End of Year Gathering at the Picton Foreshore
As the year is gradually coming to a close, members of the Marlborough Camera Club gathered together in Picton for their annual End of Year get together. This time, the event had a relaxed and informal vibe, where attendees had the option to either bring their own picnic or enjoy some classic Fish and Chips for dinner. We all sat along the picturesque Picton Foreshore, taking in the calm atmosphere of Picton. I chose to arrive a little earlier than most and stopped by Le Cafe to enjoy a coffee before meeting up with the rest of the club members. Le Cafe never disappoints — it’s always a place of good value, friendly service, and consistent quality. Once everyone was together and we had set up our picnic area, I noticed a guy paddling in a kayak nearby, practicing his moves. It presented a great opportunity to take some video footage and add a dynamic element to the evenings photography.
A Kayaker practicing his moves at the Picton Foreshore
We went up to Paper Fish to get our meals. It was my first time trying the fish and chips from Paper Fish, and overall it was a satisfying meal. I would say it was quite tasty, though just a bit on the expensive side compared to other places. When we returned to our spot on the Picton Foreshore, we found ourselves surrounded by seagulls eagerly expecting a share of the fish and chips. However, it was actually the ducks we needed to be careful of, as they were busy scavenging for any stray bits of food. At one point, a cheeky duck nearly made off with a bunch of grapes from one of the picnic baskets..
While finishing my fish and chips, I noticed that when looking up the Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton, the sun was intermittently lighting up the hills in the background. After one of the InterIsland Ferries arrived, I was fortunate enough to capture an image looking up the Queen Charlotte Sound, preserving that fleeting moment of natural beauty.
My main camera lens I’m using at the moment is the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8. It’s a versatile all-round lens that works well in a variety of situations, and it is also a 1:2.8 macro lens, allowing for close-up shots with impressive detail. Some members of the group were taking photos of the moon, so I thought I would give it a try, zoomed all the way to 50mm. While this isn’t the ideal lens for capturing detailed lunar images, it was still worth experimenting with. The image below has been heavily cropped but does provide a good sense of the scale and appearance of the moon as we naturally see it with the naked eye.
As a group, we didn’t venture too far from our picnic area, so I began looking closely around to see what interesting images I could capture nearby. Along the Picton Foreshore, there are a number of palm trees, and with the remaining light of the day fading gently, I decided to focus on getting some macro and close-up shots. I aimed to capture the intricate growth emerging from the bark of the palm trees, as well as detailed textures of the bark itself.
My final image of the evening was captured just as one of the InterIsland ferries had recently berthed. The ferry was in the process of offloading both passengers and vehicles, creating a dynamic scene that beautifully conveyed the rhythm of daily travel between the North and South islands of New Zealand.
It was a very enjoyable and relaxing evening spent in good company, filled with engaging conversation and a little bit of photography thrown in to capture the moment.
