Orange Aotearoa (2002) Photograph by Gary Moger

South Island, New Zealand, 2002.

Just after first light. The frost hasn't lifted yet.

A dirt road cuts through the frozen tussock, telegraph poles marking time into the distance. And beyond them — the Southern Alps, burning orange in the first sun of the day, the whole range lit up like something ancient and on fire, while the foreground is still cold and blue-grey with frost.

This is Aotearoa — the Māori name for New Zealand. Land of the Long White Cloud. Gary was staying at a farm in the middle of the alps, and stepped outside into this.
Two worlds in one frame. The cold earth waking up. The mountains already ablaze.

Shot on a Leica M6 with Kodak Portra NC film — the warmth and grain of analogue photography doing exactly what it does best. All of Gary's work is captured full frame, exactly as the scene appeared. Nothing is cropped, nothing is manipulated. What you see is what was there.

A Note on Process
Every print I sell is made in my own studio and checked for every detail and quality before I pack it for shipping. I use plastic free packaging.
The paper I use is the finest quality and after years of experimenting, I find it gives the best tonal range and finish.
Hahnemühle has been making art papers for hundreds of years.

Materials used:

Leica M6 camera, Kodak portrait NC film, Hahnemuhle Photorag Archival paper

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 50
• Size: 66.04 x 45.72 x 0.25cm (unframed) / 60.96 x 39.88cm (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky