My 7 Super Shots
I have really enjoyed seeing the HostelBookers “7 Super Shots” meme going around the travel blogging community. It really shows off what great photographers these bloggers are as well! Even though I haven’t been nominated, the meme got me thinking. What photos did I have that would match each of the categories? This got me delving into my back-catalog of photos, many of which I haven’t fully sorted so they’ve just been eaten up by the black hole that is my hard drive…and I’m very glad I did, because I relived some memories and found some photos I’d completely forgotten about. Here are the chosen seven.
A photo that…takes my breath away
Looking back towards the Clinton Valley from Mackinnon Pass on the Milford Track.
When I was in New Zealand, I spent nearly 3 weeks hiking on various trails around the South Island. The Milford Track was the most hyped (and the most difficult to get onto — I booked almost 6 months in advance), but wow, did it live up to the hype. I managed to pick the most perfect 4 days possible, so I didn’t have to deal with the notorious rain/snow/inclement weather. Instead, I got to hike through the valleys and over stunning Mackinnon Pass in weather like this. It seemed like everywhere I turned there was amazing scenery that just kept getting better.
An interesting fact: not far from where I took this shot is the “loo with the best view in Fiordland.” It’s sitting at the very top of the pass looking down the Clinton Valley and has a one-way window so you can admire the view…which you really want to do, because it’s a longdrop toilet that’s turned into a rather shortdrop!
A photo that…makes me laugh or smile
Making an ass of himself.
Yes, I know this isn’t the photo that I originally marked as the photo that makes me laugh. However, when I remembered about it, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t used it, so I had to switch it in! It still makes me giggle just looking at it.
I took this photo in Deer Park Heights in Queenstown, NZ. It used to be a great little wildlife park with stunning views, but it was unfortunately closed down by the owners in 2009. The donkeys were so desperate to us to feed them that they were physically straining for it! They were certainly very well fed donkeys because people couldn’t help but laugh and give them most of their $2 feed packets.
A photo that…makes me dream
The church village in Skellefteå, Sweden.
This is the church village/shantytown/bonnstan that I was lucky enough to stumble upon while working in Skellefteå. Had I visited on my own, I’m sure I would have missed it because it was a good 2km walk from my hotel (and I wasn’t walking too far on my own because of a bum knee). However, the guys I was working with said it was one of the most interesting parts of town and I was sold. It felt dreamy just being there — possibly because I’ve never truly lived anywhere cold or with snow — and looking at this photo brings back that feeling. I can hear the crunch of snow under my boots as I wandered slowly amongst the wooden buildings and I can almost taste the hot chocolate waiting for me back at the hotel…
A photo that…makes me think
Inside the Anzac Memorial in Sydney.
Any Anzac memorial in Australia or New Zealand is a somber place, often with only a few visitors who softly whisper about relatives or family friends that were a part of the conflicts in the early- and mid-1900s. What really makes me think about the inside of the Sydney Anzac Memorial is the ceiling. At first, it just looks like an odd pattern of dots…but on closer look, you can see that it’s actually a constellation of 120,000 stars, one for each New South Welshman in WWI.
A photo that…makes my mouth water
Dessert at my grandfather's 90th birthday dinner.
Just looking at this dish makes me want to have dessert, no matter what time of day it is! This shot is quite special to me because the dessert was part of my grandfather’s 90th birthday dinner last May. My entire family came together from all over the world (Cleethorpes, Texas, Singapore, and Brisbane) to celebrate both of my grandparents hitting the 90 milestone. We had a lovely meal and a very memorable two weeks visiting with them.
A photo that…tells a story
Was someone sitting and watching the floods inundate their home?
I captured this image on the morning of the flood peak in Brisbane (January 13, 2011). I hadn’t slept well the previous night because I was worrying about how high the flood peak was going to get and how badly affected people would be. I finally gave up trying to sleep at 5am, so I grabbed my camera and went the back way to the University of Queensland, which had the river almost flowing through it. This photo was taken a few streets away from the university as the flood began to abate slightly. No one was around when I found this chair, and it really made me wonder — was someone sitting and watching the floods rise, wondering if their home was going to be high enough to stay dry?
A photo that…I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)
My National Geographic shot of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.
This one was a shoe-in to the 7 Super Shots, because it’s the photo that was chosen for National Geographic’s Photo of the Day early last year. I couldn’t believe it when someone found me and tweeted that my photo was on the National Geographic website!
As I described on the National Geographic page, I wasn’t even supposed to get this photo. I was on a photo tour of San Francisco and the Marin Headlands that was supposed to end in a viewpoint near the Golden Gate Bridge where we could get photos of the bridge with the city in the background. However, the Golden Gate Bridge was completely obscured by fog so we were taken to the Embarcadero instead (where we had also been the night before). The conditions were so much better this time around, with just a little bit of fog to add some atmosphere.
