NZPhotographer Issue 46, August 2021

the story we wish to tell, it can lead us to a more
sustainable approach and a more original body of
work.
I’m lucky enough to be based in what many consider
one of the top countries for landscape photography:
New Zealand. Its iconic locations have been shared
worldwide and used to help drive tourism as the
country’s largest export earner pre-COVID. Most
landscape photographers worldwide will recognise
or be able to name our most famous locations, and
many have visited these places themselves. The same
few locations tend to top the list for visitors (including,
of course, a particular famed tree often simply
referred to as “That Tree” - you know the one I’m
talking about!).
But does this stunning natural canvas lead to the best
landscape photography? Does it make it easy to
be a landscape photographer here? Surely with the
advantage of all these iconic landscapes, there’s
no shortage of material for Instagram posts? This
may be the case, but I also believe it is one of the
very reasons for the lack of originality in much of the
landscape photography produced in New Zealand.
Many stunning images are produced, but often there
is little to set them apart from one another, apart from
the latest capture trends and, at times, questionable
post-processing techniques. This leads to quality of
work being judged for the craftsmanship in its creation
over anything else. Has landscape photography
become simply a craft? One that can be taught from
a YouTube video? Is there a “recipe” that will produce
the desired results? Or is there a more engaging way
to approach and capture the landscape? As much
as learning craft is important (it gives us the tools to
work with) executing that craft to capture the same
landscapes as everyone else will not result in an
original body of art.
To be considered a work of art, a piece must be
driven by intent; a desire to express something through
its creation. This intent should go beyond simply
NZPhotographer
August 2021
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