat exteriors and the addition of some color, and some design elements in the surface concrete itself.

Social Sciences Tower UC Irvine

Another of the buildings built in the 1960s at UCI is the Social Science Tower. Another example of Brutalism, the building from the ends is an imposing unadorned monolith, but from its sides as you can see from this photo, you can capture a cascading collection of intersecting lines and shadows created by the window framing that creates a Lego-like effect.

Jack Langson Librarary UCI #3

Although architecturally characterized as being of "Brutalist" style, the strong vertical lines of the Jack Langson Library are broken by a curved concrete vignette which gives the impression of pleated fabric.

This photo focuses on these gracefully curved vignettes on the sides of the building. This feature breaks the strong linear lines of the building that run from this point to the roof. Something about this feature has an Art Deco flavor to it in my mind, although the building is an example of Brutalism.

Jack Langson Librarary UCI #2

The strong vertical lines of the Jack Langson Library are broken by a curved concrete vignette which gives the impression of pleated fabric.

The architect, William Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was from Chicago, of Portuguese ancestry. He was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably prolific, he worked out of Los Angeles, and was known for his love of science fiction and expensive cars, but mostly for his unmistakable style of architecture, which came to define the look of mid-20th century America.

Jack Langson Librarary UCI #1

The Jack Langson Library at UC Irvine is one of the eight original buildings on the campus, designed by architect William Pereira in 1965. The Langson Library contains the collections and services that support research and teaching in the Arts, Humanities, Education, Social Sciences, Social Ecology, and Business & Management. The exterior of the building features strong linear vertical lines and its architecture is classified as belonging to the "Brutalist" style. “Brutalism” comes from the French phrase “béton brut,” meaning “raw concrete.” Buildings in the Brutalist style were often characterized by an unfriendly appearance. Most Brutalist buildings did not have many doors or windows

Photo of a Peacock

I took this photo of a peacock with his feathers fully-extended at the magnificent San Diego Zoo. He was really showing off and pulling in quite a crowd as you can imagine. I had some fun with the image using Photoshop. This is how the original photo of the peacock looked so that you can see what I did.

If you'd like an archival print of this photograph, use the link at the bottom of the page. Of course, all watermarks and copyright markings on the face of the photo will be removed.

Flamingo Photo

In this photo of a flamingo I have created a bit of a watercolor effect with Photoshop. I really like how this made the reflections in the water become quite "painterly". These flamingos make their home at the Marriott Resort in Palm Desert, California.

Photo of Flamingos

This picture was also taken at the Marriott Resort in Palm Desert, CA. The flamingos are captive in a pond in front of the hotel. Flamingos are fascinating to watch as they are not only very attractive but also very comical on their incredibly skinny legs that bend forward at the knee rather than back when they walk. Like all birds, they are concerned with preserving their personal space and establishing their pecking order.

Photo of a Swan

This picture proves the point that you don't have to venture far to get photos of bird life. This picture I actually took at the Marriott Resort in Palm Desert, CA. My room was above the lake that comes right up to the rooms on one section of the hotel, and this swan did me the favor of floating by in front of my room.

Still Life Photo Finch with Poem

As I was in the bathroom getting ready for work this morning I heard a loud crack against the glass sliding door and my dog starting barking. I knew immediately that it must have been a bird that had flown into the glass, and sure enough, lying there on the deck was a finch. Sometimes they just seem to knock themselves out and after a couple of minutes they get themselves together and fly off. But not this little birdie. From the loudness of the sound I knew this little guy was literally going at "break-neck speed" and that's what he had in fact done. I felt so sad. He was so small and handsome and no doubt so full of the joys of spring. I felt very moved and brought him inside and cupped him in my hands and huffed on him to keep him warm just in case he might come around. After several mintues it was obvious there was no hope for him so I took him back outside and put him on the patio table with a lavender flower for a pillow. As I rode my bike to work I just couldn't stop thinking about him, and riding along the creek where there are so many birds, I composed a poem in his memory. I put the poem on the photograph with him in his honor. Hopefully this guy's made it to heaven by now and is singing with the angels. (Click the photo above for a larger image that will allow you to read the poem)

This image and poem are copyright. If you are interested in prints, contact me below.

Photo of Red Hot Poker Flower

This photo of a red hot poker flower was taken at Akaroa which is a beautiful beach community on the coast east of Christchurch, New Zealand. I really love the shallow depth of field which makes the flower appear to float on the background. The background also has some nice complementary colors in its palette: blue, green, and orange.

Canon EOS 20D
1/6400s at f/5
Lens 70-300mm at 135mm
ISO800

Song Sparrow with Spring Wildflowers

I love taking pictures of birds. This little guy, a song sparrow, was singing away very merrily when I was walking along the boardwalk at Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California last spring. I love how all the background yellows and pinks came out so well in this picture too.




Song Sparrow with Spring Wildflowers
Canon EOS 20Df/5.61/640 sec
ISO 200
fl 300 mm
(c) John Corney 2006

Snow Covered Mountain Homer Tunnel Area

Though late summer, Fiordland National Park is in the far south west corner of New Zealand's South Island, and with some very high elevations as well, it was not surprising to come across some mountain peaks with snow on them as I traveled the road to Milford Sound.

