Photographing Berry Springs Nature Park

Berry Springs Nature Park has been on my to-do list for many years. I was extremely grateful when my my friends in Darwin took me down there for a swim. When we arrived I was blown away by the color of the water, it was a vivid greenish-blue and very clear. There are three main pools and they were all surrounded by lush green vegetation, including gorgeous palm trees. The only problem with wanting to photograph it was that it was full of people. I highly recommend getting there very early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.

I was not visiting Berry Springs for the sole purpose of taking photos so this time my approach to capturing the area was pretty relaxed. If I was to go back ( which I am sure I will ) I would do things differently.

What I Plan To Do On My Next Visit

Arrive earlier in the day

I would do this not to just avoid people but to take advantage of the morning light. By getting there earlier I could take images with a longer exposure. There is a small waterfall that I would like to get more creative with.

Make sure I pack my filters

I would definitely pack both my polarised filter and my ND (Neutral Density) filter. The polarising filter would have come in handy on my visit as the light did become harsh and exposing the correctly become difficult. The ND filter would be great for capturing longer exposures of the water. I love capturing motion in the water, I haven’t done a lot of it, but I plan to.

I would photograph multiple exposures of the same composition

I am yet to use Adobe Photoshop, although I have studied it a lot and I really want to get into blending multiple exposures. Over the last year, I have been inspired by the great travel and landscape photographer Elia Locardi. His blending techniques are really interesting and result in a more accurate representation of the beauty of a location. Many people love HDR, I do also, although blending the images manually without the use of an algorithm gives you more control over the outcome.

Put together a timelapse video

I would like to do this much more in general. I have been experimenting with my intervalometer and I am really happy with the results. It was never going to happen on my last visit as there were too many people around and the main purpose of my time there was to spend it with my friends in the water. Although next time I visit Berry Springs and the surrounding national parks I will be putting one big timelapse video together.

Stay close by the night before visiting

To make the most of my next visit I would love to stay close by. There is a lot more to photograph in the area than just the springs themselves. There is an abundance of wildlife to view and photograph. It would also be great to go down the afternoon before to prepare for the next day.

That about wraps up what I would do differently to take my Berry Springs photography to the next level. Below I have listed a number of different Berry Springs accommodation options, a map, and some photographs from my visit. If you have any great travel or photography tips relating to the area please leave a comment below.