Lynsey Sutton photography

“From high places” is a selection of images taken whilst tramping the hills and mountains of New Zealand. This collection comes from Mount Taranaki, the Ruahines and Kaweka’s in the North with the peaks of Tapuae O Uenuko, Kahurangi National Park, Nelson Lakes, Mount Aspiring & Fiordland in the South. There is nothing better than ascending a hilltop to see the view unfold in front of you. Every day in (and above) the bush is a good day!

This collection is a tribute to the man who loved the hills, my colleague and friend Peter Hicks.

This collection is dear to my heart. It marks a longer project, a real time documentation of the growth of my Son as he travels through his life. It is an homage, a symbol of love, a reflection of my adoration and pride as I watch him grow and flourish. Aroha.

Taken in the Tongariro national park in winter, a rugged, stark, icy wilderness. Hues of blue, brown and pink cast over wintery tussock desert and the mountains loom in the distance.

This collection comes from the Tararuas, the local hills that flank the Eastern side of Wellington, stretching to the Wairarapa and as far North as Palmerston North. These hills are not to be underestimated, on a good day they are full of magic, light and adventure, on a bad day they demand respect and care. There is nothing more beautiful than these hills on a good day.

Taken around the South Island of New Zealand. Images shot in Christchurch, Dunedin, The Catlins, Te-Anau, Fiordland National Park, Wanaka, Queenstown, Nelson, and Tasman region . Hues of blue and gold dominate the horizon and rural scenes and coastlines give way to the mountains and lakes.

This is my home. This is Wellington. This is the place i love. These images have been taken over the last 3 years  when i have been out running the streets and hills of the city. I count myself incredibly lucky to be able to combine one passion with another like this and this is my daily ritual. 

Rakiura, Stewart Island is at the bottom of the South Island. Its remoteness and location means its about as wild and elemental as you can get, buffeted by wind and hail one minute, sunshine the next. Kiwi were spotted daily on the Western side of the island, as well as fern filled bush tracks, weathered beaches and mud pits to sink into. The sunsets on the duned flanks are something special.

Where the environment is harsh and dramatic and no longer inhabited lies a land which evokes a sense of desolation, loneliness and tragedy. A lone tree sits hanging onto life in a dry river bed, a haunted house on a hill, and a chair where once a person sat, remind me of childhood ghost stories and urban folklore. This is a set of images shot in the unforgiving landscape around Queenstown, the Wairarapa and Southland. 

The Wairarapa is a magical place. Raw landscapes of tussock and eucalyptus trees give way to untamed coastlines, shipwrecks and lighthouses. Organic textures with hills of velvet and sunset hues of blue and gold.

As we move through life we are in a constant grapple between loss and gain. We are in a perpetual state of flux, moving forward and leaving behind what is gone. 

Our families are the most important thing to us. Our children grow so fast that moments are quickly lost, one phase of life gives in to another. This is the tenuous nature of life, transition, reflection, loss and gain. Memories of what once was and dreams of what is to come.  

The Tenuous Nature of Things was exhibited at Photospace gallery, in Wellington, 2017 from 25th August to 16th September as part of the "four" group exhibition. It is the first large scale conceptual project from the photographer.