These are a few people I’d like to see 7 Super Shots from:
Seeing as this has spread like wildfire, I thought I’d post a few links to 7 of my favourite super shots posts along with nominating:
C’est Christine: My Seven Super Shots
A Dangerous Business: My 7 Super Shots
The Planet D: Seven Super Travel Photos
Travelling Canucks: 7 Super Shots from our Travels
Beers and Beans: 7 Super Shots Photo Game
You can participate in this meme too! To do so, just do the following:
- Choose a photo for each of the 7 categories above.
- Write a short description for each image.
- Write somewhere in your blog post: ‘I am taking part in HostelBookers 7 Super Shots‘.
- Tell HostelBookers that you have participated and tweet the hashtag #7SuperShots
- Nominate 5 other bloggers by including a link to their blog in your post.
About KristinI'm Kristin, a Texan born to an American father and English mother. I've been living in Australia since 2008. My first plane flight was when I was three weeks old and I've been hooked ever since. I never feel quite right unless I have a plane ticket (to anywhere, whether it's Sydney or Sweden) booked in my name. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.
View all posts by Kristin →
19 Responses to My 7 Super Shots
One Pingback/Trackback for My 7 Super Shots
Leave a Reply
Connect With Me
Buy My Images
Latest Mobile Photos
About the Author
I'm Kristin, a Texan born to an American father and English mother. I've been living in Australia since 2008. My first plane flight was when I was three weeks old and I've been hooked ever since. I never feel quite right unless I have a plane ticket (to anywhere, whether it's Sydney or Sweden) booked in my name!
Find out more...Connect With Me
Love that one of the Milford Track, and that one of dessert seriously did make my mouth water! As for the Bay Bridge one…love. I’m originally from Nor Cal and I’ve driven over the Bay Bridge countless times, but I’ve never seen it look that good
Thanks Christine! It’s great to hear that from a California local that’s seen the bridge so many times
I love the last photo! That must have been a technical one to capture.. Man.. i need to learn how to use my camera
Thanks Jade! Yeah, it was a more technical photo than snapping it during the day…but if you have a camera that does long exposures and a tripod it’s pretty easy
Maybe when you’re back in Brisbane we could go take some shots of the Story Bridge at night if you want me to teach you what I know!
Great line up of shots – that last one is a stunner and I really like the one with the snow too!
Thanks Bethany! I think those are my two favourites as well
Love these! The one from Milford Track makes me want to be in New Zealand right now instead of in 9 weeks…
Love the Sweden pic, too. and the one of the Golden Gate Bridge is epic.
Thanks Erik! You’re going to have such a great time in New Zealand
Are you planning on doing much walking while you’re there? It’ll be a bit cold for overnight hikes but there are still a lot of great day hikes to do!
These are really great! The donkeys totally made me laugh. It’s so awesome you got picked for the National Geographic Photo of the Day! Love it!
Thanks Ali! The donkeys make me laugh every time I see them, even though I took that photo well over 7 years ago now! Haha.
And yes, I was totally shocked to find out that National Geographic had chosen my photo! Funnily enough, I entered it in a photo contest and got nothing, but ended up with a photo of the day
I love the shot from Skellefteå; such a great, moody photograph. And your NatGeo photo is fantastic!
Thanks Adri! I loved the church village in Skellefteå. So glad I went there (and that I wore enough warm clothes that I was comfortable enough to stay a while)! It was just the coolest little place, and something I hadn’t expected at all. It would be interesting to see it in the summer…although I suspect I would prefer it all snow-capped
I LOVED your super shots, “The church village in Skellefteå” is my favorite.
You have such a beautiful blog, I’m glad that I found it thanks to 7 super shots!
Greetings from Tel Aviv
Thanks Olga, for the lovely comments and for the greetings from Tel Aviv! Greetings from the Sunshine Coast
I hope you keep enjoying the blog. I’m planning a full post on the church village in Skellefteå soon so stay tuned!
You last shot is definitely Nat Geo worthy, but that Swedish church village one makes me want to visit that place…it looks so peaceful and quiet. Great shots!
Thanks! I loved visiting the church village. You’re right — even though we were still in the city, it was so incredibly peaceful there. It seemed so surreal to me and looks possibly even more so in the photos. I’m glad I chose that night to walk around though — it was only -4C, whereas the night before it was -18C! Brr!
Kristin, thanks for showing these great shots! I’m still gobsmacked by your stunning nighttime+fog photo of the Bay Bridge from (what appears to be) Pier 14!
Thanks Henry! It was very difficult to choose this group of photos, that’s for sure. I got very lucky with the weather in San Francisco Bay for the nighttime Bay Bridge shot — I have some from the night before where it’s too foggy and the colours are too washed out, but if it hadn’t been foggy at all I wouldn’t have had the interest in the background. I really liked that it was wrapping around Treasure Island. And yep, you’re right — this was taken from between the Bay Bridge and Pier 14 on the Embarcadero.
wow, you have actual NG photo
Here is my 7 photos
http://www.shorttraveltips.com/7-super-shots/