The Wreck Of Hope
The title of this is inspired by the 19th century painting by Caspar Friedrich. Birds filled the sky and seals darted across the waters as the afternoon light flooded the landscape behind Jokulsarlon in Iceland. An ever changing scene that was soon gone. A glacial tongue can be seen in the distance, in the land of fire and ice.
Jokulsarlon, Iceland
Secrets Of The Forest
Water is a constant in Fiordland, shaping and transforming just about every aspect of the landscape. After the right amount of rain, hidden streams swell and create special scenes just like this. I found this intimate fall one afternoon, when walking the forest and being led by curiosity. The sinking sunlight filtered through the canopy and illuminated sections of the soft mossy greens that clothe all in sight.
Fiordland New Zealand
Dusk
The remote, south west corner of Fiordland. An expanse of fiords and islands that are too wild, rugged and remote to be settled. So, nature reigns supreme, with storms often flooding and transforming the landscape, this golden afternoon being a rare exception.
Dusky Sound, Fiordland New Zealand
Selah
Yes, it is a grand sight when you emerge from the shadows of the rainforest and behold an amphitheatre of mountains draped in snow and ice. The most unforgiving of places can be so inviting.
Lake Marian, Fiordland New Zealand
Allure
As you drive the south coast of Iceland, not only do the number of waterfalls become innumerable, but also the glacier tongues begin to multiply. The large Vatnajokull ice cap covers 8% of the country, where many rivers of ice (glaciers) flow down from its heights. Here, at the terminus, ice regularly calves off and slowly melts into oblivion as the landscape is constantly sculpted by the hands of time and change.
South Coast, Iceland
Melt
The unique landscape of Iceland, viewed from high above a river delta, along the South Coast.
South Coast, Iceland
Tessellation
The force of fresh water charging across the surface of the sea, after falling from a height three times higher than Niagara Falls. A classic perspective here, as the spider web of water is created below Stirling Falls.
Stirling Falls, Milford Sound New Zealand
Inside The Vortex
What you need to know about the northern lights is that they vary in intensity, not just from night to night but second by second. Some displays may be dim, like a faint glow and other nights like this, the lights move and pulsate through the sky like a serpent, so bright that the ground and faces of your accomplices glow green. I had the pleasure of leading one of my Iceland tours during this solar storm, which lasted through the entire night. Shouts of joy echoed off the nearby cliffs with every burst of energy from the green blasts, which rippled from one horizon to the other. Yes, they really are spectacular to the naked eye.
South Coast, Iceland
Atonement
The forests in Fiordland are a safe place for me, one that always provides solace and rest. This section here is less than 10 minutes from my house and is often draped in gold during the afternoon, as the sun makes its way behind the nearby mountains. This is a simple single exposure with a narrow aperture being used the create the sunstar.
Te Anau, Fiordland New Zealand
Time Of Noah
Three times higher than Niagara Falls, here is Stirling Falls in Milford Sound, captured in the midst of a torrential downpour. It’s taken me quite a few years to capture an image here that portrays all that I love about this place.
Milford Sound (2019)
Reign From Above
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” 1Chron 16:31
Glenorchy, New Zealand
Disappearing Falls
A place where wild seas break at the feet of mountains and waterfalls are lifted into the stormiest of skies.
Fiordland, New Zealand
Pulse
An aerial perspective of the West Coast of New Zealand, looking down upon a light streaked river winding its way from the mountains to the sea.
A Voice In The Silence
A temporary light that broke the veil of the storm. A face to face reminder to keep pressing forward.
Fiordland, New Zealand
Times Of Old
Wind obliterating a wave, right in the fleeting moments of a sunset. There’s a strangely familiar feeling I experience when viewing this one, like a window back to a former moment in time.
South Coast NSW, Australia
Ocean Valley
The ocean as its uplifted from the deep depths, moments before forming a towering wave. This frame reminded me of a mountainous valley.
South Coast NSW, Australia
Ice Blast
A display of sastrugi, mid-winter in the high mountains of the Southern Alps, New Zealand.
Storm King
Milford Sound in Fiordland, a gateway to the sea and one of the wettest places on planet earth. Glaciers once carved these giant granite towers which now endure the violent storms that blast down the fiord. Mitre Peak is the iconic jewel of the landscape, revealed here in all its storm born glory.
Fiordland, New Zealand
Firesky
Queenstown is well positioned for spectacular sunrises, with cloud often forming over the nearby mountains but clear skies present far out east. This recipe can make for some incredible dawns and I have witnessed this type of light in Queenstown a number of times. This one really went to another level though, with everything in the sky, water and land stained in rich crimson.
Survivor
When we emerge from one wave, only to be greeted by an onslaught of more. Life presents us with our own individual storms to endure and lately my mind has been with those who are born into adversity and challenging circumstances beyond their control. There’s not always an answer for the suffering and pain in the world but I do put my hope in a greater good that will prevail. This represents a sole survivor that was able to overcome.
Southland, New Zealand
Vessels
Glacial meltwater flowing from distant valleys, a landscape once dominated by ice.
Glenorchy, New Zealand
Break Through
No other place stirs my heart like Fiordland, even the name itself evokes lofty thoughts. Whether in the midst of chaotic storms or amidst a window of calm, beauty abounds. Here, the veil of cloud is lifted as the sun sets over the horizon at Dusky Sound.
Wrath Of The Sea
I’m drawn to subjects and weather that I both fear and revere. A storm surge uplifting the ocean is one such environment.
South Coast NSW, Australia
Rise Up
This is the closest beach to my home in New Zealand, just over an hours drive and much different than those I grew up beside in Australia. The ocean can be incredibly violent down here, with strong winds often battering the coast. On a calm day, these views are some of the finest in the world. Captured at sunset as the afternoon sun painted the land and sea gold.
Fiordland, New Zealand