Hells Gate, Middlehurst
Fujifilm GFX100S II, Fujinon GF100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR, f8 @ 1/13 second, ISO 40

I'm on a roll! Another photograph taken in the mountains! My Australian heritage is shining through because, as we don't have any mountains of note, we love seeing them in other places! This is the Inland Kaikōura Range in the north of New Zealand's South Island - or at least the bottom of it. The tops are hidden in the clouds. Sometimes we don't want clouds so we can see the mountains, sometimes we don't like clear skies because the landscape lacks emotion.

I'll have to check with Willy Macdonald at MIddlehurst Station about why this area is called Hells Gate. He's told me several times, but I can't quite remember - and anyway, I like my version better. Below from where this photo is taken is a series of tight curves in the Awatere River, flowing swiftly through a narrow gorge and banked by high cliffs. I like to think of this section as a 'gate' to the lands of Middlehurst (or Mordor). And it would be a hell of a place to walk through!

Certainly the Inland Kaikōura Range looks like Mordor, even though I believe the movies were filmed further south. It's a classic mountain scene and one we try to photograph every time we visit. Sometimes the weather is clear, sometimes there's cloud along the tops as in the photo above. In recent years, we've taken a helicopter up into the foothills, along with a picnic basket and a couple of drinks. Not that we're casual about our photographic aims and objectives, but it's also important to enjoy your art.

So, what do I like about this image? I feel it captures the essence of the New Zealand high country in winter. Of course, there isn't just one 'essence', but the low clouds skirting across the mountain tops and the sun peaking out just enough to illuminate the bottom edge of the cloud bank - it does it for me. And that's what landscape photographers are looking for - a patch of light that accentuates a key element in the composition.

So, how do you capture light like this? There are no guarantees, but the more often you put yourself out there, the better your chances. I find that on a two week trip, you're almost guaranteed a change in the weather and this is when the magic light can happen. Of course, Namibia at this time of the year can have clear skies for a month, but in New Zealand, you might only have to wait 10 minutes for a change to come through!