Project: Landscape Photography

This is a body of work that represents how I view the landscape, and how my photographs reflect my perspective. Flipping through my photos, I noticed that I captured a lot of naturally grey scenes. The sea and sky usually blended together in different shades, or rocks would litter a shoreline and have different tints to them that made them stand out. Grey to me is always associated with cold, rainy days and unhappy emotions. The greys here give off a completely different vibe: they ask the viewer to look for the subtle color shifts between boundaries, but still somehow feel warm and natural. My very happy memories of New Zealand are all tinged with grey, from rocks to water to clouds, and this body of work reflects the dichotomy between my old perception of grey and my new.

The Greyscape

Seascape - This was taken from the top of the Interislander ferry on the coast of Wellington. I remember that day as being clear and sunny, but this photo makes the horizon look like a wall of grey clouds. This began our journey to the South Island, and if I could have seen the island in the distance, the experiences it hosted contrast the traditional gloominess of its grey silhouette. 

Rock Bridge - This was sculpted during our conversation about ephemeral spaces at Pelorus Bridge, one of my favorite stops on the side of the highway. The rocks are all various shades of grey, but somehow they can distinguish themselves from their very similar neighbors.

Driftwood - This was taken along State Highway 1 in the Southern Island, just outside of Kaikoura. This scenic drive is New Zealand's main road; the whole way down, there were lush green mountains on the right side and grey-blue ocean on the left. The subject matter as well as the natural greyscale on this photo are significant to me: this is the first time that we spent time in the Pacific off the South Island, very close to the Arctic, and saw the first of many beaches like this.

Wavy Blues - This was one of my favorite beach shots from Kaikoura. I loved how the grey rocks transformed into some of the bluest ocean I have ever seen. The scene starts from grey bottom, white froth transitioning to blue waves, darker sky behind, and then a return to grey with the mist-shrouded mountains in the back.

Ombre - This was another beach shot taken at the time of the Moeraki Boulders. This was the first "cold day" we encountered, and the cloud cover did very little to warm us. As we neared the tip of the South Island, even though we were still considered to be in a warm southern climate, there were subtle reminders in the lighting that we were very far south, near the Arctic. This collection of blues and greys ombre-ed by the sea reflect that geographical change. 

Pinnacle - This is the greyest and coldest photo of my entire collection. I was standing at the top of the Franz Josef glacier trench, right before the face of the glacier. I turned around and looked at the valley through which we hiked. The temperate rain forest brings a constant misty cover to the dark rocky sides. This landscape is completely different from anything else I've ever seen in my life, and it is not something I will forget anytime soon.