I lived in New Zealand for 7 months in 2008, and went on several of this beautiful country's renowned Great Treks, including the Greenstone-Caples trek, where I took this photo. You wouldn't guess it by looking at this photo, but less than an hour before I captured this image, I was walking through a blizzard.
Tauranga, on New Zealand's North Island, is the fifth largest urban area on this small, island nation. A short hike up Mount Maunganui offers one this view of the city.
This photo, taken on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island, is typical of New Zealand. Major portions of this island nation are mountainous , and the steps on the hill on the right side of the photo are also common. A few dozen sheep grazing on the lush, green grasses really completes this photo.
Stewart Island, which lies just south of New Zealand's South Island, is home to an array of wildlife, as well as 381 permanent residents, as of the 2013 census. It was here that I took this photo of a cormorant.
I have no idea what this plant is, but it was all around me while on the Mount Crichton track of New Zealand's South Island.
One of many seals I saw at Whites Bay, on New Zealand's South Island.
The Rob Roy track, on New Zealand's South Island, is a relatively easy 6-mile round trip hike that takes one, ultimately, to the Rob Roy Glacier. It is this very glacier that feeds the stream in this photo, and the beautiful, blue color of this water is due to the water being glacial runoff.
I lived in Queenstown, New Zealand, for a few months in 2008. Situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, and nestled between mountain ranges, Queenstown is one of the prettiest places anyone could ever hope to live.
Nugget Point, on the South Island of New Zealand's spectacular Otago Coast, is simply beautiful. In addition to the simple natural beauty of this location, it is also home to many seabirds, and a breeding colony of fur seals.
I don't know the name of this mountain, only that I took it in Mount Aspiring National Park. I know that it is not Mount Aspiring, though. The mountains on New Zealand's south island are beautiful, and the afternoon light created a perfect contrast of light and dark on this mountain.
Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Occupying the southwest portion of New Zealand's South Island, it was judged in 2008 by TripAdvisor to be the world's top travel destination. With scenes like this, it's no wonder why.
I lived in Queenstown, New Zealand, for a few months in 2008. The lake shown here – Wakatipu – stretches for miles in either direction of Queenstown. It's hard for me to believe that this was my view every day for a few months!
Lake Tekapo is one of three parallel lakes near the center of New Zealand's South Island. Occupying 32 square miles, it's relatively high elevation – 2,330 feet above sea level – allows it to run several power stations.
ChristChurch Cathedral, in Christchurch, New Zealand, was built between 1864 and 1904, but due to being in such a seismically active area, it has been damaged in six separate earthquakes, most recently in February 2011. Because of earthquake damage, it has been partially demolished since I took this photo in April, 2008, and what will ultimately happen to it remains unknown.
I took this photo early in the morning near Ship Creek, on New Zealand's South Island. This was early-on in my photography hobby – long before I was doing this professionally – and I don't even know the name of the lake shown. I do a better job of keeping track of my shooting locations now!
Zhangjiajie National Park, which is roughly a two-hour flight north of Hong Kong, is an otherworldly place. Major portions of James Cameron's 2009 “Avatar” were filmed here. It is frequently completely surrounded by and filled with clouds that make visibility impossible beyond a few hundred feet, but I was fortunate enough to have good visibility on the day that I took this photo. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle A): 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 20x24, 24x30, 30x40.
Zhangjiajie National Park, which is roughly a two-hour flight north of Hong Kong, is an otherworldly place. Major portions of James Cameron's 2009 “Avatar” were filmed here. It is frequently completely surrounded by and filled with clouds that make visibility impossible beyond a few hundred feet, but I was fortunate enough to have good visibility on the day that I took this photo. Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 48x24 Triptych (3 x 16x24), 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 70x35, 70x35 Triptych (3 x 23x35), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40).
The city shown in this photo – XingPing – is, by Chinese standards, little more than a village. Surrounded by dense forests and steep mountains, it lies in the heart of one of the most beautiful locations I've seen. In the lower, left corner of this photo, the Lijiang River can be seen. The photo opportunities in this area stretch for miles in any direction, and it was from the top of Laozhai Hill, from where I took this photo, that many of my photos here were taken. Although getting here was a bit of a hike, the views made it well worth the trouble. Available in the following sizes (Panorama B): 30x12, 40x16, 50x20, 50x20 Triptych (3 x 17x20), 60x24, 60x24 Triptych (3 x 20x24), 75x30, 75x30 Triptych (3 x 25x30), 90x36, 90x36 Triptych (3 x 30x36), 105x42 Triptych (3 x 35x42).