New Zealand Travel Tour - Competition i want to win!

[Jas0nP]

Hey All!

First let me say great site and forum here. Even in my short life so far as an amateur photographer i've learned a lot from here and still am.

My girlfriend and i are currently traveling and our next stop is a 3 week adventure camping tour all around New Zealand. We booked with the company and then i later found out they have a promotion going. Each year whoever shoots the best picture that 'captures the nature of a Kiwi trip with great people enjoying getting beyond the "beyond the tourist trail" wins their whole trip refunded.

So to better my photography and to save on travel i would LOVE to win this competition.

I feel like i'm in with a very good chance. Although my experience is laughable short - 1 months with my d90 and 18mm - 105mm - i've been obsessive ever since getting it.

So now i'm looking for advice on how i can do my best in this competition. For ideas of what they are looking for here are some images they have on their homepage:







And here is their past years gallery of all the pictures that were submitted.

My current brainstorm of ways to improve, things i need and shots i should aim for are:

• Wide Angle Lens + Polarized Filter. I've been hearing great things about the stigma 10 - 20mm so i will get that and get some practice with it before hand.
• Practice shooting RAW + More memory cards. I haven't taken or edited any RAW images yet.
• People adventure shots. The site i imagine will be using these pictures to sell their product, which is all the travel, camping, food and socializing around New Zealand. While pictures of lakes, mountains and so on look great they are selling the experience and i think it'll look better with those backdrops but people in the activities.
• Capitalize on the uniqueness of the tour company. The company takes sporting equipment all the way around for everyone to use. A picture of everyone at sunset playing cricket with a mountain/lake + tent background would be amazing.
• Ask the guides and drivers what they think will be good, what the company wants.
• Practice HDR shot. Although anything to them that looks 'too edited' i doubt they would feel they want a v accurate representation of the tour.

So as you can see my thoughts are a little scatterbrained right now. Any suggestions on shots i should look for or get everyone together to make happen. Suggestions of kit. Or suggestions of practice or well wishes would be very very appreciated!

[sk66]

It seems to me they want to be an "extreme tour company" but appeal to the masses (do what is special, but still keep a good "bottom line")....
So that's your task...take pictures of people doing extreme activities (beyond the tourist trail) BUT STILL ENJOYING THEMSELVES AS IF THEY WERE JUST SIMPLE TOURISTS......idea behind, "we make it easy and enjoyable to do something different". Part of that will be the "amazing views" etc that can be gained while having a great time...experiences otherwise missed by the "boring/typical" travel companies....

[sk66]

Just don't forget to enjoy your vacation....and don't forget that yor girlfriend may be more into being "a couple" and "enjoying the trip" than winning the contest....and she'd be right...

[RoyL]

Originally Posted by Jas0nP

So to better my photography and to save on travel i would LOVE to win this competition.

I feel like i'm in with a very good chance. Although my experience is laughable short - 1 months with my d90 and 18mm - 105mm - i've been obsessive ever since getting it.

So now i'm looking for advice on how i can do my best in this competition. For ideas of what they are looking for here are some images they have on their homepage:


My current brainstorm of ways to improve, things i need and shots i should aim for are:

• Wide Angle Lens + Polarized Filter. I've been hearing great things about the stigma 10 - 20mm so i will get that and get some practice with it before hand.
• Practice shooting RAW + More memory cards. I haven't taken or edited any RAW images yet.
• People adventure shots. The site i imagine will be using these pictures to sell their product, which is all the travel, camping, food and socializing around New Zealand. While pictures of lakes, mountains and so on look great they are selling the experience and i think it'll look better with those backdrops but people in the activities.
• Capitalize on the uniqueness of the tour company. The company takes sporting equipment all the way around for everyone to use. A picture of everyone at sunset playing cricket with a mountain/lake + tent background would be amazing.
• Ask the guides and drivers what they think will be good, what the company wants.
• Practice HDR shot. Although anything to them that looks 'too edited' i doubt they would feel they want a v accurate representation of the tour.

So as you can see my thoughts are a little scatterbrained right now. Any suggestions on shots i should look for or get everyone together to make happen. Suggestions of kit. Or suggestions of practice or well wishes would be very very appreciated!

I think that almost everyone here would agree that they also want to win a competition, so we will not share our secrets in case you win

All the things you are aiming for a good. The more practice you get the better, and trying various styles most definitely is good. But all this guarantee's only one thing, that you spend a lot of time practicing.

