I am very lucky to have the rugged and beautiful landscape of Otago to photograph. Not only is the local scenery stunning, but, I am also spoilt at times with glorious and colourful sunrises and sunsets. There is something magical about being fully immersed in spectacular light as clouds and sky burst in a symphony of colour all around. Sometimes, I feel like I should just put the camera down, completely free myself of the task of taking images and just enjoy the show. But, that is easier said than done.

Recently I have been thinking more and more about what I want to get out of my images. How I want them to affect me when I look at them. While I love the colour of sunrises and sunsets, I have been becoming increasingly wary of pinks, oranges and reds in the sky. These are images I believe work extremely well in a social media environment, but somehow fall short when printed. Popular photography platforms give us the opportunity to binge on stunning images, to wow and be wowed by each others work, carefully crafted and digitally developed images are consumed and then forgotten in seconds. So I stopped posting images on 500px, it kind of just got pointless for me, and I don't miss it.

So I came up with a plan. Moving forward I want my images to focus on atmosphere. To celebrate the weather, whether that be rain, wind, fog, or snow. I don't need my photography to sing with colour, perhaps it can be more earthy and grey. From this colour palette I would like to tell stories.

That is my plan, and I like it as it gives my photography purpose and direction. I'm not sure if this is a path I will stay on, but for now it sits well with me.

All of the images I have shared in this blog were taken after I decided to move in this direction. So far so good, and I look forward to what is to come. It does make me wonder whether there are other photographers out there who have similar feelings.