Early morning fog and snow wrap this towering peak near the Homer Tunnel on the Road to Milford Sound

Photo by John Corney,

Canon EOS 20D
f/10
1/1000sec
ISO 200
18-55mm lens at 40mm
(c) John Corney 2007

Fog Filled Mountain Valley Photograph

It was early morning that I set off for Milford Sound from Lake Te Anau. The morning fog still sat in the mountain valleys as seen in this photo taken on the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound in New Zealand.

Canon EOS 20D
f/10
1/1000sec
ISO 200
18-55mm lens at 40mm
(c) John Corney 2007

Mountain Meadow Photo

I took this photo of this meadow of golden tussock grass on the way to Milford Sound from the road going from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound in New Zealand.

Canon EOS 20D
f/10
1/400sec
ISO 200
70-300mm lens at 70mm
(c) John Corney 2007

Glade Wharf Lake Te Anau

This photograph of Lake Te Anau was taken in the vicinity of Glade Wharf at the start of the famous Milford Track in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park. The Milford Track leads from near this point to Milford Sound. Four-day hikes of the track are common. Visit the New Zealand Department of Conservation website for information on hiking the Milford Track.

Canon EOS 20D

f/5.61/500sec

ISO 200

18-55mm lens at 55mm

(c) John Corney 2007

External Link: Hiking the Milford Track.

Photograph of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

New Zealand offers some of the finest scenery in the world for landscape photography. I had the privilege of growing up there, but have only recently seen much of its most beautiful places as a tourist visiting from my adopted home of California. Here are some photos I've taken over the years on my visits home to New Zealand.

This photograph of Lake Wakatipu was taken from Highway 6 en route from Queenstown to Kingston which is located at the southern end of the lake. The photo was taken about half-way between Queenstown and Kingston from a view point at the side of the road.

Canon EOS 20D

f/221/80sec

ISO 200

18-55mm lens at 18mm

(c) John Corney 2007

Introducing Photographer John Corney

As I start to write this, I struggle over whether I should use the first or the third person, the reason being that I am the owner and webmaster for ArikiArt.com.

I started building this website at the end of 2002 as a way of promoting the art of my friend Raymond Neher who was in the early days of his struggle with lung cancer. For the last four years, ArikiArt has never been about me as I gave thousands upon thousands of hours for free to my artist friends that are represented here.

Over those 4 years I have however often thought about putting some of my photography on ArikiArt. Although I have no formal training in photography, I am a serious enthusiast, and have always loved photography since I was a kid. In fact, I can pinpoint the exact time that my passion began, which was when I was 9 years old and went on a school trip during the spring vacation and my Dad gave me his "box brownie" camera to take along with me. (To be exact, the camera was a Kodak 'Six-20 Brownie C' roll film box camera, c.1948. These cameras were to the history of popular photography what the Model T Ford was to the history of the automobile, with their low-cost and wide availability placing photography firmly into the hands of the masses.)

What the "Box Brownie" did for photography in the 1950's, the digital camera has taken to the nth degree in the 21st Century. Everyone is a photography enthusiast these days, and computing power, image software, and the internet has enabled all these newly-minted hobbyists to publish their art form cheaply and widely for all to see.

I am apprehensive to go public and have no intention of telling any of my friends or family or the ArikiArt artists, least of all ArikiArt photographer Michael McLane, that I have published some of my photographs here! Perhaps they will stumble upon them one day. I guess it will be a test to see how deeply they surf the pages of ArikiArt. So it's a secret endeavor to be discovered by those that alight here courtesy of the internet search engines such as Google, and Yahoo, and MSN - the cruel beasts to whom I have sold my soul as a webmaster these past 4 years.

I feel I do know a little about the art of photography, but am very conscious of how much there is to learn, how much I don't know, and the deep gulf there is between all the weekend and vacation snap-shooters and the true artist. I wonder that I am just one of the weekend masses, not remarkable in any way. I do not consider myself an artist with the camera by any means yet, but have a passion to get there, and believe that over the 40 years since I first shot that Box Brownie I have at least learned something about photographic technique and composition. One thing I do know for sure as I have photographed the artworks of the ArikiArt artists and prepared these images for arikiart.com is how much I love "the image" and "color" and working with them with Photoshop. And I know that the most bitter pain of my life was to lose in transit between Japan and the United States the 4-years worth of photographs that I took while living in Japan in the early 1990s.

Friends say that I'm a good photographer, but so are so many more people, the masses of them I see with their Canons, Nikons, and Pentaxes on the trail with me. I hope one day I might feel I deserve the title of "photographer" that I gave myself in the title of this page, something I did awkwardly only because there seemed no way around it. So I invite you to be a companion on my journey if you dare and if you are so generous to travel with me. I allow you and ask you to be the judge over time of my art form, and hopefully one day you will call me "a photographer".

So, let's begin! Here I bare my soul!

John Corney