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James Gibson Photography

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    Castle Hill.

Kura Tawhiti - "Treasures from Afar"

Nestled in the mountains of New Zealand’s Southern Alps lies Castle Hill basin. This conservation area is set apart from the nearby mountain ranges for its elegant and fascinating limestone formations. These bizarre natural sculptures make the locale a photographic treasure-trove, offering endless opportunities for wide angle mountain vistas alongside small, intimate textural abstracts and studies of shape and form.
    Lake Kaniere, West Coast NZ

Due to the complexities of the New Zealand Department of Conservation concession laws, this image is currently unavailable for purchase. Feel free to get in touch with your local MP to help remedy this!
    Key Summit

Towards the end of the Routeburn track, as you approach the last downhill to the Divide carpark there's a short detour up to key summit. This stunning collection of tarns runs along the top of a ridge line, a delicate and fragile environment to be enjoyed quietly, awed by the maginficent vistas of Fiordland National Park!

On this night I felt pretty honoured to have to break trail through about 18" of untouched fresh snow... only the local wildlife's tracks anywhere to be seen!

As with all images here, these are low-res versions. 

This image is available as an A2 signed, limited edition (20) fine art print - Get in touch for more details

Print 1/20: $448.50 NZD
    Lake Brunner Starlight

An incredibly still night at the magical Iveagh bay of Lake Brunner, on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. This beautiful location is surprisingly accessible - it's a popular boating spot in summer, but can be atrociously wet (have a look at the shot in my landscapes gallery, taken from nearly the same spot earlier in the year, as a storm came through.)

Luckily this night was crystal clear. The day started out in epic fashion with our vehicle van getting stuck near punakaiki and towed out late that evening, so I was super-grateful for this slice of calm and tranquility after such a chaotic and stressful day!

As with all images here, these are low-res versions. If you are interested in a print, please get in touch!

This image is available as an A2 signed, limited edition (20) fine art print - Get in touch for more details

Print 1/20: $448.50 NZD
    The Maori Lakes

Taken near Lake Heron, in the Ashburton Lakes area of South Canterbury.

Technical stuff:

2 rows of 6 images, shot portrait-orientation, using a Canon 5D mkIV and 20mm f/1.4 Sigma ART lens mounted on a nodal ninja

ISO2000, f/1.4, 25s each frame.
    Milky Way over Poolburn
    Mt Cook

An early snowfall bathes the countryside in snow. This image was made right at the end of astronomical twilight - the light blue coming up to the right of Aoraki Mt Cook is the first tinge of pre-dawn light
    Colours in the Night

The Milky Way rises above a reservoir on the west coast, New Zealand.
    A Light in the Darkness

Champion Image 2017 Laurie Thomas New Zealand Landscape Salon

Nugget point lighthouse in the Catlins shines out into a gorgeous clear night, with a hint of the Aurora Coriolis to the South
    Lake Roundabout

Taken near Lake Clearwater, Canterbury New Zealand
    Our 'Dark Sky' reserve

Lake Pukaki, looking away from Mt Cook you can clearly see the glow of reflected lights from Twizel in the distance.
    Milky Way and the reef

Taken at Motukiekie rocks
    Wharariki Arch

A fully-overhead Milky Way arch, tracking 180° from Wharariki rocks (The now famous cow-and-calf, thanks Windows10!) to where a group of kids were fortuitously having a bonfire on the beach
    The Bluff Shipwrecks

The milky way running from Invercargill to Bluff, with Tiwai Point smelter illuminating the background
    The Sentinels

Taken at Castel Hill reserve in Canterbury, these imposing limestone formations create some fantastic shapes in the landscape
    Reflections in Lake Pukaki

Lake Pukaki, near Mt Cook, New Zealand
    More from the rocks

My personal favourite from Motukiekie reef, Stars above and Starfish below