This is the third episode in my recall of my first trip to Stewart Island. The gray clouds have blanketed nearly all of the sky for the past several hours, ever since I entered and began exploring the Fern Gully. As I was approaching my planned turn-around point, stalking my way through one of the areas of deepest shade, a sudden small rift in the cloud cover allowed a thin shaft of sunlight through, shining like a subtle beacon on a small pool in the stream along which the path meanders. My camera was already affixed to my tripod; I hastily composed my shot and barely managed to make two exposures before the magic moment had passed and everything reverted to deep shadow.
krikitarts 
I often regret not walking with my tripod but it is HEAVY. This image is beautiful, all the more so because you were able to soften the water. It’s like a little pool of gold.
Point very well taken. The tripod I had at that time was amazing. It had a fourth arm articulated at the apex of the other three legs and was repositionable in any direction, and it was all thin aluminum and very lightweight. It had no brand name and I bought it in a flea market in Virginia a couple of decades ago for $25 because of its similarity to the tripod I’d been lusting after for years, but couldn’t afford (a Benbo Trekker). It broke packed in luggage on a trip back from New Zealand and I’ve not been able to repair it. I now have the Benbo (Mk III) of my dreams, and it’s all I ever hoped it would be, but it is heavy. It’s a pain at times to carry it, especially with the SLR mounted in place, but it’s worth the pain and effort. For travel I use the largest GorillaPod and love it! I can make it work with a makeshift tripod of any three reasonably sturdy sticks of any convenient height. I highly recommend this to anyone! BTW, the only softening of the water that I did was to use a slow shutter speed, necessary for depth of field and because of the low light. If memory serves, it was about 1.5 seconds.
I was going to say the same thing as Dezra – it looks like a molten pool of gold, and it is so beautiful! I really loved your write up for this post. It gave a real air of mystery, magic, and suspense to the photo. Perfect package :)
I have relived that moment many times and am so grateful that I was ready for it and knew my equipment well enough to do what needed to be done in the very few seconds that I had to work with. Thanks, Cindy!
That golden light is awesome.
Thank you, Frank–I can still feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle when that shaft broke through.
That is such a positive image….love the golden glow contrasting with the greens.
Thanks, David, it’s truly wonderful when all the elements and the lighting come together for a brief moment. I feel so fortunate to have been able to experience this one.
So peaceful…the golden light is amazing..Great job :)
It was exceptionally peaceful. I was surprised not to encounter any other hikers that day.
What gorgeous russet and gold light. So silky and smooth: beautiful.
The angle of the sun’s rays was just that precise. I was privileged to be able to share the moment.
I like the way the sunlight illuminates the ripples on the water. Lovely colours and lighting.
Most of the time, you just can’t beat natural light. This time all the conditions just happened to be right. A joy to be the observer.