Panorama Archives - OXS Enterprises

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Sam Price — 6 Comments

Great Barrier Island NZ – A Drones Perspective 4K

Great Barrier Island lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of central Auckland. With an area of 285 square kilometres (110 sq mi) it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson, is 621 metres (2,037 ft) above sea level. The local authority is the Auckland Council.

The island was initially exploited for its minerals and kauri trees and saw only limited agriculture. In 2013, it was inhabited by 939 people, mostly living from farming and tourism. The majority of the diverse environments (around 60% of the total area) is administered as nature reserve by the Department Of Conservation. In 2009 the island atmosphere was described as being “life in New Zealand many decades back”, not without some positive emphasis.

Those couple of paragraphs were provided by Wikipedia, here is may take on this wonderful place.

“The Barrier” is located in plain site for a few part of the coast from Auckland north. While it’s merely just a blip on the horizon for most people, to some it’s home, to us it’s an outdoor adventure paradise. Unlimited activities range from the many walks/hikes, camping, fishing, spearfishing, surfing and skimboarding. Basically whatever you want to do you can do it here!

This blog post is about my latest aerial video but I just want to reinforce my love of the place! We’ve been several times now to skimboard, surf, get burgers (yes you read that right) and most of all, live. This year was the best year yet and here is the aerial stimulation I know you’ve been craving

I would love to plan a trip there just to shoot but with so many of my own interests I kind of spend the time tripping over myself trying to fit it all in.

Here’s a couple of images that hopefully speak for themselves

I have already made a few posts on here so if you’re keen to see what happened on the trip in more detail then find it on this blog post here. If you enjoyed this then please feel free to share it to those who may also enjoy it.

I can’t wait to get back, those cliffs at Medlands definitely need to be reshot on sunrise!

As always I will see you at the beach!

-Sam

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Sam Price

Mt Tamahunga – Matakanas Mountain

Have you ever looked at Mt Tamahunga from the eastern side (lets use Omaha for example) and realised how much of the landscape it dominates?

It’s a lot. So much so, that the sun actually sets earlier in the northern end of Omaha, than the southern end. This only applies over the colder months as the sun slides to the south in Summer.

It is the biggest peak in the immediate area, not that there’s much to challenge it. With a moderate level of fitness the walk from Omaha Valley Road only takes about a hour. It can take longer if you miss the first sign posting in the dark and wander off down the farm tracks but that’s a story for another day.

I shot most of this little clip a couple of months ago and figured I could throw something together out of the footage. Enjoy.

The walk is through dense native bush and is only spoiled by the fact you can’t actually see much when you get to the top. The aforementioned dense bush tends to block the views for most people, making a drone the perfect tool for the job.

Enjoy the walk if you choose to go. I believe you can attack it from a few sides but I’ve only taken the Omaha Valley Rd route. In case you’re wondering there’s a car park on the left side of the road for it.

See you at the beach.

-Sam

Posted on May 27, 2016May 27, 2016 by Sam Price

Double The Fun

The last week has been quietly satisfying. I’m not too sure why but there has been a series of small wins.

If it weren’t for the weather, which has just been plain rubbish then it’d be pretty much 10/10 out there.

I have dropped a couple of other blog posts this week, one regarding the first look at Tugg Winches which you need to check out if you’re keen on a bit of tugging. As well as my giveaway for a realllly beautiful looking pano of Omaha. Get along to my Facebook page and share this photo here.

Hours have been spent this week revisiting older photos and getting rid of some of the garbage. Quite boring but there’s plenty of gems lurking.

I’ve been out shooting a bit of footage (around this weather) and the last weekend was another great bit of fun! Speared another new spot which was holding some nice fish (not that we came back with any) and another big bronzie spotted off Ti Point. Came in quick and smashed my burley, I was alone at the time so was a good rush to see him chomping some fish heads. Find it here

Sunday we went and caught the booming West Coast swell then back to Waiwera for a very enjoyable winch session

Ripper of a weekend and a solid week. I managed to jump in the water this morning for a cheeky spear and came back in with two nice Kingfish in a hour. Smoking them up tomorrow, yeahhh boy!

C’mon weather!

See you at the beach.

-Sam

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Sam Price — 1 Comment

GIVEAWAY TIME!

If you’re anything like me then you like winning.

And free stuff.

What about winning free stuff?

Yes please!

Well I have a little competition running on my Facebook page & Instagram of this here canvas pano

Valued at $345 and measuring 100cm x 30cm it will look great hanging on your wall. I belive this was 21 photos all stitched together to make this high resolution pano!

All you have to do is like (or follow depending what platform you’re using) the page and share the picture. Easy peasy.

Winner will be drawn on Wednesday 8th of June.

Get winning 😉

See you at the beach.

-Sam

If you didn’t catch the links up top, here they are again

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OXSEnterprises/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oxs_enterprises/

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Sam Price

Editing Eyes

The last week has been jammed again. A lot happening. A LOT.

My computer has really been working overtime producing content, both video and photo. Most of the content has been from the barrier trip but I’ve also been reopening folders and checking things out.

