The Atmospheric Landscapes collection brings together expansive scenes shaped by fog, mist, and low cloud—conditions that transform the land into something more abstract, ethereal, and emotionally resonant. These images capture broad views where light and atmosphere interact to soften detail, blur distance, and deepen mood.
Rather than focusing on individual elements, these photographs explore the landscape as a whole—its contours revealed and concealed by drifting weather, its forms simplified into layers, silhouettes, and shifting tones.
Atmospheric Landscapes
Expansive Views Softened by Atmosphere
Light up the Peak - Te Mata Peak, Hawke's Bay (2021)
This image captures a magical sunrise from the summit of Te Mata Peak, overlooking the mist-shrouded Tukituki Valley. The scene showcases a momentary, yet perfect convergence of elements: a golden sun rising over the landscape, fog flowing gently through the valley, and birds in flight adding life to the scene. Enhancing the composition further, the sky, fog and the peak create natural leading lines that form an 'X,' guiding the viewer’s eye through the image. This harmonious interplay of light, texture, and life transformed the moment into a truly magical and visually captivating experience.
Whangaroa Blues - Northland, NZ (2024)
From the summit of St. Paul’s Rock, lush, forested hills bathed in golden sunlight stand out, their treetops glowing against the deep greens of the valley below. Layers of mist weave through the landscape, drifting above the dense foliage and across the tranquil blue waters of a winding inlet that is Whangaroa Harbour. These blues blend seamlessly into the distant ocean, which in turn fades effortlessly into the sky.
Golden Mist in the Tukituki Valley - Hawke's Bay (2024)
Golden sunlight pierces through the early morning mist that is covering the Tukituki Valley, casting a magical glow over the landscape. Bare trees, stripped of their leaves by the cold season, emerge from the mist, their skeletal branches bathed in warm, golden hues, standing like sentinels above a misty carpet.
Mist over the Routeburn River - Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand (2025)
A thin veil of mist lingers over the Routeburn River that flows through the valley covered in golden grass.
Ethereal Valley - Tukituki Valley, Hawke's Bay (2024)
The early morning mist transforms the Tukituki Valley, as seen from Te Mata Peak, into an otherworldly landscape. Amidst the trees, a glimpse of a tiny vehicle travelling along Waimarama Road introduces a quiet trace of human presence in the scene.
Calm Obscurity - Otago, NZ (2023)
The setting is Moke Lake, a hidden gem nestled amidst mountain peaks, not far from Queenstown.
At sunrise, it was cold, the fog was thick, and the visibility was very limited, with no mountains in sight. As the early morning mist slowly retreated, a sense of peacefulness and stillness settled over the scene. The mirror-like surface of the lake acted as a flawless canvas, mirroring the surrounding beauty. Meanwhile, the remaining traces of mist, which still partially blocked the view of the surrounding mountains, added an element of intrigue.
A few minutes later, the mist had completely faded away, giving way to a beautiful clear day.
Golden Hour at the Pekapeka Wetlands - Hastings, Hawke's Bay (2021)
On a calm autumn day, mist drifts above the Pekapeka Wetlands, casting a subtle, mysterious ambiance over the scene. A tree, glowing in the soft light of the early morning sun, stands in golden contrast against the shadowed hillside, its reflection perfectly mirrored in the still waters below—a display of symmetrical harmony in nature.
Tarns to Lake Harris - Mt Aspiring National Park, Otago, NZ (2025)
A Routeburn Track highlight: from Harris Saddle, tarns stretch toward Lake Harris, beyond which the Valley of the Trolls vanishes into mist.
Journey into the Wild - Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring National Park (2025)
A winding alpine trail leads the eye—and the spirit—into the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Captured near the descent from Harris Saddle along the Routeburn Track, this moody landscape reveals the Routeburn Left Branch in all its raw splendour. Mist clings to the peaks, golden tussock glows in the valley below, and the sense of solitude is as vast as the land itself.
Waterfall in Doubtful Sound - Fiordland, New Zealand (2020)
A beautiful waterfall on a cloudy, but unusually dry day in the the Crooked Arm that is one of the arms off the Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand.
Whatawhata Morning Fog - Waikato, New Zealand (2019)
The layers of blue, white and green in this photo of morning fog in the Waikato always make me think of a national flag.
A little research revealed that the national flag of Lesotho, a kingdom encircled by South Africa has such a flag. Also, someone suggested this as the new flag for New Zealand back in the days that we were debating replacing our current flag. The Blue represents the sky, the lakes and rivers, and the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea. White represents the long white cloud, the crests of waves and snow-capped mountain peaks. And Green represents the earth and the beautiful islands of New Zealand.
Mist-Clad Trees at Dawn - Pukehou, Hawke's Bay (2024)
This photograph captures the serene beauty of the rural fields around Pukehou in May, a time when mist and fog often grace the landscape. The soft interplay of early morning light and the gentle veil of mist creates an ideal setting for my style of photography. In this image, the lifting fog reveals scattered clusters of trees, adding depth and a sense of quiet mystery to the scene.
Love what you see?
Each image can be purchased as a high-quality fine art print or canvas, ready to bring a touch of nature’s beauty into your home or office.
See more of Hawke’s Bay’s beauty
Te Mata Peak
Tukituki Valley
Lake Tutira
Pekapeka Wetlands
Beaches
All photos from this series are available for licensing and as gallery-quality fine art prints.
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