Always enter a comp with the mindset that your image is not good enough and cannot compete with the other's. This way if you win you have more to celebrate than if youwent in believing that you are going to win. And never give up, remember that most comps have 100's if not thousands of images to go through and after a while they all look the same.

Don't go overboard on HDR as a lot of comps will not accept them, they have fairly stringent rules. But some will accept them. And often the judges will give preference to a normal image over HDR unless it is really something special and I have seen very few special HDR images (and judges can tell the difference between Photoshop HDR's and multiple exposure (or bracketed) HDR's.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by RoyL

Always enter a comp with the mindset that your image is not good enough and cannot compete with the other's. This way if you win you have more to celebrate than if you went in believing that you are going to win.

I see your point..."low ball", "underestimate", nothing but expected or better outcome...

But I don't agree...
There have been MANY times where I did not understand the "judges choices" (critics, editors, etc)...I cannot see HOW the "winning" pic was better...but that's because I still have a high opinion of my work...Sometimes "I get it" and disagree, sometimes "I get it" and agree (and learn), sometimes I'm just baffled....but I never sell myself short...

JMO

[Nicole]

Which parts of NZ are you traveling around? North & South or just one of them?

It's not too hard to take a nice shot around NZ There are plenty of activities that are are associated with being uniquely NZ like bungy jumping and zorbing. I'd say get a feel for the sort of things that go on then take some shots. Depending on the group you may or may not get a feel of the kind of kiwi camping trip, but hopefully so. Sounds like you have some good ideas though!

Just a reminder, speaking of polarizing filters, don't forget to turn it to get the best results (you should see the colours change a bit as you turn the filter).

[Jas0nP]

Originally Posted by Nicole

Which parts of NZ are you traveling around? North & South or just one of them?

It's not too hard to take a nice shot around NZ There are plenty of activities that are are associated with being uniquely NZ like bungy jumping and zorbing. I'd say get a feel for the sort of things that go on then take some shots. Depending on the group you may or may not get a feel of the kind of kiwi camping trip, but hopefully so. Sounds like you have some good ideas though!

Just a reminder, speaking of polarizing filters, don't forget to turn it to get the best results (you should see the colours change a bit as you turn the filter).

It's around both islands starting n Auckland and finishing in Queenstown. Then we'll fly out of Christchurch.

Zorbing is a great idea. Very unique to NZ. I'll try and get some night pictures on the Routeburn Track, as this company offers a overnight 3 day hike which is very unique to this tour.

Originally Posted by RoyL

Always enter a comp with the mindset that your image is not good enough and cannot compete with the other's. This way if you win you have more to celebrate than if youwent in believing that you are going to win. And never give up, remember that most comps have 100's if not thousands of images to go through and after a while they all look the same.

Don't go overboard on HDR as a lot of comps will not accept them, they have fairly stringent rules. But some will accept them. And often the judges will give preference to a normal image over HDR unless it is really something special and I have seen very few special HDR images (and judges can tell the difference between Photoshop HDR's and multiple exposure (or bracketed) HDR's.

I understand what you are saying. This competition is more 'show us your best holiday snap' than an editorial magazine picture competition. I'm probably going to be the only sadist who'll pack an DSR camera and lens in a backpack that i have to carry around at all times. The people who judge this are just going to be the owners of the experience company, i doubt any of them even know what HDR is.

Originally Posted by sk66

Just don't forget to enjoy your vacation....and don't forget that yor girlfriend may be more into being "a couple" and "enjoying the trip" than winning the contest....and she'd be right...

She's a cool girlfriend and will just tell me if i'm spending too much time doing so. I agree too, it's way to easy to spend too much time capturing life and watching life than participating in it.

[RoyL]

Originally Posted by sk66

I see your point..."low ball", "underestimate", nothing but expected or better outcome...

But I don't agree...
There have been MANY times where I did not understand the "judges choices" (critics, editors, etc)...I cannot see HOW the "winning" pic was better...but that's because I still have a high opinion of my work...Sometimes "I get it" and disagree, sometimes "I get it" and agree (and learn), sometimes I'm just baffled....but I never sell myself short...

JMO

It's not selling yourself short, its not doing what you are doing now. Without appearing to be rude, which I am not, some people will always have trouble competing with others in any field because they think they are better and do not put in their best. If you get what I mean.

And I agree with you, sometimes I am just baffled by choices, but then I just think oh well maybe next time.

People call me pesamistic but they are wrong. I am optomistic that everything will go wrong just threw that in as a bonus. But it is me.