One other thing has been the addition of a water housing for my A6000. I want to get into the underwater photography game and to a level well above that of GoPros. This now means 24mp and the ability to edit RAW files.

I’m super stoked on this. I took last weekend off from vlogging but shot with this set up instead. There’s a lot of learning first to get up to speed but after one dive with it I feel I’m on the right track! The spearing was good too!

After dropping all the vlogs on OXS TV, I threw together this Top 5 video about Great barrier Island

I’ve got a few really fun projects coming up that I’m shooting locally so stay tuned. I’ve even got some printed work displayed at the Omaha Club available for purchase. I’m going to run a little giveaway on my Facebook page soon so you should get along and give it a like!

See you at the beach!

-Sam

Posted on April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 by Sam Price

Eyes Wired Open

It’s Saturday morning again. I’m writing this blog post late (unofficially) again.

I got a bit tangled up yesterday with a big Kingfish and broken clip on my speargun. That’s my excuse. I am however feeling focused and fresh. I’m taking some of the ideas of interested in and implementing them into my life. One of which is no booze for a year. I’m not a huge drinker but it’s something I’ve thought about for a wee while.

The last weekend has been full on. Last Saturday was hugely taxing. I woke at 5:30am and didn’t stop until 9:30 that night. Getting chased by stingrays, big Kingfish and not landing any tricks. Check it

Sunday was a little more laid back with a delicious early dive and some talk of sustainability

We also climbed a mountain during the week. Mount Tamahunga to be exact. I’m still working on some panos from the top but here’s a couple of nice ones

I’m off to the barrier in a couple of days for a week so the next blog will probably be something I set up to go live from here. I’m probably the only person who writes blogs and doesn’t have a laptop.

See you at the beach!

-Sam

Posted on March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 by Sam Price

When Sharks Attack (Sort Of)

Well the last week has been interesting. The official Summer season that blessed us with either perfect, boiling hot days or torrential rain has now passed. Overall I have very mixed feelings about what was meant to be Summer, we all know that Autumn is the best time of year anyway. On that note here is my latest 4K drone video

I snuck in a few shoots over the week but this post is more about the weekend and our friend Fred. Fred appears to be the resident 8ft Bronze Whaler who hangs around us when we spearfish at Leigh. Another early start and a Kawhai in the bag very quickly.

Then in came Fred. I had just shot a nice size Drummer and he (or she) decided that it wasn’t my fish anymore. Still being fairly new to experiencing this, it really isn’t a reason to panic. Intense is probably the way to describe which I’m going to cover more shortly in a video. Peep the vlog below

I would really love to start getting some great shots of this sort of thing which requires a lot more coordination in the water from those around but we’re working on it!

Sunday is Fun day. Another early(ish) start to do the Ti Point walk with a friend. The weather was a beauty compared to what was forecast and we even saw some dolphins a long way out! I snapped a couple of panos with this one being my favourite

Not a pano but yes please

The rain came in later on as forecast and I had the chance to have a look around this immaculate 6.5 million. Dollar. Chopper! Check it all below

The print room has also been getting a bit of use during the week as I wrapped up this job for the Bluefins Spearfishing Club

As always it’s nice to survive another week 😉

See you at the beach!

-Sam

Posted on February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 by Sam Price

Aerial Panoramas – How I Shoot Them

People seem fascinated by the aerial perspective of most things. So I am. It’s the feeling of being able to see something from a position you physically can’t get to.

Having no training in the field of photography makes things interesting. Throw a drone into the mix and too many ideas can complicate it at times but I’ve now well and truly welcomed myself to the world of HDR Panoramas.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and means you’ll be taking multiple exposures of the same image, stitching it together in post and editing the results. For landscape photography I love shooting HDR. Like A LOT!

Now throwing the word Panorama or Pano at it means more multiple images stitched together. Again this is a really beautiful procedure for landscapes.

Here is an example of a non HDR Pano.

Nice colour (although it clouded over), a fair bit of wow. Pretty simple.

Here is a HDR Pano of Omaha

Sun was out, the tide almost perfect and lots of range!

This one is of Omaha Bay from Rodney Road. I was about 10 minutes late to get this shot. You can find out why by clicking here

Obviously weather and angle plays a big part in the final result but the dynamic range in the HDR is so much better. This allows you to pull more detail from the shadows and drop the highlights so they’re not as blown out!

Better results, better images with more of a wow factor and better fun! HDR can be done poorly as well. When it’s overdone it’s just a bit…. Blaaaa.

There’s so many places I’ve been over the last year that I need to go back to and reshoot so it’s all in the planning.

This shot isn’t a Pano but it is a really nice HDR of the Omaha bridge

So many photos to take and so little time. Here’s to more HDR Panos.

See you at the beach!

-Sam

Tag: Panorama

Great Barrier Island NZ – A Drones Perspective 4K

Mt Tamahunga – Matakanas Mountain

Double The Fun

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Editing Eyes

Eyes Wired Open

When Sharks Attack (Sort Of)

Aerial Panoramas – How I Shoot Them

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